microRNA在脆性X综合征发病机制中的研究进展

脆性X综合征(fragile X syndrome,FXS)是最常见的遗传性认知障碍疾病,也是一种与自闭症谱系障碍(autism spectrum disorder,ASD)相关的严重的基因疾病.它主要是由于脆性X智力低下基因1(fragile X mental retardation 1,FMR1)的异常扩增及其上游Cp G岛的异常甲基化,导致其编码的脆性X智力低下蛋白(fragile X mental retardation protein,FMRP)表达减少或缺失引起的.FMRP与miRNA(micro RNA)均具有翻译抑制活性,而且FMRP在生物化学和遗传学上均与miRNA调控通路有相互作用.此外,越来越多的研究发现miRNA调控通路在FXS的发病和治疗中发挥作用.因此,本文对miRNA的功能及其与脆性X蛋白家族成员间的相互作用进行阐述,为在miRNA水平了解FXS的发病机制奠定基础.     

云杉矮槲寄生遗传多样性及其群体遗传结构分析

该研究采用CTAB法提取云杉矮槲寄生(Arceuthobium sichuanense)的基因组DNA,利用ITS1片段的序列信息对中国9个不同地理群体的62份云杉矮槲寄生样本的遗传多样性及群体遗传结构进行分析。结果表明:(1)62条ITS1序列共定义16个单倍型(H1~H16),表现出较低的遗传多样性水平(h=0.678 5,π=0.005 9),而群体间的遗传多样性水平则表现出较大差异(h=0~1.000 0,π=0~0.009 4);AMOVA分析显示云杉矮槲寄生群体内的遗传变异占到51.37%,群体间为48.63%。(2)Network单倍型网络分析表明,单倍型H1和H12较为古老,且所有群体对2种单倍型无共享现象;单倍型H1是广布单倍型,存在于青海和甘肃的6个群体中,单倍型H12仅在四川的2个群体中有分布。(3)基于最大似然法(ML)构建的群体聚类和中介邻接法构建的单倍型网络图均显示,四川的3个群体为独立类群,区别于青海、甘肃群体,且甘肃和青海的群体之间没有明显分化。该研究首次报道了云杉矮槲寄生遗传多样性和遗传结构,为进一步研究其进化及后续的病害防控提供了一定的参考。     

TrkB Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis via Suppression of Runx3 and Keap1 Expression

In metastatic breast cancer, the acquisition of malignant traits has been associated with the increased rate of cell growth and division, mobility, resistance to chemotherapy, and invasiveness. While screening for the key regulators of cancer metastasis, we observed that neurotrophin receptor TrkB is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer patients and breast cancer cell lines. Additionally, we demonstrate that TrkB expression and clinical breast tumor pathological phenotypes show significant correlation. Moreover, TrkB expression was significantly upregulated in basal-like, claudin-low, and metaplastic breast cancers from a published microarray database and in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, which is associated with a higher risk of invasive recurrence. Interestingly, we identified a new TrkB-regulated functional network that is important for the tumorigenicity and metastasis of breast cancer. We demonstrated that TrkB plays a key role in regulation of the tumor suppressors Runx3 and Keap1. A markedly increased expression of Runx3 and Keap1 was observed upon knockdown of TrkB, treatment with a TrkB inhibitor, and in TrkB kinase dead mutants. Additionally, the inhibition of PI3K/AKT activation significantly induced Runx3 and Keap1 expression. Furthermore, we showed that TrkB enhances metastatic potential and induces proliferation. These observations suggest that TrkB plays a key role in tumorigenicity and metastasis of breast cancer cells through suppression of Runx3 or Keap1 and that it is a promising target for future intervention strategies for preventing tumor metastasis and cancer chemoprevention.     

Differential Expression of microRNAs and their Regulatory Networks in Skin Tissue of Liaoning Cashmere Goat during Hair Follicle Cycles

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression. Herein, we investigated a selective number of miRNAs for their expression in skin tissue of Liaoning Cashmere goat during hair follicle cycles, and their intracellular regulatory networks were constructed based on bioinformatics analysis. The relative expression of six miRNAs (mir-103-3p, -15b-5p, 17-5p, -200b, -25-3p, and -30c-5p) at anagen phase is significantly higher than that at catagen and/or telogen phases. In comparison to anagen, the relative expression of seven miRNAs (mir-148a-3p, -199a-3p, -199a-5p, -24-3p, -30a-5p, -30e-5p, and -29a-3p) was revealed to be significantly up-regulated at catagen and/or telogen stages. The network analyses of miRNAs indicated those miRNAs investigated might be directly or indirectly involved in several signaling pathways through their target genes. These results provided a foundation for further insight into the roles of these miRNAs in skin tissue of Liaoning Cashmere goat during hair follicle cycles.     

Long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 regulates intestinal epithelial barrier function by modulating the expression levels of tight junction proteins

Epithelial cells line the intestinal mucosa and form an important barrier to a wide array of noxious substances in the lumen. Disruption of the barrier integrity occurs commonly in various pathologies. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) control diverse biological processes, but little is known about the role of lncRNAs in regulation of the gut permeability. Here we show that the lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 regulates the intestinal epithelial barrier function by altering expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins. SPRY4-IT1 silencing led to dysfunction of the epithelial barrier in cultured cells by decreasing the stability of mRNAs encoding TJ proteins claudin-1, claudin-3, occludin, and JAM-1 and repressing their translation. In contrast, increasing the levels of SPRY4-IT1 in the intestinal mucosa protected the gut barrier in mice exposed to septic stress by increasing the abundance of TJ proteins. SPRY4-IT1 directly interacted with TJ mRNAs, and this process was enhanced through the association with the RNA-binding protein HuR. Of interest, the intestinal mucosa from patients with increased gut permeability exhibited a decrease in the levels of SPRY4-IT1. These findings highlight a novel role for SPRY4-IT1 in controlling the intestinal epithelial barrier and define a mechanism by which SPRY4-IT1 modulates TJ expression by altering the stability and translation of TJ mRNAs.     

Construction of an efficient genomic editing system with CRISPR/Cas9 in the vector mosquito Aedes albopictus

Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is a mosquito which originated in Asia. In recent years, it has become increasingly rampant throughout the world. This mosquito can transmit several arboviruses, including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses, and is considered a public health threat. Despite the urgent need of genome engineering to analyze specific gene functions, progress in genetical manipulation of Ae. albopictus has been slow due to a lack of efficient methods and genetic markers. In the present study, we established targeted disruptions in two genes, kynurenine hydroxylase (kh) and dopachrome conversion enzyme (yellow), to analyze the feasibility of generating visible phenotypes with genome editing by the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/ CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system in Ae. albopictus. Following Cas9 single guide RNA ribonucleoprotein injection into the posterior end of pre-blastoderm embryos, 30%-50% of fertile survivors produced alleles that failed to complement existing kh and yellow mutations. Complete eye and body pigmentation defects were readily observed in GI pupae and adults, indicating successful generation of highly heritable mutations. We conclude that the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing system can be used mAe. albopictus and that it can be adopted as an efficient tool for genome-scale analysis and biological study.     

肺癌气道播散的研究概况

2015年,世界卫生组织对肺癌的分类提出了气道播散(spread through air spaces,STAS)的概念,作为肺腺癌侵袭的新模式。STAS指的是肺癌细胞在肺实质内经气道播散到肿瘤主灶边缘以外。近年来,随着对STAS研究的深入,研究结果表明STAS作为一种侵袭方式与其他侵袭行为和转移有关。STAS与肺癌的预后存在密切联系,并且与复发的风险独立相关。而选择的手术方式不同,STAS阳性患者的预后大不相同。在影像学方面,STAS有着其特殊的影像学特征,这些影像学特征可以作为STAS可能性估计的工具。因此能否通过影像学等方法判断出是否有STAS存在对选择手术方式和改善患者预后有重要指导意义。这篇综述将重点阐述近年来STAS在与不同类型肺癌的联系、影像学、基因突变等方面的研究概况。     

数字聚合酶链反应及其在感染性疾病中的应用

数字聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)采用与定量PCR相同的荧光化学原理和不同的数学原理来实现对靶标核酸序列的绝对定量,其摒弃了对外部参照的依赖,同时具有更高的数据精密度,提高了重复性和再现性。数字PCR的应用涵盖生命科学众多领域,特别是在医学检验领域,其对疾病相关核酸分子标记的准确分析,为疾病的早期诊断、进展监测、疗效评估提供了动态量化指标。数字PCR的出现将推动基于核酸扩增技术的分子生物学检测迈入精准定量阶段。本文就数字PCR尤其是微滴式数字PCR在感染性疾病中的应用进展及前沿进行综述。     

显微镜下减压联合前路Zero-P治疗颈椎病的早期临床疗效分析

目的:探讨前路颈椎显微镜辅助下精准减压联合前路椎间隙Zero-P融合器置入治疗颈椎病的早期临床疗效。方法:回顾性分析2016年6月至2018年1月我院收治的43例颈椎病患者,处理节段共73个;患者均行显微镜辅助颈椎前路减压、髓核切除、Zero-P置入融合内固定术。记录患者手术节段、手术时间,术中失血量及并发症。手术前,术后1个月、3个月、6个月、末次随访时的颈部及上肢疼痛视觉模拟评分(Visual Analogue Scale,VAS)、颈部日本骨科协会评分(Japanese Orthopedic Association,JOA)和颈椎残障功能指数(Neck Disability Index,NDI),并采用配对t检验对不同时间点的评分进行分析,评估临床疗效。并同期行颈椎X线、CT及MRI检查,测量和评估椎间隙高度、颈椎Cobb角的改变情况和邻近节段异位骨化形成(Adjacent Level Ossification Development,ALOD)。结果:所有患者术后均获得随访,随访时间12-18个月,平均(14.9±2.2)个月。平均手术时间(82.2±20.9)min,失血量(91.5±33.7) m L;未发生神经和血管损伤等严重并发症。与术前相比,患者术后1个月、3个月、6个月及末次随访时的VAS评分、JOA评分、NDI评分、椎间隙高度及Cobb角均明显改善,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。但术后随访时间点比较,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。术后出现轻度吞咽困难2例,中度和重度吞咽困难各1例。随访期间,所有患者均获椎间骨性融合,未发生Zero-P融合器松动、滑脱或断裂,椎体未出现继发性骨折。结论:显微镜辅助颈椎前路椎间盘切除、Zero-P融合器置入治疗颈椎病,能够精准的去除神经脊髓组织的压迫,术后短期和中期临床疗效良好,同时显微镜下止血、术中出血少;视野清晰、手术安全性高。     

血清PCT、IL-17与CRP在AECOPD合并肺动脉高压患者中的表达及诊断价值

目的:探讨降钙素原(PCT),白介素17(IL-17)与C反应蛋白(CRP)在慢性阻塞性肺疾病急性加重期(AECOPD)合并肺动脉高压患者外周血中的表达水平,探究联合检测的诊断价值。方法:收集2015年8月至2017年2月我院收治的AECOPD患者120例,纳入研究患者根据是否合并肺动脉高压分为分为单纯AECOPD组60例及AECOPD合并肺动脉高压(AECOPD+PH)组60例,另选取20例健康志愿者作为对照组。采用化学发光法检测PCT水平,双抗夹心酶联免疫吸附试验法(ELISA)检测IL-17水平及生化分析仪检测CRP水平,采用受试者工作特征曲线(ROC)评估PCT,IL-17与CRP对AECOPD合并肺动脉高压的诊断价值。结果:AECOPD+PH组及AECOPD组的PCT,IL-17,CRP水平较健康对照组均明显升高,而AECOPD+PH组的各指标水平也均高于单纯AECOPD组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。通过Pearson相关性分析发现,AECOPD合并肺动脉高压的PCT与IL-17之间存在表达正相关性(r=0.733,P0.05),PCT与CRP表达存在正相关性(r=0.817,P0.05)。此外,针对AECOPD合并肺动脉高压的诊断中PCT的ROC曲线下面积为0.83,IL-17为0.71,CRP为0.77,联合三者的ROC曲线下面积为0.94。结论:PCT、IL-17和CRP可能与AECOPD患者肺动脉高压的形成有关,各指标存在一定的相关性,联合以上三项生物学指标对诊断AECOPD合并肺动脉高压患者具有一定的临床参考价值。