摘要：Seasonal influenza remains a serious threat to human health, causing 3–5 million severe cases and approximately 290,000 to 650,000

Volume 3 Issue 3

封面解读

Yuhai Bi

Seasonal influenza remains a serious threat to human health, causing 3–5 million severe cases and approximately 290,000 to 650,000 fatalities annually. In China, seasonal influenza activity significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the H3N2 virus led to three epidemic waves between 2019 and 2022. Our study highlights that H3N2 viruses in different clades showed genetic reassortment, which accelerated the mutation of the viruses. Additionally, the mismatch between the H3N2 circulating viruses and the WHO-recommended vaccine strains may have contributed to the influenza outbreak. The epidemic strains replicated better at 37 ℃ compared to 33 ℃, which may explain the H3N2 outbreak in summer. These findings emphasize the necessity of strengthening surveillance systems and fostering global collaboration to optimize vaccine updates. Furthermore, developing novel or universal vaccines against influenza virus and even coronavirus is imperative to address antigenic variability and mitigate future pandemic risks.

导读

All Papers

1. Time is now: Preparing for the next pandemic

通讯作者：刘军、高福、袁国勇、潘烈文、宋楠

At the BIOHK2024, held on September 11–14, 2024, the roundtable discussion titled “Time is now: Preparing for the next pandemic,” brought together Professors Jun Liu, George Fu Gao, Kwok-Yung Yuen, Lit Man Leo Poon, and Nan Song. They discussed the recent emergence of viruses such as H5N1 in North America, where the first human case without animal contact was reported. And they explored the current state of global readiness for impending viral threats, focusing on the necessity for enhanced surveillance, improved diagnostic technologies, and the development of more efficient vaccines and drugs. Given these developments, the panel underscored the importance of a coordinated global response, the role of vaccination in mitigating pandemic impacts, and the challenges posed by emerging viruses and their variants.

引用：

Liu J, Gao GF, Yuen KY, et al. Time is now: Preparing for the next pandemic. hLife 2025; 3: 113–117.

2. ACSS2: Tumor-promoting lactyl-CoA synthetase that drives histone lactylation

通讯作者：尤忠胜

The specific enzymes that synthesize lactyl-CoA and catalyze protein lysine lactylation in mammalian cells remain a mystery. The role of protein lactylation in normal physiological conditions and pathological settings such as tumorigenesis also remains to be further explored. A recent groundbreaking study by Zhu et al. has started to unravel these mysteries. Zhu et al. identified acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2) as a bona fide lactyl-CoA synthetase that converts lactate to lactyl-CoA, which in turn serves as a substrate of the acetyltransferase/lactyltransferase KAT2A to directly lactylate histone H3. Interestingly, the activities of these enzymes play an important role in tumor growth and immune evasion in mouse models.

引用：

Wang KL, You Z. ACSS2: Tumor-promoting lactyl-CoA synthetase that drives histone lactylation. hLife 2025; 3: 118–120.

3. Neutrophils: Key players in the metabolic syndrome puzzle

通讯作者：Lai Guan Ng

引用：

Yaw HP, Devi S, Ng LG. Neutrophils: Key players in the metabolic syndrome puzzle. hLife 2025; 3: 121–131.

4. Enabling the immune escaped etesevimab fully-armed against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants including KP.2

通讯作者：杨梦苏、高福

引用：

Su C, He J, Xie Y, et al. Enabling the immune escaped etesevimab fully-armed against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants including KP.2. hLife 2025; 3: 132–145.

5. H3N2 influenza virus characteristics in China (2019–2022): Genetic, antigenic, and infection dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic

通讯作者：毕玉海

引用：

Li J, Huan Y, Xia Q, et al. H3N2 influenzavirus characteristics in China (2019–2022): Genetic, antigenic, and infection dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic. hLife 2025; 3: 146–158.

来源：科创中国