Effect of atorvastatin on vascular endothelial function in moderately nicotine-dependent smokers.

We investigated the effect of atorvastatin on vascular endothelial function in moderately nicotine-dependent smokers. One hundred and sixty moderately nicotine-dependent smokers were randomly divided into the atorvastatin group (N = 80) and the control group (N = 80). Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose levels, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, creatine phosphokinase, and brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation function (FMD) were measured before and 12 months after atorvastatin treatment. After a 12-month atorvastatin therapy, the TC and LDL-C levels of patients were decreased significantly (P < 0.05) and the FMD of patients were improved significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, TC and LDL-C of the patients were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and the FMD of the patients were significantly improved (P < 0.05). Atorvastatin may significantly improve endothelial function in moderately nicotine-dependent smokers.

Short communication: development and characterization of novel transcriptome-derived microsatellites for genetic analysis of persimmon.

Oriental persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) (2n = 6x = 90) is a major commercial and deciduous fruit tree that is believed to have originated in China. However, rare transcriptomic and genomic information on persimmon is available. Using Roche 454 sequencing technology, the transcriptome from RNA of the flowers of D. kaki was analyzed. A total of 1,250,893 reads were generated and 83,898 unigenes were assembled. A total of 42,711 SSR loci were identified from 23,494 unigenes and 289 polymerase chain reaction primer pairs were designed. Of these 289 primers, 155 (53.6%) showed robust PCR amplification and 98 revealed polymorphism between 15 persimmon genotypes, indicating a polymorphic rate of 63.23% of the productive primers for characterization and genotyping of the genus Diospyros. Transcriptome sequence data generated from next-generation sequencing technology to identify microsatellite loci appears to be rapid and cost-efficient, particularly for species with no genomic sequence information available.

Transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) across other plant species.

Retrotransposon-based molecular markers are powerful molecular tools. However, these markers are not readily available due to the difficulty in obtaining species-specific retrotransposon primers. Although recent techniques enabling the rapid isolation of retrotransposon sequences have facilitated primer development, this process nonetheless remains time-consuming and costly. Therefore, research into the transferability of retrotransposon primers developed from one plant species onto others would be of great value. The present study investigated the transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from 'Luotian-tianshi' persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) across other fruit crops, as well as within the genus using inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism molecular marker. Fourteen of the 26 retrotransposon primers tested (53.85%) produced robust and reproducible amplification products across all fruit crops tested, indicating their applicability across plant species. Four of the 13 fruit crops showed the best transferability performances: persimmon, grape, citrus, and peach. Furthermore, similarity coefficients and UPGMA clustering indicated that these primers could further offer a potential tool for germplasm differentiation, parentage identification, genetic diversity assessment, classification, and phylogenetic studies across a variety of plant species. Transferability was further confirmed by examining published primers derived from Rosaceae, Gramineae, and Solanaceae. This study is one of the few currently available studies concerning the transferability of retrotransposon primers across plant species in general, and is the first successful study of the transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from persimmon. The primers presented here will help reduce costs for future retrotransposon primer development and therefore contribute to the popularization of retrotransposon molecular markers.

Characterization and comparison of EST-SSR and TRAP markers for genetic analysis of the Japanese persimmon Diospyros kaki.

We developed and characterized expressed sequence tags (ESTs)-simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and targeted region amplified polymorphism (TRAP) markers to examine genetic relationships in the persimmon genus Diospyros gene pool. In total, we characterized 14 EST-SSR primer pairs and 36 TRAP primer combinations, which were amplified across 20 germplasms of 4 species in the genus Diospyros. We used various genetic parameters, including effective multiplex ratio (EMR), diversity index (DI), and marker index (MI), to test the utility of these markers. TRAP markers gave higher EMR (24.85) but lower DI (0.33), compared to EST-SSRs (EMR = 3.65, DI = 0.34). TRAP gave a very high MI (8.08), which was about 8 times than the MI of EST-SSR (1.25). These markers were utilized for phylogenetic inference of 20 genotypes of Diospyros kaki Thunb. and allied species, with a result that all kaki genotypes clustered closely and 3 allied species formed an independent group. These markers could be further exploited for large-scale genetic relationship inference.

Genetic relationships of the Japanese persimmon Diospyros kaki (Ebenaceae) and related species revealed by SSR analysis.

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers based on 18 primers were employed to study the genetic relationship of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) specimens. Two hundred and sixty-two bands were detected in 30 Japanese persimmon samples, including 14 Japanese and 10 Chinese genotypes of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) and six related species, D. lotus, D. glaucifolia, D. oleifera, D. rhombifolia, D. virginiana, and Jinzaoshi (unclassified - previously indicated to be D. kaki). All SSR primers developed from D. kaki were successfully employed to reveal the polymorphism in other species of Diospyros. Most of the primers were highly polymorphic, with a degree of polymorphism equal to or higher than 0.66. The results from the neighbor-joining dendrogram and the principal coordinate analysis diagram were the same; i.e., the Chinese and Japanese genotypes and related species were separated and the relationships revealed were consistent with the known pedigrees. We also concluded that 'Xiangxitianshi' from Xiangxi municipality, Hunan Province, China, is actually a sport or somaclonal variant of 'Maekawa-Jirou', and that 'Jinzaoshi' should be classified as a distinct species of Diospyros. We found that SSR markers are a valuable tool for the estimation of genetic diversity and divergence in Diospyros.