[The role of histone acetylation in the basolateral amygdala in morphine-associated memory in rats].

To examine the regulatory effect of histone acetylation on memory related molecules, 34 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into control and basolateral amygdala (BLA) intracranial positioning operation groups. In the process of conditioned place preference (CPP) training, Trichostafin A (TSA) was administrated by the route of BLA and morphine was injected into enterocoelia with dimethyl sulfoxide or saline as control. Expression levels of H3K14 acetylation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in BLA were evaluated by Western blotting.The results showed that CPP could be established by intraperitoneal injection of morphine. Compared with control groups, a stronger place preference was established and expression of H3K14 acetylation and BDNF was significantly increased in the group treated with TSA and morphine. In addition, there was a synergistic effect between morphine and TSA. Our results suggested that the level of histone acetylation in BLA is associated with the formation of morphine memory in rats. Inhibition of the activity of histone deacetylases in BLA can promote the formation of cue-associated memory induced by morphine and the involvement of BDNF in BLA maybe was regulated by histone acetylation.

Association study identifying a new susceptibility gene (AUTS2) for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe and debilitating mental disorder, and the specific genetic factors that underlie the risk for SCZ remain elusive. The autism susceptibility candidate 2 (AUTS2) gene has been reported to be associated with autism, suicide, alcohol consumption, and heroin dependence. We hypothesized that AUTS2 might be associated with SCZ. In the present study, three polymorphisms (rs6943555, rs7459368, and rs9886351) in the AUTS2 gene were genotyped in 410 patients with SCZ and 435 controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and forced PCR-RFLP methods. We detected an association between SCZ and the rs6943555 genotype distribution (odds ratio (OR)=1.363, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.848-2.191, p=0.001). The association remained significant after adjusting for gender, and a significant effect (p=0.001) was observed among the females. In the present study, rs6943555 was determined to be associated with female SCZ. Our results confirm previous reports which have suggested that rs6943555 might elucidate the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and play an important role in its etiology.

Touch DNA of shed skin cells from the deployed airbag to address drunken driving crimes.

In the criminal cases of driving under the influence (DUI), DNA evidence can be collected from the deployed airbag of the motor vehicle and submitted to the crime lab for touch DNA analysis. The evidence can be acquired when the skin cells are observed on the surface of the airbag in a traffic accident. However, the low quantity or quality of the evidence collected from a crime scene prevents further identification analysis in many cases. In the current study, we reported a case of identifying touch DNA extraction from the shed skin cells from the deployed airbag of a motor vehicle. We managed to collect DNA evidence from the shed skin cells in an airbag using a proper approach of collection and extraction. The 5.87 ng of extracted DNA was sufficient for genotyping and forensic identification, which helped to identify the driver of the car in collision with a pier in the street. In DUI cases and other traffic accidents, therefore, the amount of touch DNA extracted from the deployed airbag can be sufficient for DNA marker genotyping and further analysis.

[Genetic structure of X-STR loci in Bai, Dai and Yi ethnic groups and their affinity with five major populations of China].

To determine the genetic polymorphism of three X-STR loci for Bai, Dai, Yi ethnic groups from Yunnan Province, DXS6804, DXS6799 and DXS7132 were genotyped by multiplex PCR and Genscan. Eighteen alleles and thirty-eight genotypes were detected in 89 Bai unrelated persons. The gene frequencies ranged from 0.0200 to 0.6400, and the geno-types frequencies ranged from 0.0256 to 0.3333. Seventeen alleles and twenty-four genotypes were detected in 100 Dai unrelated persons, with the gene frequencies ranging from 0.0135 to 0.7500 and the genotypes frequencies ranging from 0.0385 to 0.5769 respectively. There were 20 alleles and 35 genotypes detected in 88 Yi unrelated persons. The gene frequencies ranged from 0.0125 to 0.5875, and the genotypes frequencies ranged from 0.0250 to 0.3500. The genetic information demonstrated that the three loci are highly polymorphisms in Bai, Dai, Yi ethnic groups. Cluster analysis and phylogenic tree showed the genetic affinity between Bai, Dai, Yi, and Tibet populations.

The dopamine D1 but not D3 receptor plays a fundamental role in spatial working memory and BDNF expression in prefrontal cortex of mice.

Although dopamine within the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in working memory, how different dopamine receptor subtypes contribute to this process need to be further characterized. Previous studies have suggest the importance of dopamine receptors signaling in regulating the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) function that is associated with synaptic plasticity underlying normal memory formation. Changes in BDNF expression through the dopamine receptors within the prefrontal cortex may accompany and mediate the spatial working memory. To test the possibility, dopamine D1 and D3 receptor mutant mice were tested in Morris water maze for spatial working memory. We found that trial-dependent, matching-to-sample, learning of the platform location, an index of short-term spatial working memory in mice, was significantly impaired in D1 receptor knockout mice compared to wild-type mice, and regular performance of D3 receptor mutants was observed in the similar working memory task. BDNF protein was significantly decreased in prefrontal cortex, though not in hippocampus, of the D1 receptor knockout mice, whereas no changes were found in both prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of D3 receptor knockout mice. These data suggest that dopamine D1 but not D3 receptors are critical for prefrontal cortex BDNF expression which may be related to spatial working memory processes.

[Establishment of cell lines derived from skin biopsies of crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) and their biological characteristics].

The crested ibis is among the rarest and most endangered species worldwide. To preserve its genetic resources and conveniently provide materials for biological research, we successfully established two cell lines from biopsies of a male and female adult crested ibis. The cultured cells from both specimens had typical fibroblast morphology. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the cultured cells strongly expressed the marker of smooth muscle specific α-actin, clearly indicating the cells were from the smooth muscle tissue. Growth property analysis showed that the cells grew well past the first 10 passages and continued growing with reduced proliferation after 15 passages, but ceased by passage 25 as the cells could not grow to form a confluent monolayer. From these two cell lines, we harvested mitotic metaphase chromosomes and conducted different staining, banding, and fluorescent in situ hybridization. Throughout the process, cells maintained normal diploidy, with the karyotypes of these two cell lines being 2n=68, ZZ in the male and 2n=68, ZW in the female. Patterns of Ag staining, C- and G-bands of the crested ibis chromosomes were also studied. Banding analyses and fluorescent in situ hybridization also allowed identification of the sex chromosomes. We suggest that the external implants method for establishing primary cell lines used in this study may also be applicable to other birds, especially similarly endangered avian species.