A comparative study on the heparin‐binding proteomes of Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular apicomplexan parasite which exploits host cell surface components in cell invasion and intracellular parasitization. Sulfated glycans such as heparin and heparan sulfate have been reported to inhibit cell invasion by T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum. The aim of this study was to investigate the heparin‐binding proteome of T. gondii. The parasite‐derived components were affinity‐purified on the heparin moiety followed by MS fingerprinting of the proteins. The heparin‐binding proteins of T. gondii and P. falciparum were compared based on functionality and affinity to heparin. Among the proteins identified, the invasion‐related parasite ligands derived from tachyzoite/merozoite surface and the secretory organelles were prominent. However, the profiles of the proteins were different in terms of affinity to heparin. In T. gondii, the proteins with highest affinity to heparin were the intracellular components with functions of parasite development contrasted to that of P. falciparum, of which the rhoptry‐derived proteins were prominently identified. The profiling of the heparin‐binding proteins of the two apicomplexan parasites not only explained the mechanism of heparin‐mediated host cell invasion inhibition, but also, to a certain extent, revealed that the action of heparin on the parasite extended after endocytosis.     

Suppression of tumorigenesis by human mesenchymal stem cells in a hepatoma model

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) can home to tumor sites and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. Little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms that link hMSCs to the targeted inhibition of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of hMSCs on two human hepatoma cell lines (H7402 and HepG2) using an animal transplantation model, a co-culture system and conditioned media from hMSCs. Animal transplantation studies showed that the latent time for tumor formation was prolonged and that the tumor size was smaller when SCID mice were injected with H7402 cells and an equal number of Z3 hMSCs. When co-cultured with Z3 cells, H7402 cell proliferation decreased, apoptosis increased, and the expression of Bcl-2, c-Myc, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and survivin was downregulated. After treatment with conditioned media derived from Z3 hMSC cultures, H4702 cells showed decreased colony-forming ability and decreased proliferation. Immunoblot analysis showed that beta-catenin, Bcl-2, c-Myc, PCNA and survivin expression was downregulated in H7402 and HepG2 cells. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that hMSCs inhibit the malignant phenotypes of the H7402 and HepG2 human liver cancer cell lines, which include proliferation, colony-forming ability and oncogene expression both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, our studies provide evidence that the Wnt signaling pathway may have a role in hMSC-mediated targeting and tumor cell inhibition.     

葡萄糖氧化酶基因片段的克隆与序列分析

根据Gen Bank发布的葡萄糖氧化酶基因序列设计PCR扩增引物,从筛选的1株可以产生葡萄糖氧化酶的菌株中克隆得到葡萄糖氧化酶基因片段,将该片段与p MD20-T载体连接后转化至大肠埃希菌DH5α中,测序并进行序列比对分析。结果表明,该克隆片段属于氧化还原酶超家族,且与同属氧化还原酶超家族中的Aspergillus niger strain BT18葡萄糖氧化酶相似度达到92%。从蛋白质预测的三级结构可以看出有FAD和NAG结合位点,说明该GOD片段理论上可以表达出GOD的主要功能。可以推断该克隆的基因片段为葡萄糖氧化酶基因片段。     

成都地区19个木芙蓉品种的孢粉学研究及其分类学意义

为了解成都地区木芙蓉(Hibiscus mutabilis)品种间的亲缘关系,采用扫描电镜观察了19个木芙蓉品种的花粉显微结构,并探讨其分类学意义.结果表明,19个木芙蓉品种的花粉均为大粒,主要为圆球形,具散孔,外壁纹饰均为刺状纹饰,表面具有颗粒状突起.木芙蓉品种间在花粉粒大小、外壁纹饰上具有一定差异,可以作为品种分类...     

湖南湖北两省H6亚型禽流感病毒表面基因的序列分析

2008年至2009年间,在湖南和湖北两省的活禽市场中分离到了14株H6亚型禽流感病毒,为了解这14株病毒之间的分子特征和差异,我们运用PCR和测序鉴定对这14株病毒的NA基因进行了分型,并对其表面基因HA和NA进行序列测定及序列分析.14株H6亚型病毒中,H6N2亚型12株,H6N6亚型2株.序列测定和进化分析结果显示:DK/HN/284的HA基因与其它13株的HA差异性较大,差异性达到19.4%～20.2%,其余13株毒同源性在94.2%～99.9%;N2亚型NA基因的同源性在91.1%～99.9%,差异性比较大;两株N6亚型NA基因同源性为89.5%,差异明显.这些数据表明:不同毒株呈现一定的地域性差异.与我国周边其它地区的H6亚型禽流感毒株序列进行比较发现,只有DK/HN/284的HA基因与香港早期的毒株可能有着共同的来源,其余都与香港和韩国等的毒株有着较大的差异性,并且各个毒株的HA基因上潜在的糖基化位点和受体结合位点也有所不同,这些数据表明,这些毒株表现出明显的异源性.