Molecular cloning of the cDNA for a growth factor-inducible gene with strong homology to S-100, a calcium-binding protein

We have identified a cDNA whose sequence is preferentially expressed when quiescent fibroblasts are stimulated to proliferate. The steady-state levels of the mRNA corresponding to this clone, called 2A9, are increased by serum, platelet-derived growth factor, and epidermal growth factor, but not by insulin or platelet-poor plasma. mRNA levels of 2A9 are also increased in human acute myeloid leukemia. The 2A9 cDNA has been molecularly cloned from an Okayama-Berg library, and its complete nucleotide sequence has been determined. It has an open reading frame of 270 nucleotides, which has a 55% homology with the coding sequence of the beta-subunit of the S-100 protein, a calcium-binding protein that belongs (like calmodulin and the vitamin D-dependent intestinal calcium-binding protein) to the family of calcium-modulated proteins and is found in abundance in several human tumors, including melanoma. The S-100 protein and the deduced aminoacid sequence of 2A9 are also partially homologous to the small subunit of a protein complex that serves as a cellular substrate to tyrosine kinase. The partial homology of 2A9 (whose RNA is inducible by growth factors and is overexpressed in human acute myeloid leukemias) to the S-100 protein, other calcium-modulated proteins, and the subunit of a substrate for tyrosine kinase, is particularly interesting in view of the role attributed to calcium and tyrosine kinases in the regulation of cell proliferation.     

双歧杆菌预防早产儿坏死性小肠结肠炎的疗效观察

目的 探讨双歧杆菌预防早产儿坏死性小肠结肠炎(NEC)的疗效.方法 随机分成试验组和对照组,对照组给予常规治疗,试验组在对照组基础上给予双歧杆菌治疗.观察两组不同胎龄和不同出生体重早产儿NEC患病率、治疗前后肠道各菌群变化的差异.结果 (1)试验组NEC总发生率显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01);(2)试验组出生体重＜1500g早产儿NEC发生率显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);(3)治疗后试验组细菌总数、球菌总数及杆菌总数上升幅度显著大于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.01);治疗后试验组杆球菌比值较对照组显著下降,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).结论 双歧杆菌可有效预防早产儿坏死性小肠结肠炎.     

Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in congenital heart disease in Singapore versus the Netherlands: age exceeds ethnicity in influencing clinical outcome

Background

Advanced treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in congenital heart disease (CHD) is increasingly applied worldwide following the—mainly Western world based—international PAH-CHD guidelines. However, studies comparing clinical presentation and outcome after the initiation of PAH-specific treatment are lacking. We aimed to analyse this in a Singaporean and Dutch cohort of PAH-CHD patients.

Methods

Adult CHD patients starting PAH-specific therapy, enrolled in two nationwide registries, were analysed. Patients received phosphodiesterase-type-5 inhibitors, endothelin receptor antagonists, or a combination. Change in six-minute walk test (6MWT) during follow-up was analysed using linear mixed model analysis. Determinants for mortality were assessed using Cox proportional hazard analyses.

Results

A total of 74 patients, 45 Dutch (mean age 47?±?14 years) and 29 Singaporean (mean age 41?±?14 years) were analysed. Despite a lower 6MWT (312 versus 395 metres, p?=?0.01) and peak VO₂ (35 versus 49?% of predicted, p?=?0.01) at baseline in Singaporean patients, the treatment effect was similar in the two populations. Age at initiation of therapy (per 5 year lower age, β?=?+?4.5, p?=?0.017) was the strongest predictor of improvement in exercise capacity, corrected for ethnicity, baseline 6MWT, sex and CHD defect.

Conclusions

Patients from Singapore had a worse clinical performance at baseline compared with the PAH-CHD patients from the Netherlands. No relation between ethnicity and improvement in 6MWT after PAH-specific therapy was found. Age at initiation of PAH-specific therapy was the strongest predictor of treatment efficacy and mortality, emphasising the need for early initiation of treatment in these patients.

     

Altered Energetics of Exercise Explain Risk of Rhabdomyolysis in Very Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Rhabdomyolysis is common in very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) and other metabolic myopathies, but its pathogenic basis is poorly understood. Here, we show that prolonged bicycling exercise against a standardized moderate workload in VLCADD patients is associated with threefold bigger changes in phosphocreatine (PCr) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations in quadriceps muscle and twofold lower changes in plasma acetyl-carnitine levels than in healthy subjects. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that muscle ATP homeostasis during exercise is compromised in VLCADD. However, the measured rates of PCr and Pi recovery post-exercise showed that the mitochondrial capacity for ATP synthesis in VLCADD muscle was normal. Mathematical modeling of oxidative ATP metabolism in muscle composed of three different fiber types indicated that the observed altered energy balance during submaximal exercise in VLCADD patients may be explained by a slow-to-fast shift in quadriceps fiber-type composition corresponding to 30% of the slow-twitch fiber-type pool in healthy quadriceps muscle. This study demonstrates for the first time that quadriceps energy balance during exercise in VLCADD patients is altered but not because of failing mitochondrial function. Our findings provide new clues to understanding the risk of rhabdomyolysis following exercise in human VLCADD.     

Pegylated interferon-alpha protects type 1 pneumocytes against SARS coronavirus infection in macaques

The primary cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly discovered coronavirus. Replication of this SARS coronavirus (SCV) occurs mainly in the lower respiratory tract, and causes diffuse alveolar damage. Lack of understanding of the pathogenesis of SARS has prevented the rational development of a therapy against this disease. Here we show extensive SCV antigen expression in type 1 pneumocytes of experimentally infected cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at 4 d postinfection (d.p.i.), indicating that this cell type is the primary target for SCV infection early in the disease, and explaining the subsequent pulmonary damage. We also show that prophylactic treatment of SCV-infected macaques with the antiviral agent pegylated interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) significantly reduces viral replication and excretion, viral antigen expression by type 1 pneumocytes and pulmonary damage, compared with untreated macaques. Postexposure treatment with pegylated IFN-alpha yielded intermediate results. We therefore suggest that pegylated IFN-alpha protects type 1 pneumocytes from SCV infection, and should be considered a candidate drug for SARS therapy.     

通过同源重组在聚球藻7002中表达小鼠金属硫蛋白-Ⅰ的初步研究

用PCR方法从海洋单细胞蓝藻聚球藻7002（Synecohococcus sp.PCC7002)基因组DNA中扩增得到藻蓝蛋白β亚基基因（cpcβ)的上游序列（Pcpcβ),及编码谷氨酰胺合成酶的glnA基因片段,以Pcpcβ作为启动子,以glnA基因片段作为整合平台,构建含有小鼠金属硫蛋白-Ⅰ（mMT-Ⅰ)cDNA的同源整合表达载体pKGC-MT,通过自然转化法将整合表达载体导入聚球藻7002中,经氨苄青霉素筛选,得到遗传性状稳定的转基因藻,PCR检测证明mTM-Ⅰ基因已整合到蓝藻基因组DNA上;蛋白质印迹表明mMT-Ⅰ已在蓝藻中表达;ELISA结果显示mMT-Ⅰ在蓝藻中的表达量约为800μg/g。     

An interlaboratory comparison of physiological and genetic properties of four Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

To select a Saccharomyces cerevisiae reference strain amenable to experimental techniques used in (molecular) genetic, physiological and biochemical engineering research, a variety of properties were studied in four diploid, prototrophic laboratory strains. The following parameters were investigated: 1) maximum specific growth rate in shake-flask cultures; 2) biomass yields on glucose during growth on defined media in batch cultures and steady-state chemostat cultures under controlled conditions with respect to pH and dissolved oxygen concentration; 3) the critical specific growth rate above which aerobic fermentation becomes apparent in glucose-limited accelerostat cultures; 4) sporulation and mating efficiency; and 5) transformation efficiency via the lithium-acetate, bicine, and electroporation methods. On the basis of physiological as well as genetic properties, strains from the CEN.PK family were selected as a platform for cell-factory research on the stoichiometry and kinetics of growth and product formation.     

Model-Based Quantification of the Systemic Interplay between Glucose and Fatty Acids in the Postprandial State

In metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, the systemic regulation of postprandial metabolite concentrations is disturbed. To understand this dysregulation, a quantitative and temporal understanding of systemic postprandial metabolite handling is needed. Of particular interest is the intertwined regulation of glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), due to the association between disturbed NEFA metabolism and insulin resistance. However, postprandial glucose metabolism is characterized by a dynamic interplay of simultaneously responding regulatory mechanisms, which have proven difficult to measure directly. Therefore, we propose a mathematical modelling approach to untangle the systemic interplay between glucose and NEFA in the postprandial period. The developed model integrates data of both the perturbation of glucose metabolism by NEFA as measured under clamp conditions, and postprandial time-series of glucose, insulin, and NEFA. The model can describe independent data not used for fitting, and perturbations of NEFA metabolism result in an increased insulin, but not glucose, response, demonstrating that glucose homeostasis is maintained. Finally, the model is used to show that NEFA may mediate up to 30–45% of the postprandial increase in insulin-dependent glucose uptake at two hours after a glucose meal. In conclusion, the presented model can quantify the systemic interactions of glucose and NEFA in the postprandial state, and may therefore provide a new method to evaluate the disturbance of this interplay in metabolic disease.     

microRNA靶基因预测算法研究概况及发展趋势

microRNA（miRNA）是一类约22个核苷酸（nt）长的非编码小分子RNA,广泛存在于动植物细胞中,通过和靶基因的不精确互补配对而裂解mRNA或抑制翻译的起始。准确地预测miRNA靶基因和正确地认识miRNA及其靶基因的作用机理已成为当前研究的热点。作者试图对目前常用的10余个高等生物miRNA靶基因预测软件的实现原理、适用对象及各算法的创新之处等加以综述,以便为进行靶基因预测算法设计人员提供参考,对生物学实验验证提供更好的理论指导。