Project description:We genotyped 45 new samples from 4 populations of Northwest India and combined it with previously published data to characterize the population structure of modern Northwest Indian populations in the context of their geographic neighbors across South Asia and West Eurasia.
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNAs that play important roles in various biological and metabolic processes in plants. Caragana intermedia is an important ecological and economic tree species that is prominent in the desert environment of west and northwest China. To date, no investigation into C. intermedia miRNAs has been reported. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs was performed to identify both conserved and novel miRNAs, and also their target mRNA genes in C. intermedia. Based on sequence similarity and hairpin structure prediction, 132 putative conserved miRNAs (12 of which were confirmed to form hairpin precursors) belonging to 31 known miRNA families were identified. Ten novel miRNAs (including the miRNA* sequences of three novel miRNAs) were also discovered. The expression of 12 miRNAs was validated in different tissues, and the 12 miRNAs were further assessed by qRT-PCR after salt treatment. Furthermore, 36 potential target genes of 17 known miRNA families and two potential target genes of one novel miRNA were predicted, and some target genes were also assessed by qRT-PCR after salt treatment. Our study provides a basic catalog of miRNAs and their targets, which will promote further understanding of the important roles of miRNAs in C. intermedia and in other species of the leguminous genus, Caragana.
Project description:Analysis of gene expression changes of Mesorhizobium alhagi CCNWXJ12-2 under high salt stress. Mesorhizobium alhagi CCNWXJ12-2 is isolated from Alhagi sparsifolia in northwest of China.
Project description:High tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a predictive biomarker for the responsiveness of cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy that indicates whether immune cells can sufficiently recognize cancer cells as non-self. However, about 30% of all cancers from The Cancer Genome Atlas are classified as immune-desert tumors lacking T cell infiltration despite high TMB. Since the underlying mechanism of these immune-desert tumors has yet to be unraveled, there is a pressing need to transform such immune-desert tumors into immune-inflamed tumors and thereby enhance their responsiveness to anti-PD1 therapy. Here, we present a systems framework for identifying immuno-oncotargets, based on analysis of gene regulatory networks, and validating the effect of these targets in transforming immune-desert into immune-inflamed tumors. In particular, we identify DEAD-box helicases 54 (DDX54) as a master regulator of immune escape in immune-desert lung cancer with high TMB, and show that knockdown of DDX54 can increase immune cell infiltration and lead to improved sensitivity to anti-PD1 therapy.
