Laforin is required for the functional activation of malin in endoplasmic reticulum stress resistance in neuronal cells

Mutations in either EPM2A, the gene encoding a dual-specificity phosphatase named laforin, or NHLRC1, the gene encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase named malin, cause Lafora disease in humans. Lafora disease is a fatal neurological disorder characterized by progressive myoclonus epilepsy, severe neurological deterioration and accumulation of poorly branched glycogen inclusions, called Lafora bodies or polyglucosan bodies, within the cell cytoplasm. The molecular mechanism underlying the neuropathogenesis of Lafora disease remains unknown. Here, we present data demonstrating that in the cells expressing low levels of laforin protein, overexpressed malin and its Lafora disease-causing missense mutants are stably polyubiquitinated. Malin and malin mutants form ubiquitin-positive aggregates in or around the nuclei of the cells in which they are expressed. Neither wild-type malin nor its mutants elicit endoplasmic reticulum stress, although the mutants exaggerate the response to endoplasmic reticulum stress. Overexpressed laforin impairs the polyubiquitination of malin while it recruits malin to polyglucosan bodies. The recruitment and activities of laforin and malin are both required for the polyglucosan body disruption. Consistently, targeted deletion of laforin in brain cells from Epm2a knockout mice increases polyubiquitinated proteins. Knockdown of Epm2a or Nhlrc1 in neuronal Neuro2a cells shows that they cooperate to allow cells to resist ER stress and apoptosis. These results reveal that a functional laforin-malin complex plays a critical role in disrupting Lafora bodies and relieving ER stress, implying that a causative pathogenic mechanism underlies their deficiency in Lafora disease.     

The first complete plastome sequence of the basal asterid family Styracaceae (Ericales) reveals a large inversion

Plastome sequences are rich sources of information for resolving difficult phylogenetic relationships and provide genomic data for conservation studies. Here, the complete plastome sequence of Alniphyllum eberhardtii Guillaumin is reported, representing the first plastome of the basal asterid family Styracaceae (Ericales). The plastome is 155,384 bp in length and contains 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes, totaling 113 unique genes with 19 genes in the inverted repeat region. Unusual features of the plastome include the presence a large 20-kb inversion in the Large Single-Copy region, the pseudogenization of the accD gene, and the loss of the second intron from clpP. The 20-kb inversion includes 14 genes and has not been previously reported in other Ericales plastomes. Thirty-nine plastid simple sequence repeats (SSRs) that may provide genetic resources for the conservation of this economically import timber plant are characterized. Phylogenetic results inferred from ML and MP analyses of 66 plastid genes and 26 taxa reveal that the Styracaceae are sister to a clade including Actinidiaceae and Ericaceae and suggest that complete plastomes are likely to be very helpful in resolving the basal relationships among Ericales families, which have resisted resolution in smaller phylogenetic data sets.     

Immunohistochemical expression of pi class glutathione S-transferase and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic liver disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether tumor marker pi glutathione transferase (GST-pi) is expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other chronic liver diseases and to compare its expression with that of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). STUDY DESIGN: Samples used were formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver tissues: normal (n = 3), chronic hepatitis B (n = 15), cirrhosis (n = 15) and HCC (n = 30). The expression of AFP and GST-pi was detected by using immunohistochemistry with the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. AFP immunoreactivity was based on the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes, while GST-pi immunoreactivity was based on the nuclei of hepatocytes. RESULTS: In normal liver tissues, AFP was not expressed. However, there was strong staining of GST-pi in bile duct epithelium cells and weak staining in hepatocytes. Our results showed higher AFP immunoreactivity in cases of HCC (36.7%) as compared to cirrhosis (6.7%) and hepatitis B (0%), whereas GST-pi immunoreactivity was lower in cases of HCC (53.3%) as compared to cases of cirrhosis (100.0%) and hepatitis B (93.3%). Percent sensitivity of AFP determination for HCC was 36.7% as compared to 53.3% for GST-pi, thus making GST-pi a more sensitive marker for detection of HCC. This study showed a significant relationship between the intensity and percentage of cells stained in hepatitis B, cirrhosis and HCC for GST-pi immunoreactivity (P < .001, .001 and .05, respectively) but not for AFP (P > .05). Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant relationship between expression of AFP and GST-pi in cirrhosis and HCC cases. Hepatitis B virus infection in HCC cases showed a positive rate of 46.7%, with AFP staining positively in 42.9% of tissues and GST-pi staining positively in 57.1% of tissues. CONCLUSION: AFP is a diagnostic but rather insensitive tissue marker for HCC. However, the absence of AFP in benign chronic liver disease makes this marker useful in differentiating between HCC and other chronic liver diseases, whereas GST-pi can be used as a diagnostic marker for HCC as well as in detecting other chronic liver diseases.     

Formation of soil organic carbon pool is regulated by the structure of dissolved organic matter and microbial carbon pump efficacy: A decadal study comparing different carbon management strategies

To achieve long-term increases in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it is essential to understand the effects of carbon management strategies on SOC formation pathways, particularly through changes in microbial necromass carbon (MNC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Using a 14-year field study, we demonstrate that both biochar and maize straw lifted the SOC ceiling, but through different pathways. Biochar, while raising SOC and DOC content, decreased substrate degradability by increasing carbon aromaticity. This resulted in suppressed microbial abundance and enzyme activity, which lowered soil respiration, weakened in vivo turnover and ex vivo modification for MNC production (i.e., low microbial carbon pump “efficacy”), and led to lower efficiency in decomposing MNC, ultimately resulting in the net accumulation of SOC and MNC. In contrast, straw incorporation increased the content and decreased the aromaticity of SOC and DOC. The enhanced SOC degradability and soil nutrient content, such as total nitrogen and total phosphorous, stimulated the microbial population and activity, thereby boosting soil respiration and enhancing microbial carbon pump “efficacy” for MNC production. The total C added to biochar and straw plots were estimated as 27.3–54.5 and 41.4 Mg C ha⁻¹, respectively. Our results demonstrated that biochar was more efficient in lifting the SOC stock via exogenous stable carbon input and MNC stabilization, although the latter showed low “efficacy”. Meanwhile, straw incorporation significantly promoted net MNC accumulation but also stimulated SOC mineralization, resulting in a smaller increase in SOC content (by 50%) compared to biochar (by 53%–102%). The results address the decadal-scale effects of biochar and straw application on the formation of the stable organic carbon pool in soil, and understanding the causal mechanisms can allow field practices to maximize SOC content.     

APP5肽模拟物P165对体外培养大鼠海马神经干细胞增殖和分化的影响

目的研究一种小分子多肽─APP5肽的模拟物P165对体外培养的大鼠胚胎海马神经干细胞（neuralstem cells,NSCs）增殖和分化的影响,以期能找到一种可代替神经营养因子的小分子物质,能够促进NSCs的增殖或分化,为将来的临床应用提供理论依据。方法（1）原代培养SD大鼠胚胎脑海马NSCs;（2）利用5-溴脱氧尿嘧啶核苷（BrdU）和神经元、星型胶质细胞、少突胶质细胞的特异性标记物微管相关蛋白2（MAP2）、胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）、2,3-环核苷酸-3磷酸二酯酶（CNPase）对培养的NSCs进行鉴定;（3）将培养的NSCs分为对照组、血清组、APP5肽反序列组和P165组,观察各组细胞形态的变化;（4）将培养的NSCs分为对照组、APP5肽反序列组和P165组,利用细胞计数,测定干细胞克隆形成率、干细胞克隆形成大小的方法分析P165对海马NSCs增殖的影响。结果（1）海马神经干细胞呈神经球聚集生长,BrdU染色阳性;加入血清后神经球周围有细胞呈放射状向四周生长,并带有突起。染色呈MAP2、GFAP或CNPase阳性;（2）海马NSCs加入P165及其反序列后细胞形态上与对照组相比没有明显改变;（3）与对照组相比,加P165后海马NSCs数量明显增加,克隆形成率和克隆形成的直径均有明显的增加,并有统计学差异。结论P165能够促进海马NSCs的增殖,但并不促进其分化。     

Assessment of selenium bioavailability from naturally produced high-selenium soy foods in selenium-deficient rats

We assessed the bioavailability of selenium (Se) from a protein isolate and tofu (bean curd) prepared from naturally produced high-Se soybeans. The Se concentrations of the soybeans, the protein isolate and tofu were 5.2 ± 0.2, 11.4 ± 0.1 and 7.4 ± 0.1 mg/kg, respectively. Male weanling Sprague–Dawley rats were depleted of Se by feeding them a 30% Torula yeast-based diet (4.1 μg Se/kg) for 56 days, and then they were replenished with Se for an additional 50 days by feeding them the same diet containing 14, 24 or 30 μg Se/kg from the protein isolate or 13, 23 or 31 μg Se/kg from tofu, respectively. l-Selenomethionine (SeMet) was used as a reference. Selenium bioavailability was determined on the basis of the restoration of Se-dependent enzyme activities and tissue Se concentrations in Se-depleted rats, comparing those responses for the protein isolate and tofu to those for SeMet by using a slope-ratio method. Dietary supplementation with the protein isolate or tofu resulted in linear or log-linear, dose-dependent increases in glutathione peroxidase activities in blood and liver and in thioredoxin reductase activity in liver. Furthermore, supplementation with the protein isolate or tofu resulted in linear or log-linear, dose-dependent increases in the Se concentrations of plasma, liver, muscle and kidneys. These results indicated an overall bioavailability of approximately 101% for Se from the protein isolate and 94% from tofu, relative to SeMet. We conclude that Se from naturally produced high-Se soybeans is highly bioavailable in this model and that high-Se soybeans may be a good dietary source of Se.     

Rain use efficiency as affected by climate warming and biofuel harvest: results from a 12‐year field experiment

The efficiency of a terrestrial ecosystem to use rainfall in production is critical in regulating the ecological functions of the earth system under global change. However, it remains unclear how rain use efficiency (RUE) will be altered by changes in climate and human activities such as biofuel harvest. In this study, we used RUE data from a long‐term experiment in a tallgrass prairie to analyze the effects of warming and biofuel harvest (clipping). From 2000 to 2011, experimental warming enhanced RUE in most years, with larger positive effects in normal and wet than dry hydrological years. Clipping decreased RUE in dry and normal hydrological years, but had no impact on RUE in wet years. The observed RUE responses resulted from treatment‐induced changes in both biologically ineffective (i.e., runoff and soil evaporation) and effective (i.e., transpiration) parts of precipitation. For example, litter cover was increased in warming plots, but reduced by clipping, leading to negative and positive effects on runoff and soil evaporation, respectively. The dominance of C₄ species, which usually have higher water use efficiency than C₃ species, was enhanced by warming, but reduced by clipping. Moreover, RUE was positively correlated with ratios of rainfall in the late growing season (June–August), when the growth of C₄ plants was most active, relative to that in the other seasons. Our results indicate that RUE is positively influenced by climate warming, but negatively affected by biofuel harvest in tallgrass prairie of the Great Plains. These findings highlight the important roles of plant community structure and temporal distribution of precipitation in regulating ecosystem RUE.     

一步法扩增克隆IBDV上海超强毒VP2-4-3基因

分离、纯化了鸡传染性法氏囊病病毒超强毒 (vvIBDV) 上海株SH95的病毒核酸dsRNA,应用随机引物将RNA反转录成cDNA,以此为模板一步扩增出A片段前体融合蛋白基因即VP2-4-3基因,将其克隆入pGEM-T载体,并进行序列分析,其与超强毒株HK46的核苷酸序列的同源性达98%,整个基因有5个氨基酸差异,同源性达99.51%(1007/1012).