Retinopathy as a predictive indicator for significant hepatic fibrosis according to T2DM status: A cross-sectional study based on the national health and nutrition examination survey data.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), a prevalent metabolic disorder, often coexists with a range of complications, with retinopathy being particularly common. Recent studies have shed light on a potential connection between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and hepatic fibrosis, indicating a possible shared pathophysiological foundation in T2DM. This study investigates the correlation between retinopathy and hepatic fibrosis among individuals with T2DM, as well as evaluates the diagnostic value of DR for significant hepatic fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our cross-sectional analysis incorporated 5413 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008. The Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) classified hepatic fibrosis into different grades (F0-F4), with significant hepatic fibrosis marked as F2 or higher. Retinopathy severity was determined using retinal imaging and categorized into four levels. The analysis of variance or Chi-square tests facilitated group comparisons. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis appraised the predictive accuracy of retinopathy for significant hepatic fibrosis in the T2DM population. RESULTS: Among 5413 participants, the mean age was 59.56 ± 12.41, with 50.2% male. And 20.6% were diagnosed with T2DM. Hepatic fibrosis grading was positively associated with retinopathy severity (OR [odds ratio]: 1.521, 95%CI [confidence interval]: 1.152-2.008, P = 0.003) across the entire population. The association was amplified in the T2DM population according to Pearson's analysis results. The ROC curve demonstrated retinopathy's diagnostic capacity for significant hepatic fibrosis in the T2DM population (AUC [area under curve] = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.651-0.793, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Retinopathy could serve as an independent predictor of significant hepatic fibrosis in T2DM population. Ophthalmologists are advised to closely monitor T2DM patients with retinopathy.

MicroRNA-629-5p promotes osteosarcoma proliferation and migration by targeting caveolin 1.

Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that occurs in the bone. Previous studies have shown that multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the development of osteosarcoma. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-629-5p and its target gene, caveolin 1 (CAV1), in osteosarcoma development. To analyze the expression of miR-629-5p and CAV1 mRNA in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, qRT-PCR analysis was performed. Dual-luciferase reporter experiments were subsequently performed to validate the relationship between CAV1 and miR-629-5p. CCK8 assay was used to measure osteosarcoma cell proliferation, and wound-healing assay was performed to study their migratory phenotype. Our findings revealed that miR-629-5p was overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues and cells, and thereby enhanced cell proliferation and migration. Further, we validated that miR-629-5p targets CAV1 mRNA directly. CAV1 expression, which was negatively correlated with miR-629-5p expression, was found to be downregulated in osteosarcoma tissue samples. Moreover, our data showed that an increase in CAV1 level led to a decline in osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration, which could be rescued by miR-629-5p upregulation. Overall, our study confirmed that miR-629-5p promoted osteosarcoma proliferation and migration by directly inhibiting CAV1.

MicroRNA-629-5p promotes osteosarcoma proliferation and migration by targeting caveolin 1

Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that occurs in the bone. Previous studies have shown that multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the development of osteosarcoma. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-629-5p and its target gene, caveolin 1 (CAV1), in osteosarcoma development. To analyze the expression of miR-629-5p and CAV1 mRNA in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, qRT-PCR analysis was performed. Dual-luciferase reporter experiments were subsequently performed to validate the relationship between CAV1 and miR-629-5p. CCK8 assay was used to measure osteosarcoma cell proliferation, and wound-healing assay was performed to study their migratory phenotype. Our findings revealed that miR-629-5p was overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues and cells, and thereby enhanced cell proliferation and migration. Further, we validated that miR-629-5p targets CAV1 mRNA directly. CAV1 expression, which was negatively correlated with miR-629-5p expression, was found to be downregulated in osteosarcoma tissue samples. Moreover, our data showed that an increase in CAV1 level led to a decline in osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration, which could be rescued by miR-629-5p upregulation. Overall, our study confirmed that miR-629-5p promoted osteosarcoma proliferation and migration by directly inhibiting CAV1.

Rhizobium acidisoli sp. nov., isolated from root nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris in acid soils.

Two Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strains, FH13T and FH23, representing a novel group of Rhizobium isolated from root nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris in Mexico, were studied by a polyphasic analysis. Phylogeny of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed them to be members of the genus Rhizobium related most closely to 'Rhizobium anhuiense' CCBAU 23252 (99.7 % similarity), Rhizobium leguminosarum USDA 2370T (98.6 %), and Rhizobium sophorae CCBAU 03386T and others ( ≤ 98.3 %). In sequence analyses of the housekeeping genes recA, glnII and atpD, both strains formed a subclade distinct from all defined species of the genus Rhizobium at sequence similarities of 82.3-94.0 %, demonstrating that they represented a novel genomic species in the genus Rhizobium. Mean levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between the reference strain FH13T and the type strains of related species varied between 13.0 ± 2.0 and 52.1 ± 1.2 %. The DNA G+C content of strain FH13T was 63.5 mol% (Tm). The major cellular fatty acids were 16 : 0, 17 : 0 anteiso, 18 : 0, summed feature 2 (12 : 0 aldehyde/unknown 10.928) and summed feature 8 (18 : 1ω7c). The fatty acid 17 : 1ω5c was unique for this strain. Some phenotypic features, such as failure to utilize adonitol, l-arabinose, d-fructose and d-fucose, and ability to utilize d-galacturonic acid and itaconic acid as carbon source, could also be used to distinguish strain FH13T from the type strains of related species. Based upon these results, a novel species, Rhizobium acidisoli sp. nov., is proposed, with FH13T ( = CCBAU 101094T = HAMBI 3626T = LMG 28672T) as the type strain.

Sinorhizobium meliloti phospholipase C required for lipid remodeling during phosphorus limitation.

Rhizobia are Gram-negative soil bacteria able to establish nitrogen-fixing root nodules with their respective legume host plants. Besides phosphatidylglycerol, cardiolipin, and phosphatidylethanolamine, rhizobial membranes contain phosphatidylcholine (PC) as a major membrane lipid. Under phosphate-limiting conditions of growth, some bacteria replace their membrane phospholipids with lipids lacking phosphorus. In Sinorhizobium meliloti, these phosphorus-free lipids are sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol, ornithine-containing lipid, and diacylglyceryl trimethylhomoserine (DGTS). Pulse-chase experiments suggest that the zwitterionic phospholipids phosphatidylethanolamine and PC act as biosynthetic precursors of DGTS under phosphorus-limiting conditions. A S. meliloti mutant, deficient in the predicted phosphatase SMc00171 was unable to degrade PC or to form DGTS in a similar way as the wild type. Cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli, in which SMc00171 had been expressed, convert PC to phosphocholine and diacylglycerol, showing that SMc00171 functions as a phospholipase C. Diacylglycerol , in turn, is the lipid anchor from which biosynthesis is initiated during the formation of the phosphorus-free membrane lipid DGTS. Inorganic phosphate can be liberated from phosphocholine. These data suggest that, in S. meliloti under phosphate-limiting conditions, membrane phospholipids provide a pool for metabolizable inorganic phosphate, which can be used for the synthesis of other essential phosphorus-containing biomolecules. This is an example of an intracellular phospholipase C in a bacterial system; however, the ability to degrade endogenous preexisting membrane phospholipids as a source of phosphorus may be a general property of Gram-negative soil bacteria.

Phosphorus-free membrane lipids of Sinorhizobium meliloti are not required for the symbiosis with alfalfa but contribute to increased cell yields under phosphorus-limiting conditions of growth.

The microsymbiont of alfalfa, Sinorhizobium meliloti, possesses phosphatidylglycerol, cardiolipin, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine as major membrane phospholipids, when grown in the presence of sufficient accessible phosphorus sources. Under phosphate-limiting conditions of growth, S. meliloti replaces its phospholipids by membrane lipids that do not contain any phosphorus in their molecular structure and, in S. meliloti, these phosphorus-free membrane lipids are sulphoquinovosyl diacylglycerols (SL), ornithine-containing lipids (OL), and diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserines (DGTS). In earlier work, we demonstrated that neither SL nor OL are required for establishing a nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis with alfalfa. We now report the identification of the two structural genes btaA and btaB from S. meliloti required for DGTS biosynthesis. When the sinorhizobial btaA and btaB genes are expressed in Escherichia coli, they cause the formation of DGTS in this latter organism. A btaA-deficient mutant of S. meliloti is unable to form DGTS but can form nitrogen-fixing root nodules on alfalfa, demonstrating that sinorhizobial DGTS is not required for establishing a successful symbiosis with the host plant. Even a triple mutant of S. meliloti, unable to form any of the phosphorus-free membrane lipids SL, OL, or DGTS is equally competitive for nodule occupancy as the wild type. Only under growth-limiting concentrations of phosphate in culture media did mutants that could form neither OL nor DGTS grow to lesser cell densities.

Identification of a gene required for the formation of lyso-ornithine lipid, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of ornithine-containing lipids.

Under phosphate-limiting conditions, some bacteria replace their membrane phospholipids by lipids not containing any phosphorus. One of these phosphorus-free lipids is an ornithine-containing lipid (OL) that is widespread among eubacteria. In earlier work, we had identified a gene (olsA) required for OL biosynthesis that probably encodes an O-acyltransferase using acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-AcpP) as an acyl donor and that converts lyso-ornithine lipid into OL. We now report on a second gene (olsB) required for OL biosynthesis that is needed for the incorporation of radiolabelled ornithine into OL. Overexpression of OlsB in an olsA-deficient mutant of Sinorhizobium (Rhizobium) meliloti leads to the transient accumulation of lyso-ornithine lipid, the biosynthetic intermediate of OL biosynthesis. Overexpression of OlsB in Escherichia coli is sufficient to cause the in vivo formation of lyso-ornithine lipid in this organism and is the cause for a 3-hydroxyacyl-AcpP-dependent acyltransferase activity forming lyso-ornithine lipid from ornithine. These results demonstrate that OlsB is required for the first step of OL biosynthesis, in which ornithine is N-acylated with a 3-hydroxy-fatty acyl residue in order to obtain lyso-ornithine lipid. OL formation in a wild-type S. meliloti is increased upon growth under phosphate-limiting conditions. Expression of OlsB from a broad host range vector leads to the constitutive formation of relatively high amounts of OL (12-14% of total membrane lipids) independently of whether strains are grown in the presence of low or high concentrations of phosphate, suggesting that in S. meliloti the formation of OlsB is usually limiting for the amount of OL formed in this organism. Open reading frames homologous to OlsA and OlsB were identified in many eubacteria and although in S. meliloti the olsB and olsA gene are 14 kb apart, in numerous other bacteria they form an operon.