Laboratory methods to improve SELDI peak detection and quantitation

Background  

Protein profiling with surface-enhanced laser desorption-ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) is a promising approach for biomarker discovery. Some candidate biomarkers have been identified using SELDI-TOF, but validation of these can be challenging because of technical parameters that effect reproducibility. Here we describe steps to improve the reproducibility of peak detection.     

细菌非编码RNA及其分子伴侣Hfq

细菌在生存过程中要面对复杂多样的环境,在长期进化过程中,细菌逐渐形成不同的应答机制来感应环境信号的变化,并通过精确的基因表达来调控生理生化反应。基因表达调控可分为转录水平和转录后水平两个方面,对于细菌来说,非编码RNA在转录后调控上发挥着重要的作用,而大多数非编码RNA与靶标m RNA的相互作用过程又离不开Hfq蛋白的辅助。本文综述了非编码RNA的分类、调控特点,伴侣蛋白Hfq的结构、功能以及两者相互作用的机制,以期深入了解非编码RNA及其伴侣蛋白Hfq在转录后调控中发挥的作用。     

小分子非编码RNA与雄性不育

小分子非编码RNA(Small non-coding RNA,snc RNA)是一类20-30个左右核苷酸长度的RNAs,不具有编码蛋白质的功能,但在调控机制方面具有广泛的生物学功能。在动物精子形成过程中有两类snc RNAs,即mi RNAs和pi RNAs起着重要调控作用,它们在动物睾丸组织中表达异常会导致精子生成障碍从而表现出雄性不育性状。综合分析了snc RNA的结构、功能以及对雄性动物生育能力的影响,以期为进一步研究snc RNA的调控机制提供参考。     

非编码RNA与X脆性综合征

X脆性综合征（fragile X syndrome,FXS）是由X脆性智力低下1（FMR1）基因5＇端非翻译区CGG重复序列的异常扩增,导致X脆性智力低下蛋白（FMRP）缺失引起的.非编码RNA是除编码蛋白质的mRNAs以外的其他所有RNA分子,已被发现在中枢神经系统中具有重要的作用,如微RNA与BC1/BC200 RNA参与了X脆性智力低下蛋白的翻译抑制.认识非编码RNA与X脆性综合征的关系不但能加深对X脆性综合征的分子机制的理解,而且有助于揭示学习与记忆的奥秘.     

非编码RNA及其研究进展

目前 ,大致有 10类ncRNA的神秘面纱被揭开 ,这些分布广泛的ncRNA ,在多种生物体的重要生命过程中具有不可替代的作用。它们的长度变化很大 ,但都不编码蛋白质 ,直接在RNA水平上发挥着调控作用 ,如细胞的生长和分化 ,个体的发育时序调控 ,以及疾病的形成和抑制等。因而 ,对ncRNA的深入研究将对基因功能开发、人类疾病防治及生物进化的探索有重要意义。     

长链非编码RNA与细胞多向分化

本文重点概述LncRNA参与细胞分化的相关机制,列举了LncRNA在不同细胞系中参与调控的各种作用方式,如LncRNA参与维持胚胎干细胞多潜能状态、胚胎干细胞分化、神经细胞分化、肌肉分化、表皮细胞分化、成骨细胞分化、脂肪生成的机制等.     

长非编码RNA 的表达与前列腺癌的研究进展

前列腺癌是全球发病率第二的男性恶性肿瘤,近年来我国前列腺癌的发病率显著上升。最近,大量研究发现,长非编码RNA表达水平的改变与前列腺癌的发生、发展、诊断、治疗和预后密切相关。该文就长非编码RNA与前列腺癌的关系及相关机理进行综述,有助于读者了解长非编码RNA在前列腺癌发病过程中的重要性,为前列腺癌的综合防治提供线索。     

Approaches to messenger RNA detection - comparison of methods

Detection of messenger RNA is an important part of current biomedical research, although utilized for decades. This communication endeavors to compare three most commonly used techniques of mRNA detection, i.e. Northern blot, ribonuclease protection assay (RPA), and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Principles and general procedures of these methods are described, and advantages and weaknesses of each are discussed in terms of their specificity, sensitivity, difficulty, time and material demands as well as health and environmental risks. We conclude that choice of any method discussed depends on particular purpose, experience of the researcher, and on laboratory equipment and organization.     

长链非编码RNA、焦亡和心肌缺血-再灌注损伤

急性心肌梗死后的再灌注是挽救缺血心肌的唯一方法,但是血流的恢复可能导致心肌缺血-再灌注损伤. 长链非编码RNA(lncRNA)和焦亡都参与了心肌缺血-再灌注损伤的病理过程并发挥重要作用. lncRNA能直接或者间接作用于焦亡信号通路相关蛋白质,对包括心肌缺血-再灌注损伤在内的多种病理过程进行调控. 本文就lncRNA和焦亡在心肌缺血-再灌注损伤中的作用做一综述,以进一步探索两者关系,为防治心肌缺血-再灌注损伤提供新思路.     

RNA amplification, fidelity and reproducibility of expression profiling

We quantitatively address the effect of T7 RNA amplification on expression profiling data, and answer the following questions: (1) What fraction of genes sampled is amplified non-linearly? (2) What is the effect of RNA amplification on comparative expression measurements? (3) If there is amplification bias, is the bias dependent on the degree of amplification or the amount of starting material and (4) Does amplification increase the overall variability of the results? We show that while there is significant amplification bias, the bias is consistent and generally has little effect on array comparisons between amplified samples.     

Multiplicative background correction for spotted microarrays to improve reproducibility

We propose a simple approach, the multiplicative background correction, to solve a perplexing problem in spotted microarray data analysis: correcting the foreground intensities for the background noise, especially for spots with genes that are weakly expressed or not at all. The conventional approach, the additive background correction, directly subtracts the background intensities from foreground intensities. When the foreground intensities marginally dominate the background intensities, the additive background correction provides unreliable estimates of the differential gene expression levels and usually presents M-A plots with fishtails or fans. Unreliable additive background correction makes it preferable to ignore the background noise, which may increase the number of false positives. Based on the more realistic multiplicative assumption instead of the conventional additive assumption, we propose to logarithmically transform the intensity readings before the background correction, with the logarithmic transformation symmetrizing the skewed intensity readings. This approach not only precludes the fishtails and fans in the M-A plots, but provides highly reproducible background-corrected intensities for both strongly and weakly expressed genes. The superiority of the multiplicative background correction to the additive one as well as the no background correction is justified by publicly available self-hybridization datasets.     

非编码RNA与RNA组学研究现状及发展态势

人类基因组计划的完成(2001年)宣告了后基因组时代的到来,也掀起新一轮的RNA研究热潮．作为后基因组时代的科学前沿,RNA组学近年来成为生命科学领域的研究热点,各种新型ncRNA的发现,让人们对遗传信息表达调控网络有了新的认识．结合RNA领域的最新研究进展,《 中国科学C辑：生命科学》 (Science in China Series C-Life Sciences)2009年第3期的8篇述评,从动植物小分子非编码 RNA、miRNA 与细胞分化发育、miRNA 与肿瘤发生及诊断治疗的靶点、核酶的结构与功能、遗传印记起源、miRNA 基因簇的进化等多个方面进行了综述,展现了ncRNA领域的研究现状和发展前景．     

长非编码RNA PVT1与消化系统肿瘤

长非编码RNA（long non-coding RNAs, lncRNAs）在肿瘤发生、发展进程中承担重要角色,是近年来的研究热点之一。大量研究表明,浆细胞瘤变异易位基因1（plasmacytoma variant translocation 1, PVT1）可通过多种分子机制参与调控消化系统肿瘤的增殖凋亡、迁移侵袭、细胞自噬、血管生成、多药耐药及肿瘤代谢等过程,从而发挥致癌作用。本文主要就PVT1在消化系统肿瘤中的表达水平变化,及其与临床病理特征和预后的关系,以及PVT1对消化系统肿瘤的致癌作用机制和多药耐药机制等研究进展作一综述。     

Assessment of precision and reproducibility of a new myograph

Background  

The physiological characteristics of muscle activity and the assessment of muscle strength represent important diagnostic information. There are many devices that measure muscle force in humans, but some require voluntary contractions, which are difficult to assess in weak or unconscious patients who are unable to complete a full range of voluntary force assessment tasks. Other devices, which obtain standard muscle contractions by electric stimulations, do not have the technology required to induce and measure reproducible valid contractions at the optimum muscle length.