Optimization of the production of Aspergillus niger α-glucosidase expressed in Pichia pastoris

The α-glucosidase (AGL) from Aspergillus niger has been applied to produce isomaltooligosaccharides. In the present study, various factors which affect the yield of recombinant AGL, produced by engineered Pichia pastoris, were investigated. The expression level reached 5.5 U ml^?1 in bioreactor after optimization of parameters of initial induction cell density, induction temperature and methanol concentration. In addition, it was found that coexpression of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) inhibited the growth of the engineered P. pastoris strains and had an adverse effect on the production of AGL, while codon optimization of native A. niger α-glucosidase encoding gene (aglu) resulted in a significant enhancement of enzyme production, which reached 10.1 U ml^?1. We believe that yield of AGL is increased by codon optimization as a result of enhanced translation efficiency as well as more stable mRNA secondary structure. In contrast, PDI coexpression under the control of alcohol oxidase promoter (PAOX1) seems to be less efficient in helping disulfide bond formation in AGL while probably induce unfolded protein response, which further leads to cell apoptosis and increased protein degradation.     

On preprocessing and antisymmetry in de novo peptide sequencing: improving efficiency and accuracy

Peptide sequencing plays a fundamental role in proteomics. Tandem mass spectrometry, being sensitive and efficient, is one of the most commonly used techniques in peptide sequencing. Many computational models and algorithms have been developed for peptide sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry. In this paper, we investigate general issues in de novo sequencing, and present results that can be used to improve current de novo sequencing algorithms. We propose a general preprocessing scheme that performs binning, pseudo-peak introduction, and noise removal, and present theoretical and experimental analyses on each of the components. Then, we study the antisymmetry problem and current assumptions related to it, and propose a more realistic way to handle the antisymmetry problem based on analysis of some datasets. We integrate our findings on preprocessing and the antisymmetry problem with some current models for peptide sequencing. Experimental results show that our findings help to improve accuracies for de novo sequencing.     

Plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis of Elymus sibiricus cv. ‘chuancao No. 2’

The mature seeds, mesocotyls, and young leaf tips of Elymus sibiricus L. cv. ‘chuancao No. 2’ were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 5.0 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-d) and 0.05 mg/L kinetin in the dark at 26°C, the calluses were produced. The rate of callus regeneration depended on the explants source and plant growth regulators. Plants regenerated from whitish-yellow-coloured compact nodular callus formed after subculturing for 8 weeks. Higher frequency (54%) of shoot differentiation was obtained from the embryo tissues of mature seed than from either mesocotyls (24%) or young leaf tip tissues (6%) when these calluses from different types of explants were cultured on plant regeneration medium containing half strength MS salts supplemented with 0.1 mg/L kinetin, 1.5 mg/L 2,4-D and 20 g/L sucrose. The green plants were rooted within 6 weeks in the root regeneration medium, and over 97% of these soil-established plants were obtained in the greenhouse when potted in a sand and peat mixture medium.     

Influences of traditional Chinese medicine on non-specific immunity of Jian Carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian)

The influence of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulation from Astragalus Root (Radix astragalin seu Hedysari) and Chinese Angelica Root (R. Angelicae Sinensis) at a ratio of 5:1 (w/w) on non-specific immunity of Jian carp, Cyprinus carpio var. Jian was investigated. The number of NBT-positive cells in the blood and lysozyme and complement activities in the serum of Carp fed with commercial feed supplemented with 1.0% (diet 1) and 1.5% (diet 2) TCM at 10 day of post-feeding were not different from those of the control group fed with feed unsupplemented TCM 10 days post-feeding (P>0.05), but at 20 and 30 days they increased significantly (P<0.05). The values of diet 1 group and diet 2 group at 20 day and at 30 day were not significantly different (P>0.05) from each other. In addition, the TCM formula increased body weight of experimental fish by about 16.84% (diet 1) and 19% (diet 2) above that of the control group. Therefore, these data suggest that the TCM formula could elevate the function of non-specific immunity of Jian carp. The optimal dosage added to commercial carp feed was 1.0% (w/w) and the oral administration time as a course of treatment was 20 days.     

Critical role of Toll‐like receptor 2 in Bacteroides fragilis‐mediated immune responses in murine peritoneal mesothelial cells

In this study, the role of Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) in immune responses of murine peritoneal mesothelial cells against Bacteroides fragilis was investigated. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure cytokines and chemokines. Activation of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB‐α) and mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) was investigated by western blot analysis. B. fragilis induced production of interleukin‐6, chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) and chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) in wild type peritoneal mesothelial cells; this was impaired in TLR2‐deficient cells. In addition, in response to B. fragilis, phosphorylation of inhibitory NF‐κB‐α and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) was induced in wild type mesothelial cells, but not in TLR2‐deficient cells,. Inhibitor assay revealed that NF‐κB and MAPKs are essential for B. fragilis‐induced production of CXCL1 and CCL2 in mesothelial cells. These findings suggest that TLR2 mediates immune responses in peritoneal mesothelial cells in response to B. fragilis.     

HSP_(70)基因表达对高粱育性的影响(英文)

高粱细胞质雄性不育系３１９７Ａ（３Ａ）在常温条件下是不育的（Ｆｉｇｓ．１１＆２）,经热激（４５℃）诱导不同程度地恢复了育性（Ｆｉｇｓ．１３＆４）,为研究其不育机理提供了线索。热激２ｈ后,３Ａ中即可产生一类线粒体热激蛋白（ＨＳＰｓ）。其中,分子量为７０ｋＤ的ＨＳＰ７０含量最高,也最为稳定。不过,３Ａ中ＨＳＰｓ的稳定性弱于保持系３１９７Ｂ（３Ｂ）（Ｆｉｇ．２,Ｐａｎｅｌｓ１～４）。放线菌素Ｄ抑制ＨＳＰｓ的合成,而氯霉素无此作用（Ｆｉｇ．２,Ｐａｎｅｌｓ５＆６）,表明：ＨＳＰｓ是由核基因编码、在细胞质中合成、再跨膜转运到线粒体中的。３Ａ幼穗经热激后,线粒体的总蛋白量猛增了２．７倍（Ｆｉｇ．３）,达到３Ｂ的水平,育性亦变为可育的。Ｆｉｇ．４表明：ＨＳＰ７０反义链ｃＤＮＡ（Ｒ１）能进入到３Ｂ花药细胞中,并与靶ＲＮＡ（ＨＳＣ７０ｍＲＮＡ）结合,而对照、正义链ｃＤＮＡ（Ｄ）链无此反应。由此、再增加一个通用保守序列的反义链ｃＤＮＡ（Ｒ２）、共两个探针（Ｒ１、Ｒ２）,可以检测到：３Ａ在常温下没有能力合成ＨＳＣ７０ｍＲＮＡ（Ｆｉｇ．５）,而在热激条件下,转变为有能力（Ｆｉｇ．６）。启示：３Ａ在热激条件下由不育转变为可育     

DL-蛋按酸及衍生物的合成与拆分研究进展

综述了蛋氨基酸及其衍生物的化学合成及化学拆分近年来的研究进展.第一部分讨论了DL-蛋氨酸及其衍生物的化学合成,包括丙烯醛法、丙二酸酯法,氨基内酯法等,并着重介绍了海因法.第二部分为 DL-蛋氨酸的手性拆分,主要包括膜分离,加合物、络合物形式分离,用苯丙氨酸拆分,衍生物分离等拆分方法,还介绍了生物酶拆分方法和其它有关拆分方法的进展.     

The role of the ubiquitin proteasome system in synapse remodeling and neurodegenerative diseases

The ubiquitin proteasome system is a potent regulatory mechanism used to control protein stability in numerous cellular processes, including neural development. Many neurodegenerative diseases are featured by the accumulation of UPS-associated proteins, suggesting the UPS dysfunction may be crucial for pathogenesis. Recent experiments have highlighted the UPS as a key player during synaptic development. Here we summarize recent discoveries centered on the role of the UPS in synapse remodeling and draw attention to the potential link between the synaptic UPS dysfunction and the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases.     

Inhibitory effect of naringenin chalcone on inflammatory changes in the interaction between adipocytes and macrophages

Obese adipose tissue is characterized by an enhanced infiltration of macrophages. It is considered that the paracrine loop involving monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha between adipocytes and macrophages establishes a vicious cycle that augments the inflammatory changes and insulin resistance in obese adipose tissue. Polyphenols, which are widely distributed in fruit and vegetables, can act as antioxidants and some of them are also reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. Tomato is one of the most popular and extensively consumed vegetable crops worldwide, which also contains many flavonoids, mainly naringenin chalcone. We investigated the effect of flavonoids, including naringenin chalcone, on the production of proinflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages and in the interaction between adipocytes and macrophages. Naringenin chalcone inhibited the production of TNF-alpha, MCP-1, and nitric oxide (NO) by LPS-stimulated RAW 264 macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Coculture of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and RAW 264 macrophages markedly enhanced the production of TNF-alpha, MCP-1, and NO compared with the control cultures; however, treatment with naringenin chalcone dose-dependently inhibited the production of these proinflammatory mediators. These results indicate that naringenin chalcone exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the interaction between adipocytes and macrophages. Naringenin chalcone may be useful for ameliorating the inflammatory changes in obese adipose tissue.     

Secretion of firefly luciferase in E.coli

Summary A DNA segment carrying the full-length, intronless firefly luciferase gene was inserted into the high expression secretion vector, pIN-III -ompA. Upon induction of gene expression, luciferase activity was detected in extracts prepared from periplasmic fractions. The results indicated that the OmpA signal peptide was able to direct secretion of firefly luciferase across the cytoplasmic membrane. This has important implications for using this luciferase as a reporter in studying protein export and targeting.