钙调蛋白结合蛋白通过调节细胞骨架稳定性影响肿瘤细胞运动能力

轻链钙调蛋白结合蛋白（light-chain Caldesmon,l-CaD）是一种重要的肌动蛋白结合蛋白,普遍存在于众多非肌肉细胞中。体外研究证明,l-CaD能通过与肌动蛋白的结合起到促进原肌动蛋白（G-actin）聚合、稳定肌动蛋白纤维（F-actin）结构的作用。在磷酸化作用下,l-CaD能从肌动蛋白纤维上脱离并促进肌动蛋白纤维的解聚。该研究拟考察l-CaD在细胞内对细胞肌动蛋白骨架的调节作用,阐明l-CaD对细胞运动能力的影响,作者将天然低表达l-CaD的人源性乳腺癌细胞MCF-7作为细胞模型,在MCF-7胞内以基因转染的方式高表达外源野生型l-CaD及其磷酸化突变株A1234-CaD（不可磷酸化CaD）、D1234-CaD（完全磷酸化CaD）。首先,通过激光共聚焦扫描,探讨了l-CaD对细胞骨架重排的调节;其次,通过细胞迁移transwell阵列,检测了l-CaD对细胞迁移能力的影响;最后,在单细胞层次上测定了细胞基底牵张力、胰酶刺激下的细胞基底脱附能力,并进一步检测了l-CaD对细胞迁移子过程中细胞伸张、收缩的影响。研究结果显示,l-CaD在胞内对细胞骨架的形成有显著的调控作用。非磷酸化l-CaD主要富集在细胞骨架上,增强了细胞骨架的强度,导致细胞基底牵张力以及对胰酶的耐受性增强,但对细胞的迁移能力有显著的抑制作用;磷酸化l-CaD跟细胞骨架结合能力很弱,对细胞的运动能力没有显著影响。通过磷酸化,l-CaD起到了一个“蛋白开关”的作用,通过控制细胞骨架的解聚、重排来调节细胞的运动能力。     

Assessing probability of ancestry using simple sequence repeat profiles: applications to maize inbred lines and soybean varieties

Determining parentage is a fundamental problem in biology and in applications such as identifying pedigrees. Difficulties inferring parentage derive from extensive inbreeding within the population, whether natural or planned; using an insufficient number of hypervariable loci; and from allele mismatches caused by mutation or by laboratory errors that generate false exclusions. Many studies of parentage have been limited to comparisons of small numbers of specific parent-progeny triplets. There have been few large-scale surveys of candidates in which there is no prior knowledge of parentage. We present an algorithm that determines the probability of parentage in circumstances where there is no prior knowledge of pedigree and that is robust in the face of missing data and mistyped data. The focus is parentage of an inbred line having uncertain ancestry. The algorithm is a variation of a previously published hybrid-focused algorithm. We describe the algorithm and demonstrate its performance in determining parentage of 43 inbred varieties of soybean that have been profiled using 236 SSR loci and from seven inbred varieties of maize that were profiled using 70 SSR loci. We include simulations of additional levels of missing and mistyped data to show the algorithm's utility and flexibility.     

双歧杆菌活菌制剂治疗烧伤腹泻的临床观察与分析

本研究采用双歧杆菌活菌制剂治疗烧伤后腹泻病人２６例,发现腹泻时患者肠道菌群发生明显变化：总菌量下降,厌氧菌中的双歧杆菌、类杆菌的数量明显减少,念珠菌的数量明显升高,厌氧菌与需氧菌比例下降,发生菌群失调。喂服双歧杆菌活菌制剂后,双歧杆菌数量增加,需氧、厌氧菌比例下降,患者失调的肠道菌群趋向正常,腹泻停止。双歧杆菌的服用重建了肠道菌群微生态平衡,达到治疗腹泻的目的     

杀鱼假交替单胞菌C923几丁质酶基因PpchiC的克隆表达与酶学性质

【背景】某些假交替单胞菌可分泌几丁质酶,在降解利用几丁质为水产动物提供营养、免疫、抗病等方面有着重要潜力。【目的】克隆杀鱼假交替单胞菌(Pseudoalteromonas piscicida)C923的一个几丁质酶基因,实现其在大肠杆菌中的异源表达,并对重组几丁质酶的酶学性质进行研究。【方法】从菌株C923测序的基因组中注释到一个几丁质酶家族基因PpchiC,设计引物克隆该基因后进行生物信息学分析;构建载体进行异源表达并从温度、时间与诱导剂浓度进行表达优化;对表达蛋白进行最适温度与pH等酶学性质研究,同时比较了重组菌破碎后上清与沉淀及纯化的酶蛋白对几丁质的降解效应。【结果】基因PpchiC长1350bp,编码450个氨基酸,PpchiC蛋白理论分子量为48.76kDa,等电点为4.78,不稳定系数为29.08。结构域分析发现该蛋白含有一个类型Ⅲ几丁质结合域和一个糖苷水解酶18家族(glycosyl hydrolase 18,GH18)的催化域;PpchiC蛋白含有GH18家族几丁质酶的保守催化基序DxxDxDxE、YxR和[E/D]xx[V/I]。16℃、0.25mmol/L IPTG、诱导12h为其最优化表达条件,PpchiC在50℃、pH8.0时表现出最大酶活性;以胶体几丁质为底物时,PpchiC的K_m值为2.58mg/mL、V_max值为5.04mg/(mL·min)。降解结果表明,菌体的沉淀与上清及从上清中纯化的酶蛋白均有着较好的几丁质降解效应。【结论】杀鱼假交替单胞菌C923基因PpchiC编码GH18家族的几丁质酶,能被大肠杆菌高效表达且降解几丁质效应明显,这为PpchiC及菌株C923的应用提供了参考依据。     

Using molecular sizes of simple sequence repeats vs. discrete binned data in assessing probability of ancestry: application to maize hybrids

Most inferential methods for profiling genotypes based upon the use of DNA fragments use molecular-size data transcribed into discrete bins, which are intervals of DNA fragment sizes. Categorizing into bins is labor intensive with inevitable arbitrariness that may vary between laboratories. We describe and evaluate an algorithm for determining probabilities of parentage based on raw molecular-size data without establishing bins. We determine the standard deviation of DNA fragment size and assess the association of standard deviation with fragment size. We consider a pool of potential ancestors for an index line that is a hybrid with unknown pedigree. We evaluate the identification of inbred parents of maize hybrids with simple sequence repeat data in the form of actual molecular sizes received from two laboratories. We find the standard deviation to be essentially constant over the molecular weight. We compare these results with those of parallel analyses based on these same data that had been transcribed into discrete bins by the respective laboratories. The conclusions were quite similar in the two cases, with excellent performance using either binned or molecular-size data. We demonstrate the algorithm's utility and robustness through simulations of levels of missing and misscored molecular-size data.     

Mapping quantitative trait loci using naturally occurring genetic variance among commercial inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.)

Many commercial inbred lines are available in crops. A large amount of genetic variation is preserved among these lines. The genealogical history of the inbred lines is usually well documented. However, quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for the genetic variances among the lines are largely unexplored due to lack of statistical methods. In this study, we show that the pedigree information of the lines along with the trait values and marker information can be used to map QTL without the need of further crossing experiments. We develop a Monte Carlo method to estimate locus-specific identity-by-descent (IBD) matrices. These IBD matrices are further incorporated into a mixed-model equation for variance component analysis. QTL variance is estimated and tested at every putative position of the genome. The actual QTL are detected by scanning the entire genome. Applying this new method to a well-documented pedigree of maize (Zea mays L.) that consists of 404 inbred lines, we mapped eight QTL for the maize male flowering trait, growing degree day heat units to pollen shedding (GDUSHD). These detected QTL contributed >80% of the variance observed among the inbred lines. The QTL were then used to evaluate all the inbred lines using the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) technique. Superior lines were selected according to the estimated QTL allelic values, a technique called marker-assisted selection (MAS). The MAS procedure implemented via BLUP may be routinely used by breeders to select superior lines and line combinations for development of new cultivars.     

拟核结合蛋白与细菌基因的表达调控

拟核结合蛋白是细菌遗传物质组织和基因表达调控的关键. 细菌基因组压缩为致密的拟核必需有拟核结合蛋白的支撑. 拟核结合蛋白、DNA超螺旋和大分子簇在拟核的结构形成中起到重要作用,其中拟核结合蛋白最重要.拟核结合蛋白还影响细菌DNA的复制、重组、转录和修复等多个重要生理过程.作为全局调控因子,拟核结合蛋白是调控细菌适应环境变化所需基因表达的关键. 本文总结拟核结合蛋白的结构、功能和调控,特别是其在致病与非致病分枝杆菌中的差别,为寻找新药物靶标提供线索.     

The electronic properties of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) derivatives and their monomers and oligomers

The electronic structures of monomers, oligomers and polymers of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) derivatives are calculated and analysed based on density functional theory (DFT) methods. The influences of different substituent groups on the band gaps are discussed. Strong relationships are found between band-gap and bond length alternation (BLA) of polymers, and between band-gap and Wiberg bond index (WBI). Analysis of nuclear independent chemical shift (NICS) reveals that oligomers with similar energy gaps have close values of NICS.     

渐进性糖化终产物与糖尿病肾病

高级糖化终末产物(advanced glycation end product,AGE)参与了糖尿病、动脉粥样硬化、癌症等多种疾病的发生和发展,尤其是其导致的糖尿病肾病(diabetic nephropathy,DN)是终末期肾衰竭的主要病因,因此探索以AGEs为靶点的DN治疗手段成为了国内外研究的热点。本文概述了国内外关于AGE参与DN的发病机制,靶向AGE的DN治疗策略,以及天然中药基于AGE为靶点干预DN的研究进展,初步探讨了靶向AGE的DN天然药物的筛选模型。     

靶脑型载药纳米粒子

中枢神经系统(central nervous system,CNS)疾病严重影响人们的生活,给社会、家庭带来沉重负担。CNS疾病治疗的瓶颈是血脑屏障(blood brain barrier,BBB)的存在,严重限制了药物从血液转运到CNS。靶脑型纳米粒子的开发,是克服BBB的限制作用、发展治疗CNS疾病药物的一个有效途径。新近发展的修饰技术,使蛋白质或肽、表面活性剂、脂类等生物分子与纳米粒子相偶联,产生了多种类型的靶脑型纳米粒子。不同的纳米粒子尽管入脑机制不同,但均可以使药物在脑中聚集,达到治疗CNS疾病的目的。