Effects of interaction between genetic variants in human leukocyte antigen DQ and granulysin genes in Chinese Han subjects infected with hepatitis B virus

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of HLA‐DQ and granulysin (GNLY) are reportedly associated with HBV infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of interactions between SNPs in HLA‐DQ and GNLY on the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Chinese Han subjects. HLA‐DQ (rs9275572) and GNLY (rs1866139 and rs11127) were genotyped in 310 subjects with HBV‐related chronic liver disease, 295 in whom spontaneous clearance of HBV had occurred and 316 who had not been exposed to HBV. HLA‐DQ rs9275572 was significantly correlated with HBV clearance (dominant genetic model: OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.30–2.61; adjusted P = 0.001). There was no statistical association of GNLY rs1866139 and rs11127with HBV infection outcomes. However, significant sex‐specific associations with HBV susceptibility were observed in men who carried rs1866139 CG or rs11127 TC and in women who carried rs1866139 GG or rs11127 CC. The findings were the same in the validation cohort, which was composed of 829 subjects. Based on a multifactor dimensionality reduction test with permutation correction, a three‐way interaction between SNPs in HLA‐DQ and GNLY was identified in terms of HBV clearance. In conclusion, additional evidence for an association of HLA‐DQ and GNLY SNPs with HBV infection outcomes has been identified and a SNP‐SNP interaction between HLA‐DQ and GNLY on HBV clearance observed.     

过氧化氢酶抑制剂氨基三唑减轻急性酒精性肝损伤

本文旨在通过观察过氧化氢酶(catalase,CAT)抑制剂氨基三唑(aminotriazole,ATZ)对酒精诱导的急性肝损伤的影响,初步探讨CAT在酒精性肝损伤中的可能作用。以雄性Sprague Dawley(SD)大鼠为实验对象,采用酒精腹腔注射诱导急性肝损伤,在造模前30 min腹腔注射不同剂量ATZ(100~400 mg/kg)或相同体积溶剂(对照)。造模24 h后,检测大鼠血浆天冬氨酸转氨酶(aspartate transaminase,AST)、丙氨酸转氨酶(alanine transaminase,ALT)及乳酸脱氢酶(lactate dehydrogenase,LDH)水平,用HE染色法观察肝组织病理改变程度,用试剂盒检测肝组织内CAT活性、过氧化氢(hydrogen peroxide,H2O2)水平及丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA)含量,ELISA法检测血浆中肿瘤坏死因子α(tumor necrosis factor-α,TNF-α)及白介素-6(interleukin-6,IL-6)水平。结果显示,ATZ处理可剂量依赖性降低酒精暴露大鼠血浆中ALT、AST及LDH水平,并减轻酒精诱导的肝组织病理损伤;ATZ可抑制酒精暴露大鼠肝组织内CAT活性、降低H2O2水平及MDA含量;ATZ也可下调酒精暴露大鼠血浆中TNF-α和IL-6水平。以上结果表明,ATZ可减轻酒精诱导的大鼠急性肝损伤,提示CAT可能在酒精性肝损伤中发挥了重要的致病作用。     

C-型咽侧体抑制素(AST-C)和促前胸腺激素释放激素(PTTH)基因在家蚕脑组织中的时空表达分析

【目的】咽侧体抑制素在昆虫体内具有重要的调控功能。本研究比较了家蚕Bombyx mori C-型咽侧体抑制素(allatostatin C,AST-C)与促前胸腺激素释放激素(prothoracicotropic hormone,PTTH)基因在不同发育阶段家蚕脑组织中转录表达的模式及其在脑组织的表达定位,以期为家蚕AST-C的功能研究提供重要的线索。【方法】利用脑组织芯片数据分析比较AST-C和PTTH基因在家蚕脑组织中的发育表达特征,RT-PCR验证其芯片数据,分析AST-C在不同发育阶段家蚕中枢神经系统中的表达模式,并用全组织包埋原位杂交技术对AST-C和PTTH在脑组织的表达进行定位。【结果】AST-C和PTTH在不同发育阶段家蚕脑组织中有相似的转录表达模式,且都在脑组织外侧一对神经分泌细胞中表达。【结论】AST-C可能与PTTH以相同的转录表达模式共同参与家蚕的变态发育调控。     

Enantioselective Degradation of Indoxacarb From Different Commercial Formulations Applied to Tea

The stereoselective degradation of indoxacarb enriched with (+)‐S‐indoxacarb (S/R:70/30) was investigated in three typical green teas. A convenient and precise chiral method was developed and validated for measuring indoxacarb enantiomers in green tea. The developed method was based on high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry using a Chiralpak IC column. The stereoselective degradation of indoxacarb enantiomers showed that the (+)‐S‐enantiomer dissipated faster than the (?)‐R‐enantiomer in all three typical tea farms. However, no enantiomerization was observed after applying pure (+)‐S‐indoxacarb. Residues on tea plant of the active ingredient (+)‐S‐indoxacarb from suspension concentrate (SC) was more persistent than that from emulsifiable concentrate (EC). Chirality 27:262–267, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ectopic expression of ecdysone oxidase impairs tissue degeneration in Bombyx mori

Metamorphosis in insects includes a series of programmed tissue histolysis and remolding processes that are controlled by two major classes of hormones, juvenile hormones and ecdysteroids. Precise pulses of ecdysteroids (the most active ecdysteroid is 20-hydroxyecdysone, 20E), are regulated by both biosynthesis and metabolism. In this study, we show that ecdysone oxidase (EO), a 20E inactivation enzyme, expresses predominantly in the midgut during the early pupal stage in the lepidopteran model insect, Bombyx mori. Depletion of BmEO using the transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases) system extended the duration of the final instar larval stage. Ubiquitous transgenic overexpression of BmEO using the Gal4/UAS system induced lethality during the larval–pupal transition. When BmEO was specifically overexpressed in the middle silk gland (MSG), degeneration of MSG at the onset of metamorphosis was blocked. Transmission electron microscope and LysoTracker analyses showed that the autophagy pathway in MSG is inhibited by BmEO ectopic expression. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis revealed that the genes involved in autophagic cell death and the mTOR signal pathway are affected by overexpression of BmEO. Taken together, BmEO functional studies reported here provide insights into ecdysone regulation of tissue degeneration during metamorphosis.     

Genetic isolation between two recently diverged populations of a symbiotic fungus

Fungi are an omnipresent and highly diverse group of organisms, making up a significant part of eukaryotic diversity. Little is currently known about the drivers of fungal population differentiation and subsequent divergence of species, particularly in symbiotic, mycorrhizal fungi. Here, we investigate the population structure and environmental adaptation in Suillus brevipes (Peck) Kuntze, a wind‐dispersed soil fungus that is symbiotic with pine trees. We assembled and annotated the reference genome for Su. brevipes and resequenced the whole genomes of 28 individuals from coastal and montane sites in California. We detected two clearly delineated coast and mountain populations with very low divergence. Genomic divergence was restricted to few regions, including a region of extreme divergence containing a gene encoding for a membrane Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger known for enhancing salt tolerance in plants and yeast. Our results are consistent with a very recent split between the montane and coastal Su. brevipes populations, with few small genomic regions under positive selection and a pattern of dispersal and/or establishment limitation. Furthermore, we identify a putatively adaptive gene that motivates further functional analyses to link genotypes and phenotypes and shed light on the genetic basis of adaptive traits.