Leishmania major LmACR2 is a pentavalent antimony reductase that confers sensitivity to the drug pentostam

Arsenicals and antimonials are first line drugs for the treatment of trypanosomal and leishmanial diseases. To create the active form of the drug, Sb(V) must be reduced to Sb(III). Because arsenic and antimony are related metalloids, and arsenical resistant Leishmania strains are frequently cross-resistant to antimonials, we considered the possibility that Sb(V) is reduced by a leishmanial As(V) reductase. The sequence for the arsenate reductase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ScAcr2p, was used to clone the gene for a homologue, LmACR2, from Leishmania major. LmACR2 was able to complement the arsenate-sensitive phenotype of an arsC deletion strain of Escherichia coli or an ScACR2 deletion strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Transfection of Leishmania infantum with LmACR2 augmented Pentostam sensitivity in intracellular amastigotes. LmACR2 was purified and shown to reduce both As(V) and Sb(V). This is the first report of an enzyme that confers Pentostam sensitivity in intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania. We propose that LmACR2 is responsible for reduction of the pentavalent antimony in Pentostam to the active trivalent form of the drug in Leishmania.     

MicroRNAs and their role in viral infection

Recently, a class of about 22 nucleotides (nt) small RNA has been discovered in many eukaryotes, termed microRNAs (miRNAs), which have a variety of functions. Many recent findings have demonstrated that viruses can also encode their own miRNAs. Meanwhile, other findings reveal a relationship between host miRNA and viral infection. These findings suggest a tight relationship between host and viral infection via miRNA pathway. This article introduces the miRNAs encoded by viruses and reviews the advances of the interaction of the mammalian host miRNAs and viral infection.     

准噶尔盆地荒漠灌丛对融雪水空间分布的反馈初探

温带荒漠的积雪沿灌丛始融,并以灌丛为中心形成融雪漏斗,导致融雪水向灌丛基部汇集。观测资料表明:通过灌丛对融雪水分布的反馈,使灌丛周围的沙层含水量明显增加,为裸沙区的152.1-228.9％,从而提高融雪水的利用率并改善灌丛自身的供水条件,对荒漠植被的分布格局亦起一定影响。     

髓源性防御素的研究进展

防御素是一组含有6个半胱氨酸的阳离子抗微生物多肽。在中性粒细胞内,防御素含量丰富,具有广谱、高效的抗微生物活性,是机体天然免疫机制的重要组成部分。近年来的临床观察表明,测定血浆及各种体液中髓源性防御素的改变有助于某些炎症性疾患的诊断。此外,提纯或重组防御素作为“超级抗生素”则已成为药学界的研究热点。本文着重对髓源性防御素的生化特性、生物学活性及其与疾病的关系作一概述。     

多粘类芽胞杆菌SC2基因敲除体系的建立

摘要:【目的】建立多粘类芽胞杆菌SC2 的基因敲除体系。【方法】利用电转化把温敏型自杀质粒pRN5101导入到多粘类芽胞杆菌SC2中。采用基因重组技术敲除SC2 中的多粘菌素基因E(pmxE),得到突变株SC2-E。利用抗细菌性能检测和高效液相色谱分析合成多粘菌素的能力,来证实pmxE基因是否被敲除。【结果】成功构建了多粘类芽胞杆菌SC2 的基因敲除体系。pRN5101转入SC2后能够在28℃复制,39℃自杀。突变株失去了合成多粘菌素的能力,成功敲除pmxE基因,验证了此体系的可用性。【结论】首次构建了多粘类芽胞杆菌的基因敲除体系,拓展了pRN5101的使用范围,为研究多粘类芽胞杆菌的基因功能提供了高效的遗传操作工具。     

采自武夷山高温木质素降解菌优良菌株筛选及其木质素降解效果测定

本文旨在筛选能够高效降解秸秆木质素的高温真菌。对来自福建武夷山的农田土壤进行富集,采用苯胺蓝、愈创木酚和α-萘酚3种筛选平板结合木质素磺酸钙降解试验筛选木质素高温降解菌,采用范氏洗涤剂法测定一株高效降解菌对秸秆木质素的降解效果;最后以经典形态学和多基因分子系统学相结合的方法对该菌株进行鉴定。结果表明：经钓饵法,分离获得8株高温菌;通过初筛和复筛,获得了1株较好的木质素高温降解菌A12638H;将其用于降解水稻秸秆和玉米秸秆,发现木质素降解率分别达到41.7%和48.3%;该菌株经鉴定为大孢戴氏霉Taifanglania major。菌株A12638H具有很好的应用价值,值得在秸秆资源的开发利用中开展更深入的研究。     

Decoy engineering of the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase StPBS1 to defend against virus infection in potato

Potato virus Y (PVY) is an important pathogen of potato (Solanum tuberosum). Although the PBS1–RPS5 immune system is well documented in Arabidopsis thaliana, it has not been reported in potato. In Arabidopsis, the bacterial effector AvrPphB cleaves AtPBS1 to trigger an immune response. Here, we show that the AvrPphB-triggered immune response is mediated by StPBS1, a close homologue of AtPBS1 in potato. However, downstream signalling of StPBS1 was mediated by unknown resistance (R) proteins other than potato orthologues of AtRPS5 and HvPBR1, which is important for HvPBS1 signalling in barley. Immune signalling of StPBS1 is mediated by the AvrPphB C-terminal cleavage domain and an STKPQ motif, in contrast to AtPBS1-mediated immunity in which both AvrPphB cleavage fragments and an SEMPH motif are essential. The cleavage sequence of AvrPphB in StPBS1 was replaced with that of the PVY NIa-Pro protease to obtain StPBS1^NIa. StPBS1^NIa overexpression potato displayed stronger immunity to PVY infection than did the StPBS1 transgenic lines. StPBS1^NIa was cleaved at the expected target site by NIa-Pro protease from PVY. Thus, we characterized the function of StPBS1 in potato immunity and provide a biotechnology control method for PVY via transformation of decoy-engineered StPBS1^NIa.     

我国若干地区蜡样芽孢杆菌723株噬菌体分型的初步报告

四年来,作者由水中获取蜡样芽孢杆菌噬菌体13株,旨在试作噬菌体分型。待检菌株共723株,由国内16个地区提供(其中食物中毒株121株;食品株602株)。分型结果显示:C29、C30、C24、C27、C19和A_4等型别占优势。中毒株     

肾素-血管紧张素系统在调节肾脏活动和慢性肾功能不全中的作用

一、肾内RAS的组成、生物学特征及肾内分布;(一)有关RAS的研究进展;(二)肾脏组织局部的RAS;(三)AngⅡ受体的亚型及其在肾内的分布;二、AngⅡ对肾脏血流动力学的影响;三、AngⅡ对肾脏的非血流动力学效应;(一)AngⅡ的促生长作用及促纤维生成效应;(二)AngⅡ作为促炎症因子的作用;四、有关RAS在肾功能不全中的临床研究