Characterization of the Microbial Communities in the Ant Lion Euroleon coreanus (Okamoto) (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae).

Euroleon coreanus (Okamoto) is widely distributed in China, and the larval stage can be treated as traditional Chinese medicine. However, the host-bacterium relationship remains unexplored, as there is a lack of knowledge on the microbial community of ant lions. Hence, in the current study, we explored the microbial community of the larval ant lion E. coreanus using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Results indicated that a total of 10 phyla, 126 genera, and 145 species were characterized from the second instars of E. coreanus, and most of the microbes were classified in the phylum Proteobacteria. Cronobacter muytjensii was the most abundant species characterized in the whole body and gut of E. coreanus, and the unclassified species in the genera Brevundimonas and Lactobacillus were relatively more abundant in the head and carcass. In addition, no Wolbachia-like bacteria were detected, whereas bacteria like Francisella tularensis subsp. Holarctica OSU18 and unclassified Rickettsiella were first identified in ant lion E. coreanus.

Cellulolytic activity and structure of symbiotic bacteria in locust guts.

Locusts are able to digest the cellulose of Gramineae plants, resulting in their being considered as major crop pests. To illustrate the mechanism involved in cellulose digestion, the cellulolytic activity and zymography in the gut contents of 16 locust species were determined using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as substrate. The diversity of gut symbiotic bacteria was studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results showed that high CMC activity was present in Acrididae gut fluid (mean 356.4 U/g proteins). Of the 5 locust species, Oxya chinensis had the highest diversity of intestinal symbiotic bacteria, characterized by the DGGE profile containing more than 20 bands of 16S rRNA. Klebsiella pneumoniae, in the gut of Locusta migratoria manilensis, was identified as the most abundant symbiotic bacterium by DNA sequencing, with a relative abundance of 19.74%. In comparison, Methylobacterium sp was the most dominant species in the Atractomorpha sinensis gut, with a relative abundance of 29.04%. The results indicated that the cellulolytic enzymes and gut microbial communities probably reflected their phylogenetic relationship with different locust species and associated feeding strategies.

Meta-analysis demonstrates association between Arg72Pro polymorphism in the P53 gene and susceptibility to keloids in the Chinese population.

Although there is evidence suggesting genetic susceptibility for keloids, studies investigating the association between Arg72Pro polymorphism in the P53 gene and tendency to form keloids have given variable results. We made a meta-analysis of the effects of P53 Arg72Pro polymorphism on keloid risk in the Chinese population by conducting searches of the published literature in Pubmed, Embase, CBMdisc, and CNKI databases up to June 2011. Six studies were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 359 keloid cases and 493 healthy controls. Meta-analysis results, respectively in the PCR-reverse dot blot and PCR-RFLP subgroups, showed significant associations between P53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and susceptibility to keloid in the comparisons of Pro allele vs Arg allele (odds ratio (OR) = 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.45-3.60; OR = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.56-0.98); Pro/Pro vs Pro/Arg + Arg/Arg (OR = 2.91, 95%CI = 1.88-4.53; OR = 0.54, 95%CI = 0.32-0.92); Pro/Pro vs Arg/Arg (OR = 2.79, 95%CI = 1.54-5.06; OR = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.28-0.92); Pro/Pro vs Pro/Arg (OR = 2.85, 95%CI = 1.75-4.63; OR = 0.57, 95%CI = 0.32-0.99). We conclude that the Pro allele of P53 Arg72Pro polymorphism is a risk factor for keloids in the Chinese population.

Association of -619C/T polymorphism in CDSN gene and psoriasis risk: a meta-analysis.

Previous studies investigating the association between corneodesmosin (CDSN) polymorphisms and psoriasis risk have provided inconsistent results. The aim of our study was to clarify the effects of CDSN -619C/T polymorphism on psoriasis risk by conducting a meta-analysis. We conducted searches of the published literature in Pubmed and Embase databases up to October 2010. Six studies with a total of 842 psoriasis cases and 981 healthy controls were retrieved. Statistical analysis was performed with the programs Review Manager (version 5.0.24) and Stata (version 9.2). Meta-analysis results showed that there was no significant difference in CDSN -619C/T genotype distribution between psoriasis and control in the comparisons of C allele vs T allele, CC vs CT + TT, CC + CT vs TT, CC vs TT, and CC vs CT (respectively: OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 0.82-2.00, P = 0.28; OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 0.80-2.21, P = 0.28; OR = 1.23, 95%CI = 0.80-1.91, P = 0.35; OR = 1.41, 95%CI = 0.64-3.12, P = 0.40; OR = 1.30, 95%CI = 0.81-2.06, P = 0.27). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, results also showed no significant association between CDSN -619C/T polymorphism and susceptibility to psoriasis in both Caucasian and Asian populations. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that CDSN -619C/T polymorphism may not be associated with susceptibility to psoriasis.