Apoptin induces pyroptosis of colorectal cancer cells via the GSDME-dependent pathway

Apoptin is a small molecular weight protein encoded by the VP3 gene of chicken anemia virus (CAV). It can induce apoptosis of tumor cells and play anti-tumorigenic functions. In this study, we identified a time-dependent inhibitory role of apoptin on the viability of HCT116 cells. We also demonstrated that apoptin induces pyroptosis through cleaved caspase 3, and with a concomitant cleavage of gasdermin E (GSDME) rather than GSDMD. GSDME knockdown switched the apoptin-induced cell death from pyroptosis to apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the effect of apoptin on GSDME-dependent pyroptosis could be mitigated by caspase-3 and caspase-9 siRNA knockdown. Additionally, apoptin enhanced the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing aggregation of the mitochondrial membrane protein Tom20. Moreover, bax and cytochrome c were released to the activating caspase-9, eventually triggering pyroptosis. Therefore, GSDME mediates the apoptin-induced pyroptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Finally, using nude mice xenografted with HCT116 cells, we found that apoptin induces pyroptosis and significantly inhibits tumor growth. Based on this mechanism, apoptin may provide a new strategy for colorectal cancer therapy.     

微嗜酸寡养单胞菌中的漆酶对黄曲霉毒素B1降解脱毒的生物活性

[目的]探究微嗜酸寡养单胞菌中的漆酶对AFB1的降解活性,并确定漆酶在菌株CW117降解代谢AFB1过程中的贡献.[方法]从微嗜酸寡养单胞菌基因组中,共筛选到两个漆酶基因lc1和lc2,并用大肠杆菌BL21外源表达蛋白rLC1和rLC2,在体外检测其对AFB1的降解活性.同时参考前人报道,研究了氧化性辅剂对漆酶AFB1...     

我国福寿螺入侵现状和防控研究进展

福寿螺原分布于南美洲,20世纪80年代作为一种水生经济生物引入我国,后因食味不佳被弃于水生环境,因其具有繁殖力高、适应性强、食性杂等特点,在我国多个区域迅速扩散入侵,已给农业生产、生态系统、人类健康等造成了严重的危害.文章对福寿螺入侵现状进行了深入分析与系统总结,介绍了现有福寿螺防控技术手段,重点阐述环境友好型福寿螺防...     

Receptor for advanced glycation end products aggravates cognitive deficits in type 2 diabetes through binding of C‐terminal AAs 2‐5 to mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3) and facilitation of MEKK3‐MKK3‐p38 module assembly

In this study, we explored the precise mechanisms underlying the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)‐mediated neuronal loss and behavioral dysfunction induced by hyperglycemia. We used immunoprecipitation (IP) and GST pull‐down assays to assess the interaction between RAGE and mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3). Then, we investigated the effect of specific mutation of RAGE on plasticity at hippocampal synapses and behavioral deficits in db/db mice through electrophysiological recordings, morphological assays, and behavioral tests. We discovered that RAGE binds MKK3 and that this binding is required for assembly of the MEKK3‐MKK3‐p38 signaling module. Mechanistically, we found that activation of p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK)/NF‐κB signaling depends on mediation of the RAGE‐MKK3 interaction by C‐terminal RAGE (ctRAGE) amino acids (AAs) 2‐5. We found that ctRAGE R2A‐K3A‐R4A‐Q5A mutation suppressed neuronal damage, improved synaptic plasticity, and alleviated behavioral deficits in diabetic mice by disrupting the RAGE‐MKK3 conjugation. High glucose induces direct binding of RAGE and MKK3 via ctRAGE AAs 2‐5, which leads to assembly of the MEKK3‐MKK3‐p38 signaling module and subsequent activation of the p38MAPK/NF‐κB pathway, and ultimately results in diabetic encephalopathy (DE).     

燕山地区白头翁生境伴生植物资源调查与分析

调查与白头翁共存的伴生植物种类、相似性、生活型、分布区类型等,探讨其生态适应性和地理分布规律,针对性地提出白头翁资源保护利用建议,以期为燕山地区白头翁种质资源的保护和利用提供参考。采用访问调查、路线调查和典型样地调查法,对燕山地区白头翁生境伴生植物进行调查与分析。燕山地区从冀东的秦皇岛地区到冀北的承德地区都有白头翁的分布,多生于向阳的山地草坡上,喜光、耐旱、适于阳生性环境。白头翁生境伴生植物共56科128属164种,主要优势科为菊科（Compositae）、豆科（Leguminosae）、禾本科（Gramineae）、蔷薇科（Rosaceae）、唇形科（Labiatae）、百合科（Liliaceae）、毛茛科（Ranunculaceae）、萝藦科（Asclepiadaceae）等,其中乔木共5科5属7种,灌木共22科38属46种,草本植物共35科85属111种。调查的各样地间相似系数普遍较低,说明燕山地区不同地区白头翁生境差别较大,其伴生植物具有多样性的特点。伴生植物属的分布区类型可分为14个,群落具有明显温带性质。燕山地区白头翁生境多样性及伴生植物的多样性,反映出燕山地区白头翁生态适...     

Modeling the CRL4A ligase complex to predict target protein ubiquitination induced by cereblon-recruiting PROTACs

PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are hetero-bifunctional small molecules that can simultaneously recruit target proteins and E3 ligases to form a ternary complex, promoting target protein ubiquitination and degradation via the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS). PROTACs have gained increasing attention in recent years due to certain advantages over traditional therapeutic modalities and enabling targeting of previously “undruggable” proteins. To better understand the mechanism of PROTAC-induced Target Protein Degradation (TPD), several computational approaches have recently been developed to study and predict ternary complex formation. However, mounting evidence suggests that ubiquitination can also be a rate-limiting step in PROTAC-induced TPD. Here, we propose a structure-based computational approach to predict target protein ubiquitination induced by cereblon (CRBN)-based PROTACs by leveraging available structural information of the CRL4A ligase complex (CRBN/DDB1/CUL4A/Rbx1/NEDD8/E2/Ub). We generated ternary complex ensembles with Rosetta, modeled multiple CRL4A ligase complex conformations, and predicted ubiquitination efficiency by separating the ternary ensemble into productive and unproductive complexes based on the proximity of the ubiquitin to accessible lysines on the target protein. We validated our CRL4A ligase complex models with published ternary complex structures and additionally employed our modeling workflow to predict ubiquitination efficiencies and sites of a series of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) after treatment with TL12–186, a pan-kinase PROTAC. Our predictions are consistent with CDK ubiquitination and site-directed mutagenesis of specific CDK lysine residues as measured using a NanoBRET ubiquitination assay in HEK293 cells. This work structurally links PROTAC-induced ternary formation and ubiquitination, representing an important step toward prediction of target “degradability.”