Latest ArticlesThe in vitro transcribed (IVT) mRNA technology has progressed rapidly and the application of mRNA vaccines in the COVID-19 pandemic made it become the most talked-about topic. Compared with protein drugs, IVT mRNA has a lower cost; it can be modular produced and its sequence can be modified easily, so it has a broad application prospect. However, due to its short history, mRNA drugs face the problem of lacking sufficient clinical data, and there is no quality control standard for mRNA drugs except mRNA vaccines. We overview the sequence design, delivery vectors, administration, application prospect and safety considerations of mRNA drugs. We also discussed the quality control of mRNA drugs briefly.
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a common phenomenon which involved in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions in humans, such as neurodegenerative diseases, ischemic injury, autoimmune diseases and cancers. Apoptosis can be detected in vitro by morphology, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, and other techniques. Probes for cell apoptosis detection in vivo are still under research and various reagents and methods are constantly emerging. However, none of apoptosis detection methods or reagents are perfect and they all have advantages and disadvantages, as well as suitable scope of application. With the increasing application of apoptosis detection techniques, researchers will be confused about how to choose a suitable method to detect apoptosis and define the application range of each apoptosis detection method. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the benefits and drawbacks of existing apoptosis detection techniques as well as their applicable conditions. This article reviews morphological characteristics, molecular mechanism and specific biochemical changes in apoptotic cells. We summarized various apoptosis-detection methods based on these characteristics that can be used in vitro and in vivo, the advantages and disadvantages of each method and the scope of application. Also, we highlighted the existing tracers that have been used in apoptosis detection in vivo, their potentialities and limitations as well as the clinical applications of apoptosis imaging in multiple disease fields.
It has been noted for decades that cancer is essentially a genomic disease. Benefiting from the latest development of high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics technologies, a variety of genetic alterations have been identified for their roles in cancer occurrence and development, giving rise to new opportunities for anti-cancer drug discovery. In particular, the rapid advancement of cancer genomics has paved the way for the precision medicine that has gained compelling achievement in the past years and significantly benefited cancer patients. In this review, we summarize the main types of genomic abnormalities in cancer, the application of functional genomics research in cancer research, and in particular the translational application of cancer genomics in clinical diagnosis, drug discovery and cancer precision medicine. With this review, we hope to better understand cancer genomics research and provide future perspectives for its application in precision medicine.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an enzyme-active pleiotropic cytokine that is expressed in various immune cells and tumor cells. MIF plays diverse roles in inflammation and tumor progression. It acts as a cytokine involved in immune response and inflammatory lesions. Additionally, MIF is closely associated with tumor proliferation, metastasis, and other tumor hallmarks, exerting a multifaceted influence on tumor occurrence and progression. MIF not only functions by being secreted into the extracellular space as a cytokine but can also be localized within the cytoplasm and nucleus, exhibiting diverse biological functions. As MIF in promoting tumor progression becomes increasingly recognized, MIF-based therapeutic strategies have become a hot research topic in oncology. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of MIF with different subcellular localization about their pro-tumoral functions. A better understanding of MIF in tumor biology will bring broader perspectives for the development of novel MIF targeting strategies and give promising direction for future tumor treatments.
Alternative splicing is the key to human gene expression regulation and plays a decisive role in enlarging the diversity of functional proteins. Alternative splicing is an important biomarker in tumor progression, which is closely related to the development of tumors. Tumor cells tend to produce alternative spliceosome that are conducive to their progression. Therefore, targeting regulation of tumor-specific alternative spliceosomes is a potential strategy for tumor therapy. Herein, we provide a brief review of the complex relationship between alternative splicing and tumors. Alternative splicing works by removing non-coding sequences of pre-mRNA and assembling protein-coding fragments in different combinations, ultimately producing proteins with different or even opposite functions. Alternative splicing events can promote the transformation of tumor cells through apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and metabolism; they can also influence the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy by affecting genes that play a key role in the immune pathway. We proposed that direct or indirect targeting of alternative splicing factors and oligonucleotide-based therapies are the main strategies to reverse tumor alternative splicing events. These findings will help us to better understand tumor-related alternative splicing and to develop new strategies for tumor treatment.
There are more than 60 million alcoholic liver disease (ALD) patients in China, which has become a public health problem that cannot be ignored. Moreover, the social problem of "alcohol culture" is still hardly to solve, so that safe and effective prevention and treatment for ALD are in urgent need clinically. Previous studies on ALD have focused on the direct damaging effects of alcohol and its toxic metabolites, while recent studies have shown that the pathogenesis of ALD also include alcohol metabolic reprogramming and endogenous metabolites disorder. Although the endogenous metabolites have no direct toxicity, its long-term effect should not be ignored. These endogenous metabolites could change epigenetic modifications, cause widespread and persistent abnormal gene expression and signal pathway activation abnormally to promote metabolic reprogramming and stamp it as "metabolic memory", which manifest pathological changes and promote ALD, especially liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and liver cancer. Based on this, the article reviews the important epigenetic modifications caused by related metabolites in ALD and their associated effects. The role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its active ingredients in regulating epigenetics was also analyzed. The results suggest that regulation of epigenetics and alteration of "metabolic memory" may be a novel mechanism of TCM in the prevention and treatment of ALD.
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a crucial inhibitory neurotransmitter found in various cells in the human body. While the GABAergic system is typically associated with the nervous system, recent research has revealed that immune cells and tumor cells also express components of this system. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), GABA is secreted to act extracellularly on other cells. GABA is metabolized via the GABA shunt and is involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle by generating succinate, which can provide energy for tumor cells. Activation of GABA receptors (GABARs) is a major pathway through which GABA participates in the regulation of antitumor immune responses. The activation of GABA type A receptors (GABAARs) can inhibit the activation and proliferation of T cells, elicit anti-inflammatory macrophages, and promote tumor cell growth and migration, while activation of GABA type B receptors (GABABRs) is generally considered to inhibit cancer cell migration and induce cancer cell apoptosis. In general, receptor activation inhibits immune cells, but the effect on tumor cells varies. Additionally, the downregulation of the expression levels of GABA transporters (GATs) is involved in tumor progression. Although antagonists of GABA metabolism and drugs that act on GABA receptors are considered therapeutic drugs for tumors, there have been few clinical studies conducted on them.
Puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (PSAP) belongs to the M1 family of aminopeptidases, characterized by the N-terminal substrate binding sequence GAMEN, the enzyme activity center HEXXH(X)18E motif, and the C-terminal ERAP-1-like superfamily structural domain. Encoded by the gene NPEPPS located at 17q21.32, PSAP consists of 919 amino acids and is widely distributed throughout the human body, with the highest expression in the brain, followed by the heart and skeletal muscle. It is also found in the liver, renal tubular epithelium, small intestine, large intestine epithelium, and gastric epithelial cells. PSAP primarily relies on its aminopeptidase hydrolytic activity to remove toxic protein aggregates such as Tau, poly Q, and Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase 1, making it an important factor in the development of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, and tumors. Existing PSAP inhibitors include bestatin, amastatin, leuhistin, actinonin, and purinomycin, some of which are already available or in clinical trials. This review provides an overview of the structural and biological functions of M1 family aminopeptidases, with a focus on PSAP, to facilitate further research and targeted drug development.
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of membrane proteins and are the target of approximately half of all therapeutic drugs. There are ~300 orphan GPCRs, which have great potential in drug development. G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35), a rhodopsin-like orphan GPCR, is widely involved in immune regulation, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, as well as other diseases, suggesting its great potential as a therapeutic target in a variety of diseases. However, the current research on GPR35 is insufficient, including the true endogenous ligand has not been confirmed, the molecular mechanism of its role in disease is not fully understood, and there is a lack of effective intervention strategies targeting GPR35. This article summarizes the deorphatization of GPR35, GPR35-related signaling pathways and their association with various diseases, in order to provide a reference for in-depth study of GPR35 in diseases and development of drugs targeting GPR35.
Statins are a class of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors), which are widely used to reduce blood lipid in clinic, and are especially important for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, many studies at home and abroad believe that statins have a unique role in tumor prevention and treatment, and have been widely concerned. In terms of epigenetic regulation mechanism, statins mainly affect the progress of tumor through DNA methylation, histone modification and miRNA regulation. In addition, statins can also achieve their anti-tumor effects by promoting tumor cell autophagy, regulating tumor cell cycle, and promoting tumor cell apoptosis and other signaling pathways. Therefore, the research on statins provides ideas for the discovery of new anti-tumor treatments. In this paper, the role of statins in the prevention and treatment of common tumors is reviewed, including its mechanism of inhibiting the occurrence and development of tumors through epigenetic regulation and other related mechanisms, as well as its clinical research status.
No. 86 Xueyuan South Road, Haidian District, Beijing
010-62662699(Operation and Technical Support)
qkjq@cast.org.cn
Copyright © 2025 China Association for Science and Technology. All rights reserved. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply.
Sponsored by the Office of the Leading Group for Cybersecurity and Informatization of CAST, and supported by Science and Technology Review Publishing House
