MOXD2, a Gene Possibly Associated with Olfaction, Is Frequently Inactivated in Birds

Comprehensive analysis of immune-related biomarkers and pathways in intracerebral hemorrhage using weighted gene co-expression network analysis and competing endogenous ribonucleic acid

The immune response is an important part of secondary brain injury following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and is related to neurological deficits and prognosis. The mechanisms underlying the immune response and inflammation are of great significance for brain injury and potential functional restoration; however, the immune-related biomarkers and competing endogenous ribonucleic acid (RNA) (ceRNA) networks in the peripheral blood of ICH patients have not yet been constructed. We collected the peripheral blood from ICH patients and controls to assess their ceRNA profiles using LCHuman ceRNA microarray, and to verify their expression with qRT-PCR. Two-hundred-eleven DElncRNAs and one-hundred-one DEmRNAs were detected in the ceRNA microarray of ICH patients. The results of functional enrichment analysis showed that the immune response was an important part of the pathological process of ICH. Twelve lncRNAs, ten miRNAs, and seven mRNAs were present in our constructed immune-related ceRNA network, combining weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Our study was the first to establish the network of the immune-related ceRNAs derived from WGCNA, and to identify leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and B cell lymphoma 2-like 13 (BCL2L13) as pivotal immune-related biomarkers in the peripheral blood of ICH patients, which are likely associated with PI3K-Akt, the MAPK signaling pathway, and oxidative phosphorylation. The MOXD2P-miR-211-3p -LIF and LINC00299-miR-198-BCL2L13 axes were indicated to participate in the immune regulatory mechanism of ICH. The goal of our study was to offer innovative insights into the underlying immune regulatory mechanism and to identify possible immune intervention targets for ICH.

A 3D transcriptomics atlas of the mouse nose sheds light on the anatomical logic of smell

The sense of smell helps us navigate the environment, but its molecular architecture and underlying logic remain understudied. The spatial location of odorant receptor genes (Olfrs) in the nose is thought to be independent of the structural diversity of the odorants they detect. Using spatial transcriptomics, we create a genome-wide 3D atlas of the mouse olfactory mucosa (OM). Topographic maps of genes differentially expressed in space reveal that both Olfrs and non-Olfrs are distributed in a continuous and overlapping fashion over at least five broad zones in the OM. The spatial locations of Olfrs correlate with the mucus solubility of the odorants they recognize, providing direct evidence for the chromatographic theory of olfaction. This resource resolves the molecular architecture of the mouse OM and will inform future studies on mechanisms underlying Olfr gene choice, axonal pathfinding, patterning of the nervous system, and basic logic for the peripheral representation of smell.