Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Bacterial Strain,LSJC7, Belonging to the Family Enterobacteriaceae with Dual Resistance to Arsenic and Tetracycline

Strain LSJC7, with dual resistance to arsenic and tetracycline, was isolated from an antimony tailing in China. Its 16S rRNA gene sequence has the highest similarity to that of Enterobacter cloacae subsp. dissolvens LMG 2683^T (97.02%). Here we present the approximately 4.6-Mbp draft genome sequence of strain LSJC7.     

INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION AND THE ROLE OF SUPERPARASITISM IN DIAPAUSE INDUCTION OF TRICHOGRAMMA EVANESCENS WEST-WOOD*

Abstract The diapause of two populations of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (T. evanescens A and T. evanescens B), collected from different Iranian insect pests, was studied. T. evunescens A in the eggs of Corcyra cephalonica was easily induced to stable diapause with constant 8°C, 15 % and fluctuating temperature (11–23) C -11C. T. evanescens B could not be induced to diapause with the same temperatural regime and host. The experiments showed that the host of maternal generations and the ability of avoiding super-parasitism may play an important role in intraspecific variation of T. evunescens in diapause induction.     

The Tumor Suppressor pVHL Down-regulates Never-in-Mitosis A-related Kinase 8 via Hypoxia-inducible Factors to Maintain Cilia in Human Renal Cancer Cells

NEK8 (never in mitosis gene A (NIMA)-related kinase 8) is involved in cytoskeleton, cilia, and DNA damage response/repair. Abnormal expression and/or dysfunction of NEK8 are related to cancer development and progression. However, the mechanisms that regulate NEK8 are not well declared. We demonstrated here that pVHL may be involved in regulating NEK8. We found that CAK-I cells with wild-type vhl expressed a lower level of NEK8 than the cells loss of vhl, such as 786-O, 769-P, and A-498 cells. Moreover, pVHL overexpression down-regulated the NEK8 protein in 786-O cells, whereas pVHL knockdown up-regulated NEK8 in CAK-I cells. In addition, we found that the positive hypoxia response elements (HREs) are located in the promoter of the nek8 sequence and hypoxia could induce nek8 expression in different cell types. Consistent with this, down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factors α (HIF-1α or HIF-2α) by isoform-specific siRNA reduced the ability of hypoxia inducing nek8 expression. In vivo, NEK8 and HIF-1α expression were increased in kidneys of rats subjected to an experimental hypoxia model of ischemia and reperfusion. Furthermore, NEK8 siRNA transfection significantly blocked pVHL-knockdown-induced cilia disassembling, through impairing the pVHL-knockdown-up-regulated NEK8 expression. These results support that nek8 may be a novel hypoxia-inducible gene. In conclusion, our findings show that nek8 may be a new HIF target gene and pVHL can down-regulate NEK8 via HIFs to maintain the primary cilia structure in human renal cancer cells.     

Prevalence of Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment in China: A Community-Based,Cross-Sectional Study

International hospital-based studies have indicated a high risk of cognitive impairment after stroke, evidence from community-based studies in China is scarce. To determine the prevalence of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and its subtypes in stroke survivors residing in selected rural and urban Chinese communities, we conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in 599 patients accounting for 48% of all stroke survivors registered in the 4 communities, who had suffered confirmed strokes and had undergone cognitive assessments via the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Hachinski Ischemia Scale (HIS). Detection of PSCI was based on scores in these neuropsychological scales. Factors potentially impacting on occurrence of PSCI were explored by comparing demographic characteristics, stroke features, and cardiovascular risk factors between patients with and without PSCI. The overall prevalence of PSCI was 80.97% (95%CI: 77.82%-84.11%), while that of non-dementia PSCI (PSCI-ND) and post-stroke vascular dementia (PSD) was 48.91% (95%CI: 44.91%-52.92%) and 32.05% (95%CI: 28.32%-35.79%), respectively. Prior stroke and complications during the acute phase were independent risk factors for PSCI. The risk of recurrent stroke survivors having PSCI was 2.7 times higher than for first-episode survivors, and it was 3 times higher for those with complications during the acute phase than for those without. The higher prevalence of PSCI in this study compared with previous Chinese studies was possibly due to the combined effects of including rural stroke survivors, a longer period from stroke onset, and different assessment methods. There is an urgent need to recognize and prevent PSCI in stroke patients, especially those with recurrent stroke and complications during the acute phase.     

Association between misalignment of circadian rhythm and obesity in Korean men: Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

ABSTRACT

Background: The disruption of circadian rhythm has been found to associate with obesity in vivo and in vitro. Sleep duration, eating habits, total feeding time, and nightshift work can also affect circadian rhythms. This study investigated the association between misalignment of circadian rhythm and obesity in Korean men, using a cross-sectional database.

Methods: This study used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), whose study population was 3,658 men aged 18 to 60 years. General and abdominal obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m² and waist circumference ≥ 90 cm, respectively. Circadian rhythm factors were determined with a self-report questionnaire and included breakfast frequency, sleep duration, and work time. Frequency of breakfast was divided into regular breakfast (five to seven times a week) and irregular breakfast (less than five times a week). Sleep duration was divided into less than 7 hours, 7–9 hours, and over 9 hours. Working time was defined as day/evening, night shift, and other type. The adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for general and abdominal obesity were calculated using multivariable logistic regression according to the number of factors that disturb the circadian rhythm.

Results: Participants with 1 (aOR 1.34, 95% Cl 1.10–1.61) and ≥2 (aOR 1.62, 95% Cl 1.29–2.05) factors disturbing circadian rhythms were associated with elevated risk for general obesity. Similarly, those with 1 (aOR 1.33, 95% Cl 1.09–1.63) and ≥2 (aOR 1.70, 95% Cl 1.32–2.20) factors had elevated risk for abdominal obesity.

Conclusions: Factors disturbing the circadian rhythm were associated with general and abdominal obesity. Additional studies are needed, and associations with metabolic diseases should be investigated.     

Methylation of KvDMR1 involved in regulating the imprinting of CDKN1C gene in cattle

The CDKN1C gene encodes a cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor and is one of the key genes involved in the development of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome and cancer. In this study, using a direct sequencing approach based on a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at genomic DNA and cDNA levels, we show that CDKN1C exhibits monoallelic expression in all seven studied organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, muscle and subcutaneous fat) in cattle. To investigate how methylation regulates imprinting of CDKN1C in cattle, allele‐specific methylation patterns in two putative differential methylation regions (DMRs), the CDKN1C DMR and KvDMR1, were analyzed in three tissues (liver, spleen and lung) using bisulfite sequencing PCR. Our results show that in the CDKN1C DMR both parental alleles were unmethylated in all three analyzed tissues. In contrast, KvDMR1 was differentially methylated between the two parental alleles in the same tissues. Statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference in the methylation level between the two parental alleles (P < 0.01), confirming that this region is the DMR of KvDMR1 and that it may be correlated with CDKN1C imprinting.