Diverse phylogeny and morphology of magnetite biomineralized by magnetotactic cocci

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are diverse prokaryotes that produce magnetic nanocrystals within intracellular membranes (magnetosomes). Here, we present a large-scale analysis of diversity and magnetosome biomineralization in modern magnetotactic cocci, which are the most abundant MTB morphotypes in nature. Nineteen novel magnetotactic cocci species are identified phylogenetically and structurally at the single-cell level. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the cocci cluster into an independent branch from other Alphaproteobacteria MTB, that is, within the Etaproteobacteria class in the Proteobacteria phylum. Statistical analysis reveals species-specific biomineralization of magnetosomal magnetite morphologies. This further confirms that magnetosome biomineralization is controlled strictly by the MTB cell and differs among species or strains. The post-mortem remains of MTB are often preserved as magnetofossils within sediments or sedimentary rocks, yet paleobiological and geological interpretation of their fossil record remains challenging. Our results indicate that magnetofossil morphology could be a promising proxy for retrieving paleobiological information about ancient MTB.     

假结核耶尔森氏菌中Phd-Doc毒素-抗毒素系统的功能鉴定

【背景】毒素-抗毒素系统在微生物体内广泛存在,在微生物对抗外界不良环境方面发挥重要作用。【目的】以模式细菌假结核耶尔森氏菌(Yersinia pseudotuberculosis,Yptb)为材料,探究其编码的Phd-Doc毒素-抗毒素系统的作用机制和生物学功能。【方法】通过生物信息学方法预测Yptb中编码的Phd-Doc毒素-抗毒素系统,通过毒性分析、基因表达分析及蛋白相互作用对其进行鉴定;通过抗生素胁迫、氧胁迫、生物被膜形成等实验研究Phd-Doc在体内发挥的生物学功能。【结果】生物信息学分析鉴定出一对Phd-Doc毒素-抗毒素系统,发现二者共转录且相互作用;毒素蛋白Doc能够引起大肠杆菌形态发生变化并抑制其生长,抗毒素蛋白Phd能中和Doc的毒性;Phd-Doc毒素-抗毒素系统具有自调控抑制效应;phd-doc的缺失对Yptb自身的生长无影响,而且毒素蛋白Doc在野生型Yptb内过表达并未显示毒性;phd-doc在转录水平上响应了抗生素胁迫和氧胁迫,其中,对氯霉素胁迫最为敏感,但并不影响Yptb的生长;同时,Phd-Doc能够影响Yptb的生物被膜形成能力。【结论】Yptb中Phd-Doc毒素-抗毒素系统的功能鉴定对于更好地了解在多变的外部环境下微生物的定殖和响应机制具有重要意义。     

Protective Effects of Metallothionein on Isoniazid and Rifampicin-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

Isoniazid (INH) and Rifampicin (RFP) are widely used in the world for the treatment of tuberculosis, but the hepatotoxicity is a major concern during clinical therapy. Previous studies showed that these drugs induced oxidative stress in liver, and several antioxidants abated this effect. Metallothionein (MT), a member of cysteine-rich protein, has been proposed as a potent antioxidant. This study attempts to determine whether endogenous expression of MT protects against INH and RFP-induced hepatic oxidative stress in mice. Wild type (MT+/+) and MT-null (MT−/−) mice were treated intragastrically with INH (150 mg/kg), RFP (300 mg/kg), or the combination (150 mg/kg INH +300 mg/kg RFP) for 21 days. The results showed that MT−/− mice were more sensitive than MT+/+ mice to INH and RFP-induced hepatic injuries as evidenced by hepatic histopathological alterations, increased serum AST levels and liver index, and hepatic oxidative stress as evidenced by the increase of MDA production and the change of liver antioxidant status. Furthermore, INH increased the protein expression of hepatic CYP2E1 and INH/RFP (alone or in combination) decreased the expression of hepatic CYP1A2. These findings clearly demonstrate that basal MT provides protection against INH and RFP-induced toxicity in hepatocytes. The CYP2E1 and CYP1A2 were involved in the pathogenesis of INH and RFP-induced hepatotoxicity.     

The Different Role of Notch1 and Notch2 in Astrocytic Gliomas

It is well known that Notch signaling plays either oncogenic or tumor suppressive role in a variety of tumors, depending on the cellular context. However, in our previous study, we found that Notch1 was overexpressed while Notch2 downregulated in the majority of astrocytic gliomas with different grades as well as in glioblastoma cell lines U251 and A172. We had knocked down Notch1 by siRNA in glioblastoma cells, and identified that the cell growth and invasion were inhibited, whereas cell apoptosis was induced either in vitro or in vivo. For further clarification of the role of Notch2 in pathogenesis of gliomas, enforced overexpression of Notch2 was carried out with transfection of Notch2 expression plasmid in glioma cells and the cell growth, invasion and apoptosis were examined in vitro and in vivo in the present study, and siRNA targeting Notch1 was used as a positive control in vivo. The results showed that upregulating Notch2 had the effect of suppressing cell growth and invasion as well as inducing apoptosis, just the same as the results of knocking down Notch1. Meanwhile, the activity of core signaling pathway–EGFR/PI3K/AKT in astrocytic glioma cells was repressed. Thus, the present study reveals, for the first time, that Notch1 and Notch2 play different roles in the biological processes of astrocytic gliomas. Knocking down the Notch1 or enforced overexpression of Notch2 both modulate the astrocytic glioma phenotype, and the mechanism by which Notch1 and 2 play different roles in the glioma growth should be further investigated.     

The Association between Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Uterine Fibroids

Objective(s)

To explore the atherogenic hypothesis of uterine fibroids among Chinese women.

Methods

In a case-control study, 335 patients confirmed by ultrasound or hysterectomy surgery and 539 controls were enrolled between October 1, 2009 and April 1, 2012. Unconditional logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for the associations of subclinical atherogenic and cardiovascular risk parameters with uterine fibroids in the overall case group and hysterectomy-confirmed case group, respectively.

Results

Higher level of ankle-brachial index (ABI) was independently associated with increased odds of uterine fibroids. The odds of UF among women in the highest tertile of ABI were 1.88 times higher (95%CI: 1.17, 3.02, P_trend = 0.008) compared to those in the lowest tertile. The serum concentration of homocysteine was inversely related to fibroids (middle vs. low: OR 0.56, 95%CI: 0.36, 0.85; high vs. low: OR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.79; P_trend = 0.002). In the hysterectomy-confirmed group, an inverse association was suggested between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and fibroids (OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.84, P_trend = 0.014). Moreover, the effect of homocysteine concentration was not observed in this group.

Conclusion(s)

These findings suggest that women with uterine fibroids might have an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis.     

Highly specific quantification of microRNA by coupling probe–rolling circle amplification and Förster resonance energy transfer

MicroRNA (miRNA) plays vital roles in various biological processes. In general, sensitivity and specificity are the major parameters for the quantification of miRNA. In this study, padlock probe–rolling circle amplification and Förster resonance energy transfer (pRCA–FRET) were coupled for specific and quantitative detection of miRNA. pRCA–FRET showed superior specificity to differentiate single-base mismatch and excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 103 aM. The current method has the potential to quantify low amounts of miRNA in the same family for studies on their biological functions.     

LncRNA‐SULT1C2A regulates Foxo4 in congenital scoliosis by targeting rno‐miR‐466c‐5p through PI3K‐ATK signalling

Congenital scoliosis (CS) is the result of anomalous vertebrae development, but the pathogenesis of CS remains unclear. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in embryo development, but their role in CS remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanisms of a specific lncRNA, SULT1C2A, in somitogenesis in a rat model of vitamin A deficiency (VAD)‐induced CS. Bioinformatics analysis and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) indicated that SULT1C2A expression was down‐regulated in VAD group, accompanied by increased expression of rno‐miR‐466c‐5p but decreased expression of Foxo4 and somitogenesis‐related genes such as Pax1, Nkx3‐2 and Sox9 on gestational day (GD) 9. Luciferase reporter and small interfering RNA (siRNA) assays showed that SULT1C2A functioned as a competing endogenous RNA to inhibit rno‐miR‐466c‐5p expression by direct binding, and rno‐miR‐466c‐5p inhibited Foxo4 expression by binding to its 3′ untranslated region (UTR). The spatiotemporal expression of SULT1C2A, rno‐miR‐466c‐5p and Foxo4 axis was dynamically altered on GDs 3, 8, 11, 15 and 21 as detected by qRT‐PCR and northern blot analyses, with parallel changes in Protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation and PI3K expression. Taken together, our findings indicate that SULT1C2A enhanced Foxo4 expression by negatively modulating rno‐miR‐466c‐5p expression via the PI3K‐ATK signalling pathway in the rat model of VAD‐CS. Thus, SULT1C2A may be a potential target for treating CS.     

铁皮石斛和重唇石斛及其杂交子代花的挥发性成分分析北大核心CSCD

为阐明铁皮石斛和重唇石斛及其杂交后代14L-3、14L-6、14L-7和14L-9花挥发性成分的变化,采用静态顶空气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)联用技术对石斛花进行检测。结果表明,从石斛花中检测出81种挥发性成分,包括烯、酮、醛、烷几大类,铁皮石斛、重唇石斛、14L-3、14L-6、14L-7和14L-9分别有23、12、21、33、23和35种。铁皮石斛花的主成分是α-蒎烯,重唇石斛花是2-十五烷酮,4个子代花中均含有这2种来自亲本的特征成分,α-蒎烯是子代共同的主成分。亲本和子代石斛花共有成分是正己醛。子代14L-3、14L-6、14L-9均与母本铁皮石斛相似性高,相似性以14L-3>14L-6>14L-9,与父本差异性大。14L-7与亲本相似度最均衡。这为石斛育种研究提供了指导。     

Growth and Development in Chinese Pre-Schoolers with Picky Eating Behaviour: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective

To explore the associations between picky eating behaviour and pre-schoolers’ growth and development. Corresponding potential mechanisms, such as nutrient and food subgroup intake, as well as micronutrients in the blood, will be considered.

Methods

Picky eating behaviour was present if it was reported by parents. From various areas of China, 937 healthy children of 3-7 years old were recruited using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Children and their mothers’ socio-demographic information and children’s anthropometry, intelligence, blood samples, one 24-hour dietary intake record and food frequency questionnaire were collected. Z-scores and intelligence tests were used to evaluate growth and development (cognitive development). Multilevel models were employed to verify the associations between picky eating behaviour and growth and development.

Results

The prevalence of picky eating as reported by parents was 54% in pre-schoolers. Compared with the non-picky eaters, weight for age in picky eaters was 0.14 z-score (95% CI: -0.25, -0.02; p = 0.017) lower while no significant difference was found in intelligence (p > 0.05). Picky eating behaviour lasting over two years was associated with lower weight for age, as was nit-picking meat (the prevalence from parents’ perception was 23% in picky eaters) (p < 0.05). Picky eaters consumed fewer cereals, vegetables, and fish (p < 0.05), and had a lower dietary intake of protein, dietary fibre, iron, and zinc (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the concentrations of essential minerals in whole blood (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Picky eating behaviour is reported by parents in half of the Chinese pre-schoolers, which is negatively associated with growth (weight for age). Lower protein and dietary fibre as well as lower iron and zinc intakes were associated with picky eating as were lower intakes of vegetables, fish and cereals.