植物肌醇半乳糖苷合酶的生理功能和调控机制

植物肌醇半乳糖苷合酶（galactinol synthase, GolS）是高等植物棉子糖类寡糖合成途径中的关键酶,为棉子糖系列寡糖提供活化的半乳糖基,调控植物体内棉子糖（raffinose, RFO）系列寡糖的生物合成与积累。编码该酶的基因属于糖基转移酶（glycosyltransferases, GTs）GT8基因家族的亚家族。GolS参与合成的最终产物棉子糖家族低聚糖（raffinose family oligosaccharides,RFOs）是植物中重要的碳水化合物存在形式,在细胞内可溶性强,可作为脱水保护剂;还能发挥稳定膜结构的作用。同时,GolS催化合成的直接产物肌醇半乳糖苷（galactinol）和RFOs都能作为羟基自由基捕获分子参与活性氧的清除。因此,GolS参与的代谢途径在植物碳同化物的贮存与运输、生物和非生物逆境响应、种子的脱水效应等生命过程中均发挥了重要作用。GolS基因结构差异与表达模式不同,导致不同GolS基因参与的生物学功能具有很大的差异。研究植物中不同GolS基因的结构特征,组织特异性表达特性及它们响应不同生长发育阶段、环境变化的表达特性,对了解GolS参与的生物学功能具有重要意义。同时,在分子生物学水平上,深入了解调控植物GolS基因的分子调控机制,为通过遗传工程或分子辅助育种等手段,利用GolS改良农林作物的经济性状提供理论支持。本文针对近年来植物中GolS基因的生理功能和调控机制的研究进行了综述。     

On preprocessing and antisymmetry in de novo peptide sequencing: improving efficiency and accuracy

Peptide sequencing plays a fundamental role in proteomics. Tandem mass spectrometry, being sensitive and efficient, is one of the most commonly used techniques in peptide sequencing. Many computational models and algorithms have been developed for peptide sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry. In this paper, we investigate general issues in de novo sequencing, and present results that can be used to improve current de novo sequencing algorithms. We propose a general preprocessing scheme that performs binning, pseudo-peak introduction, and noise removal, and present theoretical and experimental analyses on each of the components. Then, we study the antisymmetry problem and current assumptions related to it, and propose a more realistic way to handle the antisymmetry problem based on analysis of some datasets. We integrate our findings on preprocessing and the antisymmetry problem with some current models for peptide sequencing. Experimental results show that our findings help to improve accuracies for de novo sequencing.     

Sulfur‐Impregnated,Sandwich‐Type,Hybrid Carbon Nanosheets with Hierarchical Porous Structure for High‐Performance Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

Sandwich‐type hybrid carbon nanosheets (SCNMM) consisting of graphene and micro/mesoporous carbon layer are fabricated via a double template method using graphene oxide as the shape‐directing agent and SiO₂ nanoparticles as the mesoporous guide. The polypyrrole synthesized in situ on the graphene oxide sheets is used as a carbon precursor. The micro/mesoporous strcutures of the SCNMM are created by a carbonization process followed by HF solution etching and KOH treatment. Sulfur is impregnated into the hybrid carbon nanosheets to generate S@SCNMM composites for the cathode materials in Li‐S secondary batteries. The microstructures and electrochemical performance of the as‐prepared samples are investigated in detail. The hybrid carbon nanosheets, which have a thickness of about 10–25 nm, high surface area of 1588 m² g^?1, and broad pore size distribution of 0.8–6.0 nm, are highly interconnected to form a 3D hierarchical structure. The S@SCNMM sample with the sulfur content of 74 wt% exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, including large reversible capacity, good cycling stability and coulombic efficiency, and good rate capability, which is believed to be due to the structure of hybrid carbon materials with hierarchical porous structure, which have large specific surface area and pore volume.     

阿托伐他汀对高血压肾脏并发症炎性损伤的治疗作用(英文)

通过考察阿托伐他汀(atorvastatin, ATO) 对自发性高血压大鼠(spontaneously hypertensive rats, SHR) 肾脏炎性损害的影响, 探讨了 ATO 对高血压肾脏并发症的防治作用。将4周龄SHR分为高血压模型组和ATO治疗组(8mg/kg),以同周龄的Wistar-Kyoto大鼠为正常对照。灌胃给药8周后, 采用酶联免疫法(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)测定血浆和肾组织血管紧张素Ⅱ(angiotensin, AngⅡ)含量;测定诱导性一氧化氮合酶(inducible nitric oxide synthase, iNOS)及细胞间粘附分子-1(intercellular adhesion molecule-1, ICAM-1) 的蛋白表达和亚硝酸阴离子(nitrite, NO2-)含量,以评价肾脏炎症状态; 以苏木素伊红(hematoxylin and eosin)和过碘酸六胺银染色(periodic acid-silver metheramine) 染色示SHR肾小球和肾间质形态学病变,并以尿蛋白含量为指标衡量肾脏功能。结果显示...     

在兽疫链球菌中表达vgb基因和HA合成基因提高透明质酸产量

透明质酸(HA)是一种在医药及化妆品领域具有广泛应用的天然粘多糖。兽疫链球菌(Streptococcuszooepidemicus)是工业上生产透明质酸的菌种之一。透明颤菌血红蛋白(VHb)具有增强细胞摄氧的作用。对生产透明质酸的兽疫链球菌进行了基因改造:将兽疫链球菌HA的合成基因hasABC以及合成透明颤菌血红蛋白的vgb基因(Vitreoscillahemoglobingene,vgb)分别或同时插入阳性菌表达质粒pEU308中,通过电转化导入兽疫链球菌中。通过一氧化碳(CO)差光谱检测到了VHb的表达。在摇瓶实验中,同时带有hasABC和vgb基因的重组菌比野生菌的透明质酸产量提高了30％。而在发酵罐中,带有这2个基因的重组菌的透明质酸产量达到了6．9g／L,高于重组菌5．5g／L的产量。实验结果表明,vgb基因的存在促进了细胞的生长,hasABC操纵子的过表达增强了透明质酸的合成。首次将VHb导入兽疫链球菌中,获得了表达,并证明其对菌体生长及透明质酸合成有促进作用。通过研究,VHb将可以在阳性菌中获得更广泛的应用。     

Prioritizing human cancer microRNAs based on genes' functional consistency between microRNA and cancer

The identification of human cancer-related microRNAs (miRNAs) is important for cancer biology research. Although several identification methods have achieved remarkable success, they have overlooked the functional information associated with miRNAs. We present a computational framework that can be used to prioritize human cancer miRNAs by measuring the association between cancer and miRNAs based on the functional consistency score (FCS) of the miRNA target genes and the cancer-related genes. This approach proved successful in identifying the validated cancer miRNAs for 11 common human cancers with area under ROC curve (AUC) ranging from 71.15% to 96.36%. The FCS method had a significant advantage over miRNA differential expression analysis when identifying cancer-related miRNAs with a fine regulatory mechanism, such as miR-27a in colorectal cancer. Furthermore, a case study examining thyroid cancer showed that the FCS method can uncover novel cancer-related miRNAs such as miR-27a/b, which were showed significantly upregulated in thyroid cancer samples by qRT-PCR analysis. Our method can be used on a web-based server, CMP (cancer miRNA prioritization) and is freely accessible at http://bioinfo.hrbmu.edu.cn/CMP. This time- and cost-effective computational framework can be a valuable complement to experimental studies and can assist with future studies of miRNA involvement in the pathogenesis of cancers.     

停乳链球菌isp基因的克隆与原核表达

根据GenBank报道的停乳链球菌(Streptococcus dysgalactiae)isp基因(GenBank:CP002215.1)序列设计引物,PCR扩增得到isp基因。片段大小为1 500 bp,与从GenBank下载的序列进行同源性比对结果为98.57%。将isp基因克隆于表达载体pET-25b,成功构建了重组质粒pET-25b-isp,将重组质粒分别转化BL21(DE3),将BL21(pET-25b-isp)阳性重组菌株经IPTG诱导后,SDS-PAGE结果显示均有蛋白表达,大小分别为53 ku与目的蛋白大小相符;Western blot检测显示,表达的蛋白为目的蛋白。对成功构建的菌株BL21(pET-25b-isp)表达条件经优化后,在温度37℃,诱导时间12 h,IPTG浓度为1 mmol/L时,蛋白有较高的表达量。     

Engineering the Saccharomyces cerevisiae β-Oxidation Pathway to Increase Medium Chain Fatty Acid Production as Potential Biofuel

Fatty acid-derived biofuels and biochemicals can be produced in microbes using β-oxidation pathway engineering. In this study, the β-oxidation pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered to accumulate a higher ratio of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) when cells were grown on fatty acid-rich feedstock. For this purpose, the haploid deletion strain Δpox1 was obtained, in which the sole acyl-CoA oxidase encoded by POX1 was deleted. Next, the POX2 gene from Yarrowia lipolytica, which encodes an acyl-CoA oxidase with a preference for long chain acyl-CoAs, was expressed in the Δpox1 strain. The resulting Δpox1 [pox2+] strain exhibited a growth defect because the β-oxidation pathway was blocked in peroxisomes. To unblock the β-oxidation pathway, the gene CROT, which encodes carnitine O-octanoyltransferase, was expressed in the Δpox1 [pox2+] strain to transport the accumulated medium chain acyl-coAs out of the peroxisomes. The obtained Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] strain grew at a normal rate. The effect of these genetic modifications on fatty acid accumulation and profile was investigated when the strains were grown on oleic acids-containing medium. It was determined that the engineered strains Δpox1 [pox2+] and Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] had increased fatty acid accumulation and an increased ratio of MCFAs. Compared to the wild-type (WT) strain, the total fatty acid production of the strains Δpox1 [pox2+] and Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] were increased 29.5% and 15.6%, respectively. The intracellular level of MCFAs in Δpox1 [pox2+] and Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] increased 2.26- and 1.87-fold compared to the WT strain, respectively. In addition, MCFAs in the culture medium increased 3.29-fold and 3.34-fold compared to the WT strain. These results suggested that fatty acids with an increased MCFAs ratio accumulate in the engineered strains with a modified β-oxidation pathway. Our approach exhibits great potential for transforming low value fatty acid-rich feedstock into high value fatty acid-derived products.