Anti-apoptotic mechanism of silkworm hemolymph in HeLa cell apoptosis

Silkworm hemolymph (SH) was found to exhibit anti-apoptotic activities in mammalian and insect cell systems. An anti-apoptotic mechanism of SH was investigated in a staurosporine-induced HeLa cell using flow cytometry, caspase assay, Immunoblot, and Immunochemistry. The addition of 5% SH to the medium resulted in lower intracellular activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 after 0.6 μM of staurosporine treatment; however, SH did not directly inhibit the activities of those enzymes. This suggests SH inhibits the event upstream of these caspase activation steps, such as mitochondrial level events. We found from Immunoblot and Immunochemistry that cytochrome c release from the mitochondria was blocked by SH. SH also inhibited Bax translocation to the mitochondria. On the contrary, SH did not block the apoptosis when Bax is not involved in promoting apoptosis. With these results, we propose that SH protects mitochondria from apoptosis signal via blocking Bax translocation, and the subsequent apoptotic events are then inhibited. The inhibition of apoptosis using SH and its components may lead to new approaches for the minimization of cell death during commercial animal cell cultures.     

家蚕血液对BmE-SWU1细胞凋亡的抑制作用

以家蚕胚胎细胞系BmE-SWU1细胞为体外模型,用不同浓度的放线菌素D处理家蚕BmE-SWU1细胞进行家蚕细胞凋亡研究.结果表明:放线菌素D诱导家蚕细胞凋亡的作用呈时间、剂量依赖性.分别用浓度为0、50、100和200 ng/ml的放线菌素D处理BmE-SWU1细胞12 h后,凋亡峰所占比例分别为1.82%、1.26%、8.21%和12.31%.当放线菌素D的浓度为100 ng/ml时,诱导家蚕BmE-SWU1细胞凋亡的效果显著;家蚕血液对放线菌素D诱导的家蚕BmE-SWU1细胞凋亡具有明显的抑制作用.     

Behavior of silkworm yolk protein on phospholipid membranes

During early development, the plasma membrane of silkworm (Bombyx mori) eggs undergoes a superficial cleavage that separates the blastodermal protoplasm and the yolk. To test whether the blastoderm absorbs yolk through the plasma membrane in B. mori, we studied the interaction of phospholipid membranes and yolk using a phospholipid planar bilayer membrane (PBM) and liposomes. In addition, egg-specific protein (ESP; 225 kDa), a yolk protein that is specific to B. mori eggs, was collected by fractionating the eggs. Liposomes were mixed with either B. mori yolk or ESP, and observed under an electron microscope. This showed that the phospholipid membrane was spanned by fine particles 10-20 nm in diameter. Both yolk and ESP caused the PBM to become extraordinarily leaky, with a membrane potential of −70 mV for yolk and −198 mV for ESP. These results suggest that although it is a water-soluble protein, ESP permeates the phospholipid membrane without the help of enzymes.     

高低温催青温度敏感期家蚕卵的差异蛋白筛查

滞育（Diapause）是昆虫发育停滞或减缓的生理状态,家蚕Bombyx mori作为卵滞育的代表,其滞育过程已得到广泛研究,但诱导滞育发生的分子机制尚不清楚。二化性家蚕滞育性由遗传和母系在胚胎期所处的环境条件决定,25℃催青蚕卵孵化后的家蚕产滞育卵,15℃低温催青则诱导家蚕产下非滞育卵。本研究分别用25℃和15℃催青蚕卵,在发生滞育诱导的温度敏感期取样,抽提蛋白质通过非标（Label-free）蛋白质组定量技术进行质谱测序。筛选出具有明显表达差异的蛋白104个,其中56个蛋白上调,48个蛋白下调。通过生物信息学对差异蛋白进行GO分类和KEGG功能富集分析,结果显示差异蛋白主要参与生长发育、物质代谢和胁迫应答等生物过程;同时差异蛋白主要参与胰岛素信号通路、乙醛酸和二羧酸代谢等相关途径。分别选取上调基因和下调基因进行qRT-PCR验证,其趋势与蛋白组学结果一致。该研究将为进一步解析家蚕滞育诱导发生机制提供靶标蛋白和数据参考。     

Anti-apoptotic effects of the alpha-helix domain of silkworm storage protein 1

Apoptosis is a programmed cell death and a mechanism for the maintenance of multicellular organism homeostasis. In bioindustry, apoptosis during cell culture used to produce therapeutic proteins results in the reduction of productivity and quality. Thus, it is crucial to develop novel techniques and materials to inhibit apoptosis. Previous studies have found that storage protein 1 (SP1) has antiapoptotic effects on HeLa cells, but the part of SP1 responsible for the anti-apoptotic effects is unknown. Herein, the anti-apoptotic effects of the N-terminal, α-helix domain of SP1 (SPD1) were investigated by generating a cell line stably expressing SPD1. SPD1 expression conferred strong resistance to apoptosis induced by staurosporine (STS). SPD1 diminished the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibited caspase-3 activation, suggesting that it acts as an upstream apoptosis inhibitor. SPD1 was also produced as a recombinant protein in E. coli and culture medium supplementation with recombinant SPD1 resulted in apoptosis inhibition in HeLa cells. The capability of SPD1 to penetrate cell membrane was also assessed, and the results show that it localized in the cytosol, as well as on the plasma membrane. This indicates that SPD1 is a cell-penetrating protein with high antiapoptotic activity. In conclusion, SPD1 is a novel protein responsible for the anti-apoptotic effect of SP1, and it can be considered as a new biomaterial that can minimize cell death and maximize productivity in biopharmaceutical industry. In addition, the miniaturization of SP1 in SPD1 can facilitate its practical usage as a culture medium supplement and cosmetic ingredient.     

鲍曼不动杆菌铁蛋白的抗氧化功能研究

【目的】克隆鲍曼不动杆菌铁蛋白(Abferritin)基因,并研究其抗氧化功能。【方法】荧光定量PCR检测氧化应激下Abferritin基因的表达量,并将其基因克隆到表达载体p ET28a以构建重组质粒p ET28a-Abferritin,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)得到重组菌BL/p ET28aAbferritin,IPTG诱导目的蛋白表达并利用镍柱亲和层析纯化该蛋白。比色法测定Abferritin蛋白的Fe2+氧化酶活性,自由基清除实验测定其抗氧化功能。菌落计数法观察重组大肠杆菌在H2O2应激条件下的存活率。【结果】Abferritin基因在氧化应激下表达增高。重组质粒在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中高效表达,通过Ni2+亲和层析纯化获得了Abferritin蛋白。该蛋白具有Fe2+氧化酶活性,能有效减少氧自由基的形成及提高大肠杆菌抵抗氧化应激的能力。【结论】氧化应激能诱导Abferritin基因表达上调,且该蛋白具有亚铁氧化酶活性和抗氧化功能。     

Anti-oxidative vitamins prevent lipid-peroxidation and apoptosis in corneal endothelial cells

To determine the effects of vitamin supplementation on the lipid-peroxidation-mediated toxicity of iron-ions on corneal endothelial cells (CECs) leading to apoptosis, murine CECs were maintained in tissue culture medium supplemented with increasing concentrations of free iron-ions, a treatment known to lead to increased lipid-peroxidation. The concentration of anti-oxidative vitamins (ascorbic acid, tocopherol and retinoic acid) in the cell supernatant and in the cells was determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Apoptosis was assessed by quantification of caspase-3-like activity and by using annexin-V/propidium iodide stains for flow cytometry. Lipid-peroxidation was measured by the malondialdehyde method. Supplementation with anti-oxidative vitamins was tested for the ability to counteract the induction of apoptosis. The production of nitric oxide was assessed spectrophotometrically and the expression levels of inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthase were determined by Western blot. Increasing levels of free iron led to a rapid loss of anti-oxidative vitamins in the supernatant and in the CECs. This was correlated with rising levels of malondialdehyde and increased apoptosis. Supplementation with ascorbic acid or alpha-tocopherol alone did not prevent lipid-peroxidation in the cells. A combination of vitamins C and E (ascorbic acid, tocopherol) or solitary supplementation with vitamin A (retinoic acid) prevented lipid-peroxidation. We thus present a novel in vitro model for testing the direct influence of pro-oxidative species on CECs. We also show that supplementation with anti-oxidative vitamins to CECs significantly prevents the generation of free-radical-induced oxidative injury and apoptosis. These findings may have important implications for the storage of human corneae prior to transplantation and for the prolongation of corneal graft survival.     

Increase of host cell longevity by the expression of 30K protein originating from silkworm hemolymph in an insect cell–baculovirus system

A recombinant baculovirus was constructed by the homologous recombination between wild-type AcMNPV DNA and a baculovirus transfer vector containing a gene coding for the 30K protein originating from silkworm hemolymph. The 30K protein was successfully expressed in Sf9 cells infected with the recombinant baculovirus (AcMNPV/30K). To investigate the effect produced by the expression of the 30K protein, host cell viability after infection was compared with that of Sf9 cells infected with AcMNPV/β-gal. The viability of the cells infected with AcMNPV/β-gal began to decrease exponentially 3 days after infection, whereas that of the cells infected with AcMNPV/30K remained at a high level until 5 days after infection. This indicates that the 30K protein increases cell longevity after viral infection. This increased cell longevity is considered to be due to the inhibition of host cell apoptosis induced by a baculovirus, and the extent of apoptosis was measured by the flow cytometric method. The percentage of the sub-G1 fraction, which represents the extent of apoptosis, was decreased by the expression of the 30K protein. This indicates that the expression of the 30K protein in insect cells increases host cell longevity by inhibiting apoptosis.     

Neuroprotective effects of PEP-1-carbonyl reductase 1 against oxidative-stress-induced ischemic neuronal cell damage

Human carbonyl reductase 1 (CBR1) is a member of the NADPH-dependent short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily that is known to play an important role in neuronal cell survival via its antioxidant function. Oxidative stress is one of the major causes of degenerative disorders including ischemia. However, the role CBR1 plays with regard to ischemic injury is as yet poorly understood. Protein transduction domains such as PEP-1 are well known and now commonly used to deliver therapeutic proteins into cells. In this study, we prepared PEP-1–CBR1 protein and examined whether it protects against oxidative-stress-induced neuronal cell damage. PEP-1–CBR1 protein was efficiently transduced into hippocampal neuronal HT-22 cells and protected against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced neuronal cell death. Transduced PEP-1–CBR1 protein drastically inhibited H₂O₂-induced reactive oxygen species production, the oxidation of intracellular macromolecules, and the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, as well as cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that transduced PEP-1–CBR1 protein markedly protected against neuronal cell death in the CA1 region of the hippocampus resulting from ischemic injury in an animal model. In addition, PEP-1–CBR1 protein drastically reduced activation of glial cells and lipid peroxidation in an animal model. These results indicate that PEP-1–CBR1 protein significantly protects against oxidative-stress-induced neuronal cell death in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we suggest that PEP-1–CBR1 protein may be a therapeutic agent for the treatment of ischemic injuries as well as oxidative-stress-induced cell damage and death.     

Response of storage protein levels to variation in dietary protein levels

Storage proteins have been found to play a major role in insect metamorphosis and egg production and are accumulated during the actively feeding larval stage. Yet few studies have focused on how nutrition affects storage protein levels. Three storage proteins were identified in male and female Heliothis virescens pupae, one arylphorin and two putative high-methionine hexamers. Storage proteins were quantified in early pupae and in pharate adults. Storage protein levels peaked in 48-h pupae and were more abundant in females across all stages. Both male and female pharate adults retained a portion of total storage protein levels and females retained greater levels overall. In females, post-eclosion protein reserves will likely be used toward egg manufacturing, while the role of protein reserves in males remains speculative. In our previous study of H. virescens larvae, we found that protein-derived growth in females progressively increased as dietary protein levels increased. Our present data show that levels of storage protein also increased progressively along with dietary protein levels. This suggests that females allocated protein, in excess of adult tissue formation needs, toward storage protein. Our study is the first to demonstrate how responsive storage protein levels can be in face of varying levels of dietary protein.     

hnRNPA1基因在家蚕翅原基组织中的表达与定位分析

核不均一蛋白A1(hnRNPA1)是一个重要的RNA结合蛋白。本研究旨在获得家蚕hnRNPA1基因的cDNA,并对其在家蚕翅原基组织进行表达和定位分析。以家蚕幼虫期翅原基mRNA为模板通过反转录克隆家蚕BmhnRNPA1基因的全长cDNA,并对其进行生物信息学分析。构建pET32a-BmhnRNPA1蛋白表达载体,表达且纯化得到BmhnRNPA1重组蛋白,并制备该蛋白多克隆抗体,通过实时荧光定量RT-PCR、Western blot和免疫组化方法检测BmhnRNPA1在家蚕幼虫和蛹翅原基组织中的表达与定位。克隆得到了家蚕hnRNPA1基因的全长cDNA片段,其开放阅读框(ORF)序列为951 bp,编码316个氨基酸,预测分子量为34.98 kDa,等电点为5.15。编码蛋白在第18～90个氨基酸和109～181个氨基酸处为保守的RRM结构域。系统进化分析显示,家蚕hnRNPA1与小菜蛾hnRNPA1的亲缘关系最近。QRT-PCR结果显示,BmhnRNPA1在家蚕幼虫和蛹期的翅原基组织中均有表达,且在蛹期第3天的表达量达到峰值。Western blot进一步证实了实验结果。免疫组化分析结果显示,该蛋白存在于翅原基组织中,并定位于细胞核内。家蚕BmhRNPA1具有两个RNA结合结构域,属于hnRNPs家族,定位于细胞核内,表明其可能参与mRNA的选择性剪接作用。本研究结果为进一步探索该基因的功能提供了基础。     

Enhancement of sialyltransferase-catalyzed transfer of sialic acid onto glycoprotein oligosaccharides using silkworm hemolymph and its 30K protein

Silkworm hemolymph (SH) has been reported to inhibit apoptosis in both insect and human cells, and increase the high-sialylation structure of recombinant glycoprotein in insect cells. This indicates that SH might increase glycosyltransferase activity. Therefore, this study examined the effect of SH on the activity of sialyltransferase, which catalyzes the sialylation of the glycoprotein. When 10 μg/mL of SH was added to the reaction mixture, almost complete sialylation was observed even under the reaction conditions where sialyltransferase-catalyzed sialylation rarely occurs. The effect of deproteinized SH (dSH) and the 30K protein, which is a major plasma protein in SH, was examined to determine which component in SH enhances sialylation. The 30K protein promoted sialylation, while the dSH did not. This suggests that SH and its 30K protein can be used as an additive to a medium for efficient glycosylation when mammalian cells are being cultured for the production of valuable biopharmaceuticals, many of which are glycoproteins.     

Processing Pisum sativum seed storage protein precursors in vitro

The profile of polypeptides separated by SDS-PAGE from seed of major crop species such as pea(Pisum sativum) is complex,resulting from cleavage (processing) of precursors expressed from multiple copies of genes encoding vicilin and legumin,the major storage globulins.Translation in vitro of mRNAs hybridselected from mid-maturation pea seed RNAs by defined vicilin and legumin cDNA clones provided precursor molecules that were cleaved in vitro by a cell-free protease extract obtained from similar stage seed;the derived polypeptides were of comparable sizes to those observed in vivo.The feasibility of transcribing mRNA in vitro from a cDNA clone and cleavage in vitro of the derived translation products was established for a legumin clone,providing a method for determining polypeptide products of an expressed sequence.This approach will also be useful for characterising cleavage site requirements since modifications an readily be introduced at the DNA level.     

High-level expression of orange fluorescent protein in the silkworm larvae by the Bac-to-Bac system

This novel orange fluorescent protein (OFP) emits brilliant orange fluorescent light. OFP has high fluorescence quantum yield, fast maturation rate, and stability, which imply this protein should be the most favorable biotechnological tools used to investigate the function of target gene by visualizing, monitoring, and quantifying in living cells. B. mori, silkworm has been used as an important bioreactor for the production of recombinant proteins through baculovirus expression system (BES). In this paper, we used infection technique which introduced the baculovirus DNA into silkworms using a cationic lipofectin reagent instead of directly injecting the virus, and demonstrated a high-level expression of the orange fluorescent protein (OFP) gene in the Bombyx mori, silkworm larvae. When recombinant rBacmid/BmNPV/OFP DNA ranging from 50–100 ng/larval was injected, a sufficient OFP expression in hemolymph was harvested. The recombinant viruses could be obtained from the hemolymph of infected larvae and stored as seed which could be used for the large-scale expression. This procedure omitted the costly and labor-consumed insect cell culture. Further investigation of OFP should provide us with more insight in unlocking the mystery of the mechanisms of autocatalytic bioluminescence and its utilization in biotechnology.     

感染家蚕浓核病毒BmDNV1对家蚕抗性和敏感品种生化参数的影响

在家蚕疾病中,病毒性疾病是危害茧产品的主要且最普遍的疾病。病毒性蚕软腐病是由BmIFV, BmDNV1 和 BmDNV2引起的。对印度种质库（Indian Germ plasm stock）中的BmDN V1有抗性和敏感的家蚕品种进行了鉴定。利用标准方法对在BmDNV1感染过程中抗性和敏感品系的主要有机成分的变化（包括总蛋白、碳水化合物和脂类）进行了检测。结果表明： 随着幼虫年龄的增长,对照组和处理组中有机成分（即蛋白质和碳水化合物）的含量也随之增长,但是处理组的增长水平明显地低于各自对照组的增长水平。接种BmDNV1后,与对照组比较,敏感品种体内的血淋巴和中肠组织的总蛋白的量显著地下降。在抗性品种,接种4天后的总蛋白的量有了显著地下降,之后,下降水平小于各自的对照组。在抗性和敏感品种中,血淋巴和中肠组织中的总碳水化合物的量略有下降。在变化不显著的抗性和敏感品种中,血淋巴和中肠组织中的脂质的量有显著地提高。在敏感家蚕品种,生化变化清晰地显示： BmDNV1感染消耗作为主要能量来源的总蛋白和碳水化合物。这些成分的损耗导致了被感染家蚕的生长受阻。     

Compartmentation of albumin and globulin storage proteins in protein deposits of pea embryo axis cells

Summary Compartmentation of storage proteins within vacuolar protein deposits in embryonic axis cells of developing pea seed is demonstrated by immunogold labeling. By this method, a sulfur-rich albumin (PA 1) is restricted to the peripheral layer of the deposits and appears to separate the globulin-rich (vicilin) central region from the presumed aqueous phase of the vacuole.     

Influence of waterlogging on some anti-oxidative enzymatic activities of two barley genotypes differing in anoxia tolerance

The experiment was conducted to investigate the formation of oxidative stress and the development of anti-oxidative enzymes in two barley genotypes differing in anoxia tolerance. Waterlogging led to significant reduction in root and shoot weight, green leaf area and tillers per plant, but tolerant Xiumai 3 was much less reduced than sensitive Gerdner. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation, significantly increased in Gerdner when the plants were subjected to waterlogging, but remained little changed in Xiumai 3. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was increased with waterlogging treatment and the sensitive cultivar had higher activity than the tolerant one during the experimental duration. At early stage of waterlogging treatment, both peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities significantly increased in Xuimai 3, while obviously decreased in Gerdner. Moreover, both cultivars showed substantial increase in both POD and CAT with the progress of waterlogging exposure. Glutathione reductase (GR) activity was increased in both tolerant- and sensitive cultivars under waterlogging. It may be assumed from the current results that SOD activity appears to be not a constraining factor limiting the scavenging of ROS, and it is the change of POD and CAT activity under waterlogging that determine the status of oxidative stress. The difference between genotypes in waterlogging tolerance could be distinguished from the changed patterns of these enzymatic activities.     

Inhibition of the FAD containing ER oxidoreductin 1 (Ero1) protein by EN-460 as a strategy for treatment of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) cells demonstrate high basal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and are typically exquisitely sensitive to agents such as proteasome inhibitors that activate the unfolded protein response. The flavin adenosine dinucleotide (FAD) containing endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductin enzyme (Ero1L) catalyzes de-novo disulfide bridge formation of ER resident proteins and contributes to proper protein folding. Here we show that increased Ero1L expression is prognostic of poor outcomes for MM patients relapsing on therapy. We propose that targeting protein folding via inhibition of Ero1L may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of MM. In this report we show that treatment of MM cells with EN-460, a known inhibitor of ERO1L, was sufficient to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. Furthermore, we show that cell death correlated in part with induction of ER stress. We also show that EN460 inhibited the enzyme activity of Ero1L, with an IC50 of 22.13?μM, consistent with previous reports. However, EN-460 was also found to inhibit other FAD-containing enzymes including MAO-A (IC₅₀?=?7.91?μM), MAO-B (IC₅₀?=?30.59?μM) and LSD1 (IC₅₀?=?4.16?μM), suggesting overlap in inhibitor activity and the potential need to develop more specific inhibitors to enable pharmacological validation of ERO1L as a target for the treatment of MM. We additionally prepared and characterized azide-tagged derivatives of EN-460 as possible functional probe compounds (e.g., for photo-affinity labeling) for future target-engagement studies and further development of structure-activity relationships.     

Cellular accumulation of Cys326-OGG1 protein complexes under conditions of oxidative stress

The common Ser326Cys polymorphism in the base excision repair protein 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 is associated with a reduced capacity to repair oxidative DNA damage particularly under conditions of intracellular oxidative stress and there is evidence that Cys326-OGG1 homozygous individuals have increased susceptibility to specific cancer types. Indirect biochemical studies have shown that reduced repair capacity is related to OGG1 redox modification and also possibly OGG1 dimer formation. In the current study we have used bimolecular fluorescence complementation to study for the first time a component of the base excision repair pathway and applied it to visualise accumulation of Cys326-OGG1 protein complexes in the native cellular environment. Fluorescence was observed both within and around the cell nucleus, was shown to be specific to cells expressing Cys326-OGG1 and only occurred in cells under conditions of cellular oxidative stress following depletion of intracellular glutathione levels by treatment with buthionine sulphoximine. Furthermore, OGG1 complex formation was inhibited by incubation of cells with the thiol reducing agents β-mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol and the antioxidant dimethylsulfoxide indicating a causative role for oxidative stress in the formation of OGG1 cellular complexes.