Relation between genotype and left-ventricular dilatation in patients with Marfan syndrome

Cardiovascular manifestations in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) are related to aortic and valvular abnormalities. However, dilatation of the left ventricle (LV) can occur, even in the absence of aortic surgery or valvular abnormalities. We evaluated genetic characteristics of patients with MFS with LV dilatation. One hundred eighty-two patients fulfilling the MFS criteria, without valvular abnormalities or previous aortic surgery, with a complete FBN1 analysis, were studied. FBN1 mutations were identified in over 81% of patients. Twenty-nine patients (16%) demonstrated LV dilatation (LV end diastolic diameter corrected for age and body surface area > 112%). FBN1-positive patients carrying a non-missense mutation more often had LV dilatation than missense mutation carriers (14/74 versus 5/75; p < 0.05). Finally, FBN1-negative MFS patients significantly more often demonstrated LV dilatation than FBN1-positive patients (10/33 versus 19/149; p < 0.05). It is concluded that LV dilatation in MFS patients is more often seen in patients with a non-missense mutation and in those patients without an FBN1 mutation. Therefore physicians should be aware of the possibility of LV dilatation in these patients even in the absence of valvular pathology.     

稻田温室气体减排措施对稻米氨基酸含量的影响

为探索稻田中温室气体减排措施对稻米氨基酸含量的影响,用10个不同方法对双季稻田进行处理,并使用高效液相色谱分别测定了各处理稻田中所产稻米中的16种氨基酸的含量,其中色谱柱为Agilent Zorbax AAA分析柱,柱前衍生使用邻苯二甲醛(OPA)和9-芴甲基氯甲酸酯(FMOC-CL)为衍生试剂。结果发现:1)10个处理中的稻米16种氨基酸种类齐全,施氮肥+添加生物质炭48 t/hm2+间歇灌溉(NPK+HBC+IF)处理中所得氨基酸总量为6520.7 mg/100g,效果最佳;对照组处理(不施加氮肥+无稻草还田+间歇灌溉)所得氨基酸含量4338.0 mg/100g为最低。以对照组处理所得必需氨基酸百分含量36.8%为最高值;无稻草还田+长期淹水(NPK+CF)处理方法所得必需氨基酸百分含量33.1%为最低值。10个处理中16种氨基酸中含量较高的氨基酸均为天冬氨酸、谷氨酸和精氨酸,含量最低的均为甲硫氨酸;2)施氮肥量相同时,长期淹水与间歇灌溉相比,氨基酸总量增加185.1 mg/100g,非必需氨基酸百分含量增加3%,谷氨酸、组氨酸和丝氨酸含量明显升高,但亮氨酸含量显著降低;3)施用氮肥能提高稻米中的氨基酸含量,且随着氮肥使用量的增加,氨基酸含量也随之增加,组氨酸含量增加显著;4)供氮量相同时,添加猪粪使氨基酸总含量升高了286.0 mg/100g,此结果表明,在供氮量相同的情况下,施用猪粪更有利于稻米氨基酸含量的提高;5)灌溉模式相同时,稻草还田配施氮肥对必需氨基酸和氨基酸总量均有提高,天冬氨酸、谷氨酸和组氨酸的含量增加较多,甲硫氨酸含量略有下降;随着稻草还田量的增加,对非必需氨基酸影响较为明显;当稻草半量还田(还田量为3 t/hm2)时,稻米中氨基酸总量增加最多;稻草全量还田+长期淹水(NPK+HRS+CF)与稻草半量还田+间歇灌溉(NPK+LRS+IF)处理中的氨基酸含量基本接近,但必需氨基酸含量前者略高于后者,说明稻草还田与水肥管理对氨基酸含量影响可能存在交互作用;6)添加生物质炭配施氮肥提高了稻米必需氨基酸与非必需氨基酸含量,且随着生物质炭添加量的增加而增加;与稻草还田、添加猪粪处理相比,生物质炭的添加对氨基酸总含量提升的效果最为显著,对稻田实际生产具有指导意义且具有一定的环境效益。     

不同采收期裸花紫珠的HPLC指纹图谱研究

为建立裸花紫珠药材高效液相指纹图谱研究方法,该研究采用0．4％磷酸水溶液(A)-乙腈(B);梯度洗脱为0~15 min,16％~25％ B,15~25 min,25％~39．7％ B;Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18色谱柱(4．6 mm×250 mm,5μm);柱温为30℃;流速为1 mL??min-1;进样量为10μL;检测波长327 nm;检测时间25 min 等色谱条件,研究了不同采集时间共25批裸花紫珠药材的指纹图谱,获取14个共有特征色谱峰,确定了其中的3个成分,利用相似度分析、主成分分析及对应分析对它们进行了分析.结果表明：HPLC 指纹图谱结合计量分析法可有效评价裸花紫珠的质量,该方法可有效应用到裸花紫珠原料及其制品的质量控制中.     

Towards defining biomarkers indicating resistances to targeted therapies

An impressive, but often short objective response was obtained in many tumor patients treated with different targeted therapies, but most of the patients develop resistances against these drugs. So far, a number of distinct mechanisms leading to intrinsic as well as acquired resistances have been identified in tumors of distinct origin. These can arise from genetic alterations, like mutations, truncations, and amplifications or due to deregulated expression of various proteins and signal transduction pathways, but also from cellular heterogeneity within tumors after an initial response. Therefore, biomarkers are urgently needed for cancer prognosis and personalized cancer medicine. The application of “ome”-based technologies including cancer (epi)genomics, next generation sequencing, cDNA microarrays and proteomics might led to the predictive or prognostic stratification of patients to categorize resistance mechanisms and to postulate combinations of treatment strategies. This review discusses the implementation of proteome-based analysis to identify markers of pathway (in)activation in tumors and the resistance mechanisms, which represent major clinical problems as a tool to optimize individually tailored therapies based on targeted drugs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biomarkers: A Proteomic Challenge.     

Characterisation of Desulfovibrio vulgaris haem b synthase,a radical SAM family member

An alternative route for haem b biosynthesis is operative in sulfate-reducing bacteria of the Desulfovibrio genus and in methanogenic Archaea. This pathway diverges from the canonical one at the level of uroporphyrinogen III and progresses via a distinct branch, where sirohaem acts as an intermediate precursor being converted into haem b by a set of novel enzymes, named the alternative haem biosynthetic proteins (Ahb). In this work, we report the biochemical characterisation of the Desulfovibrio vulgaris AhbD enzyme that catalyses the last step of the pathway. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that AhbD promotes the cleavage of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and converts iron-coproporphyrin III via two oxidative decarboxylations to yield haem b, methionine and the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy studies demonstrated that AhbD contains two [4Fe–4S]^2 +/1 + centres and that binding of the substrates S-adenosylmethionine and iron-coproporphyrin III induces conformational modifications in both centres. Amino acid sequence comparisons indicated that D. vulgaris AhbD belongs to the radical SAM protein superfamily, with a GGE-like motif and two cysteine-rich sequences typical for ligation of SAM molecules and iron-sulfur clusters, respectively. A structural model of D. vulgaris AhbD with putative binding pockets for the iron-sulfur centres and the substrates SAM and iron-coproporphyrin III is discussed.     

大孔吸附树脂联合葡聚糖凝胶Sephadex LH20分离制备鹅膏肽类毒素的研究

鹅膏菌肽类毒素是蘑菇中毒导致死亡的最主要因素,同时也是生物学研究领域的一种重要工具试剂,但由于其结构相似,分离制备单体化合物比较困难。通过4种大孔吸附树脂对致命鹅膏Amanita exitialis子实体中主要肽类毒素组分的静态吸附与解吸附性能比较,结果表明XAD16的吸附能力最强,同时也有较强的解吸附能力,但XAD16柱层析梯度洗脱时对毒素分离效果差,表明XAD16只具有吸附富集鹅膏肽类毒素的特性但不适于分离。经XAD16柱层析富集的毒素成分,通过葡聚糖凝胶sephadex LH20柱层析分离,结果表明sephadex LH20柱层析对鹅膏肽类毒素具有较好的分离效果,经过2次sephadex LH20柱层析,获得了5个纯度达50%–80%的鹅膏肽类毒素单体化合物,进一步利用半制备高效液相色谱系统(HPLC)纯化,分离得到了7个纯度达95%以上的鹅膏肽类毒素单体,其中5个经质谱分析鉴定为:α‐鹅膏毒肽(α‐amanitin)、β‐鹅膏毒肽(β‐amanitin)、脱氧二羟毒伞素(desoxoviroidin)、羧基三羟鬼笔毒肽(phallisacin)和羧基二羟鬼笔毒肽(phallacidin)。     

Role of long-chain acyl-coenzyme A synthetases in the regulation of arachidonic acid metabolism in interleukin 1β-stimulated rat fibroblasts

Acyl coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family members (ACSLs) are a family of enzymes that convert long-chain free fatty acids into their acyl-CoAs and play an important role in fatty acid metabolism. Here we show the role of ACSL isozymes in interleukin (IL)-1β-induced arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in rat fibroblastic 3Y1 cells. Treatment of 3Y1 cells with triacsin C, an ACSL inhibitor, markedly enhanced the IL-1β-induced prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of endogenous Acsl4 expression increased significantly the release of AA metabolites, including PGE₂, PGD₂, and PGF_2α, compared with replicated control cells, whereas knockdown of Acsl1 expression reduced the IL-1β-induced release of AA metabolites. Experiments with double knockdown of Acsl4 and intracellular phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) isozymes revealed that cytosolic PLA₂α, but not calcium-independent PLA₂s, is involved in the Acsl4 knockdown-enhanced PG biosynthesis. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of cellular phospholipids bearing AA showed that the levels of some, if not all, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylinositol species in Acsl4 knockdown cells were decreased after IL-1β stimulation, while those in control cells were not so obviously decreased. In Acsl1 knockdown cells, the levels of some AA-bearing PC species were reduced even in the unstimulated condition. Collectively, these results suggest that Acsl isozymes play distinct roles in the control of AA remodeling in rat fibroblasts: Acsl4 acts as the first step of enzyme for AA remodeling following IL-1β stimulation, and Acsl1 is involved in the maintenance of some AA-containing PC species.