The gene NtMYC2a acts as a 'master switch' in the regulation of JA-induced nicotine accumulation in tobacco

The biosynthesis and transport of nicotine has been shown to be coordinately upregulated by jasmonate (JA). MYC2, a member of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family, is well-documented as the core player in the JA signalling pathway to regulate diverse plant development processes. Four MYC2 genes were found in the tobacco genome, NtMYC2a/2b and 1a/1b. In this study, we tested whether one of them, NtMYC2a, acts as a 'master switch' in the regulation of nicotine biosynthesis and transport in tobacco. We generated NtMYC2a knockout tobacco plants using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique and analysed the effect of NtMYC2a knockout on expression of the nicotine biosynthesis genes (NtAO, NtQS, NtPMT1a, NtQPT2, NtODC2, NtMPO1, NtA622 and NtBBLa) and transport genes (NtMATE2 and NtJAT1), as well as leaf accumulation of nicotine in the NtMYC2a knockout plants. We found that all the nicotine biosynthesis and transport genes tested in this study were significantly downregulated (>50% reduction compared with wild-type control) in the NtMYC2a knockout plants. Moreover, the leaf nicotine content in knockout plants was dramatically reduced by ca 80% compared with the wild-type control. These results clearly show that NtMYC2a acts as a 'master switch' to coordinate JA-induced nicotine accumulation in tobacco and suggests that NtMYC2a might play an important role in tobacco nicotine-mediated defence against herbivory.

Reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a real-world evidence study

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that insulin therapy of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is frequently discontinued. However, the reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation in this patient population are not well understood.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with T2DM prescribed insulin between 2010 and 2017 at Partners HealthCare. Reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation were studied using electronic medical records (EMR) data. Natural language processing (NLP) was applied to identify reasons from unstructured clinical notes. Factors associated with insulin discontinuation were extracted from structured EMR data and evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 7009 study patients, 2957 (42.2%) discontinued insulin within 12 months after study entry. Most patients who discontinued insulin (2121 / 71.7%) had reasons for discontinuation documented. The most common reasons were improving blood glucose control (33.2%), achieved weight loss (18.5%) and initiation of non-insulin diabetes medications (16.7%). In multivariable analysis adjusted for demographics and comorbidities, patients were more likely to discontinue either basal or bolus insulin if they were on a basal-bolus regimen (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.8; p <  0.001) or were being seen by an endocrinologist (OR 2.6; 95% CI 2.2 to 3.0; p <  0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In this large real-world evidence study conducted in an area with a high penetration of health insurance, insulin discontinuation countenanced by healthcare providers was common. In most cases it was linked to achievement of glycemic control, achieved weight loss and initiation of other diabetes medications. Factors associated with and stated reasons for insulin discontinuation were different from those previously described for non-adherence to insulin therapy, identifying it as a distinct clinical phenomenon.

Isolation, identification and characterization of phenolic acid-degrading bacteria from soil

AIMS

To isolate, identify and characterize phenolic acid-degrading bacteria and reduce plant growth inhibition caused by phenolic acids.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 11 bacterial isolates with high phthalic acid (PA)-degrading ability were obtained using mineral salt medium (MSM) medium containing PA as sole carbon source. These isolates were identified as Arthrobacter globiformis, Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas hunanensis by sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene. Among them, five Pseudomonas strains could also effectively degrade ferulic acid (FA), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) and syringic acid (SA) in MSM solution. P. putida strain 7 and P. hunanensis strain 10 showed highly efficient degradation of PA, SA, FA and PHBA, and could reduce their inhibition of lily, watermelon, poplar and strawberry seedling growth in soils respectively. These two strains could promote plant growth in soil with phenolic acids.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, bacterial strains with highly efficient phenolic acid-degrading abilities could not only effectively reduce the autotoxicity of phenolic acids on plants but also were able to promote plant growth in soil with phenolic acids.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

In this study, Pseudomonas can promote plant growth while degrading phenolic acids. Our results provide new choices for the biological removal of autotoxins.

Yeast cell wall product enhanced intestinal IgA response and changed cecum microflora species after oral vaccination in chickens

The study was designed to explore the effect of a commercial yeast cell wall product (YP) on chicken intestinal IgA response and cecum microbiome after oral vaccination. Chickens were fed with YP during the experiments and orally immunized with live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine at 2 wk of age. Then, the animals were sacrificed, and samples were collected to measure the indicators of hemagglutination inhibition (HI), IgA response, IgA + cells, and cecum microbiome populations. The results showed that supplement of YP significantly enhanced serum NDV HI titer, intestinal NDV-specific secretory IgA, and intestinal IgA + cells. The sequencing results revealed that obviously increased relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae and decreased population of Bacteroidaceae in cecum were found in YP group. In summary, YP supplementation in diet enhanced intestinal IgA response to NDV vaccination by oral route and modulated the cecum microbiota to the advantage of the host in chickens.

Molecular-Weight Growth in Ozone-Initiated Low-Temperature Oxidation of Methyl Crotonate

We report experiments of ozone-initiated low-temperature oxidation of methyl crotonate (MC, CH₃-CH═CH-C(O)OCH₃) from 420 to 660 K in a near-atmospheric-pressure jet-stirred reactor using photoionization molecular-beam mass spectrometry as a sampling technique. In this temperature regime, no typical low-temperature combustion (LTC) reactions have been observed for MC when oxygen (O₂) is used as the oxidizer. Upon ozone addition, significant oxidation of methyl crotonate is found. On the basis of experimentally observed energy-dependent mass peaks in combination with temperature-dependent mole fraction profiles and photoionization efficiency curves, we provide new insights into the methyl crotonate ozonolysis reaction network. The observed MC + O₃ products, C₅H₈O₅, are found to be related to the keto-hydroperoxides resulting from the isomerization of the primary ozonide. Evidence is also provided that molecular growth mainly results from cycloaddition reactions of the Criegee intermediate into aldehydes and alkenes as well as addition reactions of the Criegee intermediates to the double bond of methyl crotonate and sequential decomposition into ketones. Furthermore, species that contribute in large amounts to the low-temperature oxidation of methyl crotonate, like H₂O₂, CH₃OOH, CH₃OH, and HC(O)OH, are identified, and their mole fractions are reported. Additionally, preliminary modeling is performed which qualitatively captures the observed NTC behavior and reveals future research opportunities.

Identification of a novel immune prognostic model in gastric cancer

PURPOSE

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is now considered as an important factor during gastric cancer (GC) development. This study identified a novel immune-related risk model for predicting prognosis and assessing the immune status of GC patients.

METHODS

Transcriptomic data were obtained from the TCGA database. The differential expressed immune-related genes (IRGs) were identified through the ImmPort portal. Enrichment analysis was performed to explore the potential molecular mechanism of these IRGs. By the Cox regression analysis, we constructed the immune prognostic model. Then, the association between the model and the immune microenvironment was estimated. The model was validated in the GSE84433 dataset.

RESULTS

Totally, we identified 222 differentially expressed IRGs. These IRGs were closely correlated with immune response and immune signaling pathways. Through the Cox regression analysis, we developed the immune prognostic model based on the expression of seven IRGs (CXCL3, NOX4, PROC, FAM19A4, RNASE2, IGHD2-15, CGB5). Patients were stratified into two groups according to immune-related risk scores. Survival analysis indicated that the prognosis of high-risk patients was poorer than low-risk patients. Moreover, the immune-related risk score was an independent prognostic biomarker. More importantly, we found that the infiltration level of immunosuppressive cells and the expression of inhibitory immune checkpoints were higher in high-risk patients. The immune microenvironment tended to be a suppressive status in patients with high-risk scores.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that our model had predictive value for prognosis and the TIME in GC. It might be a robust tool to improve personalized patient management.

Long non-coding RNA FOXP4-AS1 acts as an adverse prognostic factor and regulates proliferation and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. In The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the expression level of lncRNA forkhead box P4 antisense RNA 1 (FOXP4-AS1) is higher in NPC samples than in normal samples.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression level of RNA and protein. Luciferase reporter assay ran to test the interactions between FOXP4-AS1 and miR-423-5p and STMN1. Subcellular fractionation assay was used to determine the subcellular localization of FOXP4-AS1. The tumor-promotion functions of FOXP4-AS1 were determined by both in vitro and in vivo assays.

RESULTS

The expression of FOXP4-AS1 was up-regulated in 80 cases with NPC, and these patients with a poor prognosis. Functionally, high expression of FOXP4-AS1 in NPC was connected with promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Moreover, FOXP4-AS1 is located in the cytoplasm of CNE1 (NPC cell lines). Mechanistically, FOXP4-AS1 up-regulated STMN1 on post-transcriptional regulation by means of miR-423-5p.

CONCLUSIONS

Our present study demonstrated that high expression of FOXP4-AS1 in NPC portended poor outcomes. FOXP4-AS1upregulated STMN1 by interacting with miR-423-5p as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to promote NPC progression.

Treatment Patterns, Adherence, and Persistence Associated With Human Regular U-500 Insulin: A Real-World Evidence Study

OBJECTIVE | Human regular U-500 insulin (U-500R) is concentrated insulin with basal and prandial activity that can be used as insulin monotherapy. The goal of this study was to better understand treatment patterns (total daily dose [TDD] and concomitant medications), adherence, and persistence in real-world patients treated with U-500R. DESIGN AND METHODS | We selected patients from the Truven Health MarketScan database who initiated U-500R between 2010 and 2013. We collected data for three periods: pre-index (12 months before initiation), post-index (12 months after initiation or until a gap of ≥60 days in U-500R claims), and follow-up (12 months after post-index). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a regression model as appropriate. RESULTS | We identified 1,582 patients who met the selection criteria. The median TDD of U-500R during the post-index period was 333 units/day, with 70.0% of patients using 300-400 units/day. During the post-index period, 74.1% of patients had U-500R claims that did not overlap with prescriptions for other insulins, interpreted as U-500R monotherapy. Among patients with ≥1 U-500R fill in the post-index period (n = 1,208), 54.4% had a medication possession ratio (MPR, a measure of adherence) ≥80%. Although 849 patients had a gap of ≥60 days in U-500R claims in the post-index period, 602 of those resumed U-500R in the follow-up period. Of the 733 patients who had no gap in U-500R claims in the post-index period, 286 had a gap of ≥60 days in claims in year 2, and 447 continued with U-500R treatment beyond 2 years. CONCLUSION | These results demonstrate that U-500R was commonly used as insulin monotherapy, with a median TDD >300 units/day. Compared with published, relevant studies of other insulins, U-500R showed similar or greater adherence and persistence rates. These new data may help guide clinical decision-making when choosing insulin therapy for patients requiring high doses of insulin.

Erratum: Evolution of π^{0} Suppression in Au+Au Collisions from sqrt[s_{NN}]=39 to 200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 152301 (2012)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.152301.

Treatment Patterns and Characteristics of Individuals Initiating High-Dose Insulin for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined patient characteristics and treatment patterns of high-dose insulin therapy (> 200 units/day) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

OBJECTIVE

To understand patient characteristics, dosing, adherence, and persistence related to high-dose insulin therapy.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study that used administrative claims from a large national health plan. Patients were identified who had been diagnosed with T2DM and who were aged 18-89 years, enrolled in a commercial or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan, newly initiated on a total daily dose (TDD) > 200 units of insulin between January 2011 and August 2015. Patients were required to be enrolled 6 months before and 12 months after the index date. Patients were categorized to Regimen-100 if treated with U-100 insulin only or Regimen-500 if treated with U-500R with or without U-100. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated. An adjustment factor for the days supply was calculated as the ratio of median time between insulin claims, and median pharmacy reported days supply for each insulin prescription. Adjusted days supply, quantity, and concentration were used to calculate TDD for each quarter after the index date. Adherence was measured as the proportion of days covered (PDC) for each regimen. Persistence was measured in 2 ways: the percentage of patients remaining on index medications in each quarter and the proportion of patients who maintained TDD > 200 units during all 4 quarters of the 12-month post-index period.

RESULTS

We identified 2,339 patients newly titrated up to TDD > 200 units on either Regimen-100 (2,062, 88.2%) or Regimen-500 (277, 11.8%). Patients on Regimen-500 were slightly younger with higher prevalence of comorbidities. The mean TDD (SD) for Regimen-100 decreased from 228.6 (36.0) units during the first quarter to 194.2 (181.4) units during the last quarter. The mean TDD (SD) for Regimen-500 increased from 294.2 (102.2) units in the first quarter to 304.8 (281.6) units in last quarter. The average adherence to the high-dose insulin regimen was 68.2% (30.7; median 72.6%) for the Regimen-100 cohort and 75.5% (27.0; median 85.2%) for the Regimen-500 cohort. In the Regimen-100 and Regimen-500 cohorts, 45.3% and 55.2% had a PDC ≥ 80%, respectively. Only 23.0% and 51.6% of patients maintained TDD > 200 units for the Regimen-100 and Regimen-500 cohorts, respectively, throughout the 4 quarters after the index date.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed that many patients did not maintain high-dose insulin use over time, especially those on standard U-100 insulin only. This dosing pattern appears to reflect the differences in patient characteristics, insulin needs, and adherence/persistence behavior between those on Regimen-100 and those on Regimen-500.

DISCLOSURES

This study was supported by funding from Eli Lilly and Company to Humana as a collaborative research project involving employees of both companies. Chen, Brown, Fan, Taylor, and He are employees of Eli Lilly and Company. Nair and Meah are employees of Humana, which received funding to complete this research. Siadaty was an employee of Humana at the time of this study.

Long-term effectiveness of the Diabetes Conversation Map™ Program on health outcomes: A case-control retrospective cohort study

AIM

To evaluate the clinical and health behavioural outcomes of a large sample of participants from the Diabetes Conversation Map™ Program.

DESIGN

A matched-case-control study that was performed on a retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

Participants were 11,053 Clalit Health Services members with type 2 diabetes who enrolled in the Diabetes Conversation Map™ Program between January 2010 - April 2016. The matched-control group was formulated using sequential matching, by matching cases to controls at a ratio of 1:3, based on age, sex, and HbA1c level. The associations between the programme group and annual clinical and health behaviours were assessed between cases and controls at five time points using linear and Poisson regression analyses.

RESULTS

The intervention group had significantly lower HbA1c, glucose, and low-density lipoprotein levels and more frequent glucose blood testing each year up to 36 month post-enrolment compared with the matched controls. Other outcomes were significantly different for shorter time periods, including higher high-density lipoprotein and lower triglyceride levels at 6- and 12-month follow-up and lower diastolic blood pressure and greater medication adherence at 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Enrolment in the programme was associated with improved clinical and health behaviour outcomes for at least 6 months and most outcomes persisted for up to 36 months.

IMPACT

This is the first study to evaluate the Diabetes Conversation Map™ Program with a large sample over long period of time. This nurse-led group intervention evaluation adds to the literature on health outcomes on the lives of patients with type 2 diabetes.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study was registered retrospectively to the Open Science Framework, the registration form can be found at: https://osf.io/63cse.

Insights Obtained by Culturing Saccharibacteria With Their Bacterial Hosts

Oral microbiome research has moved from asking "Who's there?" to "What are they doing?" Understanding what microbes "do" involves multiple approaches, including obtaining genomic information and examining the interspecies interactions. Recently we isolated a human oral Saccharibacteria (TM7) bacterium, HMT-952, strain TM7x, which is an ultrasmall parasite of the oral bacterium Actinomyces odontolyticus. The host-parasite interactions, such as phage-bacterium or Saccharibacteria-host bacterium, are understudied areas with large potential for insight. The Saccharibacteria phylum is a member of Candidate Phyla Radiation, a large lineage previously devoid of cultivated members. However, expanding our understanding of Saccharibacteria-host interactions requires examining multiple phylogenetically distinct Saccharibacteria-host pairs. Here we report the isolation of 3 additional Saccharibacteria species from the human oral cavity in binary coculture with their bacterial hosts. They were obtained by filtering ultrasmall Saccharibacteria cells free of other larger bacteria and inoculating them into cultures of potential host bacteria. The binary cocultures obtained could be stably passaged and studied. Complete closed genomes were obtained and allowed full genome analyses. All have small genomes (<1 Mb) characteristic of parasitic species and dramatically limited de novo synthetic pathway capabilities but include either restriction modification or CRISPR-Cas systems as part of an innate defense against foreign DNA. High levels of gene synteny exist among Saccharibacteria species. Having isolates growing in coculture with their hosts allowed time course studies of growth and parasite-host interactions by phase contrast, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and scanning electron microscopy. The cells of the 4 oral Saccharibacteria species are ultrasmall and could be seen attached to their larger Actinobacteria hosts. Parasite attachment appears to lead to host cell death and lysis. The successful cultivation of Saccharibacteria species has significantly expanded our understanding of these ultrasmall Candidate Phyla Radiation bacteria.

[Expressions and effects of autophagy-related genes in bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis of mice]

Objective: To investigate the expressions and effects of autophagy-related genes in bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis of mice. Methods: (1) Totally 72 male BALB/c mice aged 6 weeks were divided into blank control group, simple phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group, and bleomycin group according to the random number table, with 24 mice in each group. Mice in blank control group received no treatment, and 100 μL of PBS and bleomycin (1 mg/mL) were respectively injected subcutaneously in the back skin of mice in simple PBS and bleomycin group, once a day for 28 days. On injection day (ID) 7, 14, 21, and 28, 6 mice in each group were collected to observe the skin change on the back of mice with naked eyes. After the observation, the mice were sacrificed and skin tissue on the back was taken. Skin tissue of mice on ID 28 was collected to measure the thickness of skin tissue by routine hematoxylin-eosin staining and observe skin tissue morphology by Masson staining. Skin tissue on ID 7, 14, 21, and 28 was taken to detect content of hydroxyproline by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and mRNA and protein expressions of p62, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Ⅱ (LC3 Ⅱ) and Beclin-1 were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. (2) Skin tissue of mice in blank control group in experiment (1) was taken to culture fibroblasts (Fbs) in 3rd-6th passages. The cells were divided into blank control group, simple PBS group, and bleomycin group according to the random number table, with 6 wells in each group. Cells in blank control group were not stimulated, and cells in simple PBS group and bleomycin group were stimulated with 20 μL of PBS and bleomycin (1 mg/mL) for 72 h, respectively. Cellular immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the expression of LC3 Ⅱ. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance of factorial design, one-way analysis of variance, t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) Skin on the back of mice in blank control group and simple PBS group was thin and ruddy, and the veins were clear on ID 7, 14, 21, and 28. Several raised ridges were visible on the puncture site of mice in simple PBS group from ID 14. Skin on the back of mice was ruddy, with several raised ridges visible on the puncture site of mice in bleomycin group on ID 7, the skin turned slightly white on ID 14, the skin turned white obviously with unclear surrounding blood vessels on ID 21, and the skin turned white and the surrounding blood vessels could not be recognized on ID 28. (2) On ID 28, the skin thicknesses of mice in blank control group and simple PBS group were similar (t=0.79, P>0.05). Compared with that in blank control group and simple PBS group, the skin thickness of mice in bleomycin group was significantly increased (t=0.50, 0.50, P<0.01). (3) On ID 28, the skin tissue structure of mice in blank control group and simple PBS group was similar, with a small amount of orderly arranged collagen and evenly distributed hair follicle; the number of collagen of skin in mice of bleomycin group was increased obviously and arranged disorderly, and the number of hair follicle was decreased significantly. (4) On ID 7, 14, 21, and 28, the content of hydroxyproline in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group was significantly higher than that in blank control group and simple PBS group (t=0.99, 0.98, 0.50, 0.51, 0.50, 0.50, 0.52, 0.51, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (5) On ID 7, p62 mRNA expression in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group was significantly lower than that in simple PBS group (t=0.93, P<0.05). On ID 14 and 21, the mRNA expressions of p62, LC3 Ⅱ, and Beclin-1 in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group were significantly higher than those in blank control group (t=0.74, 0.70, 0.58, 0.49, 0.51, 0.74, P<0.05) and simple PBS group (t=0.94, 0.65, 0.65, 0.77, 0.49, 0.51, P<0.05). On ID 28, the mRNA expressions of p62 and Beclin-1 in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group were significantly lower than those in blank control group (t=0.50, 0.44, P<0.05) and simple PBS group (t=0.97, 0.55, P<0.05), and that of LC3 Ⅱ was significantly higher than that in blank control group and simple PBS group, respectively (t=0.51, 0.98, P <0.01). (6) On ID 7, 14, 21, and 28, the protein expressions of LC3 Ⅱ in blank control group, simple PBS group, and bleomycin group were 0.167±0.042, 0.122±0.016, 0.553±0.078, 0.118±0.035, 0.120±0.023, 0.117±0.061, 0.581±0.039, 0.159±0.065, 0.233±0.027, 0.304±0.031, 1.020±0.010, 0.089±0.045. On ID 14, the protein expressions of p62 and Beclin-1 in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group were significantly higher than those in blank control group (t=0.86, 0.89, P<0.05) and simple PBS group (t=0.42, 0.89, P<0.05). On ID 21, the protein expressions of p62, LC3 Ⅱ, and Beclin-1 in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group were significantly higher than those in blank control group and simple PBS group (t=0.82, 0.45, 0.50, 0.79, 0.51, 0.50, P<0.01). On ID 28, the protein expressions of p62, LC3 Ⅱ, and Beclin-1 in the skin tissue of mice in bleomycin group were significantly lower than those in blank control group and simple PBS group (t=0.77, 0.54, 0.52, 0.50, 0.51, 0.50, P<0.05). (7) After culture for 72 h, the expression of LC3 Ⅱ in Fbs of bleomycin group was significantly lower than that of blank control group and simple PBS group, respectively. Conclusions: In the process of bleomycin stimulating skin fibrosis, autophagy-related genes increase firstly and then decrease. When the autophagy process is activated, it is expected to reverse the process of skin fibrosis.