Large Scale Preparation of Bovine Renal Glomerular Basement Membrane in the Presence of Protease Inhibitors

A method is described for the isolation of large quantities of basement membrane from bovine renal glomeruli under conditions which minimize or prevent degradation by tissue-associated proteases. The method incorporates the use of moderately-high concentrations of the protease inhibitors: ethylene-diamine tetraacetic acid, ε-amino caproic acid, N-ethylmaieimide, and diiso-propylfluorophosphate; and the maintenance of a temperature of 0-4°C throughout the procedure. Glomeruli preparations are isolated by a modified sieving technique and are routinely of purity greater than 97%. Under optimum conditions, three to four grams of basement membrane can be isolated under safe and rapid conditions in one week.     

Effect of Protease Inhibitors on Early Events of Apoptosis

Proteolysis is an early event of apoptosis which appears to be associated with activation of the endonuclease which is responsible for internucleosomal DNA cleavage. The present study was designed to reveal the possible role of proteolysis in other early events, such as chromatin condensation, nuclear breakdown, and destabilization ofin situDNA double-stranded structure. Apoptosis of human leukemic HL-60 cells and rat thymocytes was induced by different agents, including DNA topoisomerase inhibitors, an RNA antimetabolite, and the glucocorticosteroid, prednisolone. DNA degradation was evaluated by pulsed field and conventional gel electrophoresis and by the presence ofin situDNA strand breaks. DNA stability was estimated by the measure of its sensitivityin situto denaturation. Chromatin condensation, nuclear breakdown, and other morphological changes were monitored by interference contrast and UV microscopy following cell staining with the DNA-specific fluorochrome 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Several irreversible or reversible serine protease inhibitors prevented internucleosomal DNA degradation, nuclear breakdown, and destabilization of DNA double-stranded structure. The effective inhibitors, however, did not prevent the onset of chromatin condensation, nor the loss of the fine structural framework, nor the initial step of DNA cleavage generating DNA fragments of ≥50 kb in size. The data indicate that in both cell systems the activity of proteases sensitive to the inhibitors tested is needed for internucleosomal DNA cleavage to occur. The data also suggest that these proteases may be involved in dissolution of the nuclear envelope. Because nuclear matrix proteins and histones stabilize DNAin situ,and the decrease in DNA stability which occurs during apoptosis is precluded by the inhibitors, it is likely that serine proteases may degrade DNA stabilizing proteins. The activity of these proteases, however, appears needed neither for DNA cleavage to ≥50-kb fragments nor for the onset of chromatin condensation which is associated with dissolution of the structural framework of the nucleus.     

多酚氧化酶抑制剂对蝴蝶兰叶外植体褐变的影响

将多酚氧化酶(PPO)抑制剂添加到酶反应液中,抗坏血酸和半胱氨酸在0.5mmol/L就完全抑制蝴蝶兰PPO活性。300mg/L柠檬酸和100~200mg/L亚硫酸氢钠分别添加到培养基中,可使蝴蝶兰外植体褐变程度降低;采用抑制剂浸泡处理外植体,对外植体褐变抑制效果最好的为50mg/L抗坏血酸,外植体在褐变发生前PPO活性低于对照。     

The Frictional Coefficient of Bovine Knee Articular Cartilage

1 Introduction Cartilage has excellent biomechanical and tri- bological properties with low friction and minimum wear in diarthrodial joints throughout the lifetime of most people, and the lifetime of articular cartilage can be 40 years or longer. This has inspired material and bionic scientists to study the mechanism of such excellent tri- bological characteristics in order to develop artificial joints. Various mechanisms have been proposed to ex- plain the remarkable low friction behavior of…     

Effect of Cytochrome C Concentration on the Ultrastructural Appearance of Bovine Nasal Cartilage Proteoglycans

Bovine nasal cartilage proteoglycan monomers were studied by Kleinschmidt and Zahn's molecular spreading technique as modified by Rosenberg et al. By decreasing the cytochrome c concentration in the epiphase to 2 μg per 100 μl we were able on nitrocellulose-coated grids routinely to obtain highly contrasted and well spread proteoglycan monomers with a characteristic brush-like appearance and, sometimes, a clearly distinguishable hyaluronic acid binding region. Previously, a hyaluronic acid binding region has only been observed routinely in spread proteoglycan aggregates, and a brush-like structure of proteoglycan monomers on carbon-coated grids, but with considerably less precision due to the poor contrast of the molecules. Molecular spreading was farther improved by decreasing the cytochrome c concentration in the epiphase to less than 2 μg per 100 μl, but contrast was reduced making visualization of molecular details difficult.     

Role of Protease Inhibitors in Potato Protection

Mechanical wounding or infection of potatoes with Phytophthora infestans caused an accumulation of only serine protease inhibitors in exudates of potato tubers. Among them, proteins prevailed that are structurally similar to those present in healthy tubers: a 22-kDa trypsin inhibitor, a 21-kDa serine protease inhibitor consisting of two polypeptide chains, and a 8-kDa potato chymotrypsin I inhibitor produced de novo. The accumulated proteins inhibited the growth of hyphae and germination of zoospores of P. infestans. Treatment with elicitors, jasmonic and arachidonic acids, intensified the accumulation of these inhibitors in tubers in response to the wound stress, whereas salicylic acid blocked this process. These results suggest that lipoxygenase metabolism plays a substantial role in signal transduction of the protective system of resting potato tubers.     

菘蓝两种外植体愈伤组织诱导研究

为寻找菘蓝愈伤组织诱导的最佳外植体,最佳培养基及愈伤组织继代增殖的最佳培养基,选用叶片和叶柄两种外植体,在添加不同种类植物激素处理组合的培养基上,对不同外植体进行愈伤组织的诱导和继代增殖研究.结果表明叶片比叶柄愈伤组织的诱导能力强,表现为出愈时间早,诱导率高,出愈多且质量好.叶片愈伤组织诱导培养基:MS 6-BA1.0mg/L 2,4-D0.3～0.5mg/L;继代增殖培养基:MS 6-BA0.5mg/L 2,4-D0.3mg/L.因此,采用菘蓝叶片为外植体,能高效的诱导出愈伤组织并能快速增殖.     

Kunitz 型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂结构与功能研究

蛋白酶抑制剂在酶学及蛋白质的结构与功能关系研究中有重要意义,Kunitz型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂是其中最重要的,也是研究最广泛的蛋白酶抑制剂之一．该类蛋白酶抑制剂三维结构高度保守：由一个明显的疏水核心、三对高度保守的二硫键桥、三链β-折叠和一个N端3 10螺旋及一个C端α-螺旋组成．3对二硫键对分子空间结构的稳定起着非常重要的作用．这一类型抑制剂有5个主要的活性位点：P1、P1’、P3、P3’、P4,它们都位于一个溶剂暴露的环上．P1位点是抑制作用的关键活性位点,抑制剂的专一性由P1位点氨基酸残基的性质决定;P1’位点氨基酸残基的侧链大小对抑制剂．酶的结合常数有很大影响,用大的侧链残基取代会导致结合常数降低;P4位点残基被取代经常产生负效应,会导致活性区域环的构象发生很大改变,从而影响酶与抑制剂的结合．     

植物Kunitz蛋白酶抑制剂的生物信息学分析

运用生物信息学的方法,对已在GenBank数据库中注册的大豆、海红豆、凤凰木、象耳豆及洋紫荆等植物Kunitz蛋白酶抑制剂的氨基酸序列进行分析.结果显示,这些植物的Kunitz蛋白酶抑制剂中甘氨酸、谷氨酸、亮氨酸、丝氨酸、天冬氨酸及缬氨酸含量较丰富;不同植物Kunitz蛋白酶抑制剂的氨基酸序列具有较高的同源性,其中P1位点的氨基酸残基序度保守;分子进化研究表明Kunitz蛋白酶抑制剂可作为植物遗传分化和分子进化研究的重要依据;部分序列中存在信号肽;分子中不存在跨膜结构域,可能受蛋白激酶C的磷酸化;无规卷曲是多肽链中的主要结构元件;分子中包含典型的STI功能结构域.     

金线莲外植体筛选及愈伤组织诱导研究

以金线莲茎段、叶片、茎片、不定芽为试材,分别在添加6-BA、ZT、NAA、KT 5个不同处理的MS及1/2MS培养基上培养,诱导愈伤组织。结果表明,以茎段、茎片、不定芽为外植体,在MS + 6-BA 2.0 mg/L + NAA0.5 mg/L、MS + NAA 2.0 mg/L + KT 0.1 mg/L和MS + 6-BA 2.0 mg/L + NAA 0.5 mg/L + ZT 0.2 mg/L培养基中培养,均能成功诱导愈伤组织。不定芽为诱导愈伤组织最佳外植体,最佳培养基为MS + 6-BA 2.0 mg/L + NAA 0.5 mg/L + KT 0.2 mg/L。     

Protease Inhibitors Reduce Effects of Denervation on Muscle End-Plate Acetylcholinesterase

The effects of certain protease inhibitors on end-plate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, as well as on wet weight and total protein, were studied in vivo in intact and denervated anterior gracilis muscles from the rat. A combination of leupeptin, pepstatin, and aprotinin, administered intraarterially, partly prevented the early (24 h) denervation-induced decrease in muscle weight and protein content. In turn, leupeptin and aprotinin, either alone or in combination, markedly reduced the decay of AChE activity in the denervated muscles, whereas pepstatin alone was ineffective. Such effects were additive in that the inhibitors in combination were more effective than when they were used separately. Additional experiments indicated that none of the inhibitors, at the concentrations used, affected AChE activity directly, nor did they have a significant effect during processing of the muscle samples. These findings indicate that the initial decay of AChE activity with denervation was effectively reduced by the inhibitors, probably through inactivation of proteolytic enzymes which, otherwise, would be increase in denervated muscle.     

半胱氨酸蛋白酶拟肽抑制剂设计新进展

半胱氨酸蛋白酶包括多种酶,这些酶在广泛的生命过程中发挥作用。人类正常的半胱氨酸蛋白酶表达失调,寄生虫、病毒的半胱氨酸蛋白酶表达与多种病理情况相关。对于这类疾病,抑制半胱氨酸蛋白酶是一个可行的药物治疗策略。当前这类药物设计的目标是3种结构不同的半胱氨酸蛋白酶,即木瓜蛋白酶家族、半胱氨酸-天冬氨基特异性蛋白酶家族(caspases)和小核糖核酸病毒科半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂家族。本文综述了近年来有关半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂的设计思路。     

Effect of Bacterial Endotoxin and Inhibitors on Tryptophan Oxygenase Induction in Mouse Liver Slices

Tryptophan oxygenase activity in mouse liver slices maintained in cluture medium, in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution, or in homologous whole blood declined within 3 hr to about one-half the original level. Actinomycin D and puromycin accelerated the rate of decline, but endotoxin did not. Direct addition of tryptophan to the medium resulted in a higher than normal tryptophan oxygenase activity within 1 hr, and this was maintained well above that of control liver slices up to 6 hr. Triamcinolone, at a dose that doubles tryptophan oxygenase activity in vivo, had no effect on the enzyme in liver slices. Actinomycin and endotoxin did not alter the substrate induction of tryptophan oxygenase; however, puromycin did, but to a limited extent. Liver slices prepared from mice 4 hr after an injection of cortisone had a greater tryptophan oxygenase activity than those of controls. Either endotoxin or actinomycin D resulted in a more rapid decline of the enzyme when added to the slices than was observed in the controls.     

Dysregulation of Protease and Protease Inhibitors in a Mouse Model of Human Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Mice deficient for the fibulin-5 gene (Fbln5^−/−) develop pelvic organ prolapse (POP) due to compromised elastic fibers and upregulation of matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-9. Here, we used casein zymography, inhibitor profiling, affinity pull-down, and mass spectrometry to discover additional protease upregulated in the vaginal wall of Fbln5^−/− mice, herein named V1 (25 kDa). V1 was a serine protease with trypsin-like activity similar to protease, serine (PRSS) 3, a major extrapancreatic trypsinogen, was optimum at pH 8.0, and predominantly detected in estrogenized vaginal epithelium of Fbln5^−/− mice. PRSS3 was (a) localized in epithelial secretions, (b) detected in media of vaginal organ culture from both Fbln5^−/− and wild type mice, and (c) cleaved fibulin-5 in vitro. Expression of two serine protease inhibitors [Serpina1a (α1-antitrypsin) and Elafin] was dysregulated in Fbln5^−/− epithelium. Finally, we confirmed that PRSS3 was expressed in human vaginal epithelium and that SERPINA1 and Elafin were downregulated in vaginal tissues from women with POP. These data collectively suggest that the balance between proteases and their inhibitors contributes to support of the pelvic organs in humans and mice.     

酶解大豆蛋白产天冬氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂的研究

本文通过采用可控酶解的方式酶解大豆蛋白获得了一种源自大豆的天冬氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂SAPI( soy aspartic proteinase inhibitor).酶解液经过DEAE-52阴离子交换层析、Superdex Peptide 10/300 GL凝胶层析、SOURCE 15RPC反相层析分离后最终比抑制活力为254.2 IU/mg,纯化倍数为62.SAPI对胃蛋白酶(3000U)半数抑制浓度IC50为25.67 μg/mL,有良好的热稳定性,属于一种非竞争性抑制剂.     

Effect of Partial H2O-D2O Replacement on the Anisotropy of Transverse Proton Spin Relaxation in Bovine Articular Cartilage

Anisotropy of transverse proton spin relaxation in collagen-rich tissues like cartilage and tendon is a well-known phenomenon that manifests itself as the “magic-angle” effect in magnetic resonance images of these tissues. It is usually attributed to the non-zero averaging of intra-molecular dipolar interactions in water molecules bound to oriented collagen fibers. One way to manipulate the contributions of these interactions to spin relaxation is by partially replacing the water in the cartilage sample with deuterium oxide. It is known that dipolar interactions in deuterated solutions are weaker, resulting in a decrease in proton relaxation rates. In this work, we investigate the effects of deuteration on the longitudinal and the isotropic and anisotropic contributions to transverse relaxation of water protons in bovine articular cartilage. We demonstrate that the anisotropy of transverse proton spin relaxation in articular cartilage is independent of the degree of deuteration, bringing into question some of the assumptions currently held over the origins of relaxation anisotropy in oriented tissues.     

Effects of Irradiance on Photosynthesis and Activity of Protease Inhibitors in Amaranthus hypochondriacus

Amaranthus hypochondriacus plants were grown under three photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD). Mature plants grown at full sunlight (38.8 mol m^–2 d^–1) had higher maximum net photosynthetic rate (P_N) and significantly higher leaf trypsin inhibitor activity than plants that developed under lower PPFD (19.4 and 12.8 mol m^–2 d^–1). In contrast, seeds collected from plants fully exposed to sunlight showed the lowest activity of trypsin inhibitor, higher rate of germination and susceptibility to infection by Aspergillus niger.     

Inhibition of Flower Induction by Some Inhibitors of Protease in the Short-day Plant Lemna paucicostata 6746 and the Long-day Plant Lemna gibba G3

Four inhibitors of proteases, namely, bestatin, diisopropylfluorophosphate, elastatinal and p-toluenesulfonyl-L-lysinechloromethyl ketone hydrochloride, were examined for their effectson flowering of a short-day plant Lemna paucicostata 6746 anda long-day plant Lemna gibba G3. Each of the inhibitors greatlyinhibited the flowering of Lemna paucicostata 6746 that is normallyinduced by nitrogen deficiency. Bestatin or elastatinal givenonly during the first half of the culture period inhibited theflowering more clearly than when each was given during the latterhalf, suggesting that they inhibited the inductive process(es)involved in flowering rather than development of flower buds.Bestatin or elastatinal greatly inhibited the flowering of Lemnapaucicostata 6746 induced by photoperiodic stimulus, ferricyanideand continuous far-red light. Simultaneous application of thesetwo inhibitors was more effective in the inhibition of photoperiodicallyinduced and ferricyanide-induced flowering than was each inhibitoralone. They also completely inhibited the photoperiodic floweringof Lemna gibba G3. These results suggest that the inductionor activation of some proteases, probably followed by the degradationof some protein(s), is necessary for the induction of floweringin both these plants. (Received November 21, 1989; Accepted February 19, 1990)     

Eliminating Anti-Nutritional Plant Food Proteins: The Case of Seed Protease Inhibitors in Pea

Several classes of seed proteins limit the utilisation of plant proteins in human and farm animal diets, while plant foods have much to offer to the sustainable intensification of food/feed production and to human health. Reduction or removal of these proteins could greatly enhance seed protein quality and various strategies have been used to try to achieve this with limited success. We investigated whether seed protease inhibitor mutations could be exploited to enhance seed quality, availing of induced mutant and natural Pisum germplasm collections to identify mutants, whilst acquiring an understanding of the impact of mutations on activity. A mutant (TILLING) resource developed in Pisum sativum L. (pea) and a large germplasm collection representing Pisum diversity were investigated as sources of mutations that reduce or abolish the activity of the major protease inhibitor (Bowman-Birk) class of seed protein. Of three missense mutations, predicted to affect activity of the mature trypsin / chymotrypsin inhibitor TI1 protein, a C77Y substitution in the mature mutant inhibitor abolished inhibitor activity, consistent with an absolute requirement for the disulphide bond C77-C92 for function in the native inhibitor. Two further classes of mutation (S85F, E109K) resulted in less dramatic changes to isoform or overall inhibitory activity. The alternative strategy to reduce anti-nutrients, by targeted screening of Pisum germplasm, successfully identified a single accession (Pisum elatius) as a double null mutant for the two closely linked genes encoding the TI1 and TI2 seed protease inhibitors. The P. elatius mutant has extremely low seed protease inhibitory activity and introgression of the mutation into cultivated germplasm has been achieved. The study provides new insights into structure-function relationships for protease inhibitors which impact on pea seed quality. The induced and natural germplasm variants identified provide immediate potential for either halving or abolishing the corresponding inhibitory activity, along with associated molecular markers for breeding programmes. The potential for making large changes to plant protein profiles for improved and sustainable food production through diversity is illustrated. The strategy employed here to reduce anti-nutritional proteins in seeds may be extended to allergens and other seed proteins with negative nutritional effects. Additionally, the novel variants described for pea will assist future studies of the biological role and health-related properties of so-called anti-nutrients.