Halothiobacillus neapolitanus carboxysomes sequester heterologous and chimeric RubisCO species

Background

The carboxysome is a bacterial microcompartment that consists of a polyhedral protein shell filled with ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO), the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of CO₂ fixation via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To analyze the role of RubisCO in carboxysome biogenesis in vivo we have created a series of Halothiobacillus neapolitanus RubisCO mutants. We identified the large subunit of the enzyme as an important determinant for its sequestration into α-carboxysomes and found that the carboxysomes of H. neapolitanus readily incorporate chimeric and heterologous RubisCO species. Intriguingly, a mutant lacking carboxysomal RubisCO assembles empty carboxysome shells of apparently normal shape and composition.

Conclusions/Significance

These results indicate that carboxysome shell architecture is not determined by the enzyme they normally sequester. Our study provides, for the first time, clear evidence that carboxysome contents can be manipulated and suggests future nanotechnological applications that are based upon engineered protein microcompartments.     

Gold complexes as prospective metal-based anticancer drugs

Medical and therapeutic value of gold has been recognized thousands of years ago, but its rational use in medicine has not begun until the early 1920s. Cisplatin is one of the first metal-containing compounds with anti-cancer activity discovered in the 1960s. Despite the fact that cisplatin treatment is efficient for several types of solid tumors, its effectiveness is limited by toxic side effects and tumor resistance that often leads to the occurrence of secondary malignancies. Since gold(III) is isoelectronic with platinum(II) and tetracoordinate gold(III) complexes have the same square-planar geometries as cisplatin, the anticancer activity of gold(III) compounds has been investigated. Previous studies suggested that, in contrast to cisplatin, gold complexes target proteins but not DNA. Recently, we have investigated gold(III) dithiocarbamates for their anticancer activity and showed that their primary target is the proteasome. Treatment of human breast tumor-bearing nude mice with a gold(III) dithiocarbamate complex resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth, associated with proteasome inhibition and massive apoptosis induction in vivo. Better understanding of physiological processing of gold compounds will provide a rational basis for their further development into novel anticancer drugs.     

Tea polyphenols, their biological effects and potential molecular targets

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world, second only to water. Tea contains an infusion of the leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant rich in polyphenolic compounds known as catechins, the most abundant of which is (-)-EGCG. Although tea has been consumed for centuries, it has only recently been studied extensively as a health-promoting beverage that may act to prevent a number of chronic diseases and cancers. The results of several investigations indicate that green tea consumption may be of modest benefit in reducing the plasma concentration of cholesterol and preventing atherosclerosis. Additionally, the cancer-preventive effects of green tea are widely supported by results from epidemiological, cell culture, animal and clinical studies. In vitro cell culture studies show that tea polyphenols potently induce apoptotic cell death and cell cycle arrest in tumor cells but not in their normal cell counterparts. Green tea polyphenols were shown to affect several biological pathways, including growth factor-mediated pathway, the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-dependent pathway, and ubiquitin/proteasome degradation pathways. Various animal studies have revealed that treatment with green tea inhibits tumor incidence and multiplicity in different organ sites such as skin, lung, liver, stomach, mammary gland and colon. Recently, phase I and II clinical trials have been conducted to explore the anticancer effects of green tea in humans. A major challenge of cancer prevention is to integrate new molecular findings into clinical practice. Therefore, identification of more molecular targets and biomarkers for tea polyphenols is essential for improving the design of green tea trials and will greatly assist in a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying its anti-cancer activity.     

The anti-fatty liver effects of garlic oil on acute ethanol-exposed mice

The protective effects of single dose of garlic oil (GO) on acute ethanol-induced fatty liver were investigated. Mice were treated with ethanol (4.8 g/kg bw) to induce acute fatty liver. The liver index, the serum and hepatic triglyceride (TG) levels and the histological changes were examined to evaluate the protective effects. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were determined for the antioxidant capacity assay. Acute ethanol exposure resulted in the enlargement of the liver index and the increase of the serum and hepatic TG levels (P<0.01), which were dramatically attenuated by GO pretreatment in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). GO treatment (simultaneously with ethanol exposure) exhibited similar effects to those of pretreatment, while no obviously protective effects were displayed when it was used at 2h after ethanol intake. Histological changes were paralleled to these indices. Beside this, GO dramatically prolonged the drunken time and shortened the waking time, and these effects were superior to those of silymarin and tea polyphenol. In addition, GO dose-dependently suppressed the elevation of MDA levels, restored the GSH levels and enhanced the SOD, GR and GST activities. Compared with the ethanol group, the MDA levels decreased by 14.2% (P<0.05), 29.9% and 32.8% (P<0.01) in GO groups 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. The GST activity increased by 9.97%, 19.94% (P<0.05) and 42.12% (P<0.01) of the ethanol group in GO groups 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively, while the GR activity increased by 28.57% (P<0.05), 37.97% (P<0.01), 50.45% (P<0.01) of the ethanol group in GO groups 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. These data indicated that single dose of GO possessed ability to prevent acute ethanol-induced fatty liver, but may lose its capacity when used after ethanol exposure. The protective effects should be associated with its antioxidative activities.     

Effects of simulated acid rain on the physiology of carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduvals) (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract:  The physiological effect of simulated acid rain sprayed on carmine spider mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduvals) and host plant, were measured in a series of laboratory trials. We examined potential changes in three kinds of protective enzymes [peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)] and three hydrolases [acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and carboxylesterase (CarE)] in response to changes in pH values of simulated acid rain at different time of exposure. POD, SOD and CAT activities increased significantly with the increase in the acidity of the acid rain, reaching the highest levels at pH 4.0 or 3.0, and then declined. Changes in ACP activity were similar to those observed in the protective enzymes. The increasing extent of the activities of these four enzymes after 30 and 45 days treatment became smaller than that after 15 days treatment . ALP activities decreased as pH value declined. There were no significant changes in CarE activities after 15 and 45 days, but that in pH 4.0 and 3.0 decreased after 30 days. The enhanced anti-oxidation enzyme levels (POD, SOD and CAT) and ACP activities in pH 4.0 and 3.0 reduced the effects of these toxic products on mites, resulting in the strengthening of the defensive power, and increase in survival and reproductive power of the mites, thus leading to an increase in the density of mites on host plant. From these results, we inferred that POD, SOD, CAT and ACP might be relevant to population changes of mites under acid rain pressure.     

植物广谱抗病基因工程策略与研究进展

系统获得性抗性（SAP）是植物防御病原微生物侵染的一条有效途径。利用基因工程技术改造其表达特性可以提高植物的抗病性,从活性氧的代谢,抗病基因的利用、过敏反应的诱导和SAR的组成性表达等方面论述了植物广谱抗病基因工程的研究策略。已取得的成就及今后的研究方向。     

5—氟尿苷的微生物转化

5 氟尿苷 (简称ＦＵＲ)是抗肿瘤核苷药物脱氧氟尿苷 (Ｆｌｏｘｕｒｉｄｉｎｅ ,简称ＤＦＵＲ)的合成中间体。脱氧氟尿苷是一种抗代谢类抗肿瘤药 ,在体内可以部分转化为氟尿嘧啶 (简称ＦＵ) ,二者具有相似的作用途径和抗肿瘤谱。与ＦＵ相比 ,由于ＤＦＵＲ的抗肿瘤活性高且毒副反应小 ,主要用于治疗晚期结直肠癌和各种类型肝癌。在国内 ,采用化学法合成的ＤＦＵＲ业已进入临床研究阶段[1]采用化学合成法生产ＤＦＵＲ时 ,由于反应过程中需将碱基或核糖残基的部分基团进行保护 ,而且产物为多种核苷异构体和其它副产品的混合物 ,需要进一步分离 ,…     

影响牛胚胎干细胞分离克隆因素的研究

采用与同源胎儿成纤维细胞共同培养及传统饲养层培养方式,以高糖DMEM,添加0.1mM2-巯基乙醇,犊牛血清,细胞因子为培养基,以4-13周龄屠宰牛胎儿为实验材料,探讨影响牛原始生殖细胞分离克隆胚胎干细胞的相关因素,结果发现：当犊牛血清为15%时效果最好;细胞因子添加与否对胚胎干细胞的分离及同源牛胎儿成纤维细胞的贴壁与生长影响并不显著,而在传代过程中中有一定影响;以0.2%胰酶 0.04?TA为细胞消化液效果最佳;以同源胎儿成纤维细胞共培养的方式分离克隆牛胚胎干细胞,本研究观察到效果最好。