Understanding in vivo benzenoid metabolism in petunia petal tissue

In vivo stable isotope labeling and computer-assisted metabolic flux analysis were used to investigate the metabolic pathways in petunia (Petunia hybrida) cv Mitchell leading from Phe to benzenoid compounds, a process that requires the shortening of the side chain by a C(2) unit. Deuterium-labeled Phe ((2)H(5)-Phe) was supplied to excised petunia petals. The intracellular pools of benzenoid/phenylpropanoid-related compounds (intermediates and end products) as well as volatile end products within the floral bouquet were analyzed for pool sizes and labeling kinetics by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Modeling of the benzenoid network revealed that both the CoA-dependent, beta-oxidative and CoA-independent, non-beta-oxidative pathways contribute to the formation of benzenoid compounds in petunia flowers. The flux through the CoA-independent, non-beta-oxidative pathway with benzaldehyde as a key intermediate was estimated to be about 2 times higher than the flux through the CoA-dependent, beta-oxidative pathway. Modeling of (2)H(5)-Phe labeling data predicted that in addition to benzaldehyde, benzylbenzoate is an intermediate between l-Phe and benzoic acid. Benzylbenzoate is the result of benzoylation of benzyl alcohol, for which activity was detected in petunia petals. A cDNA encoding a benzoyl-CoA:benzyl alcohol/phenylethanol benzoyltransferase was isolated from petunia cv Mitchell using a functional genomic approach. Biochemical characterization of a purified recombinant benzoyl-CoA:benzyl alcohol/phenylethanol benzoyltransferase protein showed that it can produce benzylbenzoate and phenylethyl benzoate, both present in petunia corollas, with similar catalytic efficiencies.     

(1,3)-β-D-葡聚糖检测和半乳甘露聚糖抗原检测在侵袭性真菌病诊断中的价值探讨

目的 探讨(1,3)-β-D-葡聚糖检测和半乳甘露聚糖抗原检测在侵袭性真菌病诊断中的价值.方法 回顾性研究北京大学第一医院2008年1月～2010年7月临床疑诊侵袭性真菌病的住院患者.根据诊断标准确定是否诊断侵袭性真菌病.分析非培养诊断方法血清半乳甘露聚糖(GM试验)和血浆(1,3)-β-D-葡聚糖(G试验)的敏感度和特异度,以及二者联合应用后诊断的敏感度和特异度.结果 GM试验灵敏度为70％,特异度为84％;G试验灵敏度为50％,特异度为92％.GM试验和G试验二者联合试验时,其灵敏度和特异度分别为93％和78％.结论 GM试验和G试验均对侵袭性真菌病具有诊断价值,二者联合应用使其应用价值进一步提高.     

Growth arrest-specific gene 1 is downregulated and inhibits tumor growth in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of malignancy-related mortality in the world, and malignant growth is a crucial characteristic in gastric cancer. In our previous study, we found that growth arrest-specific gene?1 (GAS1) suppression was involved in making gastric cancer cells multidrug-resistant by protecting them from drug-induced apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of GAS1 in the growth and proliferation of gastric cancer. We demonstrated that GAS1 expression was decreased in gastric cancer, and patients without GAS1 expression showed shorter survival times than those with GAS1 expression. Both gain-of-function (by overexpression of GAS1) and loss-of-function (by GAS1-specific small interfering RNA knockdown) studies showed that increased GAS1 expression significantly reduced the colony-forming ability of gastric cancer cells in?vitro and reduced cell growth in?vivo, whereas decreased GAS1 expression had the opposite effects. Moreover, upregulation of GAS1 induced cell apoptosis, and downregulation of GAS1 inhibited apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that GAS1 could induce gastric cancer cell apoptosis, at least in part through modulating the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and the activity of caspase-3. Taken together, our results strongly indicate that GAS1 expression was decreased in gastric cancer and was predictive of a poor prognosis. Restoration of GAS1 expression inhibited cell growth and promoted apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, at least in part through modulating the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and activating caspase-3, suggesting that GAS1 might be used as a novel therapeutic candidate for gastric cancer.