Complete genome sequence of a highly prevalent porcine circovirus 2 isolated from piglet stool samples in China

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the etiologic agent of porcine circovirus-associated disease. Here, we first report the complete genome sequence of PCV2 strain JSTZ, which was isolated from piglet stool samples and is highly prevalent in China. It will help in understanding the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of PCV2.     

Complete genome sequence of a novel species of Porcine Bocavirus, PBoV5

Porcine bocavirus 5 is a novel porcine bocavirus species found in a pig with clinical diarrhea from a farm in China. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of strain PBoV5/JS677, which will help toward understanding the molecular and evolutionary characteristics of the porcine bocavirus.     

Complete genomic sequence of a novel natural recombinant H6N2 influenza virus from chickens in Guangdong, Southern China

Here, we reported the complete genome sequence of a novel H6N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) isolated from chicken in Guangdong, Southern China, in 2011 which was a natural recombinant virus between the H6N2 and H5N1 subtypes. It will help to understand the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of H6N2 influenza virus in Southern China.     

miR-376a suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

MicroRNAs are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to explore the potential biological function of miR-376a, which was found to be inhibited after partial hepatectomy, in HCC. We discovered that miR-376a was frequently down-regulated in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues, while higher relative level of miR-376a was significantly associated with high serum AFP level. Over-expression of miR-376a not only inhibited proliferation but induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells. Additionally, p85α (PIK3R1) was identified as a direct and functional target of miR-376a in Huh7 cells. Moreover, we confirmed that p85α and miR-376a were inversely correlated in HCC. These findings suggest that down-regulation of miR-376a may contribute to the development of HCC by targeting p85α.     

Whole-genome sequence of Staphylococcus aureus strain LCT-SA112

Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive coccal bacterium. S. aureus is the most common species of Staphylococcus to cause staphylococcal infections, which are very common in clinical medicine. Here we report the genome sequence of S. aureus strain LCT-SA112, which was isolated from S. aureus subsp. aureus CGMCC 1.230.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699 Based on De Novo Assembly via a Combinatorial Sequencing Strategy

The genome of Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699 was resequenced and assembled de novo. By comparing the sequences of S699 previously released and that of A. mediterranei U32, about 10 kb of major indels was found to differ between the two S699 genomes, and the differences are likely attributable to their different assembly strategies.     

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency protects against cholesterol-induced hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress in mice

We recently reported that lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) knock-out mice, particularly in the LDL receptor knock-out background, are hypersensitive to insulin and resistant to high fat diet-induced insulin resistance (IR) and obesity. We demonstrated that chow-fed Ldlr-/-xLcat+/+ mice have elevated hepatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which promotes IR, compared with wild-type controls, and this effect is normalized in Ldlr-/-xLcat-/- mice. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that hepatic ER cholesterol metabolism differentially regulates ER stress using these models. We observed that the Ldlr-/-xLcat+/+ mice accumulate excess hepatic total and ER cholesterol primarily attributed to increased reuptake of biliary cholesterol as we observed reduced biliary cholesterol in conjunction with decreased hepatic Abcg5/g8 mRNA, increased Npc1l1 mRNA, and decreased Hmgr mRNA and nuclear SREBP2 protein. Intestinal NPC1L1 protein was induced. Expression of these genes was reversed in the Ldlr-/-xLcat-/- mice, accounting for the normalization of total and ER cholesterol and ER stress. Upon feeding a 2% high cholesterol diet (HCD), Ldlr-/-xLcat-/- mice accumulated a similar amount of total hepatic cholesterol compared with the Ldlr-/-xLcat+/+ mice, but the hepatic ER cholesterol levels remained low in conjunction with being protected from HCD-induced ER stress and IR. Hepatic ER stress correlates strongly with hepatic ER free cholesterol but poorly with hepatic tissue free cholesterol. The unexpectedly low ER cholesterol seen in HCD-fed Ldlr-/-xLcat-/- mice was attributable to a coordinated marked up-regulation of ACAT2 and suppressed SREBP2 processing. Thus, factors influencing the accumulation of ER cholesterol may be important for the development of hepatic insulin resistance.     

Cell cycle-dependent subcellular distribution of ClC-3 in HeLa cells

Chloride channel-3 (ClC-3) is suggested to be a component and/or a regulator of the volume-activated Cl(-) channel in the plasma membrane. However, ClC-3 is predominantly located inside cells and the role of intracellular ClC-3 in tumor growth is unknown. In this study, we found that the subcellular distribution of endogenous ClC-3 varied in a cell cycle-dependent manner in HeLa cells. During interphase, ClC-3 was distributed throughout the cell and it accumulated at various positions in different stages. In early G1, ClC-3 was mainly located in the nucleus. In middle G1, ClC-3 gathered around the nuclear periphery as a ring. In late G1, ClC-3 moved back into the nucleus, where it remained throughout S phase. In G2, ClC-3 was concentrated in the cytoplasm. When cells progressed from G2 to the prophase of mitosis, ClC-3 from the cytoplasm translocated into the nucleus. During metaphase and anaphase, ClC-3 was distributed throughout the cell except for around the chromosomes and was aggregated at the spindle poles and in between two chromosomes, respectively. ClC-3 was then again concentrated in the nucleus upon the progression from telophase to cytokinesis. These results reveal a cell cycle-dependent change of the subcellular distribution of ClC-3 and strongly suggest that ClC-3 has nucleocytoplasmic shuttling dynamics that may play key regulatory roles during different stages of the cell cycle in tumor cells.     

Ultrasensitive indicator-free and enhanced self-signal nanohybrid DNA sensing platform based on electrochemically grown poly-xanthurenic acid/Fe2O3 membranes

This paper describes a novel electrochemical DNA biosensor for simple, rapid, and specific detection of PML/RARA fusion gene in acute promyelocytic leukemia by using 18-mer single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid as the capture probe. Nanosized Fe(2)O(3) was first immobilized on the surface of a carbon paste electrode (CPE). Then poly-xanthurenic acid (PXa), a new electroactive material, was electrogenerated by using the pulse potentiostatic method on the Fe(2)O(3) substrate to form a unique and uniform nanorhombus structure. Due to the unique binding ability of xanthurenic acid (Xa) with Fe(2)O(3), Xa monomers tended to be adsorbed around nanosized Fe(2)O(3), and the electropolymerization efficiency was greatly improved. Owing to the presence of abundant carboxyl groups, the capture probe was covalently attached on the carboxyl-terminated PXa/Fe(2)O(3) nanorhombus membranes through the free amines of DNA sequences based on the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and N-hydrosulfosuccinimide cross-linking reaction. The covalently immobilized capture probe could selectively hybridize with its target DNA to form double-stranded DNA on the PXa/Fe(2)O(3)/CPE surface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was adopted for indicator-free monitoring of the hybridization reaction on the probe-captured electrode. As a result, the efficient probe immobilization platform, coupled with the ultrasensitive indicator-free impedance measurement, gave rise to a detection limit of 2.8 fmol/L and a dynamic range spanning 8 orders of magnitude. The excellent analytical properties of the proposed biosensor developed here holds great promise for ultrasensitive detection of other biorecognition events and diagnosis of diseases in practice.