Functional study of the soybean stamen-preferentially expressed gene GmFLA22a in regulating male fertility.

China has a high dependence on soybean imports, yield increase at a faster rate is an urgent problem that need to be solved at present. The application of heterosis is one of the effective ways to significantly increase crop yield. In recent years, the development of an intelligent male sterility system based on recessive nuclear sterile genes has provided a potential solution for rapidly harnessing the heterosis in soybean. However, research on male sterility genes in soybean has been lagged behind. Based on transcriptome data of soybean floral organs in our research group, a soybean stamen-preferentially expressed gene GmFLA22a was identified. It encodes a fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein with the FAS1 domain, and subcellular localization studies revealed that it may play roles in the endoplasmic reticulum. Take advantage of the gene editing technology, the Gmfla22a mutant was generated in this study. However, there was a significant reduction in the seed-setting rate in the mutant plants at the reproductive growth stage. The pollen viability and germination rate of Gmfla22a mutant plants showed no apparent abnormalities. Histological staining demonstrated that the release of pollen grains in the mutant plants was delayed and incomplete, which may due to the locule wall thickening in the anther development. This could be the reason of the reduced seed-setting rate in Gmfla22a mutants. In summary, our study has preliminarily revealed that GmFLA22a may be involved in regulating soybean male fertility. It provides crucial genetic materials for further uncovering its molecular function and gene resources and theoretical basis for the utilization of heterosis in soybean.

The Prognosis and Predictive Value of Complement C3 in Patients with Multiple Myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of complement C3 on the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), and to establish a predictive model to evaluate the overall survival.@*METHODS@#Eighty newly diagnosed MM patients were enrolled, and clinical characteristics, such as sex, age, platelet count, white blood cell count, ISS stage, FISH, levels of kappa and lammda chain, complement C3 and C4 were retrospectively analyzed. Cox regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis about risk factors that affecting the prognosis of the MM patients. A nomogram based on C3 level was established for predicting the prognosis of MM patients.@*RESULTS@#The average age of the MM patients was 63.15±10.41, including 36 males and 44 females. The median overall survival (OS) was 36.3 months, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 35.2 months, the 3-year OS rate and PFS rate of the MM patients were 67.5% and 52.5%, respectively. The variants selected by univariate analysis were put into multivariate regression model, the result showed that C3 level ≥0.7 U/L and PLT count <100×10@*CONCLUSION@#Patients with C3 level≥0.7 U/L or PLT count <100×10

Effects of polygonatum polysaccharide on p38 MAPK/N-cadherin in zebrafish with Alzheimer disease / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of polygonatum polysaccharide on zebrafish with Alzheimer disease. METHODS Zebrafish were trained in T maze for 7 d. The 40 zebrafish successfully trained were divided into 4 groups:blank group, model group, positive group and polygonatum polysaccharide group. Model group, positive group and polygonatum polysaccharide group were put in AlCl3100μg·L-1 for 6 d. The positive group was exposed to Huperzine A solution 4μg·L-1, and the polygonatum polysaccharide group was exposed to polygonatum polysaccharide solution 6 g·L-1 for 6 d. The model group was not treated, and the blank group was not treated. Each stage of zebrafish was recorded by video, and the time of each group in the EC region was analyzed. After administration, the brain tissue was taken out and the expression of N-cadherin, P38 and p-P38 protein factors was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS In behavior, the analysis of the time spent in the EC area, the blank group, the positive group and the polygonatum polysac?charide group were compared with the model group, respectively, there were statistically significant differences (P<0.05). At the protein level, compared with the model group, the P38 and p-P38 proteins in the positive group and the polygonatum polysaccharide group were down-regulated, while the N-cadherin protein was up-regulated, with statistical difference (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Polygonatum polysaccharide can improve the learning and memory ability of zebrafish with Alzheimer disease by up regulating the protein level of N-cadherin and hindering P38 phosphorylation.

Survival and Prognosis Analysis of 57 Patients with Multiple Myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship of clinical related indicator levels and clinical staging with the prognosis of MM patients so as to more accurately evaluate the disease status and guide the clinical treatment.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The clinical indicators including age, WBC and Plt counts, FISH result, ISS staging, Kappa and Lammada light chain levels and so on in 57 cases of MM were analyzed retrospectively; the unvariate and multivatiate analyses of factors influencing the prognosis of MM patients were performed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression model; the factors influencing the prognosis of patients were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Median age of 57 patients including 25 male and 32 female, was 63(29-81) years old, mean OS time was 37.3 months, mean PFS time was 36.3 months, 3-year OS and PFS were 73.6% and 56.1% respectively. The unvaviate analysis showed that age, WBC count, Plt count, FISH result, ISS staging, Kappa and lammda light chain levels, and remission were factors influencing the prognosis; the multivatiate analysis showed that the Kappa light chain level ≥19.4 mg/L and Plt count <100×10/L were independant risk factors influencing the prognosis of MM patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prognosis of MM patients with high Kappa light chian level and low Plt count is very poor, therefore the therapeutic regimens should be selected differentially for this kind of newly diagnosed MM patients so as to enhance the survival time of patients.</p>

Effect of rhynchophylline on behaviors of methamphetamine-dependent zebrafish and the mechanism / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of rhynchophylline on methamphetamine-dependent zebrafish and explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Zebrafish were divided into control group, amphetamine group, low- (50 mg/kg) and high (100 mg/kg)-dose rhynchophylline groups, and ketamine (150 mg/kg) group. Conditioned place preference (CPP) was induced in zebrafish with methamphetamine, and the staying time in the drug box and the tracking map of the zebrafish were observed with Noldus Ethovision XT system. The protein expressions of TH, NR2B and GLUR2 in the brain of zebrafish with CPP were detected with Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, zebrafish in methamphetamine group showed significant variations in the staying time and swimming distance in the drug box after conditioning (P<0.05) with obvious alterations of NR2B, TH and GLUR2 expressions in the brain (P<0.05). Treatment of methamphetamine-dependent zebrafish with high-dose rhynchophylline significantly reduced the variations in the staying time and swimming distance in the drug box (P<0.05) and in the expressions of NR2B, TH and GLUR2 in the brain (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Rhynchophylline can inhibit methamphetamine dependence in zebrafish, the mechanism of which may involve the expressions of TH, NR2B and GLUR2 proteins in the brain.</p>

MicroRNAs expression in normal and dissected aortic tissue / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To investigate if there is altered microRNAs (miRNAs) expression in aortic dissection (Debakey Type A) and normal aorta tissue.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Total RNA was exacted from aorta of 5 patients with aortic dissection (AD) and four patients without aortic diseases (NA). miRNAs of the aortic tissues were analyzed by miRNA microarray. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to verify the expression of miRNAs in larger sample size (AD = 11 and NA = 9).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>hsa-miR-146b-5p_st, hsa-miR-19a_st and hsa-miR-505_st were significantly upregulated while hsa-miR-1268_st and hsa-miR-939_st were significantly downregulated [fold change > 2, q-value (%) ≤ 5] in AD group compared with NA group. RT-PCR verified hsa-miR-146b-5p_st miRNAs change in AD group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Altered miRNAs expression might play an essential role in the pathogenesis of aortic dissection formation and hsa-miR-146b-5p_st might serve as a new diagnosis biomarker of aortic dissection.</p>