载脂蛋白M

载脂蛋白M(apoM)是一类在血液中主要与高密度脂蛋白（HDL）结合的载脂蛋白,呈组织特异性表达且有着众多生物学功能.体内外多种因素可从转录或转录后水平对其表达进行调控:肝细胞核因子-1α,4α（HNF-1α,4α）、肝受体同系物-1（LRH-1）、叉头框转录因子a2（Foxa2）、血小板活化因子（PAF）等可上调其表达;肝X受体（LXR）、维甲酸X受体（RXR）、法尼酯X受体（FXR）、小异源二聚体-1(SHP-1)以及绝大多数细胞因子可下调其表达,具体调节机制复杂. 结构上,apoM含有一个特征性的疏水性信号肽,可结合1 磷酸鞘氨醇（S1P）等小的生物活性脂,以此介导多项生命活动. 功能上,apoM能促进preβ-HDL的生成,并提高其一系列抗动脉粥样硬化的生物活性,如胆固醇逆向转运、抗炎、以及低密度脂蛋白（LDL）的抗氧化等.在一些糖尿病病人体内,apoM的含量也显著降低,而apoM含量的提高可以降低血糖含量,增加胰岛素分泌以及改善胰岛素抵抗,不少学者将其视为该病发生发展的一项预测指标.本文就近年来对apoM的生物学特性,特别是其表达调控机制和功能的研究进展进行综述.     

Oncostatin M

Oncostatin M (OSM) was initially identified as a polypeptide cytokine which inhibited the in vitro growth of cells from melanoma and other solid tumors. OSM shows significant similarities in primary amino acid sequence and predicted secondary structure to leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 11 (IL-11). Analysis of the genes encoding these proteins reveals a shared exon organization suggesting evolutionary descent from a common ancestral gene. Recent data indicates that OSM also shares a number of in vitro activities with other members of this cytokine family. The overlapping biological effects appear to be explained by the sharing of receptor subunits.     

Ethylisocyanide equilibria of hemoglobins M Iwate, M Boston, M Hyde Park, M Saskatoon, and M Milwaukee-I in half-ferric and fully reduced states.

The ethylisocyanide equilibria of all the five known hemoglobins M, namely Hb M Iwate (alpha287 Tyrbeta2), Hb M Boston (alpha258 Tyrbeta2), Hb M Hyde Park (alpha2beta292 Tyr), Hb M Saskatoon (alpha2beta263 tyr), and Hb M Milwaukee-I (alpha2beta267 Glu), were studied both in the half-ferric and fully reduced heme states. In the half-ferric state, no heme-heme interaction was observed for Hb M Iwate, Hb M Boston, and Hb M Hyde Park, but Hb M Saskatoon and Hb M Milwaukee-I show small but definite heme-heme interaction with Hill's n of 1.3. The beta chain mutants, Hb M Hyde Park and Hb M Saskatoon, have almost normal affinity for ethylisocyanide and a normal Bohr effect, whereas the alpha chain mutants, Hb M Iwate and Hb M Boston, have abnormally low affinity and almost no Bohr effect. Hb M Milwaukee-I showed a large Bohr effect and low affinity. These results are consistent qualitatively with those on oxygen equilibria reported previously. In the fully reduced state, in which all four hemes were in the ferrous state and capable of binding ethylisocyanide distinct differences were found in the extent of heme-heme interaction. Namely, the n values for proximal histidine mutants, Hb M Iwate and Hb M Hyde Park, were 1.1 and 1.0, respectively, whereas the distal histidine mutants, Hb M Boston and Hb M Saskatoon, showed high n values of 2.4 and 1.6, respectively. Hb M Milwaukee-I also exhibited a high n value of 2.0 The ethylisocyanide affinity of the four histidine mutants was high compared with that of Hb A, while that for Hb M Milwaukee-I was almost normal. All five Hbs M had approximately normal magnitudes of Bohr effect. In the half-ferric state, the proximal and distal histidine mutants of the same chain showed similar affinity for ethylisocyanide and Bohr effect, rather different from those of the mutants of the opposite chain. These differences seem to be derived from the difference of abnormal bonding of ferric iron to tyrosine or glutamic acid. On the other hand, the reduction of iron, which abolished the abnormal bonding and made all of the chains capable of binding ligand, extinguished the differences of alpha and beta chains, and the effect of amino acid side chains close to iron on ligand binding properties became clear. Proximal histidine, which is considered to trigger the transition between the T and R states, seems to be essential to the heme-heme interaction.     

Loperamide exerts a direct bactericidal effect against M. tuberculosis,M. bovis,M. terrae and M. smegmatis

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is highly prevalent, characterized by the constant occurrence of drug-resistant cases, and confounded by the incidence of respiratory disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTB). Expanding the spectrum of drugs for the treatment of TB is indispensable. Loperamide, an antidiarrhoeal drug, enhances immune-driven antimycobacterial activity, and we aimed to evaluate its bactericidal activity against M. tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Mycobacterium terrae and Mycobacterium smegmatis. Loperamide exhibited an inhibitory effect against all mycobacterial species tested, with MICs of 100 and 150 μg ml⁻¹. Thus, loperamide is a mycobactericidal drug with potential as adjunctive therapy for TB and NTB infections.     

Pi M4: An additional Pi M subtype

Summary The authors studied Pi polymorphism using the Separator isofocusing method with slight modification. A new Pi allele was observed. Family pedigrees confirmed co-dominant inheritance with other Pi alleles. According to the electrophoretic mobility of its isoprotein bands, and to its frequency (0.04) this new allele is considered as a fourth Pi ^M subtype: Pi ^M4.