Genetic Counseling and Prenatal Diagnosis of a Maternally Inherited 15q11.2 Microduplication.

Unbalanced chromosome abnormalities (UBCA) are large genomic region variations that often result in minimal clinical effects. Copy number variants (CNVs), such as microdeletions and microduplications in 15q11.2, have been linked to various health issues, making prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling challenging. Microdeletions and microduplications in the genomic region 15q11.2 are associated with congenital heart defects, autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, mental retardation and developmental delay. The literature on this microduplication is confusing and extensive, which is a great difficulty for prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling. A 35-year-old female undergoing amniocentesis at Week 19 due to advanced maternal age revealed a normal 46,XX karyotype through G-banding analysis. However, Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) on the same amniocytes detected a 550-Kb maternally inherited chromosomal microduplication in 15q11.2. An integrated approach combining karyotype analysis, CMA, genetic counseling, and prenatal ultrasound is crucial for the accurate prenatal diagnosis of UBCAs and CNVs.

Sensitivity and biochemical characteristics of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum to propamidine.

Propamidine is an aromatic diamidine compound. In the current study, baseline sensitivity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum to propamidine was determined using 78 strains collected from the oilseed rape fields without a previous history of propamidine usage. The median effective concentration (EC50) values for propamidine inhibiting mycelial growth ranged from 0.406 to 3.647µg/mL, with a mean of 1.616±0.217µg/mL. There was no correlation between sensitivity to propamidine and sensitivity to dimethachlon or carbendazim. After treated with propamidine, mycelia were thinner with irregular distortion and more branches; cell wall became thicker with uneven distribution of cytoplasm than untreated control. In addition, sclerotia production, cell membrane permeability and oxalic acid content significantly decreased. On detached oilseed rape leaves, propamidine exhibited better control efficacy than carbendazim at the same concentration whether the leaves were inoculated with carbendazim-sensitive or resistant strains. All the results showed that propamidine exhibited strong antifungal activity and potential application in controlling S. sclerotiorum. Importantly, these data will provide more information on understanding the mode of action of propamidine against S. sclerotiorum and should be valuable for development of new antifungal drugs.

The Lineage Specification of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Directed by the Rate of Fluid Shear Stress.

The effective regulation of fluid shear stress (FSS) on the lineage specification of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) remains to be addressed. We hypothesized that when MSCs are recruited to musculoskeletal system following stimulation, their differentiation into osteogenic or chondrogenic cells is directed by the rate of FSS (ΔSS) through modulation of the mechanosensitive, cation-selective channels (MSCCs), intracellular calcium levels, and F-actin. To this end, MSCs were exposed to laminar FSS linearly increased from 0 to 10 dyn/cm(2) in 0, 2, or 20 min and maintained at 10 dyn/cm(2) for a total of 20 min (termed as ΔSS 0-0', 0-2', and 0-20', respectively, representing more physiological (0-0') and non-physiological (0-2' and 0-20') ΔSS treatments). Our results showed 0-0' facilitated MSC differentiation towards chondrogenic and not osteogenic phenotype, by promoting moderate intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+) ]i ) increase from the calcium channels with the exception of MSCCs or intracellular calcium stores, and F-actin organization. In contrast, 0-2' promoted MSCs towards osteogenic and not chondrogenic phenotype, by inducing significant [Ca(2+) ]i increase mainly from the MSCCs, and F-actin assembly. However, 0-20' elicited the modest osteogenic and chondrogenic phenotypes, as it induced the lowest [Ca(2+) ]i increase mainly from MSCCs, and F-actin assembly. Our results suggest that compared to the more physiological ΔSS, the non-physiological ΔSS favors [Ca(2+) ]i influx from MSCCs. An appropriate non-physiological ΔSS (0-2') even elicits a large [Ca(2+) ]i influx from the MSCCs that reverses the lineage specification of MSCs, providing validation for the high mechanosensitivity of MSCs and guidance for training osteoporosis and osteoarthritis patients. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 1752-1760, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enzymatic Characterization of SpPAL Genes in S. polyrhiza and Overexpression of the SpPAL3.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) catalyzes the deamination of phenylalanine, which is the initial step in the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids. It serves as a crucial enzyme that facilitates the transfer of carbon from primary to secondary metabolism in plants. Duckweed is regarded as a promising chassis plant in synthetic biology research and application, due to its being rich in secondary metabolites and other advantages. The genes encoding PAL in Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid, the giant duckweed, were investigated in this study. Three SpPAL genes (SpPAL1-SpPAL3) were identified and cloned. All of them were successfully expressed in E. coli, and their recombinant proteins all showed PAL activity. In addition, SpPAL1 and SpPAL2 proteins could also utilize tyrosine as substrate, although the activity was low. A qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of SpPAL3 was most pronounced in young fronds. It was found that the expression of SpPAL1 and SpPAL3 was significantly induced by MeJA treatment. Overexpression of SpPAL3 in Lemna turionifera inhibited the growth of fronds and adventitious roots in the transgenic plants, indicating the importance of SpPAL3 in duckweed besides its involvement in the secondary metabolism.

High-Performance Neuromorphic Computing and Logic Operation Based on a Self-Assembled Vertically Aligned Nanocomposite SrTiO3:MgO Film Memristor.

Neuromorphic computing based on memristors capable of in-memory computing is promising to break the energy and efficiency bottleneck of well-known von Neumann architectures. However, unstable and nonlinear conductance updates compromise the recognition accuracy and block the integration of neural network hardware. To this end, we present a highly stable memristor with self-assembled vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) SrTiO3:MgO films that achieve excellent resistive switching with low set/reset voltage variability (4.7%/-5.6%) and highly linear conductivity variation (nonlinearity = 0.34) by spatially limiting the conductive channels at the vertical interfaces. Various synaptic behaviors are simulated by continuously modulating the conductance. Especially, convolutional image processing using diverse crossbar kernels is demonstrated, and the artificial neural network achieves an overwhelming recognition accuracy of up to 97.50% for handwritten digits. Even under the perturbation of Poisson noise (λ = 10), 6% Salt and Pepper noise, and 5% Gaussian noise, the high recognition accuracies are retained at 95.43%, 94.56%, and 95.97%, respectively. Importantly, the logic memory function is proven experimentally based on the nonvolatile properties. This work provides a material system and design idea to achieve high-performance neuromorphic computing and logic operation.

Prenatal diagnosis and molecular cytogenetic characterization of an inherited microdeletion of 18q12.3 encompassing SETBP1.

The 18q12.3 region contains the SET binding protein 1 (SETBP1) gene. SETBP1 mutations or deletions are associated with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome or intellectual developmental disorder, autosomal dominant 29. We report the prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling of a patient with a maternally inherited 18q12.3 microdeletion. In this family, the mother and son carried the same microdeletion. Chromosomal microdeletions and microduplications are difficult to detect using conventional cytogenetics, whereas the combination of prenatal ultrasound, karyotype analysis, chromosomal microarray analysis, and genetic counseling is helpful for the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal microdeletions/microduplications.

Characterization and genetic analysis of the oshpl3 rice lesion mimic mutant showing spontaneous cell death and enhanced bacterial blight resistance.

Plant lesion mimic mutants have been used as ideal materials for studying pathogen defense mechanisms due to their spontaneous activation of defense responses in plants. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a rice lesion mimic mutant, oshpl3. The oshpl3 mutant initially displayed white spots on leaves of 7-day-old seedlings, and the white spots gradually turned into large brown spots during plant development, accompanied by poor metrics of major agronomic traits. Histochemical analysis showed that spontaneous cell death and H2O2 hyperaccumulation occurred in oshpl3. Defense responses were induced in the oshpl3 mutant, such as enhanced ROS signaling activated by recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and also upregulated expression of genes involved in pathogenesis and JA metabolism. These defense responses enhanced resistance to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. The mutated gene was identified as OsHPL3 (LOC_Os02g02000) by map-based cloning. A G1006A mutation occurred in OsHPL3, causing a G-to-D mutation of the 295th amino acid in the transmembrane region of OsHPL3. OsHPL3 localized to the chloroplast, cytoplasm, and another unknown organelle, while the mutated protein OsHPL3G295D was not obviously observed in the chloroplast, suggesting that the G295D mutation affected its chloroplast localization. Based on our findings, the G295D mutation in OsHPL3 is most likely responsible for the phenotypes of the oshpl3 mutant. Our results provide new clues for studying the function of the OsHPL3 protein.

Magnetic Fe3 O 4 nanoparticles grafted with single-chain antibody (scFv) and docetaxel loaded ß-cyclodextrin potential for ovarian cancer dual-targeting therapy.

In order to improve the therapeutic efficiency and reduce the side effects on nonpathological cells and tissues, targeting drug delivery systems have gained more and more attraction. Here, we report a novel dual-targeting drug delivery system for ovarian cancer therapy. The inner core was made of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, synthesized by co-precipitation method. It was further surface-functionalized with amine groups to link single-chain antibody (scFv) and ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD). Docetaxel (TXT) was finally included in the grafted ß-CD. FTIR and XPS confirmed the reactions. SEM found that the diameters of these Fe3O4 nanoparticles before and after functionalization were around 40 nm. Magnetization test showed that these particles were superparamagnetic. The in vitro release of TXT was concentration-driven and sustained, depending on the renewal rate of release medium. The in vitro flow chamber experiment revealed its magnetic targeting property; modified ELISA and static binding experiments displayed its good affinity to Endoglin, indicating that our drug delivery system has the potential to be dual-targeted to ovarian cancer tissue by externally applied magnetic field and native active binding of grafted scFv to Endoglin, overexpressed by ovarian cancer tissue. MTT assays showed that the TXT released from this drug delivery system continuously inhibited the growth of Skov3 ovarian cancer cells in 72h, better than the control raw TXT. All these results demonstrated a promising dual-targeting drug delivery system with great potential for ovarian cancer therapy.

Novel multi-biotin grafted poly(lactic acid) and its self-assembling nanoparticles capable of binding to streptavidin.

Targeted drug delivery requires novel biodegradable, specific binding systems with longer circulation time. The aim of this study was to prepare biotinylated poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles (NPs) which can meet regular requirements as well conjugate more biotins in the polymer to provide better binding with streptavidin. A biotin-graft-PLA was synthesized based on previously published biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-graft-PLA, with one polymer molecule containing three PEG molecules. Newly synthesized biotin-graft-PLA had three biotins per polymer molecule, higher than the previous biotinylated PLA (≤1 biotin per polymer molecule). A PEG with a much lower molecular weight (MW ~1900) than the previous biotinylated PLA (PEG MW ≥ 3800), and thus more biocompatible, was used which supplied good nonspecific protein-resistant property compatible to PEG-graft-PLA, suggesting its possible longer stay in the bloodstream. Biotin-graft-PLA specifically bound to streptavidin and self-assembled into NPs, during which naproxen, a model small molecule (MW 230 Da) and hydrophobic drug, was encapsulated (encapsulation efficiency 51.88%). The naproxen-loaded NPs with particle size and zeta potential of 175 nm and -27.35 mV realized controlled release within 170 hours, comparable to previous studies. The biotin-graft-PLA NPs adhered approximately two-fold more on streptavidin film and on biotin film via a streptavidin arm both in static and dynamic conditions compared with PEG-graft-PLA NPs, the proven nonspecific protein-resistant NPs. The specific binding of biotin-graft-PLA NPs with streptavidin and with biotin using streptavidin arm, as well as its entrapment and controlled release for naproxen, suggest potential applications in targeted drug delivery.