Hong Wang

2 months ago | nature.com | Wenchang Qian |Penglei Jiang |Mingming Niu |Yujuan Fu |Deyu Huang |Dong Zhang | +12 more

DNA methylation is a significant component in proximal chromatin regulation and plays crucial roles in regulating gene expression and maintaining the repressive state of retrotransposon elements. However, accurate profiling of the proteomics which simultaneously identifies specific DNA sequences and their associated epigenetic modifications remains a challenge. Here, we report a strategy termed SelectID (selective profiling of epigenetic control at genome targets identified by dCas9), which introduces methylated DNA binding domain into dCas9-mediated proximity labeling system to enable in situ protein capture at repetitive elements with 5-methylcytosine (5mC) modifications. SelectID is demonstrated as feasible as dCas9-TurboID system at specific DNA methylation regions, such as the chromosome 9 satellite. Using SelectID, we successfully identify CHD4 as potential repressors of methylated long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) retrotransposon through direct binding at the 5’ untranslated region (5’UTR) of young LINE-1 elements. Overall, our SelectID approach has opened up avenues for uncovering potential regulators of specific DNA regions with DNA methylation, which will greatly facilitate future studies on epigenetic regulation. The authors introduce SelectID, an approach combining CRISPR-guided targeting with methylation-sensitive labeling to identify proteins interacting with methylated repetitive sequences. They suggest that CHD4 directly binds young LINE-1 retrotransposons, suppressing their activity.

Feb 24, 2025 | nature.com | Dadong Wu |Siqi Chen |Wenting Tang |Hong Wang |Jie Zhou |Xiaoyue Peng | +1 more

Shenzhen, a leading city in China’s Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) Programme, implemented effective practices to reduce HIV-related stigma and officially launched a comprehensive work plan in 2021. This study assessed the trend of HIV-related stigma in Shenzhen’s midwifery hospitals by comparing two surveys of healthcare providers (HCPs) conducted in 2020 and 2023. The study included 2705 HCPs and used an adapted 15-item HIV-related stigma scale. The results showed a significant decrease in stigma, with the mean stigma score dropping from 2.01 in 2020 to 1.89 in 2023. While most items showed improvement, one item related to prejudice and stereotypes showed a slight increase in stigma. In two items on attitudes toward women living with HIV, HCPs were more supportive of their reproductive rights, but less so toward allowing women living with HIV with children to have more. Training was found to be a factor associated with reducing stigma. HCPs who did not receive training, were older, worked as nurses, or had no HIV patient service experience exhibited higher levels of stigma. In general, our findings suggest that the EMTCT programme may contribute to reducing HIV-related stigma, highlighting the importance of continued training and programme optimization to address persistent stigma.

Feb 5, 2025 | dx.doi.org | Yawen Chen |Yan Qiu |Tao Chen |Hong Wang

Jan 23, 2025 | nature.com | John D. Morrey |Venkatraman Siddharthan |Hong Wang |Alexandre Oliveira |Rakesh Kaundal |Sara Freeman | +4 more

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes a variety of peripheral and central nervous system complications leading to neurological symptoms such as limb weakness. We used a mouse model to identify candidate genes potentially involved in causation or recovery from ZIKV-induced acute flaccid paralysis. Using Zikv and Chat chromogenic and fluorescence in situ RNA hybridization, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and ZIKV RT-qPCR, we determined that some paralyzed mice had infected motor neurons, but motor neurons are not reduced in number and the infection was not present in all paralyzed mice; hence infection of motor neurons were not strongly correlated with paralysis. Consequently, paralysis was probably caused by by-stander effects. To address this, we performed bioinformatics analysis on spinal cord RNA to identify 2058 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were altered during paralysis and then normalized after paralysis. Of these “biphasic” DEGs, 951 were up-regulated and 1107 were down-regulated during paralysis, followed by recovery. To refine the search for candidate DEGs we used gene ontology analysis and RT-qPCR to select 3 DEGs that could be involved with the node of Ranvier function and 5 DEGs that could be involved with synaptic function. Among these, SparcL1:Sparc DEG ratios were identified to be inversely correlated with ZIKV-induced paralysis, which is consistent with the known function of SPARC protein to antagonize the synaptogenesis of SPARCL1. Ank3, Sptbn1, and Epb41l3 affecting the structures at and near the nodes of Ranvier were significantly downregulated during ZIKV-induced paralysis. The primary contribution is the identification of 8 candidate genes that may be involved in the causation or recovery of ZIKV-induced paralysis.

Dec 18, 2024 | mdpi.com | Hong Wang

3. Results 3.1. Age and Sex Distribution of CAD Patients illustrates the age distribution of hospitalized coronary artery disease (CAD) patients stratified by sex. The density curve for males peaks around the age of 60, indicating a higher concentration of male patients in their 50s and 60s. In contrast, the female distribution curve exhibits a broader and slightly later peak, with the majority of female patients concentrated between the ages of 60 and 70.