Genes & Diseases
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2021
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IF 7.103
Xiaofeng Zuo,Peixin Meng,Yuxin Bao,Chuntao Tao,Yitao Wang,Xianjun Liu,Youquan Bu,Jiang Zhu
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant carcinoma of the head and neck, and the biological mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of NPC remain not fully understood. In the present study, we systematically analyzed four independent NPC transcriptomic datasets and focused on identifying the critical molecular networks and novel key hub genes implicated in NPC. We found totally 170 common overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the four NPC datasets. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that cell cycle dysregulation is a critical event in NPC. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis identified a 15 hub-gene core network with overexpressed kinesin family member 2C (KIF2C) as a central regulator. Loss-of-function study demonstrated that knockdown of KIF2C significantly inhibited cell growth and cell motility, and delayed cell cycle progression, accompanied with dramatic mitotic defects in spindle formation in NPC cells. RNA-seq analysis revealed that KIF2C knockdown led to deregulation of various downstream genes. KIF2C could also regulate the AKT/mTOR pathways, and enhance paclitaxel sensitivity in NPC cells. Taken together, our results suggest that cell cycle dysregulation is a critical event during NPC pathogenesis and KIF2C is a novel key mitotic hub gene with therapeutic potential in NPC.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
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分子生物学
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基因组学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
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2023
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IF 4.5
Xin Li,Weiwei Wang,Xuedong Wang,Huili Wang
Herein, we demonstrated that sublethal-dose exposure to triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) triggered larval zebrafish immunotoxicity. Acute exposure to TCS induced significant increases in larval neutrophils and macrophages and a prominent decrease in thymic T cells. In contrast, three kinds of cells (neutrophils, macrophages, and thymic T cells) were significantly reduced under TCC exposure, suggesting that both TCS and TCC suppress thymus development and mature T-cell differentiation. TCC was confirmed to have more severe immunotoxicity than TCS. Using Illumina RNA-Seq, 581 and 738 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the TCS and TCC treatments, respectively. GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the DEGs were not identical in terms of biological processes, cellular components and molecular functions, but were primarily involved in immune response. KEGG analysis showed that approximately 47% and 11% of DEGs were mainly enriched in the immune system of the TCC and TCS treatments, respectively. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis confirmed that the hub genes enriched in the immune-related pathways differed between TCS and TCC exposure. The hub genes were fynb, mapk12b, scarb1, pik3r2, prkg3, srfa, arhgef2, cldn15la , and cldn15lb in the TCS treatment, and plg, serping1, masp2, fgg, vtnb, mmp9, serpine1, il1b, sb:cb37 and stat3 in the TCC treatment. Molecular docking simulation demonstrated that both TCS and TCC were stably docked with their target hub genes, and that their target molecules for inducing immunotoxicity were different. The differential target molecules and action pathways induced by TCS and TCC exposure provide us with diagnostic targets and toxicological endpoints.
研究领域:
毒理学
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免疫学
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分子生物学
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生物信息学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY
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2021
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IF 3.143
Jiadong Chen,Lian Kang,Junke Wang,Yuhao Wu,Lindong Han,Xiangqin Zheng,Yuexin Wei,Tianxin Zhao,Lianju Shen,Chunlan Long,Guanghui Wei,Shengde Wu
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is an environmental endocrine disruptor that accumulates in organisms in various ways and induces male reproductive system disorders. In this study, we established a testicular injury model by gavage with different concentrations of DEHP. The testes were then collected for RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and the results were analyzed by bioinformatics and verified by experiments. Our research results show that different concentrations of DEHP interfere with testicular development differently. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) generated sixteen modules and identified the turquoise module as key. Then, estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), filamin A (Flna) and Furin were identified as hub genes. qPCR and immunohistochemistry results revealed that all three hub genes were upregulated. We detected the locations of these genes by immunohistochemistry. ESR1 was mainly located in Leydig cells; Flna immunostaining is observed in the Leydig and some germ cells and Furin staining was seen in almost all types of testicular cells. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses showed enrichment mainly in MAPK signaling pathways, p53 signaling pathways, HIF-1 signaling pathways, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, apoptosis, the cell cycle, RNA degradation, etc. This is the first study using WGCNA to investigate the mechanism of DEHP-induced injury in the prepubertal testis, providing new research angles to further understand the mechanism of DEHP-induced injury in the prepubertal testis.
研究领域:
毒理学
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生殖生物学
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分子生物学
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生物信息学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
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2024
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IF 5.4
Shichao Zhang,Yijiang Liu,Yuhan Xie,Chenchun Ding,Renjie Zuo,Zhenzhen Guo,Shiyong Qi,Tingting Fu,Weibin Chen
Breast cancer represents a substantial contributor to mortality rates among women with cancer. Chemical dynamic therapy is a promising anticancer strategy that utilizes the Fenton reaction to transform naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Additionally, cancer immunotherapy using immune drugs, such as imiquimod (R837), has shown promise in activating T cells to kill tumor cells. In this study, we proposed a Fe3O4@R837 smart nanoplatform that can trigger the Fenton reaction and induce immune responses in breast cancer treatment. Furthermore, we performed transcriptome sequencing on breast cancer samples and used the R package (limma) to analyze differential expression profiles and select differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We obtained clinical information and RNA expression matrix data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database to perform survival analysis and identify prognostic-related genes (PRGs) and molecular subtypes with distinct prognoses. We used the TIMER 2.0 web and other methods to determine the tumor immune microenvironment and immune status of different prognostic subtypes. We identified DPGs by taking the intersection of DEGs and PRGs and performed functional analyses, including gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis, to elucidate potential mechanisms. Subsequently, we constructed a protein–protein interaction network using the STRING database to visualize the interactions between the DPGs. We screened hub genes from the DPGs using the Cytoscape plugin and identified six hub genes: CD3E, GZMK, CD27, SH2D1A, ZAP70, and TIGIT. Our results indicate that these six key genes regulate immune cell recruitment to increase T-cell cytotoxicity and kill tumors. Targeting these key genes can enhance immunotherapy and improve the breast cancer prognosis.
研究领域:
癌症生物学
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分子生物学
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免疫学
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生物信息学
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基因组学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
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2024
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IF 2.5
Shuangliu Chen,Yalan Pan,Yang Guo,Xiaoxian Sun,Xue Bai,Mengmin Liu,Lining Wang,Jiřimutu Xiao,Cheng Chen,Yong Ma
This study utilized bioinformatics and data mining techniques to explore the molecular mechanism of curcumin in treating osteoporosis (OP) through the lens of ferroptosis, thereby identifying novel therapeutic targets. The datasets GSE35958, GSE35956, GSE7429, and GSE7158 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GSE35958 and GSE35956 were employed as training sets for data integration, while GSE7429 and GSE7158 served as independent validation sets. Through retrieval from the FerrDb database, iron death-related genes (FRGs) were identified, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were intersected to obtain differentially expressed FRGs (DEFRGs). Subsequently, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted, followed by the construction of a Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network to identify Hub genes. The DGIdb database was utilized to predict candidate drugs associated with the Hub genes, and molecular docking and in vitro experiments confirmed that curcumin targets the Hub genes EGFR and PTGS2.Through in vitro testing of curcumin on BMSC cells, researchers examined cell vitality, iron death, osteogenic differentiation, mineralization, and the impact on EGFR and PTGS2 levels. The analysis yielded 2212 DEGs, 484 FRGs, with 45 FDEGs at the intersection. GO analysis revealed involvement in regulating mitochondrial proteins, amino acid transport across plasma membranes, and protein ubiquitination. KEGG pathway analysis indicated associations with iron death, FoxO signaling, mTOR signaling, cell aging, osteoclast differentiation, and GSH metabolism. Utilizing the MCC algorithm, five Hub genes were identified: MAPK3, PTGS2, TGFB1, CYBB, and EGFR, showing diagnostic potential for iron death. Curcumin displayed affinity for EGFR and PTGS2, mitigating iron-induced effects on BMSCs such as increased reactive oxygen species, Fe3+ levels, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, curcumin reversed these effects, suggesting EGFR and PTGS2 as targets for curcumin to inhibit BMSC ferroptosis and potentially delay osteoporosis development. Maintaining iron homeostasis and targeting BMSC ferroptosis could offer therapeutic avenues for iron overload-induced osteoporosis.
研究领域:
生物信息学
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药理学
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分子生物学
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医学遗传学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子