Rho‐associated coiled‐coil kinase 1 activation mediates amyloid precursor protein site‐specific Ser655 phosphorylation and triggers amyloid pathology

Rho‐associated coiled‐coil kinase 1 (ROCK1) is proposed to be implicated in Aβ suppression; however, the role for ROCK1 in amyloidogenic metabolism of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to produce Aβ was unknown. In the present study, we showed that ROCK1 kinase activity and its APP binding were enhanced in AD brain, resulting in increased β‐secretase cleavage of APP. Furthermore, we firstly confirmed that APP served as a substrate for ROCK1 and its major phosphorylation site was located at Ser655. The increased level of APP Ser655 phosphorylation was observed in the brain of APP/PS1 mice and AD patients compared to controls. Moreover, blockade of APP Ser655 phosphorylation, or inhibition of ROCK1 activity with either shRNA knockdown or Y‐27632, ameliorated amyloid pathology and improved learning and memory in APP/PS1 mice. These findings suggest that activated ROCK1 targets APP Ser655 phosphorylation, which promotes amyloid processing and pathology. Inhibition of ROCK1 could be a potential therapeutic approach for AD.     

Determination of oxytetracycline hydrochloride in milk and egg white samples using Ru(bipy)32+–Ce(SO4)2 chemiluminescence

A novel, rapid and sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method for the determination of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTCH) is described in this paper. The presented method was based on the fact that OTCH could immensely enhance the CL of the reaction of cerium sulfate and tris(2,2‐bipyridyl) ruthenium (II) in acidic medium. Under optimal experimental conditions, CL intensity was favorably linear for OTCH in the range 5.0 × 10^?7 to 5.0 × 10^?5 g/ml, with a detection limit of 1.5 × 10^?7 g/ml (S/N = 3). The relative standard detection was 4.76% for 5.0 × 10^?6 g/ml (n = 11). This method was successfully applied to the analysis of OTCH in milk and egg white samples. According to the results of the kinetic curves for OTCH in the Ru(bipy)₃²⁺–Ce(SO₄)₂ CL system, together with CL and ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectra, the possible mechanism of the CL reaction is discussed briefly.     

Cryo-EM structures reveal the dynamic transformation of human alpha-2-macroglobulin working as a protease inhibitor

Science China Life Sciences - Human alpha-2-macroglobulin is a well-known inhibitor of a broad spectrum of proteases and plays important roles in immunity, inflammation, and infections. Here, we...     

黄鳝生殖干细胞在性逆转生殖发育过程中的变化

应用组织学方法及免疫组织化学技术显示,黄鳝性逆转生殖发育过程中,生殖干细胞(GSCs)定位分布于生殖褶中,黄鳝雌性发育阶段的GSCs分散或成团存在,间性及雄性发育阶段GSCs均区分为A、B两种不同类型,雌性发育阶段GSCs与A、B两类GSCs在超微结构上存在差异。结果表明,生殖褶中GSCs是黄鳝分化生殖腺中唯一具有有丝分裂能力的生殖细胞群,雌性发育阶段GSCs表现出卵原干细胞特征,间性及雄性发育阶段GSCs为精原干细胞。CD49整合素是黄鳝雌性发育阶段GSCs和A类GSCs的表征分子。     

急性加重期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者痰色评分与肺部微生物和病情严重程度的相关性CSCD

目的 探讨急性加重期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者痰色评分与肺部微生物、病情严重程度的相关性。方法 选择2018年3月至2019年9月我院收治的122例急性加重期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者,根据其痰色评分分为1~2分组(n=30)与3~4分组(n=92),比较两组患者肺部微生物分布、病情严重程度分布、慢性阻塞性肺疾病评估测试(CAT)评分、白细胞(WBC)水平、C反应蛋白(CRP)水平,分析急性加重期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者痰色评分与肺部微生物、病情严重程度的相关性。结果 3~4分组患者肺部肺炎克雷伯菌、铜绿假单胞菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、肺炎链球菌、草绿色链球菌、白假丝酵母、酵母样真菌、丝状真菌检出率与1~2分组比较差异无统计学意义(均P>0.05)。3~4分组患者鲍曼不动杆菌检出率显著高于1~2分组(P<0.05)。3~4分组患者病情严重程度分布与1~2分组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。3~4分组患者CAT评分、WBC水平、CRP水平均显著高于1~2分组(均P<0.05)。急性加重期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者痰色评分与肺炎克雷伯菌、铜绿假单胞菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、肺炎链球菌、草绿色链球菌、白假丝酵母、酵母样真菌、丝状真菌检出率无显著相关性(均P>0.05),而与鲍曼不动杆菌检出率、CAT评分、WBC水平、CRP水平、病情严重程度呈显著相关性(均P<0.05)。结论 痰色评分与急性加重期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者肺部微生物和病情严重程度关系密切,有望成为临床评价该类患者肺部微生物分布及病情严重程度的方法之一。     

Comprehensive metabolomic,proteomic and physiological analyses of grain yield reduction in rice under abrupt drought–flood alternation stress

Abrupt drought–flood alternation (T1) is a meteorological disaster that frequently occurs during summer in southern China and the Yangtze river basin, often causing a significant loss of rice production. In this study, the response mechanism of yield decline under abrupt drought–flood alternation stress at the panicle differentiation stage was analyzed by looking at the metabolome, proteome as well as yield and physiological and biochemical indexes. The results showed that drought and flood stress caused a decrease in the yield of rice at the panicle differentiation stage, and abrupt drought–flood alternation stress created a synergistic effect for the reduction of yield. The main reason for the decrease of yield per plant under abrupt drought–flood alternation was the decrease of seed setting rate. Compared with CK0 (no drought and no flood), the net photosynthetic rate and soluble sugar content of T1 decreased significantly and its hydrogen peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase activity increased significantly. The identified differential metabolites and differentially expressed proteins indicated that photosynthesis metabolism, energy metabolism pathway and reactive oxygen species response have changed strongly under abrupt drought–flood alteration stress, which are factors that leads to the rice grain yield reduction.     

Length–weight relationships for 15 fish species from the Three Gorges Reservoir

The length–weight relationships (LWRs) for 15 fish species from the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) were described in this paper. Specimens were collected using gill nets (mesh size: 6, 8, 10, 12 cm), cage net (mesh size: 1 cm), benthic fyke net (mesh size: 1 cm), hook longlines (80 m long, 3 barbless hooks per meter line) and electrofishing (power: 1,500 w; distance of electrodes: 1–2 m; water depth: 0.2–1.0 m; water area: 1–2 m²; catch by dip net [mesh size: 0.4 cm]) at four sections of the TGR, monthly in June–August and October–November in 2017 and 2018. The first LWR reference for Zacco acutipinnis (Bleeker, 1871), Discogobio brachyphysallidos Huang, 1989, Squalidus nitens (Günther, 1873), Leptobotia pellegrini Fang, 1936, Sinibotia reevesae (Chang, 1944), Pseudobagrus tenuifurcatus (Nichols, 1931), Pseudobagrus medianalis (Regan, 1904), Liobagrus marginatoides (Wu, 1930), Glyptothorax fokiensis (Rendahl, 1925), and Ctenogobius szechuanensis (Liu, 1940) and new maximum total length for 12 species are provided.     

Oleuropein induces apoptosis via abrogating NF-κB activation cascade in estrogen receptor–negative breast cancer cells

Oleuropein is one of the most abundant phenolic compounds found in olives. Epidemiological studies have indicated that an increasing intake of olive oil can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the potential effect(s) of oleuropein on estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer is not fully understood. This study aims to understand the anticancer effects and underlying mechanism(s) of oleuropein on ER-negative breast cancer cells in vitro. The effect of oleuropein on the viability of breast cancer cell lines was examined by mitochondrial dye-uptake assay, apoptosis by flow cytometric analysis, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation by DNA binding/reporter assays and protein expression by Western blot analysis. In the present report, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay results indicated that oleuropein inhibited the viability of breast cancer cells, and its effects were more pronounced on MDA-MB-231 as compared with MCF-7 cells. It was further found that oleuropein increased the level of reactive oxygen species and also significantly inhibited cellular migration and invasion. In addition, the activation of NF-κB was abrogated as demonstrated by Western blot analysis, NF-κB-DNA binding, and luciferase assays. Overall, the data indicates that oleuropein can induce substantial apoptosis via modulating NF-κB activation cascade in breast cancer cells.     

Dependence of artesunate on long noncoding RNA-RP11 to inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma

As a first line medicine for malaria treatment, artesunate (ART) also shows antitumor potential. However, little is known about the effect of ART on the cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this study, we found that ART inhibited cell growth in SK-HEP1 and SM7721 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. A microarray was used to identify differentially expressed protein-coding RNAs (pcRNA) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) between SK-HEP1 cells with and without ART treatment. A differentially expressed lncRNA—RP11, the most related to the EMT of liver cancer cells—RP11 was identified by abioinformatics method Overexpressing and silencing assays were used to verify the role of RP11 in cancer cell EMT. The levels of RP11- and EMT-related genes in liver cancer samples from 75 patients were detected by using qualitative polymerase chain reaction or immunohistochemistry. We identified 1334 pcRNAs and 1670 lncRNA with differential expression induced by ART. ART inhibits EMT, proliferation, migration, invasion, and adhesion of liver cancer cells. RP11 depresses the inhibitory effect of ART on cancer cell EMT. The level of RP11 is associated with cancer cell EMT and metastasis and survival rate of the patient. These data suggest that RP11-linking ART and cancer cell EMT are important for ART-inhibited metastasis of liver cancer.