副溶血性弧菌全基因组DNA芯片的研制和质量评价

【目的】研制副溶血性弧菌全基因组芯片,建立芯片杂交方法,并对芯片质量进行评价。【方法】利用副溶血性弧菌全基因组序列,挑选出4770条基因,PCR扩增各基因并将PCR产物纯化,点样制备芯片;设计了两个质控杂交组合,采用双色荧光杂交策略,对芯片质量进行评价;PCR方法验证部分芯片结果。【结果】芯片杂交与理论预期结果以及PCR验证结果完全一致。【结论】成功的研制了一批质量良好的副溶血性弧菌全基因组DNA芯片,并建立了基于DNA芯片的副溶血性弧菌比较基因组学技术平台,建立了一套系统的芯片数据分析的标准方法。     

水淹对水芹叶片结构和光系统II光抑制的影响

通过探讨在水淹条件下水芹(Oenanthe javanica)叶片结构的变化以及出水对其光系统II功能和光抑制的影响, 阐明水芹光合机构在水淹条件下及出水后死亡的可能原因。结果表明: 水淹条件下新生沉水功能叶光系统II(PSII)最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm) 、电子传递活性与对照叶片差异很小, 但水淹使气生功能叶的Fv/Fm显著降低; 植株总生物量呈负增长趋势; 活体弱光条件下, 沉水叶出水后2小时叶片相对含水量(RWC)和Fv/Fm无显著变化; 中等光强和强光条件下其RWC和Fv/Fm迅速降低; 离体条件下, 5小时的中等光强对沉水叶的Fv/Fm影响不显著, 在随后的弱光下能恢复到出水时的初始状态; 强光能使沉水叶的Fv/Fm大幅降低, 且弱光下不能恢复到出水时的初始水平; 在解剖结构上, 水芹沉水叶的叶片总厚度、上下表皮厚度和气孔大小都显著低于气生叶, 而且沉水叶没有明显的栅栏组织分化, 但是沉水叶上表皮的气孔密度显著高于气生叶。研究结果表明, 水淹使水芹原气生叶PSII功能迅速衰退, 但对新生沉水叶片影响很小。水芹植株出水后, 沉水叶片结构变化使其在光下保水能力下降, 而强光导致了光合机构的光抑制和反应中心失活。田间条件下两者共同作用则加剧了对叶片光合机构的破坏, 进而致使其死亡。     

Highly amplified electrochemiluminescence of peroxydisulfate using bienzyme functionalized palladium nanoparticles as labels for ultrasensitive immunoassay

An immunosensor based on the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of peroxydisulfate was firstly proposed by coupling the cooperation of two enzymes to in situ generate coreactant with palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) as catalyst for the ECL reaction. PdNPs were previously synthesized, which successfully attached to functional carbon nanotubes (FCNTs), to bind the secondary antibody and bienzyme (horseradish peroxidase and glucose oxidase). Then the prepared bioconjugates were introduced to the electrode via sandwich immunoreactions. Accordingly, a dramatically amplified ECL signal was obtained for that GOD catalyzed glucose to produce H(2)O(2) which was subsequently reduced by HRP to in situ generate O(2), then PdNPs as catalyst for the ECL reaction of peroxydisulfate/O(2). The present immunosensor was used to detect α-1-fetoprotein (AFP) and showed a wide linear range of 1×10(-5)-100ngmL(-1), with a low detection limit of 3.3fgmL(-1)(S/N=3). This new signal amplification strategy for preparation of the ECL immunosensor could be easily realized and has a potential application in ultrasensitive bioassays.     

圈卷产色链霉菌7100分化相关基因——sawE的结构与功能

以天蓝色链霉菌的whiB基因为探针,从圈卷产色链霉菌7100的总DNA部分文库中克隆了含有whiB同源序列的28kb DNA片段,并对其中的14kb片段进行了序列测定。序列分析表明,该片段含有一个完整的开放阅读框—sawE。预测的蛋白质结构及同源性分析显示,sawE与天蓝色链霉菌孢子形成早期的关键基因whiB高度同源,编码产物为一个调控蛋白。sawE的破坏使圈卷产色链霉菌7100的分化终止在气生菌丝阶段,在延长培养时间的情况下仍保持白色的表型,菌丝不能分隔,不能形成成熟的灰色孢子,结果表明sawE基因是一个与圈卷产色链霉菌分化有关的重要基因。     

Mechanism of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase inhibiting cardiac allograft rejection in mice

Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO)-mediated regulation of tryptophan metabolism plays an important role in immune tolerance in transplantation, but it has not been elucidated which mechanism specifically induces the occurrence of immune tolerance. Our study revealed that IDO exerts immunosuppressive effects through two pathways in mouse heart transplantation, ‘tryptophan depletion’ and ‘tryptophan metabolite accumulation’. The synergism between IDO⁺DC and TC (tryptophan catabolic products) has stronger inhibitory effects on T lymphocyte proliferation and mouse heart transplant rejection than the two intervention factors alone, and significantly prolong the survival time of donor-derived transplanted skin. This work demonstrates that the combination of IDO⁺DC and TC can induce immune tolerance to a greater extent, and reduce the rejection of transplanted organs.     

Differential effects of carboxyfullerene on MPP+/MPTP-induced neurotoxicity

The effects of carboxyfullerene on a well-known neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and its active metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium (MPP+) were investigated. In chloral hydrate-anesthetized rats, cytosolic cytochrome c was elevated in the infused substantia nigra 4 h after an intranigral infusion of MPP+. Five days after local application of MPP+, lipid peroxidation (LP) was elevated in the infused substantia nigra. Furthermore, dopamine content and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive axons were reduced in the ipsilateral striatum. Concomitant intranigral infusion of carboxyfullerene abolished the elevation in cytochrome c and oxidative injuries induced by MPP+. In contrast, systemic application of carboxyfullerene did not prevent neurotoxicity induced by intraperitoneal injection of MPTP. In mice, systemic administration of MPTP induced a dose-dependent depletion in striatal dopamine content. Simultaneous injection of carboxyfullerene (10 mg/kg) actually potentiated MPTP-induced reduction in striatal dopamine content. Furthermore, systemic administration of carboxyfullerene (30 mg/kg) caused death in the MPTP-treated mice. An increase in the striatal MPP+ level and reduction in hepatic P450 level were observed in the carboxyfullerene co-treated mice. These data showed that systemic application of carboxyfullerene appears to potentiate MPTP-induced neurotoxicity while local carboxyfullerene has been suggested as a neuroprotective agent. Furthermore, an increase in striatal MPP+ level may contribute to the potentiation by carboxyfullerene of MPTP-induced neurotoxicity.     

Identification and characterization of antifungal active substances of Streptomyces hygroscopicus BS-112

An antifungal Actinomyces BS-112 strain, with Aspergillus flavus as the target pathogen, was isolated from soil in the forest land of Mountain Tai. This strain showed a strong antagonistic activity against various mold fungi in food and feed. Strain BS-112 was identified as Streptomyces hygroscopicus based on its morphologic, cultural, physiological, biochemical characteristics, cell wall components and 16S rDNA sequence. Four active components were separated and purified from strain BS-112. These four antifungal components were identified as tetrins A and B and tetramycins A and B using spectroscopic analysis including mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Tetrins A and B and tetramycins A and B strongly inhibited the growth of A. flavus, A. alutaceus, A. niger, and A. fumigatus in vitro.     

miR-221/222 Compensates for Skp2-Mediated p27 Degradation and Is a Primary Target of Cell Cycle Regulation by Prostacyclin and cAMP

p27^kip1 (p27) is a cdk-inhibitory protein with an important role in the proliferation of many cell types. SCF^Skp2 is the best studied regulator of p27 levels, but Skp2-mediated p27 degradation is not essential in vivo or in vitro. The molecular pathway that compensates for loss of Skp2-mediated p27 degradation has remained elusive. Here, we combine vascular injury in the mouse with genome-wide profiling to search for regulators of p27 during cell cycling in vivo. This approach, confirmed by RT-qPCR and mechanistic analysis in primary cells, identified miR-221/222 as a compensatory regulator of p27. The expression of miR221/222 is sensitive to proteasome inhibition with MG132 suggesting a link between p27 regulation by miRs and the proteasome. We then examined the roles of miR-221/222 and Skp2 in cell cycle inhibition by prostacyclin (PGI₂), a potent cell cycle inhibitor acting through p27. PGI₂ inhibited both Skp2 and miR221/222 expression, but epistasis, ectopic expression, and time course experiments showed that miR-221/222, rather than Skp2, was the primary target of PGI₂. PGI₂ activates Gs to increase cAMP, and increasing intracellular cAMP phenocopies the effect of PGI₂ on p27, miR-221/222, and mitogenesis. We conclude that miR-221/222 compensates for loss of Skp2-mediated p27 degradation during cell cycling, contributes to proteasome-dependent G1 phase regulation of p27, and accounts for the anti-mitogenic effect of cAMP during growth inhibition.     

The Association between Leptin Level and Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Contradictory results have been reported regarding the association between leptin level and breast cancer. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to investigate this issue.

Methods

Published literature from PubMed and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Database was retrieved. This study was performed based on different cases and control groups. The combined effect () with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed-effects or random-effects model analysis.

Results

Overall, the mean serum leptin level of case groups was significantly higher than that of control groups. A) For 9 studies comparing breast cancer cases and healthy controls the combined effect was 0.58 with 95% CI (0.48, 0.68). B) For 4 studies comparing premenopausal breast cancer cases and healthy controls the was 0.32 (0.12, 0.52). C) For 5 studies comparing postmenopausal cases and healthy controls the was 0.65 (0.46, 0.84). D) For 4 studies comparing breast cancer cases and breast benign controls the was 0.38 (0.17, 0.59). E) For 2 studies comparing premenopausal breast cancer cases and breast benign controls the was 0.33 (-0.25, 0.91). F) For 6 studies comparing postmenopausal breast cancer cases and breast benign controls the was 0.39 (0.19, 0.60). G) For 4 studies comparing lymph node metastasis positive cases and negative controls the was 0.72 (0.45, 1.00). H) For 3 studies comparing breast benign cases and healthy controls the was 0.71 (0.41, 1.01).

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggests that leptin level plays a role in breast cancer and has potential for development as a diagnostic tool.