This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect and possible mechanism of carboxyamidotriazole (CAI) on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mice model and M5 (IL-1α, IL-17A, IL-22, TNF-α and oncostatin M)-induced keratinocytes model of psoriasis. The severity of psoriasis-like skin lesion in mice was evaluated by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score. The histopathological changes of skin were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Baker score was calculated. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in skin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Transcriptome sequencing technique was used to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to detect mRNA expressions. The animal experiments conducted in this study were approved by the Institutional Animal Care Use & Welfare Committee of Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (grant No. ACUC-A02-2022-115). The results showed that CAI significantly improved the severity of psoriasis-like lesion, reduced PASI score, attenuated pathological changes, decreased Baker score and inhibited the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-23 and TNF-α in skin of IMQ-induced mice. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that regulating keratinocytes and their mediated keratinization might be involved in the mechanism of CAI. Further qPCR study validated that CAI down-regulated the mRNA expression of DEG S100a7. Moreover, the keratinocyte model of psoriasis was established by stimulating HaCaT cells by M5. It was shown that CAI decreased the mRNA expression levels of S100a7, Il1β, Il6, Il17, Il23 and Ccl20, which were up-regulated by M5 stimulation. In conclusion, CAI might have a good therapeutic efficacy on psoriasis, and its mechanism was related to regulate the function of keratinocytes and downregulate cytokines and S100a7.

Protein phosphorylation modification is an important mechanism of physiological regulation that is closely related to protein biological functions. In particular, protein kinases are responsible for catalyzing the phosphorylation process of proteins, and phosphatases are responsible for catalyzing the dephosphorylation process of phosphorylation-modified proteins, which together mediate the achievement of dynamic and reversible phosphorylation modifications of proteins. Abnormal phosphorylation levels of proteins contribute to the development of many diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and chronic diseases. Therefore, rational design of small molecules to regulate protein phosphorylation is an important approach for disease treatment. Based on the mechanism of protein phosphorylation regulation, small molecule drug design strategies can be classified into three types, protein kinase modulators, phosphatase modulators, and bifunctional molecules with proximity-mediated mechanism. This review emphasizes the above three small molecule design strategies for targeting protein phosphorylation regulation, including molecular design ideas, research progress and current challenges, and provides an outlook on small molecule modulators targeting protein phosphorylation modification.

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a crucial molecular chaperone responsible for the activation and maturation of client proteins. Targeting HSP90 can effectively inhibit cancer cell proliferation by either competitively occupying the ATP-binding site or disrupting the protein-protein interaction sites between HSP90 and its co-chaperones. Therefore, studying the recognition and function of HSP90 binding sites is essential for molecular discovery. This study focuses on peptide P1, revealing its dual binding mechanism with HSP90. P1 is capable of simultaneously interacting with both the ATP-binding site of HSP90 and the binding interface with the co-chaperone CDC37 (cell division cycle 37). Through ATPase and Co-IP assays, we found that P1 effectively inhibits both ATP activity and the protein interaction between HSP90 and CDC37, providing a novel approach for developing new inhibitors targeting the HSP90 chaperone system.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) is a recognition protein for N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), mediating the stability of downstream mRNA, and is a promising anti-tumor target. Based on the lead compound 1g from previous screening, this study designed and synthesized 52 IGF2BP2 small molecule inhibitors using thiazole hydrazone as the parent nucleus. Among them, 9g, 10g, 37g, 47g and 52g showed good inhibitory activities. This work represents an initial exploration in the development of small molecule inhibitors targeting IGF2BP2, using thiazolehydrazone as the core structure. It lays a foundation for subsequent related research.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for protein degradation in both normal and pathological states. E3 ligases selectively attach ubiquitin to specific substrates, which is essential for regulating cellular homeostasis. The function of E3 ligases has been associated with a variety of diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. The discovery of E3 ligands can help regulate E3 ligases, thus expanding new ideas for disease treatment. Targeted protein degradation (TPD) drugs, including proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their dependence on E3 ligands. In this paper, we review the discovery techniques of E3 ligands, including activity-based protein mapping, fragment-based drug discovery, and library-based methods, and briefly introduce the protein interaction detection techniques involved in the ligand discovery techniques, in the hope of providing certain ideas for the future discovery of E3 ligands as well as the treatment of diseases.

Lonicera Linn. is the largest genus of family Caprifoliaceae, which has a long history and abundant resources in China. Due to its ornamental and medicinal properties, the species of Lonicera shows outstanding economic value. However, affected by the huge demand and high price stimulation, there is a serious mixing phenomenon on the market. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the analysis of L. angustifolia Wallich ex Candolle var. myrtillus (Hook. f. & Thomson) Q. E. Yang, L. myrtillus Hook. f. et Thoms. var. cyclophylla Rehd, L. szechuanica Batal and L. tangutica Maxim to sequence and assemble their chloroplast (CP) genomes, and to conduct structural comparisons and phylogenetic studies. The results showed that the chloroplast genomes of the four species showed a typical circular tetrad structure, with a total length of 154 608-163 413 bp and a total GC content of 37.93%-38.42%. A total of 128-129 genes were annotated, including 83-84 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 37 tRNA genes. A total of 53-68 SSRs and 133-745 long repeats were detected by chloroplast repeat structure analysis. Phylogenetic studies showed that 21 species of Lonicera medicinal plants could be significantly clustered into one branch, among which the relatives of L. angustifolia and L. szechuanica were close, and the kinship of L. myrtillus and L. tangutica was close. This study is the first comprehensive study of the chloroplast genome and phylogenetic relationship of Loicera species, and the experimental results provide a scientific basis for revealing the genetic information, species evolution and genetic diversity of Lonicera species.

The non-alkaloid chemical constituents of dried Phellodendron chinense barks were investigated. A total of 14 phenolic compounds (1-14) were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of Phellodendron chinense by the utilization of silica gel, medium pressure liquid chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and preparative liquid chromatography. Among of the isolated compounds, isophellolactone (1) was identified as a new compound. The isolated 14 compounds were further tested the activity on α-glucosidase inhibition. The results for the first time demonstrated that quininic acid ester 3-6 and 8 exhibited good α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Polyhydroxy hexa-membered carbon ring in quinine ester derivatives is possibly the essential group for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity.

Gut microbiome and their metabolites are closely related to human diseases, which influence the development of diseases by interacting with receptors. G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) is a receptor superfamily that exists on the surface of cell membrane, which is involved in a wide range of human physiological activities. GPCR is currently considered as important drug targets. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) are characterized by multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways. More and more studies have demonstrated that TCM can ultimately intervene in diseases by modulating gut microbiome and their metabolites, affecting their interactions with GPCR. This review discusses the status of gut microbiome and human diseases, the interactions of gut microbiome and their metabolites with GPCR, and the status of GPCR drug development. Based on the above contents, a new model of "TCM-gut microbiome panel-GPCR-disease" is proposed. The interactions between active ingredients of TCM, gut microbiome panel, and GPCR and their effects on disease are elucidated through multi-omics techniques. This review will provide new ideas for analyzing the pharmacological mechanism of TCM efficacy and searching for new targets of TCM.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are not only crucial for the assembly of protein complexes but also fundamental for maintaining normal biological functions. These interactions are vital for protein structure and biological functionality and play a central role in cellular signaling, metabolic pathways, and regulatory networks. The 14-3-3 protein, highly conserved and widely expressed in eukaryotes, primarily recognizes and binds to its partner proteins to participate in essential life processes such as cell cycle control, signal transduction, and energy metabolism. This review discusses the role of dysregulated PPIs between 14-3-3 proteins and their partner proteins such as estrogen receptor α (estrogen receptor α, ERα), RAF proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase (C-RAF/RAF-1), and p53 in the onset and progression of tumors, focusing on the research progress of 14-3-3/ERα, 14-3-3/C-RAF, and 14-3-3/p53 molecular glues. These molecular glues, by mimicking or enhancing the phosphorylation sites of serine on partner proteins, form covalent bonds, salt bridges, and hydrogen bonds with 14-3-3 proteins, thereby enhancing the stability of PPIs and effectively intervening in protein activity and signaling under pathological conditions. Additionally, this article explores the potential of this chemical intervention strategy in clinically suppressing tumor progression, providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for future research directions.

Folding and post-translational modification of proteins are vital for their proper functionality, with various functional regulatory systems playing significant roles, including molecular chaperone systems, ubiquitination systems, phosphorylation systems, acetylation systems, etc. Precise regulations of these systems have emerged as an important trend in drug development. This review systematically summarizes the molecular control strategies related to protein folding and post-translational modification, with a specific focus on the molecular chaperone system and the strategy of heterobifunctional molecules. On one hand, based on the similarities and differences in molecular mechanisms and design strategies, we summarize the drug development process targeting the molecular chaperone system. On the other hand, we discuss the design principles and characteristics of dual-functional molecules, and summarize their applications and developments in the precise control of post-translational modifications, aiming to provide new insights for future design.