On April 19, 2024, we were delighted to welcome Prof. Ji Yong from Harbin Medical University, to the Lihu Campus of Shenzhen University. Upon invitation by Prof. Baohua Liu, Dean of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ministry of Medicine, Prof. Yong Ji gave the 104th lecture of the Shenzhen Medical Forum, titled "Protein sulfhydryl modification and cardiovascular loss”.

Prof. Ji Yong has devoted his career to date to researching cardiovascular diseases and the role of protein sulfhydryl modification (SSH), which was the focus of his lecture. He first introduced the impact of cardiovascular diseases on human health and then provided background on how protein SSH (and the effect of cysteine sites serving as molecular switches) play a role in pathogenesis. He explained the key roles of SSH and nitrosylation modification (SNO) on various target proteins involved in cardiovascular remodeling and then discussed the clinical relevance, functional validation, and upstream/downstream mechanisms. The lecture touched on issues such as aortic aneurysm/splints, including their topology and possible concomitant diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, and their associations with SSH modification. Prof. Ji Yong also outlined the multiple signaling pathways promoting cardiac remodeling and vascular remodeling that have been identified during studies of SNO. Most innovatively, he proposed a role for RNA editing in feedforward control induced by SNO modification. Finally, he introduced the pharmacological effects of ketorolac and discussed how he considers that R-type ketorolac could reduce aortic aneurysm/clamping lesions. Throughout his lecture, Prof. Ji Yong presented his experimental research ideas, methods and clinical cases with vivid, clear and logical explanations, and also compared and contrasted the viewpoints of Chinese and Western medicine. The lecture was hugely beneficial and enjoyable for all in attendance, as evidenced by the numerous questions posed by teachers and students regarding cysteine locus research.

Brief introduction of Speakers

Ji Yong is President, Professor, and PhD supervisor of Harbin Medical University. Director of the Innovation Research Group of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chief of the Key R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology. His research predominantly focuses on cardiovascular pathophysiology and pharmacology and has led more than 10 major and key scientific foundations. He has published over 80 papers in leading academic journals such as Cell Research, Circulation, and Circulation Research. He received the First Prize in Natural Science from the Ministry of Education (2016), the First Prize in Science and Technology from Jiangsu Province (2016, 2021), the Second Prize in Chinese Medical Science and Technology (2019), and the National Innovation Excellence Certificate (2023) as the first completed individual. He has authored three international patents and 18 national invention patents. He served as the Chairman of the Bioactive Small Molecule Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Pathology and Physiology, and the Vice Chairman of the Lipid and Lipoprotein Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.