Identification of the forensically important beetles Nicrophorus japonicus, Ptomascopus plagiatus and Silpha carinata (Coleoptera: Silphidae) based on 16S rRNA gene in China

Sarcophagous beetles play an important role in estimating postmortem interval time (PMI) in the later stages decomposition of carcasses. However, the morphological similarity of beetles usually poses a challenge for forensic scientists within their routine work. As a supplementary to traditional morphological method, molecular genetics identification is simple and time-saving. A molecular identification method involving a 288-bp segment of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene from 15 beetles of Silphidae (Coleoptera), collected from 5 locations in 4 Chinese provinces, was evaluated. Phenogram analysis of the sequenced segments by the unweighted pairgroup method analysis (UPGMA) method showed that all specimens were properly assigned into four species with strong similarity, which indicated the possibility of separation congeneric species with the short 16S rRNA fragment. These results will be instrumental for implementation of the Chinese database of forensically relevant beetles.

Flagellin-PAc fusion protein is a high-efficacy anti-caries mucosal vaccine

We previously demonstrated that an anti-caries DNA vaccine intranasally administered with recombinant flagellin protein as a mucosal adjuvant enhanced salivary IgA response and conferred better protection against caries. However, the relatively weak immunogenicity of DNA vaccines and the necessity for a large quantity of antigens remain significant challenges. Here, we fused the flagellin derived from E. coli (KF) and target antigen PAc containing the A-P fragment of PAc from S. mutans (rPAc) to produce a single recombinant protein (KF-rPAc). The abilities of KF-rPAc to induce rPAc-specific mucosal and systemic responses and protective efficiency against caries following intranasal immunization were compared with those of rPAc alone or a mixture of rPAc and KF (KF + rPAc) in rats. Results showed that KF-rPAc promoted significantly higher rPAc-specific antibodies in serum as well as in saliva than did an equivalent dose of rPAc alone or a mixture of KF + rPAc. Intranasal immunization of 8.5 µg KF-rPAc could achieve 64.2% reduction of dental caries in rats. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that flagellin and PAc fusion strategy is promising for anti-caries vaccine development, and KF-rPAc could be used as an anti-caries mucosal vaccine.

The utility of mitochondrial DNA fragments for genetic identification of forensically important sarcophagid flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) in China

Species-diagnostic anatomical characters of fleshflies are not known for most immature stages or even adults, and an existing key may be incomplete or difûcult for nonspecialists to use. The use of sarcophagids for PMI estimations has been greatly hampered by their highly similar morphological characters. DNA-based method can be used as a supplemental means of morphological method in identification of forensically important sarcophagid flies. However, relying solely on single DNA fragment for delimiting species is considered to be unreliable, especially when the fragment was small. Sequence data of selected regions of the cytochrome oxidase subunit two (COII) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) genes of the most important Chinese fleshfly taxa associated with cadavers are presented, which can be instrumental for implementation of the Chinese Sarcophagidae database. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequenced segments showed that all sarcophagid specimens were properly assigned into five species, which indicated the possibility of separation congeneric species with the short fragments.

Mitochondrial DNA and STR analyses for human DNA from maggots crop contents: a forensic entomology case from central-southern China

Insect larvae and adult insects found on human corpses can provide important forensic evidence however it is useful to be able to prove evidence of association. Without this, it could be claimed that the insect evidence was a contaminant or had been planted on the body. This paper describes how mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and STR analysis of the crop contents of larvae of the blowfly Aldrichina grahami collected from separated body parts was used to provide evidence of association.

Clinicopathological significance of Kiss-1 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the expression of Kiss-1 mRNA and protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to analyze its clinicopathological significance.

METHODS: Sixty-two ESCC specimens, 31 atypical hyperplastic epithelial specimens, and 62 normal esophageal epithelial specimens were used in the study. The expression of Kiss-1 mRNA in these specimens was detected by in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of Kiss-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry using the streptavidin-peroxidase method. The clinicopathological significance of Kiss-1 expression in ESCC was then analyzed.

RESULTS: The positive rates of Kiss-1 protein expression in ESCC, adjacent atypical hyperplastic epithelium and normal esophageal epithelium tissues were 56.5%, 67.7%, 90.3%, respectively (all P < 0.05). The positive rates of Kiss-1 mRNA expression in ESCC, adjacent atypical hyperplastic epithelium and normal esophageal epithelium tissues were 51.6%, 74.2% and 95.2%, respectively, as revealed by in situ hybridization (all P < 0.05), and 54.8%, 71.0% and 88.7%, respectively, by RT-PCR (all P < 0.05). The positive rates of Kiss-1 protein and mRNA expression in ESCC were closely associated with lymph node metastasis (both P < 0.05), but not with sex, age, histological grade and infiltration depth (all P > 0.05). A positive correlation was noted not only between the positive rates revealed by in situ hybridization and RT-PCR (P < 0.05), but also between those revealed by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR or in situ hybridization (both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The low expression of Kiss-1 is closely associated with the development, progression and metastasis of ESCC. Kiss-1 may be used as an important parameter for early diagnosis and prognosis of ESCC.

The fabrication of vanadium-doped ZnO piezoelectric nanofiber by electrospinning

Zn(1-x)V(x)O (x = 0.015, 0.02, 0.025, 0.03, V-ZnO) nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning, and a butterfly-shaped piezoelectric response was measured by scanning force microscopy. The diameters of V-ZnO nanofibers with hexagonal wurtzite phase are in the range of 50-300 nm. The large piezoelectric coefficient d(33) of 121 pm V(-1) was obtained and the high piezoelectric property may be attributed to the switchable spontaneous polarization induced by V dopants and the easier rotation of V-O bonds under an electric field. The result shows that the V-ZnO nanofiber is a promising candidate for nanoscale piezoelectric devices.

Genital tract infections among HIV-infected pregnant women in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia

SUMMARY

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and factors associated with genital tract infections among HIV-infected pregnant women from African sites. Participants were recruited from Blantyre and Lilongwe, Malawi; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Lusaka, Zambia. Genital tract infections were assessed at baseline. Of 2627 eligible women enrolled, 2292 were HIV-infected. Of these, 47.8% had bacterial vaginosis (BV), 22.4% had vaginal candidiasis, 18.8% had trichomoniasis, 8.5% had genital warts, 2.6% had chlamydia infection, 2.2% had genital ulcers and 1.7% had gonorrhoea. The main factors associated with genital tract infections included genital warts (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), genital ulcers (AOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-5.1) and abnormal vaginal discharge (AOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.9-3.3) for trichomoniasis. BV was the most common genital tract infection followed by candidiasis and trichomoniasis. Differences in burdens and risk factors call for enhanced interventions for identification of genital tract infections among HIV-infected women.

catena-Poly[[(dimethyl sulfoxide-κO)zinc(II)]-μ-(E)-2-[(2-oxido-1-naphth-yl)-methyl-eneamino]propanoato-κO,N,O:O]

In the title coordination polymer, [Zn(C₁₄H₁₁NO₃)(C₂H₆OS)]_n, each Zn^II ion is five-coordinated in a slightly distorted trigonal–bipyramidal coordination environment, formed by three O atoms from two 2-[(2-oxido-1-naphth­yl)­methyl­eneamino]propanoate ligands, one O atom from a dimethyl sulfoxide mol­ecule and the N atom from the amino­propanoate ligand. The propanoate ligands bridge Zn^II ions, forming a zigzag chain parallel to [010].

Uptake and distribution of N, P and heavy metals in three dominant salt marsh macrophytes from Yangtze River estuary, China

We examined the variation in aboveground biomass accumulation and tissue concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) in Phragmites australis (common reed), Spartina alterniflora (salt cordgrass), and Scirpus mariqueter throughout the growing season (April-October 2005), in order to determine the differences in net element accumulation and distribution between the three salt marsh macrophytes in the Yangtze River estuary, China. The aboveground biomass was significantly greater in the plots of S. alterniflora than in the plots of P. australis and S. mariqueter throughout the growing season (P<0.05). In August, the peak aboveground biomass was 1246+/-89 gDW/m(2), 2759+/-250 gDW/m(2) and 548+/-54 gDW/m(2) for P. australis, S. alterniflora and S. mariqueter, respectively. The concentrations of nutrients and heavy metals in plant tissues showed similar seasonal patterns. There was a steady decline in element concentrations of the aboveground tissues from April to October. Relative element concentrations in aboveground tissues were at a peak during the spring sampling intervals with minimum levels during the fall. But the concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the belowground tissues were relatively constant throughout growing season. Generally, trace metal concentrations in the aboveground tissues of S. mariqueter was the highest throughout the growing season, and the metal concentrations of S. alterniflora tissues (aboveground and belowground) were greater than those of P. australis. Furthermore, the aboveground pools of nutrients and metals were consistently greater for S. alterniflora than for P. australis and S. mariqueter, which suggested that the rapid replacement of native P. australis and S. mariqueter with invasive S. alterniflora would significantly improve the magnitude of nutrient cycling and bioavailability of trace metals in the salt marsh and maybe transport more toxic metals into the water column and the detrital food web in the estuary.

Intron 2 (T/C) CYP46 polymorphism is associated with Alzheimer's disease in Chinese patients

BACKGROUND

Cholesterol metabolism has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and cholesterol-related genes are plausible candidate genes for AD. Genetic association of CYP46A1 polymorphisms with AD had been under extensive investigations; however, observations on intron 2 T-->C (rs754203) generated inconclusive results.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse an independent data set in a Chinese population to see whether the polymorphic site rs754203 of the CYP46A1 gene is associated with AD.

METHODS

We analysed 130 sporadic AD patients and 110 healthy controls of the Southern Chinese origin.

RESULTS

An association between the genotype frequency and AD was suggested in the general population (p = 0.047, odds ratio, OR = 1. 61, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.96-2.70), while the association was most significant in the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) epsilon4-negative group (p = 0.004, OR = 2.54, 95% CI =1.31-4.95). Linkage disequilibrium block prediction results also favoured this association. Consistent with previous reports, intron 3 C-->T (rs4900442) polymorphism did not show any evidence of association; in our data set ApoEepsilon4 was confirmed to be a genetic risk factor for AD (p = 0.0016, OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.50-5.11).

Novel Shear-horizontal Surface Acoustic Wave Based Immunosensors Using SiO<inf>2</inf>Waveguiding Layers And Flow Injection Analysis

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices based on shear-horizontal (SH) waves can be used as mass-sensitive immunosensors. This paper presents a novel SH-SAW sensor to detect anti-immunoglobulin (IgG) molecules by means of the antibody-antigen binding mechanism. The sensor system comprising dual delay lines was fabricated on 36&#176; Y-X LiTaO<inf>3</inf>substrate. A SiO<inf>2</inf>layer was used as love mode waveguiding layers, well as insulating and chemically resistant protective layer. Moreover, flow injection analysis (FIA) method was used for continuous detection the protein molecules. The protein A was immobilized on the optional surface of the gold layer, then coupled with IgG to adsorb the antigens to be measured in the protein solution. The operational frequency of the system changed due to the interaction of antibody-antigen binding. The experimental result demonstrates the sensor has stable frequency response to the mass loading effect of the various anti-IgG concentrations with the sensitivity up to 3.3ng/ml/Hz.

Capacitive monitoring of the antigen-antibody reactions enhanced by nanogold

An immunosensor for measuring antigen-antibody binding by nanogold particles enhancement was present here. A gold plate electrode was modified by a SAM (self-assembled monolayer) of 11-Mercaptoundecanioc Acid. Then sheep anti-rabbit IgG was immobilized onto the end of the 11-Mercaptoundecanioc Acid. With that the gold electrode was exposed to the mixed solution of rabbit IgG and nanogold labeled sheep anti-rabbit IgG. The differential capacitance of the electrical double layer was monitored to detect the antigen-antibody reaction. The result showed the capacity of the electrical double layer by nanogold enhancement was largely increased compared to that in traditional capacitive immunosensor. The detection sensitivity is up to 10nF / &#956;g/ml.

Congener-specific polychlorinated biphenyl-induced cell death in human kidney cells in vitro: potential role of caspase

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the most widespread and persistent pollutants in the global environment. Coplanar and noncoplanar PCBs have been shown to cause congener-specific apoptosis mediated neurotoxicity in rats. Very few, if any, such studies have been reported on human renal cell toxicity. The authors report here caspase-dependent or caspase-independent renal toxicity, as measured by apoptotic death induced by PCBs, depending on the planarity of congeners PCB-77 (coplanar) and PCB-153 (noncoplanar) in human kidney cells (HK2) in vitro. The authors have combined morphological and biological techniques to discover the relevance of apoptosis in renal proximal tubule cell death induced by these two PCB congeners. Treatment with both PCB congeners caused accelerated apoptosis in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Based on our findings using human kidney (HK2) cells, there was more apoptosis-mediated loss of cell viability by non-ortho-substituted PCB-77 when compared to PCB-153. A significant increase of caspase-3 expression through immunoblot studies showed the involvement of apoptosis by PCB-77 compared to none by PCB-153. The broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk showed increased cell death when treated by PCB-153, but not by PCB-77, confirming that caspase inhibitor induced a switch in the mode of cell death. It is reasonable to assume that apoptotic cell death in the renal proximal tubule cells treated by PCBs may have both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways.

Semiparametric estimation of proportional mean residual life model in presence of censoring

A mean residual life function is the average remaining life of a surviving subject, as it varies with time. The proportional mean residual life model was proposed by Oakes and Dasu (1990, Biometrika77, 409-410) in regression analysis to study its association with related covariates in absence of censoring. In this article, we develop some semiparametric estimation procedures to take censoring into account. The proposed methodology is evaluated via simulation studies, and further applied to a clinical trial of chemotherapy in postoperative radiotherapy of lung cancer patients.

Growth mechanism and ultraviolet-light emission of the self-assembled complex of MgO nanostructures

Bulk-quantity net-like nanodendrites and four-fold hierarchical nanostructures were synthesized by direct thermal evaporation and oxidation of metallic Mg powder. Their formation mechanism is explained using the self-catalytic vapor-liquid-solid mechanism together with dendritic-crystal epitaxial growth mechanism. Four-branch and eight-branch nanodendrites were also detected. The photoluminescence spectrum reveals that the peak with the maximum intensity is centered at about 3.16 eV (392 nm). Through Gaussian fitting, a strong and narrow ultraviolet-light emission peak centered at 3.16 eV (392 nm) and a relatively weak but broad blue-light emission band centered at 2.74 eV (453 nm) were observed in the photoluminescence emission spectrum, which are respectively attributed to the recombination luminescence of the F+ and F centers (belonging to oxygen-vacancy related defect levels) in the MgO nanostructures. In addition, another very weak and broad red-infrared emission band can also be detected, which is probably due to the relaxation luminescence of impurity levels in the MgO nanostructures.

Risk factors as the basis for triage in low-resource cervical cancer screening programs

OBJECTIVES

Several studies have shown impressive sensitivity and specificity of visual inspection using acetic acid wash (VIA) in detecting cervical dysplasia. This study examines how risk-factor based triage, using clinical history-taking to limit the testing to those at highest risk of disease, improves the clinical utility of VIA.

METHODS

The study population included 2206 woman aged 25-56 from peri-urban primary care clinics in Zimbabwe. Three risk factors variables [age, lifetime number of sexual partners and history of a sexually transmitted infection (STI)] were selected as the basis for computer-simulated patient triage. Criteria for selecting risk factors were biological relevance, programmatic feasibility, historical evidence in the scientific literature as a risk factor for cervical cancer and a significant (P<0.05) predictor of dysplasia in this study population. Predictive values for VIA were calculated on subgroups of women with combinations of the three risk factors and then compared with the predictive value of VIA calculated on the full study population.

RESULTS

The positive predictive value (PPV) among women with all three risk factors (30.2%) was 1.6 times higher than that of all study women and 4.5 times higher than women with none of the three risk factors (4.1%). Additionally, the PPV was slightly (30%) higher than that obtained from computer-simulated serial testing using VIA as the primary test followed by HPV testing (27.4%).

CONCLUSION

Clinical history-taking could provide the basis for patient triage to increase the clinical utility of VIA. Such an approach could also serve to prioritize who gets tested first in low-resource countries with high disease prevalence that are struggling to strengthen national cervical cancer prevention programs.

Molecular profiling in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. Ability to detect this cancer early and availability of better prognostic markers are critical in order to decrease morbidity and mortality of prostate cancer. With the recent development in gene expression analysis methodology, expression profiles of thousands of genes can be generated in tissue samples and cell lines. Comparison of the global gene expression patterns between normal prostate and tumors at different stages may allow us to understand better the molecular mechanism of prostate tumorigenesis and progression. Different cancer cell lines and tissues appear to have different gene expression patterns that provide a new tool to classify tumors. Molecular classification of prostate cancer holds great promise for early detection and prognosis of this disease in the future. In this review, we summarize some of the recent mRNA and protein expression profiling studies performed in prostate cancer. Further, we discuss the potential benefits and limitations of current profiling technology.

Peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA) as a preferred internal control over GAPDH and beta-actin in quantitative RNA analyses

A good internal control is critical in all quantitative analyses of gene expression. Levels of bet-actin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA) were analyzed in 78 samples (data obtained from our laboratory and from a publicly available database at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SAGE/). These libraries included cell lines and tissues from brain, breast, colon, kidney, ovary, pancreas, prostate, skin, and vascular origin. The level of PPIA mRNA is the most constant among the three genes. Hence, our study suggests that PPIA is a better internal control than beta-actin or GAPDH, the two most commonly used internal controls.

Dopamine and glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area of rat following lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation

Rewarding hypothalamic brain stimulation is thought to depend on trans-synaptic activation of high-threshold (and thus rarely directly depolarized by rewarding stimulation) dopaminergic fibers of the medial forebrain bundle. We used in vivo microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical or fluorometric detection to investigate the concurrent release of dopamine and glutamate in the nucleus accumbens septi and in the ventral tegmental area, as a function of lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation.Self-stimulation at a variety of stimulation frequencies and pulse widths increased levels of dopamine and its primary metabolites, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid in the nucleus accumbens. Lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation also induced significant increases in ventral tegmental area dopamine and metabolite levels, and the percentage increase of dopamine was higher in this region than in the nucleus accumbens. Local perfusion with the dopamine uptake inhibitor nomifensine (10 microM) increased dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens about three-fold and potentiated the increase of dopamine levels induced by self-stimulation. Nomifensine perfusion also induced a delayed decrease in nucleus accumbens glutamate levels, and self-stimulation did not modify this effect of the drug. Local perfusion with the D2-type dopamine receptor antagonist raclopride significantly increased both basal and self-stimulation induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Neither nomifensine nor raclopride perfusion significantly affected the maximal rates of self-stimulation. Perfusion with tetrodotoxin (2 microM) into nucleus accumbens significantly decreased basal and prevented stimulation-induced increases in accumbens dopamine levels but only slightly decreased the rate of self-stimulation. In contrast, perfusion of tetrodotoxin (0.5 microM) into the ventral tegmental area decreased basal and blocked stimulation-induced increases in both nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area dopamine levels; this treatment also blocked or strongly inhibited self-stimulation. While it had no effect on glutamate levels in the nucleus accumbens, lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation induced a significant and tetrodotoxin-sensitive increase in glutamate levels in the ventral tegmental area. Taken together, the present results indicate that, across a broad range of stimulation parameters, rewarding lateral hypothalamus stimulation causes major and persistent activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system, and suggest descending glutamatergic fibers in the medial forebrain bundle as a candidate for the directly activated descending pathway in lateral hypothalamus brain stimulation reward.

Differential mechanisms of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene activation by transforming growth factor-beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in endothelial cells

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) specific for tissue-type and urokinase-like plasminogen activators. High plasma PAI-1 activity is a risk factor for thrombotic diseases. Due to the short half-life of PAI-1, regulation of PAI-1 gene expression and secretion of active PAI-1 into the blood stream is important for hemostatic balance. We have investigated transcriptional control of PAI-1 gene expression in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) and human cell lines using PAI-1 5' promoter-luciferase reporter assays. Contrary to the cytokine-induced up-regulation of PAI-1 mRNA and protein levels, we found that only transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) was efficient in inducing PAI-1 promoter activation. Tissue necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induced a small luciferase activity with the 2.5 kb PAI-1 promoter, but not with the PAI-800/4G/5G and p3TP-lux promoters. Next we investigated whether a lack of response to TNF-alpha was due to deficient signaling pathways. BAECs responded to TNF-alpha with robust NFkappaB promoter activation. TGF-beta activated the p38 MAP kinase, while TNF-alpha activated both the SAPK/JNK and p38 MAP kinases. The ERK1/2 MAP kinases were constitutively activated in BAECs. BAEC therefore responded to TNF-alpha stimulation with activation of the MAP kinases and the NFkappaB transcriptional factors. We further measured the messenger RNA stability under the influence by TGF-beta and TNF-alpha and found no difference. PAI-1 gene activation by TNF-alpha apparently is yet to be defined for the location of the response element and/or the signaling pathway, while TGF-beta is the most important cytokine for PAI-1 transcriptional activation through its 5' proximal promoter.

[Selection of high taxol content cell lines of Taxus yunnanensis Cheng et L. K. Fu]

OBJECTIVE

To select high taxol content cell lines of Taxus yunnanensis.

METHOD

Choosing different cell aggregates according to their color, texture, growth rate and secretion of colorful substances, culturing them separately, and further analyzing their growth rates and taxolcontents.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

Cell lines with higher taxol contents could be obtained by careful selection; those with darker color, lower growth rate and higher ratio of dry cell weight vs. fresh cell weight usually has higher taxol contents.

Identification of androgen-regulated genes in the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP by serial analysis of gene expression and proteomic analysis

A common therapy for nonorgan-confined prostate cancer involves androgen deprivation. To develop a better understanding of the effect of androgen on prostatic cells, we have analyzed gene expression changes induced by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the androgen responsive prostate cancer line LNCaP, at both RNA and protein levels. Changes at the RNA level induced by DHT were determined by means of serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE), and protein profiling was done by means of quantitative two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Among 123,371 transcripts analyzed, a total of 28,844 distinct SAGE tags were identified representing 16,570 genes. Some 351 genes were significantly affected by DHT treatment at the RNA level (p < 0.05), of which 147 were induced and 204 repressed by androgen. In two independent experiments, the integrated intensity of 32 protein spots increased and 12 decreased at least two-fold in response to androgen, out of a total of 1031 protein spots analyzed. The change in intensity for most of the affected proteins identified could not be predicted based on the level of their corresponding RNA. Our study provides a global assessment of genes regulated by DHT and suggests a need for profiling at both RNA and protein levels for a comprehensive evaluation of patterns of gene expression.