A combined A431 cell membrane chromatography and online high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method for screening compounds from total alkaloid of Radix Caulophylli acting on the human EGFR

We have developed an online analytical method that combines A431 cell membrane chromatography (A431/CMC) with high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) for identifying active components from Radix Caulophylli acting on human EGFR. Retention fractions on A431/CMC model were captured onto an enrichment column and the components were directly analyzed by combining a 10-port column switcher with an LC/MS system for separation and preliminary identification. Using Sorafenib tosylate as a positive control, taspine and caulophine from Radix Caulophylli were identified as the active molecules which could act on the EGFR. This A431/CMC-online-LC/MS method can be applied for screening active components acting on EGFR from traditional Chinese medicines exemplified by Radix Caulophylli and will be of great utility in drug discovery using natural medicinal herbs as a source of novel compounds.     

Integrated soil and plant phosphorus management for crop and environment in China. A review

In semi-arid grassland ecosystems, soil biogeochemical processes are controlled by seasonal and inter-annual rainfall variation and temperature, which may override the long-term impact of grazers on N availability and N dynamics. In a three-year (2004?C2006) case study of an Inner Mongolian grassland, we analysed time-integrated (ion-exchange resins) and instantaneous (soil mineral N extractions) inorganic N availability at three sites of varying grazing intensities and combined these data with information on soil water content (SWC), aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and plant N uptake. Additionally, the effects of rainfall and grazing on N-form availability (NO ₃ ^? -N, NH ₄ ⁺ -N) were considered. Grazing had less impact on N availability compared to seasonal and annual rainfall distribution. One of the three study years (2004) showed a grazing effect with higher resin-N availability at the ungrazed site compared to the heavily grazed site. Inorganic N availability was low in the driest year (2005) and highest in a year of average rainfall amount and favourable distribution (2004). In general, we found a positive relationship between inorganic N availability and both plant productivity and plant N uptake. Rainfall also controlled the plant available NO ₃ ^? -N and NH ₄ ⁺ -N pools; NH ₄ ⁺ -N dominated the available inorganic N-form in times of low SWC, while the available NO ₃ ^? -N increased with SWC. We observed N availability and plant productivity in a temporal synchronized pattern. Increased rainfall variability and land-use practices affecting SWC will likely alter N availability dynamics (and the relation of N-forms) and, therefore, important processes of semi-arid natural grassland carbon and N cycling.     

引入非天然氨基酸胶原蛋白表达及交联成键的优化

微生物重组表达胶原蛋白来源清洁,同时具有序列设计灵活和高产量高纯度等优点,作为生物材料在组织工程等领域具有广泛的应用前景。然而如何促进重组胶原分子交联,使其形成更加稳定的空间结构是设计重组胶原纳米材料需要克服的难点。文中通过双质粒系统将非天然氨基酸O-(2-溴乙基)-酪氨酸引入细菌胶原蛋白序列中,并对其发酵条件进行优化,结果表明在25 ℃下,以终浓度为0.5 mmol/L的IPTG和0.06%的阿拉伯糖诱导24 h可以获得高纯度含非天然氨基酸的胶原蛋白。将含非天然氨基酸的胶原蛋白与含半胱氨酸的胶原蛋白在pH为9.0的NH4HCO3缓冲液中进行交联,形成了最大分子粒径可达1 μm的聚集体,为重组胶原蛋白生物材料的设计提供了新思路。     

MicroRNA-221 promotes colorectal cancer cell invasion and metastasis by targeting RECK

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as regulators of metastasis. We provide insight into the behavior of miR-221 in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis by showing that miR-221 is significantly upregulated in metastatic CRC cell lines and tissues. miR-221 overexpression enhances, whereas miR-221 depletion reduces CRC cell migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo. We identify RECK as a direct target of miR-221, reveal its expression to be inversely correlated with miR-221 in CRC samples and show that its re-introduction reverses miR-221-induced CRC invasiveness. Collectively, miR-221 is an oncogenic miRNA which may regulate CRC migration and invasion through targeting RECK.     

Serum miR-128-2 Serves as a Prognostic Marker for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Circulating miRNAs are promising biomarkers for predicting the aggressiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in the serum of HCC patients with different Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, and to investigate the potential of serum miRNAs as biomarkers for patient outcomes. In the discovery stage, TaqMan Low-Density Array was used to test the difference in levels of serum miRNAs between 20 patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) and 20 patients without PVTT. The detected serum miRNAs then were validated in 182 patients. Fifteen serum miRNAs showed more than two-fold higher expression in patients with PVTT, and miR-128-2 was found to be significantly up-regulated and was selected for further validation. In the validation stage, patients were divided into two groups with low or high serum miR-128-2 using the median expression level of all 182 cases as the cut-off point. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with low level of serum miR-128-2 had favorable trends of survival (log rank = 13.031, p < 0.001). The median survivals for patients with a low and high level of serum miR-128-2 were 625 (95% CI, 527–722) days and 426 (95% CI, 362–491) days, respectively. MiR-128-2 was also an independent factor of overall survival (p = 0.001, HR 2.793, 95%CI 1.550, 5.033). Serum levels of the ubiquitously expressed miR-128-2 showed no significant correlation with parameters of liver damage or liver function. In addition, expressions of miR-128-2 in HCC tissues were up-regulated in comparison with adjacent non-tumor tissues. In conclusion, serum level of miR-128-2 serves as a noninvasive biomarker for the overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.     

水通道蛋白1-C末端肽段/GST融合蛋白的原核表达(简报)

水通道蛋白(Aquaporin,AQP)是一类选择性高效转运水分子的细胞膜通道蛋白,广泛存在于原核和真核生物细胞的细胞膜上,主要介导自由水分子的被动跨膜转运,对保持细胞内外液环境的稳态平衡起着重要的作用.     

三种杀虫剂对皂角豆象的致死效果

【目的】筛选对皂角豆象Megabruchidius dorsalis(Fahraeus)致死效果最好的杀虫剂。【方法】采用氟啶脲、毒死蜱和灭多威3种常用类型杀虫剂的常规剂量对皂角豆象成虫、初孵幼虫和卵进行防治试验。【结果】3种杀虫剂都可以有效的杀死皂角豆象初孵幼虫,接触氟啶脲、毒死蜱和灭多威3种杀虫剂后皂角豆象幼虫72 h死亡率分别为96.59%、100.00%和100.00%,灭多威和毒死蜱对皂角豆象成虫致死效果72 h为100.00%,灭多威对皂角豆象卵的效果最为明显,致死率达94.38%,氟啶脲对皂角豆象卵和成虫无明显致死效果。【结论】灭多威对皂角豆象的致死效果最好。     

Replication and fine mapping of asthma-associated loci in individuals of African ancestry

Asthma originates from genetic and environmental factors with about half the risk of disease attributable to heritable causes. Genome-wide association studies, mostly in populations of European ancestry, have identified numerous asthma-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Studies in populations with diverse ancestries allow both for identification of robust associations that replicate across ethnic groups and for improved resolution of associated loci due to different patterns of linkage disequilibrium between ethnic groups. Here we report on an analysis of 745 African-American subjects with asthma and 3,238 African-American control subjects from the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) Consortium, including analysis of SNPs imputed using 1,000 Genomes reference panels and adjustment for local ancestry. We show strong evidence that variation near RAD50/IL13, implicated in studies of European ancestry individuals, replicates in individuals largely of African ancestry. Fine mapping in African ancestry populations also refined the variants of interest for this association. We also provide strong or nominal evidence of replication at loci near ORMDL3/GSDMB, IL1RL1/IL18R1, and 10p14, all previously associated with asthma in European or Japanese populations, but not at the PYHIN1 locus previously reported in studies of African-American samples. These results improve the understanding of asthma genetics and further demonstrate the utility of genetic studies in populations other than those of largely European ancestry.