Preparation and characterization of a bovine serum albumin-catalase conjugate

A bovine serum albumin-catalase conjugate was prepared using a heterobifunctional reagent, N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate. The purified conjugate had an M _r of 380 kDa. The half-life time of the conjugate was 6, 69 and 65 min after heat treatment, urea treatment and trypsin hydrolysis, respectively, whereas that of native catalase was 3, 22, 28 min, respectively.     

An animal model to evaluate the protective efficacy of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Haemophilus influenzae</Emphasis> type b conjugate vaccines

An efficacy test of PRP (polyribosylribitol phosphate)-TT (Tetanus toxoid) conjugate vaccines was carried out using BALB/c mice as an animal model by inoculatingHaemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) with a virulence enhancement factor (VEF). Three administrations of the conjugate vaccines at 2-week intervals elicited a significantly high level of PRP antibodies (P<0.0001). The protective activity of the PRP immunization was challenged with either Hib with iron dextran (Hibi) or with a combination of mucin and hemoglobin (Hibmh) as a VEF. The medium lethal dose (LD₅₀) for Hibmh and Hibi was measured as 10 CFU (Colony Forming Unit) and 2.5×10⁸ CFU respectively. Each immunized animal was challenged with five or ten times the LD₅₀ level of bacteria with a VEF. A significant difference in mortality between the immunized and control mice (P<0.01) was observed with the Hibmh challenge inoculation but not with the Hibi challenge inoculation. These results show that a combination of mucin and hemoglobin was able to ehance the virulence of Hib in BALB/c mice to cause a lethal infection, thus suggesting that BALB/c mice introduced to this method can be an effective model animal for testing the protective efficacy ofH. influenzae conjugate vaccines.     

R-phycoerythrin from the macroalgaCorallina officinalis (Rhodophyceae) and application of a derived phycofluor probe for detecting sugar-binding sites on cell membranes

R-Phycoerythrin (absorption spectrum 280; 495;sh 535, 564 nm with A564/A280 ratio of 5.3) was purified from the red macroalgaCorallina officinalis. The relative molecular mass determined from PAGE was 240 000. SDS-PAGE demonstrated two major subunits ofM _r 20 000 and 21 000, respectively, and a minor subunit ofM _r 30 000. A fucospyranosyl phenylisothiocyanate conjugate was prepared and this novel fluorescent affinity reagent used in conjunction with a flow cytometer to probe fucose-binding sites on blood mononuclear cells. By varying the sugar and using other phycobiliproteins the approach has the potential for simultaneously monitoring different sugar binding sites on subsets of cells within populations.     

Evaluation of synthetic schemes to prepare immunogenic conjugates of Vibrio cholerae O139 capsular polysaccharide with chicken serum albumin

Vibrio cholerae serotype O139 is a new etiologic agent of epidemic cholera. There is no vaccine available against cholera caused by this serotype. V. cholerae O139 is an encapsulated bacterium, and its polysaccharide capsule is an essential virulent factor and likely protective antigen.This study evaluated several synthetic schemes for preparation of conjugates of V. cholerae O139 capsular polysaccharide (CPS) with chicken serum albumin as the carrier protein (CSA) using 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) or 1-cyano-4-dimethylaminopyridinium tetrafluoroborate (CDAP) as activating agents. Four conjugates described here as representative of many experiments were synthesized in 2 steps: 1) preparation of adipic acid hydrazide derivative of CPS (CPS_AH) or of CSA (CSA_AH), and 2) binding of CPS_AH to CSA or of CPS to CSA_AH. Although all conjugates induced CPS antibodies, the conjugate prepared by EDC-mediated binding of CPS and CSA_AH (EDC:CPS-CSA_AH) was statistically significantly less immunogenic than the other three conjugates. Representative sera from mice injected with these three conjugates contained antibodies that mediated the lysis of V. cholerae O139 inoculum.Evaluation of the different synthetic schemes and reaction conditions in relation to the immunogenicity of the resultant conjugates provided the basis for the preparation of a V. cholerae O139 conjugate vaccine with a medically useful carrier protein such as diphtheria toxin mutant.     

乳酸乳球菌表达重组牛乳铁蛋白肽的抑菌活性分析

牛乳铁蛋白肽是由牛乳铁蛋白经消化酶水解产生的一类具有广谱抑菌活性的短肽;乳酸乳球菌作为食品级微生物,既有天然的益生作用,又是理想的表达牛乳铁蛋白肽的载体。【目的】探究重组乳酸乳球菌pAMJ399-LFcinBA/MG1363表达牛乳铁蛋白肽的抑菌活性。【方法】利用牛乳铁蛋白肽标准品绘制定量标准曲线来确定重组牛乳铁蛋白肽的含量,利用牛津杯法及微量肉汤稀释法测定重组牛乳铁蛋白肽对大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌等35株细菌的抑菌活性及最小抑菌浓度,利用扫描电镜、透射电镜、荧光显微镜、凝胶阻滞试验、黏附试验来探究重组牛乳铁蛋白肽对菌体结构、细菌DNA及黏附力的影响,利用CCK-8检测其对RAW 264.7细胞的毒性作用,并对小鼠红细胞溶血率进行测定。【结果】重组乳酸乳球菌上清中牛乳铁蛋白肽的浓度为24.39μg/mL,重组牛乳铁蛋白肽对测试的25株致病菌均有不同程度的抑制作用,抑菌浓度范围在16–128μg/mL,但对9株乳酸菌以及粪肠球菌没有明显的抑制作用,对大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、多杀性巴氏杆菌、鸡白痢沙门菌的菌体完整性具有不同程度的破坏作用,其主要作用靶点为细菌的细胞膜,可以与细菌DNA结合...     

Heterosis and the metabolism of gibberellin A20 in sorghum

The correlation between gibberellin (GA) metabolism and growth rate was investigated using two Sorghum bicolor inbred lines, Hegari and AT×623, and their heterotic F₁ hybrid. Previous studies have demonstrated that this hybrid is taller and has substantially greater shoot dry weights and leaf areas than either parental inbred. [³H]GA₂₀ was applied to the leaf whorl of seedlings and after 24 hours, plants were harvested and separated into roots, shoot cylinders containing the apical meristems, and leaf blades. Chromatographic analyses of metabolites indicated the conversions of [³H]GA₂₀ to [³H]GA_{1,8 and 29}. The conversion of [²H]GA₂₀ to [²H]GA₁ was demonstrated by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring (GC-SIM). Putative glucosyl conjugates of all of the [³H]GAs were also produced and GA₈ was identified by GC-SIM following enzymic cleavage of the putative [³H]GA₈ glucosyl conjugate fraction. Comparing the genotypes, [³H]GA₂₀ metabolism was more rapid in the shoot cylinders of the hybrid than in the shoot cylinders from inbreds. In the hybrid samples, there was a three-fold increase in the putative conjugate(s) of [³H]GA₁ which was the principal metabolite, and increased production of [³H]GA₈ and the putative conjugates of [³H]GA₂₉ and [³H]GA₈. Conversely, levels of the remaining precursor, [³H]GA₂₀, and its putative conjugate(s) were reduced in the hybrid. The rate of GA₂₀ metabolism was thus positively correlated with growth rate across these sorghum genotypes. This correlation supports a promotive role of GA in the regulation of shoot growth and in the expression of heterosis (hybrid vigor) in sorghum.     

Synthesis of polyrotaxane-biotin conjugates and surface plasmon resonance analysis of streptavidin recognition

A polyrotaxane-biotin conjugate was synthesized and its interaction with streptavidin measured using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection. A biodegradable polyrotaxane in whichca. 22 molecules of α-cyclodextrins (α-CDs) were threaded onto a poly(ethylene oxide) chain (M _n: 4,000) capped with benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanine was conjugated with a biotin hydorazide and 2-aminoethanol after activating the hydroxyl groups of α-CDs in the polyrotaxane usingN,N′-carbony diimidazole. The results of the high-resolution¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectra and gel permeation chromatography of the conjugate showed thatca. 11 biotin molecules were actually introduced to the polyrotaxane scaffold. An SPR analysis showed that the binding curves of the biotin molecules in the conjugate on the streptavidin-deposited surface changed in a concentration dependent manner, indicating that the biotin in the conjugate was actually recognized by streptavidin. The association equilibrium constant (K _a) of the interaction between the conjugate and streptavidin tetramer was of the order 10⁷. These results suggest that polyrotaxane is useful for scaffolds as a polymeric ligand in biomedical fields.     

Enhanced Chlorella vulgaris Buitenzorg growth by photon flux density alteration in serial photobioreactors

Microalgae perform oxygenic photosynthesis and are capable of taking up a large amount of CO₂, using an inducible CO₂ concentrating mechanism (CCM), and fixing CO₂ into higher compounds. These characteristics make the microalgae potentially useful for removal and utilization of CO₂ emitted from industrial plants and, generally, the usage of photosynthetic microorganisms has increased and significantly improved as a solution for CO₂ emissions. In this light and based on previous research using Anabaena cylindrica IAM M1 and Spirulina platensis IAM M 135, enhancement was sought for CO₂ fixation and biomass production by Chlorella vulgaris Buitenzorg by increasing the photon flux density concurrent with increases in culture biomass during the cellular growth phase and was compared to cultures of Chlorella grown at optimal constant illumination, with all cultures grown using Bennick basal medium, 29°C, and a flow of 1.0 atm. 10% CO₂ enriched air delivered to three in serial photobioreactors of 0.200 dm³ capacity each. The results showed that increasing illumination during culture increased biomass production of Chlorella by ∼60% as well as increased CO₂ fixation ability by ∼7.0%. It was also demonstrated that the non-competitive inhibition of [HCO₃ ⁻] as a carbon source significantly affected the cultivation in both the increasing and constant photon flux density regimes.     

Light-scattering spectroscopic study of polysaccharide protein conjugate

By combining gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and light-scattering spectroscopy, including photon correlation and angular distribution of absolute scattered intensity, we were able to characterize immunologically active Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide (HIB Ps) bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugates in terms of equivalent hydrodynamic radius r_h ～ (6.2 ± 0.6) × 10² Å, apparent radius of gyration r_g ～ (5.4 ± 0.3) × 10² Å, apparent molecular weight M_w ～ (3.5 ± 0.4) × 10⁶ g/mol, and a second virial coefficient A₂ ～ (1.9 ± 0.3) × 10^?4 cm³ mol/g². We could study the effects of each of the processes in the conjugate formation according to the following procedure: BSA (dialysis, modification, fractionation) + HIB Ps → HIB Ps/BSA conjugate (conjugate formation, fractionation). Narrow distributions of HIB Ps BSA conjugate formation can be achieved using fractionated BSA.     

Intracellular glutathione level modulates the induction of apoptosis by Δ-prostaglandin J2

We studied the effect of intracellular glutathione (GSH), which was known to conjugate readily with an α, β-unsaturated carbonyl of 9-deoxy-Δ^9,12-13,14-dihydro PGD₂ (Δ¹²-PGJ₂), on the cytotoxicity of Δ¹²-PGJ₂. Δ¹²-PGJ₂ caused DNA fragmentation in human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep 3B cells, which was blocked by cycloheximide (CHX). The Δ¹²-PGJ₂-induced apoptosis was augmented by GSH depletion resulted from pretreatment with buthioninine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase. On the contrary, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a precursor of cysteine, elevated the GSH level and protected cells from initiating apoptosis by Δ¹²-PGJ₂. Sodium arsenite, a thiol-reactive agent, also induced apoptosis, which was potentiated or attenuated by BSO or NAC treatment respectively. These results suggest that the apoptosis-inducing activity of Δ¹²-PGJ₂ is due to thiol-reactivity and intracellular GSH modulates the Δ¹²-PGJ₂-induced apoptosis by regulating the accessibility of Δ¹²-PGJ₂ to target proteins containing thiol groups.     

The synthesis of a cobalt(II) tetracarboxyphthalocyanine-deoxyribooligonucleotide conjugate as a reagent for the directed DNA modification

The cobalt(II) tetracarboxyphthalocyanine-deoxyribonucleotide pd(TCTTCCCA) conjugate was synthesized. The phthalocyanineN-succinimide ester prepared from phthalocyanine using DCC was mixed in DMF with an aqueous solution of the oligonucleotide bearing a 1,3-diaminopropane linker at the 5′-phosphate. The resulting conjugate was tested in the intraduplex reaction with target 14-mer and 22-mer oligonucleotides containing conjugate-complementary sequences. In the presence of O₂ and a thiol (2-mercaptoethanol or DTT), as a coupled reducer, or H₂O₂, sequence-specific DNA modification was observed that caused the cleavage of the target upon treatment with piperidine. This article is dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the journal Bioorganicheskaya Khimiya     

Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of a novel 99mTc(CO)3 pyrazolyl conjugate of a peptide nucleic acid sequence

The 16-mer peptide nucleic acid sequence H-A GAT CAT GCC CGG CAT-Lys-NH₂ (1), which is complementary to the translation start region of the N-myc oncogene messenger RNA, was synthesized and conjugated to a pyrazolyl diamine bifunctional chelator (pz). The novel conjugate pz-A GAT CAT GCC CGG CAT-Lys-NH₂ (2) was labeled with technetium tricarbonyl, yielding quantitatively the complex fac-[^99mTc(CO)₃(κ³-pz-A GAT CAT GCC CGG CAT-Lys-NH₂)]²⁺ (4). Complex 4 was obtained with high radiochemical purity and high specific activity, revealing high stability in human serum and in cell culture medium. The identity of 4 was confirmed by comparing its reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography profile with that of the rhenium analog fac-[Re(CO)₃(κ³-pz-A GAT CAT GCC CGG CAT-Lys-NH₂)]²⁺ (3), prepared by conjugation of fac-[Re(CO)₃(3,5-Me₂pz(CH₂)₂N((CH₂)₃COOH)(CH₂)₂NH₂)]⁺ to 1, using solid-phase techniques. UV melting experiments of 1 and 3 with the complementary DNA sequence led to the formation of stable duplexes, indicating that the conjugation of 1 to the pyrazolyl chelator and to the metal fragment fac-[M(CO)₃]⁺ did not affect the recognition of the complementary sequence as well as the duplex stability. For a first screening, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, which express N-myc, were treated with 4. The results show that 4 internalizes (7% of the activity goes into the cells, after 4 h at 37 °C), presenting also a relatively high cellular retention (only 40% of internalized activity is released from the cells after 5 h). An erratum to this article can be found at     

The effects of experimental conditions of fluorescence quenching on the binding parameters of apigenin to bovine serum albumin by response surface methods

A fluorescence quenching technique is often used to study interactions between small molecules and serum albumin. However, the results are quite different by using spectroscopic techniques on the same drug‐protein interaction research and they may be affected by different conditions (e.g. working solution of pH and ionic strength). In this research, using apigenin as an example, the effect of experimental conditions of fluorescence quenching on the binding parameters of drug to bovine serum albumin was investigated using a response surface method (RSM). The effect of pH, the concentration of NaCl and the concentration Mg²⁺ on the quenching constant (K_SV), the apparent association constant (K_a) and the number of binding sites (n) was studied by single‐factor experiments with pH, [NaCl] and [Mg²⁺] as independent variables and K_SV, K_a and n as response values. Prediction models were fit to a quadratic polynomial regression equation and the results showed that both K_SV and n displayed a second‐order model, whereas Ka displayed linear relation dependence on pH, [NaCl] and [Mg²⁺]. Under these experimental conditions, [NaCl] was the most significant (p < 0.05) impact factor on K_SV and K_a, whereas n was most affected by pH (p < 0.05). Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

扇脉杓兰和无距虾脊兰的核型分析

为了解扇脉杓兰(Cypripedium japonicum Thunb.)和无距虾脊兰(Calanthe tsoongiana T. Tang et F. T. Wang)的核型,采用根尖压片法对扇脉杓兰和无距虾脊兰的染色体数目和核型进行了研究。结果表明,扇脉杓兰体细胞的染色体数为22,核型公式为2n=2x=22=16m+2sm+2st+2t,染色体相对长度组成为2n=22=2L+6M2+12M1+2S,核不对称系数为60.01%,核型分类为2B型;而无距虾脊兰体细胞的染色体数为40,核型公式为2n=2x=40=28m+10sm+2st,染色体相对长度组成为2n=40=8L+10M2+16M1+6S,核不对称系数为59.84%,核型分类为2B型;两者核型都较为对称。其中,无距虾脊兰的核型为首次报道。这为扇脉杓兰和无距虾脊兰的进化地位和种质保护提供了细胞学证据。     

Accumulation of reactive oxygen species in arbuscular mycorrhizal roots

We investigated the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) roots from Medicago truncatula, Zea mays and Nicotiana tabacum using three independent staining techniques. Colonized root cortical cells and the symbiotic fungal partner were observed to be involved in the production of ROS. Extraradical hyphae and spores from Glomus intraradices accumulated small levels of ROS within their cell wall and produced ROS within the cytoplasm in response to stress. Within AM roots, we observed a certain correlation of arbuscular senescence and H₂O₂ accumulation after staining by diaminobenzidine (DAB) and a more general accumulation of ROS close to fungal structures when using dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR 123) for staining. According to electron microscopical analysis of AM roots from Z. mays after staining by CeCl₃, intracellular accumulation of H₂O₂ was observed in the plant cytoplasm close to intact and collapsing fungal structures, whereas intercellular H₂O₂ was located on the surface of fungal hyphae. These characteristics of ROS accumulation in AM roots suggest similarities to ROS accumulation during the senescence of legume root nodules.     

Enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA): Use of alkaline phosphatase-conjugated Griffonia simplicifolia B4 isolectin for the detection of α- -galactopyranosyl end groups

Alkaline phosphatase has been coupled to Griffonia simplicifolia I B₄ isolectin using a one-step glutaraldehyde conjugation procedure. This enzyme-lectin conjugate (AP-GS I-B₄) has been used to specifically detect plastic-bound natural and synthetic glycoproteins bearing α- -galactopyranosyl end groups. The extent of reactivity of the AP-GS I-B₄ with the glycoproteins appears to be proportional to the number of terminal galactosyl residues present. Furthermore, this assay, termed ELLA (enzyme-linked lectin assay), is specifically inhibitable by low-molecular-weight sugars containing terminal α- -galactosyl groups. The ELLA reactions may be assayed rapidly and objectively by the use of commercially available ELISA-plate readers using standard filters.     

Preparation of Concanavalin A-β-galactosidase conjugate and its application in lactose hydrolysis

A Concanavalin A-β-galactosidase conjugate was prepared using glutaraldehyde as the crosslmking reagent. The conjugate bound to Sephadex G-50 beads was more thermostable and hydrolyzed lactose faster than the free enzyme. The immobilized enzyme may prove useful in the preparation of low lactose milk which is required by persons suffering from lactose intolerance.     

GFP基因在新疆小拟南芥和拟南芥中的表达分析

以质粒pMCB30为模板,扩增GFP基因,连接到载体pCMBIA2300-35S-OCS上,构建过量表达载体p35S:GFP,将其转入农杆菌GV3101.通过农杆菌介导法将p35S:GFP载体分别转入新疆特色植物小拟南芥和拟南芥中.T0代经含有卡那霉素的1/2MS培养基筛选,获得了T1代转基因小拟南芥2株,T1代转基因拟南芥9株.通过激光共聚焦显微镜观察,在转基因小拟南芥和拟南芥的根尖细胞中均可检测到GFP绿色荧光蛋白;对转基因植株进行PCR扩增,均可检测到GFP基因,表明GFP基因已成功转入小拟南芥和拟南芥中.该研究建立了小拟南芥的遗传转化体系,为进一步利用GFP基因和进一步研究小拟南芥的功能基因奠定基础.     

Isolation, Purification, and Characterization of Catalase from the Methylotrophic Yeast Pichia pastoris

Catalase (CAT_pp) with molecular weight 223 kD was isolated from the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris and purified 90-fold by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Quantitative parameters of absorption and CD spectra of CAT_pp solutions and of its membrane-concentrated form (CAT_pp-conc) were studied. Rates of H₂O₂ decomposition and kinetic characteristics K _m and k _cat of CAT_pp and CAT_pp-conc were determined in 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 30°C, as well as the effective constant k _in of the enzyme inactivation rate during the catalysis and the constant k ₂ of the interaction rate of the Complex I catalases with H₂O₂. Thermal inactivation of CAT_pp in solutions at 45°C was characterized by the effective rate constant k _in ^*, and the low-frequency (27 kHz) ultrasonic inactivation of CAT_pp at 20°C was characterized by the firstorder rate constant k _in (US). All spectral and kinetic characteristics of CAT_pp and CAT_pp-conc were compared with the corresponding values for catalase from bovine liver (CAT) and for catalase from the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii (CAT_cb). All three catalases were rather similar in their spectral properties but strongly varied in their kinetic parameters, and their comparison suggests that CAT_pp should be the best enzyme in its overall properties as it displayed the maximal efficiency in terms of k _cat/K _m, thermal stability comparable with the thermal stability of CAT in terms of k _in ^*, the minimal k _in, and high stability in the ultrasonic cavitation field at the US power of 60 W/cm².     

Preparation of immobilized soybean β-amylase on porous cellulose beads and continuous maltose production

Immobilized soybean β-amylase was prepared by using porous cellulose beads. The expressed activity of the β-amylase–cellulose beads conjugated below 35 mesh was 59–69% of the initial activity and the protein content was 10–13%. General properties of the conjugate were almost identical with those of the native enzyme except for the K_m value. The K_m value of the conjugate was 40mM and the K_m value of the native enzyme was 0.6mM. This large difference was probably caused by pore structure, i.e., a pore diffusion problem. The film diffusion problem occurred at the flow rate below a linear velocity of 3 cm/min. Maximum maltose contents of the hydrolyzates prepared by the conjugate and the native enzyme were 69 and 71%, respectively. After a continuous column operation at 50°C for 17 days, the activity of the column was 60% of the activity. The half-life of the column at 40°C was 40 days.