Sequencing and de novo assembly of 150 genomes from Denmark as a population reference.

Hundreds of thousands of human genomes are now being sequenced to characterize genetic variation and use this information to augment association mapping studies of complex disorders and other phenotypic traits. Genetic variation is identified mainly by mapping short reads to the reference genome or by performing local assembly. However, these approaches are biased against discovery of structural variants and variation in the more complex parts of the genome. Hence, large-scale de novo assembly is needed. Here we show that it is possible to construct excellent de novo assemblies from high-coverage sequencing with mate-pair libraries extending up to 20 kilobases. We report de novo assemblies of 150 individuals (50 trios) from the GenomeDenmark project. The quality of these assemblies is similar to those obtained using the more expensive long-read technology. We use the assemblies to identify a rich set of structural variants including many novel insertions and demonstrate how this variant catalogue enables further deciphering of known association mapping signals. We leverage the assemblies to provide 100 completely resolved major histocompatibility complex haplotypes and to resolve major parts of the Y chromosome. Our study provides a regional reference genome that we expect will improve the power of future association mapping studies and hence pave the way for precision medicine initiatives, which now are being launched in many countries including Denmark.

Cry3Aa*SpyCatcher Fusion Crystals Produced in Bacteria as Scaffolds for Multienzyme Coimmobilization.

The production of Cry3Aa enzyme fusion crystals in Bacillus thuringiensis provides a direct method to immobilize individual enzymes and thereby improve their stability and recyclability. Nevertheless, many reactions require multiple enzymes to produce a desired product; thus a general strategy was developed to extend our Cry3Aa technology to multienzyme coimmobilization. Here, we report the direct production of particles comprising a modified Cry3Aa (Cry3Aa*) fused to SpyCatcher002 (Cry3Aa*SpyCat2) for coimmobilization of model enzymes MenF, MenD, and MenH associated with the biosynthesis of menaquinone. The resultant coimmobilized particles showed improved reaction rates compared to free enzymes presumably due to the higher local enzyme substrate concentrations and enhanced enzyme coupling made possible by colocalization. Furthermore, coimmobilization of these enzymes on Cry3Aa*SpyCat2 led to increased thermal stability and recyclability of the overall multienzyme system. These characteristics together with its overall simplicity of production highlight the benefits of Cry3Aa*SpyCat2 crystals as a platform for enzyme coimmobilization.

CCAT2 contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma progression via inhibiting miR-145 maturation to induce MDM2 expression.

Long noncoding RNA colon cancer-associated transcript 2 (CCAT2) has been recently found to function as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanisms of CCAT2 in HCC development remain to be further explored. In the present study, we found that CCAT2 was abnormally upregulated in HCC cells and tissue specimens, exhibiting an inverse correlation with microRNA (miR)-145 expression. Mechanistic investigation showed that CCAT2 selectively blocked miR-145 processing, leading to decreased mature miR-145 presence. Both the in vitro and in vivo effects of CCAT2 knockdown on the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells were reversed by miR-145 inhibitor, indicating that miR-145 modulation accounts for CCAT2-meditated HCC progression. Furthermore, miR-145 mimic dramatically suppressed HCC cells' proliferation and metastasis, revealing a tumor suppressor role of miR-145 in HCC. Mechanistically, MDM2 was predicted to be a potential target of miR-145. The luciferase and western blot assay demonstrated that miR-145 mimic largely inhibited MDM2 3'-untranslated region luciferase activity and MDM2 expression, followed by the upregulation of p53/p21 expression. Finally, the coexpression of MDM2 in miR-145 mimic-transfected HCC cells was able to largely compromise the inhibitory effects of miR-145 mimic on HCC cells' proliferation and metastasis in vitro and tumor formation in a xenograft model, confirming MDM2 is the critical mediator of miR-145 in HCC. In summary, our findings indicated that CCAT2 selectively blocks the miR-145 maturation process and plays an oncogene in HCC. Furthermore, a novel CCAT2/miR-145/MDM2 axis was revealed in HCC development and might provide a new target in the molecular treatment of HCC.

River Valleys Shaped the Maternal Genetic Landscape of Han Chinese.

A general south-north genetic divergence has been observed among Han Chinese in previous studies. However, these studies, especially those on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), are based either on partial mtDNA sequences or on limited samples. Given that Han Chinese comprise the world's largest population and reside around the whole China, whether the north-south divergence can be observed after all regional populations are considered remains unknown. Moreover, factors involved in shaping the genetic landscape of Han Chinese need further investigation. In this study, we dissected the matrilineal landscape of Han Chinese by studying 4,004 mtDNA haplogroup-defining variants in 21,668 Han samples from virtually all provinces in China. Our results confirmed the genetic divergence between southern and northern Han populations. However, we found a significant genetic divergence among populations from the three main river systems, that is, the Yangtze, the Yellow, and the Zhujiang (Pearl) rivers, which largely attributed to the prevalent distribution of haplogroups D4, B4, and M7 in these river valleys. Further analyses based on 4,986 mitogenomes, including 218 newly generated sequences, indicated that this divergence was already established during the early Holocene and may have resulted from population expansion facilitated by ancient agricultures along these rivers. These results imply that the maternal gene pools of the contemporary Han populations have retained the genetic imprint of early Neolithic farmers from different river basins, or that river valleys represented relative migration barriers that facilitated genetic differentiation, thus highlighting the importance of the three ancient agricultures in shaping the genetic landscape of the Han Chinese.

Microvesicles from malaria-infected red blood cells activate natural killer cells via MDA5 pathway.

Natural killer (NK) cells provide the first line of defense against malaria parasite infection. However, the molecular mechanisms through which NK cells are activated by parasites are largely unknown, so is the molecular basis underlying the variation in NK cell responses to malaria infection in the human population. Here, we compared transcriptional profiles of responding and non-responding NK cells following exposure to Plasmodium-infected red blood cells (iRBCs) and identified MDA5, a RIG-I-like receptor involved in sensing cytosolic RNAs, to be differentially expressed. Knockout of MDA5 in responding human NK cells by CRISPR/cas9 abolished NK cell activation, IFN-γ secretion, lysis of iRBCs. Similarly, inhibition of TBK1/IKKε, an effector molecule downstream of MDA5, also inhibited activation of responding NK cells. Conversely, activation of MDA5 by liposome-packaged poly I:C restored non-responding NK cells to lyse iRBCs. We further show that microvesicles containing large parasite RNAs from iRBCs activated NK cells by fusing with NK cells. These findings suggest that NK cells are activated through the MDA5 pathway by parasite RNAs that are delivered to the cytoplasm of NK cells by microvesicles from iRBCs. The difference in MDA5 expression between responding and non-responding NK cells following exposure to iRBCs likely contributes to the variation in NK cell responses to malaria infection in the human population.

Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of a novel positron emission tomography (PET) ligand for imaging fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) exerts its main function in the catabolism of the endogenous chemical messenger anandamide (AEA), thus modulating the endocannabinoid (eCB) pathway. Inhibition of FAAH may serve as an effective strategy to relieve anxiety and possibly other central nervous system (CNS)-related disorders. Positron emission tomography (PET) would facilitate us to better understand the relationship between FAAH in certain disease conditions, and accelerate clinical translation of FAAH inhibitors by providing in vivo quantitative information. So far, most PET tracers show irreversible binding patterns with FAAH, which would result in complicated quantitative processes. Herein, we have identified a new FAAH inhibitor (1-((1-methyl-1H-indol-2-yl)methyl)piperidin-4-yl)(oxazol-2-yl)methanone (8) which inhibits the hydrolysis of AEA in the brain with high potency (IC50 value 11 nM at a substrate concentration of 0.5 µM), and without showing time-dependency. The PET tracer [11C]8 (also called [11C]FAAH-1906) was successfully radiolabeled with [11C]MeI in 17 ± 6% decay-corrected radiochemical yield (n = 7) with >74.0 GBq/µmol (2 Ci/µmol) molar activity and >99% radiochemical purity. Ex vivo biodistribution and blocking studies of [11C]8 in normal mice were also conducted, indicating good brain penetration, high brain target selectivity, and modest to excellent target selectivity in peripheral tissues. Thus, [11C]8 is a potentially useful PET ligand with enzyme inhibitory and target binding properties consistent with a reversible mode of action.

Inferring the history of surname Ye based on Y chromosome high-resolution genotyping and sequencing data.

Paternal inheritance of both Y chromosome and surnames makes it possible to trace the origin and migration histories of surnames based on high-resolution Y chromosome phylogeny. In this study, 292 male samples with surname Ye () in China were collected to unravel the history of this surname. Among these samples, O-F492 showed the highest frequency (26.71%). Analysis based on Y chromosome genotyping data of 52,798 males from virtually the whole China revealed a close correlation between O-F492 and surname Ye. High-throughput sequencing of 131 unrelated male individuals covering all sub-haplogroups in O-F492 was conducted to update the phylogeny of O-F492. Most of the Ye individuals (43/64, 67.19%) are embedded in three major branches, i.e., O-MF1461, O-MF15219, and O-FGC66159, deriving from the same node (O-FGC66168). These three clades restrictively distributed in different regions, likely attributed to independent differentiations. Coalescent ages of the three subclades are estimated ranging from 1,925 to 1,775 years ago, probably driven by the massive migration from north to south China after Yongjia riot in Jin Dynasty, consistent with the migration history of surname Ye. Our study thus shed important light on the history of the surname Ye from genetic perspective.

Total Synthesis-Enabled Systematic Structure-Activity Relationship Study for Development of a Bioactive Alkyne-Tagged Derivative of Neolaxiflorin L.

Neolaxiflorin L (NL) is a low-abundant Isodon 7,20-epoxy- ent-kuarenoid and was found to be a promising anticancer drug candidate in our previous study. In order to study its structure-activity relationship (SAR), a diversity-oriented synthetic route toward two libraries of (±)-NL analogs, including analogs containing different functionalities in the same 7,20-epoxy- ent-kuarene skeleton and analogs with skeletal changes, has been developed. The results of this total synthesis-enabled SAR successfully led to a bioactive alkyne-tagged NL derivative, which could be a useful probe for proteomics studies.

[Two new flavonoid glycosides from leaves of Moringa oleifera].

Two new flavonoid glycosides, quercetin-3-O-(4-O-crotonyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1) and quercetin-3-O-[6-O-(2E)-pentenoyl]-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), along with nine known ones, isoquercetin (3), astragalin (4), quercetin-3-O-(6-O-acetyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (5), kaempferol-3-O-(6-O-acetyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (6), quercetin-3-O-(6-O-crotonyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (7), kaempferol-3-O-(6-O-crotonyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (8), vitexin (9), isovitexin (10), and isorhamnetin-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (11), were isolated from the leaves of Moringa oleifera by various chromatographic technologies. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, MS, and NMR. In addition, compounds 7 and 8 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Diastereoselective Total Synthesis of (±)-Basiliolide B and (±)-epi-8-Basiliolide B.

The C8 and C9 stereogenic centers of the basiliolide/transtaganolide family have been established stereoselectively using a cyclopropane ring-opening strategy, which has been studied by DFT calculations of a variety of lithium-chelating models. The highly functionalized intermediates obtained in this strategy were successfully employed for the diastereoselective total synthesis of (±)-basiliolide B and (±)-epi-8-basiliolide B. The decalin core with a lactone bridge was constructed via a 2-pyrone Diels-Alder (DA) cycloaddition, and the unprecedented seven-membered acyl ketene acetal was established by a biomimetic intramolecular O-acylation cyclization.

Human natural killer cells control Plasmodium falciparum infection by eliminating infected red blood cells.

Immunodeficient mouse-human chimeras provide a powerful approach to study host-specific pathogens, such as Plasmodium falciparum that causes human malaria. Supplementation of immunodeficient mice with human RBCs supports infection by human Plasmodium parasites, but these mice lack the human immune system. By combining human RBC supplementation and humanized mice that are optimized for human immune cell reconstitution, we have developed RBC-supplemented, immune cell-optimized humanized (RICH) mice that support multiple cycles of P. falciparum infection. Depletion of human natural killer (NK) cells, but not macrophages, in RICH mice results in a significant increase in parasitemia. Further studies in vitro show that NK cells preferentially interact with infected RBCs (iRBCs), resulting in the activation of NK cells and the elimination of iRBCs in a contact-dependent manner. We show that the adhesion molecule lymphocyte-associated antigen 1 is required for NK cell interaction with and elimination of iRBCs. Development of RICH mice and validation of P. falciparum infection should facilitate the dissection of human immune responses to malaria parasite infection and the evaluation of therapeutics and vaccines.

Solvent-Free DABCO-Mediated [3 + 2] Cycloadditions of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes with Aldehydes: Strategy for Synthesis of Fully Substituted Furans.

DABCO-mediated [3 + 2] cycloadditions of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with aldehydes under solvent-free conditions have been developed for the preparation of fully substituted furans which are a wide range of structurally interesting and pharmacologically significant compounds. The reaction appears to be general for a variety of 1-cyanocyclopropane-1-carboxylates and aldehydes and tolerates the presence of aromatic moieties with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents.

Highly sensitive method for specific, brief, and economical detection of glycoproteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis by the synthesis of a new hydrazide derivative.

A new hydrazide derivative was synthesized and used for the first time as a specific, brief, and economical probe to selectively visualize glycoproteins in 1-D and 2-D sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with high sensitivity. The detection limit of the newly developed staining method is 2- and 4-fold higher than that of the widely used Pro-Q Emerald 300 and 488 stains, respectively.

Machine learning techniques based on 18F-FDG PET radiomics features of temporal regions for the classification of temporal lobe epilepsy patients from healthy controls.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the clinical application of 18F-FDG PET radiomics features for temporal lobe epilepsy and to create PET radiomics-based machine learning models for differentiating temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients from healthy controls. Methods: A total of 347 subjects who underwent 18F-FDG PET scans from March 2014 to January 2020 (234 TLE patients: 25.50 ± 8.89 years, 141 male patients and 93 female patients; and 113 controls: 27.59 ± 6.94 years, 48 male individuals and 65 female individuals) were allocated to the training (n = 248) and test (n = 99) sets. All 3D PET images were registered to the Montreal Neurological Institute template. PyRadiomics was used to extract radiomics features from the temporal regions segmented according to the Automated Anatomical Labeling (AAL) atlas. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Boruta algorithms were applied to select the radiomics features significantly associated with TLE. Eleven machine-learning algorithms were used to establish models and to select the best model in the training set. Results: The final radiomics features (n = 7) used for model training were selected through the combinations of the LASSO and the Boruta algorithms with cross-validation. All data were randomly divided into a training set (n = 248) and a testing set (n = 99). Among 11 machine-learning algorithms, the logistic regression (AUC 0.984, F1-Score 0.959) model performed the best in the training set. Then, we deployed the corresponding online website version (https://wane199.shinyapps.io/TLE_Classification/), showing the details of the LR model for convenience. The AUCs of the tuned logistic regression model in the training and test sets were 0.981 and 0.957, respectively. Furthermore, the calibration curves demonstrated satisfactory alignment (visually assessed) for identifying the TLE patients. Conclusion: The radiomics model from temporal regions can be a potential method for distinguishing TLE. Machine learning-based diagnosis of TLE from preoperative FDG PET images could serve as a useful preoperative diagnostic tool.

Brachial Plexus Root Avulsion Injury-Induced Endothelin-Converting Enzyme-Like 1 Overexpression Is Associated with Injured Motor Neurons Survival.

Brachial plexus root avulsion (BPRA) injury arises from challenging delivery during childbirth, sports-related incidents, or car accidents, leading to extensive loss of motor neurons (MNs) and subsequent paralysis, including both motor and sensory impairment. Surgical nerve re-implantation cannot effectively restore motor function, and the survival of injured MNs is vital for axon regeneration and re-innervating the target muscles. Therefore, identifying novel molecular targets to improve injured MNs survival is of great significance in the treatment of BPRA injuries. Endothelin-converting enzyme-like 1 (ECEL1), a membrane-bound metallopeptidase, was initially identified as a molecule associated with nerve injuries. Damaged neurons exhibit a significant increase in the expression of ECEL1 following various types of nerve injuries, such as optic nerve injury and sciatic nerve injury. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ECEL1 overexpression and the survival of injured MNs following BPRA injury. Our results observed a significant elevation in ECEL1 expression in injured MNs and positively correlated with MNs survival following BPRA injury. The transcription of ECEL1 is regulated by the transcription factors c-Jun and ATF3 in the context of BPRA injury, which is consistent with previous other nerve injuries study. In addition, the expression of TrkA gradually decreases in ECEL1-positive MNs and ECEL1 possibly preserves the activity of downstream AKT-GSK3ß pathway of TrkA in injured MNs. In conclusion, our results introduce a promising therapeutic molecular target to assist re-implantation surgery for the treatment of BPRA injury.

A PET-based radiomics nomogram for individualized predictions of seizure outcomes after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

PURPOSE: To establish and validate a novel nomogram based on clinical characteristics and [18F]FDG PET radiomics for the prediction of postsurgical seizure freedom in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 234 patients with drug-refractory TLE patients were included with a median follow-up time of 24 months after surgery. The correlation coefficient redundancy analysis and LASSO Cox regression were used to characterize risk factors. The Cox model was conducted to develop a Clinic-PET nomogram to predict the relapse status in the training set (n = 171). The nomogram's performance was estimated through discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility. The prognostic prediction model was validated in the test set (n = 63). RESULTS: Eight radiomics features were selected to assess the radiomics score (radscore) of the operation side (Lat_radscore) and the asymmetric index (AI) of the radiomics score (AI_radscore). AI_radscor, Lat_radscor, secondarily generalized seizures (SGS), and duration between seizure onset and surgery (Durmon) were significant predictors of seizure-free outcomes. The final model had a C-index of 0.68 (95 %CI: 0.59-0.77) for complete freedom from seizures and time-dependent AUROC was 0.65 at 12 months, 0.65 at 36 months, and 0.59 at 60 months in the test set. A web application derived from the primary predictive model was displayed for economic and efficient use. CONCLUSIONS: A PET-based radiomics nomogram is clinically promising for predicting seizure outcomes after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

Fluorescent staining of protein in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels by salicylaldehyde azine.

As a non-covalent fluorescence probe, in this study, salicylaldehyde azine (SA) was introduced as a sensitive fluorescence-based dye for detecting proteins both in 1-D and 2-D polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels. Down to 0.2 ng of single protein band could be detected within 1 h, which similars to that of glutaraldehyde (GA)-silver stain, but approximately four times higher than that of SYPRO Ruby fluorescent stain. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the MS compatibility of SA stain with SYPRO Ruby stain indicated that SA stain is compatible with the downstream of protein identification by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Additionally, the probable mechanism of the SA stain was investigated by molecular docking. The results demonstrated that the interaction between SA and protein was mainly contributed by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces.

Improved staining of phosphoproteins with high sensitivity in polyacrylamide gels using Stains-All.

An improved Stains-All (ISA) staining method for phosphoproteins in SDS-PAGE was described. Down to 0.5-1 ng phosphoproteins (α-casein, ß-casein, or phosvitin) can be successfully selectively detected by ISA stain, which is approximately 120-fold higher than that of original Stains-All stain, but is similar to that of commonly used Pro-Q Diamond stain. Furthermore, unlike the original Stains-All protocol that was time consuming and light unstable, ISA stain could be completed within 60 min without resorting to protect the gels from light during the whole staining procedure. According to the results, it is concluded that ISA stain is a rapid, sensitive, specific, and economic staining method for a broad application to the research of phosphoproteins.

A shortcut organic dye-based staining method for the detection of DNA both in agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

In this study, we describe a brief, sensitive and safe organic dye-based staining method for the visualization of DNA both in agarose and polyacrylamide gels by using Victoria Pure Blue BO (VPBBO). Down to 0.8-1.6 ng of λ DNA/HindIII markers in agarose gels and 0.4-0.8 ng of pUC18 DNA/Mspl markers in polyacrylamide gels can be successfully detected within 15 and 10 min by the new developed technique, respectively. Moreover, the mechanism of the VPBBO staining was investigated and further confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and molecular docking. The results indicated that the interaction between VPBBO and DNA is mainly due to groove binding.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of new long-chain-alkyl bile acid-based amphiphiles.

The efficient synthesis of some bile acid-derived cationic amphiphiles with a flexible long hydrocarbon tail was investigated. Firstly, the modification on the side-chain carboxyl of bile acids was carried out efficiently by one-pot amidation of bile acids and a long-chain aliphatic amine in the presence of HOBt and DCC to introduce a flexible long hydrocarbon tail. Then the hydrophilic concave side of bile acids with hydroxyl groups was further modified into cationic groups for strengthening hydrophilicity. This strategy offered a very straightforward and efficient method for access to the designed amphiphiles in good overall yields. The preliminary results showed that an increase both in the length of the hydrophobic tail and in the number of charged groups resulted in a decrease in the CMC of bile acid-derived cationic amphiphiles. And the bile acid-derived cationic amphiphiles with a flexible longer hydrocarbon tail and more positive charges had the highest antibacterial and antimicrobial activity.