Some variations in the composition of suberin from the cork layers of higher plants

The monomeric composition of the suberins from 16 species of higher plants was determined by chromatographic methods following depolymerization of the isolated extractive-free cork layers with sodium methoxide-methanol. 1-Alkanols (mainly C₁₈C₂₈), alkanoic (mainly C₁₆C₃₀), α,ω-alkanedioic (mainly C₁₆C24), ω-hydroxyalkanoic (mainly C₁₆C₂₁), dihydroxyhexadecanoic (mainly 10,16-dihydroxy- and 16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic), monohydroxyepoxyalkanoic (9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic), trihydroxyalkanoic (9,10, 18-trihydroxyoctadecanoic), epoxyalkanedioic (9,10-epoxyoctadecane-1,18-dioic) and dihydroxyalkanedioic (9,10-dihydroxyoctadecane-1 18-dioic) acids were detected in all species. The suberins differed from one another mainly in the relative proportions of these monomer classes and in the homologue content of their 1-alkanol, alkanoic, α,ω-alkanedioic and ω-hydroxyalkanoic acid fractions. C₁₈ epoxy and vic-diol monomers were major components (32–59%) of half of the suberins examined (Quercus robur, Q. ilex, Q. suber, Fagus sylvatica, Castanea sativa, Betula pendula, Acer griseum, Fraxinus excelsior) where as ω-hydroxyalkanoic and α,ω-alkanedioic acids predominated in those that contained smaller quantities of such polar C₁₈ monomers (Acer pseudoplatanus, Ribes nigrum, Euonymus alatus, Populus tremula, Solanum tuberosum, Sambucus nigra, Laburnum anagyroides, Cupressus leylandii). All species, however, contained substantial amounts (14–55 %) of ω-hydroxyalkanoic acids, the most common homologues being 18:1 (9) and 22: 0. The dominant α,ω-alkanedioic acid homologues were 16: 0 and 18: 1 (9) whereas 22: 0, 24: 0 and 26: 0, and 20: 0, 22: 0 and 24: 0 were usually the principal homologues in the 1-alkanol and alkanoic acid fractions, respectively. The most diagnostic feature of the suberins examined was the presence of monomers greater than C₁₈ in chain length; most of the C₁₆ and C₁₈ monomers identified in the suberins also occur in plant cutins emphasizing the close chemical similarity between the two anatomical groups of lipid biopolymer.     

Microbial α-mannosidases

Microbial α-mannosidases are used in the analysis of glycopeptides and the developmental regulation of lysosomal enzymes. This survey presents comparison of properties of this high molecular weight, oligomeric protein from a number of microbial sources.     

Synthesis of 6-deoxy-5-thio-d-glucose

Three routes were investigated for the conversion of d-glucose into the title compound. In the first approach, reduction of the 5,6-thürane ring of 5,6-dideoxy-5,6-epithio-1,2-O-isopropylidene α-d-glucofuranose (17) as well as that of its 3-O-allyl derivative (13) with lithium aluminium hydride was investigated; 17 afforded the corresponding 6-deoxy derivative besides di-, tri-, and poly-mers, whereas only polymers were formed from 13. In the second approach, the oxirane ring of was reduced by sodium borohydride and the resulting 6-deoxy derivative was converted into the 5-thiobenzoate; the corresponding hex-4-enofuranose was formed as a byproduct. In the third approach partial mesylation of methyl 5-thio-α-d-glucopyranoside was attempted, but the 6-mesylate 27 could be isolated only in modest yield (28%) together with rearranged 2,5-thioanhydromannofuranoside derivatives. The mechanism of this rearrangement is discussed in detail. The 6-mesylate 27 was converted via the 6-iodo derivative into the title compound.     

人骨骼肌α辅肌动蛋白（α－actinin）的提取及其抗血清的制备和鉴定

本文提取人骨骼肌α辅肌动蛋白（α－ａｃｔｉｎｉｎ）是综合了文献报导有关提取兔肌α－ａｃｔｉｎｉｎ的和提取鸡胗α－ａｃｔｉｎｉｎ的方法,稍加修改而确定的。用Ｈａｓｓｅｌｂａｃｈ－Ｓｃｈｎｅｉｄｅｒ缓冲液提取骨骼肌中的肌球蛋白后,将残余物经硼酸－缓冲液提取、匀浆及高速离心去掉肌动蛋白和肌原纤维的其它成份,上清加硫酸铵至３０％,３５％饱合度所得的沉淀用２２０ｍｍｏｌ／ＬＴｒｉｓ－乙酸溶解、透析、离心后经ＤＥ－５２柱层析可得电泳纯。α－ａｃｔｉｎｉｎ。将人骨骼肌α－ａｃｔｉｎｉｎ纯化制品免疫了三只大耳白纯种家兔,两个多月后,三只兔子都产生免抗人骨骼肌α－ａｃｔｉｎｉｎ的特异抗血清,用双向免疫扩散法和酶联免疫吸附试验（ＥＬＩＳＡ）测定,产生的抗体效价较高,用双扩散法测定效价为１：３２,用ＥＬＩＳＡ测定,用比率法判断结果,效价最高者为１：１００,０００左右,经免疫电镜观察结果证实,上述抗血清可以满足进一步实验要求。     

在中国壮族家系中发现的一例-α~T/-α~Q复合β~0β~0珠蛋白基因型

本文报道在我国广西隆林壮族中发现一个罕見的HbQ复合α,β地中海贫血家系。先证者女,18岁,贫血面容,肝脾肿大。化学结构分析确证本Hb变异体为HbQ Thailand[α74(EF3)Asp→His]。血红蛋白组成以及α和β珠蛋白基因分析结果表明,先证者的珠蛋白基因型为-α~Q/-α~T复合β°/β°(IVSI-1G→T/Codon17A→T);先证者父的基因型为-‘α~Q/-复合β~O/β~A(IVSI-1G→T/β~A);先证母的基因型为-α~T/αα复合β~O/β~A(Codon17A→T/β~A)。     

大鼠肝癌中α_2-巨球蛋白等几种分泌性蛋白基因表达的变化

用Northern blot方法对二乙基亚硝胺所诱发的大鼠肝癌中内源性蛋白酶抑制因子α_2-巨球蛋白(α_2-M)、非特异性免疫抑制剂α_1-酸性糖蛋白(α_1-AGP)及雄性激素正调控的α-2u球蛋白(α-2u)三种分泌性蛋白基因表达情况进行了分析。结果表明在大部分(14/16)肝癌样品中α_2-M RNA水平显著降低;而α_1-AGP RNA水平显著高于正常对照水平;α-2u RNA水平明显下降,但在某些雄性大鼠肝癌样品中该基因却有一定程度的表达。这些结果说明,一些肿瘤宿主血浆中α_2-M水平的显著下降及α_1-AGP水平的明显升高分别是由于基因表达活性的下降及升高所致。α-2u基因表达的异常提示,在癌变过程中机体的内分泌功能发生了某些变化。     

盐酸胍诱导的α淀粉酶去折叠与再折叠

利用蛋白质内源荧光和酶活性两种信号以及荧光偏振,HPLC和停流等方法研究了盐酸胍诱导的α淀粉酶去折叠与重折叠的平衡转变和动力学。实验结果表明α淀粉酶去折叠与重折叠是两个不同的过程;变性与复性过程中可能伴有聚集体生成;去折叠与重折叠均为双相过程,重折叠大约始于2秒之后。     

Endocytic pathways of pathogenic protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases

Endocytosis is the fundamental uptake process through which cells internalize extracellular materials and species. Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are characterized by a progressive accumulation of intrinsically disordered protein species, leading to neuronal death. Misfolding in many proteins leads to various NDs such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other disorders. Despite the significance of disordered protein species in neurodegeneration, their spread between cells and the cellular uptake of extracellular species is not entirely understood. This review discusses the major internalization mechanisms of the different conformer species of these proteins and their endocytic mechanisms. We briefly introduce the broad types of endocytic mechanisms found in cells and then summarize what is known about the endocytosis of monomeric, oligomeric and aggregated conformations of tau, Aβ, α-Syn, Huntingtin, Prions, SOD1, TDP-43 and other proteins associated with neurodegeneration. We also highlight the key players involved in internalizing these disordered proteins and the several techniques and approaches to identify their endocytic mechanisms. Finally, we discuss the obstacles involved in studying the endocytosis of these protein species and the need to develop better techniques to elucidate the uptake mechanisms of a particular disordered protein species.     

The distribution of coastal fish eDNA sequences in the Anthropocene

Aim

Coastal fishes have a fundamental role in marine ecosystem functioning and contributions to people, but face increasing threats due to climate change, habitat degradation and overexploitation. The extent to which human pressures are impacting coastal fish biodiversity in comparison with geographic and environmental factors at large spatial scale is still under scrutiny. Here, we took advantage of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to investigate the relationship between fish biodiversity, including taxonomic and genetic components, and environmental but also socio-economic factors.

Location

Tropical, temperate and polar coastal areas.

Time period

Present day.

Major taxa studied

Marine fishes.

Methods

We analysed fish eDNA in 263 stations (samples) in 68 sites distributed across polar, temperate and tropical regions. We modelled the effect of environmental, geographic and socio-economic factors on α- and β-diversity. We then computed the partial effect of each factor on several fish biodiversity components using taxonomic molecular units (MOTU) and genetic sequences. We also investigated the relationship between fish genetic α- and β-diversity measured from our barcodes, and phylogenetic but also functional diversity.

Results

We show that fish eDNA MOTU and sequence α- and β-diversity have the strongest correlation with environmental factors on coastal ecosystems worldwide. However, our models also reveal a negative correlation between biodiversity and human dependence on marine ecosystems. In areas with high dependence, diversity of all fish, cryptobenthic fish and large fish MOTUs declined steeply. Finally, we show that a sequence diversity index, accounting for genetic distance between pairs of MOTUs, within and between communities, is a reliable proxy of phylogenetic and functional diversity.

Main conclusions

Together, our results demonstrate that short eDNA sequences can be used to assess climate and direct human impacts on marine biodiversity at large scale in the Anthropocene and can further be extended to investigate biodiversity in its phylogenetic and functional dimensions.