Genomics in Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders comprise a variety of complex diseases in the central nervous system, which can be roughly classified as neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. The basic and translational research of neurological disorders has been hindered by the difficulty in accessing the pathological center （i.e., the brain） in live patients. The rapid advancement of sequencing and array technologies has made it possible to investigate the disease mechanism and biomarkers from a systems perspective. In this review, recent progresses in the discovery of novel risk genes, treatment targets and peripheral biomarkers employing genomic technologies will be dis- cussed. Our major focus will be on two of the most heavily investigated neurological disorders, namely Alzheimer＇s disease and autism spectrum disorder.     

THE CHINESE JOURNAL OF MICROECOLOGY Foreword on Starting Publication

Miicroecology, a branch of life sciences, deals with studies on the ecological relationships between the various microbial flora inhabitating an individual and their hosts(human beings, animals, and plants), at cellular or molecular levels. As micro-ecology possesses a unique theoretical system as well as technological methodology, it has been known as one of the established new frontiers of biological sciences.     

The Involvement of Lipids in Alzheimer's Disease

It has been estimated that Alzheimer＇s disease （AD）, the most common form of dementia, will affect approximately 81 million individuals by 2040. To date, the actual cause and cascade of events in the progression of this disease have not been fully determined. Furthermore, there is currently no definitive blood test or simple diagnostic method for AD. Considerable efforts have been put into proteomic approaches to develop a diagnostic blood test, but to date these efforts have not been successful. More recently, there has been a stronger focus on lipidomic studies in the hope of increasing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms leading to AD and developing an AD blood test. It is well known that the strongest genetic risk factor for AD is the e4 variant of apolipoprotein E （APOE）. Evidence suggests that the ApoE protein, a major lipid transporter, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of AD, and its role in both normal and aberrant lipid metabolism warrants further extensive investigation. Here, we review ApoE-lipid interactions, as well as the roles that lipids may play in the pathogenesis of AD.     

Role of nanotopography in the development of tissue engineered 3D organs and tissues using mesenchymal stem cells

Recent regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies(using cells, scaffolds, medical devices and gene therapy) have led to fascinating progress of translation of basic research towards clinical applications. In the past decade, great deal of research has focused on developing various three dimensional(3D) organs, such as bone, skin, liver, kidney and ear,using such strategies in order to replace or regenerate damaged organs for the purpose of maintaining or restoring organs’ functions that may have been lost due to aging, accident or disease. The surface properties of a material or a device are key aspects in determining the success of the implant in biomedicine, as the majority of biological reactions in human body occur on surfaces or interfaces. Furthermore, it has been established in the literature that cell adhesion and proliferation are, to a great extent, influenced by the micro- and nanosurface characteristics of biomaterials and devices. In addition, it has been shown that the functions of stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells in particular, could be regulated through physical interaction with specific nanotopographical cues. Therefore, guided stem cell proliferation, differentiation and function are of great importance in the regeneration of 3D tissues and organs using tissue engineering strategies. This review will provide an update on the impact of nanotopography on mesenchymal stem cells for the purpose of developing laboratory-based 3D organs and tissues, as well as the most recent research and case studies on this topic.     

广西农作物种质资源遗传多样性

This paper is about PLEC,but also about small farmers and biodiversity . Until a very few years ago, all agriculture was supposed to be the enemy of biodiversity . Now it is better understood that some areas managed by small farmers contain almost as much biodiversity as the wild. This diversity, (Wood and Lenne 2000).Even in regard to the wild itself,ecological thinking has now swung away from the old view that the richest biodiversity occurs in ecosystems that have had a long period of undisturbed evolution toward acli maxstate. Since the late 1970s it has been forcefully argued that disturbances may be essential to the creation and maintenance of plant and animal diversity (eg. Zimmerer and young 1998).     

What have we learned about the kallikrein-kinin and renin-angiotensin systems in neurological disorders?

The kallikrein-kinin system(KKS) is an intricate endogenous pathway involved in several physiological and pathological cascades in the brain. Due to the pathological effects of kinins in blood vessels and tissues, their formation and degradation are tightly controlled. Their components have been related to several central nervous system diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and others. Bradykinin and its receptors(B1R and B2R) may have a role in the pathophysiology of certain central nervous system diseases. It has been suggested that kinin B1R is up-regulated in pathological conditions and has a neurodegenerative pattern, while kinin B2R is constitutive and can act as a neuroprotective factor in many neurological conditions. The renin angiotensin system(RAS) is an important blood pressure regulator and controls both sodium and water intake. AngⅡ is a potent vasoconstrictor molecule and angiotensin converting enzyme is the major enzyme responsible for its release. AngⅡ acts mainly on the AT1 receptor, with involvement in several systemic and neurological disorders. Brain RAS has been associated with physiological pathways, but is also associated with brain disorders. This review describes topics relating to the involvement of both systems in several forms of brain dysfunction and indicates components of the KKS and RAS that have been used as targets in several pharmacological approaches.     

Identification and characterization of an ancient class of small RNAs enriched in serum associating with active infection

Dear Editor,
The identification of novel serum biomarkers holds great value for diagnosing and monitoring disease conditions due to its convenient and non-invasive nature. Recently, great interests have been shed on serum microRNAs （miRNAs）, which emerge as promising biomarkers for a variety of diseases including cancer and metabolic disorders （Cortez et al., 2011）. Despite the concentrated attention on serum miRNAs, the reports on the existence and diagnostic value of other serum small RNAs remain surprisingly few. In present study,     

New findings showing how DNA methylation influences diseases

In 1975, Holliday and Pugh as well as Riggs independently hypothesized that DNA methylation in eukaryotes could act as a hereditary regulation mechanism that influences gene expression and cell differentiation. Interest in the study of epigenetic processes has been inspired by their reversibility as well as their potentially preventable or treatable consequences. Recently, we have begun to understand that the features of DNA methylation are not the same for all cells.Major differences have been found between differentiated cells and stem cells.Methylation influences various pathologies, and it is very important to improve the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms. Epigenetic modifications may take place throughout life and have been related to cancer, brain aging, memory disturbances, changes in synaptic plasticity, and neurodegenerative diseases,such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. DNA methylation also has a very important role in tumor biology. Many oncogenes are activated by mutations in carcinogenesis. However, many genes with tumor-suppressor functions are "silenced" by the methylation of CpG sites in some of their regions.Moreover, the role of epigenetic alterations has been demonstrated in neurological diseases. In neuronal precursors, many genes associated with development and differentiation are silenced by CpG methylation. In addition,recent studies show that DNA methylation can also influence diseases that do not appear to be related to the environment, such as IgA nephropathy, thus affecting,the expression of some genes involved in the T-cell receptor signaling. In conclusion, DNA methylation provides a whole series of fundamental information for the cell to regulate gene expression, including how and when the genes are read, and it does not depend on the DNA sequence.     

Brainnetome and related projects

<正>The brain is organized as a hierarchy of complex networks on different temporal and spatial scales.The complex connectivities within the brain are presented in the anatomical architecture as well as dynamic activity.There have long been efforts to make a connection map of the brain[1],and this has now been achieved with the establishment of the     

Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in body fluids

Various innovative diagnostic methods for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been developed in view of the increasing preva-lence and consequences of later-life dementia. Biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood for AD are primarily based on the detection of components derived from amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Published reports on CSF and blood biomarkers in AD indicate that although biomarkers in body fluids may be utilized in the clinical diagnosis of AD, there are no specific markers that permit accurate and reliable diagnosis of early-stage AD or the monitoring of disease pro-gression.     

Modulation of the MAP kinase signaling cascade by Raf kinase inhibitory protein

Proteins like Rafkinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) that serve as modulators of signaling pathways, either by promoting or inhibiting the formation of productive signaling complexes through protein-protein interactions, have been demonstrated to play an increasingly important role in a number of cell types and organisms. These proteins have been implicated in development as well as the progression of cancer. RKIP is a particularly interesting regulator, as it is a highly conserved, ubiquitously expressed protein that has been shown to play a role in growth and differentiation in a number of organisms and can regulate multiple signaling pathways. RKIP is also the first MAP kinase signaling modulator to be identified as playing a role in cancer metastasis, and identification of the mechanism by which it regulates Raf-1 activation provides new targets for theraoeutic intervention.     

Learning from Evolution： Thellungiella Generates New Knowledge on Essential and Critical Components of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

Thellungiella salsuginea （halophila） is a close relative of Arabidopsis thaliana but, unlike A. thaliana, it grows well in extreme conditions of cold, salt, and drought as well as nitrogen limitation. Over the last decade, many laboratories have started to use Thellungiella to investigate the physiological, metabolic, and molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in plants, and new knowledge has been gained in particular with respect to ion transport and gene expression. The advantage of Thellungiella over other extremophile model plants is that it can be directly compared with Arabidopsis, and therefore generate information on both essential and critical components of stress tolerance. Thellungiella research is supported by a growing body of technical resources comprising physiological and molecular protocols, ecotype collections, expressed sequence tags, cDNA-libraries, microarrays, and a pending genome sequence. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on Thellungiella and re-evaluates its usefulness as a model for research into plant stress tolerance.     

Omics Approaches to Identify Potential Biomarkers of Inflammatory Diseases in the Focal Adhesion Complex

Inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) require recurrent invasive tests, including blood tests, radiology, and endoscopic evaluation both to diagnose and assess disease activity, and to determine optimal therapeutic strategies. Simple ‘bedside' biomarkers could be used in all phases of patient management to avoid unnecessary investigation and guide further management. The focal adhesion complex(FAC) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple inflammatory diseases, including IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Utilizing omics technologies has proven to be an efficient approach to identify biomarkers from within the FAC in the field of cancer medicine. Predictive biomarkers are paving the way for the success of precision medicine for cancer patients, but inflammatory diseases have lagged behind in this respect. This review explores the current status of biomarker prediction for inflammatory diseases from within the FAC using omics technologies and highlights the benefits of future potential biomarker identification approaches.     

Now is the time to test early urinary biomarkers in large-scale human samples

<正>Although blood is the most common source for biomarkers,urine has not been completely ignored. There have been some urinary biomarker studies with clinical samples.However, most—if not all—biomarker researchers lack confidence in urine as a good biomarker source. Many researchers think that good results from urine are a statistical accident. To demonstrate the validity of urinary biomarkers,large-scale studies are needed. Until such convincing evidence exists, what funding agent could support research in this field?     

Identification and validation of key biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for primary open-angle glaucoma

Primary open-angle glaucoma(POAG) is a prevalent cause of blindness worldwide, resulting in degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and permanent damage to the optic nerve. However, the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of POAG are currently indistinct, and there has been no effective nonsurgical treatment regimen. The objective of this study is to identify novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for POAG. The mRNA expression microarray datasets GSE27276 and GSE138125,as well as the s...     

Pharmacogenomics of Cisplatin Sensitivity in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Cisplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapeutic drug, has been used for over 30 years in a wide variety of cancers with varying degrees of success. In particular, cisplatin has been used to treat late stage non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） as the standard of care. However, therapeutic outcomes vary from patient to patient. Considerable efforts have been invested to identify biomark- ers that can be used to predict cisplatin sensitivity in NSCLC. Here we reviewed current evidence for cisplatin sensitivity biomarkers in NSCLC. We focused on several key pathways, including nucleotide excision repair, drug transport and metabolism. Both expression and germline DNA variation were evaluated in these key pathways. Current evidence suggests that cisplatin-based treatment could be improved by the use of these biomarkers.     

糙孢锈菌属在中国的发现

Trachyspora is a small genus of rust fungi with 5 species on Alchemilla of the Rosaceae. The genus is autoecious and demicyclic with aperidiate uredinoid aecia and naked telia, one-celled teliospores borne singly on 1-septate pedicels. The uredinoid aecia have been regarded by previous authors as uredinia while Arthur (1934) called them aecia because the spores are sessile or somewhat catenulate. Spermogonia were described by Gjaerum and Cummins (1982) as phragmidioid type corresponding to type 10 of Hiratsuka and Cummins (1963) but they usually are not produced or not easy to be collected. The septate pedicels of teliospores were pointed out by Mundkur and Thirumalachar (1946) as a distinct character separating it from Uromyces, with which the genus has been mistaken by many authors. Actually, restriction of parasitism to the rosaceous plants and spermogonia of     

Modeling Superhydrophobic Contact Angles and Wetting Transition

It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxtermodels,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently primary instructions fordesigning superhydrophobic surfaces.However,the particular drop shape that a drop exhibits might depend on how it is formed.A water drop can occupy multiple equilibrium states,which relate to different local minimal energy.In some cases,both equilibriumstates can even co-exist on a same substrate.Thus the apparent contact angles may vary and have different values.Wediscuss how the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations determine the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting theoretically.Contact angle analysis on hierarchical surface structure and contact angle hysteresis has been put specific attention.In particular,we study the energy barrier of transition from Cassie-Baxter state to Wenzel state,based on existing achievement by previousresearchers,to determine the possibility of the transition and how it can be interpreted.It has been demonstrated that surfaceroughness and geometry will influence the energy required for a drop to get into equilibrium,no matter it is homogeneous orheterogeneous wetting.