We extended our previous GWAS for psoriasis with a a multistage replication study including 8,312 cases and 12,919 controls from China as well as 3,293 cases, 4,188 controls from Germany and the USA, and 254 nuclear families from the USA. We identified 6 new susceptibility loci associated to psoriasis in Chinese, containing candidate genes ERAP1, PTTG1, CSMD1, GJB2, SERPINB8, ZNF816A (PCombined<5×10−8) and replicated one locus 5q33.1 (TNIP1/ANXA6) previously reported (PCombined=3.8×10−21) in European studies. Two of these loci showed evidence for association evidence in the German study, at ZNF816A and GJB2 with P=3.6×10−3 and P=7.9×10−3, respectively. ERAP1 and ZNF816A were preferentially associated with Type I (early onset) psoriasis in Chinese Han population (test for heterogeneity P=6.5×10−3 and P=1.5×10−3, respectively). Comparisons with previous GWAS of psoriasis highlight the heterogeneity of disease susceptibility between Chinese and European populations. Our study identifies new genetic susceptibility factors and suggests new biological pathways in psoriasis.

These authors contributed equally to this work. SUMMARYThe plant family 1 UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are the biggest GT family in plants, which are responsible for transferring sugar moieties onto a variety of small molecules, and control many metabolic processes; however, their physiological significance in planta is largely unknown. Here, we revealed that two Arabidopsis glycosyltransferase genes, UGT79B2 and UGT79B3, could be strongly induced by various abiotic stresses, including cold, salt and drought stresses. Overexpression of UGT79B2/B3 significantly enhanced plant tolerance to low temperatures as well as drought and salt stresses, whereas the ugt79b2/b3 double mutants generated by RNAi (RNA interference) and CRISPR-Cas9 strategies were more susceptible to adverse conditions. Interestingly, the expression of UGT79B2 and UGT79B3 is directly controlled by CBF1 (CRT/DRE-binding factor 1, also named DREB1B) in response to low temperatures. Furthermore, we identified the enzyme activities of UGT79B2/B3 in adding UDP-rhamnose to cyanidin and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside. Ectopic expression of UGT79B2/B3 significantly increased the anthocyanin accumulation, and enhanced the antioxidant activity in coping with abiotic stresses, whereas the ugt79b2/b3 double mutants showed reduced anthocyanin levels. When overexpressing UGT79B2/B3 in tt18 (transparent testa 18), a mutant that cannot synthesize anthocyanins, both genes fail to improve plant adaptation to stress. Taken together, we demonstrate that UGT79B2 and UGT79B3, identified as anthocyanin rhamnosyltransferases, are regulated by CBF1 and confer abiotic stress tolerance via modulating anthocyanin accumulation.

Aspergillus oryzae, an important filamentous fungus used in food fermentation and the enzyme industry, has been shown through genome sequencing and various other tools to have prominent features in its genomic composition. However, the functional complexity of the A. oryzae transcriptome has not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we applied direct high-throughput paired-end RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to the transcriptome of A. oryzae under four different culture conditions. With the high resolution and sensitivity afforded by RNA-Seq, we were able to identify a substantial number of novel transcripts, new exons, untranslated regions, alternative upstream initiation codons and upstream open reading frames, which provide remarkable insight into the A. oryzae transcriptome. We were also able to assess the alternative mRNA isoforms in A. oryzae and found a large number of genes undergoing alternative splicing. Many genes and pathways that might be involved in higher levels of protein production in solid-state culture than in liquid culture were identified by comparing gene expression levels between different cultures. Our analysis indicated that the transcriptome of A. oryzae is much more complex than previously anticipated, and these results may provide a blueprint for further study of the A. oryzae transcriptome.

No abstract

No abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. genotypes limited in their ability to mount either octadecanoid-dependent induced resistance (IR–) or systemic acquired resistance (SAR–) were used to characterize the roles of these pathways in plant–herbivore interactions. Molecular and biochemical markers of IR were analysed in plants subject to herbivory by caterpillars of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua Hübner, which had either intact or impaired salivary secretions since salivary enzymes, such as glucose oxidase, have been implicated in the ability of caterpillars to circumvent induced plant defences. Transcript expression of genes encoding laccase-like multicopper oxidase [AtLMCO4 (polyphenol oxidase)] and defensin (AtPDF1.2) showed salivary-specific patterns which were disrupted in the SAR– mutant plants. The activity of octadecanoid-associated anti-nutritive proteins, such as LMCO and trypsin inhibitor, showed similar patterns. Gene and protein changes parallel plant hormone levels where elevated jasmonic acid was observed in wild-type plants fed upon by caterpillars with impaired salivary secretions compared with plants subject to herbivory by normal caterpillars. This salivary-specific difference in jasmonic acid levels was alleviated in SAR– mutants. These results support the model that caterpillar saliva interferes with jasmonate-dependent plant defences by activating the SAR pathway.

No abstract

BackgroundThe methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is widely used as a bioengineering platform for producing industrial and biopharmaceutical proteins, studying protein expression and secretion mechanisms, and analyzing metabolite synthesis and peroxisome biogenesis. With the development of DNA microarray and mRNA sequence technology, the P. pastoris transcriptome has become a research hotspot due to its powerful capability to identify the transcript structures and gain insights into the transcriptional regulation model of cells under protein production conditions. The study of the P. pastoris transcriptome helps to annotate the P. pastoris transcript structures and provide useful information for further improvement of the production of recombinant proteins.ResultsWe used a massively parallel mRNA sequencing platform (RNA-Seq), based on next-generation sequencing technology, to map and quantify the dynamic transcriptome of P. pastoris at the genome scale under growth conditions with glycerol and methanol as substrates. The results describe the transcription landscape at the whole-genome level and provide annotated transcript structures, including untranslated regions (UTRs), alternative splicing (AS) events, novel transcripts, new exons, alternative upstream initiation codons (uATGs), and upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Internal ribosome entry sites (IRESes) were first identified within the UTRs of genes from P. pastoris, encoding kinases and the proteins involved in the control of growth. We also provide a transcriptional regulation model for P. pastoris grown on different carbon sources.ConclusionsWe suggest that the IRES-dependent translation initiation mechanism also exists in P. pastoris. Retained introns (RIs) are determined as the main AS event and are produced predominantly by an intron definition (ID) mechanism. Our results describe the metabolic characteristics of P. pastoris with heterologous protein production under methanol induction and provide rich information for further in-depth studies of P. pastoris protein expression and secretion mechanisms.