Radioactive iodine therapy for follicular thyroid cancer: a 15 years follow-up study of Chinese patients.

PURPOSE: To identify long-term predictors of distant metastases (DM) and the overall survival (OS) of follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) patients who underwent radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. And to expand the knowledge about the clinical course and experience of RAI treatment for FTC. MATERIALS: A total of 117 FTC patients who underwent RAI therapy at our institution from 2005 to 2020 were retrospectively studied. Patient characteristics, serum stimulating thyroglobulin (sTg) and thyroglobulin antibody levels, treatment process and follow-up data were collected until 26 April 2022. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients (13.7%) were lost to follow-up. A total of 23 (19.7%) patients with DM died and all FTC without DM were still alive. DM was seen in 58.4% (59/101) of patients. The most common location for metastatic lesions was the lung. Then was bone. The mean survival time of FTC with RAI was 156 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 142-171]. Five-year and 10-year cumulative survival rates of them were 88.8% and 67.4%, respectively. As for patients with DM were 80.4% and 41.3%, respectively. Age at diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) = 1.080, P  = 0.009], RAI therapy sessions (OR = 2.959, P  = 0.001) and sTg level (OR = 1.006, P  = 0.002) were predictive of DM occurrence in FTC with RAI. In the group of FTC with DM, survival analysis showed that males were more likely to have a lower OS than females ( P  = 0.039). CONCLUSION: Age, number of RAI therapy sessions, and sTg level were predictive of the occurrence of DM in FTC patients with RAI. Sex would influence the OS of FTC patients with DM.

A recently evolved BAHD acetyltransferase, responsible for bitter soyasaponin A production, is indispensable for soybean seed germination.

Soyasaponins are major small molecules that accumulate in soybean (Glycine max) seeds. Among them, type-A soyasaponins, fully acetylated at the terminal sugar of their C22 sugar chain, are responsible for the bitter taste of soybean-derived foods. However, the molecular basis for the acetylation of type-A soyasaponins remains unclear. Here, we identify and characterize GmSSAcT1, encoding a BADH-type soyasaponin acetyltransferase that catalyzes three or four consecutive acetylations on type-A soyasaponins in vitro and in planta. Phylogenetic analysis and biochemical assays suggest that GmSSAcT1 likely evolved from acyltransferases present in leguminous plants involved in isoflavonoid acylation. Loss-of-function mutants of GmSSAcT1 exhibited impaired seed germination, which attribute to the excessive accumulation of null-acetylated type-A soyasaponins. We conclude that GmSSAcT1 not only functions as a detoxification gene for high accumulation of type-A soyasaponins in soybean seeds but is also a promising target for breeding new soybean varieties with lower bitter soyasaponin content.

Genome-wide scan for oil quality reveals a coregulation mechanism of tocopherols and fatty acids in soybean seeds.

Tocopherols (vitamin E) play essential roles in human health because of their antioxidant activity, and plant-derived oils are the richest sources of tocopherols in the human diet. Although soybean (Glycine max) is one of the main sources of plant-derived oil and tocopherol in the world, the relationship between tocopherol and oil in soybean seeds remains unclear. Here, we focus on dissecting tocopherol metabolism with the long-term goal of increasing α-tocopherol content and soybean oil quality. We first collected tocopherol and fatty acid profiles in a soybean population (>800 soybean accessions) and found that tocopherol content increased during soybean domestication. A strong positive correlation between tocopherol and oil content was also detected. Five tocopherol pathway-related loci were identified using a metabolite genome-wide association study strategy. Genetic variations in three tocopherol pathway genes were responsible for total tocopherol content and composition in the soybean population through effects on enzyme activity, mainly caused by non-conserved amino acid substitution or changes in gene transcription level. Moreover, the fatty acid regulatory transcription factor GmZF351 directly activated tocopherol pathway gene expression, increasing both fatty acid and tocopherol contents in soybean seeds. Our study reveals the functional differentiation of tocopherol pathway genes in soybean populations and provides a framework for development of new soybean varieties with high α-tocopherol content and oil quality in seeds.

The spinach YY genome reveals sex chromosome evolution, domestication, and introgression history of the species.

BACKGROUND: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a dioecious species with an XY sex chromosome system, but its Y chromosome has not been fully characterized. Our knowledge about the history of its domestication and improvement remains limited. RESULTS: A high-quality YY genome of spinach is assembled into 952 Mb in six pseudo-chromosomes. By a combination of genetic mapping, Genome-Wide Association Studies, and genomic analysis, we characterize a 17.42-Mb sex determination region (SDR) on chromosome 1. The sex chromosomes of spinach evolved when an insertion containing sex determination genes occurred, followed by a large genomic inversion about 1.98 Mya. A subsequent burst of SDR-specific repeats (0.1-0.15 Mya) explains the large size of this SDR. We identify a Y-specific gene, NRT1/PTR 6.4 which resides in this insertion, as a strong candidate for the sex determination or differentiation factor. Resequencing of 112 spinach genomes reveals a severe domestication bottleneck approximately 10.87 Kya, which dates the domestication of spinach 7000 years earlier than the archeological record. We demonstrate that a strong selection signal associated with internode elongation and leaf area expansion is associated with domestication of edibility traits in spinach. We find that several strong genomic introgressions from the wild species Spinacia turkestanica and Spinacia tetrandra harbor desirable alleles of genes related to downy mildew resistance, frost resistance, leaf morphology, and flowering-time shift, which likely contribute to spinach improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the YY genome uncovers evolutionary forces shaping nascent sex chromosome evolution in spinach. Our findings provide novel insights about the domestication and improvement of spinach.

Haplotype-resolved genome assembly provides insights into evolutionary history of the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

Tea is an important global beverage crop and is largely clonally propagated. Despite previous studies on the species, its genetic and evolutionary history deserves further research. Here, we present a haplotype-resolved assembly of an Oolong tea cultivar, Tieguanyin. Analysis of allele-specific expression suggests a potential mechanism in response to mutation load during long-term clonal propagation. Population genomic analysis using 190 Camellia accessions uncovered independent evolutionary histories and parallel domestication in two widely cultivated varieties, var. sinensis and var. assamica. It also revealed extensive intra- and interspecific introgressions contributing to genetic diversity in modern cultivars. Strong signatures of selection were associated with biosynthetic and metabolic pathways that contribute to flavor characteristics as well as genes likely involved in the Green Revolution in the tea industry. Our results offer genetic and molecular insights into the evolutionary history of Camellia sinensis and provide genomic resources to further facilitate gene editing to enhance desirable traits in tea crops.

Genomes of the Banyan Tree and Pollinator Wasp Provide Insights into Fig-Wasp Coevolution.

Banyan trees are distinguished by their extraordinary aerial roots. The Ficus genus includes species that have evolved a species-specific mutualism system with wasp pollinators. We sequenced genomes of the Chinese banyan tree, F. microcarpa, and a species lacking aerial roots, F. hispida, and one wasp genome coevolving with F. microcarpa, Eupristina verticillata. Comparative analysis of the two Ficus genomes revealed dynamic karyotype variation associated with adaptive evolution. Copy number expansion of auxin-related genes from duplications and elevated auxin production are associated with aerial root development in F. microcarpa. A male-specific AGAMOUS paralog, FhAG2, was identified as a candidate gene for sex determination in F. hispida. Population genomic analyses of Ficus species revealed genomic signatures of morphological and physiological coadaptation with their pollinators involving terpenoid- and benzenoid-derived compounds. These three genomes offer insights into and genomic resources for investigating the geneses of aerial roots, monoecy and dioecy, and codiversification in a symbiotic system.

Effect of sample delivery conditions on Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) assay.

Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) measurements are influenced by several factors. We investigated the effect of sample delivery conditions on RAAS measurements including sample storage temperature and time. Blood samples were collected from thirty participants using enzyme inhibitor tubes and serum separation gel evacuated tubes. Plasma and serum from fresh blood samples without further storage (as baseline), and from blood samples that were stored at either 0 °C, 4 °C, or 25 °C for 3 h, 6 h and 24 h, respectively, were extracted and stored at -30 °C for batch measurements using radioimmunoassay. Concentrations of Aldosterone (Ald) decreased following delivery temperature and time, and were significantly different when samples were set aside at 0 °C for 24 h (p < .01), 4 °C for 6 h (p < .01), and 25 °C for 3 h (p < .05). However, levels of Angiotensin (Ang I) increased following delivery temperature and time, and were significantly different when samples were set aside at 0 °C and 4 °C for 6 h (p < .05) and at 25 °C for 3 h (p < .001). However, no changes were observed for the concentrations of plasma renin activity (PRA) and Ang II, except for Ang II which increased significantly when samples were set aside at 25 °C for 24 h (p < .001). Our results indicate that samples used for RAAS measurement should be placed at a low temperature and analyzed as soon as possible after collection.