EP300 contributes to high-altitude adaptation in Tibetans by regulating nitric oxide production

The genetic adaptation of Tibetans to high altitude hypoxia likely involves a group of genes in the hypoxic pathway,as suggested by earlier studies.To test the adaptive role of the previously reported candidate gene EP300 (histone acetyltransferase p300),we conducted resequencing of a 108.9 kb gene region of EP300 in 80 unrelated Tibetans.The allele-frequency and haplotype-based neutrality tests detected signals of positive Darwinian selection on EP300 in Tibetans,with a group of variants showing allelic divergence between Tibetans and lowland reference populations,including Han Chinese,Europeans,and Africans.Functional prediction suggested the involvement of multiple EP300 variants in gene expression regulation.More importantly,genetic association tests in 226 Tibetans indicated significant correlation of the adaptive EP300 variants with blood nitric oxide (NO) concentration.Collectively,we propose that EP300 harbors adaptive variants in Tibetans,which might contribute to high-altitude adaptation through regulating NO production.     

A novel 62‐bp indel mutation in the promoter region of transforming growth factor‐beta 2 (TGFB2) gene is associated with body weight in chickens

Transforming growth factor‐beta 2 (encoded by TGFB2) is a growth factor that regulates a plethora of cellular functions. In this study, we sequenced the promoter and full‐length exon region of the chicken TGFB2 and found two mutations (g.‐640C>T and g.‐851_‐790del) within the promoter. The two polymorphisms were genotyped in 1030 pedigreed hens recorded for body weight at 7 (BW7), 9 (BW9), 11 (BW11), 13 (BW13), 17 (BW17) weeks old, egg weight at 36 weeks of age (EW36) and egg numbers from the age at first egg (AFE) to 40 weeks of age (EN40). Despite the fact that no mutations were found to have statistically significant genetic effects on egg production, the association results of growth traits showed that both g.‐640C>T and g.‐851_‐790del had significant effects on body weights and that both genotype g.‐640TT and g.‐851_‐790wt/wt were positive for body weight performance. Therefore, the polymorphisms of TGFB2, especially the g.‐851_‐790del mutation associated with body weight at almost all periods, could be potential useful genetic markers to improve the growth of Beijing You chickens.     

Brefeldin A increases the quantal size and alters the kinetics of catecholamine release from rat adrenal chromaffin cells.

The fungal metabolite, brefeldin A (BFA), is known to inhibit guanine nucleotide exchange on the ADP-ribosylating factors that are involved in vesicle membrane trafficking. Here, we investigated the action of BFA on Ca2+-regulated exocytosis in single rat adrenal chromaffin cells. Incubation of chromaffin cells with BFA (1 or 10 microM) for 2 h effectively disrupted the Golgi membranes but did not affect the pattern of catecholamine release triggered by high extracellular K+, which was monitored with carbon fiber amperometry along with cytosolic Ca2+ measurement. The BFA treatment, however, increased the mean quantal size of catecholamine-containing vesicles and the occurrence of amperometric events with a "foot" or "stand alone" signal (which reflects sluggish or incomplete dilation of the fusion pore). To examine whether BFA altered the Ca2+-dependence of exocytosis, we employed the whole-cell recording technique in conjunction with the capacitance measurement to measure exocytosis evoked from the entire cell during voltage-gated Ca2+ entry. Our results suggested that BFA treatment did not alter either the initial rate of capacitance increase or the total amount of capacitance increase. Therefore, in chromaffin cells, BFA treatment affects Ca2+-regulated exocytosis predominantly by increasing the quantal size and by slowing the fusion kinetics of some vesicles.     

CDH1 -160C>A gene polymorphism is an ethnicity-dependent risk factor for gastric cancer

The associations between E-cadherin (CDH1) gene polymorphisms and gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility are still controversial. Given this uncertainty, we carried out a meta-analysis of published case-control studies to derive more precise estimations of these relationships. Relevant studies were identified from PubMed and EMBASE up to March 2011. Seventeen studies with 3511 GC cases and 4826 controls were selected. Crude odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to investigate the strength of the associations. No associations between CDH1 (+54T>C, -160C>A, -347G>GA, -616G>C, -2076C>T and -3159T>C) gene polymorphisms and GC risk for all genetic models were found. As for CDH1 -160C>A polymorphism, subgroup analyses by country, gender, study design, smoking status, Helicobacter pylori infection, and the Lauren classification of GC did not change the results. When stratified by ethnicity, we found the A allele carriers had a significantly increased risk of GC among Caucasians (AA vs. CA+CC: OR=1.50, 95% CI=1.03-2.19, P=0.03), but not among Asians (AA vs. CA+CC: OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.56-1.37, P=0.56). No publication bias was found in the present study. This meta-analysis suggests that CDH1 -160C>A gene polymorphism may contribute to increased risk of GC among Caucasians.     

Miniaturized lensless imaging systems for cell and microorganism visualization in point-of-care testing

Low-cost, robust, and user-friendly diagnostic capabilities at the point-of-care (POC) are critical for treating infectious diseases and preventing their spread in developing countries. Recent advances in micro- and nanoscale technologies have enabled the merger of optical and fluidic technologies (optofluidics) paving the way for cost-effective lensless imaging and diagnosis for POC testing in resource-limited settings. Applications of the emerging lensless imaging technologies include detecting and counting cells of interest, which allows rapid and affordable diagnostic decisions. This review presents the advances in lensless imaging and diagnostic systems, and their potential clinical applications in developing countries. The emerging technologies are reviewed from a POC perspective considering cost effectiveness, portability, sensitivity, throughput and ease of use for resource-limited settings.     

Constructing China's greenways naturally

Roads are a prominent feature of many landscapes, and high road densities create correspondingly high ecological impacts by altering landscape patterns, interrupting ecological flows, increasing erosion, fragmenting habitat, and facilitating the spread of invasive species. Here, we describe the construction of “near-natural greenways” that produce environmentally and socially harmonious road systems that meet the needs of both the environment and the socioeconomic development in China and that satisfy environmental, ecological, educational, traffic safety, economic, and sustainable developmental goals. In the last decade, China has embarked upon the implementation of a network of near-natural greenways with the vision of linking economic development with nature conservation by means of improved rehabilitation of existing road systems and improved construction of new roads. Ecological science, and especially landscape ecology, will play an important role in the planning and implementation of future near-natural greenways in China and around the world.     

炭疽芽胞杆菌(Bacillus anthracis)检测质粒的构建及其应用

根据炭疽芽胞杆菌(Bacillus anthracis)毒性质粒pX01和pX02上的2个毒力相关基因cya和capA的序列特点,以pIJ2925为出发载体,采用一步重叠延伸PCR技术(One-step Overlap Extension PCR,简称OOE-PCR)构建了包含cya基因和capA基因保守区DNA片段的炭疽检测质粒pBIB2006。采用复合PCR对模拟炭疽危险品进行分析,结果表明pBIB2006可以为炭疽芽胞杆菌的检测提供准确、安全和方便的阳性参照品,从而为检测炭疽芽胞杆菌和炭疽芽胞杆菌灭活疫苗提供了便利。