NARC-1/PCSK9 and its natural mutants: zymogen cleavage and effects on the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and LDL cholesterol

The discovery of autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemic patients with mutations in the PCSK9 gene, encoding the proprotein convertase NARC-1, resulting in the missense mutations suggested a role in low density lipoprotein (LDL) metabolism. We show that the endoplasmic reticulum-localized proNARC-1 to NARC-1 zymogen conversion is Ca2+-independent and that within the zymogen autocatalytic processing site SSVFAQ [downward arrow]SIP Val at P4 and Pro at P3' are critical. The S127R and D374Y mutations result in approximately 50-60% and > or =98% decrease in zymogen processing, respectively. In contrast, the double [D374Y + N157K], F216L, and R218S natural mutants resulted in normal zymogen processing. The cell surface LDL receptor (LDLR) levels are reduced by 35% in lymphoblasts of S127R patients. The LDLR levels are also reduced in stable HepG2 cells overexpressing NARC-1 or its natural mutant S127R, and this reduction is abrogated in the presence of 5 mm ammonium chloride, suggesting that overexpression of NARC-1 increases the turnover rate of the LDLR. Adenoviral expression of wild type human NARC-1 in mice resulted in a maximal approximately 9-fold increase in circulating LDL cholesterol, while in LDLR-/- mice a delayed approximately 2-fold increase in LDL cholesterol was observed. In conclusion, NARC-1 seems to affect both the level of LDLR and that of circulating apoB-containing lipoproteins in an LDLR-dependent and -independent fashion.     

不饱和脂肪酸在低渗牵张加强豚鼠胃窦平滑肌细胞毒蕈碱电流中的作用

利用全细胞膜片钳技术在急性分离的胃窦平滑肌细胞上记录离子电流的方法 ,探讨外源性不饱和脂肪酸是否参与低渗牵张加强毒蕈碱电流的过程。在豚鼠胃窦平滑肌细胞上膜电位被钳制在 - 2 0 0mV等渗状态时 ,5 0 μmol/L卡巴胆碱 (carbachol,CCh)引起的毒蕈碱电流 (ICCh)作为对照 ,发现低渗牵张可以使ICCh明显增加到对照的 2 2 6 0±2 1 0 %。当用含 5 μmol花生四烯酸 (arachidacid ,AA)、亚麻酸 (linoleicacid ,LA)或亚油酸 (oleicacid,OA)细胞外液灌流时 ,ICCh分别被抑制在对照的 3 8± 0 6%、3 5 2± 0 8%和 66 6± 0 6%。在这种情况下 ,低渗牵张刺激可以使ICCh分别增加到 10 6 0± 2 5 %、173 2± 6 8%和 2 2 2 1± 11 0 %。 5 μmol/LAA抑制低渗牵张增加的毒蕈碱电流 5 1 2± 3 8% ,而在等渗状态下抑制ICCh为 96 2± 1 6%。上述结果提示 ,不饱和脂肪酸中双键数目越多 ,抑制效应越强 ;但不饱和脂肪酸不参与低渗刺激加强毒蕈碱电流的过程。     

油菜菌核病危害损失的初步研究

本文就油菜菌核病病情、发病期及发病部位与油菜产量损失的相互关系进行了模似研究。结果表明：病斑绕茎度是影响产量的主要因素,其大小与产量损失成正相关,而病斑纵向长度与产量损失无明显相关性;发病期不同产量差异显著,以初花期发病产量损失最重,发病期与产量损失线性相关,可利用线性回归方程对产量损失进行预测;主茎发病部位愈近基部,枝条发病部位愈趋于主茎,单株产量损失率愈高。     

Cryoprotective properties and preliminary characterization of exopolysaccharide (P-Arcpo 15) produced by the Arctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas elyakovii Arcpo 15

Twenty-two bacterial strains that secrete exopolysaccharides (EPS) were isolated from marine samples obtained from the Chukchi Sea in the Arctic Ocean; of these, seven strains were found to be capable of producing cryoprotective EPS. The ArcPo 15 strain was isolated based on its ability to secrete large amounts of EPS, and was identified as Pseudoalteromonas elyakovii based on 16S rDNA analysis. The EPS, P-ArcPo 15, was purified by protease treatment and gel filtration chromatography. The purified EPS (P-ArcPo 15) had a molecular mass of 1.7 × 10⁷ Da, and its infrared spectrum showed absorption bands of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. The principal sugar components of P-ArcPo 15 were determined to be mannose and galacturonic acid, in the ratio of 3.3:1.0. The cryoprotective properties of P-ArcPo 15 were characterized by an Escherichia coli viability test. In the presence of 0.5% (w/v) EPS, the survival percentage of E. coli cells was as high as 94.19 ± 7.81% over five repeated freeze–thaw cycles. These biochemical characteristics suggest that the EPS P-ArcPo 15 may be useful in the development of cryoprotectants for biotechnological purposes, and we therefore assessed the utility of this novel cryoprotective EPS.     

A cell array biosensor for environmental toxicity analysis

In this study, a cell-based array technology that uses recombinant bioluminescent bacteria to detect and classify environmental toxicity has been implemented to develop two biosensor arrays, i.e., a chip and a plate array. Twenty recombinant bioluminescent bacteria, having different promoters fused with the bacterial lux genes, were immobilized within LB-agar. About 2 microl of the cell-agar mixture was deposited into the wells of either a cell chip or a 384-well plate. The bioluminescence (BL) from the cell arrays was measured with the use of highly sensitive cooled CCD camera that measured the bioluminescent signal from the immobilized cells and then quantified the pixel density using image analysis software. The responses from the cell arrays were characterized using three chemicals that cause either superoxide damage (paraquat), DNA damage (mitomycin C) or protein/membrane damage (salicylic acid). The responses were found to be dependent upon the promoter fused upstream of the lux operon within each strain. Therefore, a sample's toxicity can be analyzed and classified through the changes in the BL expression from each well. Moreover, a time of only 2 h was needed for analysis, making either of these arrays a fast, portable and economical high-throughput biosensor system for detecting environmental toxicities.     

越冬代棉大卷叶螟的种群动态

对棉大卷叶螟Sylepta derogata Fabricius第5代、第6代室内种群饲养结果显示,该虫的有效越冬虫源为第5代滞育的老熟幼虫,滞育率24.4%～33.1%,第6代棉大卷叶螟的发生对第2年的种群基数影响不大。滞育老熟幼虫的越冬存活率为60.0%～71.9%。次年越冬代羽化的成虫雌虫少,雄虫多,单雌产卵量平均为163.4～198.8粒。     

Synthesis and Activity Evaluation of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Inhibitors Based on 6‐(Pyrimidin‐4‐yl)‐1H‐indazole

Human nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a common head and neck malignancy with high incidence in Southeast Asia and Southern China. It is necessary to develop safe, effective and inexpensive anticancer agents to improve the therapeutics of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A series of small molecular compounds based on 6‐(pyrimidin‐4‐yl)‐1H‐indazole were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activities against human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines SUNE1. Compounds 6b , 6c , 6e and 6l showed potent antiproliferative activities similar to positive control drug cisplatin in vitro with lower nephrotoxicity than it. N‐[4‐(1H‐Indazol‐6‐yl)pyrimidin‐2‐yl]benzene‐1,3‐diamine ( 6l ) was selected for further study. It was found that 6l induced mitochondria‐mediated apoptosis and G₂/M phase arrest in SUNE1 cells. Furthermore, compound 6l at 10 mg/kg can suppress the growth of an implanted SUNE1 xenograft with a TGI% (tumor growth inhibition) value of 50 % and did not cause serious side effects in BALB/c nude mice. This study suggests that 6‐(pyrimidin‐4‐yl)‐1H‐indazole derivatives are a series of small molecule compounds with anti‐nasopharyngeal carcinoma activities.     

鸡β-防御素7在大肠杆菌中的表达及活性分析

【目的】根据鸡β-防御素7(Gal-7)的成熟肽基因序列合成基因,构建表达Gal-7的大肠杆菌工程菌,研究重组鸡防御素Gal-7成熟肽的体外生物活性。【方法】将合成的gal-7基因克隆到大肠杆菌表达载体pGEX-6p-1中,得到重组质粒pGEX-6p-gal7,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),经IPTG诱导表达得到含GST标签的融合蛋白GST-Gal7;之后用Prescission蛋白酶将GST标签切除,并对成熟肽进行质谱分析;再利用琼脂打孔扩散法检测Gal-7成熟肽的体外抑菌活性,用2倍稀释法测定对指示菌的最低抑菌浓度。【结果】成功构建Gal-7大肠杆菌异源表达工程菌,表达纯化的重组Gal-7成熟肽质谱鉴定分子量为5 516 Da,其对黄色微球菌(NCIB 8166)、金黄色葡萄球菌(ATCC 25923)、粪肠球菌(ATCC 29212)、大肠杆菌(CMCC 44102)均有抑菌活性,最低抑菌浓度分别为16.875、67.5、67.5、135 mg/L。【结论】获得表达鸡Gal-7成熟肽的大肠杆菌工程菌,并且切除GST标签的Gal-7成熟肽具有生物活性。     

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。