微贮用植物乳杆菌固定化菌剂的制备

乳酸菌与纤维素降解菌因其可防止微贮饲料酸败、增加秸秆饲料的营养价值等优点,在秸秆微贮过程中起重要作用。但由于乳酸菌的繁殖会抑制纤维素降解菌的活性,如何实现微贮过程中两种微生物分时发挥功能是解决上述问题的关键。文中利用固定化技术将乳酸菌制备成含有玉米秸秆粉的固定化菌剂以达到缓释的目的。首先制作固定化空白小球得出复合固定化载体成球的最佳浓度,利用玉米芯吸附植物乳杆菌S1得到复合固定化载体,以对S1的包埋率、成球效果等为指标,通过对比两种固定化方法 (包埋法与包埋-交联法),得到固定化植物乳杆菌S1的最佳条件。研究表明,使用6%PVA+0.4%SA+0.3%CMC-Na进行包埋-交联时成球效果最好,使用1.2%SA+0.5%CMC-Na进行直接包埋时成球效果最好。通过对比5种固定化工艺,将1.2%SA+0.5%CMC-Na和吸附玉米粉组成的固定化载体混合物逐滴滴入4%氯化钙中直接包埋24 h得到的固定化小球其机械强度以及包埋率均优于其他工艺。因此,利用玉米芯吸附-海藻酸钠包埋的方法可以有效提高植物乳杆菌包埋效率,为使用固定化技术制备微贮饲料菌剂奠定基础。     

几种药物抑制马传染性贫血病毒和人免疫缺陷病毒的实验研究

用马传染性贫血病毒—驴胚肺二倍体细胞(EIAV-DELDC)为实验体系,以细胞中病毒逆转录酶活性及病毒相关抗原的表达为观察指标,检测了叠氮胸苷(AZT)、三氮唑核苷(Ribavirin,病毒唑)、磷羧基甲酸钠(PFA)和苏拉明等4种已知抗人免疫缺陷病毒(HIV-1)药物对马传染性贫血病毒的抑制作用。结果表明,PFA、AZTTP(三磷酸AZT)和苏拉明均能抑制病毒相关抗原的表达,AZT虽无此作用,但能抑制细胞内逆转录酶活性。用~3H-TMP掺入法比较了PFA、AZTTP、苏拉明对体外无细胞系EIAV逆转录酶粗提物和HIV-1基因工程产物逆转录酶活性的抑制作用表明,两种逆转录酶对苏拉明的敏感性相近,而HIV-1逆转录酶对PFA和AZTTP的敏感性较EIAV者高约100倍。又以无细胞系中逆转录酶活性测定法,检测了12种中药提取物的抑制作用,其中小柴胡汤对EIAV和HIV-1逆转录酶活性都有抑制作用,IC_(50)为717μg/ml和700μg/ml(生药浓度)。小柴胡汤对两种病毒感染细胞中抗原的表达和HIV引起细胞病变都有抑制作用,对HIV-1的抑制比EIAV强。这些结果表明,EIAV-DELDC体系可考虑作为抗HIV-1药物筛选模型。     

Histone acetyltransferase p300 regulates the expression of human pituitary tumor transforming gene (hPTTG)

The human pituitary tumor transforming gene (hPTTG) serves as a marker for malignancy grading in several cancers, hPTTG is in volved in multiple cellular pathways including cell transformation, apoptosis, DNA repair, genomic instability, mitotic control and angiogenesis induction. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying hPTTG regulation have not been fully explored. In this study, we found that overexpression of histone acetyltransferase (HAT) p300 upregulated hPTTG at the levels of promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, the HAT activity of p300 was critical for its regulatory function. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)analysis revealed that overexpression of p300 elevated the level of histone H3 acetylation on the hPTTG promoter. Additionally, the NF-Y sites at the hPTTG promoter exhibited a synergistic effect on upregulation of hPTTG through interacting with p300. We also found thattreatment of 293T cells with the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) increased hPTTG promoter activity. Meanwhile, we provided evidence that HDAC3 decreased hPTTG promoter activity. These data implicate an important role of the histone acetylation modification in the regulation of hPTTG.     

湖南永顺县落叶木莲资源考察研究

首次报道湘西武陵山地永顺县发现国家一级保护植物落叶木莲。分布面积2000 hm2,多呈散生分布,稀有小面积群落,成年大树有5000余株,胸径5 cm以下幼树及小苗有20000余株。落叶木莲群落属常绿与落叶阔叶混交林,分布海拔400~900 m的山坡中下部,主要有枫香、野漆树、落叶木莲和甜槠、星毛石栎、落叶木莲等群落类型。此前,落叶木莲仅分布江西幕阜山地宜春市明月山,是木兰科木莲属极度濒危的唯一一个落叶树种,对探讨被子植物的起源和木兰科的系统演化有重要的科学意义。     

N49 phospholipase A2, a unique subgroup of snake venom group II phospholipase A2

A novel phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) with Asn at its site 49 was purified from the snake venom of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus by using SP-Sephadex C25, Superdex 75, Heparin-Sepharose (FF) and HPLC reverse-phage C₁₈ chromatography and designated as TM-N49. It showed a molecular mass of 13.875 kDa on MALDI-TOF. TM-N49 does not possess enzymatic, hemolytic and hemorrhagic activities. It fails to induce platelet aggregation by itself, and does not inhibit the platelet aggregation induced by ADP. However, it exhibits potent myotoxic activity causing inflammatory cell infiltration, severe myoedema, myonecrosis and myolysis in the gastrocnemius muscles of BALB/c mice. Phylogenetic analysis found that that TM-N49 combined with two phospholipase A₂s from Trimeresurus stejnegeri, TsR6 and CTs-R6 cluster into one group. Structural and functional analysis indicated that these phospholipase A₂s are distinct from the other subgroups (D49 PLA₂, S49 PLA₂ and K49 PLA₂) and represent a unique subgroup of snake venom group II PLA₂, named N49 PLA₂ subgroup.     

Rapid Engineering of the Geldanamycin Biosynthesis Pathway by Red/ET Recombination and Gene Complementation

Genetic manipulation of antibiotic producers, such as Streptomyces species, is a rational approach to improve the properties of biologically active molecules. However, this can be a slow and sometimes problematic process. Red/ET recombination in an Escherichia coli host has permitted rapid and more versatile engineering of geldanamycin biosynthetic genes in a complementation plasmid, which can then be readily transferred into the Streptomyces host from which the corresponding wild type gene(s) has been removed. With this rapid Red/ET recombination and gene complementation approach, efficient gene disruptions and gene replacements in the geldanamycin biosynthetic gene cluster have been successfully achieved. As an example, we describe here the creation of a ketoreductase 6 null mutation in an E. coli high-copy-number plasmid carrying gdmA2A3 from Streptomyces hygroscopicus NRRL3602 and the subsequent complementation of a gdmA2A3 deletion host with this plasmid to generate a novel geldanamycin analog.     

Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibition reverses low cell activity on hydrophobic surfaces

Hydrophobic polymers do not offer an adequate scaffold surface for cells to attach, migrate, proliferate, and differentiate. Thus, hydrophobic scaffolds for tissue engineering have traditionally been physicochemically modified to enhance cellular activity. However, modifying the surface by chemical or physical treatment requires supplementary engineering procedures. In the present study, regulation of a cell signal transduction pathway reversed the low cellular activity on a hydrophobic surface without surface modification. Inhibition of Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) by Y-27632 markedly enhanced adhesion, migration, and proliferation of osteoblastic cells cultured on a hydrophobic polystyrene surface. ROCK inhibition regulated cell-cycle-related molecules on the hydrophobic surface. This inhibition also decreased expression of the inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases such as p21^cip1 and p27^kip1 and increased expression of cyclin A and D. These results indicate that defective cellular activity on the hydrophobic surface can be reversed by the control of a cell signal transduction pathway without physicochemical surface modification.     

Preparation and characterization of magnetic microspheres for the purification of interferon alpha-2b

Magnetic agarose microspheres (MAMS), magnetic cellulose microspheres (MCMS), and magnetic poly(vinyl alcohol) microspheres (MPVAMS) were prepared by various different preparation methods. MCMS coupled with anti-IFN alpha-2b monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were selected for the purification of interferon alpha-2b (IFN alpha-2b) after performance characterization among microspheres. Parameters of immunomagnetic separation (IMS), including binding mAb, elution behavior, and sample pretreatment conditions, were optimized to improve the purification efficiency of the separation of IFN alpha-2b by MCMS. Size-exclusion HPLC (HPSEC) showed that the IFN alpha-2b was purified from crude cell lysate had an overall purity of 92.9%, while immunological and biological assays showed an activity recovery of 88.5% and specific antiviral activity of 2.7 x 10(8) IU/mg. Identity and molecular mass of purified IFN alpha-2b were confirmed by western blot and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis. This study illustrated the favorable separation media which combined desired properties for the development of magnetic separation of biological materials.