MiR-383-5p inhibits the proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting SHMT2.

Purpose: To explore the effects of miR-383-5p and serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) on the proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Methods: SHMT2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and normal tissues was investigated using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to confirm SHMT2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal lung tissues. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays were used to analyze the relationship between miR-383-5p and SHMT2 expression. The protein expression levels of SHMT2, vimentin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, Bcl-2, and cyclinD1 were analyzed using western blotting. The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect SHMT2 knockdown efficiency, miR-383-5p overexpression, and inhibition efficiency. The proliferative ability of cells was detected using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The Transwell assay was used to detect the migration ability of cells. Results: SHMT2 expression was significantly increased in patients with lung adenocarcinoma compared to that in control patients; the higher the SHMT2 expression the worse the outcomes were in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. SHMT2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung adenocarcinoma A549 and H1299 cells. MiR-383-5p directly targeted and downregulated SHMT2 in A549 and H1299 cells. The effects of miRNA-383-5p on the proliferation and migration of these cells differed from those of SHMT2. Exogenous overexpression of SHMT2 reversed the miR-383-5p-induced proliferation and migration inhibition in A549 and H1299 cells. Conclusion: MiR-383-5p inhibits the proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting and downregulating SHMT2.

[Corrigendum] Induction of microRNA­let­7a inhibits lung adeno-carcinoma cell growth by regulating cyclin D1.

After the publication of the article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that, in the western blots shown in Fig. 5C and D, a pair of data panels were inadvertently duplicated comparing between panels (C) and (D); in addition, the cell migration data shown in Fig. 7F on p. 1852 were selected incorrectly. The authors have examined their original data, and realize that these errors arose inadvertently as a consequence of their mishandling of their data. The revised versions of Figs. 5 and 7, featuring the corrected data for the caspase-8 experiment in Fig. 5C and alternative data for the cell migration assay experiments in Fig. 7F, are shown on the next two pages. The revised data shown for these Figures do not affect the overall conclusions reported in the paper. All the authors agree to the publication of this corrigendum, and are grateful to the Editor of Oncology Reports for allowing them the opportunity to publish this. Furthermore, the authors apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 40: 1843-1854, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6593].

The association between triglyceride-glucose index and its combination with obesity indicators and cardiovascular disease: NHANES 2003-2018.

BACKGROUND: In the American population, the relationship between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and TYG combined with indicators of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its mortality has been less well studied. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 11,937 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018. Cox proportional hazards model, binary logistic regression analyses, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were used to analyze the relationship between TyG and its combined obesity-related indicators and CVD and its mortality. Mediation analysis explored the mediating role of glycated hemoglobin and insulin in the above relationships. RESULTS: In this study, except for no significant association between TyG and CVD mortality, TyG, TyG-WC, TyG-WHtR, and TyG-BMI were significantly and positively associated with CVD and CVD mortality. TyG-WHtR is the strongest predictor of CVD mortality (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.21-2.29). The TyG index correlated better with the risk of coronary heart disease (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.66-3.83). TyG-WC correlated best with total CVD (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.77-3.17), congestive heart failure (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.31-3.51), and angina pectoris (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.43-3.97). TyG-WHtR correlated best with myocardial infarction (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.45-3.44). RCS analyses showed that most of the above relationships were linear (P-overall < 0.0001, P-nonlinear > 0.05). Otherwise, ROC curves showed that TyG-WHtR and TyG-WC had more robust diagnostic efficacy than TyG. In mediation analyses, glycated hemoglobin mediated in all the above relationships and insulin-mediated in partial relationships. CONCLUSIONS: TyG-WC and TyG-WtHR enhance CVD mortality prediction, diagnostic efficacy of CVD and its mortality, and correlation with some CVD over and above the current hottest TyG. TyG-WC and TyG-WtHR are expected to become more effective metrics for identifying populations at early risk of cardiovascular disease and improve risk stratification.

Sleep patterns and risks of incident cardiovascular disease and mortality among people with type 2 diabetes: a prospective study of the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: To explore the relationship between sleep patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality risk in a population with type 2 diabetes through a UK Biobank sample. METHODS: A total of 6860 patients with type 2 diabetes were included in this study. Five sleep factors (including Chronotype, sleep duration, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and snoring) were collected as a questionnaire. The calculation generates a sleep score of 0-5, and then three sleep patterns were defined based on the sleep scores: poor sleep pattern (0-2), Intermediate sleep pattern (3-4), and healthy sleep pattern (5). HRs and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by multivariate COX proportional risk model adjustment. Restricted cubic splines were used to validate linear associations between sleep scores CVD events. RESULTS: Our results found a reduced risk of CVD events in individuals with healthy sleep patterns compared to participants with poor sleep patterns. CVD Mortality (HR, 0.690; 95% CI 0.519-0.916), ASCVD (Atherosclerosis CVD) (HR, 0.784; 95% CI 0.671-0.915), CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) (HR, 0.737; 95% CI 0.618-0.879), PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease) (HR, 0.612; 95% CI 0.418-0.896), Heart Failure (HR, 0.653; 95% CI 0.488-0.875). Restricted cubic spline responded to a negative linear correlation between sleep scores and CVD Mortality, ASCVD, CAD, PAD, and Heart Failure. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy sleep patterns are significantly associated with a reduced risk of CVD Mortality, ASCVD, CAD, PAD, and Heart Failure in the diabetes population.

Association of Circulating Very Long-Chain Saturated Fatty Acids With Cardiovascular Mortality in NHANES 2003-2004, 2011-2012.

CONTEXT: Limited studies have shown a protective effect of very long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLSFAs) on healthy aging, diabetes, heart failure, and risk factors related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the role of VLSFAs on mortality risk is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the association of serum docosanoic acid (C22:0) and serum lignoceric acid (C24:0) with all-cause and disease-specific mortality and to confirm the effect of VLSFAs on mortality risk in the whole, hyperlipidemia, and hypertensive populations. METHODS: A total of 4132 individuals from the 2003-2004, 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in this study. There were 1326 and 1456 participants in the hyperlipidemia and hypertensive population, respectively. Mortality information was confirmed using the National Death Index (NDI). Multiple model calibration was performed using Cox regression analysis for known risk factors to explore the association between circulating VLSFAs and all-cause or CVD or coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. RESULTS: In the whole population, individuals with higher circulating C22:0 and C24:0 as a percentage of total serum fatty acid levels reduced the risks of mortality of all-cause (C22:0: HR = .409; 95% CI, 0.271-0.618; C24:0: HR = 0.430; 95% CI, 0.283-0.651), CVD (C22:0: HR = 0.286; 95% CI, 0.134-0.612; C24:0: HR = 0.233; 95% CI, 0.101-0.538), and CHD (C22:0: HR = 0.401; 95% CI, 0.187-0.913; C24:0: HR = 0.263; 95% CI, 0.082-0.846). Similar to the whole population, individuals with higher circulating C22:0 and C24:0 as a percentage of total serum fatty acid levels in the hyperlipidemia and hypertensive populations were also protective for all-cause, CHD, and CVD mortality. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the protective effect of high levels of circulating VLSFAs (C22:0 and C24:0) on CVD, CHD, and all causes of death in the whole, hyperlipidemia, and hypertensive populations.

Association of dietary inflammatory potential, dietary oxidative balance score and biological aging.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The interaction between diet, inflammation, and oxidative stress significantly influences aging, but the available evidence has been limited. We evaluated potential associations of dietary inflammatory index (DII), dietary oxidative balance score (DOBS), and measures of biological aging. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed among 8839 individuals from NHANES 2003-2014. DII and DOBS were determined by aggregating data from 26 to 17 a priori selected dietary components. Biological aging metrics included homeostatic dysregulation (HD), Klemera-Doubal method (KDM), phenotypic age (PA), and allostatic load (AL). Binomial logistic regression models and multivariate linear regression models were conducted. RESULTS: The associations of dietary inflammation and oxidative stress potential and biological aging metrics were significant among American adults nationwide. Consuming foods with higher DII was significantly associated with accelerated HD 1.26 (1.10, 1.44), KDM 1.24 (1.06, 1.45), and PA 1.54 (1.33, 1.78). Compared with the lowest DOBS, the hazard ratios of accelerated HD, KDM, PA, and AL were 0.74 (0.64, 0.86), 0.80 (0.70, 0.92), 0.61 (0.52, 0.72) and 0.78 (0.63, 0.97), respectively. The adverse effects of pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative diets on accelerated HD, KDM, and PA were 1.39 (1.18, 1.62), 1.28 (1.08, 1.51), and 1.76 (1.47, 2.10). Serum AST/ALT ratio and globulin were implicated in and mediate the aging effects. CONCLUSIONS: Higher DII and/or lower DOBS are associated with higher markers of biological aging. Our research elucidates that diets may mitigate biological aging resulting from inflammation and/or oxidative stress.

Damage mechanism and therapy progress of the blood-brain barrier after ischemic stroke.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as a defensive line protecting the central nervous system, while also maintaining micro-environment homeostasis and inhibiting harmful materials from the peripheral blood. However, the BBB's unique physiological functions and properties make drug delivery challenging for patients with central nervous system diseases. In this article, we briefly describe the cell structure basis and mechanism of action of the BBB, as well as related functional proteins involved. Additionally, we discuss the various mechanisms of BBB damage following the onset of an ischemic stroke, and lastly, we mention several therapeutic strategies accounting for impairment mechanisms. We hope to provide innovative ideas for drug delivery research via the BBB.

Remote limb ischemic postconditioning inhibits microglia pyroptosis by modulating HGF after acute ischemia stroke.

The repetitive inflation-deflation of a blood pressure cuff on a limb is known as remote limb ischemic postconditioning (RIPostC). It prevents brain damage induced by acute ischemia stroke (AIS). Pyroptosis, executed by the pore-forming protein gasdermin D (GSDMD), is a type of regulated cell death triggered by proinflammatory signals. It contributes to the pathogenesis of ischemic brain injury. However, the effects of RIPostC on pyroptosis following AIS remain largely unknown. In our study, linear correlation analysis confirmed that serum GSDMD levels in AIS patients upon admission were positively correlated with NIHSS scores. RIPostC treatment significantly reduced GSDMD level compared with patients without RIPostC at 3 days post-treatment. Besides, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery was performed on C57BL/6 male mice and RIPostC was induced immediately after MCAO. We found that RIPostC suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome to reduce the maturation of GSDMD, leading to decreased pyroptosis in microglia after AIS. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was identified using the high throughput screening. Importantly, HGF siRNA, exogenous HGF, and ISG15 siRNA were used to reveal that HGF/ISG15 is a possible mechanism of RIPostC regulation in vivo and in vitro.

Rearrangement of 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridines via photoinduced 6π-electrocyclization.

By photoinduced 6π-electrocyclization of 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridine derivatives 1, a method for the synthesis of trans-dihydrobenzo[f]quinolines 2, cis-dihydrobenzo[f]quinolines 3 and 8b-methyl-1,8b-dihydrobenzo[f]quinolines 4 was developed. Irradiation of 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridine 1 in acetone-H2O (5 : 1, v/v) with a 313 nm UV lamp under an argon atmosphere at room temperature successfully yielded 2, which was further converted into 3 at elevated temperature (200 °C) in glycerol. However, irradiating 2-(3-methylbenzofuran-2-yl)-3-phenylpyridines 1 in CH2Cl2 with a 254 nm UV lamp gave 4 in good yields. The syntheses of 2, 3 and 4via the 6π-electrocyclization rearrangement of 1 not only offer high atom efficiency but also do not require transition metal catalysts or additives.

Association of Dietary Inflammatory Index and Dietary Oxidative Balance Score with All-Cause and Disease-Specific Mortality: Findings of 2003-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

To clarify the effects of dietary inflammatory and pro-oxidative potential, we investigated the impact of the Dietary Inflammation Index (DII) and the Dietary Oxidative Balance Score (DOBS) on all-cause and disease-specific mortality. For DII and DOBS, 17,550 and 24,527 participants were included. Twenty-six and seventeen dietary factors were selected for scoring. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used. DII and DOBS were significantly associated with all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality in this nationally representative sample of American adults. Compared with the lowest DII, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) of all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality for the highest were 1.49 (1.23-1.80), 1.58 (1.08-2.33), and 1.56 (1.07-2.25). The highest quartile of DOBS was associated with the risk of all-cause death (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.86). Pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative diets were associated with increased risk for all-cause (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.28-1.97), and CVD (HR 2.29, 95% CI 1.33-3.94) death compared to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant diets. Similar results were observed among the stratification analyses. Inflammation-reducing and oxidative-balancing diets are linked to lower all-cause and CVD mortality. Diets impact health by regulating inflammation and oxidative stress.

Compound Qiying Granules alleviates diabetic peripheral neuropathy by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a major complication of diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of Compound Qiying Granules (CQYG) for DPN. METHODS: Rats and RSC96 cells of DPN models were established to evaluate the therapeutic effects of CQYG. Then the morphology and apoptotic changes of sciatic nerves were detected. Further, tandem mass tag based quantitative proteomics technology was used to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Protein expression of key signaling pathways was also detected. RESULTS: CQYG treatment significantly improved blood glucose and oxidative stress levels, and further reduced nerve fiber myelination lesions, denervation, and apoptosis in DPN rats. Further, 2176 DEPs were found in CQYG treated DPN rats. Enrichment analysis showed that protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and apoptosis were all inhibited after CQYG treatment. Next, CQYG treatment reduced inflammatory factor expression, mitochondrial damage, and apoptosis in RSC96 cells which induced by high glucose. Transmission electron microscopy results found that CQYG treatment improved the morphology of nerve myelin, mitochondria, and ER. CQYG treatment decreased ER stress and apoptosis pathway proteins that were highly expressed in DPN models. In addition, we also predicted the potential targets of CQYG in DEPs. CONCLUSIONS: CQYG exerts neuroprotective effects in experimental diabetic neuropathy through anti-ER stress and anti-apoptosis.

Combination of epidrugs with immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer immunotherapy: From theory to therapy.

Immunotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized treatment strategies in multiple types of cancer. However, the resistance and relapse as associated with the extreme complexity of cancer-immunity interactions remain a major challenge to be resolved. Owing to the epigenome plasticity of cancer and immune cells, a growing body of evidence has been presented indicating that epigenetic treatments have the potential to overcome current limitations of immunotherapy, thus providing a rationalefor the combination of ICIs with epigenetic agents (epidrugs). In this review, we first make an overview about the epigenetic regulations in tumor biology and immunodevelopment. Subsequently, a diverse array of inhibitory agents under investigations targeted epigenetic modulators (Azacitidine, Decitabine, Vorinostat, Romidepsin, Belinostat, Panobinostat, Tazemetostat, Enasidenib and Ivosidenib, etc.) and immune checkpoints (Atezolizmab, Avelumab, Cemiplimab, Durvalumb, Ipilimumab, Nivolumab and Pembrolizmab, etc.) to increase anticancer responses were described and the potential mechanisms were further discussed. Finally, we summarize the findings of clinical trials and provide a perspective for future clinical studies directed at investigating the combination of epidrugs with ICIs as a treatment for cancer.

Simultaneous suppression of PKM2 and PHGDH elicits synergistic anti-cancer effect in NSCLC.

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of human cancer. Cancer cells exhibit enhanced glycolysis, which allows glycolytic intermediates to be diverted into several other biosynthetic pathways, such as serine synthesis. Here, we explored the anti-cancer effects of the pyruvate kinase (PK) M2 inhibitor PKM2-IN-1 alone or in combination with the phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) inhibitor NCT-503 in human NSCLC A549 cells in vitro and in vivo. PKM2-IN-1 inhibited proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, with increased glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PG) level and PHGDH expression. The combination of PKM2-IN-1 and NCT-503 further suppressed cancer cell proliferation and induced G2/M phase arrest, accompanied by the reduction of ATP, activation of AMPK and inhibition of its downstream mTOR and p70S6K, upregulation of p53 and p21, as well as downregulation of cyclin B1 and cdc2. In addition, combined treatment triggered ROS-dependent apoptosis by affecting the intrinsic Bcl-2/caspase-3/PARP pathway. Moreover, the combination suppressed glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) expression. In vivo, co-administration of PKM2-IN-1 and NCT-503 significantly inhibited A549 tumor growth. Taken together, PKM2-IN-1 in combination with NCT-503 exhibited remarkable anti-cancer effects through induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, in which the metabolic stress induced ATP reduction and ROS augmented DNA damage might be involved. These results suggest that the combination of PKM2-IN-1 and NCT-503 might be a potential strategy for the therapy of lung cancer.

Vitamin K2 supplementation improves impaired glycemic homeostasis and insulin sensitivity for type 2 diabetes through gut microbiome and fecal metabolites.

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient evidence for the ability of vitamin K2 to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus symptoms by regulating gut microbial composition. Herein, we aimed to demonstrate the key role of the gut microbiota in the improvement of impaired glycemic homeostasis and insulin sensitivity by vitamin K2 intervention. METHODS: We first performed a 6-month RCT on 60 T2DM participants with or without MK-7 (a natural form of vitamin K2) intervention. In addition, we conducted a transplantation of the MK-7-regulated microbiota in diet-induced obesity mice for 4 weeks. 16S rRNA sequencing, fecal metabolomics, and transcriptomics in both study phases were used to clarify the potential mechanism. RESULTS: After MK-7 intervention, we observed notable 13.4%, 28.3%, and 7.4% reductions in fasting serum glucose (P = 0.048), insulin (P = 0.005), and HbA1c levels (P = 0.019) in type 2 diabetes participants and significant glucose tolerance improvement in diet-induced obesity mice (P = 0.005). Moreover, increased concentrations of secondary bile acids (lithocholic and taurodeoxycholic acid) and short-chain fatty acids (acetic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid) were found in human and mouse feces accompanied by an increased abundance of the genera that are responsible for the biosynthesis of these metabolites. Finally, we found that 4 weeks of fecal microbiota transplantation significantly improved glucose tolerance in diet-induced obesity mice by activating colon bile acid receptors, improving host immune-inflammatory responses, and increasing circulating GLP-1 concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Our gut-derived findings provide evidence for a regulatory role of vitamin K2 on glycemic homeostasis, which may further facilitate the clinical implementation of vitamin K2 intervention for diabetes management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at https://www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR1800019663).

Oncogenic TRIB2 interacts with and regulates PKM2 to promote aerobic glycolysis and lung cancer cell procession.

PKM2 is an important regulator of the aerobic glycolysis that plays a vital role in cancer cell metabolic reprogramming. In general, Trib2 is considered as a "pseudokinase", contributing to different kinds of cancer. However, the detailed roles of TRIB2 in regulating cancer metabolism by PKM2 remain unclear. This study demonstrated that TRIB2, not a "pseudokinase", has the kinase activity to directly phosphorylate PKM2 at serine 37 in cancer cells. The elevated pSer37-PKM2 would subsequently promote the PKM2 dimers to enter into nucleus and increase the expression of LDHA, GLUT1, and PTBP1. The aerobic glycolysis is then elevated to promote cancer cell proliferation and migration in TRIB2- or PKM2-overexpressed cultures. The glucose uptake and lactate production increased, but the ATP content decreased in TRIB2- or PKM2-treated cultures. Experiments of TRIB2-/- mice further supported that TRIB2 could regulate aerobic glycolysis by PKM2. Thus, these results reveal the new kinase activity of TRIB2 and its mechanism in cancer metabolism may be related to regulating PKM2 to promote lung cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, suggesting promising therapeutic targets for cancer therapy by controlling cancer metabolism.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) acetylation protects neurons from ischemic injury.

Ischemia-induced neuronal death leads to serious lifelong neurological deficits in ischemic stroke patients. Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a promising target for neuroprotection in many neurological disorders, including ischemic stroke. However, the mechanism by which HDAC6 inhibition protects neurons after ischemic stroke remains unclear. Here, we discovered that genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of HDAC6 reduced brain injury after ischemic stroke by increasing macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) acetylation. Mass spectrum analysis and biochemical results revealed that HDAC6 inhibitor or aspirin treatment promoted MIF acetylation on the K78 residue. MIF K78 acetylation suppressed the interaction between MIF and AIF, which impaired MIF translocation to the nucleus in ischemic cortical neurons. Moreover, neuronal DNA fragmentation and neuronal death were impaired in the cortex after ischemia in MIF K78Q mutant mice. Our results indicate that the neuroprotective effect of HDAC6 inhibition and aspirin treatment results from MIF K78 acetylation; thus, MIF K78 acetylation may be a therapeutic target for ischemic stroke and other neurological diseases.

RFWD2 Knockdown as a Blocker to Reverse the Oncogenic Role of TRIB2 in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

RFWD2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is overexpressed in numerous human cancers, including leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and colorectal cancer. The roles of RFWD2 in cancer are related to the targeting of its substrates for ubiquitination and degradation. This study aimed to investigate the role of TRIB2 in relation to the regulation of protein degradation through RFWD2. inBio Discover™ results demonstrated that TRIB2 can perform its functions by interacting with RFWD2 or other factors. TRIB2 can interact with and regulate RFWD2, which further attends the proteasome-mediated degradation of the RFWD2 substrate p-IκB-α. TRIB2 colocalizes with RFWD2-related IκB-α to form a ternary complex and further affects the IκB-α degradation by regulating its phosphorylation. Specific domain analysis showed that TRIB2 may bind to RFWD2 via its C-terminus, whereas it binds to IκB via its pseudokinase domain. TRIB2 acts as an oncogene and promotes cancer cell proliferation and migration, whereas RFWD2 knockdown reversed the role of TRIB2 in promoting cancer cell growth and colony formation in vitro and in vivo. In summary, this study reveals that TRIB2 promotes the progression of cancer by affecting the proteasome-mediated degradation of proteins through the interaction with RFWD2.

A peptide-based subunit candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 delivered by biodegradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles induced high humoral and cellular immunity in mice.

Development of a rapidly scalable vaccine is still an urgent task to halt the spread of COVID-19. We have demonstrated biodegradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles (BMSNs) as a good drug delivery carrier for tumor therapy. In this study, seven linear B cell epitopes and three CD8+ T cell epitopes were screened from the spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 by computer-based immunoinformatic approaches for vaccine design. A nanoparticle-based candidate vaccine (B/T@BMSNs) against SARS-CoV-2 was rapidly prepared by encapsulating these ten epitope peptides within BMSNs, respectively. BMSNs with potential biodegradability, proved to possess excellent safety in vitro and in vivo, could efficiently deliver epitope peptides into the cytoplasm of RAW264.7 cells. Strong Th1-biased humoral and cellular immunity were induced by B/T@BMSNs in mice and all the 10 selected epitopes were identified as effective antigen epitopes, which could induce robust peptide-specific immune response. The elicited functional antibody could bind to the recombinant S protein and block the binding of the S protein to the ACE-2 receptor. These results demonstrate the potential of a nanoparticles vaccine platform based on BMSNs to rapidly develop peptide-based subunit vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2.

Great future or greedy venture: Precision medicine needs philosophy.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past decade, we have witnessed the initiation and implementation of precision medicine (PM), a discipline that promises to individualize and personalize medical management and treatment, rendering them ultimately more precise and effective. Despite of the continuing advances and numerous clinical applications, the potential of PM remains highly controversial, sparking heated debates about its future. METHOD: The present article reviews the philosophical issues and practical challenges that are critical to the feasibility and implementation of PM. OUTCOME: The explanation and argument about the relations between PM and computability, uncertainty as well as complexity, show that key foundational assumptions of PM might not be fully validated. CONCLUSION: The present analysis suggests that our current understanding of PM is probably oversimplified and too superficial. More efforts are needed to realize the hope that PM has elicited, rather than make the term just as a hype.