A comprehensive approach to the molecular determinants of lifespan using a Boolean model of geroconversion

Altered molecular responses to insulin and growth factors (GF) are responsible for late‐life shortening diseases such as type‐2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cancers. We have built a network of the signaling pathways that control S‐phase entry and a specific type of senescence called geroconversion. We have translated this network into a Boolean model to study possible cell phenotype outcomes under diverse molecular signaling conditions. In the context of insulin resistance, the model was able to reproduce the variations of the senescence level observed in tissues related to T2DM's main morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, by calibrating the pharmacodynamics of mTOR inhibitors, we have been able to reproduce the dose‐dependent effect of rapamycin on liver degeneration and lifespan expansion in wild‐type and HER2–neu mice. Using the model, we have finally performed an in silico prospective screen of the risk–benefit ratio of rapamycin dosage for healthy lifespan expansion strategies. We present here a comprehensive prognostic and predictive systems biology tool for human aging.     

Discovering novel carbonic anhydrase type IX (CA IX) inhibitors from seven million compounds using virtual screening and in vitro analysis

Carbonic anhydrase type IX (CA IX) enzyme is mostly over expressed in different cancer cell lines and tumor tissues. Potent CA IX inhibitors can be effective for adjusting the pH imbalance in tumor cells. In the present work, we represented the successful application of high throughput virtual screening (HTVS) of large dataset from ZINC database included of ～7 million compounds to discover novel inhibitors of CA IX. HTVS and molecular docking were performed using consequence Glide/standard precision (SP), extra precision (XP) and induced fit docking (IFD) molecular docking protocols. For each compound, docking code calculates a set of low-energy poses and then exhaustively scans the binding pocket of the target with small compounds. Novel CA IX inhibitor candidates were suggested based on molecular modeling studies and a few of them were tested using in vitro analysis. These compounds were determined as good inhibitors against human CA IX target with K_i in the range of 0.85–1.58?μM. In order to predict the pharmaceutical properties of the selected compounds, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) analysis was also carried out.     

Virtual screening,docking, and dynamics of potential new inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase from Yersinia pestis

In the present work, we propose to design drugs that target the enzyme dihydrofolate redutase (DHFR) as a means of a novel drug therapy against plague. Potential inhibitors of DHFR from Yersinia pestis (YpDHFR) were selected by virtual screening and subjected to docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and Poisson–Boltzmann surface area method, in order to evaluate their interactions in the active sites of YpDHFR and human DHFR (HssDHFR). The results suggested selectivity for three compounds that were further used to propose the structures of six new potential selective inhibitors for YpDHFR.     

Effect of surface-screening parameter of the Yukawa potential model on vapour–liquid phase coexistence and critical-point properties of confined Yukawa fluid

We report the effect of surface-screening parameter of Yukawa potential model on vapour–liquid phase coexistence and critical-point properties of slit–pore-confined Yukawa fluid, using grand canonical transition-matrix Monte Carlo along with the histogram reweighting method. The effect of surface-screening parameter on the vapour–phase coexistence density is insignificant for the studied system. On the other hand, significant effect of surface-screening parameter is observed on liquid phase coexistence density. With increasing surface-screening parameter, liquid phase coexistence density decreases. Critical-point properties have shown monotonic decreasing trends with increase in surface-screening parameter. Moreover, the effect of change of surface-screening parameter is least on critical temperature changes as compared to critical density and critical pressure changes for the studied Yukawa system in this work.     

高产莫纳可林K低产桔霉素红曲霉菌株的筛选和发酵条件初步优化

采集全国各地红曲霉制品中的红曲霉资源,经分离获278株红曲霉菌株。高效液相色谱(HPLC)法测定各菌株发酵液中莫纳可林K(Monacolin K)和桔霉素含量,筛选获1株Monacolin K产量较高、桔霉素含量较低的红曲霉菌株编号为M-22。依据形态特征和ITS基因序列,参照红曲霉属分类检索表,鉴定M-22菌株为紫色红曲霉(Monascus purpureus)。通过摇瓶发酵对温度、初始pH、碳源、氮源、碳氮比(C/N)等因素进行优化,确定M-22菌株摇瓶发酵产Monacolin K适宜条件为发酵温度26℃、初始pH 5.0、转速160 r/min,甘油为碳源、蛋白胨为氮源、碳氮比(C/N)为5:1,Monacolin K产量显著提高,最高为107.16 mg/L。以优化的发酵条件对M-22菌株进行5 L发酵罐发酵,发酵液中Monacolin K产量最高为189.83 mg/L,桔霉素含量32.53μg/L,红曲色素色价为16.38 U/m L。     

Synthesis,anticancer activity,and SAR analyses of compounds containing the 5:7-fused 4,6,8-triaminoimidazo[4,5-e][1,3]diazepine ring system

Described herein are our limited structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies on a 5:7-fused heterocycle (1), containing the 4,6,8-triaminoimidazo[4,5-e][1,3]diazepine ring system, whose synthesis and potent broad-spectrum anticancer activity we reported a few years ago. Our SAR efforts in this study are mainly focused on judicial attachment of substituents at N-1 and N⁶-positions of the heterocyclic ring. Our results suggest that there is some subtle correlation between the substituents attached at the N-1 position and those attached at the N⁶-position of the heterocycle. It is likely that there is a common hydrophobic binding pocket on the target protein that is occupied by the substituents attached at the N-1 and N⁶-positions of the heterocyclic ligand. This pocket appears to be large enough to hold either a C-18 alkyl chain of N⁶ and no attachment at N-1, or a combined C-10 at N⁶ and a CH₂Ph at N-1. Any alkyl chain shorter or longer than C-10 at N⁶ with a CH₂Ph attached at N-1, would result in decrease of biological activity.     

Discovery and antiparasitic activity of AZ960 as a Trypanosoma brucei ERK8 inhibitor

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a lethal, vector-borne disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Therapeutic strategies for this neglected tropical disease suffer from disadvantages such as toxicity, high cost, and emerging resistance. Therefore, new drugs with novel modes of action are needed. We screened cultured T. brucei against a focused kinase inhibitor library to identify promising bioactive compounds. Among the ten hits identified from the phenotypic screen, AZ960 emerged as the most promising compound with potent antiparasitic activity (IC₅₀ = 120 nM) and was shown to be a selective inhibitor of an essential gene product, T. brucei extracellular signal-regulated kinase 8 (TbERK8). We report that AZ960 has a K_i of 1.25 μM for TbERK8 and demonstrate its utility in establishing TbERK8 as a potentially druggable target in T. brucei.     

白芨SSR引物筛选及群体遗传多样性研究

白芨(Bletilla striata Rchb.)为中国珍稀濒危植物,重要的药用植物。该研究基于Illumina测序技术构建白芨基因组文库和微卫星文库,设计白芨微卫星引物,用白芨4个野生种群80个个体对引物进行多态性检测,应用4个白芨近缘种中进行引物的通用性检测,并在此基础上分析了白芨的遗传多样性和遗传分化,以探讨白芨的遗传结构和进化潜能。结果表明:(1)白芨基因组中微卫星片断丰富,共检测出17 841条微卫星片断。基于白芨微卫星库对100个位点设计了引物对,经PCR扩增和检测筛选出能够稳定扩增的多态性位点20个,每个位点的复等位基因数(Na)在2~6之间,平均为3.85;20对引物的大部分能够在4个白芨近缘种中成功扩增。(2)白芨在物种水平均有较高的遗传多样性(Na=3.85,I=1.07,H=0.614 7),白芨种群遗传分化强烈(Gst=0.43),居群间的基因流较弱(Nm=0.867 6),居群聚类分析结果均表明地理距离较近的居群具有较近的遗传关系。     

毛筒壳科真菌次级代谢产物生物活性的评价

毛筒壳科Tubeufiaceae真菌具有产新结构、新活性次级代谢产物的潜力,目前对该科真菌次级代谢产物的研究较少。为了寻找具有生物活性的新化合物,有必要对毛筒壳科真菌次级代谢产物及其活性进行系统深入的研究。本文采用平板对峙法、生长速率法和MTT法,分别测定已分离得到的19株该科真菌活体菌株抑菌活性、发酵物抑菌活性以及发酵物粗提物对不同人体肿瘤细胞株增殖的抑制作用。通过平板对峙法,试验共筛选获得13株活性菌株,其中,红棕毛筒腔菌菌株Tubeufia rubra PF02-2对7种植物病原真菌有明显的抑菌效果,抑制率均高于60%且抑菌谱广。采用生长速率法,发现红棕毛筒腔菌菌株PF02-2经液体发酵后,发酵液对其中4种植物病原真菌仍有一定的抑制作用,且菌丝体部分的乙酸乙酯提取物对马铃薯早疫病病菌Alternaria solani（ZYB）的抑制效果最好。通过MTT法,发现发酵物粗提物对3种肿瘤细胞均具有不同程度的细胞毒活性,其中在300μg/mL时,剑叶莎毛筒腔菌菌株Tubeufia machaerinae ML03-2发酵液部分的乙酸乙酯提取物对人宫颈癌细胞株HeLa和人前列腺癌细胞株PC-3的抑制率（%）分别达到了98.92±0.15和97.86±0.18,在400μg/mL时,对人肝癌细胞株HEPG2的抑制率（%）达到了98.88±0.04;在500μg/mL时,明孢新旋卷孢菌菌株Neohelicosporium hyalosporum ML05-1菌丝体部分的乙酸乙酯提取物对人宫颈癌细胞株HeLa细胞的抑制率（%）为98.32±0.02,在600μg/mL时,对人肝癌细胞株HEPG2的抑制率（%）达到了97.62±0.20,在300μg/mL时,对人前列腺癌细胞株PC-3的抑制率（%）达到了98.91±0.02。该研究结果为开发利用毛筒壳科真菌提供了科学依据。