Butanol Extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms Alleviates Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

This study investigated the effect of butanol extract of AS (ASBUE) on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^−/−) mice. The mice were administered ASBUE (390 or 130 mg/kg/day) or rosuvastatin (RSV) via oral gavage for eight weeks. In ApoE^−/− mice, ASBUE suppressed the abnormal body weight gain and improved serum and liver biochemical indicators. ASBUE remarkably reduced the aortic plaque area, improved liver pathological conditions, and lipid metabolism abnormalities, and altered the intestinal microbiota structure in ApoE^−/− mice. In the vascular tissue of ASBUE-treated mice, P-IKKβ, P-NFκB, and P-IκBα levels tended to decrease, while IκB-α increased in high fat-diet-fed atherosclerotic mice. These findings demonstrated the anti-atherosclerotic potential of ASBUE, which is mediated by the interaction between the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism and regulated via the Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. This work paves the groundwork for subsequent studies to develop innovative drugs to treat atherosclerosis.     

Differences between migrasome,a ‘new organelle’, and exosome

The migrasome is a new organelle discovered by Professor Yu Li in 2015. When cells migrate, the membranous organelles that appear at the end of the retraction fibres are migrasomes. With the migration of cells, the retraction fibres which connect migrasomes and cells finally break. The migrasomes detach from the cell and are released into the extracellular space or directly absorbed by the recipient cell. The cytoplasmic contents are first transported to the migrasome and then released from the cell through the migrasome. This release mechanism, which depends on cell migration, is named ‘migracytosis’. The main components of the migrasome are extracellular vesicles after they leave the cell, which are easy to remind people of the current hot topic of exosomes. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles wrapped by the lipid bimolecular layer. With extensive research, exosomes have solved many disease problems. This review summarizes the differences between migrasomes and exosomes in size, composition, property and function, extraction method and regulation mechanism for generation and release. At the same time, it also prospects for the current hotspot of migrasomes, hoping to provide literature support for further research on the generation and release mechanism of migrasomes and their clinical application in the future.     

肠道真菌研究进展

真菌菌群是肠道菌群的重要组成部分,在肠道微生态稳态的维持和宿主的免疫调节中发挥重要作用。肠道真菌失调通常和肠道疾病甚至肠道外疾病有关。本文就肠道真菌的定殖与组成、真菌菌群对肠道微生态的调控、菌群失调促进疾病的发展机制、基于肠道真菌的治疗策略和肠道真菌的鉴定分析方法等方面的进展进行了综述和展望,旨在系统认识肠道真菌调节宿主健康和促进疾病发生的机制,为相关疾病的诊断和治疗提供重要参考。     

中国东北地区三种蜜环菌的生物学特性及奥氏蜜环菌人工培养

蜜环菌属Armillaria真菌具有较高的食药用价值。由于蜜环菌的生长发育过程较复杂,还未完全实现商业化栽培,野生资源的供应受到季节性和地域性的影响。本研究以采自东北地区蜜环菌属的3个菌株为研究对象,通过培养物的形态特征及分子标记确定菌株JG19016为奥氏蜜环菌A. ostoyae,菌株JG19017为高卢蜜环菌A. gallica,菌株JG19018为中国蜜环菌生物种C。奥氏蜜环菌JG19016最适生长温度为25 ℃,高卢蜜环菌JG19017的最适生长温度为22 ℃,中国蜜环菌生物种C JG19018则在22-25 ℃时菌丝生长速度最快;3个菌株最适pH为5-6。奥氏蜜环菌JG19016对葡萄糖和蔗糖利用率较好,高卢蜜环菌JG19017对葡萄糖利用率较好,中国蜜环菌生物种C JG19018对葡萄糖和淀粉利用率较好;蛋白胨对3个菌株促进作用最强,为最适氮源。培养基中加入VB₁,对3个菌株的菌丝生长均有明显的促进作用。奥氏蜜环菌JG19016菌丝生长的最优培养基配方为：葡萄糖20 g,蛋白胨3 g,磷酸二氢钾2 g,硫酸镁1.5 g,VB₁ 10 mg,琼脂20 g,水1 L。在木屑基质中培养,其配方的最优碳氮比为38:1,最佳木屑粗细比为3:1以上。出菇条件探索结果显示,菌丝及菌索长满菌袋(17 mm×33 mm×5 mm丝聚乙烯袋)需要50-60 d,之后在18 ℃、60%湿度和12 h散射光的环境中,10 d左右可观察到原基产生。增加菇房湿度到90%-95%,2-3 d可观察到1-3 cm的幼子实体,7 d左右菌柄和菌盖完全分化,10 d左右观察到菌盖展开。     

Solid-phase microextraction and cuticular hydrocarbon differences related to reproductive activity in juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus Motschulsky

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Cerambycidae species can function as signals for sex recognition. Little is known about the copulatory signals of the juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus, a major economic threat to Platycladus orientalis Franco in China. Here, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbons of both sexes of S. bifasciatus to determine the chemically mediated mating signals using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique with carbowax/divinylbenzene fibers (CAR/DVB) and then analyzed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A series of aliphatic saturated straight-chain n-alkanes (n-C₂₃ to n-C₂₈), internally branched monomethylalkanes at carbons 3, 11, or 13, and dimethylalkanes were identified, which showed no qualitative differences in either sex and were similar in the samples with SPME fiber extraction and those with hexane extraction. The bioassay showed that 11-methylpentacosane (11-MeC₂₅), 11-methylhexacosane (11-MeC₂₆), and 11-methylheptacosane (11-MeC₂₇) have sex-specific recognition functions that triggered more mating attempts at a female-specific ratio of 100:4:60 than at a male-specific ratio of 100:85:50. In addition, the female-specific ratio of 11-methylalkanes can elicit about 70% of male mating attempts within about 60 s, whereas live females elicit about 98% of male mating attempts within 25 s. The discrepancy in the initiation of mating attempts by synthetic mixtures and live females suggests that the methyl isomers 3-MeC₂₅, 3-MeC₂₇, and/or 11,15-diMeC₂₇ may also be involved in the mating behavior of S. bifasciatus. These results suggest that 11-MeC₂₅, 11-MeC₂₆, and 11-MeC₂₇ constitute the contact sex pheromone of S. bifasciatus, with the presence or absence of 11-MeC₂₆ in particular playing an important role in mate recognition by males.     

玉米根微粒体ABA结合蛋白的性质及逆境胁迫的影响

以玉米根微粒体为材料进行的微量放射配体结合（ＭＲＬＢ）实验表明玉米根微粒体膜上存在着ＡＢＡ结合位点,ＡＢＡ与ＡＢＡ结合蛋白（ＡＢＡ－ＢＰ）结合的最适ｐＨ为６．５,结合反应对温度（０℃和２５℃）不太敏感,ＡＢＡ与ＡＢＡ－ＢＰ的结合反应是一个动态平衡过程,５ｍｉｎ即可达最大结合（Ｂｍａｘ）的５０％,３０ｍｉｎ达到最大结合,１ｈ内基本保持不变。胰蛋白酶处理表明此结合位点为蛋白质,冻融实验则表明此蛋白与ＡＢＡ的结合不仅要求其自身具有特定构象而且需要有一定的膜脂环境,ＤＴＴ处理实验结果显示ＡＢＡ－ＢＰ中可能存在着二硫键。逆境处理可以提高玉米根微粒体膜对ＡＢＡ的结合活性,盐胁迫、渗透胁迫、干旱胁迫和热冲激处理分别使结合活性上升３４．９％、１７．８％、２３．１％和１３．３％。