Immunostimulatory activities of polysaccharides from liquid culture of pine-mushroom Tricholoma matsutake

Mushrooms are regarded as one of the well-known foods and biopharmaceutical materials with a great deal of interest. Polysaccharide beta-glucan is the major component of mushrooms that displays various biological activities such as antidiabetic, anticancer, and antihyperlipidemic effects. In this study, we compared the immunostimulatory potency of polysaccharide fractions, prepared from liquid culture of pinemushroom Tricholoma matsutake, with a potent immunogen lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and their molecular mechanisms on the functional activation of macrophages. We found that fraction II (TMF-II) was able to comparably upregulate or highly enhance the phenotypic functions of macrophages such NO production and cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-alpha) expression, to LPS. TMF-II triggered the phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha, a critical step for NF-kappaB activation and translocation. Of the upstream signaling enzymes tested, Src and Akt were thought to be the responsible upstream signaling components in induction of NO production, although TMF-II strongly upregulated the phosphorylation of all MAPK pathways. Therefore, our data suggest that T. matsutake-derived beta-glucan may exert its immunostimulating activities with similar potency to LPS via activation of multiple signaling pathways linked to NF-kappaB activation.     

区域选择性改性的纤维素和壳聚糖衍生物及其血液相容性

通过对纤维素和壳聚糖的区域选择性改性,将内皮细胞表面硫酸乙酰肝素（ES—HS）分子结构中对其血液相容性有重要影响的官能团引入纤维素和壳聚糖的分子结构中,并将其通过离子键固定在部分阳离子化的纤维素膜上,以期模拟ES—HS的血液相容性。血小板吸附结果表明,6位改性的纤维素衍生物的吸附程度较高。在五种壳聚糖衍生物中,2位的NS03／NAc为6／4的衍生物表现出最低的血小板吸附。当保持壳聚糖2位的NS03／NAc值不变时,对6位进行完全磺酸酯化,也可有效减少血小板的吸附。     

Molecular Evidence for the Hybrid Origin of Bauhinia blakeana （Caesalpinioideae）

Bauhinia blakeana Dunn is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region emblem and a popular horticultural species in many Asian countries. It was first described as a new species from Hong Kong almost a century ago. This plant is sterile and has long been considered a hybrid, possibly from two related species, B. purpurea and B. variegata. However, not much evidence based on molecular methods was available to support this hypothesis. In this study, sequences of internal transcribed spacer I （ITS1）, rbcL and atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer for five Bauhinia species and two varieties of one of the species were determined and compared. There were two types of ITS1 sequences in B. blakeana, one indistinguishable from that of B. purpurea and the other one identical to that of B. variegata. This confirmed that B. blakeana was a hybrid of these two species. Chloroplast atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer sequence of B. blakeana was identical to that of B. purpurea, indicating that B. purpurea was the female parent. The hybridization event seemed to occur only recently and was a rare incident. Its occurrence was likely facilitated by interspecific pollen competition. It appeared that human efforts played a crucial role in the preservation and ubiquity of B. blakeana.     

肽-半乳糖苷-阿霉素脂质体在肝细胞癌靶向治疗中作用

目的:获得一种对肝细胞癌具有特异靶向的药物传递系统载体-聚乙二醇修饰的MMP-2底物肽-半乳糖苷-阿霉素脂质体(PEG-PD-Gal-ADM-liposomes),为临床肝癌的靶向治疗提供实验依据.方法:将二棕榈磷脂酰基乙醇胺(DOPE)与聚乙二醇化的MMP-2底物肽连接(Gly-Pro-Lcu-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gin),即获得可被MMP-2切割的聚乙二醇-底物肽-DOPE,再与半乳糖苷脂质体(Gal-liposomes)、阿霉素(ADM)耦合,最终获得聚乙二醇修饰的MMP-2底物肽-半乳糖苷-阿霉素脂质体(PEG-PD-Gal-ADM-liposomes),体外观察其对人肝癌细胞株HepG2的效应.结果:MTT法显示PEG-PD-Gal-ADM脂质体对人肝癌细胞株HepG2的毒性作用弱于半乳糖苷-阿霉素脂质体(PEG-Gai-ADM)的作用(P＜0.05),对人结肠癌细胞株SW480的毒性作用二者之间无显著差异;用MMP-2(5μg/ml)预处理后,PEG-PD-GaI-ADM脂质体对人肝癌细胞株HepG2的毒性作用与Gal-ADM脂质体的作用相近,无显著差异(P＞0.05);加入过量的半乳糖封闭半乳糖受体后,二者的毒性作用均有下降,无显著性差异(P＞0.05).结论:PEG-PD-Gal-ADM脂质体是一种新型的HCC特异靶向治疗药物传递载体,可能是将来HCC靶向治疗的重要手段.     

花椰菜细胞质雄性不育系及保持系中特异序列的克隆、分析

以细胞质雄性不育花椰菜ogura-A和相应的保持系ogura-B为材料进行ISSR及DDRTPCR分析.选用30条ISSR引物,经扩增共产生306条清晰可辨的条带.每条引物可产生6-12条带,其中引物ISSR3在两系中呈现多态性扩增,在保持系中特异扩增出一条1100 bp的片段,序列分析表明该片段与油菜、拟南芥线粒体基因组的部分序列高度相似.推测其可能来源于花椰菜线粒体基因组.在DDRT-PCR分析中,选用3条锚定引物、15条随机引物进行组合,最终共获得1 122条大小在1 000-50 bp的带.经反向Northern杂交验证只有4条带特异的存在于两系中,分别命名为ogura-A205、ogura-A383、ogura-B307、ogura-B352.其中ogura-A205、ogura-A 383只在细胞质雄性不育系中表达,而ogura-B307、ogura-B352在保持系中呈现特异性表达,分析表明四个差异序列均为首次报道.其中ogura-A205、ogura-B307至今尚未发现与之相似的序列,有待于进一步研究;ogura-A383、ogura-352与报道的拟南芥、大白菜等的叶绿体基因的一些片段具较高相似性,推测ogura-A33、ogura-B352搅可能来源于花椰菜叶绿体基因组.以上结果为进一步阐明花椰菜细胞质雄性不育及育性保持的分子机制提供了新线索.     

小麦与叶锈菌互作过程中的H2O2与HR

以小麦品种洛夫林10为材料,与叶锈菌生理小种165和260分别组成亲和组合和不亲和组合.以荧光探针DCFHDA标记H2O2的变化,并借助荧光显微镜原位地直观显现了叶锈菌侵染过程中小麦叶片中H2O2的动态变化.结果表明,亲和组合中H2O2爆发表现为单峰曲线,峰值出现在接种后12h;不亲和组合中表现为双峰曲线.峰值分别出现在接种后12h和20h,第二个峰比第一个高约一倍,且不亲和组合中H2O2爆发的强度远远大于亲和组合.另外,通过药理学试验,采用活体注射法对小麦叶片在接种叶锈菌小种260之前分别预注射抗氧化药物AsA、DTT以及NADPH氧化酶抑制剂DPI和咪唑.观察这些药物对不亲和组合中寄主叶片产生的H2O2和HR的影响.结果表明,抗氧化药物和NADPH氧化酶抑制剂均使寄主叶片中H2O2爆发的强度降低,表现在两个H2O2峰均受到抑制,其中第二个峰受抑制的程度更明显,同时寄主细胞发生HR的面积减小.     

HMBA诱导人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞分化过程中prohibitin的表达与定位变化

本文以HMBA诱导处理前后的人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞为对象,对prohibitin在核基质中存在、分布及其与相关基因产物在HMBA处理前后MG-63细胞中的共定位关系进行观察研究.蛋白印迹杂交结果确证prohibitin存在于人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞核基质蛋白组分中,并在HMBA处理后细胞核基质中表达下调,免疫荧光显微镜观察显示prohibitin定位在核基质上,经HMBA处理后出现分布位置与表达水平的变化.激光共聚焦显微镜观察可见prohibitin与MG-63细胞中c-fos、c-myc、p53和rb基因产物均存在共定位关系,但在HMBA处理后细胞中其共定位分布区域出现变化.研究结果证实prohibitin是一种核基质蛋白,定位于核基质上,prohibitin在人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞诱导分化过程中的表达分布及其与相关癌基因、抑癌基因产物的共定位现象值得进一步探索和研究.     

由簇毛麦V染色体引起的小麦-簇毛麦染色体代换系、易位系中线粒体蛋白质组的变化(简报)

线粒体是需氧生物中的一种半自主性细胞器.在能量代谢中,它起了一个关键的作用,柠檬酸循环、电子传递和氧化磷酸化过程均在线粒体内完成.线粒体具有高度的生物化学和遗传上的独立性.含有DNA和核糖核蛋白体.负责合成生物体内2%-5%的蛋白质[1].线粒体DNA具有自身复制能力,控制着众多的遗传性状.在植物中广泛存在的细胞质雄性不育则被认为是由线粒体基因组控制的性状[2].     

Autotaxin, a synthetic enzyme of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), mediates the induction of nerve-injured neuropathic pain

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade has been shown to be a key modulator of pain processing in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in mice. ERK is activated in the CeA during persistent inflammatory pain and this activation is both necessary and sufficient to induce peripheral tactile hypersensitivity. Interestingly, biochemical studies show that inflammation-induced ERK activation in the CeA only occurs in the right, but not the left hemisphere. This inflammation-induced ERK activation in the right CeA is independent of the side of peripheral inflammation, suggesting that there is a dominant role of the right hemisphere in the modulation of pain by ERK activation in the CeA. However, the functional significance of this biochemical lateralization has yet to be determined. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that modulation of pain by ERK signaling in the CeA is functionally lateralized. We acutely blocked ERK activation in the CeA by infusing the MEK inhibitor U0126 into the right or the left hemisphere and then measured the behavioral effects on inflammation-induced mechanical hypersensitivity in mice. Our results show that blockade of ERK activation in the right, but not the left CeA, decreases inflammation-induced peripheral hypersensitivity independent of the side of peripheral injury. These findings demonstrate that modulation of pain by ERK signaling in the CeA is functionally lateralized to the right hemisphere, suggesting a dominant role of the right amygdala in pain processing.