Quantitative DNA Methylation Analysis of DLGAP2 Gene Using Pyrosequencing in Schizophrenia With Tardive Dyskinesia: A Linear Mixed Model Approach

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a side effect of antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia (SCZ) and other mental health disorders. No study has previously used pyrosequencing to quantify DNA methylation levels of the DLGAP2 gene; while the quantitative methylation levels among CpG sites within a gene may be correlated. To deal with the correlated measures among three CpG sites within the DLGAP2 gene, this study analyzed DNA methylation levels of the DLGAP2 gene using a linear mixed model (LMM) in a Chinese sample consisting of 35 SCZ patients with TD, 35 SCZ without TD (NTD) and 34 healthy controls (HCs) collected in Beijing, China. The initial analysis using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that three groups (TD, NTD and HC) had significant differences in DNA methylation level for CpG site 2 (p = 0.0119). Furthermore, the average methylation levels among the three CpG sites showed strong correlations (all p values \u3c 0.0001). In addition, using the LMM, three groups had significant differences in methylation level (p = 0.0027); while TD, NTD and TD + NTD groups showed higher average methylation levels than the HC group (p = 0.0024, 0.0151, and 0.0007, respectively). In conclusion, the LMM can accommodate a covariance structure. The findings of this study provide first evidence of DNA methylation levels in DLGAP2 associated with SCZ with TD in Chinese population. However, TD just showed borderline significant differences to NTD in this study

Biosynthesized Ag/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst for ethylene epoxidation: the influence of silver precursors

NSFC [21206140, 21036004]; State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies for Comprehensive Utilization of Platinum Metals [SKL-SPM-201210]Biosynthesized Ag/alpha-Al2O3 catalysts toward ethylene epoxidation were prepared with Cinnamomum camphoratrees (CC) extract using AgNO3, silver-ammonia complex ([Ag (NH3)(2)](+)) and silver-ethylenediamine complex ([Ag(en)(2)](+)) as the silver precursors. The catalyst from [Ag(en)(2)](+) demonstrated better activity compared to the catalysts from the other two precursors, 1.41% EO concentration with EO selectivity of 79.1% and 12.0% ethylene conversion were achieved at 250 degrees C. To investigate the influence of silver precursors on the catalytic performance, three catalysts were characterized by XRD, UV-Vis, XPS, SEM and O-2-TPD techniques. The results indicated that [Ag(en)(2)](+) precursors could be reduced more effectively by CC extract, and Ag particles were successfully immobilized onto the alpha-Al2O3 support under mild conditions. Moreover, a silver defects surface on the Ag/alpha-Al2O3 catalyst from [Ag(en)(2)](+) precursors had the best oxygen activation ability, playing an important role in the generation of electrophilic oxygen species which were responsible for the epoxidation reaction of C=C to EO

Biosynthesized Ag/α-Al2O3 catalyst for ethylene epoxidation: The influence of silver precursors

Biosynthesized Ag/α-Al2O3 catalysts toward ethylene epoxidation were prepared with Cinnamomum camphoratrees (CC) extract using AgNO3, silver-ammonia complex ([Ag (NH3) 2]+) and silver-ethylenediamine complex ([Ag(en) 2]+) as the silver precursors. The catalyst from [Ag(en)2]+ demonstrated better activity compared to the catalysts from the other two precursors, 1.41% EO concentration with EO selectivity of 79.1% and 12.0% ethylene conversion were achieved at 250 °C. To investigate the influence of silver precursors on the catalytic performance, three catalysts were characterized by XRD, UV-Vis, XPS, SEM and O 2-TPD techniques. The results indicated that [Ag(en) 2]+ precursors could be reduced more effectively by CC extract, and Ag particles were successfully immobilized onto the α-Al 2O3 support under mild conditions. Moreover, a silver defects surface on the Ag/α-Al2O3 catalyst from [Ag(en)2]+ precursors had the best oxygen activation ability, playing an important role in the generation of electrophilic oxygen species which were responsible for the epoxidation reaction of CC to EO. ? 2014 the Partner Organisations

Microorganism-mediated synthesis of chemically difficult-to-synthesize Au nanohorns with excellent optical properties in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride

Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities [2010121051]; NSFC [21106117, 21036004]Closely packed, size-controllable and stable Au nanohorns (AuNHs) that are difficult to synthesize through pure chemical reduction are facilely synthesized using a microorganism-mediated method in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). The results showed that the size of the as-synthesized AuNHs could be tuned by adjusting the dosage of the Pichia pastoris cells (PPCs). The initial concentrations of CTAC, ascorbic acid (AA) and tetrachloroaurate trihydrate (HAuCl4 center dot 3H(2)O) significantly affected the formation of the AuNHs. Increasing the diameters of AuNHs led to a red shift of the absorbance bands around 700 nm in their UV-vis-NIR spectra. Interestingly, the AuNH/PPC composites exhibited excellent Raman enhancement such that rhodamine 6G with concentration as low as (10(-9) M) could be effectively detected. The formation process of the AuNHs involved the initial binding of the Au ions onto the PPCs with subsequent reduction by AA to form supported Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) based on preferential nucleation and initial anisotropic growth on the platform of the PPCs. The anisotropic growth of these AuNPs, which was influenced by CTAC and PPCs, resulted in the formation of growing AuNHs, while the secondary nucleation beyond the PPCs produced small AuNPs that were subsequently consumed through Ostwald ripening during the aging of the AuNHs. This work exemplifies the fabrication of novel gold nanostructures and stable bio-Au nanocomposites with excellent optical properties by combining microorganisms and a surfactant

Fabrication of Au/Pd alloy nanoparticle/Pichia pastoris composites: a microorganism-mediated approach

Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities [2010121051]; NSFC projects [21106117, 21036004]Synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is in the limelight in modern nanotechnology. In this present study, bimetallic Au/Pd NP/Pichia pastoris composites were successfully fabricated through a one-pot microbial reduction of aqueous HAuCl4 and PdCl2 in the presence of H-2 as an electron donor. Interestingly, flower-like alloy Au/Pd NP/Pichia pastoris composites were obtained under the following conditions, NaCl concentration 0.9% (w/v), molar ratio of Au/Pd (1 : 2) and the time for pre-adsorption of Au(III) and Pd(II) ions 15 min, through fresh yeast reduction. The mapping results from scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with a high-angle annular dark field detector confirmed that the Au/Pd NPs on the surface of the yeast were indeed alloy. Furthermore, the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements showed that the composition of the bimetallic NPs were consistent with the initial molar ratio of the precursors

Requirement of Mouse BCCIP for Neural Development and Progenitor Proliferation

Multiple DNA repair pathways are involved in the orderly development of neural systems at distinct stages. The homologous recombination (HR) pathway is required to resolve stalled replication forks and critical for the proliferation of progenitor cells during neural development. BCCIP is a BRCA2 and CDKN1A interacting protein implicated in HR and inhibition of DNA replication stress. In this study, we determined the role of BCCIP in neural development using a conditional BCCIP knock-down mouse model. BCCIP deficiency impaired embryonic and postnatal neural development, causing severe ataxia, cerebral and cerebellar defects, and microcephaly. These development defects are associated with spontaneous DNA damage and subsequent cell death in the proliferative cell populations of the neural system during embryogenesis. With in vitro neural spheroid cultures, BCCIP deficiency impaired neural progenitor's self-renewal capability, and spontaneously activated p53. These data suggest that BCCIP and its anti-replication stress functions are essential for normal neural development by maintaining an orderly proliferation of neural progenitors

Microorganism-mediated synthesis of chemically difficult-to-synthesize Au nanohorns with excellent optical properties in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride

Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities [2010121051]; NSFC [21106117, 21036004]Closely packed, size-controllable and stable Au nanohorns (AuNHs) that are difficult to synthesize through pure chemical reduction are facilely synthesized using a microorganism-mediated method in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). The results showed that the size of the as-synthesized AuNHs could be tuned by adjusting the dosage of the Pichia pastoris cells (PPCs). The initial concentrations of CTAC, ascorbic acid (AA) and tetrachloroaurate trihydrate (HAuCl4 center dot 3H(2)O) significantly affected the formation of the AuNHs. Increasing the diameters of AuNHs led to a red shift of the absorbance bands around 700 nm in their UV-vis-NIR spectra. Interestingly, the AuNH/PPC composites exhibited excellent Raman enhancement such that rhodamine 6G with concentration as low as (10(-9) M) could be effectively detected. The formation process of the AuNHs involved the initial binding of the Au ions onto the PPCs with subsequent reduction by AA to form supported Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) based on preferential nucleation and initial anisotropic growth on the platform of the PPCs. The anisotropic growth of these AuNPs, which was influenced by CTAC and PPCs, resulted in the formation of growing AuNHs, while the secondary nucleation beyond the PPCs produced small AuNPs that were subsequently consumed through Ostwald ripening during the aging of the AuNHs. This work exemplifies the fabrication of novel gold nanostructures and stable bio-Au nanocomposites with excellent optical properties by combining microorganisms and a surfactant

Essential Roles of BCCIP in Mouse Embryonic Development and Structural Stability of Chromosomes

BCCIP is a BRCA2- and CDKN1A(p21)-interacting protein that has been implicated in the maintenance of genomic integrity. To understand the in vivo functions of BCCIP, we generated a conditional BCCIP knockdown transgenic mouse model using Cre-LoxP mediated RNA interference. The BCCIP knockdown embryos displayed impaired cellular proliferation and apoptosis at day E7.5. Consistent with these results, the in vitro proliferation of blastocysts and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) of BCCIP knockdown mice were impaired considerably. The BCCIP deficient mouse embryos die before E11.5 day. Deletion of the p53 gene could not rescue the embryonic lethality due to BCCIP deficiency, but partially rescues the growth delay of mouse embryonic fibroblasts in vitro. To further understand the cause of development and proliferation defects in BCCIP-deficient mice, MEFs were subjected to chromosome stability analysis. The BCCIP-deficient MEFs displayed significant spontaneous chromosome structural alterations associated with replication stress, including a 3.5-fold induction of chromatid breaks. Remarkably, the BCCIP-deficient MEFs had a ∼20-fold increase in sister chromatid union (SCU), yet the induction of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) was modestly at 1.5 fold. SCU is a unique type of chromatid aberration that may give rise to chromatin bridges between daughter nuclei in anaphase. In addition, the BCCIP-deficient MEFs have reduced repair of irradiation-induced DNA damage and reductions of Rad51 protein and nuclear foci. Our data suggest a unique function of BCCIP, not only in repair of DNA damage, but also in resolving stalled replication forks and prevention of replication stress. In addition, BCCIP deficiency causes excessive spontaneous chromatin bridges via the formation of SCU, which can subsequently impair chromosome segregations in mitosis and cell division