Background Pistachio ( Pistacia vera ), one of the most important commercial nut crops worldwide, is highly adaptable to abiotic stresses and is tolerant to drought and salt stresses. Results Here, we provide a draft de novo genome of pistachio as well as large-scale genome resequencing. Comparative genomic analyses reveal stress adaptation of pistachio is likely attributable to the expanded cytochrome P450 and chitinase gene families. Particularly, a comparative transcriptomic analysis shows that the jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthetic pathway plays an important role in salt tolerance in pistachio. Moreover, we resequence 93 cultivars and 14 wild P. vera genomes and 35 closely related wild Pistacia genomes, to provide insights into population structure, genetic diversity, and domestication. We find that frequent genetic admixture occurred among the different wild Pistacia species. Comparative population genomic analyses reveal that pistachio was domesticated about 8000 years ago and suggest that key genes for domestication related to tree and seed size experienced artificial selection. Conclusions Our study provides insight into genetic underpinning of local adaptation and domestication of pistachio. The Pistacia genome sequences should facilitate future studies to understand the genetic basis of agronomically and environmentally related traits of desert crops. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13059-019-1686-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundPrimary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune heterogeneous disorder that is characterized by decreased platelet count. Regulatory T (Treg) cells and T helper type 17 (Th17) cells are two subtypes of CD4+ T helper (Th) cells. They play opposite roles in immune tolerance and autoimmune diseases, while they share a common differentiation pathway. The imbalance of Treg/Th17 has been demonstrated in several autoimmune diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the ratio of the number of Treg cells to the number of Th17 cells in ITP patients and evaluate the clinical implications of the alterations in this ratio.MethodsThirty adult patients with newly diagnosed ITP enrolled in this study. Twelve patients had been clinically followed up for 12 months. The percentages of CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+ Treg cells and CD3+CD4+IL-17-producing Th17 cells in these patients and healthy controls (n = 17) were longitudinally analyzed by flow cytometry.ResultsThe percentage of Treg cells in ITP patients was significantly lower than that of healthy controls, and the percentage of Th17 cells increased significantly at disease onset. The ratio of Treg/Th17 correlated with the disease activity.ConclusionThe ratio of Treg/Th17 might be relevant to the clinical diversity of ITP patients, and this Treg/Th17 ratio might have prognostic role in ITP patients.

The effects of aging on myocardial antioxidant enzyme activity, lipid peroxidation, and other related biochemical properties were investigated in male Wistar-Furth rats at 4, 26, and 31 mo of age at rest and after an acute exercise bout. The results showed that resting heart cytosolic superoxide dismutase (CuZn SOD) activity was significantly decreased in the heart with aging (66 +/- 6.5 U/mg protein at 4 mo vs. 49 +/- 3.8 U/mg protein at 31 mo) and was elevated in all age groups after exercise. Mitochondrial Mn SOD activity was almost doubled in both 26- and 31-mo-old rats compared with that at 4 mo. Myocardial catalase and cytosolic glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities were significantly decreased with age, whereas mitochondrial GPX was 29% higher (P less than 0.05) in 31- than 4-mo-old rats. Glutathione S-transferase activity in the heart also declined with age (P less than 0.05 at 31 mo). Malondialdehyde contents in both heart homogenate and mitochondria were significantly increased at old age. Activity of several enzymes related to myocardial energy production, e.g., citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase, and lactate dehydrogenase, as well as myocardial protein content showed an age-related decline. These data indicate that myocardial antioxidant capacity is weakened during aging and that the compensatory increases of mitochondrial SOD and GPX may be an important mechanism in coping with free radical damage in senescent heart. Findings in the present investigation seem to support the free radical theory of aging.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune heterogeneous disorder. Excessive activated CD4(+) T effector cells (Teffs) and compromised regulatory T cells (Tregs) were reported in ITP patients, yet little is known about the mechanisms. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important regulatory cytokine of Tregs in inflammatory condition. It has been recently highlighted that IL-10-producing Tregs contribute to the effective controls of several autoimmune diseases. Hence this study was aimed to examine the role of IL-10 produced by Tregs in newly diagnosed ITP patients. Newly diagnosed ITP patients and healthy volunteers were enrolled to assess the numbers of peripheral Th1, Th17 cells and Tregs. CD4(+)CD25(-)Teffs and CD4(+)CD25(+)Tregs were purified. CD4(+)CD25(-)Teffs, labeled with CFSE, were cultured alone or with Tregs for 5 days, and the supernatants were then collected for IL-10 concentration test. The role of IL-10 in Tregs' inhibitory function was also determined. In ITP patients, Teffs were excessively activated, while the Tregs were numerically and functionally impaired. The percentages of IL-10(+) Tregs in Tregs' population were found elevated dramatically in ITP patients but decreased in the remitted patients. The IL-10 concentrations in the cultured supernatant were decreased in ITP patients but elevated in the remitted patients. Furthermore, the IL-10 secretion by Tregs was dramatically decreased in ITP patients. IL-10 treatment enhanced the suppression effect of Tregs toward Teffs, whereas anti-IL-10 treatment boosted the proliferation of Teffs and Th17 cells. Excessive activated Teffs and impaired Tregs play major roles in the exuberant CD4(+) T cells immune responses of ITP. The inhibitory effect of Tregs toward Teffs is largely exerted by IL-10. Insufficient secretion of IL-10 compromises the inhibitory capability of Tregs against Teffs in newly diagnosed ITP patients.

Background. Regulatory B cells (Breg) are a distinct B cell subset with immunoregulatory properties. Pivotal to Breg function is interleukin-10. This study was to investigate the role of IL-10-producing B cell (B10) and its association with Treg and Th17 subsets in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients. Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from ITP patients and controls were stimulated with PMA, ionomycin, and Brefeldin A. The frequencies of CD19+IL-10+ B cells, CD3+CD4+IL-17+ Th17 cells, and CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+ Treg cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression of Foxp3 and RORγt was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. Results. The number of B10 cells was elevated in ITP patients. After first-line therapies, it remained at high level in patients who achieved complete or partial response but decreased in those who acquired no response. There was a positive correlation between B10 cells and Tregs in ITP both before and after therapies. The ratio of Treg/Th17 decreased in ITP, and it strongly correlated with B10 cells. Conclusions. The frequency of B10 cells is elevated in ITP and it correlates with both the Tregs counts and the Treg/Th17 ratio. B10 cells to regulate functional T cell subsets might be impaired in patients with ITP.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a main complication of type 2 diabetes. Isoquercitrin are employed for antidiabetic therapies, but the effects on liver function and the hepatocytes are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of isoquercitrin on the T2DM-induced hepatic injury in rats. Isoquercitrin (10 mg/kg/d, 30 mg/kg/d), sitagliptin phosphate (10 mg/kg/d) was given orally for 21 days. The administration of isoquercitrin at 10 mg/kg/d and 30 mg/kg/d showed a dose dependent. Compare to the negative control (treated with saline), rats medicated with isoquercitrin (30 mg/kg/d) and sitagliptin phosphate (10 mg/kg/d) improved the clinical symptoms, FBG and glucose tolerance, reduced serum ALT, AST and IR, but increased TP, Alb, SOD, GSH, MDA, HDL-C, INS and GLP-1. On histology, Rats of these to groups presented nearly normal liver tissue and Langerhans, degeneration, necrosis and apoptosis were markedly reduced. Instead, hepatocytes showed regenerate. These two groups also showed significant increase in mRNA expression of PKA, AKT, PKCa, InsR and PI3K, and a decrease in DPP-IV mRNA level. These results indicated that treatment with isoquercitrin protects against hepatic injury by T2DM.

BackgroundAlthough impaired myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) recently have been studied in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), another myeloid-derived cell population signified as M2 macrophages has not been investigated properly in ITP patients. In the present study, we intended to determine the features of circulating M2-like macrophages, to examine its relationship with MDSCs, and to explore their prognostic values in ITP.MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy controls and primary ITP patients were isolated to test the circulating M2-like macrophages and MDSCs. The circulating M2-like macrophage population defined as CD68+CD163+ and circulating MDSC population as CD11b+CD33+HLA-DR− were determined by flow cytometry. Plasma inflammatory cytokines were measured by multiplex ELISA.ResultsThe percentages of MDSCs were found to be expanded in newly diagnosed patients of ITP, especially among those of the complete response (CR) group (p < 0.0001). Positive linear correlation was verified between percentages of M2-like macrophages and MDSCs. The same correlation was also determined in the CR group. After treatment, the percentages of M2-like macrophages and MDSCs were both increased significantly in CR group, while those patients among the PR + NR group manifested a significant numeric decrease of MDSCs but only a moderate decrease in M2-like macrophages. MIP-1α/CCL3 was negatively correlated with M2-like macrophages while MCP-1 possessed a positive correlation with M2-like macrophages, eotaxin-1/CCL11 was negatively correlated with MDSCs and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was found to be negatively correlated with both M2-like macrophages and MDSCs.ConclusionsThe present findings indicated critical roles of both circulating M2-like macrophages and MDSCs in ITP. The positive correlation between them might be related to inflammatory factors-mediated bidirectional interactions or partially due to their similar background patterns during differentiation. MIP-1α/CCL3, MCP-1, eotaxin-1/CCL11 and IL-1β might play a critical role in the expansion of both M2 macrophages and MDSCs population in ITP patients, which deserves further investigation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-018-1424-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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