OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shenqi Chongcao (SQCC) Formula on the ASS1/src/STAT3 signaling pathway in a rat model of lung fibrosis and explore its therapeutic mechanism.
METHODS: A total of 120 male SD rats were divided equally into 5 groups, including a blank control group with saline treatment and 4 groups of rat models of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis induced by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin. One day after modeling, the rat models were treated with daily gavage of 10 mL/kg saline, SQCC decoction (0.423 g/kg), pirfenidone (10 mL/kg), or intraperitoneal injection of arginine deiminase (ADI; 2.25 mg/kg, every 3 days) for 28 days. After the treatments, the lung tissues of the rats were collected for calculating the lung/body weight ratio, observing histopathology using HE and Masson staining, and analyzing the inflammatory cells in BALF using Giemsa staining. Serum chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels were measured with ELISA. The protein expressions of src, p-srcTry529, STAT3, and p-STAT3Try705 and the mRNA expressions of ASS1, src and STAT3 in the lung tissues were detected using Western blotting and RT-qPCR.
RESULTS: The neutrophil, macrophage and lymphocyte counts and serum levels of CCL2 and TGF-β1 were significantly lower in SQCC, pirfenidone and ADI treatment groups than in the model group at each time point of measurement (P < 0.05). P-srcTry529 and p-STAT3Try705 protein expression levels and ASS1, src, and STAT3 mRNA in the lung tissues were also significantly lower in the 3 treatment groups than in the model group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: SQCC Formula can alleviate lung fibrosis in rats possibly by activating the ASS1/src/STAT3 signaling pathway in the lung tissues.

BACKGROUND: Major bleeding occurs annually in 1%-3% of patients on vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), despite close monitoring. Genetic variants in proteins involved in VKA response may affect this risk.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of genetic variants (cytochrome P450 enzymes 2C9 [CYP2C9] and 4F2 [CYP4F2], gamma-glutamyl carboxylase [GGCX]) with major bleeding in VKA users, separately and combined, including vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit-1 (VKORC1).
METHODS: A case-cohort study was established within the BLEEDS cohort, which includes 16,570 patients who initiated VKAs between 2012 and 2014. We selected all 326 major bleeding cases that occurred during 17,613 years of follow-up and a random subcohort of 978 patients. We determined variants in CYP2C9, CYP4F2, GGCX, VKORC1 and evaluated the interaction between variant genotypes. Hazard ratios for major bleeding with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by weighted Cox regression.
RESULTS: Genotype was determined in 256 cases and 783 subcohort members. Phenprocoumon was the most prescribed VKA for both cases and the subcohort (78% and 75%, respectively). Patients with major bleeding were slightly older than subcohort patients. CYP4F2-TT carriership was associated with a 1.6-fold (95% CI 0.9-2.8) increased risk of major bleeding compared with CC-alleles, albeit not statistically significant. For the CYP2C9 and GGCX variants instead, the major bleeding risk was around unity. Carrying at least two variant genotypes in CYP2C9 (poor metabolizer), CYP4F2-TT, and VKORC1-AA was associated with a 4.0-fold (95%CI 1.4-11.4) increased risk, while carriers of both CYP4F2-TT and VKORC1-AA had a particularly increased major bleeding risk (hazard ratio 6.7, 95% CI 1.5-29.8) compared with carriers of CC alleles in CYP4F2 and GG in VKORC1. However, the number of major bleeding cases in carriers of multiple variants was few (8 and 5 patients, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: CYP4F2 polymorphism was associated with major bleeding, especially in combination with VKORC1 genetic variants. These variants could be considered to further personalize anticoagulant treatment.

3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCC) catalyzes the two-step, biotin-dependent production of 3-methylglutaconyl-CoA, an essential intermediate in leucine catabolism. Given the critical metabolic role of MCC, deficiencies in this enzyme lead to organic aciduria, while its overexpression is linked to tumor development. MCC is a dodecameric enzyme composed of six copies of each α- and β-subunit. We present the cryo-EM structure of the endogenous MCC holoenzyme from Trypanosoma brucei in a non-filamentous state at 2.4 Å resolution. Biotin is covalently bound to the biotin carboxyl carrier protein domain of α-subunits and positioned in a non-canonical pocket near the active site of neighboring β-subunit dimers. Moreover, flexibility of key residues at α-subunit interfaces and loops enables pivoting of α-subunit trimers to partly reduce the distance between α- and β-subunit active sites, required for MCC catalysis. Our results provide a structural framework to understand the enzymatic mechanism of eukaryotic MCCs and to assist drug discovery against trypanosome infections.

Vitamin K is an essential micronutrient and a cofactor for the enzyme γ-glutamyl carboxylase, which adds a carboxyl group to specific glutamic acid residues in proteins transiting through the secretory pathway. Higher vitamin K intake has been linked to a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in humans. Preclinical work suggests that this effect depends on the γ-carboxylation of specific proteins in β-cells, including endoplasmic reticulum Gla protein (ERGP), implicated in the control of intracellular Ca2+ levels. In this review we discuss these recent advances linking vitamin K and glucose metabolism, and argue that identification of γ-carboxylated proteins in β-cells is pivotal to better understand how vitamin K protects from T2D and to design targeted therapies for this disease.

Identifying genes whose expression is associated with schizophrenia (SCZ) risk by transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) facilitates downstream experimental studies. Here, we integrated multiple published datasets of TWAS, gene coexpression, and differential gene expression analysis to prioritize SCZ candidate genes for functional study. Convergent evidence prioritized Propionyl-CoA Carboxylase Subunit Beta (PCCB), a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial gene, as an SCZ risk gene. However, the PCCB\'s contribution to SCZ risk has not been investigated before. Using dual luciferase reporter assay, we identified that SCZ-associated SNPs rs6791142 and rs35874192, two eQTL SNPs for PCCB, showed differential allelic effects on transcriptional activities. PCCB knockdown in human forebrain organoids (hFOs) followed by RNA sequencing analysis revealed dysregulation of genes enriched with multiple neuronal functions including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic synapse. The metabolomic and mitochondrial function analyses confirmed the decreased GABA levels resulted from inhibited tricarboxylic acid cycle in PCCB knockdown hFOs. Multielectrode array recording analysis showed that PCCB knockdown in hFOs resulted into SCZ-related phenotypes including hyper-neuroactivities and decreased synchronization of neural network. In summary, this study utilized hFOs-based multi-omics analyses and revealed that PCCB downregulation may contribute to SCZ risk through regulating GABAergic pathways, highlighting the mitochondrial function in SCZ.

Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death marked by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation1, has a key role in organ injury, degenerative disease and vulnerability of therapy-resistant cancers2. Although substantial progress has been made in understanding the molecular processes relevant to ferroptosis, additional cell-extrinsic and cell-intrinsic processes that determine cell sensitivity toward ferroptosis remain unknown. Here we show that the fully reduced forms of vitamin K-a group of naphthoquinones that includes menaquinone and phylloquinone3-confer a strong anti-ferroptotic function, in addition to the conventional function linked to blood clotting by acting as a cofactor for γ-glutamyl carboxylase. Ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1), a NAD(P)H-ubiquinone reductase and the second mainstay of ferroptosis control after glutathione peroxidase-44,5, was found to efficiently reduce vitamin K to its hydroquinone, a potent radical-trapping antioxidant and inhibitor of (phospho)lipid peroxidation. The FSP1-mediated reduction of vitamin K was also responsible for the antidotal effect of vitamin K against warfarin poisoning. It follows that FSP1 is the enzyme mediating warfarin-resistant vitamin K reduction in the canonical vitamin K cycle6. The FSP1-dependent non-canonical vitamin K cycle can act to protect cells against detrimental lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis.

γ-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX), also known as vitamin K-dependent glutamyl carboxylase, catalyzes the posttranslational modification of specific glutamate residues in vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDPs), and participates multiple biological functions including blood coagulation, bone metabolism, vascular calcification, and cell proliferation. It has been reported originally that GGCX pathogenic variation causes blood coagulation deficiency, which is called as vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor deficiency 1 (VKCFD1). Recently, it has been found that GGCX gene variation results in multiple clinical phenotypes, including dermatological, ophthalmological, skeletal or cardiac abnormalities. Among them, dermatological phenotype is the most common, which is known as pseudoxanthoma elasticum-like syndrome. This paper has reviewed the GGCX pathogenic variation associated phenotypes, in order to increase the recognition of GGCX-related genetic diseases and to help its diagnosis and treatment.

γ-Glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) generates multiple carboxylated Glus (Glas) in vitamin K-dependent (VKD) proteins that are required for their functions. GGCX is processive, remaining bound to VKD proteins throughout multiple Glu carboxylations, and this study reveals the essentiality of processivity to VKD protein function. GGCX mutants (V255M and S300F) whose combined heterozygosity in a patient causes defective clotting and calcification were studied using a novel assay that mimics in vivo carboxylation. Complexes between variant carboxylases and VKD proteins important to hemostasis (factor IX [FIX]) or calcification (matrix Gla protein [MGP]) were reacted in the presence of a challenge VKD protein that could potentially interfere with carboxylation of the VKD protein in the complex. The VKD protein in the complex with wild-type carboxylase was carboxylated before challenge protein carboxylation occurred and became fully carboxylated. In contrast, the V255M mutant carboxylated both forms at the same time and did not completely carboxylate FIX in the complex. S300F carboxylation was poor with both FIX and MGP. Additional studies analyzed FIX- and MGP-derived peptides containing the Gla domain linked to sequences that mediate carboxylase binding. The total amount of carboxylated peptide generated by the V255M mutant was higher than that of wild-type GGCX; however, the individual peptides were partially carboxylated. Analysis of the V255M mutant in FIX HEK293 cells lacking endogenous GGCX revealed poor FIX clotting activity. This study shows that disrupted processivity causes disease and explains the defect in the patient. Kinetic analyses also suggest that disrupted processivity may occur in wild-type carboxylase under some conditions (eg, warfarin therapy or vitamin K deficiency).

Based on observations indicating that the γ-carboxylase enzyme has a lower affinity for the protein C (PC) propeptide and that the γ-carboxylase region in the PC propeptide has a higher net charge, expression of recombinant chimeric factor IX (FIX) equipped with the PC propeptide was studied. The prepropeptide of FIX was replaced with that of PC by SOEing PCR and after cloning, recombinant pMT-prepro PC/FIX was transfected into insect Drosophila S2 cells. The expression and activity of expressed FIX were analyzed employing antigen and activity analyses 72 h of post-induction with copper. Higher secretion (1.2 fold) and activity (1.6 fold) levels were observed for chimeric prepro- PC/FIX in relation to wild-type FIX. Furthermore, after barium citrate precipitation, the evaluation of fully γ-carboxylated FIX indicated that more than 51% of the total FIX produced with the PC prepropeptide was fully γ-carboxylated, representing a substantial improvement (twofold) over a system employing the native FIX propeptide in which 25% of the protein is fully γ-carboxylated. The data illustrated that the expression of FIX using the PC propeptide led to much higher fully γ-carboxylated material, which is preferred to FIX constructs tolerating the sequence for the native FIX propeptide expressed in heterologous S2 systems.

The synthesis of natural products by E. coli is a challenging alternative method of environmentally friendly minimization of hazardous waste. Here, we establish a recombinant E. coli capable of transforming sodium benzoate into 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone (2,4,6-TriHB), the intermediate of benzophenones and xanthones derivatives, based on the coexpression of benzoate-CoA ligase from Rhodopseudomonas palustris (BadA) and benzophenone synthase from Garcinia mangostana (GmBPS). It was found that the engineered E. coli accepted benzoate as the leading substrate for the formation of benzoyl CoA by the function of BadA and subsequently condensed, with the endogenous malonyl CoA by the catalytic function of BPS, into 2,4,6-TriHB. This metabolite was excreted into the culture medium and was detected by the high-resolution LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. The structure was elucidated by in silico tools: Sirius 4.5 combined with CSI FingerID web service. The results suggested the potential of the new artificial pathway in E. coli to successfully catalyze the transformation of sodium benzoate into 2,4,6-TriHB. This system will lead to further syntheses of other benzophenone derivatives via the addition of various genes to catalyze for functional groups.