Twist及Akt2在甲状腺乳头状癌中的表达及意义

目的探讨Twist、Akt2在甲状腺乳头状癌中的表达和相互关系。方法应用免疫组化方法,对60例甲状腺乳头状癌、10例结节性甲状腺肿进行Twist、Akt2表达的研究。结果甲状腺乳头状癌Twist及Akt2阳性表达率分别为81.67%(49/60)及60.00%(36/60),结节性甲状腺肿Twist及Akt2阳性表达率分别为0.00%(0/10)及10.00%(1/10),前者与后者相比差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);Twist及Akt2在甲状腺乳头状癌中的表达水平与病人的年龄及原发肿瘤分期无关,但与有无淋巴结转移相关(P<0.05),且Akt2的表达在T3,4期肿瘤及T1,2期肿瘤相比也具有显著性(P<0.05);Twist及Akt2的表达呈正相关(r=0.492,P=0.000)。结论在大多数甲状腺乳头状癌的上皮细胞中都存在Twist及Akt2的过表达,其淋巴结转移的发生与Twist及Akt2过表达或功能的不正常可能有密切的关系;Twist与Akt2的表达呈正相关。     

纳豆激酶固态发酵的参数优化

方法:在对实验室分离的纳豆激酶产生菌进行菌株鉴定及其酶学性质研究的基础上,对影响菌株固态发酵产酶的工艺参数进行了优化研究.结果:发酵温度、发酵时间及培养基碳氮比、料水比、pH对纳豆激酶的产生都有较大影响,而接种量对纳豆激酶影响较小;在优化条件下,纳豆激酶固态发酵酶活可达到8 300U/g,为已知最高纳豆激酶单位酶活.     

Comprehensive identification of glycated peptides and their glycation motifs in plasma and erythrocytes of control and diabetic subjects

Nonenzymatic glycation of proteins sets the stage for formation of advanced glycation end-products and development of chronic complications of diabetes. In this report, we extended our previous methods on proteomics analysis of glycated proteins to comprehensively identify glycated proteins in control and diabetic human plasma and erythrocytes. Using immunodepletion, enrichment, and fractionation strategies, we identified 7749 unique glycated peptides, corresponding to 3742 unique glycated proteins. Semiquantitative comparisons showed that glycation levels of a number of proteins were significantly increased in diabetes and that erythrocyte proteins were more extensively glycated than plasma proteins. A glycation motif analysis revealed that some amino acids were favored more than others in the protein primary structures in the vicinity of the glycation sites in both sample types. The glycated peptides and corresponding proteins reported here provide a foundation for potential identification of novel markers for diabetes, hyperglycemia, and diabetic complications in future studies.     

L‐Cysteine capped CdTe–CdS core–shell quantum dots: preparation,characterization and immuno‐labeling of HeLa cells

Functionalized CdTe–CdS core–shell quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in aqueous solution via water‐bathing combined hydrothermal method using L‐cysteine (L‐Cys) as a stabilizer. This method possesses both the advantages of water‐bathing and hydrothermal methods for preparing high‐quality QDs with markedly reduced synthesis time, and better stability than a lone hydrothermal method. The QDs were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy and powder X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The CdTe–CdS QDs with core–shell structure showed both enhanced fluorescence and better photo stability than nude CdTe QDs. After conjugating with antibody rabbit anti‐CEACAM8 (CD67), the as‐prepared l ‐Cys capped CdTe–CdS QDs were successfully used as fluorescent probes for the direct immuno‐labeling and imaging of HeLa cells. It was indicated that this kind of QD would have application potential in bio‐labeling and cell imaging. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PACSIN 2 represses cellular migration through direct association with cyclin D1 but not its alternate splice form cyclin D1b

Cyclin D1 overexpression is a common feature of many human malignancies. Genomic deletion analysis has demonstrated a key role for cyclin D1 in cellular proliferation, angiogenesis and cellular migration. To investigate the mechanisms contributing to cyclin D1 functions, we purified cyclin D1a-associated complexes by affinity chromatography and identified the PACSIN 2 (protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neurons 2) protein by mass spectrometry. The PACSIN 2, but not the related PACSIN 1 and 3, directly bound wild-type cyclin D1 (cyclin D1a) at the carboxyl terminus and failed to bind cyclin D1b, the alternative splicing variant of cyclin D1. PACSIN 2 knockdown induced cellular migration and reduced cell spreading in LNCaP cells expressing cyclin D1a. In cyclin D1^−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), cyclin D1a, but not cyclin D1b, reduced the cell spreading to a polarized morphology. siPACSIN 2 had no effect on cellular migration of cyclin D1^−/− MEFs. Cyclin D1a restored the migratory ability of cyclin D1^−/− MEFs, which was further enhanced by knocking down PACSIN 2 with siRNA. The cyclin D1-associated protein, PACSIN 2, regulates cell spreading and migration, which are dependent on cyclin D1 expression.Key words: PACSIN 2, cyclin D1, polymorphism, cellular migration, cell spreading, cancer     

Stromal down-regulation of macrophage CD4/CCR5 expression and NF-κB activation mediates HIV-1 non-permissiveness in intestinal macrophages

Tissue macrophages are derived exclusively from blood monocytes, which as monocyte-derived macrophages support HIV-1 replication. However, among human tissue macrophages only intestinal macrophages are non-permissive to HIV-1, suggesting that the unique microenvironment in human intestinal mucosa renders lamina propria macrophages non-permissive to HIV-1. We investigated this hypothesis using blood monocytes and intestinal extracellular matrix (stroma)-conditioned media (S-CM) to model the exposure of newly recruited monocytes and resident macrophages to lamina propria stroma, where the cells take up residence in the intestinal mucosa. Exposure of monocytes to S-CM blocked up-regulation of CD4 and CCR5 expression during monocyte differentiation into macrophages and inhibited productive HIV-1 infection in differentiated macrophages. Importantly, exposure of monocyte-derived macrophages simultaneously to S-CM and HIV-1 also inhibited viral replication, and sorted CD4+ intestinal macrophages, a proportion of which expressed CCR5+, did not support HIV-1 replication, indicating that the non-permissiveness to HIV-1 was not due to reduced receptor expression alone. Consistent with this conclusion, S-CM also potently inhibited replication of HIV-1 pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein, which provides CD4/CCR5-independent entry. Neutralization of TGF-β in S-CM and recombinant TGF-β studies showed that stromal TGF-β inhibited macrophage nuclear translocation of NF-κB and HIV-1 replication. Thus, the profound inability of intestinal macrophages to support productive HIV-1 infection is likely the consequence of microenvironmental down-regulation of macrophage HIV-1 receptor/coreceptor expression and NF-κB activation.     

Determination of unbound vismodegib (GDC-0449) concentration in human plasma using rapid equilibrium dialysis followed by solid phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

A rapid equilibrium dialysis (RED) assay followed by a solid phase extraction (SPE) high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay for the quantitative determination of unbound vismodegib in human plasma was developed and validated. The equilibrium dialysis was carried out using 0.3 mL plasma samples in the single-use plate RED system at 37°C for 6h. The dialysis samples (0.1 mL) were extracted using a Strata-X-C 33u Polymeric Strong Cation SPE plate and the resulting extracts were analyzed using reverse-phase chromatography and positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. The standard curve, which ranged from 0.100 to 100 ng/mL for vismodegib, was fitted to a 1/x(2) weighted linear regression model. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ, 0.100 ng/mL) was sufficient to quantify unbound concentrations of vismodegib after dialysis. The intra-assay precision of the LC-MS/MS assay, based on the four analytical QC levels (LLOQ, low, medium and high), was within 7.7% CV and inter-assay precision was within 5.5% CV. The assay accuracy, expressed as %Bias, was within ±4.0% of the nominal concentration values. Extraction recovery of vismodegib was between 77.9 and 84.0%. The assay provides a means for accurate assessment of unbound vismodegib plasma concentrations in clinical studies.     

RNAi screening for fat regulatory genes with SRS microscopy

Identification of genes regulating fat accumulation is important for basic and medical research; genetic screening for those genes in Caenorhabditis elegans, a widely used model organism, requires in vivo quantification of lipids. We demonstrated RNA interference screening based on quantitative imaging of lipids with label-free stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, which overcomes major limitations of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. Our screening yielded eight new genetic regulators of fat storage.     

Digital image analysis of expansion growth of cultured cotton ovules with fibers and their responses to ABA

Cotton ovule cultures have obvious advantages over whole plants when experimental protocols call for inhibitors, radio-labeled precursors or controlled environmental conditions to be tested. The responses of ovule expansion growth and attached fiber elongation to external factors require accurate measurement techniques. This paper presents a new method for digital image analysis of the growth area of cotton ovules with fibers at high resolution. The method was characterized under constant conditions and during dynamic responses to different levels of ABA (abscisic acid) treatment. The growth area was treated as area occupied within the outline of the Petri dish image of the growing ovule with fibers. Growth area increase showed the same trends as fiber length increase and was significantly correlated with the fiber length increase under different levels of ABA treatment (r ² = 0.97). This new analysis method provides a simple, noninvasive, and more accurate approach for growth analysis in the cotton ovule culture system. Using this method, the effects of ABA on expansion growth of ovule with fibers were characterized.     

Genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fenneropenaeus chinensis</Emphasis> (Decapoda,Penaeidae) by tetra-primer ARMA-PCR

This study introduced a kind of new SNP genotyping strategy in genetic analysis of Chinese shrimp (Fenneropenaeus chinensis). Twenty SNP tetra-primer ARMA-PCR primer sets were validated and used to investigate the genetic structure of six selected families of marine shrimp F. chinensis. The effective number of alleles ranged from 1.127 to 1.993, with an average value of 1.600. The average values of expected and observed heterozygosities of the SNPs ranged from 0.505∼0.609 and 0.373∼0.487, respectively. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.145 to 0.373. Among 120 population-locus cases (six populations × twenty loci), only 8 (6.7%) showed significant deviation (P < 0.05), while the other 112 (93.3%) were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (P > 0.05). The frequencies of minor alleles ranged from 0.378 to 0.497. For the six families, the wild genotype and its allele frequency were significantly higher than that of the mutant genotype and its allele frequency. Fifty five point forty two percent of the population-locus showed heterozygosity. The results indicated that tetra-primer ARMA-PCR is a simple, rapid and efficient method for SNP genotyping which make it useful in a broad aspects of F. chinensis genetic and breeding studies.