De novo mutations that contribute to rare Mendelian diseases, including neurological disorders, have been recently identified. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has become a powerful tool for the identification of inherited and de novo mutations in Mendelian diseases. Two important guidelines were recently published regarding the investigation of causality of sequence variant in human disease and the interpretation of novel variants identified in human genome sequences. In this study, a family with supposed movement disorders was sequenced via WES (including the proband and her unaffected parents), and a standard investigation and interpretation of the identified variants was performed according to the published guidelines. We identified a novel de novo mutation (c.2327C > T, p.P776L) in DYNC1H1 gene and confirmed that it was the causal variant. The phenotype of the affected twins included delayed motor milestones, pes cavus, lower limb weakness and atrophy, and a waddling gait. Electromyographic (EMG) recordings revealed typical signs of chronic denervation. Our study demonstrates the power of WES to discover the de novo mutations associated with a neurological disease on the whole exome scale, and guidelines to conduct WES studies and interpret of identified variants are a preferable option for the exploration of the pathogenesis of rare neurological disorders.

Calpain-8 and calpain-9 belong to the family of calcium-dependent cysteine proteases, which are highly expressed in the stomach. However, the roles of calpain-8 and calpain-9 in gastric tumorigenesis remain little understood. Herein, we demonstrated that calpain-9 was generally decreased in gastric cancer cell lines and primary tumor tissues, while calpain-8 expression was not significantly altered. Calpain-9, but not calpain-8, induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase and cellular apoptosis in vitro, and it attenuated the growth of subcutaneous tumor xenografts in vivo. Low expression of calpain-9 was positively associated with male sex, late T stage, lymph node metastasis, and advanced TNM stage. Further analysis identified calpain-9 as an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis, and combining calpain-9 with TNM stage generated a better predictive model for patient outcomes. In conclusion, calpain-9 is a tumor suppressor that can be regarded as a potential prognosis indicator for clinical outcomes in gastric cancer.

Enterovirus B83 (EV-B83) is a recently identified member of enterovirus species B. It is a rarely reported serotype and up to date, only the complete genome sequence of the prototype strain from the United States is available. In this study, we describe the complete genomic characterization of an EV-B83 strain 246/YN/CHN/08HC isolated from a healthy child living in border region of Yunnan Province, China in 2008. Compared with the prototype strain, it had 79.6% similarity in the complete genome and 78.9% similarity in the VP1 coding region, reflecting the great genetic divergence among them. VP1-coding region alignment revealed it had 77.2-91.3% with other EV-B83 sequences available in GenBank. Similarity plot analysis revealed it had higher identity with several other EV-B serotypes than the EV-B83 prototype strain in the P2 and P3 coding region, suggesting multiple recombination events might have occurred. The great genetic divergence with previously isolated strains and the extremely rare isolation suggest this serotype has circulated at a low epidemic strength for many years. This is the first report of complete genome of EV-B83 in China.

Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are members of the genus Metapneumovirus in the subfamily Pneumovirinae. Metapneumovirus fusion (F) protein mediates the fusion of host cells with the virus membrane for infection. Trypsin- and/or low pH-induced membrane fusion is a strain-dependent phenomenon for hMPV. Here, we demonstrated that three subtypes of aMPV (aMPV/A, aMPV/B, and aMPV/C) F proteins promoted cell-cell fusion in the absence of trypsin. Indeed, in the presence of trypsin, only aMPV/C F protein fusogenicity was enhanced. Mutagenesis of the amino acids at position 100 and/or 101, located at a putative cleavage region in aMPV F proteins, revealed that the trypsin-mediated fusogenicity of aMPV F proteins is regulated by the residues at positions 100 and 101. Moreover, we demonstrated that aMPV/A and aMPV/B F proteins mediated cell-cell fusion independent of low pH, whereas the aMPV/C F protein did not. Mutagenesis of the residue at position 294 in the aMPV/A, aMPV/B, and aMPV/C F proteins showed that 294G played a critical role in F protein-mediated fusion under low pH conditions. These findings on aMPV F protein-induced cell-cell fusion provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying membrane fusion and pathogenesis of aMPV.

IL-27, as a pleiotropic cytokine, promotes the differentiation of naïve T cells to Th1, while suppressing Th2 and Th17 differentiation in the periphery. However, the role of IL-27 in the thymocyte development remains unknown. Here we showed that IL-27 was highly expressed in thymic plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) while its receptor expression was mainly detected in CD4(+) single-positive (SP) thymocytes. Deletion of the p28 subunit in DCs resulted in a reduction of the most mature Qa-2(+) subsets of CD4(+) SP T cells. This defect was rescued by intrathymic administration of exogenous IL-27. In vitro differentiation assay further demonstrated that IL-27 alone was able to drive the maturation of the newly generated 6C10(+)CD69(+)CD4(+) SP cells into Qa-2(+) cells. Collectively, this study has revealed an important role of thymic DCs-derived IL-27 in the regulation of the phenotypic maturation of CD4(+) SP thymocytes.

Arsenic is a widespread metalloid in environment, whose exposure has been associated with a broad spectrum of toxic effects. However, a global view of arsenic-induced male reproductive toxicity is still lack, and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Our results revealed that arsenic exposure decreased testosterone level and reduced sperm quality in rats. By conducting an integrated proteomics and metabolomics analysis, the present study aims to investigate the global influence of arsenic exposure on the proteome and metabolome in rat testis. The abundance of 70 proteins (36 up-regulated and 34 down-regulated) and 13 metabolites (8 increased and 5 decreased) were found to be significantly altered by arsenic treatment. Among these, 19 proteins and 2 metabolites were specifically related to male reproductive system development and function, including spermatogenesis, sperm function and fertilization, fertility, internal genitalia development, and mating behavior. It is further proposed that arsenic mainly impaired spermatogenesis and fertilization via aberrant modulation of these male reproduction-related proteins and metabolites, which may be mediated by the ERK/AKT/NF-κB-dependent signaling pathway. Overall, these findings will aid our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for arsenic-induced male reproductive toxicity, and from such studies useful biomarkers indicative of arsenic exposure could be discovered.

Zfp637 is a recently identified zinc finger protein, and its functions remain largely unknown. Here, we innovatively demonstrate the effects of Zfp637 on the differentiation of mouse spermatogonia and on its downstream target gene SOX2 in vitro. Obesity has been recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to decreased sexual function and sexual development disorders. We observed higher levels of IL-6 in serum and testis homogenates from obese mice compared with control mice. We also demonstrated that high levels of IL-6 inhibited Zfp637 expression, and we elucidated the underlying mechanisms. SOCS3 overexpression and STAT3 phosphorylation inhibitor (AG490) were used to investigate the function of the SOCS3/STAT3 pathway during this process. Our results showed that exposure of mouse spermatogonial cells to high levels of IL-6 inhibited Zfp637 expression by increasing SOCS3 expression and inhibiting the phosphorylation of STAT3, further reducing cellular differentiation. Consistent with the in vitro results, we observed increasing expression levels of SOCS3 and SOX2, but a reduction of Zfp637 expression, in obese mouse testes. In conclusion, Zfp637 plays a crucial role in spermatogenesis by downregulating SOX2 expression, and IL-6 can decrease the expression of Zfp637 through the SOCS3/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation disorder largely caused by defective melanocyte- or autoimmunity-induced melanocyte destruction. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is essential for melanocyte homeostasis and immune process, and abnormal AHR was observed in vitiligo. We previously identified the T allele of AHR -129C > T variant as a protective factor against vitiligo. However, biological characterization underlying such effects is not fully certain, further validation by mechanistic research is warranted and was conducted in the present study. We showed that -129T allele promoted AHR transcriptional activity through facilitating its interaction with SP1 transcription factor (SP1) compared with -129C allele. We subsequently found reduced peripheral AHR and SP1 transcript expressions in vitiligo and a negative correlation of AHR level with disease duration. We also investigated AHR-related cytokines and observed increased serum TNF-α concentration and diminished serum levels of IL-10 and TGF-β1 in vitiligo. Further genetic analysis showed that -129T carriers possessed higher levels of AHR and IL-10 than -129C carriers. Therefore, our study indicates that the modulation of AHR transcription by a promoter variant has a profound influence on vitiligo, not only advancing our understanding on AHR function but also providing novel insight into the pathogenesis of degenerative or autoimmune diseases including vitiligo.

A growing pool of transgenic mice expressing Cre-recombinases, together with Cre-dependent opsin viruses, provide good tools to manipulate specific neural circuits related to eyeblink conditioning (EBC). However, currently available methods do not enable to get fast and precise readout of optogenetic control when the freely-moving mice are receiving EBC training. In the current study, we describe a laser diode (LD)-optical fiber (OF)-Tetrode assembly that allows for simultaneous multiple units recording and optical stimulation. Since the numbers of various cables that require to be connected are minimized, the LD-OF-Tetrode assembly can be combined with CS-US delivery apparatus for revealing the effects of optical stimulation on EBC in freely- moving mice. Moreover, this combination of techniques can be utilized to optogenetically intervene in hippocampal neuronal activities during the post-conditioning sleep in a closed-loop manner. This novel device thus enhances our ability to explore how specific neuronal assembly contributes to associative motor memory in vivo.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a leading cause of infectious diarrhea in children and postweaning piglets. ETEC infection results in induced pro-inflammatory responses in intestinal epithelial cells and dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota. Here, a Lactobacillus reuteri strain, HCM2, isolated from a healthy piglet showed a high survival rate in the harsh gastrointestinal tract environment and inhibited the growth of ETEC and its adherence to intestinal epithelial cells. Pre-supplementation with L. reuteri HCM2 for 14 days reduced the ETEC load in the jejunum of ETEC-infected mice and prevented the disruption of intestinal morphology by ETEC. The colonic microbiota of mice with or without HCM2 pre-supplementation were analyzed, and this analysis revealed that HCM2 could prevent dysbiosis caused by ETEC infection by stabilizing the relative abundance of dominant bacteria. These results indicate that L. reuteri HCM2 has the potential to attenuate the effect of ETEC on the colonic microbiota in infected mice.

The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of ultrasonic surgery to the conventional bone cutting technique using bur and saw for the release of ankylosis of temporomandibular joint. We conducted a prospective cohort study on 25 patients with 38 ankylotic joints at Chinese PLA General Hospital from March 01, 2012 to March 01, 2016. Patients were followed up at least 2 years postoperatively. The primary outcome was the intraoperative blood loss per joint. The secondary outcome was the long-term (≥2 years) improvement of maximum mouth opening. The blood loss was significantly reduced in the ultrasonic group compared to the conventional group (107.3 ± 62.3 ml vs. 186.3 ± 92.6 ml, P = 0.019). The long-term improvements of maximum mouth opening were substantial and stable in both groups (33.5 ± 4.8 mm in the ultrasonic group vs. 29.2 ± 6 mm in the conventional group, P = 0.06). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed a significant association between blood loss and technique used (coefficient: 66.3, 95% confidence interval: 22.1,110.4, P = 0.006). The ultrasonic surgery was associated with less intraoperative blood loss when compared to the conventional method for the release of ankylosis of temporomandibular joint while providing a stable and comparable long-term improvement of maximum mouth opening.

Here we investigated whether hydrogen can protect the lung from chronic injury induced by hypoxia/re-oxygenation (H/R). We developed a mouse model in which H/R exposure triggered clinically typical lung injury, involving increased alveolar wall thickening, infiltration by neutrophils, consolidation, alveolar hemorrhage, increased levels of inflammatory factors and recruitment of M1 macrophages. All these processes were attenuated in the presence of H2. We found that H/R-induced injury in our mouse model was associated with production of hydroxyl radicals as well as increased levels of colony-stimulating factors and circulating leukocytes. H2 attenuated H/R-induced production of hydroxyl radicals, up-regulation of colony-stimulating factors, and recruitment of neutrophils and M1 macrophages to lung tissues. However, H2 did not substantially affect the H/R-induced increase in erythropoietin or pulmonary artery remodeling. Our results suggest that H2 ameliorates H/R-induced lung injury by inhibiting hydroxyl radical production and inflammation in lungs. It may also prevent colony-stimulating factors from mobilizing progenitors in response to H/R-induced injury.

Rapid impulse propagation is a defining attribute of the pectinated atrial myocardium and His-Purkinje system (HPS) that safeguards against atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, conduction block, and myocardial dyssynchrony. The complex transcriptional circuitry that dictates rapid conduction remains incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that ETV1 (ER81)-dependent gene networks dictate the unique electrophysiological characteristics of atrial and His-Purkinje myocytes. Cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of ETV1 results in cardiac conduction abnormalities, decreased expression of rapid conduction genes (Nkx2-5, Gja5, and Scn5a), HPS hypoplasia, and ventricularization of the unique sodium channel properties that define Purkinje and atrial myocytes in the adult heart. Forced expression of ETV1 in postnatal ventricular myocytes (VMs) reveals that ETV1 promotes a HPS gene signature while diminishing ventricular and nodal gene networks. Remarkably, ETV1 induction in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes increases rapid conduction gene expression and inward sodium currents, converting them towards a HPS phenotype. Our data identify a cardiomyocyte-autonomous, ETV1-dependent pathway that is responsible for specification of rapid conduction zones in the heart and demonstrate that ETV1 is sufficient to promote a HPS transcriptional and functional program upon VMs.

Obesity causes low-grade inflammation that is involved in male infertility. Interleukin 1 beta (IL1β) plays an important role in this process. A high-fat diet (HFD) is the most common cause of obesity. However, the effect of a HFD on IL1β and its consequence in reproduction remain unclear. We established a HFD model in mice treated at immature stage (mice-TIS) and mice treated at mature stage (mice-TMS). Surprisingly, we found that a HFD decreased IL1β levels and was accompanied by an increase in testosterone in mice-TIS, while the reverse results were observed in mice-TMS. In addition, a HFD caused a reduction in testis macrophages and in the expression of inflammasome-related genes and proteins in mice-TIS. Furthermore, we found that IL1β inhibited testosterone secretion through down-regulating the gene expression of P450SCC and P450c17. However, the influence on mice-TIS that were induced by a HFD was recovered by stopping the HFD. In this study, we are the first to report that a HFD impairs the reproductive system by decreasing IL1β and enhancing testosterone levels in mice-TIS, which are different from the effects in mice-TMS. This provides new ideas for the treatment of obesity-induced infertility.

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a pattern recognition receptor that plays a critical role in vascular diseases and host immune response. Recently, our research discovered that LOX-1 could facilitate the uptake of dying cells and cross-presentation of cellular antigen via binding with heat shock proteins, which have a close relationship with gastric neoplasia. Therefore, we speculated that LOX-1 may serve as an oncogene in gastric cancer (GC) development and progression. In this study, through immunohistochemistry staining assay and cancer-related databases, we found that LOX-1 expression was up-regulated in GC tissues and correlated with a poor prognosis in GC patients. The expression of LOX-1 was an independent prognostic factor for OS in GC patients, and the incorporation of LOX-1 with TNM stage is more accurate for predicting prognosis. Additionally, in vitro study by transwell assay and western blot analysis confirmed that LOX-1 could promote the migration and invasion of GC cells by driving epithelial-mesenchymal transition and PI3K/Akt/GSK3β activation. Taken together, we first explored the expression profiles, clinical significance and biological function of LOX-1 in GC, and these data suggest that LOX-1 may represent a promising prognostic biomarker for GC and offer a novel molecular target for GC therapies.

Engineered artificial tissues from stem cells show great potential in regenerative medicine, disease therapies and organ transplantation. To date, stem cells are typically co-cultured with inactivated feeder layers to maintain their undifferentiated state, and to ensure reliable cell purity. Herein, we propose a novel microfabricated approach for feeder-separated coculture of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) porous membrane-assembled 3D-microdevice. Normal mouse embryonic fibroblasts (mEFs) without inactivation were specifically co-cultured with mES cells, resulting in the formation of mES cell colonies on spatially controlled co-culture with feeder layers. An excellent undifferentiated state was confirmed by the expressions of Nanog, octamer binding protein 4 (Oct-4) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) after 5 days culture. As a result, with the significant advantages of efficiency and simplicity, pure mES cell populations (a purity of 89.2%) from mEFs co-cultures were easily collected without any further purification or separation.

Recently, RAB39B mutations were reported to be a causative factor in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). To validate the role of RAB39B in familial PD, a total of 195 subjects consisting of 108 PD families with autosomal-dominant (AD) inheritance and 87 PD families with autosomal-recessive (AR) inheritance in the Chinese Han population from mainland China were included in this study. We did not identify any variants in the coding region or the exon-intron boundaries of the gene by Sanger sequencing method in the DNA samples of 180 patients (100 with AD and 80 with AR). Furthermore, we did not find any variants in the RAB39B gene when Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was applied to DNA samples from 15 patients (8 with AD and 7 with AR) for further genetic analysis. Additionally, when quantitative real-time PCR was used to exclude large rearrangement variants in these patients, we found no dosage mutations in RAB39B gene. Our results suggest that RAB39B mutation is very rare in familial PD and may not be a major cause of familial PD in the Chinese Han Population.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differential expression and functional roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in neuroblastoma tissue. LncRNA microarrays were used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs between tumor and para-tumor tissues. In total, in tumor tissues, 3,098 and 1,704 lncRNAs were upregulated and downregulated, respectively. HCN3 and linc01105 exhibited the higher expression (P < 0.05; P < 0.01, respectively) in neuroblastoma tissue, whereas MEG3 displayed the lower expression (P < 0.01). HIF-1α expression was negatively correlated with cell proliferation in the linc01105 KD group. In addition, Noxa and Bid expression was positively correlated with cell apoptosis. Moreover, linc01105 knockdown promoted cell proliferation, whereas MEG3 overexpression inhibited proliferation. Finally, linc01105 knockdown, MEG3 overexpression and HCN3 knockdown all increased apoptosis. The correlation coefficients between those three lncRNAs and the International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) stage were -0.48, -0.58 and -0.55, respectively. In conclusion, we have identified lncRNAs that are differentially expressed in neuroblastoma tissues. The lncRNAs HCN3, linc01105, and MEG3 may be important in biological behaviors of neuroblastoma through mechanisms involving p53 pathway members such as HIF-1α, Noxa, and Bid. The expressions of MEG3, HCN3 and linc01105 are all negatively correlated with the INSS stage.

Systemic inflammatory responses can severely injure lungs, prompting efforts to explore how to attenuate such injury. Here we explored whether platelets can help attenuate lung injury in mice resulting from extracorporeal circulation (ECC)-induced systemic inflammatory responses. Mice were subjected to ECC for 30 min, then treated with phosphate-buffered saline, platelets, the GPIIb/IIIa inhibitor Tirofiban, or the combination of platelets and Tirofiban. Blood and lung tissues were harvested 60 min later, and lung injury and inflammatory status were assessed. As expected, ECC caused systemic inflammation and pulmonary dysfunction, and platelet transfusion resulted in significantly milder lung injury and higher lung function. It also led to greater numbers of circulating platelet-leukocyte aggregates and greater platelet accumulation in the lung. Platelet transfusion was associated with higher production of transforming growth factor-β and as well as lower levels of tumour necrosis factor-α and neutrophil elastase in plasma and lung. None of these platelet effects was observed in the presence of Tirofiban. Our results suggest that, at least under certain conditions, platelets can protect lung from injury induced by systemic inflammatory responses.

Arterial tone is regulated by multiple ligand-receptor interactions, and its dysregulation is involved in ischemic conditions such as acute coronary spasm or syndrome. Understanding the distribution of vasoactive receptors on different arteries may help guide the development of tissue-specific vasoactive treatments against arterial dysfunction. Tissues were harvested from coronary, mesenteric, pulmonary, renal and peripheral human artery (n = 6 samples of each) and examined using a human antibody array to determine the expression of 29 vasoactive receptors and 3 endothelin ligands. Across all types of arteries, outer diameter ranged from 2.24 ± 0.63 to 3.65 ± 0.40 mm, and AVPR1A was the most abundant receptor. The expression level of AVPR1A in pulmonary artery was similar to that in renal artery, 2.2 times that in mesenteric artery, 1.9 times that in peripheral artery, and 2.2 times that in coronary artery. Endothelin-1 was expressed at significantly higher levels in pulmonary artery than peripheral artery (8.8 times), mesenteric artery (5.3 times), renal artery (7.9 times), and coronary artery (2.4 times). Expression of ADRA2B was significantly higher in coronary artery than peripheral artery. Immunohistochemistry revealed abundant ADRA2B in coronary artery, especially vessels with diameters below 50 μm, but not in myocardium. ADRA2C, in contrast, was expressed in both myocardium and blood vessels. The high expression of ADRA2B in coronary artery but not myocardium highlights the need to further characterize its function. Our results help establish the distribution and relative levels of tone-related receptors in different types of arteries, which may guide artery-specific treatments.