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    20 February 2025, Volume 34 Issue 1
    Review
    Research progress on the non-coding region of single-stranded positive-sense RNA (+ssRNA) viruses
    Liangrong Guo, Guoyue Liu, Ju Sun, Dengguo Wei
    2025, 34(1):  1-13.  DOI: 10.5246/jcps.2025.01.001
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    Single-stranded positive-sense RNA (+ssRNA) viruses encompass a diverse range of species and exert profound effects on human and animal health, as well as agricultural economic productivity. The 5ʹ and 3ʹ untranslated regions (UTRs) of these viruses play pivotal roles in regulating critical processes such as translation initiation, RNA synthesis, virus assembly, and virulence. This article provided an overview of the untranslated regions in representative species of single-stranded positive-sense RNA (+ssRNA) viruses, highlighting their potential in vaccine development research and addressing some of the challenges currently faced in this field.

    Original articles
    Enhanced antitumor efficacy of fresh pig spleen extracts (PAT) encapsulated with cytidinyl and cationic lipid nanocomplexes
    Xiaotong Yu, Jing Wu, Qi Zhang, Jiamei Hong, Jing Yu, Zhu Guan, Yanhui Yin, Zhenjun Yang
    2025, 34(1):  14-27.  DOI: 10.5246/jcps.2025.01.002
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    Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been utilized in China for thousands of years to treat and prevent various diseases, with recent research highlighting microRNAs (miRNAs) in herbal decoctions as key bioactive components. The oral lyophilized powder of the pig spleen extracts (PAT) composed of oligonucleotides and peptides extracted from fresh pig spleen and delivered via a lipid mixture containing neutral cytidinyl lipid DNCA and cationic lipid CLD (Mix), has demonstrated significant antitumor effects against A549 and BCPAP cells, promoting early and late apoptosis by approximately 20% in A549 cells. Intratumoral administration of PAT/Mix in A549-bearing mice significantly reduced both tumor volume and weight. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses suggested that PAT/Mix exerted its antitumor activity by silencing DEPDC1 mRNA in A549 cells, thereby influencing cellular processes and metabolic pathways. Additionally, PAT/Mix was found to promote the maturation of bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs), enhancing antigen processing and presentation. These findings indicated that PAT/Mix held promise as a therapeutic agent with both immunomodulatory and antitumor properties, owing not only to its peptide components but also to miRNAs, which played a critical therapeutic role.

    Modulation of tRNAGln decoding efficacy by metal ion binding and glutamine supply
    Yuxuan Shen, Tianchang Wang, Hua Qiao, Qing Liang, Jingru Lv, Qing Xia
    2025, 34(1):  28-40.  DOI: 10.5246/jcps.2025.01.003
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    Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) adopt a stable L-shaped tertiary structure crucial for their involvement in protein translation. Among various divalent metal ions, magnesium ions play a pivotal role in preserving the tertiary structure of tRNA. However, the precise location of the Mg2+ binding pocket in human tRNA remains elusive. In this investigation, we identified the Mg2+ binding site within human tRNAGln using suppressor tRNAGln. This variant of tRNA recognizes premature stop codons (specifically UAG) and facilitates the expression of full-length proteins. By mutating sites U8 and C72 in suppressor tRNAGln, we assessed the decoding efficiency of the resulting mutant suppressor tRNAs, which serves as a measure of tRNA’s ability to decode genetic information. Our analysis revealed that the U8C mutant suppressor tRNA exhibited a significantly lower Mg2+ content compared to the C72U mutant. Furthermore, we observed a notable reduction in decoding efficiency in the U8-mutated suppressor tRNA, as evidenced by GFP fluorescence and Western blotting analysis. Conversely, mutations at the C72 site had a comparatively minor impact on decoding efficiency. These findings underscored the tight binding of Mg2+ to the U8 site of human tRNAGln, crucial for maintaining the stability of tRNA tertiary structure and translation efficacy. Additionally, our investigation delved into the influence of glutamine availability on tRNA decoding efficiency at the cellular level. The results indicated that both the concentration of amino acids and the codon context of TAG could modulate tRNA decoding efficiency. This study provided valuable insights into the structure and function of tRNA, laying the groundwork for further exploration in this field.

    Unveiling the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of LM49 in a carrageenan-induced acute inflammation model
    Fan Yang, Rui Li, Wenting Liu, Jian Sun, Chengxiao Zhao, Xiue Feng, Qingshan Li
    2025, 34(1):  41-54.  DOI: 10.5246/jcps.2025.01.004
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    This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties and underlying molecular mechanisms of 2,4ʹ,5ʹ-trihydroxyl-5,2ʹ-dibromo diphenylmethanone (LM49) using a carrageenan-induced paw edema model in mice, which serves as a well-established model for acute inflammation. Mice were randomly assigned into six groups, and acute inflammation was induced by injecting 1% carrageenan solution into the paw. To elucidate the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of LM49, a comprehensive approach was employed, including pathology, transcriptomics, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, Western blotting analysis, and molecular docking analysis. The results demonstrated that LM49 exerted a significant protective effect by reducing paw edema and lowering serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α, while concurrently elevating anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels. Transcriptomic analysis identified 453 differentially expressed genes in the LM49-treated group. KEGG and GO enrichment analyses indicated that LM49 suppressed the NF-κB signaling pathway and modulated several other immune-inflammatory pathways. Molecular docking studies identified eight key targets of LM49 within the NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis confirmed that LM49 inhibited the phosphorylation of p65 and IκB-α and downregulated the expression of MYD88 and TLR4 in mouse paw tissues. These findings provided a foundational understanding of the anti-inflammatory effects and molecular mechanisms of LM49, paving the way for further in-depth studies in this field.

    Astragalus extract Astragalus polysaccharide inhibits proliferation and invasion of glioma cells through the miR-223/FBXW7 signaling pathway
    Qicai Zhang, Jingrui Huo, Yuyan Zhang, Kuijun Jiang, Zhonglei Sun
    2025, 34(1):  55-65.  DOI: 10.5246/jcps.2025.01.005
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    Astragalus extract Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), a natural extract, has been demonstrated to exert inhibitory effects on the development of various tumors by modulating microRNA (miRNA). However, the precise regulatory mechanism of miRNA-223 (miR-223) in brain glioma cells remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Astragalus extract APS on brain glioma cells through the miR-223/FBXW7 signaling pathway and its potential mechanism. Using the TargetScan tool, we predicted the binding between miR-223 and FBXW7 and confirmed this binding relationship through dual luciferase assay. We compared the expression of miR-223 and FBXW7 in glioma and adjacent tissues and followed up the prognosis. U87 cells were subjected to APS treatment or were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) of miR-223 mimics to examine the effects of these treatments on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and FBXW7 expression. Our results demonstrated that miR-223 directly bound to FBXW7, as confirmed by dual luciferase assay. Moreover, the mRNA expression of miR-223 in glioma tissues was higher than that in paracancerous tissues, while the mRNA and protein levels of FBXW7 in glioma tissues were lower than those in paracancerous tissues. In addition, we observed a negative correlation between the expression of miR-223 and FBXW7 (P < 0.05). APS significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of U87 cells, suppressed the expression of miR-223, and promoted the expression of FBXW7 (P < 0.05). Transfection of miR-223 mimic into cells reversed the inhibition of miR-223 and the increase of FBXW7 induced by APS (P < 0.05). Therefore, our findings suggested that APS might inhibit the proliferation and invasion of the glioma cell line U87 through the miR-223/FBXW7 signaling pathway.