Targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-1, for cancer treatment: Recent advances in developing small-molecule inhibitors from natural compounds

Rapid progress in molecular cancer biology coupled with the discovery of novel oncology drugs has opened new horizons for cancer target discovery. As one of the crucial signaling pathways related to tumorigenesis, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) coordinates the activity of many transcription factors and their downstream molecules that impact tumor growth and metastasis. Accumulating evidence suggests that the transcriptional responses to acute hypoxia are mainly attributable to HIF-1α. Moreover, the overexpression of HIF-1α in several solid cancers has been found to be strongly associated with poor prognosis. Thus, pharmacological targeting of the HIF-1 signaling pathways has been considered as a new strategy for cancer therapy in the recent years. Although over the past decade, tremendous efforts have been made in preclinical studies to develop new HIF-1 inhibitors from natural products (reservoirs of novel therapeutic agents), to date, these efforts have not been successfully translated into clinically available treatments. In this review, we provide new insights into the bio-pharmacological considerations for selecting natural compounds as potential HIF-1 inhibitors to accelerate anti-cancer drug development. In addition, we highlighted the importance of assessing the dependency of cancer on HIF1A to shortlist cancer types as suitable disease models. This may subsequently lead to new paradigms for discovering more HIF-1 inhibitors derived from natural products and facilitate the development of potent therapeutic agents targeting specific cancer types.

Correction to: Maternal Hypertension, Advanced Doppler Haemodynamics and Therapeutic Precision: Principles and Illustrative Cases

The original publication of this article, unfortunately, contains the following errors.

Relative deprivation, social exclusion, and quality of life among Chinese internal migrants

OBJECTIVES

Factors contributing to diminishing quality of life (QOL) of migrants have been examined, but little is known about the impact of relative deprivation. This study aimed to clarify the effects of relative deprivation on QOL and mediating effects of social exclusion among Chinese internal migrants.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a secondary data analysis of a nationally representative survey.

METHODS

We obtained data from 14,816 internal immigrants, aged 15-59 years, throughout China using the 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). We measured relative deprivation via a modified Yitzhaki Index, social exclusion using a four-point Likert scale, and QOL using the Kessler Psychological Distress Short Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a subscale of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. Survey data of 15,996 local residents were also retrieved and analyzed to make possible comparisons between the local and migrant population. Furthermore, we used descriptive and statistical analyses with data from the CMDS to identify relative deprivation and social exclusion.

RESULTS

The results show relative deprivation both directly and indirectly influences Chinese internal migrants' QOL. Specifically, compared with the local population, relative deprivation triggers serious social exclusion (β = 0.008, P < 0.001), ultimately deteriorating QOL. Social exclusion partially mediated the total effects of relative deprivation on mental illness (β = 0.004, P < 0.001), self-rated health (β = -0.285, P < 0.001), and life satisfaction (β = -0.020, P < 0.001) among Chinese internal migrants.

CONCLUSION

Relative deprivation significantly impacts QOL by exacerbating mental illness, eroding self-rated health, and inhibiting life satisfaction. Relative deprivation is significantly directly associated with various indicators of QOL and indirectly affects QOL through social exclusion. In addition, our results demonstrate that the relative deprivation theoretical approach and the modified Yitzhaki Index are worthy of future investigation in studies of migrants' health.

Wheat ear counting using K-means clustering segmentation and convolutional neural network

BACKGROUND

Wheat yield is influenced by the number of ears per unit area, and manual counting has traditionally been used to estimate wheat yield. To realize rapid and accurate wheat ear counting, K-means clustering was used for the automatic segmentation of wheat ear images captured by hand-held devices. The segmented data set was constructed by creating four categories of image labels: non-wheat ear, one wheat ear, two wheat ears, and three wheat ears, which was then was sent into the convolution neural network (CNN) model for training and testing to reduce the complexity of the model.

RESULTS

The recognition accuracy of non-wheat, one wheat, two wheat ears, and three wheat ears were 99.8, 97.5, 98.07, and 98.5%, respectively. The model R 2 reached 0.96, the root mean square error (RMSE) was 10.84 ears, the macro F1-score and micro F1-score both achieved 98.47%, and the best performance was observed during late grain-filling stage (R 2 = 0.99, RMSE = 3.24 ears). The model could also be applied to the UAV platform (R 2 = 0.97, RMSE = 9.47 ears).

CONCLUSIONS

The classification of segmented images as opposed to target recognition not only reduces the workload of manual annotation but also improves significantly the efficiency and accuracy of wheat ear counting, thus meeting the requirements of wheat yield estimation in the field environment.

Dendritic cell biology and its role in tumor immunotherapy

As crucial antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) play a vital role in tumor immunotherapy. Taking into account the many recent advances in DC biology, we discuss how DCs (1) recognize pathogenic antigens with pattern recognition receptors through specific phagocytosis and through non-specific micropinocytosis, (2) process antigens into small peptides with proper sizes and sequences, and (3) present MHC-peptides to CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells to initiate immune responses against invading microbes and aberrant host cells. During anti-tumor immune responses, DC-derived exosomes were discovered to participate in antigen presentation. T cell microvillar dynamics and TCR conformational changes were demonstrated upon DC antigen presentation. Caspase-11-driven hyperactive DCs were recently reported to convert effectors into memory T cells. DCs were also reported to crosstalk with NK cells. Additionally, DCs are the most important sentinel cells for immune surveillance in the tumor microenvironment. Alongside DC biology, we review the latest developments for DC-based tumor immunotherapy in preclinical studies and clinical trials. Personalized DC vaccine-induced T cell immunity, which targets tumor-specific antigens, has been demonstrated to be a promising form of tumor immunotherapy in patients with melanoma. Importantly, allogeneic-IgG-loaded and HLA-restricted neoantigen DC vaccines were discovered to have robust anti-tumor effects in mice. Our comprehensive review of DC biology and its role in tumor immunotherapy aids in the understanding of DCs as the mentors of T cells and as novel tumor immunotherapy cells with immense potential.

Dendritic cell biology and its role in tumor immunotherapy

As crucial antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) play a vital role in tumor immunotherapy. Taking into account the many recent advances in DC biology, we discuss how DCs (1) recognize pathogenic antigens with pattern recognition receptors through specific phagocytosis and through non-specific micropinocytosis, (2) process antigens into small peptides with proper sizes and sequences, and (3) present MHC-peptides to CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells to initiate immune responses against invading microbes and aberrant host cells. During anti-tumor immune responses, DC-derived exosomes were discovered to participate in antigen presentation. T cell microvillar dynamics and TCR conformational changes were demonstrated upon DC antigen presentation. Caspase-11-driven hyperactive DCs were recently reported to convert effectors into memory T cells. DCs were also reported to crosstalk with NK cells. Additionally, DCs are the most important sentinel cells for immune surveillance in the tumor microenvironment. Alongside DC biology, we review the latest developments for DC-based tumor immunotherapy in preclinical studies and clinical trials. Personalized DC vaccine-induced T cell immunity, which targets tumor-specific antigens, has been demonstrated to be a promising form of tumor immunotherapy in patients with melanoma. Importantly, allogeneic-IgG-loaded and HLA-restricted neoantigen DC vaccines were discovered to have robust anti-tumor effects in mice. Our comprehensive review of DC biology and its role in tumor immunotherapy aids in the understanding of DCs as the mentors of T cells and as novel tumor immunotherapy cells with immense potential.

The Latest Battles Between EGFR Monoclonal Antibodies and Resistant Tumor Cells

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a tyrosine kinase receptor involved in homeostatic regulation of normal cells and carcinogenesis of epithelial malignancies. With rapid development of the precision medicine era, a series of new therapies targeting EGFR are underway. Four EGFR monoclonal antibody drugs (cetuximab, panitumumab, nimotuzumab, and necitumumab) are already on the market, and a dozen other EGFR monoclonal antibodies are in clinical trials. Here, we comprehensively review the newly identified biological properties and anti-tumor mechanisms of EGFR monoclonal antibodies. We summarize recently completed and ongoing clinical trials of the classic and new EGFR monoclonal antibodies. More importantly, according to our new standard, we re-classify the complex evolving tumor cell resistance mechanisms, including those involving exosomes, non-coding RNA and the tumor microenvironment, against EGFR monoclonal antibodies. Finally, we analyzed the limitations of EGFR monoclonal antibody therapy, and discussed the current strategies overcoming EGFR related drug resistance. This review will help us better understand the latest battles between EGFR monoclonal antibodies and resistant tumor cells, and the future directions to develop anti-tumor EGFR monoclonal antibodies with durable effects.

[Influence of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy on immune function and coagulation function and prognosis]

Objective: To explore the influence of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy on patients'immune functions, coagulation functions and prognoses. Methods: Fifty-eight patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (laparoscopic group) and 40 patients with gastric cancer who underwent traditional open surgery (traditional group) in Henan People's Hospital from May 2016 to May 2018 were selected as the subjects. The immune function and coagulation function were compared between the two groups before and after operation. The prognoses of patients underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy and the influencing factors were analyzed. Results: Three days after operation, the CD4(+) level and CD4(+) /CD8(+) ratio in laparoscopic group were (29.78±3.58)% and (1.01±0.18), higher than (27.23±3.47)% and (0.93±0.14) in control group (P<0.05). Three days after operation, the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in laparoscopic group was (26.55±2.56) seconds, shorter than (27.86±2.73) seconds in traditional group, while the levels of fibrinogen (FIB) and D-dimer were (4.24±0.84) g/L and (377.91±47.19) μg/L, higher than (3.88±0.75) g/L and (330.28±45.11) μg/L in traditional group (P<0.05). The 5-year survival rate was 77.5% in traditional group and 72.4% in laparoscopic group, without significant difference (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis was the independent risk factor for prognosis of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (P<0.05). Conclusions: Laparoscopic radical gastrectomy can effectively reduce postoperative immunosuppression, but affect postoperative coagulation function. Lymph node metastasis is closely related to the prognosis of patient with gastric cancer. The patient's condition should be comprehensively evaluated before and after operation to determine whether the laparoscopic operation is suitable, for reducing postoperative complications and improving the prognosis.

Maternal Hypertension, Advanced Doppler Haemodynamics and Therapeutic Precision: Principles and Illustrative Cases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Maternal hypertension is a common and serious condition associated with increased maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality, with early detection and management improving outcomes.

RECENT FINDINGS

Blood pressure (BP) changes of pre-eclampsia are defined after 20 gestational weeks, while haemodynamic changes can be detected at 5-11 weeks using a specialised non-invasive Doppler stroke volume (SV) monitor. Thus, advanced haemodynamic monitoring allows for physiologically precise identification of circulatory abnormalities, and implementation of appropriate therapy within the first trimester. We measured the oscillometric BP and advanced haemodynamics (USCOM 1A) of 3 unselected women with singleton pregnancies, consecutively listed for therapeutic induction for maternal hypertension at 32-41 weeks gestational age. While the BP's of the patients varied, it was the haemodynamics, particularly SV, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, Smith Madigan Inotropy Index, and oxygen deliver, that identified differing patterns of circulatory dysfunction, therapeutic objectives, and predicted post-partum complications of the mother and child. First trimester screening of maternal haemodynamics may allow for earlier detection of circulatory derangements, selection of patient precise interventions, and improved maternal-foetal outcomes.

Novel transcription regulatory sequences and factors of the immune evasion protein ICP47 (US12) of herpes simplex viruses

BACKGROUND

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause encephalitis. Its infected cell polypeptide 47 (ICP47), encoded by immediate-early gene US12, promotes immune escape. ICP47 was modified in the clinically approved oncolytic HSV (oHSV) T-Vec. However, transcription regulatory sequence (TRS) and transcription regulatory factor (TRF) of HSV US12 are seldom reported.

METHODS

Previously, our laboratory isolated a new HSV strain named HSV-1-LXMW from a male patient with oral herpes in Beijing, China. Firstly, the genetic tree was used to analyze its genetic relationship. The US12 TRS and TRF in HSV-1-LXMW were found by using predictive software. Secondly, the further verification by the multi-sequence comparative analysis shown that the upstream DNA sequence of HSV US12 gene contained the conserved region. Finally, the results of literature search shown that the expression of transcription factors was related to the tissue affinity of HSV-1 and HSV-2, so as to increase the new understanding of the transcriptional regulation of HSV biology and oncolytic virus (OVs) therapy.

RESULTS

Here we reported the transcriptional regulation region sequence of our new HSV-1-LXMW, and its close relationship with HSV-1-CR38 and HSV-1-17. Importantly we identified eight different kinds of novel TRSs and TRFs of HSV US12 for the first time, and found they are conserved among HSV-1 (c-Rel, Elk-1, Pax-4), HSV-2 (Oct-1, CF2-II, E74A, StuAp) or both HSVs (HNF-4). The TRFs c-Rel and Oct-1 are biologically functional respectively in immune escape and viral replication during HSV infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings have important implication to HSV biology, infection, immunity and oHSVs.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of the BES1 gene family in apple (Malus domestica)

As the most important transcription factor in the brassinosteroid (BR) signal transduction pathway, BES1 not only affects growth and development of plants but also regulates stress resistance of crops. The physicochemical properties, gene structure, cis-acting elements and gene chip expression of apple BES1 transcription factors were analysed using bioinformatics, and expression of this gene family was analysed with qRT-PCR. There were 22 members of the apple BES1 transcription factors, distributed on eight chromosomes, divided into seven subtribes (I-VII), and the same subtribe contained the same basic motifs. Gene structure analysis showed that the number and position of exons differed, and there was no upstream and downstream structure. Analysis of cis-acting elements indicated that BES1 transcription factors contain response elements for hormones and abiotic stress, as well as organ-specific elements. Gene chip expression profile analysis revealed that expression patterns of BES1 transcription factors differed in different apple hybrids and different organs. In addition, expression of apple BES1 genes was higher in flowers, young fruits, mature fruits and leaves. qRT-PCR demonstrated that expression of MdBES1 genes was highest 12 h after BR induction. At the same time, there were differences in expression in response to PEG, NaCl and MeJA. This paper provides a theoretical basis for analysis of the biological function and stress resistance mechanism of BES1 transcription factors in apple.

Sapphire Fabry-Perot interferometer for high-temperature pressure sensing

An adhesive-free encapsulation sapphire Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is proposed and demonstrated for high-temperature pressure measurements. The sapphire FPI sensor is packaged by zirconia ferrules and a zirconia sleeve, which is easy to be configured and low in cost. Owing to this packaging technology, the sapphire FPI sensor presents good stability and high temperature resistance. The pressure and temperature properties of the sapphire FPI sensor are investigated within a temperature range from -50^∘C to 1200°C and a pressure range from 0.4 to 4.0 MPa. Experimental results show the FPI has a temperature sensitivity of 23 pm/°C and still works as the temperature is up to 1200°C. Meanwhile, the wavelength shift of the sapphire FPI versus the applied pressure is linear at each tested temperature. The pressure sensitivity is measured to be 1.20 nm/MPa at 1200°C, and the linear response shows the proposed sensor has good repeatability within 0.4-4.0 MPa. Such a sapphire FPI sensor has potential applications in engineering areas, such as the oil industry and gas boilers.

Identification of genetic effects and potential causal polymorphisms of CPM gene impacting milk fatty acid traits in Chinese Holstein

Our previous GWAS revealed 83 significant SNPs and 20 promising candidate genes associated with milk fatty acid traits in dairy cattle. Out of them, the carboxypeptidase M (CPM) gene contains a genome-wide significant SNP, Hapmap49848-BTA-106779, which is strongly associated with myristic acid (C14:0; P = 0.0064). Herein, we aimed to confirm the genetic effects of CPM on milk fatty acids in Chinese Holstein. Seven SNPs were detected by re-sequencing the sequences of entire exons and 3000 bp of up-/downstream flanking regions of the CPM gene, of which three were in 5' flanking region, one in the 3' UTR and three were in the 3' flanking region. Using the Haploview 4.1, we estimated the LD among the identified SNPs and found two haplotype blocks. With the animal model, we performed the SNP- and haplotype-based association analyses, and observed that these SNPs and haplotype blocks mainly had strong genetic associations with medium-chain saturated fatty acids (caproic acid, C6:0; caprylic acid, C8:0; capric acid, C10:0; and lauric acid, C12:0) (P < 0.0001-0.0257). In addition, using the Genomatix software, we predicted that three SNPs in the 5' flanking region of CPM (g.45079507A>G, g.45080228C>A and g.45080335C>G) changed the transcription factor binding sites for PREF (progesterone receptor biding site), ZBRK1 (transcription factor with eight central zinc fingers and an N-terminal KRAB domain), SOX9 (sex-determining region Y-box 9, dimeric binding sites), SOX6 (sex-determining region Y-box 6) and FOXP1-ES (alternative splicing variant of FOXP1, activated in ESCs). Further, the dual-luciferase reporter assay showed these three SNPs altered the transcriptional activity of CPM gene (P ≤ 0.0006). In summary, using the post-GWAS strategy, we first confirmed the significant genetic effects of CPM with milk fatty acids in dairy cattle, and identified three potential causal mutations.

Rapamycin-induced autophagy plays a pro-survival role by enhancing up-regulation of intracellular ferritin expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Elevated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling has been reported to correlate with poor prognosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Rapamycin, an mTOR kinase inhibitor, and also a potent autophagy inducer, could not only effectively reverse glucocorticoid resistance, but also promote autophagy in the ALL cells. Autophagy has been suggested to play a paradoxical role in cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to address the role of the rapamycin-induced autophagy in the leukemia treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cell proliferation was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in ALL cell lines of CEM-C1 and CEM-C7. Western Blot analysis was performed to test protein expressions.

RESULTS

Inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin could reverse glucocorticoid resistance in CEM-C1 cells, and also induce autophagy in these cells by up-regulation of LC3-II and Beclin-1 expressions. This autophagy played a pro-survival role since its inhibition by 6-amino-3-methylpurine or chroloquine could enhance rapamycin-induced cell death. Rapamycin increased the expression of intracellular ferritin, and this effect could be totally blocked by 6-amino-3-methylpurine and chroloquine, suggesting that the protective role of autophagy might be mediated through up-regulation of ferritin, the major iron-binding stress protein. Ciclopirox olamine, an iron chelator, could enhance rapamycin's anti-leukemia effect by down-regulation of intracellular ferritin expression.

CONCLUSIONS

All these findings would suggest that rapamycin-induced autophagy plays a pro-survival role in leukemia cells and this effect might be mediated by up-regulation of intracellular ferritin expression. We hypothesize that the combination of mTOR pathway inhibitors and autophagy inhibition is rational and would induce strong anti-leukemia effects in ALL.

Transcriptional Regulation of Latency-Associated Transcripts (LATs) of Herpes Simplex Viruses

Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) cause cold sores and genital herpes and can establish lifelong latent infection in neurons. An engineered oncolytic HSV (oHSV) has recently been approved to treat tumors in clinics. HSV latency-associated transcripts (LATs) are associated with the latent infection, but LAT transcriptional regulation was seldom reported. For a better treatment of HSV infection and tumors, here we sequenced the LAT encoding DNA and LAT transcription regulatory region of our recently isolated new strain HSV-1-LXMW and did comparative analysis of the sequences together with those of other four HSV-1 and two HSV-2 strains. Phylogenetic analysis of LATs revealed that HSV-1-LXMW is evolutionarily close to HSV-1-17 from MRC University, Glasgow, UK. For the first time, Using a weight matrix-based program Match and multi-sequences alignment of the 6 HSV strains, we identified HSV LAT transcription regulatory sequences that bind to 9 transcription factors: AP-1, C-REL, Comp1, E2F, Hairy, HFH-3, Kr, TCF11/MAFG, v-Myb. Interestingly, these transcription regulatory sequences and factors are either conserved or unique among LATs of HSV-1 and HSV-2, suggesting they are potentially functional. Furthermore, literature analysis found that the transcription factors v-myb and AP-1 family member JunD are functional in regulating HSV gene transcription, including LAT transcription. For the first time, we discovered seven novel transcription factors and their corresponding transcription regulatory sequences of HSV LATs. Based on our findings and other reports, we proposed potential mechanisms of the initiation and maintenance of HSV latent infection. Our findings may have significant implication in our understanding of HSV latency and engineering of better oncolytic HSVs.

Abstract ES10-2: Understanding breast cancer using a developmental perspective

Parallels among embryonic development, stem cells, and cancer have long been recognized. We identified, isolated, and characterized stem cells that first become committed to a mammary fate during embryogenesis; we refer to these cells as fetal mammary stem cells (fMaSCs). Lineage tracing, in vitro sphere formation, and in vivo transplantation studies by our group and many others all confirm that cells in the embryo are the bipotent progenitors of the mammary gland. There is debate, however, on whether such bipotent cells persist into the adult, or whether the luminal and basal lineages are maintained by unipotent progenitors. To gain insight into the relationships between fMaSCs and breast cancer, and to investigate their potential persistence in the adult, we have applied bulk and single cell RNA-sequencing (sc-RNA-seq) and single nucleus ATAC-sequencing (snATAC-seq) throughout mammary development. The results to be discussed demonstrate that fMaSC transcriptomes are heterogeneous, but all share co-expression of genes associated with luminal and basal cell fates. This fits a model in which the bipotent state is created by a balance of lineage specifiers. We also find that the fMaSC transcriptome is highly enriched in basal-like human breast cancers and identify potential embryonic pathways that correlate with poor prognosis. We used a variety of computational tools to infer the gene expression programs that ensue when fMaSCs commit to luminal and basal states. The data from scRNA-seq and snATAC-seq demonstrate that the transitions are gradual, not precipitous, and that luminal and basal cells exhibit significant transcriptomic and epigenetic heterogeneity. This challenges the notion that the mammary gland consists of discrete cell types defined by rigid transcriptomic parameters, and reveals a potential for intrinsic phenotypic plasticity of normal mammary cells. Using the combined databases, we identified Sox10 as a significantly differentially expressed cell state regulator. We show that tumors are heterogeneous with regard to Sox10 expression, and that locally invasive cells tend to express high Sox10 levels. Elevated Sox10 correlates with acquisition of a neural-crest like, EMT-related state. Implications for interception of metastasis by targeting neural crest-like cells will be discussed. Finally, we have generated a web resource that is available to the scientific community to enable the transcription and epigenetic characteristics of any gene of interest to be tracked through mammary development (https://wahl-labsalk.shinyapps.io/Mammary_snATAC/).

Citation Format: GM Wahl, Z Ma, C Chung, C Dravis, BT Spike, RR Giraddi, O Balcioglu, C Fan, B Hagos, R Heinz, Herrera-Valdez J, X Hou, J Hwang, R Lasken, G Luna, NE Lytle, EM Mehrabad, M Novotny, CM Perou, O Poirion, S Preissl, B Ren, T Reya, CL Trejo, KT Varley. Understanding breast cancer using a developmental perspective [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr ES10-2.

Expression and distribution of HIF-1α, HIF-2α, VEGF, VEGFR-2 and HIMF in the kidneys of Tibetan sheep, plain sheep and goat

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to detect the expression and distribution characteristics of five proteins (the hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha [HIF-1a], HIF-2a, vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], VEGF-2 receptor [VEGFR-2] and hypoxia-induced mitogenic factor [HIMF]) in kidney of Tibetan sheep, plain sheep and goat. The results will provide the basic information for the comparative study of sheep breeds living at different altitudes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The kidney tissues were collected from healthy adult Tibetan sheep, plain sheep and goats and made into paraffin sections. Histological characteristics were assessed by haematoxylin and eosin staining. Expressions of HIF-1a, HIF-2a, VEGF, VEGFR-2 and HIMF proteins were measured by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

Immunohistochemistry results showed that the positive expression signals of HIF-1a, HIF-2a, VEGF and VEGFR-2 were detected in epithelial cells of renal tubules and collecting tubules, renal corpuscles in the kidneys of the three sheep breeds. Positive expression signals of HIMF were detected in epithelial cells of proximal tubules and distal tubules in Tibetan sheep and epithelial cells of distal tubules in goat. Immunostaining intensity of HIF-1a, HIF-2a, VEGF and VEGFR-2 proteins in Tibetan sheep was significantly higher than that in both plain sheep and goat (p < 0.05). Immunostaining intensity of HIMF in Tibetan sheep was higher than goat (p < 0.05). Positive expression signals of HIMF were not detected in plain sheep.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression and distribution characteristics of HIF-1a, HIF-2a, VEGF, VEGFR-2 and HIMF in the studied kidney tissues suggested that these proteins may be related to the physiological regulation of Tibetan sheep kidney in hypoxia environment, and therefore might be important regulating proteins for Tibetan sheep to adapt to high altitude hypoxia environment.

The role of G protein-coupled receptor-related genes in cytochrome P450-mediated resistance of the house fly, Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), to imidacloprid

Ninety-four putative G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) were identified in the Musca domestica genome. They were annotated and compared with their homologues in Drosophila melanogaster. Phylogenetic analyses of the GPCRs from both species revealed that several family members shared a closer relationship based on the domain architecture. The expression profiles of these genes were examined by quantitative real-time PCR amongst three strains of the house fly, a near-isogenic line strain with imidacloprid resistance (N-IRS), the corresponding susceptible strain (CSS) and another strain derived from field populations with imidacloprid resistance (IRS). We found that five GPCR genes were upregulated in the N-IRS and eight GPCR genes were upregulated in the IRS strains compared to the CSS strain. The transgenic lines of D. melanogaster with the GPCR genes (LOC101899380 in the N-IRS strain and LOC101895664 in the IRS strain) exhibited significantly increased tolerance to imidacloprid, and higher expression of cytochrome P450 genes. Bioinformatic analysis of LOC101899380 was carried out based on its full-length nucleic acid sequence and putative amino acid sequence, and it was named Methuselah-like10 (Mthl10) owing to its homology with D. melanogaster Mthl10. A cell-base cell counting kit-8 toxicity assay demonstrated that the expression of the GPCR gene LOC101899380 in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells using a baculovirus-mediated expression system can elevate the cell tolerance to imidacloprid, indirectly supporting the hypothesis that the GPCR gene LOC101899380 plays some role in imidacloprid resistance. These results should be useful for furthering understanding of the regulatory pathway by which house flies develop resistance.

[Characteristic analysis of organic fluorosis caused by appliying of touch screen anti-fingerprint nanocoating material]

Objective: To analysis pathogenic conditions and pathogenic characteristics of organic fluorosis caused by applying of anti-fingerprint coating material on touch screen glass of the mobile phone. Methods: To collect clinical data and analyze the causes and pathogenic characteristics of poisoning through surveying occupational health, detecting occupational hazards in the workplace, collecting clinical data and diagnosing of occupational diseases. 6 employees in workshop 1 of packaging were as the organic fluorine exdposed group, and 16 employees in other workshops were as the non-exposed group. Results: Organic fluorine chemicals (perfluoro-1, 3-dimethylcyclohexane, hexadecafluoroheptane, perfluoro-hexane, perfluoromethy lopentane, perfluoro-2-methyl-2-pentene, etc.) can be volatilized by spraying and baking of anti-fingerprint nano-coating material on touch screen. The relative percentage of volatile components in air is 85.65%. Four cases of acute poisoning were caused by organic fluorosis deposited in a dustless air conditioning workshop with poor ventilation.The clinical manifestations of the patients were acute bronchitis, pulmonary edema and/or myocarditis. The average concentration of urine fluorine in the organic fluorine exposed group was 13.7± 4.4 mmol/mol creatinine, which was 4-5 times higher than that of other non-organic fluorine exposed groups. The difference of urine fluorine level between the organic fluorine exposed group and non exposed group was statistically significant (P<0.01) . The main indicators were abnormal for the blood oxygen saturation of finger pulse under suction air, leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, hypersensitivec-reactive protein, procalcitonin, l-lactate dehydrogenase, forebrain diuretic natriuretic peptide, hypersensitive troponin T in the four cases. One case was myocardial ischemia, four cases had bilateral lung symmetrically exudative lesions, one case was accompanied by a small amount of pleural pericardial effusion. Conclusion: Acute organofluorine poisoning can caused by the applying of the fingerprint nano-coating material on touch screen of the mobile phone. Attention should be paid to occupational poisoning caused by the applying of the small molecular perfluoroalkanes (olefins) in new industries, new processes and new materials.

Genome-wide association study for growth and fatness traits in Chinese Sujiang pigs

Growth and fatness traits are complex and economically important traits in the pig industry. The molecular basis underlying porcine growth and fatness traits remains largely unknown. To uncover genetic loci and candidate genes for these traits, we explored the GeneSeek GGP Porcine 80K SNP chip to perform a GWAS for seven growth and fatness traits in 365 individuals from the Sujiang pig, a recently developed breed in China. We identified two, 17, one and 11 SNPs surpassing the suggestively significant threshold (P < 1.86 × 10^-5 ) for body weight, chest circumference, chest width and backfat thickness respectively. Of these SNPs, 20 represent novel genetic loci, and five and four SNPs were respectively associated with chest circumference and backfat thickness at a genome-wide significant threshold (P < 9.31 × 10^-7 ). Eight SNPs had a pleiotropic effect on both chest circumference and backfat thickness. The most remarkable locus resided in a region between 72.95 and 76.27 Mb on pig chromosome 4, harboring a number of previously reported quantitative trait loci related to backfat deposition. In addition to two reported genes (PLAG1 and TAS2R38), we identified four genes including GABRB3, ZNF106, XKR4 and MGAM as novel candidates for body weight and backfat thickness at the mapped loci. Our findings provide insights into the genetic architecture of porcine growth and fatness traits and potential markers for selective breeding of Chinese Sujiang pigs.