Kuwanon C Inhibits Tumor Cell Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis by Targeting Mitochondria and Endoplasmic Reticulum.

Kuwanon C is a unique flavonoid found in the mulberry family, characterized by two isopentenyl groups. While previous research has focused on various properties of kuwanon C, such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, food preservation, skin whitening, and nematode lifespan extension, little attention has been given to its potential role in oncological diseases. In this study, we investigate the antitumor effect of kuwanon C in cervical cancer cells and elucidate its specific mechanism of action.

Kuwanon C inhibits proliferation and induction of apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway in MDA-MB231 and T47D breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer ranks as the most prevalent malignancy, presenting persistent therapeutic challenges encompassing issues such as drug resistance, recurrent occurrences, and metastatic progression. Therefore, there is a need for targeted drugs that are less toxic and more effective against breast cancer. Kuwanon C, an isoamylated flavonoid derived from mulberry resources, has shown promise as a potential candidate due to its strong cytotoxicity against cancer cells.

Lithocholic acid inhibits dendritic cell activation by reducing intracellular glutathione via TGR5 signaling.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the major antigen-presenting cells and play an important role in autoimmune uveitis. Emerging evidence suggests that bile acids (BAs) regulate DCs maturation. However, the underlying mechanisms by which BAs regulate the function of DCs still need to be clarified.

Identification of Novel Risk Loci for Behçet's Disease-Related Uveitis in a Chinese Population in a Genome-Wide Association Study.

Objective: To explore susceptibility loci associated with uveitis in Behçet's disease (BD).

Methods: We conducted a 2-stage study, consisting of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) stage and a replication stage, in a Chinese population. The GWAS stage included 978 cases with BD-related uveitis and 4,388 controls, and the replication stage included 953 cases with BD-related uveitis and 2,129 controls.

SNP-mediated binding of TBX1 to the enhancer element of reduces the risk of Behçet's disease.

The genetic association between Behçet's disease susceptibility and  has been confirmed in multiple cohorts, but the underlying mechanism of this association remains unclear. We combined public resources and laboratory experiments (electrophoretic mobility shift assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter gene and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing) to analyze transcription factor binding and enhancer activity controlling expression. The T allele of noncoding rs3024490 within super-enhancer elements is able to specifically bind TBX1 and, in turn, promotes the enhancer activity and increased expression of .

Changes in the Gut Microbiome Contribute to the Development of Behcet's Disease Adjuvant Effects.

Behcet's disease (BD) is associated with considerable gut microbiome changes. However, it still remains unknown how the composition of the gut microbiome exactly affects the development of this disease. In this study, transplantation of stool samples from patients with active ocular BD to mice oral gavage was performed.

Gut microbiota-mediated secondary bile acids regulate dendritic cells to attenuate autoimmune uveitis through TGR5 signaling.

Gut microbiota-mediated secondary bile acids (BAs) play an important role in energy balance and host metabolism via G protein-coupled receptors and/or nuclear receptors. Emerging evidence suggests that BAs are important for maintaining innate immune responses via these receptors. However, the effect of BAs on autoimmune uveitis is still unknown.

Functional Genetic Polymorphisms in the IL1RL1-IL18R1 Region Confer Risk for Ocular Behçet's Disease in a Chinese Han Population.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL1RL1-IL18R1 region are associated with various immune-mediated diseases. This study was carried out to investigate the causal variant for ocular Behçet's disease (BD) and elucidate its target genes in the IL1RL1-IL18R1 region. Nine candidate functional SNPs were prioritized with bioinformatics analysis, followed by a two-stage association study in 694 ocular BD patients and 1,458 unaffected controls.

Increased Expression of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase (IDO) in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) Disease May Lead to a Shift of T Cell Responses Toward a Treg Population.

Previous studies have pointed out that indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), the rate-limiting enzyme initiating tryptophan metabolism, plays a role in the regulation of the immune system. This project was designed to investigate the potential role of IDO in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) obtained from active Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease patients. In this study, we found that the IDO mRNA expression and enzyme activity were increased in active VKH patients as compared with healthy controls and patients in remission.

Analysis of the role of palmitoleic acid in acute anterior uveitis.

Purpose: To study the role of palmitoleic acid (PA) in the pathogenesis of acute anterior uveitis (AAU).

Methods: PA levels in feces from AAU patients were measured by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and compared with samples obtained from healthy individuals. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry (FCM) were used to assess the effect of PA on dendritic cells (DCs) and CD4T cells obtained from mice, AAU patients and healthy individuals.

Weak association of a TNFRSF1A polymorphism with Behcet's disease in Chinese Han.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) and their ligand (TNFSF) gene are associated with susceptibility to Behcet's Disease (BD) in Chinese Han. A two-phase case-control study was performed in 1055 BD patients and 1829 healthy controls. A total of 27 SNPs was tested using MassARRAY iPLEX® technology.

Identification of Ribosomal Protein S4, Y-Linked 1 as a cyclosporin A plus corticosteroid resistance gene.

Combination of corticosteroids (CS) with cyclosporin A (CsA) is widely used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, autoinflammatory diseases and transplantation rejection. However, some patients fail to respond or develop resistance to the combination regimen. In Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease model, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) based transcriptomics, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) based proteomics and assays in vitro to screen and validate potential resistant molecules.

Effect of berberine on spleen transcriptome and gut microbiota composition in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

Background: Berberine (BBR) was reported to have immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated whether BBR could exert its effects on the development of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), and if so, what was the underlying mechanism?

Methods: EAU was induced in B10R.III mice by immunization with IRBP 161-180, followed by 100 mg/kg/d BBR intragastric administration.

rs4750316 is associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome in a Han Chinese population.

Purpose: The and genes are said to be associated with multiple autoimmune diseases. This study investigated the association between these genes and VogtKoyanagiHarada (VKH) syndrome in Han Chinese.

Methods: A two-stage case-control study was performed on three single nucleotide polymorphisms ([SNPs] rs4750316, rs11258747, and rs947474) of the gene and three SNPs (rs842647, rs702873, and rs13031237) of the gene using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLPs) in a total of 859 patients with VKH syndrome and 1,542 healthy controls.

Different Methylation of CpG-SNPs in Behcet's Disease.

Purpose: We recently performed an Epigenome-Wide Association Studies (EWAS) study in Behcet's disease (BD) and identified various cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) loci that were aberrantly methylated. In the current study, we wanted to investigate whether these sites contained genetic polymorphisms and whether the frequency of these polymorphisms was altered in BD.

Methods: A two-stage study was performed.

Epigenome-wide association study identifies Behçet's disease-associated methylation loci in Han Chinese.

Objective: The aetiology of Behçet's disease (BD), known as a systemic vasculitis, is not completely understood. Increasing evidence suggests that aberrant DNA methylation may contribute to the pathogenesis of BD. The aim of this epigenome-wide association study was to identify BD-associated methylation loci in Han Chinese.

Disabled-2 (DAB2) Overexpression Inhibits Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells' Function in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease.

Purpose: Recent studies reported that the tumor suppressor disabled-2 (DAB2) is a negative regulator of immune function. In this study, we investigated the role of DAB2 in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) from Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) patients.

Methods: The mRNA and protein levels of DAB2 were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot.

Case-Control Study and Meta-Analysis Show a Weak Association between ANTXR2 Polymorphisms and Ankylosing Spondylitis in Chinese Han.

Previous studies have demonstrated associations of ANTXR2 gene polymorphisms with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). These associations differ depending on the ethnic populations and AS subgroups studied. Purposes of the current study were to evaluate the associations of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ANTXR2 gene with susceptibility to AS alone or AS in combination with acute anterior uveitis (AAU) in Chinese Han.

Association of - and with ocular Behcet's disease in a Chinese Han population.

Background: An Immunochip study recently identified the association of a number of new genetic loci with Behcet's disease (BD).

Objective: To confirm the association between new genetic loci reported in an Immunochip study and BD in a Han Chinese population.

Methods: A two-stage association study was carried out in 1238 patients with BD and 1458 healthy controls.

Interleukin-17 induces angiogenesis in vitro via CXCL8 and CCL2 in retinal pigment epithelium.

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a major pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in choroidal endothelial cell (CEC) angiogenesis. Proteins expressed by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) may contribute to CEC angiogenesis. The ability of IL‑17 to promote proliferation, migration and capillary‑like structure formation in CECs was investigated by stimulating the RPE in vitro.

MicroRNA-20a-5p suppresses IL-17 production by targeting OSM and CCL1 in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Aim: To elucidate the role of microRNA-20a-5p (miR-20a-5p) in the pathogenesis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease.

Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR was used to quantify miR-20a-5p expression in CD4 T cells from patients with active VKH and normal controls. The promoter methylation status of miR-20a-5p was detected by bisulfite sequencing PCR.

Ocular Behcet's disease is associated with aberrant methylation of interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Aberrant methylation of interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) has been noted in various tumors. IRF8 has also been reported to be involved in many autoimmune diseases, including Behcet's disease (BD). However, the methylation status of IRF8 in BD has not been reported.

Genetic polymorphisms of C-type lectin receptors in Behcet's disease in a Chinese Han population.

C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) have been demonstrated to be involved in several autoimmune diseases. The role of CLRs in Behcet's disease (BD) is unknown and thus was the purpose of this study. A two-stage association study was carried out and a total of 766 BD patients and 1674 healthy controls were recruited.