Hyperhomocysteinemia is a potential risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Among genes involved in homocysteine metabolism, polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene are known to be associated with MetS incidence. However, effects of polymorphisms of other folate metabolism-related genes on MetS susceptibility are not well known yet. This study was to determine whether methionine synthase (MTR) 2756A > G, methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) 66A > G, and thymidylate synthase enhancer region (TSER) 2R/3R polymorphisms might be associated with risks of MetS development in the Korean population. Genotype analysis of the three polymorphisms was performed for a total of 483 subjects including 236 MetS patients and 247 unrelated healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The present study revealed that MTRR and TSER polymorphisms were associated with susceptibility to MetS. Several genotypes and allele combinations from the three polymorphisms were also related to the MetS prevalence. When polymorphism data were stratified according to the risk components of MetS, MTR polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of MetS in subjects with systolic blood pressure < 132.7mmHg (AOR 1.842, 95% CI 1.039-3.266, P = 0.037) and fasting blood glucose level < 106.3mg/dL (AOR 1.772, 95% CI 1.069-2.937, P = 0.027). MTRR polymorphism was significantly associated with a decreased risk of MetS in subjects with triglyceride level < 216.3mg/dL (AOR 0.616, 95% CI 0.399-0.951, P = 0.029). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first to provide reliable evidence about the association of other folate metabolism-related gene polymorphisms besides MTHFR with MetS susceptibility and its risk factors. Results of this study suggest that MTRR and TSER polymorphisms might be potential genetic markers for the risk of MetS development in Korean population.

Membrane-bound NADPH oxidases (Nicotinamide adenine ainucleotide phosphate oxidase) also called respiratory burst oxidase homologs (Rboh) play an essential role in ROS production under normal as well as environmental stress conditions in plants. To identify and study respiratory burst homologs (Rboh) from the wheat genome as well as characterize their role in various biological and molecular processes along with expression in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. The Rboh homologs in the wheat genome were predicted based on data processing, alignment of sequences and phylogenetic analysis of sequences in numerous plant species and wheat. The conserved motifs were known followed by domain design study. The 3-D structure prediction and similarity modeling were administered for NADPH enzyme domain. Gene ontology and a functional study were done in addition to expression analysis of Triticum aestivum respiratory burst oxidase (TaRboh) gene family in response to biotic as well as abiotic stress. Phylogenetic analysis of Rboh gene family members among seven plant species including wheat, classified the family into four subfamilies. Rboh genes are mainly involved in various biological processes such as Response to oxidative stress, Superoxide anion generation, Hydrogen peroxide biosynthetic process. Among the molecular functions, calcium ion binding, peroxidase activity, oxidoreductase activity, superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase activity are essential. Enzyme annotation of the family and superfamily revealed that it encodes to five structural clusters and coding to enzymes NAD(P)H oxidase (H2O2-forming) (EC:1.6.3.1), Ferric-chelate reductase (NADH) (EC: 1.16.1.7), Peroxidase (EC: 1.11.1.7), Ribose-phosphate diphosphokinase (EC: 2.7.6.1). The enzymes contain six membrane-spanning domains, two hemes, and conserved motifs associated with NADPH, EF-hand and FAD binding. The outcomes additionally reflect a distinct role of this enzyme in different molecular functions which are responsible for the stress signaling. Further, the transcripts of TaRboh found expressed in various plant parts such as stem, leaves, spike, seed, and roots. We also observed expression of these gene family members under drought/combination of drought + heat and important wheat pathogens such as Puccinia striformis, Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici, Fusarium graminiarum, F. pseudograminiarum, and Zymoseptoria tritici. The investigation demonstrated that identified respiratory burst homologs (Rboh) in T. aestivum were involved in pathogen activated ROS production and have regulatory functions in cell death and defense responses.

A large proportion of eukaryote nuclear genomes is composed of repetitive DNA. Tracing the dynamics of repetitive elements in the genomes of related taxa can reveal important information about their phylogenic relationships as well as traits that have become distinct to a lineage. Study the genomic abundance and chromosomal location of repetitive DNA in Capsicum annuum L. to understand the repeat dynamics. We quantified repeated DNA content in the C. annuum genome using the RepeatExplorer pipeline. About 42% of the C. annuum genome dataset comprised repetitive elements. Of these, 0.011, 0.98, 3.09, and 0.024% represented high and low confidence satellite repeats, putative long-terminal repeats (LTRs), and rDNA sequences, respectively. One novel high confidence 167-bp satellite repeat with a genomic proportion of 0.011%, Ca167TR, was identified. Furthermore, FISH with Ca167TR on metaphase chromosomes of C. annuum revealed signals in the subtelomeric regions of the short and long arms of chromosome 3 and 4, respectively. Further understanding of the origin and associated functions of Ca167TR and other repeats in Capsicum will give us insights into the genomic relationships and functions of the genome.

The words 'hair follicles' was replaced with 'feather follicles' in the title and the main text.

Acute radiation enteritis (ARE), a common complication of intestinal caused by abdominal and pelvic radiation therapy. Rheinic acid is a major active ingredient derived from Rhubarb. Rhubarb could suppress inflammation, tumor, fibrosis oxidative damage. However, RA as the main active component and extract monomer of Rhubarb, the pharmacological activity and the underlying molecular mechanism on various diseases has not yet been revealed. To determine the potential role of rheinic acid (RA) in ameliorating inflammation of rats with acute radiation enteritis (ARE), and explore the underlying mechanism. ARE rat model was established by irradiated with single-dose 10Gy X-rays at a rate of 0.62Gy/min to the abdomen. The rats were executed after orally administered with Rheinic acid 7days and used in the subsequent experiments. Body weight, fecal characteristics and bloody of rats were used to assess the disease activity index. Histological analysis of the jejunum and colon were evaluated using H&E staining. The pro-inflammatory cytokines levels were measured by immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The levels of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) were also determined. The mRNA and protein expression were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot, respectively. Rheinic acid promoted intestinal functional recovery, and ameliorated intestinal damage and bloody stool in ARE rats. Rheinic acid strongly decreased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, NO, and MDA, whereas increased levels of anti-oxidants, SOD and GSH. Moreover, the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), were decreased with RA treatment. Further study indicated that PPAR-γ was activated and thereby NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathway were suppressed after rheinic acid treatment. Rheinic acid could ameliorate acute radiation enteritis and the underlying molecular mechanism is, at least partially, through PPAR-γ/NF-κB and p38 MAPK/JNK pathways.

Trichoderma is one of the most important biocontrol fungi, which could produce mycelia, conidiospores, and chlamydospores three types of propagules under different conditions. Chlamydospores are produced in harsh conditions in various fungi, and may be more resistant to adverse conditions. However, the knowledge associated with the mechanism of chlamydospore formation remained unclear in Trichoderma. This study is aimed to explore the essential genes and regulatory pathways associated with chlamydospore formation in Trichoderma. The culture condition, survival rate, and biocontrol effects of chlamydospores and conidiospores from Trichoderma.harzianum Tr-92 were determined. Furthermore, the whole transcriptome profiles of T. harzianum Tr-92 under chlamydospore-producing and chlamydospore-nonproducing conditions were performed. T. harzianum Tr-92 produced chlamydospores under particular conditions, and chlamydospore-based formulation of T. harzianum Tr-92 exhibited higher biocontrol ability against Botrytis cinerea in cucumber than conidoiospore-based formulation. In the transcriptome analysis, a total of 2,029 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in T. harzianum Tr-92 under chlamydospore-producing condition, compared to that under chlamydospore-nonproducing condition. GO classification indicated that the DEGs were significantly enriched in 284 terms among biological process, cellular components and molecular function categories. A total of 19 pathways were observed with DEGs by KEGG analysis. Furthermore, fifteen DEGs were verified by quantitative real-time PCR, and the expression profiles were consistent with the transcriptome data. The results would provide a basis on the molecular mechanisms underlying Trichoderma sporulation, which would assist the development and application of fungal biocontrol agents.

Leaf morphology influences plant growth and productivity and is controlled by genetic and environmental cues. The various morphotypes of Brassica rapa provide an excellent resource for genetic and molecular studies of morphological traits. This study aimed to identify genes regulating leaf morphology using segregating B. rapa p F2 population. Phenotyping and transcriptomic analyses were performed on an F2 population derived from a cross between Rapid cycling B. rapa (RCBr) and B. rapa ssp. penkinensis, inbred line Kenshin. Analyses focused on four target traits: lamina (leaf) length (LL), lamina width (LW), petiole length (PL), and leaf margin (LM). All four traits were controlled by multiple QTLs, and expression of 466 and 602 genes showed positive and negative correlation with leaf phenotypes, respectively. From this microarray analysis, large numbers of genes were putatively identified as leaf morphology-related genes. The Gene Ontology (GO) category containing the highest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was "phytohormones". The sets of genes enriched in the four leaf phenotypes did not overlap, indicating that each phenotype was regulated by a different set of genes. The expression of BrAS2, BrAN3, BrCYCB1;2, BrCYCB2;1,4, BrCYCB3;1, CrCYCBD3;2, BrULT1, and BrANT seemed to be related to leaf size traits (LL and LW), whereas BrCUC1, BrCUC2, and BrCUC3 expression for LM trait. An analysis integrating the results of the current study with previously published data revealed that Kenshin alleles largely determined LL and LW but LM resulted from RCBr alleles. Genes identified in this study could be used to develop molecular markers for use in Brassica breeding projects and for the dissection of gene function.

Sinonovacula constricta is an economically important bivalve species in China, Korea and Japan that widely resides in estuarine and coastal areas where salinity fluctuates rapidly. However, little is known about its adaptation mechanisms to acute salt stresses. To reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in acute salt stresses in juvenile S. constricta. Nine cDNA libraries (triplicate each trial) were established from juvenile S. constricta, which were subjected to low salinity (5psu), optimal salinity (15psu) and high salinity (25psu) for 6h, respectively. Illumina sequencing generated 478,587,310 clean reads totally, which were assembled into 427,057 transcripts of 246,672 unigenes. Compared with the control, 1259 and 2163 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified under acute low and high salt stresses, respectively. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of DEGs revealed that several key metabolic modulations were mainly responsible for the acute salt stresses. According to the significantly highlighted KEGG pathways, some key DEGs were identified and discussed in details. Notably, based on which, some potential osmolytes were further speculated. Here, we carried out a unique report of comparative transcriptome analyses in juvenile S. constricta in response to acute salt stresses. The identified DEGs and their significantly enriched GO terms and KEGG pathways were critical for understanding and further investigating the underlying the physical and biochemical performances, and ultimately facilitated S. constricta breeding. Besides, the transcriptome data greatly enriched the genetic information of S. constricta, which were valuable for promoting its molecular biology researches.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is known as an inflammatory disease. NRF2 (Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 Like2) encodes a transcription factor that binds to antioxidant response elements (AREs) and regulates the expression of genes involved in many antioxidant responses. This study aimed to gain insight into individual anti-inflammatory activity to prevent T2D development in humans. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genetic variants influencing NRF2 expression in LCLs (lymphoblastoid cell lines) generated from 74 different individuals. Association analyses between T2D or its related traits and genetic risk score (GRS) calculated by combining genetic variants detected from GWAS for cellular NRF2 expression were performed using data from 8715 subjects. The T2D prediction model using GRS was evaluated by measuring the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Our GWAS identified six genetic variants (SNP) showing suggestive evidence of associations with cellular NRF2 expression (P < 10- 6). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that GRS was associated with an increased risk of T2D (P value = 0.003, OR = 1.13). In addition, linear regression analyses showed positive associations between GRS and fasting glucose (P value = 0.028, β = 0.62), 2-h glucose (P value = 0.0004, β = 1.13) and HbA1C (P value = 0.033, β = 0.03). In the T2D prediction model using GRS, the AUC of the ROC curve was 0.69. This study highlights genetic variants associated with cellular NRF2 expression and suggests that the GRS of NRF2 expression-associated variants is likely to be a useful indicator of T2D development in the human population.

The high-affinity potassium transporter (HKT) gene family is implicated in the regulation of response to salt stress in different plants. Yet, knowledge remains very limited for them in the Rosaceae species. The whole genome sequences of the five Rosaceae species, including Fragaria vesca (woodland strawberry), Malus domestica (apple), Pyrus communis (pear), Prunus mume (mei) and Prunus persica (peach), give the opportunity to uncover the evolutionary pattern of the HKT genes among Rosaceae genomes. The primary objective of this study was to identify the HKT genes in five Rosaceae species and understand the potential biological functions of the HKT genes in response to salt stress in Fragaria vesca. In this study, the HKT genes in five Rosaceae species were identified by bioinformatics. The phylogenetic tree was constructed and Ka and Ks values were calculated by MEGA 5.0. Genetic mapping of these genes were processed by MapInspect software. In addition, the physico-chemical properties, the cis-acting elements, the intron/exon structures, and the conserved domain motifs of these genes were analyzed and predicted by the websites of ProtParam, Pfam, PlantCARE, GSDS, MEME, and Motif Scan. In the present study, a total of 12 HKT genes were identified from five Rosaceae species. In the phylogenetic tree, orthologous genes were clustering together rather than paralogous genes and PcHKTs underwent two species-specific duplications before the divergence of pear and apple.. Furthermore, various expression levels of FvHKT genes revealed that woodland strawberry HKT genes are associated in responding to the salt stress. The activities of ROS-scavenging enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) were also measured in different treatments of salt-stressed woodland strawberry leaves, which suggested that the three enzymes may also take part in response to salt stress. The Ka/Ks ratio demonstrated that purifying selection played a major role in the evolutionary processes of HKT genes among the Rosaceae species, and FvHKT genes are involved in response to salt stress.