Association of CYP2A6*4 with Susceptibility of Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesTo assess the association between the variant of Cytochrome P450 2A6 whole gene deletion (CYP2A6*4) polymorphism and risk of lung cancer.MethodsTwo investigators independently searched the PubMed, Elsevier, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for CYP2A6*4 and lung cancer were calculated in a fixed-effects model (the Mantel-Haenszel method) and a random-effects model (the DerSimonian and Laird method) when appropriate.ResultsThis meta-analysis included seven eligible studies, which included 2524 lung cancer cases and 2258 controls (cancer–free). Overall, CYP2A6*4 was associated with the risk of lung cancer (allele*4 vs. allele non-*4, pooled OR  = 0.826, 95% CI  = 0.725−0.941, P-value  = 0.004). When stratifying for population, significant association was observed in Asian (additive model, pooled OR  = 0.794, 95% CI  = 0.694−0.909, P-value  = 0.001; dominant model, pooled OR  = 0.827, 95% CI  = 0.709−0.965, P-value  = 0.016; recessive model (pooled OR  = 0.444, 95% CI  = 0.293−0.675, P-value <0.0001). In the overall analysis, a comparably significant decrease in the frequency of *4/*4 genotype was detected between cases and controls in Asian while no *4/*4 genotype was detected in Caucasian in collected data.ConclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that the CYP2A6*4 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility of lung cancer in Asian. The whole gene deletion of CYP2A6 may decrease the risk of lung cancer in Asian samples.     

The Metastasis Suppressor,N-myc Downregulated Gene 1 (NDRG1), Is a Prognostic Biomarker for Human Colorectal Cancer

Metastasis remains to be one of the most prevalent causes leading to poor long-term survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The clinical significances of tumor metastatic suppressor, N-myc downregulated gene 1 (NDRG1), have been inconsistently reported in a variety of cancerous diseases. In this study with 240 CRC clinical specimens, we showed that NDRG1 expression was significantly decreased in most of CRC tissues compared to the paired non-tumor counterparts. Statistical analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation of NDRG1 expression with tumor stage, differentiation status and metastasis. Compared with NDRG1-negative group, NDRG1-positve group had better disease-free/overall survival (p = 0.000) over 5 years’ follow-up. Furthermore, NDRG1 was considered to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (p = 0.001) and recurrence (p = 0.003). Our study concludes that NDRG1 is a novel favorable predictor for the prognosis in CRC patients.     

Genetic Variation and Breeding Signature in Mass Selection Lines of the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Assessed by SNP Markers

In breeding industries, a challenging problem is how to keep genetic diversity over generations. To investigate genetic variation and identify breeding signatures in mass selected lines of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), three sixth-generation selected lines and four wild populations were assessed using 103 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The genetic diversity data indicated that the selected lines exhibited a significant reduction in the observed heterozygosity and observed number of alleles per locus compared with the wild populations (P≤0.05), indicating the selected lines tended to lose genetic diversity contrasted with the wild populations. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) analysis showed that the wild populations and selected lines were not separated into two groups. Using four outlier tests, a total of 17 loci were found under selection at two levels. The global outlier detection suggested that 4 common outlier loci were subject to selection using both the hierarchical island model and Bayesian likelihood approaches. At regional level, 3 SNPs were detected as outlier using at least two outlier tests and one outlier SNP (CgSNP309) was overlapped in the two wild-selected population comparisons. The candidate outlier SNPs provide valuable resources for future association studies in C. gigas.     

Acute Effects of Particulate Air Pollution on the Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease in Shanghai,China

Introduction

Evidence based on ecological studies in China suggests that short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with cardiovascular mortality. However, there is less evidence of PM-related morbidity for coronary heart disease (CHD) in China. This study aims to investigate the relationship between acute PM exposure and CHD incidence in people aged above 40 in Shanghai.

Methods

Daily CHD events during 2005–2012 were identified from outpatient and emergency department visits. Daily average concentrations for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns (PM₁₀) were collected over the 8-year period. Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM_2.5) were measured from 2009 to 2012. Analyses were performed using quasi-poisson regression models adjusting for confounders, including long-term trend, seasonality, day of the week, public holiday and meteorological factors. The effects were also examined by gender and age group (41–65 years, and >65 years).

Results

There were 619928 CHD outpatient and emergency department visits. The average concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were 81.7μg/m³ and 38.6μg/m³, respectively. Elevated exposure to PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was related with increased risk of CHD outpatients and emergency department visits in a short time course. A 10 μg/m³ increase in the 2-day PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was associated with increase of 0.23% (95% CI: 0.12%, 0.34%) and 0.74% (95% CI: 0.44%, 1.04%) in CHD morbidity, respectively. The associations appeared to be more evident in the male and the elderly.

Conclusion

Short-term exposure to high levels of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was associated with increased risk of CHD outpatient and emergency department visits. Season, gender and age were effect modifiers of their association.     

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF AUTOPHAGY‐RELATED GENE 5 FROM Spodoptera exigua AND EXPRESSION ANALYSIS UNDER VARIOUS STRESS CONDITIONS

Autophagy is not only involved in development, but also has been proved to attend immune response against invading pathogens. Autophagy protein 5 (ATG5) is an important autophagic protein, which plays a crucial role in autophagosome elongation. Although ATG5 has been well studied in mammal, yeast, and Drosophila, little is known about ATG5 in lepidopteran insects. We cloned putative SeAtg5 gene from Spodoptera exigua larvae by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method, and its characteristics and the influences of multiple exogenous factors on its expression levels were then investigated. The results showed that the putative S. exigua SeATG5 protein is highly homologous to other insect ATG5 proteins, which has a conserved Pfm domain and multiple phosphorylation sites. Next, fluorescence microscope observation showed that mCherry‐SeATG5 was distributed in both nucleus and cytoplasm of Spodoptera litura Sl‐HP cells and partially co‐localized with BmATG6‐GFP, but it almost has no significant co‐localization with GFP‐HaATG8. Then, the Western blot analysis demonstrated that GFP‐SeATG5 conjugated with ATG12. Moreover, real‐time PCR revealed that its expression levels significantly increased at the initiation of pupation and the stage of adult. In addition, the expression levels of SeAtg5 can be enhanced by the starvation, UV radiation, and infection of baculovirus and bacterium. However, the expression levels of SeAtg5 decreased at 24 h post treatments in all these treatments except in starvation. These results suggested that SeATG5 might be involved in response of S. exigua under various stress conditions.