Exclusion of a luminous red giant as a companion star to the progenitor of supernova SN 2011fe

Type Ia supernovae are thought to result from a thermonuclear explosion of an accreting white dwarf in a binary system, but little is known of the precise nature of the companion star and the physical properties of the progenitor system. There are two classes of models: double-degenerate (involving two white dwarfs in a close binary system) and single-degenerate models. In the latter, the primary white dwarf accretes material from a secondary companion until conditions are such that carbon ignites, at a mass of 1.38 times the mass of the Sun. The type Ia supernova SN 2011fe was recently detected in a nearby galaxy. Here we report an analysis of archival images of the location of SN 2011fe. The luminosity of the progenitor system (especially the companion star) is 10-100 times fainter than previous limits on other type Ia supernova progenitor systems, allowing us to rule out luminous red giants and almost all helium stars as the mass-donating companion to the exploding white dwarf.     

Fraser syndrome and mouse blebbed phenotype caused by mutations in FRAS1/Fras1 encoding a putative extracellular matrix protein

Fraser syndrome (OMIM 219000) is a multisystem malformation usually comprising cryptophthalmos, syndactyly and renal defects. Here we report autozygosity mapping and show that the locus FS1 at chromosome 4q21 is associated with Fraser syndrome, although the condition is genetically heterogeneous. Mutation analysis identified five frameshift mutations in FRAS1, which encodes one member of a family of novel proteins related to an extracellular matrix (ECM) blastocoelar protein found in sea urchin. The FRAS1 protein contains a series of N-terminal cysteine-rich repeat motifs previously implicated in BMP metabolism, suggesting that it has a role in both structure and signal propagation in the ECM. It has been speculated that Fraser syndrome is a human equivalent of the blebbed phenotype in the mouse, which has been associated with mutations in at least five loci including bl. As mapping data were consistent with homology of FRAS1 and bl, we screened DNA from bl/bl mice and identified a premature termination of mouse Fras1. Thus, the bl mouse is a model for Fraser syndrome in humans, a disorder caused by disrupted epithelial integrity in utero.     

Mutations in SUFU predispose to medulloblastoma

Enchondromas are common benign cartilage tumors of bone. They can occur as solitary lesions or as multiple lesions in enchondromatosis (Ollier and Maffucci diseases). Clinical problems caused by enchondromas include skeletal deformity and the potential for malignant change to chondrosarcoma. The extent of skeletal involvement is variable in enchondromatosis and may include dysplasia that is not directly attributable to enchondromas. Enchondromatosis is rare, obvious inheritance of the condition is unusual and no candidate loci have been identified. Enchondromas are usually in close proximity to, or in continuity with, growth-plate cartilage. Consequently, they may result from abnormal regulation of proliferation and terminal differentiation of chondrocytes in the adjoining growth plate. In normal growth plates, differentiation of proliferative chondrocytes to post-mitotic hypertrophic chondrocytes is regulated in part by a tightly coupled signaling relay involving parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP) and Indian hedgehog (IHH). PTHrP delays the hypertrophic differentiation of proliferating chondrocytes, whereas IHH promotes chondrocyte proliferation. We identified a mutant PTH/PTHrP type I receptor (PTHR1) in human enchondromatosis that signals abnormally in vitro and causes enchondroma-like lesions in transgenic mice. The mutant receptor constitutively activates Hedgehog signaling, and excessive Hedgehog signaling is sufficient to cause formation of enchondroma-like lesions.     

A unified mixed-model method for association mapping that accounts for multiple levels of relatedness

As population structure can result in spurious associations, it has constrained the use of association studies in human and plant genetics. Association mapping, however, holds great promise if true signals of functional association can be separated from the vast number of false signals generated by population structure. We have developed a unified mixed-model approach to account for multiple levels of relatedness simultaneously as detected by random genetic markers. We applied this new approach to two samples: a family-based sample of 14 human families, for quantitative gene expression dissection, and a sample of 277 diverse maize inbred lines with complex familial relationships and population structure, for quantitative trait dissection. Our method demonstrates improved control of both type I and type II error rates over other methods. As this new method crosses the boundary between family-based and structured association samples, it provides a powerful complement to currently available methods for association mapping.     

The Effects of Different Culture Systems on the Quality of Bovine In Vitro Fertilized Embryos

研究探讨了不同体外培养条件下牛体外受精胚胎的发育速度及囊胚细胞数，从而了解不同体外培养系统对牛体外受精胚胎质量的影响．实验一中将体外受精卵分别在ＳＯＦ＋牛输卵管上皮细胞（ＢＯＥＣ）和ＴＣＭ１９９＋ＢＯＥＣ两种培养系统内培养，在这两种培养条件下囊胚发育率分别为２２．２％和２１．２％，囊胚细胞数分别为１１３．３±５．０和９７．９±８．３，受精后第６～９ｄ的囊胚出现率分别为４０．１％ａ、３７．０％、１９．２％ｂ、２．７％和１３．５％ｃ、３２．７％、３６．５％ｄ、１７．３％（ａ＞ｃ，Ｐ＜０．０１，ｄ＞ｂ，Ｐ＜０．０５），表明牛体外受精卵在ＳＯＦ＋ＢＯＥＣ中的发育速度快于在ＴＣＭ１９９＋ＢＯＥＣ中．实验二中将体外受精卵分别培养于ＳＯＦ＋ＢＯＥＣ、ＳＯＦ＋牛卵丘细胞、ＳＯＦ＋ＢＳＡ三种培养系统中，结果囊胚发育率分别为３５．５％ｅ、２９．４％和２２．４％ｆ（ｅ＞ｆ，Ｐ＜０．０１），囊胚细胞数分别为１１７．３±８．０ｇ、９４．２±９．３和９０．２±９．４ｈ（ｇ＞ｈ，Ｐ＜０．０５）．实验三观察了体外受精胚胎在ＳＯＦ＋ＢＯＥＣ培养条件下发育速度与囊胚细胞数的关系，结果第６～９ｄ的囊胚细胞数分别为１１０．８±１０．２ｉ、１２８．     

Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease

Metabolomics studies hold promise for the discovery of pathways linked to disease processes. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide. Here we used a metabolomics approach to generate unbiased small-molecule metabolic profiles in plasma that predict risk for CVD. Three metabolites of the dietary lipid phosphatidylcholine--choline, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and betaine--were identified and then shown to predict risk for CVD in an independent large clinical cohort. Dietary supplementation of mice with choline, TMAO or betaine promoted upregulation of multiple macrophage scavenger receptors linked to atherosclerosis, and supplementation with choline or TMAO promoted atherosclerosis. Studies using germ-free mice confirmed a critical role for dietary choline and gut flora in TMAO production, augmented macrophage cholesterol accumulation and foam cell formation. Suppression of intestinal microflora in atherosclerosis-prone mice inhibited dietary-choline-enhanced atherosclerosis. Genetic variations controlling expression of flavin monooxygenases, an enzymatic source of TMAO, segregated with atherosclerosis in hyperlipidaemic mice. Discovery of a relationship between gut-flora-dependent metabolism of dietary phosphatidylcholine and CVD pathogenesis provides opportunities for the development of new diagnostic tests and therapeutic approaches for atherosclerotic heart disease.     

Consensus supertrees: The synthesis of rooted trees containing overlapping sets of labeled leaves

Given two dendrograms (rooted tree diagrams) which have some but not all of their base points in common, a supertree is a dendrogram from which each of the original trees can be regarded as samples The distinction is made between inconsistent and consistent sample trees, defined by whether or not the samples provide contradictory information about the supertree An algorithm for obtaining the strict consensus supertree of two consistent sample trees is presented, as are procedures for merging two inconsistent sample trees Some suggestions for future work are made     

重症监护病人脑电数据的自动聚类分析（英文）

癫痫性发作、持续状态及痫样节律性活动是常见的病理性脑部放电状态,通常会在急性脑损伤患者的脑电图（EEG）中表现出来。完成此类病理性波形的有效标记,是进一步诊断与治疗相关疾病的重要前提。为辅助神经内科专家对不同病理波形进行快速标记,文中提出了一种全新的辅助检测标记系统。该系统分别采用特征提取、PCA降维和LE映射可视化等技术,实现EEG中同质模式簇的自动检测。所提方法对哈佛医学院/麻省总医院中10例ICU患者的长时程连续脑电图进行了系统分析。数值实验结果表明,海量脑电数据能够被有效地自动聚类为多种ICU典型标准波形,而且仅通过观测类中心及若干同类成员就能够达到有效标记的目标。同时,LE可视化结果也进一步证实了\"发作间期-发作期\"连续统假设是成立的。