Human Alzheimer’s disease synaptic <Emphasis Type=Italic>O</Emphasis>-GlcNAc site mapping and iTRAQ expression proteomics with ion trap mass spectrometry

Neuronal synaptic functional deficits are linked to impaired learning and memory in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We recently demonstrated that O-GlcNAc, a novel cytosolic and nuclear carbohydrate post-translational modification, is enriched at neuronal synapses and positively regulates synaptic plasticity linked to learning and memory in mice. Reduced levels of O-GlcNAc have been observed in AD, suggesting a possible link to deficits in synaptic plasticity. Using lectin enrichment and mass spectrometry, we mapped several human cortical synaptic O-GlcNAc modification sites. Overlap in patterns of O-GlcNAcation between mouse and human appears to be high, as previously mapped mouse synaptic O-GlcNAc sites in Bassoon, Piccolo, and tubulin polymerization promoting protein p25 were identified in human. Novel O-GlcNAc modification sites were identified on Mek2 and RPN13/ADRM1. Mek2 is a signaling component of the Erk 1/2 pathway involved in synaptic plasticity. RPN13 is a component of the proteasomal degradation pathway. The potential interplay of phosphorylation with mapped O-GlcNAc sites, and possible implication of those sites in synaptic plasticity in normal versus AD states is discussed. iTRAQ is a powerful differential isotopic quantitative approach in proteomics. Pulsed Q dissociation (PQD) is a recently introduced fragmentation strategy that enables detection of low mass iTRAQ reporter ions in ion trap mass spectrometry. We optimized LTQ ion trap settings for PQD-based iTRAQ quantitation and demonstrated its utility in O-GlcNAc site mapping. Using iTRAQ, abnormal synaptic expression levels of several proteins previously implicated in AD pathology were observed in addition to novel changes in synaptic specific protein expression including Synapsin II.     

A modified cornish pasty method for ex ovo culture of the chick embryo development

Chick embryos grown in ex ovo culture by the modified Cornish pasty method reported in Nagai, Lin and Sheng in this issue.     

Nucleic acid binding activity of pns6 encoded by genome segment 6 of rice ragged stunt oryzavirus

Rice ragged stunt disease, caused by rice ragged stuntoryzavirus (RRSV), was first discovered in 1976–1977 inIndonesia and Philippines [1]. Subsequently the diseasewas found in most rice-growing countries in south-easternand far-eastern Asia [2] and may inflict heavy loss on thecrop. RRSV is the type species of the genus Oryzavirus in thefamily Reoviridae. The virus particle is icosahedral witha diameter of about 65–70 nm and the genome consistsof 10 double stranded RNA (dsRNA) segm…     

Reliability of wavefront shaping based on coherent optical adaptive technique in deep tissue focusing

Wavefront shaping can compensate the wavefront distortions in deep tissue focusing, leading to an improved penetration depth. However, when using the backscattered signals as the feedback, unexpected compensation bias may be introduced, resulting in focusing position deviations or even no focus in the illumination focal plane. Here we investigated the reliability of wavefront shaping based on coherent optical adaptive technique in deep tissue focusing by measuring the position deviations between the foci in the illumination focal plane and the epi‐detection plane. The experimental results show that when the penetration depth reaches 150 μm in mouse brain tissue (with scattering coefficient ~22.42 mm^?1) using a 488 nm laser and an objective lens with 0.75 numerical aperture, the center of the real focus will deviate out of one radius range of the Airy disk while the optimized focus in the epi‐detection plane maintained basically at the center. With the penetration depth increases, the peak to background ratio of the focus in the illumination focal plane decreases faster than that in the epi‐detection plane. The results indicate that when the penetration depth reaches 150 μm, feedback based on backscattered signals will make wavefront shaping lose its reliability, which may provide a guidance for applications of non‐invasive precise optogenetics or deep tissue optical stimulation using wavefront shaping methods. A, Intensity distribution in the epi‐detection plane and the illumination focal plane before and after correction, corresponding to brain sections with 250 and 300 μm thickness, respectively. Scale bar is 2 μm. B, Averaged focusing deviations in the epi‐detection plane (optimized) and the illumination focal plane (monitored) after compensation. The unit of the ordinate is one Airy disk diameter. Black dashed line represents one Airy disk radius. Bars represent the SE of each measurement set.      

帕金森病的临床治疗概况

帕金森病(Parkinson's disease, PD),在医学上称为"原发性震颤麻痹",又称"震颤麻痹",是一种中枢神经系统变性疾病,主要是因位于中脑部位"黑质"中的多巴胺(DA)能神经元病理性改变后,多巴胺的合成减少,对与其功能相互拮抗的乙酰胆碱的抑制功能降低,则乙酰胆碱的兴奋作用相对增强。两者失衡的结果便出现了"震颤麻痹"。本综述先从PD发病机制方向总结归纳目前临床常用的西医药物(包括左旋多巴、DA降解酶抑制剂、DA受体激动剂、抗胆碱能药物)、基因治疗靶点、手术治疗(脑深部电刺激术)及物理疗法,又从中医角度整体介绍了目前中医中药治疗以及针灸治疗等。因PD对患者的日常生活及身心健康造成了严重影响,我们希望通过本综述为PD综合治疗提供更广阔的临床思路及更好的方案。     

Rice OsRAD21-2 is Expressed in Actively Dividing Tissues and its Ectopic Expression in Yeast Results in Aberrant Cell Division and Growth

Rad21 and its meiotic counterpart Rec8,the key components of the cohesin complex,are essential for sister chromatid cohesion and chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis,respectively.In contrast to yeast and vertebrates,which have only two RAD21/REC8 genes,the rice genome encodes four Rad21/Rec8 proteins.Here,we report on the cloning and characterization of OsRAD21-2 from rice(Oryza sativa L.).Phylogenetic analysis of the full-length amino acids showed that OsRad21-2 was grouped into the plant-specific...     

RNA-seq analysis reveals a key role of brassinolide-regulated pathways in NaCl-stressed cotton

Brassinolide (BL) alleviates salt injury in cotton seedlings; however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of this response. In this study, digital gene expression analysis was performed to better understand the regulatory pathways of BL in NaCl-stressed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Compared with control plants (CK), a total of 1 162 and 7 659 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the leaves and roots of NaCl-treated plants, respectively. Most of the DEGs in NaCl-treated plants, compared to CK, were regulated by BL. Moreover, expression patterns of DEGs in BL+NaCl treated plants were similar to those in CK plants; however, the responses of DEGs in the leaves and roots of NaCl-treated plants to BL differed. In the roots, BL-regulated DEGs were involved in protein biosynthesis, whereas in the leaves, BL promoted photosynthesis in NaCl-stressed cotton. BL treatment also significantly increased the overall biomass, chlorophyll a + b content in leaves, and the protein content in roots in NaCl-stressed cotton. The downregulation of stress-responsive genes in BL+NaCl-stressed leaves was also found. These results suggest that BL can alleviate NaCl injury in cotton plants.     

Primary structure and expression of a sodium channel characteristic of denervated and immature rat skeletal muscle

The alpha subunit of a voltage-sensitive sodium channel characteristic of denervated rat skeletal muscle was cloned and characterized. The cDNA encodes a 2018 amino acid protein (SkM2) that is homologous to other recently cloned sodium channels, including a tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive sodium channel from rat skeletal muscle (SkM1). The SkM2 protein is no more homologous to SkM1 than to the rat brain sodium channels and differs notably from SkM1 in having a longer cytoplasmic loop joining domains 1 and 2. Steady-state mRNA levels for SkM1 and SkM2 are regulated differently during development and following denervation: the SkM2 mRNA level is highest in early development, when TTX-insensitive channels predominate, but declines rapidly with age as SkM1 mRNA increases; SkM2 mRNA is not detectable in normally innervated adult skeletal muscle but increases greater than 100-fold after denervation; rat cardiac muscle has abundant SkM2 mRNA but no detectable SkM1 message. These findings suggest that SkM2 is a TTX-insensitive sodium channel expressed in both skeletal and cardiac muscle.