Biomedical subjects

Lei Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Lei Zhou.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

A photothermal ablation strategy for orthotopic ovarian cancer via mitochondria-dependent apoptosis.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) shows promise for ovarian cancer, but unclear cell death mechanisms slow its clinical use. Here, we report two-dimensional rhenium diselenide (ReSe₂) nanosheets as a stable, high-performance photothermal agent that triggers ovarian cancer cell apoptosis through a mitochondria-dependent pathway. Under near-infrared light, ReSe₂ generates local hyperthermia. This triggers a rapid burst of intracellular reactive oxygen species, collapses mitochondrial membrane potential, and shifts the balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. In an orthotopic mouse model, this defined apoptotic cascade strongly suppresses tumors with no detectable systemic toxicity. Our work not only elucidates a clear molecular mechanism for photothermal tumor ablation but also establishes ReSe₂-mediated PTT as a translatable therapeutic strategy, advancing the rational design of photothermal agents based on biological mechanism.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2025

Global Evolution and Transmission Dynamics of Enterovirus D68.

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), a serotype of the enterovirus species D, has garnered significant attention due to outbreaks reported in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In this study, 36 Chinese EV-D68 strains were isolated, sequenced, and combined with all EV-D68 VP1 sequences from GenBank to form a data set of 1679 sequences. This data set served as the basis for phylogenetic, evolutionary dynamics, phylogeographic, and key amino acid site mutation analyses of EV-D68. Based on the VP1 region, EV-D68 is classified into four genotypes (A-D), and seven subgenotypes (B1-B3, D1-D4), with B3 and D3 being the predominant subgenotypes. Bayesian skyline plots indicated that genotypes B and D experienced multiple population expansions, aligning with reported EV-D68 outbreaks. Phylogeographic analyses of the B3 subgenotypes revealed sequences from Europe and North America clustering into a single evolutionary branch, suggesting significant transmission between these regions. Additionally, mutation analysis identified VP1-98 as a high-frequency mutation site, differing significantly between the previously prevalent A and C genotypes and the currently prevalent B and D genotypes. However, the functional implications of this mutation require further investigation. This study provides a solid theoretical basis for epidemiological research, disease surveillance, and prevention efforts related to EV-D68.

Enterovirus Infections↗

PubMed2019

Profiling the long noncoding RNA interaction network in the regulatory elements of target genes by chromatin in situ reverse transcription sequencing.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate the activity of target genes by participating in the organization of chromatin architecture. We have devised a "chromatin-RNA in situ reverse transcription sequencing" (CRIST-seq) approach to profile the lncRNA interaction network in gene regulatory elements by combining the simplicity of RNA biotin labeling with the specificity of the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Using gene-specific gRNAs, we describe a pluripotency-specific lncRNA interacting network in the promoters of Sox2 and Pou5f1, two critical stem cell factors that are required for the maintenance of pluripotency. The promoter-interacting lncRNAs were specifically activated during reprogramming into pluripotency. Knockdown of these lncRNAs caused the stem cells to exit from pluripotency. In contrast, overexpression of the pluripotency-associated lncRNA activated the promoters of core stem cell factor genes and enhanced fibroblast reprogramming into pluripotency. These CRIST-seq data suggest that the Sox2 and Pou5f1 promoters are organized within a unique lncRNA interaction network that determines the fate of pluripotency during reprogramming. This CRIST approach may be broadly used to map lncRNA interaction networks at target loci across the genome.

Animals↗

PubMed2013

Broadening the heterologous cross-neutralizing antibody inducing ability of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus by breeding the GP4 or M genes.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most economically important swine pathogens, which causes reproductive failure in sows and respiratory disease in piglets. A major hurdle to control PRRSV is the ineffectiveness of the current vaccines to confer protection against heterologous strains. Since both GP4 and M genes of PRRSV induce neutralizing antibodies, in this study we molecularly bred PRRSV through DNA shuffling of the GP4 and M genes, separately, from six genetically different strains of PRRSV in an attempt to identify chimeras with improved heterologous cross-neutralizing capability. The shuffled GP4 and M genes libraries were each cloned into the backbone of PRRSV strain VR2385 infectious clone pIR-VR2385-CA. Three GP4-shuffled chimeras and five M-shuffled chimeras, each representing sequences from all six parental strains, were selected and further characterized in vitro and in pigs. These eight chimeric viruses showed similar levels of replication with their backbone strain VR2385 both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that the DNA shuffling of GP4 and M genes did not significantly impair the replication ability of these chimeras. Cross-neutralization test revealed that the GP4-shuffled chimera GP4TS14 induced significantly higher cross-neutralizing antibodies against heterologous strains FL-12 and NADC20, and similarly that the M-shuffled chimera MTS57 also induced significantly higher levels of cross-neutralizing antibodies against heterologous strains MN184B and NADC20, when compared with their backbone parental strain VR2385 in infected pigs. The results suggest that DNA shuffling of the GP4 or M genes from different parental viruses can broaden the cross-neutralizing antibody-inducing ability of the chimeric viruses against heterologous PRRSV strains. The study has important implications for future development of a broadly protective vaccine against PRRSV.

Animals↗