Porphyromonas gingivalis Promotes Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression in an Immune Microenvironment

Increasing evidence has revealed a significant association between microorganisms and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Porphyromonas gingivalis, the keystone pathogen in chronic periodontitis, is considered an important potential etiologic agent of OSCC, but the underlying immune mechanisms through which P. gingivalis mediates tumor progression of the oral cancer remain poorly understood. Our cohort study showed that the localization of P. gingivalis in tumor tissues was related to poor survival of patients with OSCC. Moreover, P. gingivalis infection increased oral lesion multiplicity and size and promoted tumor progression in a 4-nitroquinoline-1 oxide (4NQO)–induced carcinogenesis mouse model by invading the oral lesions. In addition, CD11b+ myeloid cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) showed increased infiltration of oral lesions. Furthermore, in vitro observations showed that MDSCs accumulated when human-derived dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOKs) were exposed to P. gingivalis, and CXCL2, CCL2, interleukin (IL)–6, and IL-8 may be potential candidate genes that facilitate the recruitment of MDSCs. Taken together, our findings suggest that P. gingivalis promotes tumor progression by generating a cancer-promoting microenvironment, indicating a close relationship among P. gingivalis, tumor progression of the oral cancer, and immune responses.

Effect of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 on kidney and haemostatic function in cardiac surgical patients: a randomised controlled trial

Whether third‐generation hydroxyethyl starch solutions provoke kidney injury or haemostatic abnormalities in patients having cardiac surgery remains unclear. We tested the hypotheses that intra‐operative administration of a third‐generation starch does not worsen postoperative kidney function or haemostasis in cardiac surgical patients compared with human albumin 5%. This triple‐blind, non‐inferiority, clinical trial randomly allocated patients aged 40–85 who underwent elective aortic valve replacement, with or without coronary artery bypass grafting, to plasma volume replacement with 6% starch 130/0.4 vs. 5% human albumin. Our primary outcome was postoperative urinary neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin concentrations, a sensitive and early marker of postoperative kidney injury. Secondarily, we evaluated urinary interleukin‐18; acute kidney injury using creatinine RIFLE criteria, coagulation measures, platelet count and function. Non‐inferiority (delta 15%) was assessed with correction for multiple comparisons. We enrolled 141 patients (69 starch, 72 albumin) as planned. Results of the primary analysis demonstrated that postoperative urine neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (median (IQR [range])) was slightly lower with hydroxyethyl starch (5 (1–68 [0–996]) ng.ml⁻¹) vs. albumin (5 (2–74 [0–1604]) ng.ml⁻¹), although not non‐inferior [ratio of geometric means (95%CI) 0.91 (0.57, 1.44); p = 0.15] due to higher than expected variability. Urine interleukin‐18 concentrations were reduced, but interleukin‐18 and kidney injury were again not non‐inferior. Of 11 individual coagulation measures, platelet count and function, nine were non‐inferior to albumin. Two remaining measures, thromboelastographic R value and arachidonic acid‐induced platelet aggregation, were clinically similar but with wide confidence intervals. Starch administration during cardiac surgery produced similar observed effects on postoperative kidney function, coagulation, platelet count and platelet function compared with albumin, though greater than expected variability and wide confidence intervals precluded the conclusion of non‐inferiority. Long‐term mortality and kidney function appeared similar between starch and albumin.

A study of damage control theory in the treatment of multiple trauma mainly represented by emergency abdominal trauma

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the measures of damage control theory (DCT) in the treatment of multiple trauma mainly represented by emergency abdominal trauma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 76 patients with severe multiple trauma in the Yiwu Central Hospital were selected. Among them, 37 patients with severe multiple trauma were treated with DCT (DCT group), and 39 patients were treated with traditional methods (control group). The prothrombin time (PT), the inflammation index, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the incidence of sepsis were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

A total of 60 cases (78.95%) were cured and discharged, and 4 cases (10.81%) died in the DCT group, while 12 cases (30.77%) died in the control group. There were 6 cases (16.22%) of sepsis in the DCT group and 15 cases (38.46%) of sepsis in the control group. This indicates that the mortality and the incidence of sepsis in the DCT group were lower than those in the control group (p<0.05 in all comparisons). The PT activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), the length of stay in the ICU, and mechanical ventilation in the DCT group were notably shorter than those in the control group. The levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and IL-10 went up remarkably in both groups (p<0.05), but the levels of serum TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP in the DCT group were lower than those in the control group, while the IL-10 level in the former was significantly higher than that in the latter (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

It is feasible to apply DCT to rescue patients with multiple trauma, which can effectively reduce the mortality and complications, and shorten the length of stay in the ICU.

[Effects of tranexamic acid on the blood conservation and the long-term prognosis in pediatric patients undergoing repair for tetralogy of fallot]

Objective: To evaluate the perioperative tranexamic acid (TXA) on blood conservation in pediatric patients undergoing complete repair for tetralogy of fallot (TOF) and its impact on short-term or long-term adverse event and mortality. Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort study. From January 2009 to December 2010, 386 consecutive patients aged from 31 days to 8 years old, ASA physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ, receiving primary complete repair for TOF in Fuwai Hospital were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups: the control group (n=161) and the TXA group (n=225), according to whether TXA was used during the operation. Patients and their families were followed up by telephone in the 8th-year after surgery. The amount of perioperative blood loss, allogeneic transfusion, short-term or long-term adverse event and mortality were recorded and analyzed. Results: The patients in the TXA group were associated with significant decreased 12 h and total postoperative blood loss compared with the control group [(7.8±0.3) ml/kg vs (8.8±0.3) ml/kg, t=2.412, P<0.05; and (14.0±0.6) ml/kg vs (17.0±0.7) ml/kg, t=3.141, P<0.05]. There were no significant differences in both the volume and incidence of red blood cell, plasma, and platelet transfusion, postoperatively (P>0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of reoperation for bleeding and prolonged mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, postoperative hospital length of stay, the short-term and long-term incidence of seizure, stroke, renal failure, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and death between the two groups(P>0.05). Conclusion: TXA can decrease postoperative blood loss, but has little impact on the allogeneic blood transfusion, as well as the short-term or long-term adverse event and mortality in pediatric patients undergoing complete repair for TOF.

Genetic determination of sex and shell color in the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai revealed by an integrated linkage map

Integrated linkage maps for each sex have been constructed for the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai using three F₁ mapping families based on co-dominant markers. A total of 273 markers were placed on the female map, spanning 927.3 cM with an average interval of 3.64 cM, whereas 277 markers were mapped on the male map, covering 727.0 cM with an average spacing of 2.80 cM. Both female and male maps consisted of 18 linkage groups, corresponding well with the number of chromosomes. Furthermore, the sex-determining locus and the green/orange shell color controlling locus were mapped to the linkage group 3 (LG3) and LG9 respectively. A marker completely linked to phenotypic sex was identified, and the sex determination system was further concluded as paternal heterogametic (males XY and females XX). Based on the segregation ratio of the shell color in the progeny, a simple recessive model of epistasis was proposed to explain the distribution of different color morphs (green, orange and blue): the recessive allele determining orange type masks the effect of the locus controlling green and blue types, whereas the dominant allele at the green/orange locus permits the expression of green and blue types controlled by another locus. The current consensus map provides a useful framework for genetic studies in the Pacific abalone. Mapping of the sex-determining locus and the shell color-controlling locus leads to further understanding of the mechanisms underlying these important traits.

Effect of infectious bursal disease virus infection on energy metabolism in embryonic chicken livers

1. The purpose of this study was to investigate ATP levels and the activities of important enzymes involved in glycolysis and TCA cycle in livers of embryonated chicken eggs infected by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV).2. Embryonated chicken eggs (9 days) were randomly divided into two groups (50 eggs per group). The first group was inoculated with a very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) isolate into the chorioallantoic membrane. The second group was maintained as uninfected control eggs and inoculated with physiological saline. Embryo survival was assessed daily, and six embryos were sacrificed at 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hpi for examining livers. Viral loads in the livers were evaluated by qRT-PCR. A comparative analysis of markers associated with the regulation of energy metabolism across several functional classes (ATP, pyruvic and lactic acids, mitochondrial protein, NAD+/NADH ratios, and enolase, lactic acid dehydrogenase and the respiratory chain complex I activities) were examined in the context of IBDV infection.3. The results indicated that increases in the enzymatic activities associated with glycolytic metabolism in turn affected the synthesis and cytoplasmic concentrations of ATP at early timepoints in infected chicken embryos. Subsequently, energy metabolism was inhibited through the pathological perturbations of metabolic enzymes and mitochondrial damage, as inferred from reduced ATP generation.4. These results suggested impaired bioenergetics, which may lead to liver dysfunction consequent to IBDV infection, contributing to the disease pathogenesis.

[Role of erythroblast-like Ter cells in the pathogenesis of collagen-induced arthritis]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of Ter cells in the development of the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), we detected their quantity changes in the spleen of different stages of CIA mice and analyzed the correlation between Ter cells and the joint scores, and we also analyzed the correlation between Ter cells and the frequencies of T and B cell subsets, so as to further understand the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

METHODS

The six to eight weeks DBA/1 mice were used to prepare CIA model. After the second immunization, we began to evaluate the joint score. According to the time of CIA onset and the joint score, the CIA mice were divided into three stages: early, peak and late stages. According to the final joint score, the CIA mice at the peak stage were subdivided into the high score group (score>8) and the low score group (score≤8). The frequencies of Ter cells in the spleen of the naïve mice and the CIA mice at various stages and the frequencies of T and B cell subsets in the spleen of the CIA mice at the peak stage were detected by flow cytometry, then we carried on the correlation analysis.

RESULTS

The frequencies of Ter cells in the spleen of the CIA mice was significantly higher than those of the naïve mice (8.522%±2.645% vs. 1.937%±0.725%, P<0.01), the frequencies of Ter cells in the spleen of the high score group mice was significantly lower than those of the low score group (6.217%±0.841% vs. 10.827%±0.917%, P<0.01). The frequencies of Th1 cells in the spleen of the high score group mice was significantly higher than those of the low score group mice (1.337%±0.110% vs. 0.727%±0.223%, P<0.05). The frequencies of Th17 cells in the spleen of the high score group mice was higher than those of the low score group mice (0.750%±0.171% vs. 0.477%±0.051%, P=0.099). The frequencies of germinal center B cells in the spleen of the high score group mice was significantly higher than those of the low score group mice (1.243%±0.057% vs. 1.097%±0.015%, P<0.05). Correlation analysis results showed that the frequencies of Ter cells in the spleen of the CIA mice at the peak stage was strongly negatively correlated with the frequencies of CD4+ T, Th1, Th17, and germinal center B cells, and was strongly positively correlated with the frequencies of B10 cells, indicating that these cells might have a protective effect in CIA. Studies on dynamic changes showed that the frequencies of Ter cells in the spleen of the CIA mice at the late stage was significantly lower than those at the peak stage (0.917%±0.588% vs. 8.522%±2.645%, P<0.001), suggesting the protective effect of these cells in arthritis.

CONCLUSION

Ter cells were significantly increased in the spleen of the CIA mice at peak stage, and were negatively correlated with joint scores and pathogenic immune cells, and positively correlated with protective immune cells. Ter cells were significantly decreased in the spleen of the CIA mice at the late stage. What we mentioned above suggests that Ter cells might be involved in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis as an immunomodulatory cell,but further in vivo and in vitro experiments are needed to verify its specific effects and mechanism.

On-line quantitative analysis of heavy metals in water based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Heavy metal pollution from industrial wastewater is an important source. A method for heavy metals determination in industrial wastewater based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique was studied and the on-line monitoring system that used automatic graphite enrichment and spatial plasma confinement detection was developed and field demonstrated. The limits of detection (LOD) of heavy metal elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) could reach several μg/L. In Tongling, the on-line heavy metal monitor was field demonstrated. The calibration curves of copper and zinc were built on site, and then on-line monitoring was conducted. The measurement results of this monitor were compared with ICP-OES and had a good correlation. The results showed that the heavy metal monitor could be used for on-line detection of heavy metals in wastewater and had a good reliability.

Association of Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Frailty among Chinese Elders: A Cross-Sectional Study in Three Cities

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association of FVI and frailty in Chinese elders.

DESIGN

A sectional study was conducted in three cities (Shanghai, Zhengzhou, and Baoji) in China from June 2017 to June 2018.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 5699 participants from 49 districts were included in the current study by two-stage sampling methods.

MEASUREMENTS

Frailty was measured by a validated Chinese version of the FRAIL scale. FVI per day was measured by two single questions.

RESULTS

The sample proportion with sufficient fruit intake was 36.7%, and 44.7% reported sufficient vegetable intake. The sample proportions that were robust, pre-frail, and frail were 43.6%, 38.3%, and 18.1%, respectively. Compared with low FVI, after including covariates, the odds ratio (OR) of frailty was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.73-0.97) for moderate fruit intake and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.70-0.94) for enough fruit intake; the OR of frailty was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.68-0.91) for moderate vegetable intake and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.64-0.93) for enough vegetable intake.

CONCLUSION

High FVI was negatively associated with the OR of frailty in Chinese elders. This finding implies it is important to promote FVI among adults to prevent frailty.

Is metformin still the most efficacious first-line oral hypoglycaemic drug in treating type 2 diabetes? A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of hypoglycaemic drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

METHODS

We compared 11 major oral hypoglycaemic drugs under five categories evaluated by RCTs as drug monotherapy for the patients with T2DM, measuring glycosylated haemoglobin (%) or fasting plasma glucose (mmol L^-1 ) as outcomes. RCT quality was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Network meta-analysis estimated the mean differences and 95% credible intervals. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the results robustness. The Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation evidence strength was assessed.

RESULTS

Seventy-five RCTs including 33,830 patients were identified. Their study quality was high. Regarding glycosylated haemoglobin, top three anti-diabetics were repaglinide (mean differences -1.39 [95% credible intervals -1.75 to -1.03]), gliclazide (-1.37 [-2.04 to -0.71]) and metformin (-1.13 [-1.37 to -0.90]), against placebo. Regarding fasting plasma glucose, top three anti-diabetics were repaglinide (-2.01 [-2.75 to -0.97]), metformin (-1.72 [-2.16 to -1.27]) and glipizide (-1.57 [-2.44 to -0.64]), against placebo. There was no difference between metformin and repaglinide. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses found the results to be robust. The evidence strength was moderate to high.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis showed that repaglinide and metformin would be the most efficacious oral drugs for first-line monotherapy of T2DM.

[Systemic lupus erythematosus with acquired hemophilia A: a case report]

Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is anunusual disease resulting from autoantibodies (inhibitors) against coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and clinically manifests as bleeding, which sometimes can cause potentially limb-threatening or life-threatening situations. AHA is associated with cancers, auto-immune disorders, infections, dermatologic conditions and certain medications, among which it is commonly secondary to multiple rheumatologic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pollymyositis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia and undifferentiated connective tissue disease. In autoimmune diseases, it may be the result of autoantibody producing against FVIII, and some cases of AHA may act as the first manifestation of SLE. AHA should be suspected in patients who have spontaneously hemorrhagic events with an isolated prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), reduced FVIII activity and a negative lupus anticoagulant (LA). When FVIII inhibitor is found, it can be diagnosed. The management of AHA focuses on the following goals: (1) controlling and preventing bleeding, (2) eradication of the inhibitor, (3) treatment of the underlying disease. Here, a case of AHA in a patient with lupus is reported. A 53-year-old man with a 4-year history of SLE developed arthralgia and ecchymotic skin lesions after arthrocentesis of knee joint. Ultrasound confirmed the presence of an intramuscular hematoma. Coagulation tests revealed that FVIII activity reduced to 1% and a prolonged APTT (92.2 s), FVIII inhibitors were found to be as high as 60.0 Bethesda Units. Initial treatments with methylprednisolone 200 mg/d were started but new hemorrhagic manifestation occurred and hisbiological indexes were not good. Then the patient was treated with intravenous pulse corticosteroids (methylprednisolone 500 mg/d), intravenous cyclophosphamide, and also plasma and prothrombin complex infusion. Subsequently, FVIII activity returned within normal ranges, FVIII inhibitors decreased and clinical improvement was significantly obtained. The patient's condition kept stable till now.Hemorrhagic events due to production of antibodies directed against coagulation factors were rarely observed in SLE and attentions should be paid to the association between SLE and AHA.Bypass treatment was considered as the immediate antihemorrhagic treatment. Corticosteroid combined with immunosuppressor was recommended as the main therapy to eradicate the inhibitors. However we still lack the therapeutic guidelines and standardized treatment in patients of AHA with SLE at present.

[Increased receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand expressed on B10 cells in rheumatoid arthritis]

OBJECTIVE

To detect receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) expressed on B10 cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate the correlation between RANKL-producing B10 cells in RA and clinical features and laboratory parameters, trying to reveal the possible role of B10 cells in the pathogenesis of RA and the potential mechanism of impaired immunosuppressive capacities.

METHODS

25 RA patients and 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled. These RA patients did not received treatment with glucocorticoids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug and biologics during the recent half of a year. The levels of RANKL-producing B10 cells were measured by flow cytometry (FCM) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The correlation between the frequencies of RANKL-producing B10 cells in RA and clinical data, laboratory parameters were analyzed. The role of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) in inducing RANKL expression in B10 cells was evaluated by in vitro stimulation assay. Independent samples t test, Pearson and Spearman correlation were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

B10 cells were capable of producing RANKL at a low level in health controls. The frequencies of RANKL-producing B10 cells were markedly higher in RA patients than in health controls (3.65%±1.59% vs. 2.25%±0.68%, P<0.01). The frequencies of these cells correlated positively with RA tender joint counts, swollen joint counts and disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) (r=0.479, P=0.035; r=0.519, P=0.008; r=0.526, P=0.019). However, no correlation was found between these cells and RA patient age, disease duration, or the levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA). After in vitro stimulation by TNF-α, but not IL-1β, B10 cells isolated from healthy donors demonstrated fundamentally upregulated expression of RANKL.

CONCLUSION

Our studies showed the frequencies of RANKL-producing B10 cells were markedly higher in RA patients, and their frequencies were positively correlated with RA tender joint counts, swollen joint counts and DAS28. These findings suggested that B10 cells might be involved in RA bone destruction.

Symbolic Important Point Perceptually and Hidden Markov Model Based Hydraulic Pump Fault Diagnosis Method

Hydraulic pump is a driving device of the hydraulic system, always working under harsh operating conditions, its fault diagnosis work is necessary for the smooth running of a hydraulic system. However, it is difficult to collect sufficient status information in practical operating processes. In order to achieve fault diagnosis with poor information, a novel fault diagnosis method that is the based on Symbolic Perceptually Important Point (SPIP) and Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is proposed. Perceptually important point technology is firstly imported into rotating machine fault diagnosis; it is applied to compress the original time-series into PIP series, which can depict the overall movement shape of original time series. The PIP series is transformed into symbolic series that will serve as feature series for HMM, Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the symbolic space partition scheme. The Hidden Markov Model is then employed for fault classification. An experiment involves four operating conditions is applied to validate the proposed method. The results show that the fault classification accuracy of the proposed method reaches 99.625% when each testing sample only containing 250 points and the signal duration is 0.025 s. The proposed method could achieve good performance under poor information conditions.

Efficacy and safety of rituximab therapy for membranous nephropathy: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a leading cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults, but the treatment of MN remains controversial. Rituximab, a possible alternative treatment option, represented a new therapeutic hope for the treatment of membranous nephropathy (MN). We performed a meta-analysis to perform the efficacy and safety of rituximab therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Either randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies or case studies were eligible for review and were performed in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane database with the computerized searches. The primary outcome measure was remissions and the endpoint outcomes. We assessed the following studies methodological quality independently by using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing risk of bias scale. The primary meta-analyses were performed using fixed or random effects models due to a1n expected clinical diversity.

RESULTS

Five trials with a total of 351 patients were included. We found significant difference between rituximab and the placebo group on complete remissions rate (OR=1.6, 95%; CI=0.96, 2.66; I2 of 0% indicating no heterogeneity) and eGFR (MD=-0.69, 95% CI=-14.53, 0.73). The factors of remission and no remission MN patients who received treatment with rituximab on remission were proteinuria and albumin, which reported different (MD=7.20, 95% CI=-9.07, -5.33) (MD=10.70, 95% CI=7.23, 14.17). But remains high risk of infusion reactions (OR= 81.37, 95% CI=4.89, 1354.41). No evidence of significant risk of bias was reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Rituximab had a beneficial effect and remissions of proteinuria on MN during follow-up times, but some adverse events were still unknown. Taking consideration of long-term therapeutic side effects and dose of the drug, we suggest that rituximab might replace cyclophosphamide and steroids as first-line immunosuppressive therapy in MN patients.

Comprehensive analysis of the mitochondrial DNA diversity in Chinese cattle

Complete mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences of 1105 individuals were used to assess the diversity of maternal lineages of cattle populations in China. In total, 250 taurine and 88 zebu haplotypes were identified. Five main haplogroups-T1a, T2, T3, T4 and T5-were identified in Bos taurus, whereas Bos indicus harbored two haplogroups-I1 and I2. Our results suggest that the distribution of T1a in Asia was concentrated mainly in the northeast region (northeast China, Korea and Japan); haplogroups T2, T3 and T4 were predominant in Chinese cattle; and T5 was sporadically detected in Mongolian and Pingwu cattle. In contrast to the widespread presence of I1, I2 was distributed only in southwestern China (Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Tibet Autonomous Region) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This is the first time that all five taurine haplogroups and two zebu haplogroups have been found in Mongolian cattle. In addition, eight individuals in Tibetan cattle carried the Bos grunniens mtDNA type. The high mtDNA diversity (H = 0.904 ± 0.008) and the weak genetic structure among the 57 Chinese cattle breeds/populations are consistent with their complex historical background, migration route and ecological environment.

[De novo Assembly and Analysis of Sumac (Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley) Transcriptomes Provides Insights into the Biosynthesis of Urushiol]

Sumac is universally known for its abundance of raw lacquer. Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley is one of the widely distributed native sumac cultivars. To accelerate sumac breeding for more prolific, high-quality, and robust cultivars, it is essential to explore its lacquer metabolism. However, transcriptomic and genomic data available for sumac are still limited. In this study, we generated the transcriptomic profiles of triploid Toxicodendron vernicifluum CV. Dahongpao (Dahongpao) and diploid T. vernicifluum and Toxicodendron vernicifluum CV. Huoyanzi (Huoyanzi), with 87856 unigenes. About 53% of these unigenes were annotated using Nr, Swiss-Prot, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) and Gene Ontology (GO). We identified nine differentially expressed candidate genes associated with type III polyketide synthase formation, which is the first step in urushiol biosynthesis. Additionally, a number of simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) were identified in T. vernicifluum for further molecular marker-assisted breeding. This study is the first report of Toxicodendron species transcriptome.