Inhibitors of hepatitis C virus NS3.4A protease 1. Non-charged tetrapeptide variants

Tetrapeptide-based peptidomimetic compounds have been shown to effectively inhibit the hepatitis C virus NS3.4A protease without the need of a charged functionality. An aldehyde is used as a prototype reversible electrophilic warhead. The SAR of the P1 and P2 inhibitor positions is discussed.     

Tumor necrosis factor regulates intestinal epithelial cell migration by receptor-dependent mechanisms

Altered mucosal integrity andincreased cytokine production, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF),are the hallmarks of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study,we addressed the role of TNF receptors (TNFR) on intestinal epithelialcell migration in an in vitro wound closure model. With mouse TNFR1 orTNFR2 knockout intestinal epithelial cells, gene transfection, andpharmacological inhibitors, we show a concentration-dependentreceptor-mediated regulation of intestinal cell migration by TNF. Aphysiological TNF level (1 ng/ml) enhances migration through TNFR2,whereas a pathological level (100 ng/ml) inhibits wound closure through TNFR1. Increased rate of wound closure by TNFR2 or inhibition by TNFR1cannot be explained by either increased proliferation orapoptosis, respectively. Furthermore, inhibiting Src tyrosine kinase decreases TNF-induced focal adhesion kinase (FAK) tyrosine phosphorylation and cellular migration. We therefore conclude thatTNFR2 activates a novel Src-regulated pathway involving FAK tyrosinephosphorylation that enhances migration of intestinal epithelial cells.

     

hPNAS-4 inhibits proliferation through S phase arrest and apoptosis: underlying action mechanism in ovarian cancer cells

PNAS-4, a novel pro-apoptotic gene, was activated during the early response to DNA damage. Previous studies have shown that hPNAS-4 can inhibit tumor growth when over-expressed in ovarian cancer cells. However, the underlying action mechanism remains elusive. In this work, we found that hPNAS-4 expression was significantly increased in SKOV3 cells when exposed to cisplatin, methyl methanesulfonate or mitomycin C, and that its overexpression could induce proliferation inhibition, S phase arrest and apoptosis in A2780s and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. The S phase arrest caused by hPNAS-4 was associated with up-regulation of p21. p21 is p53-dispensable and correlates with activation of ERK, and activation of the Cdc25A-Cdk2-Cyclin E/Cyclin A pathway, while the pro-apoptotic effects of hPNAS-4 were mediated by activation of caspase-9 and -3 other than caspase-8, and accompanied by release of AIF, Smac and cytochrome c into the cytosol. Taken together, these data suggest a new mechanism by which hPNAS-4 inhibits proliferation of ovarian cancer cells by inducing S phase arrest and apoptosis via activation of Cdc25A-Cdk2-Cyclin E/Cyclin A axis and mitochondrial dysfunction-mediated caspase-dependent and -independent apoptotic pathways. To our knowledge, we provide the first molecular evidence for the potential application of hPNAS-4 as a novel target in ovarian cancer gene therapy.     

复合生态系统动态足迹分析

由Rees W E．于1992年提出、由Wackernagel M．于1996年完善的生态占用(生态足迹)原理与方法,其主要成果是评价出全球52个有代表性的国家和地区的生态占用盈亏情况,进一步得出全球人均生态占用阈值为1．74hm^2(量纲,下同)、基准值为2.0hm^2,而人均实际生态占用为2．4hm^2,人均生态赤字达0．4hm^2以上,评价结果表明全球生态环境进人了危机阶段,因此具有重要的预警战略意义。但是该方法也存在一些不足之处,如：(1)主要是反映自然生态系统承载力,未能全面反映出社会经济反馈力(人力、物资、资金、管理等方面的投人效用),尤其是忽略了现代科学技术在提高复合生态系统承载力方面的巨大作用和贡献;(2)将各生态类型加权抽象化后所得到的等量化综合指标,难于反映复合生态系统要素与要素间的复杂变化规律;(3)最初创建的方法未反映动态变化情况：(4)新开发的4种时间序列的方法,仍不能反映复合生态要素间生动地相关关系。针对以上主要缺陷,旨在将复合生态系统进行要素分解,进行要素与时间相关分析及要素间动态相关分析。将社会经济冲击力、自然生态环境资源承载力及社会经济科学技术反馈力三者相结合进行分析综合性研究的基础上,于2002年创建了复合生态系统动态足迹(生态史迹)分析原理、方法和研究案例。鉴于社会经济系统对自然生态系统的冲击力、生态环境资源系统的承载力及社会经济科学技术的反馈力都是在变动的,必需进行复合生态系统动态足迹的相关分析。在做出复合生态系统单要素(含因子,下同)随时间要素动态变化、双要素间动态相关分析的基础上;进一步建立了可反映出复合生态系统冲击力、承载力及反馈力的多要素间动态足迹相关模式图。模式图的基本原理是：反映冲击力的人均生态需求(I／P)应小于或等于复合生态承载力的人均有效生态空间(E／P)与单位有效生态空间产出(I’／E)的乘积。以E／P为横轴、I’／E为纵轴作图,图中各点为I／P;图中系列I／P理论等值线可构成复合生态系统承载力基准和序列标准曲线。模式图的基本功能和作用有：(1)通过理论研究和经验分析,可以绘制出复合生态系统有关要素承载力基准与序列标准曲线;(2)通过历史统计资料,可以绘制出复合生态系统相关生态因子冲击力的动态变化曲线;(3)可以对冲击力与承载力基准与标准序列间进行静态和动态评价;(4)可以对反馈力增加复合生态系统承载力的情况进行评价;(5)进一步再进行针对性的原因分析及包括提高反馈力在内的对策性研究。     

肺炎克雷伯菌荚膜糖蛋白ELISA检测方法的研究

以肺炎克雷伯菌荚膜糖蛋白为免疫原,获得了兔抗肺炎克雷伯菌荚膜糖蛋白抗血清,通过硫酸铵分级沉淀与吸附法相结合的方法对抗血清进行纯化,并在此基础上建立了肺炎克雷伯菌荚膜糖蛋白间接ELISA检测方法.该检测方法的检测灵敏度为0.031 mg/L,线性检测范围为2.5～30.0 mg/L,批内误差为1.04％～3.22％,批间误差为2.61％～8.35％.     

一种新型细胞微阵列的制作和应用

为了高通量地检测大量培养细胞中基因原位表达, 发明了一种制作细胞微阵列的新方法,成功地制作含20种细胞系共100个供体细胞石蜡混合物点阵的细胞微阵列.免疫组化检测P53, P21, PTEN、P16基因在细胞微阵列中的蛋白质表达.原位杂交检测BRD7、NGX6 基因在细胞微阵列中mRNA原位表达.建立了P53、P21、PTEN、P16蛋白和BRD7、NGX6 mRNA 在不同培养细胞中的原位表达谱.细胞微阵列为基因功能研究提供一种新的高通量工具.细胞微阵列可广泛用于DNA、RNA和蛋白质水平上的基因原位表达研究.细胞微阵列还可用于筛选药物作用靶标的研究.     

田基黄(口山)酮成分的研究

采用萃取,硅胶及凝胶柱色谱等方法从田基黄全草中分离得到了7个San酮类化合物,利用UV、IR、^1H NMR、^13C NMR、MS等波谱技术将他们的结构分别鉴定为6-脱氧异巴西红厚壳素(1)、异巴西红厚壳素(2)、1,3,5,6-四羟基San酮(3)、1,3,6,7-四羟基San酮(4),1,3,5,6-四羟基-4-异戊烯San酮(5)、1,3,5-三羟基San酮(6)和bijaponicaxanthone(7),其中化合物3、4和6为首次从该植物中分得的San酮类化合物。     

Successful low dose insemination of flow cytometrically sorted Sika (Cervus nippon) sperm in Wapiti (Cervus elaphus)

The purpose of this study was to determine a practical method in Wapiti (Cervus elaphus) of using predetermined sexed Sika (Cervus nippon) semen. Semen was collected by electro-ejaculation from one stag of proven fertility and transported to the laboratory where it was retained as unsorted (control) or was separated into X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm using a modified high-speed cell sorter. Wapiti hinds (n = 81) were inseminated into the uterus by rectum manipulation with 1 × 10⁶ (X1 and Y1 group, respectively) or 2 × 10⁶ (X2 and Y2 group, respectively) of sorted frozen-thawed and 1 × 10⁷ non-sorted frozen-thawed (a commercial dose control) Sika motile sperm 60–66 h after removal of intra-vaginal progesterone-impregnated CIDR devices and administration of 700 IU of PMSG at the time of CIDR removal. The percentage of hinds calving after insemination was similar for X1 (38.5%), X2 (41.7%), Y1 (44.4%), Y2 (38.9%) groups (P > 0.05), but higher for control (75%) treatment (P < 0.05). Ultimately 15 out of the 16 Sika and Wapiti-hybrid calves produced by Wapiti hinds inseminated with Y-sorted sperm were male (93.7%) and 10/10 (100%) Sika and Wapiti-hybrid calves from hinds inseminated with X-sorted sperm were female. The sex ratio of the Sika and Wapiti-hybrid calves born to hinds inseminated with sex-sorted sperm deviated significantly (P < 0.05) from 50% and 50.0% in the control group. All Sika and Wapiti-hybrid calves were born between 237 and 250 d of gestation. Male and female calves in the control group had similar birth weights and weaning weights as calves from hinds inseminated with X- or Y-sorted sperm. In conclusion it can be said that normal Sika and Wapiti-hybrid calves of predicted sex can be produced after artificial insemination of Wapiti does with low numbers of sex-sorted cryopreserved Sika sperm.     

Synaptic neurotransmission depression in ventral tegmental dopamine neurons and cannabinoid-associated addictive learning

Drug addiction is an association of compulsive drug use with long-term associative learning/memory. Multiple forms of learning/memory are primarily subserved by activity- or experience-dependent synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Recent studies suggest LTP expression in locally activated glutamate synapses onto dopamine neurons (local Glu-DA synapses) of the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) following a single or chronic exposure to many drugs of abuse, whereas a single exposure to cannabinoid did not significantly affect synaptic plasticity at these synapses. It is unknown whether chronic exposure of cannabis (marijuana or cannabinoids), the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide, induce LTP or LTD at these synapses. More importantly, whether such alterations in VTA synaptic plasticity causatively contribute to drug addictive behavior has not previously been addressed. Here we show in rats that chronic cannabinoid exposure activates VTA cannabinoid CB1 receptors to induce transient neurotransmission depression at VTA local Glu-DA synapses through activation of NMDA receptors and subsequent endocytosis of AMPA receptor GluR2 subunits. A GluR2-derived peptide blocks cannabinoid-induced VTA synaptic depression and conditioned place preference, i.e., learning to associate drug exposure with environmental cues. These data not only provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic depression at VTA dopamine circuitry requires GluR2 endocytosis, but also suggest an essential contribution of such synaptic depression to cannabinoid-associated addictive learning, in addition to pointing to novel pharmacological strategies for the treatment of cannabis addiction.     

Enzymatic synthesis of tea theaflavin derivatives and their anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities

Derivatives based on a benzotropolone skeleton (9-26) have been prepared by the enzymatic coupling (horseradish peroxidase/H2O2) of selected pairs of compounds (1-8), one with a vic-trihydroxyphenyl moiety, and the other with an ortho-dihydroxyphenyl structure. Some of these compounds have been found to inhibit TPA-induced mice ear edema, nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, and arachidonic acid release by LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Their cytotoxic activities against KYSE 150 and 510 human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and HT 29 human colon cancer cells were also evaluated.