Molecular basis for impaired muscle differentiation in myotonic dystrophy

Differentiation of skeletal muscle is affected in myotonic dystrophy (DM) patients. Analysis of cultured myoblasts from DM patients shows that DM myoblasts lose the capability to withdraw from the cell cycle during differentiation. Our data demonstrate that the expression and activity of the proteins responsible for cell cycle withdrawal are altered in DM muscle cells. Skeletal muscle cells from DM patients fail to induce cytoplasmic levels of a CUG RNA binding protein, CUGBP1, while normal differentiated cells accumulate CUGBP1 in the cytoplasm. In cells from normal patients, CUGBP1 up-regulates p21 protein during differentiation. Several lines of evidence show that CUGBP1 induces the translation of p21 via binding to a GC-rich sequence located within the 5' region of p21 mRNA. Failure of DM cells to accumulate CUGBP1 in the cytoplasm leads to a significant reduction of p21 and to alterations of other proteins responsible for the cell cycle withdrawal. The activity of cdk4 declines during differentiation of cells from control patients, while in DM cells cdk4 is highly active during all stages of differentiation. In addition, DM cells do not form Rb/E2F repressor complexes that are abundant in differentiated cells from normal patients. Our data provide evidence for an impaired cell cycle withdrawal in DM muscle cells and suggest that alterations in the activity of CUGBP1 causes disruption of p21-dependent control of cell cycle arrest.     

Syntheses and characterizations of two lanthanide(III)-copper(II) coordination polymers constructed by pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid

The hydrothermal reaction of La₂O₃ and Pr₂O₃ with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H₂pydc), CuO, and H₂O with a mole ratio of 1:2:4:300 resulted in the formation of two polymeric Cu(II)-Ln(III) complexes, [{Ln₄Cu₂(pydc)₈(H₂O)₈} · 18H₂O]_n (Ln = La (1); Pr (2)). 1 and 2 are isomorphous and crystallize in monoclinic space group C2/c. Complexes 1 and 2 have one-dimensional infinite chains with “∞” shape. The 1D chains are linked by the hydrogen bonds and π?π stacking interactions to form layer structures which are further linked by the hydrogen bonds and π?π stacking interactions to form the three-dimensional (3D) structures with nanoscale porosities. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities and the thermal stabilities of complexes 1 and 2 were studied.     

adr亚型乙型肝炎病毒DNA的酶切图谱分析

<正> 本文报道以pAT153质粒为载体克隆的adr亚型乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)全基因的限制性内切酶图谱。重组质粒已命名为pHBV-NCl。重组质粒的提取和酶解采用常规方法。限制性内切酶为Bio-Labs公司产品。用Sepharcry S-1000纯化得到的质粒,经电泳鉴定都是完整的超螺旋DNA。经过鉴定其BamHⅠ、XhoⅠ、XbaⅠ、SstⅡ、SphⅠ、BglⅠ、BglⅡ、BstEⅡ、AceⅠ、AvaⅠ、HincⅡ、HpaⅠ等12种酶的21个切口已被定位。其中XhoⅠ、XbaⅠ、SstⅡ、     

The Type II Arabidopsis Formin14 Interacts with Microtubules and Microfilaments to Regulate Cell Division

Formins have long been known to regulate microfilaments but have also recently been shown to associate with microtubules. In this study, Arabidopsis thaliana FORMIN14 (AFH14), a type II formin, was found to regulate both microtubule and microfilament arrays. AFH14 expressed in BY-2 cells was shown to decorate preprophase bands, spindles, and phragmoplasts and to induce coalignment of microtubules with microfilaments. These effects perturbed the process of cell division. Localization of AFH14 to microtubule-based structures was confirmed in Arabidopsis suspension cells. Knockdown of AFH14 in mitotic cells altered interactions between microtubules and microfilaments, resulting in the formation of an abnormal mitotic apparatus. In Arabidopsis afh14 T-DNA insertion mutants, microtubule arrays displayed abnormalities during the meiosis-associated process of microspore formation, which corresponded to altered phenotypes during tetrad formation. In vitro biochemical experiments showed that AFH14 bound directly to either microtubules or microfilaments and that the FH2 domain was essential for cytoskeleton binding and bundling. However, in the presence of both microtubules and microfilaments, AFH14 promoted interactions between microtubules and microfilaments. These results demonstrate that AFH14 is a unique plant formin that functions as a linking protein between microtubules and microfilaments and thus plays important roles in the process of plant cell division.     

Developing a Benthic Index of Biological Integrity and Some Relationships to Environmental Factors in the Subtropical Xiangxi River,China

The aim of this study is to develop a benthic index of biotic integrity (B‐IBI) to help understand how the increasing anthropogenic pressure may impact the subtropical Xiangxi River in China. Benthic macroinvertebrate and environmental surveys were conducted at 77 sites in early summer 2004. Each collection site was categorized as reference or impaired based on physical, chemical, biological, and land‐use information. Six non‐redundant metrics from 35 metrics were used to differentiate between reference and impaired sites. We selected six metrics for the final IBI. The scoring criteria of each metric were normalized based on the quadrisection and 0–10 scaling systems. Both scaling methods were used to assess the aquatic health of each site in the Xiangxi River watershed. The results showed that most sites were in fairly poor condition. Furthermore, we identified the relationship between B‐IBI metrics, water‐quality, and land‐use variables with a principal component analysis. A composite of nutrients and land‐use intensity explained most variances. These results suggest that the B‐IBI may be a suitable method for assessing river conditions within the subtropical Xiangxi River in central China (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Distribution of fluoroquinolones in the two aqueous compartments of Escherichia coli

The double-layered cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria and active drug efflux present a formidable barrier for antimicrobial compounds to penetrate. Fluoroquinolones are among the few classes of antimicrobials that are clinically useful in the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infection. Previous studies on fluoroquinolone accumulation measured total bacteria associated compounds, rather than the cytoplasmic accumulation. Fluoroquinolones target the type II topoisomerases in the cytoplasm. Thus, the cytoplasmic accumulation is expected to be more relevant to the potency of the drugs. Here, we fractionated and measured the concentration of nine fluoroquinolone compounds in the periplasm and the cytoplasm of two strains of E. coli cells, a parent strain and its isogenic efflux-deficient tolC knockout strain. The potency of the drugs was determined using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay. We found that all fluoroquinolones tested accumulated at much higher concentrations in the periplasm than in the cytoplasm. The periplasmic concentrations were 2–15 folds higher than the cytoplasmic concentration, while the actual distribution ratio varies drastically among the compounds tested. Good correlation between the MIC and the cytoplasmic accumulation, but not whole cell accumulation, was observed using a pair of isogenic wild type and drug-efflux deficient strains.     

Benzene containing polyhydroxyalkanoates homo- and copolymers synthesized by genome edited Pseudomonas entomophila

Microbial synthesis of functional polymers has become increasingly important for industrial biotechnology.For the first time,it became possible to synthesize controllable composition of poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)(P3HA)consisting of 3-hydroxydodecanoate(3HDD)and phenyl group on the side-chain when chromosome of Pseudomonas entomophila was edited to weaken itsβ-oxidation.Cultured in the presence of 5-phenylvaleric acid(PVA),the edited P.entomophila produced only homopolymer poly(3-hydroxy-5-phenylvalerate)or P(3HPhV).While copolyesters P(3HPhV-co-3HDD)of 3-hydroxy-5-phenylvalerate(3HPhV)and 3-hydroxydodecanoate(3HDD)were synthesized when the strain was grown on mixtures of PVA and dodecanoic acid(DDA).Compositions of 3HPhV in P(3HPhV-co-3HDD)were controllable ranging from 3%to 32%depending on DDDA/PVA ratios.Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectra clearly indicated that the polymers were homopolymer of P(3HPhV)and random copolymers of 3HPhV and 3HDD.Their mechanical and thermal properties varied dramatically depending on the monomer ratios.Our results demonstrated the possibility to produce tailor-made,novel functional PHA using the chromosome edited P.entomophila.     

Combination of Intratumoral Invariant Natural Killer T Cells and Interferon-Gamma Is Associated with Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Curative Resection

Purpose

To investigate the prognostic value of intratumoral invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection.

Experimental Design

Expression of TRAV10, encoding the Vα24 domain of iNKT cells, and IFN-γ mRNA were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in tumor from 224 HCC patients undergoing curative resection. The prognostic value of these two and other clinicopathologic factors was evaluated.

Results

Either intratumoral iNKT cells and IFN-γ alone or their combination was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.001) and RFS (P = 0.001) by multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis. Patients with concurrent low levels of iNKT cells and IFN-γ had a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.784 for OS and 2.673 for RFS. The areas under the curve of iNKT cells, IFN-γand their combination were 0.618 vs 0.608 vs 0.654 for death and 0.591 vs 0.604 vs 0.633 for recurrence respectively by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The prognosis was the worst for HCC patients with concurrent low levels of iNKT cells and IFN-γ, which might be related with more advanced pTNM stage and more vascular invasion.

Conclusions

Combination of intratumoral iNKT cells and IFN-γ is a promising independent predictor for recurrence and survival in HCC, which has a better power to predict HCC patients’ outcome compared with intratumoral iNKT cells or IFN-γ alone.     

Diversity and Abundance of Nitrate Assimilation Genes in the Northern South China Sea

Marine heterotrophic microorganisms that assimilate nitrate play an important role in nitrogen and carbon cycling in the water column. The nasA gene, encoding the nitrate assimilation enzyme, was selected as a functional marker to examine the nitrate assimilation community in the South China Sea (SCS). PCR amplification, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) screening, and phylogenetic analysis of nasA gene sequences were performed to characterize in situ nitrate assimilatory bacteria. Furthermore, the effects of nutrients and other environmental factors on the genetic heterogeneity of nasA fragments from the SCS were evaluated at the surface in three stations, and at two other depths in one of these stations. The diversity indices and rarefaction curves indicated that the nasA gene was more diverse in offshore waters than in the Pearl River estuary. The phylotype rank abundance curve showed an abundant and unique RFLP pattern in all five libraries, indicating that a high diversity but low abundance of nasA existed in the study areas. Phylogenetic analysis of environmental nasA gene sequences further revealed that the nasA gene fragments came from several common aquatic microbial groups, including the Proteobacteria, Cytophaga–Flavobacteria (CF), and Cyanobacteria. In addition to the direct PCR/sequence analysis of environmental samples, we also cultured a number of nitrate assimilatory bacteria isolated from the field. Comparison of nasA genes from these isolates and from the field samples indicated the existence of horizontal nasA gene transfer. Application of real-time quantitative PCR to these nasA genes revealed a great variation in their abundance at different investigation sites and water depths.