Editing MC1R in human melanoma cells by CRISPR/Cas9 and functional analysis.

MC1R (melanocortin 1 receptor) encodes the melanocortin-1 receptor, which can activate intracellular cAMP synthesis under the stimulation of the α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) ligand. Increased cAMP then activates the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway, resulting in the up-regulation of the expression of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) which is a critical regulatory factor of melanin synthesis, and tyrosinase (TYR), the rate-limiting enzyme of melanin synthesis tyrosinase (TYR), and ultimately affects production of eumelanin and pheomelanin, and the coat color phenotype of mammalian species. Previous reports have indicated that the mutation A243T in the transmembrane domain 6 (TM6) of MC1R protein might disrupt the function of MC1R, contributing to the red phenotype in Duroc pig.

Persistent Supercooled Drizzle at Temperatures below -25°C Observed at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

The rarity of reports in the literature of brief and spatially limited observations of drizzle at temperatures below -20°C suggest that riming and other temperature-dependent cloud microphysical processes such as heterogeneous ice nucleation and ice crystal depositional growth prevent drizzle persistence in cold environments. In this study, we report on a persistent drizzle event observed by ground-based remote-sensing measurements at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The temperatures in the drizzle-producing cloud were below -25°C and the drizzle persisted for a period exceeding 7.

[Generation of cell strains containing point mutations in HPRT1 by CRISPR/Cas9].

Mutations in Hypoxanthine-guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase1 (HPRT1) gene can lead to metabolic disorder of hypoxanthine and guanine metabolism, and other severe symptoms such as hypophrenia, gout, and kidney stones, called the Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND). Although the mutations are widely distributed throughout the HPRT1 gene, there are some isolated hot spots. In this study, we aim to introduce two previously reported hot spots, c.

The PmoB subunit of particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) in Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath): The Cu sponge and its function.

In this study, we describe efforts to clarify the role of the copper cofactors associated with subunit B (PmoB) of the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) (M. capsulatus). This subunit exhibits strong affinity toward Cu ions.

Taiwan Biobank: making cross-database convergence possible in the Big Data era.

The Taiwan Biobank (TWB) is a biomedical research database of biopsy data from 200 000 participants. Access to this database has been granted to research communities taking part in the development of precision medicines; however, this has raised issues surrounding TWB's access to electronic medical records (EMRs). The Personal Data Protection Act of Taiwan restricts access to EMRs for purposes not covered by patients' original consent.

Improving gene targeting efficiency on the porcine BMP15 gene mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 by using the RGS surrogate reporter system.

As Chinese have raised most pigs and consumed most pig products in the world, improving the fertility of sow is of economic benefits to the pig industry in China. The sheep BMP15 (bone morphogenetic protein 15) gene has been identified as a major gene for controlling ovulation rates and prolific traits, which are key factors affecting the fertility of livestock. As similar natural occurring mutations in the porcine BMP15 gene have not yet been reported, we speculated that introducing the same prolific sheep mutations into the porcine BMP15 gene by using the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) system.

Knockdown of CTRP6 inhibits adipogenesis via lipogenic marker genes and Erk1/2 signalling pathway.

C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein 6 (CTRP6), an adipose-tissue secretory factor, plays an important role in inflammatory reaction and carcinogenesis. However, the biological function of CTRP6 in adipogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of CTRP6 knockdown on lipogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Controlled oxidation of aliphatic CH bonds in metallo-monooxygenases: mechanistic insights derived from studies on deuterated and fluorinated hydrocarbons.

The control over the regio- and/or stereo-selective aliphatic CH oxidation by metalloenzymes is of great interest to scientists. Typically, these enzymes invoke host-guest chemistry to sequester the substrates within the protein pockets, exploiting sizes, shapes and specific interactions such as hydrogen-bonding, electrostatic forces and/or van der Waals interactions to control the substrate specificity, regio-specificity and stereo-selectivity. Over the years, we have developed a series of deuterated and fluorinated variants of these hydrocarbon substrates as probes to gain insights into the controlled CH oxidations of hydrocarbons facilitated by these enzymes.

Helicobacter pylori Infection and the risk of colorectal adenoma and adenocarcinoma: an updated meta-analysis of different testing methods.

Background And Aims: Helicobacter pylori infection may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal carcinoma. However, as most studies on this subject were relatively small in size and differed at least partially in their designs, their results remain controversial. In this study, we aimed to carry out a meta-analysis to evaluate the potential association of H.

Identification of the proteins required for fatty acid desaturation in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Zebrafish Δ-5/Δ-6 fatty acid desaturase (Z-FADS) catalyzes the cascade synthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), thereby playing a pivotal role in several biological processes. In the current study, we report that the Z-FADS protein exists in close proximity to certain cytochrome b5 reductases (CYB5R2 and 3) and elongases (ELOVL2, 4, 5 and 7) on the endoplasmic reticulum, as determined using fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. HeLa cells co-transfected with zebrafish fads and elovl2, 4, and 5 produced docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as detected by gas chromatography.

[Effects of PI3K/AKT inhibitor wortmannin on proliferation and apoptosis of primary porcine preadipocytes].

The purpose of this study was to determine the proper concentration of wortmannin that effectively inhibits PI3K/AKT but does not affect the proliferation and apoptosis of primary porcine preadipocytes. Firstly, primary porcine preadipocytes were isolated and their abilities to be induced to differentiation into mature adipocytes were evaluated. The preadipocytes were then treated with different concentrations of wortmannin, and the proliferation of the cells was detected with methanethiosulfonate (MTS).

Mechano growth factor (MGF) promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of porcine satellite cells (PSCs) by down-regulation of key myogenic transcriptional factors.

Porcine satellite cells represent an ideal model system for studying the cellular and molecular basis regulating myogenic stem cell proliferation and differentiation and for exploring the experimental conditions for myoblast transplantation. Here, we investigated the effects of mechano growth factor (MGF), a spliced variant of the IGF-1 gene, on porcine satellite cells. We show that MGF potently stimulated proliferation while inhibited differentiation of porcine satellite cells.

[Methylation status of pig adiponectin promoter and its expression].

Adiponectin, a cytokine hormone secreted exclusively by adipose tissue, has key roles in energy homeostasis and in metabolism of glucose and lipid. Adiponectin expression was negatively associated with obesity. Many CpG sites were found at the adiponectin promoter region (nucleotides -1500 approximately -1350 bp).

Differential display of grouper iridovirus-infected grouper cells by immunostaining.

Grouper iridovirus (GIV) is one of the most devastating infectious pathogens of aquaculture fish. When infecting a susceptible cell line, such as GK-2, GIV causes antigenic changes in host cellular proteins. To understand the host gene expression characteristics after viral infection, we developed an immunostaining method to screen differentially expressed genes of fish cells in response to GIV infection using phage display complementary DNA libraries.

Population phylogenomic analysis of mitochondrial DNA in wild boars and domestic pigs revealed multiple domestication events in East Asia.

Background: Previously reported evidence indicates that pigs were independently domesticated in multiple places throughout the world. However, a detailed picture of the origin and dispersal of domestic pigs in East Asia has not yet been reported.

Results: Population phylogenomic analysis was conducted in domestic pigs and wild boars by screening the haplogroup-specific mutation motifs inferred from a phylogenetic tree of pig complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences.

Evaluation of the effect and profitability of gene-assisted selection in pig breeding system.

Objective: To evaluate the effect and profitability of using the quantitative trait loci (QTL)-linked direct marker (DR marker) in gene-assisted selection (GAS).

Methods: Three populations (100, 200, or 300 sows plus 10 boars within each group) with segregating QTL were simulated stochastically. Five economic traits were investigated, including number of born alive (NBA), average daily gain to 100 kg body weight (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), back fat at 100 kg body weight (BF) and intramuscular fat (IMF).

[Analysis of microsatellite markers on four chromosomes in F2 design pig resource family].

Lantang pig (16 sows), which is one of the south China type pig breeds, was crossed with Landrace pig (8 boars) to construct the resource population. According to the pig linkage map of USDA-MARC2.0, 31 microsatellite DNA markers on pig chromosomes 1, 4, 7, and 8 were used to genotype the parents F1 and F2.

[Cloning and expression of the pig fast skeletal muscle troponin C gene].

A pig skeletal muscle expressed sequence tag (EST, accession number BM083186) was found to encode amino acid sequences with high homology to human TNNC2. In silico cloning obtained a 843 bp sequence which we named pig fast skeletal troponin C gene (TNNC2). The open reading frame of TNNC2 was between nucleotides 201 - 683, and was confirmed by RT-PCR.