简介：AbstractBackground:Topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) has been reported to play a crucial role in the tumorigenesis of various cancer types. However, the biological role of TOP2A in gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains unknown. The current study aimed to explore the function and potential mechanism of TOP2A in GBC.Methods:Based on Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis data, we found TOP2A was significantly up-regulated in GBC tissues and resulting in shorter overall survival. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were conducted to detect the expression of TOP2A in 45 pairs of GBC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. In vitro, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability were examined by cell counting kit-8 and transwell assay, respectively. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway-related markers were measured by Western blotting. Xenograft model assay was performed to evaluate the effect of TOP2A in vivo.Results:TOP2A was found up-regulated in GBC (tumor vs. normal, 12.62 vs. 0.34) and correlated with the late tumor node metastasis stage (P = 0.0032), present of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0273), and poor prognosis in GBC patients (log-rank P = 0.028). In vitro and in vivo assays showed that knockdown of TOP2A notably inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, EMT process, and tumor growth in GBC. In addition, TOP2A down-regulation significantly decreased the protein levels of phosphor (p)-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR.Conclusion:Our study demonstrates that TOP2A was overexpressed in GBC and associated with poor prognosis in GBC patients. TOP2A promotes GBC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, EMT process, and tumor growth through activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, and may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for GBC.

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简介：AbstractBackground:Anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective method of controlling epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy. Mossy fiber sprouting (MFS) plays an indispensable role in the pathogenesis and progression of epilepsy, but the effect of ATN-DBS on MFS in the chronic stage of epilepsy and the potential underlying mechanisms are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ATN-DBS on MFS, as well as potential signaling pathways by a kainic acid (KA)-induced epileptic model.Methods:Twenty-four rhesus monkeys were randomly assigned to control, epilepsy (EP), EP-sham-DBS, and EP-DBS groups. KA was injected to establish the chronic epileptic model. The left ATN was implanted with a DBS lead and stimulated for 8 weeks. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate MFS and levels of potential molecular mediators in the hippocampus. One-way analysis of variance, followed by the Tukey post hoc correction, was used to analyze the statistical significance of differences among multiple groups.Results:ATN-DBS is found to significantly reduce seizure frequency in the chronic stage of epilepsy. The number of ectopic granule cells was reduced in monkeys that received ATN stimulation (P < 0.0001). Levels of 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and protein kinase A (PKA) in the hippocampus, together with Akt phosphorylation, were noticeably reduced in monkeys that received ATN stimulation (P = 0.0030 and P = 0.0001, respectively). ATN-DBS also significantly reduced MFS scores in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and CA3 sub-regions (all P < 0.0001).Conclusion:ATN-DBS is shown to down-regulate the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway and Akt phosphorylation and to reduce the number of ectopic granule cells, which may be associated with the reduced MFS in chronic epilepsy. The study provides further insights into the mechanism by which ATN-DBS reduces epileptic seizures.

简介：AbstractBackground:Vascular endothelial dysfunction is considered a key pathophysiologic process for the development of acute lung injury. In this study, we aimed at investigating the effects of unfractionated heparin (UFH) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced changes of vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) and the potential underlying mechanisms.Methods:Male C57BL/6 J mice were randomized into three groups: vehicle, LPS, and LPS + UFH groups. Intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg LPS was used to induce sepsis. Mice in the LPS + UFH group received subcutaneous injection of 8 U UFH 0.5 h before LPS injection. The lung tissue of the mice was collected for assessing lung injury by measuring the lung wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio and observing histological changes. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) were cultured and used to analyze the effects of UFH on LPS- or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-induced vascular hyperpermeability, membrane expression of VE-cadherin, p120-catenin, and phosphorylated myosin light chain (p-MLC), and F-actin remodeling, and on the LPS-induced activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/serine/threonine kinase (Akt)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway.Results:In vivo, UFH pretreatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced pulmonary histopathological changes (neutrophil infiltration and erythrocyte effusion, alveolus pulmonis collapse, and thicker septum), decreased the lung W/D, and increased protein concentration (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.57 ± 0.04 vs. 0.32 ± 0.04 mg/mL, P = 0.0092), total cell count (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 9.57 ± 1.23 vs. 3.65 ± 0.78 × 105/mL, P= 0.0155), polymorphonuclear neutrophil percentage (LPS vs. LPS+ UFH: 88.05% ± 2.88% vs. 22.20% ± 3.92%, P = 0.0002), and TNF-α (460.33 ± 23.48 vs. 189.33 ± 14.19 pg/mL, P = 0.0006) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In vitro, UFH pre-treatment prevented the LPS-induced decrease in the membrane expression of VE-cadherin (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.368 ± 0.044 vs. 0.716 ± 0.064, P = 0.0114) and p120-catenin (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.208 ± 0.018 vs. 0.924 ± 0.092, P = 0.0016), and the LPS-induced increase in the expression of p-MLC (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.972 ± 0.092 vs. 0.293 ± 0.025, P = 0.0021). Furthermore, UFH attenuated LPS- and TNF-α-induced hyperpermeability of HPMECs (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 8.90 ± 0.66 vs. 15.84 ± 1.09 Ω·cm2, P = 0.0056; TNF-α vs. TNF-α + UFH: 11.28 ± 0.64 vs. 18.15 ± 0.98 Ω·cm2, P = 0.0042) and F-actin remodeling (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 56.25 ± 1.51 vs. 39.70 ± 1.98, P = 0.0027; TNF-α vs. TNF-α + UFH: 55.42 ± 1.42 vs. 36.51 ± 1.20, P = 0.0005) in vitro. Additionally, UFH decreased the phosphorylation of Akt (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.977 ± 0.081 vs. 0.466 ± 0.035, P = 0.0045) and I kappa B Kinase (IKK) (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 1.023 ± 0.070 vs. 0.578 ± 0.044, P = 0.0060), and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 1.003 ± 0.077 vs. 0.503 ± 0.065, P = 0.0078) in HPMECs, which was similar to the effect of the PI3K inhibitor, wortmannin.Conclusions:The protective effect of UFH against LPS-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier dysfunction involves VE-cadherin stabilization and PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling.

简介：AbstractBackground:Autophagy of alveolar macrophages is a crucial process in ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are multipotent cells with the potential for repairing injured sites and regulating autophagy. This study was to investigate the influence of BM-MSCs on autophagy of macrophages in the oxygen-glucose deprivation/restoration (OGD/R) microenvironment and to explore the potential mechanism.Methods:We established a co-culture system of macrophages (RAW264.7) with BM-MSCs under OGD/R conditions in vitro. RAW264.7 cells were transfected with recombinant adenovirus (Ad-mCherry-GFP-LC3B) and autophagic status of RAW264.7 cells was observed under a fluorescence microscope. Autophagy-related proteins light chain 3 (LC3)-I, LC3-II, and p62 in RAW264.7 cells were detected by Western blotting. We used microarray expression analysis to identify the differently expressed genes between OGD/R treated macrophages and macrophages co-culture with BM-MSCs. We investigated the gene heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which is downstream of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway.Results:The ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I of OGD/R treated RAW264.7 cells was increased (1.27 ± 0.20 vs. 0.44 ± 0.08, t = 6.67, P < 0.05), while the expression of p62 was decreased (0.77 ± 0.04 vs. 0.95 ± 0.10, t = 2.90, P < 0.05), and PI3K (0.40 ± 0.06 vs. 0.63 ± 0.10, t = 3.42, P < 0.05) and p-Akt/Akt ratio was also decreased (0.39 ± 0.02 vs. 0.58 ± 0.03, t = 9.13, P < 0.05). BM-MSCs reduced the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio of OGD/R treated RAW264.7 cells (0.68 ± 0.14 vs. 1.27 ± 0.20, t = 4.12, P < 0.05), up-regulated p62 expression (1.10 ± 0.20 vs. 0.77 ± 0.04, t = 2.80, P < 0.05), and up-regulated PI3K (0.54 ± 0.05 vs. 0.40 ± 0.06, t = 3.11, P < 0.05) and p-Akt/Akt ratios (0.52 ± 0.05 vs. 0.39 ± 0.02, t = 9.13, P < 0.05). A whole-genome microarray assay screened the differentially expressed gene HO-1, which is downstream of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and the alteration of HO-1 mRNA and protein expression was consistent with the data on PI3K/Akt pathway.Conclusions:Our results suggest the existence of the PI3K/Akt/HO-1 signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells under OGD/R circumstances in vitro, revealing the mechanism underlying BM-MSC-mediated regulation of autophagy and enriching the understanding of potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of ALI.

简介：AbstractThe phosphosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway is one of the most important intracellular signal transduction pathways affecting cell functions, such as apoptosis, translation, metabolism, and angiogenesis. Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality rates in the world. It can be divided into two groups, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for >85% of all lung cancers. There are currently many clinical treatment options for NSCLC; however, traditional methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have not been able to provide patients with good survival benefits. The emergence of molecular target therapy has improved the survival and prognosis of patients with NSCLC. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of studies on NSCLC and PI3K signaling pathways. Inhibitors of various parts of the PI3K pathway have appeared in various phases of clinical trials with NSCLC as an indication. This article focuses on the role of the PI3K signaling pathway in the occurrence and development of NSCLC and summarizes the current clinical research progress and possible development strategies.

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简介：在乳癌房间在Notch-1小径上调查trastuzumab的效果和机制的目的，认出在trastuzumab抵抗表明小径的Notch-1的意义。

简介：AbstractBone morphogenetic protein belongs to transcription growth factor superfamily β; bone morphogenetic protein signal pathway regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis among different tissues. Cerebrovascular system supplies sufficient oxygen and blood into brain to maintain its normal function. The disorder of cerebrovascular system will result into serious cerebrovascular diseases, which is gradually becoming a major threat to human health in modern society. In recent decades, many studies have revealed the underlying biology and mechanism of bone morphogenetic protein signal pathway played in cerebrovascular system. This review will discuss the relationship between the two aspects, aiming to provide new perspective for non-invasive treatment and basic research of cerebrovascular diseases.

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简介：Thefibroblastgrowthfactorreceptor(FGFR)familyplaysimportantrolesinregulatingcellgrowth,proliferation,survival,differentiationandangiogenesis.DeregulationoftheFGF/FGFRsignalingpathwayhasbeenassociatedwithmultipledevelopmentsyndromesandcancers,andthustherapeuticstrategiestargetingFGFsandFGFRinhumancancerarecurrentlybeingexplored.However,fewstudiesontheFGF/FGFRpathwayhavebeenconductedinsarcoma,whichhasapooroutcomewithtraditionaltreatmentssuchassurgery,chemotherapy,andradiotherapy.Hence,inthepresentreview,weprovideanoverviewoftheroleoftheFGF/FGFRpathwaysignalinsarcomaandFGFRinhibitors,whichmightbenewtargetsforthetreatmentofsarcomasaccordingtorecentresearch.

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简介：Here,theissueofrobustnessanalysisofcellJAK-STATsignaltransductionnetworksisaddressed.ThisisinvestigateduponamathematicalmodelofIFN-γinducedJAK-STATsignalingpathwaybyapplyingrobustnessanalysiswhichisbasedonabroadrangeofsimultaneousandsystematicalparametersvariation.Theeffectsofthevariationsoftheinitialsignalproteins'concentrationsontheoutputofthissystemarealsostudied.ThestudydemonstratesthattheJAK-STATsignalingpathwayisrobustwithrespecttoits"signaltime"and"signalduration",butsensitivewithrespecttoits"signalamplitude".Theseanalysisresultscanpointtoexperimentaldesignsthatcanfurthertesthowthepathwayactivitycanbeperturbed.

简介：AbstractGlioblastoma is the most common form of primary brain tumor. Glioblastoma stem cells play an important role in tumor formation by activation of several signaling pathways. Wnt signaling pathway is one such important pathway which helps cellular differentiation to promote tumor formation in the brain. Glioblastoma remains to be a highly destructive type of tumor despite availability of treatment strategies like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Advances in the field of cancer biology have revolutionized therapy by allowing targeting of tumor-specific molecular deregulation. In this review, we discuss about the significance of glioblastoma stem cells in cancer progression through Wnt signaling pathway and highlight the clinical targets being potentially considered for therapy in glioblastoma.

简介：TheRho/Rho-associatedcoiled-coilcontainingproteinkinase(Rho/ROCK)pathwayisamajorsignalingpathwayinthecentralnervoussystem,transducinginhibitorysignalstoblockregeneration.Aftercentralnervoussystemdamage,themaincauseofimpairedregenerationisthepresenceoffactorsthatstronglyinhibitregenerationinthesurroundingmicroenvironment.ThesefactorssignalthroughtheRho/ROCKsignalingpathwaytoinhibitregeneration.Therefore,athoroughunderstandingoftheRho/ROCKsignalingpathwayiscrucialforadvancingstudiesonregenerationandrepairoftheinjuredcentralnervoussystem.

简介：AbstractObjective:Acne inversa is a multifactorial chronic debilitating disease. Genetic factors are involved in 40% of patients, especially the nicastrin (NCSTN) gene. However, the role of the mutated NCSTN gene in the pathogenesis of acne inversa remains unclear. Retinoic acid is recommends to treat moderate to severe acne inversa, therefor we conduct this in vitro research to study the association between NCSTN gene mutation and the retinoic acid signaling pathway in human immortalized skin keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells.Methods:HaCaT cells were infected with a lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression plasmid specifically targeting the NCSTN gene. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the interference efficiency of NCSTN. RNA sequencing was used to detect differential genes in the NSCTN-deficient HaCaT cells. Based on bioinformatics analysis and clinical treatment data, the retinoic acid signal pathway was selected for screening. Quantitative PCR was used to verify the changes in the expressions of retinoic acid signaling pathway-related receptors and molecules in the HaCaT cell line after NCSTN silencing. The Student t test and one-way analysis of variance were used to evaluate intergroup differences.Results:Sequencing showed that the NCSTN-shRNA lentiviral recombinant expression plasmid was successfully constructed. After lentivirus infection of HaCaT cells, real-time PCR results showed significantly reduced NCSTN mRNA expression in the interference group compared with the negative control group, and the interference efficiency was 75.0%. Western blotting showed that the inhibition rate of NCSTN protein expression in the shRNA group was 71.7%. RNA sequencing revealed significant differential expression of some genes, and changes in signaling pathways. Compared with the control group, the group with the silenced NCSTN showed significantly decreased expression of retinoic acid receptors (RARα: F=23.482, RARβ: F=603.241, RXRα: F=69.689, and RARRES1: F=167.482, and all P < 0.001), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (F=8.138, P < 0.01).Conclusion:Defective function of the NCSTN gene leads to an impaired retinoic acid signaling pathway in HaCaT cells, which suggests that the retinoic acid signaling pathway may play a role on the onset of acne inversa caused by NCSTN gene mutation.

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简介：ExposureofnaivemurineCD4^+TlymphocytestosuperantigensuchasstaphylococcalenterotoxinB(SEB)inducesastrongproliferativeresponse.ProlongedexposureorsubsequentrestimulationoftherespondingTcellpopulationwithSEBleadstotheapoptoticeventsofactivation-inducedcelldeath(AICD).ThesignalingmechanismresponsiblefortheAICDisatargetofintensiveinvestigation.However,theprecisedownstreamsignahngpathwaysofSEB-inducedAICDremainsunclear.Ourresultshereshowthatthesequentialactivationofcaspase-1/ICE-hkeandcaspase-3/CPP32-hkecysteineproteasesprobablyplaysaroleinthesignalingtransductionofSEB-inducedAICD,butcaspase-3/CPP32-hkeproteasesactivationdoesnotdependoncaspase-1-likeproteasesactivation.HerbimycinA,aspecificinhibitorofproteintyresinekinases,inhibitcaspase-3/CPP32-1ikecysteineproteasesactivation.However,itdoesnotpreventDNAfragmentationofCD4^+TcellsapoptosisinducedbySEB.TheseresultsindicatethatproteintyrosinekinasespathwayisprobablyinvolvedinthesignalingtransductionofCD4^+TcellsapoptosisinducedbySEBand“crosstalks”withthepathwayofcaspase-3/CPP32-1ikeproteasesactivation.

简介：AbstractBackground:Sepsis, a serious condition with high mortality, usually causes sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) that involves neuronal cell death. However, the cell death programs involved and their underlying mechanisms are not clear. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of different cell death programs in SAE.Methods:A neonatal rat model of SAE was established by cecal ligation and perforation. Survival rate and vital signs (mean arterial pressure and heart rate) were monitored, nerve reflexes were evaluated, and cortical pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis (PANoptosis)-related proteins, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and its upstream regulator toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) were detected. The expression of TLR9 in neurons was observed by immunofluorescence staining. The ultrastructure of neurons was observed by transmission electron microscope.Results:First, PANoptosis was found in cortical nerve cells of the SAE rats. Meanwhile, the subunits of MAPKs, p38 MAPK, Jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were activated. After pharmacologically inhibiting each of the subunits, only p38 MAPK was found to be associated with PANoptosis. Furthermore, blocking the p38 MAPK signaling pathway activated necroptosis but inhibited apoptosis and pyroptosis. When necroptosis was pharmacologically inhibited, apoptosis and pyroptosis were reactivated. Finally, we found that the expression of TLR9, a regulator of MAPKs, was significantly increased in this model. After down-regulation of TLR9, p38 MAPK, and ERK signaling pathways were inhibited, which led to the inhibition of PANoptosis. Further analysis found that down-regulation of TLR9 improved the survival rate and reduced the pathological changes in SAE rats.Conclusions:Our study showed that the programs comprising PANoptosis are activated simultaneously in SAE rats. TLR9 activated PANoptosis through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. TLR9 may work as a potential target for SAE treatment.

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