Evidence for association between Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene polymorphisms and autism in Chinese Han population: a family-based association study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (<it>DISC1</it>) gene is one of the most promising candidate genes for major mental disorders. In a previous study, a Finnish group demonstrated that <it>DISC1 </it>polymorphisms were associated with autism and Asperger syndrome. However, the results were not replicated in Korean population. To determine whether <it>DISC1 </it>is associated with autism in Chinese Han population, we performed a family-based association study between <it>DISC1 </it>polymorphisms and autism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We genotyped seven tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in <it>DISC1</it>, spanning 338 kb, in 367 autism trios (singleton and their biological parents) including 1,101 individuals. Single SNP association and haplotype association analysis were performed using the family-based association test (FBAT) and Haploview software.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found three SNPs showed significant associations with autism (rs4366301: G > C, Z = 2.872, <it>p </it>= 0.004; rs11585959: T > C, Z = 2.199, <it>p </it>= 0.028; rs6668845: A > G, Z = 2.326, <it>p </it>= 0.02). After the Bonferroni correction, SNP rs4366301, which located in the first intron of <it>DISC1</it>, remained significant. When haplotype were constructed with two-markers, three haplotypes displayed significant association with autism. These results were still significant after using the permutation method to obtain empirical <it>p </it>values.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study provided evidence that the <it>DISC1 </it>may be the susceptibility gene of autism. It suggested <it>DISC1 </it>might play a role in the pathogenesis of autism.</p

Comparative Genomics of Bacillus thuringiensis Reveals a Path to Specialized Exploitation of Multiple Invertebrate Hosts

This is the final version of the article. Available from American Society for Microbiology via the DOI in this record.Understanding the genetic basis of host shifts is a key genomic question for pathogen and parasite biology. The Bacillus cereus group, which encompasses Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis, contains pathogens that can infect insects, nematodes, and vertebrates. Since the target range of the essential virulence factors (Cry toxins) and many isolates is well known, this group presents a powerful system for investigating how pathogens can diversify and adapt to phylogenetically distant hosts. Specialization to exploit insects occurs at the level of the major clade and is associated with substantial changes in the core genome, and host switching between insect orders has occurred repeatedly within subclades. The transfer of plasmids with linked cry genes may account for much of the adaptation to particular insect orders, and network analysis implies that host specialization has produced strong associations between key toxin genes with similar targets. Analysis of the distribution of plasmid minireplicons shows that plasmids with orf156 and orf157, which carry genes encoding toxins against Lepidoptera or Diptera, were contained only by B. thuringiensis in the specialized insect clade (clade 2), indicating that tight genome/plasmid associations have been important in adaptation to invertebrate hosts. Moreover, the accumulation of multiple virulence factors on transposable elements suggests that cotransfer of diverse virulence factors is advantageous in terms of expanding the insecticidal spectrum, overcoming insect resistance, or through gains in pathogenicity via synergistic interactions between toxins.IMPORTANCE Population genomics have provided many new insights into the formation, evolution, and dynamics of bacterial pathogens of humans and other higher animals, but these pathogens usually have very narrow host ranges. As a pathogen of insects and nematodes, Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces toxins showing toxicity to many orders of insects and other invertebrates, can be used as a model to study the evolution of pathogens with wide host ranges. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that host specialization and switching occur at the level of the major clade and subclade, respectively. A toxin gene co-occurrence network indicates that multiple toxins with similar targets were accumulated by the same cell in the whole species. This accumulation may be one of the strategies that B. thuringiensis has used to fight against host resistance. This kind of formation and evolution of pathogens represents a different path used against multiple invertebrate hosts from that used against higher animals.This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0201201), the China 948 Program of the Ministry of Agriculture (2016-X21), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (31500003 and 31670085), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation-funded project (2015M580649 and 2016T90700), and Chinese Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2662016QD039, 2662015PY123, and 2662017PY094)

Gene Clusters Located on Two Large Plasmids Determine Spore Crystal Association (SCA) in Bacillus thuringiensis Subsp. finitimus Strain YBT-020

Crystals in Bacillus thuringiensis are usually formed in the mother cell compartment during sporulation and are separated from the spores after mother cell lysis. In a few strains, crystals are produced inside the exosporium and are associated with the spores after sporulation. This special phenotype, named ‘spore crystal association’ (SCA), typically occurs in B. thuringiensis subsp. finitimus. Our aim was to identify genes determining the SCA phenotype in B. thuringiensis subsp. finitimus strain YBT-020. Plasmid conjugation experiments indicated that the SCA phenotype in this strain was tightly linked with two large plasmids (pBMB26 and pBMB28). A shuttle bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of strain YBT-020 was constructed. Six fragments from BAC clones were screened from this library and discovered to cover the full length of pBMB26; four others were found to cover pBMB28. Using fragment complementation testing, two fragments, each of approximately 35 kb and located on pBMB26 and pBMB28, were observed to recover the SCA phenotype in an acrystalliferous mutant, B. thuringiensis strain BMB171. Furthermore, deletion analysis indicated that the crystal protein gene cry26Aa from pBMB26, along with five genes from pBMB28, were indispensable to the SCA phenotype. Gene disruption and frame-shift mutation analyses revealed that two of the five genes from pBMB28, which showed low similarity to crystal proteins, determined the location of crystals inside the exosporium. Gene disruption revealed that the three remaining genes, similar to spore germination genes, contributed to the stability of the SCA phenotype in strain YBT-020. Our results thus identified the genes determining the SCA phenotype in B. thuringiensis subsp. finitimus

Single Amino Acid Substitution in Homogentisate Dioxygenase Affects Melanin Production in Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis formulation losing its activity under field conditions due to UV radiation and photoprotection of B. thuringiensis based on melanin has attracted the attention of researchers for many years. Here, a single amino acid substitution (G272E) in homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase was found to be responsible for pigment overproduction in B. thuringiensis BMB181, a derivative of BMB171. Disrupting the gene encoding homogentisate dioxygenase in BMB171 induced the accumulation of the homogentisic acid and provoked an increased pigment formation. To gain insights into homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase in B. thuringiensis, we constructed a total of 14 mutations with a single amino acid substitution, and six of the mutant proteins were found to affect the melanin production when substituted by alanine. This study provides a new way to construct pigment-overproducing strains by impairing the homogentisate dioxygenase with a single mutation in B. thuringiensis, and the findings will facilitate a better understanding of this enzyme

In Vitro Uptake of 140 kDa Bacillus thuringiensis Nematicidal Crystal Proteins by the Second Stage Juvenile of Meloidogyne hapla

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are piercing/sucking pests, which cause severe damage to crops worldwide, and are difficult to control. The cyst and root-knot nematodes (RKN) are sedentary endoparasites that develop specialized multinucleate feeding structures from the plant cells called syncytia or giant cells respectively. Within these structures the nematodes produce feeding tubes, which act as molecular sieves with exclusion limits. For example, Heterodera schachtii is reportedly unable to ingest proteins larger than 28 kDa. However, it is unknown yet what is the molecular exclusion limit of the Meloidogyne hapla. Several types of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins showed toxicity to M. hapla. To monitor the entry pathway of crystal proteins into M. hapla, second-stage juveniles (J2) were treated with NHS-rhodamine labeled nematicidal crystal proteins (Cry55Aa, Cry6Aa, and Cry5Ba). Confocal microscopic observation showed that these crystal proteins were initially detected in the stylet and esophageal lumen, and subsequently in the gut. Western blot analysis revealed that these crystal proteins were modified to different molecular sizes after being ingested. The uptake efficiency of the crystal proteins by the M. hapla J2 decreased with increasing of protein molecular mass, based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis. Our discovery revealed 140 kDa nematicidal crystal proteins entered M. hapla J2 via the stylet, and it has important implications in designing a transgenic resistance approach to control RKN

Are nematodes a missing link in the confounded ecology of the entomopathogen Bacillus thuringiensis?

Bacillus thuringiensis, which is well known as an entomopathogen, has been accepted by the public as a safe bioinsecticide. The natural ecology of this bacterium has never been particularly clear, with views ranging from it being an obligate pathogen to an opportunist pathogen that can otherwise exist as a soil saprophyte or a plant endophyte. This confusion has recently led to it being considered as an environmental pathogen that has evolved to occupy a diverse set of environmental niches in which it can thrive without needing a host. A significant driving force behind this classification is the fact that B. thuringiensis is found in high numbers in environments that are not occupied by the insect hosts to which it is pathogenic. It is our opinion that the ubiquitous presence of this bacterium in the environment is the result of a variety of vectoring systems, particularly those that include nematodes

Is there sufficient evidence to consider Bacillus thuringiensis a multihost pathogen? Response to Loguercio and Argôlo-Filho

No description supplie

The Caenorhabditis elegans CUB-like-domain containing protein RBT-1 functions as a receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis Cry6Aa toxin.

Plant-parasitic nematodes cause huge agricultural economic losses. Two major families of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins, Cry5 and Cry6, show nematicidal activity. Previous work showed that binding to midgut receptors is a limiting step in Cry toxin mode of action. In the case of Cry5Ba, certain Caenorhabditis elegans glycolipids were identified as receptors of this toxin. However, the receptors for Cry6 toxin remain unknown. In this study, the C. elegans CUB-like-domain containing protein RBT-1, released by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), was identified as a Cry6Aa binding protein by affinity chromatography. RBT-1 contained a predicted glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor site and was shown to locate in lipid rafts in the surface of the midgut cells. Western ligand blot assays and ELISA binding analysis confirmed the binding interaction between Cry6Aa and RBT-1 showing high affinity and specificity. In addition, the mutation of rbt-1 gene decreased the susceptibility of C. elegans to Cry6Aa but not that of Cry5Ba. Furthermore, RBT-1 mediated the uptake of Cry6Aa into C. elegans gut cells, and was shown to be involved in triggering pore-formation activity, indicating that RBT-1 is required for the interaction of Cry6Aa with the nematode midgut cells. These results support that RBT-1 is a functional receptor for Cry6Aa