冷鲜牛肉中蜂房哈夫尼亚菌(Hafnia alvei)的分离与鉴定

在出口冷鲜牛肉的沙门氏菌检验过程中,从HE琼脂平板上分离到1株蜂房哈夫尼亚菌,该菌三糖铁斜面产碱,底层产酸,不产生H2S,不产气,革兰阴性。经BBL Crystal微生物半自动检测仪检测,同时结合伯杰细菌鉴定手册的生化试验结果鉴定为蜂房哈夫尼亚菌(Hafnia alvei)。     

Arsenic efflux governed by the arsenic resistance determinant of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258.

The arsenic resistance operon of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 determined lowered net cellular uptake of 73As by an active efflux mechanism. Arsenite was exported from the cells; intracellular arsenate was first reduced to arsenite and then transported out of the cells. Resistant cells showed lower accumulation of 73As originating from both arsenate and arsenite. Active efflux from cells loaded with arsenite required the presence of the plasmid-determined arsB gene. Efflux of arsenic originating as arsenate required the presence of the arsC gene and occurred more rapidly with the addition of arsB. Inhibitor studies with S. aureus loaded with arsenite showed that arsenite efflux was energy dependent and appeared to be driven by the membrane potential. With cells loaded with 73AsO4(3-), a requirement for ATP for energy was observed, leading to the conclusion that ATP was required for arsenate reduction. When the staphylococcal arsenic resistance determinant was cloned into Escherichia coli, lowered accumulation of arsenate and arsenite and 73As efflux from cells loaded with arsenate were also found. Cloning of the E. coli plasmid R773 arsA gene (the determinant of the arsenite-dependent ATPase) in trans to the S. aureus gene arsB resulted in increased resistance to arsenite.     

The Prognostic Value of Plasma Soluble ST2 in Hospitalized Chinese Patients with Heart Failure

Background

sST2 has been shown to be a risk predictor in heart failure (HF). Our aim was to explore the characteristics and prognostic value of soluble ST2 (sST2) in hospitalized Chinese patients with HF.

Methods and Results

We consecutively enrolled 1528 hospitalized patients with HF. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis were used to assess the prognostic values of sST2. Adverse events were defined as all-cause death and cardiac transplantation. During a median follow-up of 19.1 months, 325 patients experienced adverse events. Compared with patients free of events, sST2 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with events (P<0.001). Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses showed sST2 concentrations were significantly associated with adverse events (per 1 log unit, adjusted hazard ratio 1.52, 95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 1.78, P<0.001). An sST2 concentration in the highest quartiles (>55.6 ng/mL) independently predicted events in comparison to the lowest quartile (≤25.2 ng/mL) when adjusted by multivariable model. In ROC analysis, the area under the curve for sST2 was not different from that for NT-proBNP in short and longer term. Over time, sST2 also improved discrimination and reclassification of risk beyond NT-proBNP.

Conclusions

sST2 is a strong independent risk predictor in Chinese patients hospitalized with HF and can significantly provide additional prognostic value to NT-proBNP in risk prediction.     

LGT蛋白质组阳性肿瘤患者免疫功能的观察报告——LGT系列论文之八

目的：了解LGT（lost goodwill target）蛋白质组阳性表达患者CD3^＋、CD4^＋、CD8^＋、CD4^＋/CD8^＋、T细胞和NK细胞的变化规律.方法：对30例LGT蛋白质组阳性表达的肿瘤患者分别采用美国BD公司生产的流式细胞检测仪及提供的相应单克隆抗体检测患者空腹血清CD3^＋、CD4^＋、CD8^＋、CD4^＋/CD8^＋、T细胞和NK细胞并用美国赛费吉（Ciphergen）公司制造的蛋白质指纹仪及该公司提供的弱阳离子交换芯片（WCX2）按其操作方法（SELDI检测技术）配对检测肿瘤患者空腹血清中的蛋白质指纹,对有病情加重的患者均检查两次以上.以指纹图上质荷比（M/Z）为11100＋H～11900＋H之间出现一峰簇样（cluster）的指纹标志为LGT阳性诊断标准,并按蛋白质指纹LGT检测阳性次数分成二组.对二组内CD3^＋、CD4^＋、CD8^＋、CD4^＋/CD8^＋、T细胞和NK细胞与正常参考值之间进行统计学显著性检验.结果：CD3^＋T细胞值在LGT蛋白质组持续阳性表达组是增高的,在另一组是无变化,二者之间有显著性差异,而CD8^＋T细胞在二组内同时增高,CD4^＋T细胞和NK细胞二组同时低下,无显著性差别.结论：本研究提示肿瘤晚期可能存在有酪氨酸蛋白激酶修饰的细胞内信号传导,使之病情加重,而肿瘤早期则不明显.这是一种新的看法,应加强这个方面的研究.     

草酰乙酸和苹果酸对菠菜叶片和完整叶绿体光合作用的影响

观测了OAA和MA对菠菜叶片和完整叶绿体光合作用的影响.结果显示,当叶片切块在20μmol/L的OAA存在时,其叶片的光合放氧速率增加了89%,经OAA处理的离体完整叶绿体的光合放氧速率增加了72%;当反应体系中存在有较高浓度的NaHCO3时,OAA的作用不明显.叶片经20 μmol/L的MA处理后,叶片光合放氧速率比对照高127%.用CO2分析仪观测了处理后叶片的净光合速率(Pn),结果显示,OAA和MA处理后的叶片Pn值分别是对照的117%和111%.对在C3植物中建立C4微循环系统来提高光合作用效率的可能性进行了讨论.     

Nucleotide Activation of the Ca-ATPase

We have used fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular modeling, and limited proteolysis to examine structural dynamics of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA). The Ca-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from fast twitch muscle (SERCA1a isoform) was selectively labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), a probe that specifically reacts with Lys-515 in the nucleotide-binding site. Conformation-specific proteolysis demonstrated that FITC labeling does not induce closure of the cytoplasmic headpiece, thereby assigning FITC-SERCA as a nucleotide-free enzyme. We used enzyme reverse mode to synthesize FITC monophosphate (FMP) on SERCA, producing a phosphorylated pseudosubstrate tethered to the nucleotide-binding site of a Ca²⁺-free enzyme (E2 state to prevent FMP hydrolysis). Conformation-specific proteolysis demonstrated that FMP formation induces SERCA headpiece closure similar to ATP binding, presumably due to the high energy phosphoryl group on the fluorescent probe (ATP·E2 analog). Subnanosecond-resolved detection of fluorescence lifetime, anisotropy, and quenching was used to characterize FMP-SERCA (ATP·E2 state) versus FITC-SERCA in Ca²⁺-free, Ca²⁺-bound, and actively cycling phosphoenzyme states (E2, E1, and EP). Time-resolved spectroscopy revealed that FMP-SERCA exhibits increased probe dynamics but decreased probe accessibility compared with FITC-SERCA, indicating that ATP exhibits enhanced dynamics within a closed cytoplasmic headpiece. Molecular modeling was used to calculate the solvent-accessible surface area of FITC and FMP bound to SERCA crystal structures, revealing a positive correlation of solvent-accessible surface area with quenching but not anisotropy. Thus, headpiece closure is coupled to substrate binding but not active site dynamics. We propose that dynamics in the nucleotide-binding site of SERCA is important for Ca²⁺ binding (distal allostery) and phosphoenzyme formation (direct activation).     

A Novel Little Membrane Protein Confers Salt Tolerance in Rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

Plasma membrane proteins play critical roles in sensing and responding abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. In the present study, we characterized a previously unknown gene stress associated little protein 1 (SALP1) encoding a plasma membrane protein. SALP1, a small and plant-specific membrane protein, contains only 74 amino acid residues. SALP1 was constitutively expressed in various rice tissues while highly expressed in roots, leaf blade, and immature panicles. Expression analysis indicated that SALP1 was induced by various abiotic stresses and abscisic acid (ABA). Subcellular localization assay indicated that SALP1 was localized on plasma membrane in rice protoplast cells. Overexpressing of SALP1 in rice improved salt tolerance through increasing free proline contents and the expression level of OsP5CS gene, and balancing ion contents under salt stress. Moreover, SALP1 transgenic rice showed reduced sensitivity to ABA treatment, and expression level of SALP1 is not altered by ABI5-like 1 protein. Conclusively, SALP1, a novel membrane protein, is involved in salt tolerance through an ABA-independent signaling pathway in rice.     

The role of β-adrenergic receptor signaling in the proliferation of hemangioma-derived endothelial cells

Background

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is a benign vascular neoplasm that arises from the abnormal proliferation of endothelial cells and enhanced angiogenesis. Recently, propranolol has been found to be effective in the management of IH, suggesting that β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IH.

Results

In the present study, we investigated the β-adrenergic signaling that is associated with hemangioma-derived endothelial cell (HemEC) proliferation. The results showed that both β₁- and β₂-ARs were expressed in HemECs. Stimulation of the β-ARs by isoprenaline induced cell proliferation and elevation of second messenger cAMP levels. The proliferation-promoting action of isoprenaline was abolished by a β₁-selective antagonist and was more effectively abolished by a β₂-selective antagonist; the mechanism for the action of the antagonists was a G₀/G₁ phase cell cycle arrest which was associated with decreased cyclin D1, CDK-4, CDK-6 and phospho-Rb expression. Pre-treatment of the cells with VEGFR-2 or ERK inhibitors also prevented the isoprenaline-mediated proliferation of cells. In agreement with the involvement of β-ARs and VEGFR-2 in the HemEC response, β-AR antagonists and the VEGFR-2 inhibitor significantly attenuated isoprenaline-induced ERK phosphorylation. Moreover, treating the cells with isoprenaline markedly increased VEGF-A expression and VEGFR-2 activity in a β₂-AR-dependent manner.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated that the activation of the β-ARs in the ERK pathway may be important mechanisms in promoting HemEC growth. Furthermore, stimulation of the β-AR may transactivate VEGFR-2 signaling and further increase HemEC proliferation.