Identification of a novel cytochrome P450 gene, CYP321E1 from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) and RNA interference to evaluate its role in chlorantraniliprole resistance

Insect cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) play an important role in catalysis of many reactions leading to insecticides resistance. Our previous studies on transcriptome analysis of chlorantraniliprole-resistant development in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella revealed that up-regulation of cytochrome P450s are one of the main factors leading to the development of chlorantraniliprole resistance. Here, we report for the first time a novel cytochrome P450 gene CYP321E1, which belongs to the cytochrome P450 gene family CYP321. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analyses indicated that CYP321E1 was expressed at all developmental stages of P. xylostella but was highest in the fourth-instar larvae; furthermore, the relatively high expression was observed in the midgut of the fourth-instar larvae, followed by fat bodies and epidermis. The expression of CYP321E1 in P. xylostella was differentially affected by three representative insecticides, including alphamethrin, abamectin and chlorantraniliprole. Among them, the exposure to chlorantraniliprole resulted in the largest transcript level of this cytochrome P450 gene. The findings suggested potential involvement of CYP321E1 in chlorantraniliprole resistance of P. xylostella. To assess the functional link of CYP321E1 to chlorantraniliprole resistance, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing by double stranded RNA (dsRNA) injecting was used. Results revealed that injection delivery of dsRNA can greatly reduce gene expression after 24 h. As a consequence of RNAi, a significant increment in mortality of larvae injected CYP321E1 dsRNA was observed after 24 h of exposure to chlorantraniliprole. These results strongly support our notion that this novel cytochrome P450 gene plays an important role in chlorantraniliprole detoxification in the diamondback moth and is partly responsible for its resistance.

Cloning and spatio-temporal expression of bone morphogenetic proteins-2,-4 gene during ovarian development in New Zealand white rabbit

In the transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) superfamily, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are one of the largest subfamily, among which BMP-2 and BMP-4 are the most powerful molecules in biological activities. They have been shown to be involved in follicle development of ovary in mammals. However, whether these factors are involved in folliculogenesis in rabbit is still unknown. This study was performed to determine the relationships between ovarian development and the expression of BMP (BMP-2,-4) mRNAs in rabbit. Ovaries were removed from different development stages of rabbits (30-, 60-, 120-, 180-day age and 6-day encyesis), and method of RT-PCR was used for the cloning. The relative transcript levels of BMP-2,-4 genes were measured by real-time quantitative PCR, with GAPDH as an internal control. Known from the results, the BMP-2,-4 genes showed similar but also different expression patterns during ovarian development; they both increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the ovary on 60-day compared with 120-day and 6-day encyesis, and the expression of BMP-2 was always higher than that of BMP-4. The expression law of BMP-2,-4 genes presented in this study may lay the theoretical foundation for the study of BMPs' biological function.

A second-generation genetic linkage map for bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) based on microsatellite markers

Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) is an important aquaculture fish worldwide. Genetic linkage maps for the species were previously reported, but map resolution remained to be improved. In this study, a second-generation genetic linkage map was constructed for bighead carp through a pseudo-testcross strategy using interspecific hybrids between bighead carp and silver carp. Of the 754 microsatellites genotyped in two interspecific mapping families (with 77 progenies for each family), 659 markers were assigned to 24 linkage groups, which were equal to the chromosome numbers of the haploid genome. The consensus map spanned 1917.3 cM covering 92.8% of the estimated bighead carp genome with an average marker interval of 2.9 cM. The length of linkage groups ranged from 52.2 to 133.5 cM with an average of 79.9 cM. The number of markers per linkage group varied from 11 to 55 with an average of 27.5 per linkage group. Normality tests on interval distances of the map showed a non-normal marker distribution; however, significant correlation was found between the length of linkage group and the number of markers below the 0.01 significance level (two-tailed). The length of the female map was 1.12 times that of the male map, and the average recombination ratio of female to male was 1.10:1. Visual inspection showed that distorted markers gathered in some linkage groups and in certain regions of the male and female maps. This well-defined genetic linkage map will provide a basic framework for further genome mapping of quantitative traits, comparative mapping and marker-assisted breeding in bighead carp.

Transbrachial and femoral artery approach endovascular therapy for flush infrarenal aortic occlusion

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to report the efficacy of transbrachial and femoral artery approach endovascular therapy with catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and adjunctive therapy for flush infrarenal aortic occlusion (FIAO).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From March 2012 to December 2013, 11 consecutive patients (9 males; mean age 68 years; range 54-80 years) were submitted to endovascular therapy for FIAO. All patients were treated with CDT initially and then adjunctive endovascular treatments were performed to correct the underlying lesions.

RESULTS

Complete reconstruction of occluded aortoiliac arteries was successfully achieved in 81.8% (9/11) of patients. Left brachial and bilateral femoral arterial accesses were obtained in nine patients, and brachial and unilateral femoral in two patients. The residual lesions after CDT were corrected in nine patients and concomitant endovascular recanalization of superficial femoral artery was performed in two patients. Self-expandable stents were implanted in the all aortoiliac lesions with pre- and post-dilation. No renal or distal runoff embolization was seen during intraoperative angiography. Seven (7/9) patients with rest pain or tissue loss showed significant improvements in symptoms and two (2/9) patients with intermittent claudication gained an improved walking distance. The ABI rose significantly between pre- and post-procedure (0.84 ± 0.18 vs. 0.44 ± 0.13 on the right leg, p < .01; 0.89 ± 0.23 vs. 0.48 ± 0.16 on the left, p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Transbrachial and femoral artery approach endovascular therapy for FIAO offers an alternative to surgical reconstruction with immediate outcomes.

Humoural immune response and pathological analysis in patients with false immune diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis

The patients with false immune diagnosis of hydatid disease were investigated for the humoural immune response to analyse the possible reasons and mechanism leading to false immune diagnosis. Two hundred and thirty-nine patients with nature-unknown cysts and 30 healthy controls were detected by immunological assays (four hydatid antigen-based immunogold filtration assay and enzyme-linked immune absorbent assay) and ultrasound. Sensitivity of and specificity of immunological assay and ultrasound were calculated, respectively. The serological diagnosis was compared with surgical pathology to screen the patients with false immune diagnosis for the immunoglobulin measurement and pathological analysis. The history and cyst characteristics were also reviewed. The results indicate the immunoglobulin has little influence on false immunodiagnosis. The false-negative immunodiagnosis was caused by the cysts' inactive status while the false positive caused by previous rupture, antigen cross-reaction. The clinical diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis requires a combination of immunodiagnosis and ultrasonography, which is the necessary complementary confirmation.

Relationship of body composition with bone mineral density in northern Chinese men by body mass index levels

Osteoporosis and obesity are severe public health problems in an aging society, and as we all know, bone mineral density (BMD) is closely related to fat mass (FM) and fat distribution. However, studies have long focused on pre- or post-menopausal women, and its presence in men has been underestimated. To investigate the differential impact of fat on BMD, we characterized body composition of northern Chinese men and examined the relationship with BMD according to body mass index (BMI) levels.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 502 healthy northern Chinese men aged 20-89 screened from the participants in a community-based osteoporosis prevention study conducted by the Research Center of Qianfoshan Hospital of Shandong University from 2009 to 2010. The qualified subjects were stratified according to BMI levels as normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 24 kg/m(2), n = 137), overweight (24 ≤ BMI < 28 kg/m(2), n = 225), and obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m(2), n = 140). Total body, left femur, lumbar spine BMD and lean mass (LM), FM, percent body fat (%BF) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Pearson correlation and age-adjusted partial correlation analyses between body composition-related parameters and BMD were performed. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship of BMD with LM, FM and %BF.

RESULTS

Height and weight had positive associations with BMD at all sites, although age had negative associations. Of all subjects, LM and FM were positively correlated with BMD at almost sites (P < 0.01). However, when the subjects were divided into normal weight, overweight and obesity, no relations were reflected between FM and BMD. %BF showed negative correlations with BMD at arm and leg (P < 0.01) in overweight, and with BMD at total body, arm, leg, hip (P < 0.01) in obesity. In regression models, both FM and LM showed statistically positively significant relations with total body and regional BMD in all subjects (all P < 0.05). LM was positively correlated with BMD at almost site (all P < 0.05) in groups, while FM had no association. Interestingly, percent body fat (%BF) had negative associations with BMD at total body, arm, leg and total femur in overweight and obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between LM and BMD was certain in northern Chinese men while fat-bone relationship was complicated. %BF had a significantly negative association with total body and regional BMD in overweight and obese men.

Effects of beta-blockers on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Effects of beta-blockers on the prognosis of the heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remain controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the impact of beta-blockers on mortality and hospitalization in the patients with HFpEF.

METHODS

A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases from 2005 to June 2013 was conducted. Clinical studies reporting outcomes of mortality and/or hospitalization for patients with HFpEF (EF ≥ 40%), being assigned to beta-blockers treatment and non-beta-blockers control group were included.

RESULTS

A total of 12 clinical studies (2 randomized controlled trials and 10 observational studies) involving 21,206 HFpEF patients were included for this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis demonstrated that beta-blocker exposure was associated with a 9% reduction in relative risk for all-cause mortality in patients with HFpEF (95% CI: 0.87 - 0.95; P < 0.001). Whereas, the all-cause hospitalization, HF hospitalization and composite outcomes (mortality and hospitalization) were not affected by this treatment (P=0.26, P=0.97, and P=0.88 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The beta-blockers treatment for the patients with HFpEF was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, but not with a lower risk of hospitalization. These finding were mainly obtained from observational studies, and further investigations are needed to make an assertion.

Necroptosis inhibitor necrostatin-1 promotes cell protection and physiological function in traumatic spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common and serious trauma which lacks efficient treatment. Inhibition of cell death in the trauma area is important for spinal cord protection during this process. In this study, necroptosis inhibitor necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) was used to treat SCI rats, to investigate the role of Nec-1 in the recovery of SCI. Nec-1 was found to reduce lesions, cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), improve pathological conditions and blood supply in the spinal cord trauma area. Further study indicated that Nec-1 could inhibit necroptosis by inhibiting RIP1/3-MLKL recruitment and inhibit apoptosis by inhibiting Caspase 3 and Bax while activating Bcl-2. Ethological performance of SCI rats confirmed improvement and protection of physiological function by Nec-1. Nec-1 as a potential treatment for SCI warrants further study. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the role of Nec-1 in the treatment of traumatic SCI. Our research also found inhibition effects of Nec-1 on apoptosis, not only necroptosis - as reported by most publications.

HBcAg-specific IL-21-producing CD4+ T cells are associated with relative viral control in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Function exhaustion of specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cell in chronic virus infection partly results from the low levels of CD4 help, but the mechanisms by which CD4 help T cell required to control hepatitis B virus infection are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the role of interleukin-21-producing CD4+ T cell response in viral control of hepatitis B virus infection. HBcAg-specific interleukin-21-producing CD4+ T cells in blood were detected in patients with hepatitis B virus infection. Patients with acute hepatitis B had greater HBcAg-specific interleukin-21-producing CD4+ T cells in blood compared with chronic hepatitis B patients, and there was no statistical significance between immune active chronic hepatitis B patients and inactive healthy carrier patients for these cells, whereas frequencies of these cells negatively correlated with HBV DNA levels but positively correlated with HBc18-27-specific IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cells. Moreover, interleukin-21 sustained HBc18-27-specific CD8+ T cells in vitro, and interleukin-21 production by HBcAg-specific IL-21-producing CD4+ T cells of acute hepatitis B patients enhanced IFN-γ and perforin expression by CD8+ T cells from chronic hepatitis B patients. Our results demonstrate that HBcAg-specific interleukin-21-producing CD4+ T cell responses might contribute to viral control by sustaining CD8+ T cell antiviral function.

Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient: report of a rare case

Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis (CNPA) is a relatively uncommon manifestation of infection with Aspergillus spp. which mainly affects immunocompromised or immunostressed individuals with underlying lung diseases. Here, we present a case of mediastinum-involved CNPA in an immunocompetent patient with no symptoms and previous good health.

Associations of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large, multicenter Chinese cohort. Medical records of 1898 SLE inpatients from 15 hospitals were reviewed and classified into three groups according to their ages at disease presentation. Categorical data were analyzed by chi-square test and potentially associated factors were tested by multinomial logistic regression. Among the patients studied, 259 (13.6%) were juvenile onset (≤18 years), 1444 (76.1%) were early onset (>18 and ≤45 years) and 195 (10.3%) were late onset (>45 years). Whenever manifestations occurred, most patients (>80%) were diagnosed within two years. Juvenile-onset patients were more likely to be untreated before admission ( p < 0.001) and have mucocutaneous manifestations ( p < 0.001), but musculoskeletal symptoms ( p < 0.05) and leukopenia ( p < 0.05) were less frequent, while comorbidities were much higher in patients with late-onset SLE ( p < 0.001). Neuropsychiatric, cardiopulmonary, renal and gastrointestinal involvement, disease activity index and damage scores were similar among three groups. Anti-Sm antibodies were less prevalent in late-onset patients ( p < 0.05) and antimalarial drugs were more often applied to juvenile-onset patients ( p < 0.001). As expected, mortality was elevated in the late-onset SLE group ( p < 0.05), in which nearly half died of infections, which was much higher than those in the other two groups ( p < 0.001). Logistic regression confirmed that patients with juvenile- and early-onset disease were associated with high incidence of being untreated prior to admission, and with low incidence of comorbidities as well as deaths caused by infection compared to patients with late-onset lupus. Interestingly, our data showed that more patients with late-onset disease had a SLEDAI score change of >7 at discharge. In conclusion, age at onset has an impact on SLE disease status, and infection is the main cause of death in those with late-onset lupus. Considering that the late-onset patients had simultaneously easily controllable diseases and high incidence of comorbidities, a different treatment strategy from younger patients should be considered.

Erratum: ING1 induces apoptosis through direct effects at the mitochondria

The ING family of tumor suppressors acts as readers and writers of the histone epigenetic code, affecting DNA repair, chromatin remodeling, cellular senescence, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. The best characterized member of the ING family, ING1, interacts with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in a UV-inducible manner. ING1 also interacts with members of the 14-3-3 family leading to its cytoplasmic relocalization. Overexpression of ING1 enhances expression of the Bax gene and was reported to alter mitochondrial membrane potential in a p53-dependent manner. Here we show that ING1 translocates to the mitochondria of primary fibroblasts and established epithelial cell lines in response to apoptosis inducing stimuli, independent of the cellular p53 status. The ability of ING1 to induce apoptosis in various breast cancer cell lines correlates well with its degree of translocation to the mitochondria after UV treatment. Endogenous ING1 protein specifically interacts with the pro-apoptotic BCL2 family member BAX, and colocalizes with BAX in a UV-inducible manner. Ectopic expression of a mitochondria-targeted ING1 construct is more proficient in inducing apoptosis than the wild type ING1 protein. Bioinformatic analysis of the yeast interactome indicates that yeast ING proteins interact with 64 mitochondrial proteins. Also, sequence analysis of ING1 reveals the presence of a BH3-like domain. These data suggest a model in which stress-induced cytoplasmic relocalization of ING1 by 14-3-3 induces ING1-BAX interaction to promote mitochondrial membrane permeability and represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of ING1 function in the cytoplasm and its contribution to apoptosis.

ING1 induces apoptosis through direct effects at the mitochondria

The ING family of tumor suppressors acts as readers and writers of the histone epigenetic code, affecting DNA repair, chromatin remodeling, cellular senescence, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. The best characterized member of the ING family, ING1,interacts with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in a UV-inducible manner. ING1 also interacts with members of the14-3-3 family leading to its cytoplasmic relocalization. Overexpression of ING1 enhances expression of the Bax gene and was reported to alter mitochondrial membrane potential in a p53-dependent manner. Here we show that ING1 translocates to the mitochondria of primary fibroblasts and established epithelial cell lines in response to apoptosis inducing stimuli, independent of the cellular p53 status. The ability of ING1 to induce apoptosis in various breast cancer cell lines correlates well with its degree of translocation to the mitochondria after UV treatment. Endogenous ING1 protein specifically interacts with the pro-apoptotic BCL2 family member BAX, and colocalizes with BAX in a UV-inducible manner. Ectopic expression of a mitochondria-targeted ING1 construct is more proficient in inducing apoptosis than the wild type ING1 protein. Bioinformatic analysis of the yeast interactome indicates that yeast ING proteins interact with 64 mitochondrial proteins. Also, sequence analysis of ING1 reveals the presence of a BH3-like domain. These data suggest a model in which stress-induced cytoplasmic relocalization of ING1 by14-3-3 induces ING1-BAX interaction to promote mitochondrial membrane permeability and represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of ING1 function in the cytoplasm and its contribution to apoptosis [corrected].

HIV-1 viral protein R downregulates Ebp1 and stabilizes p53 in glioblastoma U87MG cells

PURPOSE

HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in a wide range of cancers. However, the mechanism by which Vpr induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in GBM cell lines is unclear. The present work was taken to detect the proteins interacted with Vpr in U87MG cells.

METHODS

We analyzed the differential expression of proteins between glioblastoma cell U87MG treated with Ad-Vpr and untreated by 2-DE. We used antibody array analysis to analyze the common molecules in the apoptosis of U87MG induced by Vpr.

RESULTS

We analyzed the differential expression of proteins between U87MG cell treated with Ad-Vpr and untreated, and found that proteins related to DNA damage repair or different apoptosis pathways were involved in the G2 arrest and apoptosis mediated by Vpr. In addition, proliferation-associated protein 2G4 (PA2G4), also known as Ebp1, was down-regulated and p53 was up-regulated in U87MG cells treated with Ad-Vpr.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that Vpr may inhibit Ebp1 to stabilize p53, which in turn leads to G2 arrest and apoptosis in U87MG cells.

Endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection for large esophageal neoplastic lesions

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been widely used for resection of esophageal neoplastic lesions, but there are still technical challenges in treating large ones. Based on the development of tunneling technique, we report the first series in which the new technique of endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection (ESTD) was used to remove large lesions in the esophagus. ESTD was attempted in five consecutive patients with esophageal lesions for which resection was indicated. In the operation, once the margin of the lesions had been marked, a submucosal tunnel was created by submucosal dissection from the oral incision to the anal incision. Bilateral resection was then performed to remove the lesion completely. The average length of the five lesions was 5.7 cm, and their extent as a proportion of the whole circumference of the lumen ranged from one third to four fifths. Operative time ranged from 50 minutes to 120 minutes (mean, 77 minutes). En bloc resection with negative lateral and basal margins was achieved in all lesions without complications.