AIM: To characterize the chemical structure of a homogenous polysaccharide MP-3b obtained from Mulberry leaves. METHODS: Sugar component analysis,methylation analysis,partial acid hydrolysis,IR,ESI-MS,NMR were applied to determine the structural features. RESULTS: The molecular weight of MP-3b was 8.9?10~4 dalton by HPGFC.MP-3b consisted of rhammose,arabinose,xylose,glucose,galactose and galacturonic acid units in the molar ratio of 0.65:1.00:0.23:0.42:0.98:0.60.The chain of MP-3b included terminal,1,5-linked,1,3,5-linked Ara and terminal,1,2-linked,1,2,4-linked Rha,and 1,4-linked Xyl,and terminal Glc,and terminal,1,3-linked,1,6-linked,1,3,6-linked Gal and 1,4-linked,1,3,4-linked GalA.The side chain contained branched(1→5) linked arabinan. CONCLUSION: MP-3b is a new acidic polysaccharide obtained from Mulberry leaves for the first time.

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of coagulation factor V gene polymorphisms with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) among ethnic Han Chinese from Wenzhou area.

METHODSNinety-six patients with URSA and 103 females with a history of normal pregnancy were recruited. Genotypes of coagulation factor V gene were determined through target sequence capture and high-throughput sequencing. The results were confirmed with a MassARRAY system. Allelic and genotypic frequencies between the two groups were compared.

RESULTSNineteen single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), except coagulation factor V Leiden, were identified in the two groups. The frequencies of rs9287090 allele A, rs1046712 allele T and rs1800594 allele G of the URSA group were lower than those of the control group (6.77% vs. 16.50%, 3.12% vs. 13.11%, 10.94% vs. 18.45%, respectively). After Bonferroni and false discovery rate correction, rs9287090 and rs1046712 were significantly associated with URSA (corrected P<0.05). Although genotypic distribution of rs9287090 and rs1046712 also differed between the two groups, the corrected P value showed no significance (corrected P>0.05). A complete linkage disequilibrium (r=1, D'=1) of rs6022 and rs6029 was observed for the haplotype block rs6022-rs6029-rs6028. The frequencies of rs6022 allele A and rs6029 allele T were higher in the URSA group with corrected insignificance (75.00% vs. 65.53%, corrected P>0.05). Furthermore, significantly more A-T-T haplotype was found in the URSA group (75.00% vs. 65.50%, OR=1.578, 95%CI:1.021-2.438, χ=4.248, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe decreased rate of rs9287090 allele A, rs1046712 allele T, and rs1800594 allele G may contribute to the susceptibility to URSA among ethnic Han Chinese from Wenzhou area. The rs6022 allele A and rs6029 allele T may also predispose to URSA.

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of human leukocyte antigen DQ gene polymorphisms with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) among ethnic Han Chinese from Wenzhou region.

METHODSFifty couples with URSA (URSA group) and 66 couples with normal pregnancy history (control group) were recruited. The alleles of HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction with specific sequence primers (PCR-SSP) in all subjects. The frequency distribution of HLA-DQ alleles, odds ratios (OR) between each group and sharing of HLA-DQ alleles were calculated.

RESULTSThe frequency distribution of HLA-DQB1*03:03 allele in the females with URSA was significantly higher than that healthy females (21.00% vs. 9.85%, OR=2.433, 95%CI: 1.232-4.894, χ(2)=5.657, P<0.05). The HLA-DQB1*05:03 allele was present among the healthy females with a frequency of 3.03%, and was not detected among females with URSA. For both males and females, the HLA-DQB1*05:02 allele were only typed in control group with frequencies of 6.06% and 5.30%, respectively. The sharing of HLA-DQA1 alleles in couples with URSA was increased compared with the control group (70.27% vs. 44.64%, OR=2.931, 95%CI: 1.216-7.067, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe increased sharing of HLA-DQA1 alleles may contribute to the susceptibility of URSA among ethnic Han Chinese from Wenzhou region. The allele of HLA-DQB1*03:03 in the females may be predisposing factor for URSA. However, the HLA-DQB1*05:02 allele in both gender and HLA-DQB1*05:03 allele in females may confer a protective effect.

Abortion, Spontaneous ; ethnology ; genetics ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; ethnology ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; ethnology ; genetics ; HLA-DQ alpha-Chains ; genetics ; HLA-DQ beta-Chains ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Pregnancy