刺激中缝背核调制小脑间位核神经元电活动

刺激中缝背核（ｄｏｒｓａｌｒａｐｈｅｎｕｃｌｅｕｓ,ＤＲ）可以引起小脑间位核（ｉｎｔｅｒｐｏｓｅｄｎｕｃｌｅｕｓ,ＩＮ）神经元抑制,兴奋和双相（抑制－兴奋和兴奋－抑制）３种不同类型的反应,其中以抑制反应为主（７６．０％）,多数细胞的反应潜伏期〈３０ｍｓ。ＩＮ细胞的自发放电频率为５－１２０Ｈｚ,自发放电频率高的神经元群体对ＤＲ刺激的反应率却比自发放电频率低的群体低。静脉注射５－ＨＴ２／１ｃ受体阻断剂     

发酵乳杆菌CSC-19胞外粗多糖提取物抑制单核细胞增生李斯特菌生物被膜形成能力的研究

【目的】筛选能有效抑制单核细胞增生李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes,LM)形成生物被膜的乳酸菌,分析其活性成分并进行功能表征。【方法】采用结晶紫染色法筛选抑制LM形成生物被膜的不同乳酸菌提取物;通过酸中和、蛋白酶处理及热处理,推测抑制生物被膜活性物质以胞外多糖(extracellular crude polysaccharide,ECP)为主;乙醇沉淀法提取目标乳酸菌分离株胞外粗多糖,分析其抑制生物被膜形成活性和对LM生长的影响;运用激光共聚焦扫描显微镜(laser confocal scanning microscopy,LCSM)和扫描电子显微镜(scanning electron microscopy,SEM)观察胞外粗多糖对生物被膜细胞形态和结构的影响。【结果】发酵乳杆菌CSC-19发酵上清液对1516-2LM生物被膜的抑制率为81.7%;经热和蛋白酶处理后,发酵上清抑制生物被膜形成的活性未发生显著变化(P>0.05),表明发酵上清液中抑制生物被膜形成的物质可能为胞外多糖;在不抑制LM生长的条件下所提取的胞外粗多糖抑制生物被膜形成能力具有浓度依赖性。激光共聚焦扫描显微镜和扫描电子显微镜结果显示,胞外粗多糖显著抑制了生物被膜的形成能力,生物被膜三维、有组织的蜂窝状结构被破坏,仅有少量的粘附细胞分散于细胞爬片表面。【结论】发酵乳杆菌CSC-19胞外粗多糖能有效抑制LM生物被膜的形成,有望应用于高效防控该菌污染食品。     

一种新发现的镉超积累植物--钻叶紫菀(Aster subulatus Michx.)

通过野外调查和温室营养液砂培试验,发现并鉴定出钻叶紫菀（Aster subulatus Michx.）是一种新的镉（Cd）超积累植物。调查结果发现,钻叶紫菀对土壤中高含量的Cd有很强的忍耐、吸收和积累能力,其地上部茎、叶Cd含量分别为90.0-150.7mg/kg和119.8-172.6mg/kg,平均值分别为132.8mg/kg和139.2mg/kg。砂基营养液培养试验证明,钻叶紫菀对生长介质中的Cd有很强的忍耐能力,当生长介质中Cd浓度高达150mg/L时,植株仍生长正常,其株高与对照相比无显著差异;地上部Cd含量及其积累量均随生长介质中Cd浓度的增加而增加,当生长介质中Cd浓度为120mg/L时,地上部茎Cd含量和积累量达到最高值,分别为5672.50mg/kg、4.93mg/株。结果表明,钻叶紫菀是一种新的Cd超积累植物,为今后探明植物超积累Cd的机理和Cd污染土壤的植物修复提供一种新的种质资源。     

Repair effect of thymine radical anion by echinocoside using pulse radiolysis

Repair activities of thymine radical anion by echinocoside, isolated from Pedicularis plicata. were studied using pulse radiolysis technique. The thymine radical anion was produced by the reaction of hydrated electron with thymine. Echinocoside. one of the polyphenols of phenylpropanoid glycoside, was added to the thymine aqueous solution saturated with N2. Kinetic analysis by transient absorption spectrum showed that thymine radical anion was formed at first, and then after several decades of microseconds of pulse radiolysis. the spectrum of thymine radical anion was changed to that of echinocoside radical anion. The evidence indicated that thymine radical anion was repaired through one-electron-transfer between the DNA base radical anion and echinocoside. The rate constant of electron transfer by echinocoside was 1.45× 109 dm3 · mol1 · s 1.     

大鼠侧脑室注射精氨酸加压素对针刺镇痛的影响

以钾离子透入法引起大鼠甩尾反应为指标,测定动物的痛阈。由侧脑室注射精氮酸加压素(AVP)后,大鼠痛阈升高33.6％～68.5％,针刺镇痛效应明显加强,痛阈提高202.4％～302.7％。脑室注射抗精氨酸加压素血清,动物痛阈虽无明显变化,但针刺镇痛效应明显削弱,痛阈仅增加41.6％～71.0％。注射抗β-内啡肽血清和抗强啡肽A血清并不阻断AVP增强针刺镇痛效应。本工作的结果提示,脑内AVP参与针刺镇痛,这种作用与脑内内源性β-内啡肽和强啡肽的关系不甚密切。     

New mechanism of nerve injury in Alzheimer’s disease: β‐amyloid‐induced neuronal pyroptosis

The present study was designed to investigate the role of β‐amyloid (Aβ_1‐42) in inducing neuronal pyroptosis and its mechanism. Mice cortical neurons (MCNs) were used in this study, LPS + Nigericin was used to induce pyroptosis in MCNs (positive control group), and Aβ_1‐42 was used to interfere with MCNs. In addition, propidium iodide (PI) staining was used to examine cell permeability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay was employed to detect cytotoxicity, immunofluorescence (IF) staining was used to investigate the expression level of the key protein GSDMD, Western blot was performed to detect the expression levels of key proteins, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was utilized to determine the expression levels of inflammatory factors in culture medium, including IL‐1β, IL‐18 and TNF‐α. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to silence the mRNA expression of caspase‐1 and GSDMD, and Aβ_1‐42 was used to induce pyroptosis, followed by investigation of the role of caspase‐1‐mediated GSDMD cleavage in pyroptosis. In addition, necrosulfonamide (NSA), an inhibitor of GSDMD oligomerization, was used for pre‐treatment, and Aβ_1‐42 was subsequently used to observe the pyroptosis in MCNs. Finally, AAV9‐siRNA‐caspase‐1 was injected into the tail vein of APP/PS1 double transgenic mice (Alzheimer's disease mice) for caspase‐1 mRNA inhibition, followed by observation of behavioural changes in mice and measurement of the expression of inflammatory factors and pyroptosis‐related protein. As results, Aβ_1‐42 could induce pyroptosis in MCNs, increase cell permeability and enhance LDH release, which were similar to the LPS + Nigericin‐induced pyroptosis. Meanwhile, the expression levels of cellular GSDMD and p30‐GSDMD were up‐regulated, the levels of NLRP3 inflammasome and GSDMD‐cleaved protein caspase‐1 were up‐regulated, and the levels of inflammatory factors in the medium were also up‐regulated. siRNA intervention in caspase‐1 or GSDMD inhibited Aβ_1‐42‐induced pyroptosis, and NSA pre‐treatment also caused the similar inhibitory effects. The behavioural ability of Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice was relieved after the injection of AAV9‐siRNA‐caspase‐1, and the expression of pyroptosis‐related protein in the cortex and hippocampus was down‐regulated. In conclusion, Aβ_1‐42 could induce pyroptosis by GSDMD protein, and NLRP3‐caspase‐1 signalling was an important signal to mediate GSDMD cleavage, which plays an important role in Aβ_1‐42‐induced pyroptosis in neurons. Therefore, GSDMD is expected to be a novel therapeutic target for AD.     

Stromal cell‐derived factor‐1/Exendin‐4 cotherapy facilitates the proliferation,migration and osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells in vitro and promotes periodontal bone regeneration in vivo

ObjectivesStromal cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1) actively directs endogenous cell homing. Exendin‐4 (EX‐4) promotes stem cell osteogenic differentiation. Studies revealed that EX‐4 strengthened SDF‐1‐mediated stem cell migration. However, the effects of SDF‐1 and EX‐4 on periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) and bone regeneration have not been investigated. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of SDF‐1/EX‐4 cotherapy on PDLSCs in vitro and periodontal bone regeneration in vivo.MethodsCell‐counting kit‐8 (CCK8), transwell assay, qRT‐PCR and western blot were used to determine the effects and mechanism of SDF‐1/EX‐4 cotherapy on PDLSCs in vitro. A rat periodontal bone defect model was developed to evaluate the effects of topical application of SDF‐1 and systemic injection of EX‐4 on endogenous cell recruitment, osteoclastogenesis and bone regeneration in vivo.ResultsSDF‐1/EX‐4 cotherapy had additive effects on PDLSC proliferation, migration, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineral deposition and osteogenesis‐related gene expression compared to SDF‐1 or EX‐4 in vitro. Pretreatment with ERK inhibitor U0126 blocked SDF‐1/EX‐4 cotherapy induced ERK signal activation and PDLSC proliferation. SDF‐1/EX‐4 cotherapy significantly promoted new bone formation, recruited more CXCR4⁺ cells and CD90⁺/CD34^‐ stromal cells to the defects, enhanced early‐stage osteoclastogenesis and osteogenesis‐related markers expression in regenerated bone compared to control, SDF‐1 or EX‐4 in vivo.ConclusionsSDF‐1/EX‐4 cotherapy synergistically regulated PDLSC activities, promoted periodontal bone formation, thereby providing a new strategy for periodontal bone regeneration.     

A Ruler Protein in a Complex for Antiviral Defense Determines the Length of Small Interfering CRISPR RNAs

Small RNAs undergo maturation events that precisely determine the length and structure required for their function. CRISPRs (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) encode small RNAs (crRNAs) that together with CRISPR-associated (cas) genes constitute a sequence-specific prokaryotic immune system for anti-viral and anti-plasmid defense. crRNAs are subject to multiple processing events during their biogenesis, and little is known about the mechanism of the final maturation step. We show that in the Staphylococcus epidermidis type III CRISPR-Cas system, mature crRNAs are measured in a Cas10·Csm ribonucleoprotein complex to yield discrete lengths that differ by 6-nucleotide increments. We looked for mutants that impact this crRNA size pattern and found that an alanine substitution of a conserved aspartate residue of Csm3 eliminates the 6-nucleotide increments in the length of crRNAs. In vitro, recombinant Csm3 binds RNA molecules at multiple sites, producing gel-shift patterns that suggest that each protein binds 6 nucleotides of substrate. In vivo, changes in the levels of Csm3 modulate the crRNA size distribution without disrupting the 6-nucleotide periodicity. Our data support a model in which multiple Csm3 molecules within the Cas10·Csm complex bind the crRNA with a 6-nucleotide periodicity to function as a ruler that measures the extent of crRNA maturation.