Erythropoietin attenuates the sequels of ischaemic spinal cord injury with enhanced recruitment of CD34+ cells in mice

Erythropoietin has been shown to promote tissue regeneration after ischaemic injury in various organs. Here, we investigated whether Erythropoietin could ameliorate ischaemic spinal cord injury in the mouse and sought an underlying mechanism. Spinal cord ischaemia was developed by cross-clamping the descending thoracic aorta for 7 or 9 min. in mice. Erythropoietin (5000 IU/kg) or saline was administrated 30 min. before aortic cross-clamping. Neurological function was assessed using the paralysis score for 7 days after the operation. Spinal cords were histologically evaluated 2 and 7 days after the operation. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect CD34(+) cells and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor. Each mouse exhibited either mildly impaired function or complete paralysis at day 2. Erythropoietin-treated mice with complete paralysis demonstrated significant improvement of neurological function between day 2 and 7, compared to saline-treated mice with complete paralysis. Motor neurons in erythropoietin-treated mice were more preserved at day 7 than those in saline-treated mice with complete paralysis. CD34(+) cells in the lumbar spinal cord of erythropoietin-treated mice were more abundant at day 2 than those of saline-treated mice. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor were markedly expressed in lumbar spinal cords in erythropoietin-treated mice at day 7. Erythropoietin demonstrated neuroprotective effects in the ischaemic spinal cord, improving neurological function and attenuating motor neuron loss. These effects may have been mediated by recruited CD34(+) cells, and enhanced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor.     

长江口崇明东滩盐沼湿地围堤工程对底栖动物群落的影响

长江口崇明东滩盐沼湿地围堤工程是以清除入侵植物互花米草为目的而进行的生态修复工程。由于大型底栖动物可作为重要的环境指示生物,分析比较了围堤前后围堤工程内和工程外大型底栖动物群落结构及多样性的变化。结果表明,在2013年围堤工程前和2016年围堤工程后两次调查共采集到大型底栖动物29种,分别隶属于无针纲、多毛纲、腹足纲、双壳纲、甲壳纲和昆虫纲。在2013和2016年围堤外光滩生境分别采集到底栖动物21种和27种,并且所有样线都表现出物种数量增加或持平;然而在围堤内区域,两条全封闭样线(样线2和样线3)由围堤前的12种减少到围堤后的6种,而在保留进出水口的半封闭样线1围堤内由围堤前7种增加到围堤后12种。底栖动物平均密度在半封闭样线1围堤内由围堤前的(75±0)个/m²增加到围堤后的(288±111)个/m²(P=0.091),在全封闭的样线2(2013:(120±17)个/m²; 2016:(7±7)个/m²)和样线3(2013:(359±20)个/m²; 2016:(93±93...     

沙枣果总黄酮类化合物的富集研究

通过对9种型号大孔吸附树脂静态筛选,最终确定AB-8型大孔吸附树脂用于沙枣果总黄酮化合物的富集,并通过动态实验,确定沙枣果总黄酮最优富集条件为：样品浓度2.43 mg·mL^-1,上样速率2 BV·h^-1,乙醇浓度70%,洗脱速率2 BV·h^-1。在最优工艺条件下,沙枣果总黄酮浓度由9.73%增加到49.52%;其中金丝桃苷含量由0.53%增加到3.07%,提高5.79倍。本研究为沙枣果总黄酮的开发利用提供了理论依据。     

黄芪种子萌发及萌发后生长过程中黄酮类化合物合成的动态变化

在对膜荚黄芪和蒙古黄芪种子萌发和萌发后生长时期进行划分的基础上,研究了黄芪中3种主要黄酮类化合物芒柄花素、毛蕊异黄酮和毛蕊异黄酮苷在萌发和萌发后生长过程中含量的变化。为了弄清黄酮含量变化的机制,我们还对黄芪中黄酮生物合成途径酶的转录水平做了研究。结果表明,在种子萌发和萌发后生长阶段,两种黄芪中均出现了明显的黄酮类化合物累积增加的情况。通过检测黄酮类物质生物合成途径酶基因的转录表达水平,我们发现萌发阶段蒙古黄芪中黄酮类物质积累增加主要由上游途径酶基因的表达水平升高引起,而膜荚黄芪中则几乎涉及到所有途径酶。此外,我们还发现萌发后生长阶段中,两种黄芪中合成途径酶基因转录对黄酮类物质含量的调控则选择性地存在时间延迟效应。     

Effect of low temperature on globin expression,respiratory metabolic enzyme activities,and gill structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Litopenaeus vannamei</Emphasis>

Low temperature frequently influences growth, development, and even survival of aquatic animals. In the present study, physiological and molecular responses to low temperature in Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The cDNA sequences of two oxygen-carrying proteins, cytoglobin (Cygb) and neuroglobin (Ngb), were isolated. Protein structure analysis revealed that both proteins share a globin superfamily domain. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that Cygb and Ngb mRNA levels gradually increased during decrease in temperatures from 25 to 15°C and then decreased at 10°C in muscle, brain, stomach, and heart, except for a continuing increase in gills, whereas they showed a different expression trend in the hepatopancreas. Hemocyanin concentration gradually reduced as the temperature decreased. Moreover, the activities of respiratory metabolic enzymes including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) were measured, and it was found that LDH activity gradually increased while SDH activity decreased after low-temperature treatment. Finally, damage to gill structure at low temperature was also observed, and this intensified with further decrease in temperature. Taken together, these results show that low temperature has an adverse influence in L. vannamei, which contributes to systematic understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of shrimp at low temperature.     

Separation and identification of mouse brain tissue microproteins using top‐down method with high resolution nanocapillary liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

Microproteins and endogenous peptides in the brain contain important substances that have critical roles in diverse biological processes, contributing to signal transduction and intercellular signaling. However, variability in their physical or chemical characteristics, such as molecule size, hydrophobicity, and charge states, complicate the simultaneous analysis of these compounds, although this would be highly beneficial for the field of neuroscience research. Here, we present a top‐down analytical method for simultaneous analysis of microproteins and endogenous peptides using high‐resolution nanocapillary LC‐MS/MS. This method is detergent‐free and digestion‐free, which allows for extracting and preserving intact microproteins and peptides for direct LC‐MS analysis. Both higher energy collision dissociation and electron‐transfer dissociation fragmentations were used in the LC‐MS analysis to increase the identification rate, and bioinformatics tools ProteinGoggle and PEAKS Studio software were utilized for database search. In total, we identified 471 microproteins containing 736 proteoforms, including brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and a number of fibroblast growth factors. In addition, we identified 599 peptides containing 151 known or potential neuropeptides such as somatostatin‐28 and neuropeptide Y. Our approach bridges the gap for the characterization of brain microproteins and peptides, which permits quantification of a diversity of signaling molecules for biomarker discovery or therapy diagnosis in the future.     

Tonoplast targeting of VHA‐a3 relies on a Rab5‐mediated but Rab7‐independent vacuolar trafficking route

Vacuolar trafficking routes and their regulators have recently drawn lots of attention in plant cell biology.A recent study reported the discovery of a plant-specific vacuolar trafficking route,i.e.,a direct ERto-vacuole route,through analysis of VHA-a3 subcellular targeting,a key component for the tonoplast VATPases.Our recent findings showed that VHA-a3 targets to the tonoplast through a Rab5-mediated but Rab7-independent pathway,shedding new lights on the unconventional vacuolar trafficking route in plant cells.