Activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)by Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1(Keap1)alkylation plays a central role in anti-inflammatory therapy.However,activators of Nrf2 through alkylation of Keap1-Kelch domain have not been identified.Deoxynyboquinone(DNQ)is a natural small molecule discovered from marine actinomycetes.The current study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects and molecular mechanisms of DNQ via alkylation of Keap1.DNQ exhibited signif-icant anti-inflammatory properties both in vitro and in vivo.The pharmacophore responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties of DNQ was determined to be the α,β-unsaturated amides moieties by a chemical reaction between DNQ and N-acetylcysteine.DNQ exerted anti-inflammatory effects through activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway.Keap1 was demonstrated to be the direct target of DNQ and bound with DNQ through conjugate addition reaction involving alkylation.The specific alkylation site of DNQ on Keap1 for Nrf2 activation was elucidated with a synthesized probe in conjunction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.DNQ triggered the ubiquitination and subsequent degra-dation of Keap1 by alkylation of the cysteine residue 489(Cys489)on Keap1-Kelch domain,ultimately enabling the activation of Nrf2.Our findings revealed that DNQ exhibited potent anti-inflammatory capacity through α,β-unsaturated amides moieties active group which specifically activated Nrf2 signal pathway via alkylation/ubiquitination of Keap1-Kelch domain,suggesting the potential values of targeting Cys489 on Keap1-Kelch domain by DNQ-like small molecules in inflammatory therapies.

OBJECTIVETo explore the molecular basis of an individual featuring an ABx variant of ABO blood group system.

METHODSSerological assays were used to characterize the erythrocyte phenotypes and salivary ABH secretors. All of the seven exons and flanking introns of ABO glycosyltransferase gene were amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). And the products were sequenced bidirectionally following enzyme digestion. Exons 6 and 7 were also subcloned and analyzed for haplotypes of the ABO gene.

RESULTSErythrocytes of the proband have expressed a strong A antigen and a weak B antigen, which was identified as a rare ABx variant in addition with other serological features. Nine heterozygous sites in exon 6 (297A/G) and exon 7 (467C/T, 526C/G, 657C/T, 703G/A, 796C/A, 803G/C, 808T/A, 930G/A) of the coding region of the ABO gene were identified. Based on haplotype analysis, one allele was determined as common A102, whilst another was consistent with B101 except for an 808T>A mutation which has resulted in replacement of phenylalanine with isoleucine at position 270 of glycosyltransferase B.

CONCLUSIONThe 808T>A mutation of the glycosyltransferase B gene may decrease the enzymatic activity and result in the Bx variant.

ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; Adult ; Exons ; Female ; Glycosyltransferases ; genetics ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Mutation

OBJECTIVETo discriminate and analyze the relative frequencies of alleles in HLA-DRB1*12:01:01G(HLA-DRB1*12:01:01/12:06/12:10/12:17) and HLA-DRB1*14:01:01G (DRB1*14:01:01/14:54) groups and assess their associations with HLA-DRB3 and HLA-DQB1 loci.

METHODSA total of 115 DNA samples previously typed as HLA-DRB1*12:01:01G and 108 samples from HLA-DRB1*14:01:01G were selected. DNA sequences for exons 1 to 3 of the HLA-DRB1 locus were analyzed for HLA-DRB1*12:01:01G, and exons 2 to 3 were analyzed for HLA-DRB1*14:01:01G by polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT). Genotyping of HLA-DRB3 and HLA-DQB1 were achieved by PCR-SBT.

RESULTSAmong 115 samples previously typed as HLA-DRB1*12:01:01G, 101 (87.8%) were confirmed as HLA-DRB1*12:01:01 and 14 (12.2%) were HLA-DRB1*12:10, but HLA-DRB1*12:06 and HLA-DRB1*12:17 alleles were not identified. For 108 samples previously typed as HLA-DRB1*14:01:01G, all were typed as HLA-DRB1*14:54. HLA-DRB1*12:01:01 was linked with HLA-DRB3*01:01:02 and HLA-DQB1*03:01, while HLA-DRB1*12:10 was strongly linked with HLA-DRB3*02:02:01 and HLA-DQB1*03:01. HLA-DRB1*14:54 was strongly linked with HLA-DRB3*02:02:01 and two different HLA-DQB1*05:02, *05:03 alleles.

CONCLUSIONHLA-DRB1*12:01:01 was more prevalent than HLA-DRB1*12:10 in the HLA-DRB1*12:01:01G group, and HLA-DRB1*14:54 was the dominant allele for HLA-DRB1*14:01:01G.

Alleles ; Exons ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; HLA-DQ beta-Chains ; genetics ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; genetics ; HLA-DRB3 Chains ; genetics ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo analyze the molecular basis for an individual with ABx09 phenotype of ABO subtype.

METHODSThe ABO group antigens on red blood cells of the proband were identified by monoclonal antibodies, and the ABO antibody in serum was detected by standard A, B, O cells. The exons 1 to 7 of ABO gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) respectively and the PCR products were sequenced directly. The amplified products for exons 5 to 7 were also cloned by TOPO TA cloning sequencing kit to split the two alleles apart, selected colonies were sequenced bidirectionally for exons 5 to 7 of the ABO gene. The samples of the proband's parents were collected, then serological test of the blood group and sequence analysis for exons 6 and 7 of ABO gene were preformed.

RESULTSBoth A and B antigens were detected on red blood cells of the proband and there was anti-B antibody in the serum. There was no G deletion at position 261, while 297AG in exon 6, 467CT, 526CG, 657CT, 703GA, 796CA, 803GC, 889GA and 930GA heterozygote in exon 7 were detected by direct DNA sequencing, which can be assigned for A102Bx09 genotype. After cloning and sequencing, two alleles A102 and Bx09 were obtained. The sequence of Bx09 had one nucleotide changes (G to A) at position 889 compared with that of B101, which resulted in an amino acid change of Glu to Lys at 297 position. The Bx09 in the proband was inherited from her mother by family investigation.

CONCLUSIONG to A at nt889 of alpha-1,3 galactosyltransferasegene can result in Bx09 phenotype, with the presence of anti-B antibody in serum.

ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; metabolism ; Adolescent ; Alleles ; Base Sequence ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Pedigree ; Phenotype

OBJECTIVETo establish the eukaryotic cell expression system for the alpha-1,2 fucosyltransferase gene FUT1 293C to T and 658C to T mutations and explore the mechanism of FUT1 mutations resulting in the reduced expression of H antigen.

METHODSGenomic DNAs were extracted from individuals with para-Bombay phenotype and full coding region of FUT1 was amplified. The amplification fragments were ligated with pcDNA3.1 plasmid to construct the recombinant expression vectors. The recombinant plasmids were transfected into the COS-7 cells using lipofectamine transfection reagent and stable expression screening was performed. FUT1 mRNA expression was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. The activity of enzyme was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Expressed protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting.

RESULTSpcDNA3.1-FUT1 wildtype, pcDNA3.1-FUT1 293C to T and pcDNA3.1-FUT1 658C to T recombinant vectors were constructed, respectively. COS-7 cells with stable expression of FUT1 were obtained through recombinant plasmid transfection and screening with G418. The FUT1 mRNA level of transfected cells with 293C to T and 658C to T recombinant vectors reached 97.10% and 104.74% of the wildtype FUT1 transfected cell. A specific protein band with about 46 000 was confirmed in the transfected cell lysates by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and Western blotting with 6×His Tag antibody. The wildtype FUT1 transfected cell lysates can catalyze the enzymatic reaction, while the enzyme activity of cell lysates from 293C to T and 658C to T were abolished.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggested that the 293C to T and 658C to T mutations of FUT1 gene did not affect the RNA and protein expression levels, but the enzyme activity of cells with FUT1 mutations was significantly decreased which resulted in the reduced expressin of H antigen.

Animals ; COS Cells ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; Fucosyltransferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Mutant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the recombination events between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci within two families.

METHODSIdentification of HLA-A, -C, -B, -DRB1 and -DQB1 loci was firstly carried out using polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide. Then HLA high resolution typing was performed using polymerase chain reaction sequencing-based typing. The recombination between HLA loci was identified by family genetic analysis. The parentage possibility was analyzed by short tandom repeat technique.

RESULTSRecombination between the HLA-A and C loci was identified within two families. One individual inherited a paternal haplotype that was the result of a recombination event between the father's HLA-A and -C loci on his chromosomes. The other individual inherited a maternal haplotype that was the result of a recombination event between the mother's HLA-A and -C loci. The high parentage possibilities were obtained in the family members.

CONCLUSIONThe recombination events of HLA-A and -C have been found in two Chinese families, which may help further study on the mechanism of HLA recombination.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; ethnology ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Loci ; genetics ; HLA-A Antigens ; genetics ; HLA-C Antigens ; genetics ; Haplotypes ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Pedigree ; Recombination, Genetic ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the serological characteristics and molecular mechanism of a blood donor with weaken B antigen.

METHODSThe ABO blood group antigens on red blood cells were identified by monoclonal antibodies, the ABO antibodies in serum were detected by standard A, B, O cells and the activity of the B glycosyltransferase was analyzed. The full-length sequence and 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) sequence of ABO gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) respectively and direct sequencing. The alternative splicing isoforms of ABO cDNA were obtained by reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR) and analyzed with cloning and sequencing techniques. The level of methylation of the CpG island in ABO gene promoter was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing method.

RESULTSThe serological characteristic of the donor showed that the B antigen was decreased obviously without anti-B antibodies in serum and the B glycosyltransferase activity was decreased as well. The genotype of the donor was B101/O01 without any other mutations in the full-length coding sequences and splice receptor sites. The nucleotide characteristics of the 5'-UTR was consistent with B101/O01 and no any abnormity was identified in the promoter, enhancer and the negative regulatory sequence regions. The integrative cDNA transcript of ABO gene was obtained and no new splicing isoform was found. Compared with the normal B phenotype, a number of methylated CpG sites were found near the promoter of ABO gene in this sample.

CONCLUSIONThe methylation in the CpG island of ABO gene promoter region may cause weak expression of the B antigen.

ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; immunology ; Alleles ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; immunology ; Blood Donors ; CpG Islands ; genetics ; Erythrocytes ; immunology ; Gene Expression Regulation ; immunology ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo analyze the sequence of the exons 2-4 of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) novel allele HLA-B*15:129.

METHODSDNA of the proband was extracted from whole blood by commercial DNA extraction kit. The amplification for HLA-B exons 2-4 was performed separately by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with allele group specific primers. The PCR products were digested with enzymes and then directly sequenced for exons 2-4 of HLA-B locus in both directions.

RESULTSSequencing results showed the HLA-B alleles of the proband included B*07:02 and a novel allele. The sequence of the novel allele has been submitted to GenBank (accession no. EF473219) and the allele has been officially named B*15:129 by the WHO Nomenclature Committee. Comparing with the HLA-B*15:01:01:01, the sequence of exons 2-4 of HLA-B*15:129 showed three nucleotide difference in exon 3 at positions 362 and 363 from GG to AT and positions 369 from C to T, which resulted in an amino acid change from Arg to Asn at codon 97.

CONCLUSIONA novel HLA-B allele was identified and has been officially named B15:129 by the WHO Nomenclature Committee.

Alleles ; Base Sequence ; DNA Primers ; Exons ; HLA-B Antigens ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Molecular Typing ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo clone and investigate the polymorphism of the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the human ABO gene, in order to provide the basis for exploring the transcriptional regulation of the human ABO histo-blood group genes.

METHODSABO phenotypes of 30 unrelated healthy blood donors were determined by serological technique, their genotypes were analyzed by sequencing the exons 6 and 7 of the ABO gene. Nearly 5 kb of the 5'-UTR of ABO gene was obtained by PCR amplification and sequencing was performed bidirectionally. Haplotypes of samples with heterozygous sites in the 5'-UTR of ABO gene were separated and analyzed after cloning.

RESULTSTwenty polymorphic sites were identified in these samples where ABO genotypes were consistent with serological phenotypes. It included sixteen nucleotide sequence variations, one 8 bp deletion, one 6 bp deletion/insertion, one 36 bp insertion and one 43 bp repeats. Among them, 11 were novel polymorphic sites. Seven different haplotypes of 5'-UTR of ABO gene were defined to the cis/trans linkage of those mutations.

CONCLUSIONThere were polymorphisms in the 5'-UTR of ABO gene and the nucleotide sequences near the proximal promoter were conservative.

5' Untranslated Regions ; genetics ; ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVETo investigate the polymorphisms of platelet membrane glycoprotein genes related to human platelet alloantigen (HPA)-1 to 17w.

METHODSThe DNA segments of platelet membrane glycoprotein genes related to HPA-1 to 17w were amplified using author's designed primers. The amplification products were purified and directly sequenced to identify the HPA genotype and glycoprotein gene polymorphisms.

RESULTSThirteen new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a micro-satellite sequence were found in the glycoprotein genes from the 112 random samples, in which two SNPs (1333G/A and 1960G/A) in ITGB3 gene result in two amino acid change (V419M and E628K) on glycoprotein GPIIIa.

CONCLUSIONNew variants in platelet membrane glycoprotein genes were identified, which may lead to structure change of platelet membrane glycoprotein and affect the accuracy of partial HPA genotyping method.

Antigens, Human Platelet ; genetics ; Humans ; Isoantigens ; genetics ; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide