The Development of Chinese Herbal Formulae for Non-severe COVID-19 Based on Artificial Intelligence Technology and Investigation of Its Action Mechanisms / 中医杂志

ObjectiveTo develop traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） formulae for the treatment of nonsevere coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） and to explore its anti-inflammatory mechanism. MethodsThe dysregulated signaling pathways were determined in macrophages from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of COVID-19 patients and in lung epithelial cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 in vitro based on transcriptome analysis. A total of 102 TCM formulae for the clinical treatment of nonsevere COVID-19 were collected through literature. The pathway-reversing rates of these formulae in macrophages and lung epithelial cells were evaluated based on signature signaling pathways， and the basic formula was determined in conjunction with TCM theory. The commonly used Chinese materia medica for nonsevere COVID-19 were summarized from the 102 TCM formulae as abovementioned. And together with the screening results from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， a “Chinese materia medica pool” was esta-blished for the development of TCM formulae for COVID-19. The regulatory effects of each herb on signaling pathways were obtained based on targeted transcriptome analysis. Oriented at reversing dysregulated signaling pathways of COVID-19， the calculation was carried out， and the artificial intelligent methods for compositing formulae， that are exhaustive method and parallel computing， were used to obtain candidate compound formulas. Finally， with reference to professional experience， an innovative formula for the treatment of nonsevere COVID-19 was developed. The ethanol extract of the formula was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory effects by detecting the mRNA expression of interleukin 1b （Il1b）， C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 （Cxcl2）， C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 （Cxcl10）， C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 （Ccl2）， nitric oxide synthase 2 （Nos2）， and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （Ptgs2） using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR） in RAW264.7 cells treated with lipopolysaccharide （LPS）. ResultsIn macrophages and lung epithelial cells， 34 dysregulated signaling pathways associated with COVID-19 were identified respectively. The effects of the 102 formulae for clinical treatment of nonsevere COVID-19 were evaluated based on the dysregulated signaling pathways and targeted transcriptome， and the result showed that Yinqiao Powder and Pingwei Powder （银翘散合平胃散， YQPWP） ranked first， reversing 91.18% of the dysregulated signaling pathways in macrophages and 100% of the dysregulated signaling pathways in lung epithelial cells. Additionally， YQPWP had the function of scattering wind and clearing heat， resolving toxins and removing dampness in accordance with the pathogenesis of wind-heat with dampness in COVID-19. It was selected as the basic formula， and was further modified and optimized to develop an innovative fomula Qiaobang Zhupi Yin （翘蒡术皮饮， QBZPY） based on expert experience and artificial intelligence in composing formulae. QBZPY can reverse all the dysregulated signaling pathways associated with COVID-19 in macrophages and lung epithelial cells， with the reversing rates of 100%. The chief medicinal of QBZPY， including Lianqiao （Fructus Forsythiae）， Xixiancao （Herba Siegesbeckiae） and Niubangzi （Fructus Arctii）， can down-regulate multiple signaling pathways related with virus infection， immune response， and epithelial damage. RT-qPCR results indicated that compared with the model group， the QBZPY group down-regulated the mRNA expression of Il1b， tumor necrosis factor （Tnf）， Cxcl2， Cxcl10， Ccl2， Nos2 and Ptgs2 induced by LPS in RAW264.7 cells （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionBased on targeted transcriptome analysis， expert experience in TCM and artificial intelligence， QBZPY has been developed for the treatment of nonsevere COVID-19. The ethanol extract of QBZPY has been found to inhibit mRNA expression of several pro-inflammatory genes in a cellular inflammation model.

Transcriptome Sequencing on Treatment of Kidney Deficiency and Blood Stasis-thin Endometrium in Rats with Bushen Huoxue Prescription Through Enema / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Bushen Huoxue enema in treating the rat model of kidney deficiency and blood stasis-thin endometrium （KDBS-TE） by transcriptome sequencing. MethodThe rat model of KDBS-TE was established by administration of tripterygium polyglycosides tablets combined with subcutaneous injection of adrenaline. The pathological changes of rat endometrium in each group were then observed. Three uterine tissue specimens from each of the blank group， model group， and Bushen Huoxue enema group were randomly selected for transcriptome sequencing. The differentially expressed circRNAs， lncRNAs， and miRNAs were screened， and the disease-related specific competitive endogenous RNA （ceRNA） regulatory network was constructed. Furthermore， the gene ontology （GO） functional annotation and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment were performed for the mRNAs in the network. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed endometrial dysplasia， decreased endometrial thickness and endometrial/total uterine wall thickness ratio （P<0.01）， and differential expression of 18 circRNAs， 410 lncRNAs， and 7 miRNAs. Compared with the model group， the enema and estradiol valerate groups showed improved endometrial morphology and increased endometrial thickness and ratio of endometrial to total uterine wall thickness （P<0.05）. In addition， 21 circRNAs， 518 lncRNAs， and 17 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the enema group. The disease-related specific circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network composed of 629 nodes and 664 edges contained 2 circRNAs， 34 miRNAs， and 593 mRNAs. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network composed of 180 nodes and 212 edges contained 5 lncRNAs， 10 miRNAs， and 164 mRNAs. The mNRAs were mainly enriched in Hippo signaling pathway， autophagy-animal， axon guidance， etc. ConclusionBushen Huoxue enema can treat KDBS-TE in rats by regulating specific circRNAs， lncRNAs， and miRNAs in the uterus and the ceRNA network.

Transcriptional differential analysis of ocular surface ectoderm and surface ectoderm / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To identify transcriptional differences between the ocular surface ectoderm(OSE)and surface ectoderm(SE)using RNA-seq, and elucidate the OSE transcriptome landscape and the regulatory networks involved in its development.METHODS:OSE and SE cells were differentiated from human embryonic stem(hES)cells. Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between OSE and SE were analyzed using RNA-seq. Based on the DEGs, we performed gene ontology(GO)analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis. Transcription factors(TFs)and hub genes were screened. Subsequently, TF-gene and TF-miRNA regulatory networks were constructed using the NetworkAnalyst platform.RESULTS:A total of 4 182 DEGs were detected between OSE and SE cells, with 2 771 up-regulated and 1 411 down-regulated genes in OSE cells. GO-BP analysis revealed that up-regulated genes in OSE were enriched in the regulation of ion transmembrane transport, axon development, and modulation of chemical synaptic transmission. Down-regulated genes were primarily involved in nuclear division, chromosome segregation, and regulation of cell cycle phase transition. KEGG analysis indicated that up-regulated genes in OSE cells were enriched in signaling pathways such as cocaine addiction, axon guidance, and amphetamine addiction, while down-regulated genes were enriched in proteoglycans in cancer, ECM-receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Additionally, compared with SE, 204 TFs(including FOS, EGR1, POU5F1, SOX2, and PAX6)were up-regulated, and 80 TFs(including HAND2, HOXB6, HOXB5, HOXA5, and HOXB8)were down-regulated in OSE cells. Furthermore, we identified 6 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated hub genes in OSE cells, and constructed TF-gene and TF-miRNA regulatory networks based on these hub genes.CONCLUSIONS:The transcriptome characteristics of OSE and SE cells were elucidated through RNA-seq analysis. These findings may provide a novel insight for studies on the development and in vitro directed induction of OSE and corneal epithelial cells.

Transcriptomic analysis of the molecular mechanism of Tiaopi Chengqi decoction improving gastric digestive function in mice with food accumulation / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

AIM:To explore the molecular mechanism of Tiaopi Chengqi decoction (TpCqD) improving hyperthermia and high-protein food-induced hyperphagia mice based on transcriptomics. METHODS:C57 mice were randomly divided into a control group, model group, low-dose TpCqD group, high-dose TpCqD group, and domperidone group. The general condition of the experimental mice was observed and the average food intake was counted, and the rate of gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion was determined for each group of mice. H&E staining was used to observe pathological changes in gastric tissue. PAS staining was used to observe glycogen changes in gastric tissue. Pepsin activity was determined by colorimetry. pH value of gastric contents was measured by acid-base titration. Transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the differential genes in gastric tissue, a volcano map and a cluster heat map were made for the differential genes, and KEGG was used to analyze the signal pathway enrichment of the differential genes. RT-qPCR verified the differential genes obtained by screening. RESULTS:After treatment with TpCqD, the body weight and average food intake of mice with food accumulation increased (P<0.05), and the intestinal propulsion rate and gastric emptying speed of mice with food accumulation accelerated (P<0.05). TpCqD could protect gastric tissue structure and glycogen degradation, increase pepsin activity (P<0.05), and reduce gastric content pH (P<0.05). Transcriptome results showed that TpCqD could regulate the expression of Acox2 and cilp2, regulate fat digestion and absorption, protein digestion and absorption, and pancreatic secretion signals. RT-qPCR showed that compare with model group, TpCqD up-regulated Acox2 (P<0.05) and down-regulated the mRNA level of cilp2 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:TpCqD ameliorated digestive dysfunction in mice with high-calorie and high-protein diets leading to food accumulation involving the regulation of the fat and sugar metabolism genes Acox2 and cilp2, and pancreatic secretory signaling.

Benzyl isothiocyanate induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cervical cancer through activation of p53 and AMPK-FOXO1a signaling pathways / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of benzyl iso-thiocyanate (BITC) on the proliferation of mouse U14 cervical cancer cells and to explore the mechanism of cytotoxicity based on transcriptomic data analysis. Methods The effect of BITC on U14 cell activity was detected by MTT, nuclear morphological changes were observed by Hochest 33258 and fluorescent inverted microscope, cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry, and the transcriptome database of U14 cells before and after BITC (20 μmol · L

Artemisia argyi extract subfraction exerts an antifungal effect against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function / 中国天然药物

Artemisia argyi (A. argyi), a plant with a longstanding history as a raw material for traditional medicine and functional diets in Asia, has been used traditionally to bathe and soak feet for its disinfectant and itch-relieving properties. Despite its widespread use, scientific evidence validating the antifungal efficacy of A. argyi water extract (AAWE) against dermatophytes, particularly Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum, remains limited. This study aimed to substantiate the scientific basis of the folkloric use of A. argyi by evaluating the antifungal effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of its active subfraction against dermatophytes. The results indicated that AAWE exhibited excellent antifungal effects against the three aforementioned dermatophyte species. The subfraction AAWE6, isolated using D101 macroporous resin, emerged as the most potent subfraction. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AAWE6 against T. rubrum, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes were 312.5, 312.5, and 625 μg·mL-1, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results and assays of enzymes linked to cell wall integrity and cell membrane function indicated that AAWE6 could penetrate the external protective barrier of T. rubrum, creating breaches ("small holes"), and disrupt the internal mitochondrial structure ("granary"). Furthermore, transcriptome data, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and biochemical assays corroborated the severe disruption of mitochondrial function, evidenced by inhibited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and energy metabolism. Additionally, chemical characterization and molecular docking analyses identified flavonoids, primarily eupatilin (131.16 ± 4.52 mg·g-1) and jaceosidin (4.17 ± 0.18 mg·g-1), as the active components of AAWE6. In conclusion, the subfraction AAWE6 from A. argyi exerts antifungal effects against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function. This research validates the traditional use of A. argyi and provides scientific support for its anti-dermatophytic applications, as recognized in the Chinese patent (No. ZL202111161301.9).

Indian food habit & food ingredients may have a role in lowering the severity & high death rate from COVID-19 in Indians: findings from the first nutrigenomic analysis

Background & objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the death rate was reportedly 5-8 fold lower in India which is densely populated as compared to less populated western countries. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dietary habits were associated with the variations in COVID-19 severity and deaths between western and Indian population at the nutrigenomics level. Methods: In this study nutrigenomics approach was applied. Blood transcriptome of severe COVID-19 patients from three western countries (showing high fatality) and two datasets from Indian patients were used. Gene set enrichment analyses were performed for pathways, metabolites, nutrients, etc., and compared for western and Indian samples to identify the food- and nutrient-related factors, which may be associated with COVID-19 severity. Data on the daily consumption of twelve key food componentsacross four countries were collected and a correlation between nutrigenomics analyses and per capita daily dietary intake was investigated. Results: Distinct dietary habits of Indians were observed, which may be associated with low death rate from COVID-19. Increased consumption of red meat, dairy products and processed foods by western populations may increase the severity and death rate by activating cytokine storm-related pathways, intussusceptive angiogenesis, hypercapnia and enhancing blood glucose levels due to high contents of sphingolipids, palmitic acid and byproducts such as CO2 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Palmitic acid also induces ACE2 expression and increases the infection rate. Coffee and alcohol that are highly consumed in western countries may increase the severity and death rates from COVID-19 by deregulating blood iron, zinc and triglyceride levels. The components of Indian diets maintain high iron and zinc concentrations in blood and rich fibre in their foods may prevent CO2 and LPS-mediated COVID-19 severity. Regular consumption of tea by Indians maintains high high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low triglyceride in blood as catechins in tea act as natural atorvastatin. Importantly, regular consumption of turmeric in daily food by Indians maintains strong immunity and curcumin in turmeric may prevent pathways and mechanisms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity and lowered the death rate. Interpretation & conclusions: Our results suggest that Indian food components suppress cytokine storm and various other severity related pathways of COVID-19 and may have a role in lowering severity and death rates from COVID-19 in India as compared to western populations. However, large multi-centered case?control studies are required to support our current findings.

Differential gene expression analysis in germinating and dormant teliospores of Tilletia indica using RNA seq approach

Karnal bunt of wheat is an important quarantine disease that interrupts India’s wheat trade in the international market. The whole transcriptome of germinating and dormant teliospores of Tilletia indica was performed using the RNA Seq approach to identify germination-related genes. Approximately 63 million reads were generated using the RNA sequencing by the Illumina NextSeq500 platform. The high-quality reads were deposited in NCBI SRA database (accession: PRJNA522347). The unigenes from the pooled teliospores were 16,575 having unigenes length of 28,998,753 bases. The high-quality reads of germinating teliospores mapped on to 21,505 predicted CDSs. 9,680 CDSs were common between dormant and germinating teliospores of T. indica. 11,825 CDSs were found to be in germinating teliospores while only 91 were unique in dormant spores of pathogen. The pathway analysis showed the highest number of pathways was found in germinating spores than dormant spores. The highest numbers of CDSs were found to be associated with translation (431 in number), transport and catabolism (340), signal transduction (326), and carbohydrate metabolism (283). The differential expression analysis (DESeq) of germinating and dormant teliospores showed that 686 CDS were up-regulated and 114 CDS were down-regulated in the germinating teliospores. Significant germination-related genes in the spores were validated using qPCR analysis. Ten genes viz. Ti3931, Ti6828, Ti7098, Ti7462, Ti7522, Ti 9289, Ti 8670, Ti 7959, Ti 7809,and Ti10095 were highly up-regulated in germinated teliospores which may have role in germination of spores.Further, these differentially expressed genes provide insights into the molecular events. This first study of transcriptome will be helpful to devise better management strategies to manage Karnal bunt disease.

Mechanism of Polysaccharides from Two Spleen-invigorating Chinese Medicine Prescriptions in Regulating Growth of Bacteroides fragilis in vitro： Based on Differential Expression of Polysaccharide Utilization Loci / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of using the polysaccharides from two Chinese medicine compound prescriptions as the carbon source on the growth of Bacteroides fragilis and to decipher the mechanism from the perspective of differential expression of polysaccharide utilization loci （PULs） based on transcriptomics. MethodThe media with different carbon sources ［20% polysaccharides of Lizhongtang， polysaccharides of Shenling Baizhusan， glucose， and brain heart infusion （BHI） Broth］ were used for the anaerobic culture of B. fragile ATCC25285. The effects of different carbon sources on the growth of B. fragilis ATCC25285 were determined by continuous sampling and spectrophotometry. Then， transcriptome sequencing was performed for the cultures obtained with different carbon sources to study the mechanism of different carbon sources in regulating bacterial growth. ResultThe concentration of bacteria with the polysaccharide of Lizhongtang， polysaccharide of Shenling Baizhusan， BHI Broth， and glucose as the carbon sources peaked at 26， 32， 26， 38 h， respectively， and the bacteria in all the four groups achieved robust growth. Gene ontology （GO） enrichment indicated that the differentially expressed genes in the Lizhongtang polysaccharide group and Shenling Baizhusan polysaccharide group were concentrated in the transport and transmembrane transport of dicarboxylic acid. The Shenling Baizhusan polysaccharide and BHI Broth groups showed high expression of PUL 4 and 27， glycoside hydrolase 13 （GH13）， and glycosyl transferases 5 （GT5）. PUL9 was highly expressed in Shenling Baizhusan polysaccharide group， and PUL 17， 19， and 20， GH3， and GH144 in the BHI Broth group. PUL27 and GT5 were highly expressed in Shenling Baizhusan polysaccharide and glucose groups. PUL 4 and 9 and GH13 were only highly expressed in Shenling Baizhusan polysaccharide group， and PUL 2， 17， and 19 and GH2 in the glucose group. Both Lizhongtang polysaccharide group and BHI group highly expressed PUL 4， 17， 19， 20， and 27， GH3， and GH144. PUL 2， 8， 23， and 27， GH2， and GH57 were highly expressed in Lizhongtang polysaccharide group， while GH13 showed high expression in the BHI group. Both the glucose and Lizhongtang polysacharride groups showed high expression of PUL 4 and 27 and GH2. PUL 4， 8， 20， and 23， GH3， and GH144 were highly expressed in Lizhongtang polysaccharide group， while PUL30 was highly expressed in the glucose group. ConclusionThe in vitro experiments and transcriptome sequencing results confirmed that the expression of PULs and GH may provide benefits or costs to the adaptive growth of Bacteroides fragilis ATCC25285 cultured with different carbon sources， which may be one of the mechanisms by which polysaccharides from Chinese medicine compound prescriptions regulate the growth of B. fragilis ATCC25285. The findings can provide a reference for further research on the relationship between B. fragilis metabolic pathway and polysaccharides of Chinese medicine compound prescriptions.

Construction of CeRNA network of differential LncRNAs in THP-1 cells infected by Dengue virus type Ⅲ and its antibody dependent enhancement / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#ObjectiveTo establish models of Dengue virus type Ⅲ（DENV-3,DV-3）infection and antibody dependent enhancement(ADE)infection at the acute monocytic leukemia cells(THP-1),investigate the differential expression of long non-coding RNAs(LncRNAs),map the competitive endogenous RNA(CeRNA)regulatory network and predict the translation function of LncRNAs.MethodsThe culture supernatant was harvested 6 d after C6/36 cells were infected with DENV-3,the virus titer was determined by CCID50,and the type and full-length genome amplification were identified by PCR;The DENV-3 standard plasmid was amplified,identified by PCR,and the standard curve was drawn;THP-1 cells were divided into negative control group(THP-1),direct infection group(DV-3),ADE group and blank control group[1640(-)]. After 48 h of infection,the total RNA was extracted and the copy number of intracellular virus nucleic acid was measured;Through the whole transcriptome sequencing technology,the CeRNA regulatory network was constructed for the top five up-regulated and down-regulated LncRNAs in THP-1 vs DENV3,THP-1 vs ADE,DENV3 vs ADE groups,and the functions of their coding proteins were analyzed.ResultsC6/36 cells infected with DENV-3 for 3 d showed obvious cell fusion,vacuoles and abscission;The virus had a titer of about 1. 0 × 104. 64PFU/mL and was identified as DENV-3 by PCR specific primers,of which the complete gene sequence was obtained;The number of viral nucleic acid copies in ADE group was significantly higher than those in DV-3 group and blank control group;In THP-1 vs DENV-3,the expression of cytohesin interacting protein(CYTIP)was predicted to be up-regulated;In THP-1 vs ADE,the expression of kinesin family5A(KIF5A)was predicted to be down-regulated;In DENV-3 vs ADE,the expression of cluster differentiation antigen 9(CD9)and insulin like growth factor 2(IGF2)was predicted to be up-regulated. All of these differential LncRNAs had open reading frames(ORFs). Except Lnc-SH3BP1 and Lnc-RPL41,all of the other LncRNAs had internal ribosome binding site(IRES).ConclusionIn DENV-3 infection of THP-1 cells and ADE infection mediated by DENV-3,the expression of LncRNAs has changed significantly,and may regulate the process of infection through a variety of biological functions,which is helpful for a deeper understanding of the mechanism of ADE infection.

Transcriptome sequencing of transgelin-2 inhibiting high glucose induced microglia inflammation / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective:To analyze the change of differential genes and signaling pathways in high glucose induced BV2 cells, and to explore the mechanism of transgelin-2 (TAGLN2) regulating cellular inflammatory response and metabolic process.Methods:An experimental study. The cultured BV2 cells were divided into mannitol treatment (Man) group, glucose treatment (Glu) group, overexpression control Glu treatment (Con) group, overexpression TAGLN2 Glu treatment group, silence control Glu treatment (shCon Glu) group, and silence TAGLN2 Glu treatment (shTAGLN2 Glu) group. Cells in the Man group were cultured in modified Eagle high glucose medium (DMEM) containing 25 mmol/L mannitol and 25 mmol/L glucose, cells in other groups (Glu group, Con Glu group, TAGLN2 Glu group, shCon Glu group and shTAGLN2 Glu group) were cultured in DMEM medium containing 50 mmol/L glucose. After 24 hours of cells culture, transcriptome sequencing of cells in each group were performed using high-throughput sequencing technology, and significantly differentially expressed genes (DEG) were screened. |log 2 (fold change)|≥1 and P≤0.05 were adopted as criteria to screen for DEG. Gene Ontology (GO) function enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network analysis were performed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the relative expression level of DEG mRNA. The data between groups were compared by independent sample t-test. Results:When compared with Man group, a total of 517 differentially expressed genes were screened in Glu group, which including 277 up-regulated genes and 240 down-regulated genes. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the up-regulated genes were significantly enriched in immune system processes such as nuclear factor (NF)-κB signal pathway, Jak-signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signal pathway, while down-regulated genes were significantly enriched in glycosaminoglycan degradation and glyceride metabolic pathway. Compared with Con Glu group, a total of 480 DEG were screened in TAGLN2 Glu group, among which 147 up-regulated and 333 down-regulated genes were detected. Up-regulated genes were significantly enriched in the metabolic processes of fatty acid, glyceride and pyruvate, while down-regulated genes were significantly enriched in immune system processes such as NF-κB signal pathway, Jak-STAT signal pathway and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signal pathway. Compared with shCon Glu group, a total of 582 DEG were screened in shTAGLN2 Glu group, among which 423 up-regulated and 159 down-regulated genes were detected. Up-regulated DEG were significantly enriched in immune system processes such as TNF signal pathway and chemokine signal pathway, while down-regulated DEG were significantly enriched in pattern recognition receptor signal pathway. RT-PCR results showed that the relative expression levels of DEG mRNA Card11 ( t=13.530), Icos ( t=3.482), Chst3 ( t=6.949), Kynu ( t=5.399), interleukin (IL)-1β ( t=2.960), TNF-α ( t=5.800), IL-6 ( t=3.130), interferon-γ ( t=7.690) and IL-17 ( t=6.530) in the TAGLN2 Glu treatment group were decreased significantly compared with Con Glu group, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:TAGLN2 can inhibit glucose induced microglia inflammation by NF-κB and Jak-STAT signaling pathways, Card11, Icos, Chst3 and Kynu play an important role in the anti-inflammatory process of TAGLN2.

Gene expression profile in human cervical epithelial cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To compare gene expression profiles in normal human cervical epithelial cells (HcerEpic) before and after Chlamydia trachomatis ( Ct) infection. Methods:HcerEpic cells that were pretreated with DEAE-D were infected with Ct serotype E standard strain and then cultured for 44 h. Uninfected HcerEpic cells were used as the control group. Total RNA was extracted from the cells in each group and reverse transcribed to construct a cDNA library. Differences in gene expression profiles between the two groups were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing and the representative genes were selected for verification by qPCR. Results:A total of 23 997 genes were detected, including 125 differentially expressed genes. Among the 125 genes, 119 were up-regulated and six were down-regulated. GO analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were enriched in several biological processes including defense response to virus, typeⅠinterferon signaling pathway and cellular responses to typeⅠinterferons. KEGG enrichment analysis showed the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the pathways related to virus infections, such as influenza A virus, herpes simplex virus, EB virus and HPV, and NOD-like receptor pathway.Conclusions:There were significant differences in transcriptome profiles of HcerEpic cells before and after Ct infection. The differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the interferon pathway, which was closely related to the antiviral processes in cells. qPCR verified the differentially expressed genes and the genes closely related to the interferon pathway, such as ISG15, IFIT2, OASL and UBE2L6.

Analysis of intercellular communication patterns in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy based on single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective:To analyze the patterns of intercellular communication in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) by single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing.Methods:Bilateral asymmetrical lesions mouth orbicular muscle of two patients with FSHD and mouth orbicular muscle of two healthy patients were selected. Six samples were obtained, and were divided into control group, mild group and severe group. The normal orbicularis muscle sample was collected from 2 healthy individuals (the control group). The muscle samples in the mild group were from two patients with relatively normal muscle sides, and the samples in the severe group were from two patients with more severe muscle damage sides. Single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing was performed on all cells of the three groups. Reduced dimension clustering and cell definition were performed to identify differentially expressed genes and enrichment pathways. Intercellular communication patterns among major cell types and key signaling pathways were explored by cellular communication analysis.Results:Differential gene expression analysis of FSHD bilateral muscle samples identified 46 functionally differentially expressed genes associated with the disease in different cell types, related to apoptosis, oxidative stress, immune inflammation, and muscle function. Intercellular communication was generally increased in the severe group. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) and macrophages are important signaling sources in the abnormal muscle microenvironment of FSHD and are closely associated with disease progression. There are six unique signaling pathways in the mild group, including bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), CXC motif chemokine ligand (CXCL), adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E5 (ADGRE5), interleukin-16 (IL-16), and wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT) signaling pathways. These signaling pathways are mainly involved in the interaction between macrophages, FAPs, and adipocytes and may be involved in the regulation of fat deposition and fibrosis changes in the diseased muscle.Conclusions:Single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing provides a relatively comprehensive pattern of intercellular communication between key cell types in FSHD, providing an appropriate reference for understanding the intercellular regulatory mechanisms of the FSHD muscle microenvironment.

Application of targeted capture high depth sequencing and transcriptome sequencing in childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To investigate the differences among targeted capture high depth sequencing (Panel-seq), transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and traditional detection methods in cytogenetic and molecular genetic typing of childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and their significances.Methods:The clinical data of 152 newly diagnosed childhood B-ALL cases in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from September 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Along with traditional cytogenetic and molecular detection methods including karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and 43 kinds of fusion gene quantitative screening for traditional cells and molecular genetic detection, both Panel-seq and RNA-seq were also performed. Panel-seq covered more than 600 genes with common mutations in hematological tumors, from which fusion genes and gene mutations were both analyzed. RNA-seq was used to analyze fusion genes, gene mutations, gene expression, and copy number variation at the chromosome level. High hyperdiploid karyotype was estimated by using gene expression profile clustering and copy number variations. The cytogenetic typing results of all detection methods were also analyzed.Results:Among 152 patients, 93 cases were males and 59 cases were females, with the median age of 4.0 years (0.8-13.0 years). The median blast cell ratio was 0.855 (0.215-0.965). The traditional detection methods could identify 4 cases (2.6%) with BCR-ABL1, 2 cases (1.3%) with CRLF2 gene-related fusion, 27 cases (17.8%) with ETV6-RUNX1, 1 case (0.7%) with iAMP21, 5 cases (3.3%) with MLL rearrangement, 8 cases (5.3%) with TCF3-PBX1 and 22 cases (14.5%) with high hyperdiploid karyotype. Panel-seq could identify 4 cases (2.6%) with BCR-ABL1, 2 cases (1.3%) with CRLF2 gene-related fusions, 27 cases (17.8%) with ETV6-RUNX1, 3 cases (2.0%) with MEF2D gene-related fusions, 1 case (0.7%) with MEIS1-FOXO1, 5 cases (3.3%) with MLL rearrangement, 5 cases (3.3%) with PAX5 gene-related fusions, 8 cases (5.3%) with TCF3-PBX1 fusions, 4 cases (2.6%) with ZNF384 gene-related fusions, and 2 cases (1.3%) with IKZF1 N159Y mutations. Among 152 patients, 1 case with MLL rearrangement didn't receive RNA-seq detection because of sample quality; in other 151 B-ALL cases, 1 case (0.7%) with ACIN1-NUTM1, 4 cases (2.6%) with BCR-ABL1, 3 cases (2.0%) with CRLF2 gene-related fusions, 8 cases (5.3%) with DUX4 gene-related fusions, 27 cases (17.9%) with ETV6-RUNX1, 3 cases (2.0%) with MEF2D gene-related fusions, 1 case (0.7%) with MEIS1-FOXO1, 4 cases (2.6%) with MLL rearrangement, 5 cases (3.3%) with PAX5 gene-related fusions, 1 case (0.7%) with ZMIZ1-ABL1, 8 cases (5.3%) with TCF3-PBX1,4 cases (2.6%) with ZNF384 gene-related fusions, 61 cases (40.4%) with hyperdiploid karyotypes, and 2 cases (1.3%) with IKZF1 N159Y mutations were detected; RNA-seq had obvious advantage in detecting fusion gene and hyperdiploid karyotype. The cytogenetic and molecular genetic typing rates of traditional method, Panel-seq and RNA-seq were 45.4% (69/152), 40.1% (61/152) and 87.4% (132/151), respectively. The combination of the three could identify 89.5% (136/152) of childhood B-ALL patients.Conclusions:The combination of Panel-seq and RNA-seq can increase the detection rate of genetic abnormality in childhood B-ALL, which provides a more accurate molecular genetic classification for B-ALL and the basis for treatment guideline and prognosis judgement.

Transcriptomic profiles of paraquat-induced Parkinson-like changes in mouse brains based on single-cell RNA sequencing / 环境与职业医学

Background Paraquat (PQ) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world and a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), but the mechanisms underlying PD are poorly understood. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology can study cellular heterogeneity at genetic level, providing insights into the pathogenesis of PQ-induced PD. Objective To analyze the brain cell grouping of PQ-infected mice and the biological processes involved in the subpopulation of PD-like changes cells by scRNA-seq, and to provide clues for revealing potential mechanisms of PQ-induced PD-like changes in mouse brains. Methods Six male 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group, three mice in each group, and were intraperitoneally injected with 0 (saline) and 10.0 mg·kg−1 PD respectively, once every two days, for 10 consecutive injections for modeling. After infection, mouse brains were taken and scRNA-seq was performed. Cell segmentation was performed according to gene expression characteristics of different cell types, PD-related cell subsets were screened by bioinformatics tools, and gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), protein interaction network analysis, and transcription factor prediction were performed on their characteristic genes. Finally, GO and KEGG analyses were performed on the differential genes of PD-associated cell subsets between the PQ-treated group and the control group, and the biological processes in which these genes may participate were analyzed. Results The sequencing data met quality control standards, a total of 55779 cells were obtained, and all cell dimensionality reduction analysis results showed that they could be further divided into 37 clusters, including 5 major cell types. Based on the KEGG analysis of the top 20 characteristic genes of each subpopulation, the specifically expressed Cluster 33 subpopulation (dopaminergic neurons) was screened and found to be significantly associated with PD. The results of GO analysis showed that the biological function of this subpopulation mainly enriched neurotransmitter transport and regulation. The results of GSEA analysis showed that the tyrosine metabolic pathway and the ligand-receptor interaction pathway of neural activity in brain tissues were significantly enriched. The analysis of transcriptional regulatory networks showed that 39 transcription factors were expressed differently. The metabolic pathway of the dopamine neuronal subset, endocytosis, Ras-associated protein 1 (Rap1) signaling pathway, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway were all affected by PQ exposure, according to further analysis of its effects on this subpopulation. The GO analysis showed that differential genes were involved in biological processes such as ion transport and synaptic assembly regulation, and were involved in the cellular component formation of cytoplasm and synapses. Conclusion This study has initially mapped the transcriptome of single cells in the mouse brain after PQ exposure, and screened out the specific expression of Cluster 33 subgroup (dopaminergic neurons), which is significantly correlated with PD, and its biological function changes may be one of the mechanisms of PD-like changes in the mouse brain induced by PQ.

Loss of ATM activity induces GADD45α-dependent apoptosis in cerebellar granular neurons / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

objectiveTo explore the specific molecular mechanism of neuronal apoptosis induced by ATM inactivation. MethodsCGNs matured 7 days in vitro were cultured 8 h with 25 K， 5 K or 25 K medium containing ATM-specific inhibitors （Ku55933， 10 µmol/L； Ku60019， 15 µmol/L） for Hoechst stain and apoptosis analysis， or cultured for different lengths of time （2， 4， 8 h） to detect the protein expression levels of ATM， caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 by Western blotting. ATM and GADD45α specific siRNA was transfected into C6 cells and CGNs， and its interference efficiency was verified by q-PCR and Western blotting. CGNs matured for 5 days in vitro were transfected with ATM specific siRNA and pCMV-EGFP by calcium phosphate for 48 h， Hoechst staining and apoptosis analysis were performed. CGNs matured for 7 days in vitro were treated with 25 K medium containing ATM specific inhibitors for 8 h， transcriptome sequencing， differential expression gene identification and pathway enrichment analysis were performed. CGNs matured for 5 days in vitro were co-transfected with GADD45α specific siRNA and pCMV-EGFP by calcium phosphate for 48 h， then treated with 5 K or 25 K medium containing 15 µmol/L Ku6 for 8 h. Hoechst staining and apoptosis analysis were performed. ResultsCompared with the 25 K， CGNs nuclear pyknosis rate， cleaved Caspase-3 and ATM protein expression level were increased in the 5 K and ATM-specific inhibitor groups. The mRNA and protein expression levels of ATM and GADD45α were effectively reduced after transfection of ATM and GADD45α specific siRNA in C6 cells and CGNs. Compared with control， CGNs transfected with ATM specific siRNA showed a higher nuclear pyknosis rate. Totally 835 genes were identified to be up-regulated and 848 genes to be down-regulated in the Ku55933 treatment group； 454 genes were identified to be up-regulated and 314 genes to be down-regulated in the Ku6 treatment group； 274 genes were co-up regulated in the Ku5 and Ku60019 treatment groups， while 179 genes were co-down-regulated in the Ku5 and Ku6 treatment groups and the expression of ATM downstream target GADD45α was upregulated. The enrichment results showed that TNF signaling pathway， NF-κB signaling pathway and Apoptosis signaling pathway were significantly enriched. Compared with control， mRNA and protein expression levels of GADD45α were increased in inhibitor treatment and 5 K， while knocking down GADD45α resulted in a decrease in nuclear pyknosis rate in the Ku60019 and 5 K treatment group. ConclusionLoss of ATM activity induces GADD45α-dependent cerebellar granular neuronal apoptosis.

Expression and Clinical Significance of ATP Citrate Lyase in Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the role of ATP citrate lyase(ACLY)in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and the impact of this enzyme on the immune microenvironment of HCC.Methods We utilized the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analysis Portal and the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis to identify the changes in ACLY expression and prognosis across different tumor types from The Cancer Genome Atlas.With HCC as the disease model,we analyzed the ACLY expression in HCC samples from the gene expression database.Furthermore,we collected the clinical specimens from HCC patients to verify the mRNA and protein levels of ACLY.In addition,we conducted transcriptome sequencing after knocking down the expression of ACLY to analyze the differentially expressed genes and investigated the impact of ACLY expression interference on cell proliferation and other functions.Finally,we explored the correlations of ACLY with immune cells and immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment,new antigens,and immune checkpoint genes.Results ACLY expression was significantly up-regulated in solid tumors including HCC(all P<0.05),and high ACLY expression was associated with overall survival rate in HCC(P=0.005).Furthermore,high ACLY expression affected the presence of immune cells(e.g.,tumor-associated fibroblasts)and the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism(all P<0.05).Conclusions ACLY is closely related to the occurrence and development of HCC and lipid metabolism abnormalities.Moreover,it has a specific impact on the immune microenvironment of HCC.

Characterization the response of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii serine/threonine protein kinase mutant to blue light / 生物工程学报

In order to investigate the molecular mechanism of silk/threonine protein kinase (STK)-mediated blue light response in the algal Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, phenotype identification and transcriptome analysis were conducted for C. reinhardtii STK mutant strain crstk11 (with an AphvIII box reverse insertion in stk11 gene coding region) under blue light stress. Phenotypic examination showed that under normal light (white light), there was a slight difference in growth and pigment contents between the wild-type strain CC5325 and the mutant strain crstk11. Blue light inhibited the growth and chlorophyll synthesis in crstk11 cells, but significantly promoted the accumulation of carotenoids in crstk11. Transcriptome analysis showed that 860 differential expression genes (DEG) (559 up-regulated and 301 down-regulated) were detected in mutant (STK4) vs. wild type (WT4) upon treatment under high intensity blue light for 4 days. After being treated under high intensity blue light for 8 days, a total of 1 088 DEGs (468 upregulated and 620 downregulated) were obtained in STK8 vs. WT8. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that compared to CC5325, the crstk11 blue light responsive genes were mainly involved in catalytic activity of intracellular photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, and pigment synthesis. Among them, upregulated genes included psaA, psaB, and psaC, psbA, psbB, psbC, psbD, psbH, and L, petA, petB, and petD, as well as genes encoding ATP synthase α, β and c subunits. Downregulated genes included petF and petJ. The present study uncovered that the protein kinase CrSTK11 of C. reinhardtii may participate in the blue light response of algal cells by mediating photosynthesis as well as pigment and carbon metabolism, providing new knowledge for in-depth analysis of the mechanism of light stress resistance in the algae.

Deciphering the dynamic characteristics of non-neuronal cells in dorsal root ganglion of rat at different developmental stage based on single cell transcriptome data / 生物工程学报

Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) is an essential part of the peripheral nervous system and the hub of the peripheral sensory afferent. The dynamic changes of neuronal cells and their gene expression during the development of dorsal root ganglion have been studied through single-cell RNAseq analysis, while the dynamic changes of non-neuronal cells have not been systematically studied. Using single cell RNA sequencing technology, we conducted a research on the non-neuronal cells in the dorsal root ganglia of rats at different developmental stage. In this study, primary cell suspension was obtained from using the dorsal root ganglions (DRGs, L4-L5) of ten 7-day-old rats and three 3-month-old rats. The 10×Genomics platform was used for single cell dissociation and RNA sequencing. Twenty cell subsets were acquired through cluster dimension reduction analysis, and the marker genes of different types of cells in DRG were identified according to previous researches about DRG single cell transcriptome sequencing. In order to find out the non-neuronal cell subsets with significant differences at different development stage, the cells were classified into different cell types according to markers collected from previous researches. We performed pseudotime analysis of 4 types Schwann cells. It was found that subtype Ⅱ Schwann cells emerged firstly, and then were subtype Ⅲ Schwann cells and subtype Ⅳ Schwann cells, while subtype Ⅰ Schwann cells existed during the whole development procedure. Pseudotime analysis indicated the essential genes influencing cell fate of different subtypes of Schwann cell in DRG, such as Ntrk2 and Pmp2, which affected cell fate of Schwann cells during the development period. GO analysis of differential expressed genes showed that the up-regulated genes, such as Cst3 and Spp1, were closely related to biological process of tissue homeostasis and multi-multicellular organism process. The down regulated key genes, such as Col3a1 and Col4a1, had close relationship with the progress of extracellular structure organization and negative regulation of cell adhesion. This suggested that the expression of genes enhancing cell homestasis increased, while the expression of related genes regulating ECM-receptor interaction pathway decreased during the development. The discovery provided valuable information and brand-new perspectives for the study on the physical and developmental mechanism of Schwann cell as well as the non-neuronal cell changes in DRG at different developmental stage. The differential gene expression results provided crucial references for the mechanism of somatosensory maturation during development.

Potential value of differential expression of CDC42 gene in adult and umbilical cord blood reticulocytes / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To explore critical regulatory genes in the hemoglobin switch process by analyzing transcriptomic data from the GSE6236, GSE17639 and GSE35102 datasets. 【Methods】 The mRNA expression profiles of the three datasets were downloaded from the GEO database and gene annotation was performed using the AnnoProbe package.The remove-BatchEffect function of the Limma package was used to remove batch effects. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to explore the most relevant modular genes in reticulocytes. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to assess the value of differential genes in differentiating between cord blood and adult peripheral blood reticulocytes. The GSE35102 dataset was used to validate changes in differential gene expression during hemoglobin transformation. Finally, real-time quantitative PCR was used to verify differential gene expression in cord blood and adult peripheral blood reticulocytes. 【Results】 Twelve genes showed differential expression in reticulocytes from cord blood and adult peripheral blood ( |logFC|≥1.5, P<0.05). WGCNA found that genes in the blue module were most strongly associated with reticulocytes (R2 =0.76,P<0.001). Of the five genes that overlapped between the two, only CDC42 showed differential expression in the combined dataset (t =3.776, P<0.001) and was able to better differentiate between reticulocytes in cord blood and adult peripheral blood. The expression of CDC42 varied significantly during the hemoglobin transformation process (Z = -2.908, P<0.01), and was significantly lower in adult reticulocytes compared to reticulocytes from cord blood (t =7.824, P <0.001). 【Conclusion】 The CDC42 gene is involved in the hemoglobin switching of reticulocytes and could be a potential therapeutic target for sickle cell disease.