LncRNA Bmp1 promotes the healing of intestinal mucosal lesions via the miR-128-3p/PHF6/PI3K/AKT pathway

Intestinal mucosal injuries are directly or indirectly related to many common acute and chronic diseases. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are expressed in many diseases, including intestinal mucosal injury. However, the relationship between lncRNAs and intestinal mucosal injury has not been determined. Here, we investigated the functions and mechanisms of action of lncRNA Bmp1 on damaged intestinal mucosa. We found that Bmp1 was increased in damaged intestinal mucosal tissue and Bmp1 overexpression was able to alleviate intestinal mucosal injury. Bmp1 overexpression was found to influence cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration in IEC-6 or HIEC-6 cells. Moreover, miR-128-3p was downregulated after Bmp1 overexpression, and upregulation of miR-128-3p reversed the effects of Bmp1 overexpression in IEC-6 cells. Phf6 was observed to be a target of miR-128-3p. Furthermore, PHF6 overexpression affected IEC-6 cells by activating PI3K/AKT signaling which was mediated by the miR-128-3p/PHF6 axis. In conclusion, Bmp1 was found to promote the expression of PHF6 through the sponge miR-128-3p, activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote cell migration and proliferation.Subject terms: Cell growth, Cell migration     

Predominance of Single Prophage Carrying a CRISPR/cas System in “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” Strains in Southern China

“Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” (CLas) is an uncultureable α-proteobacterium associated with citrus Huanglongbing (HLB, yellow shoot disease), a highly destructive disease affecting citrus production worldwide. HLB was observed in Guangdong Province of China over a hundred years ago and remains endemic there. Little is known about CLas biology due to its uncultureable nature. This study began with the genome sequence analysis of CLas Strain A4 from Guangdong in the prophage region. Within the two currently known prophage types, Type 1 (SC1-like) and Type 2 (SC2-like), A4 genome contained only a Type 2 prophage, CGdP2, namely. An analysis on CLas strains collected in Guangdong showed that Type 2 prophage dominated the bacterial population (82.6%, 71/86). An extended survey covering five provinces in southern China also revealed the predominance of single prophage (Type 1 or Type 2) in the CLas population (90.4%, 169/187). CLas strains with two and no prophage types accounted for 7.2% and 2.8%, respectively. In silico analyses on CGdP2 identified a CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/cas (CRISPR-associated protein genes) system, consisting of four 22 bp repeats, three 23 bp spacers and 9 predicted cas. Similar CRISPR/cas systems were detected in all 10 published CLas prophages as well as 13 CLas field strains in southern China. Both Type 1 and Type 2 prophages shared almost identical sequences in spacer 1 and 3 but not spacer 2. Considering that the function of a CRISPR/cas system was to destroy invading DNA, it was hypothesized that a pre-established CLas prophage could use its CRISPR/cas system guided by spacer 1 and/or 3 to defeat the invasion of the other phage/prophage. This hypothesis explained the predominance of single prophage type in the CLas population in southern China. This is the first report of CRISPR/cas system in the “Ca. Liberibacter” genera.     

Prenatal diagnosis of Pallister-Killian syndrome and literature review

Pallister-Killian syndrome (PKS) is a rare sporadic genetic disorder usually caused by mosaicism of an extra isochromosome of 12p (i(12p)). This retrospective study analysed the prenatal ultrasound manifestations and molecular and cytogenetic results of five PKS foetuses. Samples of amniotic fluid and/or cord blood, skin biopsy and placenta were collected. Conventional karyotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array) were performed on all the amniotic fluid or cord blood samples. Copy number variants sequencing (CNV-seq) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were also used for the validation for one foetus. All the five foetuses were from pregnancies with advanced parental age. Two foetuses involved structural abnormalities and one foetus had only soft markers, all of which included increased nuchal translucency. The rest two foetuses had normal ultrasounds in the second trimester, which has rarely been reported before. The karyotype revealed typical i(12p) in four cases and a small supernumerary marker chromosome consisting of 12p and 20p in the remaining one case. The proportion of cells with i(12p) ranged from 0 to 100% in cultural cells, while SNP array results suggested 2−4 copies of 12p. For one foetus, metaphase FISH showed normal results, but the interphase FISH suggested cell lines with two, three and four copies of 12p in the amniotic fluid. Advanced parental age may be an important risk factor for PKS, and there were no typical ultrasound manifestations related to PKS. A combination of karyotype analysis and molecular diagnosis is an effective method for the diagnosis of PKS.     

Developing a Novel Gene-Delivery Vector System Using the Recombinant Fusion Protein of Pseudomonas Exotoxin A and Hyperthermophilic Archaeal Histone HPhA

Non-viral gene delivery system with many advantages has a great potential for the future of gene therapy. One inherent obstacle of such approach is the uptake by endocytosis into vesicular compartments. Receptor-mediated gene delivery method holds promise to overcome this obstacle. In this study, we developed a receptor-mediated gene delivery system based on a combination of the Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE), which has a receptor binding and membrane translocation domain, and the hyperthermophilic archaeal histone (HPhA), which has the DNA binding ability. First, we constructed and expressed the rPE-HPhA fusion protein. We then examined the cytotoxicity and the DNA binding ability of rPE-HPhA. We further assessed the efficiency of transfection of the pEGF-C1 plasmid DNA to CHO cells by the rPE-HPhA system, in comparison to the cationic liposome method. The results showed that the transfection efficiency of rPE-HPhA was higher than that of cationic liposomes. In addition, the rPE-HPhA gene delivery system is non-specific to DNA sequence, topology or targeted cell type. Thus, the rPE-HPhA system can be used for delivering genes of interest into mammalian cells and has great potential to be applied for gene therapy.     

Glioma IL13Rα2 Is Associated with Mesenchymal Signature Gene Expression and Poor Patient Prognosis

A major challenge for successful immunotherapy against glioma is the identification and characterization of validated targets. We have taken a bioinformatics approach towards understanding the biological context of IL-13 receptor α2 (IL13Rα2) expression in brain tumors, and its functional significance for patient survival. Querying multiple gene expression databases, we show that IL13Rα2 expression increases with glioma malignancy grade, and expression for high-grade tumors is bimodal, with approximately 58% of WHO grade IV gliomas over-expressing this receptor. By several measures, IL13Rα2 expression in patient samples and low-passage primary glioma lines most consistently correlates with the expression of signature genes defining mesenchymal subclass tumors and negatively correlates with proneural signature genes as defined by two studies. Positive associations were also noted with proliferative signature genes, whereas no consistent associations were found with either classical or neural signature genes. Probing the potential functional consequences of this mesenchymal association through IPA analysis suggests that IL13Rα2 expression is associated with activation of proinflammatory and immune pathways characteristic of mesenchymal subclass tumors. In addition, survival analyses indicate that IL13Rα2 over-expression is associated with poor patient prognosis, a single gene correlation ranking IL13Rα2 in the top ~1% of total gene expression probes with regard to survival association with WHO IV gliomas. This study better defines the functional consequences of IL13Rα2 expression by demonstrating association with mesenchymal signature gene expression and poor patient prognosis. It thus highlights the utility of IL13Rα2 as a therapeutic target, and helps define patient populations most likely to respond to immunotherapy in present and future clinical trials.     

Consequence of Absence of Nitrate Reductase Activity on Photosynthesis in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Plants

Chlorate-resistant Nicotiana plumbaginifolia (cv Viviani) mutants were found to be deficient in the nitrate reductase apoprotein (NR⁻nia). Because they could not grow with nitrate as sole nitrogen source, they were cultivated as graftings on wild-type Nicotiana tabacum plants. The grafts of mutant plants were chlorotic compared to the grafts of wild type. Mutant leaves did not accumulate nitrogen and nitrate but contained less malate and more glutamine than wild leaves. They exhibited a slight increase of the proportion of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complexes and a lowering of the efficiency of energy transfer between these complexes and the active centers. After a 3 second ¹⁴CO₂ pulse, the total ¹⁴C incorporation of the mutant leaves was approximately 20% of that of the control. The ¹⁴C was essentially recovered in ribulose bisphosphate in these plants. It was consistent with a decline of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity observed in the mutant. After a 3 second ¹⁴CO₂ pulse followed by a 60 second chase with normal CO₂, ¹⁴C was mainly accumulated in starch which was labeled more in the mutant than in the wild type. These results confirm the observation that in the nitrate reductase deficient leaves, chloroplasts were loaded with large starch inclusions preceding disorganization of the photosynthetic apparatus.     

A study of nodulation and nitrogen fixation of alder on the purplish soils in China

Summary The alder has a perennial nodule cluster. The nodule amount on the roots increases with tree age. The N₂-fixing activity of nodules decreases with nodule age. Purple coloured soils with various soil pHs and CaCO₃ contents are, in the main, the ones which influence nodulation and N₂-fixing. Higher N₂-fixing capacity existed in the neutral and low calcium soils. High calcium soils and acid soils can restrain nodulation and the N₂-fixing rate significantly. On the slope, where calcarous light loams are found, the annual nitrogen fixation capacity of alder and cypress mixed plantations, less than 10 years old, is 16 or 17 kg/ha yr, but in the valley, a pure alder plantation can reach 40 kg/ha yr.     

Response of a human head/neck/upper-torso replica to dynamic loading--I. Physical model

A human head/neck/upper-torso replica was constructed and instrumented and its response to impact and dynamic loading was studied. The model consists of a water-filled cadaver skull; plastic vertebrae, sternum and ribs; silicon rubber disks and ligaments; and fabric muscles. The static behavior of the system under sagittal plane and lateral loading was adjusted so as to correspond to that of cadaver behavior under similar loading. The structure was loaded impulsively by the sudden arrest of a supporting sled running on a track and by direct head impact with a suspended steel ball. The measured response included the head acceleration, the disk pressures, the muscle strains, the intracranial pressures and the skull strains; the sled motion was also monitored. These data were recorded with a microcomputer and oscilloscopes; the overall system deformation was observed by high-speed cameras. The muscle contraction effects were determined with the aid of microcomputer-controlled devices including a vacuum system, solenoid valves and plastic syringes.     

鄂中一些被子植物硅化木研究

本文研究了我国首次在长江北岸,湖北省新洲县发现的新生代晚第三纪大戟科、豆科和樟科的被子植物硅化木。这些硅化木的发现和鉴定,反映了该地区当时较为炎热潮湿的气候环境,并为长江流域新生代的地质、古气候、古地理、古生物群演变等方面的研究,提供了论据。     

Tungstate, a molybdate analog inactivating nitrate reductase, deregulates the expression of the nitrate reductase structural gene

Nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.6.6.1) from higher plants is a homodimeric enzyme carrying a molybdenum cofactor at the catalytic site. Tungsten can be substituted for molybdenum in the cofactor structure, resulting in an inactive enzyme. When nitratefed Nicotiana tabacum plants were grown on a nutrient solution in which tungstate was substituted for molybdate, NR activity in the leaves decreased to a very low level within 24 hours while NR protein accumulated progressively to a level severalfold higher than the control after 6 days. NR mRNA level in molybdate-grown plants exhibited a considerable day-night fluctuation. However, when plants were treated with tungstate, NR mRNA level remained very high. NR activity and protein increased over a 24-hour period when nitrate was added back to N-starved molybdate-grown plants. NR mRNA level increased markedly during the first 2 hours and then decreased. In the presence of tungstate, however, the induction of NR activity by nitrate was totally abolished while high levels of NR protein and mRNA were both induced, and the high level of NR mRNA was maintained over a 10-hour period. These results suggest that the substitution of tungsten for molybdenum in NR complex leads to an overexpression of the NR structural gene. Possible mechanisms involved in this deregulation are discussed.