Evolution of ribosomal DNA-derived satellite repeat in tomato genome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tandemly repeated DNA, also called as satellite DNA, is a common feature of eukaryotic genomes. Satellite repeats can expand and contract dramatically, which may cause genome size variation among genetically-related species. However, the origin and expansion mechanism are not clear yet and needed to be elucidated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>FISH analysis revealed that the satellite repeat showing homology with intergenic spacer (IGS) of rDNA present in the tomato genome. By comparing the sequences representing distinct stages in the divergence of rDNA repeat with those of canonical rDNA arrays, the molecular mechanism of the evolution of satellite repeat is described. Comprehensive sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that a long terminal repeat retrotransposon was interrupted into each copy of the 18S rDNA and polymerized by recombination rather than transposition via an RNA intermediate. The repeat was expanded through doubling the number of IGS into the 25S rRNA gene, and also greatly increasing the copy number of type I subrepeat in the IGS of 25-18S rDNA by segmental duplication. Homogenization to a single type of subrepeat in the satellite repeat was achieved as the result of amplifying copy number of the type I subrepeat but eliminating neighboring sequences including the type II subrepeat and rRNA coding sequence from the array. FISH analysis revealed that the satellite repeats are commonly present in closely-related <it>Solanum </it>species, but vary in their distribution and abundance among species.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results represent that the dynamic satellite repeats were originated from intergenic spacer of rDNA unit in the tomato genome. This result could serve as an example towards understanding the initiation and the expansion of the satellite repeats in complex eukaryotic genome.</p

Sequences of the Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I (COI) Gene are Suitable for Species Identification of Korean Calliphorinae Flies of Forensic Importance (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75068/1/j.1556-4029.2009.01126.x.pd

Early Detection of Cerebral Infarction With Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion With Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study

Background: NIRSIT, a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device with 204 channels, can measure oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) in non-pulsatile blood flow non-invasively using the absorption difference between HbO2 and HbR at a wavelength of 700–1,000 nm and can display the perfusion status in real time.Objective: We applied NIRSIT to patients with stroke to evaluate the usefulness of NIRSIT as an fNIRS device for the early detection of stroke.Methods: We performed a prospective pilot study in an emergency department (ED). Adult patients who had suspected symptoms and signs of stroke within 12 h of the first abnormal time and who underwent intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or intra-arterial thrombectomy with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) or internal carotid artery (ICA) infarction were enrolled. NIRSIT was applied to the patients before the imaging study, and the perfusion status of the brain was displayed in real time at the bedside. We compared the NIRSIT results with the mean transit time (MTT) map from perfusion computed tomography (PCT) and the time-to-peak (TTP) map from perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (PWI).Results: Six male and three female patients were enrolled, and the median age was 74 years. The most common symptom was unilateral extremity weakness (77.8%), followed by dysarthria (33.3%) and aphasia (11.1%). The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 17. All cases of MCA infarction showed different cerebral oxygen saturation values between bilateral lobes of the brain in fNIRS imaging, and these values matched the PCT and PWI results.Conclusions: The brain hemisphere with low oxygen saturation on fNIRS showed hypoperfusion on PCT or PWI. The fNIRS device could be useful in assessing the perfusion status of the brain and detecting MCA or ICA infarction in real time at the bedside

B7-H3 regulates osteoclast differentiation via type I interferon-dependent IDO induction

While their function, as immune checkpoint molecules, is well known, B7-family proteins also function as regulatory molecules in bone remodeling. B7-H3 is a receptor ligand of the B7 family that functions primarily as a negative immune checkpoint. While the regulatory function of B7-H3 in osteoblast differentiation has been established, its role in osteoclast differentiation remains unclear. Here we show that B7-H3 is highly expressed in mature osteoclasts and that B7-H3 deficiency leads to the inhibition of osteoclastogenesis in human osteoclast precursors (OCPs). High-throughput transcriptomic analyses reveal that B7-H3 inhibition upregulates IFN signaling as well as IFN-inducible genes, including IDO. Pharmacological inhibition of type-I IFN and IDO knockdown leads to reversal of B7-H3-deficiency-mediated osteoclastogenesis suppression. Although synovial-fluid macrophages from rheumatoid-arthritis patients express B7-H3, inhibition of B7-H3 does not affect their osteoclastogenesis. Thus, our findings highlight B7-H3 as a physiologic positive regulator of osteoclast differentiation and implicate type-I IFN-IDO signaling as its downstream mechanism

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Mimicking Leakage of Contrast Media After Coronary Angiography

We report a patient who developed subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) just after coronary angiography (CAG) with non-ionic contrast media (CM) and minimal dose of heparin. The 55-year-old man had a history of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction that had been treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention and was admitted for a follow-up CAG. The CAG was performed by the transradial approach, using 1000 U of unfractionated heparin for the luminal coating and 70 mL of iodixanol. At the end of CAG, he complained of nausea and rapidly became stuporous. Brain CT showed a diffusely increased Hounsfield unit (HU) in the cisternal space, similar to leakage of CM. The maximal HU was 65 in the cisternal space. No vascular malformations were detected on cerebral angiography. The patient partially recovered his mental status and motor weakness after 2 days. Two weeks later, subacute SAH was evident on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was discharged after 28 days

Forkhead box O-class 1 and Forkhead box G1 as Prognostic Markers for Bladder Cancer

Forkhead box O-class 1 (FOXO1) is a key regulator of glucose homeostasis, cell-cycle progression, and apoptosis. Its functions are modulated by forkhead box G1 (FOXG1), which acts as a transcriptional repressor with oncogenic potential. Real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining were performed in 174 primary bladder cancer specimens and 21 normal bladder mucosae to evaluate these genes. FOXO1 and FOXG1 mRNA expression in cancer tissues were higher than in normal mucosae (each P<0.001). FOXO1 mRNA levels were significantly higher in samples of non-progressed patients (P<0.001), but FOXG1 were enhanced in those of progressed patients (P=0.019). On univariate analysis, FOXO1 mRNA expression was significantly associated with grade, stage, recurrence, progression and survival (each P<0.05). On multivariate analysis, increased FOXO1 mRNA expression was associated with both reduced disease progression (odds ratio [OR], 0.367; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.163-0.826, P=0.015) and enhanced disease-free survival (OR, 3.262; 95% CI, 1.361-7.820, P=0.008). At a median follow-up of 33 months (range 2 to 156), the patients with a high FOXO1 mRNA expression had a significantly prolonged survival (P=0.001). Immunohistochemical findings of FOXO1 were generally concordant with mRNA expression levels. In conclusion, FOXO1 may be a promising marker for predicting progression in human bladder cancers

Warfarin-Induced Eosinophilic Pleural Effusion

A 29-year-old man suffering from dyspnea and eosinophilic pleural effusion after being on warfarin for pulmonary thromboembolism for a period of one month, was readmitted to our hospital. Etiology of pleural effusion other than warfarin was excluded. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of warfarin-induced pleural effusion reported in Korea