Phosphorylation of AMPA receptors

The ionotropic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor is densely distributed in the mammalian brain and is primarily involved in mediating fast excitatory synaptic transmission. Recent studies in both heterologous expression systems and cultured neurons have shown that the AMPA receptor can be phosphorylated on their subunits (GluR1, GluR2, and GluR4). All phosphorylation sites reside at serine, threonine, or tyrosine on the intracellular C-terminal domain. Several key protein kinases, such as protein kinase A, protein kinase C, Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and tyrosine kinases (Trks; receptor or nonreceptor family Trks) are involved in the site-specific regulation of the AMPA receptor phosphorylation. Other glutamate receptors (N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors) also regulate AMPA receptors through a protein phosphorylation mechanism. Emerging evidence shows that as a rapid and short-term mechanism, the dynamic protein phosphorylation directly modulates the electrophysiological, morphological (externalization and internalization trafficking and clustering), and biochemical (synthesis and subunit composition) properties of the AMPA receptor, as well as protein-protein interactions between the AMPA receptor subunits and various intracellular interacting proteins. These modulations underlie the major molecular mechanisms that ultimately affect many forms of synaptic plasticity.     

Endothelial microvesicles in hypoxic hypoxia diseases

Hypoxic hypoxia, including abnormally low partial pressure of inhaled oxygen, external respiratory dysfunction‐induced respiratory hypoxia and venous blood flow into the arterial blood, is characterized by decreased arterial oxygen partial pressure, resulting in tissue oxygen deficiency. The specific characteristics include reduced arterial oxygen partial pressure and oxygen content. Hypoxic hypoxia diseases (HHDs) have attracted increased attention due to their high morbidity and mortality and mounting evidence showing that hypoxia‐induced oxidative stress, coagulation, inflammation and angiogenesis play extremely important roles in the physiological and pathological processes of HHDs‐related vascular endothelial injury. Interestingly, endothelial microvesicles (EMVs), which can be induced by hypoxia, hypoxia‐induced oxidative stress, coagulation and inflammation in HHDs, have emerged as key mediators of intercellular communication and cellular functions. EMVs shed from activated or apoptotic endothelial cells (ECs) reflect the degree of ECs damage, and elevated EMVs levels are present in several HHDs, including obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, EMVs have procoagulant, proinflammatory and angiogenic functions that affect the pathological processes of HHDs. This review summarizes the emerging roles of EMVs in the diagnosis, staging, treatment and clinical prognosis of HHDs.     

辽东栎枝条分解过程中几种主要营养元素的变化

 应用分解网袋法,对暖温带落叶阔叶林主要优势树种辽东栎小枝进行连续5年的分解研究,测定了C、N、K、P和Na5种元素在凋落物分解过程中的含量和剩余百分率的变化,发现这两个指标在这几种元素之间有很大的差异。从丢失速率上看(根据Olson的失重率常数k),K元素的丢失速率明显高于其它4种元素;而从这几种元素含量变化的格局上看,K的含量在整个5年的分解过程中是不断降低的,C也有这样的趋势,N的含量有不断上升的趋势,而P和Na则表现为先升高后降低的趋势。     

TP73‐AS1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation through miR‐200a‐mediated TFAM inhibition

P73 antisense RNA 1T (TP73‐AS1 or PDAM) is a long non‐coding RNA, which can regulate apoptosis through regulation of p53 signaling‐related anti‐apoptotic genes. An abnormal change of TP73‐AS1 expression was noticed in cancers. The effects of TP73‐AS1 in breast cancer (BC) growth and the underlying mechanism remain unclear so far. In the present study, the effect of TP73‐AS1 in BC cell lines and clinical tumor samples was detected so as to reveal its role and function. In the present study, TP73‐AS1 was specifically upregulated in BC tissues and BC cell lines and was correlated to a poorer prognosis in patients with BC. TP73‐AS1 knocking down suppressed human BC cell proliferation in vitro through regulation of TFAM. In our previous study, we demonstrated that miR‐200a inhibits BC cell proliferation through targeting TFAM; here we revealed that TP73‐AS1 could regulate miR‐200a through direct targeting. Moreover, TP73‐AS1 might compete with TFAM for miR‐200a binding thus to promote TFAM expression. Data from the present study revealed that TP73‐AS1 promoted BC cell proliferation through acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR‐200a. In conclusion, we regarded TP73‐AS1 as an oncogenic lncRNA promoting BC cell proliferation and a potential target for human BC treatment.     

核桃青皮的化学成分研究——酚类化合物

核桃青皮是一种传统的中药材,含有大量的酚类化合物,具有镇痛、消炎、抑菌、抗肿瘤等功效。为了从核桃青皮中分离得到更多的酚类成分,以利于更好地阐明其作用机理,该研究采用大孔树脂Diaion HP-20SS、凝胶Sephadex LH-20,HPLC等方法对核桃青皮80%的乙醇提取物进行分离纯化。结果表明:共分离了10个单体化合物,它们的结构经质谱(MS)、一维核磁共振谱(~1H NMR和~(13)C NMR)、二维核磁共振谱(HSQC,HMBC)数据的分析及文献数据的比较确定为没食子酸(1),没食子酸甲酯(2),对羟基苯甲酸(3),3,4-二羟基苯甲酸甲酯(4),6-O-咖啡酸-D-葡萄糖(5),6-O-没食子酸-葡萄糖苷(6),4,8-二羟基-1-四氢萘醌(7),5,8-二羟基-4-甲氧基-1-四氢萘酮(8),5,8-二羟基-1-四氢萘酮(9),4-羟基-1-四氢萘酮(10)。其中,化合物5,化合物6为属内首次分离到。该研究结果为进一步深入研究核桃青皮的化学成分和药理作用提供了一定参考。     

Molecular Paleoclimate Reconstructions over the Last 9 ka from a Peat Sequence in South China

To achieve a better understanding of Holocene climate change in the monsoon regions of China, we investigated the molecular distributions and carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions (δ¹³C and δD values) of long-chain n-alkanes in a peat core from the Shiwangutian (SWGT) peatland, south China over the last 9 ka. By comparisons with other climate records, we found that the δ¹³C values of the long-chain n-alkanes can be a proxy for humidity, while the δD values of the long-chain n-alkanes primarily recorded the moisture source δD signal during 9–1.8 ka BP and responded to the dry climate during 1.8–0.3 ka BP. Together with the average chain length (ACL) and the carbon preference index (CPI) data, the climate evolution over last 9 ka in the SWGT peatland can be divided into three stages. During the first stage (9–5 ka BP), the δ¹³C values were depleted and CPI and P_aq values were low, while ACL values were high. They reveal a period of warm and wet climate, which is regarded as the Holocene optimum. The second stage (5–1.8 ka BP) witnessed a shift to relatively cool and dry climate, as indicated by the more positive δ¹³C values and lower ACL values. During the third stage (1.8–0.3 ka BP), the δ¹³C, δD, CPI and P_aq values showed marked increase and ACL values varied greatly, implying an abrupt change to cold and dry conditions. This climate pattern corresponds to the broad decline in Asian monsoon intensity through the latter part of the Holocene. Our results do not support a later Holocene optimum in south China as suggested by previous studies.     

Arsenic(V) Reduction in Relation to Iron(III) Transformation and Molecular Characterization of the Structural and Functional Microbial Community in Sediments of a Basin-Fill Aquifer in Northern Utah

Basin-fill aquifers of the Southwestern United States are associated with elevated concentrations of arsenic (As) in groundwater. Many private domestic wells in the Cache Valley Basin, UT, have As concentrations in excess of the U.S. EPA drinking water limit. Thirteen sediment cores were collected from the center of the valley at the depth of the shallow groundwater and were sectioned into layers based on redoxmorphic features. Three of the layers, two from redox transition zones and one from a depletion zone, were used to establish microcosms. Microcosms were treated with groundwater (GW) or groundwater plus glucose (GW+G) to investigate the extent of As reduction in relation to iron (Fe) transformation and characterize the microbial community structure and function by sequencing 16S rRNA and arsenate dissimilatory reductase (arrA) genes. Under the carbon-limited conditions of the GW treatment, As reduction was independent of Fe reduction, despite the abundance of sequences related to Geobacter and Shewanella, genera that include a variety of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria. The addition of glucose, an electron donor and carbon source, caused substantial shifts toward domination of the bacterial community by Clostridium-related organisms, and As reduction was correlated with Fe reduction for the sediments from the redox transition zone. The arrA gene sequencing from microcosms at day 54 of incubation showed the presence of 14 unique phylotypes, none of which were related to any previously described arrA gene sequence, suggesting a unique community of dissimilatory arsenate-respiring bacteria in the Cache Valley Basin.     

薄壳山核桃‘马汉’叶片主要矿质营养元素生育期动态变化特征

以12年生薄壳山核桃‘马汉’为试验材料,采用凯氏定氮法、钼锑抗比色法和AAS法,测定不同生育期的结果枝成熟叶片中N、P、K、Ca、Mg、Fe、Cu、Zn、Mn等元素含量,分析叶片主要营养元素周年动态变化规律,为树体的营养诊断和合理施肥提供科学依据。结果显示:(1)叶中大量元素含量高低表现为NKCaMgP,微量元素含量高低表现为MnZnFeCu。(2)叶片对矿质营养元素的吸收具有明显季节性,其中开花授粉期对N、P、K、Cu的需求量较大,坐果期和果实膨大期对N、P、K的需求量较大,果实发育期对K、Zn、Mn的吸收有持续增加的趋势。(3)随时间推移叶片中各营养元素周年动态变化出现规律性波动,且大量元素波动较小,微量元素波动较大。研究表明,薄壳山核桃叶营养元素相对稳定时期(7月27日~8月13日)拟应推荐作为薄壳山核桃叶营养诊断的适宜时期,同时应以施用N、P、K肥为主,Ca、Mg为辅助肥料,在开花授粉期和坐果期适量追肥,并在采收秋果前深施有机肥作基肥。     

Expression Profile of the Schistosoma japonicum Degradome Reveals Differential Protease Expression Patterns and Potential Anti-schistosomal Intervention Targets

Blood fluke proteases play pivotal roles in the processes of invasion, nutrition acquisition, immune evasion, and other host-parasite interactions. Hundreds of genes encoding putative proteases have been identified in the recently published schistosome genomes. However, the expression profiles of these proteases in Schistosoma species have not yet been systematically analyzed. We retrieved and culled the redundant protease sequences of Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni, Echinococcus multilocularis, and Clonorchis sinensis from public databases utilizing bioinformatic approaches. The degradomes of the four parasitic organisms and Homo sapiens were then comparatively analyzed. A total of 262 S. japonicum protease sequences were obtained and the expression profiles generated using whole-genome microarray. Four main clusters of protease genes with different expression patterns were identified: proteases up-regulated in hepatic schistosomula and adult worms, egg-specific or predominantly expressed proteases, cercaria-specific or predominantly expressed proteases, and constantly expressed proteases. A subset of protease genes with different expression patterns were further validated using real-time quantitative PCR. The present study represents the most comprehensive analysis of a degradome in Schistosoma species to date. These results provide a firm foundation for future research on the specific function(s) of individual proteases and may help to refine anti-proteolytic strategies in blood flukes.