4种白蜡的耐盐性响应特征与综合评价

以1年半生绒毛白蜡、美国红梣、美国白梣和中国白蜡实生苗为材料,进行为期28 d 的水培试验,通过测定4 种NaCl 浓度(0、40、80、120 mmol/L)处理下其形态、生长量、膜透性、抗氧化酶系统、叶绿素含量以及光合参数等指标的变化特征,并通过相关分析、主成分分析和隶属函数法对4种白蜡进行了综合耐盐性分析与评价,以明确盐胁迫条件下4种白蜡植物的生理响应特征及其耐盐性差异,为盐碱地绿化树种筛选提供科学依据。结果表明：(1)盐胁迫条件下,4种植物形态特征受到不同程度影响,相对株高生长量都受到抑制;叶片膜透性和丙二醛含量 随盐浓度的增加而增加,而叶绿素含量随盐浓度的增加而减少。(2)不同盐浓度处理下,4个白蜡植物叶片过氧化物酶活性呈先上升后下降的变化趋势,其峰值出现在40或80 mmol·L^-1NaCl,超氧化物歧化酶活性变化规律不完全相同; 随着NaCl浓度的增加,4种白蜡树种叶片的平均净光合速率都呈现下降的趋势,但绒毛白蜡升降趋势较平缓,胞间CO₂浓度、气孔导度和蒸腾速率变化没有明显的规律性。(3)耐盐性综合评价结果显示,4种白蜡树种的耐盐性大小为绒毛白蜡＞ 美国白梣＞ 美国红梣＞中国白蜡,这与盐害形态症状表现的结果排序相一致。研究发现,4种白蜡树种在盐胁迫下的生长、生理响应明显不同,耐盐性存在明显差异;绒毛白蜡和美国白梣在盐胁迫下的抗氧化酶活性更强,光合能力和生长受到的影响更小,具有更优异的耐盐能力,可优先作为中国沿海地区盐碱地造林绿化树种或抗逆育种的主要试验材料。     

Brain Structure Network Analysis in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleeping disorder commonly affecting school-aged children and is characterized by repeated episodes of blockage of the upper airway during sleep. In this study, we performed a graph theoretical analysis on the brain morphometric correlation network in 25 OSA patients (OSA group; 5 female; mean age, 10.1 ± 1.8 years) and investigated the topological alterations in global and regional properties compared with 20 healthy control individuals (CON group; 6 females; mean age, 10.4 ± 1.8 years). A structural correlation network based on regional gray matter volume was constructed respectively for each group. Our results revealed a significantly decreased mean local efficiency in the OSA group over the density range of 0.32–0.44 (p < 0.05). Regionally, the OSAs showed a tendency of decreased betweenness centrality in the left angular gyrus, and a tendency of decreased degree in the right lingual and inferior frontal (orbital part) gyrus (p < 0.005, uncorrected). We also found that the network hubs in OSA and controls were distributed differently. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that characterizes the brain structure network in OSA patients and invests the alteration of topological properties of gray matter volume structural network. This study may help to provide new evidence for understanding the neuropathophysiology of OSA from a topological perspective.     

Tanshinone IIA protects lens epithelial cells from H2O 2-induced injury by upregulation of lncRNA ANRIL

Tanshinone IIA is a lipophilic diterpene extracted from the Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge, possessing antiapoptotic and antioxidant activities. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Tanshinone IIA on age-related nuclear cataract. Human lens epithelial cell line SRA01/04 was subjected to H ₂O ₂ to mimic a cell model of cataract. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometer, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection were performed to evaluate the effect of Tanshinone IIA pretreatment on SRA01/04 cells injured by H ₂O ₂. Besides, the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL). Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of core proteins involved in cell survival and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. H ₂O ₂ significantly decreased SRA01/04 cells viability, whereas increased apoptosis and ROS generation. This phenomenon was coupled with the upregulated p53, p21, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and the downregulated cyclinD1, CDK4, and Bcl-2. Tanshinone IIA pretreatment protected SRA01/04 cells against H ₂O ₂-induced injury. In the meantime, the expression of lncRNA ANRIL was upregulated by Tanshinone IIA. And, the protective effects of Tanshinone IIA on H ₂O ₂-stimulated SRA01/04 cells were abolished when lncRNA ANRIL was silenced. Moreover, the elevated expression of lncRNA ANRIL induced by Tanshinone IIA was abolished by BAY 11-7082 (an inhibitor of NF-κB). To conclude, Tanshinone IIA protects SRA01/04 cells from apoptosis triggered by H ₂O ₂. Tanshinone IIA confers its protective effects possibly via modulation of NF-κB signaling and thereby elevating the expression of lncRNA ANRIL.     

Altered Topological Organization of Cortical Network in Adolescent Girls with Idiopathic Scoliosis

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a multifactorial disease affecting approximately 1–4% of teenagers especially girls at the age of 10–16, but its etiopathogenesis remains uncertain. Previous study has revealed that the cortical thickness in AIS patients is different from that in normal controls. Cortical thickness measurements are known to be strongly correlated between regions that are axonally connected. Hence, a hypothesis is proposed to study the possibility to demonstrate abnormal structural network revealed by cortical thickness in AIS patients. The aim of the study is to investigate abnormalities in the organization of the brain cortical network in AIS patients. This study included 42 girls with severe idiopathic scoliosis (14.7±1.3 years old) and 41 age-matched normal controls (NC, 14.6±1.4 years old). The brain cortex was partitioned into 154 cortical regions based on gyral and sulcal structure. The interregional connectivity was measured as the statistical correlations between the regional mean thicknesses across the subjects. We employed the graph theoretic analysis to examine the alteration in interregional correlation, small-world efficiency, hub distribution, and regional nodal characteristics in AIS patients. We demonstrated that the cortical network of AIS patients fully preserved the small-world architecture and organization, and further verified the hemispheric asymmetry of AIS brain. Our results indicated increased central role of temporal and occipital cortex and decreased central role of limbic cortex in AIS patients compared with controls. Furthermore, decreased structural connectivity between hemispheres and increased connectivity in several cortical regions were observed. The findings of the study reveal the pattern of structural network alteration in AIS brain, and would help in understanding the mechanism and etiopathogenesis of AIS.     

Mutations in surface-sensing receptor WspA lock the Wsp signal transduction system into a constitutively active state

Pseudomonas aeruginosa rugose small-colony variants (RSCVs) are frequently isolated from chronic infections, yet, they are rarely reported in environmental isolates. Here, during the comparative genomic analysis of two P. aeruginosa strains isolated from crude oil, we discovered a spontaneous in-frame deletion, wspA_Δ280–307, which led to hyper-biofilm and RSCV phenotypes. WspA is a homologue of methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) that senses surfaces to regulate biofilm formation by stimulating cyclic-di-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) synthesis through the Wsp system. However, the methylation sites of WspA have never been identified. In this study, we identified E280 and E294 of WspA as methylation sites. The wspA_Δ280–307 mutation enabled the Wsp system to lock into a constitutively active state that is independent of regulation by methylation. The result is an enhanced production of c-di-GMP. Sequence alignment revealed three conserved repeat sequences within the amino acid residues 280–313 (aa280–313) region of WspA homologues, suggesting that a spontaneous deletion within this DNA encoding region was likely a result of intragenic recombination and that similar mutations might occur in several related bacterial genera. Our results provide a plausible explanation for the selection of RSCVs and a mechanism to confer a competitive advantage for P. aeruginosa in a crude-oil environment.     

罗非鱼源无乳链球菌肠道拮抗芽孢杆菌的筛选及其生物学特性

【目的】从健康尼罗罗非鱼(Oreochromis niloticus)肠道中筛选一株对罗非鱼源无乳链球菌等病原菌具有拮抗功能的益生菌。【方法】取健康尼罗罗非鱼肠道,匀浆后进行10倍系列梯度稀释,然后涂布BHI平板,培养1–2d,挑取单克隆菌落。采用点种法初步筛选对罗非鱼源无乳链球菌有拮抗作用的菌株,选取其中一株拮抗效果较好的菌株LF01,通过形态学、生理生化特征以及分子生物学分析,对LF01菌株进行鉴定。然后对LF01菌株的生长特性、水解淀粉和酪蛋白能力、药物敏感特性、抗菌谱和生物安全性进行测定和分析。【结果】根据菌落形态和生长时间的差异,从健康尼罗罗非鱼肠道中筛选出64株细菌,通过拮抗试验筛选出6株具有明显拮抗效果的菌株,其中LF01菌株的拮抗效果最好。根据LF01的形态、生理生化特征和gyr A基因的进化分析,确定该菌株为贝莱斯芽孢杆菌(Bacillus velezensis)。LF01菌株的最适生长温度为30°C,最适p H值为7,最适盐度为5‰,而且该菌株具有水解淀粉和酪蛋白的功能。药敏试验结果显示,LF01菌株对多数抗生素敏感,仅对杆菌肽耐药。拮抗试验结果显示LF01株对无乳链球菌、海豚链球菌、迟缓爱德华氏菌、鮰爱德华氏菌、嗜水气单胞菌、舒氏气单胞菌、维氏气单胞菌、简氏气单胞菌、鰤鱼诺卡氏菌等病原菌均具有拮抗作用,其中对鰤鱼诺卡氏菌的拮抗作用最强,平均抑菌圈直径达28.3 mm。生物安全试验表明,LF01菌株对尼罗罗非鱼、斑马鱼(Danio rerio)和乌鳢(Channa argus)等3种鱼均无致病性,具有良好的安全性。【结论】本研究筛选了一株贝莱斯芽孢杆菌LF01株,该菌的生物安全性良好,而且可拮抗常见的水产病原菌,具有防控多种水产经济动物疾病的潜力,应用前景十分广阔。     

Luteolin Inhibits Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Myocardial Injury in Rats via Downregulation of microRNA-208b-3p

Background

Luteolin (LUT), a kind of flavonoid which is extracted from a variety of diets, has been reported to convey protective effects of various diseases. Recent researches have suggested that LUT can carry out cardioprotective effects during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). However, there have no reports on whether LUT can exert protective effects against myocardial I/R injury through the actions of specific microRNAs (miRs). The purpose of this study was to determine which miRs and target genes LUT exerted such function through.

Methods

Expression of various miRs in perfused rat hearts was detected using a gene chip. Target genes were predicted with TargetScan, MiRDB and MiRanda. Anoxia/reoxygenation was used to simulate I/R. Cells were transfected by miR-208b-3p mimic, inhibitor and small interfering RNA of Ets1 (avian erythroblastosis virus E26 (v ets) oncogene homolog 1). MiR-208b-3p and Ets1 mRNA were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The percentage of apoptotic cells was detected by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide dyeing and flow cytometry. The protein expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, and Ets1 were examined by western blot analysis. A luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the combination between miR-208b-3p and the 3’-untranslated region of Ets1.

Results

LUT pretreatment reduced miR-208b-3p expression in myocardial tissue, as compared to the I/R group. And LUT decreased miR-208b-3p expression and apoptosis caused by I/R. However, overexpression of miR-208b-3p further aggravated the changes caused by I/R and blocked all the effects of LUT. Knockdown of miR-208b-3p expression also attenuated apoptosis, while knockdown of Ets1 promoted apoptosis. Further, the luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-208b-3p could inhibit Ets1 expression.

Conclusion

LUT pretreatment conveys anti-apoptotic effects after myocardial I/R injury by decreasing miR-208b-3p and increasing Ets1 expression levels.     

Long non-coding RNA DBCCR1-003 regulate the expression of DBCCR1 via DNMT1 in bladder cancer

Background

Many long non coding RNAs have been identified as key modulators in cancer development. A lncRNA, DBCCR1-003, derived from the locus of tumor suppressor gene DBCCR1 (deleted in bladder cancer chromosome region 1), has unknown function. In the present study, we explored function and molecular mechanism of DBCCR1-003 in bladder cancer (BC) development.

Methods

We evaluated the expression levels of DBCCR1-003 in tissues and cells with western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Multiple approaches including chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and RNA immunoprecipitation were used to confirm the direct binding of DBCCR1-003 to DNMT1. The recombinant vector overexpressing DBCCR1-003 was constructed. Cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometric analysis were employed to measure the role of DBCCR1-003 in regulation of cell proliferation, cycle and apoptosis.

Results

Firstly we detected the expression of DBCCR1-003, DBCCR1, DNMT1 (DNA methyltransferase 1) and DNA methylation in the promoter of DBCCR1. We found low expression of DBCCR1-003, same as DBCCR1, while high expression of DNMT1 and hypermethylation of DBCCR1 gene promoter in BC tissues and T24 cells line. Further studies revealed that treatment of DNMT inhibitor, 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine(DAC), or overexpression of DBCCR1-003 led to increased DBCCR1 expression by reversion of promoter hypermethylation and DNMT1 binding to DBCCR1 promoter in T24 cells. Importantly, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) showed that DBCCR1-003 physically associates with DNMT1. The binding of them was increased with the inhibition of DBCCR1 promoter methylation, indicating that DBCCR1-003 may bind to DNMT1 and prevent DNMT1-mediated the methylation of DBCCR1. Furthermore, overexpression of DBCCR1-003 resulted in significant inhibition of T24 cells growth through the inducing G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis.

Conclusions

Taken together, these findings demonstrated that a novel tumor suppressor DBCCR1-003 regulates the expression of DBCCR1 via binding to DNMT1 and preventing DNMT1-mediated the methylation of DBCCR1 in BC. LncRNA DBCCR1-003 may serve as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for BC in future cancer clinic.

     

Expression, purification and characterization of arginase from Helicobacter pylori in its apo form

Arginase, a manganese-dependent enzyme that widely distributed in almost all creatures, is a urea cycle enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of L-arginine to generate L-ornithine and urea. Compared with the well-studied arginases from animals and yeast, only a few eubacterial arginases have been characterized, such as those from H. pylori and B. anthracis. However, these enzymes used for arginase activity assay were all expressed with LB medium, as low concentration of Mn(2+) was detectable in the medium, protein obtained were partially Mn(2+) bonded, which may affect the results of arginase activity assay. In the present study, H. pylori arginase (RocF) was expressed in a Mn(2+) and Co(2+) free minimal medium, the resulting protein was purified through affinity and gel filtration chromatography and the apo-form of RocF was confirmed by flame photometry analysis. Gel filtration indicates that the enzyme exists as monomer in solution, which was unique as compared with homologous enzymes. Arginase activity assay revealed that apo-RocF had an acidic pH optimum of 6.4 and exhibited metal preference of Co(2+)>Ni(2+)>Mn(2+). We also confirmed that heat-activation and reducing regents have significant impact on arginase activity of RocF, and inhibits S-(2-boronoethyl)-L-Cysteine (BEC) and Nω-hydroxy-nor-Arginine (nor-NOHA) inhibit the activity of RocF in a dose-dependent manner.