Peptides YYGGEGSSSEQG and SESEM Inhibit TNF-α-Induced Smooth Muscle Cells Proliferation and Migration Through Their Bindings to TNF-α Receptor

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - The peptides YYGGEGSSSEQG and SESEM derived from rice α-globulin have been reported to possess anti-atherosclerotic activity, but...     

Hydrogen sulphide reduces hyperhomocysteinaemia-induced endothelial ER stress by sulfhydrating protein disulphide isomerase to attenuate atherosclerosis

Hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy)-impaired endothelial dysfunction including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a crucial role in atherogenesis. Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), a metabolic production of Hcy and gasotransmitter, exhibits preventing cardiovascular damages induced by HHcy by reducing ER stress, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we made an atherosclerosis with HHcy mice model by ApoE knockout mice and feeding Pagien diet and drinking L-methionine water. H₂S donors NaHS and GYY4137 treatment lowered plaque area and ER stress in this model. Protein disulphide isomerase (PDI), a modulation protein folding key enzyme, was up-regulated in plaque and reduced by H₂S treatment. In cultured human aortic endothelial cells, Hcy dose and time dependently elevated PDI expression, but inhibited its activity, and which were rescued by H₂S. H₂S and its endogenous generation key enzyme-cystathionine γ lyase induced a new post-translational modification-sulfhydration of PDI. Sulfhydrated PDI enhanced its activity, and two cysteine-terminal CXXC domain of PDI was identified by site mutation. HHcy lowered PDI sulfhydration association ER stress, and H₂S rescued it but this effect was blocked by cysteine site mutation. Conclusively, we demonstrated that H₂S sulfhydrated PDI and enhanced its activity, reducing HHcy-induced endothelial ER stress to attenuate atherosclerosis development.     

Identification and expression analysis of lncRNA in seven organs of Rhinopithecus roxellana

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) represents a new direction to identify expression profiles and regulatory mechanisms in various organisms. Here, we report the first dataset of lncRNAs of the golden snub-nosed monkey (GSM), including 12,557 putative lncRNAs identified from seven organs. Compared with mRNA, GSM lncRNA had fewer exons and isoforms, and longer length. LncRNA showed more obvious tissue-specific expression than mRNA. However, for the top ten most abundant genes in each organ, mRNAs expression was more tissue-specific than lncRNAs. By identification of specifically expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in each organ, it indicates that the expression of SEG-lncRNA (specifically expressed lncRNA) and SEG-mRNA (specifically expressed mRNA) had high correlation. In particular, combined our lncRNA and mRNA data, we identified 92 heart SEG-lncRNAs targeted ten mRNA genes in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway and upregulated the expression of these target genes such as ND4, ATP6, and ATP8. These may contribute to GSM adaption to its high-elevation environment. We also identified 171 liver SEG-lncRNAs, which targeted 27 genes associated with the metabolism of xenobiotics and leaded to high expression of these target genes in liver. These lncRNAs may play important roles in GSM adaptation to a folivory diet.

     

The involvement of α-proteobacteria Phenylobacterium in maintaining the dominance of toxic Microcystis blooms in Lake Taihu,China

Lake Taihu in China has suffered serious harmful cyanobacterial blooms for decades. The algal blooms threaten the ecological sustainability, drinking water safety, and human health. Although the roles of abiotic factors (such as water temperature and nutrient loading) in promoting Microcystis blooms have been well studied, the importance of biotic factors (e.g. bacterial community) in promoting and meditating Microcystis blooms remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the ecological dynamics of bacterial community, the ratio of toxic Microcystis, as well as microcystin in Lake Taihu. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the bacteria community compositions (BCCs) clustered into three groups, the partitioning of which corresponded to that of groups according to the toxic profiles (the ratio of toxic Microcystis to total Microcystis, and the microcystin concentrations) of the samples. Further Spearman's correlation network showed that the α-proteobacteria Phenylobacterium strongly positively correlated with the toxic profiles. Subsequent laboratory chemostats experiments demonstrated that three Phenylobacterium strains promoted the dominance of the toxic Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806 when co-culturing with the non-toxic PCC7806 mcyB⁻ mutant. Taken together, our data suggested that the α-proteobacteria Phenylobacterium may play a vital role in the maintenance of toxic Microcystis dominance in Lake Taihu.     

5种相思树和尾巨桉人工林土壤养分和酶活性特征

为揭示固氮树种土壤养分转化的酶学机制,对固氮树种[厚荚相思(Acacia crassicarpa)、黑木相思(A. melanoxylon)、卷荚相思(A.cincinnata)、大叶相思(A.auriculiformis)和马占相思(A.mangium)]及非固氮树种尾巨桉(Eucalyptusurophylla×E.grandis)人工林的土壤养分含量、酶活性及其相关性进行研究。结果表明,相思林40～60cm土层的pH均高于尾巨桉林;5种相思林土壤各土层的TP、TK含量均低于尾巨桉林,而20～40 cm土层的TC、TN含量均高于尾巨桉林,黑木相思林和马占相思林各土层的有效养分均显著高于尾巨桉林(P0.05)。0～10 cm土层中,相思林的土壤酸性磷酸酶和纤维素酶活性均高于尾巨桉林,大叶相思林的土壤脲酶、蔗糖酶、纤维素酶和芳基硫酸酯酶活性显著高于尾巨桉林(P0.05),卷荚相思林的土壤脲酶、纤维素酶、几丁质酶和淀粉酶活性显著高于尾巨桉林(P0.05)。相关分析结果表明,土壤脲酶、蔗糖酶和几丁质酶活性与AP显著负相关(P0.05),蔗糖酶和纤维素酶活性与NH4+-N显著负相关(P 0.05),脲酶、纤维素酶、芳基硫酸酯酶与土壤TK显著负相关(P0.05),几丁质酶活性与TN含量呈显著正相关(P0.05),土壤淀粉酶活性与NH4+-N呈显著正相关(P 0.05),过氧化氢酶活性与土壤TK含量呈显著正相关。可见,与尾巨桉人工林相比,在我国南方退化山地引种相思树可提高土壤关键酶的活性,对土壤有效养分具有明显改良作用,有利于退化地土壤的生态修复及人工林长期生产力的维持。     

全球外来入侵生物与植物有害生物数据库的比较评价

【目的】为了明确全球生物安全与植物保护领域内数据库建设进展和我国数据库的建设成效,对全球重要的外来入侵生物与植物有害生物数据库进行分类介绍和比较评价研究。【方法】根据数据库收录物种的地理范围、类群及数据库特色功能,对数据库进行分类。对重要数据库的主要功能进行简要介绍,设立多指标评价体系将我国数据库与国际优质数据库进行比较,分析我国数据库亟待提升的关键功能。【结果】数据库分类研究将其划分为全球型、区域型、国家型、地区型、特定生物类群型等类别。数据库比较评价研究说明我国现有的数据库在支撑我国外来入侵生物检测监测和进出境植物检疫执法等方面起到了重要作用,但与世界一流数据库相比仍存在一定差距,其主要体现在数据质量有待提升、对现有数据挖掘不足、科普功能较弱等方面。【结论】建议各部门以更大力度支持我国相关数据库的建设、长期维护、优化整合与国际推广工作。建议完善国内现有数据库的数据和功能,提高其实用性和易用性,为相关科研工作提供有力支撑,并为科学普及、公众参与和公众科学的发展创造有利条件。     

蒙古黄芪病程相关蛋白AmPR-10于大肠杆菌不同载体的可溶性表达策略研究

蒙古黄芪病程相关蛋白（Astragalus membranaceus pathogenesis-related protein-10, AmPR-10）具有核酸酶活性,对黄芪生长发育及抗病机制具有重要意义。但从天然黄芪中提取蛋白质的传统方法成本较高,蛋白得率较少。研究首次利用大肠杆菌表达体系对AmPR-10进行可溶性外源表达,构建了3种重组子：①以pET28a为载体构建pET28a-AmPR-10;②以pET30a为载体构建pET30a-AmPR-10;③以pET30a为载体、大肠杆菌分子伴侣skp修饰构建pET30a-skp-AmPR-10。通过SDS-PAGE分析,目的蛋白可溶性表达量比较结果是：pET30a-skp-AmPR-10 > pET30a-AmPR-10 > pET28a-AmPR-10。由蛋白质三级结构模拟分析发现,载体pET-30a上的标签S-tag通过影响AmPR-10局部α螺旋构象而提高目标蛋白的可溶性表达,分子伴侣skp通过提高融合蛋白整体α螺旋比例进一步提升目标蛋白可溶性表达量。研究解决了目前从天然黄芪中提取蛋白操作复杂、提取量小的问题。同时,经测定,目的蛋白具有核酸酶活性,为外源AmPR-10相关活性研究提供了依据。     

基于RNA-seq技术对乌头属铁棒锤中自交不亲和S基因的挖掘与分析

以毛茛科乌头属铁棒锤(Aconitum pendulum N.Busch)2个品系‘蓝花铁棒锤’(‘WSYB1’)和‘黄花铁棒锤’(‘WSYY1’)为材料,对其进行转录组测序(RNA-seq),采用生物信息学方法鉴定其中可能存在的花柱S基因(self-incompatibility gene)和花粉S基因,并对它们的序列特征进行分析。结果显示,转录组中共鉴定出2个在雌蕊中特异或高表达的花柱S基因(ApSRNase)和2个在雄蕊中特异表达的花粉S基因(ApSLF)。与耧斗菜(Aquilegia coerulea James)相似,铁棒锤中也存在S-RNase(S locus ribonucleases)和SLF(S locus F-box)控制的S-RNase类的自交不亲和系统,而不存在sS(stigma S-determinant)和pS(pollen S-determinant)控制的罂粟科类型的自交不亲和系统。