Plasma exosome proteomics reveals the pathogenesis mechanism of post-stroke cognitive impairment

PTEN as a prognostic factor for radiotherapy plus immunotherapy response in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

In the context of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment, radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy (IR + RT) is gaining traction. This study focuses on analyzing exosomal proteins, particularly Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN), for predicting the efficacy of NPC treatments. Serum samples from NPC patients and IR + RT recipients were utilized for exosome (Exo) extraction and subsequent transcriptomic and proteomic analyses to identify treatment-related proteins. Flow cytometry of cells and exosomal analysis were performed to examine these proteins. In vitro experiments using C666-1 cells and their Exos explored various cellular responses, while a murine subcutaneous NPC model investigated the impact of PTEN modulation on tumor growth and the immune microenvironment.

RESULTS

The study demonstrated that PTEN serves as a crucial predictive biomarker, with its expression changes correlated with M2 macrophage polarization and CD8+ T cell activity. This highlights the potential significance of PTEN in predicting treatment outcomes and influencing the immune response in NPC.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that PTEN could play a key role in enhancing the efficacy of NPC radiotherapy and immunotherapy. By shedding light on PTEN's impact on tumor growth and the immune microenvironment, this study lays the groundwork for future personalized therapeutic strategies in NPC treatment.

Glycosylation on extracellular vesicles and its detection strategy: Paving the way for clinical use

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain various glycans during their life cycle, from biogenesis to cellular recognition and uptake by recipient cells. EV glycosylation has substantial diagnostic significance in multiple health conditions, highlighting the necessity of determining an accurate glycosylation pattern for EVs from diverse biological fluids. Reliable and accessible glycan detection techniques help to elaborate the glycosylation-related functional alterations of specific proteins or lipids. However, multiple obstacles exist, including the inconsistency in glycosylation patterns between an entire batch of EVs and a specific EV protein, and difficulty in distinguishing glycosylation types after tedious separation and purification procedures. This review outlines recent advances in EV glycan detection, either at the glycomic level for a collection of intact EVs or at the molecular level for a specific protein on EVs. Particular emphasis has been placed on the abundance of EVs in body fluids and their unique characteristics for drug delivery of EVs, indicating an opportunity for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes via EV glycans.

ABC Family Gene Polymorphisms and Cognitive Functions Interact to Influence Antidepressant Efficacy

INTRODUCTION

The importance of identifying relevant indicators of antidepressant efficacy is highlighted by the low response rates to antidepressant treatment for depression. The ABC gene family, encoding ATP-dependent transport proteins facilitating the transport of psychotropic drugs, has drawn attention. This study delved into the relationship between antidepressant efficacy and seven single nucleotide polymorphisms of ABCB1 and ABCB6 genes.

METHODS

A total of 549 depressed patients participated in the study, and all completed a 6-week course of antidepressant treatment. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline and post-treatment. Patients were categorized based on post-treatment HAMD-17 scores (with HAMD≤7 indicating remission), and comparisons were made between different groups in terms of allelic gene frequencies and genotypes. Logistic regression was used to explore the interaction between cognitive function and genotype on efficacy. Dual-luciferase reporter assays were performed to compare the regulatory effects of rs1109866 allele variants on the ABCB6 promoter.

RESULTS

There were no notable differences in allelic gene frequencies and genotypes between the remission and non-remission groups. Nonetheless, a significant interaction was identified between the rs1109866 genotype and language fluency-related indicators concerning efficacy (p=0.029) before correction. The dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated markedly higher fluorescence intensity of rs1109866-C compared to that of rs1109866-T (p<0.001).

DISCUSSION

Relying solely on genetic polymorphisms of ABC family genes as predictors of antidepressant treatment response may not be sufficient. However, the interaction between the rs1109866 and cognition plays a pivotal role. The potentially enhanced transcriptional activity of rs1109866-C might offer insight into its impact on antidepressant efficacy.

Acute changes in hippocampal metabolism after anesthesia and surgery: Implications for perioperative neurocognitive disorder

BACKGROUND

The risk of developing dementia is higher in individuals who suffer from perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND), including postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and delirium. Recent studies have indicated correlations between anesthesia, surgery and PND. Acute metabolic changes induced by anesthesia and surgery may be related to cognitive impairments. Despite a paucity of research on acute metabolic changes in the hippocampus during surgery, there are conflicting about specific metabolites.

METHODS

We developed a mouse model of cognitive impairment induced by isoflurane anesthesia and unilateral nephrectomy. Cognition was evaluated by Y maze and fear conditioning test (FCT). The hippocampus was harvested after the surgery. LC-MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) was performed. The differential metabolites involved in lipid, amino acid, nucleotide, carbohydrate metabolism were analyzed.

RESULTS

Anesthesia and surgery exposure induced cognition decline. A total of 49 metabolites were significantly up-regulated and 122 down-regulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway of the metabolites identified purine, glutathione, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. Metabolites involved in lipid, amino acid, nucleotide, carbohydrate metabolism were identified including nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), 1-Methylnicotinamide, propionic acid, histidine, adenosine, and guanosine cyclic monophosphate. Some metabolites exhibited a consistent change trend in the hippocampus of aging mice.

CONCLUSIONS

The study indicates that anesthesia and surgery can induce acute alterations in hippocampal metabolomics, including metabolites involved in lipid, amino acid, nucleotide, and carbohydrate metabolism. These metabolites may play a role in modulating PND through the regulation of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability.

Extracellular vesicles bearing serum amyloid A1 exacerbate neuroinflammation after intracerebral haemorrhage

INTRODUCTION

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) elicits a robust inflammatory response, which significantly contributes to secondary brain damage. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a pivotal role in intercellular communication by transporting immune-regulatory proteins. However, the precise contribution of these EV-carried proteins to neuroinflammation following ICH remains elusive. Here, we identified proteins dysregulated in EVs and further studied the EVs-enriched Serum amyloid A 1 (SAA1) to understand its role in neuroinflammation and ICH injury.

METHODS

We used mass spectrometry to analyse the EV protein cargo isolated from plasma samples of 30 ICH patients and 30 healthy controls. To validate the function of the dysregulated protein SAA1, an ICH mouse model was conducted to assess the effects of SAA1 neutralisation on brain oedema, neurological function and infiltration of peripheral leucocytes.

RESULTS

49 upregulated proteins and 12 downregulated proteins were observed in EVs from ICH patients compared with controls. Notably, SAA1 demonstrated a significant increase in EVs associated with ICH. We observed that exogenous SAA1 stimulation led to an augmentation in the population of microglia and astrocytes, exacerbating neuroinflammation. Neutralising SAA1 with an anti-SAA1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) diminished the prevalence of proinflammatory microglia and the infiltration of peripheral leucocytes, which ameliorates brain oedema and neurological function in ICH mice.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide compelling evidence implicating EVs and their cargo proteins in ICH pathogenesis. SAA1 emerges as a potential therapeutic target for mitigating neuroinjury and neuroinflammation following ICH.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment: exploring molecular mechanisms and omics biomarkers for early identification and intervention

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a major stroke consequence that has a severe impact on patients' quality of life and survival rate. For this reason, it is especially crucial to identify and intervene early in high-risk groups during the acute phase of stroke. Currently, there are no reliable and efficient techniques for the early diagnosis, appropriate evaluation, or prognostication of PSCI. Instead, plenty of biomarkers in stroke patients have progressively been linked to cognitive impairment in recent years. High-throughput omics techniques that generate large amounts of data and process it to a high quality have been used to screen and identify biomarkers of PSCI in order to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the disease. These techniques include metabolomics, which explores dynamic changes in the organism, gut microbiomics, which studies host-microbe interactions, genomics, which elucidates deeper disease mechanisms, transcriptomics and proteomics, which describe gene expression and regulation. We looked through electronic databases like PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and common databases for each omics to find biomarkers that might be connected to the pathophysiology of PSCI. As all, we found 34 studies: 14 in the field of metabolomics, 5 in the field of gut microbiomics, 5 in the field of genomics, 4 in the field of transcriptomics, and 7 in the field of proteomics. We discovered that neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis may be the primary causes of PSCI development, and that metabolomics may play a role in the molecular mechanisms of PSCI. In this study, we summarized the existing issues across omics technologies and discuss the latest discoveries of PSCI biomarkers in the context of omics, with the goal of investigating the molecular causes of post-stroke cognitive impairment. We also discuss the potential therapeutic utility of omics platforms for PSCI mechanisms, diagnosis, and intervention in order to promote the area's advancement towards precision PSCI treatment.

Intracranial aneurysm circulating exosome-derived LncRNA ATP1A1-AS1 promotes smooth muscle cells phenotype switching and apoptosis

Exosomal long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular diseases. However, the expression profiles and functional significance of exosomal LncRNAs in intracranial aneurysms (IAs) remain poorly understood. Through high-throughput sequencing, we identified 1303 differentially expressed LncRNAs in the plasma exosomes of patients with IAs and healthy controls. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) verification confirmed the differential expression of LncRNAs, the majority of which aligned with the sequencing results. ATP1A1-AS1 showed the most significant upregulation in the disease group. Importantly, subsequent in vitro experiments validated that ATP1A1-AS1 overexpression induced a phenotype switching in vascular smooth muscle cells, along with promoting apoptosis and upregulating MMP-9 expression, potentially contributing to IAs formation. Furthermore, expanded-sample validation affirmed the high diagnostic value of ATP1A1-AS1. These findings suggest that ATP1A1-AS1 is a potential therapeutic target for inhibiting IAs progression and serves as a valuable clinical diagnostic marker.

Exosomal Proteomics: Unveiling Novel Insights into Lung Cancer

Although significant progress has been made in early lung cancer screening over the past decade, it remains one of the most prevalent and deadliest forms of cancer worldwide. Exosomal proteomics has emerged as a transformative field in lung cancer research, with the potential to redefine diagnostics, prognostic assessments, and therapeutic strategies through the lens of precision medicine. This review discusses recent advances in exosome-related proteomic and glycoproteomic technologies, highlighting their potential to revolutionise lung cancer treatment by addressing issues of heterogeneity, integrating multiomics data, and utilising advanced analytical methods. While these technologies show promise, there are obstacles to overcome before they can be widely implemented, such as the need for standardization, gaps in clinical application, and the importance of dynamic monitoring. Future directions should aim to overcome the challenges to fully utilize the potential of exosomal proteomics in lung cancer. This promises a new era of personalized medicine that leverages the molecular complexity of exosomes for groundbreaking advancements in detection, prognosis, and treatment.

Comprehensive Assessment of Ischemic Stroke in Nonhuman Primates: Neuroimaging, Behavioral, and Serum Proteomic Analysis

Ischemic strokes, prevalence and impactful, underscore the necessity of advanced research models closely resembling human physiology. Our study utilizes nonhuman primates (NHPs) to provide a detailed exploration of ischemic stroke, integrating neuroimaging data, behavioral outcomes, and serum proteomics to elucidate the complex interplay of factors involved in stroke pathophysiology. We observed a consistent pattern in infarct volume, peaking at 1-month postmiddle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and then stabilized. This pattern was strongly correlated to notable changes in motor function and working memory performance. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we detected significant alterations in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values, signaling microstructural changes in the brain. These alterations closely correlated with the neurological and cognitive deficits that we observed, highlighting the sensitivity of DTI metrics in stroke assessment. Behaviorally, the monkeys exhibited a reliance on their unaffected limb for compensatory movements, a common response to stroke impairment. This adaptation, along with consistent DTI findings, suggests a significant impact of stroke on motor function and spatial perception. Proteomic analysis through MS/MS functional enrichment identified two distinct groups of proteins with significant changes post-MCAO. Notably, MMP9, THBS1, MB, PFN1, and YWHAZ were identified as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke. Our results underscore the complex nature of stroke and advocate for an integrated approach, combining neuroimaging, behavioral studies, and proteomics, for advancing our understanding and treatment of this condition.