A Multicenter Study of Viral Aetiology of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Hospitalized Children in Chinese Mainland

Virologica Sinica - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. In this study, we aimed to describe the aetiology of viral...     

Slc20a1b is essential for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell expansion in zebrafish

Science China Life Sciences - Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are able to self-renew and can give rise to all blood lineages throughout their lifetime, yet the mechanisms regulating...     

出芽短梗霉膨大细胞分选及产糖分析

本研究运用Percoll密度梯度离心的方法对出芽短梗霉Aureobasidium pullulans的两种细胞形态进行分选,并对两种形态的细胞进行多糖产量的分析。通过对转速、分选时间、Percoll分离液浓度的优化,确定了两种细胞形态分选效果最佳的条件是Percoll分离液浓度为60%、转速为5 000r/min、离心时间为30min。经过光学显微镜和透射电子显微镜观察发现上层为酵母状细胞（YL）、下层为膨大细胞（SC）,并发现膨大细胞外有明显的薄膜包被,且产大量多糖。也为今后在相应状态下研究出芽短梗霉膨大细胞的其他代谢机理提供了可行的方法,满足后续研究的需要。     

Three‐dimensional reconstruction and comparison of vacuolar membranes in response to viral infection

The vacuole is a unique plant organelle that plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis under various environmental stress conditions. However, the effects of biotic stress on vacuole structure has not been examined using three‐dimensional (3D) visualization. Here, we performed 3D electron tomography to compare the ultrastructural changes in the vacuole during infection with different viruses. The 3D models revealed that vacuoles are remodeled in cells infected with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) or tobacco necrosis virus A Chinese isolate (TNV‐A^C), resulting in the formation of spherules at the periphery of the vacuole. These spherules contain neck‐like channels that connect their interior with the cytosol. Confocal microscopy of CMV replication proteins 1a and 2a and TNV‐A^C auxiliary replication protein p23 showed that all of these proteins localize to the tonoplast. Electron microscopy revealed that the expression of these replication proteins alone is sufficient to induce spherule formation on the tonoplast, suggesting that these proteins play prominent roles in inducing vacuolar membrane remodeling. This is the first report of the 3D structures of viral replication factories built on the tonoplasts. These findings contribute to our understanding of vacuole biogenesis under normal conditions and during assembly of plant (+) RNA virus replication complexes.     

不同碳氮源对花脸香蘑胞外酶活性的影响

以花脸香蘑Lepista sordida为材料,研究其分别在9种碳源和11种氮源液体培养条件下不同阶段pH值和葡萄糖浓度的变化,以及不同碳氮源对其所分泌的木质素过氧化物酶、羧甲基纤维素酶、锰过氧化物酶和漆酶活性的影响。结果表明,pH值在不同碳源培养后期变化显著（P<0.05）,而在不同氮源培养阶段无明显变化（P>0.05）,葡萄糖浓度和菌丝量在不同碳氮源中也无显著差异（P<0.05）。不同碳源和氮源培养基对花脸香蘑木质素过氧化物酶、羧甲基纤维素酶、锰过氧化物酶和漆酶活性均具有影响（P<0.05）。木糖和米糠有利于花脸香蘑分泌羧甲基纤维素酶（P<0.05）,红糖和牛肉浸膏有利于其分泌漆酶（P<0.05）,白砂糖和豆粉有利于其分泌锰过氧化物酶（P<0.05）,木糖和尿素有利于其分泌木质素过氧化物酶（P<0.05）。本研究为选择合适培养基以提高花脸香蘑生物转化效率提供了理论基础。     

自身代谢缓解甲氨蝶呤对小鼠体内成熟卵母细胞副作用的研究

甲氨蝶呤(methotrexate,MTX)作为抗叶酸代谢类药物,在临床上应用广泛。其副作用之一表现为损伤卵母细胞质量。那么,对于有妊娠需求的女性服药者,停药后多久才适合受孕呢?该文结合双光子荧光成像与三维重构技术研究此问题。通过单次腹腔注射生理盐水及5 mg/kg MTX建立了对照组和MTX组小鼠,随后建立了MTX注射后代谢5、10、15、20、25及30天组小鼠。研究发现,小鼠体内成熟卵母细胞的纺锤体正常形态比率与染色体正常空间排布比率,分别于代谢15天和25天后,显著高于MTX组,并恢复至对照组水平。表征卵母细胞功能的体外受精率、二细胞胚胎率及囊胚率,发现分别于代谢15、20、25天后,恢复至对照组水平。该文结果表明,自身代谢可恢复MTX所引起的卵母细胞质量受损及功能下降,所需时间约为小鼠的5个生理周期,即25天。     

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine in comparison with chloroquine in moderate and severe patients with COVID-19

Science China Life Sciences -     

Therapeutic efficacy of novel memantine nitrate MN‐08 in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer''s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia in elderly individuals and therapeutic options for AD are very limited. Over‐activation of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors, amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation, a decrease in cerebral blood flow (CBF), and downstream pathological events play important roles in the disease progression of AD. In the present study, MN‐08, a novel memantine nitrate, was found to inhibit Aβ accumulation, prevent neuronal and dendritic spine loss, and consequently attenuate cognitive deficits in 2‐month‐old APP/PS1 transgenic mice (for a 6‐month preventative course) and in the 8‐month‐old triple‐transgenic (3×Tg‐AD) mice (for a 4‐month therapeutic course). In vitro, MN‐08 could bind to and antagonize NMDA receptors, inhibit the calcium influx, and reverse the dysregulations of ERK and PI3K/Akt/GSK3β pathway, subsequently preventing glutamate‐induced neuronal loss. In addition, MN‐08 had favorable pharmacokinetics, blood‐brain barrier penetration, and safety profiles in rats and beagle dogs. These findings suggest that the novel memantine nitrate MN‐08 may be a useful therapeutic agent for AD.     

PLCγ1 inhibition-driven autophagy of IL-1β-treated chondrocyte confers cartilage protection against osteoarthritis,involving AMPK,Erk and Akt

Previous studies identified the involvement of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) γ1 in some events of chondrocytes. This study aims to investigate whether and how PLCγ1 modulates autophagy to execute its role in osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Rat normal or human OA chondrocytes were pretreated with IL-1β for mimicking or sustaining OA pathological condition. Using Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, qPCR, immunofluorescence and Dimethylmethylene blue assays, and ELISA and transmission electron microscope techniques, we found that PLCγ1 inhibitor U73122 enhanced Collagen II, Aggrecan and GAG levels, accompanied with increased LC3B-II/I ratio and decreased P62 expression level, whereas autophagy inhibitor Chloroquine partially diminished its effect. Meanwhile, U73122 dissociated Beclin1 from Beclin1-IP3R-Bcl-2 complex and blocked mTOR/ULK1 axis, in which the crosstalk between PLCγ1, AMPK, Erk and Akt were involved. Additionally, by haematoxylin and eosin, Safranin O/Fast green, and immunohistochemistry staining, we observed that intra-articular injection of Ad-shPLCγ1-1/2 significantly enhanced Collagen and Aggrecan levels, accompanied with increased LC3B and decreased P62 levels in a rat OA model induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection and medial meniscus resection. Consequently, PLCγ1 inhibition-driven autophagy conferred cartilage protection against OA through promoting ECM synthesis in OA chondrocytes in vivo and in vitro, involving the crosstalk between PLCγ1, AMPK, Erk and Akt.     

ARL4C might serve as a prognostic factor and a novel therapeutic target for gastric cancer: bioinformatics analyses and biological experiments

The ADP-ribosylation factor-like proteins (ARLs) have been proved to regulate the malignant phenotypes of several cancers. However, the exact role of ARLs in gastric cancer (GC) remains elusive. In this study, we systematically investigate the expression status, interactive relations, potential pathways, genetic variations and clinical values of ARLs in GC. We find that ARLs are significantly dysregulated in GC and involved in various cancer-related pathways. Subsequently, machine learning models identify ARL4C as one of the two most significant clinical indicators among ARLs for GC. Furthermore, ARL4C silencing remarkably inhibits the growth and metastasis of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, enrichment analysis indicates that ARL4C is highly correlated with TGF-β1 signalling. Correspondingly, TGF-β1 treatment dramatically increases ARL4C expression and ARL4C knockdown inhibits the phosphorylation level of Smads, downstream factors of TGF-β1. Meanwhile, the coexpression of ARL4C and TGF-β1 worsens the prognosis of GC patients. Our work comprehensively demonstrates the crucial role of ARLs in the carcinogenesis of GC and the specific mechanisms underlying the GC-promoting effects of TGF-β1. More importantly, we uncover the great promise of ARL4C-targeted therapy in improving the efficacy of TGF-β1 inhibitors for GC patients.