Amino acid fertilizer strengthens its effect on crop yield and quality by recruiting beneficial rhizosphere microbes.

BACKGROUND: There is currently an increase in the use of new types of fertilizers in modern agriculture. Studies have shown that amino acid fertilizers can improve crop yield and quality. However, their effects on crop rhizosphere ecology and their ecological impacts on crop yield are largely unknown. This study evaluated the effects of a water-soluble amino acid fertilizer (WAAF) on tomatoes and its ecological effects on rhizosphere bacterial communities using greenhouse pot experiments. RESULTS: The results showed that WAAF could promote the growth of tomatoes and improve the quality of fruits more effectively than water-soluble chemical fertilizer controls. Interestingly, WAAF showed a different regulating pattern on root exudates and increased the secretion of 17 major water-soluble root exudates, including hexadecanoic acid and 3-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone. Water-soluble amino acid fertilizer also affected noticeably the composition, abundance, and beta-diversity of rhizosphere bacterial communities, and strengthened the potential relationships between community members. Water-soluble amino acid fertilizer showed a significant selective enrichment ability and recruited some members of the genera such as Cupriavidus, Ralstonia, Chitinophaga, Gemmatimonas, Mitsuaria, Mucilaginibacter, Paracoccus, Sphingopyxis, and Variovorax. Network analysis and functional prediction implied that, besides fertilizer effects, the recruiting of beneficial microbes involved in chemotaxis and biofilm formation was also a considerable factor in tomato yield and quality improvement. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed ecological and recruiting effects of WAAF on rhizosphere microbes and potentially beneficial microbiota, and provided a basis for the amino acid fertilizer regulation of rhizosphere ecology to improve soil health and further improve crop yield and quality. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Aquamicrobium zhengzhouense sp. nov., a Bacterium Isolated from Farmland Soil Applied with Amino Acid Fertilizer.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic, non-motile bacterium, designated strain cd-1T, was isolated from a farmland soil applied with amino acid fertilizer in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. The optimum growth of strain cd-1T occurred at 30 °C, pH 7.0 in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth without NaCl supplement. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that cd-1T is member of the genus Aquamicrobium, and formed a separate branch with Aquamicrobium aerolatum DSM 21857T (96.5%) and Aquamicrobium soli KCTC 52165T (95.7%). The draft genome sequencing revealed a DNA G + C content of 59.2 mol% and Q-10 was the predominant respiratory quinone. The major cellular fatty acids were identified as C18:1 ω7c (35.8%), C19:0 cyclo ω8c (32.1%), and C18:1 ω7c 11-methyl (5.2%). The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) and the digital DNA-DNA hybridizations (dDDH) for draft genomes between strain cd-1T and KCTC 52165T were 71.0% and 19.9%, respectively, the values for strain cd-1T and DSM 21857T were 73.4% and 20.6%. Based on the physiological and biochemical characteristics, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain cd-1T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Aquamicrobium, for which the name Aquamicrobium zhengzhouense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is cd-1T (= KCTC 82182T = CCTCC M 2018904T).

Re-evaluation of ABO gene polymorphisms detected in a genome-wide association study and risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in a Chinese population.

Pancreatic cancer is a fatal malignancy with an increasing incidence in Shanghai, China. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) and other work have shown that ABO alleles are associated with pancreatic cancer risk. We conducted a population-based case-control study involving 256 patients with pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and 548 healthy controls in Shanghai, China, to assess the relationships between GWAS-identified ABO alleles and risk of PDAC. Carriers of the C allele of rs505922 had an increased cancer risk [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.98] compared to TT carriers. The T alleles of rs495828 and rs657152 were also significantly associated with an elevated cancer risk (adjusted OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.17-2.14; adjusted OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.09-2.10). The rs630014 variant was not associated with risk. We did not find any significant gene-environment interaction with cancer risk using a multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method. Haplotype analysis also showed that the haplotype CTTC was associated with an increased risk of PDAC (adjusted OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.12-1.91) compared with haplotype TGGT. GWAS-identified ABO variants are thus also associated with risk of PDAC in the Chinese population.

Genome-wide association study identifies breast cancer risk variant at 10q21.2: results from the Asia Breast Cancer Consortium.

Although approximately 20 common genetic susceptibility loci have been identified for breast cancer risk through genome-wide association studies (GWASs), genetic risk variants reported to date explain only a small fraction of heritability for this common cancer. We conducted a four-stage GWAS including 17 153 cases and 16 943 controls among East-Asian women to search for new genetic risk factors for breast cancer. After analyzing 684 457 SNPs in 2062 cases and 2066 controls (Stage I), we selected for replication among 5969 Chinese women (4146 cases and 1823 controls) the top 49 SNPs that had neither been reported previously nor were in strong linkage disequilibrium with reported SNPs (Stage II). Three SNPs were further evaluated in up to 13 152 Chinese and Japanese women (6436 cases and 6716 controls) (Stage III). Finally, two SNPs were evaluated in 10 847 Korean women (4509 cases and 6338 controls) (Stage IV). SNP rs10822013 on chromosome 10q21.2, located in the zinc finger protein 365 (ZNF365) gene, showed a consistent association with breast cancer risk in all four stages with a combined per-risk allele odds ratio of 1.10 (95% CI: 1.07-1.14) (P-value for trend = 5.87 × 10(-9)). In vitro electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated the potential functional significance of rs10822013. Our results strongly implicate rs10822013 at 10q21.2 as a genetic risk variant for breast cancer among East-Asian women.

Variants in CCK and CCKAR genes to susceptibility to biliary tract cancers and stones: a population-based study in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Altered motility of the gallbladder is associated with an increased risk of gallstones and can result in biliary tract cancers. Cholecystokinin (CCK) is an important modulator of gallbladder motility which functions by activating CCK type-A receptor (CCKAR). The aim of this study was to determine whether genetic variants in CCK and CCKAR are associated with the risk of biliary tract cancers and stones. METHODS: We investigated the associations between nine single nucleotide polymorphisms in CCK and CCKAR in a population-based case-control study, including 439 biliary tract cancer cases (253 gallbladder, 133 extrahepatic bile duct, and 53 ampulla of Vater cancer cases), 429 biliary stone cases, and 447 population controls in Shanghai, China. RESULTS: We found that women with the CCKAR rs1800855 AA genotype had an increased risk of gallbladder cancer (odds ratio = 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36-4.14) compared with subjects with the TT genotype, and remained significant after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.0056). Additionally, female carriers of the CCKAR haplotype C-T-C-T (rs2071011-rs915889-rs3822222-rs1800855) had a reduced risk of gallbladder cancer (odds ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.43-0.86) compared with those with the G-C-C-A haplotype; the association also remained significant after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that variants in the CCKAR gene may influence the risk of gallbladder cancer in women. Additional studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Identification of a functional genetic variant at 16q12.1 for breast cancer risk: results from the Asia Breast Cancer Consortium.

Genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of breast cancer. We carried out a multi-stage genome-wide association (GWA) study in over 28,000 cases and controls recruited from 12 studies conducted in Asian and European American women to identify genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer. After analyzing 684,457 SNPs in 2,073 cases and 2,084 controls in Chinese women, we evaluated 53 SNPs for fast-track replication in an independent set of 4,425 cases and 1,915 controls of Chinese origin. Four replicated SNPs were further investigated in an independent set of 6,173 cases and 6,340 controls from seven other studies conducted in Asian women. SNP rs4784227 was consistently associated with breast cancer risk across all studies with adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 1.25 (1.20-1.31) per allele (P = 3.2 x 10(-25)) in the pooled analysis of samples from all Asian samples. This SNP was also associated with breast cancer risk among European Americans (per allele OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.09-1.31, P = 1.3 x 10(-4), 2,797 cases and 2,662 controls). SNP rs4784227 is located at 16q12.1, a region identified previously for breast cancer risk among Europeans. The association of this SNP with breast cancer risk remained highly statistically significant in Asians after adjusting for previously-reported SNPs in this region. In vitro experiments using both luciferase reporter and electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated functional significance of this SNP. These results provide strong evidence implicating rs4784227 as a functional causal variant for breast cancer in the locus 16q12.1 and demonstrate the utility of conducting genetic association studies in populations with different genetic architectures.

Genetic polymorphisms in obesity-related genes and endometrial cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin and endometrial cancer risk. Little is known about whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes that encode adiponectin (ADIPOQ), leptin (LEP), adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1), adiponectin receptor 2 (ADIPOR2), and leptin receptor (LEPR) are associated with endometrial cancer. METHODS: The authors selected 87 tagging SNPs to capture common genetic variants in these 5 genes. These SNPs were evaluated in 1028 endometrial cancer cases and 1932 community controls recruited from Chinese women. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS: Three of the 10 SNPs evaluated in the ADIPOQ gene were significantly associated with reduced cancer risk. The OR for women homozygous for the minor allele (A/A) for rs3774262 was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.48-0.97) compared with women homozygous for the major allele (G/G). Similar results were found for SNPs rs1063539 and rs12629945 in ADIPOQ, which were in linkage disequilibrium with rs3774262. These associations became nonsignificant after Bonferroni correction was applied. Controls with the minor allele A at rs3774262 had lower weight, smaller waist and hip circumferences, and lower body mass index than controls with the major allele G (all P < .05). Women homozygous for the minor allele (T/T) of rs2071045 in the LEP gene also had significantly lower risk (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.54-0.90) than women homozygous for the major allele (C/C). No other SNPs in the LEP, ADIPOR1, ADIPOR2, or LEPR genes were found to be associated with cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: Although a chance finding cannot be ruled out, the consistency of findings for gene-endometrial cancer risk and gene-obesity measurements suggests that genetic polymorphisms in the ADIPOQ gene may play a role in endometrial cancer development.

Transformation performance and subsystem coupling of resource-based cities in China: An analysis based on the support-pressure framework.

The sustainable development of resource-based cities is vital to China's high-quality development. Based on the support-pressure framework, this study simplifies the city system into an economy-society subsystem (ESS) and a resource-environment subsystem (RES), and measures the economy social developmental level (ESDL) and resource environmental carrying capacity (RECC) of China's 116 resource-based cities using the improved entropy-TOPSIS model. Then, it applies the coupling coordination degree (CCD) and relative development models to explore their coupling coordination relationships and relative developmental types. The results are as follows. (1) The ESDL and RECC of China's resource-based cities have improved significantly, and there is a large divergence between cities in different regions, development stages, and dominant resource types. (2) The CCD between the ESDL and RECC of China's resource-based cities is still not ideal, and no city qualifies for the high coordination category. (3) Overall, the RECC lags behind the ESDL, and the cities with a lagging ESDL are concentrated in the western and northeastern regions. Based on these conclusions, three specific suggestions are put forth. This study may provide a scientific reference for the Chinese government to formulate a sustainable development plan for resource-based cities. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:770-783. © 2021 SETAC.

Cholesterol metabolism gene polymorphisms and the risk of biliary tract cancers and stones: a population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China.

Biliary tract cancers are rare but fatal malignancies, with increasing incidence in Shanghai, China. Gallstones, the primary risk factor for biliary tract cancer, typically result from oversaturation of cholesterol in bile. We examined the association of five variants in three lipid metabolism-related genes (CETP, ABCG8 and LRPAP1) and biliary tract cancers and stones in a population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China. We included 439 biliary tract cancer cases (253 gallbladder, 133 extrahepatic bile duct and 53 ampulla of Vater cancer cases), 429 biliary stone cases and 447 population controls. Carriers of the CG genotype of ABCG8 rs11887534 had higher risk of biliary stones [odds ratio (OR) = 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82-6.5), gallbladder cancer (OR = 4.3, 95% CI 1.7-10.4) and bile duct cancer (OR = 1.94, 95% CI 0.64-5.91), compared with carriers of the GG genotype. Analysis stratified by gender showed both male and female carriers of CG rs11887534 had higher risks of biliary stones and gallbladder cancer, although the association was statistically significant only for women and gallbladder cancer (OR = 6.3, 95% CI 1.86-22.3). Carriers of the ABCG8 haplotype C-C (rs4148217-rs11887534) had a 4.16-fold (95% CI 1.71-10.1) risk of gallbladder cancer compared with those carrying the C-G haplotype. Our findings suggest that ABCG8 rs11887534, identified as a gallstone risk single-nucleotide polymorphism by whole genome scan, is also associated with an increased risk of biliary tract cancer.

Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism at 6q25.1,rs2046210, with endometrial cancer risk among Chinese women.

A recent genome-wide association study identified a new susceptibility locus for breast cancer, rs2046210, which is a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located upstream of the estrogen receptor α(ESR1) gene on chromosome 6q25.1. Given that endometrial cancer shares many risk factors with breast cancer and both are related to estrogen exposure and that rs2046210 is in close proximity to the ESR1 gene, we evaluated the association of SNP rs2046210 with endometrial cancer risk among 953 cases and 947 controls in a population-based, case-control study conducted in Shanghai, China. Logistic regression models were used to derive odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) after adjusting for potential confounders. We found that the A allele of rs2046210, linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, was associated with increased but not statistically significant risk of endometrial cancer (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.96-1.41 for the GA and AA genotypes compared with the GG genotype); the association was stronger among post-menopausal women (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.00-1.65). The association tended to be stronger among women with higher or longer estrogen exposure than among women with relatively lower or shorter exposure to estrogen. Our study suggests that rs2046210 may play a role in the etiology of endometrial cancer. Additional studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Primary congenital choledochal cyst with squamous cell carcinoma: a case report.

Cases of extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma are mostly adenocarcinomas and extrahepatic bile duct squamous cell carcinomas are rare. We report here a case of choledochal squamous cell carcinoma in a young woman who underwent surgery and chemotherapy. The woman presented with abdominal discomfort. A physical examination showed tenderness in the upper abdomen. Laboratory tests showed elevated direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, and C-reactive protein levels. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic-solid mixed soft tissue mass in the common bile duct. Pain symptoms in the patient were not relieved and surgical treatment was performed. Postoperative pathological results showed a choledochal cyst complicated by squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was treated by biliary intestinal anastomosis followed by chemotherapy. However, the patient developed liver metastasis and recurrence at a 6-month follow-up. Primary congenital bile duct cysts with squamous cell carcinoma are extremely rare. Surgical resection is the main treatment option for choledochal squamous cell carcinoma. Postoperative chemoradiotherapy can be used, but the efficacy is poor and chemotherapy does not significantly prolong the patient's survival.

Association of thymidylate synthase gene with endometrial cancer risk in a Chinese population.

We comprehensively evaluated genetic variants in the thymidylate synthase (TYMS) gene in association with endometrial cancer risk in a population-based case-control study of 1,199 incident endometrial cancer cases and 1,212 age frequency-matched population controls. Exposure information was obtained via in-person interview, and DNA samples (blood or buccal cell) were collected. Genotyping of 11 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for the TYMS gene plus the 5-kb flanking regions was done for 1,028 cases and 1,003 controls by using the Affymetrix MegAllele Targeted Genotyping System. Of 11 haplotype-tagging SNPs identified, 7 that are located in flanking regions of the TYMS gene are also in the ENOSF1 (rTS) gene. The SNP rs3819102, located in the 3'-flanking region of the TYMS gene and in an intron of the ENOSF1 gene, was associated with risk of endometrial cancer. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for the CC genotype was 1.5 (1.0-2.2) compared with the TT genotype. Haplotype TTG in block 2 of the TYMS gene, which includes SNPs rs10502289, rs2298583, and rs2298581 (located in introns of the ENOSF1 gene), was associated with a marginally significant decrease in risk of endometrial cancer under the dominant model (odds ratio, 0.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-1.0). This study suggests that genetic polymorphisms in the TYMS or ENOSF1 genes may play a role in the development of endometrial cancer among Chinese women.

The modifying effect of C-reactive protein gene polymorphisms on the association between central obesity and endometrial cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major risk factor for endometrial cancer. Obesity, particularly central obesity, is considered as a systemic inflammatory condition and is related strongly to insulin resistance. C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most recognized biologic marker of chronic systematic inflammation, and it is conceivable that the CRP gene may work together with obesity in the development of endometrial cancer. METHODS: On the basis of a population-based case-control study in a Chinese population, the authors obtained obesity measurements and data on 6 CRP single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 1046 patients with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer (cases) and from 1035 age frequency-matched controls. The association of the CRP SNPs with endometrial cancer risk and their modification on the association between obesity and endometrial cancer risk were evaluated. RESULTS: Although CRP SNPs alone were not associated with endometrial cancer, the associations of endometrial cancer with central obesity, measured as the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and the waist circumference, seemed to be stronger in women who were homozygous for the major allele of reference SNP (rs)1130864 (cytidine [C]/C) than in women who had the C/thymidine (T) and T/T genotypes (interaction test: P = .013 for WHR; P = .083 for waist circumference). When the women were stratified further by menopausal status, the observed interactions persisted mainly in premenopausal women (interaction test: P < .001 for WHR; P = .002 for waist circumference). CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggested that, in the Chinese population that was studied, obesity-related insulin resistance and proinflammatory effects may play an important role in endometrial cancer risk, and these effects were modified significantly by the CRP SNP rs1130864.

The Asp(327)Asn polymorphism in the sex hormone-binding globulin gene modifies the association of soy food and tea intake with endometrial cancer risk.

We evaluated the interactive effect of polymorphisms in the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) gene with soy isoflavones, tea consumption, and dietary fiber on endometrial cancer risk in a population-based, case-control study of 1,199 endometrial cancer patients and 1,212 controls. Genotyping of polymorphisms was performed by using TaqMan (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) assays (rs6259) or the Affymetrix MegAllele Targeted Genotyping System (Affymetrix, Inc., US) (rs13894, rs858521, and rs2955617). Dietary information was obtained using a validated food frequency questionnaire. A logistic regression model was employed to compute adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We found that the Asp(327)Asn (rs6259) polymorphism was associated with decreased risk of endometrial cancer, particularly among postmenopausal women (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.62-1.00). This single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) modified associations of soy isoflavones and tea consumption but not fiber intake with endometrial cancer, with the inverse association of soy intake and tea consumption being more evident for those with the Asp/Asp genotype of the SHBG gene at Asp(327)Asn (rs6259), particularly premenopausal women (P(interaction) = 0.06 and 0.02, respectively, for soy isoflavones and tea intake). This study suggests that gene-diet interaction may play an important role in the etiology of endometrial cancer risk.