The MAP3K7 gene: further delineation of clinical characteristics and genotype/phenotype correlations

Mitogen-Activated Protein 3 Kinase 7 (MAP3K7) encodes the ubiquitously expressed transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), which plays a crucial role in many cellular processes. Mutationsin the MAP3K7 gene have been linked to 2 distinct disorders: frontometaphyseal dysplasia type 2 (FMD2) and cardiospondylocarpofacial syndrome (CSCF). The fact that different mutations can induce 2 distinct phenotypes suggests a phenotype/genotype correlation, but no side-by-side comparison has been done thus far to confirm this. Here we significantly expand the cohort and the description of clinical phenotypes for patients with CSCF and FMD2 who carry mutations in MAP3K7. Our findings support that in contrast to FMD2-causing mutations, CSCF-causing mutations in MAP3K7 have a loss-of-function effect. Additionally, patients with pathogenic mutations in MAP3K7 are at risk for (severe) cardiac disease, have symptoms associated with connective tissue disease and we show overlap in clinical phenotypes of CSCF with Noonan syndrome. Together, we confirm a molecular fingerprint of FMD2- versus CSCF-causing MAP3K7 mutations and conclude that mutations in MAP3K7 should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with syndromic congenital cardiac defects and/or cardiomyopathy, syndromic connective tissue disorders and in the differential diagnosis of Noonan syndrome. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Characterization of a rare mosaic unbalanced translocation of t(3;12) in a patient with neurodevelopmental disorders

Background

Unbalanced translocations may be de novo or inherited from one parent carrying the balanced form and are usually present in all cells. Mosaic unbalanced translocations are extremely rare with a highly variable phenotype depending on the tissue distribution and level of mosaicism. Mosaicism for structural chromosomal abnormalities is clinically challenging for diagnosis and counseling due to the limitation of technical platforms and complex mechanisms, respectively. Here we report a case with a tremendously rare maternally-derived mosaic unbalanced translocation of t(3;12), and we illustrate the unreported complicated mechanism using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and chromosome analyses.

Case presentation

An 18-year-old female with a history of microcephaly, pervasive developmental disorder, intellectual disability, sensory integration disorder, gastroparesis, and hypotonia presented to our genetics clinic. She had negative karyotype by parental report but no other genetic testing performed previously. SNP microarray analysis revealed a complex genotype including 8.4 Mb terminal mosaic duplication on chromosome 3 (3p26.3->3p26.1) with the distal 5.7 Mb involving two parental haplotypes and the proximal 2.7 Mb involving three parental haplotypes, and a 6.1 Mb terminal mosaic deletion on chromosome 12 (12p13.33->12p13.31) with no evidence for a second haplotype. Adjacent to the mosaic deletion is an interstitial mosaic copy-neutral region of homozygosity (1.9 Mb, 12p13.31). The mother of this individual was confirmed by chromosome analysis and FISH that she carries a balanced translocation, t(3;12)(p26.1;p13.31).

Conclusion

Taken together, the proband, when at the stage of a zygote, likely carried the derivative chromosome 12 from this translocation, and a postzygotic mitotic recombination event occurred between the normal paternal chromosome 12 and maternal derivative chromosome 12 to “correct” the partial 3p trisomy and partial deletion of 12p. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to report the mechanism utilizing a combined cytogenetic and cytogenomic approach, and we believe it expands our knowledge of mosaic structural chromosomal disorders and provides new insight into clinical management and genetic counseling.

Genetic Testing in Patients with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Experience of 511 Patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Our institution developed and continuously improved a Neurodevelopmental Reflex (NDR) algorithm to help physicians with genetic test ordering for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). To assess its performance, we performed a retrospective study of 511 patients tested through NDR from 2018 to 2019. SNP Microarray identified pathogenic/likely pathogenic copy number variations in 27/511 cases (5.28%). Among the 484 patients tested for Fragile X FMR1 CGG repeats, a diagnosis (0.20%) was established for one male mosaic for a full mutation, a premutation, and a one-CGG allele. Within the 101 normocephalic female patients tested for MECP2, two patients were found to carry pathogenic variants (1.98%). This retrospective study suggested the NDR algorithm effectively established diagnoses for patients with NDDs with a yield of 5.87%.

A rare case of postnatal mosaic trisomy 12 with severe congenital heart disease and literature review

Trisomy 12 is a rare autosomal aneuploidy. All postnatally diagnosed individuals with trisomy 12 have been mosaic for this chromosome abnormality. We herein report an infant girl presented at 2 weeks of age with severe congenital heart defect, tracheobronchomalacia, and dysmorphic features. All of the dysmorphic features of this patient fit into the known phenotype spectrum of mosaic trisomy 12, although this patient uniquely presented with macrocephaly. Tracheo-bronchomalacia has been described once previously but had a significant impact on this patient's clinical course. The patient passed away at 2-month-old due to cardiac and respiratory complications. Chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray analysis on a peripheral blood sample from the patient revealed trisomy 12 in approximately 50% of cells. Concurrent fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of uncultured blood cells detected a comparable level of trisomy 12 mosaicism. Compared to conventional cytogenetics, SNP microarray examines all nucleated cells without sampling bias, has an increased power to estimate mosaicism level, and can provide a quick assessment of the underlying mechanism. Here we demonstrate the utilization of SNP microarray in the clinical diagnosis of those once considered rare disorders but might have been missed by conventional cytogenetic techniques.

Beneficial effects of endophytic Pantoea ananatis with ability to promote rice growth under saline stress

AIMS

Soil salinization severely inhibits plant growth, leading to a low crop yield. The aim of the current study was to isolate endophytic bacteria with the ability to promote rice growth under saline conditions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We isolated eight salt-tolerant endophytic bacteria from rice roots. An isolated strain D1 was selected due to its ability to stimulate rice seed germination in the presence of NaCl, which was identified as Pantoea ananatis D1. It exhibited multiple plant growth-promoting traits including phosphate solubilization, production of indole-3-acetic acid, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase and siderophore. Inoculation of P. ananatis D1 obviously enhanced the rice root and shoot growth under normal and saline conditions. It also significantly increased the contents of chlorophyll, total soluble protein, and proline in salt-stressed rice seedlings. Moreover P. ananatis D1 could ameliorate the oxidative stress in rice induced by NaCl and Na₂ CO₃ treatment. The malondialdehyde content and various antioxidant enzyme activities were decreased by P. ananatis D1 inoculation in salt-affected rice. In addition, P. ananatis D1 showed a positive potential for limiting the Na⁺ accumulation and enhancing the K⁺ uptake, leading to an increase of 1·2-1·7 fold in K⁺ /Na⁺ ratio under saline environment.

CONCLUSIONS

Pantoea ananatis D1 has the ability to improve the salt tolerance of rice seedlings.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The application of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is an eco-friendly strategy to improve plant tolerance towards abiotic stresses. We demonstrated that P. ananatis D1 could be used as an effective halotolerant PGPB to enhance rice growth in different salt-affected soils.

Nonexponential Tunneling due to Mean-Field-Induced Swallowtails

Typically, energy levels change without bifurcating in response to a change of a control parameter. Bifurcations can lead to loops or swallowtails in the energy spectrum. The simplest quantum Hamiltonian that supports swallowtails is a nonlinear 2×2 Hamiltonian with nonzero off-diagonal elements and diagonal elements that depend on the population difference of the two states. This work implements such a Hamiltonian experimentally using ultracold atoms in a moving one-dimensional optical lattice. Self-trapping and nonexponential tunneling probabilities, a hallmark signature of band structures that support swallowtails, are observed. The good agreement between theory and experiment validates the optical lattice system as a powerful platform to study, e.g., Josephson junction physics and superfluidity in ring-shaped geometries.

Prenatal diagnosis of Proteus syndrome: Diagnosis of an AKT1 mutation from amniocytes

Proteus syndrome is a mosaic genetic overgrowth disorder caused by a postzygotic, mosaic activating mutation in AKT1. Rare prenatal presentations include segmental tissue overgrowth, and skeletal and CNS anomalies. We present the first report of prenatally diagnosed and molecularly confirmed Proteus syndrome. Prenatal imaging identified megalencephaly, brain and eye malformations, focal soft tissue enlargement, and ambiguous genitalia. Exome sequencing performed on cultured amniocytes demonstrated an AKT1 pathogenic variant consistent with Proteus syndrome, and postnatal examination confirmed the diagnosis. Postnatal Sanger sequencing could not identify the AKT1 pathogenic variant. This case underscores the importance of prenatal exome sequencing on cultured amniocytes for mosaic overgrowth disorders, as well as provides additional information on the prenatal phenotype of Proteus syndrome, and highlights the impact of prenatal diagnosis on postnatal management.

HOTTIP regulates progression of endometrial cancer via activating PI3K/AKT pathway

The article "HOTTIP regulates progression of endometrial cancer via activating PI3K/AKT pathway, by Q. Guan, Q. Zhang, C. Zhang, Q. Liu, Q.-L. Ren, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2018; 22(12): 3727-3733-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201806_15252-PMID: 29949146" has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/15252.

[Epidemiological investigation of a family clustering of COVID-19]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of a family clustering of COVID-19. Methods: Field epidemiological survey was conducted. Results: Case 1 of the long-term residents from Hubei province was the source of infection of this family clustering. There were 6 cases (from case 2 to case 7) infected in the whole incubation period. The incubation period was more than 14 days for 3 of the second-generation cases. Routes of transmission included respiratory droplets (from case 1 transmitted to case 6, from case 1 to her family members) and close contact (from case 1 to other cases in her family). All the age groups were generally susceptible, while elderly were easier to progress to critically ill. Besides respiratory symptoms, there were also gastrointestinal symptoms, of which diarrhea was the most common one. Conclusions: Family clustering had been an important part for COVID-19 cases.

HOTTIP regulates progression of endometrial cancer via activating PI3K/AKT pathway

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the possible role of HOTTIP in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer (EC) and its underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

76 EC tissues and 76 adjacent normal tissues were collected in this study. HOTTIP expression was detected by qRT-PCR (quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction), and its relationship with clinical prognosis of EC patients was then analyzed. The effect of in vitro HOTTIP on proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, colony formation, and migration was examined, respectively. Furthermore, the impact of HOTTIP on PI3K/AKT pathway was explored.

RESULTS

HOTTIP was remarkably overexpressed in EC patients. The survival rate of EC patients with high expression of HOTTIP was lower than that of patients with low expression, whereas the pathological grade and tumor size in high expression group were markedly higher than those of low expression group. After upregulation of HOTTIP by lentivirus transfection, the proliferation, colony formation, and migration of EC cells showed a remarkable increase, whereas cell apoptosis was remarkably inhibited. In addition, high expression of HOTTIP promoted the EC development by activating PI3K/AKT pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpressed HOTTIP promotes the development of endometrial cancer via activating PI3K/AKT pathway.

Characteristics and Follow-Up of 13 pedigrees with Gitelman syndrome

CONTEXT

Gitelman syndrome (GS) is clinically heterogeneous. The genotype and phenotype correlation has not been well established. Though the long-term prognosis is considered to be favorable, hypokalemia is difficult to cure.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics and treatment of all members of 13 GS pedigrees.

METHODS

Thirteen pedigrees (86 members, 17 GS patients) were enrolled. Symptoms and management, laboratory findings, and genotype-phenotype associations among all the members were analyzed.

RESULTS

The average ages at onset and diagnosis were 27.6 ± 10.2 years and 37.9 ± 11.6 years, respectively. Males were an average of 10 years younger and exhibited more profound hypokalemia than females. Eighteen mutations were detected. Two novel mutations (p.W939X, p.G212S) were predicted to be pathogenic by bioinformatic analysis. GS patients exhibited the lowest blood pressure, serum K⁺, Mg²⁺, and 24-h urinary Ca²⁺ levels. Although blood pressure, serum K⁺ and Mg²⁺ levels were normal in heterozygous carriers, 24-h urinary Na⁺ excretion was significantly increased. During follow-up, only 41.2% of patients reached a normal serum K⁺ level. Over 80% of patients achieved a normal Mg²⁺ level. Patients were taking 2-3 medications at higher doses than usual prescription to stabilize their K⁺ levels. Six patients were taking spironolactone simultaneously, but no significant elevation in the serum K⁺ level was observed.

CONCLUSION

The phenotypic variability of GS and therapeutic strategies deserve further research to improve GS diagnosis and prognosis. Even heterozygous carriers exhibited increased 24-h Na⁺ urine excretion, which may make them more susceptible to diuretic-induced hypokalemia.

Density Oscillations Induced by Individual Ultracold Two-Body Collisions

Access to single-particle momenta provides new means of studying the dynamics of a few interacting particles. In a joint theoretical and experimental effort, we observe and analyze the effects of a finite number of ultracold two-body collisions on the relative and single-particle densities by quenching two ultracold atoms with an initial narrow wave packet into a wide trap with an inverted aspect ratio. The experimentally observed spatial oscillations of the relative density are reproduced by a parameter-free zero-range theory and interpreted in terms of cross-dimensional flux. We theoretically study the long-time dynamics and find that the system does not approach its thermodynamic limit. The setup can be viewed as an advanced particle collider that allows one to watch the collision process itself.

Correction: Novel findings with reassessment of exome data: implications for validation testing and interpretation of genomic data

In the published version of this article, the name of the 18th author was misspelled as Minjie Lou. The correct name is Minjie Luo. The authors regret the error.

Correction: Novel findings with reassessment of exome data: implications for validation testing and interpretation of genomic data

In the published version of this article, the degree of author Bo Zhang was incorrectly listed as PhD. The correct degree is BS.

[Feasibility of using amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram to identify epileptic seizures by pediatric intensive care unit medical staff independently]

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of using amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) to identify epileptic seizures by physicians and nurses in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) independently. Method: Six testees (two PICU physicians versus one EEG physician and two PICU nurses versus one EEG technician) accepted a short-term training, then interpreted aEEG in a single blinded way. These aEEG recordings with synchronous VEEG monitoring were done from January 2013 to May 2015 in PICU. The testees should recognize and mark both the seizure type and the seizure duration from the two-channel recorder (C3/C4) of aEEG (short-term seizure or status epilepticus (SE)). Using raw VEEG monitoring as a gold standard to determine a seizure, the accuracy, missing and error rate of each testees were confirmed, and the reasons of the latter two situations were analyzed by rank sum test and inter-testee agreement (k) . Result: Eighty-two aEEG recordings from 56 patients were interpreted. Thirty-two recordings had 141 epileptic seizures confirmed by VEEG, including 119 short-term seizures and 22 SE. There were 50 recordings without seizure. As for the short-term seizures, the average accuracy of 6 testees by aEEG alone was (66±4)%. The accuracy for SE was 100% in three testees and 95% in the other three. Missing rate of the seizures were 24.1%-32.6% in all 6 testees. Those missed seizures were all short-term (duration less than 20 seconds) but one SE. The average error rate was (19±9) times (P=0.000). These false interpretations were misunderstanding, many kinds of artifacts were regarded as epileptic seizures. The accuracy and missing rate among the testees had no significance(P=0.930, 0.996), but the error rate had(P=0.000). The inter-testee agreement (k) between two physicians in PICU and the EEG doctor were 0.700 and 0.687 respectively (P<0.01), which is good. As for two nurses and the EEG technician, the inter-testee agreement (k) was 0.705 and 0.396 respectively (P<0.01). Conclusion: Most of the seizures especially status epilepticus can be detected by PICU staff after short term training. The accuracy of identification of epileptic seizures was similar among observers from PICU and EEG, although some short-term seizures may be missed, and artifacts are mistaken.It's necessary to communicate with EEG doctors and compare with the row VEEG when physicians in PICU find suspicious events.

Multi-omics landscapes of colorectal cancer subtypes discriminated by an individualized prognostic signature for 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy

Until recently, few prognostic signatures for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients receiving 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy could be used in clinical practice. Here, using transcriptional profiles for a panel of cancer cell lines and three cohorts of CRC patients, we developed a prognostic signature based on within-sample relative expression orderings (REOs) of six gene pairs for stage II-III CRC patients receiving 5-FU-based chemotherapy. This REO-based signature had the unique advantage of being insensitive to experimental batch effects and free of the impractical data normalization requirement. After stratifying 184 CRC samples with multi-omics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas into two prognostic groups using the REO-based signature, we further revealed that patients with high recurrence risk were characterized by frequent gene copy number aberrations reducing 5-FU efficacy and DNA methylation aberrations inducing distinct transcriptional alternations to confer 5-FU resistance. In contrast, patients with low recurrence risk exhibited deficient mismatch repair and carried frequent gene mutations suppressing cell adhesion. These results reveal the multi-omics landscapes determining prognoses of stage II-III CRC patients receiving 5-FU-based chemotherapy.

Mosquito salivary allergen Aed a 3: cloning, comprehensive molecular analysis, and clinical evaluation

BACKGROUND

Allergic reactions to mosquito bites are an increasing clinical concern. Due to the lack of availability of mosquito salivary allergens, they are underdiagnosed. Here, we reported a newly cloned mosquito Aedes (Ae.) aegypti salivary allergen.

METHODS

A cDNA encoding a 30-kDa Ae. aegypti salivary protein, designated Aed a 3, was isolated from an expression library. The full-length cDNA was cloned into a baculovirus expression vector, and recombinant Aed a 3 (rAed a 3) was expressed, purified, and characterized. Skin prick tests with purified rAed a 3 and Ae. aegypti bite tests were performed in 43 volunteers. Serum rAed a 3-specific IgE levels were measured in 28 volunteers.

RESULTS

The primary nucleotide sequence, deduced amino acid sequence, and IgE-binding sites of Aed a 3 were identified. rAed a 3-selected antibodies recognized a 30-kDa Ae. aegypti saliva protein. rAed a 3 bound IgE in mosquito-allergic volunteers and the binding could be inhibited by the addition of natural mosquito extract dose dependently. Immediate skin test reactions to rAed a 3 correlated significantly with mosquito bite-induced reactions. Of the bite test-positive volunteers, 32% had a positive rAed a 3 skin test and 46% had specific IgE. No bite test-negative volunteers reacted to rAed a 3 in either the skin tests or the IgE assays, confirming the specificity of the assay.

CONCLUSIONS

Aed a 3 that corresponds to the Aegyptin protein is a major mosquito salivary allergen. Its recombinant form has biological activity and is suitable for use in skin tests and specific IgE assays in mosquito-allergic individuals.

High-Cholesterol Diet Disrupts the Levels of Hormones Derived from Anterior Pituitary Basophilic Cells

Emerging evidence shows that elevated cholesterol levels are detrimental to health. However, it is unclear whether there is an association between cholesterol and the pituitary. We investigated the effects of a high-cholesterol diet on pituitary hormones using in vivo animal studies and an epidemiological study. In the animal experiments, rats were fed a high-cholesterol or control diet for 28 weeks. In rats fed the high-cholesterol diet, serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH; also known as thyrotrophin), luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) produced by the basophilic cells of the anterior pituitary were elevated in a time-dependent manner. Among these hormones, TSH was the first to undergo a significant change, whereas adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), another hormone produced by basophilic cells, was not changed significantly. As the duration of cholesterol feeding increased, cholesterol deposition increased gradually in the pituitary. Histologically, basophilic cells, and especially thyrotrophs and gonadotrophs, showed an obvious increase in cell area, as well as a potential increase in their proportion of total pituitary cells. Expression of the β-subunit of TSH, FSH and LH, which controls hormone specificity and activity, exhibited a corresponding increase. In the epidemiological study, we found a similar elevation of serum TSH, LH and FSH and a decrease in ACTH in patients with hypercholesterolaemia. Significant positive correlations existed between serum total cholesterol and TSH, FSH or LH, even after adjusting for confounding factors. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that the high-cholesterol diet affected the levels of hormones derived from anterior pituitary basophilic cells. This phenomenon might contribute to the pituitary functional disturbances described in hypercholesterolaemia.

Expression of barley SUSIBA2 transcription factor yields high-starch low-methane rice

Atmospheric methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, and is responsible for about 20% of the global warming effect since pre-industrial times. Rice paddies are the largest anthropogenic methane source and produce 7-17% of atmospheric methane. Warm waterlogged soil and exuded nutrients from rice roots provide ideal conditions for methanogenesis in paddies with annual methane emissions of 25-100-million tonnes. This scenario will be exacerbated by an expansion in rice cultivation needed to meet the escalating demand for food in the coming decades. There is an urgent need to establish sustainable technologies for increasing rice production while reducing methane fluxes from rice paddies. However, ongoing efforts for methane mitigation in rice paddies are mainly based on farming practices and measures that are difficult to implement. Despite proposed strategies to increase rice productivity and reduce methane emissions, no high-starch low-methane-emission rice has been developed. Here we show that the addition of a single transcription factor gene, barley SUSIBA2 (refs 7, 8), conferred a shift of carbon flux to SUSIBA2 rice, favouring the allocation of photosynthates to aboveground biomass over allocation to roots. The altered allocation resulted in an increased biomass and starch content in the seeds and stems, and suppressed methanogenesis, possibly through a reduction in root exudates. Three-year field trials in China demonstrated that the cultivation of SUSIBA2 rice was associated with a significant reduction in methane emissions and a decrease in rhizospheric methanogen levels. SUSIBA2 rice offers a sustainable means of providing increased starch content for food production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation. Approaches to increase rice productivity and reduce methane emissions as seen in SUSIBA2 rice may be particularly beneficial in a future climate with rising temperatures resulting in increased methane emissions from paddies.

Evaluation of family-centred services from parents of Chinese children with cerebral palsy with the Measure of Processes of Care

BACKGROUND

Family-centred service (FCS) has become essential to parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and professionals in Chinese paediatric rehabilitation services. FCS practice meets the unique needs of the child and family, through facilitation of optimal service provision delivered by professionals, and ensures service systems to be flexible, appropriate and actively responsive to the family needs. Parents used the Measure of Processes of Care 20 (MPOC-20) questionnaire to evaluate and verify the efficacy of use in China. The aims of the present study were twofold: to assess the validity and reliability of the Chinese MPOC-20, and investigate the range of parents' satisfaction with service provision in an FCS practice using the MPOC-20.

METHODS

The Chinese MPOC-20 was selected to assess parent satisfaction with service provision of professionals in FCS practice. Participants were parents of children under 8 years of age with CP, who had received rehabilitation services between May 2012 and May 2013, and were receiving rehabilitation services in May 2013 at a hospital outpatient department and a rehabilitation centre.

RESULTS

The reliability and validity of the Chinese MPOC-20 were confirmed. Parents evaluated FCS practice with the MPOC-20 survey. Respectful and supportive care was rated with the highest score and providing general information the lowest. Parents according to the data were dissatisfied with the lack of information.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents fairly evaluated service provision of professionals in FCS practice with the Chinese MPOC-20. Professionals received feedback reports of parents, summaries of the inadequacy of service delivery, and developed and implemented ameliorated measures in the FCS policy to strive to provide exemplary service.

Nutritional control of epigenetic processes in yeast and human cells

The vitamin folate is required for methionine homeostasis in all organisms. In addition to its role in protein synthesis, methionine is the precursor to S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM), which is used in myriad cellular methylation reactions, including all histone methylation reactions. Here, we demonstrate that folate and methionine deficiency led to reduced methylation of lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The effect of nutritional deficiency on H3K79 methylation was less pronounced, but was exacerbated in S. cerevisiae carrying a hypomorphic allele of Dot1, the enzyme responsible for H3K79 methylation. This result suggested a hierarchy of epigenetic modifications in terms of their susceptibility to nutritional limitations. Folate deficiency caused changes in gene transcription that mirrored the effect of complete loss of H3K4 methylation. Histone methylation was also found to respond to nutritional deficiency in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and in human cells in culture.

Targeting IL-23 by employing a p40 peptide-based vaccine ameliorates murine allergic skin and airway inflammation

BACKGROUND

Studies have found that the IL-23/Th17 pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) and severe and steroid-resistant asthma. Targeting IL-23/Th17 pathway with monoclonal antibodies (mAb) has been successful in the reduction of skin and airway inflammation in animal models. However, the mAb has a short half-life, requiring repeated administrations. For the long-term suppression of IL-23/Th17 pathway, we have previously developed an IL-23p40 peptide-based virus-like particle vaccine, which induces long-lasting autoantibodies to IL-23.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate the effects of this IL-23p40 peptide-based vaccine on the down-regulation of allergic skin and airway inflammation in mice.

METHODS

Mice were subcutaneously injected three times with the IL-23p40 vaccine, or the vaccine carrier protein or saline as controls. Two weeks later, mice were epicutaneously sensitized with ovalbumin four times at a 2-week interval. One week after the final sensitization, mice were nasally administrated with ovalbumin daily for 3 days. One day later, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF), sera, lung and skin tissues were obtained and analysed.

RESULTS

Mice immunized with the vaccine produced high levels of IgG antibodies to IL-23, p40 and IL-12 that in vitro inhibited IL-23-dependent IL-17 production. The numbers of total cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils in BALF were significantly reduced in the vaccine group, compared with controls. The levels of IL-13, IL-5, IL-23 and, IL-17 in BALF and levels of serum ovalbumin-specific IgE, IgG1, and total IgE were also significantly decreased. Histological analysis showed less inflammation of the lung and skin tissues in the vaccine group, compared with controls.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Administration of an IL-23p40 peptide-based vaccine down-regulates allergic skin and airway inflammation, suggesting that this strategy may be a potential therapeutic approach in the treatment of AD and asthma.

Dissection of the maternal effects on puberty onset by embryo transplantation in mouse

Puberty onset in mammals is affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Among which, the maternal effect could have played a considerable role. In our previous study, we found that the F1 offspring from reciprocal crosses between C3H/HeJ (C3H) and C57BL/6J (B6) mice differed significantly in the timing of puberty in both sexes, though they had identical genomic background. In order to dissect the causative factors to such phenomenon of maternal effect, embryos from reciprocal crosses of C3H/HeJ and C57BL/6J mice were collected and transplanted to the uterus of either strain of mothers, and the puberty onset of pups were compared between different recipient mothers and egg origins. The results showed that the male pups from C3H recipient mothers attained puberty onset earlier than those from B6 recipients significantly, while the female pups did not show such difference. On the other hand, the egg origin made no difference in the puberty onset of either sex, yet it influenced the birth weight of female pups significantly (p<0.05). The manipulation of embryo transplantation delayed the puberty onset of pups dramatically. A mitochondria substitution strain between B6 and C3H (BmC), which had the genome background of B6 and a mitochondrial hyplotype of C3H, had the same phenotype of puberty onset as B6. The integrated results indicated that the uterine environment was the major causative factors to the maternal effect on the differential puberty onset in reciprocal crosses of F1 hybrids between B6 and C3H mice.

Multiple means to the same end: the genetic basis of acquired stress resistance in yeast

In nature, stressful environments often occur in combination or close succession, and thus the ability to prepare for impending stress likely provides a significant fitness advantage. Organisms exposed to a mild dose of stress can become tolerant to what would otherwise be a lethal dose of subsequent stress; however, the mechanism of this acquired stress tolerance is poorly understood. To explore this, we exposed the yeast gene-deletion libraries, which interrogate all essential and non-essential genes, to successive stress treatments and identified genes necessary for acquiring subsequent stress resistance. Cells were exposed to one of three different mild stress pretreatments (salt, DTT, or heat shock) and then challenged with a severe dose of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Surprisingly, there was little overlap in the genes required for acquisition of H₂O₂ tolerance after different mild-stress pretreatments, revealing distinct mechanisms of surviving H₂O₂ in each case. Integrative network analysis of these results with respect to protein–protein interactions, synthetic–genetic interactions, and functional annotations identified many processes not previously linked to H₂O₂ tolerance. We tested and present several models that explain the lack of overlap in genes required for H₂O₂ tolerance after each of the three pretreatments. Together, this work shows that acquired tolerance to the same severe stress occurs by different mechanisms depending on prior cellular experiences, underscoring the context-dependent nature of stress tolerance.

Cells experience stressful conditions in the real world that can threaten physiology. Therefore, organisms have evolved intricate defense systems to protect themselves against environmental stress. Many organisms can increase their stress tolerance at the first sign of a problem through a phenomenon called acquired stress resistance: when pre-exposed to a mild dose of one stress, cells can become super-tolerant to subsequent stresses that would kill unprepared cells. This response is observed in many organisms, from bacteria to plants to humans, and has application in human health and disease treatment; however, its mechanism remains poorly understood. We used yeast as a model to identify genes important for acquired resistance to severe oxidative stress after pretreatment with three different mild stresses (osmotic, heat, or reductive shock). Surprisingly, there was little overlap in the genes required to survive the same severe stress after each pretreatment. This reveals that the mechanism of acquiring tolerance to the same severe stress occurs through different routes depending on the mild stressor. We leveraged available datasets of physical and genetic interaction networks to address the mechanism and regulation of stress tolerance. We find that acquired stress resistance is a unique phenotype that can uncover new insights into stress biology.

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation following high-dose immunosuppressive therapy for advanced multiple sclerosis: long-term results

The purpose of the study was to determine the long-term safety and effectiveness of high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) followed by autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) in advanced multiple sclerosis (MS). Total body irradiation, cyclophosphamide, and antithymocyte globulin were followed by transplantation of autologous, CD34-selected peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). Neurological examinations, brain MRIs and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for oligoclonal bands (OCB) were serially evaluated. Patients (n=26, mean EDSS=7.0, 17 secondary progressive, 8 primary progressive, 1 relapsing/remitting) were followed for a median of 48 months after HDIT followed by AHCT. The 72-month probability of worsening ≥ 1.0 EDSS point was 0.52 (95% CI, 0.30 to 0.75). Five patients had an EDSS at baseline of ≤ 6.0; four of these had not failed treatment at last study visit. OCB in CSF persisted with minor changes in the banding pattern. Four new or enhancing lesions were seen on MRI, all within 13 months of treatment. In this population with high baseline EDSS, a significant proportion of patients with advanced MS remained stable as long as 7 years after transplant. Non-inflammatory events may have contributed to neurological worsening after treatment. HDIT/AHCT may be more effective in patients with less advanced relapsing/remitting MS.

Cloning expression, monoclonal antibody preparation and serologic study of mammaglobin in breast cancer

Mammaglobin may be a potential serum biomarker for the differential diagnosis of breast cancer. 260 serum samples were collected from 127 untreated breast cancer patients and 133 healthy volunteers to analyze the sera expression of mammaglobin and its implications for both. The expression vector of pGEX-4T-2-Mammaglobin and pBVIL1-Mammaglobin were constructed and transformed into E.coli.HB101 for expression. The mice were immunized with the purified recombinant protein to prepare monoclonal antibody and to detect by ELISA the serum of normal people and breast cancer patients. Recombinant mammaglobin antigen was effectively expressed in E.coli. Two hybridoma cell lines were obtained after the mice were immunized by pGEX-4T-2-mammaglobin. 133 cases of normal serum and 127 cases of breast cancer serum were analyzed by ELISA. The sera expression level of mammaglobin in breast cancer group (average OD value 0.645±0.223) was significantly (p

KEYWORDS

mammaglobin; cloning expression; monoclonal antibody; serologic study; breast cancer.

Regression to normoglycaemia by fenofibrate in pre-diabetic subjects complicated with hypertriglyceridaemia: a prospective randomized controlled trial

AIMS

Lipotoxicity has recently been shown to be an important risk factor underlying the pathogenesis of pre-diabetes. However, clinical evidence supporting the treatment of pre-diabetes by improving lipotoxicity is lacking. Here, we conducted an open-label, randomized, controlled trial to investigate whether fenofibrate, the widely used hypolipidaemic agent, might benefit pre-diabetes, with metformin and diet control, the recommended intervention methods, as positive controls.

METHODS

Newly diagnosed pre-diabetes patients (n = 120) with hypertriglyceridaemia (plasma triglyceride levels between 1.8 and 4.5 mmol/l) were randomly assigned by computer-generated randomization sequence to either control group (no intervention), fenofibrate group (200 mg once a day), metformin group (500 mg three times a day) or diet-controlled group (diet recommendation). Plasma biochemistry examination was performed every 2 months. The primary endpoint was the outcome of the natural course of pre-diabetes, evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test after 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Twenty subjects in the fenofibrate group, 24 subjects in the metformin group and 25 subjects in both the diet-controlled group and the control group finished the trial. Fenofibrate, metformin and diet control had protective effects on hypertriglyceridaemic pre-diabetes, evidenced by 53.3, 70 and 30% participants regressed to normoglycaemia, respectively. The effects of fenofibrate and metformin were comparable (P > 0.05), while diet control was less effective (P < 0.05). Liver damage occurred in six subjects in the fenofibrate group and gastrointestinal symptoms occurred in four subjects in the metformin group. No serious adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSION

Controlling lipotoxicity by fenofibrate could effectively ameliorate the natural course of hypertriglyceridaemic pre-diabetes.

New clinical features of thyroid cancer in eastern China

OBJECTIVE

Analyze recent clinical features of thyroid cancer in eastern China.

METHODS

Investigation and comparison of clinical data of thyroid cancer patients from 1996 to 2006 from the Department of Head and Neck Surgery in the Cancer Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

RESULTS

The number of patients with thyroid cancer rose from 148 in the year 1996 to 572 in the year 2006, a 3.9-fold increase. Routine ultrasound survey during physical examination revealed four cases (2.7%) in 1996 and 285 cases (49.8%) in 2006. The sensitivity of the ultrasound survey in thyroid cancer diagnosis was 86.66% in 1996 and 88.20% in 2006 (P>0.05). Papillary carcinoma was most prevalent (87.8% in 1996 and 92.8% in 2006). An increasing proportion of small tumors was found. The incidence of microcarcinoma was 35.7% in 2006 in contrast with 20.3% in 1996 (P<0.01). Moreover, tumors with diameter from 1 to 2 cm were found in 38.5% patients in 2006 as opposed to 27.0% in 1996 (P<0.01). Extrathyroid extension was reported in 46 (31.1%) patients in 1996, but only in 39 (6.8%) in 2006 (P<0.01). Central cervical lymph node metastases were found in 98 (66.2%) patients in 1996, contrasting with 301 (52.6%) in 2006 (P<0.05). Thirty-seven (25.0%) patients had lateral cervical lymph node metastasis in 1996 compared with 117 (20.5%) in 2006 (P>0.05). Last, the proportion of stage I cancers in 2006 was higher than that in 1996.

CONCLUSION

With the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer, cancer was discovered at an earlier stage. This is due to new clinical features of thyroid cancer, such as the decrease in tumor diameter, the lower rate of extrathyroid extension and of cervical lymph node metastasis. Routine ultrasound survey during physical examination has become the most common way to detect thyroid cancer. Increasing usage of diagnostic scrutiny, including the ultrasound survey, has most likely contributed to the increased incidence through detection of small thyroid cancers. Increased use of ultrasound to screen thyroid cancer in early stages should lead to better therapeutic outcome.

NOS2 (iNOS) deficiency in kidney donor accelerates allograft loss in a murine model

Renal NOS2 is expressed and produces abundant nitric oxide (NO) in various renal cells in response to proinflammatory cytokines. However, the role of this enzyme in renal allograft survival remains unknown. Kidney allotransplantation was performed in the murine model of C57BL/6J (H-2(d)) to nephrectomized Balb/c (H-2(b)) mice. Here we show that deficiency in NOS2 expression in kidney donors significantly advanced allograft failure, indicated by decreasing mean survival of recipients receiving NOS2 null grafts (15.4 +/- 6.4 days) as compared to those with wild type grafts (65.4 +/- 28.1 days) (p = 0.0005). Consistent with survival results, NOS2 null grafts had more severe renal tubule injury and decreased renal function compared to wild type grafts. In vitro NOS2 expressing TEC had greater resistance to allogeneic lymphocyte-mediated apoptosis. The addition of exogenous NO inhibited Fas-mediated TEC apoptosis and reduced proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes. These data suggest that endogenous production of NO through renal NOS2 activity can play a protective role in kidney grafts through attenuating Fas-mediated donor cell apoptosis as well as by inhibiting proliferation of inflammatory infiltrating lymphocytes. Enhanced donor NOS2 expression may be a useful strategy to improve kidney transplant survival.

Impact of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay on the global expression profile of budding yeast

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a eukaryotic mechanism of RNA surveillance that selectively eliminates aberrant transcripts coding for potentially deleterious proteins. NMD also functions in the normal repertoire of gene expression. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, hundreds of endogenous RNA Polymerase II transcripts achieve steady-state levels that depend on NMD. For some, the decay rate is directly influenced by NMD (direct targets). For others, abundance is NMD-sensitive but without any effect on the decay rate (indirect targets). To distinguish between direct and indirect targets, total RNA from wild-type (Nmd⁺) and mutant (Nmd⁻) strains was probed with high-density arrays across a 1-h time window following transcription inhibition. Statistical models were developed to describe the kinetics of RNA decay. 45% ± 5% of RNAs targeted by NMD were predicted to be direct targets with altered decay rates in Nmd⁻ strains. Parallel experiments using conventional methods were conducted to empirically test predictions from the global experiment. The results show that the global assay reliably distinguished direct versus indirect targets. Different types of targets were investigated, including transcripts containing adjacent, disabled open reading frames, upstream open reading frames, and those prone to out-of-frame initiation of translation. Known targeting mechanisms fail to account for all of the direct targets of NMD, suggesting that additional targeting mechanisms remain to be elucidated. 30% of the protein-coding targets of NMD fell into two broadly defined functional themes: those affecting chromosome structure and behavior and those affecting cell surface dynamics. Overall, the results provide a preview for how expression profiles in multi-cellular eukaryotes might be impacted by NMD. Furthermore, the methods for analyzing decay rates on a global scale offer a blueprint for new ways to study mRNA decay pathways in any organism where cultured cell lines are available.

Genes determine the structure of proteins through transcription and translation in which an RNA copy of the gene is made (mRNA) and then translated to make the protein. Cellular protein levels reflect the relative rates of mRNA synthesis and degradation, which are subject to multiple layers of controls. Mechanisms also exist to ensure the quality of each mRNA. One quality control mechanism called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) triggers the rapid degradation of mRNAs containing coding errors that would otherwise lead to the production of non-functional or potentially deleterious proteins. NMD occurs in yeasts, plants, flies, worms, mice, and humans. In humans, NMD affects the etiology of genetic disorders by affecting the expression of genes that carry disease-causing mutations. Besides quality assurance, NMD plays another role in gene expression by controlling the abundance of hundreds of normal mRNAs that are devoid of coding errors. In this paper, the authors used DNA arrays to monitor the relative decay rates of all mRNAs in budding yeast and found a subset where decay rates were dependent on NMD. Many of the corresponding proteins perform related functional roles affecting both the structure and behavior of chromosomes and the structure and integrity of the cell surface.

Increasing resistance of tubular epithelial cells to apoptosis by shRNA therapy ameliorates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury

Renal tubular epithelial cells (TEC) die by apoptosis or necrosis in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Fas/Fas ligand-dependent fratricide is critical in TEC apoptosis, and Fas promotes renal IRI. Therefore, targeting Fas or caspase-8 may have therapeutic potential for renal injury in kidney transplant or failure. RNA silencing by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) is a novel strategy to down-regulate protein expression. Using this approach, silencing of Fas or caspase-8 by shRNA to prevent TEC apoptosis and IRI was evaluated. IRI was induced by renal artery clamping for 45 or 60 min at 32 degrees C in uninephrectomized C57BL/6 mice. Here, we showed that Fas or pro-caspase-8 expression was significantly knocked down in TEC by stable expression of shRNA, resulting in resistance to apoptosis induced by superoxide, IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha and anti-Fas antibody. Inferior vena cava delivery of pHEX-small interfering RNA targeting Fas or pro-caspase-8 resulted in protection of kidney from IRI, indicated by reduction of renal tubular injury (necrosis and apoptosis) and serum creatinine or blood urea nitrogen. Our data suggest that shRNA-based therapy targeting Fas and caspase-8 in renal cells can lead to protection of kidney from IRI. Attenuation of pro-apoptotic proteins using genetic manipulation strategies such as shRNA might represent a novel strategy to promote kidney allograft survival from rejection or failure.

Ebs1p, a negative regulator of gene expression controlled by the Upf proteins in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mutations in EBS1 were identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that cosuppress missense, frameshift, and nonsense mutations. Evidence from studies of loss of function and overexpression of EBS1 suggests that Ebs1p affects gene expression by inhibiting translation and that a loss of EBS1 function causes suppression by increasing the rate of translation. Changes in EBS1 expression levels alter the expression of wild-type genes, but, in general, no changes in mRNA abundance were associated with a loss of function or overexpression of EBS1. Translation of a lacZ reporter was increased in strains carrying an ebs1-Delta mutant gene, whereas translation was decreased when EBS1 was overexpressed. The cap binding protein eIF-4E copurifies with Ebs1p in the absence of RNA, suggesting that the two proteins interact in vivo. Although physical and genetic interactions were detected between Ebs1p and Dcp1p, copurification was RNase sensitive, and changes in the expression of Ebs1p had little to no effect on decapping of the MFA2 transcript. The combined results suggest that Ebs1p inhibits translation, most likely through effects on eIF-4E rather than on decapping. Finally, EBS1 transcript levels are under the control of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), providing the first example of an NMD-sensitive transcript whose protein product influences a step in gene expression required for NMD.