Cell proliferation is promoted by compressive stress during early stage of chondrogenic differentiation of rat BMSCs

The presence of an appropriate number of viable cells is prerequisite for successive differentiation during chondrogenesis. Chondrogenic differentiation has been reported to be influenced by mechanical stimuli. This research aimed to study the effects of cyclic compressive stress on cell viability of rat bone marrow‐derived MSCs (BMSCs) during chondrogenesis as well as its underlying mechanisms. The results showed that dynamic compression increased cell quantity and viability remarkably in the early stage of chondrogenesis, during which the expression of Ihh, Cyclin D1, CDK4, and Col2α1 were enhanced significantly. Possible signal pathways implicated in the process were explored in our study. MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK were not found to function in this process while BMP signaling seemed to play an important role in the mechanotransduction during chondrogenic proliferation. In conclusion, dynamic compressive stress could enhance cell viability during chondrogenesis, which might be achieved by activating BMP signaling. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 1935–1942, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

蚯蚓体内一种纤溶酶原激活剂(e-PA)的部分性质研究

从赤子爱胜蚓（Ｅｉｓｅｎｉａｆａｅｔｉｄａ）中纯化出的一种纤溶酶原激活剂（ｅ－ＰＡ）在纤维蛋白平板上可表现出三种活性,分别记为：ＣＦＰｇ,ｕＣＦＰｇ和ｕＣＦ．为更好了解各种活性与ｅ－ＰＡ的纤溶能力的关系,考察了在ＳＤＳ和不同抑制剂存在下各种活性的变化．结果表明,ＳＤＳ可以增强ＣＦＰｇ活性且使得ｅ－ＰＡ变得对一些抑制剂更敏感;ｌｅｕｐｅｐｔｉｎ,ｃｈｙｍｏｓｔａｔｉｎ,ｐｅｐｓｔａｔｉｎ,ａｐｒｏ－ｔｉｎｉｎ,ｐｈｅｎｙｌｍｅｔｈｙｌｓｕｌｆｏｎｙｌｆｌｕｏｒｉｄｅ（ＰＭＳＦ）和ｄｉｔｈｉｏｔｈｒｅｉｔｏｌ（ＤＴＴ）对ｕＣＦ没有影响;ｐｅｐ－ｓｔａｔｉｎ能增强ＣＦＰｇ和ｕＣＦＰｇ活性,Ｅ－６４（一种巯基抑制剂）能增强ｕＣＦＰｇ和ｕＣＦ活性．这些现象说明不能简单将ｅ－ＰＡ归结为丝氨酸蛋白酶或巯基蛋白酶．此外又以纤溶酶原为底物,分析了ｅ－ＰＡ在体外降解天然蛋白质的肽键特异性,结果表明：ｅ－ＰＡ可以切割碱性氨基酸,小的中性氨基酸及Ｍｅｔ的羧基端,同时ｅ－ＰＡ确能将纤溶酶原切割为纤溶酶;这一结论为ｅ－ＰＡ有可能成为新型溶栓药物提供了生化基础．     

A Study on the Anticarcinogenic Effects of Calcium Fructoborate

Evidences about the preventive and therapeutic effects of boron compounds on cancer have been increasing in the last years. Although calcium fructoborate (CaFB) is used as a nutritional supplement, data about its preventive and therapeutic effects on neoplastic transformations are limited. In the present study, the various concentrations of CaFB were applied to the MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast cancer cell line. First, we examined the cytotoxic effect and IC₅₀ value of CaFB by MTT assay. For the evaluation of the DNA damage, apoptosis and metastatic potential, expression levels of ATM, pATM, PARP, p53, p-p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and VEGF were investigated by using immunoblotting and immunohistochemical methods. Cell viability was significantly reduced at 50 μM CaFB treatment. pATM, p-p53, and caspase-9 levels increased significantly in all groups; furthermore, there was approximately 12.5-, 2.4-, and 10.7-fold increase, respectively, for 100 μM CaFB treatment. ATM and p53 levels did not change with CaFB treatment, but PARP levels significantly 2.5-fold decreased. While VEGF immunoreactivity decreased in all groups, significant increase in caspase-3 immunoreactivity was observed only in the group treated with 50 μM CaFB (p < 0,001). Our results imply that CaFB may have therapeutic potential as well as preventive benefits in cancer.     

Four New C19-Diterpenoid Alkaloids from Aconitum nagarum Stapf

Four new aconitine-type C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids, were isolated from the roots of Aconitum nagarum Stapf which were named as nagarutines A–D ( 1–4 ), together with eleven known compounds ( 5–15 ). The structures of the compounds were identified by IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra. All compounds were tested for the inhibitory effect on LPS induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, compound 7 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity effect and Inhibition rate is about 44.50%.     

理性设计盐桥构建伯克霍尔德菌脂肪酶热稳定突变体

【目的】借助蛋白质工程技术提高伯克霍尔德菌ZYB002脂肪酶LipA的热稳定性,以期更好地将其应用于工业生产中。【方法】利用YASARA、Fold X、Rosetta、Gromacs等生物信息学软件,构建1个脂肪酶Lip A的热稳定性提高的微型突变体电子文库;通过对突变体的结构信息和自由能变化进行评估,筛选出潜在的有价值的突变体。继而利用基因定点突变技术,构建上述候选突变体的突变基因文库,通过实验筛选出热稳定性提高的脂肪酶LipA突变体。【结果】利用上述方法,从构建的20个脂肪酶LipA突变体中,筛选到热稳定性有显著提高的3个突变体LipA-Asn~(125)Asp、LipA-Asn~(125)Glu和LipA-Gln~(262)Glu。经55°C处理12 min后,上述3个突变体的T1250值较野生型分别提高4.0°C、5.5°C和4.4°C;在55°C下的半衰期较野生型分别提高了2.2倍、3.8倍和2.6倍。【结论】利用生物信息学软件,构建脂肪酶LipA突变体电子文库,结合蛋白质的结构信息,可以快速筛选到热稳定性提高的脂肪酶LipA突变体。     

对Bt蛋白敏感敏感和敏感的棉铃虫中肠细菌群落的比较

摘要：【目的】通过比较Cry1Ac蛋白抗性及敏感棉铃虫中肠细菌群落的结构组成,研究中肠微生物是否与棉铃虫Bt抗性产生有关。【方法】首先提取了棉铃虫中肠微生物基因组DNA,通过PCR扩增获得了16S rDNA全长片段及V3区。采用基于16S rDNA 的免培养技术—16S rDNA文库建立和变性梯度凝胶电泳（DGGE）研究了国内特有的Bt抗性和敏感品系棉铃虫中肠细菌群落组成,并对其进行分析和比较。【结果】16S rDNA文库测序结果表明,抗性品系与敏感品系棉铃虫中肠细菌群落特别是优势菌群非常相似,但在部分劣势菌群上存在差异。抗性品系中主要优势菌有：不可培养微生物（Uncultured bacterium）占56.4%,鹑鸡肠球菌（Enterococcus gallinarum）占17.0%,铅黄肠球菌（Enterococcus casseliflavus）占17.0%;敏感品系中主要优势菌为不可培养微生物（Uncultured bacterium）60.2%,鹑鸡肠球菌（Enterococcus gallinarum）占19.3%,铅黄肠球菌（Enterococcus casseliflavus）占14.7%。随后进行的PCR验证表明,部分有差异的劣势菌在两种品系虫体都存在。DGGE图谱分析表明,这两个品系棉铃虫中肠菌群相似性达到92.3%。【结论】敏感品系与抗性品系棉铃虫肠道菌群组成极其相似,推测抗性的产生与肠道微生物无直接关系。     

Dissecting the activating mutations in v-erbB of avian erythroblastosis virus strain R.

The v-erbB oncogene isolated from the R (or ES4) strain of avian erythroblastosis virus is capable of inducing erythroleukemia and fibrosarcomas. This oncogene differs from the proto-oncogene c-erbB, the avian homolog of the epidermal growth factor receptor, by its lack of an intact ligand-binding domain as well as additional alterations in its cytoplasmic coding sequences. By contrast, the insertionally activated c-erbB, a variant oncogene, which encodes a product that also lacks the ligand-binding domain but is otherwise unaltered in its cytoplasmic coding sequences, is capable of inducing leukemia but cannot induce sarcomas. In this report, we show that the critical changes for activating the sarcomagenic potential displayed by v-erbB R are two point mutations within the tyrosine kinase domain and an internal deletion of 21 amino acids in the carboxyl-terminal regulatory domain. The removal of the carboxyl-terminal autophosphorylation sites is not obligatory. These activating mutations (Arg-263 to His, Ile-384 to Ser, and the deletion of residues 494 to 514), when introduced singly into the insertionally activated c-erbB, all dramatically increase fibroblast-transforming potential. Arg-263 resides near the highly conserved HRD motif of the kinase domain, and its mutation to His increases the autophosphorylation activity. The other two mutations do not alter the intrinsic kinase activity and presumably affect other aspects of the receptor involved in growth signaling. Therefore, the high transforming potential of v-erbB R is a consequence of synergism among multiple activating mutations.     

Molecular systematics of four endemic Batrachospermaceae (Rhodophyta) species in China with multilocus data

Four endemic Batrachospermaceae species in China, Batrachospermum hongdongense Xie & Feng, Batrachospermum longipedicellatum Hua & Shi, Kumanoa curvata (Shi) Vis et al., and Kumanoa intorta (Jao) Entwisle et al., were analyzed with multilocus data in order to assess their phylogenetic placement. Multilocus molecular data from one nuclear gene (the ribosomal SSU), one chloroplast gene (rbcL), and two mitochondrial genes (COI and the cox2-3 spacer) as well as morphological studies were used to determine the phylogenetic relationships of these endemic species within the Batrachospermales. Batrachospermum hongdongense and B. longipedicellatum had previously been placed in Batrachospermum section Batrachospermum, but based on the data from this study they should be transferred into section Helminthoidea. Kumanoa curvata and K. intorta clearly belong to the newly established genus Kumanoa.     

Periplocymarin alleviates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is the most important risk factor for developing chronic heart failure. Therefore, the discovery of novel agents for treating pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains urgent. In the present study, we examined the therapeutic effect and mechanism of periplocymarin (PM)‐mediated protection against pathological cardiac hypertrophy using angiotensinII (AngII)‐stimulated cardiac hypertrophy in H9c2 cells and transverse aortic constriction (TAC)‐induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice. In vitro, PM treatment significantly reduced the surface area of H9c2 cells and expressions of hypertrophy‐related proteins. Meanwhile, PM markedly down‐regulated AngII‐induced translocation of p‐STAT3 into the nuclei and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3 proteins. The STAT3 specific inhibitor S3I‐201 or siRNA‐mediated depleted expression could alleviate AngII‐induced cardiac hypertrophy in H9c2 cells following PM treatment; however, PM failed to reduce the expressions of hypertrophy‐related proteins and phosphorylated STAT3 in STAT3‐overexpressing cells, indicating that PM protected against AngII‐induced cardiac hypertrophy by modulating STAT3 signalling. In vivo, PM reversed TAC‐induced cardiac hypertrophy, as determined by down‐regulating ratios of heart weight to body weight (HW/BW), heart weight to tibial length (HW/TL) and expressions of hypertrophy‐related proteins accompanied by the inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. These results revealed that PM could effectively protect the cardiac structure and function in experimental models of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway. PM is expected to be a potential lead compound of the novel agents for treating pathological cardiac hypertrophy.