Association between Metal(loid)Exposure and Risk of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Mediated by Anti-Müllerian Hormone among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer

Objective To investigate the relationship and potential pathways between metal(loid)exposure and the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)in women of childbearing age.Methods This case-control study included 200 patients with PCOS(cases)and 896 non-PCOS controls with the age of 25-37 years.The concentrations of 29 metal(loid)s in the follicular fluid(FF)and clinical indicators in the serum were measured in all participants.Logistic regression analysis and mediation analysis were conducted to evaluate the associations between metal(loid)exposure and PCOS risk and investigate the possible roles of clinical indicators,respectively.Results Logistic regression analysis revealed an association between high copper levels in FF and increased PCOS risk(highest vs.lowest quartile:adjusted odds ratio=2.94,95%confidence interval:1.83-4.72).A high luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio and elevated levels of testosterone and anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH)were strongly associated with increased PCOS risk induced by high copper exposure.The mediation analysis indicated a mediating effect of AMH in the association between copper exposure and PCOS risk.Conclusion Copper may affect PCOS risk through the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis,mediated by AMH.Copper exposure and internal AMH levels are important indicators for early warning of PCOS development.

Protein phosphorylation associated with drought priming-enhanced heat tolerance in a temperate grass species

Protein phosphorylation is known to play crucial roles in plant tolerance to individual stresses,but how protein phosphorylation is associated with cross-stress tolerance,particularly drought priming-enhanced heat tolerance is largely unknown.The objectives of the present study were to identify phosphorylated proteins and phosphorylation sites that were responsive to drought priming and to determine whether drought priming-enhanced heat tolerance in temperate grass species involves changes in protein phosphorylation.Comparative analysis of phosphoproteomic profiles was performed on leaves of tall fescue(Festuca arundinacea)exposed to heat stress(38/33°C,day/night)with or without drought priming.A total of 569 differentially regulated phosphoproteins(DRPs)with 1098 phosphorylation sites were identified in response to drought priming or heat stress individually or sequentially.Most DRPs were nuclear-localized and cytosolic proteins.Motif analysis detected[GS],[DSD],and[S..E]as major phosphorylation sites in casein kinase-II and mitogen-activated protein kinases regulated by drought priming and heat stress.Functional annotation and gene ontology analysis demonstrated that DRPs in response to drought priming and in droughtprimed plants subsequently exposed to heat stress were mostly enriched in four major biological processes,including RNA splicing,transcription control,stress protection/defense,and stress perception/signaling.These results suggest the involvement of post-translational regulation of the aforementioned biological processes and signaling pathways in drought priming memory and cross-tolerance with heat stress in a temperate grass species.

卵泡液中全氟及多氟化合物的非靶向筛查及其跨血-卵屏障传递

全氟及多氟化合物(per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances,PFAS)是一类受到全球关注的重要污染物,除传统PFAS外,越来越多的新型PFAS得到广泛应用,然而对其环境存在、人体暴露及健康风险缺乏足够的研究.鉴定新型PFAS并阐述其环境与健康风险,成为PFAS研究的重要趋势.本研究基于高效液相色谱-高分辨率质谱技术非靶向筛查鉴定了卵泡液中的新型PFAS.通过对一级离子精确质量数、质量亏损、特征碎片离子、保留时间等信息进行定性确证,本研究在99名寻求辅助生殖技术治疗女性的卵泡液中,共筛查出2种新型氯取代全氟烷基醚磺酸(Cl-PFESAs)和7种氢取代全氟烷基羧酸(H-PFCAs),其中4:2 Cl-PFESAs和5:2 Cl-PFESA的检出率高于90%,HPFHpA、H-PFOA、H-PFNA和H-PFUdA的检出率高于50%.通过对同一人群配套的血液样本进行分析,确定了这些新型PFAS的跨血-卵屏障传递系数介于0.56~1.02,其中H-PFCAs的传递系数呈现随化合物的碳数增大而下降的趋势.本研究为进一步筛查新型未知PFAS及探索PFAS对女性生殖健康的潜在影响提供了研究基础.