First Report of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Tuberculosis Patients in China.

In recent years, coinfection of tuberculosis (TB) and parasitosis in humans is an emerging problem in coendemic areas, which has been increasingly highlighted in developing countries. However, there is limited information about the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in TB patients. Therefore, through a case-control study, 924 TB patients hospitalized for diacrisis or treatment in northeastern and eastern China, and 924 control subjects from the general population of the same region matched with gender, age, and residence were examined for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. gondii and associated sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics in a population of TB patients. Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii in TB patients (122/924, 13.2%) was significantly higher than control subjects (90/924, 9.7%) (p = 0.019), and 26 (2.8%) TB patients and 19 (2.1%) controls were positive for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies (p = 0.291), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that T. gondii infection was associated with keeping cats at home, presence of stray cats, and consumption of raw/undercooked meat. The present study first revealed the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in TB patients in China. Moreover, parasitological surveys should be regularly carried out among TB patients, aiming to prevent the possibility of severe toxoplasmosis.

[Epigenetic regulation of genomic imprinting in germline cells and preimplantation embryos].

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic process that distinguishes parental alleles and results in specific expression of paternal and maternal genes. Imprints are acquired in the process of gametogenesis when genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming occurs and are maintained during early embryonic development. Therefore, the recognition and maintenance of imprints are very important in genome-wide reprogramming. In this review, we summarize the progresses of imprints removal in primordial germ cells (PGCs), imprints acquisition in parental PGCs, and imprints maintenance during early embryonic development. We also discuss the functional mechanisms of epigenetic factors which protect imprinted genes from whole genome DNA methylation.

Mitochondrial genome of the Emberiza jankowskii (Emberizidae: Emberiza).

Emberiza jankowskii is an Endangered species, whose population quantity decreased year by year in the limited distribution areas. The complete mitochondrial genome of E. jankowskii (16,776 bp in length) consists of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and a non-coding region (D-loop), which is similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates. All the protein-coding genes in E. jankowskii are distributed on the H-strand, except the ND6 subunit gene and ten tRNA genes, which are encoded on the L-strand. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis has been carried out with eight bunting species and other related species.

[Sequencing and analysis of the complete genome of a rabies virus isolate from Sika deer].

One DRV strain was isolated from Sika Deer brain and sequenced. Nine overlapped gene fragments were amplified by RT-PCR through 3'-RACE and 5'-RACE method, and the complete DRV genome sequence was assembled. The length of the complete genome is 11863bp. The DRV genome organization was similar to other rabies viruses which were composed of five genes and the initiation sites and termination sites were highly conservative. There were mutated amino acids in important antigen sites of nucleoprotein and glycoprotein. The nucleotide and amino acid homologies of gene N, P, M, G, L in strains with completed genomie sequencing were compared. Compared with N gene sequence of other typical rabies viruses, a phylogenetic tree was established . These results indicated that DRV belonged to gene type 1. The highest homology compared with Chinese vaccine strain 3aG was 94%, and the lowest was 71% compared with WCBV. These findings provided theoretical reference for further research in rabies virus.