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Fatigue and diarrhea are the most frequent adverse effects of pelvic radiotherapy, while their etiologies are largely unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlations between fatigue, diarrhea, and alterations in gut microbiota induced by pelvic radiotherapy. During the 5-week treatment of pelvic radiotherapy in 11 cancer patients, the general fatigue score significantly increased and was more prominent in the patients with diarrhea. The fatigue score was closely correlated with the decrease of serum citrulline (an indicator of the functional enterocyte mass) and the increases of systemic inflammatory proteins, including haptoglobin, orosomuoid, α1-antitrypsin and TNF-α. Serum level of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was also elevated, especially in the patients with diarrhea indicating epithelial barrier breach and endotoxemia. Pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene revealed that microbial diversity, richness, and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio were significantly altered prior to radiotherapy in patients who later developed diarrhea. Pelvic radiotherapy induced further changes in fecal microbial ecology, some of which were specific to the patients with or without diarrhea. Our results indicate that gut microbial dysbiosis prior to radiation therapy may be exploited to predict development of diarrhea and to guide preventive treatment options. Radiation-induced dysbiosis may contribute to pelvic radiation disease, including mucositis, diarrhea, systemic inflammatory response, and pelvic radiotherapy-associated fatigue in cancer patients.

Using the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) method, we identified oligonucleotides that bind to the first extracellular domain of the Orai1 protein with high affinities and high specificities. These ligands were isolated from a random single-strand DNA (ssDNA) library with 40 randomized sequence positions, using synthesized peptides with amino acid sequences identical to the first extracellular domain of the Orai1 protein as the targets for SELEX selection. Seven aptamers were obtained after 12 rounds of SELEX. An enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) was performed to determine the affinities of the aptamers. Aptamer Y1 had the highest affinity (Kd = 1.72×10-8 mol/L) and was selected for functional experiments in mast cells. Using LAD2 cells with the human high-affinity IgE receptor and Ca2+ release activation channel (CRAC), we demonstrated that Aptamer Y1 blocked IgE-mediated β-hexosaminidase release from cells triggered by biotin-IgE and streptavidin. A specific binding assay showed that Aptamer Y1 not only bound the Orai1 peptide specifically but also that the Orai1 peptide did not bind significantly to other random oligonucleotide molecules. Furthermore, Aptamer Y1 regulation of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization was investigated by probing intracellular Ca2+ with a Fluo-4-AM fluorescent probe. We found that Aptamer Y1 inhibits Ca2+ influx into antigen-activated mast cells. These results indicate that the target of Aptamer Y1 in the degranulation pathway is upstream of Ca2+ influx. Therefore, these oligonucleotide agents represent a novel class of CRAC inhibitors that may be useful in the fight against allergic diseases.

Myelosuppression is a common and intractable side effect of cancer therapies including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, while the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here, using a mouse model of radiotherapy-induced myelosuppression, we show that inorganic phosphate (Pi) metabolism is acutely inhibited in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) during irradiation-induced myelosuppression, and closely correlated with the severity and prognosis of myelosuppression. Mechanistically, the acute Pi metabolic inhibition in HSCs results from extrinsic Pi loss in the bone marrow niche and the intrinsic transcriptional suppression of soluble carrier family 20 member 1 (SLC20A1)-mediated Pi uptake by p53. Meanwhile, Pi metabolic inhibition blunts irradiation-induced Akt hyperactivation in HSCs, thereby weakening its ability to counteract p53-mediated Pi metabolic inhibition and the apoptosis of HSCs and consequently contributing to myelosuppression progression. Conversely, the modulation of the Pi metabolism in HSCs via a high Pi diet or renal Klotho deficiency protects against irradiation-induced myelosuppression. These findings reveal that Pi metabolism and HSC survival are causally linked by the Akt/p53–SLC20A1 axis during myelosuppression and provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis and management of myelosuppression.

To investigate the role of pericytes in constructing the malformed microvessels (MVs) and participating microvascular architecture heterogeneity of glioma. Forty human glioma tissue samples (WHO grade II-IV) were included in present study. Observation of blood vessel patterns, quantitative analysis of endothelial cells (ECs)- and pericyte-labeled MVs and comparison between malignant grades based on single- or double-immunohistochemical staining. The MV number density (MVND), microvascular pericyte number density (MPND), and microvascular pericyte area density (MPAD) were calculated. The expression of PDGFβ was also scored after immunostaining. In grade II glioma, most of tumor MVs were the thin-wall CD34+ vessels with near normal morphology. In addition to thin-wall CD34+ MVs, more thick-wall MVs were found in grade III glioma, which often showed α-SMA positive. Most of MVs in grade IV glioma were in the form of plexus, curled cell cords and glomeruloid microvascular proliferation while the α-SMA+ cells were the main components. The MVs usually showed disordered arrangement, loose connection and active cell proliferation as shown by Ki67 and α-SMA coexpression. With the increase of glioma grades, the α-SMA+ MVND, CD34+ MVND and MPND were significantly augmented although the increase of CD34+ MVND but not MPAD was statistically insignificant between grade III and IV. It was interesting that some vessel-like structures only consist of α-SMA+ cells, assuming the guiding role of pericytes in angiogenesis. The expression level of PDGFβ was upregulated and directly correlated with the MPND in different glioma grades. Hyperplasia of pericytes was one of the significant characteristics of malignant glioma and locally proliferated pericytes were the main constituent of MVs in high grade glioma. The pathological characteristics of pericytes could be used as indexes of malignant grades of glioma.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by excessive inflammation and often associated with extraintestinal symptoms. Current treatments remain unsatisfactory. Although immune response gene 1 ( Irg1 ) and its product itaconate show promise in alleviating experimental colitis, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we describe an endogenous, homeostatic pattern that controls both local and systemic inflammatory responses in experimental murine colitis. Our study identifies neutrophils in inflamed colon as the primary Irg1 source. Irg1 deficiency worsens disease severity, as shown by greater weight loss, higher disease activity index, shorter colon length, more severe tissue damage, and more neutrophil infiltration. Depleting neutrophils with Ly6G antibody worsened symptoms in wild-type mice but improved them in knockout mice, highlighting the key role of the Irg1 /itaconate axis in neutrophil-mediated protection. Blood analysis showed that Irg1 deficiency increased inflammatory cells and worsened anemia. Bone marrow analysis revealed fewer granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMP) and more megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEP), suggesting a compensatory mechanism. We also found that Irg1 deficiency increased reverse migrated (rM-ed) neutrophils in blood and bone marrow. Exogenous itaconate (4-octyl itaconate, 4-OI) treatment significantly reduced colon inflammation, lowered rM-ed neutrophil levels, and restored hematopoietic homeostasis. RNA sequencing showed that 4-OI mainly acted by blocking NF-κB signaling, inhibiting endocytosis-related genes, and suppressing rM-ed neutrophils-related genes expression. In conclusion, the neutrophil-derived Irg1 /itaconate axis plays a key role in mucosal repair and may help maintain hematopoietic balance by regulating rM-ed neutrophils, which suggest that exogenous itaconate derivatives like 4-OI may be effective treatments for IBD.

Thrombocytopenia is an important cause of hemorrhage and death after radiation injury, but the pathogenesis of radiation-induced thrombocytopenia has not been fully characterized. Here, we investigated the influence of radiation-induced endothelial cell injury on platelet regeneration. We found that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) underwent a high rate of apoptosis, accompanied by a significant reduction in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at 96 h after radiation. Subsequent investigations revealed that radiation injury lowered the ability of HUVECs to attract migrating megakaryocytes (MKs). Moreover, the adhesion of MKs to HUVECs was markedly reduced when HUVECs were exposed to radiation, accompanied by a decreased production of platelets by MKs. In vivo study showed that VEGF treatment significantly promoted the migration of MKs into the vascular niche and accelerated platelet recovery in irradiated mice. Our studies demonstrate that endothelial cell injury contributes to the slow recovery of platelets after radiation, which provides a deeper insight into the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia induced by radiation.

Human α-defensin 5 (HD₅), a small cysteine-rich peptide expressed predominantly in small intestine and female reproductive tissues, plays an important role in innate and adaptive immunity. It is a worthy yet challenging work to produce bioactive recombinant HD₅ through the use of bioengineering techniques. Here, we present the expression and purification of recombinant HD₅ mature peptide (rmHD₅) in Pichia pastoris. To avoid generating unfavorable extra N-terminal amino acids, Red/ET homologous recombination was applied to construct the expression vector pPIC9K-mHD₅ by insertion of a polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA fragment coding for mHD₅ into the plasmid pPIC9K, at a position right after the cleavage sequence of Kex2. The pPIC9K-mHD₅ vector was transformed into P. pastoris GS115 cells, and positive colonies harboring genomic integration of the multicopy mHD₅ nucleotide sequence were screened out and used for fermentation. After high-cell density fermentation of P. pastoris GS115-HD₅, a two-step purification strategy of macroporous resin adsorption chromatography followed by cation exchange chromatography was performed to obtain purified rmHD₅. The results showed that about 165.0 mg/l of rmHD₅ with its intact N-terminal amino acid sequence as revealed by mass spectrometry analysis and amino acid sequencing was produced under optimal bioreactor-culture conditions and that approximately 50% of the initial rmHD₅ was recovered after purification. The in vitro experiments revealed that rmHD₅ exhibited a prominent antibacterial activity and potency to block human papillomavirus infection. This is the first report on the production and purification of bioactive rmHD₅ in P. pastoris. This study also provides considerations for production of other antimicrobial peptides using the P. pastoris expression system.

Steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3), a multifunctional transcriptional coactivator, plays an important role in regulation of cell apoptosis in chemoresistant cancer cells. However, its role in radiation-induced apoptosis in hematopoietic cells is still unclear. In this study, we used SRC-3 knockout (SRC-3-/-) mice to assess the role of SRC-3 in radiation-induced hematopoietic injury in vivo. After a range of doses of irradiation, SRC-3-/- mice exhibited lower counts of peripheral blood cells and bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells and excessive BM depression, which resulted in a significantly higher mortality compared with wildtype mice. Moreover, BM mononuclear cells obtained from SRC-3-/- mice showed a remarkable increase in radiation-induced apoptosis. Collectively, our data demonstrate that SRC-3 plays a role in radiation-induced apoptosis of BM hematopoietic cells. Regulation of SRC-3 might influence the radiosensitivity of hematopoietic cells, which highlights a potential therapeutic target for radiation-induced hematopoietic injury.

Spinal cord injury remains to be a challenge to clinicians and it is attractive to employ autologous adult stem cell transplantation in its treatment, however, how to harvest cells with therapeutic potential easily and how to get enough number of cells for transplantation are challenging issues. In the present study, we aimed to isolate skin-derived precursors (SKPs) and dermal multipotent stem cells (dMSCs) simultaneously from single human skin samples from patients with paraplegia. Dissociated cells were initially generated from the dermal layer of skin samples from patients with paraplegia and cultured in SKPs proliferation medium. Four hours later, many cells adhered to the base of the flask. The suspended cells were then transferred to another flask for further culture as SKPs, while the adherent cells were cultured in dMSCs proliferation medium. Twenty-four hours later, the adherent cells were harvested and single-cell colonies were generated using serial dilution method. [(3)H]thymidine incorporation assay, microchemotaxis Transwell chambers assay, RT-PCR and fluorescent immunocytochemistry were employed to examine the characterizations of the isolated cells. SKPs and dMSCs were isolated simultaneously from a single skin sample. SKPs and dMSCs differed in several respects, including in terms of intermediate protein expression, proliferation capacities, and differentiation tendencies towards mesodermal and neural progenies. However, both SKPs and dMSCs showed high rates of differentiation into neurons and Schwann cells under appropriate inducing conditions. dMSCs isolated by this method showed no overt differences from dMSCs isolated by routine methods. Two kinds of stem cells, namely SKPs and dMSCs, can be isolated simultaneously from individual human skin sample from paraplegia patients. Both of them show ability to differentiate into neural cells under proper inducing conditions, indicating their potential for the treatment of spinal cord injury patients by autologous cell transplantation.

Human α-defensin 6 (HD₆), a small cysteine-rich cationic peptide specially expressed in epithelial cells of digestive tract, may play a crucial role in mucosal immunity. This is the first report on efficient production of bioactive HD₆ through a gene-engineering approach in Escherichia coli. The recombinant plasmid pET32a-omHD₆ was primarily constructed by inserting a PCR fragment encoding mature HD₆ peptide (mHD₆) preceded by an enterokinase recognition sequence into the expression vector pET32a(+), in frame with the upstream thioredoxin (TrxA) gene. Under optimized expression conditions, a high percentage (>60%) of soluble TrxA-omHD₆ fusion protein was obtained with a yield of about 1.69 g/l, and the theoretical productivity of recombinant mHD₆ (rmHD₆) reached 0.38 g/l. A feasible three-step purification strategy involving nickel-sepharose chromatography, enterokinase-cleavage and cation exchange chromatography was developed to purify rmHD₆, followed by characteristic identifications by Western blot, mass spectrometry and sequencing. About 102 mg/l of rmHD₆ with its intact N-terminal amino acid sequence was finally achieved. The in vitro experiments showed that rmHD₆ possesses high potency to inhibit herpes simplex virus-2 infection. This work settles substantial foundation for further functional study of HD₆.