Biology subjects

Ma, K. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Ma, K. L..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos) Fungal β-Glucan in Combination with Bacillus coagulans Improve Colitis-Related Outcomes and Cecal Fermentation in DSS-Treated Mice

Inflammatory bowel disease challenges modern gastroenterology due to high relapse rates. This study evaluated the effects of medicinal fungal sclerotium Fu Ling (Wolfiporia cocos), its derived {beta}-1,3-1,6-Glucan, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086, and their combinations in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in male BALB/c mice. The {beta}-glucan-B. coagulans combination significantly improved body weight, disease activity index, colon length and architecture, mucus secretion, and cecal fermentation over single ingredient. Consistently, this combination increased total short-chain fatty acids production, particularly acetate, improved gut tight-junction organization and reduced myeloperoxidase accumulation. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing indicated that this combination reshaped the gut microbiota, notably enriching Anaeromassilibacillus sp., which associated with improved clinical feature. These findings highlight the potential of fungal-derived {beta}-glucan and probiotic combinations as functional food ingredients for mitigating intestinal inflammation and supporting barrier repair.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Cellular interactions in the sentinel lymph node predict melanoma recurrence

Melanoma outcomes have dramatically improved over the past decade, but some patients still experience disease recurrence, particularly those who present at later stage of disease. Prior studies identified an altered immune microenvironment in the sentinel lymph node (SLN) including the presence of dysfunctional CD8 T cells and CD4 T regulatory cells (Tregs), but the spatial organization of the SLN and the interactions of individual cell types have not been extensively studied. To understand how spatial organization of immune cells in the SLN is related to outcomes, we performed spatial proteomic profiling of Stage I and II melanoma SLN to generate an atlas of cell types. Following multiplexed immunofluorescence imaging, deep learning-based segmentation and clustering, we identified 33 subsets of T cells, B cells and Tumor cells. Lymphoid region analyses established a foundational spatial map of the melanoma SLN, revealing higher regional frequencies of activated and memory CD4 T cells in Stage I SLN and consistent positioning of T cells at functional spatial locations. To better understand cellular interactions, we evaluated the immediate neighbors around each index cell using Effect Size Interaction mapping (ESI-map), a novel computational toolkit for understanding spatial interactions. Nearest-neighbor analyses across biological replicates revealed rewiring in cell-cell interacting pairs across disease progression and patient outcomes, particularly with respect to exhausted TOX+ CD8 T cells. Stage II patients who experienced disease recurrence had notable enrichment of cellular interactions between Tregs and TOX+ CD8 T cells that was associated with reduced expression of granzyme B and interferon-{gamma} that was most pronounced in exhausted CD8 T cells. Together, these data demonstrate that the specific spatial interactions between Tregs and exhausted CD8 T cells in the SLN provide a novel immune signature for understanding melanoma outcomes. One Line SummaryTreg-CD8 T cell interactions in the sentinel lymph node predict recurrence outcomes in Stage II SLN+ melanoma patients.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2018

Modified recipe to inhibit GSK-3 for the living fungal biomaterial manufacture

Living fungal mycelium with suppressed or abolished fruit-forming ability is a self-healing substance particularly valuable biomaterial for further engineering and development in applications such as monitoring/sensing environmental changes and secreting signals. The ability to suppress fungal fruiting is also a useful tool for maintaining stability (e.g., shape, form) of a mycelium-based biomaterial with ease and lower cost.\n\nThe objective of this present study is to provide a biochemical solution to regulate the fruiting body formation to replace heat killing of mycelium during production. We discovered that GSK-3 activity directly correlates with the development of fruiting bodies in fungi, especially mushroom forming fungi such as Coprinopsis cinerea. By regulating GSK-3 expression and activity, one can control the fungal fruiting body development.\n\nWe successfully demonstrated that treatment of an inhibitor of GSK-3 kinase activity resulted in acceleration in mycelium growth rate, absence of fruiting body and general decrease in GSK-3 gene expression. Therefore, GSK-3 inhibitor is suggested to be included in the mycelium cultivation recipes for regulating the growth of fungal mycelium and for inhibiting the development of fruiting bodies. This is the first report of using a GSK-3 inhibitor, such as lithium or any other GSK-3 inhibitor, to suppress or abolish fruiting body formation in living fungal mycelium-based biomaterial. It also provides an innovative strategy for easy, reliable, and low cost maintenance of biomaterial containing live fungal mycelium.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Transcriptional profiling elucidates the essential role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 to fruiting body formation in Coprinopsis cinerea

The functions of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) have been well-studied in animal, plant and yeast. However, information on its roles in basidiomycetous fungi is still limited. In this study, we used the model mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea to study the characteristics of GSK3 in fruiting body development. Application of a GSK3 inhibitor Lithium chloride (LiCl) induced enhanced mycelial growth and inhibited fruiting body formation in C. cinerea. RNA-Seq of LiCl-treated C. cinerea resulted in a total of 14128 unigenes. There were 1210 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the LiCl-treated samples and control samples in the mycelium stage (first time point), whereas 1402 DEGs were detected at the stage when the control samples formed hyphal knots and the treatment samples were still in mycelium (second time point). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the DEGs revealed significant associations between the enhanced mycelium growth in LiCl treated C. cinerea and metabolism pathways such as \"biosynthesis of secondary metabolite\" and \"biosynthesis of antibiotics\". In addition, DEGs involved in cellular process pathways, including \"cell cycle-yeast\" and \"meiosis-yeast\", were identified in C. cinerea fruiting body formation suppressed by LiCl under favorable environmental conditions. Our findings suggest that GSK3 activity is essential for fruiting body formation as it affects the expression of fruiting body induction genes and genes in cellular processes. Further functional studies of GSK3 in basidiomycetous fungi may help understand the relationships between environmental signals and fruiting body development.

genomics↗