Screening and Identification of Marburg Virus Entry Inhibitors Using Approved Drugs

正Dear Editor,Marburg virus(MARV) belongs to the Filoviridae family,along with the related Ebola virus(EBOV). Although MARV is less renowned than EBOV, it causes an equally devastating disease, with clinical symptoms similar to EBOV infection and a remarkably high mortality rate. To     

CD63在戊型肝炎病毒感染中的作用机制

本研究旨在寻找戊型肝炎病毒(hepatitis E virus,HEV)衣壳蛋白ORF2的相互作用蛋白,探讨其在HEV感染中的作用。采用酵母双杂交方法从人肝细胞文库中筛选与HEV ORF2相互作用的蛋白,结果显示CD63与HEV ORF2相互作用。Pull-down实验提示原核表达的ORF2与CD63结合较弱,而免疫共沉淀实验提示真核表达的ORF2能与CD63结合。流式细胞术检测结果显示,HEV易感细胞PLC/PRF/5细胞膜表面的CD63表达水平普遍低于HEV非易感细胞。过表达CD63抑制PLC/PRF/5细胞的HEV感染,而小干扰RNA(small interfering RNA,siRNA)干扰CD63表达则促进HEV感染。结果提示,CD63能与HEV ORF2相互作用,可能抑制HEV感染肝细胞。     

PDGF,NT-3 and IGF-2 in Combination Induced Transdifferentiation of Muscle-Derived Stem Cells into Schwann Cell-Like Cells

Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) are multipotent stem cells with a remarkable long-term self-renewal and regeneration capacity. Here, we show that postnatal MDSCs could be transdifferentiated into Schwann cell-like cells upon the combined treatment of three neurotrophic factors (PDGF, NT-3 and IGF-2). The transdifferentiation of MDSCs was initially induced by Schwann cell (SC) conditioned medium. MDSCs adopted a spindle-like morphology similar to SCs after the transdifferentiation. Immunocytochemistry and immunoblot showed clearly that the SC markers S100, GFAP and p75 were expressed highly only after the transdifferentiation. Flow cytometry assay showed that the portion of S100 expressed cells was more than 60 percent and over one fourth of the transdifferentiated cells expressed all the three SC markers, indicating an efficient transdifferentiation. We then tested neurotrophic factors in the conditioned medium and found it was PDGF, NT-3 and IGF-2 in combination that conducted the transdifferentiation. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to use specific neurotrophic factors to transdifferentiate MDSCs into Schwann cell-like cells, which might be therapeutically useful for clinical applications.     

The reciprocal interaction between autophagic dysfunction and ER stress in adipose insulin resistance

Autophagy, a predominantly cytoprotective process, is an important regulator in diabetic metabolism and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses. However, the interaction and biological significance between autophagic imbalance and ER stress involved in insulin resistance remain not fully elucidated. In the present study, when compared with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects, enhanced ER stress and pronounced protein and mRNA levels of the autophagic genes such as Atg7, LC3A, and LC3B were evident in adipose tissue of patients with type 2 diabetes. An increased number of autophagosomes and elevated autophagy flux in adipose explants incubated with lysomoal inhibitor were also observed in type 2 diabetes. In addition, adipocytes differentiation was significantly repressed by exogenous ER stress and defective autophagy in vitro. Tunicamycin-induced ER stress in adipocytes can trigger autophagic response and insulin insensitivity that was partially attributed to the upregulation of IRE1-JNK pathway, whereas autophagy deficiency resulted in ER stress and impaired insulin signaling, further supporting the crucial roles of autophagy in ER stress and insulin resistance. Moreover, disturbance of autophagy and insulin sensitivity induced by tunicamycin can be effectively corrected by the addition of osteocalcin in an NFκB-dependent manner in vitro. In conclusion, our results demonstrated a reciprocal functional interaction among autophagy, ER stress, and insulin signaling in adipose tissue of type 2 diabetes and adipocytes, supporting an adaptive role of autophagy-dependent mechanism in response to ER stress-induced insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.     

Highly selective screening of the bioactive compounds in Huoxue capsule using immobilized β2-adrenoceptor affinity chromatography

A highly selective assay was developed for screening compounds that bind to the porcine recombinant β₂-adrenoceptor (β₂-AR) with affinity chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF–MS). The methodology involved selective screening with immobilized β₂-AR, a highly accurate identification via Q-TOF–MS, and a functional evaluation of the screened compounds with a sensitive myograph system. Ferulic acid, hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), and naringin were confirmed to be the bioactive compounds in Huoxue capsule that specifically bound to the β₂-AR. These compounds produced a concentration-dependent relaxation of arteries that were contracted by treatment with phenylephrine, and the relaxation caused by these compounds was attenuated in the presence of ICI 118551, a type of β₂-AR antagonist. Our data indicate that the use of an immobilized receptor is potentially an alternative method for the rapid screening of bioactive compounds in a complex matrix because of its high specificity. β₂-AR affinity chromatography was valuable in focusing attention on the further investigation of ferulic acid, HSYA, and naringin as β₂-AR agonists.     

Synthesis and characterization of gallium complexes bearing 4-alkyl-2,6-bis(aryliminomethylene)-phenol ligands; crystal structure of dimethyl[4-methyl-2,6-bis-(p-methylphenyliminomethylene)-phenolato]gallium

Eight new dimethylgallium complexes bearing 4-alkyl-2,6-bis(aryliminomethylene)-phenol ligands of type Me₂GaL [L = 4-methyl-2,6-bis-(phenyliminomethylene)-phenolato (3); L = 4-methyl-2,6-bis-(p-methylphenyliminomethylene)-phenolato (4); L = 4-methyl-2,6-bis-(1-naphthyliminomethylene)-phenolato (5); L = 4-methyl-2,6-bis-(2-chlorophenyliminomethylene)-phenolato (6); 4-tert-butyl-2,6-bis-(phenyliminomethylene)-phenolato (7); L = 4-tert-butyl-2,6-bis-(p-methylphenyliminomethylene)-phenolato (8); L = 4-tert-butyl-2,6-bis-(1-naphthyliminomethylene)-phenolato (9); and L = 4-tert-butyl-2,6-bis-(2-chlorophenyliminomethylene)-phenolato] (3) have been synthesized by the reaction of trimethylgallium with appropriate phenol. The complexes obtained have been characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, IR and mass spectroscopy, respectively. The solid-state structures of dimethyl[4-methyl-2,6-bis-(p-methylphenyliminomethylene)-phenolato]gallium (4) have been determined by X-ray single crystal analysis. In the structure, Ga atom is coordinated by one nitrogen atom and the other nitrogen atom remains constant. The distorted tetrahedron geometry around gallium is presented.     

Caffeine-induced Release of Intracellular Ca2+ from Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Expressing Skeletal Muscle Ryanodine Receptor : Effects on Full-Length and Carboxyl-Terminal Portion of Ca2+Release Channels

The ryanodine receptor (RyR)/Ca²⁺ release channel is an essential component of excitation–contraction coupling in striated muscle cells. To study the function and regulation of the Ca²⁺ release channel, we tested the effect of caffeine on the full-length and carboxyl-terminal portion of skeletal muscle RyR expressed in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. Caffeine induced openings of the full length RyR channels in a concentration-dependent manner, but it had no effect on the carboxyl-terminal RyR channels. CHO cells expressing the carboxyl-terminal RyR proteins displayed spontaneous changes of intracellular [Ca²⁺]. Unlike the native RyR channels in muscle cells, which display localized Ca²⁺ release events (i.e., “Ca²⁺ sparks” in cardiac muscle and “local release events” in skeletal muscle), CHO cells expressing the full length RyR proteins did not exhibit detectable spontaneous or caffeine-induced local Ca²⁺ release events. Our data suggest that the binding site for caffeine is likely to reside within the amino-terminal portion of RyR, and the localized Ca²⁺ release events observed in muscle cells may involve gating of a group of Ca²⁺ release channels and/or interaction of RyR with muscle-specific proteins.     

The composition and bioavailability of phosphorus transport through the Changjiang (Yangtze) River during the 1998 flood

Water and suspended sediment (SS) samples were collected from the Changjiang River at the Datong Hydrological Station (DHS), five times from May 1997 through January 1999 in order to evaluate transport, composition and bioavailability of phosphorus (P) during a 1998 flood. Transport of most of the phosphorus compositions was substantially higher during the 1998 flood than at other sampling dates. Phosphorus associated with suspended sediment (TPP) accounted for more than 85% of total phosphorus (TP) transport during periods of preflood and flood. The high transport of TPP during the flood was due to unusually high concentrations of TPP and sediment discharge. The potentially bioavailable phosphorus in SS (PBAP) accounted for about 10% of TPP. PBAP with dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) consisted of 15–89% of TP. For all the sampling dates, the concentrations of potential bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) ranged from 0.035–0.08 mg L^–1, significantly higher than the limiting concentration for eutrophication. Therefore, the increasing temporal trends of TP concentration and high bioavailability of TP appear to support more frequent algal blooms in receiving East China Sea coastal waters in recent years. Hence, the underestimate of TPP transport by large rivers may also underestimate the biogeochemical cycling of other associated nutrients, such as nitrogen and carbon.