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1.
BioData Min ; 17(1): 9, 2024 Mar 05.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38444019

BACKGROUND: Integrating multi-omics data is emerging as a critical approach in enhancing our understanding of complex diseases. Innovative computational methods capable of managing high-dimensional and heterogeneous datasets are required to unlock the full potential of such rich and diverse data. METHODS: We propose a Multi-Omics integration framework with auxiliary Classifiers-enhanced AuToencoders (MOCAT) to utilize intra- and inter-omics information comprehensively. Additionally, attention mechanisms with confidence learning are incorporated for enhanced feature representation and trustworthy prediction. RESULTS: Extensive experiments were conducted on four benchmark datasets to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed model, including BRCA, ROSMAP, LGG, and KIPAN. Our model significantly improved most evaluation measurements and consistently surpassed the state-of-the-art methods. Ablation studies showed that the auxiliary classifiers significantly boosted classification accuracy in the ROSMAP and LGG datasets. Moreover, the attention mechanisms and confidence evaluation block contributed to improvements in the predictive accuracy and generalizability of our model. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed framework exhibits superior performance in disease classification and biomarker discovery, establishing itself as a robust and versatile tool for analyzing multi-layer biological data. This study highlights the significance of elaborated designed deep learning methodologies in dissecting complex disease phenotypes and improving the accuracy of disease predictions.

2.
Int J Mol Sci ; 25(3)2024 Jan 29.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38338932

Advancing the domain of biomedical investigation, integrated multi-omics data have shown exceptional performance in elucidating complex human diseases. However, as the variety of omics information expands, precisely perceiving the informativeness of intra- and inter-omics becomes challenging due to the intricate interrelations, thus presenting significant challenges in the integration of multi-omics data. To address this, we introduce a novel multi-omics integration approach, referred to as TEMINET. This approach enhances diagnostic prediction by leveraging an intra-omics co-informative representation module and a trustworthy learning strategy used to address inter-omics fusion. Considering the multifactorial nature of complex diseases, TEMINET utilizes intra-omics features to construct disease-specific networks; then, it applies graph attention networks and a multi-level framework to capture more collective informativeness than pairwise relations. To perceive the contribution of co-informative representations within intra-omics, we designed a trustworthy learning strategy to identify the reliability of each omics in integration. To integrate inter-omics information, a combined-beliefs fusion approach is deployed to harmonize the trustworthy representations of different omics types effectively. Our experiments across four different diseases using mRNA, methylation, and miRNA data demonstrate that TEMINET achieves advanced performance and robustness in classification tasks.


MicroRNAs , Multiomics , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Learning , MicroRNAs/genetics , Protein Processing, Post-Translational
3.
BMC Genom Data ; 25(1): 11, 2024 Jan 30.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38291423

OBJECTIVES: A genome sequence of a threatened species can provide valuable genetic information that is important for improving the conservation strategies. The white-eared night heron (Gorsachius magnificus) is an endangered and poorly known ardeid bird. In order to support future studies on conservation genetics and evolutionary adaptation of this species, we have reported a de novo assembled and annotated whole-genome sequence of the G. magnificus. DATA DESCRIPTION: The final draft genome assembly of the G. magnificus was 1.19 Gb in size, with a contig N50 of 187.69 kb and a scaffold N50 of 7,338.28 kb. According to BUSCO analysis, the genome assembly contained 97.49% of the 8,338 genes in the Aves (odb10) dataset. Approximately 10.52% of the genome assembly was composed of repetitive sequences. A total of 14,613 protein-coding genes were predicted in the genome assembly, with functional annotations available for 14,611 genes. The genome assembly exhibited a heterozygosity rate of 0.49 heterozygosity per kilobase pair. This draft genome of G. magnificus provides valuable genomic resources for future studies on conservation and evolution.


Genome , Genomics , Animals , Molecular Sequence Annotation , Genome/genetics , Endangered Species , Birds/genetics
4.
Chem Asian J ; 19(4): e202301031, 2024 Feb 16.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38081784

Dearomative intramolecular Diels-Alder/sulfur extrusion reaction of thiophenes with alkynes successfully afforded fluoranthenes in moderate to excellent yields. The proximity of both reactive sites fixed at the peri-position of naphthalene would play an important role in the progress of this reaction. Tri(o-tolyl)phosphine effectively suppressed the side reactions as a sulfur scavenger.

5.
Small ; 20(6): e2305902, 2024 Feb.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37775329

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries are regarded as promising energy storage devices due to their attractive economic benefits and extraordinary electrochemical performance. However, the sluggish Zn2+ mass transfer behavior and water-induced parasitic reactions that occurred on the anode-electrode interface inevitably restrain their applications. Herein, inspired by the selective permeability and superior stability of plasma membrane, a thin UiO-66 metal-organic framework layer with smart aperture size is ex-situ decorated onto the Zn anode. Experimental characterizations in conjunction with theoretical calculations demonstrate that this bio-inspired layer promotes the de-solvation process of hydrated Zn2+ and reduces the effective contact between the anode and H2 O molecules, thereby boosting Zn2+ deposition kinetics and restraining interfacial parasitic reactions. Hence, the Zn||Zn cells could sustain a long lifespan of 1680 h and the Zn||Cu cells yielded a stable coulombic efficiency of over 99.3% throughout 600 cycles under the assistance of the bio-inspired layer. Moreover, pairing with δ-MnO2 cathode, the full cells also demonstrate prominent cycling stability and rate performance. From the bio-inspired design philosophy, this work provides a novel insight into the development of aqueous batteries.

6.
Neurobiol Aging ; 134: 84-93, 2024 Feb.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38039940

Although genome-wide association studies have identified multiple Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated loci by selecting the main effects of individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the interpretation of genetic variance in AD is limited. Based on the linear regression method, we performed genome-wide SNP-SNP interaction on cerebrospinal fluid Aß42 to identify potential genetic epistasis implicated in AD, with age, gender, and diagnosis as covariates. A GPU-based method was used to address the computational challenges posed by the analysis of epistasis. We found 368 SNP pairs to be statistically significant, and highly significant SNP-SNP interactions were identified between the marginal main effects of SNP pairs, which explained a relatively high variance at the Aß42 level. Our results replicated 100 previously reported AD-related genes and 5 gene-gene interaction pairs of the protein-protein interaction network. Our bioinformatics analyses provided preliminary evidence that the 5-overlapping gene-gene interaction pairs play critical roles in inducing synaptic loss and dysfunction, thereby leading to memory decline and cognitive impairment in AD-affected brains.


Alzheimer Disease , Humans , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Epistasis, Genetic/genetics , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Genome-Wide Association Study , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid
7.
Infect Med (Beijing) ; 2(3): 212-223, 2023 Sep.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38073882

Background: West Nile virus is a severe zoonotic pathogen that can cause severe central nervous system symptoms in humans and horses, and is fatal for birds, chickens and other poultry. With no specific drugs or vaccines available, antibody-based therapy is a promising treatment. This study aims to develop neutralizing antibodies against West Nile virus and assess their cross-protective potential against Japanese encephalitis virus. Methods: Monoclonal antibodies against WNV and JEV were isolated by hybridoma technology. The therapeutic efficacy of these antibodies was evaluated using a mouse model, and a humanized version of the monoclonal antibody was generated for potential human application. Results: In this study, we generated eight monoclonal antibodies that exhibit neutralizing activity against WNV. Their therapeutic effects against WNV were validated both in vivo and in vitro. Among these antibodies, C9-G11-F3 also exhibited cross-protective activity against JEV. We also humanized the antibody to ensure that it could be used for WNV infection treatment in humans. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of neutralizing antibodies as a promising approach for protection against West Nile virus infection and suggests their potential utility in the development of therapeutic interventions.

8.
Int J Mol Med ; 52(5)2023 11.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37800616

Iron overload is a prevalent pathological factor observed among elderly individuals and those with specific hematological disorders, and is frequently associated with an elevated incidence of osteoporosis. Although arctiin (ARC) has been shown to possess antioxidant properties and the ability to mitigate bone degeneration, its mechanism of action in the treatment of iron overload­induced osteoporosis (IOOP) remains incompletely understood. To explore the potential molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of ARC, the MC3T3­E1 cell osteoblast cell line was used. Cell Counting Kit was used to assess MC3T3­E1 cell viability. Alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red staining were assessed for osteogenic differentiation. Calcein AM assay was used to assess intracellular iron concentration. In addition, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxides, mitochondrial ROS, apoptosis rate and mitochondrial membrane potential changes in MC3T3­E1 cells were examined using flow cytometry and corresponding fluorescent dyes. The relationship between ARC and the PI3K/Akt pathway was then explored by western blotting and immunofluorescence. In addition, the effects of ARC on IOOP was verified using an iron overload mouse model. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate expression of osteogenesis­related proteins. Micro-CT and H&E were used to analyze bone microstructural parameters and histomorphometric indices in the bone tissue. Notably, ARC treatment reversed the decreased viability and increased apoptosis in MC3T3­E1 cells originally induced by ferric ammonium citrate, whilst promoting the formation of mineralized bone nodules in MC3T3­E1 cells. Furthermore, iron overload induced a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, augmented lipid peroxidation and increased the accumulation of ROS in MC3T3­E1 cells. ARC not only positively regulated the anti­apoptotic and osteogenic capabilities of these cells via modulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, but also exhibited antioxidant properties by reducing oxidative stress. In vivo experiments confirmed that ARC improved bone microarchitecture and biochemical parameters in a mouse model of iron overload. In conclusion, ARC exhibits potential as a therapeutic agent for IOOP by modulating the PI3K/Akt pathway, and via its anti­apoptotic, antioxidant and osteogenic properties.


Iron Overload , Osteoporosis , Humans , Mice , Animals , Aged , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Osteogenesis , Iron Overload/complications , Iron Overload/drug therapy , Iron Overload/metabolism , Osteoporosis/drug therapy , Osteoporosis/etiology , Osteoblasts/metabolism
9.
J Phys Chem Lett ; 14(41): 9150-9158, 2023 Oct 19.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37796231

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are considered promising energy storage devices due to their superior electrochemical performance. Nevertheless, the uncontrolled dendrites and parasitic side reactions adversely affect the stability and durability of the Zn anode. To cope with these issues, inspired by the chelation behavior between metal ions and amino acids in the biological system, glutamic acid and aspartic acid are selected as electrolyte additives to stabilize the Zn anode. Experimental characterizations in conjunction with theoretical calculation results indicate that these additives can simultaneously modify the solvation structure of hydrated Zn2+ and preferentially adsorb onto the Zn anode, thereby restricting the occurrence of interfacial side reactions and enhancing the performance of the Zn anode. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the as-assembled Zn-based batteries containing additive electrolytes achieved admirable electrochemical performance. From the viewpoint of electrolyte regulation, this work provides a bright direction toward the development of aqueous batteries.

10.
J Phys Chem Lett ; 14(41): 9167-9175, 2023 Oct 19.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37797163

Aqueous zinc ion batteries exhibit a promising application prospect for next-generation energy storage devices. However, the decomposition of active H2O molecules on the Zn anode induces drastic dendrite formation, thereby impairing the performance for entire devices. To solve this challenge, we introduce subnanocyclic molecules of 15-Crown-5 as an additive into ZnSO4 electrolyte to stabilize the Zn anode. Owing to the binding property of crown ethers with alkali metal ions and the size-fit rule, the 15-Crown-5 additives enable effective regulation of the solvation structure of hydrated Zn2+ and reduce the efficient contact between Zn anode and active H2O, which are validated by the experimental analysis and theoretical calculations. Under the assistance of the 15-Crown-5 additive, the as-assembled Zn-based batteries deliver superior performance compared with ZnSO4 and 18-Crown-6contaning ZnSO4 electrolytes. This work shows a bright direction toward progress in aqueous batteries.

11.
Genes (Basel) ; 14(7)2023 06 23.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37510227

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main cause of dementia worldwide, and the genetic mechanism of which is not yet fully understood. Much evidence has accumulated over the past decade to suggest that after the first large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted, the problem of "missing heritability" in AD is still a great challenge. Epistasis has been considered as one of the main causes of "missing heritability" in AD, which has been largely ignored in human genetics. The focus of current genome-wide epistasis studies is usually on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have significant individual effects, and the amount of heritability explained by which was very low. Moreover, AD is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and neuronal damage, and some studies have suggested that hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau) mediates neuronal death by inducing necroptosis and inflammation in AD. Therefore, this study focused on identifying epistasis between two-marker interactions at marginal main effects across the whole genome using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) P-tau as quantitative trait (QT). We sought to detect interactions between SNPs in a multi-GPU based linear regression method by using age, gender, and clinical diagnostic status (cds) as covariates. We then used the STRING online tool to perform the PPI network and identify two-marker epistasis at the level of gene-gene interaction. A total of 758 SNP pairs were found to be statistically significant. Particularly, between the marginal main effect SNP pairs, highly significant SNP-SNP interactions were identified, which explained a relatively high variance at the P-tau level. In addition, 331 AD-related genes were identified, 10 gene-gene interaction pairs were replicated in the PPI network. The identified gene-gene interactions and genes showed associations with AD in terms of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, neuronal cells activation and brain development, thereby leading to cognitive decline in AD, which is indirectly associated with the P-tau pathological feature of AD and in turn supports the results of this study. Thus, the results of our study might be beneficial for explaining part of the "missing heritability" of AD.


Alzheimer Disease , Humans , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , tau Proteins/genetics , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Amyloid beta-Peptides/genetics , Genome-Wide Association Study , Epistasis, Genetic
12.
Commun Biol ; 6(1): 746, 2023 07 18.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37463976

Conservation genomics often relies on non-invasive methods to obtain DNA fragments which limit the power of multi-omic analyses for threatened species. Here, we report multi-omic analyses based on a well-preserved great bustard individual (Otis tarda, Otidiformes) that was found dead in the mountainous region in Gansu, China. We generate a near-complete genome assembly containing only 18 gaps scattering in 8 out of the 40 assembled chromosomes. We characterize the DNA methylation landscape which is correlated with GC content and gene expression. Our phylogenomic analysis suggests Otidiformes and Musophagiformes are sister groups that diverged from each other 46.3 million years ago. The genetic diversity of great bustard is found the lowest among the four available Otidiformes genomes, possibly due to population declines during past glacial periods. As one of the heaviest migratory birds, great bustard possesses several expanded gene families related to cardiac contraction, actin contraction, calcium ion signaling transduction, as well as positively selected genes enriched for metabolism. Finally, we identify an extremely young evolutionary stratum on the sex chromosome, a rare case among birds. Together, our study provides insights into the conservation genomics, adaption and chromosome evolution of the great bustard.


Birds , Endangered Species , Animals , Birds/genetics , DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics , Genomics , Phylogeny
14.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 120(8): e2216641120, 2023 02 21.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36780517

Microchromosomes are prevalent in nonmammalian vertebrates [P. D. Waters et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 118 (2021)], but a few of them are missing in bird genome assemblies. Here, we present a new chicken reference genome containing all autosomes, a Z and a W chromosome, with all gaps closed except for the W. We identified ten small microchromosomes (termed dot chromosomes) with distinct sequence and epigenetic features, among which six were newly assembled. Those dot chromosomes exhibit extremely high GC content and a high level of DNA methylation and are enriched for housekeeping genes. The pericentromeric heterochromatin of dot chromosomes is disproportionately large and continues to expand with the proliferation of satellite DNA and testis-expressed genes. Our analyses revealed that the 41-bp CNM repeat frequently forms higher-order repeats (HORs) at the centromeres of acrocentric chromosomes. The centromere core regions where the kinetochore attaches often encompass telomeric sequence (TTAGGG)n, and in a one of the dot chromosomes, the centromere core recruits an endogenous retrovirus (ERV). We further demonstrate that the W chromosome shares some common features with dot chromosomes, having large arrays of hypermethylated tandem repeats. Finally, using the complete chicken chromosome models, we reconstructed a fine picture of chordate karyotype evolution, revealing frequent chromosomal fusions before and after vertebrate whole-genome duplications. Our sequence and epigenetic characterization of chicken chromosomes shed insights into the understanding of vertebrate genome evolution and chromosome biology.


Centromere , Chickens , Animals , Male , Chickens/genetics , Centromere/genetics , Telomere , Heterochromatin , Tandem Repeat Sequences
15.
Small ; 19(10): e2207502, 2023 Mar.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36650991

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries hold attractive potential for large-scale energy storage devices owing to their prominent electrochemical performance and high security. Nevertheless, the applications of aqueous electrolytes have generated various challenges, including uncontrolled dendrite growth and parasitic reactions, thereby deteriorating the Zn anode's stability. Herein, inspired by the superior affinity between Zn2+ and amino acid chains in the zinc finger protein, a cost-effective and green glycine additive is incorporated into aqueous electrolytes to stabilize the Zn anode. As confirmed by experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations, the glycine additives can not only reorganize the solvation sheaths of hydrated Zn2+ via partial substitution of coordinated H2 O but also preferentially adsorb onto the Zn anode, thereby significantly restraining dendrite growth and interfacial side reactions. Accordingly, the Zn anode could realize a long lifespan of over 2000 h and enhanced reversibility (98.8%) in the glycine-containing electrolyte. Furthermore, the assembled Zn||α-MnO2 full cells with glycine-modified electrolyte also delivers substantial capacity retention (82.3% after 1000 cycles at 2 A g-1 ), showing promising application prospects. This innovative bio-inspired design concept would inject new vitality into the development of aqueous electrolytes.

16.
Small ; 19(3): e2205431, 2023 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36336631

Herein, inspired by natural sunflower heads' properties increasing the temperature of dish-shaped flowers by tracking the sun, a novel hybrid heterostructure (MoS2 /Ni3 S2 @CA, CA means carbon nanowire arrays) with the sunflower-like structure to boost the kinetics of water splitting is proposed. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that it can modulate the active electronic states of NiMo atoms around the Fermi-level through the charge transfer between the metallic atoms of Ni3 S2 and MoMo bonds of MoS2 to boost overall water splitting. Most importantly, the finite difference time domain (FDTD) could find that its unique bio-inspired micro-nano light-trapping structure has high solar photothermal conversion efficiency. With the assistance of the photothermal field, the kinetics of water-splitting is improved, affording low overpotentials of 96 and 229 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for HER and OER, respectively. Moreover, the Sun-MoS2 /Ni3 S2 @CA enables the overall alkaline water splitting at a low cell voltage of 1.48 and 1.64 V to achieve 10 and 100 mA cm-2 with outstanding catalytic durability. This study may open up a new route for rationally constructing bionic sunflower micro-nano light-trapping structure to maximize their photothermal conversion and electrochemical performances, and accelerate the development of nonprecious electrocatalysts for overall water splitting.


Nanostructures , Nanowires , Electrons , Molybdenum , Electronics
17.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces ; 14(48): 53677-53689, 2022 Dec 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36399399

As a result of the absence of solid-state diffusion limitation, intercalation pseudocapacitance behavior is emerging as an attractive charge-storage mechanism that can greatly facilitate the ion kinetics to boost the rate capability and cycle stability of batteries; however, related research in the field of zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) is still in the initial stage and only found in limited cathode materials. In this study, a novel V2O5-x@rGO hybrid aerogel consisting of ultrathin V2O5 nanosheets (∼1.26 nm) with abundant oxygen vacancies (Vö) and a three-dimensional (3D) graphene conductive network was specifically designed and used as a freestanding and binder-free electrode for ZIBs. As expected, the ideal microstructure of both the material and the electrode enable fast electron/ion diffusion kinetics of the electrode, which realize a typical intercalation pseudocapacitance behavior as demonstrated by the simulation calculation of cyclic voltammetry (CV), ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Thanks to the elimination of solid-state diffusion limitation, the V2O5-x@rGO electrode delivers a high reversible rate capacity of 153.9 mAh g-1 at 15 A g-1 and 90.6% initial capacity retention at 0.5 A g-1 after 1050 cycles in ZIBs. The intercalation pseudocapacitance behavior is also realized in the assembled soft-pack battery, showing promising practical application prospects.

18.
Comput Methods Programs Biomed ; 227: 107220, 2022 Dec.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36371975

BACKGROUND: High prevalence of hypertension and complicated medication knowledge have presented challenges to hypertension clinicians and general practitioners. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are developed to aid clinicians in decision making. Current clinical knowledge is stored in fixed templates, which are not intuitive for clinicians and limit the knowledge reusability. Knowledge graphs (KGs) store knowledge in a way that is not only intuitive to humans but also processable by computers directly. However, existing medical KGs such as UMLS and CMeKG are general purpose and thus lack enough knowledge to enable hypertension medication. METHODS: We first construct a KG specific to hypertension medication according to the Chinese hypertension guideline and then develop the corresponding CDSS to implement hypertension medication and knowledge management. Current advances in knowledge graph representation and modelling are researched and applied in the complex medical knowledge representation. Traditional knowledge representation and KG representation are innovatively combined in the storage of the KG to enable convenient knowledge management and easy application by the CDSS. Along a predefined reasoning path in the KG, the CDSS finally accomplishes the hypertension medication by applying knowledge stored in the KG. 124 health records of a hypertension Chief Physician from Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, are collected to evaluate the system metrics on the single drug recommendation task. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The proposed CDSS has functions of medication knowledge graph management and hypertension medication decision support. With elaborate design on knowledge representation, knowledge management is intuitive and convenient. By virtue of the KG, medication recommendations are highly visualized and explainable. Experiments on 124 health records with 90% guideline compliance collected from hospitals in single class recommendation task achieve 91%, 83% and 77% on recall, hit@3 and MRR metrics respectively, which demonstrates the quality of the KG and effectiveness of the system.


Decision Support Systems, Clinical , Hypertension , Humans , Pattern Recognition, Automated , Hypertension/drug therapy , Hospitals
19.
BMC Genomics ; 23(1): 683, 2022 Oct 03.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36192687

BACKGROUND: The black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is an ardeid bird successfully adapted to the nocturnal environment. Previous studies had indicated that the eyes of the night herons have evolved several specialized morphological traits favoring nocturnal vision. However, the molecular mechanisms of the nocturnal vision adaptation of night herons remained inattentions. In this study, the whole genome of N. nycticorax was sequenced and comparative analyses were performed on the vision-related and olfactory receptor (OR) genes to understand the molecular mechanisms of the visual and olfactory adaptation of night herons. RESULTS: The results indicated that a number of vision genes were under positive or relaxed selection in N. nycticorax, whereas a number of other vision genes were under relaxed or intensified selection in the boat-billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius), which suggested that the two species adapt to nocturnality with different genetic mechanisms. The different selections acting on vision genes are probably associated with the enlargement of eye size and the enhancement of visual sensitivity in night herons. The analyses on olfactory receptor (OR) genes indicated that the total number of OR genes in the genomes of N. nycticorax and C. cochlearius were about half those in the little egret (Egretta garzetta), whereas the diversity of their OR genes was not remarkably different. Additionally, the number of expressed OR genes in the transcriptomes of N. nycticorax was also fewer than that in E. garzetta. These results suggest a reduced olfactory capability in night herons compared with E. garzetta. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provided evidence that several vision genes of the night herons were subjected to different natural selections, which can contribute to a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms of visual adaptions of the night heron. In addition, the finding of the reduced number of total and expressed OR genes in night herons may reflect a trade-off between olfaction and vision.


Receptors, Odorant , Adaptation, Physiological/genetics , Animals , Birds/genetics , Genomics , Receptors, Odorant/genetics , Vision, Ocular
20.
iScience ; 25(11): 105300, 2022 Nov 18.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36304103

Testosterone is essential to human growth and development as well as immune regulation. Zika virus (ZIKV), an emerging arbovirus associated with neurological complications including neuroinflammation, can also cause testicular damage and decrease testosterone secretion. However, whether the dysregulation of testosterone plays a role in the process of neuroinflammation during ZIKV pathogenesis is still unclear. In this study, we found that ZIKV infection caused testicular damage and decreased testosterone secretion in male mice, and testosterone supplementation after ZIKV infection reduced their mortality and attenuated the pathological symptoms. Further investigation revealed that testosterone treatment after ZIKV infection alleviated inflammation and nerve injury in the mouse brain. Additionally, reduced CD8+ T cell infiltration and interferon-gamma production were observed in brains of testosterone-treated mice. Overall, our results demonstrated that testosterone plays a protective role in ZIKV-infected mice, and thus it can be developed as a potential therapeutic drug against ZIKV infection.

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