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- 2019
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 2. |
- Feng, Ruizhi, et al.
(författare)
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Mutations in TUBB8 and Human Oocyte Meiotic Arrest.
- 2016
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Ingår i: The New England journal of medicine. - 1533-4406. ; 374:3, s. 223-232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Human reproduction depends on the fusion of a mature oocyte with a sperm cell to form a fertilized egg. The genetic events that lead to the arrest of human oocyte maturation are unknown. Methods We sequenced the exomes of five members of a four-generation family, three of whom had infertility due to oocyte meiosis I arrest. We performed Sanger sequencing of a candidate gene, TUBB8, in DNA samples from these members, additional family members, and members of 23 other affected families. The expression of TUBB8 and all other β-tubulin isotypes was assessed in human oocytes, early embryos, sperm cells, and several somatic tissues by means of a quantitative reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction assay. We evaluated the effect of the TUBB8 mutations on the assembly of the heterodimer consisting of one α-tubulin polypeptide and one β-tubulin polypeptide (α/β-tubulin heterodimer) in vitro, on microtubule architecture in HeLa cells, on microtubule dynamics in yeast cells, and on spindle assembly in mouse and human oocytes. Results We identified seven mutations in the primate-specific gene TUBB8 that were responsible for oocyte meiosis I arrest in 7 of the 24 families. TUBB8 expression is unique to oocytes and the early embryo, in which this gene accounts for almost all the expressed β-tubulin. The mutations affect chaperone-dependent folding and assembly of the α/β-tubulin heterodimer, disrupt microtubule behavior on expression in cultured cells, alter microtubule dynamics in vivo, and cause catastrophic spindle-assembly defects and maturation arrest on expression in mouse and human oocytes. Conclusions TUBB8 mutations have dominant-negative effects that disrupt microtubule behavior and oocyte meiotic spindle assembly and maturation, causing female infertility. (Funded by the National Basic Research Program of China and others.).
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| 3. |
- Wang, Tingting, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence and influencing factors of wheeze and asthma among preschool children in Urumqi city : a cross-sectional survey
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate the prevalence and indoor environmental influencing factors of wheeze and asthma among preschool children in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China to provide a strong basis for prevention and control. In August 2019, a cross-sectional study involving 8153 preschool children was conducted in 60 kindergartens in Urumqi. The ALLHOME-2 questionnaire was used for childhood wheeze and asthma survey, and the dampness in buildings and health (DBH) questionnaire was used for the childhood home dwelling and living environment survey. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression was then used to analyze the potential influencing factors of childhood asthma and wheeze. The prevalence of wheeze and asthma in children was 4.7% and 2.0%, respectively. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression results suggested that ethnicity other than the Han Chinese (odds ratio (OR) 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.84), caesarean section (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.00-1.53), family history of asthma (OR 5.00, 95% CI 3.36-7.44), carpet or floor bedding at home (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.05-1.87), purchasing new furniture in the mother's residence during pregnancy (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.06-2.36), pet keeping in the residence at aged 0-1 year (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.13-2.13), passive smoking by child in the current residence (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.01-1.80), and having mould or hygroma in the child's residence at aged 0-1 year (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.12-2.64) were risk factors for wheeze. In addition, Girls (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.59-0.90) was a protective factor for wheeze. Caesarean section (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.06-2.00), family history of asthma (OR 7.06, 95% CI 4.33-11.53), carpet or floor bedding at home (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.50-3.23), and pet keeping in the residence at aged 0-1 year (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.04-1.83) were risk factors for asthma, whereas Girls (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.42-0.80) was a protective factor for asthma. This survey indicates that the purchase of new furniture, the placement of carpet or floor bedding in the child's residence, the pets keeping, room dampness or moldy phenomena, and passive smoking may all contribute to an elevated risk of wheeze or asthma in children.
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| 4. |
- Feng, Ruizhi, et al.
(författare)
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MiRNA-320 in the human follicular fluid is associated with embryo quality in vivo and affects mouse embryonic development in vitro.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated the existence of miRNAs in human follicular fluid. In the current study, we have sought to identify miRNAs that might affect oocyte/embryo quality in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection and to investigate their roles in in vitro fertilization outcomes in mouse oocytes. 53 samples were classified as Group 1 (high quality) if the day-3 embryos had seven and more cells or as Group 2 (low quality) if the embryos had six and fewer cells. TaqMan Human microRNAs cards and qRT-PCR were performed to verify differently expressed miRNAs. The function of the corresponding miRNA was investigated in mouse oocytes by injecting them with miRNA-inhibitor oligonucleotides. We found that hsa-miR-320a and hsa-miR-197 had significantly higher expression levels in the Group 1 follicular fluids than in Group 2 (p = 0.0073 and p = 0.008, respectively). Knockdown of mmu-miR-320 in mouse oocytes strongly decreased the proportions of MII oocytes that developed into two-cell and blastocyst stage embryos (p = 0.0048 and p = 0.0069, respectively). Wnt signaling pathway components had abnormal expression level in miR-320 inhibitor-injected oocytes. This study provides the first evidence that miRNAs in human follicular fluid are indicative of and can influence embryo quality.
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| 5. |
- Piao, Shilong, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient RNDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in RNDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in RNDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.
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| 6. |
- Tang, Liqiu, et al.
(författare)
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A zeolite family with chiral and achiral structures built from the same building layer
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nature Materials. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-1122 .- 1476-4660. ; 7:5, s. 381-385
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Porosity and chirality are two of the most important properties for materials in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Inorganic microporous materials such as zeolites have been widely used in ion-exchange, selective sorption/separation and catalytic processes. The pore size and shape in zeolites play important roles for specific applications(1-3). Chiral inorganic microporous materials are particularly desirable with respect to their possible use in enantioselective sorption, separation and catalysis(4). At present, among the 179 zeolite framework types reported, only three exhibit chiral frameworks(5-7). Synthesizing enantiopure, porous tetrahedral framework structures represents a great challenge for chemists. Here, we report the silicogermanates SU-32 (polymorph A), SU-15 (polymorph B) (SU, Stockholm University) and a hypothetical polymorph C, all built by different stacking of a novel building layer. Whereas polymorphs B and C are achiral, each crystal of polymorph A exhibits only one hand and has an intrinsically chiral zeolite structure. SU-15 and SU-32 are thermally stable on calcination.
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| 7. |
- Yin, Huijuan, et al.
(författare)
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Photodynamic therapy targeting VCAM-1-expressing human umbilical vein endothelial cells using a PpIX-VCAM-1 binding peptide-quantum dot conjugate
- 2017
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2046-2069. ; 7:80, s. 50562-50570
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With increasing knowledge of the relevance of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) for tumor growth, metastasis, angiogenesis, and related processes, it has become an attractive anti-tumor strategy to target VCAM-1 expression on the tumor vasculature. We designed a new targeted nanodrug, denoted PVQ, based on a photosensitizer (for the photodynamic effect), VCAM-1 target and quantum dot (QD) carrier, using conjugated water-dispersible colloidal CdSe-CdS/ZnS QDs, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) photosensitizers, and VCAM-1 binding peptides. Its targeting ability and photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficiency against VCAM-1 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were then investigated. Conjugates of QD-VCAM-1 binding peptide (VQ), PpIX-VCAM-1 binding peptide (PV), and PVQ prepared using amide coupling were verified by agarose gel electrophoresis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectrometry. VCAM-1 expression in HUVECs was induced by TNF-alpha treatment. PVQ conjugates were co-cultured with VCAM-1 expressing (VCAM-1(+)) and non-expressing (VCAM-1(-)) HUVECs, and target imaging, ROS generation, cell death, and apoptosis were analyzed using confocal fluorescence microscopy. VCAM-1 target imaging could not distinguish between VCAM-1(+) and VCAM-1(-) HUVECs after only 6 h of incubation; however it could distinguish between the cells after incubation for 24 h. After incubation for ca. 30 min, PVQ generated a significantly higher yield of ROS (3.6 fold) in VCAM-1(+) HUVECs compared with VCAM-1(-) cells, during 10 min of irradiation at a wavelength of 405 nm, and this was followed by a second rise in ROS at 30 min after irradiation. Moreover, cell destruction was observed clearly in VCAM-1(+) cells treated with PVQ and almost all cells became round after 30 min of irradiation at 405 nm. PVQ-induced PDT effects caused a significant apoptosis (onset and late apoptosis) in VCAM-1(+) HUVECs at 6 h after PDT treatment. In conclusion, PVQ shows a great potential for targeted PDT in cancer therapy.
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