茶树DELLA基因家族的鉴定及表达分析

利用生物信息学方法,从茶树（Camellia sinensis（L.）O.Ktze.）全基因组数据库中分析获得DELLA蛋白的家族成员,并对它们的系统进化关系、蛋白序列特征、基因表达特异性及其与茶树次生代谢物的相关性进行分析。结果显示：茶树基因组中共有5个DELLA基因,分别为：TEA009882（CsGAI）、TEA022818（CsRGA1）、TEA010112（CsRGL1）、TEA008736（CsRGL2）和TEA020933（CsRGL3）;其编码的氨基酸数量在525~594之间,均定位于细胞核。该蛋白的二级和三级结构分析结果表明,茶树DELLA蛋白结构中含有大量的α螺旋及少量β转角结构。蛋白保守结构域分析结果显示该蛋白与拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana（L.）Heynh.）具有高度的同源性,均具有GRAS、DELLA等保守结构域。基因的表达特异性分析结果表明,在茶树不同组织部位中,TEA009882、TEA022818和TEA010112基因的表达量均较高,而TEA020933和TEA008736的表达量在各组织中均较低;茶树DELLA基因的表达受到干旱、NaCl、低温及茉莉酸甲酯等非生物逆境胁迫的调控,且其表达量与茶树次生代谢物的积累间存在相关性。推测茶树DELLA基因广泛参与了茶树生长发育及非生物逆境胁迫的响应,以及对次生代谢物生物合成过程的调控。     

Polymorphisms of the Myostatin Gene and Its Relationship with Reproduction Traits in the Bian Chicken

Myostatin, or growth and differentiation factor 8, is a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily; it functions as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development and growth in mammals. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 5′ regulatory region and exon 1 of the myostatin gene were detected by PCR–SSCP in the Bian, Jinghai, Youxi, and Arbor Acre chickens, and the associations of the polymorphisms with reproduction traits were analyzed. Seven SNPs (A326G, C334G, C1346T, G1375A, A1473G, G1491A, and G2283A) were found in the myostatin gene. Association analysis showed that the G2283A were significantly associated with reproduction traits. Bian chickens of the GG genotype had a greater age at first egg than those of the GA and AA genotypes (P < 0.01). Correspondingly, Bian chickens of the GA and AA genotypes had larger egg number at 300 days than those of the GG genotype (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Bian chickens of the AA genotype had significantly higher body weight at 300 days than those of the GG genotype (P < 0.05). These results suggested that the myostatin gene may have certain effects on reproduction traits other than merely as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development and growth in mammals previously reported.     

蕨菜乙醇提取物的Ames试验研究

目的：研究蕨菜乙醇提取物的致突变作用,为蕨菜的开发利用提供一定依据;方法：制备蕨菜乙醇提取物,采用Ames试验方法,以50μg/皿敌克松作为诱变剂,分别添加提取物50、100、200、400、800μg/皿,统计回变菌落数;结果：受试物各剂量组回变菌落数均未超过自发回变菌落数的2倍,且无剂量-反应关系;结论：在本实验条件下,蕨菜乙醇提取物无致突变作用.     

Bone morphogenetic protein 9 overexpression reduces osteosarcoma cell migration and invasion

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is known to promote tumor migration and invasion. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of the TGF-β family expressed in a variety of human carcinoma cell lines. The role of bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9), the most powerful osteogenic factor, in osteosarcoma (OS) progression has not been fully clarified. The expression of BMP9 and its receptors in OS cell lines was analyzed by RT-PCR. We found that BMP9 and its receptors were expressed in OS cell lines. We further investigated the influence of BMP9 on the biological behaviors of OS cells. BMP9 overexpression in the OS cell lines 143B and MG63 inhibited in vitro cell migration and invasion. We further investigated the expression of a panel of cancer-related genes and found that BMP9 overexpression increased the phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 proteins, increased the expression of ID1, and reduced the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in OS cells. BMP9 silencing induced the opposite effects. We also found that BMP9 may not affect the chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12)/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) axis to regulate the invasiveness and metastatic capacity of OS cells. Interestingly, CXCR4 was expressed in both 143B and MG63 cells, while CXCL12 was only detected in MG63 cells. Taken together, we hypothesize that BMP9 inhibits the migration and invasiveness of OS cells through a Smad-dependent pathway by downregulating the expression and activity of MMP9.     

A semi-automated method for hexahedral mesh construction of human vertebrae from CT scans

Generation of finite element (FE) meshes of vertebrae from computed tomography (CT) scans is labour intensive due to their geometric complexity. As such, techniques that simplify creation of meshes of vertebrae are needed to make FE analysis feasible for large studies and clinical applications. Techniques to obtain a geometric representation of bone contours from CT scans of vertebrae and construct a hexahedral mesh from the contours were developed. An automated edge detection technique was developed to identify surface contours of the vertebrae, followed by atlas based B-spline curve fitting to construct curves from the edge points. The method was automatic and robust to missing data, with a controllable degree of smoothing and interpolation. Parametric mapping was then used to generate nodes for each CT slice, which were connected between slices to obtain a hexahedral mesh. This method could be adapted for modelling a variety of orthopaedic structures.     

Stochastic modelling of wall stresses in abdominal aortic aneurysms treated by a gene therapy

A stochastic mechanical model using the membrane theory was used to simulate the in vivo mechanical behaviour of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in order to compute the wall stresses after stabilisation by gene therapy. For that, both length and diameter of AAAs rats were measured during their expansion. Four groups of animals, control and treated by an endovascular gene therapy during 3 or 28 days were included. The mechanical problem was solved analytically using the geometric parameters and assuming the shape of aneurysms by a ‘parabolic–exponential curve’. When compared to controls, stress variations in the wall of AAAs for treated arteries during 28 days decreased, while they were nearly constant at day 3. The measured geometric parameters of AAAs were then investigated using probability density functions (pdf) attributed to every random variable. Different trials were useful to define a reliable confidence region in which the probability to have a realisation is equal to 99%. The results demonstrated that the error in the estimation of the stresses can be greater than 28% when parameters uncertainties are not considered in the modelling. The relevance of the proposed approach for the study of AAA growth may be studied further and extended to other treatments aimed at stabilisation AAAs, using biotherapies and pharmacological approaches.     

Deferoxamine synergistically enhances iron-mediated AP-1 activation: A showcase of the interplay between extracellular-signal-regulated kinase and tyrosine phosphatase

Deferoxamine (DFO) is a drug widely used for iron overload treatment to reduce body iron burden. In the present study, it was shown in mouse epidermal JB6 cells that all iron compounds transiently induced extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) phosphorylation, whereas DFO further enhanced ERK phosphorylation over long periods. The ERK phosphorylation by DFO treatment appears to be due to the inhibition of MAPK phosphatases (MKP) by DFO. The combined effects of iron-initiated MAPK activation and DFO-mediated MKP inhibition resulted in a synergistic enhancement on AP-1 activities. The results indicate that the interplay between MAPK and MKP is important in regulating the extent of AP-1 activation. It is known that administration of DFO in iron overload patients often results in allergic responses at the injection sites. The results suggest that this synergistic AP-1 activation might play a role in DFO-induced skin immune responses of iron overload patients.     

CODON OPTIMIZATION INCREASES HUMAN KALLISTATIN EXPRESSION IN Escherichia coli

A unique serpin, kallistatin, displays vasodilatory, antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity. Difficulty and low efficacy of obtaining recombinant kallistatin limit the wide investigation of its biological and pathological function. The present study employed a codon optimization algorithm to redesign the kallistatin gene and achieved a high yield of recombinant kallistatin protein. The kallistatin codons were redesigned for a more suitable Escherichia coli host without altering amino acids. Base composition and GC% content were compared between synthetic optimized kallistatin (opti-kallistatin) and wild-type kallistatin (wt-kallistatin). Both opti-kallistatin and wt-kallistatin were purified using Ni-NTA His-binding resins through fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The identity and purity of kallistatin were confirmed by Coomassie blue staining, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and Western blot analysis. The output of opti-kallistatin protein was ～2-fold increase (2.09 ± 0.23 mg/L) compared to wt-kallistatin (1.05 ± 0.2 mg/L). These results suggest that more common codon optimization in the E. coli host significantly increases the yield of heterologous human protein yields. This approach will remarkably facilitate the further investigation of kallistatin in vitro and in vivo.