GABRB2 Haplotype Association with Heroin Dependence in Chinese Population

Substance dependence is a frequently observed comorbid disorder in schizophrenia, but little is known about genetic factors possibly shared between the two psychotic disorders. GABRB2, a schizophrenia candidate gene coding for GABA_A receptor β₂ subunit, is examined for possible association with heroin dependence in Han Chinese population. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GABRB2, namely rs6556547 (S1), rs1816071 (S3), rs18016072 (S5), and rs187269 (S29), previously associated with schizophrenia, were examined for their association with heroin dependence. Two additional SNPs, rs10051667 (S31) and rs967771 (S32), previously associated with alcohol dependence and bipolar disorder respectively, were also analyzed. The six SNPs were genotyped by direct sequencing of PCR amplicons of target regions for 564 heroin dependent individuals and 498 controls of Han Chinese origin. Interestingly, it was found that recombination between the haplotypes of all-derived-allele (H1; OR = 1.00) and all-ancestral-allele (H2; OR = 0.74) at S5-S29 junction generated two recombinants H3 (OR = 8.51) and H4 (OR = 5.58), both conferring high susceptibility to heroin dependence. Additional recombination between H2 and H3 haplotypes at S1-S3 junction resulted in a risk-conferring haplotype H5 (OR = 1.94x10⁹). In contrast, recombination between H1 and H2 haplotypes at S3-S5 junction rescued the risk-conferring effect of recombination at S5-S29 junction, giving rise to the protective haplotype H6 (OR = 0.68). Risk-conferring effects of S1-S3 and S5-S29 crossovers and protective effects of S3-S5 crossover were seen in both pure heroin dependent and multiple substance dependence subgroups. In conclusion, significant association was found with haplotypes of the S1-S29 segment in GABRB2 for heroin dependence in Han Chinese population. Local recombination was an important determining factor for switching haplotypes between risk-conferring and protective statuses. The present study provide evidence for the schizophrenia candidate gene GABRB2 to play a role in heroin dependence, but replication of these findings is required.     

Screening for in vitro metabolites of Abelmoschus manihot extract in intestinal bacteria by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Abelmoschus manihot has drawn much attention recently due to its potential beneficial health effects after oral administration. However, the metabolic fate of A. manihot in intestinal flora is not well understood. In this paper, we describe a strategy using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF MS) with automated data analysis software (MetaboLynx?) for fast analysis of the metabolic profile of flavonoids from A. manihot in intestinal flora. The human and rat incubated samples collected 72 h in the anaerobic incubator were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF MS within 10 min. A total of 14 metabolites were identified in human and rat incubated solution compared with blank samples. The results indicated that hydrolysis, hydroxylation and acetylation were the major metabolic pathways of flavonoids in A. manihot extract in vitro. MS(E) was used for simultaneous acquisition of precursor ion information and fragment ion data at high and low collision energy in one analytical run, which facilitated the fast structural characterization of metabolites. This work demonstrated the potential of the UPLC-Q-TOF MS approach using Metabolynx for fast and automated identification of metabolites of natural product in intestinal flora.     

A thermostable esterase from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis opening up a new family of bacterial lipolytic enzymes

An unidentified α/β hydrolase gene lipA3 from thermostable eubacterium species Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4 was cloned and heterologously expressed by Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)pLysS. The purified recombinant enzyme EstA3 turned out to be a monomeric thermostable esterase with optimal activity at 70°C and pH 9.5. The enzyme showed lipolytic activity towards a wide range of ester substrates including p-nitrophenyl esters and triacylglycerides, with the highest activity being observed for p-nitrophenyl caproate at 150 U/mg and for Triacetin at 126U/mg, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that EstA3 did not show homology to any identified bacterial lipolytic hydrolases. Sequence alignment showed that there was a common pentapeptide CHSMG with a cysteine replacing the first glycine in most esterase and lipase conserved motif GXSXG. The catalytic triad of EstA3 is Ser92, Asp269 and His292, which was confirmed by site directed mutagenesis. Based on the enzymatic properties and sequence alignment we concluded that the esterase EstA3 represented a novel bacterial lipolytic enzyme group and in chronological order this group was assigned as Family XIV.     

Regulation of methyl group metabolism in lactating ewes

The effect of lactation on a number of enzymes involved in transmethylation reactions and the secretion of major methyl compounds into milk have been examined in sheep. The activities of hepatic phospholipid methyltransferase and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase were significantly higher in lactating ewes, compared with those in non-lactating ewes, while the activity of both hepatic and pancreatic glycine methyltransferase was significantly lower in the lactating state. No differences were observed in the activities of hepatic guanidoacetate methyltransferase, betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase and cystathionine beta-synthase on lactation. These results suggest that the extra demand for methyl groups for the secretion of methyl compounds in the milk is facilitated by enhancing the rate of de novo methyl group synthesis and lowering the rate of physiologically nonessential methylation.     

Study of the restitution of action potential duration using the artificial neural network

It is widely accepted that the APD (action potential duration) restitution plays a key role in the initializing and maintaining of the reentry arrhythmias. The Luo-Rudy II models paced with different protocols showed that the current APD had a complex relation with the previous APDs and diastole intervals (DIs). This relation could not be accurately described by a single exponential function. We used an artificial neural network to formularize this relation. The results suggested that back-propagation (BP) network could predict the current APD from the information of the first three previous beats. This would help provide a target for potential anti-arrhythmic therapies.     

Tim-1分子在约氏疟原虫感染模型中的表达分析

Tim-1分子表达在T细胞和调节性B细胞表面,具有促进Th2应答的作用。为探讨Tim-1分子在抗疟疾免疫应答中的作用,利用致死型约氏疟原虫(Plasmodium yoelii)感染鼠疟模型研究了Tim-1分子表达与小鼠感染结局和免疫应答模式的关系。结果显示,BALB/c小鼠对P.yoelii易感,在感染后6～7 d全部死亡,感染后第3、5天脾内细胞因子IFN-γmRNA水平明显低于对P.yoelii抵抗的DBA2小鼠,而脾IL-10 mRNA水平显著高于DBA2小鼠。BALB/c小鼠脾内Tim-1+T、B细胞百分比在感染后第3、5天显著升高,而DBA2小鼠感染前后脾内Tim-1+T、B细胞百分比没有显著变化。结果提示,Tim-1分子参与抗P.yoelii免疫应答的调节,可能与易感鼠产生高水平Th2型细胞因子有关。     

miR824-Regulated AGAMOUS-LIKE16 Contributes to Flowering Time Repression in Arabidopsis

The timing of flowering is pivotal for maximizing reproductive success under fluctuating environmental conditions. Flowering time is tightly controlled by complex genetic networks that integrate endogenous and exogenous cues, such as light, temperature, photoperiod, and hormones. Here, we show that AGAMOUS-LIKE16 (AGL16) and its negative regulator microRNA824 (miR824) control flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana. Knockout of AGL16 effectively accelerates flowering in nonvernalized Col-FRI, in which the floral inhibitor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is strongly expressed, but shows no effect if plants are vernalized or grown in short days. Alteration of AGL16 expression levels by manipulating miR824 abundance influences the timing of flowering quantitatively, depending on the expression level and number of functional FLC alleles. The effect of AGL16 is fully dependent on the presence of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). Further experiments show that AGL16 can interact directly with SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE and indirectly with FLC, two proteins that form a complex to repress expression of FT. Our data reveal that miR824 and AGL16 modulate the extent of flowering time repression in a long-day photoperiod.     

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Variants in PMS1 Associated with Serum Ferritin in a Chinese Population

Only a small proportion of genetic variation in serum ferritin has been explained by variant genetic studies, and genome-wide association study (GWAS) for serum ferritin has not been investigated widely in Chinese population. We aimed at exploring the novel genetic susceptibility to serum ferritin, and performed this two stage GWAS in a healthy Chinese population of 3,495 men aged 20–69 y, including 1,999 unrelated subjects in the first stage and 1,496 independent individuals in the second stage. Serum ferritin was measured with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, and DNA samples were collected for genotyping. A total of 1,940,243 SNPs were tested by using multivariate linear regression analysis. After adjusting for population stratification, age and BMI, the rs5742933 located in the 5′UTR region of PMS1 gene on chromosome 2 was the most significantly associated with ferritin concentrations (P-combined = 2.329×10⁻¹⁰) (β = −0.11, 95% CI: −0.14, −0.07). Moreover, this marker was about 200kb away from the candidate gene SLC40A1 which is responsible for iron export. PMS1 gene was the novel genetic susceptibility to serum ferritin in Chinese males and its relation to SLC40A1 needs further study.     

Hydroxyethylamine-based inhibitors of BACE1: P1–P3 macrocyclization can improve potency,selectivity, and cell activity

We describe a systematic study of how macrocyclization in the P₁–P₃ region of hydroxyethylamine-based inhibitors of β-site amyloid precursor protein (APP)-cleaving enzyme (BACE1) modulates in vitro activity. This study reveals that in a number of instances macrocyclization of bis-terminal dienes leads to improved potency toward BACE1 and selectivity against cathepsin D (CatD), as well as greater amyloid β-peptide (Aβ)-lowering activity in HEK293T cells stably expressing APP_SW. However, for several closely related analogs the benefits of macrocyclization are attenuated by the effects of other structural features in different regions of the molecules. X-ray crystal structures of three of these novel macrocyclic inhibitors bound to BACE1 revealed their binding conformations and interactions with the enzyme.     

Insecticidal activity of recombinant baculovirus co-expressing Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein and Kunitz-type toxin isolated from the venom of bumblebee Bombus ignitus

To improve the insecticidal activity of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), using co-expression of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein and a Kunitz-type toxin isolated from bumblebee Bombus ignitus venom, a recombinant AcMNPV, ApPolh5-3006BiKTI, expressing Bi-KTI under the control of early promoter from Cotesia plutellae bracovirus (CpBV) was constructed. In this recombinant virus, B. thuringiensis cry1-5 crystal protein gene was introduced into the genome by the fusion of polyhedrin-cry1-5 under the control of polyhedrin gene promoter. RT-PCR analysis indicated that both Bi-KTI and polyhedrin-cry1-5 fusion protein were successfully expressed from the infected cells. In addition, SDS-PAGE revealed that polyhedrin-cry1-5 fusion protein expressed by recombinant viruses was occluded into the polyhedra. ApPolh5-3006BiKTI showed an improved insecticidal activity against larvae of Plutella xylostella and Spodoptera exigua. At low dosage rates, it was more effective against S. exigua than on P. xylostella, but more rapid insecticidal activity was shown in P. xylostella. These results strongly suggest that co-expression of Bt toxin and Kunitz-type toxins could be successfully applied to improve the insecticidal activity of baculoviruses.