PCR-SSCP分析方法的优化

目的：优化PCR-SSCP分析方法。方法：选择野生型Kir2．3质粒和突变型Kir2．3（2123L）质粒为样本,其PCR结果的鉴定采用2％的琼脂糖凝胶EB显色,SSCP分析采用12％的非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶DNA银染显色。PCR产物变性比较了三种方法：即碱变性、SDS变性、直接变性。聚丙烯酰胺凝胶根据丙烯酰胺和甲叉双丙烯酰胺及甘油的比例设计了六个实验组,每组采用两种条件电泳,即：30mA恒流快速电泳和100V恒流过夜电泳。结果：选择直接变性的PCR产物作为变性上样液,并确定了三种凝胶配及该条件下适用的电泳条件。即：丙烯酰胺与甲叉双丙烯酰胺的比例为49比1,凝胶中含1％甘油,4℃,500V高压电泳3min接着30mA恒流快速电泳3h;丙烯酰胺与甲叉双丙烯酰胺的比例为49比1,凝胶中含5％甘油,4℃,500V高压电泳3min接着30mA恒流快速电泳3h;丙烯酰胺与甲叉双丙烯酰胺的比例为29比1,凝胶中不合甘油,4℃,500V高压电泳3min接着100V恒流过夜电泳12h。结论：条件优化的PCR-SSCP是一种筛查基因突变简便、有效的实验方法。     

The multivalent PDZ domain-containing protein PDZK1 regulates transport activity of renal urate-anion exchanger URAT1 via its C terminus

The urate-anion exchanger URAT1 is a member of the organic anion transporter (OAT) family that regulates blood urate level in humans and is targeted by uricosuric and antiuricosuric agents. URAT1 is expressed only in the kidney, where it is thought to participate in tubular urate reabsorption. We found that the multivalent PDZ (PSD-95, Drosophila discs-large protein, Zonula occludens protein 1) domain-containing protein, PDZK1 interacts with URAT1 in a yeast two-hybrid screen. Such an interaction requires the PDZ motif of URAT1 in its extreme intracellular C-terminal region and the first, second, and fourth PDZ domains of PDZK1 as identified by yeast two-hybrid assay, in vitro binding assay and surface plasmon resonance analysis (K(D) = 1.97-514 nM). Coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed that the wild-type URAT1, but not its mutant lacking the PDZ-motif, directly interacts with PDZK1. Colocalization of URAT1 and PDZK1 was observed at the apical membrane of renal proximal tubular cells. The association of URAT1 with PDZK1 enhanced urate transport activities in HEK293 cells (1.4-fold), and the deletion of the URAT1 C-terminal PDZ motif abolished this effect. The augmentation of the transport activity was accompanied by a significant increase in the V(max) of urate transport via URAT1 and was associated with the increased surface expression level of URAT1 protein from HEK293 cells stably expressing URAT1 transfected with PDZK1. Taken together, the present study indicates the novel role of PDZK1 in regulating the functional activity of URAT1-mediated urate transport in the apical membrane of renal proximal tubules.     

北京山区侧柏-荆条系统水分来源对降雨事件的响应

分析了北京鹫峰山区侧柏、荆条枝条水及其潜在水分来源的氢氧同位素特征,运用IsoSource模型解析侧柏、荆条系统水分利用来源的季节变化及其对降雨事件的响应.结果表明:旱季初期(4月)研究区0～20 cm土层富集土壤水¹⁸O值,20 cm以下该值则随着土层深度增加逐渐减小,侧柏主要利用前2～3 d降雨补充的0～30 cm层土壤水;旱季末期(6月)侧柏和荆条分别利用当天雨水补充的0～10和10～30 cm层土壤水;雨季(7月)侧柏利用前期降水补给的0～40 cm层土壤水(59.3%)和近期降水(12.5%),荆条则利用近期降雨供给的0～30 cm层土壤水;侧柏的土壤水分来源逐月加深,至生长季末(11月)其主要利用60～80 cm层土壤水(前2～3 d降雨补给),而荆条枝条水δ¹⁸O值远离各水分来源δ¹⁸O值.两物种对水分的竞争压力小,适应本区域气候特征,尤其在应对特大暴雨等极端天气时,植物系统垂直分布的水分来源能够有效分流洪峰,减小暴雨瞬时破坏力.     

膜泡运输蛋白VdSec22参与大丽轮枝菌胞外蛋白的分泌和致病性

摘要:【目的】验证大丽轮枝菌分泌途径中一个膜泡运输蛋白VdSec22的功能,为防治棉花黄萎病提供潜在的生物靶点。【方法】利用“正负双向筛选法”的方法,构建大丽轮枝菌VdSec22蛋白编码基因缺失的突变体菌株ΔQF。通过农杆菌介导的转化,将其编码基因VdSec22重新导入ΔQF构建了功能回补菌株CΔQF。以野生型菌株为对照,检测上述菌株分泌胞外蛋白(果胶酶、纤维素酶和毒素蛋白)的能力;采用蘸根接种的方法,检测上述菌株对棉花致病性的差异。同时通过定量PCR检测内质网分子伴侣表达量的方法,推断突变体菌株ΔQF中是否发生了内质网应激反应。【结果】成功构建了基因敲除突变体ΔQF和功能回补菌株CΔQF。突变体菌株ΔQF的果胶酶、纤维素酶、毒素蛋白的分泌能力和对棉花的致病性均较野生型减弱,并且产生了内质网应激反应。重新导入VdSec22基因可弥补突变体菌株ΔQF的上述缺陷。【结论】VdSec22是大丽轮枝菌的一个重要分泌途径蛋白,在大丽轮枝菌诸多胞外致病蛋白的分泌和棉花致病性中起重要作用。VdSec22可作为防治棉花黄萎病的潜在生物靶点。     

Beclin-1 shRNA对低氧诱导的SH-SY5Y细胞自噬的影响

目的：构建Beclin-1基因短发夹干扰RNA（shRNA）慢病毒载体,感染人SH-SY5Y细胞,观察沉默Beclin-1基因后低氧对SH-SY5Y细胞自噬的影响。方法：构建特异性靶向Beclin-1基因的shRNA慢病毒表达载体和阴性对照序列慢病毒载体;再将载体转染入SH-SY5Y细胞;RT-PCR检测Beclin-1的mRNA表达;Western blot检测Beclin-1蛋白表达;CCK-8法测定Beclin-1 shRNA对SH-SY5Y细胞活力的影响。再将空白对照、阴性对照、转染型三种细胞分别以21%常氧及5%低氧培养,Western blot检测各组细胞LC3蛋白表达;电镜观察自噬小体。结果：Beclin-1 shRNA能明显抑制SH-SY5Y细胞Beclin-1的mRNA及蛋白的表达;沉默Beclin-1基因后,Beclin-1 shRNA组细胞存活率与阴性对照组相比无差异;成功建立了稳定表达Beclin-1 shRNA的SH-SY5Y细胞。5%低氧处理后,与阴性对照组相比较,Beclin-1 shRNA组细胞中LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ比值下调,细胞内自噬小体数量减少。结论：慢病毒介导的Beclin-1shRNA对SH-SY5Y细胞的活力无影响,但可以抑制低氧诱导的自噬。     

Is CD36 gene polymorphism in region encoding lipid-binding domain associated with early onset CAD?

CD36 is a fatty acid translocase in striated muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. Some study suggested that alterations in CD36 gene may be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The aim of the current study was to compare the frequency of CD36 variants in region encoding lipid-binding domain in Caucasian patients with early-onset CAD, no-CAD adult controls and neonates. The study group comprised 100 patients with early onset CAD. The genetic control groups were 306 infants and 40 no-CAD adults aged over 70 years. Exons 4, 5 and 6 including fragments of flanking introns were studied using the denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography technique and direct sequencing. Changes detected in analyzed fragment of CD36: IVS3-6 T/C (rs3173798), IVS4-10 G/A (rs3211892), C311T (Thr104Ile, not described so far) in exon 5, G550A (Asp184Asn, rs138897347), C572T (Pro191Leu, rs143150225), G573A (Pro191Pro, rs5956) and A591T (Thr197Thr, rs141680676) in exon 6. No significant differences in the CD36 genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies were found between the three groups. Only borderline differences (p = 0.066) were found between early onset CAD patients and newborns in the frequencies of 591T allele (2.00% vs 0.50%) and CGCGCGT haplotype (2.00% vs 0.50%) with both IVS3-6C and 591T variant alleles. In conclusion, CD36 variants: rs3173798, rs3211892, rs138897347, rs5956, rs143150225 rs141680676 and C311T do not seem to be involved in the risk of early-onset CAD in Caucasian population.     

HO-1 and JAK-2/STAT-1 signals are involved in preferential inhibition of iNOS over COX-2 gene expression by newly synthesized tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, CKD712, in cells activated with lipopolysacchride

We found that CKD712, an S enantiomer of YS49, strongly inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO induction but showed a weak inhibitory effect on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and PGE(2) induction in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. We, therefore, investigated the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for this by using CKD712 in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with either SP600125, a specific JNK inhibitor or TPCK, a NF-kappaB inhibitor, but neither ERK inhibitor PD98059 nor p38 inhibitor SB203580, significantly inhibited LPS-mediated iNOS and COX-2 induction. CKD712 inhibited NF-kappaB (p65) activity and translocation but failed to prevent JNK activation. However, AG490, a specific JAK-2/STAT-1 inhibitor, efficiently prevented LPS-mediated iNOS induction but not the induction of COX-2, and CKD712 completely blocked STAT-1 phosphorylation by LPS, suggesting that the NF-kappaB and JAK-2/STAT-1 pathways but not the JNK pathway are important for CKD712 action. Interestingly, CKD712 induced heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) gene expression in LPS-treated cells. LPS-induced NF-kappaB and STAT-1 activation was partially prevented by HO-1 overexpression. Furthermore, HO-1 siRNA partly reversed not only the LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and STAT-1 phosphorylation but also inhibition of these actions by CKD 712. Additionally, silencing HO-1 by siRNA prevented CKD712 from inhibiting iNOS expression but not COX-2. When examined plasma NO and PGE(2) levels and iNOS and COX-2 protein levels in lung tissues of mice injected with LPS (10 mg/kg), pretreatment with CKD712 greatly prevented NO and iNOS induction in a dose-dependent manner and slightly affected PGE(2) and COX-2 production as expected. Taken together, we conclude that inhibition of JAK-2/STAT-1 pathways by CKD 712 is critical for the differential inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 by LPS in vitro and in vivo where HO-1 induction also contributes to this by partially modulating JAK-2/STAT-1 pathways.     

NMR studies on novel antitumor drug candidates, deoxoartemisinin and carboxypropyldeoxoartemisinin

Artemisinin and its derivatives, which have been known as antimalarial drugs, have also demonstrated their cytotoxicity against tumor cells. It has been proposed that antitumor activity depends on the lipophilicity of functional group on artemisinin derivatives. Solution structures of two artemisinin derivatives as antitumor drug candidates, deoxoartemisinin and carboxypropyldeoxoartemisinin, were determined by NMR spectroscopy to elucidate structure-activity relationship. According to biological assay, antitumor efficiencies are not dependent upon lipophilicity. Instead, these compounds demonstrated their distinctive structural features of boat/chair conformation and capability to interact with receptors, as they have different efficiencies on antitumor activity. Especially, carboxypropyl moiety or carbonyl moiety in artemisinin derivatives influences the conformation and stability of ring structure. Although the detailed mechanism of antitumor activity by artemisinin derivatives has not been addressed, we suggest that antitumor activity is not determined only with lipophilicity and that artemisinin derivatives have specific target proteins in each type of cancer.     

纯氧对采后杨梅果实腐烂的抑制与抗病相关酶的诱导

为研究高氧对抑制果实腐烂的作用及其与抗病相关酶活性诱导的关系,将杨梅果实采后在5℃用纯氧或空气(对照)处理12 d.结果表明,纯氧处理可显著抑制果实腐烂发生,贮藏12 d后对照果实的腐烂指数达到54%,而处理果实仅为17%.纯氧处理在贮藏前期可诱导杨梅果实几丁质酶和β-1,3-葡聚糖酶活性的升高,并在第6天时达到高峰.另外,纯氧处理增加了苯丙氨酸解氨酶和过氧化物酶的活性及总酚含量,并在整个贮藏期间一直高于对照水平.这些结果表明,高氧抑制杨梅果实腐烂的作用与诱导与抗病相关的酶的活性升高密切相关,抗病性诱导是高氧抑制杨梅果实腐烂的重要原因.