弗林蛋白酶——一种重要的前体蛋白内切蛋白酶

在真核生物细胞中,许多具有生物活性的多肽和蛋白是在其分泌过程中由前体蛋白经内切蛋白酶切割后激活形成的。弗林蛋白酶（Furin)就是这个内切蛋白酶家族重要成员之一,它可以识别剪切多种蛋白质,如生长因子、血清蛋白、基因金属蛋白酶、受体、病毒囊膜蛋白和细菌外毒 素等。近年来Furin得到了迅速而广泛的研究,本简介了它的表达与加工运输、生物学功能、与病毒侵染的关系,以及它的抑制剂。     

Ca2＋／CaM对渗透胁迫下小麦幼苗根和叶中ABA含量的影响（简报）＿

渗透胁迫下小麦根及叶片中ABA含量增加,根部先于叶片,同等渗透胁迫条件下,外源Ca2 浓度越小,根中ABA含量增加越多。EGTA和TFP浓度越大,ABA合成越早,且含量越高。     

白背飞虱单克隆抗体的制备及其特性的研究

应用杂交瘤技术,制备出4株高度特异性的白背飞虱单克隆抗体,分别命名为WPH-1H9、WPH-2B6、WPH-2E12和WPH-3F12。这些抗体与其它8种昆虫未发生交叉反应,其中WPH-2B6可与白背飞虱所有虫态发生反应,其余3株只与卵和雌成虫发生反应。应用免疫双扩散法鉴定抗体类型及亚类,结果表明：WPH-2B6为IgG_2b亚类,其余均为IgG₁亚类。SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和Western blot印迹分析表明,白背飞虱抗原主要由分子量分别为182、116、66.2及40 kD的4个多肽组成,其中WPH-2B6与182、116 kD的多肽结合,其余3株的单抗只与116 kD的多肽具有亲和性。最后对这些单克隆抗体在捕食作用研究中的应用潜力进行了讨论。     

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells induced PAX8 promotes ovarian cancer cell growth by stabilizing TAZ protein

Our previous studies have shown that the Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can regulate metastasis and development of ovarian cancer. However, its specific mechanism has yet to be fully revealed. In this study, an RNA-seq approach was adopted to compare the differences in mRNA levels in ovarian cancer cells being given or not given ADSCs. The mRNA level of paired box 8 (PAX8) changed significantly and was confirmed as an important factor in tumour-inducing effect of ADSCs. In comparison with the ovarian cancer cells cultured in the common growth medium, those cultured in the medium supplemented with ADSCs showed a significant increase of the PAX8 level. Moreover, the cancer cell growth could be restricted, even in the ADSC-treated group (P < .05), by inhibiting PAX8. In addition, an overexpression of PAX8 could elevate the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, Co-IP assays in ovarian cancer cells revealed that an interaction existed between endogenous PAX8 and TAZ. And the PAX8 levels regulated the degradation of TAZ. The bioluminescence images captured in vivo manifested that the proliferation and the PAX8 expression level in ovarian cancers increased in the ADMSC-treated group, and the effect of ADSCs in promoting tumours was weakened through inhibiting PAX8. Our findings indicate that the PAX8 expression increment could contribute a role in promoting the ADSC-induced ovarian cancer cell proliferation through TAZ stability regulation.     

香港鹅耳枥(桦木科)的群落特征

为保护香港特有植物香港鹅耳枥,基于典型样地调查,对香港鹅耳枥所在群落进行了研究。结果表明,在225 m2的样地内,有维管植物37科66属68种。建群种为香港鹅耳枥,个体高度最高3 m,所在群落植株平均高度0.92 m,分层不明显。位于中国香港岛的香港鹅耳枥处于衰退状态,小个体极少。因此,建议采取就地保护和迁地保护措施,以重建种群。     

棕色和米色脂肪激活剂: 潜在的减肥靶标

全球性肥胖症及其代谢疾病已经严重影响人类健康。因此,对其进行治疗变得愈加重要。新近研究表明,激活棕色和米色脂肪可能成为对抗肥胖的有效途径。白色脂肪棕色化可使储存能量的白色脂肪转化为具有类似棕色脂肪产热特性的米色脂肪,来增加耗能,对抗肥胖。本文综述了棕色和米色脂肪激活剂及其作用机制的研究进展,并从纳米技术的角度展望了其在肥胖症治疗中的应用前景。     

Molecular mechanisms governing plant responses to high temperatures

The increased prevalence of high temperatures(HTs) around the world is a major global concern, as they dramatically affect agronomic productivity. Upon HT exposure, plants sense the temperature change and initiate cellular and metabolic responses that enable them to adapt to their new environmental conditions.Decoding the mechanisms by which plants cope with HT will facilitate the development of molecular markers to enable the production of plants with improved thermotolerance. In recent decades, genetic, physiological, molecular, and biochemical studies have revealed a number of vital cellular components and processes involved in thermoresponsive growth and the acquisition of thermotolerance in plants. This review summarizes the major mechanisms involved in plant HT responses, with a special focus on recent discoveries related to plant thermosensing, heat stress signaling, and HT-regulated gene expression networks that promote plant adaptation to elevated environmental temperatures.