Osteoprotective effect of combination therapy of low-dose oestradiol with G15, a specific antagonist of GPR30/GPER in ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic rats

Identified and cloned in 1996 for the first time, G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor (ER) 30 (GPR30/GPER) has been a hot spot in the field of sex hormone research till now. In the present study, we examined the effects of low-dose oestradiol (E2) combined with G15, a specific antagonist of GPR30 on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in rats. Female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats undergoing OVX were used to evaluate the osteoprotective effect of the drugs. Administration of E2 [35 μg/kg, intraperitoneally (ip), three times/week) combining G15 (160 μg/kg, ip, three times/week) for 6 weeks was found to have prevented OVX-induced effects, including increase in bone turnover rate, decrease in bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), damage of bone structure and the aggravation in biomechanical properties of bone. The therapeutic effect of these two drugs in combination was better than that of E2 alone. Meanwhile, the administration of G15 prevented body weight increase or endometrium proliferation in the rats. In conclusion, administration of low-dose E2 combining G15 had a satisfactory bone protective effect for OVX rats, without significant influence on body weight or the uterus. This combination therapy may be an effective supplement of drugs in prevention and treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.     

BDNF regulates GLAST and glutamine synthetase in mouse retinal Müller cells

This study investigated whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates the L-glutamate/L-aspartate transporter (GLAST) and glutamine synthetase (GS) in mouse retinal Müller cells (RMCs) under normal and hypoxic conditions. Mouse RMCs were treated with recombinant human BDNF (50, 75, 100, 125, or 150 ng/ml) for 24 h or underwent hypoxia induced by CoCl(2) (125 μM; 6, 12, 24, 48, or 72 h). An additional group underwent combined treatment with BDNF (100 ng/ml; 24, 48, 72, or 96 h) and CoCl(2) (125 μM/ml; 72 h). GLAST and GS mRNA and protein expression, L-[3,4-3H]-glutamic acid uptake, and apoptosis were assessed. BDNF dose-dependently up-regulated GLAST and GS mRNA and protein and increased glutamate uptake. Similarly, in early-stage CoCl(2)-induced hypoxia, GLAST and GS were up-regulated and glutamate uptake increased, but these decreased over time. BDNF also up-regulated GLAST and GS and increased glutamate uptake when RMCs under CoCl(2) induced hypoxic condition. However, BDNF treatment 24 h before CoCl(2) had no effect on GLAST or GS expression. CoCl(2) alone or combined with BDNF did not induce apoptosis. Hypoxia rapidly increased GLAST and GS expressions. This effect was transient, perhaps due to compensatory mechanisms that reduce GLAST and GS by 72 h. BDNF can up-regulate GLAST and GS and increase glutamate uptake during hypoxia, and these functions may underlie its neuroprotective effects.     

海南濒危树种保育圃白木香与降香黄檀幼苗根部真菌谱系与生态型多样性比较

【背景】根部真菌是影响植物幼苗存活、定植和生长的重要因子之一,但是苗圃培育的幼苗根部真菌物种组成与生态学特性尚不清楚。【目的】研究苗圃培育的白木香(Aquilaria sinensis)与降香黄檀(Dalbergia odorifera)幼苗根部真菌群落谱系与生态型多样性,以及宿主植物对根部真菌群落结构的影响。【方法】采集幼苗根尖样品提取基因组DNA,用真菌通用引物与丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)特异性引物扩增真菌r DNA-ITS区,经克隆、测序、序列分析鉴定真菌。通过基于核酸与Metadata数据关联分析的FUNGuild软件,划分根部真菌的营养型和共位群。采用非公制多维尺度分析法(NMDS)研究幼苗根部真菌群落物种组成差异与宿主植物物种及形态指标的关系。【结果】白木香与降香黄檀幼苗根部真菌物种丰富,达51个OTU;谱系多样性较高,涉及毛霉菌门(Mucoromycota,51%)、子囊菌门(Ascomycota,43%)以及担子菌门(Basidiomycota,6%)。这些根部真菌涉及不同的营养型与共位群,包括共生型真菌29种,频度较高的如Glomeromycetes sp.2、Rhizophagus irregularis等,二者均属于AMF共位群;腐生营养型真菌5种,如Talaromyces pinophilus、Rhizopycnis vagum等;病原型真菌2种,是Mycoleptodiscus sp.和Fusarium phaseoli;还有15种其生态类型不确定。NMDS分析结果表明,宿主植物物种、株高、地径、叶面积对根部真菌群落物种组成的影响不显著。然而,株高对AMF群落的物种组成有较弱的影响。【结论】本苗圃条件下,土壤中本土性根部真菌繁殖体较为充足,白木香与降香黄檀幼苗根部真菌群落谱系多样性较高,多种营养型与共位群的根部真菌共存;此外,采用真菌通用引物对ITS1F/ITS4研究根部真菌群落物种多样性时,AMF多样性可能会被极度低估。     

卷柏内生真菌多样性研究

为探究蕨类植物内生真菌的多样性,本研究采用可培养方法分离江西龙虎山和广东丹霞山的岩壁常见蕨类植物——卷柏的内生真菌,结合形态特征和ITS序列进行菌株鉴定、研究多样性。结果表明：从1 080个组织块中,共分离出234株菌株,卷柏内生真菌的总定殖率为18.98%,总分离率为21.67%。根据分离频率,毛壳菌属Chaetomium（26.50%）、青霉属Penicillium（18.38%）、棒束孢属Isaria（11.97%）、曲霉属Aspergillus（9.42%）为优势属。不同居群地春季卷柏的内生真菌多样性存在差异,龙虎山的分离率为34.72%,而丹霞山仅为6.39%,其优势属也不尽相同。对龙虎山不同季节的卷柏内生真菌多样性研究表明,春季的分离率为34.72%,高于冬季的23.89%,春、冬两季之间的真菌类群相似性系数仅为0.39,差异显著。研究结果将有助于进一步揭示丹霞地貌地区蕨类植物内生真菌物种组成及其影响因素。     

SAPCD2 promotes neuroblastoma progression by altering the subcellular distribution of E2F7

Recent studies uncovered the emerging roles of SAPCD2 (suppressor anaphase-promoting complex domain containing 2) in several types of human cancer. However, the functions and underlying mechanisms of SAPCD2 in the progression of neuroblastoma (NB) remain elusive. Herein, through integrative analysis of public datasets and regulatory network of GSK-J4, a small-molecule drug with anti-NB activity, we identified SAPCD2 as an appealing target with a high connection to poor prognosis in NB. SAPCD2 promoted NB progression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, SAPCD2 could directly bind to cytoplasmic E2F7 but not E2F1, alter the subcellular distribution of E2F7 and regulate E2F activity. Among the E2F family members, the roles of E2F7 in NB are poorly understood. We found that an increasing level of nuclear E2F7 was induced by SAPCD2 knockdown, thereby affecting the expression of genes involved in the cell cycle and chromosome instability. In addition, Selinexor (KTP-330), a clinically available inhibitor of exportin 1 (XPO1), could induce nuclear accumulation of E2F7 and suppress the growth of NB. Overall, our studies suggested a previously unrecognized role of SAPCD2 in the E2F signaling pathway and a potential therapeutic approach for NB, as well as clues for understanding the differences in subcellular distribution of E2F1 and E2F7 during their nucleocytoplasmic shuttling.Subject terms: Cancer, Cancer     

眼蕈蚊属害虫危害金线莲的首次报道(英文)

兰科Orchidaceae植物金线莲Anoectochilus roxburghii(Wall.)Lindl是一种在中国广泛使用的中草药.本文首次报道两种迟眼蕈蚊属害虫危害金线莲,即Bradysia impatiens(Johannsen,1912)和Bradysia ocellaris(Comstock,1882)....     

Comparative Analysis of the Shadoo Gene between Cattle and Buffalo Reveals Significant Differences

Background

While prions play a central role in the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, the biology of these proteins and the pathophysiology of these diseases remain largely unknown. Since no case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has ever been reported in buffalo despite their phylogenetic proximity to cattle, genetic differences may be driving the different susceptibilities of these two species to BSE. We thus hypothesized that differences in expression of the most recently identified member of the prion family or Shadoo (SPRN) gene may relate to these species-specific differences.

Principal Findings

We first analyzed and compared the polymorphisms of the SPRN gene (∼4.4 kb), including the putative promoter, coding and 3′ regions, and further verified the entire ORF and putative promoter. This yielded a total of 117 fixed differences, remarkably: 1) a 12-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the hydrophobic domain of the cattle but not buffalo gene, introducing a four amino acid expansion/contraction in a series of 5 tandem Ala/Gly-containing repeats; 2) two fixed missense mutations (102Ser→Gly and 119Thr→Ala), and three missense mutations (92Pro>Thr/Met, 122Thr>Ile and 139Arg>Trp) in the coding region presenting different (P<0.05) genotypic and allelic frequency distributions between cattle and buffalo; and, 3) functional luciferase-reporter experiments for the predicted promoter region, consistent with a significantly higher activity in buffalo than cattle. Supporting these findings, immunoblotting revealed higher relative expression levels of Sho protein in cerebrum from buffalo than from cattle. In addition, for cattle, highest Sho expression was detected in obex, as compared to cerebrum or cerebellum.

Significance

Our findings support Sho as a non-PrP specific marker for prion infections, with obex as the best tissue source for the detection of Sho in TSE rapid tests. Moreover, these discoveries may prove advantageous for further understanding the biology of prion diseases.