Modification of alternative splicing in bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos using engineered CRISPR-Cas13d

Animal cloning can be achieved by somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT), but the resulting live birth rate is relatively low. We previously improved the efficiency of bovine SCNT by exogenous melatonin treatment or by overexpression of lysine-specific demethylase 4D(KDM4D) and 4E(KDM4E). In this study, we revealed abundant alternative splicing(AS) transitions during fertilization and embryonic genome activation, and demonstrated abnormal AS in bovine SCNT embryos compared with in vitro fertilized ...     

PBI-SUR-TK载体靶向介导HSV-TK自杀基因诱导肝癌细胞凋亡

目的:构建Survivin启动子调控的表达载体,并检测在启动子调控下HSV-TK自杀基因对肝癌细胞HepG₂和正常肝细胞HL-7702凋亡的影响。方法:合成含TK基因的质粒PBI-SUR-TK,利用脂质体Lipofectamine 2000将其导入肝癌细胞和肝细胞。然后分别运用RT-PCR和Western blot特异性检测基因和蛋白的表达情况;利用CCK8方法检测细胞增殖情况,流式细胞仪上机检测细胞凋亡情况。结果:肝癌细胞转染组有更多的TK基因表达产物,增殖情况减弱,凋亡情况明显。结论:Survivin启动子驱动的HSV-TK/GCV自杀基因系统对肝癌可能有一定的治疗作用。     

Enhanced thermostability of a Rhizopus chinensis lipase by in vivo recombination in Pichia pastoris

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Lipase from Rhizopus chinensis is a versatile biocatalyst for various bioconversions and has been expressed at high-level in Pichia pastoris. However, the use of R. chinensis lipase in industrial applications is restricted by its low thermostability. Directed evolution has been proven to be a powerful and efficient protein engineering tool for improvement of biocatalysts. The present work describes improvement of the thermostability of R. chinensis lipase by directed evolution using P. pastoris as the host. RESULTS: An efficient, fast and highly simplified method was developed to create a mutant gene library in P. pastoris based on in vivo recombination, whose recombination efficiency could reach 2.3 x 105 /mug DNA. The thermostability of r27RCL was improved significantly by two rounds of error-prone PCR and two rounds of DNA shuffling in P. pastoris. The S4-3 variant was found to be the most thermostable lipase, under the conditions tested. Compared with the parent, the optimum temperature of S4-3 was two degrees higher, Tm was 22 degrees higher and half-lives at 60degreesC and 65degreesC were 46- and 23- times longer. Moreover, the catalytic efficiency kcat/Km of S4-3 was comparable to the parent. Stabilizing mutations probably increased thermostability by increasing the hydrophilicity and polarity of the protein surface and creating hydrophobic contacts inside the protein. CONCLUSIONS: P. pastoris was shown to be a valuable cell factory to improve thermostability of enzymes by directed evolution and it also could be used for improving other properties of enzymes. In this study, by using P. pastoris as a host to build mutant pool, we succeeded in obtaining a thermostable variant S4-3 without compromising enzyme activity and making it a highly promising candidate for future applications at high temperatures.     

野鸦椿种子内源抑制物活性初探

以野鸦椿(Euscaphis japonica)种壳和胚为材料,甲醇浸提得到种壳浸提液和胚浸提液,配制浸提液浓度梯度为原浸提液浓度的10%、20%、30%、40%,研究不同浓度的种壳和胚浸提液对白菜、小麦、绿豆种子底物酶活性、发芽率、幼苗根长和苗高的影响,萃取和分离种壳和胚甲醇浸提液中的内源抑制物质,探讨野鸦椿种子内源抑制物质的活性与成分。结果表明:随着种壳和胚浸提液浓度的增加,白菜种子酸性磷酸酶活性和发芽率均显著降低(P0.05),表现为抑制作用递增,种壳的抑制作用小于胚,而幼苗的根长和苗高则表现为低促高抑,在10%浸提液处理下根长和苗高达最大值,种壳的促进效果弱于胚;小麦种子淀粉酶活性及幼苗的根长和苗高递减(P0.05),表现为抑制作用递增,而发芽率则在浓度≤20%时差异不明显(P0.05),浓度为30%时显著降低(P0.05),40%时发芽率为0,种壳的抑制作用大于胚;绿豆种子蛋白酶活性、发芽率、幼苗根长和苗高均在浸提液浓度≥20%时显著下降(P0.05),且种壳的作用效果小于胚。种子内源抑制物萃取及分离表明,外壳中含酚酸类较胚多,含碱类较胚少。综上认为,野鸦椿种壳和胚中均含有较高活性的内源抑制物,但性质、成分及含量存在差异,外壳内源抑制物主要作用对象为淀粉类物质,胚乳内源抑制物主要作用于油脂类和蛋白类物质。     

Effect of oleic and linoleic acids on the inflammatory phase of wound healing in rats

Inflammation is a crucial step for the wound healing process. The effect of linoleic and oleic acids on the inflammatory response of the skin during the healing process and on the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by rat neutrophils in vitro was investigated. A wound in the dorsal surface of adult rats was performed and fatty acids were then topically administered. Both oleic and linoleic acids increased the wound healing tissue mass. The total protein and DNA contents of the wounds were increased by the treatment with linoleic acid. The treatments with oleic and linoleic acids did not affect vascular permeability. However, the number of neutrophils in the wounded area and air pouches was increased and the thickness of the necrotic cell layer edge around the wound was decreased. A dose-dependent increase in vascular endothelial growth factor-alpha (VEGF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) by neutrophils incubated in the presence of oleic and linoleic acid was observed. Oleic acid was able to stimulate also the production of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant in inflammation 2 alpha/beta (CINC-2alpha/beta). This pro-inflammatory effect of oleic and linoleic acids may speed up the wound healing process.     

Protective effects of MLIF analogs on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

The monocyte locomotion inhibitory factor (MLIF) is an anti-inflammatory oligopeptide produced by Entamoeba histolytica. Among its different effects, it inhibits locomotion of human monocytes, hence its original name. The carboxyl-terminal end group Cys-Asn-Ser is the pharmacophore of anti-inflammatory peptide Met-Gln-Cys-Asn-Ser. In this study, the N-terminal of Cys-Asn-Ser was modified. With the aim to enhance the antioxidant ability and penetrability of Cys-Asn-Ser, we designed and synthesized two tetrapeptides Tyr-Cys-Asn-Ser and His-Cys-Asn-Ser. The neuroprotective effects of Tyr-Cys-Asn-Ser and His-Cys-Asn-Ser on focal ischemia reperfusion were investigated, and their pharmacological activities compared with Cys-Asn-Ser were studied. In order to study the mechanism of neuroprotective effect of these peptides, the level of oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and pro-inflammatory factors interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were detected in brain tissue homogenate.     

Synthesis,luminescence, and excited-state absorption properties of disubstituted perylene diimide derivatives modified at bay region

Three A–π–A or D–π–D perylene diimide ( PDI ) derivatives with varied groups on π-conjugate were synthesized and characterized. The photophysical properties of these compounds were systematically studied by spectral experiments and density functional theory calculations. All compounds displayed intense absorption bands at 300–800 nm wavelengths. However, diverse groups on the π-conjugate influenced the UV–vis absorption. Electron-withdrawing groups on PDI-2 caused a slight red shift at the 350–400 nm wavelength and a blue shift after 400 nm wavelength. At the same time, the electron-donating substituents on PDI-3 caused an obvious red shift of this band. These PDI derivatives exhibited emission in solution at room temperature (λ_em = 500–850 nm). The quantum yield of PDI-3 decreased, while the electron-donating substituents were introduced to the π-conjugated motifs. However, the quantum yield of PDI-2 increased when electron-withdrawing substituents were introduced to the π-conjugated motifs. In addition, PDI-1 and PDI-2 exhibited broad triplet transient absorption in the visible region. These photophysical properties could help us to understand the relationship between structure and photophysical properties of perylene diimide derivatives and exploit more original perylene diimide-based optical functional materials.     

Rational redesign of the 4-chlorobenzoate binding site of 4-chlorobenzoate: coenzyme a ligase for expanded substrate range

Environmental aromatic acids are transformed to chemical energy in bacteria that possess the requisite secondary pathways. Some of these pathways rely on the activation of the aromatic acid by coenzyme A (CoA) thioesterification catalyzed by an aromatic acid: CoA ligase. Adaptation of such pathways to the bioremediation of man-made pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) requires that the chlorinated benzoic acid byproduct that is formed be able to be eliminated by further degradation. To take advantage of natural benzoic acid degrading pathways requiring initial ring activation by thioesterification, the pathway aromatic acid:CoA ligase must be an effective catalyst with the chlorinated benzoic acid. This study, which focuses on the 4-chlorobenzoate:CoA ligase (CBL) of the 4-monochlorobiphenyl degrading bacterium Alcaligenes sp. strain ALP83, was carried out to determine if the 4-chlorobenzoate binding site of this enzyme can be transformed by rational design to recognize the chlorobenzoic acids formed in the course of breakdown of other environmental PCB congeners. The fundamental question addressed in this study is whether it is possible to add or subtract space from the substrate-binding pocket of this ligase (to complement the topology of the unnatural aromatic substrate) without causing disruption of the ligase catalytic machinery. Herein, we report the results of a substrate specificity analysis that, when interpreted within the context of the X-ray crystal structures, set the stage for the rational design of the ligase for thioesterification of two PCB-derived chlorobenzoic acids. The ligase was first optimized to catalyze CoA thioesterification of 3,4-dichlorobenzoic acid, a poor substrate, by truncating Ile303, a large hydrophobic residue that packs against the ring meta-C(H) group. The structural basis for the approximately 100-fold enhancement in the rate of 3,4-dichlorobenzoate thioesterification catalyzed by the I303A and I303G CBL mutants was validated by determination of the crystal structure of the 3,4-dichlorobenzoate-bound enzymes. Determinations of the structures of I303 mutant complexes of 3-chlorobenzoate, a very poor substrate, revealed nonproductive binding as a result of the inability of the substrate ring C(4)H group to fill the pocket that binds the C(4)Cl group of the native substrate. The C(4)Cl pocket of the CBL I303A mutant was then reduced in size by strategic amino acid replacement. A 54-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency was observed for the CBL F184W/I303A/V209T triple mutant. The results of this investigation are interpreted as evidence that the plasticity of the ligase catalytic scaffold is sufficient to allow expansion of substrate range by rational design. The combination of structural and kinetic analyses of the constructed mutants proved to be an effective approach to engineering the ligase for novel substrates.     

T Cell receptor clonotype influences epitope hierarchy in the CD8+ T cell response to respiratory syncytial virus infection

CD8+ T cell responses are important for recognizing and resolving viral infections. To better understand the selection and hierarchy of virus-specific T cell responses, we compared the T cell receptor (TCR) clonotype in parent and hybrid strains of respiratory syncytial virus-infected mice. K(d)M2(82-90) (SYIGSINNI) in BALB/c and D(b)M(187-195) (NAITNAKII) in C57Bl/6 are both dominant epitopes in parent strains but assume a distinct hierarchy, with K(d)M2(82-90) dominant to D(b)M(187-195) in hybrid CB6F1/J mice. The dominant K(d)M2(82-90) response is relatively public and is restricted primarily to the highly prevalent Vβ13.2 in BALB/c and hybrid mice, whereas D(b)M(187-195) responses in C57BL/6 mice are relatively private and involve multiple Vβ subtypes, some of which are lost in hybrids. A significant frequency of TCR CDR3 sequences in the D(b)M(187-195) response have a distinct "(D/E)WG" motif formed by a limited number of recombination strategies. Modeling of the dominant epitope suggested a flat, featureless structure, but D(b)M(187-195) showed a distinctive structure formed by Lys(7). The data suggest that common recombination events in prevalent Vβ genes may provide a numerical advantage in the T cell response and that distinct epitope structures may impose more limited options for successful TCR selection. Defining how epitope structure is interpreted to inform T cell function will improve the design of future gene-based vaccines.