Genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies for additive and dominance effects for body composition traits using 50 K and imputed high-density SNP genotypes in Yunong-black pigs.

Body composition traits are complex traits controlled by minor genes and, in hybrid populations, are impacted by additive and nonadditive effects. We aimed to identify candidate genes and increase the accuracy of genomic prediction of body composition traits in crossbred pigs by including dominance genetic effects. Genomic selection (GS) and genome-wide association studies were performed on seven body composition traits in 807 Yunong-black pigs using additive genomic models (AM) and additive-dominance genomic models (ADM) with an imputed high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and the Illumina Porcine SNP50 BeadChip. The results revealed that the additive heritabilities estimated for AM and ADM using the 50 K SNP data ranged from 0.20 to 0.34 and 0.11 to 0.30, respectively. However, the ranges of additive heritability for AM and ADM in the imputed data ranged from 0.20 to 0.36 and 0.12 to 0.30, respectively. The dominance variance accounted for 23% and 27% of the total variance for the 50 K and imputed data, respectively. The accuracy of genomic prediction improved by 5% on average for 50 K and imputed data when dominance effect were considered. Without the dominance effect, the accuracies for 50 K and imputed data were 0.35 and 0.38, respectively, and 0.41 and 0.43, respectively, upon considering it. A total of 12 significant SNP and 16 genomic regions were identified in the AM, and 14 significant SNP and 21 genomic regions were identified in the ADM for both the 50 K and imputed data. There were five overlapping SNP in the 50 K and imputed data. In the AM, a significant SNP (CNC10041568) was found in both body length and backfat thickness traits, which was in the PLAG1 gene strongly and significantly associated with body length and backfat thickness in pigs. Moreover, a significant SNP (CNC10031356) with a heterozygous dominant genotype was present in the ADM. Furthermore, several functionally related genes were associated with body composition traits, including MOS, RPS20, LYN, TGS1, TMEM68, XKR4, SEMA4D and ARNT2. These findings provide insights into molecular markers and GS breeding for the Yunong-black pigs.

MiR-1278 targets CALD1 and suppresses the progression of gastric cancer via the MAPK pathway.

This study aimed to investigate the interaction between miR-1278 and Caldesmon (CALD1) in gastric cancer (GC) and the regulatory mechanism. In both GC cells and tissues, the levels of CALD1, miR-1278, migration-related markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Snail), and MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins were clarified using quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting analyses. The effects of miR-1278 and CALD1 on GC cell viability and migration were analyzed using CCK-8 and Transwell assays, respectively. The targeting effect of miR-1278 on CALD1 was investigated using bioinformatics prediction and a dual luciferase reporter assay. The effect of miR-1278 on tumor growth was estimated in vivo using a tumor xenograft assay. In GC, miR-1278 expression decreased, whereas CALD1 was highly expressed. Transfecting an miR-1278 mimic into cells inhibited the viability as well as migration of GC cells, and suppressed Ras, phosphorylated (p)-P38, and p-ERK1/2 protein levels. Moreover, miR-1278 targeted and negatively regulated CALD1 expression. CALD1 overexpression promoted GC cell survival and migration and activated the MAPK pathway. Treatment with an miR-1278 mimic partially rescued the changes caused by CALD1 overexpression. Overall, our study revealed that miR-1278 suppresses the malignant behavior of GC cells by targeting CALD1 and regulating the MAPK pathway.

Effects of microbes in pig farms on occupational exposed persons and the environment.

In terms of pig farming, pig gut microbes have a significant effect on farmers and the farm environment. However, it is still unclear which microbial composition is more likely to contribute to this effect. This study collected a total of 136 samples, including pigs' faeces samples, farmers' faeces samples, samples from individuals who had no contact with any type of farm animal (referred to as 'non-exposed' persons), and environmental dust samples (collected from inside and outside pig houses and the farm) from two pig farms, pig farm A and pig farm B. Whereafter, 16S rRNA sequencing and taxonomic composition analysis were performed. According to the study, compared to non-exposed persons, pig farmers had a significantly higher abundance of 7 genera. In addition, the farmers were grouped according to the duration of their occupational exposure, and it was shown that 4 genera, including Turicibacter, Terrisporobacter, and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, exhibited a rise in more frequent contact with pigs. As compared to outside the pig house, the environmental dust has a greater concentration of the 3 bacteria mentioned before. Therefore, these 3 microbes can be considered as co-occurring microbes that may exist both in humans and the environment. Also, the 3 co-occurring microbes are involved in the fermentation and production of short-chain fatty acids and their effectiveness decreased as distance from the farm increased. This study shows that the 3 microbes where pig farmers co-occur with the environment come from pig farms, which provides fresh ideas for preventing the spread of microbial aerosols in pig farms and reducing pollution.

Integrated testis transcriptome and whole genome analysis of sexual maturity in Large White and Tongcheng pigs.

Testicular development and spermatogenesis play critical roles in male fertility and sexual maturation. To explore the genetic basis and key genes related to sexual maturity, we measured serum testosterone content and analysed testis tissue sections of Large White (LW) and Tongcheng (TC) boars at an immature age. We then screened differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in testis development in both breeds using RNA-seq. Finally, we analysed the selection signatures of both breeds to investigate which DEGs were subjected to positive selection. Our findings showed that serum testosterone contents in TC pigs (~4 ng/mL) were much higher than those in LW pigs (<0.95 ng/mL). Haematoxylin and eosin staining of testicular sections showed that the cross-sectional areas and perimeters of the seminiferous tubules in TC testes were larger and longer than those in LW pigs. A total of 5068 DEGs were selected by filtering criteria of q value <0.05 and |log2 (fold change)| ≥ 1. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that 250 genes were enriched in 11 biological process categories involved in sexual maturity. Most candidate genes, including TRIP13, NR6A1, STRA8, PCSK4, ACRBP, TSSK1B and TSSK6, were under positive selection. These results provide a better understanding of the genetic basis for testicular maturation and are useful for enhancing boar reproductive traits through molecular breeding.

Clinical guideline on magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy (2021 edition).

With the development and generalization of endoscopic technology and screening, clinical application of magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy (MCCG) has been increasing. In recent years, various types of MCCG are used globally. Therefore, establishing relevant guidelines on MCCG is of great significance. The current guidelines containing 23 statements were established based on clinical evidence and expert opinions, mainly focus on aspects including definition and diagnostic accuracy, application population, technical optimization, inspection process, and quality control of MCCG. The level of evidence and strength of recommendations were evaluated. The guidelines are expected to guide the standardized application and scientific innovation of MCCG for the reference of clinicians.

Trophectoderm biopsy is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes rather than neonatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND: With the wide application of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) with trophectoderm (TE) biopsy, the safety of PGT has always been a concern. Since TE subsequently forms the placenta, it is speculated that the removal of these cells was associated with adverse obstetrical or neonatal outcomes after single frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT). Previous studies report contradictory findings with respect to TE biopsy and obstetric and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 720 patients with singleton pregnancies from single FBT cycles who delivered at the same university-affiliated hospital between January 2019 and March 2022. The cohorts were divided into two groups: the PGT group (blastocysts with TE biopsy, n = 223) and the control group (blastocysts without biopsy, n = 497). The PGT group was matched with the control group by propensity score matching (PSM) analysis at a ratio of 1:2. The enrolled sample sizes in the two groups were 215 and 385, respectively. RESULTS: Patient demographic characteristics were comparable between the groups after PSM except for the proportion of recurrent pregnancy loss, which was significantly higher in the PGT cohort (31.2 vs. 4.2%, P < 0.001). Patients in the PGT group had significantly higher rates of gestational hypertension (6.0 vs. 2.6%, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-7.18, P = 0.020) and abnormal umbilical cord (13.0 vs. 7.8%, aOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.08-3.48, P = 0.026). However, the occurrence of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) (12.1 vs. 19.7%, aOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.35-0.99, P = 0.047) was significantly lower in biopsied blastocysts than in unbiopsied embryos. There were no significant differences in regard to other obstetric and neonatal outcomes between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Trophectoderm biopsy is a safe approach, as the neonatal outcomes from biopsied and unbiopsied embryos were comparable. Furthermore, PGT is associated with higher risks of gestational hypertension and abnormal umbilical cord but may have a protective effect on PROM.

Lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 is associated with nose color in Yunong black pigs.

Yunong black pig is an indigenous black pig breed being cultivated that has a pure black whole body. However, some individuals appear with a white spot on the nose. We performed case-control association studies and FST approaches in 76 animals with nose color records (26 white-nosed pigs vs. 50 black-nosed pigs) by Illumina Porcine SNP50 BeadChip data. In total, 76 SNPs, which included 2 genome-wide significant SNPs and 18 chromosome-wide suggestive SNPs, were identified by association study. The top-ranked 0.1% windows of FST results as signals under selection and 24 windows were selected. The lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 was identified as candidate gene with strong signal in analyses of genome-wide association study and FST in black- and white-nosed pigs. Overall, our findings provide evidence that nose color is a heritable trait influenced by many loci. The results contribute to expand our understanding of pigmentation in pigs and provide SNP markers for skin color and related traits selection in Yunong black pigs. Additional research on the genetic link between nose pigmentation is needed.

Genome-wide association study reveals the candidate genes for reproduction traits in Yunong black pigs.

Enhancing pig reproductive efficiency has the potential to have a significant positive economic impact on the pig business. We collected four reproduction records of 734 Yunong black pigs in this study, including the total number of piglets born (TNB), the number born alive (NBA), the average birth interval of piglets (ABI) and the average birth weight (ABW). A total of 453 Yunong black pigs were genotyped with Porcine 50K SNP BeadChip. Twenty-five SNPs and 35 genomic areas were found to have a substantial impact on the reproductive performance of Yunong black pigs by single-locus GWAS and single-step GWAS (ssGWAS). For the ssGWAS, we found that the two genomic regions (12.67-13.85 and 14.26-15.01 Mb) on Sus scrofa chromosome X were associated with TNB, NBA and ABI. It is worth noting that CNC10110530 and CNC100141254 significantly affected the TNB by both GWAS methods. Finally, we further determined the gene functions by enrichment analysis and a literature search, and identified 28 of them as candidate genes affecting the reproductive performance of Yunong black pigs, including RET, EIF1AX, NELL2, CTPS2, S100G, RBBP7 and PDHA1. This study further promotes understanding of the genetic mechanism of porcine reproductive performance, and also provides more molecular markers for pig breeding.

Correlation between fat accumulation and fecal microbiota in crossbred pigs.

Backfat thickness (BF) is an important indicator of fat deposition capacity and lean meat rate in pigs and is very important in porcine genetics and breeding. Intestinal microbiota plays a key role in nutrient digestion and utilization with a profound impact on fat deposition of livestock animals. To investigate the relationship between the pig gut microbiome and BF, 20 low-BF (L-BF) and 20 high-BF (H-BF) pigs were selected as two groups from Yunong Black pigs in the present study. Fecal samples from pigs were analyzed for microbial diversity, composition, and predicted functionality using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that there were significant differences in microbial ß diversity between the two groups. LEfSe analysis revealed a number of bacterial features being differentially enriched in either L-BF or H-BF pigs. Spearman correlation analysis identified the abundance of Oscillospira, Peptococcus, and Bulleidia were significantly positive correlations with BF (P < 0.05), while Sutterella and Bifidobacterium were significantly negatively correlated with BF (P < 0.05). Importantly, the bacteria significantly positively correlated with BF mainly belong to Clostridium, which can ferment host-indigestible plant polysaccharides into short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and promote fat synthesis and deposition. Predictive functional analysis indicated that the pathway abundance of cell motility and glycan biosynthesis were significantly widespread in the microbiota of the H-BF group. The results of this study will be useful for the development of microbial biomarkers for predicting and improving porcine BF, as well as for the investigation of targets for dietary strategies.

Identification of Genomic Regions and Candidate Genes for Litter Traits in French Large White Pigs Using Genome-Wide Association Studies.

The reproductive traits of sows are one of the important economic traits in pig production, and their performance directly affects the economic benefits of the entire pig industry. In this study, a total of 895 French Large White pigs were genotyped by GeneSeek Porcine 50K SNP Beadchip and four phenotypic traits of 1407 pigs were recorded, including total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), number healthy piglets (NHP) and litter weight born alive (LWB). To identify genomic regions and genes for these traits, we used two approaches: a single-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a single-step GWAS (ssGWAS). Overall, a total of five SNPs and 36 genomic regions were identified by single-locus GWAS and ssGWAS, respectively. Notably, fourof all five significant SNPs were located in 10.72-11.06 Mb on chromosome 7, were also identified by ssGWAS. These regions explained the highest or second highest genetic variance in the TNB, NBA and NHP traits and harbor the protein coding gene ENSSSCG00000042180. In addition, several candidate genes associated with litter traits were identified, including JARID2, PDIA6, FLRT2 and DICER1. Overall, these novel results reflect the polygenic genetic architecture of the litter traits and provide a theoretical reference for the following implementation of molecular breeding.

Identification of a seven-cell cycle signature predicting overall survival for gastric cancer.

While genetic alterations in several regulators of the cell cycle have a significant impact on the gastric carcinogenesis process, the prognostic role of them remains to be further elucidated. The TCGA-STAD training set were downloaded and the mRNA expression matrix of cell cycle genes was extracted and corrected for further analysis after taking the intersection with GSE84437 dataset. Differentially expressed mRNAs were identified between tumor and normal tissue samples in TCGA-STAD. Univariate Cox regression analysis and lasso Cox regression model established a novel seven-gene cell cycle signature (including GADD45B, TFDP1, CDC6, CDC25A, CDC7, SMC1A and MCM3) for GC prognosis prediction. Patients in the high-risk group shown significantly poorer survival than patients in the low-risk group. The signature was found to be an independent prognostic factor for GC survival. Nomogram including the signature shown some clinical net benefit for overall survival prediction. The signature was further validated in the GSE84437 dataset. In tissue microarray, CDC6 and MCM3 protein expression were significant differences by the immunohistochemistry-based H-score between tumor tissues and adjacent tissues, and CDC6 is an independent prognostic factor for GC. Interestingly, our GSEA revealed that low-risk patients were more related to cell cycle pathways and might benefit more from therapies targeting cell cycle. Our study identified a novel robust seven-gene cell cycle signature for GC prognosis prediction that may serve as a beneficial complement to clinicopathological staging. The signature might provide potential biomarkers for the application of cell cycle regulators to therapies and treatment response prediction.

An association study on imputed whole-genome resequencing from high-throughput sequencing data for body traits in crossbred pigs.

Body traits are important economic factors in the pig industry. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been widely applied using high-density genotype data to detect QTL in pigs. The aim of the present study was to detect the genetic variants significantly associated with body traits in crossbred pigs using the Illumina Porcine SNP50 BeadChip and imputed whole-genome sequence data. A set of seven body traits - body length, body height, chest circumference, cannon bone circumference, leg buttock circumference, back fat thickness and loin muscle depth - were measured. Moderate to high heritabilities were obtained for most traits (from 0.14 to 0.46), and significant genetic and phenotypic correlations among them were observed. GWAS identified 714 significantly associated SNPs located at 39 regions on all autosomes for body traits, and a total of seven functionally related candidate genes: PIK3CD, HOXA, PCGF2, CHST11, COL2A1, BMI1 and OSR2. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that candidate genes were enriched in the estrogen signaling pathway, embryonic skeletal system morphogenesis and embryonic skeletal system development. These results aim to uncover the genetic mechanisms underlying body development and marker-assisted selection programs focusing on body traits in pigs.

Awareness for Endoscopic Screening Among Accompanying Children of Hospitalized Esophageal Cancer Patients in Henan.

The free generalized endoscopic screening for diagnosis of early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesion could not be satisfactorily implemented in China. At present, the decision to accept endoscopic screening at their own expense may largely depend on the public awareness. This study was aimed to investigate the awareness and other influencing factors associated with the accompanying children of esophageal cancer patients after their hospitalization. In this cross-sectional study, from April to June 2016, 233 children of accompanying patients, who were admitted within the last 1 year due to esophageal cancer in three affiliated hospitals of Zhengzhou University and Anyang Tumor Hospital, were enrolled. In addition, telephone surveys were conducted to investigate their awareness about endoscopic screening. One child was corresponded to an esophageal cancer patient. About half (47.6%, 111/233) of the children were unaware that endoscopic screening could detect early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesion. There was no significant difference in their awareness rates between hospitals with different administration levels. Besides, the males who had a lower family income and lower education level showed a poor awareness rate (P < 0.05). The overall awareness rate among the accompanying children of patients on endoscopic screening was rather low in Henan province (China). Hence, the health education and awareness on the importance of endoscopic screening for early detection of esophageal cancer should be promoted among children accompanying the patients. More attention should be focused towards the subject group, particularly among those male children with lower educational level and family income.

Effect of heavy metals pollution on the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbial community of a pygmy grasshopper (Eucriotettix oculatus).

Heavy metal pollution in the environment is mostly manifested as a multi-elemental compound pollution. The effect of the long-term exposure to heavy metal pollution on the gut microbes of insects has remained unknown. For the current work, the population of Eucriotettix oculatus living in mining areas around the Diaojiang River with a history of hundreds of years of pollution, was selected along with the similar species living in non-mining areas to conduct a comparative study of their gut microbes. The microbial communities were analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The results showed Proteobacteria to be dominant among gut microbes of E. oculatus, but the abundance of Proteobacteria was significantly increased when the insects were exposed to the environment with heavy metal pollution. The symbiotic bacteria belonging to genus Wolbachia were found to be dominant among the insect population from the non-mining area group, while the pathogenic bacteria belonging to Aeromonas were dominant among the insect population of the mining area group. The diversity analysis showed that the gut microbial community diversity of E. oculatus was reduced in the heavy metal pollution habitat. The analysis of the differences in the gut microbial population and metabolic pathways of the two groups showed that the heavy metal pollution caused the increase in pathogenic bacteria among the gut microbes of E. oculatus, which might have a negative impact on the health of the host. At the same time, probiotics and the beneficial metabolism pathways were also found to increase and enhance, helping the host to resist the damage caused by heavy metal stress. This might be one of the strategies used by E. oculatus to adapt to heavy metal pollution.

Characterization and comparison of the bacterial community between complete intensive and extensive feeding patterns in pigs.

To investigate and compare the gut microbiota structures in complete intensive feeding pattern (CP) and extensive feeding pattern (EP) groups, a total of 20 pigs were divided into two groups and fed the same diet. The fecal microbial composition was profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results showed that seventeen predominant genera were present in each pig sample and constituted the phylogenetic core of the microbiota at the class level. The abundance of most of the core microbial flora were significantly higher in the CP group than in the EP group (P < 0.05), while the abundance of Gammaproteobacteria was significantly lower in the CP group than in the EP group (P < 0.05). The CP group had significantly greater community diversity, richness, and evenness than the EP group (P < 0.05). Functional prediction analysis indicated that intestinal microbial species potentially led to faster growth and an increased fat accumulation capacity in the CP group; however, disease resistance was weaker in the CP group than in the EP group. In conclusion, EP pigs have a wider range of activity and better animal welfare than CP pigs, which helps reduce the occurrence of diseases and neurological symptoms. To explore the effect of intestinal flora on disease resistance in pigs at the molecular level, Coprococcus, which is a key gut bacterium in the intestine, was selected for isolation and purification and cocultured with intestinal epithelial cells. qPCR was performed to determine the effect of Coprococcus on SLA-DRB gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. The results showed that Coprococcus enhanced SLA-DRB gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. The results provide useful reference data for further study on the relationship between intestinal flora and pig disease resistance.

hsa_circ_0006916 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by activating the miR-337-3p/STAT3 axis.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are thought to be involved in the development of various malignancies. The expression and function of hsa_circ_0006916, a newly identified circRNA, in hepatocellular carcinoma remain unclear. METHODS: Quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect hsa_circ_0006916 in hepatocellular carcinoma. In vitro function assays were conducted to explore growth and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Next, the mechanism of hsa_circ_0006916 function in hepatocellular carcinoma was determined by luciferase reporter and RIP assays. RESULTS: Hsa_circ_0006916 was substantially overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells. High levels of hsa_circ_0006916 in hepatocellular carcinoma patients were associated with advanced clinical characteristics. Down-regulation of hsa_circ_0006916 decreased the growth and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro. The results suggested that hsa_circ_0006916 acted as a sponge of miR-337-3p and had an important functional use in the regulation of STAT3 levels in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Moreover, miR-337-3p inhibition or STAT3 overexpression abolished the effect of hsa_circ_0006916 suppression on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest a novel hsa_circ_0006916/miR-337-3p/STAT3 axis in hepatocellular carcinoma, and provide a new target for treatment.

Identification of microflora related to growth performance in pigs based on 16S rRNA sequence analyses.

Intestinal microorganisms have been shown to be important factors affecting the growth performance of pigs. Therefore, to investigate the effect of the intestinal microflora structure on the growth performance of pigs, samples from Duroc (n = 10), Landrace (n = 9) and Yorkshire (n = 21) pigs under the same diet and feeding conditions were collected. The fecal microbial composition was profiled via 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. We also analyzed their growth performance. We found that Duroc and Landrace pigs had significant differences in average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency ratio (FER), growth index (GI), and number of days taken to reach 100 kg (P < 0.05). Moreover, through analysis of the intestinal flora, we also identified 18 species of intestinal flora with significant differences between Duroc and Landrace pigs (P < 0.05). To eliminate the influence of genetic background, the differential intestinal flora of 21 Yorkshire pigs with differences in growth performance was analyzed. The results showed that there were significant correlations between Barnesiella, Dorea, Clostridium and Lactobacillus and pig growth performance. To explore the effect of the intestinal flora on the growth performance of pigs at the molecular level, Lactobacillus, which is the most abundant in the intestine, was selected for isolation and purification and cocultured with intestinal epithelial cells. qPCR was used to determine the effect of Lactobacillus on MC4R gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. The results showed that Lactobacillus inhibited MC4R gene expression in these cells. The results provide a useful reference for further study of the relationship between the intestinal flora and pig growth performance.

[Effects of long-term fertilization on soil ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms]. / 长期施肥对土壤氨氧化微生物的影响.

Long-term fertilization can change the supply of soil carbon and nitrogen (N), with consequences on the abundance and community structure of soil microorganisms. Based on the long-term fertilization positioning experiment station of brown earth, we analyzed the dynamics of soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) under different fertilization treatments, including no fertilization (CK), low level of inorganic N fertilizer (N2), high level of inorganic N fertilizer (N4), and organic manure combined with inorganic N fertilizer (M2N2), aiming to provide a basis for microbiological mechanism of soil N transformation and improvement of soil fertility. The results showed that the ratio of AOA to AOB abundance was 2.28-61.95 under different fertilization treatments. Compared with that in CK, the AOA abundance was reduced by 1.6%-13.6% after long-term fertilization. The abundance of AOB in N4 treatment decreased first and then increased with soil depths, but with contrary results in other treatments. The Shannon diversity index (H), evenness index (J), and Simpson index (S) of AOB were higher than those of AOA. The AOB diversity was increased at 0-20 cm soil layer in M2N2 treatment, while that of AOA was decreased. Soil AOB clustered with soil depths, and neither AOA nor AOB community clustered with fertilization treatments. In summary, long-term fertilization altered the composition of AOA and AOB. AOA was sensitive to environment, whereas AOB was more abundant and stable.

Lipidomic profiling analysis of the phospholipid molecules in SCAP-induced lipid droplet formation in bovine mammary epithelial cells.

The accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) in the cytoplasm plays an important role in energy balance, membrane synthesis and cell signal transduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the profile of phospholipids after SCAP-induced LD formation in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs). A shRNA-SCAP vector and a SCAP/SREBP vector were used to knock down and overexpress the SCAP gene in BMECs prior to evaluating the effects on LDs using Western blotting, real-time PCR, LD staining and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The average LD diameter was determined following oil red O staining. The overexpression of SCAP increased the abundance of SCD, ACACA and FASN genes and nuclear SREBP1a. In contrast, knocking down SCAP decreased the abundance of the nuclear SREBP1a protein and downregulated the abundance of target genes. Lipid droplet staining revealed that knocking down SCAP reduced LD formation and average LD diameter. In contrast, overexpression of SCAP increased the formation and size of the LDs. The results from an analysis of cellular lipids revealed that phospholipids are the predominant species in the profile of cell lipids. phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) are important for determining the size of LDs. The LD formation induced by SCAP gene overexpression and knockdown underscored the role of phospholipids involved in lipid droplet formation and fusion.

Long non-coding RNA CRNDE promotes cell apoptosis by suppressing miR-495 in inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVE: This article aims to investigate the mechanism of microRNA-495 (miR-495) and long non-coding RNA CRNDE on the apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). METHODS: The mouse model of IBD was induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and human colonic epithelial cell lines (HT-29, LOVO, and Caco-2) were treated with DSS, and received cell transfection. RNA interference was used to down-regulate CRNDE expression. RESULTS: CRNDE and SOCS1 were highly expressed, but miR-495 was lowly expressed in the DSS-induced colitis tissues and colonic epithelial cell lines. Interference of CRNDE inhibited cell apoptosis of DSS-induced colonic epithelial cells. The interaction between CRNDE and miR-495 was confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assay. The target relationship between miR-495 and SOCS1 was confirmed by the luciferase reporter assay. CRNDE promoted DSS-induced colonic epithelial cell apoptosis via miR-495/SOCS1. CRNDE interference in DSS-induced colitis mouse model alleviated clinical manifestations of IBD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that CRNDE promoted DSS-induced colonic epithelial cell apoptosis via suppressing miR-495 and increasing SOCS1, indicating CRNDE as a novel target of treating IBD.