Development of 39 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers for the giant mottled eel Anguilla marmorata and cross-amplification in other eel species

In this study, we have developed microsatellite markers for the giant mottled eel (Anguilla marmorata) from expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences using next-generation sequencing. Consequently, a total of 39 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers were identified in 32 individuals from Wangquan River wild population area. The range of observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity and polymorphism information content were 0.044–1.000, 0.285–0.946 and 0.3783–0.9016, respectively. In addition, eight loci were deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and modified by Bonferroni correction, and the results showed no significant linkage disequilibrium between the locus pair. The amplification of cross-species was conducted in Anguilla bicolor pacifica and Anguilla japonica, which revealed the applicability of EST-SSR primers. These EST-SSR markers can provide sufficient polymorphism for population genetic studies, pedigree and genome mapping of these three kinds of closely related eels.     

D uchenne 型肌营养不良家系的临床及分子遗传学研究

目的：探讨Duchenne型肌营养不良（DMD）家系的临床及分子遗传学特征。方法收集并分析我院收治的2个DMD家系临床资料和基因检测结果,并结合既往相关文献,回顾该病在临床表现、分子遗传学等方面的特点。结果DMD儿童期隐匿起病,进行性加重,以肌无力、肌萎缩为特点,可伴肌肉假性肥大,血清肌酶水平异常增高,肌电图呈肌源性损害,肌肉活检呈肌病特征。本文报道的2个家系经基因检测家系1先证者为DMD基因的第3～21号外显子缺失,家系2先证者则为第8、9外显子重复突变,2个家系中的先证者基因均为纯合突变,且其母亲均为致病基因的携带者,符合X染色体隐性遗传的规律。结论早期识别DMD的临床特征有助于提高该病的诊断水平,基因检测是一种确诊DMD快速、有效的方法。     

Mash1 efficiently reprograms rat astrocytes into neurons简

To date, it remains poorly understood whether astrocytes can be easily reprogrammed into neurons. Mashl and Brn2 have been previously shown to cooperate to reprogram fibroblasts into neurons. In this study, we examined astrocytes from 2-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats, and found that Brn2 was expressed, but Mashl was not detectable. Thus, we hypothesized that Mashl alone could be used to reprogram astrocytes into neurons. We transfected a recombinant MSCV-MASH1 plasmid into astrocytes for 72 hours, and saw that all cells expressed Mashl. One week later, we observed the changes in morphology of astrocytes, which showed typical neuro- nal characteristics. Moreover, β-tubulin expression levels were significantly higher in astrocytes expressing Mashl than in control cells. These results indicate that Mashl alone can reprogram astrocytes into neurons.     

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate induces apoptosis,inhibits proliferation and decreases invasion of glioma cell

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol in green tea, has been considered a potential therapeutic and chemopreventive agent for cancer. Glioma is a malignant tumor with high mortality but effective therapy has not yet been developed. In this study, we found that EGCG induced apoptosis in U251 glioma cells via the laminin receptor (molecular weight 67kDa) in a time- and dose-dependent manner, decreased their invasiveness and inhibited their proliferation. The mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway was shown to be involved in glioma cell apoptosis and proliferation. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were reduced after EGCG treatment. These results suggest that EGCG has important therapeutic effects with low toxicity and side-effects, and could be used in cancer chemoprevention.