生物体衰老与复制衰老--体内与体外研究

体外连续培养的细胞在有人数的细胞分裂后,更新换代合成ＤＮＡ及分裂的能力,最后导致增殖能力的丧失,但基本代谢过程仍能维持,这种现象称为复制衰老。本文讨论了复制衰老现象存在的普遍性,描述了衰老细胞伯特征,对复制衰老和生物体衰老之间的联系进行了重点分析。现有的研究虽然还不完全,但都提示复制衰老是生物体衰老在细胞水平上的反映,并充分肯定了复制衰老是一个较好的研究机体衰老的模型。     

拟南芥角果衰老过程中膜脂的变化

角果发育对某些物种的生殖发育具有重要的作用。拟南芥种子附着在角果里,角果在早期发育时进行光合作用,角果成熟后开裂散落种子之前,其细胞会经历一个衰老的过程。一般植物细胞在衰老过程中要经历膜脂降解的过程,但是角果细胞衰老过程仍未知。通过比较角果衰老过程中拟南芥野生型(WS)及与膜脂代谢密切相关的磷脂酶Dδ缺失突变体(PLDδ KO)中膜脂分子的组成情况、膜脂含量、相对含量及双键指数值,结果发现,在拟南芥角果衰老过程中：(i)质体膜脂和质体外膜脂显著下降;(ii)不同膜脂降解速率不一样,质体膜脂的降解比质体外膜脂的降解快;(iii)总的双键指数DBI下降;(iv)磷脂酶Dδ缺失突变体(PLDδ KO)的角果膜脂组成的基本水平和变化样式与野生型(WS)非常相似。结果说明,角果在衰老过程中发生了膜脂的激烈降解。据此推测：(i) 膜脂水解产物可能转移到种子中用于储藏脂三酰甘油的合成;(ii) 质体膜脂相对含量下降和质体外膜脂相对含量上升导致了总的DBI下降;(iii) PLDδ参与了角果衰老中的膜脂代谢。     

水稻离体叶片衰老过程中膜脂组分的变化

水稻离体叶片衰老过程中,膜脂磷脂含量随着叶片离体时间的增加而下降,而质膜透性则随时间的增加而上升。BA,Ni~(2 )能延缓叶片磷脂的丧失,ABA,ACC则加速其含量下降,但它们对磷脂酶D活性影响不大。膜脂脂肪酸组分在叶片衰老过程中也发生着变化,其中亚麻酸(18:3)含量下降,不饱和度降低。ABA,ACC促进亚麻酸含量和不饱和度的下降,BA,Ni~(2 )则有延缓作用。     

衰老及促智药影响神经细胞膜流动性机制的研究进展

细胞膜流动性通常是指膜脂质的流动性。神经细胞膜功能的正常进行要求膜脂质保持适宜的流动状态。膜流动性改变将导致膜电位、离子通透性、跨膜物质运输、信号转导等一系列改变。老年动物及阿尔茨海默氏病(AD)患者脑神经细胞膜流动性显著降低,主要与自由基增多引起的脂质过氧化反应、神经细胞钙平衡失调有关,此外,还与其脑内神经元上的受体密度、β-淀粉样蛋白沉积有关。促智药(吡咯烷酮类、人参皂甙、银杏叶提取物EGb761)能明显增强老年动物及AD患者脑神经细胞膜的流动性。     

蚕豆叶片发育与衰老过程中超氧物歧化酶活性与丙二醛含量变化

蚕豆植株叶片随茎节自上而下表现出明显的发育与衰老顺序,可作为衰老特征的是叶绿素和蛋白质含量明显下降。蚕豆叶中SOD活性主要定位于12 000× g离心后所得的上清液和叶绿体组分。衰老叶片的SOD总活性和叶绿体组分的相对活性都有所下降,SOD同工酶谱也发生了改变。O_2~ 产生速率随叶龄增大而稍上升;而MDA含量在叶片外观表现枯黄衰老征兆前就急剧上升。可能因为衰老叶片过氧化氢酶活性大幅度下降与SOD之间的不平衡,致使O_2~ 代谢中间产物累积而引起膜的损伤.     

月季切花衰老过程中多胺与膜脂过氧化的关系

以月季切花为材料,研究了月季切花瓶插过程中多胺含量的变化,外源多胺处理对月季药花体内多胺含量的影响以及多胺与膜脂过氧化的关系。结果表明,月季切花瓶插衰老过程中腐胺在前2d略有增加,亚精胺和精胺均呈下降趋势;外源亚精胺和精胺处理均能增加切花体内多胺含量,并能延缓切花衰老和改善切花品质;且亚精胺和精胺处理降低了MDA含量的积累和膜相对透性的上升趋势。     

Type XIII collagen: a novel cell adhesion component present in a range of cell–matrix adhesions and in the intercalated discs between cardiac muscle cells

Recent analysis of type XIII collagen surprisingly showed that it is anchored to the plasma membranes of cultured cells via a transmembrane segment near its amino terminus. Here we demonstrate that type XIII collagen is concentrated in cultured skin fibroblasts and several other human mesenchymal cell lines in the focal adhesions at the ends of actin stress fibers, co-localizing with the known focal adhesion components talin and vinculin. This co-occurrence was also observed in rapidly forming adhesive structures of spreading and moving fibroblasts and in disrupting focal adhesions following microinjection of the Rho-inhibitor C3 transferase into the cells, suggesting that type XIII collagen is an integral focal adhesion component. Moreover, it appears to have an adhesion-related function since cell-surface expression of type XIII collagen in cells with weak basic adhesiveness resulted in improved cell adhesion on selected culture substrata. In tissues type XIII collagen was found in a range of integrin-mediated adherens junctions including the myotendinous junctions and costameres of skeletal muscle as well as many cell–basement membrane interfaces. Some cell–cell adhesions were found to contain type XIII collagen, most notably the intercalated discs in the heart. Taken together, the results strongly suggest that type XIII collagen has a cell adhesion-associated function in a wide array of cell–matrix junctions.     

Voltage-dependent interaction of the peptaibol antibiotic zervamicin II with phospholipid vesicles

The effect of a transmembrane potential on ion channel formation by zervamicin II (ZER-II) was studied in a vesicular model system. The dissipation of diffusion potential caused by addition of ZER-II to small phosphatidylcholine vesicles was monitored using fluorescent (Safranine T) and optical (Oxonol YI) probes. Cis-positive potentials facilitated channel formation, while at cis-negative potentials, ion fluxes were inhibited. A potential-independent behavior of ZER-II was observed at high peptide concentrations, most likely due to its membrane modifying property.     

Failure of Prion Protein Oxidative Folding Guides the Formation of Toxic Transmembrane Forms

The mechanism by which pathogenic mutations in the globular domain of the cellular prion protein (PrP^C) increase the likelihood of misfolding and predispose to diseases is not yet known. Differences in the evidences provided by structural and metabolic studies of these mutants suggest that in vivo folding could be playing an essential role in their pathogenesis. To address this role, here we use the single or combined M206S and M213S artificial mutants causing labile folds and express them in cells. We find that these mutants are highly toxic, fold as transmembrane PrP, and lack the intramolecular disulfide bond. When the mutations are placed in a chain with impeded transmembrane PrP formation, toxicity is rescued. These results suggest that oxidative folding impairment, as on aging, can be fundamental for the genesis of intracellular neurotoxic intermediates key in prion neurodegenerations.     

跨膜Ca~(2+)梯度对肌质网Ca~3+-ATP酶调节的特异性

我们曾报道跨膜Ca~(2+)梯度可通过膜脂影响肌质网Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶的构象和活性。本文就跨膜Ca~(2+)梯度对肌质网Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶的调节是否具有特异性作进一步研究。结果表明这种特异性表现在两方面:一是跨膜Ca~(2+)梯度对肌质网Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶功能的调节不能归结于跨膜Ca~(2+)浓度梯度所导致的膜电位的作用,离子载体FCCP 可消除跨膜电位但并不影响肌质网Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶的活力;二是其它二价金属离子如Sr~(2+)的跨膜梯度对肌质网Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶活力基本无影响。荧光偏振系列探剂n-AS 测定的结果表明跨膜Ca~(2+)与Sr~(2+)梯度对嵌有Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶的脂酶体的中部流动性的影响有较大差异。而Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶的Ca~(2+)结合位点正处于脂双层中部,这进一步提示膜脂参与了跨膜Ca~(2+)梯度对Ca~(2+)-ATP 酶的调节作用。     

Developmental age-related cell sorting inDictyostelium discoideum

Summary The sorting behavior of mixtures ofD. discoideum cells which had been developed for different lengths of time was examined. Cells developed for 4 and 8 h were mixed together and allowed to form slugs. Within the slugs, 8 h cells sorted to the anterior prestalk region while 4 h cells sorted to the posterior prespore region. These results indicate that the more developed a cell is, the more likely it is to become part of the prestalk zone in the slug. They are also consistent with the differential adhesion and chemotaxis hypotheses as a mechanism for cell sorting since cells become more adhesive and chemotactically responsive as development proceeds.     

Radiation sensitivity increases with proliferation-associated telomere dysfunction in nontransformed human epithelial cells

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated age differences among human adults in susceptibility to radiation, with cancer cases attributable to radiation being more frequent for older individuals at time of exposure. In addition to the notion that susceptibility increases because of progressive decline in DNA monitoring and immunosurveillance, telomere function is now emerging as a new and important factor in modulating cellular and organism sensitivity to ionizing radiation. The link between telomeres and radiosensitivity is well-documented in humans, but the causal events remain elusive. In this paper, it is shown that irradiated human epithelial cells with short dysfunctional telomeres derived from normal mammary gland display elevated DNA damage. An approach identifying the specific chromosomes with critically shortened telomeres in each donor has allowed us to conclude that short dysfunctional telomeres in human epithelial cells join radiation-induced DNA broken ends, thus interfering with their efficient repair. These findings argue against telomeres participating as sensors or transducers of DNA damage, as previously suggested. Rather, our current findings give support to the idea that dysfunctional telomeres, by acting as an additional joining option, reduce the repair fidelity of DNA broken-ends induced by radiation throughout the genome. In the mammary gland, age-dependent telomere attrition due to epithelial turnover, together with the accretion of checkpoint deficiencies, might render the accumulation of short dysfunctional telomeres. This implies that the risks associated with mammography screening could be higher than previously assumed. Our results have the possibility of imprinting a temporal dimension onto radiation sensitivity, namely, that shortened telomeres in aged cells may more easily compromise normal tissue function in the elderly.     

Colonic cell proliferation and growth fraction in young,adult and old rats

Colonic epithelial proliferation was investigated in three groups of rats, aged 3, 60 and 121 weeks. As reported in previous work, the crypts were markedly longer in the young rats, and the number of labelled cells per crypt was significantly greater. There was an upward movement of the marker positions derived from the distribution of labelled cells within the crypt of the young rats. This was a consequence of the increased crypt length, so that the growth fraction, as expressed as a percentage of crypt length, was the same. The proliferative changes between the young rats and the other aged rats were therefore effected by altering the size of the crypts, while maintaining the kinetic organisation. There was no evidence of any proliferative changes or changes in the growth fraction when the colons of the old rats were compared with those of the 60 week old rats.     

Induced fluctuations of electric potentials in the apoplast of leaves

Extracellular recordings of electrical potential in leaves of different species by means of band-pass amplifiers showed the occurrence of fast, small changes (spikes) with an amplitude below 1 mV. Local illumination of leaves induced temporal patterns of spikes outside the illuminated region. The light-induced patterns recorded by a given electrode in a particular experimental setup were similar for successive illuminations. The patterns recorded at different sites on the same leaf were different. Locally repetitive patterns of spikes at the electrode outside the illuminated region indicate the occurrence of some signals transmitted from this region to the cells in the neighborhood of the electrode.     

Na+-independence of the stability under alkaline conditions of the membrane of an alkalophilic Bacillus

Abstract The stability under alkaline conditions of the membrane of the alkalophile was studied. By an alkaline treatment in the absence of Na⁺ or Li⁺, the abilities of the membrane vesicles, when energized with ascorbate plus tetramethylphenylenediamine, to produce a membrane potential (negative, inside) and transmembrane pH gradient (outside > inside) were rapidly lost. The activity of cytochrome oxidase was not affected by the alkaline treatment irrespective of the presence of Na⁺. It is likely that the membrane structure is sensitive to an alkaline pH and maintained specifically by the presence of Na⁺ (or Li⁺) in the alkaline medium.