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Du K, Shi Q, Zhou X, Zhang L, Su H, Zhang C, Wei Z, Liu T, Wang L, Wang X, Cong B, Yun K. Melatonin attenuates fentanyl - induced behavioral sensitization and circadian rhythm disorders in mice. Physiol Behav 2024; 279:114523. [PMID: 38492912 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Melatonin is a neurohormone synthesized by the pineal gland to regulate the circadian rhythms and has proven to be effective in treating drug addiction and dependence. However, the effects of melatonin to modulate the drug-seeking behavior of fentanyl and its underlying molecular mechanism is elusive. This study was designed to investigate the effects of melatonin on fentanyl - induced behavioral sensitization and circadian rhythm disorders in mice. The accompanying changes in the expression of Brain and Muscle Arnt-Like (BMAL1), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in relevant brain regions including the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), nucleus accumbens (NAc), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus (Hip) were investigated by western blot assays to dissect the mechanism by which melatonin modulates fentanyl - induced behavioral sensitization and circadian rhythm disorders. The present study suggest that fentanyl (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg) could induce behavioral sensitization and melatonin (30.0 mg/kg) could attenuate the behavioral sensitization and circadian rhythm disorders in mice. Fentanyl treatment reduced the expression of BMAL1 and MAO-A and increased that of TH in relevant brain regions. Furthermore, melatonin treatment could reverse the expression levels of BMAL1, MAO-A, and TH. In conclusion, our study demonstrate for the first time that melatonin has therapeutic potential for fentanyl addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaili Du
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Qianwen Shi
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi, 030600, China
| | - Xiuya Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Lifei Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Hongliang Su
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi, 030600, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi, 030600, China
| | - Zhiwen Wei
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi, 030600, China
| | - Ting Liu
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; School of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Bin Cong
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi, 030600, China; School of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Keming Yun
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi, 030600, China.
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Liu Z, Yang J, Wang N, Liu J, Geng J, Zhu J, Cong B, Sun H, Wu R. Integrative lncRNA, circRNA, and mRNA analysis reveals expression profiles of six forensic body fluids/tissue. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:731-742. [PMID: 37994925 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03131-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
RNAs have attracted much attention in forensic body fluid/tissue identification (BFID) due to their tissue-specific expression characteristics. Among RNAs, long RNAs (e.g., mRNA) have a higher probability of containing more polymorphic sites that can be used to assign the specific donor of the body fluid/tissue. However, few studies have characterized their overall profiles in forensic science. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of 30 samples from venous blood, menstrual blood, semen, saliva, vaginal secretion, and skin tissue, obtaining a comprehensive picture of mRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA profiles. A total of 90,305 mRNAs, 102,906 lncRNAs (including 19,549 novel lncRNAs), and 40,204 circRNAs were detected. RNA type distribution, length distribution, and expression distribution were presented according to their annotation and expression level, and many novel body fluid/tissue-specific RNA markers were identified. Furthermore, the cognate relations among the three RNAs were analyzed according to gene annotations. Finally, SNPs and InDels from RNA transcripts were genotyped, and 21,611 multi-SNP and 4,471 multi-InDel transcriptomic microhaplotypes (tMHs) were identified. These results provide a comprehensive understanding of transcriptome profiles, which could provide new avenues for tracing the origin of the body fluid/tissue and identifying an individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Liu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jingyi Yang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Nana Wang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jiajun Liu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jiaojiao Geng
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jianzhang Zhu
- Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510440, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China.
| | - Hongyu Sun
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Riga Wu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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Li S, Liu J, Zhao M, Su Y, Cong B, Wang Z. RNA quality score evaluation: A preliminary study of RNA integrity number (RIN) and RNA integrity and quality number (RNA IQ). Forensic Sci Int 2024; 357:111976. [PMID: 38447345 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.111976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
In the past several years, with the in-depth development of RNA-related research, exploring the application of transcriptome and corresponding RNA biomarkers has become one of the research hotspots in the field of forensic science. High-quality RNA is essential for successful downstream workflows, especially in the steps of screening biomarkers by microarray or RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Thus, accurately evaluating the quality of RNA samples is a critical step in obtaining meaningful expression data. The RNA integrity number (RIN) generated from the Agilent Bioanalyzer system has been widely used for RNA quality control in the past two decades. Recently, Thermo Fisher Scientific launched a ratiometric fluorescence-based method to quickly check whether an RNA sample has degraded, and the results are presented as RNA integrity and quality number (RNA IQ). Both quality score systems determine RNA quality using a numerical system based on a scale of 1-10, with 1 denoting significantly degraded specimens and 10 representing high-quality, intact RNA samples. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the consistency, reproducibility and linearity of two quality scores in RNA quality determination by analyzing heat- and RNase- artificially degraded samples. Meanwhile, the expression levels of three microRNAs (hsa-let-7 g-5p, hsa-miR-93-5p and hsa-miR-191-5p) in intact and severely degraded RNA samples were estimated by TaqMan-qPCR and droplet digital PCR. Overall, both quality scores showed good repeatability and reproducibility in their respective tests. In the samples subjected to thermal degradation, RIN showed a trend corresponding to heating time, while RNA IQ value showed almost no change on the time gradient. However, in RNase A mediated degradation, RNA IQ value observed better linearity. Furthermore, the expression levels of three microRNAs in the severely degraded samples did not show significant changes compared to the intact RNA samples. RNA degradation is a very complex and highly variable process, which is difficult to comprehensively evaluate through any one index and cannot directly compare these two parameters. Nevertheless, combined with previous research results and the expression levels of three microRNAs in this study, analyzing RNA biomarkers with stable regions or small sizes in challenged samples may be a conservative and reliable approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suyu Li
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Mengyao Zhao
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yonglin Su
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
| | - Zheng Wang
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
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Cheng M, Ren L, Jia X, Wang J, Cong B. Understanding the action mechanisms of metformin in the gastrointestinal tract. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1347047. [PMID: 38617792 PMCID: PMC11010946 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1347047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Metformin is the initial medication recommended for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In addition to diabetes treatment, the function of metformin also can be anti-aging, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. Nevertheless, further exploration is required to fully understand its mode of operation. Historically, the liver has been acknowledged as the main location where metformin reduces glucose levels, however, there is increasing evidence suggesting that the gastrointestinal tract also plays a significant role in its action. In the gastrointestinal tract, metformin effects glucose uptake and absorption, increases glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion, alters the composition and structure of the gut microbiota, and modulates the immune response. However, the side effects of it cannot be ignored such as gastrointestinal distress in patients. This review outlines the impact of metformin on the digestive system and explores potential explanations for variations in metformin effectiveness and adverse effects like gastrointestinal discomfort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meihui Cheng
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lili Ren
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xianxian Jia
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jianwei Wang
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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Dong Y, Wang J, Yang C, Bao J, Liu X, Chen H, Zhang X, Shi W, Zhang L, Qi Q, Li Y, Wang S, Ma R, Cong B, Zhang G. Phosphorylated CPI-17 and MLC2 as Biomarkers of Coronary Artery Spasm-Induced Sudden Cardiac Death. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2941. [PMID: 38474189 PMCID: PMC10932290 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronary artery spasm (CAS) plays an important role in the pathogeneses of various ischemic heart diseases and has gradually become a common cause of life-threatening arrhythmia. The specific molecular mechanism of CAS has not been fully elucidated, nor are there any specific diagnostic markers for the condition. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the specific molecular mechanism underlying CAS, and screen for potential diagnostic markers. To this end, we successfully constructed a rat CAS model and achieved in vitro culture of a human coronary-artery smooth-muscle cell (hCASMC) contraction model. Possible molecular mechanisms by which protein kinase C (PKC) regulated CAS through the C kinase-potentiated protein phosphatase 1 inhibitor of 17 kDa (CPI-17)/myosin II regulatory light chain (MLC2) pathway were studied in vivo and in vitro to screen for potential molecular markers of CAS. We performed hematoxylin and eosin staining, myocardial zymogram, and transmission electron microscopy to determine myocardial and coronary artery injury in CAS rats. Then, using immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blotting, we further demonstrated a potential molecular mechanism by which PKC regulated CAS via the CPI-17/MLC2 pathway. The results showed that membrane translocation of PKCα occurred in the coronary arteries of CAS rats. CPI-17/MLC2 signaling was observably activated in coronary arteries undergoing CAS. In addition, in vitro treatment of hCASMCs with angiotensin II (Ang II) increased PKCα membrane translocation while consistently activating CPI-17/MLC2 signaling. Conversely, GF-109203X and calphostin C, specific inhibitors of PKC, inactivated CPI-17/MLC2 signaling. We also collected the coronary artery tissues from deceased subjects suspected to have died of CAS and measured their levels of phosphorylated CPI-17 (p-CPI-17) and MLC2 (p-MLC2). Immunohistochemical staining was positive for p-CPI-17 and p-MLC2 in the tissues of these subjects. These findings suggest that PKCα induced CAS through the CPI-17/MLC2 pathway; therefore, p-CPI-17 and p-MLC2 could be used as potential markers for CAS. Our data provide novel evidence that therapeutic strategies against PKC or CPI-17/MLC2 signaling might be promising in the treatment of CAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Dong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Jianfeng Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Chenteng Yang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Junxia Bao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Xia Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Hao Chen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Weibo Shi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Lihua Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Qian Qi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Yingmin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Songjun Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Rufei Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Guozhong Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (Y.D.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (J.B.); (X.L.); (H.C.); (X.Z.); (W.S.); (L.Z.); (Q.Q.); (Y.L.); (S.W.); (R.M.); (B.C.)
- Hebei Province Laboratory of Experimental Animal, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
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Liu Y, Sun Z, Sun Q, Wang L, Wang C, Li Y, Ma C, Shi W, Zhang G, Dong Y, Zhang X, Cong B. The effects of restraint stress on ceramide metabolism disorders in the rat liver: the role of CerS6 in hepatocyte injury. Lipids Health Dis 2024; 23:68. [PMID: 38431645 PMCID: PMC10908211 DOI: 10.1186/s12944-024-02019-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress is implicated in various pathological conditions leading to liver injury. Existing evidence suggests that excessive stress can induce mitochondrial damage in hepatocytes, yet the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Ceramide synthase 6 (CerS6)-derived C16:0 ceramide is recognised as a lipotoxic substance capable of causing mitochondrial damage. However, the role of CerS6 in stress has received insufficient attention. This study aimed to explore the involvement of CerS6 in stress-induced hepatic damage and its associated mechanisms. METHODS The rat restraint stress model and a corticosterone (CORT)-induced hepatocyte stress model were employed for in vivo and in vitro experimental analyses, respectively. Changes in mitochondrial damage and ceramide metabolism in hepatocytes induced by stress were evaluated. The impact of CORT on mitochondrial damage and ceramide metabolism in hepatocytes was assessed following CerS6 knockdown. Mitochondria were isolated using a commercial kit, and ceramides in liver tissue and hepatocytes were detected by LC-MS/MS. RESULTS In comparison to the control group, rats subjected to one week of restraint exhibited elevated serum CORT levels. The liver displayed significant signs of mitochondrial damage, accompanied by increased CerS6 and mitochondrial C16:0 ceramide, along with activation of the AMPK/p38 MAPK pathway. In vitro studies demonstrated that CORT treatment of hepatocytes resulted in mitochondrial damage, concomitant with elevated CerS6 and mitochondrial C16:0 ceramide. Furthermore, CORT induced sequential phosphorylation of AMPK and p38 MAPK proteins, and inhibition of the p38 MAPK pathway using SB203580 mitigated the CORT-induced elevation in CerS6 protein. Knocking down CerS6 in hepatocytes inhibited both the increase in C16:0 ceramide and the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c induced by CORT. CONCLUSIONS CerS6-associated C16:0 ceramide plays a mediating role in stress-induced mitochondrial damage in hepatocytes. The molecular mechanism is linked to CORT-induced activation of the AMPK/p38 MAPK pathway, leading to upregulated CerS6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichang Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
- Department of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226000, China
| | - Zhaoling Sun
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Qiuli Sun
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Yingmin Li
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Weibo Shi
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Guozhong Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
- Hebei Province Laboratory of Experimental Animal, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yiming Dong
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China.
| | - Bin Cong
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhong Shan Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China.
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou, 571199, China.
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Wang Z, Fu G, Ma G, Wang C, Wang Q, Lu C, Fu L, Zhang X, Cong B, Li S. The association between DNA methylation and human height and a prospective model of DNA methylation-based height prediction. Hum Genet 2024; 143:401-421. [PMID: 38507014 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-024-02659-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
As a vital anthropometric characteristic, human height information not only helps to understand overall developmental status and genetic risk factors, but is also important for forensic DNA phenotyping. We utilized linear regression analysis to test the association between each CpG probe and the height phenotype. Next, we designed a methylation sequencing panel targeting 959 CpGs and subsequent height inference models were constructed for the Chinese population. A total of 11,730 height-associated sites were identified. By employing KPCA and deep neural networks, a prediction model was developed, of which the cross-validation RMSE, MAE and R2 were 5.62 cm, 4.45 cm and 0.64, respectively. Genetic factors could explain 39.4% of the methylation level variance of sites used in the height inference models. Collectively, we demonstrated an association between height and DNA methylation status through an EWAS analysis. Targeted methylation sequencing of only 959 CpGs combined with deep learning techniques could provide a model to estimate human height with higher accuracy than SNP-based prediction models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghua Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Guangping Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Guanju Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Chunyan Wang
- Physical Examination Center of Shijiazhuang People's Hospital, Shijiazhuang, 050011, Hebei, China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Chaolong Lu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Lihong Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China.
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Wang J, Fu G, Wang Q, Ma G, Wang Z, Lu C, Fu L, Zhang X, Cong B, Li S. Differences of circular RNA expression profiles between monozygotic twins' blood, with the forensic application in bloodstain and saliva. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2024; 69:103001. [PMID: 38150775 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.103001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Monozygotic twins (MZTs) possess identical genomic DNA sequences and are usually indistinguishable through routine forensic DNA typing methods, which can be relevant in criminal and paternity cases. Recently, novel epigenetic methods involving DNA methylation and microRNA analysis have been introduced to differentiate MZTs. In this study, we explore the potential of using epigenetic markers, specifically circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of non-coding RNA (ncRNA), to identify MZTs, and investigate the unique expression patterns of circRNAs within pairs of MZTs, enabling effective differentiation. Epigenetics regulates gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and plays a crucial role in cell growth and aging. CircRNAs, a recently characterized subclass of ncRNA, have a distinct covalent loop structure without the typical 5' cap or 3' tail. They have been reported to modulate various cellular processes and play roles in embryogenesis and eukaryotic development. To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive circRNA sequencing analysis (circRNA-seq) using total RNA extracted from the blood samples of five pairs of MZTs. We identified a total of 15,257 circRNAs in all MZTs using circRNA-seq. Among them, 3, 21, 338, and 2967 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) were shared among five, four, three, and two pairs of MZTs, respectively. Subsequently, we validated twelve selected DEcircRNAs using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays, which included hsa_circ_0004724, hsa_circ_0054196, hsa_circ_004964, hsa_circ_0000591, hsa_circ_0005077, hsa_circ_0054853, hsa_circ_0054716, hsa_circ_0002302, hsa_circ_0004482, hsa_circ_0001103, novel_circ_0030288 and novel_circ_0056831. Among them, hsa_circ_0005077 and hsa_circ_0004482 exhibited the best performance, showing differences in 7 out of 10 pairs of MZTs. These twelve differentially expressed circRNAs also demonstrated strong discriminative power when tested on saliva samples from 10 pairs of MZTs. Notably, hsa_circ_0004724 displayed differential expression in 8 out of 10 pairs of MZTs in their saliva. Additionally, we evaluated the detection sensitivity, longitudinal temporal stability, and suitability for aged bloodstains of these twelve DEcircRNAs in forensic scenarios. Our findings highlight the potential of circRNAs as molecular markers for distinguishing MZTs, emphasizing their suitability for forensic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China.
| | - Guangping Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Guanju Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Zhonghua Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Chaolong Lu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Lihong Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China.
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei, PR China.
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Ma G, Wang Q, Cong B, Li S. An approach to unified formulae for likelihood ratio calculation in pairwise kinship analysis. Front Genet 2024; 15:1226228. [PMID: 38384715 PMCID: PMC10879572 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1226228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The likelihood ratio (LR) can be an efficient means of distinguishing various relationships in forensic fields. However, traditional list-based methods for derivation and presentation of LRs in distant or complex relationships hinder code editing and software programming. This paper proposes an approach for a unified formula for LRs, in which differences in participants' genotype combinations can be ignored for specific identification. This formula could reduce the difficulty of by-hand coding, as well as running time of large-sample-size simulation. Methods: The approach is first applied to a problem of kinship identification in which at least one of the participants is alleged to be inbred. This can be divided into two parts: i) the probability of different identical by descent (IBD) states according to the alleged kinship; and ii) the ratio of the probability that specific genotype combination can be detected assuming the alleged kinship exists between the two participants to the similar probability assuming that they are unrelated, for each state. For the probability, there are usually recognized results for common identification purposes. For the ratio, subscript letters representing IBD alleles of individual A's alleles are used to eliminate differences in genotype combinations between the two individuals and to obtain a unified formula for the ratio in each state. The unification is further simplified for identification cases in which it is alleged that both of the participants are outbred. Verification is performed to show that the results obtained with the unified and list-form formulae are equivalent. Results: A series of unified formulae are derived for different identification purposes, based on which an R package named KINSIMU has been developed and evaluated for use in large-size simulations for kinship analysis. Comparison between the package with two existing tools indicated that the unified approach presented here is more convenient and time-saving with respect to the coding process for computer applications compared with the list-based approach, despite appearing more complicated. Moreover, the method of derivation could be extended to other identification problems, such as those with different hypothesis sets or those involving multiple individuals. Conclusion: The unified approach of LR calculation can be beneficial in kinship identification field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanju Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou, China
| | - Shujin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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Dou S, Ma G, Liang Y, Fu G, Shen J, Fu L, Wang Q, Li T, Cong B, Li S. Preliminary exploratory research on the application value of oral and intestinal meta-genomics in predicting subjects' occupations-A case study of the distinction between students and migrant workers. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1330603. [PMID: 38390220 PMCID: PMC10883652 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1330603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background In the field of forensic science, accurately determining occupation of an individual can greatly assist in resolving cases such as criminal investigations or disaster victim identifications. However, estimating occupation can be challenging due to the intricate relationship between occupation and various factors, including gender, age, living environment, health status, medication use, and lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption and smoking. All of these factors can impact the composition of oral or gut microbial community of an individual. Methods and results In this study, we collected saliva and feces samples from individuals representing different occupational sectors, specifically students and manual laborers. We then performed metagenomic sequencing on the DNA extracted from these samples to obtain data that could be analyzed for taxonomic and functional annotations in five different databases. The correlation between occupation with microbial information was assisted from the perspective of α and β diversity, showing that individuals belonging to the two occupations hold significantly different oral and gut microbial communities, and that this correlation is basically not affected by gender, drinking, and smoking in our datasets. Finally, random forest (RF) models were built with recursive feature elimination (RFE) processes. Models with 100% accuracy in both training and testing sets were constructed based on three species in saliva samples or on a single pathway annotated by the KEGG database in fecal samples, namely, "ko04145" or Phagosome. Conclusion Although this study may have limited representativeness due to its small sample size, it provides preliminary evidence of the potential of using microbiome information for occupational inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujie Dou
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guanju Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yu Liang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guangping Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jie Shen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Lihong Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Tao Li
- Institute of Intelligent Medical Research (IIMR), BGI Genomics, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou, China
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
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Sun Z, Zhang X, Dong Y, Liu Y, Wang C, Li Y, Ma C, Xu G, Wang S, Yang C, Zhang G, Cong B. Norepinephrine-Activated p38 MAPK Pathway Mediates Stress-Induced Cytotoxic Edema of Basolateral Amygdala Astrocytes. Brain Sci 2024; 14:161. [PMID: 38391735 PMCID: PMC10887202 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is a core region in the limbic system that is highly sensitive to stress. Astrocytes are key players in stress disorders such as anxiety and depression. However, the effects of stress on the morphology and function of amygdala astrocytes and its potential mechanisms remain largely unknown. Hence, we performed in vivo and in vitro experiments using a restraint stress (RS) rat model and stress-induced astrocyte culture, respectively. Our data show that norepinephrine (NE) content increased, cytotoxic edema occurred, and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression was up-regulated in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) obtained from RS rats. Additionally, the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was also observed to be significantly activated in the BLA of rats subjected to RS. The administration of NE to in vitro astrocytes increased the AQP4 level and induced cell edema. Furthermore, p38 MAPK signaling was activated. The NE inhibitor alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT) alleviated cytotoxic edema in astrocytes, inhibited AQP4 expression, and inactivated the p38 MAPK pathway in RS rats. Meanwhile, in the in vitro experiment, the p38 MAPK signaling inhibitor SB203580 reversed NE-induced cytotoxic edema and down-regulated the expression of AQP4 in astrocytes. Briefly, NE-induced activation of the p38 MAPK pathway mediated cytotoxic edema in BLA astrocytes from RS rats. Thus, our data provide novel evidence that NE-induced p38 MAPK pathway activation may be one of the mechanisms leading to cytotoxic edema in BLA under stress conditions, which also could enable the development of an effective therapeutic strategy against cytotoxic edema in BLA under stress and provide new ideas for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoling Sun
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yiming Dong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yichang Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226000, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yingmin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guangming Xu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Songjun Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chenteng Yang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guozhong Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Hebei Province Laboratory of Experimental Animal, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou 571199, China
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Zhou F, Wang X, Tan S, Shi Y, Xie B, Xiang P, Cong B, Ma C, Wen D. Differential cannabinoid-like effects and pharmacokinetics of ADB-BICA, ADB-BINACA, ADB-4en-PINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA in mice: A comparative study. Addict Biol 2024; 29:e13372. [PMID: 38380735 PMCID: PMC10898835 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Despite synthetic cannabinoids' (SCs) prevalent use among humans, these substances often lack comprehensive pharmacological data, primarily due to their rapid emergence in the market. This study aimed to discern differences and causal factors among four SCs (ADB-BICA, ADB-BINACA, ADB-4en-PINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA), with respect to locomotor activity, body temperature and nociception threshold. Adult male C57BL/6 mice received intraperitoneal injections of varying doses (0.5, 0.1 and 0.02 mg/kg) of these compounds. Three substances (including ADB-BINACA, ADB-4en-PINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA) demonstrated dose- and time-dependent hypolocomotive and hypothermic effects. Notably, 0.1 mg/kg MDMB-4en-PINACA exhibited analgesic properties. However, ADB-BICA did not cause any effects. MDMB-4en-PINACA manifested the most potent and sustained effects, followed by ADB-4en-PINACA, ADB-BINACA and ADB-BICA. Additionally, the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) antagonist AM251 suppressed the effects induced by acute administration of the substances. Analysis of molecular binding configurations revealed that the four SCs adopted a congruent C-shaped geometry, with shared linker binding pockets conducive to robust steric interaction with CB1R. Essential residues PHE268 , PHE200 and SER173 within CB1R were identified as pivotal contributors to enhancing receptor-ligand associations. During LC-MS/MS analysis, 0.5 mg/kg MDMB-4en-PINACA exhibited the highest plasma concentration and most prolonged detection window post-administration. The study of SCs' pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles is crucial for better understanding the main mechanisms of cannabinoid-like effects induced by SCs, interpreting clinical findings related to SC uses and enhancing SCs risk awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenghua Zhou
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Sujun Tan
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Yan Shi
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Judicial Expertise, Department of Forensic ToxicologyAcademy of Forensic Science, Ministry of JusticeShanghaiChina
| | - Bing Xie
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Ping Xiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Key Laboratory of Judicial Expertise, Department of Forensic ToxicologyAcademy of Forensic Science, Ministry of JusticeShanghaiChina
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
- Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular BiologyMinistry of EducationShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Di Wen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
- Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular BiologyMinistry of EducationShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
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Yang H, Zhang X, Zhang M, Lu Y, Xie B, Sun S, Yu H, Cong B, Luo Y, Ma C, Wen D. Roles of lncLingo2 and its derived miR-876-5p in the acquisition of opioid reinforcement. Addict Biol 2024; 29:e13375. [PMID: 38380802 PMCID: PMC10898844 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies found that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) played crucial roles in drug addiction through epigenetic regulation of gene expression and underlying drug-induced neuroadaptations. In this study, we characterized lncRNA transcriptome profiles in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of mice exhibiting morphine-conditioned place preference (CPP) and explored the prospective roles of novel differentially expressed lncRNA, lncLingo2 and its derived miR-876-5p in the acquisition of opioids-associated behaviours. We found that the lncLingo2 was downregulated within the NAc core (NAcC) but not in the NAc shell (NAcS). This downregulation was found to be associated with the development of morphine CPP and heroin intravenous self-administration (IVSA). As Mfold software revealed that the secondary structures of lncLingo2 contained the sequence of pre-miR-876, transfection of LV-lncLingo2 into HEK293 cells significantly upregulated miR-876 expression and the changes of mature miR-876 are positively correlated with lncLingo2 expression in NAcC of morphine CPP trained mice. Delivering miR-876-5p mimics into NAcC also inhibited the acquisition of morphine CPP. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase assay confirmed that miR-876-5p binds to its target gene, Kcnn3, selectively and regulates morphine CPP training-induced alteration of Kcnn3 expression. Lastly, the electrophysiological analysis indicated that the currents of small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channel was increased, which led to low neuronal excitability in NAcC after CPP training, and these changes were reversed by lncLingo2 overexpression. Collectively, lncLingo2 may function as a precursor of miR-876-5p in NAcC, hence modulating the development of opioid-associated behaviours in mice, which may serve as an underlying biomarker and therapeutic target of opioid addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Yang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Xiuning Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Minglong Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
- Department of GeneticsQiqihar Medical UniversityQiqiharHeilongjiang ProvinceChina
| | - Yun Lu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Bing Xie
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Shaoguang Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei ProvinceHebei Medical UniversityShijiazhuangChina
- Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular BiologyMinistry of EducationShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Hailei Yu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Yixiao Luo
- Hunan Province People's HospitalThe First‐Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
- Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular BiologyMinistry of EducationShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
| | - Di Wen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and ToxicologyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
- Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular BiologyMinistry of EducationShijiazhuangHebei ProvinceChina
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Zhang ZT, Wang H, Dong H, Cong B. Comparative hemolymph proteomic analyses of the freezing and resistance-freezing Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée). Sci Rep 2024; 14:2580. [PMID: 38297109 PMCID: PMC10830562 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52792-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is one of the most harmful pests of maize in Asia. It poses a significant threat to maize production, causing economic losses due to its strong ecological adaptation. In this study, we compared and analyzed the hemolymph proteome between freezing and resistance-freezing O. furnacalis strains using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to gain insights into the mechanisms of cold resistance. The results revealed that 300-400 hemolymph protein spots were common, with 24 spots showing differences between the two strains. Spectrometry analysis revealed 21 protein spots, including 17 upregulated spots and 4 downregulated ones. The expression of upregulation/downregulation proteins plays a crucial role in the metabolism, energy supply, and defense reaction of insects. Proteomics research not only provides a method for investigating protein expression patterns but also identifies numerous attractive candidates for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhu-Ting Zhang
- Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Kaili University, 556011, Kaili, People's Republic of China
| | - Huan Wang
- Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hui Dong
- Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
| | - Bin Cong
- Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
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15
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Chen K, Qi X, Zhu LL, Li ML, Cong B, Li YM. Quantitative analysis of microglia morphological changes in the hypothalamus of chronically stressed rats. Brain Res Bull 2024; 206:110861. [PMID: 38141789 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Based on the successful establishment of a rat model of chronic restraint stress, we used multiple algorithms to quantify the morphological changes of rat hypothalamic microglia from various perspectives, providing a pathomorphological basis for the subsequent study of molecular mechanisms of hypothalamic stress injury, such as neuroinflammation. To verify the successful establishment of the chronic stress model, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect serum glucocorticoid levels. Microglia labeled with Iba1 in frozen sections of rat hypothalamus were scanned and photographed at multiple levels using confocal microscopy. Subsequently, images were processed for external contouring and skeletonization, and morphological indices of microglia were calculated and analyzed using fractal, skeleton, and Sholl analysis. In addition, the co-expression of CD68 (a marker that can reflect phagocytic activity) and Iba1 was observed by immunofluorescence technique. Compared with the control group, microglia in the chronic stress group displayed reduced fractal dimension and lacunarity, increased density and circularity, enlarged soma areas, and shortened and reduced branches. Sholl analysis confirmed the reduced complexity of microglia following chronic stress. Meanwhile, microglia CD68 increased significantly, indicating that the microglia in the chronic stress group have greater phagocytosis activity. In summary, chronic restraint stress promoted the conversion of microglia in the rat hypothalamus to a less complex form, manifested as larger soma, shorter and fewer branches, more uniform and dense texture, and increased circularity; indeed, the shape of these microglia resembled that of amoeba and they displayed strong phagocytosis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Chen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No.361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xin Qi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No.361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Lin-Lin Zhu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No.361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Mei-Li Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No.361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No.361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China.
| | - Ying-Min Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No.361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China.
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16
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Liu Z, Liu J, Geng J, Wu E, Zhu J, Cong B, Wu R, Sun H. Metatranscriptomic characterization of six types of forensic samples and its potential application to body fluid/tissue identification: A pilot study. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2024; 68:102978. [PMID: 37995518 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms are potential markers for identifying body fluids (venous and menstrual blood, semen, saliva, and vaginal secretion) and skin tissue in forensic genetics. Existing published studies have mainly focused on investigating microbial DNA by 16 S rRNA gene sequencing or metagenome shotgun sequencing. We rarely find microbial RNA level investigations on common forensic body fluid/tissue. Therefore, the use of metatranscriptomics to characterize common forensic body fluids/tissue has not been explored in detail, and the potential application of metatranscriptomics in forensic science remains unknown. Here, we performed 30 metatranscriptome analyses on six types of common forensic sample from healthy volunteers by massively parallel sequencing. After quality control and host RNA filtering, a total of 345,300 unigenes were assembled from clean reads. Four kingdoms, 137 phyla, 267 classes, 488 orders, 985 families, 2052 genera, and 4690 species were annotated across all samples. Alpha- and beta-diversity and differential analysis were also performed. As a result, the saliva and skin groups demonstrated high alpha diversity (Simpson index), while the venous blood group exhibited the lowest diversity despite a high Chao1 index. Specifically, we discussed potential microorganism contamination and the "core microbiome," which may be of special interest to forensic researchers. In addition, we implemented and evaluated artificial neural network (ANN), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) models for forensic body fluid/tissue identification (BFID) using genus- and species-level metatranscriptome profiles. The ANN and RF prediction models discriminated six forensic body fluids/tissue, demonstrating that the microbial RNA-based method could be applied to BFID. Unlike metagenomic research, metatranscriptomic analysis can provide information about active microbial communities; thus, it may have greater potential to become a powerful tool in forensic science for microbial-based individual identification. This study represents the first attempt to explore the application potential of metatranscriptome profiles in forensic science. Our findings help deepen our understanding of the microorganism community structure at the RNA level and are beneficial for other forensic applications of metatranscriptomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Liu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jiajun Liu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jiaojiao Geng
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Enlin Wu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jianzhang Zhu
- Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
| | - Riga Wu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Hongyu Sun
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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Shen X, Wang F, Li Y, Su B, Song Z, Cong B. Changing Patterns in Digestive Diseases Mortality in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 1987-2021. China CDC Wkly 2023; 5:1115-1119. [PMID: 38124886 PMCID: PMC10728559 DOI: 10.46234/ccdcw2023.208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
What is already known about this topic? Digestive diseases (DDs) are a global health concern with a substantial epidemiological and economic impact, given their high prevalence. What is added by this report? This study investigated the trends in mortality related to DDs in China from 1987 to 2021, focusing on the urban-rural divide. Additionally, it aimed to determine the specific impacts of age, period, and cohort on DDs mortality. What are the implications for public health practice? There is a need to prioritize and allocate more resources toward the future management of DDs in order to effectively address the challenges posed by urbanization and aging populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Shen
- School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Endoscopy Center, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yuling Li
- School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Binbin Su
- School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiqiang Song
- Department of Gastroenterology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, China
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18
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Wang F, Yu B, Yu Q, Wang G, Li B, Guo G, Wang H, Shen H, Li S, Ma C, Jia X, Wang G, Cong B. NOP58 induction potentiates chemoresistance of colorectal cancer cells through aerobic glycolysis as evidenced by proteomics analysis. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1295422. [PMID: 38149051 PMCID: PMC10750250 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1295422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The majority of individuals diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) will ultimately acquire resistance to 5-FU treatment. An increasing amount of evidence indicates that aerobic glycolysis performs a significant function in the progression and resistance of CRC. Nevertheless, the fundamental mechanisms remain to be fully understood. Methods: Proteomic analysis of 5-FU resistant CRC cells was implemented to identify and determine potential difference expression protein. Results: These proteins may exhibit resistance mechanisms that are potentially linked to the process of aerobic glycolysis. Herein, we found that nucleolar protein 58 (NOP58) has been overexpressed within two 5-FU resistant CRC cells, 116-5FuR and Lovo-5FuR. Meanwhile, the glycolysis rate of drug-resistant cancer cells has increased. NOP58 knockdown decreased glycolysis and enhanced the sensitivity of 116-5FuR and Lovo-5FuR cells to 5FU. Conclusion: The proteomic analysis of chemoresistance identifies a new target involved in the cellular adaption to 5-FU and therefore highlights a possible new therapeutic strategy to overcome this resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Yu
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Quanyong Yu
- China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guanglin Wang
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Baokun Li
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Ganlin Guo
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Handong Wang
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Hui Shen
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Shujin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Xianxian Jia
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guiying Wang
- The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Department of Surgery, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
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Liang Y, Dou S, Zhao G, Shen J, Fu G, Fu L, Li S, Cong B, Dong C. Prediction of BMI traits in the Chinese population based on the gut metagenome. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:250. [PMID: 38066544 PMCID: PMC10704812 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02255-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying individual characteristics based on trace evidence left at a crime scene is crucial in forensic identification. Microbial communities found in fecal traces have high individual specificity and could serve as potential markers for forensic characterization. Previous research has established that predicting body type based on the relative abundance of the gut microbiome is relatively accurate. However, the long-term stability and high individual specificity of the gut microbiome are closely linked to changes at the genome level of the microbiome. No studies have been conducted to deduce body shape from genetic traits. Therefore, in this study, the vital role of gut bacterial community characteristics and genetic traits in predicting body mass index (BMI) was investigated using gut metagenomic data from a healthy Chinese population. RESULTS Regarding the gut microbial community, the underweight group displayed increased α-diversity in comparison to the other BMI groups. There were significant differences in the relative abundances of 19 species among these three BMI groups. The BMI prediction model, based on the 31 most significant species, showed a goodness of fit (R2) of 0.56 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.09 kg/m2. The overweight group exhibited significantly higher α-diversity than the other BMI groups at the level of gut microbial genes. Furthermore, there were significant variations observed in the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density of 732 contigs between these three BMI groups. The BMI prediction model, reliant on the 62 most contributing contigs, exhibited a model R2 of 0.72 and an MAE of 1.56 kg/m2. The model predicting body type from 44 contigs correctly identified the body type of 93.55% of the study participants. CONCLUSION Based on metagenomic data from a healthy Chinese population, we demonstrated the potential of genetic traits of gut bacteria to predict an individual's BMI. The findings of this study suggest the effectiveness of a novel method for determining the body type of suspects in forensic applications using the genetic traits of the gut microbiome and holds great promise for forensic individual identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Shujie Dou
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Guangzhong Zhao
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Jie Shen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Guangping Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Lihong Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Chunnan Dong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China.
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China.
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20
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Zhou YC, Wang B, Cai J, Xu YZ, Qin XS, Ha S, Cong B, Chen JH, Deng JQ. Extraction of Diatom DNA from Water Samples and Tissues. J Vis Exp 2023. [PMID: 38009730 DOI: 10.3791/65792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Diatom testing is an essential auxiliary means in forensic practice to determine whether the corpse drowned in water and to infer the drowning location. Diatom testing is also an important research content in the field of the environment and plankton. The diatom molecular biology testing technology, which focuses on diatom DNA as the primary research object, is a new method of diatom testing. Diatom DNA extraction is the basis of diatom molecular testing. At present, the kits commonly used for diatom DNA extraction are expensive, which increases the cost of carrying out related research. Our laboratory improved the general whole blood genomic DNA rapid extraction kit and obtained a satisfactory diatom DNA extraction effect, thus providing an alternative economical and affordable DNA extraction solution based on glass beads for related research. The diatom DNA extracted using this protocol could satisfy many downstream applications, such as PCR and sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Chao Zhou
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine)
| | - Bo Wang
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine)
| | - Jie Cai
- Hainan Vocational College of Political Science and Law
| | - Yu-Zhao Xu
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine)
| | - Xiao-Shi Qin
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine)
| | - Shan Ha
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine)
| | - Bin Cong
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine); Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University;
| | - Jian-Hua Chen
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine);
| | - Jian-Qiang Deng
- Hainan Province Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine);
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Zhang S, Li Y, Zhu W, Zhang L, Lei L, Tian X, Chen K, Shi W, Cong B. Endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by turbulence of mitochondrial fusion and fission was involved in stressed cardiomyocyte injury. J Cell Mol Med 2023; 27:3313-3325. [PMID: 37593898 PMCID: PMC10623534 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are sensitive organelles that sense intrinsic and extrinsic stressors and maintain cellular physiological functions through the dynamic homeostasis of mitochondrial fusion and fission. Numerous pathological processes are associated with mitochondrial fusion and fission disorders. However, the molecular mechanism by which stress induces cardiac pathophysiological changes through destabilising mitochondrial fusion and fission is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the endoplasmic reticulum stress signalling pathway initiated by the turbulence of mitochondrial fusion and fission under stressful circumstances is involved in cardiomyocyte damage. Based on the successful establishment of the classical stress rat model of restraint plus ice water swimming, we measured the content of serum lactate dehydrogenase. We used haematoxylin-eosin staining, special histochemical staining, RT-qPCR and western blotting to clarify the cardiac pathology, ultrastructural changes and expression patterns of mitochondrial fusion and fission marker proteins and endoplasmic reticulum stress signalling pathway proteins. The results indicated that mitochondrial fusion and fission markers and proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum stress JNK signalling pathway showed significant abnormal dynamic changes with the prolongation of stress, and stabilisation of mitochondrial fusion and fission using Mdivi-1 could effectively improve these abnormal expressions and ameliorate cardiomyocyte injury. These findings suggest that stress could contribute to pathological cardiac injury, closely linked to the endoplasmic reticulum stress JNK signalling pathway induced by mitochondrial fusion and fission turbulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengnan Zhang
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Yingmin Li
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Weihao Zhu
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Lihua Zhang
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Lei Lei
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Xiaofei Tian
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Ke Chen
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Weibo Shi
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
| | - Bin Cong
- Department of Forensic MedicineHebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular IdentificationShijiazhuangChina
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Zhang ZH, Yang CT, Su XR, Li YP, Zhang XJ, Wang SJ, Cong B. CCK1R2R -/- ameliorates myocardial damage caused by unpredictable stress via altering fatty acid metabolism. Stress 2023; 26:2254566. [PMID: 37665601 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2254566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The heart is the main organ of the circulatory system and requires fatty acids to maintain its activity. Stress is a contributor to aggravating cardiovascular diseases and even death, and exacerbates the abnormal lipid metabolism. The cardiac metabolism may be disturbed by stress. Cholecystokinin (CCK), which is a classical peptide hormone, and its receptor (CCKR) are expressed in myocardial cells and affect cardiovascular function. Nevertheless, under stress, the exact role of CCKR on cardiac function and cardiac metabolism is unknown and the mechanism is worth exploring. After unpredictable stress, a common stress-inducing model that induces the development of mood disorders such as anxiety and reduces motivated behavior, we found that the abnormal contraction and diastole of the heart, myocardial injury, oxidative stress and inflammation of mice were aggravated. Cholecystokinin A receptor and cholecystokinin B receptor knockout (CCK1R2R-/-) significantly reversed these changes. Mechanistically, fatty acid metabolism was found to be altered in CCK1R2R-/- mice. Differential metabolites, especially L-tryptophan, L-aspartic acid, cholesterol, taurocholic acid, ADP, oxoglutaric acid, arachidonic acid and 17-Hydroxyprogesterone, influenced cardiac function after CCK1R2R knockout and unpredictable stress. We conclude that CCK1R2R-/- ameliorated myocardial damage caused by unpredictable stress via altering fatty acid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Hua Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
- Hebei Chest Hospital, Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Lung Disease, Hebei, P.R. China
| | - Chen-Teng Yang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Rui Su
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
| | - Ya-Ping Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Jing Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
| | - Song-Jun Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei, P.R. China
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou, Hainan, P.R. China
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23
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Zhang D, Jia M, Wang C, Li Y, Ma C, Zhu G, Ma R, Wen D, Jia X, Xu G, Zhang X, Cong B. CCK2-receptor deficiency impairs immune balance by influencing CD4 + T cells development by inhibiting cortical-thymic-epithelial-cells. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2023; 248:1718-1731. [PMID: 37787155 PMCID: PMC10792431 DOI: 10.1177/15353702231198083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune balance is crucial for an organism's survival and is inseparable from the regulation of the nervous system. Accumulating evidence indicates that cholecystokinin (CCK) plays an important role in mediating the immune response through the activation of cholecystokinin receptors (CCKRs). However, it remains unclear whether CCKRs deficiency may impair immune balance. Here, we showed that CCK2R-deficient adult mice were immunocompromised and had an increased risk of shock and even death in an endotoxemia (ETM)/endotoxin shock (ES) model. In addition, in both adult and juvenile mice, CCK2R deficiency not only influenced the development of CD4 single-positive (SP) thymocytes in thymic positive selection but also decreased the population of CD3+ CD4+ T cells in the spleen. More importantly, CCK2R deficiency inhibited the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) and CD83 on cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) in juvenile and adult mice. Overall, our study suggests that CCK2R is essential for maintaining CD4+ T cell development in the thymus and reveals that CCK2R plays an important role in maintaining immune balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- College of Integrative Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Miaomiao Jia
- Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yingmin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guiyun Zhu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Rufei Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Di Wen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xianxian Jia
- Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guangming Xu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
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Wang SJ, Liu BR, Zhang F, Su XR, Li YP, Yang CT, Zhang ZH, Cong B. The amino acid metabolomics signature of differentiating myocardial infarction from strangulation death in mice models. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14999. [PMID: 37696922 PMCID: PMC10495377 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41819-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
This study differentiates myocardial infarction (MI) and strangulation death (STR) from the perspective of amino acid metabolism. In this study, MI mice model via subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol and STR mice model by neck strangulation were constructed, and were randomly divided into control (CON), STR, mild MI (MMI), and severe MI (SMI) groups. The metabolomics profiles were obtained by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics. Principal component analysis, partial least squares-discriminant analysis, volcano plots, and heatmap were used for discrepancy metabolomics analysis. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed and the expression of proteins related to metabolomics was detected using immunohistochemical and western blot methods. Differential metabolites and metabolite pathways were screened. In addition, we found the expression of PPM1K was significantly reduced in the MI group, but the expression of p-mTOR and p-S6K1 were significantly increased (all P < 0.05), especially in the SMI group (P < 0.01). The expression of Cyt-C was significantly increased in each group compared with the CON group, especially in the STR group (all P < 0.01), and the expression of AMPKα1 was significantly increased in the STR group (all P < 0.01). Our study for the first time revealed significant differences in amino acid metabolism between STR and MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Jun Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Bing-Rui Liu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Fu Zhang
- Forensic Pathology Lab, Guangdong Public Security Department, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Rui Su
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Ya-Ping Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Chen-Teng Yang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Zhang
- Department of Science and Education, Hebei Chest Hospital, No. 372 Shengli North Street, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050041, Hebei, China.
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China.
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25
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Zhang L, Shi W, Liu J, Chen K, Zhang G, Zhang S, Cong B, Li Y. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) Regulates GABAA Receptors in the Dorsomedial Hypothalamus Nucleus (DMH) through Activation of the JAK/STAT Pathway to Affect Heart Rate Variability in Stressed Rats. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12985. [PMID: 37629166 PMCID: PMC10455568 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsomedial hypothalamus nucleus (DMH) is an important component of the autonomic nervous system and plays a critical role in regulating the sympathetic outputs of the heart. Stress alters the neuronal activity of the DMH, affecting sympathetic outputs and triggering heart rate variability. However, the specific molecular mechanisms behind stress leading to abnormal DMH neuronal activity have still not been fully elucidated. Therefore, in the present study, we successfully constructed a stressed rat model and used it to investigate the potential molecular mechanisms by which IL-6 regulates GABAA receptors in the DMH through activation of the JAK/STAT pathway and thus affects heart rate variability in rats. By detecting the c-Fos expression of neurons in the DMH and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in rats, we clarified the relationship between abnormal DMH neuronal activity and heart rate variability in stressed rats. Then, using ELISA, immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting, RT-qPCR, and RNAscope, we further explored the correlation between the IL-6/JAK/STAT signaling pathway and GABAA receptors. The data showed that an increase in IL-6 induced by stress inhibited GABAA receptors in DMH neurons by activating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, while specific inhibition of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway using AG490 obviously reduced DMH neuronal activity and improved heart rate variability in rats. These findings suggest that IL-6 regulates the expression of GABAA receptors via the activation of the JAK/STAT pathway in the DMH, which may be an important cause of heart rate variability in stressed rats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (L.Z.); (W.S.); (J.L.); (K.C.); (G.Z.); (S.Z.)
| | - Yingmin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; (L.Z.); (W.S.); (J.L.); (K.C.); (G.Z.); (S.Z.)
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26
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Jia M, Dong T, Cheng Y, Rong F, Zhang J, Lv W, Zhen S, Jia X, Cong B, Wu Y, Cui H, Hao P. Ceruloplasmin is associated with the infiltration of immune cells and acts as a prognostic biomarker in patients suffering from glioma. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1249650. [PMID: 37637428 PMCID: PMC10450624 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1249650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioma is regarded as a prevalent form of cancer that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS), with an aggressive growth pattern and a low clinical cure rate. Despite the advancement of the treatment strategy of surgical resection, chemoradiotherapy and immunotherapy in the last decade, the clinical outcome is still grim, which is ascribed to the low immunogenicity and tumor microenvironment (TME) of glioma. The multifunctional molecule, called ceruloplasmin (CP) is involved in iron metabolism. Its expression pattern, prognostic significance, and association with the immune cells in gliomas have not been thoroughly investigated. Studies using a variety of databases, including Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and Gliovis, showed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of CP in patients suffering from glioma increased significantly with an increasing glioma grade. Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves and statistical tests highlighted a significant reduction in survival time of patients with elevated CP expression levels. According to Cox regression analysis, CP can be utilized as a stand-alone predictive biomarker in patients suffering from glioma. A significant association between CP expression and numerous immune-related pathways was found after analyzing the data using the Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and CIBERSORT analyses indicated a substantial correlation between the CP expression and infiltration of immunocytes in the TME. Additionally, immune checkpoints and CP expression in gliomas showed a favorable correlation. According to these results, patients with glioma have better prognoses and levels of tumor immune cell infiltration when their CP expression is low. As a result, CP could be used as a probable therapeutic target for gliomas and potentially anticipate the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Jia
- Department of Human Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Shijiazhuang, China
- Postdoctoral Mobile Station of Biology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Tianyu Dong
- Department of Human Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yangyang Cheng
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Fanghao Rong
- Department of Human Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jiamin Zhang
- Department of Human Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Wei Lv
- Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Shuman Zhen
- Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Xianxian Jia
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Yuming Wu
- Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardio Cerebrovascular Disease, Department of Physiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Huixian Cui
- Department of Human Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanism, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Peipei Hao
- Department of Human Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- International Cooperation Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanism, Shijiazhuang, China
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27
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Yu H, Wen B, Lu Y, Xie B, Yu F, Zhang M, Ma C, Cong B, Wen D, Bi H. The Role of circTmeff-1 in Morphine Addiction Memory of Mice. Cells 2023; 12:1985. [PMID: 37566064 PMCID: PMC10417613 DOI: 10.3390/cells12151985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to the essential pharmacological effects of opioids, situational cues associated with drug addiction memory are key triggers for drug seeking. CircRNAs, an emerging hotspot regulator in crown genetics, play an important role in central nervous system-related diseases. However, the internal mediating mechanism of circRNAs in the field of drug reward and addiction memory remains unknown. Here, we trained mice on a conditional place preference (CPP) model and collected nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissues from day 1 (T0) and day 8 (T1) for high-throughput RNA sequencing. QRT-PCR analysis revealed that circTmeff-1 was highly expressed in the NAc core but not in the NAc shell, suggesting that it plays a role in addiction memory formation. Meanwhile, the down-regulation of circTmeff-1 by adeno-associated viruses in the NAc core or shell could inhibit the morphine CPP scores. Subsequently, the GO and KEGG analyses indicated that circTmeff-1 might regulate the addiction memory via the MAPK and AMPK pathways. These findings suggest that circTmeff-1 in NAc plays a crucial role in morphine-dependent memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailei Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Boyang Wen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Yun Lu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Bing Xie
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Feng Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Minglong Zhang
- Department of Biogenetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161000, China;
| | - Chunling Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Di Wen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
| | - Haitao Bi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050000, China; (H.Y.); (B.W.); (Y.L.); (B.X.); (F.Y.); (C.M.); (B.C.)
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Fu G, Ma G, Dou S, Wang Q, Fu L, Zhang X, Lu C, Cong B, Li S. Feature selection with a genetic algorithm can help improve the distinguishing power of microbiota information in monozygotic twins' identification. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1210638. [PMID: 37555059 PMCID: PMC10406218 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1210638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Personal identification of monozygotic twins (MZT) has been challenging in forensic genetics. Previous research has demonstrated that microbial markers have potential value due to their specificity and long-term stability. However, those studies would use the complete information of detected microbial communities, and low-value species would limit the performance of previous models. METHODS To address this issue, we collected 80 saliva samples from 10 pairs of MZTs at four different time points and used 16s rRNA V3-V4 region sequencing to obtain microbiota information. The data formed 280 inner-individual (Self) or MZT sample pairs, divided into four groups based on the individual relationship and time interval, and then randomly divided into training and testing sets with an 8:2 ratio. We built 12 identification models based on the time interval ( ≤ 1 year or ≥ 2 months), data basis (Amplicon sequence variants, ASVs or Operational taxonomic unit, OTUs), and distance parameter selection (Jaccard distance, Bray-Curist distance, or Hellinger distance) and then improved their identification power through genetic algorithm processes. The best combination of databases with distance parameters was selected as the final model for the two types of time intervals. Bayes theory was introduced to provide a numerical indicator of the evidence's effectiveness in practical cases. RESULTS From the 80 saliva samples, 369 OTUs and 1130 ASVs were detected. After the feature selection process, ASV-Jaccard distance models were selected as the final models for the two types of time intervals. For short interval samples, the final model can completely distinguish MZT pairs from Self ones in both training and test sets. DISCUSSION Our findings support the microbiota solution to the challenging MZT identification problem and highlight the importance of feature selection in improving model performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangping Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guanju Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shujie Dou
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Lihong Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chaolong Lu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou, China
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
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Zhang M, Luo Y, Wang J, Sun Y, Xie B, Zhang L, Cong B, Ma C, Wen D. Roles of nucleus accumbens shell small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in the conditioned fear freezing. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 163:180-194. [PMID: 37216772 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric disorder caused by stressful events, is characterized by long-lasting fear memory. The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS) is a key brain region that regulates fear-associated behavior. Small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels) play a key role in regulating the excitability of NAcS medium spiny neurons (MSNs) but their mechanisms of action in fear freezing are unclear. METHOD We established an animal model of traumatic memory using conditioned fear freezing paradigm, and investigated the alterations in SK channels of NAc MSNs subsequent to fear conditioning in mice. We then utilized an adeno-associated virus (AAV) transfection system to overexpress the SK3 subunit and explore the function of the NAcS MSNs SK3 channel in conditioned fear freezing. RESULTS Fear conditioning activated NAcS MSNs with enhanced excitability and reduced the SK channel-mediated medium after-hyperpolarization (mAHP) amplitude. The expression of NAcS SK3 were also reduced time-dependently. The overexpression of NAcS SK3 impaired conditioned fear consolidation without affecting conditioned fear expression, and blocked fear conditioning-induced alterations in NAcS MSNs excitability and mAHP amplitude. Additionally, the amplitudes of mEPSC, AMPAR/NMDAR ratio, and membrane surface GluA1/A2 expression in NAcS MSNs was increased by fear conditioning and returned to normal levels upon SK3 overexpression, indicating that fear conditioning-induced decrease of SK3 expression caused postsynaptic excitation by facilitating AMPAR transmission to the membrane. CONCLUSION These findings show that the NAcS MSNs SK3 channel plays a critical role in conditioned fear consolidation and that it may influence PTSD pathogenesis, making it a potential therapeutic target against PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minglong Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Yixiao Luo
- Hunan Province People's Hospital, The First-Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, PR China
| | - Jian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Yufei Sun
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Bing Xie
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Ludi Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China.
| | - Di Wen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China.
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Dai X, Bai R, Xie B, Xiang J, Miao X, Shi Y, Yu F, Cong B, Wen D, Ma C. A Metabolomics-Based Study on the Discriminative Classification Models and Toxicological Mechanism of Estazolam Fatal Intoxication. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13040567. [PMID: 37110225 PMCID: PMC10144813 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13040567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Fatal intoxication with sedative-hypnotic drugs is increasing yearly. However, the plasma drug concentration data for fatal intoxication involving these substances are not systematic and even overlap with the intoxication group. Therefore, developing a more precise and trustworthy approach to determining the cause of death is necessary. This study analyzed mice plasma and brainstem samples using the liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HR MS/MS)-based metabolomics method to create discriminative classification models for estazolam fatal intoxication (EFI). The most perturbed metabolic pathway between the EFI and EIND (estazolam intoxication non-death) was examined, Both EIND and EFI groups were administered 500 mg of estazolam per 100 g of body weight. Mice that did not die beyond 8 hours were treated with cervical dislocation and were classified into the EIND groups; the lysine degradation pathway was verified by qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction), metabolite quantitative and TEM (transmission electron microscopy) analysis. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis with EFI were the experimental group and four hypoxia-related non-drug-related deaths (NDRDs) were the control group. Mass spectrometry data were analyzed with Compound Discoverer (CD) 3.1 software and multivariate statistical analyses were performed using the online software MetaboAnalyst 5.0. After a series of analyses, the results showed the discriminative classification model in plasma was composed of three endogenous metabolites: phenylacetylglycine, creatine and indole-3-lactic acid, and in the brainstem was composed of palmitic acid, creatine, and indole-3-lactic acid. The specificity validation results showed that both classification models distinguished between the other four sedatives-hypnotics, with an area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.991, and the classification models had an extremely high specificity. When comparing different doses of estazolam, the AUC value of each group was larger than 0.80, and the sensitivity was also high. Moreover, the stability results showed that the AUC value was equal to or very close to 1 in plasma samples stored at 4 °C for 0, 1, 5, 10 and 15 days; the predictive power of the classification model was stable within 15 days. The results of lysine degradation pathway validation revealed that the EFI group had the highest lysine and saccharopine concentrations (mean (ng/mg) = 1.089 and 1.2526, respectively) when compared to the EIND and control group, while the relative expression of SDH (saccharopine dehydrogenase) showed significantly lower in the EFI group (mean = 1.206). Both of these results were statistically significant. Furthermore, TEM analysis showed that the EFI group had the more severely damaged mitochondria. This work gives fresh insights into the toxicological processes of estazolam and a new method for identifying EFI-related causes of mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Dai
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Rui Bai
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bing Xie
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Jiahong Xiang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xingang Miao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Forensic Science Centre of WATSON, Guangzhou 510440, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Shanghai Key Laboratory Medicine, Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai 200063, China
| | - Feng Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Di Wen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
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Du Q, Ma G, Lu C, Wang Q, Fu L, Cong B, Li S. Development and evaluation of a novel panel containing 188 microhaplotypes for 2nd-degree kinship testing in the Hebei Han population. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 65:102855. [PMID: 36947934 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Distant kinship identification is one of the critical problems in forensic genetics. As a new type of genetic marker defined and discussed in the last decade, the microhaplotype (MH) has drawn much attention in such identification owing to its specific advantages to traditional short tandem repeat (STR) or single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. In this study, MH markers were screened step by step from the 1000 Genomes Project database, and a novel multiplex panel containing 188 MHs (in which 181 are reported the first time, while 1 was reported in a previous study and the other 6 have partial overlaps with known markers) was constructed for application in 2nd- and 3rd-degree kinship identification. Along with the construction, a novel MH nomenclature was proposed, in which the SNP position information they contained was taken into account to eliminate the possibility that the same locus was named differently interlaboratory. After a series of evaluations, the panel was shown to have good sequencing accuracy, high sensitivity, species specificity, and resistance to anti-PCR inhibitors or degradation. Population data of the 188 MHs were calculated based on the genetic information of 221 unrelated Hebei Han individuals, and the effective number of alleles (Ae) ranged from 2.0925 to 8.2634 (with an average of 2.9267). For the whole system, the cumulative matching probability (CMP), the cumulative power of exclusion in paternity testing of duos (CPEduo) and that of trios (CPEtrio) reached 2.8422 × 10-137, 1-1.3109 × 10-21, and 1-2.8975 × 10-39, respectively, indicating that this panel was satisfactory for individual identification and paternity testing. Then, the efficiency of the 188 MHs in 2nd- and 3rd-degree kinship testing was studied based on 30 extended families consisting of 179 2nd-degree and 121 3rd-degree relatives, as well as simulations of 0.5 million pairs of those two kinships. The results showed that clear opinions would be given in 83.36% of 2nd-degree identifications with a false rate less than 10-5, when the confirming and excluding thresholds of cumulative likelihood ratio (CLR) were set as 104 and 10-4, respectively. This panel is still not sufficient to solve the problem of 3rd-degree kinship identification alone, and approximately 300 or 870 MH loci would be needed in 2nd- or 3rd-degree kinship identification, respectively, to achieve a system efficiency not less than 0.99 with such a threshold set; such necessary numbers would be used only as a reference in further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Du
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Guanju Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Chaolong Lu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Lihong Fu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Shujin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 361 Zhong Shan Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
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Wang Y, Wang M, Xie B, Wen D, Li W, Zhou M, Wang X, Lu Y, Cong B, Ni Z, Ma C. Effects of molecular hydrogen intervention on the gut microbiome in methamphetamine abusers with mental disorder. Brain Res Bull 2023; 193:47-58. [PMID: 36516898 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) is a potent and highly addictive psychostimulant and one of the most widely used illicit drugs, the abuse of which has become a severe public health problem worldwide. A growing amount of evidence has indicated potential connections between gut microbiota and mental disorders induced by METH and associations with neural and metabolic pathways. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between fecal microbial alterations and neuropsychiatric diseases in METH addictions. Thus, mental disorders and gut microbial alterations were analyzed by self-rating depression (SDS) and anxiety (SAS) scales and 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively. Our results showed that increased SDS and SAS indices and decreased alpha diversity indicated more serious mental disorders and lower bacterial diversity in METH users than in the age-matched healthy control group. The gut microbial composition in female METH users was also significantly altered, with reductions in hydrogen-producing bacteria, including Bacteroides and Roseburia. Molecular hydrogen (H2) is spontaneously produced by intestinal bacteria in the process of anaerobic metabolism, which is the main pathway for H2 production in vivo. Numerous studies have shown that hydrogen intervention can significantly improve neuropsychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Our results showed that hydrogen intervention, including drinking and inhaling, significantly alleviated mental disorders induced by METH abuse, and the inhalation of hydrogen also altered gut microbiota profiles in the METH abusers. These results suggest that hydrogen intervention has potential therapeutic applicability in the treatment of mental disorders in METH abusers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Mengmeng Wang
- Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, College of Clinical Medicine, Hebei University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Tumor Microecological Metabolism Regulation, Baoding, Hebei Province 071000, PR China
| | - Bing Xie
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Di Wen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Wenbo Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Meiqi Zhou
- College of Public Health, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Environment and Human Health, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Xintao Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Yun Lu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China
| | - Zhiyu Ni
- Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, College of Clinical Medicine, Hebei University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Tumor Microecological Metabolism Regulation, Baoding, Hebei Province 071000, PR China.
| | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, PR China.
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Wang SJ, Liu BR, Zhang F, Li YP, Su XR, Yang CT, Cong B, Zhang ZH. Abnormal fatty acid metabolism and ceramide expression may discriminate myocardial infarction from strangulation death: A pilot study. Tissue Cell 2023; 80:101984. [PMID: 36434828 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2022.101984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Determining myocardial infarction (MI) and mechanical asphyxia (MA) was one of the most challenging tasks in forensic practice. The present study aimed to investigate the potential of fatty acid (FAs) metabolism, and lipid alterations in determining MI and MA. MA and MI mouse models were constructed, and metabolic profiles were obtained by LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics. The metabolic alterations were explored using the PCA, OPLS-DA, the Wilcoxon test, and fold change analysis. The contents of lipid droplets (LDs) were detected by the transmission scanning electron microscope and Oil red O staining. The immunohistochemical assay was performed to detect CD36 and dysferlin. The ceramide was assessed by LC-MS. PCA showed considerable differences in the metabolite profiles, and the well-fitting OPLS-DA model was developed to screen differential metabolites. Thereinto, 9 metabolites in the MA were reduced, while metabolites were up- and down-regulated in MI. The increased CD36 suggested that MI and MA could enhance the intake of FAs and disturb energy metabolism. The increased LDs, decreased dysferlin, and increased ceramide (C18:0, C22:0, and C24:0) were observed in MI groups, confirming the lipid deposition. The present study indicated significant differences in myocardial FAs metabolism and lipid alterations between MI and MA, suggesting that FAs metabolism and related proteins, certain ceramide may harbor the potential as biomarkers for discrimination of MI and MA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Jun Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China.
| | - Bing-Rui Liu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China.
| | - Fu Zhang
- Forensic Pathology Lab, Guangdong Public Security Department, China.
| | - Ya-Ping Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China.
| | - Xiao-Rui Su
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China.
| | - Chen-Teng Yang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China.
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China.
| | - Zhi-Hua Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, China; HeBei Chest Hospital, China.
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Zhu W, Li Y, Ma X, Yang H, Wang Z, Shi R, Shi W, Cong B. Bibliometric analysis of post-traumatic stress disorder in forensic medicine: Research trends, hot spots, and prospects. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1074999. [PMID: 36726521 PMCID: PMC9884826 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1074999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has various risk factors, complex pathogenesis, and diverse symptoms, and is often comorbid with other injuries and diseases, making forensic diagnosis difficult. Methods To explore the current research status and trends of PTSD, we used the Web of Science Core Collection databases to screen PTSD-related literature published between 2010 and 2021 and CiteSpace to perform bibliometric analysis. Results In recent years, PTSD-related research has grown steadily. The countries and institutions with the most research results were the United States and England, and King's College London and Boston University, respectively. Publications were identified from 2,821 different journals, including 13 forensic-related journals, but the journal distribution was relatively scattered and there was a lack of professional core journals. Keyword co-occurrence and clustering identified many hot topics; "rat model," "mental health," and "satisfaction" were the topics most likely to have a clear effect on future research. Analysis extracted nine turning points from the literature that suggested that neural network centers, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and biomarkers were new research directions. It was found that COVID-19 can cause severe psychological stress and induce PTSD, but the relationship needs further study. The literature on stress response areas and biomarkers has gradually increased over time, but specific systemic neural brain circuits and biomarkers remain to be determined. Conclusion There is a need to expand the collection of different types of biological tissue samples from patients with different backgrounds, screen PTSD biomarkers and molecular targets using multi-omics and molecular biology techniques, and establish PTSD-related molecular networks. This may promote a systematic understanding of the abnormal activation of neural circuits in patients with PTSD and help to establish a personalized, accurate, and objective forensic diagnostic standard.
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Zhu W, Li Y, Li M, Liu J, Zhang G, Ma X, Shi W, Cong B. Bioinformatics Analysis of Molecular Interactions between Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Ferroptosis under Stress Exposure. Anal Cell Pathol (Amst) 2023; 2023:9979291. [PMID: 37035018 PMCID: PMC10079382 DOI: 10.1155/2023/9979291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress has become a universal biological phenomenon in the body, which leads to pathophysiological changes. However, the molecular network interactions between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ferroptosis under stressful conditions are not clear. For this purpose, we screened the gene expression profile of GSE173795 for intersection with ferroptosis genes and screened 68 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (63 up-regulated, 5 down-regulated), mainly related to lipid and atherosclerosis, autophagy-animal, mitophagy-animal, focal adhesion, DNA replication, proteasome, oocyte meiosis, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, cell cycle, etc. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that stress resulted in decreased B cells memory, T cells CD8 and T cells CD4 memory resting, monocytes, macrophages M2, and increased B cells naive, T cells follicular helper, and macrophages M1. 19 core-DEGs (ASNS, TRIB3, ATF4, EIF2S1, CEBPG, RELA, HSPA5, DDIT3, STAT3, MAP3K5, HIF1A, HNF4A, MAPK14, HMOX1, CDKN1A, KRAS, SP1, SIRT1, EGFR) were screened, all of which were up-regulated DEGs. These biological processes and pathways were mainly involved in responding to ER stress, lipid and atherosclerosis, cellular response to stress, cellular response to chemical stress, and regulation of DNA-templated transcription in response to stress, etc. Spearman analysis did not find MAPK14 to be significantly associated with immune cells. Other core-DEGs were associated with immune cells, including B cells naive, T cells follicular helper, and monocytes. Based on core-DEGs, 283 miRNAs were predicted. Among the 22 miRNAs with highly cross-linked DEGs, 11 had upstream lncRNA, mainly targeting STAT3, SP1, CDKN1A, and SIRT1, and a total of 39 lncRNA were obtained. 85 potential drugs targeting 11 core-DEGs were identified and were expected to be potential immunotherapeutic agents for stress injury. Our experiments also confirmed that Liproxstatin-1 alleviates common cross-linked proteins between ER stress and ferroptosis. In conclusion, our study explored the molecular mechanisms and network interactions among stress-ER stress-ferroptosis from a novel perspective, which provides new research ideas for studying stressful injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihao Zhu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yingmin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Meili Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jingmin Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guowei Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiaoying Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Weibo Shi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan Dong Road, 050017 Shijiazhuang, China
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Wang J, Zhang H, Wang C, Fu L, Wang Q, Li S, Cong B. Forensic age estimation from human blood using age-related microRNAs and circular RNAs markers. Front Genet 2022; 13:1031806. [PMID: 36506317 PMCID: PMC9732945 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1031806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is a complicated process characterized by progressive and extensive changes in physiological homeostasis at the organismal, tissue, and cellular levels. In modern society, age estimation is essential in a large variety of legal rights and duties. Accumulating evidence suggests roles for microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in regulating numerous processes during aging. Here, we performed circRNA sequencing in two age groups and analyzed microarray data of 171 healthy subjects (17-104 years old) downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress databases with integrated bioinformatics methods. A total of 1,403 circular RNAs were differentially expressed between young and old groups, and 141 circular RNAs were expressed exclusively in elderly samples while 10 circular RNAs were expressed only in young subjects. Based on their expression pattern in these two groups, the circular RNAs were categorized into three classes: age-related expression between young and old, age-limited expression-young only, and age-limited expression-old only. Top five expressed circular RNAs among three classes and a total of 18 differentially expressed microRNAs screened from online databases were selected to validate using RT-qPCR tests. An independent set of 200 blood samples (20-80 years old) was used to develop age prediction models based on 15 age-related noncoding RNAs (11 microRNAs and 4 circular RNAs). Different machine learning algorithms for age prediction were applied, including regression tree, bagging, support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), and XGBoost. Among them, random forest regression model performed best in both training set (mean absolute error = 3.68 years, r = 0.96) and testing set (MAE = 6.840 years, r = 0.77). Models using one single type of predictors, circular RNAs-only or microRNAs-only, result in bigger errors. Smaller prediction errors were shown in males than females when constructing models according to different-sex separately. Putative microRNA targets (430 genes) were enriched in the cellular senescence pathway and cell homeostasis and cell differentiation regulation, indirectly indicating that the microRNAs screened in our study were correlated with development and aging. This study demonstrates that the noncoding RNA aging clock has potential in predicting chronological age and will be an available biological marker in routine forensic investigation to predict the age of biological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Haixia Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Chunyan Wang
- Physical Examination Center of Shijiazhuang First Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Lihong Fu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China,*Correspondence: Bin Cong, ; Shujin Li,
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China,*Correspondence: Bin Cong, ; Shujin Li,
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Dong YM, Liu X, Yang CT, Qi Q, Shi WB, Li YM, Zuo M, Wang SJ, Bi HT, Ma RF, Zhang GZ, Cong B. Case report: Myocarditis following COVID-19 protein subunit vaccination. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:970045. [PMID: 36158819 PMCID: PMC9489902 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.970045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We report findings in a 34-year-old female patient who presented with fulminant myocarditis 8 days after receiving the first dose of the ZF2001 RBD-subunit vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Autopsy showed severe interstitial myocarditis, including multiple patchy infiltrations of lymphocytes and monocytes in the myocardium of the left and right ventricular walls associated with myocyte degeneration and necrosis. This report highlights the details of clinical presentations and autopsy findings of myocarditis after ZF2001 (RBD-subunit vaccine) vaccination. The correlation between vaccination and death due to myocarditis is discussed.
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Li L, He X, Liu M, Yun L, Cong B. Diagnostic value of cardiac miR-126-5p, miR-134-5p, and miR-499a-5p in coronary artery disease-induced sudden cardiac death. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:944317. [PMID: 36093145 PMCID: PMC9457639 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.944317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The identification of coronary artery disease-induced sudden cardiac death (CAD-SCD) has always been a medical challenge. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) played vital roles in pathogenesis processes and served as potential biomarkers for cardiovascular and many other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the specific miRNAs for CAD-SCD. Methods A total of 30 autopsy-verified CAD-SCD victims were selected, including 18 individuals who experienced more than once asymptomatic myocardial ischemia (CAD-activated SCD) and 12 victims without prominent pathological features of insufficient blood supply (CAD-silent SCD). Meanwhile, 30 traumatic victims were enrolled as controls. Systematic postmortem examinations were performed in all study population. The expressions of cardiac miR-126-5p, miR-134-5p, and miR-499a-5p were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results RT-qPCR showed significant downregulations of miR-126-5p and miR-499a-5p in CAD-SCD victims, with no obvious difference in miR-134-5p. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis revealed the diagnostic performance of miR-126-5p (areas under the curve [AUC] = 0.76) and validated miR-499a-5p (AUC = 0.82) as a sensitive marker. Additionally, the decreased expression of the two specific cardio-miRNAs was detected for discriminating CAD-silent SCD and CAD-activated SCD. Compared with the limited diagnostic value of single miR-126-5p and miR-499a-5p, their combination could achieve better discriminative capacity (AUC = 0.82, sensitivity = 91.7%, specificity = 77.8%). Conclusion Cardiac miR-126-5p and miR-499a-5p presented good diagnostic abilities for CAD-SCD, and their combination could help evaluate CAD condition. These targeted miRNAs as novel biomarkers are expected to be useful to discriminate the detailed causes in real SCD cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linfeng Li
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiangwang He
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Min Liu
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Libing Yun
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Libing Yun
| | - Bin Cong
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Bin Cong
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Dong LR, Lian JB, Huo SJ, Luo D, Yang H, Song XD, Zhang XJ, Cong B. Effects of Chronic Restraint Stress on Apoptosis of Amygdala Cells in Rats. Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022; 38:459-467. [PMID: 36426688 DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2021.410101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the damage effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on amygdala cells through the rat CRS model. METHODS The rat CRS model was established, and the changes in body weight and adrenal mass in control group and CRS group were monitored at 1 d, 7 d, 14 d and 21 d. The behavior changes were evaluated by the percentage of retention time of open arms and open arm entries using the elevated plus maze (EPM). ELISA was used to detect the concentrations of rat's corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol. The changes of expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in amygdala were determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Ultrastructure changes of glial cell were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The apoptosis rate of amygdala was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS Compared with the control group at the same time points, body weight of CRS 1 d, 7 d, 14 d and 21 d groups increased slowly, but adrenal mass increased significantly; the serum level of CRH, cortisol and ACTH increased significantly at 7 d, 14 d and 21 d respectively; the expression of GR in amygdala was increased while that of GFAP was decreased; EPM test suggested that the percentage of retention time of open arms and open arm entries decreased significantly after 14 d. The CRS group showed different degrees of glial cell damage in amygdala, and the apoptosis rate of glial cell was significantly increased in 21 d group. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully established a CRS model in rats, and anxiety-like behavioral changes in model rats may be caused by apoptosis of amygdala astrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ru Dong
- Pathology Department of North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan 063000, Hebei Province, China
| | - Jun-Bo Lian
- Pathology Department of North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan 063000, Hebei Province, China
| | - Shuang-Jie Huo
- Pathology Department of North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan 063000, Hebei Province, China
| | - Dan Luo
- Pathology Department of North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan 063000, Hebei Province, China
| | - Hu Yang
- Pathology Department of Hebei Provincial General Hospital of the Armed Police Force, Shijiazhuang 050081, China
| | - Xu-Dong Song
- Pathology Department of North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan 063000, Hebei Province, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
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Zhu BF, Cong B. The Role of Forensic Medicine in Responding to Emergencies and New Major Epidemics. Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022; 38:515-519. [PMID: 36426697 DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2021.410716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, human beings are constantly facing the threat of emerging infectious diseases. Forensic technology plays a unique role in responding to the emergencies and new epidemics. In epidemic prevention and control, forensic partitioners can provide important clues for the identification of vector animal species and the traceability of pathogen regions based on non-human DNA testing technology. In epidemic-related judicial practice, forensic partitioners bear more and more evidence responsibilities in dealing with biosafety laws-related issues, such as improper handling of epidemics and vaccine safety issues, which require forensic evidence. In terms of pathogen tracing, forensic physical evidence examinations identify species and individuals through biological materials extracted from the scene of death and autopsy of infectious diseases, are expected to provide informative clues for epidemiological investigations and point out the direction for pathogen tracing. In addition, forensic pathological examination can provide an important pathophysiological basis for determining the cause of death and the mechanism of death through autopsy, also offer necessary scientific evidence for clarifying the epidemiological characteristics of the epidemic and predicting the development trend of the epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Feng Zhu
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Forensic Multi-Omics for Precision Identification, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
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Wei Y, Wang J, Wang Q, Cong B, Li S. The estimation of bloodstain age utilizing circRNAs and mRNAs biomarkers. Forensic Sci Int 2022; 338:111408. [PMID: 35901585 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Determining the time since deposition (TsD) of bloodstains can provide forensic investigators with additional clues, as it can corroborate eyewitness accounts, limit the number of suspects, and help confirm alibis. Bloodstains are the most common bodily fluid stains at crime scenes. In this study, we examined the relative expression levels (REs) of circRNAs and mRNAs data in bloodstains over ten time points by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), to determine the utility of the relative expression levels of RNA markers for TsD estimation. Forensic samples more than just appear in indoor settings, we also evaluated the use of RNA degradation rate to indicate the age of bloodstains in different environments including indoor and outdoor conditions. The expression levels of six blood-specific mRNA markers (GYPA, CD93, ALAS2, SPTB, HBB, HBA), three highly expressed circRNAs in human peripheral blood (hsa_circ_0001445, hsa_circ_0000972, hsa_circ_0000095) and three reference genes (18 S, ACTB and U6) were analyzed across numerous ageing time points. Analysis of the degradation rates of individual RNAs under indoor and outdoor conditions showed that they exhibited a unique degradation profile during the four-month storage interval, with both circRNAs and mRNAs linearly showing continuous degradation, while U6 is more stable than other reference gene markers. In the current study, we firstly used circRNAs as additional novel biomarkers for bloodstain age estimation, and at the same time proved that different environments had a significant impact on the REs of certain blood biomarkers, and sex differences did not affect the age estimation of bloodstains. The REs of the selected RNA molecules in this study showed a non-linear relationship with bloodstain age and the mathematical formula for estimating the bloodstain age based on the relative expression levels of hsa_circ_0001445, ALAS2 and HBB can be used to estimate the TsD of bloodstains from the REs of bloodstains of unknown age, which represent a potentially effective approach to looking for time-dependent changes and TsD estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyan Wei
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Junyan Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
| | - Shujin Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
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Dong YM, Yang CT, Zhang GZ, Cong B. Research Progress and Forensic Application of Postmortem Genetic Testing in Hereditary Cardiac Diseases. Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022; 38:374-384. [PMID: 36221833 DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2021.410816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Hereditary cardiac disease accounts for a large proportion of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young adults. Hereditary cardiac disease can be divided into hereditary structural heart disease and channelopathies. Hereditary structural heart disease mainly includes hereditary cardiomyopathy, which results in arhythmia, heart failure and SCD. The autopsy and histopathological examinations of SCD caused by channelopathies lack characteristic morphological manifestations. Therefore, how to determine the cause of death in the process of examination has become one of the urgent problems to be solved in forensic identification. Based on the review of recent domestic and foreign research results on channelopathies and hereditary cardiomyopathy, this paper systematically reviews the pathogenesis and molecular genetics of channelopathies and hereditary cardiomyopathy, and discusses the application of postmortem genetic testing in forensic identification, to provide reference for forensic pathology research and identification of SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ming Dong
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chen-Teng Yang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guo-Zhong Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
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Deng XD, Lu T, Liu GF, Fan F, Peng Z, Chen XQ, Chen TW, Zhan MJ, Shi L, Luo S, Zhang XT, Liu M, Qiu SW, Cong B, Deng ZH. Forensic age prediction and age classification for critical age thresholds via 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging of the knee in the Chinese Han population. Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:841-852. [PMID: 35258670 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02797-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To assess the performance of knee MRI for forensic age prediction and classification for 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-year thresholds. METHODS The ossification stages of distal femoral epiphyses and proximal tibial epiphyses were assessed using an integrated staging system by Schmeling et al. and Kellinghaus et al. for knee 3.0T MRI with T1-weighted turbo spin-echo (T1-TSE) in sagittal orientation among 852 Chinese Han individuals (483 males and 369 females) aged 7-30 years. Regression models for age prediction were constructed and their performances were evaluated based on mean absolute deviation (MAD) values. In addition, the performances of age classification were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. RESULTS The intra- and inter-observer agreement levels were very good (κ > 0.80). The complete fusion of those two types of epiphyses took place before 18.0 years in our study participants. The minimum MAD values were 2.51 years (distal femur) and 2.69 years (proximal tibia) in males, and 2.75 years (distal femur) and 2.87 years (proximal tibia) in females. The specificity values of constructed prediction models were all above 90% for the 12-, 14-, and 16-year thresholds, compared to the 74.8-84.6% for the 18-year threshold. Better performances of age prediction and classification were observed in males by distal femoral epiphyses. CONCLUSIONS Ossification stages via 3.0T MRI of the knee with T1-TSE sequence using an integrated staging system could be a reliable noninvasive method for age prediction or for age classification for 12-, 14-, and 16-year thresholds, especially in males by distal femoral epiphyses. However, assessments based on the full bony fusion of the distal femoral epiphysis and proximal tibial epiphysis seemed not reliable for age classification for the 18-year threshold in the Chinese Han population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Dong Deng
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.,Department of Forensic Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting Lu
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Guang-Feng Liu
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Fan
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhao Peng
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Qian Chen
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, People's Republic of China
| | - Tian-Wu Chen
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng-Jun Zhan
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Luo
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing-Tao Zhang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Liu
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Shi-Wen Qiu
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Cong
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhen-Hua Deng
- Department of Forensic Pathology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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Gao X, Wang Z, Li X, Zhang X, Du S, Jia M, Hu D, Jia X, Cong B, Zhang Y, Ma C, Zhou S, Zhang J. A new Lactobacillus gasseri strain HMV18 inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Food Science and Human Wellness 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fshw.2021.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Liu C, Cong B. Review and Prospect of Diagnosis of Drowning Deaths in Water. Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022; 38:3-13. [PMID: 35725698 DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2021.410625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Drowning is the death caused by asphyxiation due to fluid blocking the airway. In the practice of forensic medicine, it is the key to determine whether the corpse was drowned or entered the water after death. At the same time, the drowning site inference and postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) play an important role in the investigating the identity of the deceased, narrowing the investigation scope, and solving the case. Based on diatoms testing, molecular biology, imaging and artificial intelligence and other technologies, domestic and foreign forensic scientists have done relative research in the identification of the cause of death, drowning site inference and PMSI, and achieved certain results in forensic medicine application. In order to provide a reference for future study of bodies in the water, this paper summarizes the above research contents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Liu
- Guangzhou Forensic Science Institute & Key Laboratory of Forensic Pathology, Ministry of Public Security, Guangzhou 510442, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, China
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Wang J, Wang C, Wei Y, Zhao Y, Wang C, Lu C, Feng J, Li S, Cong B. Circular RNA as a Potential Biomarker for Forensic Age Prediction. Front Genet 2022; 13:825443. [PMID: 35198010 PMCID: PMC8858837 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.825443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In forensic science, accurate estimation of the age of a victim or suspect can facilitate the investigators to narrow a search and aid in solving a crime. Aging is a complex process associated with various molecular regulations on DNA or RNA levels. Recent studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) upregulate globally during aging in multiple organisms such as mice and C.elegans because of their ability to resist degradation by exoribonucleases. In the current study, we attempted to investigate circRNAs’ potential capability of age prediction. Here, we identified more than 40,000 circRNAs in the blood of thirteen Chinese unrelated healthy individuals with ages of 20–62 years according to their circRNA-seq profiles. Three methods were applied to select age-related circRNA candidates including the false discovery rate, lasso regression, and support vector machine. The analysis uncovered a strong bias for circRNA upregulation during aging in human blood. A total of 28 circRNAs were chosen for further validation in 30 healthy unrelated subjects by RT-qPCR, and finally, 5 age-related circRNAs were chosen for final age prediction models using 100 samples of 19–73 years old. Several different algorithms including multivariate linear regression (MLR), regression tree, bagging regression, random forest regression (RFR), and support vector regression (SVR) were compared based on root mean square error (RMSE) and mean average error (MAE) values. Among five modeling methods, regression tree and RFR performed better than the others with MAE values of 8.767 years (S.rho = 0.6983) and 9.126 years (S.rho = 0.660), respectively. Sex effect analysis showed age prediction models significantly yielded smaller prediction MAE values for males than females (MAE = 6.133 years for males, while 10.923 years for females in the regression tree model). In the current study, we first used circRNAs as additional novel age-related biomarkers for developing forensic age estimation models. We propose that the use of circRNAs to obtain additional clues for forensic investigations and serve as aging indicators for age prediction would become a promising field of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chunyan Wang
- Physical Examination Center of Shijiazhuang First Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yangyan Wei
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yanhao Zhao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Can Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chaolong Lu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jin Feng
- Physical Examination Center of Shijiazhuang First Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shujin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- *Correspondence: Shujin Li, , ; Bin Cong,
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- *Correspondence: Shujin Li, , ; Bin Cong,
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Wang LL, Ren XX, He Y, Cui GF, Liu JJ, Jia J, Cao J, Liu Y, Cong B, Wei ZW, Yun KM. Pharmacokinetics of Diazepam and Its Metabolites in Urine of Chinese Participants. Drugs R D 2022; 22:43-50. [PMID: 35099786 PMCID: PMC8885946 DOI: 10.1007/s40268-021-00375-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Urine is conventionally used as a specimen to document diazepam-related crimes; however, few reports have described the pharmacokinetics of diazepam and its metabolites in urine. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of diazepam and its metabolites, including glucuronide compounds, in the urine of Chinese participants. METHODS A total of 28 volunteers were recruited and each participant ingested 5 mg of diazepam orally. Ten milliliters of urine were collected from each participant at post-consumption timepoints of prior (zero), 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h and 2, 3, 6, 12, and 15 days. All samples were extracted by solid-phase extraction and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Diazepam and its main metabolites, except for temazepam, were detected in the urine of volunteers. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed using the pharmacokinetic software DAS according to the non-compartment model. RESULTS Urinary diazepam peaked at 2.38 ng/mL (Cmax) and 1.93 h (Tmax). The urinary metabolite nordiazepam peaked at 1.17 ng/mL and 100.21 h; temazepam glucuronide (TG) peaked at 145.61 ng/mL and 41.14 h; and oxazepam glucuronide (OG) peaked at 101.57 ng/mL and 165.86 h. The elimination half-life (t½z) and clearance (CLz/F) for diazepam were 119.58 h and 65.77 L/h, respectively. The t½z of the metabolites nordiazepam, TG, and OG was 310.58 h, 200.17 h, and 536.44 h, respectively. Finally, this study found that both diazepam and its main metabolites in urine were detectable for at least 15 days, although there were individual differences. CONCLUSION The results regarding diazepam pharmacokinetics in urine would be of great help in forensic science and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le-le Wang
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of Ministry of Public Security, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
| | - Xin-Xin Ren
- Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China
| | - Yi He
- Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China
| | - Guan-Feng Cui
- Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China
| | - Jia-Jia Liu
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of Ministry of Public Security, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
| | - Juan Jia
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of Ministry of Public Security, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
| | - Jie Cao
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of Ministry of Public Security, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
| | - Yao Liu
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
- Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China
| | - Bin Cong
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Zhi-Wen Wei
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of Ministry of Public Security, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China.
| | - Ke-Ming Yun
- School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of Ministry of Public Security, Jinzhong, 030600, Shanxi, China.
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Xie B, Zhang J, Ma C, Yu H, Ni Z, Cong B, Wen D. Roles of miR-592-3p and Its Target Gene, TMEFF1, in the Nucleus Accumbens During Incubation of Morphine Craving. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2022; 25:412-424. [PMID: 35020881 PMCID: PMC9154238 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prolonged forced abstinence from morphine can increase cue-induced cravings for the drug, contributing to a persistent vulnerability to relapse. Previous studies have identified the implications of aberrant microRNA (miRNA) regulation in the pathogenesis of morphine addiction, but the changes in miRNA expression during the incubation of morphine craving are still unknown. METHODS Nucleus accumbens (NAc)-specific altered miRNA transcriptomics was determined in a mouse model of cue-induced incubation of morphine craving following a next-generation sequencing method and verified by RT-qPCR. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict the target gene of selected miRNA, and the protein expression of the target gene was detected by western blot. A dual-luciferase assay was performed to confirm the binding sites, and gain- and loss-of-function strategy was applied to understand the mechanism of miRNA and its target gene. RESULTS The miR-592-3p observed to be downregulated in the NAc core was linked to the incubation of morphine craving, and a dual-luciferase assay was performed to confirm the binding sites of miR-592-3p in its target gene, tomoregulin-1 (TMEFF1). Also, gain- and loss-of-function analyses revealed that the inhibition of miR-592-3p expression in the NAc core negatively regulated TMEFF1 expression, thereby enhancing the incubation of morphine craving; however, the overexpression of miR-592-3p in the NAc core resulted in a decreased expression of TMEFF1, thereby reducing the incubation of morphine craving. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated that miR-592-3p can improve the incubation of morphine craving by targeting TMEFF1, and thus, it holds a therapeutic potential to inhibit opioid craving.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, PR China
| | - Hailei Yu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, PR China
| | - Zhiyu Ni
- School of Basic Medical Science, Hebei University, Hebei Province, Baoding, PR China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, PR China
| | - Di Wen
- Correspondence: Di Wen, PhD, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China; Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China ()
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Wang X, Tong B, Hui R, Hou C, Zhang Z, Zhang L, Xie B, Ni Z, Cong B, Ma C, Wen D. The Role of Hyperthermia in Methamphetamine-Induced Depression-Like Behaviors: Protective Effects of Coral Calcium Hydride. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 14:808807. [PMID: 35058751 PMCID: PMC8764150 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.808807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) abuse causes irreversible damage to the central nervous system and leads to psychiatric symptoms including depression. Notably, METH-induced hyperthermia is a crucial factor in the development of these symptoms, as it aggravates METH-induced neurotoxicity. However, the role of hyperthermia in METH-induced depression-like behaviors needs to be clarified. In the present study, we treated mice with different doses of METH under normal (NAT) or high ambient temperatures (HAT). We found that HAT promoted hyperthermia after METH treatment and played a key role in METH-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. Intriguingly, chronic METH exposure (10 mg/kg, 7 or 14 days) or administration of an escalating-dose (2 ∼ 15 mg/kg, 3 days) of METH under NAT failed to induce depression-like behaviors. However, HAT aggravated METH-induced damage of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, reaction to oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Molecular hydrogen acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent and has been shown to have preventive and therapeutic applicability in a wide range of diseases. Coral calcium hydride (CCH) is a newly identified hydrogen-rich powder which produces hydrogen gas gradually when exposed to water. Herein, we found that CCH pretreatment significantly attenuated METH-induced hyperthermia, and administration of CCH after METH exposure also inhibited METH-induced depression-like behaviors and reduced the hippocampal synaptic plasticity damage. Moreover, CCH effectively reduced the activity of lactate dehydrogenase and decreased malondialdehyde, TNF-α and IL-6 generation in hippocampus. These results suggest that CCH is an efficient hydrogen-rich agent, which has a potential therapeutic applicability in the treatment of METH abusers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintao Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bonan Tong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Rongji Hui
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Congcong Hou
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Zilu Zhang
- The First Clinical Medical College of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ludi Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bing Xie
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Zhiyu Ni
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
- *Correspondence: Chunling Ma,
| | - Di Wen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Shijiazhuang, China
- Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
- Di Wen,
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Li X, Xie B, Lu Y, Yang H, Wang J, Yu F, Zhang L, Cong B, Wen D, Ma C. Transcriptomic Analysis of Long Non-coding RNA-MicroRNA-mRNA Interactions in the Nucleus Accumbens Related to Morphine Addiction in Mice. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:915398. [PMID: 35722589 PMCID: PMC9201067 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.915398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research suggest that some non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are important regulators of chromatin dynamics and gene expression in nervous system development and neurological diseases. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), underlying morphine addiction are still unknown. In this research, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to examine the expression profiles of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs on the nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissues of mice trained with morphine or saline conditioned place preference (CPP), with differential expression of 31 lncRNAs, 393 miRNAs, and 371 mRNAs found. A ceRNA network was established for reciprocal interactions for 9 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), 10 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) and 12 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) based on predicted miRNAs shared by lncRNAs and mRNAs. KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were conducted to explore the potential functions of DEmRNAs interacting with lncRNAs in the ceRNA network. These DEmRNAs were enriched in synaptic plasticity-related pathways, including pyrimidine metabolism, ECM-receptor interaction, and focal adhesion. The correlation between the relative expression of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs was analyzed to further validate predicted ceRNA networks, and the Lnc15qD3-miR-139-3p-Lrp2 ceRNA regulatory interaction was determined. These results suggest that the comprehensive network represents a new insight into the lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regulatory mechanisms underlying morphine addiction and provide new potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for morphine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bing Xie
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yun Lu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Hongyu Yang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Feng Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ludi Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Di Wen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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