Reference transcriptomes and comparative analyses of six species in the threatened rosewood genus Dalbergia
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Authors: Hung, Tin Hang; So, Thea; Sreng, Syneath; Thammavong, Bansa; Boounithiphonh, Chaloun; Boshier, David H.; MacKay, John J.
Abstract
Dalbergia is a pantropical genus with more than 250 species, many of which are highly threatened due to overexploitation for their rosewood timber, along with general deforestation. Many Dalbergia species have received international attention for conservation, but the lack of genomic resources for Dalbergia hinders evolutionary studies and conservation applications, which are important for adaptive management. This study produced the first reference transcriptomes for 6 Dalbergia species with different geographical origins and predicted similar to 32 to 49 K unique genes. We showed the utility of these transcriptomes by phylogenomic analyses with other Fabaceae species, estimating the divergence time of extant Dalbergia species to similar to 14.78 MYA. We detected over-representation in 13 Pfam terms including HSP, ALDH and ubiquitin families in Dalbergia. We also compared the gene families of geographically co-occurring D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri and observed that more genes underwent positive selection and there were more diverged disease resistance proteins in the more widely distributed D. oliveri, consistent with reports that it occupies a wider ecological niche and has higher genetic diversity. We anticipate that the reference transcriptomes will facilitate future population genomics and gene-environment association studies on Dalbergia, as well as contributing to the genomic database where plants, particularly threatened ones, are currently underrepresented.
A20: a master regulator of arthritis
ARTHRITIS RESEARCH & THERAPY
Authors: Wu, Yongyao; He, Xiaomin; Huang, Ning; Yu, Jiayun; Shao, Bin
Abstract
A20, also known as TNF-alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3), is an anti-inflammatory protein that plays an important part in both immune responses and cell death. Impaired A20 function is associated with several human inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Although the role of A20 in mediating inflammation has been frequently discussed, its intrinsic link to arthritis awaits further explanation. Here, we review new findings that further demonstrate the molecular mechanisms through which A20 regulates inflammatory arthritis, and we discuss the regulation of A20 by many factors. We conclude by reviewing the latest A20-associated mouse models that have been applied in related research because they reflect the characteristics of arthritis, the study of which will hopefully cast new light on anti-arthritis treatments.