NF-kappaB in breast cancer cells promotes osteolytic bone metastasis by inducing osteoclastogenesis via GM-CSF

Advanced breast cancers frequently metastasize to bone, resulting in osteolytic lesions, yet the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we report that nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays a crucial role in the osteolytic bone metastasis of breast cancer by stimulating osteoclastogenesis. Using an in vivo bone metastasis model, we found that constitutive NF-kappaB activity in breast cancer cells is crucial for the bone resorption characteristic of osteolytic bone metastasis. We identified the gene encoding granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as a key target of NF-kappaB and found that it mediates osteolytic bone metastasis of breast cancer by stimulating osteoclast development. Moreover, we observed that the expression of GM-CSF correlated with NF-kappaB activation in bone-metastatic tumor tissues from individuals with breast cancer. These results uncover a new and specific role of NF-kappaB in osteolytic bone metastasis through GM-CSF induction, suggesting that NF-kappaB is a potential target for the treatment of breast cancer and the prevention of skeletal metastasis.     

TNFα-initiated oxidative/nitrative stress mediates cardiomyocyte apoptosis in traumatic animals

Whole body non-penetrating trauma causes myocardial infarction in humans and mechanical trauma (MT) results in cardiac dysfunction in animals. Our recent study demonstrated that incubation of cardiomyocytes with plasma isolated from MT animals causes significant cardiomyocyte apoptosis that can be blocked by neutralization of TNFα. The present study attempted to obtain direct in vivo evidence to support that overproduction of TNFα plays a causative role in trauma-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Non-lethal MT caused significant TNFα overproduction (2.4-fold at 1.5 h after MT) and increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis (starting 3 h and peaking 12 h after MT). Pharmacological inhibition of TNFα with etanercept or TNFα gene deletion reduced post-trauma myocyte apoptosis (P < 0.01). Expression of iNOS and NADPH oxidase, overproduction of NO and , and excessive protein nitration in the MT heart were all significantly reduced in etanercept-treated or TNFα^−/− mice, suggesting that oxidative/nitrative stress may contribute to TNFα-initiated myocyte apoptosis in MT hearts. Additional experiments demonstrated that inhibiting iNOS (1400W) or NADPH oxidase (apocynin), or scavenging peroxynitrite (FP15) significantly reduced myocyte apoptosis in MT animals (P < 0.01). Collectively, these data demonstrated that non-lethal mechanical trauma caused significant TNFα production that in turn stimulated myocardial apoptosis via oxidative/nitrative stress.     

寄主植物对荔枝蒂蛀虫产卵的引诱作用

试验观察荔枝蒂蛀虫Conopomorpha sinensisBradley对寄主植物品种、器官及器官部位的产卵选择性规律。结果表明,与老梢相比,荔枝蒂蛀虫明显倾向于选择嫩梢产卵;4个荔枝品种果枝中以妃子笑上落卵数最多,在淮枝、糯米糍荔枝果实上较少,桂味荔枝上最少;不同的荔枝品种果实气味引诱雌虫产卵的能力不同,其中妃子笑引诱力最强,淮枝、糯米糍引诱力较低,桂味最低;在同一荔枝果实不同部位的落卵量,以果皮上、下两部分较大,全果明显低于果皮上部,而荔枝肉和荔枝核上没有落卵。     

温度对安婀珍蝶生长发育的影响

在10,14,17,20,23,26,29,32和35℃恒温下,安婀珍蝶Actinote anteas(Doubleday&Hewitson)的发育历期随温度的升高而缩短,发育速率随温度的升高而加快,而幼虫的龄期数则随温度升高而增多。试验结果表明,14~26℃为该虫生长发育的适温区。用Logistic模型安婀珍蝶各虫态发育速率与温度的关系进行了模拟,结果较好,判定系数R2在0.8604~0.9972。     

二种大实蝇的PCR-RFLP快速鉴定方法

应用PCR-RFLP技术,对我国部分地区发生分布的蜜柑大实蝇和橘大实蝇开展了分子生物学鉴定方法研究。结果表明,利用4组引物对目标实蝇的COⅡ和ITS1基因进行PCR扩增,并借助MnlⅠ,MseⅠ,AseⅠ,DraⅠ和SspⅠ等5种限制性内切酶对扩增产物进行酶切,能从多个途径把2种大实蝇区分开。所建立的方法不受目标实蝇食物源、地理来源和标本保存条件的影响,对不同虫态和不同性别的个体均适用,可在生产和检疫实践中对蜜柑大实蝇和橘大实蝇进行快速鉴定。     

Antiadhesive property of microalgal polysaccharide extract on the binding of Helicobacter pylori to gastric mucin

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori is of concern in the treatment of H. pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases. As the organism was reported to bind gastric mucin, we used porcine gastric mucin as substrate to assess the antiadhesive property of polysaccharides derived from Spirulina (PS), a commercially available microalga, against the binding of H. pylori to gastric mucin. Results show that polysaccharides prevented H. pylori from binding to gastric mucin optimally at pH 2.0, without affecting the viability of either bacteria or gastric epithelial cells, thus favouring its antiadhesive action in a gastric environment. Using ligand overlay analysis, polysaccharide was demonstrated to bind H. pylori alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC) and urease, which have shown here to possess mucin-binding activity. An in vivo study demonstrated that bacteria load was reduced by >90% in BALB/c mice treated with either Spirulina or polysaccharides. It is thus suggested that polysaccharides may function as a potential antiadhesive agent against H. pylori colonization of gastric mucin.     

A statistical method for chromatographic alignment of LC-MS data

Integrated liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS) is becoming a widely used approach for quantifying the protein composition of complex samples. The output of the LC-MS system measures the intensity of a peptide with a specific mass-charge ratio and retention time. In the last few years, this technology has been used to compare complex biological samples across multiple conditions. One challenge for comparative proteomic profiling with LC-MS is to match corresponding peptide features from different experiments. In this paper, we propose a new method--Peptide Element Alignment (PETAL) that uses raw spectrum data and detected peak to simultaneously align features from multiple LC-MS experiments. PETAL creates spectrum elements, each of which represents the mass spectrum of a single peptide in a single scan. Peptides detected in different LC-MS data are aligned if they can be represented by the same elements. By considering each peptide separately, PETAL enjoys greater flexibility than time warping methods. While most existing methods process multiple data sets by sequentially aligning each data set to an arbitrarily chosen template data set, PETAL treats all experiments symmetrically and can analyze all experiments simultaneously. We illustrate the performance of PETAL on example data sets.     

Altering coenzyme specificity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia stipitis</Emphasis> xylose reductase by the semi-rational approach CASTing

Background  

The NAD(P)H-dependent Pichia stipitis xylose reductase (PsXR) is one of the key enzymes for xylose fermentation, and has been cloned into the commonly used ethanol-producing yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to eliminate the redox imbalance resulting from the preference of this enzyme toward NADPH, efforts have been made to alter the coenzyme specificity of PsXR by site-directed mutagenesis, with limited success. Given the industrial importance of PsXR, it is of interest to investigate further ways to create mutants of PsXR that prefers NADH rather than NADPH, by the alternative directed evolution approach.     

Molecular epidemiology of human Blastocystis in a village in Yunnan province, China

The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of the molecular epidemiology of human Blastocystis, focusing on 239 randomly selected individuals in a single village in Yunnan province, China. Emphasis was placed on the relative frequency of different Blastocystis subtypes and underlying risk factors. We used a cross-sectional study design, by employing a pre-tested questionnaire to obtain demographic data and behavioural risk factors, and collected faecal samples for culture and subsequent identification of Blastocystis. DNA was extracted from Blastocystis isolates and the subtypes were identified using 7 subtype-specific sequenced-tagged site (STS) primers. Overall, 78 faecal samples were Blastocystis culture-positive (32.6%, 95% confidence interval: 26.7–38.6%). The majority (n = 73, 93.6%) were single infections with one of the known subtypes, whereas 2 isolates consisted of 2 concurrent subtypes. The remaining 3 isolates could not be identified with the currently known STS primers. Risk factors for a Blastocystis infection were drinking unboiled water, consumption of raw water plants and pig ownership. The consumption of raw water plants was positively associated with subtype 1 infections, and drinking unboiled water with subtype 3 infections. In conclusion, human Blastocystis was common in this village in southwest China, and different subtypes were associated with distinct transmission routes or sources of infection, and hence Blastocystis subtypes might be linked to specific environmental compartments.     

Response of cells on surface-induced nanopatterns: fibroblasts and mesenchymal progenitor cells

Ultrathin films of a poly(styrene)-block-poly(2-vinylpyrindine) diblock copolymer (PS-b-P2VP) and poly(styrene)-block-poly(4-vinylpyrindine) diblock copolymer (PS-b-P4VP) were used to form surface-induced nanopattern (SINPAT) on mica. Surface interaction controlled microphase separation led to the formation of chemically heterogeneous surface nanopatterns on dry ultrathin films. Two distinct nanopatterned surfaces, namely, wormlike and dotlike patterns, were used to investigate the influence of topography in the nanometer range on cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration. Atomic force microscopy was used to confirm that SINPAT was stable under cell culture conditions. Fibroblasts and mesenchymal progenitor cells were cultured on the nanopatterned surfaces. Phase contrast and confocal laser microscopy showed that fibroblasts and mesenchymal progenitor cells preferred the densely spaced wormlike patterns. Atomic force microscopy showed that the cells remodelled the extracellular matrix differently as they migrate over the two distinctly different nanopatterns.