In situ proteolysis for protein crystallization and structure determination

We tested the general applicability of in situ proteolysis to form protein crystals suitable for structure determination by adding a protease (chymotrypsin or trypsin) digestion step to crystallization trials of 55 bacterial and 14 human proteins that had proven recalcitrant to our best efforts at crystallization or structure determination. This is a work in progress; so far we determined structures of 9 bacterial proteins and the human aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (AIRS) domain.     

Improved production of biosurfactant with newly isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa S2

An indigenous strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa S2 (P. aeruginosa S2), isolated from diesel-contaminated soil, produced extracellular surface-active material identified as rhamnolipid. Due to its excellent surface activity, rhamnolipid is known to be well-suited for stimulating the bioremediation efficiency of oil contaminated sites. To improve production yield of rhamnolipid with P. aeruginosa S2, various carbon and nitrogen sources were screened to select favorable ones leading to better biosurfactant production yield. It was found that using 4% glucose could attain better rhamnolipid yield, while 50 mM NH4NO3 appeared to be the most preferable nitrogen source. Meanwhile, the effect of carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) on rhamnolipid yield was also investigated, and the optimal C/N ratio was identified as approximately 11.4. Moreover, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the trace element concentration for rhamnolipid production. Results from two-level design indicate that concentrations of MgSO4 and FeSO4 were the most significant factors affecting rhamnolipid production. Using steepest ascent method and RSM analysis, an optimal medium composition was determined, giving a rhamnolipid production yield of 2.37 g/L in 100 h at 37 degrees C and 200 rpm agitation. Scale-up production of rhamnolipid in a well-controlled 5 L jar fermentor using the optimal medium and operating condition (at 37 degrees C and pH 6.8) further elevated the biosurfactant production yield to 5.31 g/L (in 97 h), which is over 2-fold higher than the best results obtained from shake-flask tests.     

Selective extraction of free astaxanthin from Haematococcus culture using a tandem organic solvent system

A novel tandem solvent process of dodecane and methanol was developed for the selective extraction of free astaxanthin from red encysted Haematococcus culture. The process consists of dodecane extraction for astaxanthin mixture from the culture (stage 1) and methanol extraction for free astaxanthin from the dodecane extract (stage 2). In the first stage, astaxanthin mixture was directly extracted to dodecane from the culture broth without cell harvest process, followed by a rapid separation of the dodecane extract and the culture medium containing cell debris by simple settling. In the second stage, free astaxanthin was selectively collected to methanol from the dodecane extract, accompanied with saponification of astaxanthin-esters by the addition of NaOH to methanol. During saponification, use of the optimum NaOH concentration (0.02 M) and low temperature (4 degrees C) reaction minimized the degradation of free astaxanthin, resulting in a total recovery yield of free astaxanthin of over 85%. The free-astaxanthin-containing methanol extract was also simply separated from dodecane by gravity settling, after which the astaxanthin-free dodecane was effectively recycled to the first stage, yielding a stable extractability of astaxanthin mixture during repeated extraction. Our results indicate the potential of the proposed tandem solvent process as an alternative extraction technology for the high-value antioxidant Haematococcus astaxanthin.     

Association of DNA methylation and transcriptome reveals epigenetic etiology of heart failure

Functional & Integrative Genomics - Epigenetic modifications viz. DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-based alterations play a crucial role in the development of cardiovascular...     

Mechanical and hydrodynamic effects of stent expansion in tapered coronary vessels

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has become the primary treatment for patients with coronary heart disease because of its minimally invasive nature and high efficiency. Anatomical studies have shown that most coronary vessels gradually shrink, and the vessels gradually become thinner from the proximal to the distal end. In this paper, the effects of different stent expansion methods on the mechanical and hemodynamic behaviors of coronary vessels and stents were studied. To perform a structural-mechanical analysis of stent implantation, the coronary vessels with branching vessels and the coronary vessels with large bending curvature are selected. The two characteristic structures are implanted in equal diameter expansion mode and conical expansion mode, and the stress and mechanical behaviors of the coronary vessels and stents are analyzed. The results of the structural-mechanical analysis showed that the mechanical behaviors and fatigue performance of the cobalt-chromium alloy stent were good, and the different expansion modes of the stent had little effect on the fatigue performance of the stent. However, the equal diameter expansion mode increased distal coronary artery stress and the risk of vascular injury. The computational fluid dynamics analysis results showed that different stent expansion methods had varied effects on coronary vessel hemodynamics and that the wall shear stress distribution of conical stent expansion is more uniform compared with equal diameter expansion. Additionally, the vortex phenomenon is not apparent, the blood flow velocity is slightly increased, the hydrodynamic environment is more reasonable, and the risk of coronary artery injury is reduced.

     

完全弗氏佐剂诱导大鼠慢性骨盆疼痛综合征炎性痛模型的制备*

目的: 建立大鼠慢性骨盆疼痛综合征(CPPS)炎性痛模型并进行评价,为CPPS炎症引起的慢性骨盆疼痛的外周及中枢机制研究提供可靠的动物模型。方法: 将60只SD雄性大鼠随机分成空白组,假手术组和模型组,每组20只。采用向大鼠前列腺腹侧叶注射完全弗氏佐剂(CFA)的方法制备CPPS炎性痛模型。术后观察大鼠一般情况变化;分别于造模后7 d,14 d,21 d,28 d,35 d测定大鼠足底和阴囊热刺激疼痛阈值;取材后前列腺组织称重计算前列腺指数;显微镜下观察大鼠前列腺组织病理变化并用半定量法评价前列腺组织损伤程度,以评价模型是否成功。结果: 模型成功17只,成模率为85%。与空白组和假手术组比较,造模后大鼠的活动度、毛发光泽度降低,排尿量增加。足底和阴囊热刺激疼痛阈值显著降低并可稳定维持1个月以上(P＜0.01)。前列腺湿重和前列腺指数均显著性提高(P＜0.01)。前列腺组织肉眼可见明显水肿,与周围组织粘连严重;镜下可见腺腔萎缩,间质内大量炎性细胞浸润。结论: 利用向大鼠前列腺腹侧叶注射CFA的方法,可成功复制CPPS炎性痛模型,这将为后续CPPS发病机制的研究,特别是疼痛行为与潜在炎症和神经损伤之间的机制联系提供有价值的工具。