Preparation of the pure diastereomeric forms of S- (5′-deoxy-5′-adenosyl)-1-ammonio-4-methylsulfonio-2- cyclopentene and their evaluation as irreversible inhibitors of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase from Escherichia coli

The conformationally restricted S-adenosylmethionine analogue AdoMac (S-(5′-deoxy-5′-adenosyl)-1-ammonio-4-methylsulfonio-2-cyclopentene has been shown to act as an enzyme activated, irreversible inhibitor of theEscherichia coli form of the enzyme S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase. Inactivation of the enzyme is presumably initiated by formation of an imine linkage between the inhibitor and the terminal pyruvate of the enzyme, followed by base-catalyzed elimination of methylthioadenosine and generation of a latent electrophile. Removal of the driving force for the elimination of methylthioadenosine resulted in a reversibly binding inhibitor. Thus, the thioether analogue corresponding to AdoMac, and the corresponding dihydro derivative (H₂-AdoMac), reversibly inhibit the enzyme. AdoMac was resolved into its four pure diastereomeric forms, and each diastereomer was evaluated as an irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme. The K_I values for the individual diastereomers range between 3.83 and 39.6 μM, with the cis-1S,4R diastereomer being the most potent inhibitor. However, the k_inact values for the four diastereomers are not significantly different, suggesting that the binding of each diastereomer to the enzyme is configuration-dependent, while the subsequent inactivation likely proceeds through a single intermediate which is formed from each of the four diastereomers. Since each pure diastereomer represents a distinct conformational mimic exhibiting restricted sidechain rotation, the data suggests that these and related analogues may be useful as conformational probes for the catalytic site of AdoMet-DC.     

Nonparametric and semiparametric estimation with sequentially truncated survival data

In observational cohort studies with complex sampling schemes, truncation arises when the time to event of interest is observed only when it falls below or exceeds another random time, that is, the truncation time. In more complex settings, observation may require a particular ordering of event times; we refer to this as sequential truncation. Estimators of the event time distribution have been developed for simple left-truncated or right-truncated data. However, these estimators may be inconsistent under sequential truncation. We propose nonparametric and semiparametric maximum likelihood estimators for the distribution of the event time of interest in the presence of sequential truncation, under two truncation models. We show the equivalence of an inverse probability weighted estimator and a product limit estimator under one of these models. We study the large sample properties of the proposed estimators and derive their asymptotic variance estimators. We evaluate the proposed methods through simulation studies and apply the methods to an Alzheimer's disease study. We have developed an R package, seqTrun , for implementation of our method.     

LEP and LEPR are possibly a double-edged sword for wound healing

Wound healing is a complex and error-prone process. Wound healing in adults often leads to the formation of scars, a type of fibrotic tissue that lacks skin appendages. Hypertrophic scars and keloids can also form when the wound-healing process goes wrong. Leptin (Lep) and leptin receptors (LepRs) have recently been shown to affect multiple stages of wound healing. This effect, however, is paradoxical for scarless wound healing. On the one hand, Lep exerts pro-inflammatory and profibrotic effects; on the other hand, Lep can regulate hair follicle growth. This paper summarises the role of Lep and LepRs on cells in different stages of wound healing, briefly introduces the process of wound healing and Lep and LepRs, and examines the possibility of promoting scarless wound healing through spatiotemporal, systemic, and local regulation of Lep levels and the binding of Lep and LepRs.     

Surface imprinted bio-nanocomposites for affinity separation of a cellular DNA repair protein

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is a multifunctional DNA repair protein localized in different subcellular compartments. The mechanisms responsible for the highly regulated subcellular localization and “interactomes” of this protein are not fully understood but have been closely correlated to the posttranslational modifications in different biological context. In this work, we attempted to develop a bio-nanocomposite with antibody-like properties that could capture APE1 from cellular matrices to enable the comprehensive study of this protein. By fixing the template APE1 on the avidin-modified surface of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles, we first added 3-aminophenylboronic acid to react with the glycosyl residues of avidin, followed by addition of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid as the second functional monomer to perform the first step imprinting reaction. To further enhance the affinity and selectivity of the binding sites, we carried out the second step imprinting reaction with dopamine as the functional monomer. After the polymerization, we modified the nonimprinted sites with methoxypoly (ethylene glycol) amine (mPEG-NH₂). The resulting molecularly imprinted polymer-based bio-nanocomposite showed high affinity, specificity, and capacity for template APE1. It allowed for the extraction of APE1 from the cell lysates with high recovery and purity. Moreover, the bound protein could be effectively released from the bio-nanocomposite with high activity. The bio-nanocomposite offers a very useful tool for the separation of APE1 from various complex biological samples.     

Effects of ROS and caspase-3-like protein on the growth and aerenchyma formation of Potamogeton perfoliatus stem

Protoplasma - Aerenchyma formation plays an important role in the survival of Potamogeton perfoliatus in submerged environment. To understand the regulatory role of reactive oxygen species (ROS)...     

Molecular mimicry in Lyme disease: monoclonal antibody H9724 to b. burgdorferi flagellin specifically detects chaperonin-HSP60

A monoclonal antibody (H9724), specific for the 41-kDa flagellar protein of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, cross-reacts with human axons and detects one major protein in human neuroblastoma cell extracts. The homologous cross-reacting protein has now been isolated from calf adrenal and identified as chaperonin-HSP60 by N-terminal sequencing.     

基于双重芯片式数字PCR快速鉴定KPC型碳青霉烯耐药肺炎克雷伯菌的方法

【背景】由于碳青霉烯类药物的泛用和滥用,致使肺炎克雷伯菌碳青霉烯耐药株与日俱增,产碳青霉烯酶是肺炎克雷伯菌对碳青霉烯类药物耐药的主要原因。目前对肺炎克雷伯菌碳青霉烯耐药株的检测方法存在费时费力、特异性差、灵敏度低等问题。【目的】建立一种能同时检测肺炎克雷伯菌和碳青霉烯酶基因bla_KPC的双重芯片式数字PCR方法。【方法】依据肺炎克雷伯菌的特有基因yhaI和碳青霉烯耐药基因bla_KPC保守序列设计特异性引物和探针,确定双重芯片式数字PCR同时对yhaI和bla_KPC两个基因核酸浓度绝对定量的检测范围、检出限和最佳实验体系,并进行方法特异性、灵敏度、重复性分析及临床菌株的检测。【结果】双重芯片式数字PCR检测灵敏度比双重实时荧光定量PCR提高了约1.5个数量级,在两基因同时检出的情况下,最低检出限分别为3.74 copies/μL (yhaI基因)和1.93 copies/μL (bla_KPC基因);优化后的双重芯片式数字PCR对参考菌株检测特异性的结果与双重实时荧光定量PCR结果一致;利用优化后的双重芯片式数字PCR方法共检测58株临床菌株,其中肺炎克雷伯菌43株,属肺炎克雷伯菌且含有bla_KPC基因的菌株13株,这与质谱及耐药谱检测结果一致。【结论】利用双重芯片式数字PCR技术建立了产KPC型碳青霉烯酶肺炎克雷伯菌的绝对定量检测方法。该方法特异性强、灵敏度高、准确度好,可用于检测具有碳青霉烯酶基因bla_KPC的肺炎克雷伯菌的核酸检测和定量分析,也为产其他类型碳青霉烯酶的病原菌检测提供了新的技术参考。     

蝗虫肠道微生物研究进展

蝗虫自古以来是我国农林牧业的一大害虫,蝗虫聚集成灾对农业造成了巨大的损失,国内外学者也因此对其进行了深入的研究。随着科研工作者对昆虫肠道微生态学理论的逐渐重视,蝗虫的肠道微生物也成为了研究的重点,同时测序技术的迅速发展促进了蝗虫肠道微生物的研究。本文从蝗虫肠道菌群的多样性、功能及研究方法入手,对近年来蝗虫肠道微生物的研究进展进行总结,并对今后的研究进行展望。