Seasonal change of thyroid histomorphological structure and hormone production in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) in the Persian Gulf

Seasonal changes of the thyroid gland structure and hormones secretion was examined in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) in the northwest of Persian Gulf (Musa creek). Thyroid gland composed of follicles scattered around the ventral aorta, near the gills. Follicular cells varied according to secretion of the gland during warm and cold seasons. Thyroid hormones (Triidothyronine [T3] and Thyroxine [T4]) were detected in the fish serum in levels ranged from 4.09-1.30 ng/mL for T3 and from 1.10-0.21 ng/mL for (T4) in the warm and cold seasons, respectively. The results showed that the height of thyroid epithelium and plasma concentration of thyroid hormones (thyroid activity) in A. latus increased significantly during spring and summer. The peak of these factors occurred in midsummer (August). Then, the thyroid activity decreased significantly during autumn and early winter from October to December according to decrease of temperature. T3 and T4 increased significantly from January to April

Network Analysis of Oyster Transcriptome Revealed a Cascade of Cellular Responses during Recovery after Heat Shock

Oysters, as a major group of marine bivalves, can tolerate a wide range of natural and anthropogenic stressors including heat stress. Recent studies have shown that oysters pretreated with heat shock can result in induced heat tolerance. A systematic study of cellular recovery from heat shock may provide insights into the mechanism of acquired thermal tolerance. In this study, we performed the first network analysis of oyster transcriptome by reanalyzing microarray data from a previous study. Network analysis revealed a cascade of cellular responses during oyster recovery after heat shock and identified responsive gene modules and key genes. Our study demonstrates the power of network analysis in a non-model organism with poor gene annotations, which can lead to new discoveries that go beyond the focus on individual genes

Association of Cystic Fibrosis Genetic Modifiers with Congenital Bilateral Absence of the Vas Deferens

Objective: To investigate whether genetic modifiers of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease also predispose to congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) in association with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations. We tested the hypothesis that polymorphisms of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 (rs 1982073, rs 1800471) and endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) (rs 5335, rs 1801708) are associated with the CBAVD phenotype. Design: Genotyping of subjects with clinical CBAVD. Setting: Outpatient and hospital-based clinical evaluation. Patient(s): DNA samples from 80 subjects with CBAVD and 51 healthy male controls from various regions of Europe. This is one of the largest genetic studies of this disease to date. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Genotype analysis. Result(s): For single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs 5335, we found increased frequency of the CC genotype among subjects with CBAVD. The difference was significant among Turkish patients versus controls (45.2% vs. 19.4%), and between all cases versus controls (36% vs. 15.7%). No associations between CBAVD penetrance and polymorphisms rs 1982073, rs 1800471, or rs 1801708 were observed. Conclusion(s): Our findings indicate that endothelin receptor type A polymorphism rs 5335 may be associated with CBAVD penetrance. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate genetic modifiers relevant to CBAVD. (Fertil Steril (R) 2010; 94: 2122-7. (C) 2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)Wo

Association of cystic fibrosis genetic modifiers with congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens

Objective: To investigate whether genetic modifiers of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease also predispose to congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) in association with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations. We tested the hypothesis that polymorphisms of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 (rs 1982073, rs 1800471) and endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) (rs 5335, rs 1801708) are associated with the CBAVD phenotype. Design: Genotyping of subjects with clinical CBAVD. Setting: Outpatient and hospital-based clinical evaluation. Patient(s): DNA samples from 80 subjects with CBAVD and 51 healthy male controls from various regions of Europe. This is one of the largest genetic studies of this disease to date. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Genotype analysis. Result(s): For single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs 5335, we found increased frequency of the CC genotype among subjects with CBAVD. The difference was significant among Turkish patients versus controls (45.2% vs. 19.4%), and between all cases versus controls (36% vs. 15.7%). No associations between CBAVD penetrance and polymorphisms rs 1982073, rs 1800471, or rs 1801708 were observed. Conclusion(s): Our findings indicate that endothelin receptor type A polymorphism rs 5335 may be associated with CBAVD penetrance. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate genetic modifiers relevant to CBAVD. (Fertil Steril (R) 2010; 94: 2122-7. (C) 2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.