LncRNA PRNCR1 rs1456315 and CCAT2 rs6983267 Polymorphisms on 8q24 Associated with Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (lncRNA-SNPs) PCAT1 rs710886, PRNCR1 rs1456315 and CCAT2 rs6983267 on 8q24 region present generalizability in the susceptibility to multiple cancers, however, the influence of rs710886, rs1456315 and rs6983267 on lung cancer has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between three lncRNA-SNPs and lung cancer. METHODS: A case-control study was performed on 438 patients with lung cancer and 456 healthy controls in the Han population from southern China. The collected samples were genotyped by the TaqMan genotyping, and the association with clinical characteristics, including age, gender, drinking status, smoking status, pathological types and clinical stages were analyzed. And the SNP function prediction was based on lncRNASNP2, RNAfold and GTEx. RESULTS: The rs1456315 T allele increased the risk of lung cancer [OR=1.95, 95% CI (1.58-2.43), P=0.003] compared to the rs1456315 C allele, and rs1456315 significantly increased the risk of lung cancer in the dominant model [OR=1.86, 95% CI (1.16-3.00), P=0.002]. The rs6983267 G allele, compared with the T allele, increased the risk of lung cancer [OR=1.29, 95% CI (1.07-1.57), P=0.007], and rs6983267 was identified as a risk factor for lung cancer [OR=1.28, 95% CI (1.06-1.55), P=0.003] in the additive model. Both rs1456315 and rs6983267 demonstrated significance after adjusting for the smoking status, drinking status and age. The structure prediction found rs6983267 and rs1456315 influence the secondary structure of its lncRNA. The results from lncRNASNP2 indicated that rs6983267 and rs1456315 change gain/loss target of miRNAs. CONCLUSION: PRNCR1 rs1456315 and CCAT2 rs6983267 on 8q24 region are significantly associated with lung cancer in the Han population of southern China and alter the potential biological function in bioinformatic analysis, and the results further extended generalism of the susceptibility of cancer-associated lncRNA-SNPs to lung cancer and underlying mechanism involved in lung cancer.

Review of detection of Brucella spp. by polymerase chain reaction.

Here we present a review of most of the currently used polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for identification of Brucella bacteria in biological samples. We focused in particular on methods using single-pair primers, multiplex primers, real-time PCRs, PCRs for marine Brucella, and PCRs for molecular biotyping. These methods are becoming very important tools for the identification of Brucella, at the species level and recently also at the biovar level. These techniques require minimum biological containment and can provide results in a very short time. In addition, genetic fingerprinting of isolates aid in epidemiological studies of the disease and its control. PCR-based methods are more useful and practical than conventional methods used to identify Brucella spp., and new methods for Brucella spp. identification and typing are still being developed. However, the sensitivity, specificity, and issues of quality control and quality assurance using these methods must be fully validated on clinical samples before PCR can be used in routine laboratory testing for brucellosis.

InlA and InlC2 of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b are two internalin proteins eliciting humoral immune responses common to listerial infection of various host species.

The internalins InlA and InlC2 are encoded proteins from two strongly immunoreactive clones recently identified by differential immunoscreening of a Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b genomic expression library during the search of the gene products of L. monocytogenes specifically induced in vivo during infection (Yu WL, Dan H, Lin M. J Med Microbiol 56:888-895, 2007). In this study, we examined the humoral immune response against InlA and InlC2 in various L. monocytogenes-infected hosts using Western blots. InlA and InlC2 were recognized by antibodies in experimentally infected rabbits but not by antisera from rabbits immunized with the heat-killed bacterium. Similar strong immunological reactions to InlA and InlC2 were seen with antisera from infected guinea pigs, cattle, and sheep but not with those from the animals (guinea pigs or sheep) receiving heat-killed bacteria. This study provides the first experimental evidence that InlA and InlC2 are the in vivo induced or upregulated antigens for humoral immune responses that are common to listerial infection of various host species. These two immunogenic proteins may thus be explored as reagents for the laboratory diagnosis of listeriosis or candidates for vaccine development.

Novel protein targets of the humoral immune response to Listeria monocytogenes infection in rabbits.

The role of the humoral immune response in protective immunity against listerial infection has been overlooked and is essentially unknown. This study aimed to discover the protein targets of Listeria monocytogenes that elicit an antibody response following infection in a rabbit model. A genomic expression library for L. monocytogenes was constructed and differentially screened to identify genes encoding proteins that reacted with antiserum from rabbits infected with live L. monocytogenes serotype 4b (RalphaL), but not with that from animals immunized with heat-killed bacteria (RalphaK). Thirty-one clones expressing proteins that reacted exclusively with RalphaL were identified and sequenced. Sequence analysis, together with Western blot analysis of the proteins expressed from positive clones, led to the identification of eight L. monocytogenes proteins as targets of humoral immune responses during listerial infection: three internalin members (InlA, InlD and InlC2) and five novel proteins of unknown function (designated IspA, IspB, IspC, IspD and IspE, respectively). Exhibition of humoral immune responses to these proteins in actively infected rabbits but not in animals receiving heat-killed L. monocytogenes suggested that they were induced or significantly upregulated in vivo during infection and thus are important in Listeria pathogenesis. With the exception of antibodies to InlA, this is the first demonstration of antibodies to the other seven proteins in infected hosts. These immunogenic proteins may be useful candidates for elucidation of the role of antibodies in protective immunity in the context of listerial infection, as well as potential targets for serodiagnostic reagents and vaccine and drug development.