LncRNA SNHG1 regulates neuroblastoma cell fate via interactions with HDAC1/2.

The small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) is a novel oncogenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) aberrantly expressed in different tumor types. We previously found highly expressed SNHG1 was associated with poor prognosis and MYCN status in neuroblastoma (NB). However, the molecular mechanisms of SNHG1 in NB are still unclear. Here, we disrupted endogenous SNHG1 in the MYCN-amplified NB cell line SK-N-BE(2)C using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and demonstrated the proliferation and colony formation ability of SNHG1-knowndown cells were suppressed. The transcriptome analysis and functional assays of SNHG1-knockdown cells revealed SNHG1 was involved in various biological processes including cell growth, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, the expression of core regulatory circuitry (CRC) transcription factors in MYCN-amplified NB, including PHOX2B, HAND2, GATA3, ISL1, TBX1, and MYCN, were decreased in SNHG1-knockdown cells. The chromatin-immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) analyses showed that chromatin status of these CRC members was altered, which might stem from interactions between SNHG1 and HDAC1/2. These findings demonstrate that SNHG1 plays a crucial role in maintaining NB identity via chromatin regulation and reveal the function of the lncRNA SNHG1 in NB.

Exploration of Root-associated Bacteria from the Medicinal Plant Platycodon grandiflorum.

The present study was performed to investigate root-associated bacteria from Platycodon grandiflorum, a medicinal plant commonly grown in East Asia. Isolates were obtained from the rhizosphere or root interior with various culture media, and phylogenetic analyses were performed based on their 16S rDNA sequences. In consideration of practical applications, traits related to plant growth promotion and niche adaptation were assessed in several endophytic strains with fewer biosafety concerns. The effects of a bacterial inoculation on seedling and mature plant growth were evaluated. Seventeen genera that encompassed more than 30 bacterial lineages were successfully retrieved from the roots, the majority of which have not been reported as P. grandiflorum-associated bacteria, particularly for non-negligible Proteobacteria. Although nitrogen-fixing or phosphate-solubilizing and indole acetic acid-producing activities were recorded in all of the strains selected, these strains were beneficial or detrimental to plant growth as evidenced by their influence on the length of seedlings and biomass of mature plants. Among the 4 endophytic Rhizobium species tested in the present study, the potentially novel Rhizobium sp. BF-E16, which was more compatible with the non-leguminous medicinal plant P. grandiflorum, was identified. Other than plant growth-promoting traits, characteristics such as plant constituent-hydrolyzing activities need to be taken into consideration and their roles clarified when investigating plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

A circuit-dependent ROS feedback loop mediates glutamate excitotoxicity to sculpt the Drosophila motor system.

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to mediate glutamate excitotoxicity in neurological diseases. However, how ROS burdens can influence neural circuit integrity remains unclear. Here, we investigate the impact of excitotoxicity induced by depletion of Drosophila Eaat1, an astrocytic glutamate transporter, on locomotor central pattern generator (CPG) activity, neuromuscular junction architecture, and motor function. We show that glutamate excitotoxicity triggers a circuit-dependent ROS feedback loop to sculpt the motor system. Excitotoxicity initially elevates ROS, thereby inactivating cholinergic interneurons and consequently changing CPG output activity to overexcite motor neurons and muscles. Remarkably, tonic motor neuron stimulation boosts muscular ROS, gradually dampening muscle contractility to feedback-enhance ROS accumulation in the CPG circuit and subsequently exacerbate circuit dysfunction. Ultimately, excess premotor excitation of motor neurons promotes ROS-activated stress signaling that alters neuromuscular junction architecture. Collectively, our results reveal that excitotoxicity-induced ROS can perturb motor system integrity through a circuit-dependent mechanism.

Differential efficacy of genetically swapping GAL4.

Several large or mid-scale collections of Drosophila enhancer traps have been recently created to allow for genetic swapping of GAL4 coding sequences to versatile transcription activators or suppressors such as LexA, QF, split-GAL4 (GAL4-AD and GAL4-DBD), GAL80 and QS. Yet a systematic analysis of the feasibility and reproducibility of these tools is lacking. Here we focused on InSITE GAL4 drivers that specifically label different subpopulations of olfactory neurons, particularly local interneurons (LNs), and genetically swapped the GAL4 domain for LexA, GAL80 or QF at the same locus. We found that the major utility-limiting factor for these genetic swaps is that many do not fully reproduce the original GAL4 expression patterns. Different donors exhibit distinct efficacies for reproducing original GAL4 expression patterns. The successfully swapped lines reported here will serve as valuable reagents and expand the genetic toolkits of Drosophila olfactory circuit research.

Medical advice-seeking behaviors based on transaction cost theory.

BACKGROUND: Given the global trend of aging societies, medical expenditure has hit record highs in many countries. Because medical advice-seeking behaviors can affect the health of whole societies, how members of a society make medical-related decisions with limited available resources is worthy of investigation. Although transaction cost theory has been extensively applied in commercial research, it is yet to be applied in studies on medical advice-seeking behaviors. METHOD AND RESULTS: This study conducted in-depth interviews with 15 participants and verified that transaction cost theory is applicable for analyzing people's medical advice-seeking behaviors. CONCLUSION: This study verified that transaction cost theory influenced the participants' choices of physicians and treatment methods, which implies that improved transparency of medical information could considerably reduce transaction costs in relation to medical behaviors and enhance people's well-being.

Publisher Correction: Diverse populations of local interneurons integrate into the Drosophila adult olfactory circuit.

The original version of this Article contained errors in Figs. 4 and 6. In Fig. 4, panel a, text labels UAS-FLP and LexAop2>stop>myr::smGdP-HA were shifted upwards during typesetting of the figure, and in Fig. 6, panel h, the number 15 was incorrectly placed on the heat map scale. These have now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Diverse populations of local interneurons integrate into the Drosophila adult olfactory circuit.

Drosophila olfactory local interneurons (LNs) in the antennal lobe are highly diverse and variable. How and when distinct types of LNs emerge, differentiate, and integrate into the olfactory circuit is unknown. Through systematic developmental analyses, we found that LNs are recruited to the adult olfactory circuit in three groups. Group 1 LNs are residual larval LNs. Group 2 are adult-specific LNs that emerge before cognate sensory and projection neurons establish synaptic specificity, and Group 3 LNs emerge after synaptic specificity is established. Group 1 larval LNs are selectively reintegrated into the adult circuit through pruning and re-extension of processes to distinct regions of the antennal lobe, while others die during metamorphosis. Precise temporal control of this pruning and cell death shapes the global organization of the adult antennal lobe. Our findings provide a road map to understand how LNs develop and contribute to constructing the olfactory circuit.

Demand for online platforms for medical word-of-mouth.

The choice of medical services affects an individual's treatment and health. However, few studies have focused on medical electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), which has the greatest impact on such choices. This study was performed to explore the need for and general public's attitude toward medical eWOM and provide a reference for government, media, and medical practitioners. In this study, 84% of the respondents had experience using online evaluation platforms to search for eWOM, and those who were satisfied with the online evaluation platforms substantially outnumbered those who were dissatisfied. The respondents generally believed that there is a need for physician evaluation platforms, although a difference remained between respondents who needed the online evaluation platforms (72.0%) and were willing to reference them (72.0%) and those who trusted them (46.5%) and were willing to provide their opinions (55.0%). These results could signify that despite the public's need, the public remains doubtful of the information provided by these online evaluation platforms.

Optomotor-blind negatively regulates Drosophila eye development by blocking Jak/STAT signaling.

Organ formation requires a delicate balance of positive and negative regulators. In Drosophila eye development, wingless (wg) is expressed at the lateral margins of the eye disc and serves to block retinal development. The T-box gene optomotor-blind (omb) is expressed in a similar pattern and is regulated by Wg. Omb mediates part of Wg activity in blocking eye development. Omb exerts its function primarily by blocking cell proliferation. These effects occur predominantly in the ventral margin. Our results suggest that the primary effect of Omb is the blocking of Jak/STAT signaling by repressing transcription of upd which encodes the Jak receptor ligand Unpaired.

Bovine induced pluripotent stem cells are more resistant to apoptosis than testicular cells in response to mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate.

Although the androgen receptor (AR) has been implicated in the promotion of apoptosis in testicular cells (TSCs), the molecular pathway underlying AR-mediated apoptosis and its sensitivity to environmental hormones in TSCs and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) remain unclear. We generated the iPSCs from bovine TSCs via the electroporation of OCT4. The established iPSCs were supplemented with leukemia inhibitory factor and bone morphogenetic protein 4 to maintain and stabilize the expression of stemness genes and their pluripotency. Apoptosis signaling was assessed after exposure to mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), the active metabolite of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Here, we report that iPSCs were more resistant to MEHP-induced apoptosis than were original TSCs. MEHP also repressed the expression of AR and inactivated WNT signaling, and then led to the commitment of cells to apoptosis via the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21CIP1. The loss of the frizzed receptor 7 and the gain of p21CIP were responsible for the stimulatory effect of MEHP on AR-mediated apoptosis. Our results suggest that testicular iPSCs can be used to study the signaling pathways involved in the response to environmental disruptors, and to assess the toxicity of environmental endocrine disruptors in terms of the maintenance of stemness and pluripotency.

Subdural hygroma-related heterotopic ossification in a patient with a stroke: a case report.

BACKGROUND: This study presents a patient with a stroke who had total paralysis of his left-side limbs after intracranial haemorrhaging, who later experienced partial weakness of the right-side limbs after a subdural hygroma. Both conditions occurred without major trauma. He received two separate operations, a craniotomy and placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, before the appearance of the subdural hygroma. CASE STUDY: According to the literature, heterotopic ossification is often reported with major trauma-associated diseases, but is less frequently found in patients with non-traumatic conditions, from which this patient suffered. Although the patient had experienced no major trauma, he had multiple heterotopic ossifications on the side of the subdural hygroma-affected limbs, which exhibited better motor control and were less spastic than those of the opposite side. These heterotopic ossifications were around joints of the hip, knee and shoulder on his right side, as proven by plain radiography and a triple-phase bone scan and resulted in marked limitations of joint motions. This patient thus had major disabilities of his limbs bilaterally. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of heterotopic ossifications in the less-paretic limbs might have worsened this patient's functional outcome.

Power Doppler presentation of shoulders with biceps disorder.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the patterns of power Doppler signals on the long head of the biceps tendon at asymptomatic controls and shoulders with clinically diagnosed biceps disorder. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Hospital rehabilitation department. PARTICIPANTS: Asymptomatic adults (n=27) were included in the control group, and patients with unilateral biceps disorder (n=17) were recruited for the patient group. Basic gray color ultrasound screening was performed for rotator cuff tendons antecedently. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Three scan views were taken on the anterior shoulder by power Doppler sonography, including the transverse plane of the long head of the biceps tendon, and the longitudinal planes along the lateral and medial edge of the bicipital groove. We compared the patterns and the power Doppler signal area within and between both groups. RESULTS: In shoulders of healthy controls and the asymptomatic side of patients, the power Doppler signal area of the longitudinal planes along the lateral edge of the bicipital groove was significantly larger than that along the medial edge of the bicipital groove. However, there was no significant difference in the painful side of patients. Moreover, the painful shoulders had a higher prevalence of power Doppler signal medial to the biceps tendon in the transverse plane, which paralleled bicipital peritendinous effusion and rotator cuff abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: The power Doppler signal was more frequently observed medial to the biceps tendon in shoulders with clinically diagnosed biceps disorder. Whether shoulders with this specific power Doppler signal pattern benefit more from anti-inflammatory therapy needs further exploration.