A novel procedure for the assessment of the antioxidant capacity of food components

Carbonylation, an oxidative modification of the amino group of arginine and lysine residues caused by reactive oxygen species, has emerged as a new type of oxidative damage. Protein carbonylation has been shown to exert adverse effects on various protein functions. Recently, the role of food components in the attenuation of oxidative stress has been the focus of many studies. Most of these studies focused on the chemical properties of food components. However, it is also important to determine their effects on protein functions via post-translational modifications. In this study, we developed a novel procedure for evaluating the antioxidant capacity of food components. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced protein carbonylation in HL-60 cells was quantitatively analyzed by using fluorescent dyes (Cy5–hydrazide dye and IC3–OSu dye), followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and fluorescence determination. Among a panel of food components tested, quinic acid, kaempferol, saponin, squalene, trigonelline, and mangiferin were shown to be capable of suppressing protein carbonylation in HL-60 cells. Our results demonstrated that this fluorescence labeling/SDS–PAGE procedure allows for the detection of oxidative stress-induced protein carbonylation with high sensitivity and quantitative accuracy. This method should be useful for the screening of new antioxidant food components as well as the analysis of their suppression mechanism.     

Multiple mechanisms contributed to the reduced stability of Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem following nitrogen enrichment

Plant and Soil - Global nitrogen enrichment has been identified as a major environmental problem that poses a threat to ecosystem functioning. However, there is no consensus on the impact of...     

Cohesin acetylation and Wapl‐Pds5 oppositely regulate translocation of cohesin along DNA

Cohesin is a ring‐shaped protein complex that plays a crucial role in sister chromatid cohesion and gene expression. The dynamic association of cohesin with chromatin is essential for these functions. However, the exact nature of cohesin dynamics, particularly cohesin translocation, remains unclear. We evaluated the dynamics of individual cohesin molecules on DNA and found that the cohesin core complex possesses an intrinsic ability to traverse DNA in an adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase)‐dependent manner. Translocation ability is suppressed in the presence of Wapl‐Pds5 and Sororin; this suppression is alleviated by the acetylation of cohesin and the action of mitotic kinases. In Xenopus laevis egg extracts, cohesin is translocated on unreplicated DNA in an ATPase‐ and Smc3 acetylation‐dependent manner. Cohesin movement changes from bidirectional to unidirectional when cohesin faces DNA replication; otherwise, it is incorporated into replicating DNA without being translocated or is dissociated from replicating DNA. This study provides insight into the nature of individual cohesin dynamics and the mechanisms by which cohesin achieves cohesion in different chromatin contexts.     

Facile Diastereoseparation of Glycosyl Sulfoxides by Chiral Stationary Phase

Separation of the diastereomers of glycosyl sulfoxides differing in the sulfur chirality has been difficult. This article presents a fast and scalable method for their diastereoseparation using a chiral stationary phase. The usefulness of this method was demonstrated in a 500‐mg scale separation within 20 min, and in the separation of trisaccharyl sulfoxide diastereomers. Chirality 28:534–539, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Identification of a novel COL4A5 mutation in the proband initially diagnosed as IgAN from a Chinese family with X-linked Alport syndrome

Alport syndrome(AS) is a hereditary progressive nephropathy characterized by hematuria, ultrastructural lesions of the glomerular basement membrane, ocular lesions and sensorineural hearing loss. Germline mutations of COL4 A5 are associated with X-linked AS with an extreme phenotypic heterogeneity. Here, we investigated a Chinese family with Alport syndrome. The proband was a 9-year-old boy with hematuria and proteinuria. Based on the test results of renal biopsy and immunofluorescence,the proband was initially diagnosed as Ig A nephropathy and the treatment was recommended accordingly. Meanwhile, we found that the treatment outcome was poor. Therefore, for proper clinical diagnosis and appropriate treatment, targeted exome-based next-generation sequencing has been undertaken. We identified a novel hemizygous single nucleotide deletion c.1902 del A in COL4 A5 gene. Segregation analysis identified that this novel mutation is co-segregated among the affected family members but absent in unaffected family members. The clinical diagnosis of the proband was revised as AS accompanied by Ig A nephropathy,which has been rarely reported. Our findings demonstrated the significance of the application of Genetic screening, expanded the mutation spectrum of COL4 A5 associated AS patients with atypical renal phenotypes and provided a good lesson to be learned from our detour during the diagnosis.     

Danqi soft capsule prevents infarct border zone remodelling and reduces susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in post‐myocardial infarction rats

Danqi soft capsule (DQ) is a traditional Chinese medicine containing Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng; it is safe and efficient in treating ischaemic heart diseases. The purpose of the present study was to assess whether DQ could prevent infarct border zone (IBZ) remodelling and decrease ventricular arrhythmias occurrence in post‐myocardial infarction (MI) stage. MI was induced by a ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. DQ was administered to the post‐MI rats started from 1 week after MI surgery for 4 weeks. The results showed that DQ treatment significantly attenuated tachyarrhythmia induction rates and arrhythmia score in post‐MI rats. In echocardiography, DQ improved left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function. Histological assessment revealed that DQ significantly reduced fibrotic areas and myocyte areas, and increased connexin (Cx) 43 positive areas in IBZ. Western blot revealed that DQ treatment significantly reduced the protein expression levels of type I and III collagens, α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and Smad3 phosphorylation, while increasing Cx43 amounts. Overall, these findings mainly indicated that DQ intervention regulates interstitial fibrosis, Cx43 expression and myocyte hypertrophy by TGF‐β1/Smad3 pathway in IBZ, inhibits LV remodelling and reduces vulnerability to tachyarrhythmias after MI. This study presents a proof of concept for novel antiarrhythmic strategies in preventing IBZ remodelling, modifying the healed arrhythmogenic substrate and thus reducing susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in the late post‐MI period.     

Vanadate‐Based Materials for Li‐Ion Batteries: The Search for Anodes for Practical Applications

While the practical application of electrode materials depends intensively on the Li⁺ ion storage mechanisms correlating ultimately with the coulombic efficiency, reversible capacity, and morphology variation of electrode material upon cycling, only intercalation‐type electrode materials have proven viable for commercialization up to now. This paper reviews the promising anode materials of metal vanadates (M_xV_yO_z, M = Co, Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ni, Li) that have high capacity, low cost, and abundant resource, and also discusses the related Li⁺ ion storage mechanism. It is concluded that most of these (M_xV_yO_z, M = Co, Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ni) exhibit irreversible redox reactions upon lithiation/delithiation accompanied by large volume expansion, which is not favorable for industrial applications. In particular, Li₃VO₄ with specific intercalation Li⁺ ion storage mechanism and compatible merits of safety and energy density exhibits great potential for practical application. This review systematically summarizes the latest progress in Li₃VO₄ research, including the representative fabrication approaches for advanced morphology and state‐of‐the‐art technologies to boost performance and the morphology variation associated with Li⁺ ion storage mechanisms. Furthermore, an outlook on where breakthroughs for Li₃VO₄ may be most likely achieved will be provided.     

Model studies for isolation of G-quadruplex-forming DNA sequences through a pull-down strategy with macrocyclic polyoxazole

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-B DNA structures present in guanine-rich regions of gene regulatory areas, promoters and CpG islands, but their occurrence and functions remain incompletely understood. Thus, methodology to identify G4 sequences is needed. Here, we describe the synthesis of a novel cyclic hepta-oxazole compound, L1Bio-7OTD (1), bearing a biotin affinity-tag as a tool to pull down G4 structures from mixtures of G4-forming and non G4-forming DNA sequences. We confirmed that it could pull down G4s associated with telomeres, bcl-2 gene, and c-kit gene.