Construction of Near-Infrared Probes with Remarkable Large Stokes Shift Based on a Novel Purine Platform for the Visualization of mtG4 Upregulation during Mitochondrial Disorder in Somatic Cells and Human Sperms.

G-quadruplex structures within the nuclear genome (nG4) is an important regulatory factor, while the function of G4 in the mitochondrial genome (mtG4) still needs to be explored, especially in human sperms. To gain a better understanding of the relationship between mtG4 and mitochondrial function, it is crucial to develop excellent probes that can selectively visualize and track mtG4 in both somatic cells and sperms. Herein, based on our previous research on purine frameworks, we attempted for the first time to extend the conjugated structure from the C-8 site of purine skeleton and discovered that the purine derivative modified by the C-8 aldehyde group is an ideal platform for constructing near-infrared probes with extremely large Stokes shift (>220 nm).

[Latest Research Findings on Prediction of Preeclampsia in Pregnant Women Based on Analysis of Cell-Free RNA in Peripheral Blood].

Preeclampsia gravely threatens the health of mothers and infants. At present, treatment based on the relevant mechanisms of pathogenesis is still not available, and there is no independent reliable clinical index for early prediction of preeclampsia. According to recent studies, analysis of the cell-free RNA in the peripheral blood of pregnant women has shown that testing certain cell-free RNA levels can help predict in advance the occurrence of preeclampsia before clinical symptoms appear.

Structures of the ADGRG2-G complex in apo and ligand-bound forms.

Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors are elusive in terms of their structural information and ligands. Here, we solved the cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of apo-ADGRG2, an essential membrane receptor for maintaining male fertility, in complex with a G trimer. Whereas the formations of two kinks were determinants of the active state, identification of a potential ligand-binding pocket in ADGRG2 facilitated the screening and identification of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and deoxycorticosterone as potential ligands of ADGRG2.

LINC00461 Regulates the Recurrence of Large B Cell Lymphoma through the miR-411-5p/BNIP3 Pathway.

Objective: To analyze the mechanism of LINC00461 regulating the recurrence of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) through microRNA (miR)-411-5p/BCL2 interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) pathway.

Methods: DLBCL samples in TCGA and GSE12453 were used for differential analysis to find long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) related to DLBCL recurrence. The 4 DLBCL data with the highest and lowest expression levels of LINC00461 in the TCGA database were selected for GSEA enrichment analysis.

Loss-of-function p.G970D missense mutation might cause congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens and be associated with impaired spermatogenesis.

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is observed in 1%-2% of males presenting with infertility and is clearly associated with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations. CFTR is one of the most well-known genes related to male fertility. The frequency of CFTR mutations or impaired CFTR expression is increased in men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA).

The Key Role of Peroxisomes in Follicular Growth, Oocyte Maturation, Ovulation, and Steroid Biosynthesis.

The absence of peroxisomes can cause disease in the human reproductive system, including the ovaries. The available peroxisomal gene-knockout female mouse models, which exhibit pathological changes in the ovary and reduced fertility, are listed in this review. Our review article provides the first systematic presentation of peroxisomal regulation and its possible functions in the ovary.

Activation of PTH1R alleviates epididymitis and orchitis through Gq and β-arrestin-1 pathways.

Inflammation in the epididymis and testis contributes significantly to male infertility. Alternative therapeutic avenues treating epididymitis and orchitis are expected since current therapies using antibiotics have limitations associated to side effects and are commonly ineffective for inflammation due to nonbacterial causes. Here, we demonstrated that type 1 parathyroid hormone receptor (PTH1R) and its endogenous agonists, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP), were mainly expressed in the Leydig cells of testis as well as epididymal epithelial cells.

Associations between Huwe1 and autophagy in rat cerebral neuron oxygen‑glucose deprivation and reperfusion injury.

Autophagy and the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) are two major protein degradation pathways involved in brain ischemia. Autophagy can compensate for UPS impairment‑induced cellular dysfunction. HECT, UBA and WWE domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (Huwe1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, serves critical roles in nervous system plasticity, regeneration and disease.

Deficiency of DICER reduces the invasion ability of trophoblasts and impairs the pro-angiogenic effect of trophoblast-derived microvesicles.

DICER is a key rate-limiting enzyme in the canonical miRNAs biogenesis pathway, and DICER and DICER-dependent miRNAs have been proved to play essential roles in many physiological and pathological processes. However, whether DICER is involved in placentation has not been studied. Successful spiral artery remodelling is one of the key milestones during placentation, which depends mostly on the invasion of trophoblasts and the crosstalk between trophoblasts and endothelial cells.

Silencing Huwe1 reduces apoptosis of cortical neurons exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion.

HECT, UBA and WWE domain-containing 1 (Huwe1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, is widely expressed in brain tissue. Huwe1 is involved in the turnover of numerous substrates, including p53, Mcl-1, Cdc6 and N-myc, thereby playing a critical role in apoptosis and neurogenesis. However, the role of Huwe1 in brain ischemia and reperfusion injury remains unclear.

Proteomics and single-cell RNA analysis of Akap4-knockout mice model confirm indispensable role of Akap4 in spermatogenesis.

Sperm fibrous sheath, a unique cytoskeletal structure, is implicated in various sperm physiological functions, such as sperm maturation, motility and capacitation. AKAP4 has been described to be required for structural and functional integrity of the fibrous sheath. We generated Akap4-knockout mice line using CRISPR-Cas9 system.

p57KIP2‑mediated inhibition of human trophoblast apoptosis and promotion of invasion in vitro.

Placental hypoxia serves a role in the early stages of normal pregnancy and is involved in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. Previously, it was suggested that p57kinase inhibitory protein (KIP)2 regulates the cell cycle during embryogenesis and apoptosis. Recent evidence has indicated that p57KIP2 is increased in preeclamptic placentas and absence of p57KIP2 induces preeclampsia‑type symptoms in rats.

[Interaction between glycogen synthase kinase-3β and endoplasmic reticulum stress is involved in high glucose-induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells].

Objective: To explore the role of the interaction between glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in the high glucose (HG)-induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Methods: HUVECs treated with 40 mmol/L glucose for 24 h were examined for expression levels of GSK-3β, GRP78, CHOP and cleaved caspase-3 protein using Western blotting. The cell viability was examined using CCK-8 assay and cell apoptosis was detected with Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining and photofluorography.

[The Association Between the Polymorphisms of miRNA Biogenesis Related Genes( and )and Unexplained Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion in Chinese Women].

Objective: To explore the association between polymorphisms of miRNA biogenesis related gene and unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) in Chinese women.

Methods: We recruited 217 patients with URSA (URSA group) and 390 healthy controls who were fertile women with history of more than one successful pregnancy outcome (control group) from June 2013 to December 2015 in the West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University. The control group was recruited from regular physical examination and prepregnancy check for women of childbearing age during the same period.

Bisphenol A Initiates Excessive Premature Activation of Primordial Follicles in Mouse Ovaries via the PTEN Signaling Pathway.

The essence of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is the premature exhaustion of primordial follicles in the follicle pool, which is caused by the excessive premature activation of primordial follicles after birth. Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure promotes the transition of primordial follicles to primary follicles, thus the number of primordial follicles in the primordial follicle pool decreases significantly. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying abnormal follicle activation are poorly understood.

Huwe1 interacts with Gadd45b under oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion injury in primary Rat cortical neuronal cells.

Background: Growth arrest and DNA-damage inducible protein 45 beta (Gadd45b) is serving as a neuronal activity sensor. Brain ischemia induces the expression of Gadd45b, which stimulates recovery after stroke and may play a protective role in cerebral ischemia. However, little is known of the molecular mechanisms of how Gadd45b expression regulated and the down-stream targets in brain ischemia.

Polyethylene glycol modification decreases the cardiac toxicity of carbonaceous dots in mouse and zebrafish models.

Aim: Carbonaceous dots (CDs), which have been used for diagnosis, drug delivery and gene delivery, are accumulated in heart at high concentrations. To improve their biocompatibility, polyethylene glycol-modified CDs (PEG-CDs) were prepared. In this study we compared the cardiac toxicity of CDs and PEG-CDs in mouse and zebrafish models.

[Roles of miR-15b in endothelial cell function and their relevance to vascular diseases].

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs with a short length of about 22 nucleotides. As major modulators participating in RNA interference, they affect cellular behaviors by regulating the expression of diverse genes at post-transcriptional levels. miR-15b is a member of the miR-15/16 family, which is broadly expressed in major tissues and specially enriched in the endovascular system of human beings.

The serum glucan level and pathological changes of antifungal treatment for lower respiratory tract infection of Candida albicans.

Due to the fact that Candida albicans colonizes in the upper respiratory tracts of healthy people, whether or not its isolation from airway secretions is sufficient to warrant treatment remains controversial. The animal models of immunosuppressive rats with pulmonary candidiasis were established by the intratracheal inoculating suspensions of C. albicans, and the animals were divided into the following three groups: (1) antifungal treatment group, (2) saline control group, and (3) blank control group.

Association of abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress in adipose tissue in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: To study the expression of insulin signaling-related genes and oxidative stress markers in the visceral adipose tissue obtained from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients and healthy control subjects and to investigate the relationships among abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress at the tissue level.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Evaluation of galactomannan enzyme immunoassay and quantitative real-time PCR for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a rat model.

Since there is no consensus about the most reliable assays to detect invasive aspergillosis from samples obtained by minimally invasive or noninvasive methods, we compared the efficacy of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for galactomannan (GM) detection and quantitative real-time PCR assay (qRT-PCR) for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Neutropenic, male Sprague-Dawley rats (specific pathogen free; 8 weeks old; weight, 200 ± 20 g) were immunosuppressed with cyclophosphamide and infected with Aspergillus fumigatus intratracheally. Tissue and whole blood samples were harvested on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 post-infection and examined with GM ELISA and qRT-PCR.

Antitumor effect and mechanism of an ellagic acid derivative on the HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line.

In the present study, to identify the effective components of Chinese traditional herbs, Hand.-Mazz. (Euphorbiaceae), a folk herb that has been used among the Qinling mountain area for hundreds of years, was investigated.