WW domain-containing oxidoreductase: a candidate tumor suppressor

Common fragile site gene WWOX encodes a candidate tumor suppressor WW domain-containing oxidoreductase. Alteration of this gene, along with dramatic downregulation of WWOX protein, is shown in the majority of invasive cancer cells. Ectopic WWOX exhibits proapoptotic and tumor inhibitory functions in vitro and in vivo, probably interacting with growth regulatory proteins p53, p73 and others. Hyaluronidases regulate WWOX expression, increase cancer invasiveness and seem to be involved in the development of hormone-independent growth of invasive cancer cells. Estrogen and androgen stimulate phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of WWOX, although binding of WWOX to these sex hormones is unknown. We propose that suppression of WWOX expression by overexpressed hyaluronidases might contribute in part to the development of hormone independence in invasive cancer.     

鹅源鸭疫里默氏杆菌的分离、鉴定与生物学特性研究

【目的】从疑似鸭疫里默氏杆菌病的病死雏鹅分离病原菌进行鉴定。【方法】根据细菌培养特性、生化特性、动物试验、血清型鉴定及分子生物学特性对分离菌株进行鉴定。【结果】分离菌株为革兰氏阴性菌,不发酵糖类和醇类,尿素酶试验和氧化酶还原试验为阳性,致病,不同分离株的16S rRNA基因经多重序列比对分析,结果显示鹅源分离株与鸭源鸭疫里默氏杆菌处于同一进化支上,与鸡源鸭疫里默氏杆菌进化关系稍远,血清型鉴定为1型。【结论】分离菌株为血清1型的鸭疫里默氏杆菌,对鸭和鹅均有高致病性,自家疫苗能够较好地保护雏鹅。     

Complement C1q Activates Tumor Suppressor WWOX to Induce Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer Cells

Background

Tissue exudates contain low levels of serum complement proteins, and their regulatory effects on prostate cancer progression are largely unknown. We examined specific serum complement components in coordinating the activation of tumor suppressors p53 and WWOX (also named FOR or WOX1) and kinases ERK, JNK1 and STAT3 in human prostate DU145 cells.

Methodology/Principal Findings

DU145 cells were cultured overnight in 1% normal human serum, or in human serum depleted of an indicated complement protein. Under complement C1q- or C6-free conditions, WOX1 and ERK were mainly present in the cytoplasm without phosphorylation, whereas phosphorylated JNK1 was greatly accumulated in the nuclei. Exogenous C1q rapidly restored the WOX1 activation (with Tyr33 phosphorylation) in less than 2 hr. Without serum complement C9, p53 became activated, and hyaluronan (HA) reversed the effect. Under C6-free conditions, HA induced activation of STAT3, an enhancer of metastasis. Notably, exogenous C1q significantly induced apoptosis of WOX1-overexpressing DU145 cells, but not vehicle-expressing cells. A dominant negative and Y33R mutant of WOX1 blocked the apoptotic effect. C1q did not enhance p53-mediated apoptosis. By total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, it was determined that C1q destabilized adherence of WOX1-expressing DU145 cells by partial detaching and inducing formation of clustered microvilli for focal adhesion particularly in between cells. These cells then underwent shrinkage, membrane blebbing and death. Remarkably, as determined by immunostaining, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer were shown to have a significantly reduced expression of tissue C1q, compared to age-matched normal prostate tissues.

Conclusions/Significance

We conclude that complement C1q may induce apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by activating WOX1 and destabilizing cell adhesion. Downregulation of C1q enhances prostate hyperplasia and cancerous formation due to failure of WOX1 activation.     

Epidemic Plasmid Carrying bla CTX-M-15 in Klebsiella penumoniae in China

Objective

To investigate the local epidemiology of Klebsiella penumoniae carrying bla _CTX-M-15 in southern China and to characterize the genetic environment of bla _CTX-M-15.

Methods

PCR and DNA sequencing were used to detect and characterize the genetic contexts of bla _CTX-M-15. The clonal relatedness of isolates carrying bla _CTX-M-15 was determined by pulse-field gel electrophoresis. Conjugative plasmids carrying bla _CTX-M-15 were obtained by mating and were further subject to restriction analysis and replicon typing.

Results

A total of 47CTX-M-15 ESBL-producing isolates of K. pneumoniae were collected from nine hospitals in China from October 2007 to October 2008. Isolates were clustered into various clonal groups. The local spread of bla _CTX-M-15 was mainly mediated by one major conjugative plasmid as determined by S1-PFGE and restriction analysis. A 90-kb plasmid belonging to incompatible group FII was the major carrier of bla _CTX-M-15 in K. pneumoniae. Except bla _TEM-1, the resistance genes such as bla _SHV, bla _DHA-1, bla _OXA-1, qnrB, qnrS, aac(3)-II, and aac(6′)-Ib were not found in the plasmid. In the comparing of conjugative gene sequence, it is 100% identical with the plasmid pKF3–94, which was found in K. pneumonia from Zhejiang province of china previously.

Conclusions

bla _CTX-M-15 was prevalent in K. pneumonia of southern China. The dissemination of bla _CTX-M-15 appeared to be due to the horizontal transfer of a 90-kb epidemic plasmid.     

The non-ankyrin C terminus of Ikappa Balpha physically interacts with p53 in vivo and dissociates in response to apoptotic stress, hypoxia, DNA damage, and transforming growth factor-beta 1-mediated growth suppression.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta1) suppresses the growth of mink lung Mv1Lu epithelial cells, whereas testicular hyaluronidase abolishes the growth inhibition. Exposure of Mv1Lu cells to TGF-beta1 rapidly resulted in down-regulation of cytosolic IkappaBalpha and hyaluronidase prevented this effect, suggesting a possible role of IkappaBalpha in the growth regulation. Ectopic expression of wild-type and dominant negative IkappaBalpha prevented TGF-beta1-mediated growth suppression. Nonetheless, the blocking effect of IkappaBalpha is not related to regulation of NF-kappaB function by its N-terminal ankyrin-repeat region (amino acids 1-243). Removal of the PEST (proline-glutamic acid-serine-threonine) domain-containing C terminus (amino acids 244-314) abolished the IkappaBalpha function, and the C terminus alone blocked the TGF-beta1 growth-inhibitory effect. Co-immunoprecipitation by anti-p53 antibody using Mv1Lu and other types of cells, as well as rat liver and spleen, revealed that a portion of cytosolic IkappaBalpha physically interacted with p53. In contrast, Mdm2, an inhibitor of p53, was barely detectable in the immunoprecipitates. The cytosolic p53 x IkappaBalpha complex rapidly dissociated in response to apoptotic stress, etoposide- and UV-mediated DNA damage, hypoxia, and TGF-beta1-mediated growth suppression. Also, a rapid increase in the formation of the nuclear p53 x IkappaBalpha complex was observed during exposure to etoposide and UV. In contrast, TGF-beta1-mediated promotion of fibroblast growth failed to mediate p53 x IkappaBalpha dissociation. Mapping by yeast two-hybrid showed that the non-ankyrin C terminus of IkappaBalpha physically interacted with the proline-rich region and a phosphorylation site, serine 46, in p53. Deletion of serine 46 or alteration of serine 46 to glycine abolished the p53 x IkappaBalpha interaction. Alteration to threonine retained the binding interaction, suggesting that serine 46 phosphorylation is involved in the p53 x IkappaBalpha complex formation. Functionally, enhancement of p53 apoptosis was observed when p53 and IkappaBalpha were transiently co-expressed in cells. Together, the IkappaBalpha x p53 complex plays an important role in responses involving growth regulation, apoptosis, and hypoxic stress.     

中国对虾受精过程中精卵核的细胞学变化

中国对虾精子以其棘部顶端随机附着在卵上,精子在凝胶膜形成后,第一极体排出前入卵,精子入卵后,絮状的精核经过重建形成雄原核,中国对虾卵子排放时处于第一次成熟分裂的中期,卵子入海水时,纺锤体的长轴与质膜平行,卵子激活后,纺锤体的长轴开始旋转,旋转至纺鲑体长轴与质膜垂直时,由纺锤丝牵引着染色体向两极移动,外侧的染色体由质膜包裹形成第一极体,受膜举起后,由次级卵母细胞排放出第二极体,此后,单倍雌核重建形成雌原核,雄原核形成早于雌原核,雌雄原核于卵子中央联会形成联合核,受精后的50分钟纺锤丝牵关染色体称向两极,质膜内缢断裂形成两个细胞的胚胎。