Modular polyketide synthases (mPKSs) are multidomain enzymes in bacteria that synthesize a variety of pharmaceutically important compounds. mPKS genes are usually longer than 10 kb and organized in operons. To understand the transcriptional and translational characteristics of these large genes, here we split the 13-kb busA gene, encoding a 456-kDa three-module PKS for butenyl-spinosyn biosynthesis, into three smaller separately translated genes encoding one PKS module in an operon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTearing of the subscapularis tendon is a common shoulder injury that typically requires arthroscopic repair. The suture-passing device is a standard tool for repairing the subscapularis tendon. However, it poses the risk of device breakage and may cause additional damage to the tendon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Swelling in the lower limbs after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) affects surgical outcomes. Prolonged swelling requires monitoring and remote management during home-based rehabilitation. Causes of swelling vary but, so far, no indicators are available to monitor and identify causes of lower limb swelling, making it difficult to implement targeted interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Metabolic syndrome heightens cardiovascular disease risk primarily through increased arterial stiffness. We previously demonstrated the involvement of YAP (Yes-associated protein) in high-fat/high-sucrose diet (HFHSD)-induced arterial stiffness via modulation of PPM1B (protein phosphatase Mg/Mn-dependent 1B)-lysine63 (K63) deubiquitination. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role and mechanisms underlying PPM1B deubiquitination in HFHSD-induced arterial stiffness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging is a viable approach to promote corneal epithelium wound healing. This study created a single-component hydrogel (HA Gel) with a novel dual-functionalized hyaluronic acid derivative (HA-GA-PBA) containing gallol and phenylboronic acid (PBA) moieties. Both of these moieties were dual-functional.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrosatellite instability (MSI) detection using tumor tissue is a well-established prognostic and predictive biomarker for certain types of cancers. However, tumor tissue samples are less convenient to obtain than blood plasma samples. The main challenge facing next-generation sequencing-based MSI detection in blood plasma samples is the ultralow signal/noise ratio in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale And Objectives: To improve the diagnostic recognition of papillary renal neoplasm with reverse polarity (PRNRP) through comprehensive analysis of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
Materials And Methods: A retrospective multi-center study was conducted on patients with pathologically confirmed PRNRPs from 2019 to 2024, encompassing six institutions. Clinical and pathological data were meticulously documented.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2024
Decades of research have established that mammalian transcription factors (TFs) bind to each gene's regulatory regions and cooperatively control tissue specificity, timing, and intensity of gene transcription. Mapping the combination of TF binding sites genome wide is critically important for understanding functional genomics. Here, we report a technique to measure TFs' binding sites on the human genome with a near single-base resolution by footprinting with deaminase (FOODIE) on a single-molecule and single-cell basis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key factor in the development of atherogenesis. METTL4 (methyltransferase-like protein 4) mediates N6- methyldeoxyadenosine (6mA) of mammalian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). However, the role of METTL4-mediated mitoepigenetic regulation in atherosclerosis is still unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
November 2024
In the ongoing search for new vicinal diol natural products, four new (Migaones A-D, -) and four known (-) vicinal diol sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the branches and leaves of . Their structures were unequivocally determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR), single-crystal X-ray diffraction, electronic circular dichroism calculations, and comparison with existing literature data. All compounds isolated from possess vicinal diol structural units except compound .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
February 2025
Background: Unwanted angiogenesis is involved in the progression of various malignant tumors and cardiovascular diseases, and the factors that regulate angiogenesis are potential therapeutic targets. We tested the hypothesis that DCBLD1 (discoidin, CUB, and LCCL domain-containing protein 1) is a coreceptor of VEGFR-2 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2) and modulates angiogenesis in endothelial cells.
Methods: A carotid artery ligation model and retinal angiogenesis assay were used to study angiogenesis using globe knockout or endothelial cell-specific conditional knockout mice in vivo.
Background: Cannabis use severely affects the outcome of people with psychotic disorders, yet there is a lack of treatments. To address this, in 2019 the National Health Service (NHS) Cannabis Clinic for Psychosis (CCP) was developed to support adults suffering from psychosis to reduce and/or stop their cannabis use.
Aims: Examine outcome data from the first 46 individuals to complete the CCP's intervention.
Background: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Despite a high overall cure rate, relapsed B-cell ALL remains a leading cause of cancer-related death among children. The addition of the bispecific T-cell engager molecule blinatumomab (an anti-CD19 and anti-CD3 single-chain molecule) to therapy for newly diagnosed standard-risk (as defined by the National Cancer Institute) B-cell ALL in children may improve outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
February 2025
Background: The occurrence of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is closely related to the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype. The role of SGK1 (serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1) in VSMC phenotypic transformation and TAD occurrence is unclear.
Methods: Four-week-old male Sgk1 ( floxed) and Sgk1;Tagln (smooth muscle cell-specific knockout) mice were administered β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate for 4 weeks to model TAD.
Background: Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has gained attention in cardiac electrophysiology, but data on its application to paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia are limited. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of PFA and its combination with radiofrequency ablation for treating paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.
Methods: A prospective, multicenter, single-arm study was conducted across 8 centers in China.
Immuno-oncology has revolutionized cancer treatment, with NKG2A emerging as a novel target for immunotherapy. The blockade of NKG2A using the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monalizumab has been shown to enhance the responses of both NK cells and CD8+ T cells. However, monalizumab has demonstrated limited efficacy in in vitro cytotoxic assays and clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer is a heterogeneous malignant tumor, and its high metastasis rate depends on the abnormal activation of cell dynamics. Formin-like protein 3 (FMNL3) plays an important role in the formation of various cytoskeletons that participate in cell movement. The objective of this study was to explore the function of FMNL3 in breast cancer progression and endeavor to reveal the molecular mechanism of this phenomenon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Cinnamomum migao H.W. Li, commonly known as migao (MG), is used in the Miao region of China for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, attributed to its detoxifying (Jiedu in Chinese), activating blood circulation (Huoxue in Chinese), and promoting Qi circulation (Tongqi in Chinese) properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale And Objectives: This study investigated the preoperative predictive efficiency of radiomics derived from photoacoustic (PA) imaging, integrated with the clinical features of Ki-67 expression in malignant breast cancer (BC), with a focus on both intratumoral and peritumoral regions.
Methods: This study involved 359 patients, divided into a training set (n = 251) and a testing set (n = 108). Radiomic features were extracted from intratumoral and peritumoral regions using PA imaging.
Background: Disturbed metabolism and transport of citrate play significant roles in various pathologies. However, vascular citrate regulation and its potential role in aortic aneurysm (AA) development remain poorly understood.
Methods: Untargeted metabolomics by mass spectrometry was applied to identify upregulated metabolites of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in AA tissues of mice.
Nat Cell Biol
December 2024
RNA modification has emerged as an important epigenetic mechanism that controls abnormal metabolism and growth in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). However, the roles of RNA N-acetylcytidine (ac4C) modification in AML remain elusive. Here, we report that ac4C and its catalytic enzyme NAT10 drive leukaemogenesis and sustain self-renewal of leukaemic stem cells/leukaemia-initiating cells through reprogramming serine metabolism.
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