Who Is the King? The α‐Hydroxy‐β‐oxo‐α,β‐enone Moiety or the Catechol B Ring: Relationship between the Structure of Quercetin Derivatives and Their Pro‐Oxidative Abilities

Quercetin and other flavonoids have been reported to exhibit both antioxidant and pro‐oxidant properties. Most studies about the pro‐oxidative ability were conducted in the presence of metal ions, and the essential functional moiety of quercetin responsible for the pro‐oxidative effect is still unclear. In this study, we evaluated the pro‐oxidative abilities in the absence of metal ions of two quercetin derivatives, i.e., quercetin‐3′‐O‐β‐D ‐glucoside ( 1 ) and quercetin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐glucoside ( 2 ), by assessing DNA cleavage and HO^.‐radical production. The binding mode between these compounds and DNA was studied by fluorescence and viscometric titrations. The results showed that 1 can efficiently induce oxidative damage to plasmid DNA, while 2 shows poor activity. Both 1 and 2 bind to DNA via groove‐binding. These results proved that the α‐hydroxy‐β‐oxo‐α,β‐enone moiety contributes to the pro‐oxidative activity of quercetin.     

Selenium-containing 15-mer peptides with high glutathione peroxidase-like activity

Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) is one of the most crucial antioxidant enzymes in a variety of organisms. Here we described a new strategy for generating a novel GPX mimic by combination of a phage-displayed random 15-mer peptide library followed by computer-aided rational design and chemical mutation. The novel GPX mimic is a homodimer consisting of a 15-mer selenopeptide with an appropriate catalytic center, a specific binding site for substrates, and high catalytic efficiency. Its steady state kinetics was also studied, and the values of k(cat)/K(m)(GSH) and k(cat)/ K(mH(2)O(2)) were found to be similar to that of native GPX and the highest among the existing GPX mimics. Moreover, the novel GPX mimic was confirmed to have a strong antioxidant ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation by measuring the content of malondialdehyde, cell viability, and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Importantly, the novel GPX mimic can penetrate into the cell membrane because of its small molecular size. These characteristics endue the novel mimic with potential perspective for pharmaceutical applications.     

Quantitative analysis of cytoplasmic actin gene promoter and nuclear polyhedrosis virus immediate-early promoter activities in various tissues of silkworm Bombyx mori using recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus as vector

Cassettes harboring luciferase reporter driven by Bombyx mori cytoplasmic actin gene promoter (A3) (671 bp) and B. mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus immediate-early promoter (IE-1) (580 bp) were transferred to the bacmid AcΔEGT to generate the recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis viruses, AcNPVA3Luc and AcNPVIELuc, respectively. Recombinant baculoviruses were injected into the hemocoele of newly ecdysed 5th instar larvae. The activities of the A3 and IE-1 promoters in various tissues were measured by luciferase activity assay and normalized by the copy number of recombinant virus. Results showed that the activity of the A3 promoter was approximately 10-fold higher than the IE-1 promoter. The promoter activities of A3 and IE-1 were highest in the silk gland, followed by fat body, middle gut, Malpighian tubule, and hemocyte. In silk gland, activity of the two promoters was highest in posterior silk gland, followed by middle and anterior silk glands. The difference in promoter activities reflects the growth speed of tissue in silkworm larvae. The activity of the A3 promoter remained unchanged and was not inhibited significantly by viral factors at least 3–4 d post injection of rAcNPV.     

The laboratory evaluation of repellent effect of camouflage face paint mixed with DEET to Aedes albopictus

参照中华人民共和国国家标准GB/T 17322.10-1998和《军队特需药品研发勤务技术指导原则(试行)》规定的测试方法,测试了避蚊胺和水溶性二氧化钛处理迷彩油(CFP)对白纹伊蚊Aedes albopictus的驱避效果,为研发我军专用的防蚊虫迷彩油提供依据.结果表明:在3种颜色迷彩油中加入DEET后,不影响DEET的驱蚊效果;添加不同浓度DEET对蚊虫的驱避效果差异显著,20％dEET和25％dEET+迷彩油对白纹伊蚊的平均防护时间均达到或超过10h,达到《军队特需药品研发勤务技术指导原则(试行)》规定的标准,15％dEET+迷彩油平均防护时间不足10h,未达《军队特需药品研发勤务技术指导原则(试行)》规定的标准.研究表明:将适量DEET与迷彩油混合涂抹于皮肤可能作为演习或战时的伪装和防蚊的一种有效的综合保护措施.     

Peroxisome-targeted and tandem repeat multimer expressions of human antimicrobial peptide LL37 in Pichia pastoris

Although the human antimicrobial peptide LL37 has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, it easily damages host cells following heterologous expressions. This study attempted two strategies to alleviate its damage to host cells when expressed in Pichia pastoris using the AOX1 promoter. Tandem repeat multimers of LL37 were first designed, and secretion expression strains GS115-9K-(DPLL37DP)_n (n?=?2, 4, 6 and 8) containing different copies of the LL37 gene were constructed. However, LL37 tandems still killed the cells after 96?hr of induction. Subsequently, peroxisome-targeted expression was performed by adding a peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (SKL) at the C-terminus of LL37. The LL37 expression strain GS115-3.5K-LL37-SKL showed no significant inhibition in the cells after induction. Antibacterial activity assays showed that the recombinant LL37 expressed in peroxisomes had good antimicrobial activities. Then, a strain GS115-3.5K-LL37-GFP-SKL producing LL37, green fluorescent protein, and SKL fusion proteins was constructed, and the fusion protein was confirmed to be targeting the peroxisomes. However, protein extraction analysis indicated that most of the fusion proteins were still located in the cell debris after cell disruption, and further studies are required to extract more proteins from the peroxisome membrane.     

思茅松HDR基因全长cDNA克隆与序列分析

1-羟基-2-甲基-2-E-丁烯基-4-焦磷酸还原酶(HDR)是甲基-D-赤藓醇-4-磷酸(MEP)途径中的最后一个酶,在植物萜类生物合成中起主控作用。该研究根据思茅松(Pinus kesiya var.langbianensis)树皮转录组数据分析结果,首先获得了思茅松HDR基因片段,然后根据所获得的基因片段设计特异引物,提取受伤后的思茅松树皮的RNA,并运用RT-PCR和RACE技术从思茅松树皮中克隆得到完整的HDR基因(Pk HDR)。生物信息学分析表明:克隆获得的Pk HDR1基因c DNA全长序列为1 876 bp,含有1个1 464 bp的开放阅读框(ORF),编码487个氨基酸。同源性分析结果表明:思茅松HDR蛋白与赤松(Pinus densiflora)HDR蛋白的相似性高达99%。亚细胞定位及结构域分析结果表明:思茅松Pk HDR氨基酸序列中包含转运肽序列(A1-A61)及植物HDR蛋白多个保守的功能位点(A143,A234,A288,A371)。系统进化分析结果表明:Pk HDR蛋白与赤松HDR蛋白的亲缘关系最为接近。半定量PCR检测结果表明:树皮的创伤促进思茅松HDR基因的表达。该研究成功克隆获得HDR基因,并确定其与松脂代谢密切相关,为阐明思茅松松脂生物合成机制和分子育种提供了参考。     

Chimeric contribution of human extended pluripotent stem cells to monkey embryos ex vivo

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nisZ启动子结构与功能的研究

应用βGlucuronidase基因(gusA)作为报告基因,通过定点突变方法分别缺失nisZ编码区上游两个启动子结构(promoter1和promoter2)中的一个,发现只有靠近编码区的promoter2是nisZ启动子诱导表达所必需。将promoter2中10区及其上游的一个碱基突变为乳酸菌中典型的组成型启动子的10区结构,该改变使nisZ启动子诱导功能下降;将promoter2的10区和35区的间隔区由20个碱基缺失突变为17个碱基,则nisZ启动子失去诱导功能。据此认为该间隔区的结构与nisZ启动子的诱导表达密切相关。