Engineering, cloning, and functional characterization of recombinant LIM mineralization protein-1 containing an N-terminal HIV-derived membrane transduction domain

Short peptide sequences known as protein transduction domains have become increasingly prevalent as tools to internalize molecules that would otherwise remain extracellular. Here, we determine whether a purified recombinant mammalian intracellular osteogenic factor delivered by a HIV-derived TAT-peptide tag is indeed capable of intracellular localization in a form accessible to interaction with other proteins. We engineered and bacterially expressed a TAT-fusion-cDNA construct of a known osteogenic factor, LIM mineralization protein-1 (LMP-1) involved in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway that has the potential to serve as an enhancer of BMP-2 efficacy.The expressed recombinant protein contains an N-terminal (His)₆-tag, a hemagglutinin(HA)-tag, and an 11-amino acid HIV-derived TAT-membrane transduction domain and was purified to homogeneity by Sephacryl S-100 molecular exclusion and Ni²⁺-affinity chromatography. The purified TAT–LMP-1 protein was chemically labeled with fluorescein, and its time and concentration dependent entry into rabbit blood cells was monitored by flow cytometry. We demonstrate the accumulation of TAT-tagged LMP-1 both in cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. By performing affinity pull-down assays, we confirm our earlier findings that the recombinant TAT–LMP-1, when used as molecular bait to identify the intracellular binding proteins, interacts with Smurf1, a known binding partner of LMP-1. We also show potentiation of BMP-2 activity using the purified TAT–LMP-1 in mouse muscle C2C12 cells by assaying a heterologous luciferase-reporter construct containing multiple copies of a BMP-responsive sequence motif. Finally, we also confirm the biological activity of the purified TAT–LMP-1 by showing enhancement of BMP-2 induced increase of alkaline phosphatase mRNA and protein by RT-PCR and enzyme activity, respectively.     

Genetic and environmental factors in the longitudinal growth of rats: III. Craniofacial shape change

This investigation expresses the similarity of the craniofacial shape of rats in terms of a single parameter and determines to what extent the shape variation of the craniofacial complex is genetically determined. To quantify the similarity of the craniofacial shape between any two individuals, diagrams plotted from their lateral cephalograms are so oriented that the distance from the points on the one to the corresponding points on the other is minimized. The data consist of measurements from within-strain, between-strain, maternal half-sibs and paternal half-sibs groups. The average dissimilarity is computed in each group and compared. The results indicate that this method can be used to estimate the similarity of the craniofacial shape. The dissimilarity of within-strain pairs shows the smallest Dh value, whereas between-strain pairs have the largest Dh value. Those of maternal and paternal half-sib pairs show the intermediate Dh value. The value of dissimilarity for these four pairs tends to decrease gradually with age and a considerable genetic effect acts on the change of the craniofacial shape during growth, while the maternal effect does not act significantly on the change of the craniofacial shape during growth.     

Expression of dystrophin on the cell surface membrane of intrafusal fibers of human skeletal muscle

Summary We examined the morphological expression of dystrophin in the intrafusal muscle fibers in skeletal muscle from normal human and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, using antisera against the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of dystrophin. The intrafusal fibers of normal muscle express dystrophin on their cell surface membrane, but those of DMD muscle do not.Abbreviation DMD Duchenne muscular dystrophy     

Antioxidants from Lespedeza homoloba (II).

The stems of Lespedeza homoloba yielded fifteen new isoflavonoids and a new stilbenoid having antioxidative activity. Their structures were determined by analysis of spectroscopic evidence.     

Bitter phenylpropanoid glycosides from Conandron ramoidioides

A new bitter glycoside, conandroside and a known glycoside, acteoside were isolated from Conandron ramoidioides. On the basis of the chemical and spectral evidence, conandroside was shown to be 2-(3′,4′-dihydroxy-phenyl)-ethanol 1-O-β-D-xylosyl-(1 → 3)-β-D-(4-caffeyl)-glucoside.     

A modified niche model for generating food webs with stage‐structured consumers: The stabilizing effects of life‐history stages on complex food webs

1. Almost all organisms grow in size during their lifetime and switch diets, trophic positions, and interacting partners as they grow. Such ontogenetic development introduces life‐history stages and flows of biomass between the stages through growth and reproduction. However, current research on complex food webs rarely considers life‐history stages. The few previously proposed methods do not take full advantage of the existing food web structural models that can produce realistic food web topologies.
2. We extended the niche model developed by Williams and Martinez (Nature, 2000, 404, 180–183) to generate food webs that included trophic species with a life‐history stage structure. Our method aggregated trophic species based on niche overlap to form a life‐history structured population; therefore, it largely preserved the topological structure of food webs generated by the niche model. We applied the theory of allometric predator–prey body mass ratio and parameterized an allometric bioenergetic model augmented with biomass flow between stages via growth and reproduction to study the effects of a stage structure on the stability of food webs.
3. When life‐history stages were linked via growth and reproduction, more food webs persisted, and persisting food webs tended to retain more trophic species. Topological differences between persisting linked and unlinked food webs were small to modest. The slopes of biomass spectra were lower, and weak interaction links were more prevalent in the linked food webs than the unlinked ones, suggesting that a life‐history stage structure promotes characteristics that can enhance stability of complex food webs.
4. Our results suggest a positive relationship between the complexity and stability of complex food webs. A life‐history stage structure in food webs may play important roles in dynamics of and diversity in food webs.

     

Ontogenetic development of synovial A cells in fetal and neonatal rat knee joints

Summary Ontogenetic development of the synovial A cells in fetal rat knee joints was investigated by immunohistochemistry, immuno-electron microscopy, cultivation, and autoradiography. At day 17 of gestation, immature macrophages were first seen in the articular interzone, and thereafter they differentiated into macrophages (synovial A cells), which were found in the synovial intima. The degree of reactivity of macrophages with five monoclonal antibodies increased in the developing synovial membranes of fetal rats as shown by immunohistochemistry. Similar findings were obtained in organ cultures of fetal knee joints. A marked difference of proliferative potential was found between A and B cells during ontogeny. A cells after birth did not incorporate ³H-thymidine in contrast to B cells. Before birth, B cells had a labelling index which was at least five times larger than that of A cells. The results of this study indicate that the synovial A cells are derived from both monocytes and fetal macrophages circulating in peripheral blood and that they differ from the synovial B cells in morphology, differentiation, and proliferative potential.