Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Steven D. Brooks, Rachel L. Smith, Aline S. Moreira, Hans C. Ackerman
Summary: Lisinopril increases ACE2 expression in tissues relevant to COVID-19, while adding losartan prevents the lisinopril-induced increase. A sex difference was observed with higher ACE2 levels in the kidneys of male mice.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesca Lunardi, Francesco Fortarezza, Luca Vedovelli, Federica Pezzuto, Annalisa Boscolo, Marco Rossato, Roberto Vettor, Anna Maria Cattelan, Claudia Del Vecchio, Andrea Crisanti, Paolo Navalesi, Dario Gregori, Fiorella Calabrese
Summary: This study found that ACE-2 levels were decreased in lung tissue of smokers, and smoking was the most probable risk factor associated with low ACE-2 expression. Additionally, there was a direct relationship between viral quantity and ACE-2 expression, with high ACE-2 expressors more likely to show vascular injury.
Article
Cell Biology
Tiziana Guarnieri
Summary: This review discusses the significant role of Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) in the inflammatory framework of COVID-19, including its regulation of ACE-2 and B(0)AT1 expression, as well as its induction of IDO-1 and production of IL-6.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shiho Tanaka, Gard Nelson, C. Anders Olson, Oleksandr Buzko, Wendy Higashide, Annie Shin, Marcos Gonzalez, Justin Taft, Roosheel Patel, Sofija Buta, Ashley Richardson, Dusan Bogunovic, Patricia Spilman, Kayvan Niazi, Shahrooz Rabizadeh, Patrick Soon-Shiong
Summary: The study identified an ACE2 decoy that can effectively combat SARS-CoV-2 variants, offering a treatment option. The use of MD simulation to predict ACE2 sequence substitutions and screen candidate ACE2 decoys enhances efficacy against variants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiandong Shi, Tingfu Du, Junbin Wang, Cong Tang, Mengyue Lei, Wenhai Yu, Yun Yang, Ying Ma, Pu Huang, Hongli Chen, Xu Wang, Jing Sun, Haixuan Wang, Yong Zhang, Fangyu Luo, Qing Huang, Bai Li, Shuaiyao Lu, Yunzhang Hu, Xiaozhong Peng
Summary: The activation of the AhR signaling pathway during SARS-CoV-2 infection interferes with antiviral immune responses and enhances viral replication by upregulating ACE2 receptor expression. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic knockout of AhR reduces the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in vitro and in vivo, and alleviates lung inflammation. AhR is therefore a pro-viral host factor and a potential broad-spectrum target for antiviral therapy against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
George Anderson, Annalucia Carbone, Gianluigi Mazzoccoli
Summary: The metabolism of tryptophan plays a crucial role in regulating immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, with AhR activation being a key factor in altering the nature of these responses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Agnieszka Dettlaff-Pokora, Julian Swierczynski
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 impairs the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system by binding the ACE2 enzyme, leading to an increase in angiotensin 2 and a decrease in angiotensin (1-7), potentially worsening damage to the lungs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Virology
Sandeep Singh, Christine Widrich, Martijn Nap, Emile Schokker, Aeilko H. Zwinderman, Sara-Joan Pinto-Sietsma
Summary: A global analysis was conducted to explore the association between antihypertensive medications and SARS-CoV-2 severity. The results suggest that ARBs and CCBs may have a protective effect against death from SARS-CoV-2 infection, while ACEis may be associated with a higher mortality rate.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Lianghui Zhang, Krishna K. Narayanan, Laura Cooper, Kui K. Chan, Savanna S. Skeeters, Christine A. Devlin, Aaron Aguhob, Kristie Shirley, Lijun Rong, Jalees Rehman, Asrar B. Malik, Erik Procko
Summary: Monoclonal antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have shown efficacy in treating COVID-19, but new variants that escape antibody neutralization have emerged. Soluble decoy receptors based on the host entry receptor ACE2 can effectively bind and block SARS-CoV-2 variants. This study demonstrates that inhalation of sACE2(2).v2.4-IgG1 can improve survival and reduce lung injury. The decoy also tightly binds and neutralizes Omicron variants, providing broad neutralizing activity.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Sarah Alabsi, Atharva Dhole, Sameh Hozayen, Scott A. Chapman
Summary: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a crucial role as a counterregulatory enzyme in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), exerting protective actions against vasoconstriction, inflammation, and fibrosis. ACE2 serves as the binding site for the viral spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, facilitating its entry into ACE2-expressing tissue cells. Various factors, including viral variants, patient characteristics, and ACE2 expression levels, contribute to the severity and complications of COVID-19 infection. The impact of medications that alter ACE2 receptor expression on disease progression and outcomes remains uncertain. This review aims to discuss the interrelation between SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, and factors influencing the variability of ACE2 expression and the severity of COVID-19 infection.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Wang, Hikari Takeshita, Koichi Yamamoto, Yibin Huang, Cheng Wang, Tsuneo Nakajima, Yoichi Nozato, Taku Fujimoto, Serina Yokoyama, Kazuhiro Hongyo, Futoshi Nakagami, Hiroshi Akasaka, Yoichi Takami, Yasushi Takeya, Ken Sugimoto, Hiromi Rakugi
Summary: This study found that Ang II did not affect ACE2 and other molecules associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, supporting recent observational studies suggesting that the use of RASi is not a risk factor for COVID-19.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomokazu Yamaguchi, Midori Hoshizaki, Takafumi Minato, Satoru Nirasawa, Masamitsu N. Asaka, Mayumi Niiyama, Masaki Imai, Akihiko Uda, Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan, Saori Takahashi, Jianbo An, Akari Saku, Ryota Nukiwa, Daichi Utsumi, Maki Kiso, Atsuhiro Yasuhara, Vincent Kwok-Man Poon, Chris Chung-Sing Chan, Yuji Fujino, Satoru Motoyama, Satoshi Nagata, Josef M. Penninger, Haruhiko Kamada, Kwok-Yung Yuen, Wataru Kamitani, Ken Maeda, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Yasuhiro Yasutomi, Yumiko Imai, Keiji Kuba
Summary: Endogenous ACE2 is a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and a recombinant soluble ACE2 protein can act as a decoy to inhibit virus infection. The ACE2-like enzyme B38-CAP is shown to be protective against SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury, providing potential therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 patients.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Qiong Wang, Ye Qiu, Jin-Yan Li, Ce-Heng Liao, Zhi-Jian Zhou, Xing-Yi Ge
Summary: This study found that SARS-CoV-2 utilizes less ACE2 receptors than SARS-CoV, showing a narrower host range and a tendency to not use murine or non-mammal ACE2 receptors. Additionally, pangolin-CoV is more similar in ACE2 utilization profile to SARS-CoV than to SARS-CoV-2. Further in vivo studies are needed to verify the actual susceptibility of these animals to coronaviruses. The comparison of amino acid sequences of ACE2 receptors revealed potentially critical residues determining the varying receptor utilization of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and pangolin-CoV. This research enhances understanding of the receptor utilization of pandemic coronaviruses, aiding in virus tracing, intermediate host screening, and epidemic prevention for pathogenic coronaviruses.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Somasundaram Raghavan, M. Dennis Leo
Summary: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19, is a significant global health crisis. The range of symptoms among COVID-19 patients varies from life-threatening to mild or asymptomatic, posing challenges for identification, quarantine, and treatment. The emergence of Long COVID, characterized by unusual symptoms among survivors, is concerning due to limited understanding and treatment options. Recent evidence suggests that histamine and vascular inflammation might contribute to some Long COVID symptoms. Famotidine, a commonly used H2 receptor blocker, has been shown to prevent adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jingwei Bian, Zijian Li
Summary: This article summarizes the complex relationship between the coronavirus, ACE2, and RAS, proposing novel infection modes and pathways for virus entry mediated by ACE2, while also discussing the controversy surrounding the use of anti-RAS drugs.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Kakeru Yokoi, Kiyoshi Kimura, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: Studies on the detection and annotation of transposable elements face challenges, and the use of unified methods for data comparison is important. This study conducted a meta-analysis of transposable elements in five Apis species, revealing the landscape of transposable elements. The study suggests that TcMar-Mariner might have specific effects in the host A. mellifera species.
Article
Biology
Keita Tamura, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: Hypoxia is an abiotic stress in plants and flooding resulting from climate change is a major threat to crops. In this study, a meta-analysis of RNA sequencing data of Arabidopsis and rice under hypoxia was performed to identify candidate genes for novel molecular mechanisms in plants under hypoxia.
Article
Entomology
Kouhei Toga, Kakeru Yokoi, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: Population density can induce changes in insect morphology, physiology, and behavior, a phenomenon known as density-dependent plasticity. Aphids and locusts are classic examples of insects exhibiting density-dependent plasticity. This study conducted a meta-analysis of public transcriptomes to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon. The analysis revealed that processes such as DNA replication, DNA metabolic processes, and mitotic cell cycle were enriched in response to crowded conditions. These findings provide important understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of density-dependent plasticity and highlight the significance of oxidative stress response and neurological system modifications under isolated conditions.
Article
Entomology
Kakeru Yokoi, Takeshi Wakamiya, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: The importance of the honeybee as an economically and ecologically essential insect species is highlighted, along with the need for reference transcriptome data for further research. The constructed reference transcriptome data and its significance in facilitating future transcriptome analyses of Apis mellifera are discussed.
Article
Biology
Yoko Ono, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: Gene expression studies can be biased due to external information, but this can be overcome using data-driven analysis. The FANTOM CAGE-Associated Transcriptome project provides a comprehensive meta-assembly of the human transcriptome and was used to evaluate the differential response of various transcripts to hypoxia. The study revealed down-regulation of genes associated with ncRNA metabolism in response to hypoxia.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Keita Tamura, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: We report the genome sequence of Ulva prolifera, a type of seaweed, which was isolated from the Yoshinogawa River in Japan. The genome assembly size is 103.8 Mbp, obtained using Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION and Illumina sequencing reads, consisting of 142 scaffolds with an N-50 value of 4.11 Mbp.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Keita Tamura, Mika Sakamoto, Yasuhiro Tanizawa, Takako Mochizuki, Shuji Matsushita, Yoshihiro Kato, Takeshi Ishikawa, Keisuke Okuhara, Yasukazu Nakamura, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: Perilla frutescens is an important herbal plant with perillaldehyde and rosmarinic acid as its major bioactive compounds. By using genome editing technology, the production of valuable metabolites can be enhanced, improving the medicinal and nutritional uses of this plant. A high-quality genome assembly of red perilla domesticated in Japan was generated, which can serve as a valuable reference for selecting target genes in genome editing.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shigeru Nakamura, Keiji Tanimoto, Ujjal K. Bhawal
Summary: This study investigated the impact of a deficiency of the Dec1 gene on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) and explored the role of ribosomal proteins in the hypoxic environment during OTM. Results showed that HIF-1 alpha transgenic mice had higher expression levels of Dec1, HSP105, and ribosomal proteins. Knockout of Dec1 resulted in slower OTM and reduced expression of ribosomal proteins. These findings suggest that the hypoxic environment in OTM plays a crucial role in the functions of Dec1 and ribosomal proteins in maintaining periodontal tissue homeostasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Kakeru Yokoi, Seiichi Furukawa, Rui Zhou, Akiya Jouraku, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: In this study, a reference genome of the oriental armyworm was constructed, and the quality of the genome was found to be sufficient for use as a reference. The number of predicted genes and coding sites were also determined. Through functional gene annotation, important genes such as the Toll and Immune Deficiency pathways and C-type lectins were identified. These research findings will contribute to molecular and genome-level research on the oriental armyworm and lepidopteran insects.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoshiko Hashimoto, Tomoko Tsuzuki-Nakao, Naoko Kida, Yoshiyuki Matsuo, Tetsuo Maruyama, Hidetaka Okada, Kiichi Hirota
Summary: The endometrium undergoes repeated changes during the menstrual cycle, and chronic endometritis can lead to implantation failure and miscarriage. In this study, the effects of inflammatory cytokines, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), and inflammation on endometrial epithelial cells were investigated. The results showed that pro-inflammatory factors and hypoxia activated HIF-1 and promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in endometrial epithelial cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kouhei Toga, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: Eusociality in insects, characterized by reproductive division of labor, has evolved independently many times. Despite transcriptome analyses of queens and workers in various eusocial species, the genes that regulate the reproductive division of labor across multiple eusocial species remain elusive. A meta-analysis of publicly available RNA-sequencing data from four major groups of social insects identified 20 differentially expressed genes in queens or workers, of which 12 genes are newly discovered to be involved in reproductive division of labor. Functional annotation reveals that these genes may regulate behaviors and physiological states associated with reproductive division of labor. These 20 genes, uncovered through extensive datasets of numerous eusocial insects, may serve as key regulators of reproductive division of labor.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoshimi Kawamura, Kaori Oka, Takashi Semba, Mayuko Takamori, Yuki Sugiura, Riyo Yamasaki, Yusuke Suzuki, Takeshi Chujo, Mari Nagase, Yuki Oiwa, Shusuke Fujioka, Sayuri Homma, Yuki Yamamura, Shingo Miyawaki, Minoru Narita, Takaichi Fukuda, Yusuke Sakai, Takatsugu Ishimoto, Kazuhito Tomizawa, Makoto Suematsu, Takuya Yamamoto, Hidemasa Bono, Hideyuki Okano, Kyoko Miura
Summary: Naked mole-rats have unique mechanisms to prevent the accumulation of senescent cells and undergo a specific type of cell death called INK4a-RB cell death upon induction of cellular senescence, a phenomenon not observed in mouse cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sora Yonezawa, Hidemasa Bono
Summary: This study conducted a meta-analysis to explore the expression of heat stress-related genes in humans and mice, identifying common upregulated and downregulated genes and conducting further functional analysis. These findings are important for addressing climate change and technological advancements.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kiichi Hirota, Maretoshi Hirai
Summary: Consumer rhythm-monitoring devices, such as the Apple Watch, are now widely available and can detect irregular pulses using built-in sensors. This case report demonstrates the identification of previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation through self-acquisition of ECG data using an Apple Watch.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Tomohiro Shoji, Mikio Hayashi, Chisato Sumi, Munenori Kusunoki, Takeo Uba, Yoshiyuki Matsuo, Kiichi Hirota
Summary: Research found that sevoflurane at clinically used concentrations does not promote sphere formation and proliferation of human glioblastoma stem cells, and does not exacerbate the disease course.
MEDICINA-LITHUANIA
(2022)