Staurosporines Disrupt Phosphatidylserine Trafficking and Mislocalize Ras Proteins

Oncogenic mutant Ras is frequently expressed in human cancers, but no anti-Ras drugs have been developed. Since membrane association is essential for Ras biological activity, we developed a high content assay for inhibitors of Ras plasma membrane localization. We discovered that staurosporine and analogs potently inhibit Ras plasma membrane binding by blocking endosomal recycling of phosphatidylserine, resulting in redistribution of phosphatidylserine from plasma membrane to endomembrane. Staurosporines are more active against K-Ras than H-Ras. K-Ras is displaced to endosomes and undergoes proteasomal-independent degradation, whereas H-Ras redistributes to the Golgi and is not degraded. K-Ras nanoclustering on the plasma membrane is also inhibited. Ras mislocalization does not correlate with protein kinase C inhibition or induction of apoptosis. Staurosporines selectively abrogate K-Ras signaling and proliferation of K-Ras-transformed cells. These results identify staurosporines as novel inhibitors of phosphatidylserine trafficking, yield new insights into the role of phosphatidylserine and electrostatics in Ras plasma membrane targeting, and validate a new target for anti-Ras therapeutics.     

Structure-based virtual screening and identification of a novel androgen receptor antagonist

Hormonal therapies, mainly combinations of anti-androgens and androgen deprivation, have been the mainstay treatment for advanced prostate cancer because the androgen-androgen receptor (AR) system plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of prostate cancers. However, the emergence of androgen resistance, largely due to inefficient anti-hormone action, limits the therapeutic usefulness of these therapies. Here, we report that 6-(3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-yl)-N-(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)nicotinamide (DIMN) acts as a novel anti-androgenic compound that may be effective in the treatment of both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancers. Through AR structure-based virtual screening using the FlexX docking model, fifty-four compounds were selected and further screened for AR antagonism via cell-based tests. One compound, DIMN, showed an antagonistic effect specific to AR with comparable potency to that of the classical AR antagonists, hydroxyflutamide and bicalutamide. Consistent with their anti-androgenic activity, DIMN inhibited the growth of androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Interestingly, the compound also suppressed the growth of androgen-independent C4-2 and CWR22rv prostate cancer cells, which express a functional AR, but did not suppress the growth of the AR-negative prostate cancer cells PPC-1, DU145, and R3327-AT3.1. Taken together, the results suggest that the synthetic compound DIMN is a novel anti-androgen and strong candidate for useful therapeutic agent against early stage to advanced prostate cancer.     

一株产细菌纤维素菌株的筛选鉴定及其产物分析

从红茶菌液中筛选获得一株产细菌纤维素的菌株BC-41,经生理生化分析和分子生物学鉴定,现证实该菌株为中间葡糖酸醋杆菌(Gluconacetobacter intermedius)。对该菌株所产生的细菌纤维素进行了物理特性的表征和分析,获得以下数据:BC-41所产的纤维素纯度达到91.32%,湿纤维素膜含水率达99.16%,每克干纤维素膜能吸水28.59 g;扫描电子显微镜观察,显示该纤维素具有网状结构,且纤维束宽度分布在40-100 nm之间;X射线衍射分析,证实该纤维素的晶型为纤维素I型,结晶指数为48.8%;通过黏度测定法,得出该纤维素的平均聚合度达2 100。     

一株脂肪酶产生菌的筛选及产酶条件优化研究

通过利用溴甲酚紫显色培养基初筛和酶活测定法复筛得到产脂肪酶的一株细菌HP2,经形态学观察和生理生化测定初步鉴定该菌株为不动杆菌属。并对该菌株的摇床培养产酶条件进行了初步研究,采用正交试验对HP2菌株发酵产脂肪酶的条件进行了优化,得到最佳发酵条件为初始pH为7.7,培养温度为35℃,接种量(V/V)为1.5%,发酵周期为48 h,酶活力达到129.7 U/mL。     

仙客来软腐病拮抗细菌鉴定及其生物防治效果

目的为筛选出仙客来软腐病拮抗细菌及评价其生防效果。方法通过分离和筛选,从温州泽雅高山基地采集健康的仙客来植株分离到13株内生细菌对仙客来软腐病病原菌有较强的抑制作用,其中菌株Y1活性最强且遗传稳定。通过形态特征、生理生化特性分析、16SrDNA序列测定及其系统发育分析研究。结果菌株Y1鉴定为芽胞杆菌,将菌株Y1以发酵液灌根方式回接正常仙客来植株,菌株Y1的发酵液处理仙客来软腐病的防效均大于60％以上。结论菌株Y1具有生防的特点,在花卉产业上具有应用潜力。     

脂肪酶假单胞菌的分离培养及最佳产酶条件研究

以麻疯树油为唯一碳源,从以粉碎的麻疯树种子处理过的土壤中分离筛选出1株脂肪酶活性较高的菌株,初步鉴定为假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas).实验观察了碳源、氮源、无机盐及发酵工艺对产酶的影响,摇瓶发酵结果表明.该菌株最适产酶培养基的组成是(%,w/v):橄榄油2,酵母膏0.5,(NH4)2SO4 0.5,MgCl2·6H2O 0.5,最适产酶温度为30℃,最佳产酶pH为6.5,转速180r/min,发酵培养36h酶活达到最高,为14.17U/mL.本研究为以麻疯树油为原料酶法生产生物柴油奠定了一定的基础.     

Identification of immunogenic polypeptides from a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae</Emphasis> genome library by phage display

The identification of immunogenic polypeptides of pathogens is helpful for the development of diagnostic assays and therapeutic applications like vaccines. Routinely, these proteins are identified by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot using convalescent serum, followed by mass spectrometry. This technology, however, is limited, because low or differentially expressed proteins, e.g. dependent on pathogen-host interaction, cannot be identified. In this work, we developed and improved a M13 genomic phage display-based method for the selection of immunogenic polypeptides of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, a pathogen causing porcine enzootic pneumonia. The fragmented genome of M. hyopneumoniae was cloned into a phage display vector, and the genomic library was packaged using the helperphage Hyperphage to enrich open reading frames (ORFs). Afterwards, the phage display library was screened by panning using convalescent serum. The analysis of individual phage clones resulted in the identification of five genes encoding immunogenic proteins, only two of which had been previously identified and described as immunogenic. This M13 genomic phage display, directly combining ORF enrichment and the presentation of the corresponding polypeptide on the phage surface, complements proteome-based methods for the identification of immunogenic polypeptides and is particularly well suited for the use in mycoplasma species.     

Isolation of bacteria producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from municipal sewage sludge

Bacterial isolates from sludge samples collected at a local municipal sewage treatment plant were screened for bacteria producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Initially Sudan black B staining was performed to detect lipid cellular inclusions. Lipid-positive isolates were then grown in a nitrogen limitation E2 medium containing 2% (w/v) glucose to promote accumulation of PHA before the subsequent staining with Nile blue A. The positive isolates were quantified initially with a u.v. spectrophotometer, for a very large number of isolates (105) and among them high PHA-producing isolates (15) were selected and were confirmed by gas chromatographic analysis. The GC analysis showed the polymers produced by 13 of the selected isolates to be polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and the remaining two isolates produced polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHB-co-HV) copolymer. The proportion of the PHA-positive bacterial isolates showed variability in the number of PHA accumulators during various months. The correlation of PHB production with the cell dry weight (CDW) was found to be statistically significant. The metabolism of PHB in these selected 15 isolates was studied using the Nile blue A staining, which showed an initial increase in the fluorescence followed by a decline, on further incubation. All the selected 15 isolates were classified to genus level by studying their morphological and biochemical characteristics. There were seven Bacillus species, three Pseudomonas species, two Alcaligenes species, two Aeromonas species, and one Chromobacterium species.     

Proportional hazards regression for cancer studies

Summary.   There has been some recent work in the statistical literature for modeling the relationship between the size of cancers and probability of detecting metastasis, i.e., aggressive disease. Methods for assessing covariate effects in these studies are limited. In this article, we formulate the problem as assessing covariate effects on a right-censored variable subject to two types of sampling bias. The first is the length-biased sampling that is inherent in screening studies; the second is the two-phase design in which a fraction of tumors are measured. We construct estimation procedures for the proportional hazards model that account for these two sampling issues. In addition, a Nelson–Aalen type estimator is proposed as a summary statistic. Asymptotic results for the regression methodology are provided. The methods are illustrated by application to data from an observational cancer study as well as to simulated data.     

产木聚糖酶厌氧真菌菌株筛选及产酶培养条件研究*

从12株分离自反刍动物瘤胃及粪样的厌氧真菌中筛选到一株木聚糖酶高产菌,编号为A4,初步鉴定为Neocallimastix属菌。以稻草秸、玉米秸、花生秸、滤纸片段为发酵底物,经39℃厌氧培养,A4菌产生的木聚糖酶活分别为14.31U/mL、11.39U/mL、6.99U/mL和13.38U/mL。对A4菌产生木聚糖酶的条件进行优化,结果发现,培养基中无细胞瘤胃液浓度对A4菌产生的木聚糖酶活无显著影响;但酵母膏浓度从1.0g/L降至0.5g/L后,A4菌产生的木聚糖酶活显著下降(P<0.05)。