瓜蒌皮激活PI3K/PKB通路减轻柯萨奇病毒感染心肌细胞损伤的实验研究

柯萨奇病毒B3(Coxsackievirus B3,CVB3)是引起病毒性心肌炎最常见的病毒株,感染心肌细胞后能够激活细胞凋亡、引起细胞损伤;已有研究证实,瓜萎皮激活磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶(Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase,PI3K)/蛋白激酶B(Protein kinase B,PKB)通路减轻缺氧/复氧引起的心肌细胞凋亡,但瓜萎皮对CVB3感染引起心肌细胞凋亡的调节作用及机制尚不清楚.因此,本研究将观察瓜蒌皮激活PI3K/PKB通路减轻柯萨奇病毒感染心肌细胞损伤的作用.在培养心肌H9c2细胞后分组,对照组给予不含药物及病毒的培养基,CVB3组给予含有CVB3病毒液的培养基,瓜萎皮组含有CVB3病毒液及瓜萎皮提取物的培养基,瓜萎皮+抑制剂组含有CVB3病毒液、瓜萎皮提取物及抑制剂LY294002的培养基.检测培养基中乳酸脱氢酶(Lactic dehydrogenase,LDH)及磷酸肌酸激酶同工酶(Creatine phosphokinase-isoenzyme-MB,CK-MB)的含量、细胞活力 A490、细胞凋亡率、细胞中 cleaved caspase-9、cleaved caspase-3、p-PI3K、p-PKB的表达.结果显示,与对照组比较,CVB3组培养基中LDH、CK-MB的含量、细胞凋亡率、细胞中天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶-9(cleaved caspase-9,cleaved cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-9)、cleaved caspase-3的表达均增加,A490及细胞中p-PI3K、p-PKB的表达均降低(P＜0.05);与CVB3组比较,瓜萎皮组培养基中LDH、CK-MB的含量、细胞凋亡率、细胞中cleaved caspase-9、cleaved caspase-3的表达均降低,A490及细胞中p-PI3K、p-PKB的表达均增加(P＜0.05);与瓜萎皮组比较,瓜萎皮+抑制剂组培养基中LDH、CK-MB的含量、细胞凋亡率、细胞中cleaved caspase-9、cleaved caspase-3的表达均增加,A490及细胞中p-PI3K、p-PKB的表达均降低(P＜0.05).以上结果表明,瓜萎皮提取物能够减轻CVB3感染心肌细胞的损伤及凋亡,激活PI3K/PKB通路是可能的分子机制.本研究首次发现瓜萎皮提取物对CVB3感染心肌细胞的损伤和凋亡具有抑制作用;同时,本研究还初步阐明了瓜萎皮提取物发挥心肌保护作用的分子机制、即激活PI3K/PKB通路.     

Genetic variants and mutational spectrum of Chinese Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome patients

Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare recessive disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism or ocular albinism, bleeding diathesis, and other symptoms such as colitis and pulmonary fibrosis. Eleven causative genes have been identified for HPS‐1–HPS‐11 subtypes in humans. We have identified 16 newly reported patients including the first HPS‐2 case in the Chinese population. In a total of 40 HPS patients, hypopigmentation was milder in HPS‐3, HPS‐5, and HPS‐6 patients than in HPS‐1 and HPS‐4 patients. HPS‐1 accounted for 47.5% (19 of 40) of HPS cases which is the most common subtype. Exons 11 and 19 were the hotspots of the HPS1 gene mutations. In total, 55 allelic variants were identified in HPS1–HPS6 gene, of which 17 variants were previously unreported. These results will be useful for the evaluation of the relationship between HPS genotypes and phenotypes, and for the precise intervention of HPS patients in the Chinese population.     

基于过程的群落生态学理论框架

如何解释群落的物种多样性是群落生态学的核心问题之一,贯穿于群落生态学的整个发展过程,至今仍未得到圆满解决.与这个问题有关的理论层出不穷,使得群落生态学研究产生了很多混乱,这种状况促使一些生态学家开始反思群落生态学是否一定要从群落结构出发?最近,一个新的、基于过程的理论框架为群落生态学提供了更有前景的发展方向.该理论框架...     

Simultaneous in vitro molecular screening of protein-peptide interactions by flow cytometry, using six Bcl-2 family proteins as examples

The B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family contains six antiapoptotic members, each with a hydrophobic pocket in which Bcl-2 homology region 3 (BH3) helices bind. This binding quenches apoptotic signals from activated BH3 family members. Many tumor cells either have increased expression of one of these six proteins or become overexpressed under treatment. Six fusion proteins made up of glutathione-S-transferase and each of the Bcl-2 members are bound individually to six glutathione bead sets, each set being easily distinguished by its different intensity of red fluorescence. The coated bead sets are washed, combined and incubated with green fluorescent Bim-BH3 peptide and a small molecule in 10-μl wells for 1 h. The green fluorescence signal for each bead set is resolved, and selective inhibitors are expected to reduce the signal for individual bead sets. Each 384-well plate is analyzed in 12 min, measuring 200 of 2,000 beads (～10%) of each type per well.     

结核分枝杆菌ESX-1分泌蛋白ESAT-6增强巨噬细胞吞噬功能

【目的】研究结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)分泌蛋白ESAT-6(early secreted antigenictarget of 6 kDa)对巨噬细胞吞噬功能的影响。【方法】用重组质粒pFLAG-ESAT-6和pFLAG-EGFP转染RAW264.7细胞,经G418筛选,PCR、RT-PCR和Western blot鉴定,获得稳定表达flag-ESAT-6和flag-EGFP的RAW细胞系,然后用流式细胞术观察各稳转细胞系吞噬荧光微球的能力,并用共聚焦显微镜和菌落计数法检测稳转细胞系吞噬大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)的能力。【结果】获得了稳定表达flag-ESAT-6的RAW-E6细胞系和表达flag-EGFP的RAW-EGFP细胞系;流式细胞术检测结果表明RAW-E6吞噬荧光微球的能力显著强于野生型细胞系RAW264.7和对照细胞系RAW-EGFP;菌落计数和激光共聚焦分析表明RAW-E6细胞系吞噬E.coli的能力也显著强于RAW264.7和RAW-EGFP。【结论】通过胞内表达发现结核分枝杆菌分泌蛋白ESAT-6能够增强巨噬细胞的吞噬功能,这将为深入理解结核分枝杆菌的致病机制提供新的思路。     

Tomato SlMPK4 is required for resistance against Botrytis cinerea and tolerance to drought stress

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MPKs) play important roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses. In the present study, we identified a tomato MPK gene, SlMPK4, a possible homolog of Arabidopsis AtMPK4, and performed functional analysis to examine its possible roles in biotic and abiotic responses. Expression of SlMPK4 was induced by infection with Botrytis cinerea and by exogenous application of jasmonic acid and ethylene precursor 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. Knockdown of the endogenous SlMPK4 expression through virus-induced gene silencing in tomato plants (TRV-SlMPK4) resulted in increased susceptibility to B. cinerea. Expression of defense-related genes SlPR1a and SlPR1b were up-regulated in the SlMPK4-silenced plants. Furthermore, silencing of the SlMPK4 gene also resulted in reduced tolerance against drought stress, leading to earlier wilting symptom under drought stress condition, as compared with the control plants. These results suggest important roles for SlMPK4 in disease resistance against B. cinerea and tolerance to drought stress.     

Exome Sequencing and Linkage Analysis Identified Tenascin-C (TNC) as a Novel Causative Gene in Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss

In this study, a five-generation Chinese family (family F013) with progressive autosomal dominant hearing loss was mapped to a critical region spanning 28.54 Mb on chromosome 9q31.3-q34.3 by linkage analysis, which was a novel DFNA locus, assigned as DFNA56. In this interval, there were 398 annotated genes. Then, whole exome sequencing was applied in three patients and one normal individual from this family. Six single nucleotide variants and two indels were found co-segregated with the phenotypes. Then using mass spectrum (Sequenom, Inc.) to rank the eight sites, we found only the TNC gene be co-segregated with hearing loss in 53 subjects of F013. And this missense mutation (c.5317G>A, p.V1773M ) of TNC located exactly in the critical linked interval. Further screening to the coding region of this gene in 587 subjects with nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) found a second missense mutation, c.5368A>T (p. T1796S), co-segregating with phenotype in the other family. These two mutations located in the conserved region of TNC and were absent in the 387 normal hearing individuals of matched geographical ancestry. Functional effects of the two mutations were predicted using SIFT and both mutations were deleterious. All these results supported that TNC may be the causal gene for the hearing loss inherited in these families. TNC encodes tenascin-C, a member of the extracellular matrix (ECM), is present in the basilar membrane (BM), and the osseous spiral lamina of the cochlea. It plays an important role in cochlear development. The up-regulated expression of TNC gene in tissue repair and neural regeneration was seen in human and zebrafish, and in sensory receptor recovery in the vestibular organ after ototoxic injury in birds. Then the absence of normal tenascin-C was supposed to cause irreversible injuries in cochlea and caused hearing loss.     

芥菜HDA9突变体构建及其与开花整合子SOC1、AGL24启动子互作

芥菜HDA9是去乙酰化酶家族成员,能通过开花信号整合子(SOC1、AGL24)调控开花时间,但其深入的分子调控机制仍不清楚。利用重叠延伸PCR将芥菜HDA9的3个关键活性位点(Asp~(172)、His~(174)和Asp~(261))分别突变为Ala,构建氨基酸位点突变体HDA9~(D172A)、HDA9~(H174A)和HDA9~(D261A)。进一步将突变体融合到pGADT7载体,酵母单杂交表明,HDA9突变后仍能与开花整合子SOC1、AGL24的启动子结合。双荧光素酶系统深入检测发现,尽管HDA9~(D172A)、HDA9~(H174A)和HDA9~(D261A)与SOC1、AGL24启动子的结合仍存在,但作用强度均显著减弱。由此暗示,芥菜HDA9的第172、174和261这3个关键活性位点可在一定程度上调节它与开花整合子的相互作用。这为HDA9开花分子调控及功能解析等深入研究奠定了基础。     

利用荧光蛋白标记西瓜枯萎病菌的过氧化物酶体及细胞核

西瓜枯萎病是一种世界范围的西瓜毁灭性病害,其病原菌为尖孢镰刀菌西瓜专化型(Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum,FON)。研究病原菌生长发育和侵染的机制是解决病害的根本途径。利用荧光蛋白对细胞或细胞器进行标记,是病原菌研究中的重要方法。该研究利用绿色荧光蛋白和红色荧光蛋白对FON的细胞核和过氧化物酶体进行了荧光标记。通过农杆菌介导转化(Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation,AtMT),该文将3种不同的荧光定位载体分别导入FON,获得了细胞核红色荧光标记的转化子(潮霉素抗性,含mCherry-H2B融合蛋白),以及过氧化物酶体绿色(潮霉素抗性,含GFP-PTS1融合蛋白)和红色(潮霉素抗性,含DsRED-PTS1融合蛋白)荧光标记的转化子各1种。在标记细胞核的菌株中,菌丝、孢子都可见明亮、圆形的红色荧光点,荧光点与DAPI染色标记的细胞核区域完全重合。在过氧化物酶体标记的菌株中,菌丝、孢子中可见明亮的红色或绿色荧光成小点状分布,符合过氧化物酶体的分布特征,而且在脂类物质诱导的条件下,荧光点的数量明显增加。此外,该文还利用细胞壁荧光染色剂卡氏白对3种荧光蛋白标记菌株进行染色。结果显示,卡氏白染色产生的蓝色荧光与红、绿荧光蛋白的荧光在FON中互不干扰。转化子继代培养和初步分析表明,其表型与野生型无差异,菌株继代后荧光表达稳定、定位明显。该结果为进一步研究FON细胞器动态、生长发育与致病分子机制提供了方法和工具。