Copy Number Variations in the MICALL2 and MOGAT2 Genes Are Associated with Ashidan Yak Growth Traits.

Copy number variations (CNVs) are a result of genomic rearrangement affecting DNA regions over 1 kb in length, and can include inversions, translocations, deletions, and duplications. The molecule interacting with CasL-like protein 2 (MICALL2) gene is primarily associated with mitochondrial protein targeting and exhibits predicted stress fiber colocalization. The monoacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (MOGAT2) gene encodes an enzyme responsible for catalyzing diacylglycerol synthesis from 2-monoacylglycerol and fatty acyl-CoA. For this study, blood samples were obtained from 315 yaks, and the body weight, body length, withers height, and chest girth of these animals were measured at 6, 12, 18, and 30 months of age. Genomic DNA was harvested from the collected blood samples, and CNVs in these samples were detected by qPCR. The resultant data were compared using ANOVAs, revealing significant associations between MICALL2 gene CNVs and body weight at 6 months of age (p < 0.05), body length and chest girth at 30 months of age (p < 0.05), and withers height at 18 months of age (p < 0.01) in Ashidan yaks. Similarly, MOGAT2 CNVs were significantly associated with body weight at 6 and 30 months of age (p < 0.05), and with withers height at 18 months of age (p < 0.01) in these Ashidan yaks. MICALL2 and MOGAT2 gene expression was further analyzed in yak tissue samples, revealing that MICALL2 was most highly expressed in the adipose tissue, whereas MOGAT2 was most highly expressed in the lung. These results thus confirmed the relationship between CNVs in the MICALL2 and MOGAT2 genes and Ashidan yak growth traits, providing a valuable gene locus that can be leveraged for future marker-assisted yak breeding efforts.

AIDA Selectively Mediates Downregulation of Fat Synthesis Enzymes by ERAD to Retard Intestinal Fat Absorption and Prevent Obesity.

The efficiency of intestinal absorption of dietary fat constitutes a primary determinant accounting for individual vulnerability to obesity. However, how fat absorption is controlled and contributes to obesity remains unclear. Here, we show that inhibition of endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) increases the abundance of triacylglycerol synthesis enzymes and fat absorption in small intestine. The C2-domain protein AIDA acts as an essential factor for the E3-ligase HRD1 of ERAD to downregulate rate-limiting acyltransferases GPAT3, MOGAT2, and DGAT2. Aida-/- mice, when grown in a thermal-neutral condition or fed high-fat diet, display increased intestinal fatty acid re-esterification, circulating and tissue triacylglycerol, accompanied with severely increased adiposity without enhancement of adipogenesis. Intestine-specific knockout of Aida largely phenocopies its whole-body knockout, strongly indicating that increased intestinal TAG synthesis is a primary impetus to obesity. The AIDA-mediated ERAD system may thus represent an anti-thrifty mechanism impinging on the enzymes for intestinal fat absorption and systemic fat storage.

Expression and significance of monoacylglycerol Oacyltransferase 2 (MOGAT2) in pterygium / 眼科新进展

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of monoacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (MOGAT2) in the tissues of pterygium.Methods Immunohistochemistry staining methods were adopted to detect the expression of MOGAT2 in 54 patients of pterygia (primary in 50 patients and recurrence in 4 patients)and 18 patients of normal conjunctival tissues.The semi-quantitative integration method was used to analyze the strength of immunohistochemical expression,and the results were compared and statistically analyzed,and the relationship between the expression of MOGAT2 in the pterygium group and the factors such as age,sex,and clinical pathological stage was analyzed.Results Immunohistochemical staining showed that,in 54 patients of pterygium,MOGAT2 was strongly expressed in 8 patients,positive expression in 29,weakly positive expression in 8 and negative expression in 9,while in 18 normal conjunctival tissues,strongly positive expression of MOGAT2 was found 1 patient,positive expression in 6,weakly positive expression in 3,negative expression in 8,respectively.Rank-sum test showed that the difference in MOGAT2 expression in the pterygium and normal conjunctiva tissues was statistically significant(Z =-2.403,P =0.016).There was no significant difference in the expression of MOGAT2 between the different age and the sex patients with pterygium (all P ＞ 0.05),and there was no significant correlation of MOGAT2 expression with education,occupation,income,protection in outdoor work,smoking,drinking,blood sugar,blood pressure,primary and recurrence pterygium,but significant correlation with the clinical stage of pterygium,that is,MOGAT2 expression in advanced pterygium was overexpressed when compared with tumor tissues in quiescent stage (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion MOGAT2 is highly expressed in pterygium tissues,and the expression in advanced pterygium was significantly upregulated,of which is related to the formation and development of pterygium.