Bacteriological analysis of saliva from partially or fully engorged female adult <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhipicephalus microplus</Emphasis> by next-generation sequencing

Tick-borne diseases are a major epidemiological problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial composition of saliva obtained from engorged adult Rhipicephalus microplus females. Saliva samples collected from partially or fully engorged adult female ticks were analysed using an ultra-high-throughput Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing system. To elucidate the possible routes of bacterial transmission, the bacterial flora from whole ticks were also investigated. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were the predominant phyla in all samples, and Acinetobacter, Rickettsia, Escherichia and Coxiella were the major genera. Microbial diversity in saliva samples from partially engorged ticks was more complex than that of samples from fully engorged individuals. The comparison of saliva and whole-tick samples suggests that bacteria in saliva also colonize the tick’s body. We believe that some bacterial genera, such as Dermacoccus, Achromia, SMB53, Sutterella, Providencia, Mycoplana, Oscillospira, and Agrobacterium, were found and reported in ticks for the first time. The Coxiella and Rickettsia detected in this study might be tick-borne pathogens, suggesting health risks associated with exposure to R. microplus in humans and animals. These findings may serve as the basis for developing strategies to control ticks and tick-borne diseases.     

Influence of phytochemicals on the biocompatibility of inorganic nanoparticles: a state-of-the-art review

Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are among the most produced NPs that could be used in consumer products and as healthcare materials, however, the intrinsic toxicity particularly through the mechanism associated oxidative stress raises the health concern about inorganic NP exposure. Phytochemicals are bioactive metabolites derived from plants as well as non-pathogenic microorganisms living within plants and have been shown to be beneficial to human health with their anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant properties. In the present review, the influence of on the biocompatibility of inorganic NPs was discussed. It has been shown that phytochemicals could be used as bio-friendly capping agents for green synthesis of inorganic NPs, and phytochemical coated inorganic NPs were remarkable stable and biocompatible with high therapeutic efficiency. Meanwhile, the presence of phytochemicals was also able to reduce the side effects and enhance the therapeutic abilities of inorganic NPs, which is likely attributed to the anti-oxidative properties of phytochemicals. Thus, using phytochemicals could be a promising and plausible way to reduce side effects and increase the biocompatibility of inorganic NPs for biomedical applications.     

Mechanism and Nature of Inhibition of Trypsin by Ligupurpuroside A,a Ku-Ding Tea Extract,Studied by Spectroscopic and Docking Methods

Ligupurpuroside A is a glycoside extracted from Ku-Ding tea. As extracts from Ku-Ding tea exhibit anti-inflammatory property, we hypothesize that Ligupurpuroside A may be an active compound which inhibits trypsin activity during the anti-inflammatory process. The mechanism and nature of inhibition of trypsin by Ligupurpuroside A have been studied by multi-spectroscopic method, enzyme-activity assay and molecular docking. Enzyme activity assay reveals that Ligupurpuroside A significantly inhibits the activity of trypsin through a competitive manner with an IC₅₀ value of 3.08 × 10^?3 mol L^?1. Fluorescence titration together with thermodynamic analysis indicate that a Ligupurpuroside A-trypsin complex is formed, and that hydrophobic force and hydrogen bonding are the main forces stabilizing the complex. UV-vis absorption, synchronous fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra show that the interaction between Ligupurpuroside A and trypsin induces conformational changes of trypsin with a decrease in the contents of α-helix and β-sheet. Finally, molecular docking further suggests that Ligupurpuroside A molecule binds within the active pocket of trypsin via hydrophobic force and hydrogen bond. Results from this study of the interaction of trypsin with its natural inhibitor should be useful to minimize the antinutritional effects and make full use of tea extracts in the food industry, and be also helpful to the design of the drugs for the diseases related to overexpression of trypsin.     

一株耐受低pH光滑球拟酵母RT-6的生理特性

摘要：【目的】 研究一株耐受pH 1.91的光滑球拟酵母 (Torulopsis glabrata) RT-6的生理特性。【方法】在不同的pH条件下,对比分析原菌CCTCC M202019和突变株RT-6胞内pH、胞内ATP水平、H+-ATPase酶活、膜脂肪酸组成和聚磷酸盐含量等生理学特性的差异。【结果】与原菌比较,突变株RT-6：(1)生物量和丙酮酸产量分别提高了60.6 %和85.4 % (56 h);(2) 在胞外pH5.0、4.5、4.0时,胞内pH极显著高于原菌;(3)胞内ATP、H+-ATP     

The Ubiquitin Receptor DA1 Regulates Seed and Organ Size by Modulating the Stability of the Ubiquitin-Specific Protease UBP15/SOD2 in Arabidopsis

Although the control of organ size is a fundamental question in developmental biology, little is known about the genetic and molecular mechanisms that determine the final size of seeds in plants. We previously demonstrated that the ubiquitin receptor DA1 acts synergistically with the E3 ubiquitin ligases DA2 and ENHANCER1 OF DA1 (EOD1)/BIG BROTHER to restrict seed growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we describe UBIQUITIN-SPECIFIC PROTEASE15 (UBP15), encoded by SUPPRESSOR2 OF DA1 (SOD2), which acts maternally to regulate seed size by promoting cell proliferation in the integuments of ovules and developing seeds. The sod2/ubp15 mutants form small seeds, while overexpression of UBP15 increases seed size of wild-type plants. Genetic analyses indicate that UBP15 functions antagonistically in a common pathway with DA1 to influence seed size, but does so independently of DA2 and EOD1. Further results reveal that DA1 physically associates with UBP15 in vitro and in vivo and modulates the stability of UBP15. Therefore, our findings establish a genetic and molecular framework for the regulation of seed size by four ubiquitin-related proteins DA1, DA2, EOD1, and UBP15 and suggest that they are promising targets for increasing seed size in crops.     

Alteronol inhibits the invasion and metastasis of B16F10 and B16F1 melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo

Aims

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the anti-metastatic effects of alteronol on melanoma B16F10 and B16F1 cells in vitro and in vivo.

Main methods

Melanoma B16F1 and B16F10 cells were cultured in vitro. Cell proliferation was analyzed via 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The cell migration and invasion were evaluated via wound healing and transwell chamber assays. The activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) in culture supernatants was assessed via gelatin zymography. The expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were detected via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. The anti-metastatic ability in vivo was detected through experimental lung metastasis.

Key findings

The data indicate that alteronol can inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and migration of B16F1 and B16F10 cells in vitro and in vivo, decrease the activity and expression of MMP-2, enhance the expression level of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), and inhibit the experimental lung metastasis of B16F1 and B16F10 cells.

Significance

Although alteronol and taxol are obtained from the same source, these substances do not destroy the rare resource; the mechanisms of them on tumor growth inhibition are different. Conversely, alteronol treatment had lesser effects on normal cells revealing for a selective property and a strong competitive advantage.     

Osteoimmunology: The correlation between osteoclasts and the Th17/Treg balance in osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is caused by disorder of the skeletal microenvironment, and it characterized by a high disability rate and the occurrence of low energy fractures. Studies on osteoporosis and related treatment options have always been hot spots in the field of bone biology. In the past, the understanding of osteoporosis has been rather limited; research has only shown that osteoporosis involves the imbalance of bone resorption and bone formation, and recent studies have not provided cutting‐edge theories of the basic understanding of osteoporosis. Recent studies have shown crosstalk between bone and immune responses. RANKL, an essential factor for osteoclasts (OCs), is associated with the immune system. T helper (Th17)/regulatory T (Treg) cells are two different kinds of T cells that can self‐interact and regulate the differentiation and formation of OCs. Therefore, understanding the correlation between the skeletal and immune systems and further revealing the roles and the cooperation between RANKL and the Th17/Treg balance will help to provide new insights for the treatment of osteoporosis.     

高黎贡山南段海拔梯度森林乔木层时空动态

研究群落物种组成和多样性的时空动态对揭示生物多样性的分布规律以及预测全球变化情景下生物多样性的变化趋势具有重要意义。然而,在山地生态系统中,不同海拔梯度的森林群落物种多样性和系统发育多样性如何随着时间尺度的变化仍不清楚。该研究以高黎贡山南段东、西坡海拔梯度(960～2 878 m)森林群落固定监测样带的17个样方为研究对象,基于2004、2008和2013年乔木层(DBH ≥ 5 cm)重调查数据,分析样方内物种组成、物种多样性和系统发育多样性的时空动态变化。结果表明:(1)沿着海拔梯度,物种多样性呈现单峰分布格局,系统发育多样性呈现上升的趋势,系统发育结构呈现聚集到离散或者随机的结构。(2)在时间尺度上,森林乔木层在物种多样性和系统发育多样性上并未发生显著性变化。然而,系统发育结构随着时间的推移呈现更加聚集的趋势。(3)在海拔梯度上,东坡低海拔区域(960～1 381 m)的森林群落样方呈现显著的物种丧失,其植被完全被耕地所替代。其中,诃子(Terminalia chebula)、麻栎(Quercus acutissima)、清香木(Pistacia weinmanniifolia)、枳椇(Hovenia acerba)和假香冬青(Ilex wattii)等为主要的丧失物种。相反,物种获得主要集中在西坡低海拔的样方,群落中丰富度显著增加的物种主要为曼青冈(Cyclobalanopsis oxyodon)、华山矾(Symplocos chinensis)和台湾杉(Taiwania cryptomerioides)等。据此,我们推测高黎贡山海拔梯度森林乔木层的群落结构和多样性的动态变化在中高海拔受群落演替和气候变化的制约,而在低海拔主要受人类活动的影响。该研究结果加深了对高黎贡山亚热带常绿阔叶林植物群落动态变化的认识,也有助于该地区精准保护策略的制定。