A Potential Relationship among Beta-Defensins Haplotype,SOX7 Duplication and Cardiac Defects

Objective

To determine the pathogenesis of a patient born with congenital heart defects, who had appeared normal in prenatal screening.

Methods

In routine prenatal screening, G-banding was performed to analyse the karyotypes of the family and fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to investigate the 22q11.2 deletion in the fetus. After birth, the child was found to be suffering from heart defects by transthoracic echocardiography. In the following study, sequencing was used to search for potential mutations in pivotal genes. SNP-array was employed for fine mapping of the aberrant region and quantitative real-time PCR was used to confirm the results. Furthermore, other patients with a similar phenotype were screened for the same genetic variations. To compare with a control, these variations were also assessed in the general population.

Results

The child and his mother each had a region that was deleted in the beta-defensin repeats, which are usually duplicated in the general population. Besides, the child carried a SOX7-gene duplication. While this duplication was not detected in his mother, it was found in two other patients with cardiac defects who also had the similar deletion in the beta-defensin repeats.

Conclusion

The congenital heart defects of the child were probably caused by a SOX7-gene duplication, which may be a consequence of the partial haplotype of beta-defensin regions at 8p23.1. To our knowledge, this is the first congenital heart defect case found to have the haplotype of beta-defensin and the duplication of SOX7.     

Genome-Wide Transcriptional Response of Silkworm (Bombyx mori) to Infection by the Microsporidian Nosema bombycis

Microsporidia have attracted much attention because they infect a variety of species ranging from protists to mammals, including immunocompromised patients with AIDS or cancer. Aside from the study on Nosema ceranae, few works have focused on elucidating the mechanism in host response to microsporidia infection. Nosema bombycis is a pathogen of silkworm pébrine that causes great economic losses to the silkworm industry. Detailed understanding of the host (Bombyx mori) response to infection by N. bombycis is helpful for prevention of this disease. A genome-wide survey of the gene expression profile at 2, 4, 6 and 8 days post-infection by N. bombycis was performed and results showed that 64, 244, 1,328, 1,887 genes were induced, respectively. Up to 124 genes, which are involved in basal metabolism pathways, were modulated. Notably, B. mori genes that play a role in juvenile hormone synthesis and metabolism pathways were induced, suggesting that the host may accumulate JH as a response to infection. Interestingly, N. bombycis can inhibit the silkworm serine protease cascade melanization pathway in hemolymph, which may be due to the secretion of serpins in the microsporidia. N. bombycis also induced up-regulation of several cellular immune factors, in which CTL11 has been suggested to be involved in both spore recognition and immune signal transduction. Microarray and real-time PCR analysis indicated the activation of silkworm Toll and JAK/STAT pathways. The notable up-regulation of antimicrobial peptides, including gloverins, lebocins and moricins, strongly indicated that antimicrobial peptide defense mechanisms were triggered to resist the invasive microsporidia. An analysis of N. bombycis-specific response factors suggested their important roles in anti-microsporidia defense. Overall, this study primarily provides insight into the potential molecular mechanisms for the host-parasite interaction between B. mori and N. bombycis and may provide a foundation for further work on host-parasite interaction between insects and microsporidia.     

应用改构的炭疽毒素作为靶向肿瘤细胞的药物递送系统及其效果评价

目的:通过改造炭疽毒素保护性抗原Protective Antigen (PA)及致死因子Lethal Factor (LF),尝试建立更加广谱的新型炭疽毒素靶向给药系统并对其递送效率进行定量评价.方法:采用基因工程手段,分别构建了3种改构的天然炭疽毒素保护性抗原PA及炭疽毒素的LF N端融合海肾荧光素酶(Luciferase)的LFn-linker-Luc的大肠杆菌重组表达体系.利用CCK-8法评价改构PA和LF共同作用肿瘤细胞后的细胞存活率;利用改构PA和LFn-linker-Luc与肿瘤细胞共孵育,通过测定细胞内荧光素酶活性,评价改构PA靶向肿瘤细胞的效果.结果:体外酶解实验证明构建的改构PA蛋白能够被正确地酶解成目的大小的片段;改构PA和LF共同作用肿瘤细胞能够显著降低细胞存活率;利用LFn-linker-Luc能够评价改构PA的靶向效率,PA蛋白的改构方式与其递送效率相关.结论:设计并改构的炭疽毒素药物递送系统,能够实现特异性靶向肿瘤细胞的效果,并具有更广谱的作用效果,为研制新型广谱抗肿瘤药物提供了新的思路和方法.     

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil from the Edible Aromatic Plant Aristolochia delavayi

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Aristolochia delavayi Franch. (Aristolochiaceae), a unique edible aromatic plant consumed by the Nakhi (Naxi) people in Yunnan, China, was investigated using GC/MS analysis. In total, 95 components, representing more than 95% of the oil composition, were identified, and the main constituents found were (E)‐dec‐2‐enal (52.0%), (E)‐dodec‐2‐enal (6.8%), dodecanal (3.35%), heptanal (2.88%), and decanal (2.63%). The essential oil showed strong inhibitory activity (96% reduction) of the production of bacterial volatile sulfide compounds (VSC) by Klebsiella pneumoniae, an effect that was comparable with that of the reference compound citral (91% reduction). Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and the isolated major compound against eight bacterial and six fungal strains were evaluated. The essential oil showed significant antibacterial activity against Providencia stuartii and Escherichia coli, with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 3.9 to 62.5 μg/ml. The oil also showed strong inhibitory activity against the fungal strains Trichophyton ajelloi, Trichophyton terrestre, Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondii, and Cryptococcus neoformans, with MIC values ranging from 3.9 to 31.25 μg/ml, while (E)‐dec‐2‐enal presented a lower antifungal activity than the essential oil.     

Overproduction of a truncated poly (vinyl alcohol) dehydrogenase in recombinant Pichia pastoris by low-temperature induction strategy and related mechanism analysis

Based on the N-terminal sequencing of poly (vinyl alcohol) dehydrogenase (PVADH), a 1,644-bp gene encoding a truncated PVADH (tPVADH) was amplified using the synthetic gene (GenBank accession No. JQ235753) as a template, and was further transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 with the vector pPIC9K. The maximal tPVADH activity reached 546 U/mL in shake flask. The influence of methanol concentration and induction temperature on tPVADH production was further investigated in 3-L bioreactor. When the methanol concentration and induction temperature were controlled at 15 g/L and 22 °C, respectively, the maximal tPVADH activity reached 8,464 U/mL, which was nearly 10 times that of mature PVADH expressed under the same condition and was the highest level ever reported. The reason responsible for the significant improvement of tPVADH production at low induction temperature was explored in terms of cell viability, extracellular proteases activity, and alcohol oxidase activity.     

Functional proteomics reveals the protective effects of saffron ethanolic extract on hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion injury

Hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion (IR) injury is a common clinical problem and ROS may be a contributing factor on IR injury. The current study evaluates the potential protective effect of saffron ethanol extract (SEE) in a rat model upon hepatic IR injury. Caspases 3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) results showed increased cell death in the IR samples; reversely, minor apoptosis was detected in the SEE/IR group. Pretreatment with SEE significantly restored the content of antioxidant enzymes (SOD1 and catalase) and remarkably inhibited the intracellular ROS concentration in terms of reducing p47phox translocation. Proteome tools revealed that 20 proteins were significantly modulated in protein intensity between IR and SEE/IR groups. Particularly, SEE administration could attenuate the carbonylation level of several chaperone proteins. Network analysis suggested that saffron extract could alleviate IR‐induced ER stress and protein ubiquitination, which finally lead to cell apoptosis. Taken together, SEE could reduce hepatic IR injury through modulating protein oxidation and our results might help to develop novel therapeutic strategies against ROS‐caused diseases.     

Proteomic analysis reveals tanshinone IIA enhances apoptosis of advanced cervix carcinoma CaSki cells through mitochondria intrinsic and endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways

Cervix cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide, whereas paclitaxel, the first line chemotherapeutic drug used to treat cervical cancer, shows low chemosensitivity on the advanced cervical cancer cell line. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) exhibited strong growth inhibitory effect on CaSki cells (IC₅₀ = 5.51 μM) through promoting caspase cascades with concomitant upregulating the phosphorylation of p38 and JNK signaling. Comprehensive proteomics revealed the global protein changes and the network analysis implied that Tan IIA treatment would activate ER stress pathways that finally lead to apoptotic cell death. Moreover, ER stress inhibitor could alleviate Tan IIA caused cell growth inhibition and ameliorate C/EBP‐homologous protein as well as apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 mediated cell death. The therapeutic interventions targeting the mitochondrial‐related apoptosis and ER stress responses might be promising strategies to conquer paclitaxel resistance.     

结直肠癌组织异常表达miRNA的鉴定

目的：筛选结直肠癌组织异常表达的miRNAs。方法：采用Agilem基因芯片（V12．0）分析结直肠癌组织及其配对正常粘膜组织间差异表达的miRNAs,MiRNAs错误发生率（FDR）〈0．05和微矩阵显著性分析（SAM）q值〈0．05为差异显著。结果：鉴定出结直肠癌中32个差异表达的miRNAs,显著上调和下调各16个。实时定量PCR（RT—qPCR）证实基因芯片中4个表达上调的miRNAs在结直肠癌组织中也显著上调。结论：MiRNA基因芯片鉴定出了结直肠癌组织一系列新的差异表达的miRNAs。     

Molecular Analysis of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Isolated from Patients with Febrile Diseases of Unknown Etiology in China

Although anaplasmosis cases have been nationally identified in China, no human isolates of A. phagocytophilum have been obtained, which limits the analysis of any molecular and genetic contributions to patients'' severe clinical manifestations and the study of the bacteria''s pathogeneses in China. Given this situation, a joint project was conducted in 2009–2010. A total of 421 febrile cases of unknown etiology were collected and the patients'' blood samples were collected for laboratory diagnoses including serologic diagnosis based on the four-fold rise in the anti- A. phagocytophilum IgG titer by indirect micro-immunofluorescence assay (IFA), positive PCR assay and confirmation of A. phagocytophilum DNA and positive culture of A. phagocytophilum and confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA and ank A genes of the A. phagocytophilum isolates. A total of 570 ticks were collected from the patients'' domestic animals (456) and from wild fields (114) for culturing and amplifying and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene of A. phagocytophilum. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on the 16S rRNA and ank A gene sequences of the isolates and the ticks tested in the study. A total of 46 (10.9%) confirmed and 16 (3.8%) probable cases were diagnosed and severe clinical features and higher mortality rates were observed in these Chinese patients. Five isolates were obtained and the 16S rRNA genes of the 5 isolates were conserved but variety for ank A genes. Two human isolates and 1 tick isolate from Shandong Peninsula, where all patients exhibited severe clinical manifestations, were grouped as one clan based on the phylogenetic analyses, while 2 other human isolates were clustered in a second clan. 43.5% of H. longicornis were infected with A. phagocytophilum.The present study is the first to obtain clinical isolates of A. phagocytophilum in China. The diversity of the ank A genes of Chinese isolates will help us to further discern the relationship between the variations in the ank A genes and the severity of the disease''s clinical manifestations in China.     

Fluctuations in Species-Level Protein Expression Occur during Element and Nutrient Cycling in the Subsurface

While microbial activities in environmental systems play a key role in the utilization and cycling of essential elements and compounds, microbial activity and growth frequently fluctuates in response to environmental stimuli and perturbations. To investigate these fluctuations within a saturated aquifer system, we monitored a carbon-stimulated in situ Geobacter population while iron reduction was occurring, using 16S rRNA abundances and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry proteome measurements. Following carbon amendment, 16S rRNA analysis of temporally separated samples revealed the rapid enrichment of Geobacter-like environmental strains with strong similarity to G. bemidjiensis. Tandem mass spectrometry proteomics measurements suggest high carbon flux through Geobacter respiratory pathways, and the synthesis of anapleurotic four carbon compounds from acetyl-CoA via pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase activity. Across a 40-day period where Fe(III) reduction was occurring, fluctuations in protein expression reflected changes in anabolic versus catabolic reactions, with increased levels of biosynthesis occurring soon after acetate arrival in the aquifer. In addition, localized shifts in nutrient limitation were inferred based on expression of nitrogenase enzymes and phosphate uptake proteins. These temporal data offer the first example of differing microbial protein expression associated with changing geochemical conditions in a subsurface environment.