Global warming caused by the increasing CO2 concentration in atmosphere is a serious problem in the international political, economic, scientific and environmental fields in recent years. Intensive carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies have been developed for a feasible system to remove CO2 from industrial exhaust gases especially for combustion flue gas. In these technologies, the biofixation of CO2 by microalgae has the potential to diminish CO2 and produce the biomass. In this review, the current status focusing on biofixation of CO2 from combustion flue gases by microalgae including the selection of microalgal species and effect of flue gas conditions, the development of high efficient photobioreactor and the application of microalgae and its biomass product were reviewed and summarized. Finally, the perspectives of the technology were also discussed.
Air Pollutants ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Air Pollution ; prevention & control ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Carbon Dioxide ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Microalgae ; metabolism ; Photochemistry

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a family with non-syndromic autosomal recessive deafness. METHODS: The proband and her parents were subjected to physical and audiological examinations. With genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples, next-generation sequencing was carried out using a panel for deafness genes. Suspected mutation was validated by Sanger sequencing and qPCR analysis of her parents. RESULTS: The proband presented bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss at three days after birth. Her auditory threshold was 110-120 dBnHL but with absence of vestibular and retinal symptoms. Her brother also had deafness but her parents were normal. No abnormality was found upon physical examination of her family members, while audiological examination showed no middle ear or retrocochlear diseases. Next-generation sequencing identified compound heterozygous mutations of the MYO7A gene, including a previously known c.462C>A (p. Cys154Ter) and a novel EX43_46 Del, which were respectively derived from her mother and father. CONCLUSION The compound heterozygous mutations of the MYO7A gene probably underlie the disease in this family. Our findings has enriched the mutation spectrum for non-syndromic autosomal recessive deafness 2.
Female ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; genetics ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Myosins ; genetics ; Pedigree

OBJECTIVE: To carry out prenatal diagnosis for a fetus with ultrasonographic abnormality. METHODS: Chromosomal karyotyping and array comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) analysis were applied for the diagnosis. Peripheral blood samples were also taken from the parents for chromosome karyotyping analysis. RESULTS: The fetal karyotype showed additional material of unknown-origin attached to Yq. Array CGH analysis confirmed that the material was derived from 3q22.1q29. The father was found to carry a balanced translocation 46, X, t(Y;3)(q12;q23) (which was diagnosed as 46,XY,Y≥18 elsewhere), whilst the mother was found to be normal. CONCLUSION 3q partial trisomy may present as malformation of multiple systems. Combination of chromosome karyotyping and array-CGH can provide reliable diagnosis for fetuses with abnormalities by ultrasonography.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3 ; genetics ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy

Objective:To provide experimental evidence for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis by analyzing the clinical characteristics, screening and identification of the function of suspicious variants in a X-1inked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT) family.Methods:The family members' medical history, general physical examination, femur, spine X-ray examination were collected. Peripheral blood samples of the family members were collected and DNA was extracted from these samples. Sequencing clinical whole exons of proband DNA by targeted gene high-throughput sequencing method, then analysis sequencing data. The suspicious mutation was confirmed in pedigree members by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments of total RNA from blood lymphocytes were performed. The amplification of exons 3 and 4 of the pathogenic gene were amplified and identified by agarose gel. The expression of the pathogenic gene was also detected.Results:Three affected males of the family were diagnosed with SEDT according to their clinical and radiological features. A nonsense mutation in the transport protein particle complex subunit 2 ( TRAPPC2) gene NM_001011658: c.91A>T (p.K31*) was found in the proband using whole exome sequencing. This variation was also detected in his cousin, but not in non-phenotypic members of the family. The RT-PCR result for amplification of exon 3 and 4 of peripheral blood lymphocytes was the same as those of normal controls, indicating that the mutation did not affect the splicing of transcripts. qPCR results showed that the transcriptional expression of TRAPPC2 in patients was significantly lower than that in family normal controls and normal people controls. Conclusion:Identification of the novel nonsense mutation (c.91A>T) in the SEDT family enables early patients screening, carrier detection, genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, and clinical prevention and treatment. The detailed genotype/phenotype descriptions contribute to the SEDT mutation spectrum. The study of the function of TRAPPC2 mutation will help to further elucidate the role of sedlin in cartilage.

The high diversity of T cell receptors (TCRs) is the basis for recognizing antigens, playing an essential role in adaptive immunity. TCR diversity is generated from V(D)J rearrangement during the thymocyte development in the thymus. Standing out from the four TCR genes, Tcra and Tcrd genes are characterized by locating at the same locus and sharing specific V genes. Hence, their rearrangement and regulation have a certain particularity. Previous studies mainly focused on cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors regulating the Tcra/ Tcrd rearrangement. However, recent progress has shown that chromatin spatial organization plays an essential role in antigen receptor gene rearrangement. Chromatin organization proteins, such as CTCF-Cohesin, are involved in regulating rearrangement and enhancing the diversity of TCR repertoire by loop extrusion. Recombinase RAG also scans chromatin of antigen receptor genes for rearrangement. This review described the progress in the rearrangement of Tcra and Tcrd genes and the possible regulatory mechanism, especially the influence of the chromatin spatial organization.

Objective:To analyze clinical characteristics of and causative genes in two families with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, and to reveal the pathogenesis of the disease and mechanisms underlying phenotypic differences between patients.Methods:DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of members from two families with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, and subjected to high-throughput sequencing and Sanger sequencing.Results:The clinical manifestations of the 2 probands in the 2 families were consistent with the diagnosis of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, and the symptoms of the proband in family 1 were more serious than those of other patients in the family. Genetic testing showed that all patients in family 1 carried a mutation c.6082G>C (p.G2028R) in the COL7A1 gene, and the proband and her phenotypically normal mother and uncle also carried a splice-site mutation c.7068+2 (IVS91) T>G in the COL7A1 gene, both of which were first reported. The proband in family 2 carried the mutations c.6081_6082 ins C (p.G2028Rfs*71) and c.1892G>A (p.W631X, first reported) in the COL7A1 gene, which were inherited from her father and mother, respectively.Conclusion:The two pathogenic mutations may be the molecular mechanism underlying the severe clinical phenotype in the proband in family 1; the first reported mutations enriched the mutation spectrum of the COL7A1 gene.

OBJECTIVE: To optimize DNA library construction in non-crosslinked chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with next-generation sequencing (Native ChIP-seq) to obtain high-quality Native ChIP-seq data. METHODS: Human nasopharyngeal carcinoma HONE1 cell lysate was digested with MNase for release of the nucleosomes, and the histone-DNA complexes were immunoprecipitated with specific antibodies. The protein component in the precipitate was digested with proteinase K followed by DNA purification; the DNA library was constructed for sequence analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the conventional DNA library construction, Tn5 transposase method allowed direct enrichment of the target DNA after Tn5 fragmentation, which was simple, time-saving and more efficient. The IGV visualized map showed that the information obtained by the two library construction methods was consistent. The sequencing data obtained by the two methods revealed more signal enrichment with Tn5 transposase library construction than with the conventional approach. H3K4me3 ChIP results showed a good reproducibility after Tn5 transposase library construction with a signal-to-noise ratio above 50%. CONCLUSIONS Tn5 transposase method improves the efficiency of DNA library construction and the results of subsequent sequence analysis, and is especially suitable for detecting histone modification in the DNA to provide a better technical option for epigenetic studies.
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation ; DNA ; Gene Library ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

The E3 ligase HERC4 is overexpressed in human breast cancer and its expression levels correlated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients. However, the roles of HERC4 in mammary tumorigenesis remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that the knockdown of HERC4 in human breast cancer cells dramatically suppressed their proliferation, survival, migration, and tumor growth in vivo, while the overexpression of HERC4 promoted their aggressive tumorigenic activities. HERC4 is a new E3 ligase for the tumor suppressor LATS1 and destabilizes LATS1 by promoting the ubiquitination of LATS1. miRNA-136-5p and miRNA-1285-5p, expression of which is decreased in human breast cancers and is inversely correlated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients, are directly involved in suppressing the expression of HERC4. In summary, we discover a miRNA-HERC4-LATS1 pathway that plays important roles in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and represents new therapeutic targets for human breast cancer.

In the original publication the Supplementary Material and Fig. 2 are incorrect. The correct version is provided in this correction article. The text HBG2 appearing in the article should be read as HBG1.

Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; genetics ; Endonucleases ; genetics ; Gene Editing ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Transcriptional Activation ; genetics ; p300-CBP Transcription Factors ; genetics