Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) also known as Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD), is one of nine polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases caused by a CAG-trinucelotide repeat expansion within the coding sequence of the ATXN3 gene. There are no disease-modifying treatments for polyQ diseases. Recent studies suggest that an imbalance in histone acetylation may be a key process leading to transcriptional dysregulation in polyQ diseases. Because of this possible imbalance, the application of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors may be feasible for the treatment of polyQ diseases. To further explore the therapeutic potential of HDAC inhibitors, we constructed two independent preclinical trials with valproic acid (VPA), a promising therapeutic HDAC inhibitor, in both Drosophila and cell SCA3 models. We demonstrated that prolonged use of VPA at specific dose partly prevented eye depigmentation, alleviated climbing disability, and extended the average lifespan of SCA3/MJD transgenic Drosophila. We found that VPA could both increase the acetylation levels of histone H3 and histone H4 and reduce the early apoptotic rate of cells without inhibiting the aggregation of mutant ataxin-3 proteins in MJDtr-Q68- expressing cells. These results collectively support the premise that VPA is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of SCA3 and other polyQ diseases.

Mutants of a highly pathogenic, porcine reproductive, and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), JXA1 strain, were prepared by continuous in vitro passage. Genomic sequence comparisons were made between mutants obtained at different passages and the parental strain JXA1. The mutant strain obtained at passage 80 contained a 12 nucleotide insertion and 108 nucleotide mutations that resulted in 45 amino acid changes. Most of these changes (89%) occurred between passage 10 and 45 and were genetically stable for the next 35-70 passages. A comparison of the mutants, their parental strain, and several American PRRSV strains, identified 13 characteristic amino acid changes. These sites, as well as the distinct 12 nucleotide insertion, represent possible genetic markers for the evaluation of live vaccine applications, particularly for additional studies of the safety and potency of live PRRSV vaccines.

Our study confirms the association between SPINK5 and AD.

Voltage-gated L-type calcium channels (VLCC) are distributed widely throughout the brain. Among the genes involved in schizophrenia (SCZ), genes encoding VLCC subunits have attracted widespread attention. Among the four subunits comprising the VLCC (α − 1, α −2/δ, β, and γ), the γ subunit that comprises an eight-member protein family is the least well understood. In our study, to further investigate the risk susceptibility by the γ subunit gene family to SCZ, we conducted a large-scale association study in Han Chinese individuals. The SNP rs17645023 located in the intergenic region of CACNG4 and CACNG5 was identified to be significantly associated with SCZ (OR = 0.856, P = 5.43 × 10−5). Similar results were obtained in the meta-analysis with the current SCZ PGC data (OR = 0.8853). We also identified a two-SNP haplotype (rs10420331-rs11084307, P = 1.4 × 10−6) covering the intronic region of CACNG8 to be significantly associated with SCZ. Epistasis analyses were conducted, and significant statistical interaction (OR = 0.622, P = 2.93 × 10−6, Pperm < 0.001) was observed between rs192808 (CACNG6) and rs2048137 (CACNG5). Our results indicate that CACNG4, CACNG5, CACNG6 and CACNG8 may contribute to the risk of SCZ. The statistical epistasis identified between CACNG5 and CACNG6 suggests that there may be an underlying biological interaction between the two genes.

It has been reported that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Alpha-synuclein (SNCA) are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Some researchers have attempted to validate this finding in various ethnic populations. The results of studies concerning SNCA polymorphisms and PD susceptibility remain conflicting. To evaluate the association between these SNPs and PD, the authors conducted a series of meta-analyses using a predefined protocol. Databases including PubMed, MEDLINE and PD gene were searched to identify relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. All analyses were calculated using STATA11.0. A total of 19 studies on the SNPS rs181489, rs356186, rs356219, rs894278, rs2583988, rs2619363, rs2619364, rs2737029, rs10005233 and rs11931074 were included. This meta-analysis showed that eight out of these 10 candidate SNPs may be associated with PD risk. Significant association was found between PD and the following SNPs: rs181489, rs356186, rs356219, rs894278 rs2583988, rs2619364, rs10005233 and rs11931074. Among these SNPs, rs356186 was found to be the only SNP that may play a protective role in Parkinson's disease. These results suggest that the SNCA gene may be associated with PD.

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Background Climate heterogeneity not only indirectly shapes the genetic structures of plant populations, but also drives adaptive divergence by impacting demographic dynamics. The variable localized climates and topographic complexity of the Taihang Mountains make them a major natural boundary in Northern China that influences the divergence of organisms distributed across this region. Opisthopappus is an endemic genus of the Taihang Mountains that includes only two spatially partitioned species Opisthopappus longilobus and Opisthopappus taihangensis. For this study, the mechanisms behind the genetic variations in Opisthopappus populations were investigated. Results Using SNP and InDel data coupled with geographic and climatic information, significant genetic differentiation was found to exist either between Opisthopappus populations or two species. All studied populations were divided into two genetic groups with the differentiation of haplotypes between the groups. At approximately 17.44 Ma of the early Miocene, O. taihangensis differentiated from O. longilobus under differing precipitation regimes due to the intensification of the Asian monsoon. Subsequently, intraspecific divergence might be induced by the dramatic climatic transformation from the mid- to late Miocene. During the Pleistocene period, the rapid uplift of the Taihang Mountains coupled with violent climatic oscillations would further promote the diversity of the two species. Following the development of the Taihang Mountains, its complex topography created geographical and ecological heterogeneity, which could lead to spatiotemporal isolation between the Opisthopappus populations. Thus the adaptive divergence might occur within these intraspecific populations in the localized heterogeneous environment of the Taihang Mountains. Conclusions The localized environmental events through the integration of small-scale spatial effects impacted the demographic history and differentiation mechanism of Opisthopappus species in the Taihang Mountains. The results provide useful information for us to understand the ecology and evolution of organisms in the mountainous environment from population and species perspective.

Chicken prolactin (PRL) is a physiological candidate gene for egg production. Variations of T8052C and G8113C in exon 5 of PRL gene may associate with chicken egg production. The objective of the study was to investigate the association of these two single nucleotide polymorphisms in PRL gene with egg production of Recessive White chickens and Qingyuan Partridge chickens. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) method. The T8052C and G8113C of PRL were significantly associated with age at first egg (AFE) and total egg number at 300 days of age (EN 300). A significant association was also found between T8052C-G8113C haplotypes and AFE as well as EN300, the H2H3 was the most advantageous diplotype for egg production. We putatively drew the conclusion that these two SNPs in PRL gene as well as their haplotypes could be used as the potential molecular markers for egg production traits in chicken.