Nitric Oxide Inhibits Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Neointimal Hyperplasia by Increasing the Ubiquitination and Degradation of UbcH10

Nitric oxide (NO) limits formation of neointimal hyperplasia in animal models of arterial injury in large part by inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation through cell cycle arrest. The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UbcH10 is responsible for ubiquitinating cell cycle proteins for proper exit from mitosis. We hypothesize that NO prevents VSMC proliferation, and hence neointimal hyperplasia, by decreasing levels of UbcH10. Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining showed that NO reduced UbcH10 levels in a concentration-dependent manner in VSMC harvested from the abdominal aortas of Sprague-Dawley rats. Treatment with NO or siRNA to UbcH10 decreased both UbcH10 levels and VSMC proliferation (P<0.001), while increasing UbcH10 levels by plasmid transfection or angiotensin II stimulation increased VSMC proliferation to 150% (P=0.008) and 212% (P=0.002) of control, respectively. Immunofluorescent staining of balloon-injured rat carotid arteries showed a ~4-fold increase in UbcH10 levels, which was profoundly decreased following treatment with NO. Western blotting of carotid artery lysates showed no UbcH10 in uninjured vessels, a substantial increase in the injury alone group, and a significant decrease in the injury+NO group (~3-fold reduction versus injury alone). Importantly, in vitro and in vivo, a marked increase in polyubiquitinated UbcH10 was observed in the NO-treated VSMC and carotid arteries, respectively, indicating that NO may be decreasing unmodified UbcH10 levels by increasing its ubiquitination. Central to our hypothesis, we report that NO decreases UbcH10 levels in VSMC in vitro and following arterial injury in vivo in association with increasing polyubiquitinated-UbcH10 levels. These changes in UbcH10 levels correlate with VSMC proliferation and neointimal hyperplasia, making UbcH10 a promising therapeutic target for inhibiting this proliferative disease.     

非磷酸化肌球蛋白在血小板衍生生长因子诱导的血管平滑肌细胞迁移中的作用

为了阐明非磷酸化肌球蛋白在平滑肌细胞迁移中的作用,研究探讨了非磷酸化肌球蛋白是否介导了血小板衍生生长因子(PDGF)诱导豚鼠脑基底动脉平滑肌细胞(GbaSM-4)的迁移。研究结果显示,20ng/ml以下剂量的PDGF可诱导GbaSM-4细胞发生迁移,此时肌球蛋白轻链(MLC20)磷酸化水平无变化。该迁移作用可被肌球蛋白特异性抑制剂blebbistatin所拮抗。应用RNA干扰技术抑制肌球蛋白轻链激酶表达,经免疫印迹检测经果显示,MLC20的磷酸化水平发生了显著下降;但对PDGF诱导的迁移作用无影响;在RNA干扰后blebbistatin也可抑制其迁移作用。体外ATP酶活性测定结果显示,blebbistatin对从平滑肌中提取的非磷酸化肌球蛋白的ATP酶活性有明显的抑制作用,其主要作用位点位于肌球蛋白头的头部S1。上述结果提示,非磷酸化的肌球蛋白参与了PDGF诱导的平滑肌细胞迁移。     

淫羊藿总黄酮对肾阳虚大鼠下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴钙调蛋白基因表达的影响

目的:从分子水平探讨肾阳虚证病理改变及淫羊藿总黄酮的作用及其机理,为开发药物的临床新用途提供理论依据.方法:用大剂量外源糖皮质激素建立肾阳虚大鼠动物模型,以实时荧光定量RT-PCR技术,测定各组大鼠下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴CaM mRNA的表达,以及淫羊藿总黄酮对其的影响.结果:肾阳虚大鼠下丘脑、肾上腺CaMmRNA水平升高,垂体组织CaM mRNA水平没有显著变化,淫羊藿总黄酮能够降低下丘脑组织CaM mRNA水平,但对肾上腺影响不显著.结论:大鼠肾阳虚证时下丘脑中CaM mRNA水平升高,淫羊藿总黄酮可使其降低.     

Secretory delivery of heterologous proteins in attenuated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vibrio anguillarum</Emphasis> for potential use in vaccine design

To synthesize and secrete heterologous proteins in an attenuated Vibrio anguillarum strain for potential multivalent live vaccine development, different antigen-delivery systems based on bacterial-originated secretion signal peptides (SPs) were designed and identified in this work. Four SPs were derived from hemolysin of Escherichia coli, RTX protein of V. cholerae, hemolysin of V. anguillarum, zinc-metalloprotease of V. anguillarum, respectively, and their abilities to support secretion of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in an attenuated V. anguillarum strain MVAV6203 were assayed. Immunodetection of GFP showed that the capability of the tested signal leaders to direct secretion of GFP varied greatly. Although all the four signal peptide-fused GFPs could be expressed correctly and trapped intracellularly in recombinant strains, only the EmpA signal peptide could confer efficient secretion to GFP. For the investigation of its potential application in live bacteria carrier vaccines, a heterologous protein EseB of Edwardsiella tarda was fused to the SP(empA) antigen-delivery system and introduced into the strain MVAV6203. Further analysis of EseB demonstrated that the constructed SP(empA) antigen-delivery system could be used to secrete foreign protein in attenuated V. anguillarum and be available for carrier vaccines development.     

Amplification, analysis and chromosome mapping of novel homeobox-containing and homeobox-flanking sequences in rice

Homeobox genes, widely distributed among animal and plant kingdoms, play an important role in developmental process. Several homeobox conserved fragments were amplified by PCR and the flanking regions were also obtained by an LM-PCR procedure. Sequencing and Southern analysis showed that they belong to a homeobox gene family of rice. Six homeobox-containing fragments were mapped on the molecular linkage map of rice. They were located on chromosomes 3, 4 and 7 respectively. It is noteworthy that there are 4 homeobox fragments located on rice chromosome 3 and the result is also consistent with the comparative genomics between rice and maize.     

川滇四区森林土壤纯培养放线菌多样性及生物活性

【目的】为了从放线菌发现新的药物先导化合物,研究了川滇4个地区的放线菌多样性及其生物活性。【方法】采集250份土样,用4种培养基分离放线菌;从中选择98株代表菌进行了初步分类鉴定;采用琼脂扩散法,检测了169株放线菌对4种细菌和7种真菌的抑菌活性;利用特异性引物扩增法,测定了它们产生的聚酮合酶(PKSI、PKSⅡ)基因、非核糖体多肽合成酶(NRPS)基因和多烯类化合物合成酶(CYP)基因。【结果】黄荆老林的放线菌有13个属,峨眉山、青城山仅5个属,九寨沟9个属,西双版纳达20个属;不同地区的放线菌具有抗菌活性的菌株平均约占10%;有27%-36%的菌株产生PKSI、II、NRPS、CPY化合物合成基因。【结论】在采集样品的地区中,人类干扰越少,放线菌的多样性越高。分离放线菌时,使用"极端"条件,虽然分离到的放线菌数量可能不多,但获得未知菌的比例较大。添加抑制剂可减少革兰氏阴性细菌和真菌,有利于分离放线菌。     

滩地植被景观斑块分布特征与生态潜力评价

斑块大小是研究景观要素特征的一个主要参数。物种动态、潜在生境、潜在林产品(木材)、能量、养分和水流以及很多其它参数都受到景观中斑块大小的影响。将研究区域--富阳市富阳镇段滩地划分为6大类81个基本类型,并将其归为低水平斑块(基本类型对应斑块)和高水平斑块(大类对应斑块),采用极大似然估计法进行了研究,Kotliar和Wiens提出的斑块结构的等级框架是对斑块意义的更完整的理解,研究过程中对斑块的确定符合Kotliar和Wiens的等级思想。充分考虑了两个水平上的斑块,及它们对应于斑块类型的两个水平,研究表明:低水平的斑块内部具有较高的同质性,而高水平的斑块内部具有较低的同质性;在两种斑块水平上都显示出斑块大小分布是明显右偏的;只有少数类型斑块大小的分布服从负指数分布,而绝大多数斑块大小的分布服从对数正态分布,这对斑块内的群落和生态系统的稳定性和保护提供了参考。