Scientific News in China

1. Scientific News in China By: Paris Holland

2. Chinese researchers identify a key protein behind depression • Chinese researchers identified a key protein in the brain that is responsible for the development of depression • This is a significant find because it provides a possible route in therapies to treat depression • Earlier studies show that cells in the region of the brain called lateral habenula are hyperactive in individuals who are depressed

4. The experiment • Researchers used a technique called quantitative proteomic screeningto examine the proteins in the LHB tissue of regular rats and rats that were depressed since birth • A protein called CaM was twice the amount in depressed rats • Using antidepressants their symptoms decreased and improved significantly – causing the levels of CaM in LHB tissue to drop • This data further led to experimentation on what level of protein is required in the LHB tissue to cause depression • Injected variable levels of protein into regular and depressed rats – LHB activity greatly increased • Most testing included subjecting the animals to their attractiveness to sugar and subjecting them to forced swim tests in order to see their willingness to stay afloat • Those with high CaM levels showed less interest than regular rats to sugar and others fought less to stay afloat in the swim tests – symptoms of depression

5. The result • Depression symptoms were able to be reversed when the CaM expression was reduced using a technique called RNA interference • Gene silencing – methylation in DNA codons • “Our study shows is that depression could be reversed via regulating a molecule’s expression levels in a part of the brain…Hence, it provides a new potential target for gene therapy of depression” – Professor Hailan Hu at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences

6. More Scientific News • Chinese archaeologists recently discovered a well-preserved and large burial complex • Dates back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties (1600B.C. – 256B.C.) • Discovered at Dashahe Wetland in Jiaozou City in Central China’s Henan province • Shell ornaments, jade objects, and other cultural relics were discovered

7. More Scientific News • China produces a genetic map of Tibetan barley • Chinese scientist sequenced the entire genome of highland barley • This could help cultivate better breeds of Tibet’s barley and increase production • Project was launched in 2012 by researchers at Tibet’s Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences and BGI Tech Solutions in Shenzhen • The study assembled 3.89 billion base pairs of the estimated 4.5 billion base pairs that make up the DNA in highland barley • Highland barley makes up 70% of all cereal crops in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region which is the home of the world’s leading barley production base • The regions annual yield increased to 660,000 tonnes – a record high in the past decade

8. Sources • 1. "Chinese Researchers Identify Key Protein behind Depression - People's Daily Online." Chinese Researchers Identify Key Protein behind Depression - People's Daily Online. Ed. Weng Xin. People's Daily Online, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/8383038.html>. • 2. Xin, Weng. "Ancient Burial Complex Found in Central China." People's Daily Online. People's Daily Online, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. <http://english.people.com.cn/98649/8571300.html>. • 3. Yang, Cheng. "China Exclusive: China Produces Genetic Map of Tibetan Barley." - Xinhua. N.p., 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2014-03/03/c_133156399.htm>.