Due to their intrinsic properties, stem cells are promising tools for new developments in tissue engineering and particularly for cartilage tissue regeneration. Although mesenchymal stromal/stem cells from bone marrow (BM-MSC) have long been the most used stem cell source in cartilage tissue engineering, they have certain limits. Thanks to their properties such as low immunogenicity and particularly chondrogenic differentiation potential, mesenchymal stromal/stem cells from Wharton's jelly (WJ-MSC) promise to be an interesting source of MSC for cartilage tissue engineering.

Multiple risk variants of schizophrenia have been identified by Genome-wide association studies (GWAS). As a complement for GWAS, previous pathway-based analysis has indicated that cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) pathway might be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, less replication studies have been reported. Our objective was to investigate the association between CAMs pathway and schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population. We first performed a pathway analysis utilizing our previous GWAS data. The CAMs pathway (hsa04514) was significantly associated with schizophrenia using hybrid gene set-based test (P = 1.03×10-10) and hypergeometric test (P = 5.04×10-6). Moreover, 12 genes (HLA-A, HLA-C, HLA-DOB, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DQA2, HLA-DRB1, MPZ, CD276, NLGN1, NRCAM, CLDN1 and ICAM3) were modestly significantly associated with schizophrenia (P<0.01). Then, we selected one promising gene neuroligin 1 (NLGN1) to further investigate the association between eight significant SNPs and schizophrenia in an independent sample (1814 schizophrenia cases and 1487 healthy controls). Our study showed that seven SNPs of NLGN1 and two haplotype blocks were significantly associated with schizophrenia. This association was confirmed by the results of combined analysis. Among them, SNP rs9835385 had the most significant association with schizophrenia (P = 2.83×10-7). Furthermore, in silico analysis we demonstrated that NLGN1 is preferentially expressed in human brain and SNP rs1488547 was related to the expression level. We validated the association of CAMs pathway with schizophrenia in pathway-level and identified one susceptibility gene NLGN1. Further investigation of the roles of CAMs pathway in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is warranted.

N(6)-Methyladenosine (m(6)A) represents the most prevalent internal modification on mRNA and requires a multicomponent m(6)A methyltransferase complex in mammals. How their plant counterparts determine the global m(6)A modification landscape and its molecular link to plant development remain unknown. Here we show that FKBP12 INTERACTING PROTEIN 37 KD (FIP37) is a core component of the m(6)A methyltransferase complex, which underlies control of shoot stem cell fate in Arabidopsis. The mutants lacking FIP37 exhibit massive overproliferation of shoot meristems and a transcriptome-wide loss of m(6)A RNA modifications. We further demonstrate that FIP37 mediates m(6)A RNA modification on key shoot meristem genes inversely correlated with their mRNA stability, thus confining their transcript levels to prevent shoot meristem overproliferation. Our results suggest an indispensable role of FIP37 in mediating m(6)A mRNA modification, which is required for maintaining the shoot meristem as a renewable source for continuously producing all aerial organs in plants.

High-salt diet induces cardiac remodelling and leads to heart failure, which is closely related to cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction. We investigated whether activation of TRP vanilloid (subtype 1) (TRPV1) channels by dietary capsaicin can, by ameliorating cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction, prevent high-salt diet-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Penguins are flightless aquatic birds widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The distinctive morphological and physiological features of penguins allow them to live an aquatic life, and some of them have successfully adapted to the hostile environments in Antarctica. To study the phylogenetic and population history of penguins and the molecular basis of their adaptations to Antarctica, we sequenced the genomes of the two Antarctic dwelling penguin species, the Adélie penguin [Pygoscelis adeliae] and emperor penguin [Aptenodytes forsteri].

There have been very few reports on protein domains that specifically recognize sulfur. Here we present the crystal structure of the sulfur-binding domain (SBD) from the DNA phosphorothioation (PT)-dependent restriction endonuclease ScoMcrA. SBD contains a hydrophobic surface cavity that is formed by the aromatic ring of Y164, the pyrolidine ring of P165, and the non-polar side chains of four other residues that serve as lid, base, and wall of the cavity. The SBD and PT-DNA undergo conformational changes upon binding. The S187RGRR191 loop inserts into the DNA major groove to make contacts with the bases of the GPSGCC core sequence. Mutating key residues of SBD impairs PT-DNA association. More than 1000 sequenced microbial species from fourteen phyla contain SBD homologs. We show that three of these homologs bind PT-DNA in vitro and restrict PT-DNA gene transfer in vivo. These results show that SBD-like PT-DNA readers exist widely in prokaryotes.

The LHCGR gene encodes a G-protein coupled receptor that plays a pivotal role in sexual differentiation in males, ovarian development in females and in fertility via its interaction with luteinizing hormone and chorionic gonadotropin. Inactive variants of the LHCGR gene cause Leydig cell hypoplasia (LCH), which is a rare disease and one of the causes of disorder of sexual differentiation (DSD) in males. The aim of this work was to clarify the clinical and molecular characteristics of a 2.75 year old patient with type 1 LCH. Whole exome sequencing was performed for the patient family and variants in the LHCGR gene were validated by Sanger sequencing. Pathogenicity of the missense variant was evaluated by multiple in silico tools. Our Chinese patient, who exhibited DSD, had female external genitalia (normal labia majora and minora, external opening of urethra under the clitoris and blind-ended vagina) and bilateral testis tissues in the inguinal region. Genetic sequencing revealed compound heterozygous variants in the LHCGR gene in the patient, including a novel missense variant in exon 4 (c.349G>A, p.Gly117Arg) and a novel nonsense variant in exon 10 (c.878C>A, p.Ser293*). The missense variant is in the first leucine-rich repeat domain of the LHCGR protein, which is predicted to affect ligand recognition and binding affinity and thus protein function. The patient is molecularly and clinically diagnosed with type 1 LCH, which is caused by novel, compound heterozygous variants of the LHCGR gene. We believe this report will serve to expand the genotypic spectrum of LHCGR variants.

Ovarian cancer (OV) is the most lethal gynecological cancer in women. We aim to develop a generalized, individualized immune prognostic signature that can stratify and predict overall survival for ovarian cancer.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe psychiatric disorder with evidence of a strong genetic component in the complex etiologies. Some studies indicated that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor β2 subunit gene (GABRB2) was associated with SCZ. Other studies reported a negative association. Moreover, the results of two previous meta-analyses of GABRB2 with SCZ were inconsistent and the sample sizes were limited. Therefore, an updated meta-analysis combined with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of the Han Chinese population and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) was performed. Available case-control and family-based genetic data were extracted from association studies, and the GWAS data were included. The findings showed no association between six single-nucleotide polymorphisms of GABRB2 (rs6556547, rs1816071, rs1816072, rs194072, rs252944, and rs187269) and SCZ in a total of 51,491 patients and 74,667 controls. The ethnic subgroup analysis revealed no significant association in Asian populations. Since the PGC data of SCZ (SCZ-PGC, 2014) contained 3 studies of Asian populations (1866 patients and 3418 controls), only the data of European samples in SCZ-PGC were used for the meta-analysis of the Caucasian population in the present study. The result still showed no association in the Caucasian population. In conclusion, the present meta-analysis on combined data from GWASs of the Han Chinese population and PGC suggested that GABRB2 polymorphisms might not be associated with SCZ.

The polar transport of auxin controls many aspects of plant development. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying auxin tranport regulation remain to be further elucidated. We identified a mutant named as usl1 (unflattened and small leaves) in a genetic screen in Arabidopsis thaliana. The usl1 displayed multiple aspects of developmental defects in leaves, embryogenesis, cotyledons, silique phyllotaxy and lateral roots in addition to abnormal leaves. USL1 encodes a protein orthologous to the yeast vacuolar protein sorting (Vps) 38p and human UV RADIATION RESISTANCE-ASSOCIATED GENE (UVRAG). Cell biology, Co-IP/MS and yeast two-hybrid were used to identify the function of USL1. USL1 colocalizes at the subcellular level with VPS29, a key factor of the retromer complex that controls auxin transport. The morphology of the VPS29-associated late endosomes (LE) is altered from small dots in the wild-type to aberrant enlarged circles in the usl1 mutants. The usl1 mutant synergistically interacts with vps29. We also found that USL1 forms a complex with AtVPS30 and AtVPS34. We propose that USL1 controls multiple aspects of plant development by affecting late endosome morphology and by regulating the PIN1 polarity. Our findings provide a new layer of the understanding on the mechanisms of plant development regulation.

To increase understanding of human bacterial and parasitic pathogens in bats, we investigated the prevalence of Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp. and Coxiella burnetii in bats from China.

Although ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common, highly heritable arthropathy, the precise genetic mechanism underlying the disease remains elusive. Here, we investigate the disease-causing mutations in a large AS family with distinguished complexity, consisting of 23 patients covering four generations and exhibiting a mixed HLA-B27 (+) and (-) status. Linkage analysis with 32 members using three methods and whole-exome sequencing analysis with three HLA-B27 (+) patients, one HLA-B27 (-) patient, and one healthy individual did not identify a mutation common to all of the patients, strongly suggesting the existence of genetic heterogeneity in this large pedigree. However, if only B27-positive patients were analyzed, the linkage analysis located a 22-Mb region harboring the HLA gene cluster in chromosome 6 (LOD = 4.2), and the subsequent exome analysis identified two non-synonymous mutations in the TREML2 and IP6K3 genes. These genes were resequenced among 370 sporadic AS patients and 487 healthy individuals. A significantly higher mutation frequency of TREML2 was observed in AS patients (1.51% versus 0.21%). The results obtained for the AS pedigree and sporadic patients suggest that mutation of TREML2 is a major factor leading to AS for HLA-B27 (+) members in this large family and that TREML2 is also a susceptibility gene promoting the development of ankylosing spondylitis in HLA-B27 (+) individuals.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common malignant tumor globally. The highest incidence of GC is found in Eastern Asia, particularly in China. It is therefore imperative to further elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of GC in order to identify new biomarkers and targets for effective therapy. In the present study, we determined whether miR-148a was aberrantly downregulated in gastric cancer tissues and significantly correlated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in the MGC-803, HGC-27 and GES-1 cell lines using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis. The cell lines were obtained from 60 patients who presented at our hospital between September 2010 and July 2015. The results showed that, miR-148a was aberrantly downregulated in GC tissues and its expression was relatively lower in the MGC-803 and HGC-27 GC cell lines than in the normal gastric epithelial cell line, GES-1. The clinicopathological analysis revealed that a decrease of miR-148a was significantly correlated with lymph-node metastasis (P<0.01) and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P<0.05). The transwell assay showed that the re-expression of miR-148a significantly reduced cell migratory and invasive abilities in vitro (P<0.01). The luciferase assay confirmed that, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) was a direct and functional target of miR-148a. The miR-148a inhibitor increased the expression of DNMT1 in HGC-27 cells and the re-expression of miR-148a reduced the expression of DNMT1 in MGC-803 cells as confirmed by western blot analysis. Furthermore, we found that the re-expression of DNMT1 reversed the inhibition of cell migration and invasion induced by miR-148a. Taken together, we demonstrated that miR-148a suppresses cell invasion and migration in gastric cancer by regulating DNMT1 expression. The miR-148a/DNMT1 axis may therefore be a new potential target for GC therapy.

Acetylation tubulin is one of the major post-translational modifications of microtubules. Stable microtubules are well known to contain acetylated tubulin. Here, we examined the spatiotemporal expression of acetylated tubulin in the mouse cochlea during postnatal development. At postnatal day 1 (P1), acetylated tubulin was localized primarily to the auditory nerve inside the cochlea and their synaptic contacts with the inner and outer hair cells (IHCs and OHCs). In the organ of Corti, acetylated tubulin occurred first at the apex of pillar cells. At P5, acetylated tubulin first appeared in the phalangeal processes of Deiters' cells. At P8, staining was maintained in the phalangeal processes of Deiters' cells. At P10, labeling in Deiters' cells extended from the apices of OHCs to the basilar membrane. Labeling was expressed throughout the cytoplasm of pillar cells. At P12, acetylated tubulin displayed prominent and homogeneous labeling along the full length of the pillar cells. Linear labeling was present mainly in the Deiters' cell bodies underlying OHCs. Between P14 and P17, acetylated tubulin was strongly expressed in inner and outer pillar cells and Deiters' cells in a similar pattern as observed in the adult, and labeling in these cells were arranged in bundles. In addition, acetylated tubulin was intensely expressed in stria vascularis, root cell bodies, and a small number of fibrocytes of the spiral ligament until the adult. In the adult mouse cochlea, immunostaining continued to predominate in Deiters' cells and pillar cells. Immunolabeling formed cups securing OHCs basal portions, and continued presence of acetylated tubulin-labeled nerve terminals below IHCs was shown. Our results presented here underscored the essential role played by acetylated tubulin in postnatal cochlear development, auditory neurotransmission and cochlear mechanics.

Oxidative stress is implicated in tissue inflammation, and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated nephritis. Using the anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody-induced glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM-GN) mouse model, we found that increased expression of glutathione S-transferase Mu 2 (GSTM2) was related to reduced renal damage caused by anti-GBM antibodies. Furthermore, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy has shed light on the treatment of immune-mediated kidney diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate if MSCs could be utilized as vehicles to deliver the GSTM2 gene product into the kidney and to evaluate its potential therapeutic effect on anti-GBM-GN.

MicroRNAs have been shown to be important regulators of immune homeostasis as patients with aberrant microRNA expression appeared to be more susceptible to autoimmune diseases. We recently found that miR-146a was up-regulated in activated B cells in response to rat acetylcholine receptor (AChR) α-subunit 97-116 peptide, and this up-regulation was significantly attenuated by AntagomiR-146a. Our data also demonstrated that silencing miR-146a with its inhibitor AntagomiR-146a effectively ameliorated clinical myasthenic symptoms in mice with ongoing experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Furthermore, multiple defects were observed after miR-146a was knocked down in B cells, including decreased anti-R97-116 antibody production and class switching, reduced numbers of plasma cells, memory B cells and B-1 cells, and weakened activation of B cells. Previously, miR-146a has been identified as a nuclear factor-κB-dependent gene and predicted to base pair with the tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) genes to regulate the immune response. However, our study proved that miR-146a inhibition had no effect on the expression of TRAF6 and IRAK1 in B cells. This result suggests that the function of miR-146a in B cells does not involve these two target molecules. We conclude that silencing miR-146a exerts its therapeutic effects by influencing the B-cell functions that contribute to the autoimmune pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis.

Myelin abnormalities, oligodendrocyte damage, and concomitant glia activation are common in demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Increasing evidence has demonstrated that the inflammatory response triggers demyelination and gliosis in demyelinating disorders. Numerous clinical interventions, including those used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), have confirmed prednisone (PDN) as a powerful anti-inflammatory drug that reduces the inflammatory response and promotes tissue repair in multiple inflammation sites. However, the underlying mechanism of PDN in ameliorating myelin damage is not well understood. In our study, a cuprizone (CPZ)-induced demyelinated mouse model was used to explore the mechanism of the protection provided by PDN. Open-field tests showed that CPZ-treated mice exhibited significantly increased anxiety and decreased exploration. However, PDN improved emotional behavior, as evidenced by an increase in the total distance traveled, and central distance traveled as well as the mean amount of time spent in the central area. CPZ-induced demyelination was observed to be alleviated in PDN-treated mice based on luxol fast blue (LFB) staining and myelin basic protein (MBP) expression analyses. In addition, PDN reduced astrocyte and microglia activation in the corpus callosum. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PDN inhibited the Nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling pathway and related inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including TNF-α, CCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16. PDN also reduced the serum corticosterone levels in the CPZ-treated mice. Taken together, these results suggest that inhibition of the NLRP3 signaling pathway may be a novel mechanism by which PDN exerts its protective actions in demyelinating diseases.

Late leaf spot (LLS) is a major foliar disease in peanut (A. hypogaea L.) worldwide, causing significant losses of potential yield in the absence of fungicide applications. Mutants are important materials to study the function of disease-related genes. In this study, the mutant line M14 was derived from cultivar Yuanza 9102 treated with EMS. Yuanza 9102 was selected from an interspecific cross of cultivar Baisha 1016 with A. diogoi, and is resistant to several fungal diseases. By contrast, the M14 was highly susceptible to late leaf spot. RNA-Seq analysis in the leaf tissues of the M14 and its wild type Yuanza 9102 under pathogen challenge showed 2219 differentially expressed genes including1317 up-regulated genes and 902 down-regulated genes. Of these genes, 1541, 1988, 1344, 643 and 533 unigenes were obtained and annotated by public protein databases of SwissPort, TrEMBL, gene ontology (GO), KEGG and clusters of orthologous groups (COG), respectively. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that expression of inducible pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins was significantly up-regulated; in the meantime DEGs related to photosynthesis were down-regulated in the susceptible M14 in comparison to the resistant WT. Moreover, the up-regulated WRKY transcription factors and down-regulated plant hormones related to plant growth were detected in the M14. The results suggest that down-regulated chloroplast genes, up-regulated WRKY transcription factors, and depressed plant hormones related to plant growth in the M14 might coordinately render the susceptibility though there was a significant high level of PRs. Those negative effectors might be triggered in the susceptible plant by fungal infection and resulted in reduction of photosynthesis and phytohormones and led to symptom formation.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a highly lethal infectious disease and early diagnosis of TB is critical for the control of disease progression. The objective of this study was to profile a panel of serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of pulmonary TB infection.

The conserved SNF1/AMPK/SnRK1 complexes are global regulators of metabolic responses in eukaryotes and play a key role in the control of energy balance. Although α-type subunits of the SnRK1 complex have been characterized in several plant species, the biological function of β-type and γ-type subunits remains largely unknown. Here, we characterized AtPV42a and AtPV42b, the two homologous genes in Arabidopsis, which encode cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) domain-containing proteins that belong to the PV42 class of γ-type subunits of the plant SnRK1 complexes.