Lysine pyruvylation: decoding the molecular language of pyruvate signaling.
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
Jun Zhang
Publications and source records attributed to Jun Zhang.
Effects of erector spinae plane block on postoperative pain in patients undergoing implant-based breast reconstruction for breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND: Implant-based breast reconstruction after mastectomy causes acute pain. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a single-shot T5 erector spinae plane block (ESPB) reduces postoperative pain. DESIGN: Single-center, RCT with allocation concealment; blinded assessors and statisticians. SETTING: Tertiary cancer center in China. PATIENTS: 100 adults scheduled for radical mastectomy with implant reconstruction were randomized (1:1); follow-up complete. INTERVENTION: Before induction, ESPB was given under ultrasound guidance at T5 with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg; controls received no block. Standardized general anesthesia and postoperative PCA for both groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resting NRS at 6 h (MCID=1). Secondary outcomes were opioid consumption, quality of recovery, and PONV. RESULTS: ESPB did not significantly reduce resting pain at 6 h at the median (τ =0.50; adjusted difference -0.9; p = 0.08). At the upper tail, pain intensity was lower (τ = 0.75; -1.8; p <0.01). Repeated measures provided additional time-point information, improving estimation precision and test sensitivity. ESPB get lower pain scores at 6, 12, and 24 hours (all p <0.01). But, the 95% CI includes the MCID, the clinical benefit remains uncertain. Opioid use decreased at 24 h (-13.5 mg; p <0.01) and 48 h (-6.6 mg; p <0.01). Quality of recovery improved at 24 h (difference 5 points; p <0.01), but not later. No differences were observed in intraoperative hemodynamics or PONV. CONCLUSIONS: Single-shot T5 ESPB with perineural dexmedetomidine may reduce postoperative pain and opioid requirements and improve early recovery. Further large trials are warranted. Clinical relevance remains to be confirmed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06143020.
Humans↗
CARM1 in human cancer: a multifunctional epigenetic node driving tumor plasticity and therapeutic vulnerability.
Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1/PRMT4) is a signal-responsive epigenetic regulator that couples oncogenic and stress signals to chromatin, transcription, RNA processing, metabolism, and genome maintenance. Its effects arise from both asymmetric arginine methylation of histone and non-histone substrates and methyltransferase-independent scaffolding activities. This review critically synthesizes the structural basis, substrate networks, methylarginine readers, and cancer-contextual functions of CARM1. We propose that its apparently opposing oncogenic and tumor-suppressive activities are determined by lineage-specific substrates, regulatory post-translational modifications, cofactor and chromatin availability, and stage- or microenvironment-dependent stress signals. We further evaluate CARM1-directed therapy using an evidence-graded framework. Catalytic inhibitors such as TP-064 and EZM2302 differ in binding mode and substrate coverage, whereas emerging degraders can remove scaffolding functions but remain constrained by delivery, E3-ligase heterogeneity, pharmacokinetics, and therapeutic-window uncertainties. Biomarker-guided synthetic-lethal and immunotherapy combinations may therefore offer the most tractable route to clinical translation. This framework positions CARM1 as a context-conditioned signal-to-chromatin translator rather than a uniformly druggable oncogene.
Humans↗
JP1 peptide modulates oxidative stress and autophagy via Keap1-Nrf2-ARE in ALS model mice.
BACKGROUND: The simultaneous modulation of oxidative stress and autophagy represents a potential therapeutic strategy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet agents capable of coordinately regulating both processes remain scarce. The Keap1‑Nrf2‑ARE pathway serves as a critical hub linking redox homeostasis and autophagic regulation, making it an attractive target for ALS intervention. JWA is a stress‑responsive protein involved in cellular protection against oxidative injury, and its neuroprotective effects have been shown to depend on activation of the MEK/ERK‑Nrf2 axis. JP1 is a functional oligopeptide derived from the JWA protein that has been engineered to cross the blood-brain barrier and specifically target integrin αVβ3. Based on the link between JWA and Nrf2 signaling, we hypothesized that JP1 activates the Keap1‑Nrf2‑ARE pathway to coordinate antioxidant defense and autophagic clearance. Here, we evaluated this hypothesis in the SOD1‑G93A mouse model, a well‑established transgenic model of familial ALS, and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: We evaluated the efficacy of JP1 in the SOD1-G93A mice model using behavioral phenotyping and survival analysis. The coordinated mechanism was investigated in spinal cord tissues by profiling the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway and oxidative stress, quantifying autophagic flux (by Western blotting and transmission electron microscopy) and neuronal apoptosis, and evaluating histology (by Nissl staining and immunofluorescence). Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses further elucidated the global molecular landscape underlying the therapeutic effects of JP1. RESULTS: JP1 treatment ameliorated motor deficits and extended survival in SOD1-G93A mice without adversely affecting liver or kidney function. JP1 crossed the blood-brain barrier, targeted motor neurons expressing integrin αVβ3, and activated the ERK pathway. This promoted Keap1/Cul3 degradation and Nrf2 nuclear translocation, thereby activating the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway to alleviate oxidative stress. Concurrently, JP1 restored autophagic flux, increased autophagic activity, attenuated motor neuron injury, suppressed neuronal apoptosis, and preserved neuronal structural integrity. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 reversed the protective effects of JP1 on survival, motor function, autophagy, oxidative stress, and neuronal apoptosis, which confirms that JP1 acts via the Nrf2 pathway. CONCLUSIONS: JP1 acts as a promising coordinator of antioxidant and autophagic processes by targeting the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway, thus highlighting its therapeutic potential for ALS.
Animals↗
Integrated landscape of salivary metagenome and multi-biofluid metabolome characterizes a microbial-metabolic axis in upper gastrointestinal cancer progression.
BACKGROUND: Upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGIC) imposes a major global health burden, yet the stage-specific molecular changes along the microbial-metabolic axis remain limited understood. We aimed to delineate this molecular landscape across UGIC progression and evaluate its potential as non-invasive methods for precision screening. RESULTS: Derived from a multi-center population-based UGIC screening program, we enrolled 420 individuals, stratified into normal, low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), and UGIC (n = 105 per group). Integrated salivary metagenomics and paired salivary/plasma metabolomics were performed to capture local and systemic dysregulation. We uncovered distinct stage-specific divergence during UGIC progression: profound remodeling of the salivary microbiota (104 differential species) and salivary metabolomics (80 differential metabolites) initiated early at the LGIN stage, whereas plasma metabolic dysregulation (40 differential metabolites) peaked significantly later at the HGIN stage. Integrative analysis revealed salivary microbiota related more closely with salivary metabolome than plasma metabolome. Moreover, statistical evidence suggested that dysbiotic salivary microbiota was associated with altered lysine- and tryptophan-related catabolic pathways converging on Acetyl-CoA-related metabolic nodes, supporting a potential metabolic mechanism in precancerous lesions. Finally, the discriminative model integrating metagenomic and metabolomic markers demonstrated promising diagnostic performance in distinguishing these precancerous lesions (LGIN: area under the curve [AUC] = 0.83; HGIN: AUC = 0.77) and UGIC (AUC = 0.76) from normal. CONCLUSION: This study characterizes a stage-specific microbial-metabolic axis that facilitates the comprehensive understanding of UGIC pathogenesis. These multi-biofluid signatures offer a promising non-invasive triage strategy for detecting precancerous lesions and optimizing endoscopic resource allocation. Video Abstract.
Female↗
Maternal vitamin B12 deprivation exacerbates offspring obesity by reducing early-life colonization with Bifidobacterium pseudolongum.
Vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy and lactation is common, yet its mechanistic impact on reproductive outcomes and offspring health remains poorly understood. Here, we show that maternal dietary vitamin B12 deprivation not only impairs maternal glucose metabolism and reproductive outcomes but also exacerbates high-fat-diet-induced obesity in offspring. These effects are mediated by gut microbiota and associated with a marked reduction of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum (B. pseudolongum) in both dams and their offspring. Maternal vitamin B12 deprivation limits early-life acquisition of B. pseudolongum in offspring during lactation, subsequently intensifying obesity and metabolic dysregulation. Early-life restoration of B. pseudolongum or its key metabolite, acetate, effectively ameliorates this aggravated obesity. Mechanistically, acetate acts through the Ffar2 receptor to upregulate Ehhadh expression. Together, these data establish that perinatal nutrition imprints long-term metabolic phenotypes in offspring via early-life acquisition of the gut microbiota, with a critical window during lactation.
Animals↗
Mechanisms of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) on microbial counts, functional properties, phenolic profile transformation, and volatile compounds in celery stalks (Apium graveolens L.).
In this study, celery stalks were pretreated with different durations (0-150 s) of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB), followed by far-infrared radiation assisted pulsed vacuum freeze-drying (FIR-PVFD) at 60, 65, and 70 °C. The effects of HHAIB on the physicochemical properties, composition and transformation of phenolic compounds, volatile components, and antioxidant capacity of FIR-PVFD-dried celery stalks were systematically investigated. The results showed that HHAIB not only effectively reduced the counts of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB) and total yeast and mold (TYM), but also decreased the relative activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and lipoxygenase (LOX) by more than 91% after 90 s of treatment. HHAIB altered the cellular structure of celery stalks, shortened the drying time by 29.33-41.43%, and improved their hydration properties. HHAIB pretreatment promoted the conversion of bound phenolics to free phenolics in celery stalks, with significant increases in the contents of p-coumaric acid, apigenin, graveobioside A, and other components. The total free phenolic content increased by 56.99%, thus HHAIB enhanced the antioxidant activity. An electronic nose and sensory evaluation revealed that HHAIB-pretreated celery stalks better retained the characteristic herbal and pungent notes. GC-MS results indicated that HHAIB treatment optimized the aroma profile by regulating the contents and composition of terpenes, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and aromatic compounds.
Apium↗
Multi-omics revealed the effects of rumen to blood path on early lactation performance in transition dairy cows.
BACKGROUND: The transition period is vitally important to the life cycle of dairy cows. However, the function of the microbiota during both pre- and post-partum and their relationship with ruminal, plasma, and milk metabolites still require systematic investigation. To address this, the 7 highest- and 7 lowest-performing animals among a cohort of 100 dairy cows were selected based on their postpartum energy-corrected milk yield. Rumen fluid and plasma samples were collected during both pre- and post-partum periods, whereas milk samples were obtained postpartum. Shotgun metagenomics of rumen contents in addition to metabolomics of rumen, plasma, and milk samples were performed to evaluate the associations between ruminal microbes and early lactation performance in transition dairy cows. RESULTS: Compared with prepartum cows, postpartum high-yield cows had greater concentrations of ruminal volatile fatty acids and plasma total bile acid. Moreover, plasma urea nitrogen and most amino acids, peptides, and their derivatives in plasma and milk were increased in postpartum high-yield cows, relative to postpartum low-yield cows. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the relative abundances of several species within the Prevotella, Succinimonas, Succinatimonas, and Methanosphaera increased, while other bacteria belong to Alistipes and Bacteroides, and archaeal Methanobrevibacter species decreased in postpartum cows, particularly in postpartum high-yield cows. Co-occurrence network and correlation analysis suggested that Prevotella and Succinatimonas were negatively correlated to Alistipes, Bacteroides, and Methanobrevibacter, potentially contributing to the nutritionally efficient phenotype of postpartum high-yield cows. A metabolic pathway analysis of our metagenomic data revealed that postpartum high-yield cows possessed more microbial genes involved in starch utilization and amino acid synthesis, while a wide range of microbial genes involved in cellulose utilization, acetogenesis, and amino acid degradation were found in prepartum cows with low-yield in postpartum. A structural equation model analysis showed that the increased relative abundances of Prevotella tf.2-5 and Succinatimonas CAG_777 were related to greater concentrations of plasma chenodeoxycholic acid glycine conjugate, milk 5-Methoxytryptophan, and energy-corrected milk yield. Finally, pan-genomic analysis confirmed that Alistipes, Bacteroides, and Methanobrevibacter possess genetic conservation of both hydrogenases and dehydrogenases, which may contribute to energy loss in the rumen via hydrogen dissipation. CONCLUSION: In summary, our findings provide a fundamental understanding of how microbiome-dependent mechanisms contribute to early lactation performance in dairy cows during the transition period. The increased abundance of Prevotella, Succinimonas, and Succinatimonas in postpartum cows suggest that they are important microbes during the transition period and may help in coping with metabolic challenges, while improving nutrient utilization efficiency during this period. Our study underscores the importance of the ruminal microbiome during the transition period and highlights the need for rumen-based nutritional intervention strategies to improve production efficiency in ruminants. Video Abstract.
Animals↗
WDFY2 promotes MRN complex formation required for homologous recombination-mediated DNA repair.
The MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex is fundamental for detecting and repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), thereby safeguarding genome integrity. However, the precise mechanism governing MRN complex recruitment to DSBs remains largely unexplored. Here, we identify WD40- and FYVE domain-containing protein 2 (WDFY2) as an important regulator of MRN complex formation at DNA damage sites, facilitating homologous recombination (HR) repair. Mechanistically, WDFY2 is phosphorylated at serine 84 by the ATM-CHK2 axis, priming it for recruitment to DSBs. Through direct interactions with MRE11 and NBS1, WDFY2 bridges the MRE11-RAD50 subcomplex with NBS1, thereby promoting MRN complex formation at DSBs and DNA end resection. WDFY2 deficiency, as well as the non-phosphorylatable S84A mutant, results in impaired HR repair and reduced cell survival following DNA damage. Collectively, our findings establish WDFY2 as a key platform for MRN complex loading at DSBs and HR repair, highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment.
Humans↗
Modular Photoswitchable Molecular Glues for Chemo-Optogenetic Control of Protein Function in Living Cells.
Optogenetic systems using photosensitive proteins and chemically induced dimerization/proximity (CID/CIP) approaches enabled by chemical dimerizers (also termed molecular glues), are powerful tools to elucidate the dynamics of biological systems and to dissect complex biological regulatory networks. Here, we report a versatile chemo-optogenetic system using modular, photoswitchable molecular glues (sMGs) that can undergo repeated cycles of optical control to switch protein function on and off. We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to rationally design the sMGs and further expand their scope by incorporating different photoswitches, resulting in sMGs with customizable properties. We demonstrate that this system can be used to reversibly control protein localization, organelle positioning, protein-fragment complementation as well as posttranslational protein levels by light with high spatiotemporal precision. This system enables sophisticated optical manipulation of cellular processes and thus opens up a new avenue for chemo-optogenetics.
Optogenetics↗
FLT4 gene polymorphisms influence isolated ventricular septal defect predisposition in a Southwest China population.
BACKGROUND: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital heart disease. Although a small number of genes associated with VSD have been found, the genetic factors of VSD remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the association of 10 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with isolated VSD in a population from Southwest China. METHODS: Based on the results of 34 congenital heart disease whole-exome sequencing and 1000 Genomes databases, 10 candidate SNPs were selected. A total of 618 samples were collected from the population of Southwest China, including 285 VSD samples and 333 normal samples. Ten SNPs in the case group and the control group were identified by SNaPshot genotyping. The chi-square (χ2) test was used to evaluate the relationship between VSD and each candidate SNP. The SNPs that had significant P value in the initial stage were further analysed using linkage disequilibrium, and haplotypes were assessed in 34 congenital heart disease whole-exome sequencing samples using Haploview software. The bins of SNPs that were in very strong linkage disequilibrium were further used to predict haplotypes by Arlequin software. ViennaRNA v2.5.1 predicted the haplotype mRNA secondary structure. We evaluated the correlation between mRNA secondary structure changes and ventricular septal defects. RESULTS: The χ2 results showed that the allele frequency of FLT4 rs383985 (P = 0.040) was different between the control group and the case group (P < 0.05). FLT4 rs3736061 (r2 = 1), rs3736062 (r2 = 0.84), rs3736063 (r2 = 0.84) and FLT4 rs383985 were in high linkage disequilibrium (r2 > 0.8). Among them, rs3736061 and rs3736062 SNPs in the FLT4 gene led to synonymous variations of amino acids, but predicting the secondary structure of mRNA might change the secondary structure of mRNA and reduce the free energy. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a possible molecular pathogenesis associated with isolated VSD, which warrants investigation in future studies.
Child↗