Shared response to changes in drainage basin: Phylogeography of the Yunnan small narrow-mouthed frog, Glyphoglossus yunnanensis (Anura: Microhylidae).

AIM: With the late Cenozoic uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), drainage of the southeastern edge of the QTP changed significantly. However, the impact of this dramatic change on the geographical distribution and genetic diversity of endemic organisms is still poorly understood. Here, we examined the geographical patterns of genetic variation in the Yunnan small narrow-mouthed frog, Glyphoglossus yunnanensis (Microhylidae), and two alternative hypotheses were tested: That is, the geographical distribution of genetic variation was determined by either the contemporary drainage basin or historical drainage basins. LOCATION: The Mountains of southwest China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analyses were based on 417 specimens collected from across the distribution of the species. We reconstructed the genealogy (Bayesian and maximum parsimony methods) and assessed demographic history based on DNA sequencing data from mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We also mapped the genetic diversity and estimated the divergence times by a relaxed clock model. RESULTS: The species has maintained a relatively stable population size without recent population expansion. Four major maternal lineages were identified with good support, one representing a possible cryptic species and the other three showing further subdivision. The distribution of these deeply differentiated lineages/sublineages corresponded well to geographical regions. The secondary contact zones and phylogeographic breaks in distinct lineages of G. yunnanensis were almost concordant with those of Nanorana yunnanensis. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Lineage division conformed to the hypothesis of drainage system evolution, that is, the phylogeographic pattern of G. yunnanensis was shaped by historical drainage patterns. Concordance in phylogeographic patterns may suggest a shared response to common hydrogeological history and also might indicate that there was more contribution of the drainage history than ecological or life-history traits in structuring genetic variation between these two disparate codistributed taxa G. yunnanensis and N. yunnanensis.

Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer's Disease: The Protection of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate in Streptozotocin Injection-Induced Models.

Diabetes mellitus is considered as a risk factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the front runner of neurodegenerative disorders. Streptozotocin (STZ) is a toxin for pancreatic ß-cell, which can construct a model of insulin deficient diabetes through intraperitoneal or intravenous injection. A model generated by intracerebroventricular STZ (icv-STZ) also shows numerous aspects of sporadic AD. The protective roles of tea polyphenols epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on both two diseases were researched by some scientists. This review highlights the link between diabetes and AD and recent studies on STZ injection-induced models, and also discusses the protection of EGCG to clarify its treatment in STZ-induced diabetes and AD.

The expression of thioredoxin-1 in acute epinephrine stressed mice.

Stress, a state of perceived threat to homeostasis, regulates a panel of important physiological functions. The human mind and body respond to stress by activating the sympathetic nervous system and secreting the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine in the "fight-or-flight" response. However, the protective mechanism of acute stress is still unknown. In the present study, an acute stress mouse model was constructed by intraperitoneal injection of epinephrine (0.2 mg kg(-1)) for 4 h. Epinephrine treatment induced heat shock 70(Hsp70) expression in the stress responsive tissues, such as the cortex, hippocampus, thymus, and kidney. Further, the expression of thioredoxin-1(Trx-1), a cytoprotective protein, was also upregulated in these stress responsive tissues. In addition, the phosphorylation of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor of Trx-1, was increased after treatment with epinephrine. The block of CREB activation by H89 inhibited the acute epinephrine stress-induced Trx-1 and Hsp70 expression. Taken together, our data suggest that acute stimuli of epinephrine induced Trx-1 expression through activating CREB and may represent a protective role against stress.

[Therapeutic effect of a novel recombinant vaccine encoding chicken collagen type II procollagen gene on collagen-induced arthritis in rat].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of gene vaccine encoding chicken collagen type II (CC II) on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) comprehensively. METHODS: Three groups (CIA) were given a single intravenous injection of plasmid pcDNA-CCOL2A1 (20 microg/kg, 200 microg/kg, 400 microg/kg) respectively and one group (CIA) was injected 200 microg/kg pcDNA3.1 as a control. The effect of gene vaccine (pcDNA-CCOL2A1) was evaluated according to the arthritis score, radiological and histological examinations. RESULTS: The severity of arthritis of CIA rats which were administered 200 microg/kg pcDNA-CCOL2A1 was significantly reduced from the fifth day. According to the radiological and histological examinations, the articular cartilage as well as subchondral bone trabeculae are similar to those of the normal groups, so the bone and articular cartilage structure were protected after treatment with 200 microg/kg pcDNA-CCOL2A1 with a little synovial hyperplasia. The therapeutic effect of 200 microg/kg pcDNA-CCOL2A1 group has significant difference in comparison with that of the pcDNA3.1 group (P < 0.05) and the arthritis scores are reduced to about 50% of those in control groups, but 20 microg/kg group and 400 microg/kg group has no therapeutic effect in our observation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The new gene vaccine pcDNA-CCOL2A1 has significant therapeutic effect on CIA rats, and the treatment may therefore be an effective strategy for RA patient clinically.

[Genetic polymorphism of HLA-Cw locus in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patient and donor population].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution of genes in HLA-Cw locus from Han population of China in a large scale, and to provide basic data for further study on the genetic characteristics of HLA-Cw locus of this population. METHODS: Totally 1285 unrelated Chinese Han individuals were typed by PCR-SSP, and statistics was utilized to investigate the distribution rules of detected genes. RESULTS: Twenty-three HLA-Cw alleles were identified in Chinese Han population, out of them HLA-Cw*01, *03, *07 and *08 were the commonest genes, which accounted for frequencies of 0.1529, 0.2385, 0.1747 and 0.1004, respectively. Five genes which could not be identified by serological method were deaed: HLA-Cw*12, *14, *15, *16 and *17. Hardy-Weinberg test showed that the observed genetic polymorphism distribution values were correspondent with the expected (chi-square=73.74, df=98, P>0.5). CONCLUSION: This study may serve a full-scale scientific genetic parameters of HLA-Cw genes for Chinese Han population studies.

[An unusual recombination event occurring between HLA-B and -Cw loci within a Chinese Han family].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the recombination event occurring between HLA-B and -Cw loci discovered in a family of Chinese Han nationality with an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from a Chinese man with M5 type AML, aged 39, and his healthy wife and daughter, all of Han nationality. HLA class I (-A, -B, and -Cw) and II (-DRB1 and -DQB1) alleles were typed by both low and high resolution PCR with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) and sequence-based typing (SBT). Then the recombination sites were analyzed by family study. RESULTS: The 2 haplotypes of the patient, his daughter, and his wife were A*2402101-Cw*030401/0402-B*1301-DRB1*0406-DQR1*030302/0303 and A*02011-Cw*150201/0202-B*4002-DRB1*1405-DQB1*05031, A*02011-Cw*150201/0202-B*1301-DRB1*0406-DQB1*030302/0303 and A*2406-Cw*0602-B*1302_DRB1*070101/0102-DQB1*0202, and A*330301/0302-Cw*030201/0202-B*58-1-DRB1*17-DQB1*0202 and A*2406-Cw*0602-B*1302-DRB1*070101/0102-B*5801-DRB1*0202 respectively. Family study demonstrated that A*02011-Cw*150201/0202 recombination and B*1301-DRB1*030302/0303 recombination carried by the daughter came from the 2 isolated chromosomes of her father, indicating that the recombination event occurred between HLA-B and -Cw loci during meiosis of the father and resulted in a new HLA haplotype that was inherited by the daughter. CONCLUSION: An unusual HLA-B/Cw recombination event occurring between HLA-B and -Cw loci has been found in a Han family, which helps further study the mechanisms of HLA recombination.