Browsing by Author "Yang, Yue"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Amplification-Free, High-Throughput Nanoplasmonic Quantification of Circulating MicroRNAs in Unprocessed Plasma Microsamples for Earlier Pancreatic Cancer Detection
    (ACS, 2023-03) Masterson, Adrianna N.; Chowdhury, Nayela N.; Yang, Yue; Yip-Schneider, Michele T.; Hati, Sumon; Gupta, Prashant; Cao, Sha; Wu, Huangbing; Schmidt, C. Max; Fishel, Melissa L.; Sardar, Rajesh; Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of Science
    Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly malignancy that is often detected at an advanced stage. Earlier diagnosis of PDAC is key to reducing mortality. Circulating biomarkers such as microRNAs are gaining interest, but existing technologies require large sample volumes, amplification steps, extensive biofluid processing, lack sensitivity, and are low-throughput. Here, we present an advanced nanoplasmonic sensor for the highly sensitive, amplification-free detection and quantification of microRNAs (microRNA-10b, microRNA-let7a) from unprocessed plasma microsamples. The sensor construct utilizes uniquely designed −ssDNA receptors attached to gold triangular nanoprisms, which display unique localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties, in a multiwell plate format. The formation of −ssDNA/microRNA duplex controls the nanostructure–biomolecule interfacial electronic interactions to promote the charge transfer/exciton delocalization processes and enhance the LSPR responses to achieve attomolar (10–18 M) limit of detection (LOD) in human plasma. This improve LOD allows the fabrication of a high-throughput assay in a 384-well plate format. The performance of nanoplasmonic sensors for microRNA detection was further assessed by comparing with the qRT-PCR assay of 15 PDAC patient plasma samples that shows a positive correlation between these two assays with the Pearson correlation coefficient value >0.86. Evaluation of >170 clinical samples reveals that oncogenic microRNA-10b and tumor suppressor microRNA-let7a levels can individually differentiate PDAC from chronic pancreatitis and normal controls with >94% sensitivity and >94% specificity at a 95% confidence interval (CI). Furthermore, combining both oncogenic and tumor suppressor microRNA levels significantly improves differentiation of PDAC stages I and II versus III and IV with >91% and 87% sensitivity and specificity, respectively, in comparison to the sensitivity and specificity values for individual microRNAs. Moreover, we show that the level of microRNAs varies substantially in pre- and post-surgery PDAC patients (n = 75). Taken together, this ultrasensitive nanoplasmonic sensor with excellent sensitivity and specificity is capable of assaying multiple biomarkers simultaneously and may facilitate early detection of PDAC to improve patient care.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Neurotensin-neurotensin receptor 2 signaling in adipocytes suppresses food intake through regulating ceramide metabolism
    (Springer Nature, 2025) Fu, Wei; Lai, Yuanting; Li, Kexin; Yang, Yue; Guo, Xiao; Gong, Qifan; Zhou, Xiaofeng; Zhou, Liying; Liu, Cenxi; Zhang, Zhi; So, Jisun; Zhang, Yufeng; Huang, Lin; Lu, Guangxing; Yi, Chuanyou; Wang, Qichu; Fan, Chenyu; Liu, Chao; Wang, Jiaxing; Yu, Haiyi; Zhao, Yimin; Huang, Tao; Roh, Hyun Cheol; Liu, Tiemin; Tang, Huiru; Qi, Jianping; Xu, Ming; Zheng, Yan; Huang, He; Li, Jin; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Neurotensin (NTS) is a secretory peptide produced by lymphatic endothelial cells. Our previous study revealed that NTS suppressed the activity of brown adipose tissue via interactions with NTSR2. In the current study, we found that the depletion of Ntsr2 in white adipocytes upregulated food intake, while the local treatment of NTS suppressed food intake. Our mechanistic study revealed that suppression of NTS-NTSR2 signaling enhanced the phosphorylation of ceramide synthetase 2, increased the abundance of its products ceramides C20-C24, and downregulated the production of GDF15 in white adipose tissues, which was responsible for the elevation of food intake. We discovered a potential causal and positive correlation between serum C20-C24 ceramide levels and human food intake in four populations with different ages and ethnic backgrounds. Together, our study shows that NTS-NTSR2 signaling in white adipocytes can regulate food intake via its direct control of lipid metabolism and production of GDF15. The ceramides C20-C24 are key factors regulating food intake in mammals.