Oxidized high-density lipoprotein promotes CD36 palmitoylation and increases lipid uptake in macrophages

Oxidized high-density lipoprotein (oxHDL) reduces the ability of cells to mediate reverse cholesterol transport and also shows atherogenic properties. Palmitoylation of cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), an important receptor mediating lipoprotein uptake, is required for fatty acid endocytosis. However, the relationship between oxHDL and CD36 has not been described in mechanistic detail. Here, we demonstrate using acyl-biotin exchange analysis that oxHDL activates CD36 by increasing CD36 palmitoylation, which promotes efficient uptake in macrophages. This modification increased CD36 incorporation into plasma lipid rafts and activated downstream signaling mediators, such as Lyn, Fyn, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, which elicited enhanced oxHDL uptake and foam cell formation. Furthermore, blocking CD36 palmitoylation with the pharmacological inhibitor 2-bromopalmitate decreased cell surface translocation and lowered oxHDL uptake in oxHDL-treated macrophages. We verified these results by transfecting oxHDL-induced macrophages with vectors expressing wildtype or mutant CD36 (mCD36) in which the cytoplasmic palmitoylated cysteine residues were replaced. We show that cells containing mCD36 exhibited less palmitoylated CD36, disrupted plasma membrane trafficking, and reduced protein stability. Moreover, in ApoE^−/−CD36^−/− mice, lipid accumulation at the aortic root in mice receiving the mCD36 vector was decreased, suggesting that CD36 palmitoylation is responsible for lipid uptake in vivo. Finally, our data indicated that palmitoylation of CD36 was dependent on DHHC6 (Asp-His-His-Cys) acyltransferase and its cofactor selenoprotein K, which increased the CD36/caveolin-1 interaction and membrane targeting in cells exposed to oxHDL. Altogether, our study uncovers a causal link between oxHDL and CD36 palmitoylation and provides insight into foam cell formation and atherogenesis.     

小麦TaCO9基因的克隆及功能分析

为了明确TaCO9-1A基因在小麦生长发育中的具体调控机理,该研究以同源克隆的方法成功获得了大麦(Hordeum vulgare)光周期基因HvCO9在小麦(Triticum aestivum)中的直系同源基因TaCO9,并对其进行生物信息学分析、亚细胞定位、转录激活以及表达模式分析;利用农杆菌侵染法转化拟南芥,并对过表达株系进行表型分析。结果表明:(1)TaCO9包含2个外显子和1个内含子,CDS区全长876 bp,编码291个氨基酸,蛋白序列含有特有的CCT结构域,且在不同物种间高度保守。(2)生物信息学分析表明,TaCO9基因编码的蛋白质分子量约为30.7 kD,等电点为6.24;TaCO9的启动子区含有光响应、激素应答和胁迫应答等多种顺式作用元件。(3)亚细胞定位和转录活性分析表明,TaCO9主要定位于细胞核中,且具有转录激活活性。(4)qRT-PCR结果表明,TaCO9基因在各个组织中均有表达,叶片中的表达量最高;在光照14 h条件下TaCO9的表达量显著高于光照10 h和12 h条件下的表达量,且TaCO9在大粒小麦‘西农817’子房与籽粒中的表达量显著高于‘中国春’。(5)经潮霉素筛选成功获得3个转基因拟南芥株系;进一步功能鉴定结果表明,过表达转TaCO9基因拟南芥植株的开花期迟于野生型(对照)3~4 d,但角果和籽粒较野生型大。     

SEC23A Inhibit Melanoma Metastatic through Secretory PF4 Cooperation with SPARC to Inhibit MAPK Signaling Pathway

Metastasis of melanoma to the distant organs is a multistep process in which the tumor microenvironment (TME) may play an important role. However, the relationship between metastatic progression and TME is intricate. In the present study, using melanoma derivative cell lines OL (oligometastatic) and POL (polymetastatic) that differ in their metastatic colonization capability, we have elucidated a new mechanism involving “SEC23A-PF4-MAPK/ERK axis” in which PF4 transported by COPII hinders metastasis through inhibition of MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. Furthermore, SPARC can act cooperatively to enhance the inhibition of Pf4 on ERK phosphorylation and melanoma cell metastasis. Our findings show the possibility of targeting cancer cell secretome for therapeutic development.     

Periostin regulates osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells from ovariectomized rats through actions on the ILK/Akt/GSK-3β Axis

Osteoporosis is a condition of the skeleton that mainly results from estrogen deficiency. Periostin is a matricellular component in bone that is involved in osteoblast differentiation. However, how Periostin promotes osteogenesis remains largely unknown. Here, we isolated bone marrow skeletal stem cells (BMSCs) derived from an ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis rat model and the effects of periostin on BMSCs derived from OVX rats (OVX-BMSCs) were assessed. Overexpression of periostin enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alizarin red staining in OVX-BMSCs as well as the osteogenic genes OCN, BSP and Runx2. ILK is a downstream effector of signals from the extracellular matrix and participates in bone homeostasis. Overexpression of periostin also increased expression of protein levels for ILK, as well as the downstream targets pAkt and pGSK3β. Suppression of ILK or Akt partially suppressed the enhancement of osteogenic ability induced by periostin overexpression in OVX-BMSCs. Thus, periostin may promote the osteogenic ability of OVX-BMSCs through actions on the ILK/Akt/GSK3β axis.     

High yield and purification of recombinant human apolipoprotein E3 in Pichia pastoris

Apolipoprotein E3 (ApoE3) is an important apolipoprotein in plasma and plays a critical role in lipid transport and cholesterol homeostasis. As the only natural source of this protein, human blood cannot provide large-scale ApoE3 for research and applications. Therefore, in our study, a Pichia pastoris expression system was first used to obtain a high-level expression of secreted, recombinant human ApoE3 (rhApoE3).The full-length sequence encoding ApoE3, gained by RT-PCR, was inserted into the pPICZαC vector and transformed into P. pastoris strain X33, and then the high expression transformants with zeocin resistance were obtained. The growth conditions of the transformant strains were optimized in 50 ml conical tubes including pH and inducing time. After induction with methanol, the expression level of rhApoE3 was 120 mg/L in 80 L fermentor. RhApoE3 was purified more than 94% purity using SP Sepharose ion exchange chromatography and source™ 30RPC. A preliminary biochemical characterization of purified rhApoE3 was performed by analyzing the ability of inhibiting PDGF-induced proliferation of rat coronary artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and the results demonstrated that the function of purified rhApoE3 was similar to natural human ApoE3.     

不同套种模式北柴胡的化学差异研究

目的:对"谷子/柴胡套种"和"玉米/柴胡套种"两种套种模式下北柴胡的化学成分进行比较,从化学组成角度阐明两种套种模式下北柴胡的化学成分的差异.方法:采用柴胡皂苷含量测定,结合基于超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法的代谢组学技术以及全球天然产物社会分子网络,对两种不同套种模式的北柴胡进行全面比较.结果:玉米/柴胡套种的北柴胡药材...