NLRP3 regulates CIITA/MHC II axis and interferon-γ-inducible chemokines in Malassezia globosa-infected keratinocytes.

CIITA, a member of NOD-like receptor (NLR) family, is the major MHC II trans-activator and mediator of Th1 immunity, but its function and interaction with NLRP3 have been little studied. We found activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, increased expression of CIITA, CBP, pSTAT1, STAT1, MHC II, IFN-γ and IFN-γ-inducible chemokines (CCL1 and CXCL8), and colocalisation of NLRP3 with CIITA in Malassezia folliculitis lesions, Malassezia globosa-infected HaCaT cells and mouse skin. CoIP with anti-CIITA or anti-NLRP3 antibody pulled down NLRP3 or both CIITA and ASC. NLRP3 silencing or knockout caused CIITA downexpression and their colocalisation disappearance in HaCaT cells and mouse skin of Nlrp3-/- mice, while CIITA knockdown had no effect on NLRP3, ASC, IL-1ß and IL-18 expression. NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors and knockdown significantly suppressed IFN-γ, CCL1, CXCL8 and CXCL10 levels in M. globosa-infected HaCaT cells. CCL1 and CXCL8 expression was elevated in Malassezia folliculitis lesions and reduced in Nlrp3-/- mice. These results demonstrate that M. globosa can activate NLRP3 inflammasome, CIITA/MHC II signalling and IFN-γ-inducible chemokines in human keratinocytes and mouse skin. NLRP3 may regulate CIITA by their binding and trigger Th1 immunity by secreting CCL1 and CXCL8/IL-8, contributing to the pathogenesis of Malassezia-associated skin diseases.

A novel splicing mutation DNAH5 c.13,338 + 5G > C is involved in the pathogenesis of primary ciliary dyskinesia in a family with primary familial brain calcification.

BACKGROUND: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal recessive hereditary disease characterized by recurrent respiratory infections. In clinical manifestations, DNAH5 (NM_001361.3) is one of the recessive pathogenic genes. Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by bilateral calcification in the basal ganglia and other brain regions. PFBC can be inherited in an autosomal dominant or recessive manner. A family with PCD caused by a DNAH5 compound heterozygous variant and PFBC caused by a MYORG homozygous variant was analyzed. METHODS: In this study, we recruited three generations of Han families with primary ciliary dyskinesia combined with primary familial brain calcification. Their clinical phenotype data were collected, next-generation sequencing was performed to screen suspected pathogenic mutations in the proband and segregation analysis of families was carried out by Sanger sequencing. The mutant and wild-type plasmids were constructed and transfected into HEK293T cells instantaneously, and splicing patterns were detected by Minigene splicing assay. The structure and function of mutations were analyzed by bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS: The clinical phenotypes of the proband (II10) and his sister (II8) were bronchiectasis, recurrent pulmonary infection, multiple symmetric calcifications of bilateral globus pallidus and cerebellar dentate nucleus, paranasal sinusitis in the whole group, and electron microscopy of bronchial mucosa showed that the ciliary axoneme was defective. There was also total visceral inversion in II10 but not in II8. A novel splice variant C.13,338 + 5G > C and a frameshift variant C.4314delT (p. Asn1438lysfs *10) were found in the DNAH5 gene in proband (II10) and II8. c.347_348dupCTGGCCTTCCGC homozygous insertion variation was found in the MYORG of the proband. The two pathogenic genes were co-segregated in the family. Minigene showed that DNAH5 c.13,338 + 5G > C has two abnormal splicing modes: One is that part of the intron bases where the mutation site located is translated, resulting in early translation termination of DNAH5; The other is the mutation resulting in the deletion of exon76. CONCLUSIONS: The newly identified DNAH5 splicing mutation c.13,338 + 5G > C is involved in the pathogenesis of PCD in the family, and forms a compound heterozygote with the pathogenic variant DNAH5 c.4314delT lead to the pathogenesis of PCD.

A correlation study between prostate necrosis rate calculated by 3D Slicer software and clinical efficacy of prostatic artery embolization, along with an analysis of predictors of clinical success after prostatic artery embolization.

PURPOSE: To analyze the correlation between the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after prostatic artery embolization (PAE) and the clinical efficacy at 1-year after PAE, and to explore potential predictors of clinical success after PAE for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: The prostate magnetic resonance imaging data at 1-month after PAE were imported into 3D Slicer software for calculating the prostate necrosis rate and thus analyzing the relationship between the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after PAE and the efficacy score ratio at 1-year after PAE. The 151 patients with PAE technical success were divided into a clinical success group (n = 126) and a clinical failure group (n = 25). Independent predictors of clinical success after PAE were analyzed by multifactorial logistic regression, and the predictive performance of each factor was evaluated by applying the receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: There was a linear negative correlation between the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after PAE and the efficacy score ratio at 1-year after surgery (P < 0.001). In the clinical success group, both the initial prostate volume (PV) and the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after PAE were significantly higher than in the clinical failure group (P < 0.001), and acute urinary retention (AUR) and adenomatous-dominant BPH were also associated with clinical success (P < 0.05). Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that larger initial PV, a higher prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after surgery, and AUR were independent predictors of clinical success after PAE. The AUC values for these three indicators and their combination were 0.720, 0.928, 0.599, and 0.951, respectively, in which the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after PAE demonstrating a high predictive value. CONCLUSION: The higher the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after PAE, the better the clinical efficacy at 1-year after PAE is likely to be, and the prostate necrosis rate at 1-month after PAE is expected to become a predictor of clinical success after PAE.

[Responses of radial growth of Fraxinus mandshurica from different provenances to climate at Maoershan in Northeast China]. / 东北地区帽儿山种源实验林区不同种源水曲柳径向生长对气候的响应.

To understand the responses of radial growth of Fraxinus mandshurica from different provenances to climatic factors, we used the dendrochronological method to establish the standard chronologies of F. mandshurica from 20 provenances in Maoershan provenance test forest, and analyzed the differences in radial growth and their correlation with climate factors. The results showed that the overall trend of F. mandshurica chronologies from 20 provenances was generally similar. There were differences in growth amplitude, with the average radial growth of F. mandshurica from Dailing, Lushuihe and Sanchazi being the highest. The radial growth of F. mandshurica from 20 provenances was significantly positively correlated with the highest temperature in July and the average temperature in July except for Huinan. The radial growth of F. mandshurica from 14 provenances was significantly positively correlated with the precipitation in August. The radial growth of F. mandshurica was constrained by temperature and precipitation during the growing season. There was difference in radial growth among F. mandshurica from different provenances under drought stress. F. mandshurica from Wangqing, Dailing, and Hailin had stronger resistance to drought, while that from Wandianzi, Zhanhe, and Xinglong had better recovery ability after drought.

A novel fluorescence platform for specific detection of tetracycline antibiotics based on [MQDA-Eu3+] system.

Tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) are extensively used in clinical medicine, animal husbandry, and aquaculture because of their cost-effectiveness and high antibacterial efficacy. However, the presence of TCs residues in the environment poses risks to humans. In this study, an inner filter effect (IFE) fluorescent probe, 2,2'-(ethane-1,2-diylbis((2-((2-methylquinolin-8-yl)amino)-2-oxoethyl)azanediyl))diacetic acid (MQDA), was developed for the rapid detection of Eu3+ within 30 s. And its complex [MQDA-Eu3+] was successfully used for the detection of TCs. Upon coordination of a carboxyl of MQDA with Eu3+ to form a [MQDA-Eu3+] complex, the carboxyl served as an antenna ligand for the effective detection of Eu3+ to intensify the emission intensity of MQDA via "antenna effect", the process was the energy absorbed by TCs via UV excitation was effectively transferred to Eu3+. Fluorescence quenching of the [MQDA-Eu3+] complex was caused by the IFE in multicolor fluorescence systems. The limits of detection of [MQDA-Eu3+] for oxytetracycline, chlorotetracycline hydrochloride, and tetracycline were 0.80, 0.93, and 1.7 µM in DMSO/HEPES (7:3, v/v, pH = 7.0), respectively. [MQDA-Eu3+] demonstrated sensitive detection of TCs in environmental and food samples with satisfactory recoveries and exhibited excellent imaging capabilities for TCs in living cells and zebrafish with low cytotoxicity. The proposed approach demonstrated considerable potential for the quantitative detection of TCs.

A pedigree analysis of Rotor hyperbilirubinemia combined with hepatitis B virus infection in a SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 gene mutations patient.

Background: Rotor syndrome (RS, OMIM#237450) is an extremely rare autosomal digenic recessive disorder characterized by mild non-hemolytic hereditary conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, caused by biallelic variation of SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 genes that resulted in OATP1B1/B3 dysfunction in the sinusoidal membrane leading to impaired bilirubin reuptake ability of hepatocytes. Methods: One RS pedigree was recruited and clinical features were documented. Whole genome second-generation sequencing was used to screen candidate genes and mutations, Sanger sequencing confirmed predicted mutations. Results: This study detected a homozygous nonsense variant c.1738C > T (p.R580*) in the coding region of the SLCO1B1 (NM006446) gene in a family with RS and hepatitis B virus infection by Variants analysis and Sanger sequencing, and confirmed by Copy Number Variation (CNV) analysis and Long Range PCR that there was a homozygous insertion of intron 5 of the SLCO1B3 gene into intron 5 of long-interspersed element 1 (LINE1). A few cases of such haplotypes have been reported in East Asian populations. A hepatitis B virus infection with fatty liver disease was indicated by pathology, which revealed mild-moderate lobular inflammation, moderate lobular inflammation, moderate hepatocellular steatosis, and fibrosis stage 1-2 (NAS score: 4 points/S1-2) alterations. Heterozygotes carrying p.R580* and LINE1 insertions were also detected in family members (I1, I2, III2, III3), but they did not develop conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Conclusion: The mutations may be the molecular genetic foundation for the presence of SLCO1B1 c.1738C > T(p.R580*) and SLCO1B3 (LINE1) in this RS pedigree.

Clinical phenotype and genetic function analysis of a family with hypomyelinating leukodystrophy-7 caused by POLR3A mutation.

Hypomyelinating leukodystrophy (HLD) is a rare genetic heterogeneous disease that can affect myelin development in the central nervous system. This study aims to analyze the clinical phenotype and genetic function of a family with HLD-7 caused by POLR3A mutation. The proband (IV6) in this family mainly showed progressive cognitive decline, dentin dysplasia, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Her three old brothers (IV1, IV2, and IV4) also had different degrees of ataxia, dystonia, or dysarthria besides the aforementioned manifestations. Their brain magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral periventricular white matter atrophy, brain atrophy, and corpus callosum atrophy and thinning. The proband and her two living brothers (IV2 and IV4) were detected to carry a homozygous mutation of the POLR3A (NM_007055.4) gene c. 2300G > T (p.Cys767Phe), and her consanguineous married parents (III1 and III2) were p.Cys767Phe heterozygous carriers. In the constructed POLR3A wild-type and p.Cys767Phe mutant cells, it was seen that overexpression of wild-type POLR3A protein significantly enhanced Pol III transcription of 5S rRNA and tRNA Leu-CAA. However, although the mutant POLR3A protein overexpression was increased compared to the wild-type protein overexpression, it did not show the expected further enhancement of Pol III function. On the contrary, Pol III transcription function was frustrated (POLR3A, BC200, and tRNA Leu-CAA expression decreased), and MBP and 18S rRNA expressions were decreased. This study indicates that the POLR3A p.Cys767Phe variant caused increased expression of mutated POLR3A protein and abnormal expression of Pol III transcripts, and the mutant POLR3A protein function was abnormal.