Whole-genome analysis reveals distinct adaptation signatures to diverse environments in Chinese domestic pigs.

BACKGROUND: Long-term natural and artificial selection has resulted in many genetic footprints within the genomes of pig breeds across distinct agroecological zones. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which these signatures contribute to phenotypic diversity and facilitate environmental adaptation remain unclear. RESULTS: Here, we leveraged whole-genome sequencing data from 82 individuals from 6 domestic pig breeds originating in tropical, high-altitude, and frigid regions. Population genetic analysis suggested that habitat isolation significantly shaped the genetic diversity and contributed to population stratification in local Chinese pig breeds. Analysis of selection signals revealed regions under selection for adaptation in tropical (55.5 Mb), high-altitude (43.6 Mb), and frigid (17.72 Mb) regions. The potential functions of the selective sweep regions were linked to certain complex traits that might play critical roles in different geographic environments, including fat coverage in frigid environments and blood indicators in tropical and high-altitude environments. Candidate genes under selection were significantly enriched in biological pathways involved in environmental adaptation. These pathways included blood circulation, protein degradation, and inflammation for adaptation to tropical environments; heart and lung development, hypoxia response, and DNA damage repair for high-altitude adaptation; and thermogenesis, cold-induced vasodilation (CIVD), and the cell cycle for adaptation to frigid environments. By examining the chromatin state of the selection signatures, we identified the lung and ileum as two candidate functional tissues for environmental adaptation. Finally, we identified a mutation (chr1: G246,175,129A) in the cis-regulatory region of ABCA1 as a plausible promising variant for adaptation to tropical environments. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we conducted a genome-wide exploration of the genetic mechanisms underlying the adaptability of local Chinese pig breeds to tropical, high-altitude, and frigid environments. Our findings shed light on the prominent role of cis-regulatory elements in environmental adaptation in pigs and may serve as a valuable biological model of human plateau-related disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Decreased serum soluble programmed cell death ligand-1 level as a potential biomarker for missed miscarriage.

STUDY QUESTION: Can maternal serum levels of soluble programmed cell death-1 (sPD-1) and its ligand (sPD-L1) serve as biomarkers for missed miscarriage (MM)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Serum sPD-L1 levels are significantly decreased in MM patients and may serve as a potential predictive biomarker for miscarriage. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) comprise important immune inhibitory checkpoint signaling to maintain pregnancy. Their soluble forms are detectable in human circulation and are associated with immunosuppression. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Three independent cohorts attending tertiary referral hospitals were studied. The first (discovery) cohort was cross-sectional and included MM patients and healthy pregnant (HP) women matched on BMI. The second validation cohort contained MM patients and women with legally induced abortion (IA). The third prospective observational study recruited subjects requiring IVF treatment. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: In the discovery cohort, we enrolled 108 MM patients and 115 HP women who had a full-term pregnancy at 6-14 weeks of gestation. In the validation cohort, we recruited 25 MM patients and 25 women with IA. Blood samples were collected at the first prenatal visit for HP women or on the day of dilatation and curettage surgery (D&C) for MM and IA subjects to determine serum sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels. Placenta samples were harvested during the D&C within the validation cohort to measure gene and protein expression. The prospective cohort collected serial blood samples weekly from 75 volunteers with embryo transfer (ET) after IVF. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Circulating sPD-L1 levels were reduced by 50% in patients with MM (55.7 ± 16.04 pg/ml) compared to HP controls (106.7 ± 58.46 pg/ml, P < 0.001) and the difference remained significant after adjusting for maternal age and gestational age, whereas no significant differences in sPD-1 level were observed. Likewise, serum sPD-L1 was lower in MM patients than in IA subjects and accompanied by downregulated PD-L1-related gene expression levels in the placenta. In the IVF cohort, applying the changing rate of sPD-L1 level after ET achieved a predictive performance for miscarriage with receiver operating characteristics = 0.73 (95% CI: 0.57-0.88, P < 0.01). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study was mainly confined to East Asian pregnant women. Further large prospective pregnancy cohorts are required to validate the predictive performance of sPD-L1 on miscarriage. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Reduced circulating sPD-L1 level and downregulated placental PD-L1 expression in miscarriage indicate that dysfunction in PD-L1 signals is a potential underlying mechanism for pregnancy loss. Our findings further extend the importance of the PD-L1 axis in pregnancy maintenance in early pregnancy. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was financially supported by grants from the Subject Innovation Team of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine (2019-Y502), General Research Fund (14122021), and Key Laboratory of Model Animal Phenotyping and Basic Research in Metabolic Diseases (2018KSYS003). The authors declare that they have no competing interests to be disclosed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Mediate Acute Liver Failure in Regulation of miR-223/Neutrophil Elastase Signaling in Mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Marked enhancement of neutrophil infiltration in the liver is a hallmark of acute liver failure (ALF), a severe life-threatening disease with varying etiologies. However, the mechanisms and pathophysiological role corresponding to hepatic neutrophil infiltration during ALF development remain poorly characterized. METHODS: Experimental ALF was induced in 10-week-old male microRNA-223 (miR-223) knockout (KO) mice, neutrophil elastase (NE) KO mice, and wild-type controls by intraperitoneal injection of galactosamine hydrochloride and lipopolysaccharide. Age-matched mice were injected with phosphate-buffered saline and served as vehicle controls. RESULTS: Mouse liver with ALF showed evident formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which were enhanced markedly in miR-223 KO mice. The blockade of NETs by pharmacologic inhibitor GSK484 significantly attenuated neutrophil infiltration and massive necrosis in mouse liver with ALF. ALF-related hepatocellular damage and mortality in miR-223 KO mice were aggravated significantly and accompanied by potentiated neutrophil infiltration in the liver when compared with wild-type controls. Transcriptomic analyses showed that miR-223 deficiency in bone marrow predominantly caused the enrichment of pathways involved in neutrophil degranulation. Likewise, ALF-induced hepatic NE enrichment was potentiated in miR-223 KO mice. Genetic ablation of NE blunted the formation of NETs in parallel with significant attenuation of ALF in mice. Pharmaceutically, pretreatment with the NE inhibitor sivelestat protected mice against ALF. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed the miR-223/NE axis as a key modulator of NETs, thereby exacerbating oxidative stress and neutrophilic inflammation to potentiate hepatocellular damage and liver necrosis in ALF development, and offering potential targets against ALF.

The RNA N6 -methyladenosine modulator HNRNPA2B1 is involved in the development of non-small cell lung cancer.

The key N6  methyladenosine (m6 A) RNA methylation regulator is associated with multiple tumour progression. However, the m6 A-associated regulators that influence non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development have not been fully clarified. The m6 A regulator expression pattern of NSCLC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was identified. Aberrations of m6A modulators are related to NSCLC development via cBioPortal database. Furthermore, we found that IGF2BP2, IGF2BP3, HNRNPA2B1, and FTO are significantly correlated with advanced stage disease or clinical outcomes in NSCLC by UALCAN and Kaplan-Meier plot. Bioinformatics analysis showed that m6 A modulators (IGF2BP2, IGF2BP3, HNRNPA2B1, and FTO) are associated with immunomodulator and immune infiltration expression in NSCLC via the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database. The co-expression between these m6A-associated modulators was analysed by protein-protein interaction networks. Finally, we found that HNRNPA2B1 promotes NSCLC development in vitro by regulating cell proliferation and metastasis functions via Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK8) and transwell assay. Our study showed that HNRNPA2B1 is a promising target and biomarker for cancer therapy in NSCLC.

Circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 as a potential biomarker for missed abortion in humans.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether serum levels of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and fatty acid-binding protein-4 (FABP4) are associated with missed abortion (MA) in humans. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University-affiliated hospital. PATIENT(S): Patients with MA at 8-12 weeks of gestation. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES(S): Serum levels of FGF21 and FABP4 were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Placental samples were collected during dilation and curettage surgery, and the expression of FGF21 and its related genes were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULT(S): In the discovery cohort, 78 patients with MA and 79 healthy pregnant women matched for maternal age and body mass index were nested from a prospective cohort. Circulating levels of FGF21 and FABP4 were significantly and independently elevated in patients with MA relative to the levels in the healthy controls. A single measurement of FGF21 serum level effectively discriminated MA with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.73-0.87). Importantly, in our external validation cohort that comprised subjects with MA (n = 34) or induced abortion (n = 27), the FGF21 serum levels achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.85 (95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.96) when identifying those with MA. Nevertheless, expression of FGF21 in the placenta was not associated with its serum concentration. Placental tissues from patients with MA exhibited impaired FGF21 signaling. CONCLUSION(S): Our results suggested that serum levels of FGF21 and FABP4 were associated with MA. Circulating FGF21 may serve as a potential biomarker for the recognition of MA.

Anti-inflammatory phytochemicals for the treatment of diabetes and its complications: Lessons learned and future promise.

Diabetes mellitus (type 1 and type 2) and its various complications continue to place a huge burden on global medical resources, despite the availability of numerous drugs that successfully lower blood glucose levels. The major challenging issue in diabetes management is the prevention of various complications that remain the leading cause of diabetes-related mortality. Moreover, the limited long-term durability of monotherapy and undesirable side effects of currently used anti-diabetic drugs underlie the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. Phytochemicals represent a rich source of plant-derived molecules that are of pivotal importance to the identification of compounds with therapeutic potential. In this review, we aim to discuss recent advances in the identification of a large array of phytochemicals with immense potential in the management of diabetes and its complications. Given that metabolic inflammation has been established as a key pathophysiological event that drives the progression of diabetes, we focus on the protective effects of representative phytochemicals in metabolic inflammation. This paper also discusses the potential of phytochemicals in the development of new drugs that target the inflammation in the management of diabetes and its complications.

The role of neutrophils in innate immunity-driven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: lessons learned and future promise.

The enrichment of innate immune cells and the enhanced inflammation represent the hallmark of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the advanced subtype with a significantly increased risk of progression to end-stage liver diseases within the spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Neutrophils are traditionally recognized as key components in the innate immune system to defend against pathogens. Recently, a growing body of evidence supports neutrophils as emerging key player in mediating the transition from steatosis to NASH, which is largely inspired by the histological findings in human liver biopsy indicating the enhanced infiltration of neutrophils as one of the key histological features of NASH. In this review, we discuss data regarding histological perspectives of hepatic infiltration of neutrophils in NASH. We also highlight the pathophysiological role of neutrophils in promoting metabolic inflammation in the liver through the release of a vast array of granule proteins, the interaction with other pro-inflammatory immune cells, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps. Neutrophil granule proteins possess pleiotropic effects on regulating neutrophil biology and functions. A variety of granule proteins (including lipocalin-2, myeloperoxidase, proteinase 3, neutrophil elastase, etc.) produced by neutrophils enhance liver metabolic inflammation, thereby promoting NASH progression by mediating neutrophil-macrophage interaction. Therapeutically, pharmacological inhibitors targeting neutrophil granule proteins hold promise to combat NASH. In addition, this article also summarizes potentials of neutrophils and its derived various granule proteins for the accurate, even non-invasive diagnosis of NASH.

FOXP3 polymorphisms in interstitial lung disease among Chinese Han population: A genetic association study.

INTRODUCTION: Both genetic and environmental factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FOXP3 genes were implicated in the causation of some autoimmune diseases; however, association of these genes and ILD has not been reported. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether FOXP3 polymorphisms are associated with ILD in a representative Chinese population. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-seven ILD patients and 170 healthy controls were recruited; SNPs were genotyped by the Sequenom MassARRAY platform and SHEsis was used to estimate the haplotype frequencies of SNPs. RESULTS: The CC and TC genotypes of FOXP3 rs2280883 were associated with a significantly higher risk of connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTP-ILD) than the TT genotype (P = .006). Patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) showed a significantly higher frequency of rs3761547 (GG genotype) and rs3761549 (CC genotype) polymorphisms of FOXP3 as compared to that in controls (P = .038 and P = .026, respectively). The rs2294021 (TC genotype) was less frequently observed among IIP patients as compared to that in controls (P = 0.029). In addition, the FOXP3 CAATC haplotype was associated with a greater risk for CTD-ILD (P =.048) as compared to controls, and the FOXP3 TCCCC haplotype showed an increased IIP risk (P = .001); however, patients with the FOXP3 TACTT haplotype showed a significant protective effect against IIP (P = .036). CONCLUSION: FOXP3 polymorphisms may be important markers to determine susceptibility to IIP or CTP-ILD in Chinese population.

Downregulation of miR-522 suppresses proliferation and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer cells by directly targeting DENN/MADD domain containing 2D.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), one of the most common causes of cancer-related death, is a worldwide public health problem. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been identified as a novel class of regulators of carcinogenesis and tumor progression, including miRNAs associated with NSCLC. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-522 in NSCLC and the mechanisms underlying this role. We report here that miR-522 expression was significantly increased in both human NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, an MTT assay, 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay kit and flow cytometry confirmed that the inhibition of miR-522 suppressed NSCLC cells proliferation and induced apoptosis. Compared with miR-522 overexpression, miR-522 inhibitor markedly reduced cells migration and invasion, as indicated by wound-healing and transwell assays. In addition, a luciferase assay identified DENN/MADD domain containing 2D (DENND2D) as a direct target of miR-522. qRT-PCR and western blot analyses indicated the reciprocal expression of miR-522 and DENND2D in NSCLC tissue samples. DENND2D was involved in miR-522 induced proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells by a miRNA-masking antisense oligonucleotides (miR-mask) technology. These data highlight a novel molecular interaction between miR-522 and DENND2D, which indicates that targeting miR-522 may constitute a potential therapy for NSCLC.

Effects of Propofol on Excitatory and Inhibitory Amino Acid Neurotransmitter Balance in Rats with Neurogenic Pulmonary Edema Induced by Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION: Propofol exhibits neuroprotective effects mediated by the inhibition of excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmitter release and potentiation of inhibitory amino acid (IAA) neurotransmitters. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effects of propofol on the EAA and IAA balance in neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE). METHODS: Sixty male Wistar rats were randomized to Sham, NPE, Low-dose propofol, and High-dose propofol groups. NPE was induced via rapid injection of autologous blood (0.5 ml) into the cisterna magna. The Low- and High-dose propofol groups were pretreated with boluses of 2 and 5 mg kg(-1), respectively, prior to blood injection, followed by continuous propofol infusion at 6 and 15 mg kg(-1) h(-1), respectively. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate, intracranial pressure (ICP), peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), and arterial blood gases were continuously recorded. After 2 h, the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio, total protein concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), brain water content, cortical EAA and IAA levels, chest X-ray, and histological staining of lung sections were evaluated. RESULTS: Blood injections into the cisterna magna induced NPE and hemodynamic changes. Propofol alleviated the increases in the MAP, ICP, and PIP, improved oxygenation and histopathological changes, ameliorated pulmonary and cerebral edema, increased the IAA brain levels, and decreased the ratio of Glu to γ-aminobutyric acid. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that propofol improves NPE likely via IAA accumulation and the regulation of EAA and IAA balance, which may represent an effective treatment for NPE.

CoMoO4 nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites as anodes for long-life lithium-ion batteries.

A self-assembled CoMoO4 nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide (CoMoO4NP/rGO), was prepared by a hydrothermal method to grow 3-5 nm sized CoMoO4 particles on reduced graphene oxide sheets and used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The specific capacity of CoMoO4NP/rGO anode can reach up to 920 mAh g(-1) at a current rate of 74 mA g(-1) in the voltage range between 3.0 and 0.001 V, which is close to the theoretical capacity of CoMoO4 (980 mAh g(-1)). The fabricated half cells also show good rate capability and impressive cycling stability with 8.7% capacity loss after 600 cycles under a high current density of 740 mA g(-1). The superior electrochemical performance of the synthesized CoMoO4NP/rGO is attributed to the synergetic chemical coupling effects between the conductive graphene networks and the high lithium-ion storage capability of CoMoO4 nanoparticles.

Stellate ganglion block may prevent the development of neurogenic pulmonary edema and improve the outcome.

Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) is an acute and serious complication after a central nervous system insult with high mortality. The pronounced activation of sympathetic nervous system and the release of vasoactive substances are necessary prerequisites for the development of NPE. We introduce a hypothesis that stellate ganglion block (SGB) may prevent NPE development on the basis of the inhibition of sympathetic overactivation, reduction of the concentration of norepinephrine and attenuation of baroreflex sensitivity, and improve the outcome by improving cerebral blood flow and pulmonary circulation and maintaining cardiovascular stability. In clinical practice, the guidance technique and close monitoring might guarantee the safety of SGB. If our hypothesis is supported by further experiments, this may open a new doorway for the treatment of NPE.