iNOS在不同种属血管细胞中诱导表达差异的比较研究

为了探讨不同种属血管细胞中ｉＮＯＳ基因诱导表达的差异及其分子机制,采用Ｎｏｒｔｈ－ｅｒｎ印迹、电泳迁移率改变分析（ＥＭＳＡ）和细胞转染实验对ｉＮＯＳ基因在人、牛、大鼠血管内皮细胞（ＥＣ）和兔、大鼠平滑肌细胞（ＶＳＭＣ）中的诱导表达和转录调控机制进行了研究．结果显示,ＩＬ－１β可诱导人、大鼠的ＥＣ和大鼠的ＶＳＭＣ表达ｉＮＯＳ,但对兔ＶＳＭＣ和牛ＥＣ无诱导作用．在ＩＬ－１β＋ＴＮＦ－α＋ＬＰＳ作用下,人和大鼠血管细胞ｉＮＯＳ的表达活性显著高于牛和兔,同一种属动物的ＶＳＭＣ比ＥＣ更易被诱导活化．用含有大鼠ｉＮＯＳ基因上游－１０３７～－４３８片段的报告基因转染这些细胞,经细胞因子和ＬＰＳ处理后,被转染细胞的ＣＡＴ活性变化与细胞的ｉＮＯＳ表达活性相一致．上述结果表明,ｉＮＯＳ表达调节具有种属特异性和细胞特异性．ＥＭＳＡ证实在不同种属的ＥＣ和ＶＳＭＣ中,与ｉＮＯＳ基因表达调控区（－１０３７～－７８７）相互作用的蛋白因子是不均一的．提示不同种属血管细胞内特异转录因子的种类及浓度不同和（或）反式因子与顺式元件相互作用的方式不同可能是这种差异的分子基础．     

一种检测早期凋亡细胞的方法

本文介绍了一种定量检测早期凋亡细胞的流式细胞术——Annexin V-PI双染色法,并作了一些改进。     

地方性克汀病遗传方式的分析

本文通过1794人、176家系,340户的调查,检出地方性克汀病患者64例,应用分离分析和多基因阈值理论,证实本症属多基因遗传,其加权平均遗传率和标准误为78.51±7.53.     

Molecular cloning of the cDNA encoding laccase from Trametes versicolor and heterologous expression in Pichia methanolica

A cDNA encoding for laccase was isolated from the ligninolytic fungus Trametes versicolor by RNA-PCR. The cDNA corresponds to the gene Lcc1, which encodes a laccase isoenzyme of 498 amino acid residues preceded by a 22-residue signal peptide. The Lcc1 cDNA was cloned into the vectors pMETA and pMETαA and expressed in Pichia methanolica. The laccase activity obtained with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-factor signal peptide was found to be twofold higher than that obtained with the native secretion signal peptide. The extracellular laccase activity in recombinants with the α-factor signal peptide was 9.79 U ml⁻¹. The presence of 0.2 mM copper was necessary for optimal activity of laccase. The expression level was favoured by lower cultivation temperature. The identity of the recombinant protein was further confirmed by immunodetection using Western blot analysis. As expected, the molecular mass of the mature laccase was 64.0 kDa, similar to that of the native form.     

Theoretically modeling microarray with the chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics

To date, the idea that microarray may shed the light on cellular processes by identifying groups of genes that appear to be co-expressed seems to remain a dream. This is partly because that there are some blank (meaning the knowledge is unavailable) or even erroneous areas in the fundamental theory in this field. This paper attempts to present the digest of microarray hybridization system with chemical thermodynamics, theoretically clarifying some misunderstandings and looking for answers to some critical questions around this technology, such as the mechanisms and conditions of quantitative measuring by hybridization reaction, the reasons of inconsistency of the data and the analysis results and the solutions, how to analyze the data, etc. A theoretical model for the next generation of microarray is proposed. We believe that this model is universal, laying the foundation for microarray technology from array design through the data analysis.     

Influence of fluid shear and microbubbles on bacterial detachment from a surface

Prevention of microbial adhesion and detachment of adhering microorganisms from surfaces is important in many environmental, industrial, and medical applications. Fluid shear is an obvious parameter for stimulating microbial detachment from surfaces, but recently it has been pointed out that a passing air-liquid interface also has potential in stimulating microbial detachment. In the present study, the ability of microbubbles to stimulate detachment of bacterial strains from a glass surface is compared with the effects of fluid flow. Adhesion and detachment of Actinomyces naeslundii T14V-J1, Streptococcus oralis J22, and their coadhering aggregates were studied on glass, mounted in a parallel plate flow chamber. High fluid wall shear rates (11,000 to 16,000 s(-1)) were established in a laminar flow regime in the absence and presence of microbubbles. Wall shear rates stimulated detachment ranging from 70% to 30% for S. oralis and A. naeslundii, respectively. Coadhering aggregates were detached up to 54%. The presence of microbubbles in the flow increased the detachment of A. naeslundii within 2 min of flow from 40% in the absence of microbubbles to 98%, while detachment of neither S. oralis nor coadhering aggregates was affected by the presence of microbubbles. In summary, extremely high fluid flows can be effective in stimulating microbial detachment, depending on the strain involved. The addition of microbubbles to the flow allows the detachment of tenaciously adhering bacteria not detached by flow alone, but not of adhering coaggregates.     

Iron release analyses from ferritin by visible light irradiation

We investigated the iron release from ferritin by irradiation from a white fluorescent light in the absence or presence of ADP. Irradiation of a ferritin solution at 17,000 lx in the absence of ADP slightly induces iron release from ferritin but only at acidic pH conditions (pH 5.0 or pH 6.0). Irradiation in the presence of ADP markedly enhances iron release from ferritin under the same conditions. In the absence of irradiation, the iron release from ferritin was low even in the presence of ADP. The induction of the iron release by irradiation in the presence of ADP was also affected by various factors such as irradiation dose and acidity, but not temperature (4-47°C), oxygen concentration, or free radical generations during the irradiation. The iron release during the irradiation ceased to increase by turning off the light and was found to increase again after additional irradiation. These results suggest that visible light directly induces iron release from ferritin via the photoreduction of iron stored inside ferritin.     

An unconventional role of neurotransmission in synapse formation

How do presynaptic inputs regulate synapse formation? In this issue of Neuron, Lin et al. show that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine decreases the stability of AChR clusters. This dispersing activity, which requires the serine/threonine kinase Cdk5, cooperates with positive signals from motoneurons to ensure high concentration of AChRs at the neuromuscular junction.