Trans-Ethnical Shift of the Risk Genotype in the CETP I405V with Longevity: A Chinese Case-Control Study and Meta-Analysis

Background

The I405V polymorphism of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene (CETP) has been suggested to be a protective factor conferring longevity in Ashkenazi Jews, although findings in other races are not supportive. This paper describes a case-control study and a meta-analysis conducted to derive a more precise estimation of the association between CETP 405V and longevity.

Methods

We enrolled 1,021 ethnic Han Chinese participants (506 in the longevity group and 515 controls), then performed a meta-analysis that integrated the current study and previously published ones. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated for allele contrasts, dominant and recessive inheritance models to assess the association between CETP 405V and longevity according to the ethnic stratification.

Results

Our case-control data indicated that CETP 405V is a longevity risk allele in all genetic models (P _additive=0.008; P _dominant=0.008, OR_dominant=0.673; P _recessive=0.017, OR_recessive=0.654) after adjustment for the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, body mass index and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. A synergy was detected between 405V and APOE ε4 (P=0.001, OR=0.530). Eight studies were eligible for meta-analysis, which confirmed 405V is the risky allele against longevity in all genetic models: allele contrasts (OR=0.81, 95%CI=0.74-0.88), dominant model (OR=0.72, 95%CI=0.64-0.82) and recessive model (OR=0.80, 95%CI=0.67-0.96). After ethnic stratification, 405V remained a risk allele in East Asians but no significant association was found in Europeans or white Americans.

Conclusion

Our case-control study suggests CETP 405V as a risk allele against longevity in Chinese. The meta-analysis suggests the involvement of CETP 405V is protective in Ashkenazi Jews but is a risk allele against longevity in the East Asian (Chinese) population.     

Patterns of Expression in the Matrix Proteins Responsible for Nucleation and Growth of Aragonite Crystals in Flat Pearls of Pinctada fucata

The initial growth of the nacreous layer is crucial for comprehending the formation of nacreous aragonite. A flat pearl method in the presence of the inner-shell film was conducted to evaluate the role of matrix proteins in the initial stages of nacre biomineralization in vivo. We examined the crystals deposited on a substrate and the expression patterns of the matrix proteins in the mantle facing the substrate. In this study, the aragonite crystals nucleated on the surface at 5 days in the inner-shell film system. In the film-free system, the calcite crystals nucleated at 5 days, a new organic film covered the calcite, and the aragonite nucleated at 10 days. This meant that the nacre lamellae appeared in the inner-shell film system 5 days earlier than that in the film-free system, timing that was consistent with the maximum level of matrix proteins during the first 20 days. In addition, matrix proteins (Nacrein, MSI60, N19, N16 and Pif80) had similar expression patterns in controlling the sequential morphologies of the nacre growth in the inner-film system, while these proteins in the film-free system also had similar patterns of expression. These results suggest that matrix proteins regulate aragonite nucleation and growth with the inner-shell film in vivo.     

High TMPRSS4 expression is a predictor of poor prognosis in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Objective The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical role of TMPRSS4 expression in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and to investigate the role of TMPRSS4 in predicting outcomes of patients with CSCC. Methods The retrospective study enrolled 87 patients diagnosed with CSCC between 2004 and 2006. TMPRSS4 expression in CSCC was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and data on clinical variables were collected by retrospective chart review. The impact of TMPRSS4 expression on 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and 5-year overall survival (OS) was assessed by Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results The high expression of TMPRSS4 was 63.2% in 87 patients with CSCC, and 17.5% in 40 patients with benign cervical disease (P < 0.001). High TMPRSS4 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade (P = 0.005), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.004), and deep cervical stromal invasion (P = 0.025). Patients with high expression of TMPRSS4 had shorter OS and DFS than those with low expression (P = 0.0205 and P = 0.0318, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high expression of TMPRSS4 was a potential prognostic indicator for OS (P = 0.041) and DFS (P = 0.015). Conclusion Our findings suggest that TMPRSS4 might play an important role in the progression of CSCC. TMPRSS4 could be a potential prognostic marker of CSCC.     

Sclerotial Formation of Polyporus umbellatus by Low Temperature Treatment under Artificial Conditions

Background

Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia have been used as a diuretic agent in China for over two thousand years. A shortage of the natural P. umbellatus has prompted researchers to induce sclerotial formation in the laboratory.

Methodology/Principal Finding

P. umbellatus cultivation in a sawdust-based substrate was investigated to evaluate the effect of low temperature conditions on sclerotial formation. A phenol-sulfuric acid method was employed to determine the polysaccharide content of wild P. umbellatus sclerotia and mycelia and sclerotia grown in low-temperature treatments. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, expressed as the fluorescence intensity of mycelia during sclerotial differentiation was determined. Analysis of ROS generation and sclerotial formation in mycelia after treatment with the antioxidants such as diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), apocynin (Apo), or vitamin C were studied. Furthermore, macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of sclerotial differentiation were observed. Sclerotia were not induced by continuous cultivation at 25°C. The polysaccharide content of the artificial sclerotia is 78% of that of wild sclerotia. In the low-temperature treatment group, the fluorescent intensity of ROS was higher than that of the room temperature (25°C) group which did not induce sclerotial formation all through the cultivation. The antioxidants DPI and Apo reduced ROS levels and did not induce sclerotial formation. Although the concentration-dependent effects of vitamin C (5–15 mg mL⁻¹) also reduced ROS generation and inhibited sclerotial formation, using a low concentration of vitamin C (1 mg mL⁻¹) successfully induced sclerotial differentiation and increased ROS production.

Conclusions/Significance

Exposure to low temperatures induced P. umbellatus sclerotial morphogenesis during cultivation. Low temperature treatment enhanced ROS in mycelia, which may be important in triggering sclerotial differentiation in P. umbellatus. Moreover, the application of antioxidants impaired ROS generation and inhibited sclerotial formation. Our findings may help to provide new insights into the biological mechanisms underlying sclerotial morphogenesis in P. umbellatus.     

Vasorelaxin: A Novel Arterial Smooth Muscle-Relaxing Eicosapeptide from the Skin Secretion of the Chinese Piebald Odorous Frog (Odorrana schmackeri)

The defensive skin secretions of amphibians are a rich resource for the discovery of novel, bioactive peptides. Here we report the identification of a novel vascular smooth muscle-relaxing peptide, named vasorelaxin, from the skin secretion of the Chinese piebald odorous frog, Odorrana schmackeri. Vasorelaxin consists of 20 amino acid residues, SRVVKCSGFRPGSPDSREFC, with a disulfide-bridge between Cys-6 and Cys-20. The structure of its biosynthetic precursor was deduced from cloned skin cDNA and consists of 67 amino acid residues encoding a single copy of vasorelaxin (vasorelaxin, accession number: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"HE860494","term_id":"429534177","term_text":"HE860494"}}HE860494). Synthetic vasorelaxin caused a profound relaxation of rat arterial smooth muscle with an EC₅₀ of 6.76 nM.     

Promoter Hypermethylation of ARID1A Gene Is Responsible for Its Low mRNA Expression in Many Invasive Breast Cancers

ARID1A (AT-rich interactive domain 1A) has recently been identified as a tumor suppressor gene. Its mRNA expression is significantly low in many breast cancers; this is often associated with more aggressive phenotypes. However, the underlying molecular mechanism for its low expression has not been fully understood. This study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of gene copy number variation, mutations, promoter methylation and histone modification to ARID1A’s low expression. 38 pairs of breast invasive ductal carcinomas and their normal breast tissue counterparts from the same patients were randomly selected for gene expression and copy number variation detection. Promoter methylation and histone modification levels were evaluated by MeDIP-qPCR and ChIP-qPCR, respectively. PCR product Sanger sequencing was carried out to detect the exon mutation rate. Twenty-two out of 38 invasive ductal carcinomas in the study (57.9%) revealed ARID1A mRNA low expression by realtime RT-PCR. The relative promoter methylation level was, significantly higher in ARID1A mRNA low expression group compared with its high expression group (p<0.001). In the low expression group, nineteen out of 22 invasive ductal carcinomas (86.4%) exhibited ARID1A promoter hypermthylation. In addition, the promoter hypermethylation was accompanied with repressive histone modification (H3K27Me3). Although five out of 38 invasive ductal carcinomas (13.2%) exhibited loss of ARID1A gene copy number by realtime PCR and nine exon novel mutations are seen from eight out of 33 invasive ductal carcinomas (24.2%), there was no statistically significant difference in both ARID1A mRNA low and high expression groups (p = 0.25,and p = 0.68, respectively). We demonstrate that promoter hypermethylation was the main culprit for ARID1A mRNA low expression in invasive ductal carcinomas. The influence of mutation and copy number variation on the expression were statistically insignificant at mRNA level, and were, therefore, not considered the main causes for ARID1A mRNA low expression in invasive breast cancer.     

Screening of Multiple Myeloma by Polyclonal Rabbit Anti-Human Plasmacytoma Cell Immunoglobulin

Antibody-based immunotherapy has been effectively used for tumor treatment. However, to date, only a few tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) or therapeutic targets have been identified. Identification of more immunogenic antigens is essential for improvements in multiple myeloma (MM) diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we synthesized a polyclonal antibody (PAb) by immunizing rabbits with whole human plasmacytoma ARH-77 cells and identified MM-associated antigens, including enlonase, adipophilin, and HSP90s, among others, via proteomic technologies. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay showed that 200 µg/mL PAb inhibits the proliferation of ARH-77 cells by over 50% within 48 h. Flow cytometric assay indicated that PAb treatment significantly increases the number of apoptotic cells compared with other treatments (52.1% vs. NS, 7.3% or control rabbit IgG, 9.9%). In vivo, PAb delayed tumor growth and prolonged the lifespan of mice. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay showed that PAb also induces statistically significant changes in apoptosis compared with other treatments (P<0.05). We therefore conclude that PAb could be used for the effective screening and identification of TAA. PAb may have certain anti-tumor functions in vitro and in vivo. As such, its combination with proteomic technologies could be a promising approach for sieving TAA for the diagnosis and therapy of MM.     

Actions of Hydrogen Sulfide and ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channels on Colonic Hypermotility in a Rat Model of Chronic Stress

Objective

To investigate the potential role of hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and ATP-sensitive potassium (K_ATP) channels in chronic stress-induced colonic hypermotility.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were submitted daily to 1 h of water avoidance stress (WAS) or sham WAS (SWAS) for 10 consecutive days. Organ bath recordings, H₂S production, immunohistochemistry and western blotting were performed on rat colonic samples to investigate the role of endogenous H₂S in repeated WAS-induced hypermotility. Organ bath recordings and western blotting were used to detect the role of K_ATP channels in repeated WAS.

Results

Repeated WAS increased the number of fecal pellets per hour and the area under the curve of the spontaneous contractions of colonic strips, and decreased the endogenous production of H₂S and the expression of H₂S-producing enzymes in the colon devoid of mucosa and submucosa. Inhibitors of H₂S-producing enzymes increased the contractile activity of colonic strips in the SWAS rats. NaHS concentration-dependently inhibited the spontaneous contractions of the strips and the NaHS IC₅₀ for the WAS rats was significantly lower than that for the SWAS rats. The inhibitory effect of NaHS was significantly reduced by glybenclamide. Repeated WAS treatment resulted in up-regulation of Kir6.1 and SUR2B of K_ATP channels in the colon devoid of mucosa and submucosa.

Conclusion

The colonic hypermotility induced by repeated WAS may be associated with the decreased production of endogenous H₂S. The increased expression of the subunits of K_ATP channels in colonic smooth muscle cells may be a defensive response to repeated WAS. H₂S donor may have potential clinical utility in treating chronic stress- induced colonic hypermotility.     

CD106 Identifies a Subpopulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Unique Immunomodulatory Properties

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) reside in almost all of the body tissues, where they undergo self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. MSCs derived from different tissues share many similarities but also show some differences in term of biological properties. We aim to search for significant differences among various sources of MSCs and to explore their implications in physiopathology and clinical translation. We compared the phenotype and biological properties among different MSCs isolated from human term placental chorionic villi (CV), umbilical cord (UC), adult bone marrow (BM) and adipose (AD). We found that CD106 (VCAM-1) was expressed highest on the CV-MSCs, moderately on BM-MSCs, lightly on UC-MSCs and absent on AD-MSCs. CV-MSCs also showed unique immune-associated gene expression and immunomodulation. We thus separated CD106⁺cells and CD106⁻cells from CV-MSCs and compared their biological activities. Both two subpopulations were capable of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation while CD106⁺CV-MSCs were more effective to modulate T helper subsets but possessed decreased colony formation capacity. In addition, CD106⁺CV-MSCs expressed more cytokines than CD106⁻CV-MSCs. These data demonstrate that CD106 identifies a subpopulation of CV-MSCs with unique immunoregulatory activity and reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism underlying immunomodulation of MSCs.