A genome-wide association study of reproduction traits in four pig populations with different genetic backgrounds

Jiang Yao,Tang Shaoqing,Xiao Wei,Yun Peng,Ding Xiangdong 아세아·태평양축산학회 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.9

Objective: Genome-wide association study and two meta-analysis based on GWAS performed to explore the genetic mechanism underlying variation in pig number born alive (NBA) and total number born (TNB). Methods: Single trait GWAS and two meta-analysis (single-trait meta analysis and multi-trait meta analysis) were used in our study for NBA and TNB on 3,121 Yorkshires from 4 populations, including three different American Yorkshire populations (n = 2,247) and one British Yorkshire populations (n = 874). Results: The result of single trait GWAS showed that no significant associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. Using single-trait meta analysis and multi-trait meta analysis within populations, 11 significant loci were identified associated with target traits. Spindlin 1, vascular endothelial growth factor A, forkhead box Q1, msh homeobox 1, and LHFPL tetraspan submily member 3 are five functionally plausible candidate genes for NBA and TNB. Compared to the single population GWAS, single-trait Meta analysis can improve the detection power to identify SNPs by integrating information of multiple populations. The multiple-trait analysis reduced the power to detect trait-specific loci but enhanced the power to identify the common loci across traits. Conclusion: In total, our findings identified novel genes to be validated as candidates for NBA and TNB in pigs. Also, it enabled us to enlarge population size by including multiple populations with different genetic backgrounds and increase the power of GWAS by using meta analysis.

Roundup® induces premature senescence of mouse granulosa cells via mitochondrial ROS-triggered NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Ni Heliang,Hu Xiangdong,Yang Nannan,Liu Xiaoyang,Cai Wenyang,Zhong Rui,Wang Tiancheng,Yu Mingxi,Tang Shuang 한국독성학회 2024 Toxicological Research Vol.40 No.3

Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide widely used in agriculture, has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on human health due to the detection of its residues in human urine and serum. Granulosa cells are essential for oocyte growth and follicle development. Previous research has shown that Roundup could affect steroid synthesis, increases oxidative stress, and induces apoptosis in granulosa cells. However, little is known about the effects of Roundup on NLRP3 (nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin-containing domain protein 3) inflammasome activation and cellular senescence in granulosa cells. Here, we provided evidence that exposure to Roundup induced premature senescence in mouse granulosa cells through the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome triggered by mitochondrial ROS. Our findings demonstrated that Roundup significantly reduced the viability of granulosa cells under in vitro culture conditions. It also disrupted mitochondrial function and induced oxidative stress in these cells. Subsequent investigations showed that NLRP3 inflammasome was activated in treated granulosa cells, as evidenced by the upregulation of inflammasome-related genes and the processing of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-1α into their mature forms. Consequently, premature cellular senescence occurred in response to the challenge posed by Roundup. Notably, direct inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC950 does not alleviate mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress. However, supplementation of resveratrol, which has been known to attenuate mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, effectively mitigated the inflammatory response and the expression of senescence-related markers, and prevented the senescence in granulosa cells. These results suggested that mitochondrial function and oxidative homeostasis might play pivotal roles as upstream regulators of NLRP3 inflammasome. In summary, our findings indicated that the premature senescence of granulosa cells caused by mitochondrial ROS-triggered NLRP3 inflammasome activation might contribute to the ovarian toxicity of Roundup, in addition to its known effects on steroidogenesis and apoptosis.

Geochronological and geochemical constraints on the ore-related granites in Huanggang deposit, Southern Great Xing’an Range, NE China and its tectonic significance

Wei Mei,Xinbiao Lü,Zhi Liu,Rankun Tang,Zhilong Ai,Xiangdong Wang,Mamady Cisse 한국지질과학협의회 2015 Geosciences Journal Vol.19 No.1

Huanggang skarn Fe-Sn deposit is located in themain ridge Sn-polymetallic metallogenic sub-belt of the SouthernGreat Xing’an Range. A combination of zircon U-Pb age, geochemistryand Hf isotopic composition are reported for the orerelatedgranite (K-feldspar granite) of the Huanggang deposit toconstrain its petrogenesis and tectonic setting. LA-ICP-MS U-PbZircon dating results indicate that the K-feldspar granite wasintruded at 145.3 ± 1.6Ma. The K-feldspar granites belong to high-K calc-alkaline and shoshonite series, mainly peraluminous. Theserocks have a negative slope from La to Lu with strongly negativeEu anomalies, they demonstrate negative Ba, Sr P, Ti and Nbspikes and positive Th, U, Nd spikes on the normalized incompatibleelement diagrams. The regional geological setting togetherwith the geochemistry of the K-feldspar granite indicates that it isformed in a post-orogenic setting. The zircon Hf isotopic compositions(εHf(t): +5.2 to +6.6, 176Hf/177Hf: 0.282837‒0.282876) indicateboth juvenile crust sources that originated from depleted mantleand some ancient continental crust sources contributed to its origin,and there is a significant addition of juvenile crust under theSouthern Great Xing’an Range during the time from Paleo-Neoproterozoicto Phanerozoic.

Clinical Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Junying Zhou,Jihui Zhang,Siu Ping Lam,Xiangdong Tang,Yun Kwok Wing 대한수면연구학회 2015 Journal of sleep medicine Vol.12 No.2

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is currently considered as a prodromal stage of α -synucleinopathies neurodegeneration. The update data suggested that over 80% patients with idiopathic RBD eventually developed neurodegenerative disease after a mean of 14 years interval from the onset of RBD. A series of potential biomarkers have been identified to predict the development of neurodegeneration in idiopathic RBD, including olfactory loss, color vision deficit, depression, mild cognitive impairment, excessive daytime sleepiness, dopamine dysfunction, and tonic EMG activity. Early recognition of the predictive markers of neurodegeneration in idiopathic RBD is essential for development of intervention or prevention strategies at the presymptomatic stage. Nonetheless, the current literature is lacking biomarkers that might reflect the α-synuclein neuropathology at the earliest stages. Future studies with large samples and systematic follow-up are needed to confirm more potential markers of neurodegeneration at its early stages.

Characterization of the effect of He⁺ irradiation on nanoporous-isotropic graphite for molten salt reactors

Zhang, Heyao,He, Zhao,Song, Jinliang,Liu, Zhanjun,Tang, Zhongfeng,Liu, Min,Wang, Yong,Liu, Xiangdong Korean Nuclear Society 2020 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.52 No.6

Irradiation-induced damage of binderless nanoporous-isotropic graphite (NPIG) prepared by isostatic pressing of mesophase carbon microspheres for molten salt reactor was investigated by 3.0 MeV He⁺ irradiation at room temperature and high temperature of 600 ℃, and IG-110 was used as the comparation. SEM, TEM, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum are used to characterize the irradiation effect and the influence of temperature on graphite radiation damage. After irradiation at room temperature, the surface morphology is rougher, the increase of defect clusters makes atom flour bend, the layer spacing increases, and the catalytic graphitization phenomenon of NPIG is observed. However, the density of defects in high temperature environment decreases and other changes are not obvious. Mechanical properties also change due to changes in defects. In addition, SEM and Raman spectra of the cross section show that cracks appear in the depth range of the maximum irradiation dose, and the defect density increases with the increase of irradiation dose.