Bromodomains：表观遗传医学新靶点及其抑制剂

Bromodomains（BRDs）是一类能够特异性识别乙酰化赖氨酸残基的保守蛋白结构域,存在于染色质及与转录相关的蛋白 中,其功能包括染色质重塑和转录调控,并在细胞内由乙酰化介导的蛋白-蛋白相互作用中发挥极为重要的作用,是多种疾病（包括癌 症、炎症和自身免疫病）的表观遗传医学靶点。介绍BRDs 的生物学功能、结构及分类,主要从BET bromodomain 抑制剂和非BET bromodomain 抑制剂两个方面对BRDs 抑制剂的研究进展作一综述,为高活性和选择性的BRDs 抑制剂研发提供参考。     

Exosomes in Genitourinary Cancers: Emerging Mediators of Drug Resistance and Promising Biomarkers

Drug resistance presents a major obstacle in the treatment of genitourinary cancers. Exosomes as the medium of intercellular communication serve important biological functions and play essential roles in pathological processes, including drug response. Through the transfer of bioactive cargoes, exosomes can modulate drug resistance via multiple mechanisms. This review attempts to elucidate the mechanisms of exosomal cargoes with reference to tumor drug resistance, their role in genitourinary cancers, and their potential clinical applications as candidate biomarkers in liquid biopsy.     

Extracellular Vesicles in Bone Homeostasis: Emerging Mediators of Osteoimmune Interactions and Promising Therapeutic Targets

An imbalance in bone homeostasis results in bone loss and poor healing in bone diseases and trauma. Osteoimmune interactions, as a key contributor to bone homeostasis, depend on the crosstalk between mesenchymal stem cell-osteoblast (MSC-OB) and monocyte-macrophage (MC-Mφ) lineages. Currently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered to be involved in cell-to-cell communication and represent a novel avenue to enhance our understanding of bone homeostasis and to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic options. In this comprehensive review, we aim to present recent advances in the study of the effect of MC-Mφ-derived EVs on osteogenesis and the regulatory effects of MSC-OB-derived EVs on the differentiation, recruitment and efferocytosis of Mφ. Furthermore, we discuss the role of EVs as crucial mediators of the communication between these cell lineages involved in the development of common bone diseases, with a focus on osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, bone fracture, and periodontal disease. Together, this review focuses on the apparent discrepancies in current research findings and future directions for translating fundamental insights into clinically relevant EV-based therapies for improving bone health.     

Anticipation of Risks and Benefits of Emerging Technologies: A Prospective Analysis Method

Methods for the identification, evaluation, and control of hazards are well recognized, whereas a method for the anticipation of hazards has eluded the field of industrial hygiene. The Emerging Technologies Team at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has developed a method for anticipating not only occupational hazards but also potential benefits of emerging technologies for occupational safety and health. This method incorporates forecasting tools with a prospective assessment step into the risk assessment model, stresses research results as an iterative driver in the assessment, and depends on inherently safer design to eliminate or reduce hazards. An iterative process that involves the occupational safety and health professional as a team member in the development of emerging technologies is recommended.     

耐旱玉米

1干旱和玉米:问题涉及的范围 玉米是世界上继小麦和水稻之后的第三大重要谷物.玉米的产量在温带的发达地区平均可以达到8.2吨/公顷,在热带欠发达国家为3.5吨/公顷.无论在哪一类产区,干旱都作为最重要的非生物因素制约着玉米的产量,并且使其非常不稳定,同时这也是热带和温带地区的平均产量产生差别的原因之一.这两类地区在耕作季节的水资源缺乏是不可预期的.农田中土壤质地和深度的差别表明植物可利用的水量不同,这会导致在干旱年份中产量相差10倍以上.此外,由于农民通常只在其所有土地上耕种一种作物,这就要求种植于雨养条件下的农作物具有较高水平的耐旱能力.     

茶氨酸保健功能研究进展

茶氨酸是茶叶中特有的氨基酸,是茶叶重要活性成分之一。国内外大量研究表明它在保护神经、镇静、调节情绪、提高认知能力等方面有良好的保健作用。最新的研究进展表明茶氨酸可以通过激活T淋巴细胞起到抗肿瘤的作用。作为保健品,茶氨酸在医药和食品加工方面也有着良好的应用前景。     

一株苯胺降解菌的分离及其苯胺降解特性的研究

目的:筛选高效苯胺降解菌并研究其降解特性,为利用微生物进行苯胺环境污染物修复奠定基础.方法:利用含苯胺的A15培养基分离筛选苯胺降解菌,探讨苯胺降解最佳条件、降解代谢途径,利用16S rDNA基因扩增测序法对株菌进行分子鉴定.结果:获得了一株以苯胺为惟一碳源、氮源生长的高效苯胺降解菌AN6-4.该菌降解苯胺的最高浓度为2500mg/L,降解苯胺的最适温度和pH值分别为30℃、7.0;该菌在60h内可以将1500mg/L浓度的苯胺完全降解;重金属离子对该菌株降解苯胺有不同程度的抑制作用;代谢机制研究表明,该菌株可以诱导合成邻苯二酚-2,3-双加氧酶并分泌到胞外降解苯胺;16S rDNA基因序列同源性比较结果表明该菌属芽孢杆菌的一种.结论:所获得的苯胺降解菌对于研究苯胺降解机制和苯胺环境污染物的生物修复具有重要的理论和潜在应用价值.     

Posttranslational Modifications of Chloroplast Proteins: An Emerging Field

Posttranslational modifications of proteins are key effectors of enzyme activity, protein interactions, targeting, and turnover rate, but despite their importance, they are still poorly understood in plants. Although numerous reports have revealed the regulatory role of protein phosphorylation in photosynthesis, various other protein modifications have been identified in chloroplasts only recently. It is known that posttranslational N^α-acetylation occurs in both nuclear- and plastid-encoded chloroplast proteins, but the physiological significance of this acetylation is not yet understood. Lysine acetylation affects the localization and activity of key metabolic enzymes, and it may work antagonistically or cooperatively with lysine methylation, which also occurs in chloroplasts. In addition, tyrosine nitration may help regulate the repair cycle of photosystem II, while N-glycosylation determines enzyme activity of chloroplastic carbonic anhydrase. This review summarizes the progress in the research field of posttranslational modifications of chloroplast proteins and points out the importance of these modifications in the regulation of chloroplast metabolism.The constantly changing environment challenges plants both in the short and long term. Environmental fluctuations affect gene expression by relaying signals that adjust the accumulation of proteins in various cell compartments according to ambient requirements. In addition to these relatively slow changes, rapid shifts in enzyme activities are sometimes required to meet the needs of plant metabolism at a given moment. Enzyme activity, interactions with other molecules, targeting, and turnover rate of a protein may be determined by a number of different posttranslational modifications (PTMs), which refer to the covalent processing of a protein after it has been fully translated. Although PTMs have long been known to provide enormous functional diversity and regulatory complexity in mammalian systems, an emerging interest in plant PTMs has developed only recently. Studies focusing on PTMs in plants are required not only because of fundamental interest in the regulation of physiological responses, but also because of the possibility of producing correctly modified biological compounds in plants for medical purposes. Despite the importance of chloroplast metabolism in the growth and development of the plant, PTMs of chloroplast proteins, apart from phosphorylation, have been poorly studied. It appears from recent progress that the numerous recently identified PTMs of chloroplast proteins provide additional regulation and signaling in chloroplasts. This review will introduce and summarize current developments in this emerging research field and will emphasize the importance of PTMs in chloroplast metabolism (Fig. 1).Open in a separate windowFigure 1.Overview of the possible PTMs of chloroplast proteins. Changes in internal and external conditions (yellow stars) require rapid regulation of many processes inside the chloroplast. The main processes regulated via PTMs are shown in gray boxes. Different types of modifications affecting these processes are marked with colored pins, and the enzymes/molecules executing the modifications are marked with dark-gray ellipses. Enzymes as yet uncharacterized are indicated with question marks. Black arrows mark known interactions, and hypothetical relations are marked with dashed gray arrows. KAT, Lys-acetyltransferase; KDAC, Lys-deacetylase; NAT, N^α-acetyltransferase; MT, methyltransferase; DM, demethylase; SUMO, sumoylation machinery.     

Patterns and Emerging Trends in Global Ocean Health

International and regional policies aimed at managing ocean ecosystem health need quantitative and comprehensive indices to synthesize information from a variety of sources, consistently measure progress, and communicate with key constituencies and the public. Here we present the second annual global assessment of the Ocean Health Index, reporting current scores and annual changes since 2012, recalculated using updated methods and data based on the best available science, for 221 coastal countries and territories. The Index measures performance of ten societal goals for healthy oceans on a quantitative scale of increasing health from 0 to 100, and combines these scores into a single Index score, for each country and globally. The global Index score improved one point (from 67 to 68), while many country-level Index and goal scores had larger changes. Per-country Index scores ranged from 41–95 and, on average, improved by 0.06 points (range -8 to +12). Globally, average scores increased for individual goals by as much as 6.5 points (coastal economies) and decreased by as much as 1.2 points (natural products). Annual updates of the Index, even when not all input data have been updated, provide valuable information to scientists, policy makers, and resource managers because patterns and trends can emerge from the data that have been updated. Changes of even a few points indicate potential successes (when scores increase) that merit recognition, or concerns (when scores decrease) that may require mitigative action, with changes of more than 10–20 points representing large shifts that deserve greater attention. Goal scores showed remarkably little covariance across regions, indicating low redundancy in the Index, such that each goal delivers information about a different facet of ocean health. Together these scores provide a snapshot of global ocean health and suggest where countries have made progress and where a need for further improvement exists.