Skin transcriptome analysis identifies the key genes underlying fur development in Chinese Tan sheep in the birth and Er-mao periods.

Hair follicle development in Tan sheep differs significantly between the birth and Er-mao periods, but the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. We profiled the skin transcriptomes of Tan sheep in the birth and Er-mao periods via RNA-seq technology. The Tan sheep examined consisted of three sheep in the birth period and three sheep in the Er-mao period. A total of 364 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the skin of Tan sheep between the birth period and the Er-mao period were identified, among which 168 were upregulated and 196 were downregulated. Interestingly, the FOS proto-oncogene (FOS) (fold change = 22.67, P value = 2.15*10^-44) was the most significantly differentially expressed gene. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis found that the FOS gene was significantly enriched in the signaling pathway related to hair follicle development. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the FOS gene was expressed in the skin of Chinese Tan sheep at the birth and Er-mao periods, with significantly higher expression in the Er-mao period. Our findings suggest that the FOS gene promotes hair follicle development in Tan sheep.

Early cardiac injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnea / 中国应用生理学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the early cardiac injury caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before the development of cardiovascular symptoms of OSA.@*METHODS@#Ninety-two patients without any known cardiovascular disorders who underwent polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled in the study. Subjects were divided into mild, moderate, and severe OSA groups by their apnea hypopnea index (AHI), and 25 healthy individuals were identified as controls. After PSG examination, fasting blood samples for the evaluation of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP) were collected in the morning, and left ventricular(LV) functions were assessed by using echocardiographic methods. Thirty moderate and severe OSA patients were treated with continuous positive airway pressure respectively (CPAP).@*RESULTS@#The levels of h-FABP and NT-proBNP were obviously higher in all OSA groups than those in the control group (<0.01), and were positively correlated with AHI (<0.01). The Em/Am values of all OSA groups and E/A values of the moderate and severe OSA groups were significantly reduced (<0.01). The difference in Em/Am values among the groups was statistically significant (<0.01). Compared with those before treatment, h-FABP and NT-BNP levels in serum of OSA patients after CPAP treatment were significantly reduced (<0.01), and Em/Am and E/A values were significantly increased (<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and early myocardial microtrauma are major manifestations of early heart damage in patients with OSA. CPAP therapy could significantly improve early cardiac damage in OSA patients.