Biological activities of purified harpin(Xoo) and harpin(Xoo) detection in transgenic plants using its polyclonal antibody

Many harpins have been found in plant pathogen bacteria that can elicit disease and insect resistance in plants, and promote plant growth. In this work, we overexpressed and purified Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae harpin, harpinxoo, in Escherichia coli BL21/pGEX-hpa1. Harpinxoo was fused to the Cterminus of glutathione S-transferase （GST） and purified using the Bulk GST purification module and thrombin cleavage capture kit. Purified harpinxoo protein was sensitive to protease K and stable to heat treatment, and could not induce a hypersensitive response after treatment with various plant metabolic inhibitors; these characteristics were similar to harpinEa of Erwinia amylovora. The purified harpinxoo showed a similar ability to induce tobacco mosaic virus resistance in tobacco as harpinEa. Its antibody worked well in detecting the purified harpinxoo, harpinxoo in the total protein of E. coli BL21/pGEX-hpa1 and an hpal transgenic rice.     

Blastocladiella emersonii expresses a centrin similar to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii isoform not found in late-diverging fungi

Centrins are members of the calcium-binding EF-hand protein superfamily which can be divided into two subfamilies, probably associated with different functions: one related to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii centrin, CrCenp, and the other, represented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae isoform, ScCdc31p. ESTs encoding the two isoforms (BeCen1 and BeCen3) from the chytridiomycete Blastocladiella emersonii were isolated, and expression of the CrCenp-type centrin, BeCen1, was analyzed throughout the fungus life cycle. Becen1 mRNA levels increase transiently during sporulation and protein levels present a similar pattern. Immunolocalization studies seem to localize BeCen1 at the basal body zone and in the cytoplasm surrounding the nuclear cap, a zoospore organelle.     

Cellular stability of Rho-GTPases glucosylated by Clostridium difficile toxin B

Mono-glucosylation of Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 by Clostridium difficile toxin B (TcdB) induces changes of actin dynamics and apoptosis. When fibroblasts were treated with TcdB, an apparent decrease of the cellular Rac1 level was observed when applying anti-Rac1(Mab 102). This decrease was not based on degradation as inhibition of the proteasome by lactacystin did not stabilise cellular Rac1 levels. The application of anti-Rac1 (Mab 23A8) showed that the cellular Rac1 level slightly increased in TcdB-treated fibroblasts; thus, the apparent loss of cellular Rac1 was not due to degradation but due to impaired recognition of glucosylated Rac1 by anti-Rac1 (Mab 102). In contrast, recognition of RhoA by anti-RhoA (Mab 26C4) and Cdc42 by anti-Cdc42 (Mab 44) was not altered by glucosylation; a transient decrease of cellular RhoA and Cdc42 in TcdB-treated fibroblasts was indeed due to proteasomal degradation, as inhibition of the proteasome by lactacystin stabilised both cellular RhoA and Cdc42 levels. The finding that the apparent decrease of Rac1 reflects Rac1 glucosylation offers a valuable tool to determine Rac1 glucosylation.     

Caspase-8 acts as a key upstream executor of mitochondria during justicidin A-induced apoptosis in human hepatoma cells

Justicia procumbens is a traditional Taiwanese herbal remedy used to treat fever, pain, and cancer. Justicidin A, isolated from Justicia procumbens, has been reported to suppress in vitro growth of several tumor cell lines as well as hepatoma cells. In this study, justicidin A activated caspase-8 to increase tBid, disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi(m)), and caused the release of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO in Hep 3B and Hep G2 cells. Justicidin A also reduced Bcl-x(L) and increased Bax and Bak in mitochondria. Caspase-8 inhibitor (Z-IETD) attenuated the justicidin A-induced disruption of Delta psi(m). Growth of Hep 3B implanted in NOD-SCID mice was suppressed significantly by oral justicidin A (20 mg/kg/day). These results indicate that justicidin A-induced apoptosis in these cells proceeds via caspase-8 and is followed by mitochondrial disruption.     

Mechanism of action of DNA-hydrolyzing antibodies to DNA from blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Four fractions of IgG antibodies to native DNA (nDNA) were obtained from blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These antibodies displayed a thermostable DNA-hydrolyzing activity and were different in affinity for DNA-cellulose and sorption on DEAE-cellulose. DNA-hydrolyzing antibodies to nDNA are metal-dependent endonucleases, cause mainly single-strand breaks in DNA, and are active over a wide range of pH. By atomic-force microscopy, three-dimensional images of DNA complexes with DNA-hydrolyzing antibodies to nDNA were obtained with nanometer resolution, and a nonprocessive action mechanism was shown for the DNase activity of antibodies to nDNA.     

Molecular characterization,tissue distribution and expression analysis of Interleukin-12 receptor β2 chain in sheep

Ovine β2 subunit of the interleukin (IL)-12 receptor (IL-12Rβ2) was cloned from mRNA preparation of mitogen-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The complete coding sequence for ovine IL-12 Rβ2 was found to be 2586 nucleotides in length encoding 862-amino-acid residue protein. It showed 96.4% homology at the nucleotide level and 94.1% homology at the amino acid level with bovine IL-12 Rβ2. The ovine IL-12 Rβ2 subunit shares common structural and functional elements with their counterparts from the other species. Phylogenetic tree showed that ovine IL-12Rβ2 was clustered into the Artiodactyla group, together with those of cattle and pig, which was distinct from the other groups. Real-time RT-PCR was used to investigate expression of the IL-12Rβ2 in different tissues of sheep in order to determine the characterization of this receptor in tissue. Expression analysis showed that IL-12Rβ2 mRNA expression was detected at all the detected tissues with the exception of thymus.     

单增李斯特菌InternalinA的表达、纯化及多克隆抗体的制备

【目的】克隆表达单增李斯特菌膜表面蛋白InternalinA(InlA),经免疫家兔获得多克隆抗体,为建立其免疫磁珠富集快速检测方法奠定基础。【方法】利用生物软件设计单增李斯特菌inlA基因的引物,通过PCR扩增出inlA基因,并将其克隆至pET28a()原核表达载体,转化大肠杆菌BL21进行优化表达。镍柱纯化表达产物,质谱鉴定重组蛋白,ELISA分析其免疫原性。免疫家兔,制备其多克隆抗体。间接ELISA检测多抗的效价及交叉性,免疫荧光分析多抗与单增李斯特菌菌体结合的特异性。【结果】成功表达了InlA蛋白,融合表达产物分子量约为92 kD,质谱鉴定其为InlA蛋白;免疫家兔获得的抗血清效价为1:100 000,除与金黄色葡萄球菌约20%的交叉外,与副溶血弧菌等其它病源菌均无交叉;免疫荧光证实该多抗特异性结合于单增李斯特菌膜表面,与同种属的威尔斯李斯特菌不结合。【结论】成功制备了单增李斯特菌特异性的兔多克隆抗体,为单增李斯特菌免疫磁珠富集快速检测方法的建立奠定了基础。     

斑马鱼基因ATF4多克隆抗体的制备

ATF4是含有bZIP结构域的ATF／CREB转录因子家族成员,对胚胎的发育以及细胞的增殖、分化有重要的调节作用。制备ATF4的多克隆抗体对于研究其在斑马鱼心脏发育过程中的作用有重要的意义。研究首先通过生物信息学方法,选择ATF4基因中特异性强、具亲水性的一段核苷酸序列（1017bp）,通过PCR扩增,将片段重组到原核表达载体pET-28a,然后转化入Rosetta菌株中。经测序鉴定正确后,用IPTG诱导表达融合蛋白,以该融合蛋白免疫小鼠,获得ATF4多克隆抗鼠血清。对该多抗血清抗体进行验证,具有很好特异性和较高效价,可以用作Western—blotting、免疫印迹等试验分析。     

抗谷胱甘肽S转移酶多克隆抗体的制备及特异性鉴定

目的:制备谷胱甘肽S转移酶(GST)的兔多抗,并鉴定该抗体的特异性。方法:用纯化的GST标签蛋白(纯度>98%)免疫新西兰大白兔,获得GST的兔抗血清,并经HiTrap rProtein A柱纯化获得高效价高特异性的抗体;用间接ELISA法检测抗体效价,Western印迹检测抗体的特异性,并与商业化抗体进行对比。结果:通过免疫法得到了GST的兔多克隆抗体血清,抗体效价达1∶1×106,经rProtein A柱纯化后获得了高效价高特异性的抗体,其高效高特异性已达商业化抗体水平。结论:获得了GST的高效价高特异性的兔多克隆抗体。     

Scytovirin在大肠杆菌中的可溶性表达

目的:获得Scytovirin(SVN)蛋白及其多克隆抗体.方法:按照NCBI上公布的SVN基因序列设计合成引物,合成SVN基因,构建pET32c-SVN原核表达重组质粒,经限制性酶切分析、DNA序列测定插入片段正确;将该重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),IPTG诱导重组蛋白表达;用离子交换层析法及金属亲合层析法纯化蛋白,采用Tris-Tricine系统分析;以经过纯化的蛋白为抗原免疫白兔,制备SVN多克隆抗体.结果:对表达产物进行了分离纯化,SVN纯度达到91%;用纯化的样品制备了多克隆抗体,抗血清效价为1∶102 400.结论:SVN在大肠杆菌表达系统中获得了高效可溶表达,并制备了其多克隆抗体,为进一步深入研究SVN提供了材料.