促泌素在肾上腺原发肿瘤中的表达及其临床意义

目的比较促泌素(secretagogin,SCGN)与传统神经内分泌标记物在肾上腺原发肿瘤中的表达差异。方法收集肾上腺原发肿瘤手术标本共37例,其中包括18例皮质腺瘤、3例皮质腺癌、16例嗜铬细胞瘤。同时选取5例正常肾上腺组织,5例肾透明细胞癌作为对照。所有标本均使用SCGN、PGP9.5、CD56、NSE、Syn及CgA进行免疫组织化学SP法染色。结果SCGN在全部5例正常肾上腺皮质均有表达,而在髓质不表达(P<0.01),其中在皮质的表达明显高于PGP9.5和CgA的表达(P均<0.01);全部18例皮质腺瘤均表达SCGN,且明显高于NSE(P<0.05)、PGP9.5和CgA(P均<0.01);肾上腺嗜铬细胞瘤中SCGN的阳性表达率仅为18.8%(3/16),明显低于其它标记物(P均<0.01)。SCGN在皮质腺瘤(18/18)中的表达明显高于嗜铬细胞瘤(3/16)(P<0.01),而PGP9.5和CgA在嗜铬细胞瘤(15/16,16/16)中的表达明显高于皮质腺瘤(3/18,1/18)(P均<0.01);CD56、NSE和Syn在皮质腺瘤、皮质腺癌和嗜铬细胞瘤中均有高表达,但两两组间比较均无统计学差异(P均>0.05)。SCGN在全部5例肾透明细胞癌中均不表达。结论SCGN对肾上腺皮质腺瘤有较高敏感性,其与嗜铬细胞瘤的标记物CgA和PGP9.5联合可在两者的诊断和鉴别诊断中发挥重要作用。     

SIAH2与P-ERK在乳腺癌中的表达及其临床意义

目的观察人乳腺细胞系及乳腺组织中SIAH2和P-ERK表达的变化,探讨乳腺癌中SIAH2与P-ERK的关联。方法应用免疫组织化学检测140例乳腺石蜡包埋组织中SIAH2和P-ERK的表达,Western blot检测人乳腺细胞系和23例乳腺浸润性导管癌及癌旁正常乳腺组织中SIAH2和P-ERK的蛋白表达情况,人乳腺癌细胞系表达SIAH2-siRNA后,P-ERK蛋白表达情况。结果乳腺癌中SIAH2和P-ERK阳性率与组织学分级相关(P<0.05),SIAH2和P-ERK呈正相关性。人乳腺癌细胞系以及乳腺癌组织中SIAH2和P-ERK蛋白表达量明显高于人乳腺正常上皮细胞系与癌旁正常乳腺组织中SIAH2和P-ERK蛋白表达量(P<0.05);表达SIAH2-siRNA的乳腺癌细胞系与对照组相比,P-ERK蛋白表达明显减少(P<0.05)。结论 SIAH2、P-ERK过表达与乳腺癌的组织学分级有关。在乳腺癌细胞系中抑制SIAH2表达后,P-ERK表达也减少,因此抑制SIAH2可以抑制ERK通路。     

2个果梅品种雌蕊分化进程及相关生化指标分析

为了解果梅(Prunus mume Sieb.et Zucc.)雌蕊分化进程及其败育机制,采用石蜡切片法观察了不同时期果梅品种‘龙眼’(‘Longyan’)和‘大嵌蒂’(‘Daqiandi’)花芽纵切面的解剖结构,并对2个品种不同时期花器官发育状况、花芽百分率、花芽纵径和横径以及花芽中的可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白质和淀粉含量进行了测定分析.结果显示:雌蕊分化期、雌蕊分化末期及盛花期,品种‘龙眼’的不完全花比例均显著小于品种‘大嵌蒂’,其中,盛花期‘龙眼’不完全花比例仅为5.0％,而‘大嵌蒂’不完全花比例高达76.3％.品种‘龙眼’雌蕊分化过程经历未分化期、分化初期、分化期及分化末期4个阶段,且最终有95.0％的花芽在分化末期能顺利形成完全花;品种‘大嵌蒂’雌蕊分化过程则包含未分化期、分化初期、分化期、解体期、解体后修复期和分化末期6个阶段,且仅有23.7％的花芽能形成完全花.雌蕊分化的不同阶段2个品种花芽纵径和横径的变化与其分化进程基本一致.品种‘龙眼’完全花的可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白质含量均高于品种‘大嵌蒂’的完全花和不完全花、淀粉含量则低于后两者;品种‘大嵌蒂’不完全花的可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白质含量最低、淀粉含量则最高,与2个品种的完全花有显著差异.综合分析结果表明:品种‘大嵌蒂’的花芽在12月中上旬停止伸长生长、雌蕊分化停滞直至逐渐解体,这一时期即为品种‘大嵌蒂’雌蕊败育的关键时期;导致果梅雌蕊选择性败育的原因可能与花芽中大分子营养物质的分解代谢有关.     

Mild detritylation of nucleic acid hydroxyl groups by warming up

It is challenging to effectively deprotect hydroxyl groups of acid-or-base sensitive bio-macromolecules without causing even minor defects and compromising high quality of final products. We report here a mild detritylation strategy in mildly acidic buffers to remove the DMTr protection from the 5'-hydroxyl groups of synthetic nucleic acids. The DMTr-groups can be easily and effectively removed at pH 4.5 or 5.0 with slight warming up (40 °C), offering virtually quantitative deprotection. This warming-up strategy is particularly useful for deprotection of the modified nucleic acids that are sensitive to the conventional acid deprotection. As a first step towards our long-term goal of synthesizing defect-free nucleic acids, our novel and simple strategy further increases the quality of synthetic nucleic acids.     

Mutations in a guanylate cyclase GCY-35/GCY-36 modify Bardet-Biedl syndrome-associated phenotypes in Caenorhabditis elegans

Ciliopathies are pleiotropic and genetically heterogeneous disorders caused by defective development and function of the primary cilium. Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) proteins localize to the base of cilia and undergo intraflagellar transport, and the loss of their functions leads to a multisystemic ciliopathy. Here we report the identification of mutations in guanylate cyclases (GCYs) as modifiers of Caenorhabditis elegans bbs endophenotypes. The loss of GCY-35 or GCY-36 results in suppression of the small body size, developmental delay, and exploration defects exhibited by multiple bbs mutants. Moreover, an effector of cGMP signalling, a cGMP-dependent protein kinase, EGL-4, also modifies bbs mutant defects. We propose that a misregulation of cGMP signalling, which underlies developmental and some behavioural defects of C. elegans bbs mutants, may also contribute to some BBS features in other organisms.     

Combinatorial interference of toll‐like receptor 2 and 4 synergistically stabilizes atherosclerotic plaque in apolipoprotein E‐knockout mice

To test the hypothesis that combinatorial interference of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 is superior to isolated interference of TLR2 or TLR4 in stabilizing atherosclerotic plaques, lentiviruses carrying small interfering RNA of TLR2 or TLR4 were constructed and proved efficacious for knocking down mRNA and protein expression of TLR2 or TLR4 significantly in vitro. One hundred and fifty apolipoprotein E^−/− mice fed a high-fat diet were divided into the control, mock, TLR2i, TLR4i and TLR2 + 4i subgroups and a constrictive collar was placed around carotid artery of these mice to induce plaque formation. TLR2i and TLR4i viral suspension was transfected into carotid plaques, respectively, in TLR2i and TLR4i subgroups, or in combination in TLR2 + 4i subgroup. Four weeks after lentivirus transfection, mRNA and protein expression of TLR2 or TLR4 was attenuated markedly in carotid plaques, leading to reduced local inflammatory cytokine expression and plaque content of lipid and macrophages, increased plaque content of collagen and lowered plaque vulnerability index. Factorial ANOVA analysis revealed that there was a synergistic effect between TLR4i and TLR2i in stabilizing plaques. In conclusion, combinatorial interference of TLR2 and TLR4 reduces local inflammation and stabilizes plaques more effectively than interference of TLR2 or TLR4 alone.     

One step forward: the use of transgenic zebrafish tumor model in drug screens

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been an experimental model in the developmental biology and toxicology since the 1950s. In recent years, with the aid of transgenic technology, it has also gained an increasing popularity to model human diseases, including various cancers. As a feasible vertebrate model for large-scale chemical screens, the zebrafish has also given us a new option for the search of potential anticancer drugs. It is hopeful that in the near future with automation and analytical tools, drug development processes will be significantly shortened for quick and effective identification of candidate drugs.