[The inheritance and reprogramming of chromatin structure in early animal embryos].

The chromatin accessibility and 3D high-order structure play an important role in gene expression and regulation, and are involved in numerous cellular processes such as differentiation, development and tumorigenesis. It is currently one of the hottest research fields in epigenetics. The animal embryonic development initiates from the terminally differentiated mature eggs, which are fertilized by sperms to establish totipotent zygotes. During this complex process, the epigenome encompassing chromatin accessibility and high-order structures changes dramatically, undergoes inheritance, reprogramming and re-establishment, so that the zygote could eventually develop into a new multicellular and multi-tissue organism. In this review, we summarize the research methods and technology for chromatin accessibility and 3D high-order structures, the dynamics of chromatin structures during the animal embryonic development and how to regulate early embryogenesis, the relationship between chromatin structure and other epigenetic information such as methylation and histone modification. We hope that this review may shed light on the research of epigenome regulating embryo development.

[Effect of methylprednisolone pretreatment on pulmonary permeability and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine content in rabbits with reexpansion pulmonary edema].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of methylprednisolone pretreatment on pulmonary lung permeability index and the content of the pulmonary surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in a rabbit model of reexpansion pulmonary edema. METHODS: Twenty-one male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into control group, reexpansion, and reexpansion+methylprednisolone pretreatment groups. The rabbit model of reexpansion pulmonary edema was established using Sakaos method. A bolus dosage of methylprednisolone (3 mg/kg) in reexpansion+methylprednisolone group group or 2.0 ml/kg normal saline in the other two groups was administered intravenously 20 min before reexpansion pulmonary edema. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and arterial blood samples were collected for measurement of the total protein (TP) and DPPC contents 4 h after reexpansion, and the pulmonary permeability index was calculated. RESULTS: The pulmonary permeability index in methylprednisolone pretreatment group was significantly lower than that in the reexpansion group (0.007∓0.002 vs 0.177∓0.004, P<0.05). Methylprednisolone pretreatment significantly increased DPPC concentration in the BALF as compared with saline treatment in the reexpansion group (61.815∓28.307 vs 101.955∓24.544 µg/ml, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Methylprednisolone pretreatment can increase pulmonary surfactant content and improve pulmonary permeability in the rabbit model of reexpansion pulmonary edema.

Function and regulation of Aurora/Ipl1p kinase family in cell division.

During mitosis, the parent cell distributes its genetic materials equally into two daughter cells through chromosome segregation, a complex movements orchestrated by mitotic kinases and its effector proteins. Faithful chromosome segregation and cytokinesis ensure that each daughter cell receives a full copy of genetic materials of parent cell. Defects in these processes can lead to aneuploidy or polyploidy. Aurora/Ipl1p family, a class of conserved serine/threonine kinases, plays key roles in chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. This article highlights the function and regulation of Aurora/Ipl1p family in mitosis and provides potential links between aberrant regulation of Aurora/Ipl1p kinases and pathogenesis of human cancer.