Doxorubicin metabolism moderately attributes to putative toxicity in prodigiosin/doxorubicin synergism in vitro cells

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is ultimately accompanied by cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Apoptosis mainly related to calpain-1-mediated apoptotic pathways....     

Pollen Morphology of Asarum in China

The present paper describes the pollen morphology of 27 species, 4 varieties and 1 form of Asarum from China. The pollen grains were all examined under light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The apertures of pollen grains of Asarum are variable and so distinct as to allow the identification of individual subgenera and species. The exine ornamentation is compound and may be divided into two types: reticulate or cerebelloid under verrucae. The pollen grains of Subgen. Asarum and Subgen. Heterotropa are distinguishable, which supports the taxonomical subdivision based on the gross morphology. The differences in the pollen morphology between A. caulescens Maxim. and A. sieboldii Miq. in China and in Japan are discussed and some comparisons in the pollenmorphology between several species similar in the gross morphology are also made.     

A functional role for TorsinA in herpes simplex virus 1 nuclear egress

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) capsids leave the nucleus by a process of envelopment and de-envelopment at the nuclear envelope (NE) that is accompanied by structural alterations of the NE. As capsids translocate across the NE, transient primary enveloped virions form in the perinuclear space. Here, we provide evidence that torsinA (TA), a ubiquitously expressed ATPase, has a role in HSV-1 nuclear egress. TA resides within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/NE and functions in maintaining normal NE architecture. We show that perturbation of TA normal function by overexpressing torsinA wild type (TAwt) inhibits HSV-1 production. Ultrastructural analysis of infected cells overexpressing TAwt revealed reduced levels of surface virions in addition to accumulation of novel, double-membrane structures called virus-like vesicles (VLVs). Although mainly found in the cytoplasm, VLVs resemble primary virions in their size, by the appearance of the inner membrane, and by the presence of pUL34, a structural component of primary virions. Collectively, our data suggest a model in which interference of TA normal function by overexpression impairs de-envelopment of the primary virions leading to their accumulation in a cytoplasmic membrane compartment. This implies novel functions for TA at the NE.     

二斑叶螨滞育特性的初步研究

诱导滞育实验表明 :短日照和低温是诱导二斑叶螨发生滞育的主要因子。测定我国天水种群 ,在 15℃条件下 ,诱导其滞育的临界日照长度为 9小时 4 2分 ,在每日 8小时光照条件下 ,诱导其滞育的临界温度为 15.5℃。解除滞育实验表明 :在每日 13小时的光照条件下 ,温度越高 ,解除越冬雌成螨滞育的速度越快 ;低温处理滞育雌成螨的时间越长 ,解除其滞育的速度也越快。     

Classical complement and inflammasome activation converge in CD14highCD16- monocytes in HIV associated TB-immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome

Inflammasome-derived cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18, and complement cascade have been independently implicated in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB)-immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS), a complication affecting HIV⁺ individuals starting antiretroviral therapy (ART). Although sublytic deposition of the membrane attack complex (MAC) has been shown to promote NLRP3 inflammasome activation, it is unknown whether these pathways may cooperatively contribute to TB-IRIS. To evaluate the activation of inflammasome, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HIV-TB co-infected patients prior to ART and at the IRIS or equivalent timepoint were incubated with a probe used to assess active caspase-1/4/5 followed by screening of ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD domain) specks as a readout of inflammasome activation by imaging flow cytometry. We found higher numbers of monocytes showing spontaneous caspase-1/4/5⁺ASC-speck formation in TB-IRIS compared to TB non-IRIS patients. Moreover, numbers of caspase-1/4/5⁺ASC-speck⁺ monocytes positively correlated with IL-1β/IL-18 plasma levels. Besides increased systemic levels of C1q and C5a, TB-IRIS patients also showed elevated C1q and C3 deposition on monocyte cell surface, suggesting aberrant classical complement activation. A clustering tSNE analysis revealed TB-IRIS patients are enriched in a CD14^highCD16^- monocyte population that undergoes MAC deposition and caspase-1/4/5 activation compared to TB non-IRIS patients, suggesting complement-associated inflammasome activation during IRIS events. Accordingly, PBMCs from patients were more sensitive to ex-vivo complement-mediated IL-1β secretion than healthy control cells in a NLRP3-dependent manner. Therefore, our data suggest complement-associated inflammasome activation may fuel the dysregulated TB-IRIS systemic inflammatory cascade and targeting this pathway may represent a novel therapeutic approach for IRIS or related inflammatory syndromes.     

Induction of apoptotic death by curcumin in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma SCC-4 cells is mediated through endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondria-dependent pathways

Curcumin from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant has been noted for its chemo-preventative and chemo-therapy activities, and it inhibits the growth of many types of human cancer cell lines. In this study, the mechanisms of cell death involved in curcumin-induced growth inhibition, including cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in human tongue cancer SCC-4 cells, were investigated. Herein, we observed that curcumin inhibited cell growth of SCC-4 cells and induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of SCC-4 cells with curcumin caused a moderate and promoted the G(2) /M phase arrest, which was accompanied with decreases in cyclin B/CDK1 and CDC25C protein levels. Moreover, curcumin significantly induced apoptosis of SCC-4 cells with a decrease of the Bcl-2 level, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ(m) ), and promoted the active forms of caspase-3. Curcumin also promoted the releases of AIF and Endo G from the mitochondria in SCC-4 cells by using confocal laser microscope. Therefore, we suggest that curcumin induced apoptosis through a mitochondria-dependent pathway in SCC-4 cells. In addition, we also found that curcumin-induced apoptosis of SCC-4 cells was partly through endoplasmic reticulum stress. In conclusion, curcumin increased G(2) /M phase arrest and induced apoptosis through ER stress and mitochondria-dependent pathways in SCC-4 cells.     

辽宁省冬季温室内越冬粉虱伪蛹的种类鉴定及烟粉虱体内番茄黄化曲叶病毒的检测

为了揭示辽宁省冬季温室内越冬粉虱伪蛹的种类及烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius）携带番茄黄化曲叶病毒（tomato yellow leaf curl virus, TYLCV）情况, 于2012年1月份在辽宁省不同县市区的温室作物上采集了17份粉虱伪蛹样品（每样品含30头粉虱伪蛹） , 镜检鉴别粉虱种类并利用mtCOI基因对烟粉虱生物型进行了鉴定; 检测了烟粉虱携带TYLCV情况并对其PCR扩增产物进行了测序分析。结 果表明： 辽宁省冬季温室内存在越冬温室白粉虱Trialeurodes vaporariorum （Westwood）与烟粉虱。17份粉虱样品中, 11份样品为烟 粉虱样品, 6份样品为温室白粉虱和烟粉虱混合样品。混合样品中, 温室白粉虱仅在锦州凌海（LH）样品中占优势。17份烟粉虱样品（包 括混合样品）中, 仅有4份样品为B型与Q型混合样品, 其他13份样品烟粉虱生物型均为Q型。17份烟粉虱样品中有3份Q型烟粉虱样品检测 到TYLCV, 系统树分析进一步证实该病毒是TYLCV。调查结果为辽宁省粉虱与TYLCV的早期测报和防控提供了科学依据。     

Stem cell factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor promote neuronal lineage commitment of neural stem cells

Stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were originally discovered as growth factors for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). It has been well defined that SCF and G-CSF contribute to regulation of lineage commitment for HSCs. However, little is known about whether SCF and G-CSF play roles in the determination and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). Here we demonstrate the novel function of SCF and G-CSF in controlling cell cycle and cell fate determination of NSCs. We also observe that SCF and G-CSF promote neuronal differentiation and inhibit astroglial differentiation at the early stage of differentiation. In addition, our research data reveal that SCF in combination with G-CSF has a dual function in promoting cell cycle exit and directing neuronal fate commitment at the stage of NSC dividing. This coordination effect of SCF+G-CSF on cell cycle arrest and neuronal differentiation is through enhancing neurogenin 1 (Ngn1) activity. These findings extend current knowledge regarding the role of SCF and G-CSF in the regulation of neurogenesis and provide insights into the contribution of hematopoietic growth factors to brain development and remodeling.