Publications by authors named "Jian-yuan Zhao"

Mitochondria, commonly referred to as "energy factories"of cells, play a crucial role in the function and survival of cardiomyocytes. However, as research on cardiac fibrosis has advanced, mitochondrial dysfunction(including changes in energy metabolism, calcium ion imbalance, increased oxidative stress, and apoptosis)is now recognized as a significant pathophysiological pathway involved in cardiac remodeling and progression, which also negatively affects the function and structure of the heart. In recent years, research focusing on targeting mitochondria has gained significant attention, offering new approaches for treating cardiac fibrosis.

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More than half of the patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2D) develop diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Glycemic control alone cannot effectively prevent or alleviate DCM. Herein, we concentrated on the variations in levels of metabolites between DCM and T2D patients without cardiomyopathy phenotype.

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In the process of cardiac fibrosis, the balance between the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and Wnt inhibitory factor genes plays an important role. Secreted frizzled-related protein 3 (sFRP3), a Wnt inhibitory factor, has been linked to epigenetic mechanisms. However, the underlying role of epigenetic regulation of sFRP3, which is crucial in fibroblast proliferation and migration, in cardiac fibrosis have not been elucidated.

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Unlabelled: Increasing evidence indicates that Calumenin (CALU), which is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, is significantly associated with tumor progression. However, the effect of CALU on patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is unknown. By integrating multi-omics data and molecular biology experiments, we found that CALU expression was significantly increased in tumors compared with normal tissues, and the pathological grade and prognosis of patients were correlated with CALU expression.

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Notch signaling activation drives an endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) critical for heart development, although evidence suggests that the reprogramming of endothelial cell metabolism can regulate endothelial function independent of canonical cell signaling. Herein, we investigated the crosstalk between Notch signaling and metabolic reprogramming in the EndMT process. Biochemically, we find that the NOTCH1 intracellular domain (NICD1) localizes to endothelial cell mitochondria, where it interacts with and activates the complex to enhance mitochondrial metabolism.

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Article Synopsis
  • Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is an important regulatory mechanism in the complex development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
  • Epigenetic factors, including DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs, significantly affect the progression and regression of these diseases.
  • This review explores the connection between epigenetic landscapes and phase separation in CVDs, highlighting targeting epigenetic modifications as a potential treatment strategy.
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  • Mechanosensitive ion channels, particularly the Piezo family, play a critical role in heart development and cardiac fibrosis, although their specific molecular mechanisms are not well understood.
  • In a study using mice with induced cardiac fibrosis, researchers explored the roles of the proteins YTHDF1 and Piezo2 in the disease by employing various genomic and biochemical techniques.
  • The findings revealed that Piezo2 is upregulated during cardiac fibrosis and is regulated by m6A mRNA modifications through YTHDF1, indicating a potential new target for preventing cardiac fibrosis.
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N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications are modulated by m6A methyltransferases, m6A demethylases, and m6A-binding proteins. The dynamic and reversible patterns of m6A modification control cell fate programming by regulating RNA splicing, translation, and decay. Emerging evidence demonstrates that m6A modification of coding and noncoding RNAs exerts crucial effects that influence the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications that include diabetic cardiomyopathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic dermatosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers are studying how a special change in messenger RNA (mA) affects heart problems in diabetic mice.
  • They discovered that high levels of mA can make a protein called Notch1 decrease, which leads to issues like heart cell growth and damage.
  • By changing how mA works, they found a way to make Notch1 levels go back up, which might help improve heart conditions caused by diabetes.
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  • The endometrium transforms into a structure called decidua during pregnancy preparation, with senescent decidual stromal cells (DSCs) increasing but poorly understood mechanisms.
  • Researchers used single-cell RNA transcriptomics to discover that higher levels of the BCAA transporter SLC3A2 accompany cell senescence in DSCs during decidualization.
  • A high leucine diet contributes to increased DSC senescence and embryo loss in mice, while dNK cells can counteract this senescence through the TNFSF14/TNFRSF14 pathway, highlighting potential for therapeutic interventions in preventing pregnancy loss.
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  • Folic acid (FA) over-supplementation during pregnancy can lead to negative outcomes for the heart health of offspring, including impaired cardiac function and increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
  • In a study with pregnant mice, over-supplementation was linked to decreased left ventricular ejection fraction and other signs of cardiac dysfunction, as well as downregulation of genes vital for heart health.
  • Using antioxidants like N-acetylcysteine showed potential in reversing some of the cardiac damage caused by maternal FA over-supplementation, highlighting the balance needed in FA intake during pregnancy.
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Mortality rates due to lung cancer are high worldwide. Although PD-1 and PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors boost the survival of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), resistance often arises. The Warburg Effect, which causes lactate build-up and potential lysine-lactylation (Kla), links immune dysfunction to tumor metabolism.

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  • Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is a common complication of diabetes, causing significant pain and suffering in patients, particularly in the distal limbs.
  • A study comparing serum metabolite levels revealed that branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are significantly lower in DNP patients compared to those with type 2 diabetes but without neuropathy.
  • Research in mouse models showed that BCAA deficiency leads to increased expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), which disrupts potassium channel functioning and enhances neuronal excitability, leading to DNP symptoms; BCAA supplementation or LAT1 inhibition can alleviate these symptoms.
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Cardiovascular disease is currently the number one cause of death endangering human health. There is currently a large body of research showing that the development of cardiovascular disease and its complications is often accompanied by inflammatory processes. In recent years, epitranscriptional modifications have been shown to be involved in regulating the pathophysiological development of inflammation in cardiovascular diseases, with 6-methyladenine being one of the most common RNA transcriptional modifications.

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  • Maternal hyperhomocysteinemia is known to independently increase the risk of congenital heart disease (CHD), but the impact of high paternal homocysteine levels on CHD is not well understood.!*
  • In a study with male mice, high homocysteine levels led to reduced sperm quality and increased ventricular septal defects (VSD) in their offspring, linked to changes in sperm DNA methylation.!*
  • Folic acid supplementation was shown to reduce the incidence of VSD in offspring from high homocysteine male mice, suggesting that lowering paternal homocysteine could be a potential strategy to prevent CHD in children.!*
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Cardiac fibrosis is a major public health problem worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality, affecting almost all patients with heart disease worldwide. It is characterized by fibroblast activation, abnormal proliferation, excessive deposition, and abnormal distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The maladaptive process of cardiac fibrosis is complex and often involves multiple mechanisms.

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Ketogenic diet (KD) alleviates refractory epilepsy and reduces seizures in children. However, the metabolic/cell biologic mechanisms by which the KD exerts its antiepileptic efficacy remain elusive. Herein, we report that KD-produced β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) augments brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the GABA/glutamate ratio to inhibit epilepsy.

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Cardiac fibrosis is a critical pathophysiological process that occurs with diverse types of cardiac injury. Lipids are the most important bioenergy substrates for maintaining optimal heart performance and act as second messengers to transduce signals within cardiac cells. However, lipid metabolism reprogramming is a double-edged sword in the regulation of cardiomyocyte homeostasis and heart function.

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Cardiac fibroblasts play a pivotal role in cardiac fibrosis by transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, which synthesis and secrete a large number of extracellular matrix proteins. Ultimately, this will lead to cardiac wall stiffness and impaired cardiac performance. The epigenetic regulation and fate reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts has been advanced considerably in recent decades.

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Background: As one of the most frequent complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) shows a profound impact on 50% of patients with symptoms of neuropathic pain, numbness and other paresthesia. No valid serum biomarkers for the prediction of DPN have been identified in the clinic so far. This study is to investigate the potential serum biomarkers for DPN firstly based on H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (H-NMR)-based metabolomics technique.

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Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) relies primarily on fetal echocardiography conducted at mid-gestational age-the sensitivity of which varies among centers and practitioners. An objective method for early diagnosis is needed. Here, we conducted a case-control study recruiting 103 pregnant women with healthy offspring and 104 cases with CHD offspring, including VSD (42/104), ASD (20/104), and other CHD phenotypes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dysregulated lipid metabolism is linked to diseases involving cell growth and movement, particularly in diabetic cardiac fibrosis where fibroblast activity increases.
  • Increased expression of WTAP enhances fibroblast proliferation and migration by promoting mitochondrial lipid oxidation through the methylation and degradation of AR, a key protein.
  • In human diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) heart tissues, higher levels of WTAP and YTHDF2 correspond to lower AR expression, suggesting that this mechanism could be targeted for therapeutic interventions.
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With the in-depth investigation of cardiac fibrosis, oxidative stress (OS) has been recognized as a significant pathophysiological pathway involved in cardiac remodeling and progression. OS is a condition characterized by the disruption of equilibrium between reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the organism and the antioxidant defense system, resulting in adverse effects on the structure and function of the heart. The accumulation of reactive substances beyond cellular thresholds disrupts the normal physiology of both cardiomyocytes and non-cardiomyocytes, leading to OS, inflammation, hypertrophy, and cardiac fibrosis.

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The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Sunitinib is one the therapies approved for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Here, we undertake proteogenomic profiling of 115 tumors from patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) undergoing Sunitinib treatment and reveal the molecular basis of differential clinical outcomes with TKI therapy. We find that chromosome 7q gain-induced mTOR signaling activation is associated with poor therapeutic outcomes with Sunitinib treatment, whereas the aristolochic acid signature and VHL mutation synergistically caused enhanced glycolysis is correlated with better prognosis.

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