Decoding the role of chromatin architecture in development: coming closer to the end of the tunnel.

Form and function in biology are intimately related aspects that are often difficult to untangle. While the structural aspects of chromatin organization were apparent from early cytological observations long before the molecular details of chromatin functions were deciphered, the extent to which genome architecture may impact its output remains unclear. A major roadblock to resolve this issue is the divergent scales, both temporal and spatial, of the experimental approaches for examining these facets of chromatin biology. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing and informatics to model and monitor genome-wide chromatin contact sites provide the much-needed platform to close this gap. This mini-review will focus on discussing recent efforts applying new technologies to elucidate the roles of genome architecture in coordinating global gene expression output. Our discussion will emphasize the potential roles of differential genome 3-D structure as a driver for cell fate specification of multicellular organisms. An integrated approach that combines multiple new methodologies may finally have the necessary temporal and spatial resolution to provide clarity on the roles of chromatin architecture during development

Glutathione S-transferase gene family in Gossypium raimondii and G. arboreum: Comparative genomic study and their expression under salt stress

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play versatile functions in multiple aspects of plant growth and development. A comprehensive genome-wide survey of this gene family in the genomes of G. raimondii and G. arboreum was carried out in this study. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the GST gene family of both two diploid cotton species could be divided into eight classes, and approximately all the GST genes within the same subfamily shared similar gene structure. Additionally, the gene structures between the orthologs were highly conserved. The chromosomal localization analyses revealed that GST genes were unevenly distributed across the genome in both G. raimondii and G. arboreum. Tandem duplication could be the major driver for the expansion of GST gene families. Meanwhile, the expression analysis for the selected 40 GST genes showed that they exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns and their expression were induced or repressed by salt stress. Those findings shed lights on the function and evolution of the GST gene family in Gossypium species

Similarities and Differences in Decision-Making Impairments between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia

Although individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCH) share overlapping characteristics and may perform similarly on many cognitive tasks, cognitive dysfunctions common to both disorders do not necessarily share the same underlying mechanisms. Decision making is currently a major research interest for both ASD and SCH. The aim of the present study was to make direct comparisons of decision making and disorder-specific underlying neuropsychological mechanisms between the two disorders. Thirty-seven participants with ASD, 46 patients with SCH and 80 healthy controls (HC) were assessed with the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which measures decision-making under ambiguity, and the Game of Dice Task (GDT), which measures decision-making under risk. The results revealed that both the ASD and SCH groups had deficits for both the IGT and GDT compared with the HC. More importantly, in the IGT, participants with ASD displayed a preference for deck A, indicating that they had more sensitivity to the magnitude of loss than to the frequency of loss, whereas patients with SCH displayed a preference for deck B, indicating that they showed more sensitivity to the frequency of loss than to the magnitude of loss. In the GDT, the impaired performance might be due to the deficits in executive functions in patients with SCH, whereas the impaired performance might be due to the deficits in feedback processing in participants with ASD. These findings demonstrate that there are similar impairments in decision-making tasks between ASD and SCH; however, these two disorders may have different impairment mechanisms