Advanced multifunctional hydrogels for diabetic foot ulcer healing: Active substances and biological functions

AIM

Hydrogels with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability can be used as the desirable dressings for the therapy of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). This review aimed to summarize the biological functions of hydrogels, combining with the pathogenesis of DFU.

METHODS

The studies in the last 10 years were searched and summarized from the online database PubMed using a combination of keywords such as hydrogel and diabetes. The biological functions of hydrogels and their healing mechanism on DFU were elaborated.

RESULTS

In this review, hydrogels were classified by their active substances such as drugs, cytokines, photosensitizers, and biomimetic peptide. Based on this, the biological functions of hydrogels were summarized by associating the pathogenesis of DFU, including oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, cell phenotype change, vasculopathy, and infection. This review also pointed out some of the shortcomings of hydrogels in present researches.

CONCLUSIONS

Hydrogels were classified into carrier hydrogels and self-functioning hydrogels in this review. Besides, the functions and components of existing hydrogels were clarified to provide assistance for future researches and clinical applications.

SUV39H1 is a novel biomarker targeting oxidative phosphorylation in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

As a histone methyltransferase, suppressor of variegation 3-9 homolog 1 (SUV39H1) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of cancer. To explore the mechanism and biological function of SUV39H1 in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) can gain an insight into the pathogenesis of HBV-HCC.

METHODS

The effect of HBV infection on SUV39H1 in hepatoma cells was detected. CCK-8, colony growth assay and wound healing assay were used to assess the proliferation and migration of HBV-positive hepatoma cells. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was applied to find differential genes and enriched pathways. The serum SUV39H1 level in HBV-HCC patients was detected and its correlation with clinical indicators was analyzed.

RESULTS

SUV39H1 was increased by HBV infection and promoted the proliferation and migration of hepatoma cells. SUV39H1 could upregulate the expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway-related genes. OXPHOS pathway inhibitors could reduce the capacity of proliferation and migration of hepatoma cells after overexpressing SUV39H1. Serum SUV39H1 levels were higher in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients than in healthy controls and higher in HBV-HCC patients than in CHB patients. In the diagnosis of HCC, the predictive value of SUV39H1 combined with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was better than that of AFP alone.

CONCLUSION

SUV39H1 is regulated by HBV infection and promotes the proliferation and migration of hepatoma cells by targeting OXPHOS pathway. It indicates that SUV39H1 may be a new biomarker of the diagnosis of HCC.

Research on the biological mechanism and potential application of CEMIP

Cell migration-inducing protein (CEMIP), also known as KIAA1199 and hyaluronan-binding protein involved in hyaluronan depolymerization, is a new member of the hyaluronidase family that degrades hyaluronic acid (HA) and remodels the extracellular matrix. In recent years, some studies have reported that CEMIP can promote the proliferation, invasion, and adhesion of various tumor cells and can play an important role in bacterial infection and arthritis. This review focuses on the pathological mechanism of CEMIP in a variety of diseases and expounds the function of CEMIP from the aspects of inhibiting cell apoptosis, promoting HA degradation, inducing inflammatory responses and related phosphorylation, adjusting cellular microenvironment, and regulating tissue fibrosis. The diagnosis and treatment strategies targeting CEMIP are also summarized. The various functions of CEMIP show its great potential application value.

Linear epitopes on the capsid protein of norovirus commonly elicit high antibody response among past-infected individuals

BACKGROUND

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis globally, and its infection is usually self-limited, so most people become past Norovirus (NoV)-infected individuals. It is known that some antibody responses may play a critical role in preventing viral infection and alleviating disease; however, the characteristics and functions of particular antibody responses in persons with previous infections are not fully understood. Capsid proteins, including VP1 and VP2, are crucial antigenic components of NoV and may regulate antibody immune responses, while epitope-specific antibody responses to capsid proteins have not been comprehensively characterized.

METHODS

We prepared purified VP1 and VP2 proteins by ion exchange chromatography and measured serum antigen-specific IgG levels in 398 individuals by ELISA. Overlapping 18-mer peptides covering the full length of VP1 and VP2 were synthesized, and then we identified linear antigenic epitopes from 20 subjects with strong IgG positivity. Subsequently, specific antibody responses to these epitopes were validated in 185 past infected individuals, and the conservation of epitopes was analyzed. Finally, we obtained epitope-specific antiserum by immunizing mice and expressed virus-like particles (VLPs) in an insect expression system for a blockade antibody assay to evaluate the receptor-blocking ability of epitope-specific antibodies.

RESULTS

The IgG responses of VP1 were significantly stronger than those of VP2, both of which had high positive rates of over 80%. The overall positive rate of VP1-IgG and/or VP2-IgG was approximately 94%, which may be past NoV-infected individuals. Four linear antigenic B-cell epitopes of capsid proteins were identified, namely, VP1_199-216, VP1_469-492, VP2_97-120, and VP2_241-264, all of which were conserved. The IgG response rates of the above epitopes in past NoV-infected individuals were 38.92%, 22.16%, 8.11% and 28.11%, respectively. In addition, VP1_199-216- and VP1_469-492-specific antibodies can partially block the binding of VLPs to the receptor histo-blood group antigen (HBGA).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to describe specific antibody responses of VP2 and to identify its B-cell epitopes. Our findings offer data for a more thorough understanding of norovirus capsid protein-specific IgG responses and could provide useful information for designing and developing vaccines.

Immunodominant SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses elicited by inactivated vaccines in healthy adults

Safety profiles and humoral responses to inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have been previously assessed, but cellular immune responses to inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines remain understudied. Here, we report the comprehensive characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses elicited by the BBIBP-CorV vaccine. A total of 295 healthy adults were recruited, and SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses were detected after stimulation with overlapping peptide pools spanning the entire length of the envelope (E), membrane (M), nucleocapsid (N), and spike (S) proteins. Robust and durable CD4⁺ (p < 0.0001) and CD8⁺ (p < 0.0001) T-cell responses specific to SARS-CoV-2 were detected following the third vaccination, with an increase in specific CD8⁺ T-cells, compared to CD4⁺ T-cells. Cytokine profiles showed that interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor-α were predominantly expressed with the negligible expression of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10, indicating a Th1- or Tc1-biased response. Compared to E and M proteins, N and S activated a higher proportion of specific T-cells with broader functions. The predominant frequency of the N antigen (49/89) was highest for CD4⁺ T-cell immunity. Furthermore, N_19-36 and N_391-408 were identified to contain dominant CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T-cell epitopes, respectively. In addition, N_19-36 -specific CD8⁺ T-cells were mainly effector memory CD45RA cells, whereas N_391-408 -specific CD4⁺ T-cells were mainly effector memory cells. Therefore, this study reports comprehensive features of T-cell immunity induced by the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBIBP-CorV and proposes highly conserved candidate peptides which may be beneficial in vaccine optimization.

CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 as biomarkers of liver injury caused by chronic hepatitis B

Background

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains a significant global health problem, leading to recurrent inflammation and liver-damaging diseases such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Currently, although diagnostic markers for CHB are well established, the indicators for predicting liver injury caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection still need to be further explored. Thus, the identification of credible infectious indicators is urgently needed to facilitate timely clinical intervention and avoid the progression of disease malignancy.

Methods

The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database GSE83148 data set was used to explore the hub genes for HBV infection. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to identify the impact of HBV infection on the expression of hub gene at the cell level. At the same time, serum samples and clinical information were collected from healthy, HBV-free and CHB patients. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to verify the results of cell experiments and Pearson correlation analysis was used to clarify hub genes correlation with HBV infection indicators and liver injury-related indicators. Finally, the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to analyze the differences in the expression of hub gene in liver injury diseases.

Results

Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)8, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 were identified as hub genes in HBV infection. After HBV infection, the expression of the four chemokines was significantly increased and the concentrations secreted into serum were also increased. Moreover, the four chemokines were significantly correlated with HBV infection-related indicators and liver injury-related indicators, which were positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and negatively correlated with AST/ALT ratio and hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb). In addition, the expression of CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in HCC tissues was significantly higher than in normal tissues.

Conclusion

Using a combination of bioinformatics, cell experiments, and clinical correlation analysis, this study showed that CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 can be used as serum biomarkers to forecast liver injury caused by HBV infection.

The BBIBP-CorV inactivated COVID-19 vaccine induces robust and persistent humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid, besides spike protein in healthy adults

Vaccination is one of the best ways to control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic. Among the various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines approved for use, the BBIBP-CorV inactivated vaccine has been widely used in 93 countries. In order to understand deeply the protective mechanism of inactivated vaccine, which retains all antigenic components of live virus, the analysis of humoral responses triggered by multiple proteins is necessary. In this research, antibody responses were generated with 6 selected recombinant proteins and 68 overlapping peptides that completely covered SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein in 254 healthy volunteers vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV. As a result, antibody responses to the receptor binding domain (RBD), N, and non-structural protein 8 (NSP8) were induced following immunization by BBIBP-CorV. The antibody responses detected in donors after the 2nd dose vaccination can be maintained for about 6 months. Moreover, specific antibody levels can be restored after the boosting vaccination measured by ELISA. Furthermore, the level of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG response is independent of age and gender. Moreover, N391-408 was identified as a dominant peptide after vaccination of BBIBP-CorV through peptide screening. Understanding the overview of humoral reactivity of the vaccine will contribute to further research on the protective mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine and provide potential biomarkers for the related application of inactivated vaccine.

Development and validation of an efficient nomogram for risk assessment of norovirus infection in pediatric patients

This study aimed to establish a predictive model and nomogram based on routine laboratory blood indicators and clinical symptoms, subsequently providing a rapid risk assessment of norovirus (NoV) infection in children. This retrospective study enrolled 307 pediatric patients with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis and detected NoV using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Significant indicators selected by multivariate logistic regression, including routine blood tests and consultation symptoms, were used to develop the nomogram. We divided the sample into training and internal validation sets and performed external validation of the final model. Furthermore, we evaluated the clinical performance using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, decision curve analysis (DCA), sensitivity, specificity, concordance rate, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Overall, 153 cases were NoV-PCR-positive, and 154 were negative. The multivariate logistic regression included five predictors of NoV infection, including symptoms of vomiting, upper respiratory tract infection, and indicators of white blood cells, lymphocyte absolute counts, and platelet counts. The nomogram showed a significant predictive value with overall internal set diagnosis, with an AUC of 0.827 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.785–0.868), and 0.812 (95% CI: 0.755–0.869) with 0.799 (95% CI: 0.705–0.894) in the training and internal validation sets, respectively. Nevertheless, the AUC in the external validation set was higher (0.915; 95% CI: 0.862–0.968). This nomogram is a useful tool for risk assessment for NoV infection. Moreover, the evaluated indicators are accessible, substantially reducing the time for laboratory testing.

Long noncoding RNA H19 acts as a miR-29b sponge to promote wound healing in diabetic foot ulcer

Aberrant expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) H19 and microRNA (miR)-29b has been implicated in the complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). As a common and important complication of DM, diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is characterized by high incidence and poor prognosis. Herein, we explored the role of lncRNA H19 in wound healing of DFU. Differentially expressed DM-related lncRNAs were initially screened by microarray data analysis. DFU models were then induced in DM mouse models. The functional role and interaction of lncRNA H19, miR-29b and FBN1 in DFU were subsequently determined by examining the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of fibroblasts after silencing H19, inhibiting or overexpressing miR-29b and FBN1. According to microarray-based analysis, lncRNA H19 was upregulated in DM. In the ulcerative edge tissues of DFU, high expression of lncRNA H19 and FBN1 and low expression of miR-29b were observed. FBN1 was identified to be a target gene of miR-29b. LncRNA H19 could competitively bind to miR-29b, and then, inhibited its expression, which consequently upregulating FBN1. Silencing of lncRNA H19 led to inhibited proliferation, migration, and enhanced apoptosis of fibroblasts, accompanied by downregulated FBN1 but upregulated miR-29b, which diminished the expression of TGF-β1, Smad3, FN, and Col-1 and reduced extracellular matrix accumulation. Altogether, upregulation of lncRNA H19 can elevate the expression of FBN1 through competitively binding to miR-29b, which enhances the proliferation, migration, and inhibits apoptosis of fibroblasts, thus facilitating the wound healing of DFU.

Downregulation of SOCS gene expression can inhibit the formation of acute and persistent BDV infections

High expression of suppressors of cytokine signalling (SOCS) has been detected during various viral infections. As a negative feedback regulator, SOCS participates in the regulation of multiple signalling pathways. In this study, to study the related mechanism between SOCS and BDV and to explore the effect of SOCS on IFN pathways in nerve cells, downregulated of SOCS1/3 in oligodendroglial (OL) cells and OL cells persistently infected with BDV (OL/BDV) were constructed with RNA interference technology. An interferon inducer (poly I:C, PIC) and an IFN-α/β R1 antibody were used as stimulation in the SOCS1/3 low-expression cell models, qRT-PCR was used to detect type I IFN and BDV nucleic acid expression, Western blot was used to detect the expression of BDV P40 protein. After BDV acute infection with OL cells which with downregulated SOCS expression, the virus accounting was not detected, and the viral protein expression was lower than that of OL/BDV cells; the OL/BDV cells with downregulated SOCS expression had lower virus nucleic acid and protein expression than OL/BDV cells. Stimulated by IFN-α/β R1 antibody, the expression of type I interferon in OL/BDV cells decreased, and the content of BDV nucleic acid and protein increased, which was higher than that of OL/BDV cells. From the results, it was concluded that downregulating SOCS1/3 can inhibit the formation of acute BDV infection and virus replication in persistent BDV infection by promoting the expression of IFN-α/β and that SOCS can be used as a new target for antiviral therapy.

Long non-coding RNA H19 contributes to wound healing of diabetic foot ulcer

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a chronic and non-healing complication of diabetes that leads to high hospital costs and, in extreme cases, to amputation. Recent studies have reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are linked to various diabetes-related symptoms. Thus, we aim to explore the role of lncRNA H19 in the wound healing process following DFU. Fibroblasts were isolated from the ulcer margin tissues of DFU patients, with the expression of lncRNA H19, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) or serum response factor (SRF) altered by lentivirus infection. Next, rat models of DFU induced by high glucose and lipid diet were established, which was also infected with corresponding lentivirus. The interaction among lncRNA H19, SRF and CTGF was determined. Afterwards, cell proliferation and apoptosis, angiogenesis, ECM remodeling and wound healing in DFU tissues were evaluated to explore the effects of lncRNA H19/SRF/CTGF and MAPK signaling pathway on DFU. CTGF was poorly expressed in ulcer tissues from DFU rats and patients. CTGF overexpression was shown to activate the MAPK signaling pathway to promote cell proliferation, ECM remodeling, angiogenesis and wound healing while inhibiting cell apoptosis. LncRNA H19 was validated to elevate CTGF expression by recruiting SRF to the promoter region of CTGF, thus accelerating cell proliferation, ECM remodeling and wound healing while repressing cell apoptosis. Furthermore, MAPK signaling pathway activation is confirmed to be the underlying mechanism behind lncRNA H19/CTGF/SRF-induced results. Thus, lncRNA H19 accelerated wound healing in DFU through elevation of CTGF and activation of the MAPK signaling pathway.

The MSC-Derived Exosomal lncRNA H19 Promotes Wound Healing in Diabetic Foot Ulcers by Upregulating PTEN via MicroRNA-152-3p

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to hold promise to accelerate the wound-healing process in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) due to the multilineage differentiation potential. Hence, this study intended to explore the wound healing role of MSC-derived exosomes containing long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) H19 in DFU. lncRNA H19 was predicated to bind to microRNA-152-3p (miR-152-3p), which targeted phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) deleted on chromosome ten. Fibroblasts in DFU samples exhibited highly expressed miR-152-3p and poorly expressed lncRNA H19 and PTEN, along with an activated phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt1) signaling pathway. The fibroblasts were cocultured with lncRNA H19-transfected MSCs and MSC-derived exosomes to assess the effect of the lncRNA H19/miR-152-3p/PTEN axis on the biological activities and inflammation in fibroblasts. Mouse models of DFU were developed by streptozotocin, which was injected with MSC-derived exosomes overexpressing lncRNA H19. lncRNA H19 in MSCs was transferred through exosomes to fibroblasts, the mechanism of which improved wound healing in DFU, corresponded to promoted fibroblast proliferation and migration, as well as suppressed apoptosis and inflammation. Wound healing in mice with DFU was facilitated following the injection of MSC-derived exosomes overexpressing lncRNA H19. Taken together, MSC-derived exosomal lncRNA H19 prevented the apoptosis and inflammation of fibroblasts by impairing miR-152-3p-mediated PTEN inhibition, leading to the stimulated wound-healing process in DFU.

HBV triggers APOBEC2 expression through miR‑122 regulation and affects the proliferation of liver cancer cells

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is responsible for 50% of liver cancer cases globally; this disease is one of the leading causes of cancer‑associated mortality. One reported mechanism underlying the development of liver cancer is the mutation of tumor suppressor genes induced by the overexpression of apolipoprotein B mRNA‑editing enzyme catalytic subunit 2 (APOBEC2) in hepatocytes. In addition, it has been observed that HBV inhibited microRNA (miR)‑122 expression in hepatocytes; however, the molecular mechanisms involved in liver cancer development remain unknown and further investigations are required. In the present study, the mechanistic roles of HBV infection in modulating the expression of miR‑122 and APOBEC2, and the development of liver cancer, were investigated. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blot analyses revealed that APOBEC2 expression was markedly upregulated following HBV infection. Of note, the expression profile of APOBEC2 in the Huh7 and HepG2 liver cancer cell lines opposed that of miR‑122; this miR is the most abundant miRNA in the liver and has been associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. Mechanistically, it was demonstrated via a dual‑luciferase assay that miR‑122 could specifically bind to the 3'‑untranslated region (3'UTR) of APOBEC2 mRNA, inhibiting its expression. Collectively, the findings of the present study may provide insight into the mechanistic role of HBV infection in modulating the expression of miR‑122, which targets the 3'UTR of APOBEC2 mRNA, subsequently inducing liver carcinogenesis.

Demethylation of SOCS1 mediates its abnormally high expression in ovarian cancer

The present study aimed to investigate the association between methylation and the high expression of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) in ovarian cancer by detecting the methylation rate and the degree of expression. The present study investigated the expression of SOCS1 mRNA and SOCS1 protein in ovarian cancer and normal ovary tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry, and the methylation status of the CpG islands of SOCS1 mRNA in ovarian cancer tissue were examined using a methylation-specific PCR. The expression levels of SOCS1 mRNA in ovarian cancer specimens were significantly increased compared with that in the normal ovary tissues (P=0.0215). Consistent with this, the expression levels of SOCS1 protein in ovarian cancer specimens were significantly increased, while the methylation rate of SOCS1 mRNA was significantly decreased compared with that in the normal ovary tissues. Therefore, it may be concluded that the low methylation rate of SOCS1 mRNA in ovarian cancer increased the expression of SOCS1 mRNA, which may serve a role in the development of ovarian cancer.

Immunological network analysis in HPV associated head and neck squamous cancer and implications for disease prognosis

Human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) exhibits a better prognosis than HPV-negative (HPV-) HNSCC. This difference may in part be due to enhanced immune activation in the HPV+ HNSCC tumor microenvironment. To characterize differences in immune activation between HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC tumors, we identified and annotated differentially expressed genes based upon mRNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Immune network between immune cells and cytokines was constructed by using single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and conditional mutual information. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the prognostic value of immune microenvironment characterization. A total of 1673 differentially expressed genes were functionally annotated. We found that genes upregulated in HPV+ HNSCC are enriched in immune-associated processes. And the up-regulated gene sets were validated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. The microenvironment of HPV+ HNSCC exhibited greater numbers of infiltrating B and T cells and fewer neutrophils than HPV- HNSCC. These findings were validated by two independent datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Further analyses of T cell subtypes revealed that cytotoxic T cell subtypes predominated in HPV+ HNSCC. In addition, the ratio of M1/M2 macrophages was much higher in HPV+ HNSCC. The infiltration of these immune cells was correlated with differentially expressed cytokine-associated genes. Enhanced infiltration of B cells and CD8+ T cells were identified as independent protective factors, while high neutrophil infiltration was a risk enhancing factor for HPV+ HNSCC patients. A schematic model of immunological network was established for HPV+ HNSCC to summarize our findings.

Down-regulation of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 by miR-122 enhances interferon-mediated suppression of hepatitis B virus

MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is involved in the pathogenesis of several liver diseases, including chronic hepatitis B infection and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to explore the potential role of miR-122 in the interferon (IFN)-mediated suppression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in hepatocytes. We found that elevated expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) following HBV infection, contributed to the inactivation of the IFN signaling pathway. Based on previous studies from our laboratory showing that miR-122 can modulate type I IFN expression by inhibiting SOCS1 expression, we analyzed the SOCS3 mRNA sequence for putative miR-122 binding sites. We demonstrate that miR-122 inhibits SOCS3 expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region of the SOCS3 mRNA within the region 1887-1910 nucleotides. Finally, we demonstrate that significantly increased levels of IFN lead to decreased HBV expression in miR-122 mimic-treated Huh7 cells, whereas inhibition of endogenous miR-122 leads to enhanced viral production, owing to a marked decrease in IFN expression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that miR-122 down-regulates SOCS3, thus positively affecting the anti-HBV efficiency of endogenous type I IFN. Our study suggests that suppression of miR-122 induced by HBV infection, leads to the inactivation of IFN expression, which in turn enhances HBV replication, contributing to viral persistence and hepatocarcinogenesis.

MiR-122 directly inhibits human papillomavirus E6 gene and enhances interferon signaling through blocking suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 in SiHa cells

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 16 infection is considered as one of the significant causes of human cervical cancer. The expression of the viral oncogenes like E6 and E7 play an important role in the development of the cancer. MiR-122 has been reported to exhibit a strong relationship with hepatitis viruses and take part in several tumor development, while the effects of miR-122 on HPV infection and the HPV viral oncogenes expression still remain unexplored. In this study, using RNAhybrid software, the potential binding sites between miR-122 and HPV16 E6 and E7 mRNAs were identified. Over and loss of miR-122 function showed that miR-122 could directly bind with HPV16 E6 mRNA and significantly inhibit its expression in SiHa cells, which was further confirmed by constructing the miR-122-E6-mu to eliminate the miR-122 binding effects with E6. The increase of the expression of type I interferon (IFN) and its classical effective molecules and the phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT1) protein indicated that miR-122 might enhance type I interferon in cervical carcinoma cells, which explained the significant reduction of HPV16 E7 and E6*I mRNA expression. This might be due to the binding between miR-122 and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) mRNA, which is the suppressor of interferon signaling pathway. Moreover, it was identified that the miR-122 binding position was nt359-nt375 in SOCS1 mRNA. Taken together, this study indicated that HPV16 could be effectively inhibited by miR-122 through both direct binding with E6 mRNA and promoting SOCS1-dependent IFN signaling pathway. Thus, miR-122 may serve as a new therapeutic option for inhibiting HPV infection.

Vitamin D receptor, an important transcription factor associated with aldosterone-producing adenoma

OBJECTIVE

To explore the endocrine mechanisms of aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) by using the microarray expression profiles of normal and APA samples.

METHODS

The gene expression profile GSE8514 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database, including samples from normal adrenals (n = 5) and APAs (n = 10). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by samr package and endocrine DEGs were obtained according to Clinical Genome Database. Then, functional enrichment analysis of screened DEGs was performed by DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery). Finally, a regulatory network was constructed to screen endocrine genes related with adrenal dysfunction and pathway enrichment analysis for the constructed network was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 2149 DEGs were identified including 379 up- and 1770 down-regulated genes. And 26 endocrine genes were filtered from the DEGs. Furthermore, the down-regulated DEGs are mainly related to protein kinase cascade, response to molecule of bacterial origin, response to lipopolysaccharide, cellular macromolecule catabolic process and macromolecule catabolic process, while the up-regulated DEGs are related with regulation of ion transport. The target genes of VDR (vitamin D receptor), one of the three endocrine genes differentially expressed in the regulatory network, were endocrine genes including CYP24A1 (25-hydroxyvitamin D-24-hydroxylase) and PTH (parathyroid hormone). Three pathways may be associated with APA pathogenesis including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, pathways in cancer and autoimmune thyroid disease.

CONCLUSION

The VDR is the most significant transcription factor and related endocrine genes might play important roles in the endocrine mechanisms of APA.

The prognostic value of miR-21 and miR-155 in non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

miR-21 and miR-155 have been implicated in the prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer, but the results are controversial. To resolve this issue, we performed a meta-analysis on miR-21 and miR-155 and  non-small-cell lung cancer prognosis and lymphoid metastasis.

METHODS

Eligible data were extracted and the correlation between miR-21 and miR-155 and non-small-cell lung cancer survival was analyzed by calculating a pooled hazard ratio and sensitivity analysis. The heterogeneity was detected by Q statistic and I-squared statistic, and the publication bias was tested by funnel plots and Egger's test.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies were included. High miR-21 level (hazard ratio = 2.00, 95% confidence interval = 1.38-2.89, P = 0.000 for heterogeneity test, I(2) = 84.9%) and high miR-155 level (hazard ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.11-2.44, P = 0.004 for heterogeneity test, I(2) = 68.3%) were significantly associated with worse non-small-cell lung cancer survival. Furthermore, a high miR-21 level was associated with an increased risk of lymphoid infiltration for non-small-cell lung cancer (odds ratio = 1.93; 95% confidence interval = 1.31-2.85). Funnel plot and Egger's test suggested that there was no publication bias in the current meta-analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis provides evidence that miR-21 and miR-155 are predicting factors for non-small-cell lung cancer prognosis and lymphoid infiltration.

MAVS-mediated host cell defense is inhibited by Borna disease virus

Viruses often have strategies for preventing host cell apoptosis, which antagonizes viral replication. Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic RNA virus that establishes a non-cytolytic persistent infection. Although BDV suppresses type I Interferon (IFN) through (TANK)-binding kinase 1 (TBK-1) associated BDV P protein, it is still unclear how BDV can survive in the host cell and establish a persistent infection. Recently, it has been recognized that mitochondria-mediated apoptosis through the mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) and the RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling pathway is a crucial component of the innate immune response. In this work we show that BDV X protein colocalizes and interacts with MAVS in the mitochondria to block programmed cell death. BDV X protein-mediated inhibition of apoptosis was independent of type I IFN production and NF-κB activity. The reduction of BDV X expression with RNA interference (RNAi) or the mutation of BDV X enhanced MAVS-induced cell death. Collectively, our data provide novel insights into how BDV X protein inhibits antiviral-associated programmed cell death, through its action of MAVS function.

MiR-122 modulates type I interferon expression through blocking suppressor of cytokine signaling 1

MiR-122 is a liver-specific miRNA. Recent studies demonstrated that the interferon (IFN) therapy efficacy is poor in the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients with lower miR-122 abundance in the livers. The hepatocarcinoma patients also have low miR-122 levels in their livers. We previously found that the IFN expression was reduced when miR-122 was knocked down in human oligodendrocytes. The mechanism is unclear. In this study, the miR-122-abundant cell Huh7 was used to explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-122 on type I IFN expression. We found that miR-122 significantly increased the type I IFN expression in Huh7 cells, while knocking down miR-122 decreased the type I IFN expression. By screening potential miR-122 targets among the negative regulators in IFN signaling pathways, we found that there were putative miR-122 targets in the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) mRNA. Over-expressing miR-122 decreased the SOCS1 expression by 50.55% in Huh7 cells, while knocking down miR-122 increased SOCS1 expression by 62.56%. Using a green fluorescence protein (EGFP) fused SOCS1-expressing plasmid, the SOCS1-EGFP fluorescence intensity and protein were lower in miR-122 mimic-treated cells than those in mock-miRNA-treated cells, while miR-122 knockdown significantly increased the SOCS1-EGFP fluorescence intensity and protein expression. Mutations in the nt359-nt375 region abandoned the impact of miR-122 on SOCS1-EGFP expression. Taken together, SOCS1 is a target of miR-122. MiR-122 can regulate the type I IFN expression through modulating the SOCS1 expression.

Interleukin-23 promotes natural killer T-cell production of IL-17 during rat liver transplantation

INTRODUCTION

Cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a key proinflammatory mediator promoting allograft cytokine and chemokine production. In addition to Th17 cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells have also been shown to be capable of rapidly producing IL-17 after activation.

METHODS

The levels of IL-17 and IL-23 of liver allografts were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). IL-17-positive cells in CD1d CD4+ cells of grafts were detected using flow cytometry.

RESULTS

High expression of IL-17 and IL-23 was observed in liver allografts. The ratios of NKT cells were dramatically increased in the allograft group compared with that in the control group (P < .01). In vitro, blockage of IL-23 using anti-IL-23 antibody can inhibit increasing expression of IL-17 (P < .01).

CONCLUSION

NKT cells contribute to production of IL-17 mediated by IL-23 on a rat acute allograft rejection model of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

Robust quantum state transfer in random unpolarized spin chains

We propose and analyze a new approach for quantum state transfer between remote spin qubits. Specifically, we demonstrate that coherent quantum coupling between remote qubits can be achieved via certain classes of random, unpolarized (infinite temperature) spin chains. Our method is robust to coupling-strength disorder and does not require manipulation or control over individual spins. In principle, it can be used to attain perfect state transfer over an arbitrarily long range via purely Hamiltonian evolution and may be particularly applicable in a solid-state quantum information processor. As an example, we demonstrate that it can be used to attain strong coherent coupling between nitrogen-vacancy centers separated by micrometer distances at room temperature. Realistic imperfections and decoherence effects are analyzed.