Biomedical subjects

Xiaoling Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Xiaoling Wang.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Genetic determinants of childhood blood pressure and heart rate in relation to adult health outcomes: the consortium of childhood blood pressure.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To elucidate the genetic architecture of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) during early life and assess their potential relevance to adult health outcomes. METHODS: The largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses to date of childhood systolic BP, diastolic BP, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure (n = 28 425) and HR (n = 22 565) were conducted in children of European ancestry aged 4-17 years. Follow-up analyses included comparisons with adult GWAS results, polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses in independent cohorts of diverse ancestries, and a phenome-wide association study in the UK Biobank. RESULTS: Eight genome-wide significant loci were identified for childhood BP (KIAA2013, CACNB2, PLCE1, PAX2, COL4A2, RP11-236L14.1, CFDP1, TPX2) and three loci for childhood HR (CCDC141, ACHE, MYH6); all novel in children but previously reported in adults. Childhood PRSs explained up to 1.6% of BP variance and 5.2% of HR variance among children of European ancestry. Genetic correlations between childhood and adulthood BP traits were moderate (rg = 0.4-0.7), suggesting age-specific genetic effects on BP. In the UK Biobank, higher childhood BP PRS levels were significantly associated with a broad range of adult health outcomes, particularly cardiometabolic outcomes such as hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular disease-related mortality. CONCLUSIONS: These findings advance the understanding of the genetic architecture of childhood BP and HR and provide compelling genetic evidence linking childhood BP to a broad spectrum of adult health outcomes-particularly cardiometabolic conditions-which may inform targeted prevention strategies from a young age.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Chromosome-level genome assembly of Triplophysa scleroptera.

Triplophysa scleroptera is an endemic fish species in Qinghai Lake and the upper reaches of the Yellow River. However, studies on conservation and evolutionary genetics were seriously impeded by the absence of a reference genome. Here, by using PacBio HiFi sequencing and Hi-C assembly technology, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of T. scleroptera, with a total length of 660.22 Mb and 99.82% of the sequence anchored to 25 chromosomes. The contig N50 and scaffold N50 were 9.09 Mb and 24.38 Mb, respectively. The evaluation using BUSCO indicated the genome assembly to be 96.40% complete. About 33.41% of the genome consists of repeat elements. We predicted 26,168 protein-coding genes in the genome, and 99.02% of them were functionally annotated. This high-quality reference genome would serve as a valuable genomic resource for advancing evolutionary conservation genetics studies in this species.

Animals↗

PubMed2025

RNAi screening of uncharacterized genes identifies promising druggable targets in Schistosoma japonicum.

Schistosomiasis affects more than 250 million people worldwide and is one of the neglected tropical diseases. Currently, the treatment of schistosomiasis relies on a single drug-praziquantel-which has led to increasing pressure from drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new treatments. The development of genome sequencing has provided valuable information for understanding the biology of schistosomes. In the genome of Schistosoma japonicum, approximately 11% of the protein-coding sequences are uncharacterized genes (UGs) annotated as "hypothetical protein" or "protein of unknown function." These poorly understood genes have been unjustifiably neglected, although some may be essential for the survival of the parasites and serve as potential drug targets. In this study, we systematically mined the highly expressed UGs in both genders of this parasite throughout key developmental stages in their mammalian host, using our previously published S. japonicum genome and RNA-seq data. By employing in vitro RNA interference (RNAi), we screened 126 UGs that lack homologs in Homo sapiens and identified 8 that are essential for the parasite vitality. We further investigated two UGs, Sjc_0002003 and Sjc_0009272, which resulted in the most severe phenotypes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrated that both genes were expressed throughout the body without sex bias. Silencing either Sjc_0002003 or Sjc_0009272 reduced the cell proliferation in the body. Furthermore, in vivo RNAi indicated both genes are required for the growth and survival of the parasites in the mammalian host. For Sjc_0002003, we further characterize the underlying molecular cause of the observed phenotype. Through RNA-seq analysis and functional studies, we revealed that silencing Sjc_0002003 reduces the expression of a series of intestinal genes, including Sjc_0007312 (hypothetical protein), Sjc_0008276 (vha-17), Sjc_0002942 (PLA2G15), and Sjc_0003646 (SJCHGC09134 protein), leading to gut dilation. Our work highlights the importance of UGs in schistosomes as promising targets for drug development in the treatment of the schistosomiasis.

Schistosoma japonicum↗

PubMed2024

SpRY-mediated screens facilitate functional dissection of non-coding sequences at single-base resolution.

CRISPR mutagenesis screens conducted with SpCas9 and other nucleases have identified certain cis-regulatory elements and genetic variants but at a limited resolution due to the absence of protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequences. Here, leveraging the broad targeting scope of the near-PAMless SpRY variant, we have demonstrated that saturated SpRY mutagenesis and base editing screens can faithfully identify functional regulatory elements and essential genetic variants for target gene expression at single-base resolution. We further extended this methodology to investigate a genome-wide association study (GWAS) locus at 10q22.1 associated with a red blood cell trait, where we identified potential enhancers regulating HK1 gene expression, despite not all of these enhancers exhibiting typical chromatin signatures. More importantly, our saturated base editing screens pinpoint multiple causal variants within this locus that would otherwise be missed by Bayesian statistical fine-mapping. Our approach is generally applicable to functional interrogation of all non-coding genomic elements while complementing other high-coverage CRISPR screens.

Humans↗