Design of Array-Type Compound Libraries that Combine Information from Natural Products and Synthetic Molecules

A new approach to the design of compound libraries, named MetaFocus (Metabolite-Focused library), is presented that exploits information encoded in natural molecules and combines naturally occurring and synthetic compounds. An important goal of the MF approach is the identification of synthetic compounds that mimic properties of natural molecules that are difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities or to synthesize. Compounds in MetaFocus (MF) arrays are focused on natural molecules with attractive therapeutic effects. Similarity search and diversity design techniques are employed to generate compound arrays that start from a selected natural molecule, add similar molecules, either from natural or synthetic sources, and diversify scaffolds derived from these molecules. Since the identification of similar molecules from natural and synthetic sources plays a significant role in our library design efforts, the performance of fingerprint-type search tools was systematically assessed in a newly assembled test database consisting of 16 biological activity classes. MF arrays are organized as an easily expandable and searchable data structure and serve as a knowledge base for drug discovery applications. Here we introduce the design principles and organization of MF arrays and present example applications.     

Glutamine-Fructose-6-Phosphate Transaminase 2 (GFPT2) Is Upregulated in Breast Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Responds to Oxidative Stress

Breast cancer cells that have undergone partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) are believed to be more invasive than cells that have completed EMT. To study metabolic reprogramming in different mesenchymal states, we analyzed protein expression following EMT in the breast epithelial cell model D492 with single-shot LFQ supported by a SILAC proteomics approach. The D492 EMT cell model contains three cell lines: the epithelial D492 cells, the mesenchymal D492M cells, and a partial mesenchymal, tumorigenic variant of D492 that overexpresses the oncogene HER2. The analysis classified the D492 and D492M cells as basal-like and D492HER2 as claudin-low. Comparative analysis of D492 and D492M to tumorigenic D492HER2 differentiated metabolic markers of migration from those of invasion. Glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase 2 (GFPT2) was one of the top dysregulated enzymes in D492HER2. Gene expression analysis of the cancer genome atlas showed that GFPT2 expression was a characteristic of claudin-low breast cancer. siRNA-mediated knockdown of GFPT2 influenced the EMT marker vimentin and both cell growth and invasion in vitro and was accompanied by lowered metabolic flux through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP). Knockdown of GFPT2 decreased cystathionine and sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQOR) in the transsulfuration pathway that regulates H₂S production and mitochondrial homeostasis. Moreover, GFPT2 was within the regulation network of insulin and EGF, and its expression was regulated by reduced glutathione (GSH) and suppressed by the oxidative stress regulator GSK3-β. Our results demonstrate that GFPT2 controls growth and invasion in the D492 EMT model, is a marker for oxidative stress, and associated with poor prognosis in claudin-low breast cancer.     

社会冲突理论视角下的医疗纠纷解决方式

随着社会经济的发展和人们生活水平的提高,人们的健康需求指数越来越高,法律意识也越来越强。与此同时,由医疗事故等原因导致的医疗纠纷案件正呈逐年上升趋势。有效地解决医疗纠纷,有助于建立和谐的医患关系,而和谐的医患关系是构建和谐社会一个主要的组成部分。本文在社会学视角下,运用达伦多夫和科塞的社会冲突理论来分析当前的医疗纠纷,从而促进医疗纠纷的解决。     

Repeated sequences from theArabidopsis thaliana genome function as enhancers in transgenic tobacco

Sixteen segments ofArabidopsis thaliana DNA that function as enhancers in transgenic tobacco plants were isolated using the pROA97 enhancer cloning vehicle and library transformation ofNicotiana tabacum. The sequences were compared for AT content, homology, repeated motifs, and expression pattern in transgenicN. tabacum. The sequences were average with respect to the AT content ofA. thaliana DNA. They could be placed into seven homology groups. Five of the sequences are single-copy sequences. The remaining eleven sequences represent two homology groups. Homology Group I contains seven sequences with minor differences. Homology Group II contains four sequences with minor differences. Two repeated motifs were identified (5-CCTCT-3 and 5-AAGGAT-3). Both repeated motifs are found in other plant enhancers, and in the promoter region of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S gene. In the 35S gene TATA region, the motifs can form two alternative stem-loop structures. The TATATAA sequence is located in the loop region of both stem-loop structures.     

The Role of Quality Control in Targeted Next-generation Sequencing Library Preparation

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is getting routinely used in the diagnosis of hereditary diseases, such as human cardiomyopathies. Hence, it is of utter importance to secure high quality sequencing data, enabling the identification of disease-relevant mutations or the conclusion of neg-ative test results. During the process of sample preparation, each protocol for target enrichment library preparation has its own requirements for quality control (QC); however, there is little evi-dence on the actual impact of these guidelines on resulting data quality. In this study, we analyzed the impact of QC during the diverse library preparation steps of Agilent SureSelect XT target enrichment and Illumina sequencing. We quantified the parameters for a cohort of around 600 sam-ples, which include starting amount of DNA, amount of sheared DNA, smallest and largest frag-ment size of the starting DNA; amount of DNA after the pre-PCR, and smallest and largest fragment size of the resulting DNA;as well as the amount of the final library, the corresponding smallest and largest fragment size, and the number of detected variants. Intriguingly, there is a high tolerance for variations in all QC steps, meaning that within the boundaries proposed in the current study, a considerable variance at each step of QC can be well tolerated without compromising NGS quality.     

PGI、PGⅡ在胃癌组织中的表达及意义

目的：研究胃蛋白酶原I(PGI)、胃蛋白酶原Ⅱ(PGⅡ)在胃癌组织中的表达及意义。方法：将我院2011 年5 月至2013年10月 收治的上消化道疾病患者243 例纳入研究,根据胃镜及病理组织学结果,按照胃癌、慢性萎缩性胃炎、慢性非萎缩性胃炎、不典型 增生以及胃溃疡分为5 组,对照组为57 名来我院检查的健康的人群。应用酶联免疫法测定各组血清PGI、PGⅡ的含量并计算胃 蛋白酶原比值(PGR),比较胃癌患者手术前后血清PGI、PGⅡ的含量以及PGR,并通过ROC曲线下面积评价血清PGI、PGⅡ以及 PGR 诊断胃癌的效能。结果：与对照组比较,胃溃疡组PG I、PG II均明显升高,PGR 降低(P<0.05),慢性萎缩性胃炎组、不典型增生 组及胃癌组PGI、PGR均明显降低(P<0.05);与慢性萎缩性胃炎组比较,不典型增生组和胃癌组PGR 显著降低(P<0.05)。手术治疗 后,胃癌患者血清PGⅠ、PGⅡ含量较手术前明显下降(P＜0.05)。血清PGⅠ、PGⅡ以及PGR含量诊断胃癌的ROC 曲线下面积依 次为0.779、0.920 以及0.991。结论：胃癌患者血清PGI、PGR均明显降低,二者可用于初步筛查胃癌。     

Click approach to the discovery of 1,2,3-triazolylsalicylamides as potent Aurora kinase inhibitors

A series of 1,2,3-triazolylsalicylamide derivatives has been developed from the antiproliferative agent 7 and was evaluated for their Aurora kinase inhibitory activity. The novel 1,2,3-triazolylsalicylamide scaffold could be readily assembled by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, allowing rapid access to the structurally diverse analogues. The synthesized 1,2,3-triazolylsalicylamide derivatives revealed a significant Aurora kinase inhibitory activity. In particular, 8g inhibited Aurora A with IC₅₀ values of 0.37 μM. The critical role of phenolic –OH in the binding was confirmed by a molecular modeling study.     

A model system for investigating lineshape/structure correlations in RNA site-directed spin labeling

In RNA site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) studies, structural and dynamic information at the individual RNA nucleotide level is derived from the observed electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of a covalently attached nitroxide. A systematic approach for RNA SDSL is to establish a library that categorizes observed spectral lineshapes based on known RNA structures, thus enabling lineshape-based structure identification at any RNA site. To establish the first RNA SDSL library, selective secondary structure elements have been systematically engineered into a model RNA. Nitroxide lineshapes reporting features specific to each element were obtained utilizing a new avidin-tethering scheme for suppressing spectral effects due to uniform RNA tumbling. The data demonstrated two key features required for a SDSL library with a predicting power: (i) spectral divergence--distinctive lineshape for different elements; and (ii) spectral convergence--similar lineshape for the same element in different contexts. This sets the foundation for further RNA SDSL library development.     

不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种基因组文库的构建

以不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种为材料,提取的总基因组DNA经Sau3 AI不完全酶切。回收20-30kbDNA酶切片段,与经Hpal和BamHI酶切的粘粒载体pKC505进行连接,将连接产物用噬菌体包装蛋白包装。侵染大肠埃希菌DH5α。在舍有安普霉素的LB平板上培养,所得转化子数为12000个,构建成不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种的基因组文库。以不吸水链霉菌染色体基因组大小为7Mb计算,概括了不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种约99％的基因组,达到了建库要求的理论值。未扩增文库的滴度为1．2×10^8pfu／L,扩增文库的滴度为4．8×10^11pfu／L,包装效率为每微克DNA1．2×10^5个转化子。随机挑取菌落,提取重组质粒进行酶切电泳分析,均有外源片段插入。基因文库的构建为进一步深入研究梧宁霉素生物合成基因结构及功能奠定基础。     

Generation and selection of novel fully human monoclonal antibodies that neutralize Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) inhibitory function in vitro and increase bone mass in vivo

Wnt/LRP5 signaling is a central regulatory component of bone formative and resorptive activities, and the pathway inhibitor DKK1 is a suppressor of bone formation and bone mass accrual in mice. In addition, augmented DKK1 levels are associated with high bone turnover in diverse low bone mass states in rodent models and disease etiologies in human. However, examination of the precise role of DKK1 in the normal skeleton and in higher species requires the development of refined DKK1-specific pharmacological tools. Here, we report the strategy resulting in isolation of a panel of fully human anti-DKK1 antibodies applicable to studies interrogating the roles of mouse, rhesus, and human DKK1. Selected anti-DKK1 antibodies bind primate and human DKK-1 with picomolar affinities yet do not appreciably bind to DKK2 or DKK4. Epitopes mapped within the DKK1 C-terminal domain necessary for interaction with LRP5/6 and consequently effectively neutralized DKK1 function in vitro. When introduced into naïve normal growing female mice, IgGs significantly improved trabecular bone volume and structure and increased both trabecular and cortical bone mineral densities in a dose-related fashion. Furthermore, fully human DKK1-IgG displayed favorable pharmacokinetic parameters in non-human primates. In summary, we demonstrate here a rate-limiting function of physiologic DKK1 levels in the regulation of bone mass in intact female mice, amendable to specific pharmacologic neutralization by newly identified DKK1-IgGs. Importantly the fully human IgGs display a profile of attributes that recommends their testing in higher species and their use in evaluating DKK1 function in relevant disease models.