Analysis of serum protein glycosylation by a differential lectin immunosorbant assay (dLISA)

Background

Lectin immunosorbant assays (LISAs) have been widely used for analyzing protein glycosylation. However, the analysis of serum samples by LISAs could suffer from high sample-dependent background noise. The aim of this study is to develop a differential lectin immunosorbant assay (dLISA) with reduced background interferences.

Methods

For the analysis of protein glycosylation, dLISA establishes a dose–response curve for every serum sample. The sample is split into five aliquots. Four aliquots undergo differential removal of the glycoprotein of interest by immunoprecipitation. Then, all five aliquots are subject to two measurements: protein by immunoassay and protein glycans by LISA. A dose–response curve is established by plotting glycans signals on the y-axis and protein levels on the x-axis for all the aliquots. Slope of the curve, calculated by linear progression analysis and expressed as fluorescence per concentration of protein, is used for the measurement of protein glycosylation in the serum sample.

Results/conclusions

To demonstrate the feasibility of the dLISA approach, we used recombinant, fucosylated tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 1 (TIMP-1) as the target glycoprotein. Magnetic beads based TIMP1 immunoassay and TIMP-1 UEA LISA were developed for the measurement of TIMP1 protein and terminal α1, 2 fucosylated glycans on TIMP1, respectively. Serum samples supplemented with differentially fucosylated recombinant TIMP-1 were used to demonstrate that the slopes measured the TIMP-1 fucosylation, and were less prone to background interference.     

Aminoglycoside Stress Together with the 12S rRNA 1494C>T Mutation Leads to Mitophagy

Aminoglycosides as modifying factors modulated the phenotypic manifestation of mitochondrial rRNA mutations and the incomplete penetrance of hearing loss. In this report, using cybrids harboring the m.1494C>T mutation, we showed that gentamycin aggravated mitochondrial dysfunction in a combination of the m.1494C>T mutation. The m.1494C>T mutation was responsible for the dramatic reduction in three mtDNA-encoded proteins of H-strand, with the average of 39% reduction, except of the MT-ND6 protein, accompanied with 21% reduction of ATP production and increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, compared with those of control cybrids. After exposure to gentamycin, 35% reduction of mitochondrial ATP production was observed in mutant cybrids with a marked decrease of the mitochondrial membrane potential. More excessive cellular reactive oxygen species was detected with stimulus of gentamycin than those in mutant cells. Under gentamycin and m.1494C>T stress together, more dysfunctional mitochondria were forced to fuse and exhibited mitophagy via up-regulated LC3-B, as a compensatory protective response to try to optimize mitochondrial function, rather than undergo apoptosis. These findings may provide valuable information to further understand of mechanistic link between mitochondrial rRNA mutation, toxicity of AGs and hearing loss.     

光镊和拉曼光镊在生物医学研究中的应用

光镊是由美国科学家Arthur Ashkin于1986年发明的,是一种利用高度汇聚的激光束产生的三维梯度势阱来俘获、操纵微小粒子的技术。因其可俘获、操纵单个细胞,并在细胞和亚细胞层次上为生物医学研究提供方便,近年来,已越来越多地被应用于生物医学研究中。本文在介绍光镊的原理和特点的基础上,阐述了光镊(尤其是拉曼光镊)技术在生物医学领域中的研究进展、现状和展望。     

刚毛柽柳ThGRF2基因的克隆和渗透胁迫应答分析

14-3-3蛋白通常也称为通用调节因子（general regulatory factors,GRF）,是一类丝氨酸和苏氨酸磷酸化结合蛋白,通过与其他转录因子或信号蛋白相互作用参与调节细胞内基础代谢、信号传导、参与植物生长发育以及环境胁迫应答等一系列生理过程。本研究从刚毛柽柳干旱转录组中克隆获得一条干旱胁迫差异表达的ThGRF2基因。ThGRF2基因CDS片段全长为786 bp,编码261个氨基酸。相对分子质量为29.40 kDa,理论等电点（pI）为4.76。将ThGRF2基因构建到pROK2过表达载体上,瞬时转化刚毛柽柳,渗透胁迫前后生理指标结果显示,渗透胁迫后ThGRF2过表达提高了转基因柽柳的叶绿素含量、SOD和POD活性,降低了丙二醛（MDA）含量、电导率（EL）和失水率,表明ThGRF2基因在刚毛柽柳渗透胁迫应答中起重要作用。为进一步探究刚毛柽柳ThGRF2基因的非生物胁迫耐受性功能奠定基础。     

珠江口桂山岛海域桡足类休眠卵对浮游种群的潜在补充及其影响因素

于2011年7月和2012年8月分2个航次采集珠江口桂山岛海域表层沉积物,首次研究珠江口海域桡足类的休眠卵潜在补充量。结果显示:该海域桡足类休眠卵呈不均匀分布,2011年7月沉积物休眠卵潜在补充量介于1.7×105—1.0×107卵/m3之间,平均值为2.1×106卵/m3;2012年8月沉积物休眠卵潜在补充量介于8.9×104—4.3×106卵/m3之间。呈现防波堤外深水区防波堤内养殖区防波堤外浅水区的分布格局。统计分析显示桡足类休眠卵潜在补充量和沉积物含水率呈极显著正相关(P0.01),和水深呈显著正相关(P0.05),表明水深和沉积物含水量是影响桡足类休眠卵潜在补充量的重要因素。休眠卵不同冷藏时间萌发结果发现:萌发持续时间介于10—36d之间,休眠卵萌发类型均为同步萌发型。萌发休眠卵种类为刺尾纺锤水蚤(Acartia spinicauda)和瘦尾胸刺水蚤(Centropages tenuiremis),表明沉积物中休眠卵是上述两种桡足类水体种群的重要补充。筛绢网孔径50—200μm之间休眠卵萌发量占总萌发量的93%,表明采用50μm和200μm筛绢网来分离桡足类休眠卵具有较好的代表性。     

Inhibition of CYP2B4 by 2-ethynylnaphthalene: evidence for the co-binding of substrate and inhibitor within the active site

2-Ethynylnaphthalene (2EN) is an effective mechanism-based inhibitor of CYP2B4. There are two inhibitory components: (1) irreversible inactivation of CYP2B4 (a typical time-dependent inactivation), and (2) a reversible component. The reversible component was unusual in that the degree of inhibition was not simply a characteristic of the enzyme-inhibitor interaction, but dependent on the size of the substrate molecule used to monitor residual activity. The effect of 2EN on the metabolism of seven CYP2B4 substrates showed that it was not an effective reversible inhibitor of substrates containing a single aromatic ring; substrates with two fused rings were competitively inhibited by 2EN; and larger substrates were non-competitively inhibited. Energy-based docking studies demonstrated that, with increasing substrate size, the energy of 2EN and substrate co-binding in the active site became unfavorable precisely at the point where 2EN became a competitive inhibitor. Hierarchical docking revealed potential allosteric inhibition sites separate from the substrate binding site.     

Inhibition of CYP2B4 by the mechanism-based inhibitor 2-ethynylnaphthalene: inhibitory potential of 2EN is dependent on the size of the substrate

2-Ethynylnaphthalene (2EN) is a mechanism-based inhibitor of CYP2B4 with two components to the inhibition, (1) enzyme inactivation, which requires covalent binding of the 2EN metabolite, and (2) reversible inhibition by 2EN itself. Both inhibitory components were examined using several different CYP2B4 substrates. Preincubation of CYP2B4 with 2EN led to a time-dependent inactivation of each of the CYP2B4-dependent activities examined; however, the ability of 2EN to reversibly inhibit CYP2B4 depended on the substrate employed, which is inconsistent with classical inhibition patterns. The degree 2EN's reversible inhibition was shown not to correlate with the substrate affinity for the active site, but with parameters related to the molecular size of the substrate. The results are consistent with 2EN and the smaller substrates simultaneously fitting in the CYP2B4 active site, leading to very little inhibition. Larger substrates exhibited greater degrees of inhibition because of their inability to co-bind with inhibitor in the active site.