Rescue of infectious particles from preassembled alphavirus nucleocapsid cores

Alphaviruses are small, spherical, enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded, RNA viruses responsible for considerable human and animal disease. Using microinjection of preassembled cores as a tool, a system has been established to study the assembly and budding process of Sindbis virus, the type member of the alphaviruses. We demonstrate the release of infectious virus-like particles from cells expressing Sindbis virus envelope glycoproteins following microinjection of Sindbis virus nucleocapsids purified from the cytoplasm of infected cells. Furthermore, it is shown that nucleocapsids assembled in vitro mimic those isolated in the cytoplasm of infected cells with respect to their ability to be incorporated into enveloped virions following microinjection. This system allows for the study of the alphavirus budding process independent of an authentic infection and provides a platform to study viral and host requirements for budding.     

应急大鼠肾上腺髓质嗜铬细胞颗粒数目与其钙含量的关系

采用电镜细胞立体形态计量法及电镜Ｘ射线显微定量分析术,对制动应急大鼠的肾上腺髓质细胞内嗜铬颗粒数密度和颗粒内Ｃａ浓度变化进行测量。结果显示,两者在制动过程中均呈进行性下降,但颗粒内钙浓度的下降快于颗粒数目的减少（Ｐ〈０．０１）。该结果支持颗粒内钙释放入胞质,参与胞质内游离钙浓度的升高,进而激发颗粒胞吐的假设,为主宰嗜铬颗粒是一种细胞内钙库并参与细胞分泌提供了实验依据。     

植物腺体的萜类代谢工程

植物所产生的气味都是从其表皮细胞特化形成的特定结构中即毛状体释放出来的。这些气味一般都是属于次生代谢过程中的单萜类化合物。产生这些气味目前认为是通过细胞质和细胞质体两种途径来合成的。而关于合成这些气味的基因调控以及基因转化工程都有了初步的研究及探索,并取得了一定的进展。     

Protein kinase B/Akt may regulate G2/M transition in the fertilized mouse egg by changing the localization of p21(Cip1/WAF1)

Protein kinase B (PKB, also called Akt) is known as a serine/threonine protein kinase. Some studies indicate that the Akt signalling pathway strongly promotes G2/M transition in mammalian cell cycle progression, but the mechanism remains to be clarified, especially in the fertilized mouse egg. Here, we report that the expression of Akt at both the protein and mRNA level was highest in G2 phase, accompanied by a peak of Akt activity. In addition, the subcellular localization of p21(Cip1/WAF1) has been proposed to be critical in the cell cycle. Hence, we detected the expression and localization of p21(Cip1/WAF1) after injecting fertilized mouse eggs with Akt mRNA. In one-cell stage fertilized embryos microinjected with mRNA coding for a constitutively active myristoylated Akt (myr-Akt), p21(Cip1/WAF1) was retained in the cytoplasm. Microinjection of mRNA of kinase-deficient Akt(Akt-KD) resulted in nuclear localization of p21(Cip1/WAF1) . Meanwhile, microinjection of different types of Akt mRNA affected the phosphorylation status of p21(Cip1/WAF1) . However, there was no obvious difference in the protein expression of p21(Cip1/WAF1) . Therefore, Akt controls the cell cycle by changing the subcellular localization of p21(Cip1/WAF1) , most likely by affecting the phosphorylation status of p21(Cip1/WAF1) .     

Ca2+参与茉莉酸诱导蚕豆气孔关闭的信号转导

以Fluo-3AM为Ca~(2 )荧光探针,结合激光共聚焦扫描显微技术,观察到在处理后数十秒内,气孔关闭之前,茉莉酸(JA)可引起[Ca~(2 )]cyt的迅速上升;叶照和JA的前体物亚麻酸(LA)几乎不能引起[Ca~(2 )]cyt的明显变化;钙的螯合剂EGTA预处理可完全阻断JA诱导气孔关闭的效应,并且JA不再引起保卫细胞[Ca~(2 )]cyt增加;质膜Ca~(2 )通道的抑制剂硝苯吡啶(nifedipine,NIF)可减弱JA诱导气孔关闭的效应,也使JA诱导保卫细胞[Ca~(2 )]cyt增加的幅度有所下降;胞内Ca~(2 )释放的抑制剂钌红不能明显改变JA诱导气孔关闭的趋势,但使JA引起的保卫细胞[Ca~(2 )]cyt增加有所降低。实验结果表明:Ca~(2 )参与JA诱导气孔关闭的信号转导;推测JA引起的[Ca~(2 )]cyt升高可能主要来源于胞外,但不能完全排除胞内Ca~(2 )的释放。     

Genotyping and sequence analysis of apolipoprotein E isoforms

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), a polymorphic plasma protein, is essential for catabolism of lipoproteins by receptor-mediated endocytosis. One of the apoE isoforms (E2) differs in its binding affinity to specific receptors and contributes to variations in lipoprotein metabolism. Diagnosis of apoE isoforms is done by isoelectric focusing, but it is hindered by various degrees of post-translational sialylation of the apoE protein. Electrophoretically silent structural variations may also escape detection by this technique. We describe a method for genotyping apoE based on hybridization of allele-specific oligonucleotides with enzymatically amplified genomic DNA, which permits unambiguous diagnosis of six common apoE phenotypes within 24 h. Among 100 E2 alleles present in 81 unrelated individuals genotyped by this technique, we found two rare structural mutants of apoE in addition to the common E2 form, E2(158Arg----Cys). Automated sequencing of amplified DNA identified the rare mutants as E2(136Arg----Ser) and E2(145Arg----Cys). The genotypic method may complement or even replace isoelectric focusing for routine determination of apoE phenotypes and for identification of rare structural variants.     

Direct electrochemical sensor for label-free DNA detection based on zero current potentiometry

A direct electrochemical DNA biosensor based on zero current potentiometry was fabricated by immobilization of ssDNA onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coated pencil graphite electrode (PGE). One ssDNA/AuNPs/PGE was connected in series between clips of working and counter electrodes of a potentiostat, and then immersed into the solution together with a reference electrode, establishing a novel DNA biosensor for specific DNA detection. The variation of zero current potential difference (ΔE(zcp)) before and after hybridization of the self-assembled probe DNA with the target DNA was used as a signal to characterize and quantify the target DNA sequence. The whole DNA biosensor fabrication process was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with the use of ferricyanide as an electrochemical redox indicator. Under the optimized conditions, ΔE(zcp) was linear with the concentrations of the complementary target DNA in the range from 10nM to 1μM, with a detection limit of 6.9nM. The DNA biosensor showed a good reproducibility and selectivity. Prepared DNA biosensor is facile and sensitive, and it eliminates the need of using exogenous reagents to monitor the oligonucleotides hybridization.     

Erratum to Central European Journal of Biology, Volume 8, Issue 11

Paper by Li Li Huijuan Wu, Jialin Qian, Mingzhen Li, Yue Li, Baoming Li et al. “Decreased Na+/K+ ATPase α1 (ATP1A1) gene expression in major depression patients’ peripheral blood” in Voulme 8, Issue 11, 1077-1082 / November 2013; DOI: 10.2478/s11535-013-0207-8 contains incorrect units in Figure 3. The correct Figure 3, together with its caption is presented below.     

蜜蜂及熊蜂微孢子虫rRNA基因研究

核糖体RNA(rRNA)是一种理想的进化计时器,已广泛地应用于研究微生物的系统发育和进化关系。蜜蜂和熊蜂都被微孢子虫感染,关于蜜蜂和熊蜂微孢子虫rRNA基因研究主要有rRNA基因序列的测定分析、二级结构的研究和用rRNA基因检测诊断微孢子虫等。这些对蜜蜂和熊蜂微孢子虫系统发育的研究和微孢子虫的防治等具有重要的推动作用。