Novel potassium N-[(2S,3R,4R,5R)-2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxylhex-1-yl]-L-amino acid dichloroplatinates(II) with high anti-tumor activity and low side reaction

To discover whether novel anti-tumor platinum agents are capable of selectively accumulating in tumor tissue, three novel potassium N-[(2S,3R,4R,5R)-2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxylhex-1-yl]-L-amino acid dichloroplatinates(II) were prepared. At a dose of 1.67 μmol kg(-1) the in vivo anti-tumor potencies of two of the compounds were higher than that of oxaliplatin. The mortality analysis indicated that these compounds resulted in a 100% survival rate, whereas oxaliplatin lead to an 80% survival rate. The organ damage examination indicated that these compounds induced less damage than oxaliplatin. The platinum accumulation in the organs, blood and bone was significantly lower than that of oxaliplatin treated mice, while the platinum accumulation in the tumor tissue was significantly higher than that of the oxaliplatin treated mice.     

Inhibition of CLIC4 enhances autophagy and triggers mitochondrial and ER stress-induced apoptosis in human glioma U251 cells under starvation

CLIC4/mtCLIC, a chloride intracellular channel protein, localizes to mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), nucleus and cytoplasm, and participates in the apoptotic response to stress. Apoptosis and autophagy, the main types of the programmed cell death, seem interconnected under certain stress conditions. However, the role of CLIC4 in autophagy regulation has yet to be determined. In this study, we demonstrate upregulation and nuclear translocation of the CLIC4 protein following starvation in U251 cells. CLIC4 siRNA transfection enhanced autophagy with increased LC3-II protein and puncta accumulation in U251 cells under starvation conditions. In that condition, the interaction of the 14-3-3 epsilon isoform with CLIC4 was abolished and resulted in Beclin 1 overactivation, which further activated autophagy. Moreover, inhibiting the expression of CLIC4 triggered both mitochondrial apoptosis involved in Bax/Bcl-2 and cytochrome c release under starvation and endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis with CHOP and caspase-4 upregulation. These results demonstrate that CLIC4 nuclear translocation is an integral part of the cellular response to starvation. Inhibiting the expression of CLIC4 enhances autophagy and contributes to mitochondrial and ER stress-induced apoptosis under starvation.     

Study of the factors affecting the extraction of soybean protein by reverse micelles

In this work, the forward and back extraction of soybean protein by reverse micelles was studied. The reverse micellar systems were formed by anionic surfactant sodium bis(2-ethyl hexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT), isooctane and KCl solution. The effects of AOT concentration, aqueous pH, KCl concentration and phase volume ratio on the extraction efficiency of soybean protein were tested. Suitability of reverse micelles of AOT and Triton-X-100/AOT mixture in organic solvent toluene for soybean protein extraction was also investigated. The experimental results lead to complete forward extraction at the AOT concentration 120 mmol l⁻¹, aqueous pH 5.5 and KCl concentration 0.8 mol l⁻¹. The backward extraction with aqueous phase (pH 5.5) resulted in 100% extraction of soybean protein from the organic phase.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel Ganoderma lucidum gene that differentially expressed between shaking culture and liquid static culture

Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was preformed to investigate the differences of gene expression between the shaking culture mode and the liquid static culture mode which favors ganoderic acids production in Ganoderma lucidum. One novel gene preferentially expressed in liquid static culture was identified and analyzed. Its full length cDNA sequence and the 5′-flanking region were then obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and self-formed adaptor PCR (SEFA-PCR), respectively. Nucleotide sequence of the gene is not homologous to any of the known Ganoderma genes. The sequence analysis revealed that the open reading frame of this gene encodes a protein of 371 amino acids that has high homology with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of other five species-Postia (97%), Coprinopsis (91%), Neurospora (86%), Aspergillus (83%), and Saccharomyces (80%)-so that it can be defined as a G. lucidum MAPK gene (GenBank accession number: JF781125). Computer assisted analysis revealed that this new G. lucidum MAPK gene contains thirteen exons and twelve introns. The quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that this new gene had a much higher expression level in liquid static culture than in traditional shaking culture. Results of this research established a good foundation for further study on the functions of the G. lucidum MAPK at the molecular level.     

酿酒酵母菌核糖体RNA沉降系数的初步研究

为研究酿酒酵母菌核糖体RNA(rRNA)的沉降系数,用酶解法和液氮研磨法裂解酿酒酵母菌的细胞壁,Trizol Reagent提取其总RNA,同时提取小白鼠和斑马鱼的总RNA进行比较.经紫外分光光度计检测和甲醛琼脂糖变性胶电泳后,RNA纯度好,条带清晰,无弥散或降解现象.试验发现,与酶解法相比,用液氮研磨法破碎酿酒酵母菌细胞壁提取总RNA所用的成本低,时间少,产率和纯度高,适用于少量样品RNA的提取.同时,酿酒酵母菌与斑马鱼和小白鼠总RNA电泳图谱表明,三者的"18S rRNA"在条带大小方面差异较小,而"28S rRNA"差异较大.利用分析型离心机测得的酿酒酵母菌两个较大rRNA的沉降系数分别为24.7S和18.1S.研究结果表明了真核生物rRNA种类的多样性.     

黄萎病菌胁迫下野生茄子托鲁巴姆防卫反应的生理生化分析

以野生茄子托鲁巴姆(Solanum torvum Swartz)和苏崎茄(Solanum melongena L.)为主要材料,通过比较两种茄子在大丽轮枝菌(Verticillium dahliae Kleb)侵染过程中体内的生理生化指标变化,分析托鲁巴姆对黄萎病的抗性响应机制。结果表明:(1)与苏崎茄植株相比,托鲁巴姆植株表现出很强的自我防御和自我修复能力。(2)托鲁巴姆体内存在的活性氧清除系统(如SOD、POD、CAT等酶的活性)高于苏崎茄;在侵染后,托鲁巴姆体内各种酶的活性快速增加,其幅度高于苏崎茄;MDA的变化则恰恰相反。这个结果提示,黄萎病菌胁迫可能激活了托鲁巴姆体内活性氧清除系统,从而加快了某些防御物质(如木质素和抗菌物质绿原酸等)的形成,同时减缓或降低MDA等有害物质在植株体内的积累。(3)黄萎病菌侵染后各生理指标的响应时间表现出差异。托鲁巴姆中POD、PAL的活性和可溶性蛋白含量在侵染后的12h内就迅速作出响应(POD增加、PAL和可溶性蛋白减少);而SOD、PPO、CAT的活性和MDA的含量则在处理后初始阶段(至少12h)进行了一些调整,随后才进入持续性的增加或减少阶段。由此可见,托鲁巴姆对黄萎病病菌侵染的响应具有时序性,其体内POD酶、PAL酶和可溶性蛋白首先参与植物的防卫反应以应对黄萎病的胁迫,其它酶随后参与响应,它们的共同作用形成对黄萎病菌的有效防卫。     

Genetics of subpeptin JM4-A and subpeptin JM4-B production by Bacillus subtilis JM4

Subpeptin JM4-A and subpeptin JM4-B are two novel antimicrobial peptides produced by Bacillus subtilis JM4. To identify putative genes involved in their production, degenerate PCR primers targeted to conserved motifs of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) were used. A resulting 1.2 kb PCR product had high sequence similarity to genes of NRPSs, and then a 2.8 kb DNA fragment flanking it was cloned subsequently. Gene disruption of the resulting 4 kb DNA fragment produced subpeptin-deficient mutant, suggesting that subpeptin JM4-A and subpeptin JM4-B were biosynthesized by NRPSs. Based on this result, a 48 kb gene cluster was cloned, which consisted of nine coding sequences (CDSs) involved in antimicrobial peptide biosynthesis, regulation, and resistance. Disruption of two relatively large CDSs subA and subC led to subpeptin-deficient mutants, which supported the involvement of the cloned gene cluster in subpeptin biosynthesis.     

假单胞菌L-半胱氨酸合成酶的纯化和性质研究

假单胞菌TS-1138的细胞浆液通过硫铵沉淀、SephadexG-75凝胶过滤、DEAE-Cellulose52离子交换、SephadexG 100凝胶过滤等分离纯化手段分别将从L-ATC合成L 半胱氨酸的两个酶——L-ATC水解酶和L-SCC水解酶纯化了 83.9和 90.3倍。SDS-PAGE鉴定均为单一条带 ,两种酶的相对分子质量分别为 37.5和 42.8kD ;酶反应的最适温度均为 35℃ ,最适pH分别为 7.0和 8.0 ;酶的米氏常数分别为 0.67mmol L和 0.15mmol L ,     

棉株上烟粉虱若虫种群的垂直分布与统计方法研究

对烟粉虱Bemisiatabaci在棉花植株上的垂直分布调查发现 ,烟粉虱在棉株各部位均有分布 ,且分布极不均匀 ,统计分析表明棉株各部位间烟粉虱的种群数量存在显著的差异。棉花顶部烟粉虱的若虫数量约占全棉株若虫总量的 1 6%,通过对棉株各部位烟粉虱的若虫数量与整株若虫总量的回归分析 ,建立了相应的回归方程式