Estrogen and estrogen receptor signaling promotes allergic immune responses: Effects on immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory factors involved in allergy

Hypersensitivity occurs when the body is stimulated by an antigen, resulting in an immune response, and leads to a physiological disorder or abnormal tissue trauma. Various immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory mediators are involved in the immune responses related to allergic diseases, which are the core of anaphylaxis. Estrogen receptors are widely distributed in immune cells, which combine with estrogen and participate in allergic responses by affecting immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory factors. We aimed to summarize the association between estrogen and allergic reactions to provide a scientific basis for understanding and studying the mechanisms of allergic diseases.

[Study on the relationship between smoking behavior and health literacy among grade 4-6 primary students in Shandong province]

Objective: To investigate the associations between smoking and literacy on health among 4-6 grade primary school students. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted to research on health literacy and smoking among 4-6 grade pupils in Shandong province, through a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. Sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy level and smoking rate were collected from respondents. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of smoking and health literacy. Results: A total of 9 240 questionnaires were distributed, with the rate of valid response as 99.7%. The current smoking rate of the students was 2.6%, on higher in boys (3.1%) than in girls (2.0%). 60.8% of 4-6 grade students were found to have adequate health literacy level. Levels of literacy health in both boy and girl school students appeared 56.7% and 64.9%, respectively. Results indicated that health literacy in smokers (14.4%) was lower than that in non-smokers (62.0%). Results from the binary logistic regression analysis showed that the independent influencing factors would include grade, father's education level, economic situation of the family, self-assessment on the school record and literacy on health (P<0.01). After controlling the other independent variables, the smoking rate was 8.62 (1/0.116) times in students with low literacy level on health, than those with high literacy level. Conclusions: Literacy on health was significantly associated with smoking in the 4-6 grade pupils of Shandong province.

A Protocol for Transverse Cardiac Slicing and Optical Mapping in Murine Heart

Thin living tissue slices have recently emerged as a new tissue model for cardiac electrophysiological research. Slices can be produced from human cardiac tissue, in addition to small and large mammalian hearts, representing a powerful in vitro model system for preclinical and translational heart research. In the present protocol, we describe a detailed mouse heart transverse slicing and optical imaging methodology. The use of this technology for high-throughput optical imaging allows study of electrophysiology of murine hearts in an organotypic pseudo two-dimensional model. The slices are cut at right angles to the long axis of the heart, permitting robust interrogation of transmembrane potential (Vm) and calcium transients (CaT) throughout the entire heart with exceptional regional precision. This approach enables the use of a series of slices prepared from the ventricles to measure Vm and CaT with high temporal and spatial resolution, allowing (i) comparison of successive slices which form a stack representing the original geometry of the heart; (ii) profiling of transmural and regional gradients in Vm and CaT in the ventricle; (iii) characterization of transmural and regional profiles of action potential and CaT alternans under stress (e.g., high frequency pacing or β-adrenergic stimulation) or pathological conditions (e.g., hypertrophy). Thus, the protocol described here provides a powerful platform for innovative research on electrical and calcium handling heterogeneity within the heart. It can be also combined with optogenetic technology to carry out optical stimulation; aiding studies of cellular Vm and CaT in a cell type specific manner.

MicroRNA-24 attenuates vascular remodeling in diabetic rats through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The vascular remodeling plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of diabetic cardiovascular complications. In this study, we intended to explore the effects and potential mechanisms of microRNA-24 (miR-24) on vascular remodeling under diabetic conditions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

MiR-24 recombinant adenovirus (Ad-miR-24-GFP) was used to induce miR-24 overexpression either in carotid arteries or high glucose (HG)-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Cell proliferation was analyzed using CCK-8 method. Cell migration was examined using wound-healing and transwell assay. mRNA and protein expressions of critical factors were, respectively, measured by real-time PCR and western blot as follows: qRT-PCR for the levels of miR-24, PIK3R1; western blot for the protein levels of PI3K (p85α), Akt, p-Akt, mTOR, p-mTOR, 4E-BP1, p-4E-BP1, p70s6k, p-p70s6k, MMP 2, MMP 9, collagen Ⅰ, as well as collagen Ⅲ. Carotid arteries in diabetic rats suffered balloon injury were harvested and examined by HE, immunohistochemical and Masson trichrome staining. The expression of miR-24 was decreased in HG-stimulated VSMCs and balloon-injured carotid arteries of diabetic rats, accompanied by increased mRNA expression of PIK3R1. The up-regulation of miR-24 suppressed VSMCs proliferation, migration, collagen deposition not only induced by HG in vitro, but also in balloon-injured diabetic rats, which were related to inactivation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

The up-regulation of miR-24 significantly attenuated vascular remodeling both in balloon-injured diabetic rats and HG-stimulated VSMCs via suppression of proliferation, migration and collagen deposition by acting on PIK3R1 gene that modulated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axes.

ALK5 is essential for tooth germ differentiation during tooth development

The TGFβ superfamily of proteins participates in tooth development. TGFβ1 and TGFβ3 regulate odontoblast differentiation and dentin extracellular matrix synthesis. Although the expression of TGFβ family member ligands is well-characterized during mammalian tooth development, less is known about the TGFβ receptor, which is a heteromeric complex consisting of a type I and type II receptors. The molecular mechanism of ALK5 (TGFβR1) in the dental mesenchyme is not clear. We investigated the role of ALK5 in tooth germ mesenchymal cells (TGMCs) from the lower first molar tooth germs of day 15.5 embryonic mice. Human recombinant TGFβ3 protein or an ALK5 inhibitor (SD208) was added to the cells. Cell proliferation was inhibited by SD208 and promoted by TGFβ3. We found that SD208 inhibited TGMCs osteogenesis and dentinogenesis. Both canonical and noncanonical TGFβ signaling pathways participated in the process. TAK1, P-TAK1, p38 and P-p38 showed greater expression and SMAD4 showed less expression when ALK5 was inhibited. Our findings contribute to understanding the role of TGFβ signaling for the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from dental germ and suggest possible targets for optimizing the use of stem cells of dental origin for tissue regeneration.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields: promising treatment for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis (OP) is considered to be a well-defined disease which results in high morbidity and mortality. In patients diagnosed with OP, low bone mass and fragile bone strength have been demonstrated to significantly increase risk of fragility fractures. To date, various anabolic and antiresorptive therapies have been applied to maintain healthy bone mass and strength. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) are employed to treat patients suffering from delayed fracture healing and nonunions. Although PEMFs stimulate osteoblastogenesis, suppress osteoclastogenesis, and influence the activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and osteocytes, ultimately leading to retention of bone mass and strength. However, whether PEMFs could be taken into clinical use to treat OP is still unknown. Furthermore, the deeper signaling pathways underlying the way in which PEMFs influence OP remain unclear.

205 Towards the correction of meconium ileus with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) intestinal expression in CFTR knockout sheep

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a human autosomal genetic disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which is responsible for Cl − anion transport in epithelial cells. We previously generated CFTR +/− and CFTR −/− lambs using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. The CFTR −/− lambs display many features similar to humans with CF, including meconium ileus (MI), pancreatic fibrosis, portal fibrosis and biliary hyperplasia, small gallbladder, and absence of the vas deferens. Although MI affects only 15 to 20% of human babies with CF, it was observed in 100% of newborn CFTR −/− lambs and was the primary cause of death. We here hypothesized that the transgenic expression of ovine CFTR cDNA under regulation of the rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) promoter would promote the correction of MI in CFTR −/− sheep. In this study, we constructed the pcDNA3.1&gt;iFABP&gt;CFTR expression vector in order to generate iFABP&gt;CFTR transgenic CFTR −/− sheep. PCR and sequence analysis of all junction regions confirmed the presence of the inserts in the vector. We transfected male and female CFTR −/− sheep fetal fibroblasts with the construct. Three days after transfection, limiting dilution and G418 selection were used for the isolation of resistant single cell derived colonies. A total of 15 male colonies containing the pcDNA3.1&gt;iFABP&gt;CFTR vector was confirmed by PCR and sequence analysis. Three male cell colonies were used as nuclear donors for SCNT. In total, 129 one-cell-stage cloned embryos were generated and transferred into 11 estrus-synchronized recipients. Four recipients (4/11; 36.3%) were confirmed pregnant at Day 40 to 45 of gestation. One pregnancy went to term and resulted in the birth of a single lamb. The necropsy indicated the same abnormalities, including MI, seen in CFTR −/− lambs. A PCR assay confirmed the presence of the iFABP&gt;CFTR transgene in the genome of the cloned offspring. The lack of MI correction is likely due to the low expression of CFTR in this particular colony. Western blot analysis is in progress. Additional embryo transfers will be performed using different single-cell-derived colonies.

206 Towards the generation of transchromosomic goats for the production of fully human immunoglobulin

We have previously reported that inactivation of endogenous immunoglobulin (Ig) genes can enhance the production of human polyclonal antibodies (hpAb) in transchromosomic (Tc) cattle containing a human artificial chromosome (HAC) comprising the entire human Ig gene repertoire. Goats offer the advantages of having a shorter gestation period and growing to adult size much faster than larger ungulates. Therefore, based upon our previously established Tc cattle platform, in this study, we aimed to generate immunoglobulin lambda light chain knockout (IGLλ −/− )/HAC Tc goats expressing hpAb using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. First, we designed multiple specific single-guide RNAs (sgRNA) targeting the coding sequences of constant regions of goat IGLλ1, IGLλ2 (both in NC_030824.1), and IGLλ3 (NW_017189530.1) and constructed corresponding gene targeting vectors. Gene targeting efficiency analysis in goat fibroblasts showed that the sgRNA were efficient in directing Cas9 to generate targeted indels in corresponding IGLλ genes with efficiencies ranging between 20 and 30%. We then targeted the IGLλ genes and generated a cloned IGLλ −/− fetus by SCNT (first round of cloning; G1) using single cell-derived IGLλ −/− fibroblast colonies as nuclear donors and established IGLλ −/− fetal fibroblast cell lines. Second, we established IGLλ −/− /HAC fibroblast colonies by transferring the isKcHACΔ, a HAC containing the entire unrearranged human immunoglobulin heavy-chain and kappa-chain sequences, into the IGLλ −/− fetal fibroblast cells via microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT; Matsushita et al. 2014 PLoS One 9, e90383). The resulting IGLλ −/− /HAC fibroblasts were used as nuclear donors for the production of IGLλ −/− /HAC goats by SCNT (second round of cloning; G2). A total of 311 one-cell stage G2 embryos were generated using 4 IGLλ −/− /HAC fetal fibroblast colonies and surgically transferred into 19 oestrus-synchronized recipients. Seven pregnancies were confirmed (7/19; 36.8%) with ultrasonography at Day 60±3 of gestation, and 1 pregnancy (1/7; 14.3%) developed to term, leading to the birth of a live and healthy kid. Genetic and serological characterisation of this Tc goat produced by the second round of SCNT is in progress.

[Risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of peri-implant diseases]

With the wide spread of dental implantation, more and more soft and hard tissue illness related to dental implants occurred. According to a statistical analysis, about 1/4 to 1/2 patients are under the risk of suffering from peri-implant diseases. Peri-implant diseases include peri-implant mucotitis and peri-implantitis. The former is connected with soft tissue while the latter is related to hard tissue around dental implant. This article reviews the diagnosis, classification and treatment of peri-implant diseases.

Prevalence of BRCA1/2 large genomic rearrangements in Chinese women with sporadic triple-negative or familial breast cancer

The prevalence of BRCA1/2 large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) and their underlying mechanisms have not been fully evaluated in Chinese women with breast cancer. In this study, we determined the prevalence of BRCA1/2 LGRs in 834 patients with familial breast cancer (FBC) and 660 patients with sporadic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who were negative for BRCA1/2 small-range mutations using the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification method. We found that 20 index patients (2.4%) in the FBC group carried a BRCA1 or BRCA2 LGR, and the frequencies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 LGRs were 1.6% and 0.8%, respectively. Seven index patients (1.1%) carried a BRCA1 LGR in 660 sporadic TNBC patients, whereas no BRCA2 LGRs were found in these patients. Among the BRCA1/2 LGRs, 48.1% (13/27) were novel, and the breakpoints of the majority of the LGRs were identified. ΨBRCA1-mediated homologous recombination (HR) and Alu-mediated HR/non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) accounted for 40% and 30% of the BRCA1 LGRs, respectively. Alu-mediated HR accounted for 71.4% of the BRCA2 LGRs, and the remaining one-third was generated through Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE)-mediated NHEJ. Our findings suggest that both FBC patients and sporadic TNBC patients should be tested for BRCA1/2 LGRs.

Abstract P3-03-04: Not presented

This abstract was not presented at the symposium.

Abstract PD2-01: Ultrasound together with clinical indexes cannot predict sentinel lymph node metastasis for ultrasound-axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer patients

Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) pathology result is crucial to predict axillary lymph nodes (ALN) metastasis as well as to determine systemic treatment strategy. Ultrasound has been paid great attention to the evaluation of ALN metastasis. Whether the combination of known clinic-pathological indexes to ultrasound could predict SLN metastasis for ultrasound-ALN-negative breast cancer, and ultimately achieve the goal of avoiding the invasive method of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), is the current focus.

Objective: To discuss the possibility of predicting SLN metastasis using axillary ultrasonography in combination with patients' clinic-pathologic factors by retrospectively analyzing our institution's large cohort of ultrasound-ALN-negative breast cancer patients' data.

Method: This study collected consecutive data from the prospective database of Breast Center of Beijing Cancer Hospital from Oct. 2010 to Apr. 2016. Inclusion criteria: Pathologically diagnosed as primary breast cancer by core needle biopsy (CNB); negative ALN by ultrasound (no ALN detected, or the cortex thickness was even and &lt;3mm); no treatment prior to SLNB. The SLN pathological outcomes were correlated with known clinic-pathologic parameters. Univariate analysis was performed by Chi-Square test, with p&lt;0.05 considered as statistically significant difference. Logistic regression analysis was used for the multivariate analysis, the area under curve &gt;0.75 stands for acceptable predicting accuracy.

Results: Non-selective consecutive data with a total of 4,936 primary breast cancer cases treated from Oct. 2010 to Apr. 2016 was extracted from the prospective database. Exclusion criteria: Pathologically diagnosed by surgical resection (n=492); carcinoma in situ (n=145); abnormal ALN by ultrasound underwent fine needle aspiration (FNA) or CNB (n= 750); systemic treatment prior to SLNB (n=349); no SLN detected after injection (n=81); male (n=4). A total of 3,115 cases met the inclusion criteria. Among which 2,317 (74.3%) cases were negative SLN pathology and 798 (25.7%) cases were positive SLN pathology. The main findings of this study were that the univariate analysis such as, patients' age, menstruation, tumor size, ER/PR, HER-2 were influencial factors, p&lt;0.05. Multivariate analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve was 0.658(95% CI 0.637-0.679), indicating that the combination of all the clinic-pathologic factors with ultrasound could not stand for acceptable predicting accuracy.

Conclusion: Ultrasound together with clinical indexes cannot predict SLN metastasis for ultrasound-ALN-negative breast cancer patients.

The result of univariates related to SLNItemsSLN-Negative%(n)SLN-Positive%(n)p valueAge≤4070.5(324)29.5(136)0.036&gt;4075.1(1,993)24.9(662)Premenopausal71.8(1,215)28.2(477)&lt;0.001Postmenopausal77.4(1,102)22.6(321)T size(cm)≤278.4(1,242)21.6(342)&lt;0.001T size(cm)&gt;270.2(1,075)29.8(456)IDC I83.0(455)17.0(93)&lt;0.001IDC II+III71.1(1,603)28.8(649)Other pathology types82.2(259)17.8(56)ER≤10%85.8(652)14.2(108)&lt;0.001ER&gt;10%70.7(1,665)29.3(690)PR≤10%80.3(851)19.7(208)&lt;0.001PR&gt;10%71.3(1,466)28.7(590) HER-2 0,1+,2+&FISH-73.1(1,729)26.9(635)0.008HER-2 3+,2++78.3(588)21.7(163) 

Citation Format: Chen X, He Y, Huo L, Li J, Xie Y, Wang T, Fan Z, Ouyang T. Ultrasound together with clinical indexes cannot predict sentinel lymph node metastasis for ultrasound-axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD2-01.

[The role of poloxamer 188 for cord blood mononuclear cells into megakaryocytes cultivation and induction in three-dimensional WAVE Bioreactor]

Objective: To observe the effect of poloxamer 188 (P188) on megakaryocyte cultivation and induction from cord blood mononuclear cells in order to obtain more megakaryocyte progenitor cells (MPC). Methods: The cord blood mononuclear cells were isolated and inoculated in cell culture bag or cell culture flask respectively. The WIGGENS shaker and cell culture bags were used to mimick WAVE Bioreactor for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, and the P188 was added to induction medium, The cells were detected for morphology, surface marker, viability, and number on day 14. Results: In the two-dimensional (2D) culture, CD41(+), CD41(+)/CD61(+), CD61(+) megakaryocytic numbers increased significantly after adding P188 (all P<0.01). And in the 3D culture of adding P188, the cell volume became larger and the nuclear shape was irregular, the cytoplasm appeared magenta granules, and the megakaryocyte cells became more mature. By 3D culture, the expression of CD41/CD61 was (36.30±1.27)% vs (23.95±1.34)%, hence the differentiation for MPC was significantly higher than that in the 2D group (P<0.01). Furthermore, adding P188 in 3D culture resulted in highest differentiation efficiency for MPC [(59.45±1.20)%]. There were no significantly differences in terms of cell viability and cell number among 3D culture containing P188, 2D and 3D culture groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: 3D culture was beneficial for the differentiation of MPC, but the cell viability was lower than 2D group; However, the satisfied cell growth and better induction efficiency were obtained by adding of P188, which might provide a new method of megakaryocytes production for clinical application.

Carotid Artery Wall Imaging: Perspective and Guidelines from the ASNR Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group and Expert Consensus Recommendations of the American Society of Neuroradiology

Identification of carotid artery atherosclerosis is conventionally based on measurements of luminal stenosis and surface irregularities using in vivo imaging techniques including sonography, CT and MR angiography, and digital subtraction angiography. However, histopathologic studies demonstrate considerable differences between plaques with identical degrees of stenosis and indicate that certain plaque features are associated with increased risk for ischemic events. The ability to look beyond the lumen using highly developed vessel wall imaging methods to identify plaque vulnerable to disruption has prompted an active debate as to whether a paradigm shift is needed to move away from relying on measurements of luminal stenosis for gauging the risk of ischemic injury. Further evaluation in randomized clinical trials will help to better define the exact role of plaque imaging in clinical decision-making. However, current carotid vessel wall imaging techniques can be informative. The goal of this article is to present the perspective of the ASNR Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group as it relates to the current status of arterial wall imaging in carotid artery disease.

1 Microinjection of CPE-Binding Protein Polyadenylated mRNA Increases Developmental Competence of Bovine Oocytes In Vitro

Developmental competence is acquired during oocyte growth and maturation while oocytes undergo both nuclear and cytoplasmic changes. Completion of oocyte maturation and subsequent embryo development relies mostly on maternally synthesised and stored mRNAs at the transcriptionally quiescent phase. The temporal and spatial post-transcriptional and translational regulation of the stored mRNA in mammalian oocyte cytoplasm is essential for developmental competence of oocytes and is often controlled via cytoplasmic polyadenylation. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE)-binding protein (CPEB) is required for polyadenylation of most mRNAs during oocyte maturation. It has been reported that in vitro-matured oocytes with high developmental competence showed an increased level of CPEB mRNA in oocyte cytoplasm. Thus, we hypothesise that the introduction of exogenous CPEB mRNA into in vitro-matured oocytes could increase their developmental capability. In this study, we first synthesised polyadenylated CPEB mRNAs by in vitro transcription. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and subjected to in vitro maturation for 21 h. After the removal of cumulus cells, matured oocytes were parthenogenetically activated (5 min in 5 mM ionomycin followed by 4 h in 2 mM DMAP with 5 mg mL−1 cycloheximide). Each activated oocyte was injected with 5 to 10 pL of poly(A)-RNA solution (400 ng μL−1; CPEB mRNA and green fluorescent protein (GFP) mRNA for the injection group or GFP mRNA for the control group) using a micromanipulator. After injection, the oocytes were cultured in SOF medium supplemented with amino acids for 8 days. No difference was observed in cleavage rate between CPEB and control group. However, the blastocyst rate was significantly higher in the CPEB group than in the control (24.9 ± 2.9% v. 15.0 ± 4.5%; P < 0.05). Cleavage and blastocyst rates were analysed by one-way ANOVA. We also compared the gene expression profile of blastocysts derived from both groups. The blastocysts were collected individually and analysed by single-embryo RT-PCR. Twenty-two genes were selected for analysis based on their roles in genomic reprogramming and embryonic development and fell into 6 functional categories: growth regulatory factors, cell cycle regulation, imprinting, apoptosis, pluripotency and DNA methyltransferase. The single-embryo RT-PCR was performed using the Flex-Six integrated fluidic chip (Fluidigm Corp., South San Francsisco, CA, USA) on the BioMark platform (Fluidigm Corp.). Relative expression values were calculated using the ΔΔCT (fold change) method and analysed by ANOVA. We found that 6 genes (H19, GRB10, DNMT1, CCNB1, CDK2, and SOX2) were up-regulated and 3 were down-regulated (DNMT2, BAX, and P53), along with the overexpression of CPEB gene (P < 0.05). Our results demonstrate that developmental competence can be improved by injecting exogenous CPEB mRNA into in vitro-matured metaphase II cattle oocytes, which reaffirms the essential role of CPEB in early embryonic development.

28 Generation of Immunoglobulin Heavy Constant Mu (IGHM) Knockout Goats Using CRISPR/Cas9 and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Towards the goals of inactivating endogenous goat immunoglobulin (Ig) genes and producing fully human polyclonal antibodies in transchromosomal goats carrying a human artificial chromosome comprising the entire human Ig gene repertoire, we report here the successful generation of IgM heavy chain knockout (IGHM−/−) goats using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. Two single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed specific for exon 1 of the goat IGHM constant region (GenBank: EU182621.1). The gene-targeting vectors were constructed by using pX330 plasmid (Plasmid No. 42230, Addgene, Cambridge, MA, USA) and transfected into 2 × 105 goat fetal fibroblast cells. Gene-targeting efficiency of each targeting vector was determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay 3 days post-transfection. Our results showed that one of the sgRNAs, 5′-GAAAGGCGCTTGAGGAATGC-3′, was efficient in directing Cas9 to generate targeted cleavages in exon 1 of IGHM constant region, with a mutation efficiency of 20%. We established single cell-derived fetal fibroblast colonies by limiting dilution of the cells transfected with the targeting vector. Colony screening with the PCR-RFLP assay confirmed that we achieved targeted gene disruption in exon 1 in 11/49 (22.4%) of the colonies (7 colonies with biallelic and 4 with monoallelic gene disruption). Sanger sequencing analysis of genomic DNA isolated from cell colonies with biallelic mutations showed that typical nucleotide deletions and insertions (indels), caused by repairing double-strand DNA breaks during the error-prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) process, were generated at the targeting site of exon 1. One of the colonies harboring a 1-nucleotide (nt) deletion was used as nuclear donors for SCNT. A total of 102 1-cell-stage cloned embryos were generated and surgically transferred into 6 synchronized recipients. Three of the recipients (3/6, 50.0%) were confirmed pregnant by ultrasonography on Day 40 to 45 of gestation. Two pregnancies were sacrificed for IGHM−/− fetal fibroblast isolation and one pregnancy was allowed to go to term, which led to the birth of a live and seemingly healthy kid. This goat was reared conventionally and appeared healthy until 5 weeks of age when it was killed because of commensal virus infection. The PCR-RFLP assay and sequence analysis showed that this cloned goat carried a biallelic 1-nt deletion in exon 1 of IGHM, which was identical to the donor colony it was originated from. No lymphoid follicles were observed in lymph nodes and spleen by histology, and immunohistochemistry for B cells (CD20) and T cells (CD3) demonstrated a lack of B cells in lymph nodes and spleen but the presence of T cells, confirming that IGHM has been successfully knocked out.

RNA-sequencing study of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in sporadic Ménière's disease patients: possible contribution of immunologic dysfunction to the development of this disorder

To date, the pathogenesis of Ménière's disease (MD) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the possible relationship between potential immune system-related genes and sporadic MD. The whole RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was used to analyse the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of three MD patients and three control individuals. Of 366 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 154 genes were up-regulated and 212 genes were down-regulated (|log₂ fold change| > 1 and P < 0·05). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis illustrated that immune relevant factors played a key role in the pathogenesis of MD. Of 366 DEGs, we focused upon analysing the possible immune-related genes, among which the significantly up-regulated genes [glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1), transmembrane protein 176 (TMEM176)B, TMEM176A] and down-regulated genes [solute carrier family 4 member (SLC4A)10 and SLC4A1] especially drew our attention. The mRNA expression levels of GSTM1, TMEM176B, TMEM176A, SLC4A1 and SLC4A10 were analysed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The serum concentration of GSTM1, TMEM176B and SLC4A10 proteins were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Considering the results of qRT-PCR and ELISA, it was noteworthy that GSTM1 exhibited the highest fold change between two groups, which was consistent with the deep sequencing results by RNA-seq. In conclusion, our study first offers a new perspective in MD development on the basis of RNA expression patterns, suggesting that immune factors might be involved in the MD pathogenesis. Remarkably, GSTM1 might be a possible candidate gene for the diagnostic biomarker of MD and provides the basis for further biological and functional investigations.