Clinical and Translational Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Engineering the future of medicine: Natural products, synthetic biology and artificial intelligence for next-generation therapeutics","authors":"Emre F. Bülbül,&nbsp;Helge B. Bode,&nbsp;Steven Schmitt,&nbsp;Kenan A. J. Bozhüyük","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70146","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70146","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The e<b><i>X</i></b>change <b><i>U</i></b>nit between <b><i>T</i></b>hiolation domains approach and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools like <i>Synthetic Intelligence</i> are transforming nonribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase engineering, enabling the creation of novel bioactive compounds that address critical challenges like antibiotic resistance and cancer. These innovations expand chemical space and optimize biosynthetic pathways, offering precise and scalable therapeutic solutions. Collaboration across synthetic biology, AI, and clinical research is essential to translating these breakthroughs into next-generation treatments and revolutionizing drug discovery and patient care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11761351/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143037462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptome profiles of human preimplantation blastocysts related to mosaicism, developmental speed and competence","authors":"Song Li,&nbsp;Bing Cai,&nbsp;Jialiu Liu,&nbsp;Yan Xu,&nbsp;Chenhui Ding,&nbsp;Muhua Lai,&nbsp;Canquan Zhou,&nbsp;Yanwen Xu","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70196","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70196","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Dear Editor,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By taking advantage of parallel sequencing of genome and transcriptome (G&amp;T-seq),&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; we demonstrated the distinct transcriptome profiles of human preimplantation blastocysts in perspectives of embryo digital karyotype, developmental speed and implantation competence. Our study provided valuable information for further research in the physiology behind human embryo development and laid the foundation for embryo selection from the view of the transcriptome.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Preimplantation genetic test for aneuploidy (PGT-A) serves as an important invasive method to select euploid embryos. However, even PGT-A cannot guarantee a successful pregnancy,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; for almost 50% of euploid blastocysts could not result in a live birth. It means that there is still a big room to improve the capability of embryo selection besides aneuploidy screening. RNA sequencing might have the potential for assessing embryo competence.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3, 4&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Here we investigated the distinct transcriptome profiles in human pre-implantation blastocysts with the application of G&amp;T-seq (Figure 1A). We have verified this method in biopsied samples from 41 donated blastocysts in terms of the transcriptome consistency of samples from the same blastocyst, the prediction value of aneuploidies by transcriptome (Figure S1), as well as the lineage characteristic of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) (Figure S2), indicating the clinical safety and reproducibility of this method.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;G&amp;T-seq is a unique technology for studying the transcriptome of chromosomal mosaicism, taking advantage of separate genome sequencing and RNA sequencing. In comparisons of transcriptomes of 28 TE few-cell samples from eight mosaic embryos with 17 TE few-cell samples from five euploidies (Figure 1B), we identified 79 genes upregulated and 37 genes downregulated (Figure 1C). Notably, ectoderm and primitive endoderm genes, including &lt;i&gt;KLF4&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;TGFBR1&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;ITGB5&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;GATA6&lt;/i&gt;, were significantly upregulated in TE of mosaic blastocysts (Figure 1D). Furthermore, upregulated genes were mainly enriched in embryonic development, stem cell proliferation, endoderm development and other pathways (Table S1), implying that there might be a lineage separation disorder in TE cells with chromosomal mosaicism, and the inadequately developed trophoblast may contribute to the adverse pregnancy outcomes of mosaic embryos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Human blastocysts have different developmental speeds. It may take 5–7 days for an embryo to develop to the grade 4 stage according to the Gardner grading system, which is the stage allowing TE biopsy. Clinically, blastocysts biopsied on day 6 or day 7 (named D6 or D7 blastocyst) are defined as growth-retarded blastocysts with lower implantation potential compared with day 5 blastocysts. The reason for retarded development speed remains to be clarified. To investigate the transcriptome related to blastocyst ","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11761386/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143037478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial distribution of immune cells and their proximity to STING+ cells are associated with survival in glioblastoma","authors":"Hanwool Jeon,&nbsp;Hayeong Kang,&nbsp;Jihyun Im,&nbsp;Suin Jo,&nbsp;Hyunchul Jung,&nbsp;Moinay Kim,&nbsp;Jae Hyun Kim,&nbsp;Eunyeup Lee,&nbsp;Soyoung Kim,&nbsp;Jeong Hoon Kim,&nbsp;Chang-Ki Hong,&nbsp;Young-Hoon Kim,&nbsp;Sang Woo Song,&nbsp;Jinha Park,&nbsp;Sang-Yeob Kim,&nbsp;Seungjoo Lee","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70187","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70187","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Dear Editor,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive malignant tumour, is increasingly treated with immunotherapy.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1-3&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;4&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; is key to tumour immunity and a studied target for immunotherapy.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;5&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; This study explores the immune landscape of GBM, focusing on spatial relationships between tumour-associated immune cells (TAICs)&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; and STING-expressing cells, uncovering patterns linked to prognosis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We studied 14 recurrent GBM patients using protein composition and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and analyzed immune pathways in 69 newly diagnosed GBM patients undergoing standard therapy. Spatial analysis of cells was performed using QuPath, CytoMAP, and R, as illustrated in Figure 1A. From our proteomic analysis, we identified protein groups with marked upregulation in patients with favourable responses. A total of 99 proteins were highly upregulated in the favourable group, while 170 were more pronounced in the unfavourable group (Figure 1B). Clusters of downregulated and upregulated proteins were identified using the Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate. The expression of &lt;b&gt;TMEM173&lt;/b&gt;, the gene encoding STING, was significantly elevated in the favourable group, as measured by protein expression using a mass spectrometer. The results were represented as an abundance ratio, and statistical significance was confirmed using the adjusted p-value. (Figure 1C). GO analysis showed that upregulated proteins in the favourable group were mainly linked to immune response activation. (Figure 1D). Pathways such as ‘regulation of innate immune response’ and ‘phagocytic respiratory burst’ were strongly linked to innate immune activation (Figure 1E). Additionally, pathways like ‘cell surface receptor signalling in immune response’, ‘T cell migration’ and ‘positive regulation of T cell receptor signalling’ were significantly linked to immune response activation (Figure 1F). &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;-Values were transformed to -log10 for statistical significance, with values above 1.3 considered significant. Table S1 provides the GO categories associated with immune response activation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We used multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC) to analyze immune cell distribution and protein markers in the TME. Markers included CD4&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; (helper T cells), CD8&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; (cytotoxic T cells), CD11c&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; (dendritic cells), TCRγ/δ&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; (γ/δ T cells), ATRX&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; (tumour cells) and DAPI&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; (nuclei), with STING as a primary marker of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We explored correlations between immune cell populations identified by multiplex IHC and patient survival (Figure 2A). Tumour specimens were stained with multiplex immunofluorescence, and a pathologist selected regions of interest (ROIs), which were scanned at high magnification and analyzed with markers including ATRX, CD8, STING, DAPI, CD4, CD11c and TCRγ/δ. (Figure 2B","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11761387/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143037473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional genomics pipeline identifies CRL4 inhibition for the treatment of ovarian cancer","authors":"Sally E. Claridge,&nbsp;Shalini Nath,&nbsp;Anneliese Baum,&nbsp;Richard Farias,&nbsp;Julie-Ann Cavallo,&nbsp;Nile M. Rizvi,&nbsp;Lamberto De Boni,&nbsp;Eric Park,&nbsp;Genesis Lara Granados,&nbsp;Matthew Hauesgen,&nbsp;Ruben Fernandez-Rodriguez,&nbsp;Eda Nur Kozan,&nbsp;Evgeny Kanshin,&nbsp;Khoi Q. Huynh,&nbsp;Peng-Jen Chen,&nbsp;Kenneth Wu,&nbsp;Beatrix Ueberheide,&nbsp;Juan Miguel Mosquera,&nbsp;Fred R. Hirsch,&nbsp;Robert J. DeVita,&nbsp;Olivier Elemento,&nbsp;Chantal Pauli,&nbsp;Zhen-Qiang Pan,&nbsp;Benjamin D. Hopkins","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70078","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70078","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The goal of precision oncology is to find effective therapeutics for every patient. Through the inclusion of emerging therapeutics in a high-throughput drug screening platform, our functional genomics pipeline inverts the common paradigm to identify patient populations that are likely to benefit from novel therapeutic strategies.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Approach&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Utilizing drug screening data across a panel of 46 cancer cell lines from 11 tumor lineages, we identified an ovarian cancer-specific sensitivity to the first-in-class CRL4 inhibitors KH-4-43 and 33-11. CRL4 (i.e., Cullin-4 RING E3 ubiquitin ligase) is known to be dysregulated in a variety of cancer contexts, making it an attractive therapeutic target. Unlike proteasome inhibitors that are associated with broad toxicity, CRL4 inhibition offers the potential for tumor-specific effects.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We observed that CRL4 inhibition negatively regulates core gene signatures that are upregulated in ovarian tumors and significantly slowed tumor growth as compared to the standard of care, cisplatin, in OVCAR8 xenografts. Building on this, we performed combination drug screening in conjunction with proteomic and transcriptomic profiling to identify ways to improve the antitumor effects of CRL4 inhibition in ovarian cancer models. CRL4 inhibition consistently resulted in activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade at both the transcriptomic and protein levels, suggesting that survival signaling is induced in response to CRL4 inhibition. These observations were concordant with the results of the combination drug screens in seven ovarian cancer cell lines that showed CRL4 inhibition cooperates with MEK inhibition. Preclinical studies in OVCAR8 and A2780 xenografts confirmed the therapeutic potential of the combination of KH-4-43 and trametinib, which extended overall survival and slowed tumor progression relative to either single agent or the standard of care.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Together, these data demonstrate the prospective utility of functional modeling pipelines for therapeutic development and underscore the clinical potential of CRL4 inhibition in the ovarian cancer context.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Highlights&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;\u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;\u0000 &lt;p&gt;A precision medicine pipe","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11761363/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143037468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxyglutamic acid protein 1 promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression through stabilizing oncoprotein KRAS and tyrosine kinase receptor EGFR","authors":"Zheng Wu,&nbsp;Qing Ye,&nbsp;Shan Zhang,&nbsp;Li-Peng Hu,&nbsp;Xiao-Qi Wang,&nbsp;Lin-Li Yao,&nbsp;Lei Zhu,&nbsp;Shu-Yu Xiao,&nbsp;Zong-Hao Duan,&nbsp;Xue-Li Zhang,&nbsp;Shu-Heng Jiang,&nbsp;Zhi-Gang Zhang,&nbsp;De-Jun Liu,&nbsp;Dong-Xue Li,&nbsp;Xiao-Mei Yang","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70191","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70191","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Vitamin K-dependent γ-glutamic acid carboxylation (Gla) proteins are calcium-binding and membrane-associated, participating in coagulation, bone turnover, and cancer biology. The molecular function of transmembrane proline-rich Gla proteins (PRRGs) remains unexplored.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) datasets, including transcription profiles, clinical data, and tissue microarrays, was conducted to evaluate PRRG1 expression and its clinical relevance. PDAC cell lines with overexpressed, knockdown, and mutated PRRG1 were developed to study biological functions and pathways using RNA-seq, co-immunoprecipitation with mass spectrometry, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence. In vivo xenograft and orthotopic models assessed PRRG1's impact on PDAC progression, with and without warfarin treatment.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;PRRG1 was significantly upregulated in PDAC compared to normal pancreas, correlating with poorer patient survival. PRRG1 knockdown reduced PDAC cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo. PRRG1 localized at the plasma membrane, interacted with the HECT E3 ligase NEDD4 via the C-terminal PPXY motif, and promoted NEDD4 self-ubiquitination, reducing its protein levels. PRRG1 knockdown elevated NEDD4, destabilizing the oncoprotein KRAS and receptor EGFR, and attenuating downstream signaling and macropinocytosis under nutrient deprivation. The vitamin K-dependent Gla modification of PRRG1 was crucial for its membrane localization and pro-tumorigenic effects, and was inhibited by low-dose warfarin, a clinical vitamin K antagonist.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;This study identifies PRRG1 as a key regulator of pro-tumorigenic signaling in PDAC, suggesting the potential of repurposing the anticoagulant warfarin as a therapeutic strategy.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Key points&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;\u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;PRRG1 is identified as the transmembrane Gla protein mediating PDAC malignancy.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;PRRG1 recruits and induces self-ubiquitination of membrane-anchoring E3 ligase NEDD4.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;PRRG1 exerts a protective role toward KRAS and EGFR by inhibiting NEDD4.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;The anticoagul","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11753899/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143022302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Annexin A8 deficiency delays atherosclerosis progression","authors":"Carmen Gutiérrez-Muñoz,&nbsp;Rafael Blázquez-Serra,&nbsp;Irene San Sebastian-Jaraba,&nbsp;Sandra Sanz-Andrea,&nbsp;Maria J. Fernández-Gómez,&nbsp;Gonzalo Nuñez-Moreno,&nbsp;Pablo Mínguez,&nbsp;Joan Carles Escolá-Gil,&nbsp;Paula Nogales,&nbsp;Veronique Ollivier,&nbsp;Jose L. Martín-Ventura,&nbsp;Benoit Ho-Tin Noe,&nbsp;Ursula Rescher,&nbsp;Nerea Méndez-Barbero,&nbsp;Luis M. Blanco-Colio","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70176","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70176","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the accumulation of lipids and leukocytes within the arterial wall. By studying the aortic transcriptome of atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E (&lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;)&lt;/i&gt; mice, we aimed to identify novel players in the progression of atherosclerosis.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;RNA-Seq analysis was performed on aortas from &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; and wild-type mice. AnxA8 expression was assessed in human and mice atherosclerotic tissue and healthy aorta. &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; mice lacking systemic AnxA8 (&lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;AnxA8&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt;) were generated to assess the effect of AnxA8 deficiency on atherosclerosis. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was also performed to generate &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; lacking AnxA8 specifically in bone marrow-derived cells. Endothelial-specific AnxA8 silencing in vivo was performed in &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; mice. The functional role of AnxA8 was analysed in cultured murine cells.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;RNA-Seq unveiled &lt;i&gt;AnxA8&lt;/i&gt; as one of the most significantly upregulated genes in atherosclerotic aortas of &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, AnxA8 was upregulated in human atherosclerotic plaques. Germline deletion of AnxA8 decreased the atherosclerotic burden, the size and volume of atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic root. Plaques of &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;AnxA8&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; were characterized by lower lipid and inflammatory content, smaller necrotic core, thicker fibrous cap and less apoptosis compared with those in &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;AnxA8&lt;sup&gt;+/+&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt;. BMT showed that hematopoietic AnxA8 deficiency had no effect on atherosclerotic progression. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) increased AnxA8 expression in murine aortic endothelial cells (MAECs). In vitro experiments revealed that &lt;i&gt;AnxA8&lt;/i&gt; deficiency in MAECs suppressed P/E-selectin and CD31 expression and secretion induced by ox-LDL with a concomitant reduction in platelet and leukocyte adhesion. Intravital microscopy confirmed the reduction in leukocyte and platelet adhesion in &lt;i&gt;ApoE&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;AnxA8&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; mice. Finally, endothelial-specific silencing of AnxA8 decreased atherosclerosis progression.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Our findings demonstrate that AnxA8 promotes the progression of atherosclerosis by modulating endothelial−leukocyte interactions. Interventions capable of reducing AnxA8 expre","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11748212/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Single-cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol-related liver disease","authors":"Xiaofang Zhao,&nbsp;Senyan Wang,&nbsp;Qi Liu,&nbsp;Wenjuan Wei,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Sun,&nbsp;Hao Song,&nbsp;Jing Xu,&nbsp;Shuijun Zhang,&nbsp;Hongyang Wang,&nbsp;Jing Fu","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70198","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70198","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a common chronic liver disease caused by long-term excessive alcohol consumption and responsible for more than half of all liver-related deaths worldwide. The molecular mechanisms associated with ALD were not fully understood. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on liver tissues obtained from ALD patients and healthy liver donors. We identified an ALB⁺KRT7⁺ epithelial population that expressed both hepatocyte and biliary markers significantly expanded in ALD livers. The ALB⁺KRT7⁺ epithelial cells were demonstrated to have stem cell properties and malignant transformation potentials. Moreover, ALB⁺KRT7⁺ epithelium-derived ALD organoids promote the tumour growth by activating Wnt/β-catenin signalling of liver cancer cells. Most importantly, blocking the Wnt protein secretion or knockdown the Wnt receptor suppressed the tumour promoting effect of ALD organoids. Our study provides important insights that Wnt signalling can be targeted in patients with advanced alcohol-related cirrhosis to prevent malignant transformation. In addition, our results also uncovered the important alterations of nonparenchymal cells, especially macrophages and T/NK populations that responsible for active inflammation responses in alcohol-related hepatitis and immunosuppressive microenvironment in advanced cirrhosis livers, which likely facilitated the malignant progression of ALD.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Key points</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>This study provides single-cell landscape of human liver samples across different ALD stages.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The ALB⁺ KRT7⁺ epithelium were enriched in ALD patients, and the function of this epithelial population varied significantly across ALD stages.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>ALB⁺KRT7⁺ epithelium from advanced alcohol-related cirrhosis had malignant transformation potential and tumour promotion activity.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The comprehensive changes of parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells in the ALD livers lay a hidden danger for the further malignant progression.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11746962/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering the pseudouridine nucleobase modification in human diseases: From molecular mechanisms to clinical perspectives","authors":"Shiheng Jia,&nbsp;Xue Yu,&nbsp;Na Deng,&nbsp;Chen Zheng,&nbsp;Mingguang Ju,&nbsp;Fanglin Wang,&nbsp;Yixiao Zhang,&nbsp;Ziming Gao,&nbsp;Yanshu Li,&nbsp;Heng Zhou,&nbsp;Kai Li","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70190","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70190","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>RNA pseudouridylation, a dynamic and reversible post-transcriptional modification found in diverse RNA species, is crucial for various biological processes, including tRNA homeostasis, tRNA transport, translation initiation regulation, pre-mRNA splicing, enhancement of mRNA translation, and translational fidelity. Disruption of pseudouridylation impairs cellular homeostasis, contributing to pathological alterations. Recent studies have highlighted its regulatory role in human diseases, particularly in tumourigenesis. Cellular stresses trigger RNA pseudouridylation in organisms, suggesting that pseudouridylation-mediated epigenetic reprogramming is essential for maintaining cellular viability and responding to stress. This review examines the regulatory mechanisms and pathological implications of pseudouridylation in human diseases, with a focus on its involvement in tumourigenesis. Additionally, it explores the therapeutic potential of targeting pseudouridylation, presenting novel strategies for disease treatment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Highlights</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Methods to detect pseudouridine were introduced from classic mass spectrometry-based methods to newer approaches such as nanopore-based technologies and BID sequencing, each with its advantages and limitations.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>RNA pseudouridylation is crucial for various biological processes, including tRNA homeostasis, tRNA transport, translation initiation regulation, pre-mRNA splicing, enhancement of mRNA translation, and translational fidelity.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Increased pseudouridylation is frequently associated with tumour initiation, progression, and poor prognosis, whereas its reduction is predominantly implicated in non-tumour diseases.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>A comprehensive understanding of the inducing factors for RNA pseudouridylation will be essential for elucidating its role in diseases. Such insights can provide robust evidence for how pseudouridylation influences disease progression and offer new avenues for therapeutic strategies targeting pseudouridylation dysregulation.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The therapeutic potential of RNA pseudouridylation in diseases is enormous, including inhibitors targeting pseudouridine synthases, the application of RNA pseudouridylation in RNA therapeutics, and its role as a biological marker.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11746961/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathogenic variants of TUBB8 cause oocyte spindle defects by disrupting with EB1/CAKP5 interactions and potential treatment targeting microtubule acetylation through HDAC6 inhibition","authors":"Hui Luo,&nbsp;Jianhua Chen,&nbsp;Cao Li,&nbsp;Tian Wu,&nbsp;Siyue Yin,&nbsp;Guangping Yang,&nbsp;Yipin Wang,&nbsp;Zhihan Guo,&nbsp;Saifei Hu,&nbsp;Yanni He,&nbsp;Yingnan Wang,&nbsp;Yao Chen,&nbsp;Youqiang Su,&nbsp;Congxiu Miao,&nbsp;Yun Qian,&nbsp;Ruizhi Feng","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70193","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70193","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Numerous pathogenic variants causing human oocyte maturation arrest have been reported on the primate-specific TUBB8 gene. The main etiology is the dramatic reduction of tubulin α/β dimer, but still large numbers of variants remain unexplained.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Using microinjection mRNA and genome engineering to reintroduce the conserved pathogenic missense variants into oocytes or in generating TUBB8 variant knock-in mouse models, we investigated that the human deleterious variants alter microtubule nucleation and spindle assembly during meiosis. Live-cell imaging and immunofluorescence were utilised to track the dynamic expression of microtubule plus end-tracking proteins in vivo and analysed microtubule nucleation or spindle assembly in vitro, respectively. Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry and ultramicro-quantitative proteomics were performed to identify the differential abundance proteins and affected interactome of TUBB8 protein.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>First, we observed a significant depletion of the EB1 signal upon microinjection of mutated TUBB8 mRNA (including R262Q, M300I, and D417N missense variants), indicating disruption of microtubule nucleation caused by these introduced TUBB8 missense variants. Mechanically, we demonstrated that the in vivo TUBB8-D417N missense variant diminished the affinity of EB1 and microtubules. It also harmed the interaction between microtubules and CKAP5/TACC3, which are crucial for initiating microtubule nucleation. Attenuated Ran-GTP pathway was also found in TUBB8-D417N oocytes, leading to disrupted spindle assembly. Stable microtubule was largely abolished on the spindle of TUBB8-D417N oocytes, reflected by reduced tubulin acetylation and accumulated HDAC6. More importantly, selective inhibition of HDAC6 by culturing TUBB8-D417N oocytes with Tubacin or Tubastatin A showed morphologically normal spindle and drastically recovered polar-body extrusion rate. These rescue results shed light on the strategy to treat meiotic defects in a certain group of TUBB8 mutated patients.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our study provides a comprehensive mechanism elucidating how TUBB8 missense variants cause oocyte maturation arrest and offers new therapeutic avenues for treating female infertility in the clinic.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11746963/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How the brain produces generalized fear","authors":"Hui-Quan Li,&nbsp;Nicholas C. Spitzer","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70124","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70124","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Fear alerts us to threats and is essential to survival. Acquired fear that is associated with a specific stimulus is defined as conditioned fear. However, fear can frequently generalize to other stimuli and contexts, and this generalized fear to harmless situations is a key component of anxiety that can result from acute stress. Generalized fear that is inappropriate to the stimuli that provoke it can be disadvantageous, destructive and even dangerous. Understanding how fear generalization occurs and how it can be controlled may suggest directions for the development of novel therapies to treat or even cure fear disorders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In our study, we investigated the effect of footshock, a form of acute stress, which causes freezing behaviour that is a measure of fear in rodents. We found that a mild footshock given to mice produced only conditioned fear, but a strong footshock produced both conditioned and generalized fear (Figure 1A). We also found that footshock produced conditioned fear immediately, but generalized fear was present only after a three-day delay. The production of generalized fear was tightly associated with a change in co-transmitter identity from excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate to inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe (Figure 1B).&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; No change in birth or death of neurons was detected that could account for changes in neurotransmitter expression.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using a stable genetic marker to track the neurons, the change in co-transmitter was seen to occur in single cells—thus revealing a co-transmitter switch. There was no gender difference identified for the production of either conditioned or generalized fear or for the induction of the transmitter switch. The switching neurons made connections to neurons in the central amygdala and lateral hypothalamus, which are regions of the brain that mediate fear responses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn whether the findings in rodents were translatable to humans, we then examined the postmortem brains of individuals with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) provided by the National Institutes of Health NeuroBioBank. We observed a change in co-transmitter expression in the brains of individuals with PTSD, but not in the brains of age-, gender-, and postmortem interval-matched control subjects. The changes seen in PTSD individuals are consistent with those observed in footshocked mice that exhibited generalized fear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When we suppressed the synthesis of GABA in footshock mice using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene transfer tools to interfere with the expression of GABA synthase, we prevented the appearance of generalized fear in response to footshock. This result suggested that the transmitter switch is necessary for the acquisition of generalized fear. Re-establishing the function of glutamatergic transmission, by restoring the lost glutamate transporters using AAV tools, was not as effective ","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11756554/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}