Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Protein-Coding Variants in IgA Nephropathy.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Genome-wide association studies have identified nearly 20 IgA nephropathy susceptibility loci. However, most nonsynonymous coding variants, particularly ones that occur rarely or at a low frequency, have not been well investigated. The authors performed a chip-based association study of IgA nephropathy in 8529 patients with the disorder and 23,224 controls. They identified a rare variant in the gene encoding vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) that was significantly associated with a two-fold increased risk of IgA nephropathy, which was further confirmed by sequencing analysis. They also identified a novel common variant in PKD1L3 that was significantly associated with lower haptoglobin protein levels. This study, which was well-powered to detect low-frequency variants with moderate to large effect sizes, helps expand our understanding of the genetic basis of IgA nephropathy susceptibility. BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies have identified nearly 20 susceptibility loci for IgA nephropathy. However, most nonsynonymous coding variants, particularly those occurring rarely or at a low frequency, have not been well investigated. METHODS: We performed a three-stage exome chip-based association study of coding variants in 8529 patients with IgA nephropathy and 23,224 controls, all of Han Chinese ancestry. Sequencing analysis was conducted to investigate rare coding variants that were not covered by the exome chip. We used molecular dynamic simulation to characterize the effects of mutations of VEGFA on the protein's structure and function. We also explored the relationship between the identified variants and the risk of disease progression. RESULTS: We discovered a novel rare nonsynonymous risk variant in VEGFA (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.61 to 2.41; P = 3.61×10 -11 ). Further sequencing of VEGFA revealed twice as many carriers of other rare variants in 2148 cases compared with 2732 controls. We also identified a common nonsynonymous risk variant in PKD1L3 (odds ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.21; P = 1.43×10 -11 ), which was associated with lower haptoglobin protein levels. The rare VEGFA mutation could cause a conformational change and increase the binding affinity of VEGFA to its receptors. Furthermore, this variant was associated with the increased risk of kidney disease progression in IgA nephropathy (hazard ratio, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.09 to 8.21; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified two novel risk variants for IgA nephropathy in VEGFA and PKD1L3 and helps expand our understanding of the genetic basis of IgA nephropathy susceptibility.

Polymorphisms of CARD9 Gene Predict Disease Progression and Renal Survival of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy.

INTRODUCTION: A previous genome-wide association study has identified CARD9 (caspase recruitment domain family member 9) as a susceptibility gene for immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), which encodes an adapter protein and is related to mucosal immunity. This study aimed to investigate the association of CARD9 variants with the clinicopathological phenotypes and prognosis of IgAN. METHODS: Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms within CARD9 were genotyped using Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX for 986 IgAN patients in this study. Logistic and linear regression analyses adjusted for age and gender were performed to evaluate the effects of CARD9 gene polymorphisms on clinicopathological phenotypes. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models were applied to analyze the associations between genetic variants and renal survival. RESULTS: The T allele of rs10747047 was strongly associated with higher levels of serum creatinine (p = 0.005) and lower levels of estimated glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.005). The rs10870149-G and rs10870077-C alleles were associated with elevated 24-h urine protein excretion (p = 0.041 and 0.022, respectively) and more serious segmental glomerulosclerosis lesions (p = 0.005 and 0.041, respectively) in IgAN patients. Carriers with the T allele of rs10781533 and the C allele of rs3812552 also presented with severe segmental glomerulosclerosis lesions (p = 0.001 and 0.010, respectively). Additionally, rs10747047-C and rs10870077-C alleles were independently related to the poor prognosis of IgAN patients after adjustments for covariates (TT vs. CC hazard ratio [HR] = 0.138, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.022-0.871, p = 0.035; GG vs. CC HR = 0.321, 95% CI = 0.123, 0.836, p = 0.020, respectively). CONCLUSION: CARD9 variants are associated with disease severity and rapid disease progression for IgAN in a Chinese Han population.

Corrigendum: Functional variant rs12614 in CFB confers a low risk of IgA nephropathy by attenuating complement alternative pathway activation in Han Chinese.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.973169.].

Functional variant rs12614 in CFB confers a low risk of IgA nephropathy by attenuating complement alternative pathway activation in Han Chinese.

Activation of the alternative pathway (AP) of complement is thought to play an important role in Immunoglobin A nephropathy (IgAN). Our previous study showed that rs4151657 within the complement factor B (CFB) gene increased the risk of IgAN. The protein encoded by the CFB gene is an initial factor that promotes AP activation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether other variants of CFB confer susceptibility to IgAN and elucidate their potential roles in AP activation. A total of 1,350 patients with IgAN and 1,420 healthy controls were enrolled and five tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms were selected for genotyping. The levels of key AP components, such as CFB, complement factor H and complement split product C3a, were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation were carried out to characterize the mutation of residues in the protein structure and the dynamic properties of wide type and mutation models of CFB protein. The allele-specific effect on CFB expression and its binding affinity to C3b were investigated through cell transfection and surface plasmon resonance analysis, respectively. We found that rs12614 significantly reduced the risk of IgAN (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.52-0.91, P = 0.009), and the rs12614-T (R32W mutation) was correlated with lower CFB levels, higher serum C3 level, and less mesangial C3 deposition in patients with IgAN. The structural model showed that the R32W mutation reduced the structural stability of CFB protein. Furthermore, in vitro study revealed that rs12614-T decreased the expression of CFB and reduced its binding affinity to C3b by four-fold compared with rs12614-C. In conclusion, the rs12614-T in CFB was associated with low risk of IgAN probably by attenuating AP activation.

Corrigendum to "Upregulated Expression of Intestinal Antimicrobial Peptide HD5 Associated with Renal Function in IgA Nephropathy".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2020/2078279.].

Association between monocyte count to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous studies had demonstrated that elevated monocyte count to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR), a novel marker of inflammation, was associated with higher cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. However, the association between MHR and mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) has received little attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MHR and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in PD patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this single center retrospective cohort study, PD patients who had catheter insertion in our PD center from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2016 were enrolled. All patients were divided into three groups according to the tertiles of baseline MHR levels and followed up until December 31, 2018. The associations of MHR levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were assessed by using Cox proportional hazards models. Of 1584 patients, mean age was 46.02 ± 14.65 years, 60.1% were male, and 24.2% had diabetes. The mean MHR level was 0.39 ± 0.23. During a median follow up time of 45.6 (24.6-71.8) months, 349 patients died, and 181 deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease. After adjusting for confounders, the highest MHR tertile was significantly associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality with a hazard ratio of 1.43 (95%CI = 1.06-1.93, P = 0.019), 1.54 (95%CI = 1.01-2.35, P = 0.046), respectively. CONCLUSION: Higher MHR level was an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in PD patients.

Large-scale analysis of 2,152 Ig-seq datasets reveals key features of B cell biology and the antibody repertoire.

Antibody repertoire sequencing enables researchers to acquire millions of B cell receptors and investigate these molecules at the single-nucleotide level. This power and resolution in studying humoral responses have led to its wide applications. However, most of these studies were conducted with a limited number of samples. Given the extraordinary diversity, assessment of these key features with a large sample set is demanded. Thus, we collect and systematically analyze 2,152 high-quality heavy-chain antibody repertoires. Our study reveals that 52 core variable genes universally contribute to more than 99% of each individual's repertoire; a distal interspersed preferences characterize V gene recombination; the number of public clones between two repertoires follows a linear model, and the positive selection dominates at RGYW motif in somatic hypermutations. Thus, this population-level analysis resolves some critical features of the antibody repertoire and may have significant value to the large cadre of scientists.

Expression profile of Fc receptor-like molecules in patients with IgA nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Fc receptor-like (FCRL) molecules were considered to play a role in the pathogenesis of certain autoimmune diseases. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of FCRLs in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at investigating the expression levels of FCRLs molecules in IgAN patients and determining its relevance to disease activity. METHODS: The mRNA expression levels of FCRLs were determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 42 IgAN patients and 48 healthy controls by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). FCRLs proteins expression in B cells of 25 IgAN patients, 14 patients with non-IgAN glomerulonephritis, and 29 healthy controls were detected by Flow cytometry. The Spearman correlation test was used to assess the correlation of FCRLs expression with clinical parameters of IgAN patients. RESULTS: Our results indicated significant down-regulation of FCRL2 and FCRL3 mRNA levels in IgAN patients compared to healthy subjects. Surface protein expression of FCRLs molecules confirmed the qRT-PCR results. But FCRL2 and FCRL3 protein levels did not correlate with clinicopathologic phenotypes of IgAN patients. However, we found a significant positively correlation of FCRL2 and FCRL3 mRNA expression with the core 1 ß1,3-galactosyltransferase (C1GALT1) and its molecular chaperone (Cosmc) mRNA levels in IgAN patients. CONCLUSIONS: FCRL2 and FCRL3 expression levels in IgAN patients are significantly decreased and correlated with CIGALT1 and Cosmc mRNA expression.

Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Identifies Three Novel Susceptibility Loci and Reveals Ethnic Heterogeneity of Genetic Susceptibility for IgA Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Eighteen known susceptibility loci for IgAN account for only a small proportion of IgAN risk. METHODS: Genome-wide meta-analysis was performed in 2628 patients and 11,563 controls of Chinese ancestry, and a replication analysis was conducted in 6879 patients and 9019 controls of Chinese descent and 1039 patients and 1289 controls of European ancestry. The data were used to assess the association of susceptibility loci with clinical phenotypes for IgAN, and to investigate genetic heterogeneity of IgAN susceptibility between the two populations. Imputation-based analysis of the MHC/HLA region extended the scrutiny. RESULTS: Identification of three novel loci (rs6427389 on 1q23.1 [P=8.18×10-9, OR=1.132], rs6942325 on 6p25.3 [P=1.62×10-11, OR=1.165], and rs2240335 on 1p36.13 [P=5.10×10-9, OR=1.114]), implicates FCRL3, DUSP22.IRF4, and PADI4 as susceptibility genes for IgAN. Rs2240335 is associated with the expression level of PADI4, and rs6427389 is in high linkage disequilibrium with rs11264799, which showed a strong expression quantitative trail loci effect on FCRL3. Of the 24 confirmed risk SNPs, six showed significant heterogeneity of genetic effects and DEFA showed clear evidence of allelic heterogeneity between the populations. Imputation-based analysis of the MHC region revealed significant associations at three HLA polymorphisms (HLA allele DPB1*02, AA_DRB1_140_32657458_T, and AA_DQA1_34_32717152) and two SNPs (rs9275464 and rs2295119). CONCLUSIONS: A meta-analysis of GWAS data revealed three novel genetic risk loci for IgAN, and three HLA polymorphisms and two SNPs within the MHC region, and demonstrated the genetic heterogeneity of seven loci out of 24 confirmed risk SNPs.  These variants may explain susceptibility differences between Chinese and European populations.

ST6GAL1 polymorphisms influence susceptibility and progression of IgA nephropathy in a Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: ST6GAL1 has been identified as a novel susceptibility gene for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in a previous genome-wide association study. The present study is aimed at exploring whether the genetic polymorphisms of ST6GAL1 gene correlate with IgAN susceptibility, clinical phenotypes and progression in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: Twenty-six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ST6GAL1 were genotyped in 1000 biopsy-proven IgAN patients and 1000 control subjects of Chinese Han population using Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX. A logistic regression analysis with age and sex as covariates was performed to evaluate the effects of ST6GAL1 gene polymorphisms on IgAN susceptibility. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models were applied to analyze the associations between genetic variants and renal survival. RESULTS: We found that rs7634389 (OR = 1.24, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.50, pdominant = 0.034) and rs6784233 (OR = 1.23, 95 % CI = 1.05-1.45, padditive = 0.013; OR = 1.28, 95 % CI = 1.05-1.55, pdominant = 0.014) were associated with susceptibility of IgAN. In addition, rs7634389 was correlated with hyperuricemia (OR = 1.27, p =  0.012) and segmental glomerulosclerosis (OR = 1.21, p = 0.047) in IgAN patients. Furthermore, rs7634389 was independently associated with renal survival after adjustments for multiple confounders (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.51, 95 % CI = 0.33-0.78, p =  0.002). Haplotype analysis for ST6GAL1 polymorphisms confirmed their associations with the susceptibility to IgAN. CONCLUSIONS: Our research suggested that ST6GAL1 gene polymorphisms were implicated in IgAN susceptibility and clinical outcome in a Chinese Han population.

Serum lipoprotein(a) and risk of mortality in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Elevated serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] level is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic diseases in the general population and hemodialysis patients. However, the association between Lp(a) levels and mortality has received little attention in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the association of Lp(a) levels with all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in PD patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in PD patients enrolled from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2015, and followed until December 31, 2018. Cox regression models were performed to assess the association of serum Lp(a) levels with all-cause and CV mortality in PD patients. RESULTS: In total, 1492 incident PD patients were eligible for the study. During a median follow-up period of 45.1 months, 402 all-cause and 210 CV deaths occurred. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that the first and third tertiles of Lp(a) levels were significantly associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.01-1.75, P = .041; HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.18-1.98, P = .001, respectively] when compared with the second tertile, and the third tertile of Lp(a) level was independently associated with an 80% increased risk of CV mortality (HR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.26-2.56, P = .001). Moreover, our results showed that the HRs per log unit higher Lp(a) level for all-cause and CV mortality were 1.53 (95% CI = 1.05-2.22, P = .027) and 2.41 (95% CI = 1.44-4.03, P < .001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that both low and high serum Lp(a) levels are risk markers for all-cause death, but only a higher baseline serum Lp(a) level is an independent risk factor for CV mortality in PD patients.

Upregulated Expression of Intestinal Antimicrobial Peptide HD5 Associated with Renal Function in IgA Nephropathy.

PURPOSE: It was reported that gut-kidney axis may play an important role in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Previous five GWASs of different populations for IgAN have discovered several genes related to intestinal immunity, including DEFA gene. However, the roles of the encoded proteins of DEFA5/6 which were called intestinal antimicrobial peptides HD5 and HD6 were not clear in kidney disease, such as IgAN. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association of HD5 and HD6 with IgAN. METHODS: We measured HD5 and HD6 in serum, urine, and kidney of IgAN patients and normal controls by ELISA, Western blot, and immunofluorescence. The association of HD5 or HD6 levels with clinical and pathologic phenotypes was analyzed. RESULTS: Serum levels of HD5 and HD6 were significantly higher in IgAN patients than those in normal controls. Baseline serum HD5 levels were significantly associated with eGFR (P = 0.002) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (P = 0.002) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (P = 0.002) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (P = 0.002) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (. CONCLUSIONS: In IgAN patients, an elevated serum HD5 level at the time of renal biopsy was associated with poor renal outcomes. HD5 rather than HD6 was probably associated with renal function of IgAN patients.

Identification of susceptibility locus shared by IgA nephropathy and inflammatory bowel disease in a Chinese Han population.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) had discovered several genetic risk loci for IgA nephropathy (IgAN), where the susceptibility genes of CARD9 and HORMAD2 for IgAN were also implicated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), suggesting a shared genetic etiology of these two diseases. The aim of this study is to explore the common susceptibility loci between IgAN and IBD and provide evidences to elucidate the shared pathogenesis between these two autoimmune diseases. Nineteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with IBD in Asian populations were selected through the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) GWAS Catalog, and 2078 IgAN patients and 2085 healthy individuals of Chinese Han ancestry were included in the two-stage case-control association study. Serum levels of complement factor B (CFB) and complement split product C3a were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One significant shared association at rs4151657 (OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.13-1.45, P = 1.42 × 10-4) was discovered between these two diseases, which implicated CFB as a susceptibility gene for IgAN. Genotype-phenotype correlation analysis found significant association of the rs4151657-C allele with decreased serum C3 levels. In addition, the rs4151657-C allele was also associated with higher CFB levels and C3a levels, which suggested a certain degree of systemic complement activation in IgAN patients with the rs4151657-CT or CC genotypes. Our study identified one risk locus (CFB) shared by IgAN and IBD, and genetic variants of CFB may affect complement activation and associate with the predisposition to IgAN.

Association of FCRL3 Gene Polymorphisms with IgA Nephropathy in a Chinese Han Population.

Our previous genome-wide association study has identified a suggestive association at rs11264799 within FCRL3 (Fc receptor-like 3) locus on 1q23.1 for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in a Chinese Han population. This study aims to investigate the association of FCRL3 variants with the susceptibility, clinicopathological phenotypes and prognosis of IgAN. Eleven FCRL3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected and analyzed in this two-stage case/control study with a total of 1750 IgAN cases and 2500 healthy controls in a Chinese Han population. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as implemented in the PLINK software. Luciferase assays were applied to detect the allelic effect of rs11264794 on gene expression regulation. We found that four SNPs (rs11264794, rs7865684, rs11264799, and rs6691569) were significantly associated with IgAN susceptibility after Bonferroni correction in the combined samples. Genotype/phenotype association analysis observed that two SNPs (rs11264794 and rs11264793) were associated with less disease severity. After adjusting for confounders, rs11264794 was independently correlated with renal outcome in IgAN patients (hazard ratio = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.43-0.97, p = 0.033). In addition, the protective allele A of rs11264794 was significantly associated with higher FCRL3 gene expression. Furthermore, luciferase reporter gene assays demonstrated that the minor allele of rs11264794 obviously reduced the specific binding between miR-183-5p.1 and FCRL3 3'-untranslated region. Our results indicate that FCRL3 gene polymorphisms are associated with the development and progression of IgAN, and the rs11264794-A allele showed a protective role for IgAN.

Association of ITGAX and ITGAM gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to IgA nephropathy.

Previous genome-wide association studies have discovered significant association at ITGAX-ITGAM on 16p11.2 for IgA nephropathy (IgAN). In this study, we performed a two-stage association study that enrolled 1700 IgAN cases and 2400 controls to further investigate the relationship of ITGAX and ITGAM gene polymorphisms with IgAN. Seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected for genotyping in 1000 IgAN cases and 1000 healthy controls in the discovery stage, and the significant SNP was further validated in additional 700 IgAN cases and 1400 healthy controls. We found that four SNPs (rs11150619, rs11150614, rs7190997, and rs4597342) showed potential associations with IgAN susceptibility in the discovery stage, but only SNP rs11150619 was further genotyped in the validation stage after multiple testing. The results indicated that rs11150619 was significantly associated with IgAN in the combined samples (OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.71-0.91, and dominant P = 6.68 × 10-4). Moreover, patients with TT genotype of rs11150619 exhibited increased estimated glomerular filtration rate levels and a reduced proportion of global sclerosis compared with those with TC and CC genotypes. Our results suggested that ITGAX and ITGAM gene polymorphisms were associated with IgAN in a Chinese Han population, and the rs11150619-T allele showed a potential protective role for IgAN.

Association of TNFSF13 polymorphisms with IgA nephropathy in a Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Our previous genome-wide association study of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in a Chinese Han population suggested that the TNFSF13 gene may be a novel susceptibility gene for IgAN. In the present study, we aimed to further evaluate the associations of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression level of the TNFSF13 gene with the risk and clinical parameters of IgAN. METHODS: Six candidate SNPs were selected for genotyping by Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX in 1000 IgAN cases and 1000 controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) with adjustment for age and sex. Serum APRIL (encoded by the TNFSF13 gene) level was detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: We found that rs3803800 was significantly associated with the susceptibility of IgAN after Bonferroni correction [padditive  = 0.0009, OR (95% CI) = 1.25 (1.09-1.42); precessive  = 0.0006, OR (95% CI) = 1.54 (1.20-1.96)]; however, the association remained only in women after further sex-stratified analysis. Genotype-phenotype correlation analysis showed significant associations of rs3803800 with severe clinicopathological manifestations in IgAN patients after adjusting for age and sex, as well as the other two SNPs (rs4246413 and rs4968210) that were also associated with specific clinical phenotypes. Compared with healthy controls, serum APRIL levels were significantly higher in IgAN patients (p = 0.0001) and associated with severity of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicate that the genetic variations and gene expression level of TNFSF13 are associated with the susceptibility and severity of IgAN in a Han Chinese population.

Effect of sulfated polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica on vascular endothelial cells in psychological stress rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Laminaria japonica is a popular seafood and medicinal plant in China. Laminaria japonica is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat and prevent hypertension and edema. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The vascular protective activity and mechanism of sulfated polysaccharides were studied in adrenalin-induced vascular endothelial damage in rats after psychological stress (PS). Vehicle (sham and PS groups), sulfated polysaccharide from Laminaria japonica (LP; 1mg/kg and 5mg/kg) and enoxaparin sodium (1IU/kg, reference drug) were all administered for 10 days. Behavioral changes were recorded. Plasma levels of adrenalin, cortisol, monoamine oxidase (MAO), semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO), formaldehyde, H2O2, nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1a (6-keto-PGF1a), and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) were measured. Endothelium-dependent relaxation of the thoracic aorta was measured and transmission electron microscopy of aortic vessels was performed. RESULTS: Adrenalin metabolites in plasma were significantly lower (P<0.01) in rats after LP administration compared with those in the PS groups. The normalized ratios of plasma NO/ET-1 and 6-keto-PGF1a/TXB2 were maintained and endothelium-dependent relaxation of the aorta was greatly enhanced after LP treatment (P<0.05). Morphological alterations were observed in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in PS rats, with a higher number of lysosomes and vague mitochondrial cristae compared with those in the sham group. However, these histopathological changes were markedly alleviated after LP treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a protective effect of LP on VECs in PS rats. LP can regulate plasma levels of NO, ET-1, and 6-keto-PGF1a, enhance endothelium-dependent relaxation, and alleviate histopathological changes of lysosomes and mitochondria in VECs. The potential mechanism of LP on VECs in PS rats is related to its function of reducing metabolites of adrenalin.

Genome-wide scan on total serum IgE levels identifies no common variants in a healthy Chinese male population.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) provides important information on the humoral immune status, and the IgE level is routinely detected in clinical practice. There are many diseases associated with IgE, such as atopic disease, autoimmune diseases, and so on. IgE is a genetically complex trait, but comprehensive genetic assessment of the variability in serum IgE levels is lacking. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on total serum IgE levels have identified FCER1A as the susceptibility locus; however, the candidate gene association study in southern Chinese patients reported no association. Given the genetic difference in different populations, we firstly conducted this two-stage GWAS in a Chinese population of 3,495 men, including 1,999 unrelated subjects in the first stage and 1,496 independent individuals replicated in the second stage. In the first stage, we totally identified three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which reached a P value of 1.0 × 10⁻5. Rs17090302 on chromosome 3 and Rs28708846 on chromosome 13 are intergenic. Rs432085 from chromosome 3p28 is located in the gene CCDC50. When the two-stage data was combined, none of the SNPs reached the genome-wide significant level. Collectively, we did not identify novel loci associated with the serum IgE level in Chinese males, but we hypothesized that CCDC50 was a candidate gene in regulation on IgE level.