A 40-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the constitutive promoter of MDM2 confers risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in a Chinese population

The pathogenesis of HCC is a multistage process with the involvement of genetic factors. The aim of the present study is to investigate the possible association between a 40-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism (indel) at constitutive promoter of MDM2 and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a Chinese population. Using 420 HCC patients and 423 control subjects, we genotyped the indel polymorphism (rs3730485) using polymerase chain reaction method. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the polymorphism and HCC susceptibility. Under co-dominant model, we found that the ins/del and del/del genotype of indel was associated with a significantly increased risk of HCC compared with its homozygote ins/ins (OR=1.39, 95%C.I.=1.03-1.87; OR=1.68, 95%C.I.=1.03-2.73, respectively). Presence of 40-bp deletion allele of MDM2 seemed to confer higher risk for HCC when compared with non-carriers (OR=1.30, 95%C.I.=1.06-1.60, P=0.011). Further stratification analysis showed that this association was more pronounced in patients with a family history of HCC, early tumor stage and higher serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). These findings indicated that the MDM2 indel polymorphism may be a genetic modifier for developing HCC in Chinese population.     

Sulfide oxidation with H2O2 catalyzed by manganese complex of N,N′,N″-tris(2-hydroxypropyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane

[MnL](ClO₄)₂ (L = N,N′,N″-tris(2-hydroxypropyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) has been tested for catalyzing sulfide oxidation. In the presence of this complex, ethyl phenyl sulfide, butyl sulfide and phenyl sulfide are completely oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxides and sulfones with H₂O₂ as the oxidant. 2-Chloroethyl phenyl sulfide oxidation yield 2-chloroethyl phenyl sulfone and phenyl vinyl sulfone. In ethyl phenyl sulfide oxidation, effects of complex and H₂O₂ concentration and temperature on the reaction rate have been discussed. Through controlling reaction conditions, ethyl phenyl sulfoxide and ethyl phenyl sulfone may be produced selectively. The UV–Vis and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on catalyst solution indicate that metal centre of the complex is transformed from Mn(II) to Mn(IV) after the addition of H₂O₂. At 25 °C, rate constant for ethyl phenyl sulfide oxidation is 4.38 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹.     

Determination of oxytetracycline by flow injection with chemiluminescence detection.

A flow-injection chemiluminescent method for the determination of oxytetracycline was developed. The method is based on an enhancement by oxytetracycline of the chemiluminescence light emission of tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium (II), generated by the continuous oxidation of tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium (II) by cerium (IV) sulphate in sulphuric acid. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear over the range 1.0 x 10(-7)-1.0 x 10(-5) g/mL for oxytetracycline with the linear equation: DeltaINT = 148.77 x C + 0.6637 (R2 = 0.9994). The detection limit was 4.52 x 10(-8) g/mL. The proposed method was also successfully used to determine oxytetracycline in pharmaceutical formulations. The mean recovery of determination of oxytetracycline was 92.73%. A mechanism for the chemiluminescence enhancement by oxytetracycline of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium (II) and cerium (IV) sulphate system is also proposed.     

Methylation State of the EDA Gene Promoter in Chinese X-Linked Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia Carriers

Introduction

Hypodontia, hypohidrosis, sparse hair and characteristic faces are the main characters of X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED) which is caused by genetic ectodysplasin A (EDA) deficiency. Heterozygous female carriers tend to have mild to moderate XLHED phenotype, even though 30% of them present no obvious symptom.

Methods

A large Chinese XLHED family was reported and the entire coding region and exon–intron boundaries of EDA gene were sequenced. To elucidate the mechanism for carriers’ tempered phenotype, we analyzed the methylation level on four sites of the promoter of EDA by the pyrosequencing system.

Results

A known frameshift mutation (c.573–574 insT) was found in this pedigree. Combined with the pedigrees we reported before, 120 samples comprised of 23 carrier females from 11 families and 97 healthy females were analyzed for the methylation state of EDA promoter. Within 95% confidence interval (CI), 18 (78.26%) carriers were hypermethylated at these 4 sites.

Conclusion

Chinese XLHED carriers often have a hypermethylated EDA promoter.     

Anti‐infectious activity of synbiotics in a novel mouse model of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection

The anti‐infectious activity of synbiotics against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection was evaluated using a novel lethal mouse model. Groups of 12 mice treated with multiple antibiotics were infected orally with a clinical isolate of MRSA at an inoculum of 10⁸ CFU on day 7 after starting the antibiotics. A dose of 400 mg/kg 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) was injected intraperitoneally on day 7 after the infection. A dose of 10⁸ CFU Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult and 10 mg of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) were given orally to mice daily with the antibiotic treatment until day 28. The intestinal population levels of MRSA in the mice on multiple antibiotics were maintained stably at 10⁸ CFU/g of intestinal contents after oral MRSA infection and the subsequent 5‐FU treatment killed all the mice in the group within 14 days. B. breve administration saved most of the mice, but the synbiotic treatment saved all of the mice from lethal MRSA infection. The synbiotic treatment was effective for the treatment of intestinal infection caused by four MRSA strains with different toxin productions. There was a large difference among the six Bifidobacteria strains that were naturally resistant to the antibacterial drugs used. B. breve in combination with GOS is demonstrated to have valuable preventive and curative effects against even fatal MRSA infections.     

Red/ET同源重组技术及其在微生物基因组挖掘中的应用进展

Red/ET同源重组技术(Red/ET recombineering)是由来源于大肠杆菌λ噬菌体的蛋白对Redα/Redβ或来源于Rac原噬菌体的蛋白对Rec E/Rec T所介导的基于短同源臂(40–50 bp)的同源重组技术,能对宿主DNA序列进行快速、高效、精确的修饰和操作。本文主要综述了2010年以来Red/ET同源重组技术在大肠杆菌及其他细菌中的研究进展,同时简要介绍了该技术在微生物基因组挖掘,尤其是在微生物基因簇的异源表达领域的应用进展。     

Association between METTL3 gene polymorphisms and neuroblastoma susceptibility: A nine‐centre case‐control study

Neuroblastoma ranks as the most commonly seen and deadly solid tumour in infancy. The aberrant activity of m⁶A‐RNA methyltransferase METTL3 is involved in human cancers. Therefore, functional genetic variants in the METTL3 gene may contribute to neuroblastoma risk. In the current nine‐centre case‐control study, we aimed to analyse the association between the METTL3 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroblastoma susceptibility. We genotyped four METTL3 gene SNPs (rs1061026 T>G, rs1061027 C>A, rs1139130 A>G, and rs1263801 G>C) in 968 neuroblastoma patients and 1814 controls in China. We found significant associations between these SNPs and neuroblastoma risk in neither single‐locus nor combined analyses. Interestingly, in the stratified analysis, we observed a significant risk association with rs1061027 AA in subgroups of children ≤ 18 months of age (adjusted OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.03‐3.41, P = .040) and females (adjusted OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.07‐3.24, P = .028). Overall, we identified a significant association between METTL3 gene rs1061027 C>A polymorphism and neuroblastoma risk in children ≤18 months of age and females. Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic determinants of neuroblastoma.     

Involvement of HAb18G/CD147 in T cell activation and immunological synapse formation

HAb18G/CD147, a glycoprotein of the immunoglobulin super‐family (IgSF), is a T cell activation‐associated molecule. In this report, we demonstrated that HAb18G/CD147 expression on both activated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells was up‐regulated. In vitro cross‐linking of T cells with an anti‐HAb18G/CD147 monoclonal antibody (mAb) 5A12 inhibited T cells proliferation upon T cell receptor stimulation. Such co‐stimulation inhibited T cell proliferation by down‐regulating the expression of CD25 and interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), decreased production of IL‐4 but not interferon‐γ. Laser confocal imaging analysis indicated that HAb18G/CD147 was recruited to the immunological synapse (IS) during T cell activation; triggering HAb18G/CD147 on activated T cells by anti‐HAb18G/CD147 mAb 5A12 strongly dispersed the formation of the IS. Further functional studies showed that the ligation of HAb18G/CD147 with mAb 5A12 decreased the tyrosine phosphorylation and intracellular calcium mobilization levels of T cells. Through docking antibody–antigen interactions, we demonstrated that the function of mAb 5A12 is tightly dependent on its specificity of binding to N‐terminal domain I, which plays pivotal role in the oligomerization of HAb18G/CD147. Taken together, we provide evidence that HAb18G/CD147 could act as a co‐stimulatory receptor to negatively regulate T cell activation and is functionally linked to the formation of the IS.     

Acidosis antagonizes intracellular calcium response to kappa -opioid receptor stimulation in the rat heart

To study the effects of -opioid receptor stimulation onintracellular Ca²⁺ concentration([Ca²⁺]_i)homeostasis during extracellular acidosis, we determined the effects of-opioid receptor stimulation on[Ca²⁺]_iresponses during extracellular acidosis in isolated single ratventricular myocytes, by a spectrofluorometric method. U-50488H (10-30 µM), a selective -opioid receptor agonist, dosedependently decreased the electrically induced[Ca²⁺]_itransient, which results from the influx ofCa²⁺ and the subsequentmobilization of Ca²⁺ from thesarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). U-50488H (30 µM) also increased theresting[Ca²⁺]_iand inhibited the[Ca²⁺]_itransient induced by caffeine, which mobilizesCa²⁺ from the SR, indicating thatthe effects of the -opioid receptor agonist involved mobilization ofCa²⁺ from its intracellular poolinto the cytoplasm. The Ca²⁺responses to 30 µM U-50488H were abolished by 5 µMnor-binaltorphimine, a selective -opioid receptorantagonist, indicating that the event was mediated by the -opioidreceptor. The effects of the agonist on[Ca²⁺]_iand the electrically induced[Ca²⁺]_itransient were significantly attenuated when the extracellular pH(pH_e) was loweredto 6.8, which itself reduced intracellular pH(pH_i) and increased[Ca²⁺]_i.The inhibitory effects of U-50488H were restored during extracellular acidosis in the presence of 10 µM ethylisopropyl amiloride, a potentNa⁺/H⁺exchange blocker, or 0.2 mM Ni²⁺,a putativeNa⁺/Ca²⁺exchange blocker. The observations indicate that acidosismay antagonize the effects of -opioid receptor stimulation viaNa⁺/H⁺andNa⁺/Ca²⁺exchanges. When glucose at 50 mM, known to activate theNa⁺/H⁺exchange, was added, both the resting[Ca²⁺]_iand pH_i increased. Interestingly,the effects of U-50488H on [Ca²⁺]_iand the electrically induced[Ca²⁺]_itransient during superfusion with glucose were significantly attenuated; this mimicked the responses during extracellular acidosis. When a high-Ca²⁺ (3 mM) solutionwas superfused, the resting[Ca²⁺]_iincreased; the increase was abolished by 0.2 mMNi²⁺, but thepH_i remained unchanged. Like theresponses to superfusion with high-concentration glucose andextracellular acidosis, the responses of the[Ca²⁺]_iand electrically induced[Ca²⁺]_itransients to 30 µM U-50488H were also significantly attenuated. Results from the present study demonstrated for the first time thatextracellular acidosis antagonizes the effects of -opioid receptorstimulation on the mobilization ofCa²⁺ from SR. Activation of bothNa⁺/H⁺andNa⁺/Ca²⁺exchanges, leading to an elevation of[Ca²⁺]_i,may be responsible for the antagonistic action of extracellular acidosis against -opioid receptor stimulation.