Biology subjects

Shen, Z.

Publications and source records attributed to Shen, Z..

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Changes in urinary proteome in healthy individuals taking multi-vitamin/mineral supplements

Multivitamin/mineral supplements are widely used in many populations. Urine proteome has not been used to investigate its overall effects on healthy individuals. In this study, the urine proteome changed after taking compound nutrient supplements for 2 weeks and 4 weeks, and the differential proteins and their enriched pathways may be associated with nutrient supplementation. We noted that after taking the supplements for 2 weeks, the amount of erythropoietin receptor in urine was average 449 times higher than before, with four out of nine people experiencing changes from 0 to 14635, 11851, 11181, and 5930. The results of this study revealed that the urine proteome can provide new clues about the relatively short-term health effects of the supplements. It may help optimize guidelines and recommendations for the use of supplements.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Urine Proteomics in Methamphetamine Addicted Patients

Drug addiction is a serious chronic relapsing brain disease, and methamphetamine dependence has a complex course and is difficult to treat, causing a serious public health burden. In this study, we compared and analyzed the urine proteome of methamphetamine-using patients, methamphetamine-withdrawing patients, healthy individuals. The urine proteome of methamphetamine-using patients and methamphetamine-withdrawing patients was significantly different from that of healthy individuals, and some differential proteins and their enriched biological functions showed that they were associated with addiction or neurotoxicity of methamphetamine. The fact, that the urine proteome of patients who withdrew methamphetamine for more than 3 months were significantly different from that of healthy patients, may reveal the reasons for the high rate of methamphetamine relapse and potential intervention targets. This study proved that urine proteome can reflect the effects of addiction on the body comprehensively, and has the potential to provide clues for addiction.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Omicron-specific naive B cell maturation alleviates immune imprinting induced by SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine

SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain-induced immune imprinting poses great challenges to vaccine updates. Studies showed that repeated Omicron exposures could override immune imprinting induced by inactivated vaccines but not mRNA vaccines, a disparity yet to be understood. Here, we analyzed the underlying mechanism of immune imprinting alleviation in inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac) cohorts. We observed in CoronaVac-vaccinated individuals who experienced BA.5/BF.7 breakthrough infection (BTI), the proportion of Omicron-specific memory B cells (MBCs) substantially increased after an extended period post-Omicron BTI, with their antibodies displaying enhanced somatic hypermutation and neutralizing potency. Consequently, the neutralizing antibody epitope distribution encoded by MBCs post-BA.5/BF.7 BTI after prolonged maturation closely mirrors that in BA.5/BF.7-infected unvaccinated individuals. Together, these results indicate the activation and expansion of Omicron-specific naive B cells generated by first-time Omicron exposure helped to alleviate CoronaVac-induced immune imprinting, and the absence of this process should have caused the persistent immune imprinting seen in mRNA vaccine recipients. HighlightsO_LILongitudinal MBC profiling of CoronaVac-vaccinated individuals following BA.5 BTI C_LIO_LIOmicron-specific MBC proportion rises greatly after extended period post-BA.5 BTI C_LIO_LIOmicron-specific naive B cell maturation reduces ancestral strain immune imprinting C_LI

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Humoral immunogenicity comparison of XBB and JN.1 in human infections

The continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2, particularly the emergence of the BA.2.86/JN.1 lineage replacing XBB lineages, necessitates re-evaluation of current vaccine compositions. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the humoral immune response to XBB and JN.1 human exposures, emphasizing the need for JN.1-lineage-based boosters. We demonstrate the antigenic distinctiveness of XBB and JN.1 lineages in SARS-CoV-2-naive individuals but not in those with prior vaccinations or infections, and JN.1 infection elicits superior plasma neutralization titers against its subvariants. We highlight the strong immune evasion and receptor binding capability of KP.3, supporting its foreseeable prevalence. Extensive analysis of the BCR repertoire, isolating [~]2000 RBD-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with their targeting epitopes characterized by deep mutational scanning (DMS), underscores the systematic superiority of JN.1-elicited memory B cells (MBCs). Notably, Class 1 IGHV3-53/3-66-derived neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) contribute majorly within wildtype (WT)-reactive NAbs against JN.1. However, KP.2 and KP.3 evade a substantial subset of them, even those induced by JN.1, advocating for booster updates to KP.3 for optimized enrichment. JN.1-induced Omicron-specific antibodies also demonstrate high potency across all Omicron lineages. Escape hotspots of these NAbs have mainly been mutated in Omicron RBD, resulting in higher immune barrier to escape, considering the probable recovery of previously escaped NAbs. Additionally, the prevalence of broadly reactive IGHV3-53/3-66- encoding antibodies and MBCs, and their capability of competing with all Omicron-specific NAbs suggests their inhibitory role on the de novo activation of Omicron-specific naive B cells, potentially explaining the heavy immune imprinting in mRNA-vaccinated individuals. These findings delineate the evolving antibody response to Omicron antigenic shift from XBB to JN.1, and highlight the importance of developing JN.1 lineage, especially KP.3-based vaccine boosters, to enhance humoral immunity against current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Changes of urine proteome after intragastric administration of polysaccharide iron complex in rats

Iron is an essential trace element to maintain the normal physiological function of organisms. In this study, the urine proteome of rats before and after short-term intragastric administration of polysaccharide-iron complex (28mg/kg/d iron, which is equivalent to the dose of anemia prevention in adults) was compared and analyzed by using two analysis methods: individual comparison and group comparison. Many different proteins were reported to be related to iron, including 2, 3 -cyclic nucleotide 3 -phosphodiesterase (CNPase) (7.7 times higher than that after gavage, p=0.0039), p38 (14.5 times higher than that before gavage, p=0.003), etc. In the individual comparison, Hepcidin was up-regulated in 4 rats simultaneously. The biological processes of differential protein enrichment include carbohydrate metabolism, iron ion reaction, apoptosis regulation, hematopoietic progenitor cell differentiation, etc. Molecular functions (e.g., complement binding, hemoglobin binding, etc.), KEGG pathways (e.g., complement and coagulation cascade, cholesterol metabolism, malaria, etc.) have also been shown to be associated with iron. This study contributes to the in-depth understanding of the biological function of iron from the perspective of urine proteomics, and provides a new research perspective for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of iron-related disorders.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Changes of urinary proteome in rats after intragastric administration of calcium gluconate

AbtractCalcium is an essential element for maintaining the normal physiological function of organisms. In this study, 3225 mg/kg/d calcium gluconate (equivalent to 300 mg/kg/d calcium) was intragastrically administered to rats for 4 days, and the urine proteome of rats was analyzed. Many differential proteins have been reported to be calcium related, such as Regucalcin (2.6 times higher after gavage than before gavage, p = 0.022), transmembrane protein 132A (8.2 times higher after gavage than before gavage, p = 0.009), creatine kinase (17.5 times higher before gavage than after gavage, p = 0.006), and claudin-3 (13.3 times higher before gavage than after gavage, p = 0.037). Differential protein enriched KEGG pathways included calcium signaling pathways, and biological processes and molecular functions also showed correlation with calcium. In this study, from the perspective of urine proteomics to explore the overall impact of calcium on the body, it is helpful to deeply understand the biological function of calcium and broaden the application potential of urine proteomics.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Changes of urinary proteome in rats after intragastric administration of zinc gluconate

Zinc is an essential element for maintaining normal physiological function in living organisms. In this study, the urine proteome of rats before and after short-term intragastric administration of 82 mg/kg/d zinc gluconate (equivalent to 11.7 mg/kg/d zinc) was compared and analyzed. Many differential proteins have been reported to be zinc-related, such as mucin-2 (MUC-2) (14 times before compared with after gavage, p = 0.005) and transthyretin (3.9 times after gavage compared with before gavage, p = 0.0004). Biological processes enriched in differential proteins (e.g., regulation of apoptosis process, immune system process, etc.), molecular functions (e.g., calcium binding, copper binding, signaling receptor activity, etc.), KEGG pathways (e.g., complement and coagulation cascades, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, etc.) showed correlation with zinc. In this study, we explore the overall effect of zinc on the body from the perspective of urine proteomics, which is helpful to deeply understand the biological function of zinc and broaden the application potential of urine proteomics.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Activating soluble adenylyl cyclase protects mitochondria, rescues retinal ganglion cells, and ameliorates visual dysfunction caused by oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is a key factor causing mitochondrial dysfunction and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in glaucomatous neurodegeneration. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway is involved in mitochondrial protection, promoting RGC survival. Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is one of the key regulators of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the sAC-mediated signaling pathway and mitochondrial protection in RGCs that counter oxidative stress are not well characterized. Here, we demonstrate that sAC plays a critical role in protecting RGC mitochondria from oxidative stress. Using mouse models of oxidative stress, we found that activating sAC protected RGCs, blocked AMP-activated protein kinase activation, inhibited glial activation, and improved visual function. Moreover, we found that this is the result of preserving mitochondrial dynamics (fusion and fission), promoting mitochondrial bioenergetics and biogenesis, and preventing metabolic stress and apoptotic cell death in a paraquat oxidative stress model. Notably, sAC activation ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction in RGCs by enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis, preserving mitochondrial structure, and increasing ATP production in oxidatively stressed RGCs. These findings suggest that activating sAC enhances the mitochondrial structure and function in RGCs to counter oxidative stress, consequently promoting RGC protection. We propose that modulation of the sAC-mediated signaling pathway has therapeutic potential acting on RGC mitochondria for treating glaucoma and other retinal diseases.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Proteomic Analysis of Urine from Youths Indulging in Gaming

Video game addiction manifests as an escalating enthusiasm and uncontrolled use of digital games, yet there are no objective indicators for gaming addiction. This study employed mass spectrometry proteomics to analyze the proteomic differences in the urine of adolescents addicted to gaming compared to those who do not play video games. The study included 10 adolescents addicted to gaming and 9 non-gaming adolescents as a control group. The results showed that there were 125 significantly different proteins between the two groups. Among these, 11 proteins have been reported to change in the body after the intake of psychotropic drugs and are associated with addiction: Calmodulin, ATP synthase subunit alpha, ATP synthase subunit beta, Acid ceramidase, Tomoregulin-2, Calcitonin, Apolipoprotein E, Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, Heat shock protein beta-1, CD63 antigen, Ephrin type-B receptor 4, Tomoregulin-2. Additionally, several proteins were found to interact with pathways related to addiction: Dickkopf-related protein 3, Nicastrin, Leucine-rich repeat neuronal protein 4, Cerebellin-4. Enriched biological pathways discovered include those related to nitric oxide synthase, amphetamine addiction, and numerous calcium ion pathways, all of which are associated with addiction. Moreover, through the analysis of differentially expressed proteins, we speculated about some proteins not yet fully studied, which might play a significant role in the mechanisms of addiction: Protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neurons protein, Cysteine-rich motor neuron 1 protein, Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type-2, Immunoglobulin superfamily member 8. In the analysis of urinary proteins in adolescents addicted to online gaming, we identified several proteins that have previously been reported in studies of drug addiction.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Characterization of Cancer Stem Cells in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) constitute a pivotal element within the tumor microenvironment (TME), driving the initiation and progression of cancer. However, the identification of CSCs and their underlying molecular mechanisms in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains a formidable challenge. We employed single-cell RNA sequencing of matched primary tumor tissues, paracancerous tissues, and local lymph nodes from three LSCC patients. Two distinct clusters of stem cells originating from epithelial populations were delineated and verified as CSCs and normal stem cells (NSCs) respectively. CSCs were abundant in the paracancerous tissues compared to the tumor tissues. CSCs showed high expression of stem cell marker genes such as PROM1, ALDH1A1, and SOX4, and increased activity of tumor-related hypoxia, Wnt/{beta}-catenin, and notch signaling pathways. We then explored the intricate crosstalk between CSCs and the TME cells and identified targets within the TME that related with CSCs. We also find eight marker genes of CSCs that correlated significantly with the prognosis of LSCC patients. Furthermore, bioinformatics analyses showed that drugs such as erlotinib, OSI-027, and ibrutinib selectively targeted the CSC-specifically expressed genes. In conclusion, our results represent the first comprehensive characterization of CSCs properties in LSCC at the single-cell level.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2024

GTPase-activating protein ARAP1 regulates circular dorsal ruffles as a nutrient uptake mechanism in the Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell line

Circular dorsal ruffles (CDRs), large-scale rounded membrane ruffles, function as precursors of macropinocytosis. We recently reported that CDRs are exposed in the Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, while not in other hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, indicating that the CDRs in Hep3B are associated with malignant potential. In this study, we investigated the cellular function of CDRs in Hep3B cells by focusing on the molecular mechanisms of the GTPase-activating protein ARAP1. ARAP1 was localized to the CDRs, the sizes of which were reduced by deletion of this protein. High-resolution scanning electron micrographs revealed that CDRs comprise small vertical lamellipodia, the expression pattern of which was disrupted in ARAP1 KO cells. Extracellular solute uptake, rate of cell growth, and malignant potential were attenuated in the KO cells. ARAP1 is also localized in Hep3B cell mitochondria, although not in those of the Huh7 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the aberrant expression of ARAP1 in Hep3B cells modulates CDRs, thereby resulting in an excess uptake of nutrients as an initial event in cancer development. SUMMARY STATEMENTARAP1 regulates circular dorsal ruffles (CDRs) in the Hep3B HCC cell line and deletion of this protein attenuates malignant potential, thereby indicating the involvement of CDRs in cancer development.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Transposase-Assisted Tagmentation: An Economical and Scalable Strategy for Single-Worm Whole-Genome Sequencing

AlphaMissense identifies 23 million human missense variants as likely pathogenic, but only 0.1% have been clinically classified. To experimentally validate these predictions, chemical mutagenesis presents a rapid, cost-effective method to produce billions of mutations in model organisms. However, the prohibitive costs and limitations in the throughput of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technologies, crucial for variant identification, constrain its widespread application. Here, we introduce a Tn5 transposase-assisted tagmentation technique for conducting WGS in C. elegans, E. coli, S. cervisiae, and C. reinhardtii. This method, demands merely 20 minutes of hands-on time for a single worm or single-cell clones and incurs a cost below 10 US dollars. It effectively pinpoints causal mutations in mutants defective in cilia or neurotransmitter secretion and in mutants synthetically sterile with a variant analogous to the oncogenic BRAF(V600E) mutation. Integrated with chemical mutagenesis, our approach can generate and identify missense variants economically and efficiently, facilitating experimental investigations of missense variants in diverse species.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2023

Nuclear Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Regulates Histone Acetylation and Transcriptional Regulation in the Ethylene Response

Ethylene plays its essential roles in plant development, growth, and defense responses by controlling the transcriptional reprograming, in which EIN2-C-directed regulation of histone acetylation is the first key-step for chromatin to perceive ethylene signaling. But how the nuclear acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) is produced to ensure the ethylene-mediated histone acetylation is unknown. Here we report that ethylene triggers the accumulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) in the nucleus to synthesize nuclear acetyl CoA to regulate ethylene response. PDC is identified as an EIN2-C nuclear partner, and ethylene triggers its nuclear accumulation. Mutations in PDC lead to an ethylene-hyposensitivity that results from the reduction of histone acetylation and transcription activation. Enzymatically active nuclear PDC synthesize nuclear acetyl CoA for EIN2-C-directed histone acetylation and transcription regulation. These findings uncover a mechanism by which PDC-EIN2 converges the mitochondrial enzyme mediated nuclear acetyl CoA synthesis with epigenetic and transcriptional regulation for plant hormone response.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Platelet proteo-transcriptomic profiling validates mediators of thrombosis and proteostasis in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms

Patients with chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) including polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) exhibit unique clinical features, such as a tendency toward thrombosis and hemorrhage, and risk of disease progression to secondary bone marrow fibrosis and/or acute leukemia. Although an increase in blood cell lineage counts (quantitative features) contribute to these morbid sequelae, the significant qualitative abnormalities of myeloid cells that contribute to vascular risk are not well understood. Here, we address this critical knowledge gap via a comprehensive and untargeted profiling of the platelet proteome in a large (n= 140) cohort of patients (from two independent sites) with an established diagnosis of PV and ET (and complement prior work on the MPN platelet transcriptome from a third site). We discover distinct MPN platelet protein expression and confirm key molecular impairments associated with proteostasis and thrombosis mechanisms of potential relevance to MPN pathology. Specifically, we validate expression of high-priority candidate markers from the platelet transcriptome at the platelet proteome (e.g., calreticulin (CALR), Fc gamma receptor (Fc{gamma}RIIA) and galectin-1 (LGALS1) pointing to their likely significance in the proinflammatory, prothrombotic and profibrotic phenotypes in patients with MPN. Together, our proteo-transcriptomic study identifies the peripherally-derived platelet molecular profile as a potential window into MPN pathophysiology and demonstrates the value of integrative multi-omic approaches in gaining a better understanding of the complex molecular dynamics of disease. HighlightsMPN patient platelet proteome identifies key pathobiological mediators of thrombosis and proteostasis. The MPN platelet proteomic profile validates our prior findings from the platelet transcriptome. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=134 SRC="FIGDIR/small/563619v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (20K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cb6290org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b3ec3eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@15b0c8eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9575b2_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

pathology↗

bioRxiv2023

Changes in the urinary proteome of rats after short-term intake of magnesium threonate

Magnesium is an important mineral in living organisms and has multiple functions in the human body, wherein it plays an important therapeutic and preventive role in a variety of diseases. In the present study, urine samples of rats before and after gavage of magnesium threonate were collected, and the urinary proteome was identified using the LC-MS/MS technique and analyzed using various databases. The results illustrated that the urinary proteome of rats was significantly altered after short-term intake of magnesium supplements and that the differential proteins and the biological functions were related to magnesium. This study innovatively establishes a method to study nutrients from the perspective of urine proteomics. This work demonstrates that the urinary proteome is capable of reflecting the effects of nutrient intake on the organism in a more systematic and comprehensive manner and has the potential to provide clues for clinical nutrition research and practice.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2023

Antigenicity and infectivity characterization of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86

The recently identified SARS-CoV-2 variant, BA.2.86, which carries a substantial number of Spike mutations, has raised a global alarm. An immediate assessment of its antigenic properties and infectivity is necessary. Here, we reveal the distinct antigenicity of BA.2.86 compared with previous variants including XBB.1.5. BA.2.86 significantly evades convalescent plasma from XBB breakthrough infection (BTI) and reinfections. Key mutations that mediate the enhanced resistance include N450D, K356T, L452W, A484K, V483del, and V445H on the RBD, while BA.2.86s NTD mutations and E554K on SD1 also largely contribute. However, we found that BA.2.86 pseudovirus exhibits compromised efficiency of infecting HEK293T-hACE2 cells compared to XBB.1.5 and EG.5, which may be caused by K356T, V483del, and E554K, and could potentially limit BA.2.86s transmissibility. In sum, it appears that BA.2.86 has traded its infectivity for higher immune evasion during long-term host-viral evolution. Close attention should be paid to monitoring additional mutations that could improve BA.2.86s infectivity.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Convergent evolution of SARS-CoV-2 XBB lineages on receptor-binding domain 455-456 enhances antibody evasion and ACE2 binding

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) XBB lineages have achieved dominance worldwide and keep on evolving. Convergent evolution of XBB lineages on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) L455F and F456L is observed, resulting in variants like EG.5, FL.1.5.1, XBB.1.5.70, and HK.3. Here, we show that neutralizing antibody (NAb) evasion drives the convergent evolution of F456L, while the epistatic shift caused by F456L enables the subsequent convergence of L455F through ACE2 binding enhancement and further immune evasion. L455F and F456L evade Class 1 NAbs, reducing the neutralization efficacy of XBB breakthrough infection (BTI) and reinfection convalescent plasma. Importantly, L455F single substitution significantly dampens receptor binding; however, the combination of L455F and F456L forms an adjacent residue flipping, which leads to enhanced NAbs resistance and ACE2 binding affinity. The perturbed receptor-binding mode leads to the exceptional ACE2 binding and NAb evasion, as revealed by structural analyses. Our results indicate the evolution flexibility contributed by epistasis cannot be underestimated, and the evolution potential of SARS-CoV-2 RBD remains high.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Molecular basis of Gabija anti-phage supramolecular assemblies

As one of the most prevalent anti-phage defense systems in prokaryotes, Gabija consists of a Gabija protein A (GajA) and a Gabija protein B (GajB). The assembly and function of the Gabija system remain unclear. Here we present cryo-EM structures of GajA and the GajAB complex, revealing tetrameric and octameric assemblies, respectively. In the center of the complex, GajA assembles into a symmetric tetramer, which recruits two sets of GajB dimer at opposite sides of the complex, resulting in a 4:4 GajAB supramolecular complex for anti-phage defense. Further biochemical analysis showed that GajA alone is sufficient to cut double-stranded DNA and plasmid DNA, which can be inhibited by ATP. Unexpectedly, the GajAB displays enhanced activity for plasmid DNA, suggesting a role of substrate selection by GajB. Together, our study defines a framework for understanding anti-phage immune defense by the GajAB complex.

immunology↗