The expression profile of circRNA and its potential regulatory targets in the placentas of severe pre-eclampsia

ObjectiveTo determine the expression profiles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) of women with severe pre-eclampsia (sPE group) versus normal pregnancies (normal control group).Materials and methodsRNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was conducted to characterize differentially expressed circRNAs and mRNAs in the placental tissues of women with sPE versus normal pregnancies. circRNA functions were predicted by Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database analysis. The backsplicing junctions of circRNAs were validated with the use of divergent primers. Relative expression levels of cirRNAs were verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network was constructed to outline the regulatory network of the differentially expressed circRNAs.ResultsA total of 49 differentially expressed circRNAs were found in the placental tissues of women with sPE. Several differentially expressed mRNAs were also observed in the sPE patients. KEGG analysis revealed that the most enriched pathway of the circRNAs was the MAPK signaling pathway, while the differentially expressed mRNAs were primary enriched in pathways in cancer. Among these circRNAs, hsa_circ_0001438, hsa_circ_0001326, and hsa_circ_32340 were upregulated in the sPE patients and the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network generated with these three circRNAs revealed a broad regulatory network that might be involved in the pathogenesis of sPE.ConclusioncircRNAs are differentially expressed in sPE. The upregulation of hsa_circ_0001438, hsa_circ_0001326, and hsa_circ_32340 has a potential role in the regulation of miRNA and mRNA expression. Changes to the expression profiles of the circRNAs might be linked to the pathogenesis of sPE and could function as biomarkers.     

凋亡相关斑点样蛋白寡聚阻断剂对小鼠脊髓损伤急性期局部基因转录表达影响的转录组分析

背景:炎症小体在脊髓损伤后发挥重要作用,凋亡相关斑点样蛋白是炎症小体的共同接头蛋白.作者前期的研究表明,一种特异性的凋亡相关斑点样蛋白寡聚阻断剂CRID3,可以通过抑制凋亡相关斑点样蛋白寡聚化而抑制炎症小体的活化和相应细胞因子的产生,进而改善损伤脊髓局部微环境,发挥神经保护作用.但是其在转录水平对损伤脊髓的影响尚未见报...     

Oncogene UBE2I enhances cellular invasion,migration and proliferation abilities via autophagy-related pathway resulting in poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide malignancy with high morbidity and mortality. In this study, ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2I (UBE2I), a small ubiquitin-like modifier E2 enzyme reportedly expressed in tumors, was examined for its potential effects in HCC. Bioinformatics analysis was performed based on HCCDB, TIMER, and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases to explore the clinical implications in HCC. An siRNA kit was used to downregulate UBE2I, and in vitro experiments-including migration, invasion and proliferation assays-were performed to examine UBE2I expression in HCC. Western blot (WB) was used to determine whether downregulated UBE2I expression influenced the prognosis of HCC via autophagy pathways. Finally, RNA-sequencing was performed to explore candidate molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of UBE2I. Bioinformatics analysis including stratification by alcohol ingestion and hepatitis status in HCC showed that highly expressed UBE2I was not only correlated with poor prognosis, but was also associated with immune infiltrates. In vitro experiments showed that high expression of UBE2I was associated with increased migration, invasion and proliferation of HCC cells. WB results indicated that downregulated expression of UBE2I was associated with higher levels of autophagy-related proteins including LC3A/B, Beclin-1 and ATG16L1. Moreover, RNA-sequencing results suggested that UBE2I was involved in hepatocarcinogenesis, non-alcohol fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, inflammation, hepatoblastoma, tumor angiogenesis, type 2 mellitus diabetes, biliary tract disease and other diseases. We conclude that oncogene UBE2I is associated with poor prognosis of HCC via autophagy pathways and may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis, tumor angiogenesis, non-alcohol fatty liver disease and inflammation.     

Repeat tick exposure elicits distinct immune responses in guinea pigs and mice

Ticks deposit salivary proteins into the skin during a bite to mediate acquisition of a blood meal. Acquired resistance to tick bites has been demonstrated to prevent Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) transmission. However, the mechanism of resistance, as well as the protective antigens, have remained elusive. To address these unknowns, we utilized a guinea pig model of tick resistance and a mouse model of permissiveness. Guinea pigs developed immunity after multiple Ixodes scapularis tick infestations, characterized by rapid tick detachment and impaired feeding. In comparison, mice tolerated at least 6 infestations with no significant impact on feeding. We analyzed the bite sites by RNA-sequencing and histology, identifying several inflammatory pathways in tick immune animals, such as FcεRI signaling and complement activation, and activation of coagulation pathways that could impair local blood flow. Together, these results identify important pathways altered during tick rejection and potential tick proteins that could serve as vaccine candidates.     

单细胞转录组测序在眼科研究领域中的应用

单细胞转录组测序技术（single-cell RNA-sequencing，sc RNA-seq）是从单个细胞水平分析细胞转录组的表达谱，用于鉴定细胞特异性标记物，发现罕见细胞类型、细胞亚型，揭示细胞之间的差异表达，成为研究复杂生物体系细胞异质性的有效方法，已广泛应用于干细胞、器官发育、神经系统、肿瘤、免疫、微生物等多个研究领域。近年来，该技术在眼科研究领域的应用也日渐增多。随着现代分子生物学与生物信息学的进展，高通量、低成本、高效的商业化测序平台不断涌现。本文主要阐述sc RNA-seq的几项重要技术应用的优缺点和该技术在眼科研究领域中的应用。在未来的研究中，该技术可能扩展到更多的眼部相关疾病的研究中，逐渐应用于临床，指导疾病的诊断及治疗。     

How to Get Started with Single Cell RNA Sequencing Data Analysis

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