C6-Like and C3-Like Molecules from the Cephalochordate, Amphioxus, Suggest a Cytolytic Complement System in Invertebrates

The mammalian immune system has cytotoxic mechanisms, both cellular and humoral, that destroy the membrane integrity of target cells. The main effector molecules of these cytolytic mechanisms—perforin, used by killer lymphocytes, and the membrane attack complex (MAC) components of the complement system—share a unique module called the MAC/perforin module. Until now, both immunological cytotoxicity and the MAC/perforin module have been reported only in jawed vertebrates. Here, we report the identification of a protein containing the MAC/perforin module from the invertebrate cephalochordate, amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri), using expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of the notochord. The deduced amino acid sequence of this molecule is most similar to the primary structure of human complement component C6 and is designated AmphiC6. AmphiC6 shares a unique modular structure, including the MAC/perforin module, with human C6 and other MAC components. Another EST clone predicts the presence of a thioester-containing protein with the closest structural similarity to vertebrate C3 (therefore designated AmphiC3). AmphiC3 retains most of the functionally important residues of vertebrate C3 and is shown by phylogenetic analysis to be derived directly from the common ancestor of vertebrate C3, C4, and C5. Only opsonic activity has been assigned to the invertebrate complement system until now. Therefore, this is the first molecular evidence for complement-mediated immunological cytotoxicity in invertebrates. Received: 24 August 2001 / Accepted: 12 November 2001     

Effects of artificial shade on attack by the mahogany shoot borer, Hypsipyla robusta (Moore)

Abstract

• 1 Swietenia macrophylla King (Meliaceae: Swietenioideae) provides one of the premier timbers of the world. The mahogany shoot borer Hypsipyla robusta Moore (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an economically important pest of S. macrophylla throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific. No viable method of controlling this pest is known. Previous observations have suggested that the presence of overhead shade may reduce attack by H. robusta, but this has not been investigated experimentally. This research was therefore designed to assess the influence of light availability on shoot‐borer attack on S. macrophylla, by establishing seedlings under three different artificial shade regimes, then using these seedlings to test oviposition preference of adult moths, neonate larval survival and growth and development of shoot borer larvae.
• 2 Oviposition preference of shoot borer moths was tested on leaves from seedlings grown under artificial shade for 63 weeks. A significant difference in choice was recorded between treatments, with 27.4 ± 1.5 eggs laid under high shade and 87.1 ± 1.8 under low shade.
• 3 Neonate larval survival on early flushing leaflets of S. macrophylla did not differ significantly between shade treatments. Larval growth rate, estimated by measuring daily frass width, was significantly higher for those larvae fed on seedlings from the high and medium shade treatments (0.1 mm/day), than the low shade treatment (0.06 mm/day). In laboratory‐reared larvae, the total mass of frass produced was significantly higher in the high shade treatment (0.4 g) than under the low shade treatment (0.2 g).
• 4 Longer tunnel lengths were bored by larvae in plants grown under high shade (12.0 ± 2.4 cm) than under low shade (7.07 ± 1.9 cm). However, pupal mass under low shade was 48% higher than that under the high shade treatment, suggesting that plants grown under high shade were of lower nutritional quality for shoot borer larvae.
• 5 These results indicate that shading of mahogany seedlings may reduce the incidence of shoot borer attack, by influencing both oviposition and larval development. The establishment of mahogany under suitable shade regimes may therefore provide a basis for controlling shoot borer attack using silvicultural approaches.

     

Induction of 72-kDa Inducible Heat Shock Protein (HSP72) in Cultured Rat Astrocytes After Energy Depletion

Abstract: Protein synthesis is important in the readaptive processes for cultured astrocytes after hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation. We have identified 72-kDa inducible heat shock protein (HSP72) as a major stress protein in reoxygenated astrocytes. To assess the mechanism for reoxygenation-mediated induction of HSP72, a reporter gene that consists of a human HSP promoter fused to the luciferase gene was transfected into cultured astrocytes. Analysis of cellular energy nucleotides showed an increase of the ADP/ATP ratio after reoxygenation, which synchronized with activation of the HSP promoter. Activation of the HSP promoter was also observed after an addition of iodoacetic acid to hypoxic astrocytes, which reached the maximum when the ADP/ATP ratio reached 50%, but further decline in the energy profile caused inactivation of this promoter. Inhibition of protein synthesis after reoxygenation resulted in temporary restoration of the energy profile and suppression of the DNA binding activity of the heat shock factor. Addition of quercetin greatly decreased the [³H]leucine incorporation in the polysome fraction without any effect on the mature mRNA formation. These data suggest that the energy depletion in reoxygenation triggers induction of HSP72 after reoxygenation, which may act as a pivotal mediator in the stress response of reoxygenated astrocytes by facilitating protein synthesis.     

印鼠客蚤侵袭与离开宿主习性的观察

印鼠客蚤的跳跃高度,攻击宿主距离,侵袭宿主蚤数,吸血率和离开宿主时间均远超过二齿新蚤。印鼠客蚤滞留于活宿主时间明显长于死宿主。     

TLR9信号通路介导缺血性脑损伤的研究进展

炎症反应是缺血性脑损伤的重要机制之一,过度的炎症免疫反应会加剧脑损伤的程度。作为先天免疫系统的重要组成部分,Toll样受体9(Toll like receptor 9,TLR9)通过识别其特异性的配体Cp G-DNA,从而激活先天免疫系统,释放大量前炎症细胞因子,参与缺血性脑损伤的炎症反应过程。近年来,有学者提出将TLR9作为一个新的缺血预处理靶点,即通过启动TLR9信号转导通路增加体内炎症细胞因子的水平来对抗缺血损伤。本文通过对近年TLR9信号通路介导的炎症反应与缺血性脑损伤相关研究进展作一综述,为寻求临床安全高效的缺血性脑损伤防治措施提供理论依据。     

多模式磁共振指导超时间窗急性缺血性卒中的静脉溶栓治疗研究

目的:评价多模式磁共振指导下超时间窗静脉应用重组组织型纤溶酶原激活剂rt PA治疗急性缺血性卒中的疗效及安全性。方法:将68例急性脑梗塞患者分为rt PA静脉溶栓组A组、强化抗栓治疗组B组,各组按药物干预时间再分为4.5小时亚组及4.5-6小时亚组。A组给予rt PA静脉溶栓治疗和常规治疗,B组给予首剂氯吡格雷300毫克+阿司匹林100毫克和常规治疗。治疗前行急诊头多模式磁共振检查,治疗24小时后复查头CT,分别于治疗前后不同时间点进行NIHSS评分和3个月MRS评分,记录不良事件的发生情况。结果:A组两个亚组治疗后各时间点NIHSS评分均明显低于B组,且A组4.5小时亚组治疗后NIHSS评分低于其4.5-6小时亚组,A组3个月预后良好患者比例显著高于B组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。A组症状性颅内出血的发生率高于B组。结论:多模式头磁共振指导下超时间窗rt PA静脉溶栓治疗安全有效,远期疗效优于强化抗栓治疗,但颅内症状性出血风险略高于强化抗栓治疗。     

血栓通配合康复训练对缺血性脑卒中恢复期患者肢体康复的疗效

目的:探究血栓通配合康复训练对缺血性脑卒中(cerebral arterial thrombosis,CAT)恢复期患者肢体康复的疗效情况。方法:选取2011年3月-2013年3月我院收治的84例CAT患者按数字表法随机分为观察组和对照组,各42例。对照组单纯采用康复训练治疗,观察组在对照组康复训练的基础上服用血栓通配合治疗,分别观察治疗前、治疗后1个月、3个月、6个月的各项基本指标并对比研究。结果:两组患者治疗前和治疗1月后Barthel评分无明显差异(P0.05);观察组治疗后3、6个月Barthel评分显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),两组患者治疗前和治疗1月后肢体Fugl-Meyer评分无明显差异(P0.05);观察组治疗后3、6个月肢体Fugl-Meyer评分显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),且对照组出院时上肢依然未完全恢复。通过对对照组和观察组患者的生活质量评分比较,观察组生活质量的各项评分均明显高于对照组,两组比较差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:对缺血性脑卒中恢复期患者采用血栓通药物配合适当的康复训练疗效较好,术后肢体恢复理想,值得作为治疗CAT的首选方法在临床上推广应用。     

骨髓基质干细胞与激素相关缺血性骨坏死

骨髓基质干细胞(Bone marrow stromal cells,BMSCs)是一种具有组织修复和免疫调节功能的多能干细胞,它主要存在于骨髓中,然而,如今我们发现,在其他的一些组织中也存在它的身影,例如:脂肪组织、肌肉组织和肌腱组织等。通过骨髓穿刺的方法可以很容易的获得骨髓基质干细胞,它在体外有很强的增殖能力,即使没有动物血清和人工生长因子也可以用进行细胞培养。缺血性骨坏死可以由很多病因引起,研究发现,自身免疫性疾病和血液系统疾病治疗应用的激素与缺血性骨坏死的发生具有很大的相关性,但是,激素的应用在一些严重的疾病中往往又是不可避免的,这就需要我们找到一种方法来预防和治疗激素相关缺血性骨坏死。现在,治疗缺血性骨坏死的标准方法是髓芯减压术,但到了疾病晚期的时候,髓芯减压术治疗的效果就已经微乎其微了,由于骨髓基质干细胞所具有的分化潜能、易于获得和增殖的能力,使它可能成为治疗缺血性骨坏死的一种潜在的补充方式。     

Proteomic signatures of serum albumin-bound proteins from stroke patients with and without endovascular closure of PFO are significantly different and suggest a novel mechanism for cholesterol efflux

Background

The anatomy of PFO suggests that it can allow thrombi and potentially harmful circulatory factors to travel directly from the venous to the arterial circulation – altering circulatory phenotype. Our previous publication using high-resolution LC-MS/MS to profile protein and peptide expression patterns in plasma showed that albumin was relatively increased in donor samples from PFO-related than other types of ischemic strokes. Since albumin binds a host of molecules and acts as a carrier for lipoproteins, small molecules and drugs, we decided to investigate the albumin-bound proteins (in a similar sample cohort) in an effort to unravel biological changes and potentially discover biomarkers related to PFO-related stroke and PFO endovascular closure.

Methods

The method used in this study combined albumin immuno-enrichment with high resolution LC-MS in order to specifically capture and quantify the albumin-bound proteins. Subsequently, we measured cholesterol and HDL in a larger, separate cohort of PFO stroke patients, pre and post closure.

Results

The results demonstrated that a number of proteins were specifically associated with albumin in samples with and without endovascular closure of the PFO, and that the protein profiles were very different. Eight proteins, typically associated with HDL were common to both sample sets and quantitatively differently abundant. Pathway analysis of the MS results suggested that enhanced cholesterol efflux and reduced lipid oxidation were associated with PFO closure. Measurement of total cholesterol and HDL in a larger cohort of PFO closure samples using a colorimetric assay was consistent with the proteomic predictions.

Conclusions

The collective data presented in this study demonstrate that analysis of albumin-bound proteins could provide a valuable tool for biomarker discovery on the effects of PFO endovascular closure. In addition, the results suggest that PFO endovascular closure can potentially have effects on HDL, cholesterol and albumin-bound ApoA-I abundance, therefore possibly providing benefits in cardioprotective functions.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1559-0275-12-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Palmitoylation of STREX domain confers cerebroside sensitivity to the BKCa channel

Our previous study reported that cerebrosides from traditional Chinese medicine Baifuzi directly interact with the STREX domain of BK_Ca channels, which in turn results in the therapeutic effect of Baifuzi on ischemic stroke. However, it is not known how cerebrosides in the plasma membrane could interact with the STREX domain that is in the cytoplasmic side. Using patch-clamp technique, effects of different cerebrosides on the BK_Ca channel were studied by measuring single channel currents in CHO cells expressing wild type or mutated BK_Ca channels. Palmitoylation of the STREX domain was removed either by site-directed mutagenesis or pharmacological inhibition. Removal of palmitoylation sites at C646 and C647 by mutating the residues to Ala abolished the ability of cerebrosides to activate the BK_Ca channel. In contrast, the mutation neither changed the single channel conductance nor voltage sensitivity of the channel. Both palmitoylation inhibitors tunicamycin and palmitic acid analog 2-bromopalmitate attenuated the activation of the BK_Ca channel by cerebrosides. Furthermore, confocal images on STREX-EGFP fragments demonstrated that STREX fragments no longer associated with the plasma membrane when the palmitoylation was removed or blocked. These findings suggest that palmitoylation of the STREX domain is necessary for cerebrosides to activate the BK_Ca channel and provide insight into the mechanism of how Baifuzi could exert therapeutic effect on ischemic stroke.