结核分枝杆菌多表位诊断抗原的制备

将结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Mtb)多个B细胞预测表位串联表达(命名为B102),并初步评价其作为诊断抗原的血清学诊断价值。将MtbPstS1、ESAT6、CFP10、Ag85B、Ag85A及PPE54等6个蛋白的11个B细胞预测表位串联,加入合适的连接臂后全基因合成;将多表位片段插入带有TRX标签的表达质粒中,在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中诱导表达,并利用Ni~(2+)-Chelating亲和层析和DEAE阴离子交换层析纯化目的蛋白;利用Western blotting (WB)技术对目的蛋白抗原性进行鉴定,并建立Mtb抗体检测竞争法ELISA技术,初步评价此方法对阴阳血清样本的鉴别能力。目的蛋白以包涵体形式存在,其表达量约占菌体总蛋白的31.25%,经纯化及复性后蛋白B102可溶性存在,浓度为3.124mg/mL,纯度为96.71%;WB实验表明目的蛋白能与Mtb阳性血清相应抗体发生反应。对60份Mtb阳性血清及60份Mtb阴性血清进行检测得出其灵敏度为90.00%,特异性为93.33%,阳性预测值为93.10%,阴性预测值为90.32%,符合率为91.67%,McNemer检验的结果提示与"金标准"诊断结果无差异,Kappa=0.833,提示两种方法诊断结果一致性优异。原核表达与层析纯化可以获取抗原性优异的Mtb多表位诊断抗原,作为诊断抗原可以应用于Mtb的血清学检测中。     

药品与个人护理品生物降解研究进展

药品与个人护理品(Pharmaceuticals and personal care products, PPCPs)包括各种处方药和非处方药(如各类抗生素、人工合成麝香、止痛药、降压药、避孕药、催眠药和减肥药等)与个人护理用品(如化妆品、香料、遮光剂、发胶、染发剂和杀菌剂等)。作为一类新兴环境微污染物,PPCPs因具有潜在的环境毒理学效应和人体健康风险逐渐受到人们的广泛关注。有关PPCPs的生物降解研究已展开了大量的工作并取得了较大进展。文中总结概括了目前国内外PPCPs生物降解方法、功能菌种类、PPCPs的生物降解特性及产物组成与降解途径等,分析了PPCPs微生物降解机理,并对PPCPs生物降解的研究方向进行了展望。     

尖峰岭热带山地雨林根部真菌-植物互作网络结构特征

不同功能群的根部真菌可能会与植物差异性地互作, 并进一步影响地下真菌与植物群落构建。本研究采用Illumina Miseq测序方法检测了海南尖峰岭热带山地雨林中常见植物的根部真菌; 采用网络分析法比较了丛枝菌根(AM)真菌、外生菌根(ECM)真菌, 以及所有根部真菌与植物互作的二分网络(bipartite networks)结构特性。从槭树科、番荔枝科、夹竹桃科、冬青科、棕榈科、壳斗科、樟科和木犀科等8科植物的根系中, 检测到297,831条真菌ITS1序列, 这些序列被划为1,279个真菌分类单元(OTUs), 其中子囊菌门748个、担子菌门354个、球囊菌亚门80个, 以及未知真菌97个。核心根部真菌群落(420个OTUs)中, 至少有三类不同生态功能的真菌常见, 即丛枝菌根真菌(40个OTUs, 占总序列数23.4%)、外生菌根真菌(48个OTUs, 13.9%)和腐生型真菌(83个OTUs, 19.8%)。尖峰岭山地雨林根部真菌-植物互作网络结构特性的指标普遍显著高于/低于假定物种随机互作的零模型期待值。在群落水平, 不同功能型的根部真菌-植物互作网络表现出不同或相反的结构特性, 如丛枝菌根互作网络表现为比零模型预测值高的嵌套性和连接性, 以及比零模型低的专一性, 而外生菌根互作网络呈现出比零模型预测值低的嵌套性和连接性, 以及比零模型高的专一性。在功能群水平, 植物的生态位重叠度在AM互作网络高, 而ECM互作网络低; 真菌的生态位宽度在ECM互作网络窄, 而在AM互作网络较宽。共现(co-occurrence)网络分析进一步揭示, ECM群落的物种对资源的高度种间竞争(植物、真菌高C-score), 以及AM群落的物种无明显种间竞争(低C-score), 可能分别是形成反嵌套ECM互作网络及高嵌套AM互作网络结构的原因。上述结果说明, 尖峰岭山地雨林中至少有两种及以上的种间互作机制调节群落构建: 驱动AM互作网络冗余(nestedness)及ECM互作网络的高生态位分化(专一性)。本研究在同一个森林内探讨了不同功能型的真菌-植物互作特性, 对深入理解热带森林的物种共存机制和生态恢复具有重要意义。     

Genome-Wide Gene Expression Profiles of Orange and White Leafy Head Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) during the Summer Production Season

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - The orange color of the inner leaves of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is attributed to the high content of carotenoids, which is...     

Cationic micelle: A promising nanocarrier for gene delivery with high transfection efficiency

Micelles have demonstrated an excellent ability to deliver several different types of therapeutic agents, including chemotherapy drugs, proteins, small‐interfering RNA and DNA, into tumor cells. Cationic micelles, comprising self‐assemblies of amphiphilic cationic polymers, have exhibited tremendous promise with respect to the delivery of therapy genes and gene transfection. To date, research in the field has focused on achieving an enhanced stability of the micellar assembly, prolonged circulation times and controlled release of the gene. This review focuses on the micelles as a nanosized carrier system for gene delivery, the system‐related modifications for cytoplasm release, stability and biocompatibility, and clinic trials. In accordance with the development of synthetic chemistry and self‐assembly technology, the structures and functionalities of micelles can be precisely controlled, and hence the synthetic micelles not only efficiently condense DNA, but also facilitate DNA endocytosis, endosomal escape, DNA uptake and nuclear transport, resulting in a comparable gene transfection of virus.     

Pacer Is a Mediator of mTORC1 and GSK3-TIP60 Signaling in Regulation of Autophagosome Maturation and Lipid Metabolism

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Dysregulated expression of ACTN4 contributes to endothelial cell injury via the activation of the p38-MAPK/p53 apoptosis pathway in preeclampsia

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disease associated with increased endothelial cell dysfunction caused by systemic oxidative stress. Alpha-actinin-4...     

Numerical simulation of two-phase non-Newtonian blood flow with fluid-structure interaction in aortic dissection

The behavior of blood cells and vessel compliance significantly influence hemodynamic parameters, which are closely related to the development of aortic dissection. Here the two-phase non-Newtonian model and the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method are coupled to simulate blood flow in a patient-specific dissected aorta. Moreover, three-element Windkessel model is applied to reproduce physiological pressure waves. Important hemodynamic indicators, such as the spatial distribution of red blood cells (RBCs) and vessel wall displacement, which greatly influence the hemodynamic characteristics are analyzed. Results show that the proximal false lumen near the entry tear appears to be a vortex zone with a relatively lower volume fraction of RBCs, a low time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) and a high oscillatory shear index (OSI), providing a suitable physical environment for the formation of atherosclerosis. The highest TAWSS is located in the narrow area of the distal true lumen which might cause further dilation. TAWSS distributions in the FSI model and the rigid wall model show similar trend, while there is a significant difference for the OSI distributions. We suggest that an integrated model is essential to simulate blood flow in a more realistic physiological environment with the ultimate aim of guiding clinical treatment.     

Zearalenone can relieve dextran sulfate sodium‐induced inflammatory reaction

In this study, we investigated the influence of zearalenone (ZEA) on the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis model both in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that the mRNA levels of IL‐1β, IL‐18, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase‐1 in the DSS+ZEA‐treated group are lower than those in either the DSS or ZEA group, and the protein expression trends are similar. Furthermore, colitis, which is characterized by body weight loss, stool consistency, and the presence of bloody feces, was significantly alleviated in the DSS+ZEA group when compared with that in the DSS group. In addition, histological analysis showed that inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue damage of the colon in the DSS+ZEA group were recovered compared with that in the DSS‐treated group. These results suggest that, instead of aggravating DSS‐induced colitis, ZEA relieves the inflammatory reaction in colon tissue, which may be related to its estrogenic activity.