Partial In Vitro Digestion of Active Gliadin-Related Peptides in Celiac Disease

Peptides corresponding to residues 75–86 (RPQQPYPQPQPQ) and 75–85 of the A-gliadin structure, which were shown to be active in an animal model of celiac disease, were digested in vitro with small intestinal mucosa from children with celiac disease in remission and with mucosa from normal children. The products of digestion were separated into two fractions by gel permeation chromatography. Undigested residues (M _r > 400 fraction) from both peptides contained mainly glutamine, proline, and tyrosine, while the digested materials (M _r < 400 fraction) contained mainly proline, glutamine and arginine. Much larger amounts of undigested peptides were obtained from digestion with celiac mucosa than from normal mucosa. The results with peptide 75–86 indicated that the octapeptide 77–84 (QQPYPQPQ) was the main residual component and this peptide was shown to be active in the assay. Peptide 77–84 was also obtained as a residue from digestion of peptide 75–85, together with heptapeptide 77–83. The results lend further support for a primary mucosal defect in celiac disease and indicate that residual peptides in the small intestine of patients with the disease still retain appreciable toxicity.     

肌球蛋白轻链激酶非激酶活性调节磷酸化肌球蛋白ATP酶活性及肌丝运动

肌球蛋白轻链激酶(myosin light chain kinase,MLCK)具有激酶和非激酶活性,在平滑肌收缩过程中起着关键酶调控的作用.为进一步阐明MLCK非激酶活性在平滑肌收缩过程中的调节作用,利用已删除部分激酶区域的MLCK重组体(pGEXF6.5)在大肠杆菌中进行表达,采用亲和层析技术纯化表达的MLCK片段,应用EnzChek磷分析试剂盒检测MLCK片段对磷酸化肌球蛋白、水解重酶解肌球蛋白(heavymeromyosin,HMM)及肌球蛋白亚片段1(subfragmentl,S1)ATP酶活性的影响,体外检测MLCK片段对肌动蛋白肌丝运动的调节.研究结果显示,pGEX-F6.5重组表达载体在大肠杆菌中以可溶性GST融合蛋白的形式表达.该融合蛋白经Glutathione-Sepharose4B纯化、SDS-PAGE鉴定得到较纯的单一表达条带.纯化的MLCK片段对磷酸化肌球蛋白、HMM和S1的ATP酶活性均有明显激活作用.MLCK片段激活磷酸化肌球蛋白ATP酶活性为:Vmax=(19.426±1.669)倍;Km=(0.486±0.106)μmol/L,MLCK片段对磷酸化HMM和S1的ATP酶活性也有相似的刺激作用.体外肌丝运动研究表明,随着MLCK片段浓度的增加,磷酸化肌球蛋白与肌动蛋白结合的数量不断增加,肌丝运动的速度也随之增加.上述结果表明,MLCK的C端非激酶活性具有调节磷酸化的肌球蛋白ATP酶活性及肌丝运动的作用.     

RhoA和血清反应因子(SRF)介导E1A激活基因阻遏子诱导人血管平滑肌细胞分化

为探讨E1A激活基因阻遏子(CREG)对人血管平滑肌细胞(VSMCs)分化的调控机制,应用重组逆转录病毒表达载体pLNCX2( )/CREG及pLXSN(-)/CREG制备稳定感染HITASY细胞模型,观察CREG蛋白过表达及表达抑制对人VSMCs分化的影响并探讨其调控机制.结果显示:pLNCX2( )/CREG稳定感染细胞呈分化表型,细胞细长变成组织样聚集生长趋势,细胞中CREG蛋白和平滑肌分化标志蛋白平滑肌α-肌动蛋白(SMα-actin)表达显著增加,同时SMα-actin相关调控因子——血清反应因子(SRF)入核转位,RhoA总蛋白表达上调,以Rho激酶特异性抑制剂Y-27632作用后,CREG诱导的SMα-actin表达下调的同时SRF出核转位;pLXSN(-)/CREG稳定感染的细胞体积变大,细胞极性消失,呈无序生长,细胞中CREG和SMα-actin蛋白表达显著降低,同时伴有SRF出核转位及RhoA总蛋白表达下调.免疫共沉淀分析发现,CREG蛋白能被分泌到VSMCs培养基中表达,并可与细胞膜受体6-磷酸甘露糖/胰岛素样生长因子Ⅱ型受体(M6P/IGF2R)发生直接相互作用.用蛋白磷酸酶PP2A特异性抑制剂okadaicacid减少M6P/IGF2R在细胞膜表面分布,可明显抑制CREG过表达引起的RhoA、SRF和SMα-actin表达.上述结果提示,在体外培养的人VSMCs中,CREG可能作为一种分泌型蛋白质通过与细胞膜受体M6P/IGF2R相互作用,依次激活SMα-actin蛋白相关调控因子RhoA和SRF引起SMα-actin表达增加,促进VSMCs向分化表型转换.     

In Vitro Rearing of the Parasitoid Exorista larvarum (L.) (Diptera: Tachinidae) on Meat Homogenate-Based Diets

The tachinid Exorista larvarum (L.), a polyphagous gregarious larval endoparasitoid of Lepidoptera, was reared from egg to fecund adult on media containing commercial meat homogenates for babies as the main ingredient. Four media, each containing a diverse homogenate supplemented with extract of Galleria mellonella L. pupae, were tested first. Despite the difference in nutrient content, the kind of homogenate did not significantly affect the adult yields (30.2 to 40.7%) or puparial weights. Two other diets free of host materials (I and II) were then tested. Both were based on Gerber veal homogenate combined with different amounts of yeast extract and chicken egg yolk and were supplemented with wheat germ (I) or saccharose (II). Adult yields (28.7 to 32.7%) and puparial weights did not differ significantly between the two diets. Fly longevity and fecundity of the females obtained on diet I were comparable to those of the females emerged from puparia formed in G. mellonella larvae. Male and female puparial weights were, however, higher and development times longer on the diet than in the host.     

Effect of temperature on the electrical activity of the rat epididymis in vitro

1. 1.|Regional differences in the frequency of electrical activity in rat epididymis were maintained at all temperatures below 39°C.

2. 2.|The change in frequency per deg C increased with temperature and was highest in the temperature region of 34–39°C and the Arrhenius plots of the frequency were linear and parallel in all parts of the epididymis.

3. 3.|The Q₁₀ of the frequency varied between 2.2.–4.3.

4. 4.|The conduction velocity at the cauda epididymis was highest (2.8 mm/s) at 37°C. The Q₁₀ of the conduction velocity was 2.3 in the temperature region of 24–37°C.

Structural Modifications of the N-terminal Tetrapeptide Segment of [D-Ala]Deltorphin I: Effects on Opioid Receptor Affinities and Activities In Vitro and on Antinociceptive Potency

Schmidt, R., D. Menard, C. Mrestani-Klaus, N. N. Chung, C. Lemieux and P. W. Schiller. Structural modifications of the N-terminal tetrapeptide segment of [d-Ala²]deltorphin I: effects on opioid receptor affinities and activities in vitro and on antinociceptive potency. Peptides 18(10) 1615–1621, 1997.—A series of deltorphin I analogs containing d- or l-N-methylalanine (MeAla), d- or l-proline (Pro), α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), sarcosine (Sar) or D-tert-leucine (Tle) in place of d-Ala², or phenylalanine in place of Tyr¹, was synthesized. The opioid activity profiles of these peptides were determined in μ and δ opioid receptor-representative binding assays and bioassays in vitro as well as in the rat tail flick test in vivo. In comparison with the deltorphin I parent, both the l- and the d-MeAla²-analog were slightly more potent δ agonists in the mouse vas deferens (MDV) assay, and the d-MeAla²-analog showed two-fold higher antinociceptive potency in the analgesic test. In view of the fact that deltorphin analogs with an unsubstituted l-amino acid residue in the 2-position generally lack opioid activity, the observed high δ opioid potency of [l-MeAla²]deltorphin I is postulated to be due to the demonstrated presence of a conformer with a cis Tyr¹-MeAla² peptide bond, since the cis conformer allows for a spatial arrangement of the pharmacophoric moieties in the N-terminal tripeptide segment similar to that in active deltorphin analogs containing a d-amino acid residue in the 2-position. Substitution of Aib in the 2-position led to a compound, H-Tyr-Aib-Phe-Asp-Val-Val-Gly-NH₂, which displayed lower δ receptor affinity than the parent peptide but higher δ selectivity and, surprisingly, three times higher antinociceptive potency. The d- and l- Pro²-, Sar²- and d-Tle²-analogs showed much reduced δ receptor affinities and were inactive in the tail flick test. Replacement of Tyr¹ in deltorphin I with Phe produced a 32-fold decrease in δ receptor affinity but only a 7-fold drop in antinociceptive potency.     

机械拉伸对血管平滑肌细胞粘附及生长的影响

通过自行研制的“四点弯曲梁”实验装置对血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC）加载培养,并结合显微形态观察和计算机图像处理系统测量细胞铺展投影面积、微管吸吮实验系统检测细胞与表面的粘附力、α-肌动蛋白(actin)免疫组化试验,了解细胞骨架发育和排列取向、流式细胞仪检测细胞动力学以及细胞生长行为等认识VSMC对应变刺激的响应.发现VSMC粘附铺展与实验时间正相关,细胞粘附力、铺展面积、单位面积粘附力4 h后实验组与对照组无显著性差异.VSMC内α-actin发育随加载时间延长呈增加趋势.细胞动力学检测实验组加载24 h后VSMC增殖活动受到抑制.VSMC可能通过调节细胞铺展行为、胞内应力纤维发育等主动机制,实现对机械拉伸的适应性改建.应变刺激有利于体外培养的VSMC维持收缩表型.