Effect of exogenous methanol on glycolate oxidase and photorespiratory intermediates in cotton.

Application of methanol (MeOH) inhibits photorespiration and enhances growth and yield in C3 plants. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are not clear. In this study, we investigated the effects of foliar application of MeOH (30%, v/v) on glycolate oxidase (GO) activity and photorespiratory intermediates in cotton leaves in a field experiment. MeOH treatment significantly inhibited GO activity (by 30% compared with the controls). We also found that endogenous glyoxylate, a photorespiratory intermediate, increased and glycine decreased significantly in MeOH-treated plants. Serine increased significantly in MeOH-treated plants. These results thus demonstrated that exogenous MeOH can modulate GO activity and the production of photorespiratory intermediates, and sheds new lights on our current understanding of how exogenous MeOH inhibits photorespiration and enhances the growth and yield of C3 plants such as cotton.

[Relationship between body mass index and volume ratio of brain gray matter in patients with first-episode schizophrenia].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between psychotic symptoms and body mass index (BMI) and brain mass index in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. METHODS: We identified 97 patients with first-episode and drug-free schizophrenia and compared their BMI and scare MRI results with 97 healthy participants. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in BMI, volume of white matter and volume of grey matter between the patients with schizophrenia and healthy participants. BMI was positively correlated with age and negatively correlated with gray matter volume and the ratio of gray matter volume in the healthy participants. No such correlations were found in the patients with schizophrenia. BMI were not correlated with the total score of PANSS, nor with the factor score of PANSS. CONCLUSION: BMI is positive correlated with age, but negatively correlated with gray matter volume and the ratio of gray matter volume in healthy adult. But such correlations disappear in patients with schizophrenia. BMI is not associated with the seriousness of psychotic symptoms.

[Association study of NOS1 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia. METHODS: Twenty eight tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of NOS1 in 382 schizophrenic patients and 448 healthy individuals sampled from Chinese Han population were analyzed by a Illumina GoldenGate Genotyping Assay. RESULTS: One SNP (rs1520811) was found to be associated with schizophrenia, which however becomes negative after Bonferroni correction (P>0.05). Further analysis has failed to identify any association between particular haplotypes and the disease. CONCLUSION: Our results did not support a significant association between NOS1 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia.

[Genome-wide association study with memory measures as a quantitative trait locus for schizophrenia].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between gene polymorphisms and memory function through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of schizophrenia and control group. Memory cognition was used as a quantitative trait (QT). METHODS: Ninty-eight subjects with chronic schizophrenia and 60 matched controls were genotyped with HumanHap660 Bead Array. The results were correlated with quantitative traits including memory and memory delay. RESULTS: Five candidate genes, including RASGRF2 (rs401758, P = 8.03×10(-5)), PLCG2 (rs7185362, P= 4.54×10(-5)), LMO1 (rs484161, P=9.80×10(-7), CSMD1 (rs2469383, P= 2.77×10(-6)) and PRKG1 (rs7898516, P=6.94×10(-5)) were associated with memory cognition deficits. CONCLUSION: Using memory cognition as a quantitative trait, this Genome- wide association study has identified 5 susceptibility loci. With their association with nervous system development, neuronal growth, axon guidance and plasticity, brain development, above loci may play a role in the development of memory dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Cortical surface area correlates with STON2 gene Ser307Pro polymorphism in first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Evidence shows that STON2 gene is associated with synaptic function and schizophrenia. This study aims to explore the relationship between two functional polymorphisms (Ser307Pro and Ala851Ser) of STON2 gene and the cortical surface area in first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Magnetic resonance imaging of the whole cortical surface area, which was computed by an automated surface-based technique (FreeSurfer), was obtained from 74 first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 55 healthy controls. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of genotype subgroups on the cortical surface area. A significant genotype-by-diagnosis effect on the cortical surface area was observed. Pro-allele carriers of Ser307Pro polymorphism had larger right inferior temporal surface area than Ser/Ser carriers in the patients with schizophrenia; however, no significant difference was found in the same area in the healthy controls. The Ala851Ser polymorphism of STON2 gene was not significantly associated with the cortical surface area in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The present study demonstrated that the functional variant of the STON2 gene could alter cortical surface area on the right inferior temporal and contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

Detection of metabolites in the white matter of frontal lobes and hippocampus with proton in first-episode treatment-naïve schizophrenia patients.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the changes of the metabolites in the white matter of frontal lobes and hippocampus in schizophrenia by using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1) H-MRS). METHODS: Sixty-three first-episode treatment-naïve schizophrenia (FES) patients and 63 age-, gender- and education level-matched healthy controls were recruited. The relative levels of metabolites including N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho), (Cr) and myo-inositol (MI) were detected with (1) H-MRS, and the laterality index (Li) was calculated. The severity of symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. RESULTS: Compared with controls, FES patients did not show significant differences in all metabolites. The severity of positive symptoms was negatively correlated with the NAA/Cho in the white matter of the left frontal lobe and positively correlated with the Cho/Cr in the right white matter of frontal lobes. A negative correlation was observed between the severity of negative symptoms and the NAA/Cr in the white matter of bilateral frontal lobes. No difference was shown in the Li of metabolites between FES patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: The metabolites such as NAA, Cho and MI in white matter of frontal lobes and hippocampus were not significantly altered in FES patients. The lower axonal integrity/number (NAA concentration) may be associated with more severe negative symptoms, and dysmetabolism in process of myelination in the white matter of frontal lobes associated with more severe positive symptoms.