Short-Chain Inulin Modulates the Cecal Microbiota Structure of Knockout Mice in High-Fat Diet.

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of short-chain inulin on cecal microbiota of high-fat diet-fed knockout mice and the different influences of cecal microbiota on wild-type and knockout mice. A total of 18 specific pathogen-free male C57BL/6J wild-type mice and 18 C57BL/6J knockout mice (OB/OB mice) were selected. Mice were divided into six groups according to their genotype: wild-type mice have three groups, including the normal diet group (CT), 60% high-fat diet group (CH), and 60% high fat with 10% short-chain inulin group (CHI); OB/OB mice were also divided into three groups, including the normal diet group (OT), 60% high-fat diet group (OH), and 60% high fat with 10% short-inulin group (OHI).

RNAe in a transgenic growth hormone mouse model shows potential for use in gene therapy.

Objective: RNAe is a new method that enhances protein expression at the post-transcriptional level. RNAe utility was further explored to improve endogenous protein expression.

Results: Transgenic mice were created by targeting RNAe to growth hormone gene into the C57/BL mouse genome by transposon mediated integration; the mice showed a heavier body weight and longer body length compared with normal mice.

TALEN-Mediated Knockout of CCR5 Confers Protection Against Infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) represents a valuable tool for genomic engineering due to its single-nucleotide precision, high nuclease activity, and low cytotoxicity. We report here systematic design and characterization of 28 novel TALENs targeting multiple regions of CCR5 gene (CCR5-TALEN) which encodes the co-receptor critical for entry of human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1). By systemic characterization of these CCR5-TALENs, we have identified one (CCR5-TALEN-515) with higher nuclease activity, specificity, and lower cytotoxicity compared with zinc-finger nuclease (CCR5-ZFN) currently undergoing clinical trials.

AEG-1 Promotes Metastasis Through Downstream AKR1C2 and NF1 in Liver Cancer.

Liver cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, but our knowledge of the molecular mechanism underlying this process remains insufficient. Through deep sequencing and expression regulation analysis in liver cancer cells, we identified two novel factors, AKR1C2 (positive factor) and NF1 (negative factor), as the AEG-1 downstream players in the process of metastasis in liver cancer. They were experimentally validated to have the capacities of regulating cell migration, cell invasion, cell proliferation, and EMT.

Whole-exome sequencing implicates UBE3D in age-related macular degeneration in East Asian populations.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central blindness among the elderly worldwide. We use exome sequencing to analyse nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) across the whole genome of 216 neovascular AMD cases and 1,553 controls. As a follow-up validation, we evaluate 3,772 neovascular AMD cases and 6,942 controls from five independent cohorts in the East Asian population.

Engineered TAL Effector modulators for the large-scale gain-of-function screening.

Recent effective use of TAL Effectors (TALEs) has provided an important approach to the design and synthesis of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. However, it is still a challenging task to design and manufacture effective TALE modulators because of the limited knowledge of TALE-DNA interactions. Here we synthesized more than 200 TALE modulators and identified two determining factors of transcription activity in vivo: chromatin accessibility and the distance from the transcription start site.