Altered 8-oxoguanine glycosylase in mild cognitive impairment and late-stage Alzheimer's disease brain

Eight-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is increased in the brain in late-stage Alzheimer's disease (LAD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). To determine if decreased base-excision repair contributes to these elevations, we measured oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1) protein and incision activities in nuclear and mitochondrial fractions from frontal (FL), temporal (TL), and parietal (PL) lobes from 8 MCI and 7 LAD patients, and 6 age-matched normal control (NC) subjects. OGG1 activity was significantly (P<0.05) decreased in nuclear specimens of FL, TL, and PL in MCI and LAD and in mitochondria from LAD FL and TL and MCI TL. Nuclear OGG1 protein was significantly decreased in LAD FL and MCI and LAD PL. No differences in mitochondrial OGG1 protein levels were found. Overall, our results suggest that decreased OGG1 activity occurs early in the progression of AD, possibly mediated by 4-hydroxynonenal inactivation and may contribute to elevated 8-OHdG in the brain in MCI and LAD.     

5-Bromovinyl 2'-deoxyuridine phosphorylation by mitochondrial and cytosolic thymidine kinase (TK2 and TK1) and its use in selective measurement of TK2 activity in crude extracts

Mitochondrial thymidine kinase (TK2) is responsible for phosphorylation of thymidine and deoxycytidine and plays a crucial role in mitochondrial DNA precursor synthesis. TK2 is expressed in all tissues at low levels complicating accurate determinations, especially in tissues with high cytosolic thymidine kinase (TK1) activity. Recently, 5-bromovinyl 2 '-deoxyuridine (BvdU) at 0.2 micro M was used to measure TK2 activity selectively. BvdU phosphorylation by pure human TK2 and TK1 was tested here, and the ratio of BvdU phosphorylation by TK2/TK1 was 91 at 0.2 micro M but was 500 at 2.5 micro M. Therefore, for reliable measurement of TK2 activity higher BvdU concentration should be used.     

An epiallele of rice AK1 affects photosynthetic capacity

Epigenetic gene variants,termed epialleles,can broaden genetic and phenotypic diversity in eukaryotes.Here,we identify a natural epiallele of OsAK1,which encodes a rice adenylate kinase.The Epiaki plants show albino in young leaf and panicle with abnormal chloroplast structures.We found that no nucleotide sequence variation but hypermethylation at promoter region caused silencing of OsAK1(Oso8go177o) in Epi-ak1 plants.OsAK1 localizes to chloroplast and many genes associated with photosynthesis processes were downregulated in Epi-ak1.Thus,the work identified a novel rice epiallele caused by DNA methylation changes,shedding light on significant roles of DNA methylation on rice development.     

Nectary and gender‐biased nectar production in dichogamous Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. (Onagraceae)

In dichogamous plants, nectar characteristics (i.e. nectar amount and its composition) can differ between sexual phases. In the present study, we investigated the structural organization of the floral nectary, nectar production and carbohydrate composition in the protandrous Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. (Onagraceae). The receptacular nectary consisted of an epidermis with numerous nectarostomata, several layers of photosynthetic secretory parenchyma, and subsecretory parenchyma. Nectariferous tissue was not directly vascularized and starch grains were rarely observed in the secretory cells, occurring exclusively in the guard cells of modified stomata. The nectar was released via nectarostomata. The floral nectar was hexose rich (32.8/39.1/28.1% glucose/fructose/sucrose) and the total concentration was constant throughout the anthesis (47% on average). However, contrasting patterns in nectar amount and carbohydrate composition between the floral sexual phases were observed. On average, female‐phased flowers produced 1.4‐fold more nectar than male‐phased flowers, and although the nectar was sucrose rich during the male phase, it was hexose rich during the female phase, suggesting sucrose hydrolysis.     

B群脑膜炎奈瑟氏球菌铁调蛋白的诱导表达及其性质研究

对２株Ｂ群脑膜炎奈瑟氏球菌的铁调蛋白的表达及其性质作了研究。在流脑半综合培养基中加人铁螯合剂,诱导了铁调蛋白的表达,并比较了三种铁螯合剂的效果。结果表明,ＥＤＤＨＡ是最令人满意的螯合剂。ＥＬＩＳＡ实验证实含有铁调蛋白的外膜蛋白可以增强对小白鼠的免疫原性。Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ－ｂｌｏｔ实验证明有两种铁调蛋白是有效的抗原成分,分子量分别在７５ｋＤａ和８５ｋＤａ附近。由分子量来推算,分别应为ＦｅＲＰ－７０及ＴＢＰ２。     

敲除富马酸酶基因对E.coli厌氧混合酸发酵的影响

基于基因工程菌生产丁二酸代谢途径,以E.coli BA001(△ldh,△pfl)为出发菌株,利用RED同源重组技术敲除了富马酸酶基因fumB,得到重组菌E.coli BA002(△ldh,△pfl,△fum),通过减少苹果酸生成富马酸的通量,实现苹果酸的积累.实验结果表明:对比E.coli BA001,敲除富马酸酶基因会较大程度地改变丁二酸、乙酸等的分布,在两阶段和专一性厌氧发酵中,丁二酸产率由81％、63％分别下降为76％、54％,E.coli BA002中乙酸有较大幅度的增加,而苹果酸的产量为0.25 g/L;通过外源添加1g/L的苹果酸,发现丁二酸和乙酸的产量进一步增加.实验实现了富马酸酶基因的敲除:一方面使得乙酸产量明显增加,另一方面厌氧主导酶FumB的敲除不能完全阻断厌氧发酵苹果酸到富马酸途径.     

基因芯片技术及其在植物上的应用

基因芯片技术（gene chip technology)是采用光导原位合成或缩微印刷等方法,将大量特定的DNA探针片段有序地固定于固相载体的表面,形成DNA微阵列,然后与待测的标记样品靶DNA或RNA分子杂交,对杂交信号进行扫描及计算机检测分析,从而获取所需的生物信息。该技术在植物研究中广泛应用于寻找特异性相关基因和新基因,基因表达分析,基因突变和多态性检测,DNA测序等。     

大肠杆菌AFP111菌体回收连续转化生产丁二酸

在利用大肠杆菌AFP111厌氧发酵生产丁二酸过程中,随着产物丁二酸的不断积累,菌体活力和产酸能力逐渐降低,而通过回收菌体在新鲜培养基中重复发酵,可延长厌氧发酵时间,但是丁二酸生产效率较低。为了提高菌体回收丁二酸的转化效率,通过在回收菌体时有氧诱导 3 h,以纯水为培养基,进行丁二酸转化发酵。在连续进行 3 批次的发酵后,丁二酸的总产量和最终收率分别为 56.50 g/L和90%,生产速率达到了 0.81 g/(L·h),比未诱导情况下的生产速率提高了13%。     

An Excellent Delivery System for Improving the Oral Bioavailability of Natural Vitamin E in Rats

This study set out to develop a novel and stable nanoemulsion formulation of natural vitamin E with increased oral bioavailability. The natural vitamin E nanoemulsion was prepared by a modified emulsification technique. The physicochemical characteristics of natural vitamin E nanoemulsion were characterized and its pharmacokinetics study was performed as well. The experimental results showed droplet diameters ranging from 20 to 400 nm (average, 87.7 nm) with a negative electrostatic potential (−23.5 ± 1.5 mv). The pharmacokinetics study of this nanoemulsion and corresponding soft capsule was carried out using noncompartment model method. Compared with the marketed soft capsule, the C_max of the natural vitamin E nanoemulsion was higher, while the T_max was shorter. Thus, plasma concentration–time profiles in rats dosed with nanoemulsion showed a 1.6-fold enhancement in the area under the curve of natural vitamin E compared with the marketed soft capsule. The antioxidative effects of the natural vitamin E nanoemulsion and the marketed soft capsule were also evaluated by the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in serum and liver tissue. According to the SOD activity and the MDA concentration determined, the nanoemulsion was superior to the marketed soft as an antioxidative agent. The overall results demonstrated that the nanoemulsion drug delivery system could be a promising strategy for the delivery of natural vitamin E, which showed great potential for clinical application.Key word: Antioxidation, Nanoemulsion, Natural vitamin E, Oral bioavailability     

广东省南昆山药用植物资源研究

对广东南昆山的药用植物资源作了系统调查,根据标本鉴定和查阅资料,该保护区有野生药用植物180科643属1 100种,其中蕨类30科54属102种,裸子植物5科9属17种,被子植物145科580属981种.在介绍了常见药用植物的基础上,对该地药用植物资源的保护和开发利用提出了建议.