水牛精子蛋白质组双向电泳体系的建立和优化

建立和优化一种适合水牛精子蛋白质组学研究的双向电泳技术。以水牛精子为研究对象,比较两种不同配方的裂解液,以及不同上样量对其2-DE图谱质量的影响。结果显示,以7 mol/L尿素、2 mol/L硫脲、4%CHAPS、1%DTT、0.5%Cocktail of protease inhibitors为裂解液,24 cm胶条上样量200μg时,可获得较好的精子总蛋白质2-DE图谱。运用ImageMaster 2-Dplatinum分析软件检测出约500个蛋白质点,蛋白质大部分分布在等电点5-7之间,分子量范围约40-90 kD。     

Highly efficient and inducible DNA excision in transgenic silkworms using the FLP/<Emphasis Type="Italic">FRT</Emphasis> site-specific recombination system

Efficient and inducible recombinase-mediated DNA excision is an optimal technology for automatically deleting unwanted DNA sequences, including selection marker genes. However, this methodology has yet to be established in transgenic silkworms. To achieve efficient and inducible FLP recombinase-mediated DNA excision in transgenic silkworms, one transgenic target strain (TTS) containing an FRT-flanked silkworm cytoplasmic actin 3 gene promoter (A3)-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression cassette, as well as two different types of FLP recombinase expression helper strains were generated. Then, the FLP recombinase was introduced into the TTS silkworms by pre-blastoderm microinjection and sexual hybridization. Successful recombinase-mediated deletion of the A3-EGFP expression cassette was observed in the offspring of the TTS, and the excision efficiencies of the FLP expression vector and FLP mRNA pre-blastoderm microinjection were 2.38 and 13.3 %, respectively. The excision efficiencies resulting from hybridization between the TTS and the helper strain that contained a heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)-FLP expression cassette ranged from 32.14 to 36.67 % after heat shock treatment, while the excision efficiencies resulting from hybridization between the TTS and the helper strain containing the A3-FLP expression cassette ranged from 97.01 to 100 %. These results demonstrate that the FLP/FRT system can be used to achieve highly efficient and inducible post-integration excision of unwanted DNA sequences in transgenic silkworms in vivo. Our present study will facilitate the development and application of the FLP/FRT system for the functional analysis of unknown genes, and establish the safety of transgenic technologies in the silkworm and other lepidopteran species.     

Toll-like Receptors as a Target of Food-derived Anti-inflammatory Compounds

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in linking pathogen recognition with the induction of innate immunity. They have been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, representing potential targets for prevention/treatment. Vegetable-rich diets are associated with the reduced risk of several inflammatory disorders. In the present study, based on an extensive screening of vegetable extracts for TLR-inhibiting activity in HEK293 cells co-expressing TLR with the NF-κB reporter gene, we found cabbage and onion extracts to be the richest sources of a TLR signaling inhibitor. To identify the active substances, we performed activity-guiding separation of the principal inhibitors and identified 3-methylsulfinylpropyl isothiocyanate (iberin) from the cabbage and quercetin and quercetin 4′-O-β-glucoside from the onion, among which iberin showed the most potent inhibitory effect. It was revealed that iberin specifically acted on the dimerization step of TLRs in the TLR signaling pathway. To gain insight into the inhibitory mechanism of TLR dimerization, we developed a novel probe combining an isothiocyanate-reactive group and an alkyne functionality for click chemistry and detected the probe bound to the TLRs in living cells, suggesting that iberin disrupts dimerization of the TLRs via covalent binding. Furthermore, we designed a variety of iberin analogues and found that the inhibition potency was influenced by the oxidation state of the sulfur. Modeling studies of the iberin analogues showed that the oxidation state of sulfur might influence the global shape of the isothiocyanates. These findings establish the TLR dimerization step as a target of food-derived anti-inflammatory compounds.     

Polymorphisms of 5,10-methylenetetralydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), fruit and vegetable intake, and the risk of stomach cancer

Stomach cancer is a serious public health problem in China. 5,10-Methylenetetralydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) may be involved in both DNA methylation and DNA synthesis. Folate deficiency is associated with cancer risk that may be modulated by a genetic variation in the MTHFR gene in folate metabolism. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the association between polymorphisms of the MTHFR gene and the risk of stomach cancer. This study also explored the modification effects of fruit and vegetable intake (one of the main constituents is folate) on the risk of this disease. A population-based case-control study was conducted in Taixing, China, consisting of 206 newly diagnosed cases with primary stomach cancer and 415 healthy population controls. Polymorphisms of MTHFR C677T and A1298C were assayed by polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) techniques. The data were analysed using the logistic regression model. No obvious association between the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and the risk of stomach cancer was observed in this study. The frequencies of 677 C/C, C/T, and T/T were 34.5, 50.9, and 14.6%, respectively, in controls. The frequency of the MTHFR 677 wild homozygotic genotype was 25.8% in cases, which was lower than that in controls (34.5%). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the MTHFR 677 any T genotype was 2.05 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.26-3.34) when compared with the C/C genotype. In the low fruit and vegetable intake group an increasing trend was observed with the T allele exposure, p=0.0056. The adjusted ORs were 1.68 (95% CI = 0.86-3.29) for the C/T genotype and 3.58 (95% CI = 1.46-8.75) for the T/T genotype, respectively. The MTHFR 677 any T genotype was associated with an increased risk of primary stomach cancer among the Chinese population. Folate deficiency might modify the MTHFR gene polymorphism and influence the risk of stomach cancer.     

Novel A14841G mutation is associated with high penetrance of LHON/C4171A family

We report the clinical and genetic characterization of a Chinese LHON family carrying an ND1/C4171A mutation. This family has high penetrance of visual impairment and extremely low frequency of vision recovery, which is in marked contrast to previously reported results for Korean LHON families with the same mutation. Sequence analysis of the complete mtDNA in the partially defined East Asian haplogroup N9a1 revealed the presence of 29 other variants. A novel heteroplasmic A14841G mutation, one of the variants with a serine substituted for a highly conserved asparagine at amino acid 32 of Cytochrome b (Cytb), may play a synergistic role with the C4171A mutation, leading to significantly different clinical manifestations of LHON among these families. The study further confirmed that C4171A was a rare primary LHON mutation, and the mtDNA background could also contribute to the clinical manifestation of the LHON/C4171A mutation.     

PDCD4基因在过氧化氢诱导喉癌细胞凋亡中的作用

目的探讨过氧化氢诱导喉癌细胞Hep-2凋亡过程中PDCD4基因表达的变化。方法以体外培养的喉癌细胞Hep-2为实验材料,不同浓度的过氧化氢作用于Hep-2细胞,噻唑蓝(MTT)比色法测定细胞生存率,采用吖啶橙染色、Ho33342/PI荧光双染进行形态学观察,RT-PCR及Western blot检测PDCD4 mRNA水平及蛋白表达的变化,评价在过氧化氢诱导喉癌细胞Hep-2凋亡过程中PDCD4基因的作用。结果过氧化氢(200μmol/L)作用Hep-2细胞24h,能够显著抑制细胞增殖,并诱导细胞凋亡,同时引起pdcd4 mRNA水平显著上调,PDCD4蛋白表达显著增加。结论本研究首次报道PDCD4基因可能在氧化胁迫诱导喉癌细胞凋亡中起关键作用。     

Association between the G-protein β3 subunit C825T polymorphism with essential hypertension: a meta-analysis in Han Chinese population

We aimed to evaluate the contribution of the G-protein β3 subunit C825T (GNB3-C825T) polymorphism to essential hypertension (EH) in Han Chinese population by performing meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was performed in 12 case-control genetic association studies including 3,020 hypertension patients and 2,790 controls from MEDLINE (PubMed) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure platforms. The STATA 10.0 software was used in analysis. Overall, there was no significant association between the GNB3-C825T polymorphism and EH in neither additive [TT vs. CC: OR (95 % CI) = 1.11 (0.74-1.69), P = 0.61; TC vs. CC: OR (95 % CI) = 1.08 (0.89-1.31), P = 0.42], nor dominant [TT + TC vs. CC: OR (95 % CI) = 1.11 (0.86-1.42), P = 0.43] and nor recessive [TT vs. TC + CC: OR (95 % CI) = 1.04 (0.75-1.44), P = 0.81] genetic models. Although further subgroup analysis found statistically significant results [T vs. C: OR (95 % CI) = 1.50 (1.05-2.15), P = 0.03] in the southern population, but after exclusion one particular study, the significant association was disappeared. No significant result was found in the northern Han Chinese population. There was no significant association identified between GNB3-C825T polymorphism and EH in Han Chinese population. Further larger sample and well-designed studies are needed to assess the genetic association particularly in the southern Han Chinese population.     

经血管灌流生长抑素对大鼠离体胃运动的抑制作用

采用血管灌流大鼠离体胃模型,探讨生长抑素对胃运动的影响。结果表明：（１）生长抑素能明显抑制胃窦自发和胃动素兴奋的胃运动;（２）生长抑素可抑制离体胃内源性胃泌素释放;（３）抗生长抑素血清和前列腺素合成酶抑制剂消炎痛可阻断生长抑素对胃窦运动的抑制作用。上述结果提示：生长抑素的抑制作用除通过直接作用于生长抑素受体外,还可能通过胃窦局部前列腺素介导来抑制胃的运动。     

Secretion of firefly luciferase in E.coli

Summary A DNA segment carrying the full-length, intronless firefly luciferase gene was inserted into the high expression secretion vector, pIN-III -ompA. Upon induction of gene expression, luciferase activity was detected in extracts prepared from periplasmic fractions. The results indicated that the OmpA signal peptide was able to direct secretion of firefly luciferase across the cytoplasmic membrane. This has important implications for using this luciferase as a reporter in studying protein export and targeting.