Photosynthetic regulation of C4 desert plant Haloxylon ammodendron under drought stress

About 20-year-old desert plants of C₄ species, Haloxylon ammodendron, growing at the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert in China, were selected to study the photosynthetic characteristics and changes in chlorophyll fluorescence when plants were subject to a normal arid environment (AE), moist atmospheric conditions during post-rain (PR), and the artificial supplement of soil water (SW). Results showed that under high radiation, in the AE, the species down-regulated its net assimilation rate (A) and maximum photochemical efficiency of PS II (Fv/Fm), indicating photoinhibition. However, under the PR and SW environments, A was up-regulated, with a unimodal diurnal course of A and a small diurnal change in Fv/Fm, suggesting no photoinhibition. When the air humidity or SW content was increased, the light compensation points were reduced; light saturation points were enhanced; while light saturated rate of CO₂ assimilation (A _max) and apparent quantum yield of CO₂ assimilation (Φ_C) increased. Φ_C was higher while the A _max was reduced under PR relative to the SW treatment. It was concluded that under high-radiation conditions drought stress causes photoinhibition of H. ammodendron. Increasing air humidity or soil moisture content can reduce photoinhibition and increase the efficiency of solar energy use.     

Identification of novel proteins associated with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1

The molecular mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in Parkinson disease (PD) remain elusive, although many lines of evidence have indicated that alpha-synuclein and DJ-1, two critical proteins in PD pathogenesis, interact with each other functionally. The investigation on whether alpha-synuclein directly interacts with DJ-1 has been controversial. In the current study, we analyzed proteins associated with alpha-synuclein and/or DJ-1 with a robust proteomics technique called stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) in dopaminergic MES cells exposed to rotenone versus controls. We identified 324 and 306 proteins in the alpha-synuclein- and DJ-1-associated protein complexes, respectively. Among alpha-synuclein-associated proteins, 141 proteins displayed significant changes in the relative abundance (increase or decrease) after rotenone treatment; among DJ-1-associated proteins, 119 proteins displayed significant changes in the relative abundance after rotenone treatment. Although no direct interaction was observed between alpha-synuclein and DJ-1, whether analyzed by affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry or subsequent direct co-immunoprecipitation, 144 proteins were seen in association with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1. Of those, 114 proteins displayed significant changes in the relative abundance in the complexes associated with alpha-synuclein, DJ-1, or both after rotenone treatment. A subset of these proteins (mortalin, nucleolin, grp94, calnexin, and clathrin) was further validated for their association with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1 using confocal microscopy, Western blot, and/or immunoprecipitation. Thus, we not only confirmed that there was no direct interaction between alpha-synuclein and DJ-1 but also, for the first time, report these five novel proteins to be associating with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1. Further characterization of these docking proteins will likely shed more light on the mechanisms by which DJ-1 modulates the function of alpha-synuclein, and vice versa, in the setting of PD.     

酵母亚细胞结构分离效率评估菌株的构建 *

背景: 真核细胞依赖其亚细胞结构高效地完成复杂的生化反应。尽管目前有一些亚细胞结构分离技术,但却缺乏评估这些分离技术的简单、有效方法。目的: 构建可以用来检测亚细胞结构分离效率的酿酒酵母菌株。方法: 通过传统的分子生物学与细胞生物学方法以酿酒酵母为背景构建了亚细胞结构分离效率评估菌株,并进行可行性检测。首先,将酵母各细胞器、自噬体及质膜的标记蛋白进行分组,用不同的蛋白标签分别标记每组蛋白。然后,以标记蛋白-GFP/RFP作为对照组通过免疫荧光法检测蛋白标签对标记蛋白的亚细胞定位是否有影响。最后,通过非连续性密度梯度离心验证该检测菌株能否用来检测亚细胞结构的分离效率。结果: 成功构建了酵母亚细胞结构分离效率评估菌株,该菌株标记了大多数酵母细胞亚细胞结构。挂标签的标记蛋白仍然定位在各自标记蛋白对应的亚细胞结构。非连续性密度梯度离心后,酵母各个亚细胞结构的标记蛋白均可以被检测到。结论: 该酵母亚细胞结构分离效率评估菌株是检测各亚细胞结构分离结果的方便工具,对今后酿酒酵母细胞生物学的研究有潜在的应用价值。     

抗菌肽BLFcin6与不同磷脂膜之间相互作用的分子动力学模拟研究

抗菌肽具有广谱抗菌特性,有望成为抗生素较好的替代产品.研究抗菌肽的抗菌机制,可以为新型抗菌肽的设计提供指导.无论抗菌肽采用哪种抗菌机制,其首先要稳定地吸附到细胞膜之上.因此,本文利用分子动力学模拟方法比较了抗菌小肽BLFcin6与5种不同细胞膜之间的相互作用.对这5种细胞膜而言,小肽会很快结合在POPG膜和DPPC-CHOL膜的表面,倾向于进入DPPC膜的疏水内部,与POPC膜和POPC-CHOL膜的接触很少.考察相互作用能,小肽与POPG膜的相互作用最强,主要是小肽与细胞膜亲水头部存在静电相互作用;小肽与DPPC膜的疏水尾部的相互作用较强,但受胆固醇影响,小肽只结合在DPPC-CHOL膜表面.在结合过程中,小肽N端的Arg会先结合到细胞膜上,静电相互作用在小肽锚定细胞膜的过程中起关键作用.以上研究从原子水平上解释了为什么BLFcin6小肽具有抗菌作用,哪些残基起关键作用,也为进一步开展BLFcin6小肽及其衍生小肽的研究奠定基础.     

Probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii BS15 Promotes Growth Performance,Intestinal Immunity,and Gut Microbiota in Piglets

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Numerous studies have investigated the beneficial effects of Lactobacillus johnsonii strain BS15 on mice and broilers. This study aimed to understand the...     

热水处理对金柑果实采后腐烂及生理特性的影响

金柑是果皮和果肉同食的柑果类型,对采后处理要求极为严格。该研究以金柑(Fortunella crassifolia)为材料,研究了其经30、40和50℃热水浸泡后果实的腐烂率、失重率、可溶性固形物、硬度、有机酸、细胞渗透率以及抗氧化酶活性变化。结果表明:经30℃热水处理5 min的果实失重率高于对照,而经40℃和50℃处理的果实失重率低于对照或差异不显著。经热水处理的果实总酸含量略低于对照,可溶性固形物含量在18%上下波动且差异不显著。热水处理可提高果实硬度,降低贮藏前期果实细胞渗透率以及贮藏过程中果实过氧化物酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性,激发过氧化氢含量升高,可有效降低贮藏过程中金柑果实腐烂率,但不同采收期的金柑所需的热水处理温度和时间不同。对于1月初采收的果实,处理时间为5 min或10 min可降低果实腐烂率;2月初采收的果实,40℃或50℃热水处理10 min可有效降低果实腐烂率;3月初采收的果实,当处理温度达到50℃,处理时间达到10 min,才可有效降低果实腐烂率,且对果实品质没有明显的不利影响。     

Three Previously Undescribed Chlorophenyl Glycosides from the Bulbs of Lilium regale

Three previously undescribed chlorophenyl glycosides, (2,4,6-trichloro-3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)methyl β-D-glucopyranoside ( 1 ), (2,4-dichloro-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)methyl 6-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside ( 2 ) and 4-chloro-3-methoxy-5-methylphenyl 6-O-(6-deoxy-β-L-mannopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside ( 3 ) were obtained from Lilium regale. The absolute configurations of these new finds were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of spectroscopic data combined with acid hydrolysis derivatization. (2,4-dichloro-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)methyl 6-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside ( 2 ) can inhibit the proliferation of lung carcinoma A549 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 29 μΜ.