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Biomedical subjects

Jin Luo

Publications and source records attributed to Jin Luo.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Profiling Identifies a Core Gene-Metabolite Axis Driving African Swine Fever Virus Replication in the Soft Tick Ornithodoros lahorensis.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes an incurable swine disease with nearly 100% mortality, posing a catastrophic threat to global pig production. The soft tick Ornithodoros lahorensis acts as a critical biological vector that sustains persistent ASFV replication and mediates long-distance viral transmission, yet the molecular mechanisms governing ASFV-tick interplay remain poorly understood. Here, we integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics to systematically dissect molecular changes in O.&#xa0;lahorensis across three infection stages: Uninfected control, early infection (7&#x2009;days post-infection, dpi), and late persistent infection (21 dpi). Multi-omics integration revealed that ASFV extensively remodels tick host metabolism, predominantly activating purine/pyrimidine metabolism, lipid biosynthesis, and energy metabolism. We further characterized a conserved regulatory module consisting of 12 core genes and 8 signature metabolites that collectively support ASFV genome replication and virion assembly. Three hub metabolic genes (TK1, ATP5F1B, and IMPDH) were selected for functional validation via siRNA silencing in ticks; individual gene silencing suppressed ASFV loads by 89.2%, 91.5%, and 87.8%, respectively (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001***). This work represents the first comprehensive multi-omics investigation of ASFV infection in O. lahorensis. We identified tick-specific molecular targets to block vector-mediated ASFV spread and established a standardized multi-omics analytical pipeline for tick-virus interaction research. Our findings elucidate the mechanistic basis of long-term ASFV persistence in soft ticks and deliver novel actionable clues for developing vector-targeted ASF intervention strategies.

Animals

Mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 attenuates cryopreservation-induced damage in human sperm by stabilizing mitochondrial homeostasis&#x2020;.

Human sperm cryopreservation is essential for sperm banking and assisted reproduction, yet freeze-thaw stress promotes oxidative injury that reduces motility and damages the acrosome and nuclear DNA. Here, we tested whether the mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 improves post-thaw human sperm quality and examined mechanisms linked to mitochondrial homeostasis. Ejaculates were cryopreserved using a standard protocol supplemented with graded concentrations of BAM15. After thawing, total and progressive motility and viability were assessed. Flow cytometry quantified the DNA fragmentation index and the proportion of high DNA stainability cells. Mitochondrial membrane potential, intracellular reactive oxygen species, and lipid peroxidation were measured to evaluate mitochondrial function and oxidative status. Ultrastructural preservation of the acrosome, plasma membrane, midpiece mitochondria, and flagellar axoneme was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Compared with untreated controls, BAM15 increased total and progressive motility and improved viability. BAM15 reduced DNA fragmentation and decreased high DNA stainability, indicating enhanced genomic integrity. Consistently, BAM15 improved mitochondrial membrane potential while suppressing intracellular reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, supporting attenuation of freeze-thaw oxidative damage. Transmission electron microscopy further revealed more continuous acrosomal and plasma membranes, fewer swollen or vacuolated midpiece mitochondria, and improved preservation of axonemal architecture. Collectively, these findings identify BAM15 as a promising cryopreservation supplement that stabilizes mitochondrial homeostasis and improves the functional and structural quality of human sperm after thawing.

Humans

Genetically predicted associations between blood cell perturbation responses and bronchiectasis through immune mediation: A Mendelian Randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis is a chronic airway disease characterized by persistent inflammation and structural damage, with substantial clinical and etiologic heterogeneity. Although previous studies have identified associations between blood cells and bronchiectasis, the causal relationships remain unclear. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying blood cell perturbation responses and their potential mediation by immune cells in disease progression are largely unexplored. METHODS: Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to explore genetically predicted associations among immune cell traits, blood cell perturbation response phenotypes, and bronchiectasis, based on genome-wide association study summary data. Mediation MR analysis was further applied to assess whether immune cells mediate these associations. Multiple sensitivity analyses, including tests for heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy, were performed to evaluate the validity and robustness. RESULTS: Five blood cell perturbation response phenotypes and twenty-nine immune cell traits showed significant genetically predicted associations with bronchiectasis. Mediation analysis showed that natural killer (NK) cell absolute count partially mediated the causal effect between the eosinophil perturbation response and bronchiectasis, with a mediation proportion of 9.626%. CD38 on transitional B cells mediated the causal effect between the monocyte perturbation response and bronchiectasis, with a mediation proportion of 10.580%. Additionally, CD45 on NK cells played a mediating role in the association between the white blood cell perturbation response and bronchiectasis, with a mediation proportion of 10.651%. CONCLUSION: This study systematically explores genetically predicted associations between blood cell perturbation responses and bronchiectasis and highlights potential immune-mediated pathways. These exploratory findings provide novel genetic insights into the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis and identify potential therapeutic targets for future strategies.

Humans