Correlation of structure to antitumor activities of five derivatives of a beta-glucan from Poria cocos sclerotium

A water-insoluble (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan isolated from fresh sclerotium of Poria cocos was, respectively, sulfated, carboxymethylated, methylated, hydroxyethylated, and hydroxypropylated, to afford five water-soluble derivatives. Their weight-average molecular masses (Mw) and intrinsic viscosities ([eta]) were determined by size-exclusion chromatography combined with laser light scattering (SEC-LLS), LLS, and viscometry in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at 37 degrees C. The antitumor activities, against Sarcoma 180 tumor cell (S-180) and gastric carcinoma cell strain (MKN-45 and SGC-7901) of the native beta-glucan and the five derivatives, were tested in vitro and in vivo. The Mw values of the five derivatives in PBS were determined to be 3.8 x 10(4), 18.9 x 10(4), 16.0 x 10(4), 76.8 x 10(4), and 224.3 x 10(4), respectively. The high Mw values of the hydroxyethylated and hydroxypropylated derivatives in aqueous solution resulted from aggregation, and their true Mw values obtained in dimethyl sulfoxide were 20.1 x 10(4) and 19.1 x 10(4). The sulfated and carboxymethylated derivatives having DS of 1.0-1.3 show good water solubility, and exist as relatively expanded chains in aqueous solution. Interestingly, the native beta-glucan did not show antitumor activity, whereas the sulfated and carboxymethylated derivatives exhibit significant antitumor activities against S-180 and gastric carcinoma tumor cells. This work showed that good water solubility, relatively high chain stiffness, and moderate molecular mass of the derivatives in aqueous solution contribute beneficial to enhancement of antitumor activity.     

宁夏蝗虫地理分布格局的聚类分析

根据宁夏的自然环境和行政区划将宁夏分为22个分布区域。为方便聚类分析,根据分布范围将宁夏蝗虫分为全布种(22个区域有分布)、多布种(2～21区域有分布)和独布种(只分布在1个区域)3类。在以分布区域为特征做聚类分析的基础上,把多布种分组并确定重叠的分布格局,共分为14个组。各组蝗虫在宁夏的自然分布作为其分布格局。结果表明：宁夏蝗虫的多布种多呈不连续分布;分布格局与国内外基本相似;贺兰山是宁夏蝗虫分布的热点。不连续的环境是造成宁夏蝗虫多布种不连续分布的主要原因。     

Statistical Inference Methods for Two Crossing Survival Curves: A Comparison of Methods

A common problem that is encountered in medical applications is the overall homogeneity of survival distributions when two survival curves cross each other. A survey demonstrated that under this condition, which was an obvious violation of the assumption of proportional hazard rates, the log-rank test was still used in 70% of studies. Several statistical methods have been proposed to solve this problem. However, in many applications, it is difficult to specify the types of survival differences and choose an appropriate method prior to analysis. Thus, we conducted an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the power and type I error rate of these procedures under various patterns of crossing survival curves with different censoring rates and distribution parameters. Our objective was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of tests in different situations and for various censoring rates and to recommend an appropriate test that will not fail for a wide range of applications. Simulation studies demonstrated that adaptive Neyman’s smooth tests and the two-stage procedure offer higher power and greater stability than other methods when the survival distributions cross at early, middle or late times. Even for proportional hazards, both methods maintain acceptable power compared with the log-rank test. In terms of the type I error rate, Renyi and Cramér—von Mises tests are relatively conservative, whereas the statistics of the Lin-Xu test exhibit apparent inflation as the censoring rate increases. Other tests produce results close to the nominal 0.05 level. In conclusion, adaptive Neyman’s smooth tests and the two-stage procedure are found to be the most stable and feasible approaches for a variety of situations and censoring rates. Therefore, they are applicable to a wider spectrum of alternatives compared with other tests.     

A novel and highly efficient production system for recombinant adeno-associated virus vector

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) has proven to be a promising gene delivery vector for human gene therapy. However, its application has been limited by difficulty in obtaining enough quantities of high-titer vector stocks. In this paper, a novel and highly efficient production system for rAAV is described. A recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (rHSV-1) designated HSV1-rc/AUL2, which expressed adeno-associated virus type2 (AAV-2) Rep and Cap proteins, was constructed previously. The data confirmed that its functions were to support rAAV replication and packaging, and the generated rAAV was infectious. Meanwhile, an rAAV proviral cell line designated BHK/SG2, which carried the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene expression cassette, was established by transfecting BHK-21 cells with rAAV vector plasmid pSNAV-2-GFP. Infecting BHK/SG2 with HSV1-rc/AUL2 at an MOI of 0.1 resulted in the optimal yields of rAAV, reaching 250 transducing unit (TU) or 4.28×104 particles per cell. Therefore, compared     

蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶SHP-2在乳腺癌细胞移动及粘附中的作用

探讨蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶SHP 2在乳腺癌细胞MCF 7的移动及粘附中的作用 .利用基因重组技术分别将野生型SHP 2与突变型SHP 2与绿色荧光蛋白GFP的基因片段构成重组质粒 (SHP 2 GFP、SHP 2C >S GFP) .脂质体转染法分别转入MCF 7中 ,表达成功后筛选并建立SHP 2 GFP和SHP 2C >S GFP细胞株 .荧光显微镜观察细胞移动情况 ,免疫印迹法检测粘附分子E 钙粘蛋白和金属蛋白酶MMP 1及MMP 9的表达 .实验后建立SHP 2 GFP及SHP 2C >S GFP细胞株 ,同时观察到SHP 2C >S GFP细胞的形态发生明显改变 :从梭形状态变成圆形状态 .荧光显微镜发现 ,MCF 7细胞和SHP 2 GFP、SHP 2C >S GFP转染的细胞在 3h、6h、9h的移动情况分别是MCF 7为 10 %、2 3%、5 4% ,SHP 2 GFP为 15 %、4 9%、98% ,SHP 2C >S GFP为 4 %、11%、30 % .免疫印迹结果表明 ,SHP 2C >S GFP细胞的E 钙粘蛋白表达比SHP 2 GFP细胞明显升高 (P <0 0 5 ) .MMP 1及MMP 9的表达量在SHP 2 GFP细胞中有所增强 (P <0 0 5 ) .实验表明 ,SHP 2可能通过调节粘附分子和基质金属磷酸酶而在细胞移动、粘附中发挥重要作用     

Effects of ROS and caspase-3-like protein on the growth and aerenchyma formation of Potamogeton perfoliatus stem

Protoplasma - Aerenchyma formation plays an important role in the survival of Potamogeton perfoliatus in submerged environment. To understand the regulatory role of reactive oxygen species (ROS)...     

The Effect of High-Temperature Stress on the Physiological Indexes,Chloroplast Ultrastructure,and Photosystems of two Herbaceous Peony Cultivars

In this study, two herbaceous peony cultivars with different heat tolerances (‘Fenyunu’ FYN low sensitivity and ‘Qiaoling’ QL high sensitivity) were used as research materials. An integrated view of the factors underlying the decrease in photosynthetic rate under high-temperature (HT) stress was provided by analyzing the biochemical parameters, chloroplast ultrastructure, gas-exchange parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, and modulated 820 nm reflection of herbaceous peony leaves. The results showed that hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, malondialdehyde, and electrical conductivity increased significantly, while the photosynthetic pigments content and photosynthetic capacity decreased significantly in QL than in FYN under HT. The contents of soluble sugars and proline increased greatly in FYN than in QL, while the activity of SOD decreased markedly in QL than in FYN after HT. Compared with FYN, the ultrastructure of QL was more seriously disrupted under HT. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis showed that HT changed the shapes of OJIP curve, resulting in the increase of K phase and J phase. The PSII acceptor side was more damaged than the donor side, and the electron transfer was seriously blocked. The energy flow in the process of light energy absorption, capture, and electron transfer were significantly changed after HT stress. Meanwhile, PSI was also significantly inhibited, and the coordination of both photosystems decreased. The variation of these parameters in FYN was less than that in QL. These results suggested that FYN featured a more heat-tolerance ability as evidenced by the good performances on the antioxidant system, osmoregulatory capacity, and the thermostability of membranes and photosystems.