| 1. |
- de Vries, Paul S., et al.
(author)
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Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study of Lipid Levels Incorporating Gene-Alcohol Interactions
- 2019
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In: American Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0002-9262 .- 1476-6256. ; 188:6, s. 1033-1054
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A person's lipid profile is influenced by genetic variants and alcohol consumption, but the contribution of interactions between these exposures has not been studied. We therefore incorporated gene-alcohol interactions into a multiancestry genome-wide association study of levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. We included 45 studies in stage 1 (genome-wide discovery) and 66 studies in stage 2 (focused follow-up), for a total of 394,584 individuals from 5 ancestry groups. Analyses covered the period July 2014-November 2017. Genetic main effects and interaction effects were jointly assessed by means of a 2-degrees-of-freedom (df) test, and a 1-df test was used to assess the interaction effects alone. Variants at 495 loci were at least suggestively associated (P < 1 x 10(-6)) with lipid levels in stage 1 and were evaluated in stage 2, followed by combined analyses of stage 1 and stage 2. In the combined analysis of stages 1 and 2, a total of 147 independent loci were associated with lipid levels at P < 5 x 10(-8) using 2-df tests, of which 18 were novel. No genome-wide-significant associations were found testing the interaction effect alone. The novel loci included several genes (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 5 (PCSK5), vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB), and apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC1) complementation factor (A1CF)) that have a putative role in lipid metabolism on the basis of existing evidence from cellular and experimental models.
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| 2. |
- Sung, Yun Ju, et al.
(author)
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A multi-ancestry genome-wide study incorporating gene-smoking interactions identifies multiple new loci for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure
- 2019
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press. - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 28:15, s. 2615-2633
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene–smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2. We report here 136 loci significantly associated with MAP and/or PP. Of these, 61 were previously published through main-effect analysis of BP traits, 37 were recently reported by us for systolic BP and/or diastolic BP through gene–smoking interaction analysis and 38 were newly identified (P < 5 × 10−8, false discovery rate < 0.05). We also identified nine new signals near known loci. Of the 136 loci, 8 showed significant interaction with smoking status. They include CSMD1 previously reported for insulin resistance and BP in the spontaneously hypertensive rats. Many of the 38 new loci show biologic plausibility for a role in BP regulation. SLC26A7 encodes a chloride/bicarbonate exchanger expressed in the renal outer medullary collecting duct. AVPR1A is widely expressed, including in vascular smooth muscle cells, kidney, myocardium and brain. FHAD1 is a long non-coding RNA overexpressed in heart failure. TMEM51 was associated with contractile function in cardiomyocytes. CASP9 plays a central role in cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Identified only in African ancestry were 30 novel loci. Our findings highlight the value of multi-ancestry investigations, particularly in studies of interaction with lifestyle factors, where genomic and lifestyle differences may contribute to novel findings.
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| 3. |
- Feitosa, Mary F., et al.
(author)
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Novel genetic associations for blood pressure identified via gene-alcohol interaction in up to 570K individuals across multiple ancestries
- 2018
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 13:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heavy alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for hypertension; the mechanism by which alcohol consumption impact blood pressure (BP) regulation remains unknown. We hypothesized that a genome-wide association study accounting for gene-alcohol consumption interaction for BP might identify additional BP loci and contribute to the understanding of alcohol-related BP regulation. We conducted a large two-stage investigation incorporating joint testing of main genetic effects and single nucleotide variant (SNV)-alcohol consumption interactions. In Stage 1, genome-wide discovery meta-analyses in approximate to 131 K individuals across several ancestry groups yielded 3,514 SNVs (245 loci) with suggestive evidence of association (P <1.0 x 10(-5)). In Stage 2, these SNVs were tested for independent external replication in individuals across multiple ancestries. We identified and replicated (at Bonferroni correction threshold) five novel BP loci (380 SNVs in 21 genes) and 49 previously reported BP loci (2,159 SNVs in 109 genes) in European ancestry, and in multi-ancestry meta-analyses (P < 5.0 x 10(-8)). For African ancestry samples, we detected 18 potentially novel BP loci (P< 5.0 x 10(-8)) in Stage 1 that warrant further replication. Additionally, correlated meta-analysis identified eight novel BP loci (11 genes). Several genes in these loci (e.g., PINX1, GATA4, BLK, FTO and GABBR2 have been previously reported to be associated with alcohol consumption. These findings provide insights into the role of alcohol consumption in the genetic architecture of hypertension.
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| 4. |
- Liang, Yongqi, et al.
(author)
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Achieving High Open-Circuit Voltages up to 1.57 V in Hole-Transport-Material-Free MAPbBr(3) Solar Cells with Carbon Electrodes
- 2018
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In: Advanced Energy Materials. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1614-6832 .- 1614-6840. ; 8:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of 1.57 V under simulated AM1.5 sunlight in planar MAPbBr(3) solar cells with carbon (graphite) electrodes is obtained. The hole-transport-material-free MAPbBr(3) solar cells with the normal architecture (FTO/TiO2/MAPbBr(3)/carbon) show little hysteresis during current-voltage sweep under simulated AM1.5 sunlight. A solar-to-electricity power conversion efficiency of 8.70% is achieved with the champion device. Accordingly, it is proposed that the carbon electrodes are effective to extract photogenerated holes in MAPbBr(3) solar cells, and the industry-applicable carbon electrodes will not limit the performance of bromide-based perovskite solar cells. Based on the analysis of the band alignment, it is found that the voltage (energy) loss across the interface between MAPbBr(3) and carbon is very small compared to the offset between the valence band maximum of MAPbBr(3) and the work function of graphite. This finding implies either Fermi level pinning or highly doped region inside MAPbBr(3) layer exists. The band-edge electroluminescence spectra of MAPbBr(3) from the solar cells further support no back-transfer pathways of electrons across the MAPbBr(3)/TiO2 interface.
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| 5. |
- Cheng, Yajuan, et al.
(author)
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Improvement and optimization of the growth quality of upright ZnOrod arrays by the response surface methodology
- 2015
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In: Applied Surface Science. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0169-4332 .- 1873-5584. ; 351, s. 451-459
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Response surface methodology was employed to guide the growth of ZnO rod arrays. With its assistance, the growth quality of the obtained samples was improved dramatically. The morphologies evolved from sparsely, randomly oriented rods to dense and upright rod arrays. Moreover, the significant parameters for ZnO rod arrays growth and their optimal regions were also determined. Furthermore, with the optimized parameters, the obtained aspect ratio of the vertically aligned ZnO rod arrays reached a value of 31. This is relatively a high value of ZnO rod arrays synthesized by wet chemical methods without capping agents in neutral solutions.
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| 6. |
- Cheng, Yajuan, et al.
(author)
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Optimization of high-quality vertically aligned ZnO rod arrays by the response surface methodology
- 2015
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In: Journal of Alloys and Compounds. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-8388 .- 1873-4669. ; 626, s. 180-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optimization of the deposition parameters was conducted by the response surface methodology to synthesize high-quality ZnO rod arrays with a high texture coefficient, a large aspect ratio and a narrow bandgap. In addition, mathematical models based on statistical analysis were also developed to predict the texture coefficient, aspect ratio and bandgap of the ZnO rod arrays. With the optimized parameters, all of the three involved responses obtained the desired optimum values. The results show that the texture coefficient can be elevated up to a value of 0.998, which represents an almost perfect value. Moreover, wide range of aspect ratios was obtained for various applications and the obtained maximum value of 21.3 is relatively high value by wet chemical method, especially when no capping agent and no refreshing growth solution in a nearly neutral solution is used.
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| 7. |
- Hu, Nan, et al.
(author)
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Elevated temperatures increase growth and enhance foraging performances of a marine gastropod
- 2021
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In: Aquaculture Environment Interactions. - 1869-215X. ; 13, s. 177-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The oceans continue to warm due to rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Most climate-change studies of aquaculture species use temperature changes based on coarse-resolution climate models and without considering thermal ranges of an animal. Coarse-resolution climate models are generated by global-scale data, which is insufficient to capture the conditions of coastal areas where most aquaculture activity occurs. Therefore, ocean warming research on coastal organisms requires a more comprehensive design to include broad temperature gradients. By using the ecologically and commercially important coastal whelk Rapana venosa, we combined long-term and short-term experiments and selected 4 temperature treatments (19, 23, 27, and 30°C) to simulate different scenarios to test ocean warming effects on growth rates and foraging performances of whelks. We found that elevated temperature within the whelk’s thermal range (23 and 27°C) significantly increased growth rates and enhanced foraging performances of marine whelks when compared to the current temperature (19°C). Conversely, the whelk’s performance collapsed at 30°C in terms of both growth and foraging behavior. Our research clearly shows that local conditions and the tolerance range of a species must be considered to develop meaningful information for testing the effects of a changing climate. Our study suggests that rapa whelks may increase their feeding and reach larger sizes during warmer periods. Moreover, our study may provide a foundation for future climate research on aquaculture species.
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| 8. |
- Li, Zhilun, et al.
(author)
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p21-activated kinase 4 phosphorylation of integrin beta5 Ser-759 and Ser-762 regulates cell migration
- 2010
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 285:31, s. 23699-23710
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Modulation of integrin alphavbeta5 regulates vascular permeability, angiogenesis, and tumor dissemination. In addition, we previously found a role for p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) in selective regulation of integrin alphavbeta5-mediated cell motility (Zhang, H., Li, Z., Viklund, E. K., and Strömblad, S. (2002) J. Cell Biol. 158, 1287-1297). This report focuses on the molecular mechanisms of this regulation. We here identified a unique PAK4-binding membrane-proximal integrin beta5-SERS-motif involved in controlling cell attachment and migration. We also mapped the integrin beta5-binding site within PAK4. We found that PAK4 binding to integrin beta5 was not sufficient to promote cell migration, but that PAK4 kinase activity was required for PAK4 promotion of cell motility. Importantly, PAK4 specifically phosphorylated the integrin beta5 subunit at Ser-759 and Ser-762 within the beta5-SERS-motif. Point mutation of these two serine residues abolished the PAK4-induced cell migration, indicating a functional role for these phosphorylations in migration. Our results may give important leads to the functional regulation of integrin alphavbeta5, with implications for vascular permeability, angiogenesis, and cancer dissemination.
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| 9. |
- Lu, Yonglong, et al.
(author)
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Interaction between pollution and climate change augments ecological risk to a coastal ecosystem
- 2018
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In: Ecosystem Health and Sustainability. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2096-4129 .- 2332-8878. ; 4:7, s. 161-168
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pollution and climate change are among the most challenging issues for countries with developing economies, but we know little about the ecological risks that result when these pressures occur together. We explored direct effects of, and interactions between, environmental pollution and climate change on ecosystem health in the Bohai Sea region of Northern China. We developed an integrated approach to assess ecological risks to this region under four scenarios of climate change. Although ecological risks to the system from pollution alone have been declining, interactions between pollution and climate change have enhanced ecological risks to this coastal/marine ecosystem. Our results suggest that current policies focused strictly on pollution control alone should be changed to take into account the interactive effects of climate change so as to better forecast and manage potential ecological risks.
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| 10. |
- Sheng, Xiaofei, et al.
(author)
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Controllable Fabrication of Large-Size Defect-Free Domains of 2D Colloidal Crystal Masks Guided by Statistical Experimental Design
- 2021
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In: Coatings. - : MDPI. - 2079-6412. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large defect-free domains of a hexagonal packed monolayer of silica spheres with the size of 4000 mu m(2) were successfully prepared by dual-speed spin coating. Experimental design and statistical analysis instead of the traditional 'changing one separate factor at a time' (COST) approach were employed to guide the implementation of the experiments. With its assistance, the hexagonal-close-packed (HCP) percentage was elevated to 84% in this study. Furthermore, almost all the samples with parameters in the selected ranges possessed more than a 60% HCP percentage. In addition, the optimal values for parameters of the suspension concentration, the first rotation speed, and the spinning time to obtain well-ordered silica spheres arrays were also identified as 30 wt.%, 1000 rpm and 20 s, respectively.
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