Soluble expression and purification of Brucella cell surface protein (BCSP31) of Brucella melitensis and preparation of anti-BCSP31 monoclonal antibodies

Brucella cell surface protein (BCSP31) is potentially useful for diagnosing brucellosis. We aimed to establish a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against Brucella melitensis BCSP31 and to investigate its distribution in diagnosis. Soluble recombinant BCSP31 was successfully expressed and purified. Two MAbs (1F1 and 1E5) against B. melitensis BCSP31, effective in detecting both recombinant and cellular proteins, were obtained and characterized. The MAbs did not react with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or Bacillus aeruginosus, but strongly reacted with BCSP31 and B. melitensis by ELISA and Western blot analysis. We also tested different Brucella species and brucellosis using the prepared anti-BCSP31 MAbs. BCSP31 and anti-BCSP31 MAbs may play important roles in future research in diagnosing brucellosis.     

Differential effects of circadian typology on sleep-related symptoms,physical fatigue and psychological well-being in relation to resilience

Various physiological and psychological functions are influenced by circadian typology (CT), which was reported to be related to resilience. However, few studies have assessed the effects of CT in relation to resilience. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of CT on sleep-related symptoms, physical fatigue and psychological well-being in relation to resilience. The present study included a total of 1794 healthy hospital employees, and they completed the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Abbreviated Version. Subjects with evening type showed lower sleep quality, more daytime sleepiness and physical fatigue than neither types and morning types. Additionally, evening types were more depressed and anxious and reported a poorer quality of life. CT was found to be a significant predictor of sleep quality, but CT was minimally associated with physical fatigue and psychological well-being in the regression analysis. Instead, resilience was substantially related to all of the variables measured. In conclusion, CT independently predicts sleep quality, but the effects of CT on physical fatigue and psychological well-being are negligible compared to those of resilience.     

eEF-2 Phosphorylation Down-Regulates P-Glycoprotein Over-Expression in Rat Brain Microvessel Endothelial Cells

ObjectiveWe investigated whether glutamate, NMDA receptors, and eukaryote elongation factor-2 kinase (eEF-2K)/eEF-2 regulate P-glycoprotein expression, and the effects of the eEF-2K inhibitor NH125 on the expression of P-glycoprotein in rat brain microvessel endothelial cells (RBMECs).MethodsCortex was obtained from newborn Wistar rat brains. After surface vessels and meninges were removed, the pellet containing microvessels was resuspended and incubated at 37°C in culture medium. Cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay. RBMECs were identified by immunohistochemistry with anti-vWF. P-glycoprotein, phospho-eEF-2, and eEF-2 expression were determined by western blot analysis. Mdr1a gene expression was analyzed by RT-PCR.ResultsMdr1a mRNA, P-glycoprotein and phospho-eEF-2 expression increased in L-glutamate stimulated RBMECs. P-glycoprotein and phospho-eEF-2 expression were down-regulated after NH125 treatment in L-glutamate stimulated RBMECs.ConclusionseEF-2K/eEF-2 should have played an important role in the regulation of P-glycoprotein expression in RBMECs. eEF-2K inhibitor NH125 could serve as an efficacious anti-multidrug resistant agent.     

Synonymous Codon Usage Bias in Plant Mitochondrial Genes Is Associated with Intron Number and Mirrors Species Evolution

Synonymous codon usage bias (SCUB) is a common event that a non-uniform usage of codons often occurs in nearly all organisms. We previously found that SCUB is correlated with both intron number and exon position in the plant nuclear genome but not in the plastid genome; SCUB in both nuclear and plastid genome can mirror the evolutionary specialization. However, how about the rules in the mitochondrial genome has not been addressed. Here, we present an analysis of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome, based on 24 plant species ranging from algae to land plants. The frequencies of NNA and NNT (A- and T-ending codons) are higher than those of NNG and NNC, with the strongest preference in bryophytes and the weakest in land plants, suggesting an association between SCUB and plant evolution. The preference for NNA and NNT is more evident in genes harboring a greater number of introns in land plants, but the bias to NNA and NNT exhibits even among exons. The pattern of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome differs in some respects to that present in both the nuclear and plastid genomes.     

Genetic Variants Associated with Lipid Profiles in Chinese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Dyslipidemia is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of this study was to identify lipid-related genetic variants in T2D patients of Han Chinese ancestry. Among 4,908 Chinese T2D patients who were not taking lipid-lowering medications, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven genes previously found to be associated with lipid traits in genome-wide association studies conducted in populations of European ancestry (ABCA1, GCKR, BAZ1B, TOMM40, DOCK7, HNF1A, and HNF4A) were genotyped. After adjusting for multiple covariates, SNPs in ABCA1, GCKR, BAZ1B, TOMM40, and HNF1A were identified as significantly associated with triglyceride levels in T2D patients (P < 0.05). The associations between the SNPs in ABCA1 (rs3890182), GCKR (rs780094), and BAZ1B (rs2240466) remained significant even after correction for multiple testing (P = 8.85×10⁻³, 7.88×10⁻⁷, and 2.03×10⁻⁶, respectively). BAZ1B (rs2240466) also was associated with the total cholesterol level (P = 4.75×10⁻²). In addition, SNP rs157580 in TOMM40 was associated with the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P = 6.94×10⁻³). Our findings confirm that lipid-related genetic loci are associated with lipid profiles in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.     

Mass Collaboration in Earthquake Risk Management

The mechanism of mass collaboration in risk management was studied during the Sichuan earthquake under a Web-based “PeopleFinder” project, where information is contributed and shared among mass contributors. The case study is provided by a great earthquake that happened in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, of southwestern China at 2:28 p.m. on May 12, 2008. We witnessed and experienced the rescue and relief efforts for the great earthquake. In this article, two fundamental frameworks are developed to study the mechanism of mass collaboration. Mass collaboration is proven to be effective in a big public crisis such as the Sichuan earthquake.