A single-nucleotide polymorphism of the TNFAIP3 gene is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in Chinese Han population

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex systemic disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The exact pathogenesis of SLE is still unknown. Recently, several genome-wide association studies (GWA) in European population have found many novel susceptibility genes for SLE including TNFAIP3. In order to examine whether TNFAIP3 is associated with SLE in Chinese Han population, we genotyped one of its non-synonymous mutation SNP rs2230926, showing significant association evidence with SLE in European population, with 1,420 cases and 4,461 controls of Chinese Han by using Sequenom MassArray system. Highly significant association between SNP rs2230926 and SLE of Chinese Han was detected [OR = 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.392–1.986, P = 2.03 × 10⁻⁸]. Interestingly, rs2230926 of TNFAIP3 was also associated with arthritis, ANA and some other subphenotypes of the disease. Our findings suggest that SNP rs2230926 in the TNFAIP3 might be a common genetic factor for SLE within different populations in terms of Chinese Han and European population.     

Synthesis and evaluation of alkenyl indazoles as selective Aurora kinase inhibitors

A series of alkenyl indazoles were synthesized and evaluated in Aurora kinase enzyme assays. Several promising leads were optimized for selectivity towards Aurora B. Excellent binding affinity and good selectivity were achieved with optimized compounds in isolated Aurora subfamily assays.     

A potential tocopherol acetate loaded palm oil esters-in-water nanoemulsions for nanocosmeceuticals

Background  

Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic-pharmaceutical hybrids intended to enhance health and beauty of the skin. Nanocosmeceuticals use nano-sized system for the delivery of active ingredients to the targeted cells for better penetration. In this work, nanoemulsion from palm oil esters was developed as a delivery system to produce nanocosmeceuticals. The stability of the resulting formulation was tested using various methods. In addition, the effect of components i.e. Vitamin E and Pluronic F-68 on the formulation was also studied.     

H102对APP转基因小鼠脑内淀粉样蛋白和淀粉样蛋白前体蛋白表达的影响

目的:研究H102对APP695转基因模型小鼠脑内淀粉样蛋白和淀粉样蛋白前体蛋白表达的影响方法:9月龄转基因小鼠随机分为模型组和药物注射组,正常对照组采用月龄和性别与之相匹配的C57BL/6J小鼠。药物注射组给予侧脑室注射H102,每只每次3μl,连续10d;模型组和正常对照组给予等体积NS。应用免疫组织化学结合刚果红组织学染色,普通光学显微镜观察海马和颞叶皮层蛋白表达的变化。免疫印迹法检测小鼠大脑皮层APP蛋白的表达。结果:Aβ和APP免疫组化染色结果显示对照组海马CA1区神经元胞浆着色呈阴性或弱阳性,模型组较对照组阳性细胞增多,表达增强,胞浆着色明显加深。药物注射组同模型组相比,胞浆着色变淡,表达减弱。刚果红染色观察转基因小鼠模型组和H102注射组大脑颞叶皮层和海马的淀粉样斑块,可见H102注射组淀粉样斑块数较模型组明显减少。正常对照组未见阳性淀粉样斑块。免疫印迹检测显示模型组APP蛋白表达明显增加,给药组与模型组相比具有统计学意义。结论:APP695转基因小鼠大脑CA1区Aβ蛋白和APP蛋白表达增加,H102能够明显抑制该转基因小鼠Aβ蛋白和APP蛋白表达。     

Results of satellite tagging of Atlantic bluefin tuna, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus thynnus</Emphasis>, off the coast of Ireland

Pop-up satellite archival tags were attached to six Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) off the west coast of Ireland in autumn 2003 and 2004. The satellite tags measured pressure, ambient temperature and light for the term of deployment. Radio pop-up satellite endpoint positions, light and sea surface temperature estimations of geolocation indicate that two fish tagged minutes apart off the coast of County Donegal, migrated to the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean over the following 8 months. The two fish were 5218 km apart at the termination of the experiment. After tagging in September and popping up the following March and April, one fish had traveled to the western Atlantic while the other was located in the waters off the southwest coast of Portugal. A third fish tagged off the coast of County Donegal in October 2004 moved into the Mediterranean Sea and was caught by a fishing vessel southeast of Malta on 11 June 2005. The results link bluefin tuna feeding on European foraging grounds with known eastern breeding regions and western Atlantic waters.     

Site-specific PEGylation of protein disulfide bonds using a three-carbon bridge

The covalent conjugation of a functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to multiple nucleophilic amine residues results in a heterogeneous mixture of PEG positional isomers. Their physicochemical, biological, and pharmaceutical properties vary with the site of conjugation of PEG. Yields are low because of inefficient conjugation chemistry and production costs high because of complex purification procedures. Our solution to these fundamental problems in PEGylating proteins has been to exploit the latent conjugation selectivity of the two sulfur atoms that are derived from the ubiquitous disulfide bonds of proteins. This approach to PEGylation involves two steps: (1) disulfide reduction to release the two cysteine thiols and (2) re-forming the disulfide by bis-alkylation via a three-carbon bridge to which PEG was covalently attached. During this process, irreversible denaturation of the protein did not occur. Mechanistically, the conjugation is conducted by a sequential, interactive bis-alkylation using alpha,beta-unsaturated beta'-monosulfone functionalized PEG reagents. The combination of (a) maintaining the protein's tertiary structure after disulfide reduction, (b) the mechanism for bis-thiol selectivity of the PEG reagent, and (c) the steric shielding of PEG ensure that only one PEG molecule is conjugated at each disulfide bond. PEG was site-specifically conjugated via a three-carbon bridge to 2 equiv of the tripeptide glutathione, the cyclic peptide hormone somatostatin, the tetrameric protein l-asparaginase, and to the disulfides in interferon alpha-2b (IFN). SDS-PAGE, mass spectral, and NMR analyses were used to confirm conjugation, thiol selectivity, and connectivity. The biological activity of the l-asparaginase did not change after the attachment of four PEG molecules. In the case of IFN, a small reduction in biological activity was seen with the single-bridged IFN (without PEG attached). A significantly larger reduction in biological activity was seen with the three-carbon disulfide single-bridged PEG-IFNs and with the double-bridged IFN (without PEG attached). The reduction of the PEG-IFN's in vitro biological activity was a consequence of the steric shielding caused by PEG, and it was comparable to that seen with all other forms of PEG-IFNs reported. However, when a three-carbon bridge was used to attach PEG, our PEG-IFN's biological activity was found to be independent of the length of the PEG. This property has not previously been described for PEG-IFNs. Our studies therefore suggest that peptides, proteins, enzymes, and antibody fragments can be site-specifically PEGylated across a native disulfide bond using three-carbon bridges without destroying their tertiary structure or abolishing their biological activity. The stoichiometric efficiency of this approach also enables recycling of any unreacted protein. It therefore offers the potential to make PEGylated biopharmaceuticals as cost-effective medicines for global use.     

A genotype calling algorithm for the Illumina BeadArray platform

MOTIVATION: Large-scale genotyping relies on the use of unsupervised automated calling algorithms to assign genotypes to hybridization data. A number of such calling algorithms have been recently established for the Affymetrix GeneChip genotyping technology. Here, we present a fast and accurate genotype calling algorithm for the Illumina BeadArray genotyping platforms. As the technology moves towards assaying millions of genetic polymorphisms simultaneously, there is a need for an integrated and easy-to-use software for calling genotypes. RESULTS: We have introduced a model-based genotype calling algorithm which does not rely on having prior training data or require computationally intensive procedures. The algorithm can assign genotypes to hybridization data from thousands of individuals simultaneously and pools information across multiple individuals to improve the calling. The method can accommodate variations in hybridization intensities which result in dramatic shifts of the position of the genotype clouds by identifying the optimal coordinates to initialize the algorithm. By incorporating the process of perturbation analysis, we can obtain a quality metric measuring the stability of the assigned genotype calls. We show that this quality metric can be used to identify SNPs with low call rates and accuracy. AVAILABILITY: The C++ executable for the algorithm described here is available by request from the authors.     

Repetitive DNA, molecular cytogenetics and genome organization in the King scallop (Pecten maximus)

We studied the structure, organization and relationship of repetitive DNA sequences in the genome of the scallop, Pecten maximus, a bivalve that is important both commercially and in marine ecology. Recombinant DNA libraries were constructed after partial digestion of genomic DNA from scallop with PstI and ApaI restriction enzymes. Clones containing repetitive DNA were selected by hybridisation to labelled DNA from scallop, oyster and mussel; colonies showing strong hybridisation only to scallop were selected for analysis and sequencing. Six non-homologous tandemly repeated sequences were identified in the sequences, and Southern hybridisation with all repeat families to genomic DNA digests showed characteristic ladders of hybridised bands. Three families had monomer lengths around 40 bp while three had repeats characteristic of the length wrapping around one (170 bp), or two (326 bp) nucleosomes. In situ hybridisation to interphase nuclei showed each family had characteristic numbers of clusters indicating contrasting arrangements. Two of the repeats had unusual repetitions of bases within their sequence, which may relate to the nature of microsatellites reported in bivalves. The study of these rapidly evolving sequences is valuable to understand an important source of genomic diversity, has the potential to provide useful markers for population studies and gives a route to identify mechanisms of DNA sequence evolution.     

Chloroplast genome (cpDNA) of Cycas taitungensis and 56 cp protein-coding genes of Gnetum parvifolium: insights into cpDNA evolution and phylogeny of extant seed plants

Phylogenetic relationships among the 5 groups of extant seed plants are presently unsettled. To reexamine this long-standing debate, we determine the complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) of Cycas taitungensis and 56 protein-coding genes encoded in the cpDNA of Gnetum parvifolium. The cpDNA of Cycas is a circular molecule of 163,403 bp with 2 typical large inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,074 bp each. We inferred phylogenetic relationships among major seed plant lineages using concatenated 56 protein-coding genes in 37 land plants. Phylogenies, generated by the use of 3 independent methods, provide concordant and robust support for the monophylies of extant seed plants, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Within the modern gymnosperms are 2 highly supported sister clades: Cycas-Ginkgo and Gnetum-Pinus. This result agrees with both the "gnetifer" and "gnepines" hypotheses. The sister relationships in Cycas-Ginkgo and Gnetum-Pinus clades are further reinforced by cpDNA structural evidence. Branch lengths of Cycas-Ginkgo and Gnetum were consistently the shortest and the longest, respectively, in all separate analyses. However, the Gnetum relative rate test revealed this tendency only for the 3rd codon positions and the transversional sites of the first 2 codon positions. A PsitufA located between psbE and petL genes is here first detected in Anthoceros (a hornwort), cycads, and Ginkgo. We demonstrate that the PsitufA is a footprint descended from the chloroplast tufA of green algae. The duplication of ycf2 genes and their shift into IRs should have taken place at least in the common ancestor of seed plants more than 300 MYA, and the tRNAPro-GGG gene was lost from the angiosperm lineage at least 150 MYA. Additionally, from cpDNA structural comparison, we propose an alternative model for the loss of large IR regions in black pine. More cpDNA data from non-Pinaceae conifers are necessary to justify whether the gnetifer or gnepines hypothesis is valid and to generate solid structural evidence for the monophyly of extant gymnosperms.     

C1q Protein Binds to the Apoptotic Nucleolus and Causes C1 Protease Degradation of Nucleolar Proteins

In infection, complement C1q recognizes pathogen-congregated antibodies and elicits complement activation. Among endogenous ligands, C1q binds to DNA and apoptotic cells, but whether C1q binds to nuclear DNA in apoptotic cells remains to be investigated. With UV irradiation-induced apoptosis, C1q initially bound to peripheral cellular regions in early apoptotic cells. By 6 h, binding concentrated in the nuclei to the nucleolus but not the chromatins. When nucleoli were isolated from non-apoptotic cells, C1q also bound to these structures. In vivo, C1q exists as the C1 complex (C1qC1r₂C1s₂), and C1q binding to ligands activates the C1r/C1s proteases. Incubation of nucleoli with C1 caused degradation of the nucleolar proteins nucleolin and nucleophosmin 1. This was inhibited by the C1 inhibitor. The nucleoli are abundant with autoantigens. C1q binding and C1r/C1s degradation of nucleolar antigens during cell apoptosis potentially reduces autoimmunity. These findings help us to understand why genetic C1q and C1r/C1s deficiencies cause systemic lupus erythematosus.