Color-related chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations of Chinese kale can be altered through CRISPR/Cas9 targeted editing of the carotenoid isomerase gene BoaCRTISO

The carotenoid isomerase gene(BoaCRTISO)of Chinese kale was targeted and edited using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in the present study.The results showed a high mutation rate(81.25%),and 13 crtiso mutants were obtained.Only two types of mutations,insertions and replacements,were found.Both the total and individual carotenoid and chlorophyll concentrations of the biallelic and homozygous mutants were reduced,and the total levels declined by 11.89–36.33%.The color of the biallelic and homozygous mutants changed from green to yellow,likely reflecting a reduction in the color-masking effect of chlorophyll on carotenoids.The expression levels of most carotenoid and chlorophyll biosynthesis-related genes,including CRTISO,were notably lower in the mutants than in the WT plants.In addition,the functional differences between members of this gene family were discussed.In summary,these findings indicate that CRISPR/Cas9 is a promising technique for the quality improvement of Chinese kale and other Brassica vegetables.

Early Warning Factors of Death in COVID-19 Patients

The infectious coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has spread all over the world and been persistently evolving so far.The number of deaths in the whole world has been rising rapidly.However,the early warning factors for mortality have not been well ascertained.In this retrospective,single-centre cohort study,we included some adult inpatients(≥18 years old)with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University who had been discharged or had died by Apr.8,2020.Demographic,clinical and laboratory data at admission were extracted from electronic medical records and compared between survivors and non-survivors.We used univariable analysis,Cox proportional hazard model analysis and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve to explore the early warning factors associated with in-hospital death.A total of 159 patients were included in this study,of whom 86 were discharged and 73 died in hospital.Hypertension(52.1%vs.29.1%,P=0.003)and coronary heart disease(28.8%vs.12.8%,P=0.012)were more frequent among non-survived patients than among survived patients.The proportions of patients with dyspnoea(67.1%vs.25.6%,P<0.001),chest distress(58.9%vs.26.7%,P<0.001)and fatigue(64.4%vs.25.6%,P<0.001)were significantly higher in the non-survived group than in the survived group.Regression analysis with the Cox proportional hazards mode revealed that increasing odds of in-hospital death were associated with higher IL-6(odds ratio 10.87,95%CI 1.41–83.59;P=0.022),lactate(3.59,1.71–7.54;P=0.001),older age(1.86,1.03–3.38;P=0.041)and lower lymphopenia(5.44,2.71–10.93;P<0.001)at admission.The areas under the ROC curve(AUCs)of IL-6,lymphocyte,age and lactate were 0.933,0.928,0.786 and 0.753 respectively.The AUC of IL-6 was significantly higher than that of age(z=3.332,P=0.0009)and lactate(z=4.441,P<0.0001)for outcome prediction.There was no significant difference between the AUCs of IL-6 and lymphocyte for outcome prediction(z=0.372,P=0.7101).It was concluded that the potential risk factors of higher IL-6,lactate,older age and lower lymphopenia at admission could help clinicians to identify patients with poor prognosis at an early stage.

Abnormal immunity of non-survivors with COVID-19: predictors for mortality

Background The number of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)cases has rapidly increased all over the world.Specific information about immunity in non-survivors with COVID-19 is scarce.This study aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics and abnormal immunity of the confirmed COVID-19 non-survivors.Methods In this single-centered,retrospective,observational study,we enrolled 125 patients with COVID-19 who were died between January 13 and March 4,2020 in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.A total of 414 randomly recruited patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were discharged from the same hospital during the same period served as control.The demographic,clinical characteristics and laboratory findings at admission,and treatment used in these patients were collected.The immunity-related risk factors associated with in-hospital death were tested by logistic regression models and Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve.Results Non-survivors(70 years,IQR:61.5–80)were significantly older than survivors(54 years,IQR:37–65)(P<0.001).56.8%of non-survivors was male.Nearly half of the patients(44.9%)had chronic medical illness.In non-survivors,hypertension(49.6%)was the most common comorbidity,followed by diabetes(20.0%)and coronary heart disease(16.0%).The common signs and symptoms at admission of non-survivors were fever(88%),followed by cough(64.8%),dyspnea(62.4%),fatigue(62.4%)and chest tightness(58.4%).Compared with survivors,non-survivors had higher white blood cell(WBC)count(7.85 vs 5.07×109/L),more elevated neutrophil count(6.41 vs 3.08×109/L),smaller lymphocyte count(0.69 vs 1.20×109/L)and lower platelet count(172 vs 211×109/L),raised concentrations of procalcitonin(0.21 vs 0.06 ng/mL)and CRP(70.5 vs 7.2 mg/L)(P<0.001).This was accompanied with significantly decreased levels of CD3+T cells(277 vs 814 cells/μl),CD4+T cells(172 vs 473 cells/μl),CD8+T cells(84 vs 262.5 cells/μl,P<0.001),CD19+T cells(88 vs 141 cells/μl)and CD16+56+T cells(79 vs 128.5 cells/μl)(P<0.001).The concentrations of immunoglobulins(Ig)G(13.30 vs 11.95 g/L),IgA(2.54 vs 2.21 g/L),and IgE(71.30 vs 42.25 IU/ml)were increased,whereas the levels of complement proteins(C)3(0.89 vs 0.99 g/L)and C4(0.22 vs 0.24 g/L)were decreased in non-survivors when compared with survivors(all P<0.05).The non-survivors presented lower levels of oximetry saturation(90 vs 97%)at rest and lactate(2.40 vs 1.90 mmol/L)(P<0.001).Old age,comorbidity of malignant tumor,neutrophilia,lymphocytopenia,low CD4+T cells,decreased C3,and low oximetry saturation were the risk factors of death in patients with confirmed COVID-19.The frequency of CD4+T cells positively correlated with the numbers of lymphocytes(r=0.787)and the level of oximetry saturation(r=0.295),Whereas CD4+T cells were negatively correlated with age(r=-0.323)and the numbers of neutrophils(r=−0.244)(all P<0.001).Conclusions Abnormal cellular immunity and humoral immunity were key features of non-survivors with COVID-19.Neutrophilia,lymphocytopenia,low CD4+T cells,and decreased C3 were immunity-related risk factors predicting mortality of patients with COVID-19.

Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate airway inflammation via modulation of T-helper 17/regulatory T cells balance in mice with ovalbumin-induced asthma

Asthma is considered dysregulated immunity featuring of chronic airway inflammation and remodeling.Mounting evidence reveals that asthmatics show various inflammatory profiles and cell types.Recently,regulatory T cells(Tregs)and T-helper(Th)17 cells have been described as two distinct subsets from Th1 and Th2 cells and Treg/Th17 imbalance is correlated with the development of asthma.