Morphine Re-arranges Chromatin Spatial Architecture of Primate Cortical Neurons

The expression of linear DNA sequence is precisely regulated by the three-dimensional(3D)architecture of chromatin.Morphine-induced aberrant gene networks of neurons have been extensively investigated;however,how morphine impacts the 3D genomic architecture of neurons is still unknown.Here,we applied digestion-ligation-only high-throughput chromosome conformation capture(DLO Hi-C)technology to investigate the effects of morphine on the 3D chromatin architecture of primate cortical neurons.After receiving continuous morphine administration for 90 days on rhesus monkeys,we discovered that morphine re-arranged chromosome territories,with a total of 391 segmented compartments being switched.Morphine altered over half of the detected topologically associated domains(TADs),most of which exhibited a variety of shifts,followed by separating and fusing types.Analysis of the looping events at kilobase-scale resolution revealed that morphine increased not only the number but also the length of differential loops.Moreover,all identified differentially expressed genes from the RNA sequencing data were mapped to the specific TAD boundaries or differential loops,and were further validated for changed expression.Collectively,an altered 3D genomic architecture of cortical neurons may regulate the gene networks associated with morphine effects.Our finding provides critical hubs connecting chromosome spatial organization and gene networks associated with the morphine effects in humans.

Specifically Binding of L-ficolin to N-glycans of HCV Envelope Glycoproteins E1 and E2 Leads to Complement Activation

L-ficolin, one of lectin families, is a recently identified complement factor that initiates lectin pathway of complement. Little is known about its role in viral hepatitis. In the present study, we found that L-ficolin in serum from 103 patients with hepatitis C virus （HCV）, were significantly higher than that in 150 healthy controls. We further found that L-ficolin expressions were significantly increased in vitro study by HCV JFH-1 infected human hepatocyte cell line Huh7.5.1. Investigation of the mechanisms of the L-ficolin action on HCV demonstrated that L-ficolin protein could recognize and bind to envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 of HCV, activating the lectin complement pathway-mediated cytolytic activity in HCV-infected hepatocyte. This interaction between L-ficolin and HCV E1 and E2 glycoproteins was attributed to the N-glycans of E1 and E2. These findings provide new insights into the biological functions of L-ficolin in clinically important hepatic viral diseases.

Overexpression of PSAT1 regulated by G9A sustains cell proliferation in colorectal cancer

Dear Editor,Colorectal cancer(CRC)is one of the most common cancers that contributes to cancer morbidity and mortality according to the National Cancer Institute’s report.The standard of care is still surgical resection and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy,which may result in serious effects on quality of life in patients.1 Currently,many efforts have been aimed at precision medicine in CRC,which highlights the urgent need to identify accurate biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment that can be translated into clinical use.