Development of a refined ex vivo model of peritoneal adhesion formation,and a role for connexin 43 in their development

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Despite many advances across the surgical sciences, post-surgical peritoneal adhesions still pose a considerable risk in modern-day procedures and are highly...     

Multi‐isotype antibody responses against the multimeric Salmonella Typhi recombinant hemolysin E antigen

The detection and measurement of different antibody isotypes in the serum provide valuable indicators of the different stages of typhoid infection. Here, the ability of S. Typhi recombinant hemolysin E (HlyE) to detect multi‐isotype antibody responses in sera of patients with typhoid and paratyphoid A was investigated using an indirect antibody immunoassay. Nanogram amounts of HlyE were found to be sufficient for detection of IgG and IgA isotypes and, in a study of individuals' sera (n = 100), the immunoassay was able to distinguish between typhoid and non‐typhoid sera. The overall sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of the ELISA were 70% (39/56), 100% (44/44) and 83% respectively.     

不同光质对甘蓝型油菜幼苗的生长和生理特性的影响

以甘蓝型油菜品种‘宁油12’为试材,采用单因素随机区组设计的盆栽试验,将直播后长至子叶展平时的油菜幼苗转入荧光灯(FL,对照)、蓝光(B)、蓝红组合1∶1(BR1∶1)、蓝红组合1∶8(BR1∶8)和红光(R)下进行照射,考察不同光质对甘蓝型油菜生长指标、根系活力、叶绿素含量和光合产物等的光效应,筛选适合甘蓝型油菜工厂化育苗的人工光源,为油菜的工厂化育苗的光源合理利用提供理论指导和技术支持。结果表明:(1)油菜幼苗的鲜质量、干质量、根长、株高、茎粗和叶面积在BR1∶8处理下最大,并显著高于对照FL;(2)BR1∶8处理下的幼苗根系活力最强,其次为B处理,二者都显著高于对照FL;(3)幼苗叶片叶绿素a、叶绿素b、叶绿素总量和类胡萝卜素的含量在各光质处理下变化趋势一致,即B处理最大,其次是BR1∶8处理,二者均显著高于BR1∶1、R和FL处理,但BR1∶1、R和FL处理间均无显著差异;(4)BR1∶8处理幼苗叶片的可溶性糖、淀粉和游离氨基酸含量最高,且都显著高于BR1∶1、R和FL处理;B处理幼苗叶片的蔗糖、可溶性蛋白和抗坏血酸含量最高,且显著高于BR1∶1、R和FL处理;BR1∶8处理叶片的可溶性碳和氮含量最高,其次为B处理,并显著高于BR1∶1、R和FL处理;而对照FL处理的碳氮比最大,显著高于其他处理。研究认为,蓝红组合光(1∶8)能显著提高甘蓝型油菜叶片可溶性糖、可溶性淀粉、游离氨基酸、可溶糖总碳和总氮的含量,而蓝光则能显著促进叶片光合色素、蔗糖、可溶性蛋白和抗坏血酸的积累,有效促使幼苗快速、健壮生长,生产中可采用蓝红组合光(1∶8)和蓝光作为甘蓝型油菜育苗的人工光源。     

An ana2/ctp/mud complex regulates spindle orientation in Drosophila neuroblasts

Drosophila neural stem cells, larval brain neuroblasts (NBs), align their mitotic spindles along the apical/basal axis during asymmetric cell division (ACD) to maintain the balance of self-renewal and differentiation. Here, we identified a protein complex composed of the tumor suppressor anastral spindle 2 (Ana2), a dynein light-chain protein Cut up (Ctp), and Mushroom body defect (Mud), which regulates mitotic spindle orientation. We isolated two ana2 alleles that displayed spindle misorientation and NB overgrowth phenotypes in larval brains. The centriolar protein Ana2 anchors Ctp to centrioles during ACD. The centriolar localization of Ctp is important for spindle orientation. Ana2 and Ctp localize Mud to the centrosomes and cell cortex and facilitate/maintain the association of Mud with Pins at the apical cortex. Our findings reveal that the centrosomal proteins Ana2 and Ctp regulate Mud function to?orient the mitotic spindle during NB asymmetric division.     

E-cadherin can be expressed by a small population of rat undifferentiated spermatogonia in vivo and in vitro

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) maintain gamete production in the testes throughout adult life by balancing self-renewal and differentiation. In vitro culture of SSCs is a crucial technique for gene manipulation of SSCs to generate transgenic animals, for transplantation of SSCs to restore male fertility for infertile man, and for generation of pluripotent stem cells from SSCs to differentiate into various cell lineages. Isolation of highly purified SSCs is an all-important component for development of these techniques. However, definitive markers for SSCs, which purify SSCs (100% enrichment), are unknown. SSCs of many species can colonize the mouse testis; thus, we reasoned that same molecules of SSCs are conserved between species. In mouse, undifferentiated spermatogonia express the surface marker E-cadherin. The hypothesis tested in this work was that E-cadherin (also known as CDH1) can be expressed by undifferentiated spermatogonia of rat testes. In this paper, cross-section immunohistochemistry and whole-mount immunohistochemistry of rat seminiferous tubules were conducted to show that E-cadherin-positive cells were small in number and there are single, paired, and aligned spermatogonia attached along the basement membrane. During in vitro culture period, the undifferentiated rat spermatogonial colonies co-expressed E-cadherin and glial-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-1 or E-cadherin and promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger. Data collected during the study demonstrate that E-cadherin is expressed by a small population of rat undifferentiated spermatogonia both in vivo and during in vitro culture period.     

Rapid characterization and engineering of natural product biosynthetic pathways via DNA assembler

We report a synthetic biology strategy for rapid genetic manipulation of natural product biosynthetic pathways. Based on DNA assembler, this method synthesizes the entire expression vector containing the target biosynthetic pathway and the genetic elements required for DNA maintenance and replication in various hosts in a single-step manner through yeast homologous recombination, offering unprecedented flexibility and versatility in pathway manipulations.     

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease in Shenyang, China

Background

The relationship between ambient air pollution exposure and mortality of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in human is controversial, and there is little information about how exposures to ambient air pollution contribution to the mortality of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases among Chinese. The aim of the present study was to examine whether exposure to ambient-air pollution increases the risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We conducted a retrospective cohort study among humans to examine the association between compound-air pollutants [particulate matter <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)] and mortality in Shenyang, China, using 12 years of data (1998–2009). Also, stratified analysis by sex, age, education, and income was conducted for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality. The results showed that an increase of 10 µg/m³ in a year average concentration of PM₁₀ corresponds to 55% increase in the risk of a death cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51 to 1.60) and 49% increase in cerebrovascular disease (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.45 to 1.53), respectively. The corresponding figures of adjusted HR (95%CI) for a 10 µg/m³ increase in NO₂ was 2.46 (2.31 to 2.63) for cardiovascular mortality and 2.44 (2.27 to 2.62) for cerebrovascular mortality, respectively. The effects of air pollution were more evident in female that in male, and nonsmokers and residents with BMI<18.5 were more vulnerable to outdoor air pollution.

Conclusion/Significance

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with the death of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases among Chinese populations.