Genetic diversity and drug resistance among newly diagnosed and antiretroviral treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals in western Yunnan: a hot area of viral recombination in China

Abstract Background The emergence of an HIV-1 epidemic in China was first recognized in Dehong, western Yunnan. Due to its geographic location, Dehong contributed greatly in bridging HIV-1 epidemics in Southeast Asia and China through drug trafficking and injection drug use; and also extensively to the HIV genetic diversity in Yunnan and China. We attempt to monitor HIV-1 in this area by studying the HIV-1 genetic distribution and transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in various at-risk populations. Methods Blood samples from a total of 320 newly HIV-1 diagnosed individuals, who were antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive, were collected from January 2009 to December 2010 in 2 counties in Dehong. HIV-1 subtypes and pol gene drug resistance (DR) mutations were genotyped. Results Among 299 pol sequences successfully genotyped (93.4%), subtype C accounted for 43.1% (n=129), unique recombinant forms (URFs) for 18.4% (n=55), CRF01_AE for 17.7% (n=54), B for 10.7% (n=32), CRF08_BC for 8.4% (n=25) and CRF07_BC for 1.7% (n=5). Subtype distribution in patients infected by different transmission routes varied. In contract to the previous finding of CRF01_AE predominance in 2002-2006, subtype C predominated in both injecting drug users (IDUs) and heterosexually transmitted populations in this study. Furthermore, we found a high level of BC, CRF01_AE/C and CRF01_AE/B/C recombinants suggesting the presence of active viral recombination in the area. TDR associated mutations were identified in 4.3% (n=13) individuals. A total of 1.3% of DR were related to protease inhibitors (PIs), including I85IV, M46I and L90M; 0.3% to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), including M184I; and 2.7% to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), including K103N/S, Y181C, K101E and G190A. Conclusion Our work revealed diverse HIV-1 subtype distributions and intersubtype recombinations. We also identified a low but significant TDR mutation rate among ART-naive patients. These findings enhance our understanding of HIV-1 evolution and are valuable for the development and implementation of a comprehensive public health approach to HIV-1 DR prevention and treatment in the region. </jats:sec

Function analysis of ZmZHD9, a positive regulator in drought stress response in transgenic maize

Abstract Backgrounds: Drought stress is one of the major factors that affects maize yield. ZF-HD transcription factors have been proved to play pivotal roles in the regulation of plant growth, hormone conduction signaling and abiotic stress response. However, the molecular mechanism of ZmZHD9-mediated drought tolerance is not well understood. Results: In the present study, we analyzed the functions of ZmZHD9, a member of the maize ZF-HD family. ZmZHD9 is predominantly expressed in leaves, and was induced by drought, salinity, high temperature and abscisic acid (ABA). Subcellular localization indicated that ZmZHD9 protein was localized in the nucleus. ZmZHD9-overexpressing plants showed increased tolerance to drought stress compared with wild-type plants, evaluated by higher RWC and proline content, higher SOD and POD activity, lower REL and MDA content in transgenic plants under drought stress. In addition, the expression of six stress-responsive genes were significantly higher in ZmZHD9 transgenic plants than that in wild-type plants under drought stress.Conclusion: These results demonstrate that ZmZHD9 as a stress-responsive transcription factor which plays a positive regulatory role in response to drought.</jats:p

MiR-222-3p promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells through targeting SLC4A4

Objective. An increasing number of studies indicate that miR-222-3p is upregulated in various cancers and can regulate tumor progression. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-222- 3p in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods. TCGA database was used to dig differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in PTC tissue. Relevant references were searched to determine target miRNA. StarBase, TargetScan and miRDB were applied to predict mRNAs that had binding sites with the target miRNA. Then, the mRNAs were intersected with differentially downregulated mRNAs in TCGA to determine the target mRNA. qRT-PCR was exerted to evaluate gene expression of miR-222-3p and SLC4A4 in PTC. Western blot was performed out to evaluate the protein expression of SLC4A4 in PTC cells. CCK-8, wound healing assay and cell invasion assay were undertaken to observe the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of PTC cells. Dual-luciferase assay was employed to test the binding relationship between miR222-3p and SLC4A4. Results. MiR-222-3p was highly expressed in PTC while SLC4A4 was lowly expressed. Moreover, miR222-3p was able to promote the proliferation, invasion, and migration of PTC cells. SLC4A4 was able to reverse these promotive effects of miR-222-3p. Conclusion. MiR-222-3p can promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of PTC cells through targeting SLC4A4. MiR-222-3p is expected to be a molecular therapeutic target for PTC patients