McCune-Albright syndrome(MAS) is a postzygotic somatic mutation disorder caused by activating mutations in the GNAS gene, which encodes the α subunit of the stimulatory G protein. Its clinical features typically include polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, cafe-au-lait skin pigmentation, and endocrine hyperactivity, such as Cushing′s syndrome, hyperthyroidism, and growth hormone excess. Here, we report two rare cases of MAS complicated with adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH)-independent Cushing syndrome, and provide a review and analysis of previously reported MAS cases associated with Cushing′s syndrome.

Objective:To explore the effects of essential tremor(ET)on the mitochondrial morphology of GABAer-gic and glutamatergic neurons in the inferior olive(IO).Methods:The ET mouse model was established via intraper-itoneal injection of harmaline.Twelve 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into saline control group and harmaline treatment group(HA).Behavioral tests,including open field test,rotarod test,balance beam test,and tremor scoring,were conducted to assess the behavior of mice.Using genetic engineering technology and the CRISPR/Cas9 system,we designed and generated 6 male GAD2-Mito-GFP mice and 6 male VGLUT2-Mito-GFP mice,all being 8-week-old.The mice of each transgenic line were randomly divided into Control and HA group.Immunofluorescence staining was used to analyze the expression of c-FOS positive cells in the IO of both the Control and HA groups,and to classify different types of neurons.Mitochondrial network analysis(MiNA)was performed to quantitatively analyze the area,mean aspect ratio,branch length,and other of mitochondria in different types of neurons in the IO under ET con-ditions.Results:Compared to the Control group,the HA group exhibited motor abnormalities and significant tremors.Immunofluorescence results showed a significant increase in the number of c-FOS positive cells in the IO,primarily in GABAergic neurons.MiNA results revealed that the mitochondria of GABAergic neurons showed increased area,branch length diameter,demonstrating irregular morphology.Conclusion:ET induces activation of GABAergic neurons in the IO and leads to more prominent mitochondrial morphological changes.This provides a new perspective for further inves-tigation of the pathogenesis of essential tremor and its relationship with mitochondrial.

Objective:To explore the effects of essential tremor(ET)on the mitochondrial morphology of GABAer-gic and glutamatergic neurons in the inferior olive(IO).Methods:The ET mouse model was established via intraper-itoneal injection of harmaline.Twelve 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into saline control group and harmaline treatment group(HA).Behavioral tests,including open field test,rotarod test,balance beam test,and tremor scoring,were conducted to assess the behavior of mice.Using genetic engineering technology and the CRISPR/Cas9 system,we designed and generated 6 male GAD2-Mito-GFP mice and 6 male VGLUT2-Mito-GFP mice,all being 8-week-old.The mice of each transgenic line were randomly divided into Control and HA group.Immunofluorescence staining was used to analyze the expression of c-FOS positive cells in the IO of both the Control and HA groups,and to classify different types of neurons.Mitochondrial network analysis(MiNA)was performed to quantitatively analyze the area,mean aspect ratio,branch length,and other of mitochondria in different types of neurons in the IO under ET con-ditions.Results:Compared to the Control group,the HA group exhibited motor abnormalities and significant tremors.Immunofluorescence results showed a significant increase in the number of c-FOS positive cells in the IO,primarily in GABAergic neurons.MiNA results revealed that the mitochondria of GABAergic neurons showed increased area,branch length diameter,demonstrating irregular morphology.Conclusion:ET induces activation of GABAergic neurons in the IO and leads to more prominent mitochondrial morphological changes.This provides a new perspective for further inves-tigation of the pathogenesis of essential tremor and its relationship with mitochondrial.

McCune-Albright syndrome(MAS) is a postzygotic somatic mutation disorder caused by activating mutations in the GNAS gene, which encodes the α subunit of the stimulatory G protein. Its clinical features typically include polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, cafe-au-lait skin pigmentation, and endocrine hyperactivity, such as Cushing′s syndrome, hyperthyroidism, and growth hormone excess. Here, we report two rare cases of MAS complicated with adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH)-independent Cushing syndrome, and provide a review and analysis of previously reported MAS cases associated with Cushing′s syndrome.

Objective:To study the changes in visual function and its mechanism in mice with acute hepatic enceph-alopathy(AHE)model.Method:Twelve male mice were divided into experimental and control groups,with six mice in each.A mouse model of AHE was created using TAA,and serum ALT,AST,and ammonia levels were measured using ELISA and colorimetric assays.Behavioral tests,including open-field and elevated cross maze experiments,were conducted,and neurological function scores were evaluated.HE staining was used to evaluate visual function scores in mice.Behavioural tests were conducted to assess neurological function scores.HE staining was used for pathological examination of the liver and retina.Visual electrophysiology was used to test visual function in both eyes.Retrograde tracer adeno-associated virus was used to label the ventrolateral thalamic nucleus(VL)of thalamus in c-Fos-CreERT2 mice.Results:Compared to the control group,the AHE mice had abnormal liver function and neurological changes.The HE results showed liver tissue damage.The retinal tissues were not significantly different from the control group.The visual electrophysiological results showed changes in visual function in both eyes of the AHE mice.The retrograde tracer virus injections revealed no significant difference in VL activation between the AHE model and the control group.In the AHE model,VL nucleus accumbens neurons primarily received input from ipsilateral visual cortical neurons.Conclusion:The visual deficits in AHE mice caused by TAA were primarily functional rather than organic changes,and were associated with the activation of the visual cortex-to-VL pathway.

Objective:To investigate the changes of mitochondria in the substantia nigra pars reticulata(SNr)in a mouse model of acute hepatic encephalopathy(AHE),and the effects of mitochondrial division inhibitor Mdivi-1 on the motor function and mitochondrial function of SNr in AHE mice.Methods:The mouse model of AHE was established by intraperitoneal injection of thioacetamide(TAA)and treated with Mdivi-1.The changes of serum aspartate aminotrans-ferase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),and blood ammonia were detected by biochemical detection kits.Open field test,rotor-rod fatigue test and elevated plus maze test were performed to observe the motor function of AHE mice.Mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP),cellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)and ATP of SNr were detected by commercial kits.Results:Compared with the control group,the levels of AST,ALT and blood ammonia in AHE mice were increased.The total movement distance of the mice in the open field was reduced,and the movement time of the rotor-rod fatigue test and the elevated plus maze test were shortened.In SNr,mitochondria became smaller and rounder,mitochondrial fission increased,MMP decreased,cellular ROS increased,and ATP production decreased.After treat-ment with Mdivi-1,the levels of AST,ALT and blood ammonia in AHE mice were decreased.In the open field,the total movement distance of mice increased,the movement time of rotorrod fatigue test and elevated plus maze test increased,the mitochondria of SNr were larger,with decreased roundness,decreased mitochondrial division,increased MMP,decreased cellular ROS,and increased ATP production.Conclusion:Mdivi-1 can improve movement disorders in AHE mice by repairing mitochondrial in the SNr.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease caused by abnormal expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) on the cell membrane due to mutations in the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A(PIGA) gene. It is commonly characterized by intravascular hemolysis, repeated thrombosis, and bone marrow failure, as well as multiple systemic involvement symptoms such as renal dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, abdominal pain, and erectile dysfunction. Due to the rarity of PNH and its strong heterogeneity in clinical manifestations, multidisciplinary collaboration is often required for diagnosis and treatment. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, relying on the rare disease diagnosis and treatment platform, has invited multidisciplinary clinical experts to form a unified opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of PNH, and formulated the Expert Consensus of Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (2024), with the hope of promoting the standardization of PNH diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To study the changes in visual function and its mechanism in mice with acute hepatic enceph-alopathy(AHE)model.Method:Twelve male mice were divided into experimental and control groups,with six mice in each.A mouse model of AHE was created using TAA,and serum ALT,AST,and ammonia levels were measured using ELISA and colorimetric assays.Behavioral tests,including open-field and elevated cross maze experiments,were conducted,and neurological function scores were evaluated.HE staining was used to evaluate visual function scores in mice.Behavioural tests were conducted to assess neurological function scores.HE staining was used for pathological examination of the liver and retina.Visual electrophysiology was used to test visual function in both eyes.Retrograde tracer adeno-associated virus was used to label the ventrolateral thalamic nucleus(VL)of thalamus in c-Fos-CreERT2 mice.Results:Compared to the control group,the AHE mice had abnormal liver function and neurological changes.The HE results showed liver tissue damage.The retinal tissues were not significantly different from the control group.The visual electrophysiological results showed changes in visual function in both eyes of the AHE mice.The retrograde tracer virus injections revealed no significant difference in VL activation between the AHE model and the control group.In the AHE model,VL nucleus accumbens neurons primarily received input from ipsilateral visual cortical neurons.Conclusion:The visual deficits in AHE mice caused by TAA were primarily functional rather than organic changes,and were associated with the activation of the visual cortex-to-VL pathway.

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) family is important for production of volatile aromatic compounds and synthesis of plant hormones. To explore the biological functions and gene expression patterns of CsCCD gene family in tea plant, genome-wide identification of CsCCD gene family was performed. The gene structures, conserved motifs, chromosome locations, protein physicochemical properties, evolutionary characteristics, interaction network and cis-acting regulatory elements were predicted and analyzed. Real time-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the relative expression level of CsCCD gene family members under different leaf positions and light treatments during processing. A total of 11 CsCCD gene family members, each containing exons ranging from 1 to 11 and introns ranging from 0 to 10, were identified. The average number of amino acids and molecular weight were 519 aa and 57 643.35 Da, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed the CsCCD gene family was clustered into 5 major groups (CCD1, CCD4, CCD7, CCD8 and NCED). The CsCCD gene family mainly contained stress response elements, hormone response elements, light response elements and multi-factor response elements, and light response elements was the most abundant (142 elements). Expression analysis showed that the expression levels of CsCCD1 and CsCCD4 in elder leaves were higher than those in younger leaves and stems. With the increase of turning over times, the expression levels of CsCCD1 and CsCCD4 decreased, while supplementary LED light strongly promoted their expression levels in the early stage. The expression level of NCED in younger leaves was higher than that in elder leaves and stems on average, and the expression trend varied in the process of turning over. NCED3 first increased and then decreased, with an expression level 15 times higher than that in fresh leaves. In the late stage of turning over, supplementary LED light significantly promoted its gene expression. In conclusion, CsCCD gene family member expressions were regulated by mechanical force and light. These understandings may help to optimize tea processing techniques and improve tea quality.
Camellia sinensis/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Phylogeny ; Plant Leaves/genetics* ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Tea

As a type of prebiotics and dietary fiber, inulin performs plenty of significant physiological functions and is applied in food and pharmaceutical fields. Inulosucrase from microorganisms can use sucrose as the substrate to synthesize inulin possessing higher molecular weight than that from plants. In this work, a hypothetical gene coding inulosucrase was selected from the GenBank database. The catalytic domain was remained by N- and C- truncation strategies, constructing the recombinant plasmid. The recombinant plasmid was expressed in E. coli expression system, and after purifying the crude enzyme by Ni²⁺ affinity chromatography, a recombinant enzyme with a molecular weight of approximately 65 kDa was obtained. The optimal pH and temperature of the recombinant enzyme were 5.5 and 45 °C, respectively, when sucrose was used as the sole substrate. The activity of this enzyme was inhibited by various metal ions at different degrees. After purifying the produced polysaccharide, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis was used to determine that the polysaccharide was inulin connected by β-(2,1) linkages. Finally, the conditions for the production of inulin were optimized. The results showed that the inulin production reached the maximum, approximately 287 g/L after 7 h, when sucrose concentration and enzyme dosage were 700 g/L and 4 U/mL, respectively. The conversion rate from sucrose to inulin was approximately 41%.
Escherichia coli/genetics* ; Hexosyltransferases/genetics* ; Inulin ; Oligosaccharides ; Sucrose