Investigation of androgen receptor gene CAG repeat length polymorphism in pubertal gynecomastia

Objectives Androgen receptor gene CAG repeat, AR (CAG)n, polymorphism is thought to have an effect on male reproductive functions and a relationship between long AR (CAG)n and decreased androgenic activity has been shown. Therefore, we hypothesized that in adolescents with long AR CAG repeat the prevalence of pubertal gynecomastia (PG) will be higher and we aimed to investigate the association between AR (CAG)n polymorphism and PG in Turkish adolescents. Methods Adolescents with PG between 11 and 19 years of age were enrolled as the study group and healthy individuals without a history of PG, who were at least 14 years of age and Tanner 4 or 5 were enrolled as the control group. The AR (CAG)n length was detected by direct DNA sequencing analysis and reproductive hormones were measured by standardized analyses. Results The mean AR (CAG)n was 22.3 ± 2.6 (mean ± SD) in the PG group (n=101) and 21.9 ± 3.1 (mean ± SD) in the control group (n=88) (p=0.276). The adolescents with short AR (CAG)n had lower body mass index standard deviation scores (BMI SDS) compared to the adolescents with intermediate and long repeat numbers (p=0.029). Conclusions The results of this study showed a lack of direct association between AR (CAG)n and PG. However, the significant relationship between the AR (CAG)n quartiles and BMI SDS suggests that long AR (CAG)n might cause PG indirectly. Further studies are needed to better clarify this relationship.

Multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 Mutagenesis of BrVRN1 Delays Flowering Time in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis)

The VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) gene is a crucial transcriptional repressor involved in triggering the transition to flowering in response to prolonged cold. To develop Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) plants with delayed flowering time, we designed a multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 platform that allows the co-expression of four sgRNAs targeting different regions of the endogenous BrVRN1 gene delivered via a single binary vector built using the Golden Gate cloning system. DNA sequencing analysis revealed site-directed mutations at two target sites: gRNA1 and gRNA2. T1 mutant plants with a 1-bp insertion in BrVRN1 exhibited late flowering after the vernalization. Additionally, we identified ‘transgene-free’ BrVRN1 mutant plants without any transgenic elements from the GE1 (gene-editing 1) and GE2 generations. All GE2 mutant plants contained successful edits in two out of three BrVRN1 orthologs and displayed delayed flowering time. In GE2 mutant plants, the floral repressor gene FLC1 was expressed during vernalization; but the floral integrator gene FT was not expressed after vernalization. Taken together, our data indicate that the BrVRN1 genes act as negative regulators of FLC1 expression during vernalization in Chinese cabbage, raising the possibility that the ‘transgene-free’ mutants of BrVRN1 developed in this study may serve as useful genetic resources for crop improvement with respect to flowering time regulation.

Prowler: a novel trimming algorithm for Oxford Nanopore sequence data

Motivation Trimming and filtering tools are useful in DNA sequencing analysis because they increase the accuracy of sequence alignments and thus the reliability of results. Oxford nanopore technologies (ONT) trimming and filtering tools are currently rudimentary, generally only filtering reads based on whole read average quality. This results in discarding reads that contain regions of high-quality sequence. Here, we propose Prowler, a trimmer that uses a window-based approach inspired by algorithms used to trim short read data. Importantly, we retain the phase and read length information by optionally replacing trimmed sections with Ns. Results Prowler was applied to mammalian and bacterial datasets, to assess its effect on alignment and assembly, respectively. Compared to data filtered with Nanofilt, alignments of data trimmed with Prowler had lower error rates and more mapped reads. Assemblies of Prowler trimmed data had a lower error rate than those filtered with Nanofilt; however, this came at some cost to assembly contiguity. Availability and implementation Prowler is implemented in Python and is available at https://github.com/ProwlerForNanopore/ProwlerTrimmer. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Advanced Xenograft Model with Cotransplantation of Patient-Derived Organoids and Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells for Precision Medicine

Preclinical evaluation models have been developed for precision medicine, with patient-derived xenograft models (PDXs) and patient-derived organoids (PDOs) attracting increasing attention. However, each of these models has application limitations. In this study, an advanced xenograft model was established and used for drug screening. PDO and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) were cotransplanted in NRGA mice (PDOXwE) to prepare the model, which could also be subcultured in Balb/c nude mice. Our DNA sequencing analysis and immunohistochemistry results indicated that PDOXwE maintained patient genetic information and tumor heterogeneity. Moreover, the model enhanced tumor growth more than the PDO-bearing xenograft model (PDOX). The PDO, PDOXwE, and clinical data were also compared in the liver metastasis of a colorectal cancer patient, demonstrating that the chemosensitivity of PDO and PDOXwE coincided with the clinical data. These results suggest that PDOXwE is an improvement of PDOX and is suitable as an evaluation model for precision medicine.

A Newborn Falsely Suspected of Congenital Hypothyroidism due to Mutated Thyroxine-Binding Globulin with Low Binding Affinity

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Neonatal screening programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) have been implemented worldwide to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. The Dutch neonatal CH screening is primarily based on the measurement of thyroxine (T4). When T4 is low, an additional thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) measurement is performed to reduce the number of false-positive screening results due to harmless TBG deficiency. Here, we present a case of a rare functional TBG deficiency leading to a false suspicion of CH. <b><i>Case Presentation:</i></b> Neonatal screening in this patient revealed a decreased T4, normal TSH, and normal TBG concentration, suggesting central CH. However, free T4 was normal. DNA sequencing analysis revealed a novel, hemizygous mutation (c.139G&#x3e;A) in <i>SERPINA7</i>, the gene encoding TBG, resulting in the substitution of the conserved amino acid alanine to threonine at position 27. Crystal structure analyses showed that this substitution has a detrimental effect on binding of T4 to TBG. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The novel <i>SERPINA7</i> variant in this patient led to a false suspicion of central hypothyroidism in the Dutch T4-based neonatal screening program. It is important to recognize patients with such TBG defects to prevent unnecessary additional testing and treatment.

Prowler: A novel trimming algorithm for Oxford Nanopore sequence data

Motivation: Quality control (QC) tools are critical in DNA sequencing analysis because they increase the accuracy of sequence alignments and thus the reliability of results. Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) QC is currently rudimentary, generally based on whole read average quality. This results in discarding reads that contain regions of high quality sequence. Here we propose Prowler, a multi-window approach inspired by algorithms used to QC short read data. Importantly, we retain the phase and read length information by optionally replacing trimmed sections with Ns. Results: Prowler was applied to mammalian and bacterial datasets, to assess effects on alignment and assembly respectively. Compared to Nanofilt, alignments of data QCed with Prowler had lower error rates and more mapped reads. Assemblies of Prowler QCed data had a lower error rate than Nanofilt QCed data however this came at some cost to assembly contiguity. Availability and implementation: Prowler is implemented in Python and is available at: https://github.com/ProwlerForNanopore/ProwlerTrimmer Contact: [email protected]

Novel Intronic Mutations Introduce Pseudoexons in DMD That Cause Muscular Dystrophy in Patients

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) are two subtypes of muscular dystrophy diseases caused by pathogenic mutations in the DMD gene. Until now, more than 4,600 disease-causing mutations in DMD have been reported. However, only 33 mutations were deep intronic, cases with this type of mutations were limited.Methods: In this study, we used a combination of complementary DNA (cDNA) and target DNA sequencing analysis in addition to conventional whole-exome sequencing (WES).Results: Three novel hemizygous mutations IVS11 + 17811C &gt; G (c.1331 + 17811C &gt; G), IVS21 + 3252A &gt; G (c.2803 + 3252A &gt; G) and IVS40 + 362A &gt; G (c.5739 + 362A &gt; G) were identified in DMD patients, while a reported hemizygous mutation IVS62-285A &gt; G (c.9225-285A &gt; G) was found in the BMD patient. These DMD mutations lead to pseudoexon insertions, causing the generation of truncated and dysfunctional dystrophin.Conclusion: This study defines three novel and one reported intronic mutations, which can result in DMD/BMD. We also emphasize the need to combine WES and cDNA-based methods to detect the variant in the very large DMD gene in which the mutational spectrum is complex.

The Investigation of OXA-48 and Sub-Derivatives in Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains and Phenotypic Reflection

The number of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram negative bacteria is increasing among nosocomial infections. These bacteria are a serious threat to health because they are usually resistant to other antibiotics. This study was aimed to determine the carbapenemase resistance of OXA-48 and its subderivatives in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates isolated from various clinical samples by phenotypic and genotypic methods and to investigate the presence of OXA-48 gene region genotypically in isolates without resistance. A total of 127 K.pneumoniae strains isolated from patients treated in various clinics and intensive care units were included in this study from March 2015 to March 2016. The isolates were identified and susceptibilities were tested using BD Phoenix automated system and also with Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The presence of resistance was examined phenotypically with the disk of temosillin, which is considered to indicate the presence of OXA-48 type enzymes. The presence of OXA-48 type enzyme was investigated by “in-house” polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all isolates and the presence of OXA-48 variant was investigated by DNA sequencing analysis on positive isolates. Carbapenem resistance rate was 35 % and ESBL positivity was determined as 46 %. The sensitivity of temocillin disk method in the identification of OXA-48 gene presence in K. pneumoniae strains was found to be 88 %, and specificity 89 %. Ertapenem was the best carbapenem with sensitivity and specificity balance to detect carbapenem resistance caused by OXA-48. The presence of blaOXA-48 gene region was 80 % in K. pneumoniae isolates detected as resistant to carbapenems by an automated system. All sequences obtained by DNA sequence analysis of 42 OXA-48 positive isolates were OXA-48 and there was no variant OXA-48 gene among the sequences. It was observed that the phenotypic reflection of resistance did not occur immediately in three isolates genotypically having OXA-48 gene region. The presence of blaOXA-48 gene region in carbapenems-resistant K.pneumoniae isolates is common. In addition, in some isolates having OXA-48 gene region, should be kept in mind in patients who do not recover despite treatment, due to phenotypic reflection of resistance does not occur immediately

Subtype distribution and molecular characterization of Blastocystis from hemodialysis patients in Turkey

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the Blastocystis prevalence and subtypes in hemodialysis patients in Turkey. Methodology: Eighty-four patients diagnosed with end-stage renal failure who were undergoing hemodialysis and 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Blastocystis presence was investigated by native-Lugol, trichrome staining, PCR using STS primers, and DNA sequencing analysis. Results: Among the stool samples from the hemodialysis patients, 9.52% (8/84) were found to be Blastocystis-positive with the native-Lugol and trichrome staining. Seven of the eight Blastocystis isolates were subtyped using STS primers. Blastocystis subtype distribution was as follows: one had ST1, two had ST2, two had ST3, two had ST3+ST6, and one was not subtyped. Blastocystis positivity was detected in two healthy control (2/20, %10), one subject had ST1, and the other was not subtyped. All subtypes identified by PCR were confirmed by the sequencing analysis. In the two samples that had mixed subtypes (ST3+ST6) when using the STS primers, only ST3 was detected in the sequencing analysis. Although some patients have multiple symptoms, the most common symptoms in Blastocystis positive patients were bloating (5/8), diarrhea (4/8), nausea and vomiting (2/8), and gas and weight loss (1/8). Also, only one patient had Giardia intestinalis. Conclusions: This was the first study to determine the Blastocystis subtypes in hemodialysis patients. A rare subtype, ST6, was identified in two of the patients. Thus, the ST6 infections were attributable to transmission from poultry infections. The presence of this unusual subtype suggests the need for further extensive studies of hemodialysis patients.