Impact of cognition-related single nucleotide polymorphisms on brain imaging phenotype in Parkinson’s disease

Multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms may contribute to cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease. However, the mechanism by which these single nucleotide polymorphisms modify brain imaging phenotype remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms on brain imaging phenotype in Parkinson’s disease. Forty-eight Parkinson’s disease patients and 39 matched healthy controls underwent genotyping and 7 T magnetic resonance imaging. A cognitive-weighted polygenic risk score model was designed, in which the effect sizes were determined individually for 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms. The correlations between polygenic risk score, neuroimaging features, and clinical data were analyzed. Furthermore, individual single nucleotide polymorphism analysis was performed to explore the main effects of genotypes and their interactive effects with Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. We found that, in Parkinson’s disease, the polygenic risk score was correlated with the neural activity of the hippocampus, parahippocampus, and fusiform gyrus, and with hippocampal-prefrontal and fusiform-temporal connectivity, as well as with gray matter alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex. In addition, we found that single nucleotide polymorphisms in α-synuclein(SNCA) were associated with white matter microstructural changes in the superior corona radiata, corpus callosum, and external capsule. A single nucleotide polymorphism in catechol-O-methyltransferase was associated with the neural activities of the lingual, fusiform, and occipital gyri, which are involved in visual cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, DRD3 was associated with frontal and temporal lobe function and structure. In conclusion, imaging genetics is useful for providing a better understanding of the genetic pathways involved in the pathophysiologic processes underlying Parkinson’s disease. This study provides evidence of an association between genetic factors, cognitive functions, and multi-modality neuroimaging biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease.

Clinical significance of NOD2/CARD15 and Toll-like receptor 4 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms in inflammatory bowel disease

AIM： To evaluate the role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of Crohn＇s disease （CD） and ulcerative colitis （UC）, we investigated the single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） of NOD2/CARD15 （R702W, Gg08R and L1007finsC）, and Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4） genes （D299G and T399I） in a selected inflammatory bowel disease （IBD） population coming from Southern Italy. METHODS： Allele and genotype frequencies of NOD2/ CARD15 （R702W, Gg08R and L1007finsC） and TLR4 （D299G and T399I） SNPs were examined in 133 CD patients, in 45 UC patients, and in 103 healthy controls. A genotype-phenotype correlation was performed. RESULTS： NOD2/CARD15 R702W mutation was significantly more frequent in CD （9.8%） than in controls （2.4%, P = 0.001） and in UC （2.3%, P = 0.03）. No significant difference was found between UC patients and control group （P 〉 0.05）. In CD and UC patients, no significant association with G908R variant was found. L1007finsC SNP showed an association with CD （9.8%） compared with controls （2.9%, P = 0.002） and UC patients （2.3%, P = 0.01）. Moreover, in CD patients, G908R and L1007finsC mutations were significantly associated with different phenotypes compared to CD wild-type patients. No association of IBD with the TLR4 SNPs was found in either cohort （allele frequencies： D299G-controls 3.9%, CD 3.7%, UC 3.4%, P 〉 0.05; T399I-controls 2.9%, CD 3.0%, UC 3.4%, P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： These findings confirm that, in our IBD patients selected from Southern Italy, the NOD2/ CARD15, but not TLR4 SNPs, are associated with increased risk of CD.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) Discovery and Linkage Disequilib-rium (LD) in Forest Trees

With completion of the Populus genome sequencing project and the availability of many expressed sequence tags （ESTs） databases in forest trees, attention is now rapidly shifting towards the study of individual genetic variation in natural populations. The most abundant form of genetic variation in many eukaryotic species is represented by single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs）, which can account for heritable inter-individual differences in complex phenotypes. Unlike humans, the linkage disequilibrium （LD） rapidly decays within candidate genes in forest trees. Thus, SNPs-based candidate gene association studies are considered to be a most effective approach to dissect the complex quantitative traits in forest trees. The present study demonstrates that LD mapping can be used to identify alleles associated with quantitative traits and suggests that this new approach could be particularly useful for performing breeding programs in forest trees. In this review, we will describe the fundamentals, patterns of SNPs distribution and frequency, summarize recent advances in SNPs discovery and LD and comment on the application of LD in the dissection of complex quantitative traits in forest tress. We also put forward the outlook for future SNPs-based association analysis of quantitative traits in forest trees.

Expression analysis,single nucleotide polymorphisms within SIRT4 and SIRT7 genes and their association with body size and meat quality traits in Qinchuan cattle

Silent information regulator 2 （Sir2） proteins, or sirtuins, are nicotine adenine dinucleotide （NAD）-dependent deacetylases that connect metabolism with longevity in lower organisms. In mammals, there are seven Sir2 homologs, namely, silent information regulators （SIRT1-7）. SIRT4 and SIRT7 genes play a crucial role in regulating lipid metabolism, cellular growth and metabolism. This suggests that they are potential candidate genes for affecting body size and meat quality traits in animals. Hence, this study aimed to detect genetic variations of both SIRT4 and SIRT7 bovine genes in Qinchuan cattle, and to evaluate the effect of these variations on economically important body size and meat quality traits. Expression analysis using quantitative real-time PCR （qPCR） indicated that SIRT4 and SIRT7 were broadly expressed in all thirteen studied tissues. The expression of SIRT4 was higher in liver, muscle, and in subcutaneous fat tissue. In the case of SIRT7, the expression was higher in lung, abomasum, and subcutaneous fat. Using DNAsequencing, a total of three single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） were identified within SIRT4 and SIRT7 genes in 468 Qinchuan cattle. These included one novel SNP within 3＇ untranslated regions （UTR） of SIRT4 （SNP1： g. 13915A〉G） and two novel synonymous substitutions in SIRT7 （SNP2： g.3587C〉T and SNP3： g.3793T〉C）. Statistical analyses indicated that all three SNPs could significantly influence some body size and meat quality traits in Qinchuan cattle. These novel findings will provide a background for application of bovine SIRT4 and SIRT7 genes in the selection program of Chinese cattle.

Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene and multidrug resistance 1 gene to refractory epilepsy in Chinese Han children

BACKGROUND： There are two hypotheses for the underlying cause of refractory epilepsy： ＂target＂ and ＂transport＂. Studies have shown that brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） is over-expressed in refractory epilepsy. Multidrug resistance 1 （MDR1） gene encodes for P-glycoprotein, the primary ATP-binding cassette transporter in the human body. Some single nucleotide polymorphisms of the MDR1 gene have been associated with refractory epilepsy. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the association between BDNF gene C270T polymorphism and MDR1 T-129C polymorphism with refractory epilepsy in Chinese Han children through the use of polymerase chain reaction （PCR）-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A case-control, genetic association study was performed at the Central Laboratory, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from June 2005 to November 2007. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 84 cases of unrelated children with epilepsy, including 41 cases of refractory epilepsy and 43 cases of drug-responsive epilepsy, were enrolled. An additional 30 healthy, Chinese Han children, whose ages and gender matched the refractory epilepsy patients, were selected as normal controls. METHODS： Venous blood was collected and genomic DNA was extracted from the blood specimens. C270T polymorphism in BDNF gene and T-129C polymorphism in MDR1 gene were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Association analysis using the Ftest and Chi-square test was statistically performed between C270T polymorphism in BDNF gene and T-129C polymorphism in MDR1 gene and refractory epilepsy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The distribution of genotypes and allele frequencies of C270T polymorphism in BDNF gene and T-129C polymorphism in MDR1 gene. RESULTS： The distribution of CC, CT, and TT genotypes, as well as C and T allele frequencies, in the BDNF gene was not significantly different between the refractory epilepsy group, drug-responsive epilepsy group, or the normal control group （P 〉 0.05）. The distribution of TT genotype and T allele frequencies of the MDR1 gene was significantly different in the refractory epilepsy group compared with the drug-responsive epilepsy and normal control groups （P 〈 0.05）. Comparison of haplotype combinations demonstrated that there were no significant differences in combinations of TT＋CC, -FI-＋CT, TC＋CC, and TC＋CT among the three groups （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： C270T polymorphism of the BDNF gene was not associated with refractory epilepsy in Chinese Han children, but T-129C polymorphism in the MDR1 gene was associated with refractory epilepsy in Chinese Han children. The TT genotype and T allele frequencies could serve as susceptibility loci for refractory epilepsy. Interactions between C270T in BDNF gene and T-129C in MDR1 gene were not observed in refractory epilepsy in Chinese Han children.

Isolation,expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) analysis of LACCASE gene(LkLAC8) from Japanese larch(Larix kaempferi)

Nucleotide diversity (pi) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis based on SNP marker could provide a sound basis for choosing an association analysis method. Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) is an important timber coniferous tree species for pulping and papermaking, but its high lignin content has significantly restricted it application potential. In this study, the LACCASE gene, that plays an important regulatory role for lignin biosynthesis, was selected as research target. The full-length cDNA and genomic sequences of the encoding LkLAC8 gene were isolated from the LACCASE expressed sequence tags of the Japanese larch transcriptome database using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends-polymerase chain reaction (RACE-PCR). The cDNA was determined to be 1940 bp, with an open reading frame (ORF, 1734 bp) that encoded a protein of 577 AA. This protein contains four highly specific Cu2+ binding sites and 11 glycosylation sites, thus belonging to the LACCASE family. The deduced protein sequence shared an 89% identity with the PtaLAC from Pinus taeda. A real-time PCR analysis showed that the LkLAC8 transcript was expressed predominantly in mature xylem, with moderate levels in the immature xylem, cambium and mature leaves, the lowest in the roots. Lastly, the genomic sequences of LkLAC8 in 40 individuals from six naturally distributed populations of Japanese larch were amplified, and a total of 201 SNPs (103 and 98 mutation types of transition and transversion, respectively) were detected; the frequency of the SNPs was 1/19 bp. Nucleotide diversity among the six populations ranged from 0.0034 to 0.0053, which suggested that there were no significant differences among the populations. The LD analysis showed that the LD level decayed rapidly within the increasing length of the LkLAC8 gene. These results implied that LD mapping and association analysis based on candidate gene may be feasible for the marker-assisted breeding of new germplasms with low lignin in Japanese larch.

Relationship between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in -174G/C and -634C/G Promoter Region of Interleukin-6 and Prostate Cancer

The association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） in -174G/C and -634C/G of interleukin-6 （IL-6） promoter region and prostate cancer was examined in the population of Han people in Hubei region. TaqMan PCR was employed for the gene-typing of -174G/C and -634C/G in promoter region of IL-6 gene to compare the prostate cancer patients and normal controls in terms of genotype frequency, allele frequency and risk of prostate cancer. Enzyme-linked immu- nosorbent assay （ELISA） was used for the detection of IL-6 concentration in peripheral blood of the patients with prostate cancer and the relationship between the IL-6 level and the genotype was studied. Our results showed that in all the subjects, the genotype of genetic locus -174G/C was found to be GG and no CG and CC were observed. There was a significant difference in gene frequency of GG, CG and CC of -634C/G and allele frequency of G and C between prostate cancer patients and normal controls （P〈0.05） and the gene frequency of GG＋CG increased with the clinical stages and pathological grades of prostate cancer. The IL-6 level in GG＋CG group was significantly higher than that in CC group. It was concluded that no SNP in -174G/C IL-6 promoter region was found in the population of Han people in Hubei region. The SNP in -634C/G was, to some extent, associated with the development and progression of prostate cancer. The population with GG＋CG genetype has higher risk for prostate cancer.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in a Male Infertility-Related Gene CatSper

Objective To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of human CatSper gene, themouse homologous gene product, which plays a crucial role in mouse male sterility.Methods We demonstrated a systematic screening of SNPs in coding regions and flankingintronic regions of human CatSper gene in a sample subset from a total 210 male individuals byDNA sequencing. Then we used PCR single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analy-sis to determine the allele frequencies of the possible SNPs among the whole 210 Chinese Hanmale individuals.Results Three SNPs, including two novels, were identified and their allele frequencies weredetermined in the 210 Chinese Han male individuals. These SNPs were assembled into largeSNP database that promises to enable the dissection of the genetic basis of disease.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the CDH17 gene of colorectal carcinoma

AIM:To investigate the relationship between c.343A>G and c.2216A>C polymorphism sites in the CDH17 gene and colorectal carcinoma.METHODS:Ninety-three non-consanguineous colorectal carcinoma patients admitted to the Department of Oncology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were included in this study.Ninety-three peripheral venous blood samples,of approximately one milliliter from each patient,were collected betweenDecember 2009 and August 2010.The genomic DNA of these peripheral venous blood samples were extracted and purified using a Fermentas Genomic DNA Purification Kit(Fermentas,CA) according to the manufacturer' s protocol.The single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) of the liver-intestine cadherin(CDH17) gene c.343A>G and c.2216A>C were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism method(PCR-SSCP) in 93 peripheral venous blood samples from patients suffering with colorectal carcinoma.Typical samples that showed different migration bands in SSCP were confirmed by sequencing.Directed DNA sequencing was used to check the correctness of the genotype results from the PCR-SSCP method.RESULTS:There was a significant association between the c.2216 A>C SNPs of the CDH17 gene and the tumor-node-metastasis(TNM) grade,as well as with lymph node status,in 93 peripheral venous blood samples from colorectal carcinoma patients.The genotype frequencies of A/C,A/A,and C/C were 12.90%,33.33% and 53.76%,respectively.There was a significant correlation between lymph node metastasis,TNM grade,and the genotype distribution(P < 0.05).The C/C genotype raised the risk of lymph node metastasis and the TNM grade.There was a significant difference in the TNM grade and lymph node metastasis between the A/A and C/C genotypes(P = 0.003 and P = 0.013,respectively).Patients with colorectal carcinoma carrying the C allele tended to have a higher risk of lymph node metastasis and have a higher TNM grade.The difference between the TNM grades,as well as the lymph node metastasis of the two alleles,was statistically significant(P < 0.01).CONCLUSION:The SNPs of the CDH17 gene c.2216 A>C might be clinically important in the prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.

Assessment of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with steroid-induced ocular hypertension

AIM:To access the association of forty-eight single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)identified from Caucasian population with steroid-induced ocular hypertension(OHT)in India population.METHODS:Fifty-four triamcinolone-acetonide(TA)and for ty-seven dexamethasone(Dex)administered subjects were enrolled in the study after a written consent.Intraocular pressure(IOP)values were recorded for a period of 6-month post steroid injections and patients were grouped as steroid-responders(SR:IOP≥21 mm Hg)and non-responders(NR:IOP≤20 mm Hg).Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral venous blood.Forty-eight SNPs identified in TA treated Caucasian patients by genome wide association study(GWAS)were genotyped using iPLEXTM MassA RRAY among TA as well as Dex administered Indian patients.Genotyping data of 48 general subjects from a previous study were considered as reference controls for statistical analysis.Genotypic frequencies were calculated and P-value,Chi-square and odds ratio at 95%confidenceinterval of group A(steroid treated vs controls),group B(SR vs NR),group C(phenotype correlation:influence of time,severity and gender on IOP rise),were calculated.P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.RESULTS:OHT was observed in 50%of TA and 26%of Dex administered patients,respectively.IOP rise was mostly severe(>30 mm Hg)and immediate(<1 wk)among TA-SR patients while it was noticed to be mild(<30 mm Hg)and between 1-2 mo among Dex-SR patients.Logistic regression for risk factor correlation with OHT remained non-significant,hence these factors were not considered as confounding parameters for further analysis.rs133,rs34016742,rs274554,rs10936746,rs274547,rs804854,rs7751500,rs359498,and rs7547448 SNPs significantly varied even after Bonferroni corrections(P<0.0025;group A).rs1879370(TA)and rs6559662(Dex)were significantly(P<0.05)associated with OHT(group B).rs133(severe IOP rise),rs11047639 and rs1879370(male gender),and rs11171569(immediate IOP rise)significantly(P<0.05)influenced the phenotype correlation only among TAOHT patients.However,the significance of these SNPs in group B and phenotype analysis(group C)was lost upon Bonferroni corrections(P<0.0025).CONCLUSION:Prevalence of OHT in study population is observed to be similar to other studies both in TA and Dex treated patients.We can correlate rs34016742 involved in diabetes signaling pathway to the occurrence of ocular edematous and inflammatory conditions.Except rs133 that is involved in neuro-degeneration and myopia occurrence,none of the other SNPs identified in Caucasian population possess any correlation with OHT incidence in TA and Dex administered Indian subjects.

Association of eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms with refractive disorders from Eskisehir,Turkey

AIM:To investigate relationship between refractive errors and eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in HGF,GC,MFN1,GNB4,and VDR genes in Turkish population.METHODS:A group of 212 participants with myopia(n=91),hyperopia(n=45),and emmetropia(n=76)were investigated in this study.SNPs in HGF,GC,MFN1,GNB4 and VDR genes were studied by Snap Shot technique.RESULTS:The patients in this study consists of 47 female/44 male(age:23.47±4.30)patients with myopia,20 female/25 male(age:31.20±8.02)with hyperopia and 33 female/43 male(age:25.22±6.60)with emmetropia.The genotype distribution of the rs7618348 polymorphism,which was the only statistically significant one between myopia and emmetropia group.The genotype distribution of the rs3819545,rs3735520,rs7041,and rs2239182 polymorphisms,which were statistically significant between hyperopia and emmetropia groups.CONCLUSION:The importance of genetic predisposition to refractive errors with respect to etiology of the disease is revealed.It is known that polymorphism studies may differ because of genetic diversity among populations so larger cohort studies are required in different populations to enlighten the etiology of the refractive errors.

Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in IRF6 and TGFA Genes With Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip With Or Without Cleft Palate in Chinese Patients

Objective： Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate（NSCL/P） is a common birth defect with unclear etiology. Both genetic and environmental factors may contribute to NSCL/P. Many genes have been identified as candidate genes associated with this disease. Interferon regulatory factor 6（IRF6） gene and transforming growth factor-a（TGFA） gene seem to be crucial in the predisposition of NSCL/ P. Here we evaluated some single nucleotide polymorphisms（SNPs） loci of TGFA and IRF6 genes in Chinese nuclear families consisting of fathers, mothers and affected offspring with NSCL/P. Methods：Fifty patients of NSCL/P were confirmed by the plastic surgeons. They and their parents were included in the study, all with the informed consents. SNPs loci of TGFA and IRF6 genes were analyzed by microarray technology. Some PCR products were randomly chosen and sequenced to check microarray results. The distribution of gene type and allele frequency between patient group and parents group were compared. Then a Haplotype Relative Risk（HRR） and Transmission Disequilibrium Test（TDT） were performed. Results：The sequences of randomly selected PCR products were all consistent with the microarray results. All loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There were no significant differences in the distribution of genotypes and alleles between patients and their parents. Using HRR and TDT analyses the V274I of IRF6 was associated with NSCL/P, while another SNP locus oflRF6 was not. Strong evidence of linkage disequilibrium was found between the 2 SNP loci of TGFA and disease with the HRR analysis, but not with the TDT analysis. Conclusion：Our study confirms the contribution of IRF6 in the etiology of NSCL/P in populations of Asian ancestry. The association of TGFA with NSCL/P requires further research.

Advances in Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Vitamin D Metabolic Pathway Genes and Respiratory Diseases

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.It is an essential vitamin for human body.It has a classical effect on regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism.Participate in cellular and humoral immune processes by regulating the growth,differentiation and metabolism of immune cells.A large number of studies in recent years have shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the incidence of respiratory diseases.Respiratory diseases mainly include bronchial asthma,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,tuberculosis,acute upper respiratory tract infection and pneumonia.Vitamin D metabolic pathway genes play a very important regulatory role in the transformation of vitamin D into active vitamin D,including CYP2R1,CYP27B1,CYP24A1,VDBP,VDR five genes.Genetic polymorphism of genes is the molecular basis of individual differences and disease development.Therefore,this paper summarizes the research on single nucleotide polymorphism of vitamin D metabolic pathway gene and respiratory diseases.In order to provide a new idea for future treatment.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in intron 1 and intron 2 of Larimichthys crocea growth hormone gene are correlated with growth traits

The growth hormone gene (GH) affects animal growth and is a potential target for genetic studies of variation related to growth traits. In this study, we analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GH intron regions and their associations with growth traits in large yellow croaker, Larimichthys crocea, from Zhejiang and Fujian stocks. The results of PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism showed two haplotypes of intron 1, named AA and AB genotypes, in Zhejiang stock. AB exhibited an SNP at position 196 (G A) that was negatively correlated with body height and positively correlated with standard length/body height (P 0.05). Two different genotypes, CC and CD, were identified in intron 2 in Fujian stock, with CD showing an SNP at position 692 (T C). The CD genotype had a significantly positive correlation with both weight and total length (P 0.01). These basic data highlight the potential for using GH as a genetic marker of fish growth in marker assisted selection.

Association of three single nucleotide polymorphisms of ESR1 with breast cancer susceptibility:a meta-analysis

Expression of estrogen receptors is correlated with breast cancer risk,but inconsistent results have been reported.To clarify potential estrogen receptor（ESR）-related breast cancer risk,we analyzed genetic variants of ESR1 in association with breast cancer susceptibility.We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between rs2234693,rs1801132,and rs2046210（single nucleotide polymorphisms of ESR1）,and breast cancer risk.Our analysis included 44 case-control studies.For rs2234693,the CC genotype had a higher risk of breast cancer compared to the TT or CT genotype.For rs2046210,the AA,GA,or GA ＋ GG genotype had a much higher risk compared to the GG genotype.No significant association was found for the rs 1801132 polymorphism with breast cancer risk.This meta-analysis demonstrates association between the rs2234693 and rs2046210 polymorphisms of ESR1 and breast cancer risk.The correlation strength between rs2234693 and breast cancer susceptibility differs in subgroup assessment by ethnicity.

Tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms in the PPAR-γ and RXR-α gene and type 2 diabetes risk:a case-control study of a Chinese Han population

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor （PPAR-γ）,which is mainly involved in adipocyte differentiation, has been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. We investigated the frequencies of two common tagging polymorphisms of the PPAR-γ gene and two of PPAR-α with minor allele frequency （MAF）≥ 0.05 in the Chinese Han population and analyzed the correlation between the different genotypes and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. TaqMan assay was performed to test the genotypes in T2DM patients （n = 1,105） and normal controls （n = 1,107）. Serum adiponectin concentration was measured by ELISA kit. The variant genotypes rs17817276GG, rs3856806CT and rs3856806CT/TT of PPAR-γ were associated with T2DM, P = 0.023,0.037 and 0.018, respectively. Furthermore, the prevalence of haplotype GT in PPAR-γ was less frequent in the case subjects （0.3%） than in the controls （1.9%） [P 0.001,OR（95%CI）=0.13 （0.06-0.31）]. Patients with genotype TT of rs3856806 had a higher serum level of adiponectin than those with the genotype CC and CT （P = 0.031 and 0.038, respectively）. There was no statistically significant difference between patients and controls in genotype distribution of rs6537944 and rs1045570 of the RXR-α gene. The present study suggests that the variant genotypes in the PPAR-γ gene could decrease the risk for the development of T2DM in the Chinese Han population.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of MAGE-A3 gene and its clinical implications in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)

Background： Available study revealed advanced tumors have a higher expression rate of MAGE-A3 gene which has a lot of single nucleotide polymorphism（SNP） loci with polymorphisms. This study aimed to analyze the allele frequency of SNP loci in MAGE-A3 gene and investigate the relationship between MAGE-A3 gene polymorphisms and clinical factors.Methods： Tumor samples of a cohort of 191 NSCLC patients were collected. EGFR m RNA expression were detected by q RT-PCR. SNPs in whole length of MAGE-A3 gene were detected by direct sequencing. Frequencies of the SNPs were correlated to gene expression, mutation status of EGFR and clinical factors.Results： Sequencing analysis confirmed that allele frequencies of genotypes on SNP loci rs5970360, rs5925210, rs5970361, rs5925211 and rs35123853 were CC（0.681）/CT（0.319）, CC（0.660）/CG（0.340）, CC（0.681）/CA（0.319）, AA（0.984）/AT（0.016） and GG（1.000）/GA（0.000）, respectively, which were different from the frequencies and genotypes of MAGE-A3 in SNP database. Chi-square tests showed the EGFR mR NA expression level had significant correlation with the genotypes of SNP loci rs5970360 and rs5925210. But all frequencies of each MAGE-A3 SNPs were not found significantly different between EGFR mutant and wild type patients. MAGE-A3 gene polymorphisms had no significant effects on survival of NSCLC patients.Conclusions： Chinese patients with NSCLC had different SNP patterns of MAGE-A3 in comparison with those in international SNP database. These MAGE-A3 SNP loci might have not prognostic significance. MAGE-A3 SNP loci rs5970360 and rs5925210 might be predictive for EGFR m RNA expression levels and helpful to the selection of patients for epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR） targeted immunotherapy.

Corelation Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Mu Opioid Receptor Exon 2 and Stereotypic Behaviour in Sows

Three breeds of sows were observed to investigate the relationship between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms（SNPs） in Mu Opioid Receptor（MOR）and stereotypic behaviour,such as,sham-chewing,bar biting and standing still in order to better understand the mechanism of stereotypic development of the animals in restrained conditions.MOR exon 2 partial sequences were amplified to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms by PCR-SSCP.One SNP,a silence mutant was found.A significant difference （P〈0.01）was found in the frequency of genotypes in these 3 breeds where only the BB genotype,which was identical to that published in GenBank,was found in the Duroc breed,while no AA genotype was found in Landrace,3 genotypes AA,BB and AB were found in Yorkshire.The result also indicated that the individuals with AA and AB genotypes tended to be more active in sham-chewing than those with the BB genotype（P〈0.05）.The overall results of this study suggested that sham-chewing of sows may be subjected to both genetic control and environmental conditions,but activity level was more likely to be affected by their environment.We can putatively draw the conclusion that MOR gene has effect on the sham-chewing behavioral traits of sow.

Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Analysis of Linkage Disequilibrium in Different Bamboo Species Using the Candidate Gene Approach

Bamboos are one of the most beautiful and useful plants on Earth.The genetic background and population structure of bamboos are well known,which helps accelerate the process of artificial domestication of bamboo.Partial sequences of six genes involved in nitrogen use efficiency in 32 different bamboo species were analyzed for occurrence of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs).The nucleotide diversityθw and total nucleotide polymorphismsπT of the sequenced DNA regions was 0.05137 and 0.03332,respectively.Bothπnonsyn/πsyn and Ka/Ks values were<1.The nucleotide sequences of these six genes were inferred to be relatively conserved,and the haplotype diversity was relatively high.The results of evolutionary neutrality tests showed that the six genes were in line with neutral evolution,and that the NRT2.1 and AMT2.1 gene sequences may have experienced negative selection.An inter-SNP recombination event at the NRT2.1 gene in the all pooled sample,of all 32 bamboo species was the lowest at 0.0645,whereas the AMT gene recombination events were all>0.1.Estimation and analysis of linkage disequilibrium of five genes revealed that with the increase in nucleotide sequence length,the degree of SNP linkage disequilibrium decreased rapidly.We inferred the population genetic structure of 32 bamboo species based on the SNP loci of six genes with frequencies>18%.32 bamboo species were divided into five categories,which indicated that the combined population of all bamboo species had obvious multivariate characteristics and was heterogeneous;red(Group 1)and green(Group 2)were the main groups.

Estimated Genetic Variance Explained by Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Different Minor Allele Frequencies for Carcass Traits in Japanese Black Cattle

Japanese Black cattle are a beef breed and well known to excel in carcass quality, but the details of genetic architectures for carcass traits in beef breeds including this breed are still poorly understood. The objective of this study was to estimate the degree of additive genetic variance explained by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker groups with different levels of minor allele frequency (MAF) for marbling score and carcass weight in Japanese Black cattle. Phenotypic data on 872 fattened steers with the genotype information about 40,000 autosomal SNPs were analyzed using two different statistical models: one considering only SNPs selected based on MAF (model 1) and the other also considering all remaining SNPs as the different term (model 2). All available SNPs were classified into 10 groups based on their MAFs. For both traits, the estimated proportions of additive genetic variance explained by SNPs selected based on their MAFs using model 1 were always higher than the estimated ones using model 2. For carcass weight, relatively high values of the proportion of the additive genetic variance were estimated when using SNPs with MAFs which were in the ranges of 0.20 to 0.25 and 0.25 to 0.30, which may be partly due to the three previously-reported quantitative trait loci candidate regions. The results could have provided some information on the genetic architecture for the carcass traits in Japanese Black cattle, although its validity may be limited, mainly due to the sample size and the use of simpler statistical models in this study.