The noncanonical role of the protease cathepsin D as a cofilin phosphatase

Cathepsin D (cathD) is traditionally regarded as a lysosomal protease that degrades substrates in acidic compartments. Here we report cathD plays an unconventional role as a cofilin phosphatase orchestrating actin remodeling. In neutral pH environments, the cathD precursor directly dephosphorylates and activates the actin-severing protein cofilin independent of its proteolytic activity, whereas mature cathD degrades cofilin in acidic pH conditions. During development, cathD complements the canonical cofilin phosphatase slingshot and regulates the morphogenesis of actin-based structures. Moreover, suppression of cathD phosphatase activity leads to defective actin organization and cytokinesis failure. Our findings identify cathD as a dual-function molecule, whose functional switch is regulated by environmental pH and its maturation state, and reveal a novel regulatory role of cathD in actin-based cellular processes.Subject terms: Actin, Cytokinesis     

Stem cell-like properties of human umbilical cord lining epithelial cells and the potential for epidermal reconstitution

Background aimsStem cells are particularly attractive for many cell-based therapeutic interventions because of their ability to self-renew and their capacity to differentiate into site-specific differentiating cells. Restoration of the integrity of epithelial continuity is an essential aspect of wound repair and tissue regeneration. We are currently looking at the potential of human umbilical cord lining cells as a source of epithelial stem cells with appropriate differentiation capacity for potential epidermal reconstitution.MethodsWe isolated human umbilical cord lining epithelial cells (CLEC) and characterized their phenotype from the perspective of proliferative potential, telomere length, expression of epidermal differentiation markers, as well as stem cell-specific markers, and clonogenicity. Their potential for epidermal reconstitution was investigated in an organotypic culture model.ResultsThe results demonstrated that CLEC present a long telomere length and have a relatively high proliferative potential and passaging ability in culture. CLEC display some of the stem cell-specific markers for epithelial as well as pluripotent stem cells, including CK19, p63, OCT-4, SSEA-4, TRA-1–60, SOX2 and Nanog. CLEC are capable of generating a fully stratified epithelium in organotypic culture.ConclusionsThe potential of CLEC to be used in clinical applications for specialized epithelial reconstruction is still unexplored. The demonstration that CLEC have stem cell-like properties and are capable of generating fully stratified epithelium provides support for their potential clinical application in epidermal reconstitution.     

Association of biological age with health outcomes and its modifiable factors

Identifying the clinical implications and modifiable and unmodifiable factors of aging requires the measurement of biological age (BA) and age gap. Leveraging the biomedical traits involved with physical measures, biochemical assays, genomic data, and cognitive functions from the healthy participants in the UK Biobank, we establish an integrative BA model consisting of multi-dimensional indicators. Accelerated aging (age gap >3.2 years) at baseline is associated incident circulatory diseases, related chronic disorders, all-cause, and cause-specific mortality. We identify 35 modifiable factors for age gap (p < 4.81 × 10⁻⁴), where pulmonary functions, body mass, hand grip strength, basal metabolic rate, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and C-reactive protein show the most significant associations. Genetic analyses replicate the possible associations between age gap and health-related outcomes and further identify CST3 as an essential gene for biological aging, which is highly expressed in the brain and is associated with immune and metabolic traits. Our study profiles the landscape of biological aging and provides insights into the preventive strategies and therapeutic targets for aging.     

Extremely low genetic diversity indicating the endangered status of Ranodon sibiricus (Amphibia: Caudata) and implications for phylogeography

BackgroundThe Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus), distributed in geographically isolated areas of Central Asia, is an ideal alpine species for studies of conservation and phylogeography. However, there are few data regarding the genetic diversity in R. sibiricus populations.Conclusion/SignificanceOur findings suggest that the genetic diversity in the R. sibiricus populations is the lowest among all investigated amphibians. We conclude that the isolation of R. sibiricus populations occurred recently and was a result of recent human activity and/or climatic changes. The Pleistocene glaciation oscillations may have facilitated intraspecies genetic homogeneity rather than enhanced divergence. A low genomic evolutionary rate and elevated inbreeding frequency may have also contributed to the low genetic variation observed in this species. Our findings indicate the urgency of implementing a protection plan for this endangered species.     

High Yield Recombinant Expression, Characterization and Homology Modeling of Two Types of Cis-epoxysuccinic Acid Hydrolases

The cis-epoxysuccinate hydrolases (CESHs), members of epoxide hydrolase, catalyze cis-epoxysuccinic acid hydrolysis to form d(?)-tartaric acid or l(+)-tartaric acid which are important chemicals with broad scientific and industrial applications. Two types of CESHs (CESH[d] and CESH[l], producing d(?)- and l(+)-tartaric acids, respectively) have been reported with low yield and complicated purification procedure in previous studies. In this paper, the two CESHs were overexpressed in Escherichia coli using codon-optimized genes. High protein yields by one-step purifications were obtained for both recombinant enzymes. The optimal pH and temperature were measured for both recombinant CESHs, and the properties of recombinant enzymes were similar to native enzymes. Kinetics parameters measured by Lineweaver?CBurk plot indicates both enzymes exhibited similar affinity to cis-epoxysuccinic acid, but CESH[l] showed much higher catalytic efficiency than CESH[d], suggesting that the two CESHs have different catalytic mechanisms. The structures of both CESHs constructed by homology modeling indicated that CESH[l] and CESH[d] have different structural folds and potential active site residues. CESH[l] adopted a typical ??/??-hydrolase fold with a cap domain and a core domain, whereas CESH[d] possessed a unique TIM barrel fold composed of 8 ??-helices and 8 ??-strands, and 2 extra short ??-helices exist on the top and bottom of the barrel, respectively. A divalent metal ion, preferred to be zinc, was found in CESH[d], and the ion was proved to be crucial to the enzymatic activity. These results provide structural insight into the different catalytic mechanisms of the two CESHs.     

An NMR-based metabonomic investigation of the subacute effects of melamine in rats

The subacute toxic effects of 28 days of exposure to three dosages (250, 500, 1000 mg/kg/day) of melamine on Wistar rats were investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, histopathological examination, and biochemical analysis. Rats treated with melamine developed adverse health effects compared to the controls, including decrease in body weight and kidney damage. Blood biochemical analysis showed that the blood urea nitrogen and creatinine increased distinctly compared to the control group. Urinary metabonomic analysis indicated that melamine caused an increase in succinate and citrate. Serum metabonomic analysis showed that the lowest dose led to an increase in dimethylglycine, N-acetylglycoprotein (NAC), accompanied by a decrease in taurine and glucose. Rats treated with the highest dose developed high levels of serum choline and 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB) together with low lactate levels. Metabonomic analysis of liver tissue indicated that melamine caused an increase in NAC, choline, and creatine, accompanied by a decrease in lactate, trimethylamine-N-oxide, glutamate, and glucose. All three dosages resulted in an increase in glutamate, lactate, choline, glucose, and animo acids and a decrease in 3-HB and pyruvate in aqueous kidney extract. These results indicate that melamine not only caused renal disfunction but also disturbed the liver's glucose, protein, and nitrogen metabolism.     

KfoA,the UDP-glucose-4-epimerase of Escherichia coli strain O5:K4:H4, shows preference for acetylated substrates

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Capsule of Escherichia coli O5:K4:H4 is formed of a chondroitin-repeat disaccharide unit of glucuronic acid (GlcA)-N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). This...     

DNA技术在海洋食品物种鉴定中的应用

随着分子生物学技术的发展, 海洋食品物种鉴定方法由原来的蛋白质水平深入到了DNA水平。目前应用于海洋食品物种鉴定的DNA技术主要是FINS(Forensically informative nucleotide sequencing)、PCR-RFLP和物种特异性PCR标记技术等, 能够实现对新鲜、冰冻、腌制或灌装食品物种进行鉴定, 而对混合样本的鉴定及量化分析是尚待解决的一个问题。基因数据库对物种鉴定的影响也越来越大, 是海洋加工食品物种鉴定可利用的另一种重要信息资源。文章综述了DNA技术在海洋食品物种鉴定中的应用研究进展, 并展望DNA技术在海洋食品检测中的发展趋势。     

维持胚胎干细胞自我更新分子机制的研究进展

胚胎干细胞通过特殊内源性分子的表达,以及微环境中多种细胞因子和胞外基质的刺激,构成信号网络,共同调控自我更新.近年来,通过对Oct3/4、Nanog等胚胎干细胞特殊分子标记,以及LIF-STAT3,Wnt-β-连环素,BMP-Id等信号通路的研究,探讨了胚胎干细胞自我更新信号网络的分子机制.维持自我更新的关键在于胚胎干细胞生长微环境中的各种细胞因子和胞外基质的含量,以及细胞内源性特异分子表达量之间的平衡.     

噬菌体展示重组人淋巴毒素突变体库及受体亲和筛选

淋巴毒素 (lymphotoxin , LT) 通过 TNFR1 受体传递凋亡信号,从而发挥抗肿瘤活性 . 对 LT 的受体结合区域进行多点随机突变,利用噬菌体展示重组人淋巴毒素 (rhLT) R46 , S106 , L130 三点随机突变组合文库和 S106 ～ F110 区域随机突变体库 . 噬菌体库与固相化 TNFR1 受体进行亲和筛选,富集了能与 TNFR1 受体结合的 rhLT 突变体 . 随机挑选 20 个单克隆噬菌体进行 ELISA 受体结合鉴定,其中 80 ％的克隆与 TNFR1 受体特异性结合,有 4 个克隆与 TNFR1 受体的结合能力高于野生型序列的 rhLT. 将这 4 个结合力高的突变体克隆于 pET32a(+) 载体,经过大肠杆菌表达和纯化操作后,检测这些突变体蛋白与 TNFR1 受体的结合活性和对 L929 细胞的杀伤活性,发现 3 个克隆的受体结合性质与其展示于噬菌体上时基本吻合,其中 C199 克隆与 TNFR1 的结合活性比野生型序列的 rhLT 提高了近 30 ％,且其对 L929 细胞的杀伤活性提高了近 90%. 应用噬菌体展示技术对淋巴毒素进行体外进化研究的尝试,为下一步的蛋白质结构和功能研究提供了思路,可成为大分子药物开发的有效工具 .