A single‐nucleotide polymorphism of miR‐196a‐2 and vitiligo: an association study and functional analysis in a Han Chinese population

Recent evidence indicates that oxidative stress and genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. SNPs in miRNAs involved in oxidative stress could potentially influence the development of vitiligo. In this case–control study, we investigated the association of a functional SNP of rs11614913 in miR‐196a‐2 with risk of vitiligo. A significantly lower risk of vitiligo was associated with the rs11614913 miR‐196a‐2 CC genotype (adjusted OR, 0.77; CI, 0.60–0.98). In addition, TYRP1 gene expression was considerably down‐regulated by the rs11614913 C allele in miR‐196a‐2, which lowered the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced the proportion of early apoptosis in human melanocytes in response to H₂O₂ treatment. Our data suggest that the rs11614913 C allele in miR‐196a‐2 confers potential protection against oxidative effects on human melanocytes through the modulation of the target gene, TYRP1, which may account for the decreased risk of vitiligo in this study population.     

基于最小限制水分范围评价不同耕作方式对土壤有机碳的影响

以2009年吉林省德惠市中层黑土上进行了8a的田间定位试验小区土壤为研究对象,对免耕和秋翻两种耕作方式及玉米-大豆轮作和玉米连作两种种植方式下耕层有机碳进行分析,分别采用加权平均和分层两种方法计算最小限制水分范围(LLWR),用其评价不同耕作方式对土壤有机碳的影响.结果表明,免耕在玉米-大豆轮作和玉米连作下0-5 cm土壤有机碳含量分别比秋翻增加了15.2％和11.5％ (P＜0.05).采用加权平均法计算的LLWR值为0.148-0.166 cm3/cm3,不同耕作方式下玉米-大豆轮作的LLWR高于玉米连作且在两种种植方式下均表现出免耕小于秋翻的特点;利用分层法计算得到的LLWR值介于0.130-0.173 cm3/cm3之间,玉米-大豆轮作和玉米连作下免耕0-5 cm LLWR均显著小于秋翻,而5-30 cm LLWR数值免耕大于秋翻(P＞0.05);玉米-大豆轮作下0-30 cm各层LLWR均高于玉米连作.由于LLWR可以评价不同耕作方式对土壤有机碳的影响,因此采用加权平均法计算的LLWR可以客观的反映不同耕作处理尤其是种植方式对土壤有机碳的影响;而采用分层法计算的LLWR则更清晰的刻画了土壤表层与亚表层固碳能力的差异.     

Structure, function, and regulation of the aldouronate utilization gene cluster from Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2

Direct bacterial conversion of the hemicellulose fraction of hardwoods and crop residues to biobased products depends upon extracellular depolymerization of methylglucuronoxylan (MeGAX_n), followed by assimilation and intracellular conversion of aldouronates and xylooligosaccharides to fermentable xylose. Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2, an aggressively xylanolytic bacterium, secretes a multimodular cell-associated GH10 endoxylanase (XynA1) that catalyzes depolymerization of MeGAX_n and rapidly assimilates the principal products, β-1,4-xylobiose, β-1,4-xylotriose, and MeGAX₃, the aldotetrauronate 4-O-methylglucuronosyl-α-1,2-xylotriose. Genomic libraries derived from this bacterium have now allowed cloning and sequencing of a unique aldouronate utilization gene cluster comprised of genes encoding signal transduction regulatory proteins, ABC transporter proteins, and the enzymes AguA (GH67 α-glucuronidase), XynA2 (GH10 endoxylanase), and XynB (GH43 β-xylosidase/α-arabinofuranosidase). Expression of these genes, as well as xynA1 encoding the secreted GH10 endoxylanase, is induced by growth on MeGAX_n and repressed by glucose. Sequences in the yesN, lplA, and xynA2 genes within the cluster and in the distal xynA1 gene show significant similarity to catabolite responsive element (cre) defined in Bacillus subtilis for recognition of the catabolite control protein (CcpA) and consequential repression of catabolic regulons. The aldouronate utilization gene cluster in Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2 operates as a regulon, coregulated with the expression of xynA1, conferring the ability for efficient assimilation and catabolism of the aldouronate product generated by a multimodular cell surface-anchored GH10 endoxylanase. This cluster offers a desirable metabolic potential for bacterial conversion of hemicellulose fractions of hardwood and crop residues to biobased products.     

Variable-number tandem repeats as molecular markers for biotypes of Pasteuria ramosa in Daphnia spp

Variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) have been identified in populations of Pasteuria ramosa, a castrating endobacterium of Daphnia species. The allelic polymorphisms at 14 loci in laboratory and geographically diverse soil samples showed that VNTRs may serve as biomarkers for the genetic characterization of P. ramosa isolates.     

Variable-Number Tandem Repeats as Molecular Markers for Biotypes of Pasteuria ramosa in Daphnia spp.

Variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) have been identified in populations of Pasteuria ramosa, a castrating endobacterium of Daphnia species. The allelic polymorphisms at 14 loci in laboratory and geographically diverse soil samples showed that VNTRs may serve as biomarkers for the genetic characterization of P. ramosa isolates.     

Hypoxia enhances buffalo adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells proliferation,stemness, and reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) from livestock are valuable resources for animal reproduction and veterinary therapeutics. Previous studies have shown that hypoxic conditions were beneficial in maintaining the physiological activities of ASCs. However, the effects of hypoxia on buffalo ASCs (bASCs) remain unclear. In this study, the effects of hypoxia on proliferation, stemness, and reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of bASCs were examined. The results showed that the hypoxic culture conditions (5% oxygen) enhanced the proliferation and colony formation of bASCs. The expression levels of proliferation-related genes, and secretion of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were significantly enhanced in hypoxia. Hypoxic culture conditions activated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), thereby contributing to the secretion of bFGF and VEGF, which in turn enhanced the expression of HIF-1α and promoted the proliferation of bASCs. Furthermore, in hypoxic culture conditions, bASCs exhibited the main characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells, and the expression levels of the pluripotent markers OCT4, NANOG, C-MYC, and the differentiation capacity of bASCs were significantly enhanced. Finally, bASCs were more efficiently and easily reprogrammed into iPSCs in hypoxic culture conditions and these iPSCs exhibited some characteristics of naïve pluripotent stem cells. These findings provide the theoretical guidance for elucidating the detailed mechanism of hypoxia on physiological activities of bASCs including proliferation, stemness maintenance, and reprogramming.     

Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Candida Albicans Isolated from Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Xinjiang Province of China

We investigated the antifungal susceptibility profiles of 207 independent Candida albicans strains isolated from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in Xinjiang Province of China. Using CLSI M27-A3 and M27-S4 guidelines, anidulafungin and micafungin were the most active drugs against C. albicans showing an MIC₅₀/MIC₉₀ corresponding to 0.016/0.0313 µg/mL, followed by caspofungin (0.25/0.25 µg/mL), posaconazole (0.125/0.5 µg/mL), ravuconazole (0.063/1 µg/mL), itraconazole (0.125/1 µg/mL), amphotericine B (0.5/1 µg/mL), isavuconazole (0.063/2 µg/mL), 5-flucytosine (1/2 µg/mL), voriconazole (0.125/4 µg/mL), and fluconazole (0.5/4 µg/mL). 96.1% (199)–100.0% (207) isolates were sensitive to the three echinocandins tested, amphotericine B and 5-flucytosine. The in vitro activity of triazoles against all isolates tested was variable; itraconazole and voriconazole had reduced the activity to almost half of the isolates (55.1% (114) and 51.2% (106) susceptible, respectively). Fluconazole was active against 76.3% (158) isolates tested. The new triazoles ravuconazole, isavuconazole and posaconazole showed good in vitro potency against 89.9% (186)–95.2% (197) of isolates with the geometric mean MIC (µg/mL) of 0.10, 0.12 and 0.14 µg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, our study indicates that for effective management of systemic candidiasis in Xinjiang Province of China, it is important to determine the susceptibility profiles of isolated C. albicans from patients with VVC.

     

289株VVC致病菌的菌种分布和对9种抗真菌药物敏感性

外阴阴道念珠菌病（vulvovaginal candidiasis,VVC）是女性的常见病。本研究收集了2018年1月-12月苏州地区VVC患者分离的289株念珠菌进行了病原学鉴定和包括棘白菌素类、新三唑类药物在内的9种抗真菌药物体外敏感性分析。本文采用核糖体RNA的D1/D2基因进行念珠菌菌种鉴定。参照M27-A3方法检测其对9种抗真菌药物（包括棘白菌素类及新三唑类药物）的体外敏感性。结果表明,289株VVC念珠菌菌株中,白念珠菌259株、光滑念珠菌14株、克柔念珠菌10株、热带念珠菌4株、近平滑念珠菌2株。259株VVC白念珠菌对棘白菌素类体外敏感性好,对米卡芬净敏感性高于另外两种棘白菌素类;对两性霉素B、5-氟胞嘧啶、氟康唑敏感性好;但对伊曲康唑、伏立康唑敏感性差;对泊沙康唑敏感性好。光滑念珠菌株和克柔念珠菌分离株对卡泊芬净敏感性差,但对米卡芬净、阿尼芬净敏感性好;光滑念珠菌株对两性霉素B、5-氟胞嘧啶体外敏感性好,对伊曲康唑敏感性差,对泊沙康唑敏感性好;伏立康唑对光滑念珠菌分离株MIC₅₀/₉₀为0.5/1μg/mL;克柔念珠菌对伊曲康唑、伏立康唑50%耐药;4株热带念珠菌对伊曲康唑50%耐药,对卡泊芬净、氟康唑、伏立康唑100%耐药,对其余5种抗真菌药物敏感。近平滑念珠菌对9种抗真菌药物均敏感。白念珠菌仍为苏州地区VVC的主要病原菌,其次是光滑念珠菌和克柔念珠菌,它们对临床常用药物伊曲康唑、伏立康唑、卡泊芬净敏感性差。研究结果提示对VVC病人常规进行分泌物培养、菌种鉴定,对苏州地区临床医生制定VVC治疗方案具有重要参考价值。尽管棘白菌素类、两性霉素B、5-氟胞嘧啶、新三唑类药物尚未应用到VVC的临床治疗中,但是这些药物对VVC病原体总体敏感性较好,未来有望成为氟康唑、咪唑类药物治疗失败患者的新选择。