Genetic variations in the bitter taste receptor gene TAS2R38 are related to cigarette smoking behavior in Han Chinese smokers

Qi Fei-Yan,Zhu Zhou-Hai,Li Meng,Guan Ying,Peng Qi-Yuan,Lu She-Ming,Liu Zhi-Hua,Wang Ming-Feng,Miao Ming-Ming,Chen Zhang-Yu,Li Xue-Mei,Bai Jie,Yao Jian-Hua 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.11

Background: Smoking behavior is influenced by multiple genes, including the bitter taste gene TAS2R38. It has been reported that the correlation between TAS2R38 and smoking behavior has ethnicity-based differences. However, the TAS2R38 status in Chinese smokers is still unclear. Objective: This study aims to investigate the possible relationship between genetic variations in TAS2R38 (A49P, V262A and I296V) and smoking behaviors in the Han Chinese population. Methods: The haplotype analyses were performed and smoking behavior questionnaire was completed by 1271 individuals. Genetic association analyses for smoking behavior were analyzed using chi-square test. Further, for investigating the molecular mechanism of TAS2R38 variants effect on smoking behavior, we conducted TAS2R38-PAV and TAS2R38-AVI expression plasmids and tested the cellular calcium assay by cigarette smoke compounds stimulus in HEK293. Results: Significant associations of genetic variants within TAS2R38 were identified with smoking behavior. We found a higher PAV/PAV frequency than AVI/AVI in moderate and high nicotine dependence (FTND ≥ 4; X2 = 4.611, 1 df, p = 0.032) and strong cigarette smoke flavor intensity preference (X2 = 4.5383, 1 df, p = 0.033) in participants. Furthermore, in the in vitro cellular calcium assay, total particle matter (TPM), N-formylnornicotine and cotinine, existing in cigarette smoke, activated TAS2R38-PAV but not TAS2R38-AVI-transfected cells. Conclusion: Our data highlights that genetic variations in TAS2R38 are related to smoking behavior, especially nicotine dependence and cigarette smoke flavor intensity preference. Our findings may encourage further consideration of the taste process to identify individuals susceptible to nicotine dependence, particularly Han Chinese smokers.

Function of Global Regulator CodY in Bacillus thuringiensis BMB171 by Comparative Proteomic Analysis

( Ming Xia Qi ),( Fei Mei ),( Hui Wang ),( Ming Sun ),( Ge Jiao Wang ),( Ziniu Yu ),( Yeon Ho Je ),( Ming Shun Li ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.2

CodY is a highly conserved protein in low G+C gram-positive bacteria that regulates genes involved in sporulation and stationary-phase adaptation. Bacillus thuringiensis is a grampositive bacterium that forms spores and parasporal crystals during the stationary phase. To our knowledge, the regulatory mechanism of CodY in B. thuringiensis is unknown. To study the function of CodY protein in B. thuringiensis, BMB171codY- was constructed in a BMB171 strain. A shuttle vector containing the ORF of cry1Ac10 was transformed into BMB171 and BMB171codY-, named BMB171cry1Ac and BMB171codY-cry1Ac, respectively. Some morphological and physiological changes of codY mutant BMB171codY-cry1Ac were observed. A comparative proteomic analysis was conducted for both BMB171codY-cry1Ac and BMB171cry1Ac through two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. The results showed that the proteins regulated by CodY are involved in microbial metabolism, including branched-chain amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and energy metabolism. Furthermore, we found CodY to be involved in sporulation, biosynthesis of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, growth, genetic competence, and translation. According to the analysis of differentially expressed proteins, and physiological characterization of the codY mutant, we performed bacterial one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiments and confirmed the direct regulation of genes by CodY, specifically those involved in metabolism of branched-chain amino acids, ribosomal recycling factor FRR, and the late competence protein ComER. Our data establish the foundation for in-depth study of the regulation of CodY in B. thuringiensis, and also offer a potential biocatalyst for functions of CodY in other bacteria.

— Invited Review — Understanding the functionality of the rumen microbiota: searching for better opportunities for rumen microbial manipulation

Qi Wenlingli,Xue Ming-Yuan,Jia Ming-Hui,Zhang Shuxian,Yan Qiongxian,Sun Hui-Zeng 아세아·태평양축산학회 2024 Animal Bioscience Vol.37 No.2

Rumen microbiota play a central role in the digestive process of ruminants. Their remarkable ability to break down complex plant fibers and proteins, converting them into essential organic compounds that provide animals with energy and nutrition. Research on rumen microbiota not only contributes to improving animal production performance and enhancing feed utilization efficiency but also holds the potential to reduce methane emissions and environmental impact. Nevertheless, studies on rumen microbiota face numerous challenges, including complexity, difficulties in cultivation, and obstacles in functional analysis. This review provides an overview of microbial species involved in the degradation of macromolecules, the fermentation processes, and methane production in the rumen, all based on cultivation methods. Additionally, the review introduces the applications, advantages, and limitations of emerging omics technologies such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics, in investigating the functionality of rumen microbiota. Finally, the article offers a forward-looking perspective on the new horizons and technologies in the field of rumen microbiota functional research. These emerging technologies, with continuous refinement and mutual complementation, have deepened our understanding of rumen microbiota functionality, thereby enabling effective manipulation of the rumen microbial community.

Optimal Tracking Control of MISO Nonlinear Systems Based on Multi-dimensional Taylor Network Only by Output Feedback

Qi-Ming Sun,Hong-Sen Yan 제어로봇시스템학회 2015 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2015 No.10

The control input item is added to constitute the nonlinear dynamic model, on the basis of the original multi-dimensional Taylor network in this paper. And this nonlinear dynamic model is used to optimally control MISO nonlinear system only by output feedback without the disturbance estimation of the system or needing the state observer. The back-propagation algorithm is used to train the parameters of the multi-dimensional network with the control input item. Through the simulation, it is demonstrated the multi-dimensional Taylor network used as the optimal MISO nonlinear system tracking controller is effective.

Tradeoff Control of Multi-exposure Lithography for SU-8 Photochemical Reaction Channel Formation

Qi-Ming Chen,Jin-Yun Zhou,Yi-Ming Hu,Qi Zheng 한국바이오칩학회 2020 BioChip Journal Vol.14 No.4

A method involving multi-exposure with low-power is presented to fabricate an SU-8 mold based on a digital micromirror device (DMD) maskless lithography with an LED source at a wavelength of 405 nm. The SU-8 mold is used for the fabrication of a PDMS concentration gradient generator (CGG). During a one-time exposure, it is easy to over-expose at the top and under-expose at the bottom of a thick SU-8, which then forms a T-shaped structure. This is more obvious for high-absorption coefficients such as 365 nm. We found that by taking advantage of the partially absorbed and partially transmissive characteristics of the 405-nm wavelength, multi-exposure can form an effective photochemical reaction channel in SU-8 and can solve the problem mentioned above. However, excessive exposure will cause the linewidth to increase, therefore, it is necessary to find a tradeoff for the number of multi-exposure times. For a 55-μm thick SU-8, the tradeoff threshold is found to be 25. Three types of SU-8 CGG molds were fabricated at this threshold. The results indicate that the actual profile of the SU-8 mold shows good agreement with the design profile without any T-shaped structures.

Antioxidant Effect of Grapevine Leaf Extract on the Oxidative Stress Induced by a High-fat Diet in Rats

Qi-Ming Yu,임은지,최수경,서정숙 한국식품과학회 2014 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.23 No.3

This study was conducted to investigate theeffect of grapevine leaf extract (GLE) on the oxidativestress of rats fed a high-fat diet. Rats were divided into sixgroups: a normal diet with 0% (NC), 1.0% (NG1.0), and1.5% GLE (NG1.5); and a high-fat diet with 0% (HFC),1.0% (HFG1.0), and 1.5% GLE (HFG1.5). Treatment withGLE to the high-fat diet reduced lipid peroxide concentrationsin plasma and liver compared to those of HFC rats. Totalglutathione and GSH/GSSG of the groups with GLE werehigher than those of untreated groups. Hepatic glutathioneperoxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathionereductase activities along with catalase and glutathioneperoxidase activities in erythrocytes increased after GLEtreatment to high-fat diet compared with HFC rats. Hepaticretinol and tocopherol increased in HFG1.5 groupcompared to those of HFC group. These results indicatethat GLE can protect against oxidative stress induced by ahigh-fat diet in rats.

중국 기업의 국제화 경영과 당면과제 및 발전전망

서명기(Ming Qi Xu) 이화여자대학교 경영연구소 2002 신산업경영저널 Vol.20 No.2

Exploration on Obstacle Avoidance and Study of Balance

WANG Qi-ming,Liu Jian-fen,Shi He-sheng 보안공학연구지원센터 2016 International Journal of Grid and Distributed Comp Vol.9 No.3

This paper studies ε-greedy algorithm and softmax algorithm in obstacle avoidance and balance study. In the experiment, Sarsa algorithm and Q-Learning algorithm were used to appropriately simplify and build the model of obstacle avoidance; softmax algorithm was used to address how to balance exploration and utilisation; and two classical algorithms of reinforcement learning were adopted to deal with obstacle avoidance. The results generated by simulation prove that Sarsa algorithm and Q-Learning algorithm can handle obstacle avoidance and balance study in limited time step, which makes the intelligent agent improve the non-maximum estimated value of the value function of the state so as to choose the best action that has been carried out. In addition, Sarsa algorithm and Q-Learning algorithm can also enable the intelligent agent to try new actions and find out the optimal one.

Applying Multifractal Spectrum Theory to Fingerprint Features Recognition

Hai Ming Ni,Da Wei Qi,Hongbo Mu 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Hybrid Information Techno Vol.8 No.1

Fingerprint features recognition which can be used to distinguish between individuals is an intriguing study with many potential applications. In this paper, a new method for fingerprint recognition based on multifractal spectrum theory was proposed. The recognition process can be divided into the following main steps: (1) Extracting the core point in fingerprint; (2) Fragmenting the fingerprint image to get a subimage with fixed size; (3) Thinning the fingerprint image by using an improved OPTA algorithm; (4) Segmenting the curves in fingerprint image into digital straight segments with normalized straight length threshold; (5) Selecting the appropriate dividing scale to segment the processed fingerprint image; (6) Calculating and analyzing the multifractal spectrum curve - f (a) ; (7) Fitting curve equation and extracting the characteristic parameters of a - f(a); (8) Finally, the parameters matching and fingerprint feature recognition. A large number of experimental results show that our method is effective.

Elevated Circulating CD19⁺ Lymphocytes Predict Survival Advantage in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Yu, Qi-Ming,Yu, Chuan-Ding,Ling, Zhi-Qiang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Background: Circulating lymphocyte subsets reflect the immunological status and might therefore be a prognostic indicator in cancer patients. Our aim was to evaluate the clinical significance of circulating lymphocyte subset in gastric cancer (GC) cases. Methods: A retrospective study on a prevalent cohort of 846 GC patients hospitalized at Hospital from Aug 2006 to Jul 2010 was conducted. We calculated the patient's disease free survival (DFS) after first hospital admission, and hazard ratios (HR) from the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Our findings indicated a significantly decreased percentage of CD3+, and CD8+ cells, a significantly increased proportion of $CD4^+$, $CD19^+$, $CD44^+$, $CD25^+$, NK cells, and an increased $CD4^+/CD8^+$ ratio in GC patients as compared with healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Alteration of lymphocyte subsets was positively correlated with sex, age, smoking, tumor stage and distant metastasis of GC patients (all P<0.05). Follow-up analysis indicated significantly higher DFS for patients with high circulating $CD19^+$ lymphocytes compared to those with low $CD19^+$ lymphocytes (P=0.037), with $CD19^+$ showing an important cutoff of $7.91{\pm}2.98%$ Conclusion: Circulating lymphocyte subsets in GC patients are significantly changed, and elevated CD19+ cells may predict a favorable survival.