Incorporation of the transmembrane hydrophobic domain of glycophorin into small unilamellar phospholipid vesicles Ion Flux studies

Human erythrocyte glycophorin is one of the best characterized integral membrane proteins. Reconstitution of the membrane-spanning hydrophobic segment of glycophorin (the tryptic insoluble peptide released when glycophorin is treated with trypsin) with liposomes results in the production of freeze-fracture intrabilayer particles of 80 Å diameter (Segrest, J.P., Gulik-Krzywicki, T. and Sardet, C. (1974) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 71, 3294–3298), with particles appearing at or above a tryptic insoluble peptide concentration of 4 mmol per mol phosphatidylcholine. In the present study, increasing concentrations of tryptic insoluble peptide were added to sonicated small unilamellar egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles and the rate of efflux of ²²Na⁺ was examined by rapid (30 s) gel filtration on Sephadex G-50. Below a concentation of 3–5 mmol tryptic insoluble peptide/mol phosphatidylcholine, ²²Na⁺ efflux occurs at a constant slow rate at given tryptic insoluble peptide concentrations. Above a concentration of 3–5 mM, the rate of efflux is biphasic at given tryptic insoluble peptide concentrations, exhibiting both an initial fast and a subsequent slow component. On the basis of graphic and computer curve-fitting analysis, with increasing tryptic insoluble peptide concentration, the rate of the slow component reaches a plateau at a tryptic insoluble peptide concentration of 3–5 mM and remains essentially constant until much higher concentrations are reached; the fast component increases linearly with increasing tryptic insoluble peptide concentration well beyond 5 mM. The most consistent interpretation of this data is as follows. The slow ²²Na⁺ efflux component is due to perturbations of small unilamellar vesicle integrity by tryptic insoluble peptide monomers. At a tryptic insoluble peptide concentration of 3–5 mmol/mol, a critical concentration is reached following which there is intrabilayer tryptic insoluble peptide self-association. The fast ²²Na⁺ efflux component is due to the increasing presence of tryptic insoluble peptide self-associated multimers the 80-Å particles seen by freeze-fracture electron microscopy) which results in a significantly larger bilayer defect than do tryptic insoluble peptide monomers. The failure of complete saturation of efflux by the fast component is ascribed to the presence of two populations of small unilamellar vesicles, some of which contain tryptic insoluble peptide multimers and some of which do not.Addition of cholesterol to the tryptic insoluble peptide/phosphatidylcholine vesicles decreases the rate of ²²Na⁺ efflux by inhibiting primarily the fast component. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy indicates that the presence of cholesterol has no effect on the size, number or distribution of 80-Å intra-bilayer particles in the tryptic insoluble peptide/phosphatidylcholine vesicles. These results are consistent with a mechanism to explain the fast Na⁺ efflux component involving protein-lipid boundary perturbations.Efflux of ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ from phosphatidylcholine vesicles is also enhanced by incorporation of tryptic insoluble peptide, but only if divalent cations (Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺) are present in the external bathing media as well as inside the sonicated vesicles. If monovalent Na⁺ only is present in the bathing media no ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ efflux is seen. Under conditions where ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ efflux is seen, both a fast and a slow component are present, although both appear lower than corresponding rate constants for ²²Na⁺ efflux. These results suggest a coordinated mechanism for ion efflux induced by tryptic insoluble peptide and, together with the ²²Na⁺ efflux studies, may have mechanistic implications for the transbilayer phospholipid exchange (flip-flop) suggesed to be induced at glycophorin/phospholipid interfaces (de Kruiff, B., van Zoelen, E.J.J. and van Deenen, L.L.M. (1978) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 509, 537–542).     

Single-cell transcriptomic atlas of primate cardiopulmonary aging

Aging is a major risk factor for many diseases,especially in highly prevalent cardiopulmonary comorbidities and infectious diseases including Coronavirus Diseas...     

FERONIA is involved in phototropin 1-mediated blue light phototropic growth in Arabidopsis

Plant shoot phototropism is triggered by the formation of a light-driven auxin gradient leading to bending growth. The blue light receptor phototropin 1(phot1) senses light direction, but how this leads to auxin gradient formation and growth regulation remains poorly understood. Previous studies have suggested phot1’s role for regulated apoplastic acidification, but its relation to phototropin and hypocotyl phototropism is unclear. Herein, we show that blue light can cause phot1 to interact with...     

微生物学教学中大学生科学探究与创新意识培养的教学案例

从若干具体教学案例出发,介绍如何在微生物学教学中倡导科学研究方法思想:观察现象,提出问题,进行假说,科学实验,形成理论;注意介绍重要生物学里程碑事件或重大理论突破的发现和证明的科学探究过程,帮助学生建立创新意识。另外,结合自身科研实例开展教学工作,并在考试中注重考察解决实际问题的能力。     

连续两个生长季大气CO2浓度升高对银杏希尔反应活力和叶绿体ATP酶活性的影响

近年来,随着温室气体浓度不断上升,有关CO2浓度升高对植物影响的研究已取得一定进展,但CO2浓度升高对植物光合作用的影响需要从生理生化水平上进一步深入的研究.以沈阳城市森林树种银杏(Ginkgo biloba L.)为研究对象,利用开顶式气室研究连续两个生长季大气CO2浓度升高对银杏光合特性的影响.结果表明,在大气CO2浓度为700μmol·mol-1条件下,与对照相比,第1个生长季CO2处理的银杏叶片净光合速率极显著增加(P<0.01),希尔反应活力极显著增大(P<0.01)、Ca2+/Mg2+-ATP酶活性显著(P<0.05)或极显著增强(P<0.01)、光合产物淀粉的含量极显著增多(P<0.01);第2生长季CO2处理的银杏叶片净光合速率显著增加(P<0.05),希尔反应活力在通气60d时极显著(P<0.01)增大,Ca2+/Mg2+-ATP酶活性在处理30d时显著降低(P<0.05),淀粉含量增多.与第1个生长季相比,第2个生长季CO2处理的银杏叶片净光合速率降低,希尔反应活力减小,Ca2+/Mg2+-ATP酶活性减弱,叶绿素含量增多,淀粉含量减少.试验中出现了光合适应现象.     

Alternatively activated macrophages at the recipient site improve fat graft retention by promoting angiogenesis and adipogenesis

The inflammatory response mediated by macrophages plays a role in tissue repair. Macrophages preferentially infiltrate the donor site and subsequently, infiltrate the recipient site after fat grafting. This study aimed to trace host‐derived macrophages and to evaluate the effects of macrophage infiltration at the recipient site during the early stage on long‐term fat graft retention. In our novel mouse model, all mice underwent simulated liposuction and were divided into 2 groups. The fat procurement plus grafting (Pro‐Grafting) group was engrafted with prepared fat (0.3 ml). The pro‐Grafting+M2 group was engrafted with prepared fat (0.3 ml) mixed with 1.0 × 10⁶ GFP+M0 macrophages, and then, 2 ng IL‐4 was injected into the grafts on Day 3. In addition, 1.0 × 10⁶ GFP+M0 macrophages were injected into the tail vein for tracing in the Pro‐Grafting group. As a result, GFP+macrophages first infiltrated the donor site and subsequently infiltrated the recipient site in the Pro‐Grafting group. The long‐term retention rate was higher in the Pro‐Grafting+M2 group (52% ± 6.5%) than in the Pro‐Grafting group (40% ± 3.5%). CD34+ and CD31+ areas were observed earlier, and expression of the adipogenic proteins PPAR‐γ, C/EBP and AP2 was higher in the Pro‐Grafting+M2 group than in the Pro‐Grafting group. The host macrophages preferentially infiltrate the donor site, and then, infiltrate the recipient site after fat grafting. At the early stage, an increase in macrophages at the recipient site may promote vascularization and regeneration, and thereby improve the fat graft retention rate.     

泌尿系统感染高龄患者大肠埃希菌耐药性分析

目的:探究高龄患者泌尿系统感染大肠埃希菌对常用药物的耐药性,指导临床医生合理用药。方法:按照标准操作规程采集我院泌尿系统感染高龄患者的尿液,作常规尿标本培养和分离,应用微生物分析仪进行细菌鉴定,采用纸片扩散法进行药物敏感试验,采用纸片扩散法和双纸片确证法完成产超广谱β-内酰胺酶菌株的检测。结果:129株大肠埃希菌中,检测出产超广谱β-内酰胺酶菌株有62株,占48.1%;在17种常用抗生素敏感试验中,亚胺培南敏感性最高(100%),无耐药株出现,对第一、二、三和四代头孢类抗生素均出现了不同程度的耐药性,对氨苄西林、四环素和哌拉西林高度耐药(均超过了95%)。结论:泌尿系统感染高龄患者大肠埃希菌对临床常用抗生素耐药性逐年升高,且产超广谱β-内酰胺酶菌株也逐渐增多,这就要求临床医生严格合理应用抗生素,尽量避免耐药菌株的出现。