Aspidospermatan–aspidospermatan and eburnane-sarpagine bisindole alkaloids from Leuconotis

Leucofoline and leuconoline, representing the first members of the aspidospermatan–aspidospermatan and eburnane-sarpagine subclasses of the bisindole alkaloids, respectively, were isolated from the Malayan Leuconotis griffithii. The structures of these bisindole alkaloids were established using NMR and MS analysis, and in the case of leuconoline, confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Both alkaloids showed weak cytotoxicity towards human KB cells.     

Structure Elucidation of Two New Norlignans from Anemone vitifolia and Their Anti‐Inflammatory Activities

Two new norlignans together with two known phenylpropanoids were isolated from the whole herb of Anemone vitifolia. All compounds were reported from this plant for the first time. The structures of these compounds were identified by comprehensive HR‐ESI‐MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data analysis and comparison with literature data. Additionally, bioactivity study results showed that two new compounds have potential anti‐inflammatory activity. The plausible biosynthetic pathway for these compounds were also speculated in this article.     

Intrinsically altered lung‐resident γδT cells control lung melanoma by producing interleukin‐17A in the elderly

Cancer is an age‐associated disease, potentially related to the altered immune system of elderly individuals. However, cancer has gradually decreased incidence in the eldest globally such as the most common lung cancer, the mechanisms of which remain to be elucidated. In this study, it was found that the number of lung‐resident γδT cells was significantly increased with altered gene expression in aged mice (20–24 months) versus young mice (10–16 weeks). Aged lung Vγ4⁺ and Vγ6⁺ γδT cells predominantly produced interleukin‐17A (IL‐17A), resulting in increased levels in the serum and lungs. Moreover, the aged mice exhibited smaller tumors and reduced numbers of tumor foci in the lungs after challenge with intravenous injection of B16/F10 melanoma cells compared with the young mice. Aged lung Vγ4⁺ and Vγ6⁺ γδT cells were highly cytotoxic to B16/F10 melanoma cells with higher expression levels of CD103. The markedly longer survival of the challenged aged mice was dependent on γδT17 cells, since neutralization of IL‐17A or depletion of indicated γδT cells significantly shortened the survival time. Consistently, supplementation of IL‐17A significantly enhanced the survival time of young mice with lung melanoma. Furthermore, the anti‐tumor activity of aged lung γδT17 cells was not affected by alterations in the load and composition of commensal microbiota, as demonstrated through co‐housing of the aged and young mice. Intrinsically altered lung γδT17 cells underlying age‐dependent changes control lung melanoma, which will help to better understand the lung cancer progression in the elderly and the potential use of γδT17 cells in anti‐tumor immunotherapy.     

轻度支气管哮喘儿童的诱导痰菌群特征

目的探讨轻度支气管哮喘儿童的诱导痰菌群特征及临床意义。方法纳入年龄为6~12周岁于2018年11月至2019年1月在深圳市儿童医院呼吸科门诊定期复诊的轻度支气管哮喘患儿51例(哮喘组),留取诱导痰,匹配同年龄段97例健康无过敏儿童的口咽拭子作为对照。诱导痰及口咽拭子提取总DNA并扩增,对16S rRNA基因进行高通量测序并对测序结果进行生物信息学分析。结果NMDS分析结果显示哮喘组与健康对照组研究对象菌群结构存在差异;哮喘组的诱导痰菌群多样性指数(Shannon index)高于健康对照组(2.34±0.53 vs 1.87±0.50,P<0.05)。门水平分析显示,哮喘组与健康对照组的菌群均主要为厚壁菌门(38.34%vs 44.74%,P<0.05)、变形杆菌门(31.14%vs 19.78%,P<0.05)、拟杆菌门(14.59%vs 20.52%,P<0.05)、放线菌门(10.41%vs 7.85%,P<0.05)和梭杆菌门(2.82%vs 6.67%,P<0.05),但两组之间的构成比有明显差异。与健康对照组相比,在属水平上哮喘组韦荣球菌属(5.27%vs 8.96%)、普雷沃菌属(8.38%vs 17.35%)、罗斯菌属(1.50%vs 5.46%)、纤毛菌属(1.37%vs 4.39%)等非条件致病菌属比例明显下降(均P<0.05),而嗜血杆菌属(9.83%vs 6.17%)、卟啉单胞菌属(2.48%vs 1.41%)、莫拉菌属(5.66%vs 0.42%)、诺卡菌属(3.40%vs 0.00%)等条件致病菌属比例明显上升(均P<0.05)。结论尽管轻度支气管哮喘患儿已临床控制,但诱导痰内菌群仍存在结构紊乱。气道菌群紊乱可能是儿童支气管哮喘的发病机制之一。除了致病菌属外,非致病菌菌属的构成变化可能也是儿童哮喘的一个发生机制。     

Chemical components of ginseng,their biotransformation products and their potential as treatment of hypertension

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Ginseng is an ancient perennial herb belonging to the family Araliaceae and genus Panax which has been used for medical therapeutics for thousands of years,...     

The Crown Pearl: a draft genome assembly of the European freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)

Since historical times, the inherent human fascination with pearls turned the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758) into a highly valuable cultural and economic resource. Although pearl harvesting in M. margaritifera is nowadays residual, other human threats have aggravated the species conservation status, especially in Europe. This mussel presents a myriad of rare biological features, e.g. high longevity coupled with low senescence and Doubly Uniparental Inheritance of mitochondrial DNA, for which the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly known. Here, the first draft genome assembly of M. margaritifera was produced using a combination of Illumina Paired-end and Mate-pair approaches. The genome assembly was 2.4 Gb long, possessing 105,185 scaffolds and a scaffold N50 length of 288,726 bp. The ab initio gene prediction allowed the identification of 35,119 protein-coding genes. This genome represents an essential resource for studying this species’ unique biological and evolutionary features and ultimately will help to develop new tools to promote its conservation.