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Oxalate-induced damage to renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) is an essential factor in the incident kidney stone, but the specific mechanism is unclear. Recent research has pinpointed interacting areas within the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, called mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs). These studies have linked endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and oxidative imbalance to kidney disease development. The sigma-1 receptor (S1R), a specific protein found in MAMs, is involved in various physiological processes, but its role in oxalate-induced kidney stone formation remains unclear. In this study, we established cellular and rat models of oxalate-induced kidney stone formation to elucidate the S1R's effects against ERS and apoptosis and its mechanism in oxalate-induced RTEC injury. We found that oxalate downregulated S1R expression in RTECs and escalated oxidative stress and ERS, culminating in increased apoptosis. The S1R agonist dimemorfan up-regulated S1R expression and mitigated ERS and oxidative stress, thereby reducing apoptosis. This protective effect was mediated through S1R inhibition of the CHOP pathway. Animal experiments demonstrated that S1R's activation attenuated oxalate-induced kidney injury and alleviated kidney stone formation. This is the first study to establish the connection between S1R and kidney stones, suggesting S1R's protective role in inhibiting ERS-mediated apoptosis to ameliorate kidney stone formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: In nature, fishes have evolved functional skins with effective hydrodynamic performance and anti‐fouling, facilitating predation and escaping from predators. Although a large number of fish scale‐inspired structured surfaces have been explored, the incorporation of mucus on the structured surfaces has been largely ignored. Inspired by the skin of Osteichthyes fishes, a Janus hydrogel coating (JHC) is successfully prepared by a two‐step UV light irradiation at room temperature. The bottom side of JHC (STH) achieves a shear adhesive strength of 103.3 ± 17.5 kPa and can strongly adhere to a large variety of surfaces, including metals, ceramic and polymers. The top surface of JHC (SLH) replicates the structure of cycloid scales, while the nature of hydrogel mimics the mucus on fish skin. SLH possesses prominent mechanical, anti‐swelling, anti‐fouling and drag reduction properties. The design strategy for JHC has potential applications in numerous fields, like, pipeline transportation, bioengineering, and shipping industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between the tumor cells and bone marrow (BM) microenvironment promote survival, growth, and chemoresistance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The mTOR pathway plays a key role in mediating the AML‐BM microenvironment interactions. Here, we report the anti‐AML activity of a natural monomer extracted from the Chinese medicinal herb Evodia rutaecarpa, dihydroevocarpine. Our results showed that dihydroevocarpine‐induced cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and G0/G1 arrest in AML cells, and inhibited the tumor growth in an AML xenograft model. Importantly, our study revealed that the dihydroevocarpine treatment inhibited the mTOR pathway via suppressing the mTORC1/2 activity, and thus overcame the protective effect of the BM microenvironment on AML cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that dihydroevocarpine could be used as a potential anti‐AML agent alone or a therapeutic adjunct in AML therapy, particularly in the presence of the BM microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) exerts an essential role in the pathological processes of many diseases. Our previous study found that lncRNA ATB was highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8), 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU), and migration‐related assays were conducted to access the regulatory effects of lncRNA ATB on proliferative and migratory capacities of RCC cells. Flow cytometry was carried out to determine cell cycle and apoptosis influenced by lncRNA ATB. The interaction among lncRNA ATB, DNMT1, and p53 was evaluated through RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and western blot analyses. The results showed that lncRNA ATB knockdown in RCC cell line ACHN inhibited proliferative and migratory capacities and promoted apoptosis. Meanwhile, overexpression of lncRNA ATB in RCC cell line A‐498 promoted proliferative and migratory capacities but inhibited apoptosis. RIP and ChIP assays confirmed that lncRNA ATB can bind to DNMT1 and stabilize its expression; meanwhile, it can promote the binding of DNMT1 to p53. Overexpression of p53 partially reversed the proliferative and migratory changes caused by lncRNA ATB. To sum up, our study revealed that high expression of lncRNA ATB could accelerate the proliferative and migratory rates of RCC cells and inhibit cell apoptosis through downregulating p53 via binding to DNMT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNA (circRNA) play important roles in the pathological processes of many diseases. By analyzing the results of the GSE100186 chip, we found that the expression of circRNA ZNF609 (circ‐ZNF609) was significantly increased in renal cell carcinoma. Recently, there are studies showing that circ‐ZNF609 can regulate cell proliferation and invasion ability of various cells. In this study, we investigated whether circ‐ZNF609 may affect cell invasion and proliferation in renal carcinoma. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the expression of circ‐ZNF609 in renal carcinoma cell lines and renal epithelial cells. The direct interaction between microRNA‐138‐5p (miR‐138‐5p) and forkhead box P4 (FOXP4) or circ‐ZNF609 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. We use Cell Counting Kit‐8, 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine, and Matrigel assays to assess the effect of miR‐138‐5p or circ‐ZNF609 on cell proliferation or invasion ability. And we found that circ‐ZNF609 is significantly increased in renal carcinoma cell lines. In addition, the high expression of circ‐ZNF609 promotes cell proliferation and invasion ability. In short, our current study reveals the role of the circ‐ZNF609/miR‐138‐5p/FOXP4 regulatory network in renal carcinoma and provides a new perspective for the pathogenesis of renal carcinoma. Our research indicates that circRNA ZNF609 (circ‐ZNF609) functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate forkhead box P4 expression by sponging microRNA‐138‐5p has great significance in the pathogenesis of renal carcinoma. Therefore, further study of circRNA may have clinical implications for future diagnosis and treatment of renal carcinoma and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: In nature, fishes have evolved functional skins with effective hydrodynamic performance and anti‐fouling, facilitating predation and escaping from predators. Although a large number of fish scale‐inspired structured surfaces have been explored, the incorporation of mucus on the structured surfaces has been largely ignored. Inspired by the skin of Osteichthyes fishes, a Janus hydrogel coating (JHC) is successfully prepared by a two‐step UV light irradiation at room temperature. The bottom side of JHC (STH) achieves a shear adhesive strength of 103.3 ± 17.5 kPa and can strongly adhere to a large variety of surfaces, including metals, ceramic and polymers. The top surface of JHC (SLH) replicates the structure of cycloid scales, while the nature of hydrogel mimics the mucus on fish skin. SLH possesses prominent mechanical, anti‐swelling, anti‐fouling and drag reduction properties. The design strategy for JHC has potential applications in numerous fields, like, pipeline transportation, bioengineering, and shipping industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]