The Association of Receptor of Activated Protein Kinase C 1(RACK1) with Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Viral Protein VP5 and Voltage-dependent Anion Channel 2 (VDAC2) Inhibits Apoptosis and Enhances Viral Replication

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute, highly contagious, and immunosuppressive avian disease caused by IBD virus (IBDV). Our previous report indicates that IBDV VP5 induces apoptosis via interaction with voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2). However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. We report here that receptor of activated protein kinase C 1 (RACK1) interacts with both VDAC2 and VP5 and that they could form a complex. We found that overexpression of RACK1 inhibited IBDV-induced apoptosis in DF-1 cells and that knockdown of RACK1 by small interfering RNA induced apoptosis associated with activation of caspases 9 and 3 and suppressed IBDV growth. These results indicate that RACK1 plays an antiapoptotic role during IBDV infection via interaction with VDAC2 and VP5, suggesting that VP5 sequesters RACK1 and VDAC2 in the apoptosis-inducing process.     

WD Repeat-containing Protein 5 (WDR5) Localizes to the Midbody and Regulates Abscission

Cytokinesis partitions the cytoplasm of a parent cell into two daughter cells and is essential for the completion of cell division. The final step of cytokinesis in animal cells is abscission, which is a process leading to the physical separation of two daughter cells. Abscission requires membrane traffic and microtubule disassembly at a specific midbody region called the secondary ingression. Here, we report that WD repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5), a core subunit of COMPASS/MLL family histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferase (H3K4MT) complexes, resides at the midbody and associates with a subset of midbody regulatory proteins, including PRC1 and CYK4/MKLP1. Knockdown of WDR5 impairs abscission and increases the incidence of multinucleated cells. Further investigation revealed that the abscission delay is primarily due to slower formation of secondary ingressions in WDR5 knockdown cells. Consistent with these defects, midbody microtubules in WDR5 knockdown cells also display enhanced resistance to depolymerization by nocodazole. Recruitment of WDR5 to the midbody dark zone appears to require integrity of the WDR5 central arginine-binding cavity, as mutations that disrupt histone H3 and MLL1 binding to this pocket also abolish the midbody localization of WDR5. Taken together, these data suggest that WDR5 is specifically targeted to the midbody in the absence of chromatin and that it promotes abscission, perhaps by facilitating midbody microtubule disassembly.     

Molecular docking analysis of known flavonoids as duel COX-2 inhibitors in the context of cancer

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) catalyzed synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and it associates with tumor growth, infiltration, and metastasis in preclinical experiments. Known inhibitors against COX-2 exhibit toxicity. Therefore, it is of interest to screen natural compounds like flavanoids against COX-2. Molecular docking using 12 known flavanoids against COX-2 by FlexX and of ArgusLab were performed. All compounds showed a favourable binding energy of >-10 KJ/mol in FlexX and > -8 kcal/mol in ArgusLab. However, this data requires in vitro and in vivo verification for further consideration.     

甲硫氨酸诱导高Hcy血症的抗氧化作用研究

为探讨甲硫氨酸在诱导高Hcy血症过程中的抗氧化作用,将Wistar大鼠随机分为正常组和1%甲硫氨酸组,喂养6周后,采用高效液相色谱法测定血清中同型半胱氨酸(Hcy)和谷胱甘肽含量(GSH),全自动氨基酸分析仪测定蛋氨酸和牛磺酸含量,转氨酶活性采用试剂盒测定。肝组织丙二醛(MDA)含量采用硫代巴比妥酸法,黄嘌呤氧化酶法和比色法测定肝组织超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、总抗氧化能力(FRAP值)和还原性谷胱甘肽含量。结果表明,1%甲硫氨酸组血清Hcy和牛磺酸含量分别为3.56±0.68μmol·L-1和568.68±57.02μmol·L-1,较正常组显著升高(p<0.05)。1%甲硫氨酸组肝组织GSH含量和SOD活性分别为132.19±25.49mg·g-1和6.86±1.46U·mg-1,较正常组103.97±16.30mg·g-1和5.01±1.24U·mg-1显著升高(p<0.05)。1%甲硫氨酸组较正常组肝组织FRAP值亦升高而MDA含量降低。结果表明,甲硫氨酸在诱导高Hcy血症过程中同时具有抗氧化作用。