Biomedical subjects

Yuwei Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Yuwei Wang.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Environmentally relevant concentrations of DCOIT impaired lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans.

DCOIT (4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one) is an antifouling biocide widely used as an alternative to organotin compounds. While previous studies had focused on its effects on energy production, endocrine disruption, and lipid metabolism, its impact on aging and underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Here, we demonstrated that environmentally relevant concentrations of DCOIT (37, 370 and 3700 ng/L) significantly impaired both lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans. RNA-seq and validation assays revealed that DCOIT upregulated comt-4, a key gene in dopamine metabolism, leading to dopamine depletion and subsequent induction of oxidative stress. This redox imbalance critically contributed to accelerated aging phenotypes. Importantly, both genetic (comt-4 RNAi) and pharmacological (opicapone) interventions restored dopamine levels, alleviated oxidative stress, and reversed DCOIT-induced aging deficits. Our study established the comt-4/dopamine/oxidative stress axis as a central mechanism in DCOIT toxicity, suggesting dopamine modulation as a potential countermeasure against environmental toxicant-induced aging.

Animals↗

PubMed2025

Doubled Genomes, Divergent Fates: Genomic Insights Into Diversification in an Allotetraploid Cavefish.

Cave environments impose unique challenges that drive remarkable genetic and phenotypic changes in cave-dwelling organisms. In this study, we investigated the genomic basis of adaptation in the small eye golden-line fish (Sinocyclocheilus microphthalmus), an allotetraploid cavefish endemic to Guangxi, China. Using whole-genome resequencing data from 47 individuals across six cave locations, we examined how neutral and selective forces influence diversification. Our analyses uncovered significant population structure indicative of allopatric divergence, along with evidence of locus-specific selection contributing to genomic differentiation. We identified seven single outlier clusters (SOCs), each tied to the divergence of specific populations, underscoring the role of local processes in driving diversity. Genes associated with vision showed relaxed selection, likely reflecting adaptation to darkness, while positive selection on other loci revealed additional functional shifts. Notably, allopolyploidy was found to fuel divergence through subgenome-specific patterns and asymmetric evolution within SOCs and among homoeologs. Taken together, these findings provide valuable insights into mechanisms of cave evolution and illustrate how allotetraploid genomes can facilitate diversification, potentially contributing to speciation in extreme environments.

Animals↗

PubMed2024

Phased telomere-to-telomere reference genome and pangenome reveal an expansion of resistance genes during apple domestication.

The cultivated apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is a cross-pollinated perennial fruit tree of great economic importance. Earlier versions of apple reference genomes were unphased, fragmented, and lacked comprehensive insights into the apple's highly heterozygous genome, which impeded advances in genetic studies and breeding programs. In this study, we assembled a haplotype-resolved telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome for the diploid apple cultivar Golden Delicious. Subsequently, we constructed a pangenome based on 12 assemblies from wild and cultivated species to investigate the dynamic changes of functional genes. Our results revealed the gene gain and loss events during apple domestication. Compared with cultivated species, more gene families in wild species were significantly enriched in oxidative phosphorylation, pentose metabolic process, responses to salt, and abscisic acid biosynthesis process. Our analyses also demonstrated a higher prevalence of different types of resistance gene analogs (RGAs) in cultivars than their wild relatives, partially attributed to segmental and tandem duplication events in certain RGAs classes. Structural variations, mainly deletions and insertions, have affected the presence and absence of TIR-NB-ARC-LRR, NB-ARC-LRR, and CC-NB-ARC-LRR genes. Additionally, hybridization/introgression from wild species has also contributed to the expansion of resistance genes in domesticated apples. Our haplotype-resolved T2T genome and pangenome provide important resources for genetic studies of apples, emphasizing the need to study the evolutionary mechanisms of resistance genes in apple breeding.

Malus↗