Aureonitols A and B,Two New C13‐Polyketides from Chaetomium globosum,an Endophytic Fungus in Salvia miltiorrhiza

Two new C₁₃‐polyketides, aureonitols A and B ( 1 and 2 ), along with five known compounds ( 3 – 7 ), were isolated from the solid fermentation culture of the plant endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum from the aerial parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza. The structures and absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and computed methods. Compound 5 was found to display the remarkable antimicrobial activities against four multidrug‐resistant bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) with MIC values of 3.13–6.25 μg/mL (ciprofloxacin: 0.78–1.56 μg/mL), and also against all tested fungal strains with MIC values of 3.13–25 μg/mL (ketoconazole: 0.78–12.50 μg/mL).     

T-piece复苏器在产房中对早产儿复苏中的应用效果评价*

目的:探讨T-piece复苏器在产房中对早产儿复苏中的应用效果。方法:选择2011年1月至2016年12月在本院产科出生的早产儿(胎龄28～37周)62例,随机分为对照组与观察组,各31例,对照组患儿给予自动充气式复苏囊正压人工通气,观察组患儿给予T组合复苏器正压人工通气,比较两组患儿1、5、10 min Apgar评分、肺气漏发生率,以及缺氧缺血性脑病、支气管肺发育不良、坏死性小肠结肠炎、动脉导管未闭、高胆红素血症率。结果:两组患儿胎龄、性别、分娩方式、出生体重、出生后1、5、10 min Apgar评分等方面差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。与对照组相比,观察组气漏发生率降低,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。两组患儿缺氧缺血性脑病、支气管肺发育不良、坏死性小肠结肠炎、动脉导管未闭、高胆红素血症率差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:T-piece复苏器在产房中早产儿窒息复苏中的应用效果显著,具有操作简单、效率高等优点,两组复苏成功率差别不大,但T-piece复苏器能可有效减少肺气漏的发生,进而降低新生儿的病死率。     

海南岛翼手目物种多样性现状与分布预测

海南岛位于我国南部, 地处热带北缘, 其独特的岛屿气候环境孕育了丰富的生物资源, 为我国生物多样性热点地区之一。为探究岛内的翼手目物种多样性状况, 本研究组使用雾网、蝙蝠竖琴网等工具, 于2002年至2016年先后对海南岛进行了15次翼手目多样性调查, 并根据其外形与头骨特征及系统发育学方法进行标本鉴定。共获取了1,025号标本, 隶属5科15属31种, 其中2016年12月21日在海南琼中捕获的艾氏管鼻蝠(Murina eleryi)为海南岛蝙蝠分布新记录。结合前人调查及发表结果统计, 岛内共有翼手类8科20属41种。同时基于本调查采集位点和前人调查位置信息(共计363个位点), 结合WorldClim 32种气候数据, 运用最大熵模型(MaxEnt)对海南岛翼手目物种的分布进行预测, 结果显示五指山、吊罗山、鹦哥岭、尖峰岭及海口火山口国家地质公园等地为翼手目物种多样性较丰富的区域, 而三亚、澄迈、屯昌、临高、琼海等地翼手目物种多样性较低。本研究结果为海南岛翼手目资源分布及多样性状况提供了基础资料, 也为岛内后续开展翼手目资源保护管理、蝙蝠疾病防控等提供了重要的参考依据。     

CircPUM1 promotes the malignant behavior of lung adenocarcinoma by regulating miR-326

CircRNAs are reported to be implicated in the development of lung cancer. This study focused on assessing the expression, functions and molecular mechanism of circPUM1 in lung adenocarcinoma. Here, it showed that circPUM1 is significantly upregulated in both lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and tissues. Furthermore, silencing of circPUM1 impaired the proliferation, migration and invasion ability, and increased apoptosis in A549?cells. Nevertheless, overexpression of circPUM1 in SPC-A1 cells has the opposite effect. Silencing of circPUM1 inhibits the tumorigenesis in nude mice. Mechanistically, circPUM1 could sponge miR-326 and promote the expression of its downstream proteins Cyclin D1 and Bcl-2. In summary, this present study revealed that circPUM1 functions as an oncogene to promote the tumorigenesis of lung adenocarcinoma through circPUM1/miR-326/Cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 axis. This indicates that circPUM1 may act as a potential therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma.     

Human serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase-like kinase (SGKL) phosphorylates glycogen syntheses kinase 3 beta (GSK-3beta) at serine-9 through direct interaction

Serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase-like kinase (SGKL) has been identified as a new integrator that decodes lipid signals produced by the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). SGKL is activated via its lipid-binding domain (phox homology domain) in response to PI3K signaling. However, downstream targets of SGKL as well as the role of SGKL as a mediator in PI3K signaling in human tissues remain to be established. In this study, we identified human glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3beta) as a specific interacting partner with SGKL in a yeast two-hybrid screening of human brain cDNA library. The association between these two proteins is confirmed independently in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells by co-immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, the kinase activity of wild-type SGKL was required for the in vitro phosphorylation of a GSK-3 crosstide fusion protein at serine-21/9 as demonstrated with a Phospho-GSK-3alpha/beta (Ser21/9) specific antibody. The present results provide strong evidences that SGKL could utilize GSK-3beta as a direct downstream target by phosphorylating GSK-3beta at serine-9.     

Mechanism of aerobic transformation of carbon tetrachloride by poplar cells

The biochemical mechanism of carbon tetrachloride transformation by poplarcells was investigated using an axenic poplar cell culture.After one-day incubations of poplar cells under aerobic conditions, about 1.5% of dosedcarbon tetrachloride was transformed to carbon dioxide, about 0.001% to chloroform andabout 3% of the carbon was bound to insoluble poplar cellular materials. The productionof carbon dioxide increased under aerobic conditions while the formation of chloroformand cell binding of carbon tetrachloride-carbon was enhanced under anaerobic conditions.Both carbon dioxide production and cell binding were significantly inhibitedby a general inhibitor of cytochrome P-450 activity (carbon monoxide) and by specific P-450 2E1 inhibitors(chlorzoxazone, isoniazid, 4-methylpyrazole and 1-phenylimidazole). However, no inhibitory effects were observed when the cells were incubated in thepresence of lignin peroxidase inhibitors (NaVO₃ and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole). These resultssuggest that an enzyme similar to mammalian cytochrome P450-2E1 is involved inthe metabolism of carbon tetrachloride by poplar cells. This study demonstratesan environmental biodegradative process for carbon tetrachloridethat operates under aerobic conditions.     

Structure of the Methanococcus jannaschii mevalonate kinase, a member of the GHMP kinase superfamily.

The mevalonate-dependent pathway is used by many organisms to synthesize isopentenyl pyrophosphate, the building block for the biosynthesis of many biologically important compounds, including farnesyl pyrophosphate, dolichol, and many sterols. Mevalonate kinase (MVK) catalyzes a critical phosphoryl transfer step, producing mevalonate 5'-phosphate. The crystal structure of thermostable MVK from Methanococcus jannaschii has been determined at 2.4 A, revealing an overall fold similar to the homoserine kinase from M. jannaschii. In addition, the enzyme shows structural similarity with mevalonate 5-diphosphate decarboxylase and domain IV of elongation factor G. The active site of MVK is in the cleft between its N- and C-terminal domains. Several structural motifs conserved among species, including a phosphate-binding loop, have been found in this cavity. Asp(155), an invariant residue among MVK sequences, is located close to the putative phosphate-binding site and has been assumed to play the catalytic role. Analysis of the MVK model in the context of the other members of the GHMP kinase family offers the opportunity to understand both the mechanism of these enzymes and the structural details that may lead to the design of novel drugs.     

Function of the Tetraspanin CD151–α6β1 Integrin Complex during Cellular Morphogenesis

Upon plating on basement membrane Matrigel, NIH3T3 cells formed an anastomosing network of cord-like structures, inhibitable by anti-alpha6beta1 integrin antibodies. For NIH3T3 cells transfected with human CD151 protein, the formation of a cord-like network was also inhibitable by anti-CD151 antibodies. Furthermore, CD151 and alpha6beta1 were physically associated within NIH3T3 cells. On removal of the short 8-amino acid C-terminal CD151 tail (by deletion or exchange), exogenous CD151 exerted a dominant negative effect, as it almost completely suppressed alpha6beta1-dependent cell network formation and NIH3T3 cell spreading on laminin-1 (an alpha6beta1 ligand). Importantly, mutant CD151 retained alpha6beta1 association and did not alter alpha6beta1-mediated cell adhesion to Matrigel. In conclusion, the CD151-alpha6beta1 integrin complex acts as a functional unit that markedly influences cellular morphogenesis, with the CD151 tail being of particular importance in determining the "outside-in" functions of alpha6beta1-integrin that follow ligand engagement. Also, antibodies to alpha6beta1 and CD151 inhibited formation of endothelial cell cord-like networks, thus pointing to possible relevance of CD151-alpha6beta1 complexes during angiogenesis.     

Development of new transformation-competent artificial chromosome vectors and rice genomic libraries for efficient gene cloning

The transformation-competent artificial chromosome vector (TAC) system has been shown to be very useful for efficient gene isolation in Arabidopsis thaliana (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96 (1998) 6535). To adapt the vector system for gene isolation in crops, two new TAC vectors and rice genomic libraries were developed. The new vectors pYLTAC17 and pYLTAC27 use the Bar gene and Hpt gene driven by the rice Act1 promoter as the plant selectable markers, respectively, and are suitable for transformation of rice and other grasses. Two representative genomic libraries (I and II) of an Indica rice variety Minghui63, a fertility restorer line for hybrid rice, were constructed with pYLTAC17 using different size classes of partially digested DNA fragments. Library I and library II consisted of 34,560 and 1.2 x 10(5) clones, with average insert sizes of approximately 77 and 39 kb, respectively. The genome coverage of the libraries I and II was estimated to be about 5 and 11 haploid genome equivalents, respectively. Clones of the library I were stored individually in ninety 384-well plates, and those of the library II were collected as bulked pools each containing 30-50 clones and stored in eight 384-well plates. A number of probes were used to hybridize high-density colony filters of the library I prepared by an improved replicating method and each detected 2-9 positive clones. A method for rapid screening of the library II by pooled colony hybridization was developed. A TAC clone having an 80 kb rice DNA insert was successfully transferred into rice genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The new vectors and the genomic libraries should be useful for gene cloning and genetic engineering in rice and other crops.     

MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS OF RIVER DOLPHINS INFERRED FROM COMPLETE MITOCHONDRIAL CYTOCHROME-B GENE SEQUENCES

1,140 bp of the complete mitochondrial cytochrome- b gene sequences of baiji ( Lipotes vexillifer ), franciscana ( Pontoporia blainvillei ), and Ganges river dolphin ( Platanista gangetica gangetica ) were determined to address the systematic position and phylogeny of extant river dolphins with combination of homologous sequences of other cetaceans. The neighbor-joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP), and maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analyses all identified the river dolphins into three lineages, i. e., Platanista, Lipotes , and Inia + Pontoporia . The Lipotes did not have sister relationship with either Platanista or Inia + Pontoporia , which strongly supported the referral of Lipotes to a separate family, i. e. , Lipotidae. There were very high sequence divergences between all river dolphin genera, suggesting a relatively longer period of separation time than those among other odontocete families.