Negative control of p53 by Sir2alpha promotes cell survival under stress.

The NAD-dependent histone deacetylation of Sir2 connects cellular metabolism with gene silencing as well as aging in yeast. Here, we show that mammalian Sir2alpha physically interacts with p53 and attenuates p53-mediated functions. Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3) inhibits an NAD-dependent p53 deacetylation induced by Sir2alpha, and also enhances the p53 acetylation levels in vivo. Furthermore, Sir2alpha represses p53-dependent apoptosis in response to DNA damage and oxidative stress, whereas expression of a Sir2alpha point mutant increases the sensitivity of cells in the stress response. Thus, our findings implicate a p53 regulatory pathway mediated by mammalian Sir2alpha. These results have significant implications regarding an important role for Sir2alpha in modulating the sensitivity of cells in p53-dependent apoptotic response and the possible effect in cancer therapy.     

9-polylysine protein transduction domain: enhanced penetration efficiency of superoxide dismutase into mammalian cells and skin

Antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), have been considered to have a beneficial effect against various diseases that are mediated by the reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although a variety of modified recombinant antioxidant enzymes have been generated to protect against oxidative stresses, the lack of their transduction ability into cells resulted in a limited ability to detoxify intracellular ROS. To render the SOD enzyme capable of detoxifying intracellular ROS when added extracellularly, cell-permeable recombinant SOD proteins were generated. A human Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) gene was fused with a gene fragment that encodes the 9 amino acids Tat protein transduction domain (RKKRRQRRR) of HIV-1 and lysine rich peptide (KKKKKKKKK) in a bacterial expression vector in order to produce a genetic in-frame Tat-SOD and 9Lys-SOD fusion protein, respectively. The expressed and purified Tat-SOD and 9Lys-SOD fusion proteins can transduce into human fibroblast cells, and they were enzymatically active and stable for 24 h. The cell viability of the fibroblast cells that were treated with paraquat, an intracellular superoxide anion generator, was increased by the transduced Tat-SOD or 9Lys-SOD. The transduction efficacy of 9Lys-SOD was more efficient than that of Tat-SOD. We evaluated the ability of the SOD fusion pmteins to transduce into animal skin. This analysis showed that Tat-SOD and 9Lys-SOD fusion proteins efficiently penetrated into the epidermis as well as the dermis of the subcutaneous layer, when sprayed on mice skin (judged by the immunohistochemistry and specific enzyme activities). The enzymatic activity of the transduced 9Lys-SOD was higher than that of Tat-SOD, indicating that the penetration of 9Lys-SOD was more efficient when put into the skin. These results suggest Tat-SOD and 9Lys-SOD fusion proteins can be used as anti-aging cosmetics, or in protein therapy, for various disorders that are related to this antioxidant enzyme and ROS.     

Lysogeny in Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains and characterization of two new temperate prolate-headed bacteriophages

Aims: Frequency of lysogeny in Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains (from commercial and natural starters) and preliminary characterization of temperate bacteriophages isolated from them. Methods and Results: Induction of strains (a total of 16) was made using mitomycin C (MC) (0·5 μg ml⁻¹). For 37% of the MC-treated supernatants, it was possible to detect phage particles or presence of killing activity, but only two active bacteriophages were isolated. The two temperate phages isolated were prolate-headed phages which belonged to group c of Lact. delbrueckii bacteriophages classification. Different DNA restriction patterns were obtained for each phage, while the structural protein profiles and packaging sites were identical. Distinctive one-step growth curves were exhibited by each phage. An influence of calcium ions was observed for their lysis in broth but not on the adsorption levels. Conclusions: Our study showed that lysogeny is also present in Lact. delbrueckii strains, including commercial strains. Significance and Impact of the Study: Commercial strains could be lysogenic and this fact has a great practical importance since they could contribute to the dissemination of active-phage particles in industrial environments.     

兼抗白粉、条锈病小偃麦渗入系CH7124抗性遗传及细胞学鉴定

CH7124是通过八倍体小偃麦TAI8335与感病小麦杂交、回交育成的兼抗白粉病、条锈病的小偃麦种质系。利用抗性接种鉴定、细胞学和基因组原位杂交(GISH)技术相结合的方法,对CH7124的抗性来源、遗传方式及细胞学特征进行了分析和鉴定。结果表明,CH7124在苗期和成株期对条锈菌系CYR29、CYR31、CYR32、CYR33和白粉菌系E09、E20、E21、E26表现为免疫或近免疫,其抗性来自中间偃麦草,受1对显性核基因控制;CH7124的根尖细胞染色体数目为2n=42,花粉母细胞减数分裂中期I(PMC MI)绝大多数细胞内可观察到21个二价体,平均配对构型为2n=0.30 I+20.79 II+0.04 III;与普通小麦中国春、绵阳11的杂种F1中,有80%以上的花粉母细胞可观察到2n=21Ⅱ的染色体构型,其平均配对构型均为2n=21II。说明CH7124具有与普通小麦相似的染色体结构和规则的配对构型。由于利用以中间偃麦草总DNA为标记探针的原位杂交未观察到可见的外源DNA杂交信号,进一步证明CH7124是一个小麦-中间偃麦草的隐形异源渗入系。     

HO-1 and JAK-2/STAT-1 signals are involved in preferential inhibition of iNOS over COX-2 gene expression by newly synthesized tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, CKD712, in cells activated with lipopolysacchride

We found that CKD712, an S enantiomer of YS49, strongly inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO induction but showed a weak inhibitory effect on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and PGE(2) induction in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. We, therefore, investigated the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for this by using CKD712 in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with either SP600125, a specific JNK inhibitor or TPCK, a NF-kappaB inhibitor, but neither ERK inhibitor PD98059 nor p38 inhibitor SB203580, significantly inhibited LPS-mediated iNOS and COX-2 induction. CKD712 inhibited NF-kappaB (p65) activity and translocation but failed to prevent JNK activation. However, AG490, a specific JAK-2/STAT-1 inhibitor, efficiently prevented LPS-mediated iNOS induction but not the induction of COX-2, and CKD712 completely blocked STAT-1 phosphorylation by LPS, suggesting that the NF-kappaB and JAK-2/STAT-1 pathways but not the JNK pathway are important for CKD712 action. Interestingly, CKD712 induced heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) gene expression in LPS-treated cells. LPS-induced NF-kappaB and STAT-1 activation was partially prevented by HO-1 overexpression. Furthermore, HO-1 siRNA partly reversed not only the LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and STAT-1 phosphorylation but also inhibition of these actions by CKD 712. Additionally, silencing HO-1 by siRNA prevented CKD712 from inhibiting iNOS expression but not COX-2. When examined plasma NO and PGE(2) levels and iNOS and COX-2 protein levels in lung tissues of mice injected with LPS (10 mg/kg), pretreatment with CKD712 greatly prevented NO and iNOS induction in a dose-dependent manner and slightly affected PGE(2) and COX-2 production as expected. Taken together, we conclude that inhibition of JAK-2/STAT-1 pathways by CKD 712 is critical for the differential inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 by LPS in vitro and in vivo where HO-1 induction also contributes to this by partially modulating JAK-2/STAT-1 pathways.     

Gramene: a resource for comparative grass genomics

Gramene (http://www.gramene.org) is a comparative genome mapping database for grasses and a community resource for rice. Rice, in addition to being an economically important crop, is also a model monocot for understanding other agronomically important grass genomes. Gramene replaces the existing AceDB database ‘RiceGenes’ with a relational database based on Oracle. Gramene provides curated and integrative information about maps, sequence, genes, genetic markers, mutants, QTLs, controlled vocabularies and publications. Its aims are to use the rice genetic, physical and sequence maps as fundamental organizing units, to provide a common denominator for moving from one crop grass to another and is to serve as a portal for interconnecting with other web-based crop grass resources. This paper describes the initial steps we have taken towards realizing these goals.     

操作条件对生物质催化热解产轻质芳烃的影响

以轻质芳烃苯、甲苯、二甲苯以及萘（BTXN）为目的产物,采用双颗粒流化床对松木进行了催化热分解实验。讨论了催化剂CoMo-B加氢催化作用下,静止床高、流化气速、床层压降的相互关系,得到了一个合适的操作条件,为热分解实验提供了必要的基础实验数据。在热分解实验中,调查了操作气速、床层高度以及热解温度对产物收率和分布的影响,得到了中间产物苯、甲苯、二甲苯和萘等轻质芳烃化合物最高收率为6．3％下的最佳操作条件：催化剂为CoMo-B,气速2．0cm／s,床层高度为0．08m,热解温度863K。     

贵州黔西县少数民族ABO血型分布及基因频率调查

对贵州黔西县1260例6个少数民族人群红细胞ABO表现型进行了检测;结果如下:贵州黔西县布依族、满族、苗族、白族这四个民族的ABO血型基因频率很相近,彝族和仡佬族与这4个民族的差别较大,布依族,苗族,满族,白族ABO血型分布为O>B>A>AB,彝族为O>A>B>AB,仡佬族为A>O>B>AB;经Hardy Weinberg吻合度检测可以证明贵州黔西县的ABO血型表现型分布状况及基因频率相对稳定,其分布符合hardy Weinberg平衡,获得了该地ABO血型系统群体遗传学数据,为群体遗传学的研究提供了一定的资料。     

含幽门螺杆菌CagA、UreB蛋白与霍乱肠毒素B亚单位（CTB）融合基因的植物表达载体的构建及遗传转化

幽门螺旋杆菌(Helicobacter pylori,Hp)感染是慢性胃炎和消化性溃疡的主要病因,与胃癌和胃粘膜相关淋巴组织(MALT)淋巴瘤的发生也密切相关。目前所用的疫苗制造成本高、运输费用贵,然而利用转基因植物生产的植物疫苗成本低廉、服用方便是现有疫苗的良好替代品。将Hp相关蛋白与免疫佐剂CTB的融合基因(ctb-linker-cagA和ctb-linker-ureB)利用PCR、酶切、连接等一系列方法从载体p1300-WxCLCN和p1300-WxCLUN中重组到载体pCAMBIA2301中(含35S启动子),重组载体分别命名为p2301-35SCLCN和p2301-35SCLUN。通过冻融法将载体导入农杆菌EHA105菌株中,以农杆菌介导的方法,将重组载体p2301-35SCLCN和p2301-35SCLUN转化烟草黄苗榆和心叶烟,获得了具有卡那霉素抗性再生植株,经过酶切、PCR、GUS染色和PCR-Southern鉴定结果表明,目的基因分别正确插入载体中并稳定整合到植株中,为利用植物反应器生产幽门螺杆菌疫苗奠定了坚实的基础。