微生物发酵法生产聚羟基脂肪酸酯的研究进展

聚残基脂肪酸醋(Polyhydroxyalkanoates,PHAs)是一类由择基脂肪酸单体通过酯化聚合得到的高分子化合物,因具有传统石油基塑料类似的力学特征、100％生物降解性和生物相容性而被认为是最有潜力的绿色环保材料之一.受限于其高昂的生产成本,PHAs作为绿色环保材料的应用推广困难.文中分别从细胞形态调控、代谢...     

皱环球盖菇不同极性萃取物抗氧化活性比较及成分分析

为考察皱环球盖菇子实体的抗氧化活性,利用溶剂萃取法得到皱环球盖菇子实体二氯甲烷、乙酸乙酯、正丁醇和水4种不同极性萃取物,选用二苯基三硝基苯肼自由基(DPPH)法、羟基自由基法和还原力法对4种萃取物进行体外抗氧化活性分析。结果表明,乙酸乙酯萃取物显示了最强的抗氧化活性;通过超高效液相色谱串联三重四级杆飞行时间质谱法(UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS)分析了皱环球盖菇乙酸乙酯萃取物中化学组成,从中鉴定出9种化合物,多数为核苷类物质,具有很好的抗氧化活性。研究结果为皱环球盖菇的开发提供了理论依据和技术支持。     

医用纳米金属及其氧化物的制备、性能与抗菌应用研究进展

抗生素在临床抗菌中发挥越来越重要作用,然而,其滥用也带来了毒副反应、出现耐药病原、免疫力降低等问题,临床亟需新的抗菌方案。近年来,纳米金属及其氧化物由于广谱抗菌活性而受到广泛关注,纳米银、纳米铜、纳米锌及其氧化物等逐渐应用于生物医用领域。本文介绍了纳米金属材料分类和导电、超塑延展、催化、抗菌等基本性能;概述了物理法、化学法和生物法等常见制备技术;总结了细胞膜、氧化应激、破坏DNA和降低细胞呼吸等4种主要抗菌机理;并综述了纳米金属及其氧化物的尺寸、形状、浓度和表面化学特性对抗菌有效性的影响以及细胞毒性、遗传毒性、生殖毒性等生物安全性的研究现状。尽管目前纳米金属及其氧化物已在医用抗菌、癌症治疗等临床领域得到应用,但诸如绿色制备工艺开发、抗菌机理完善、生物安全性改进以及应用领域拓展仍有待深入探索。     

Hormonal and environmental regulation of seed germination in flixweed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Descurainia sophia</Emphasis>)

Flixweed is one of the most abundant weeds in North America and China, and causes a reduction in crop yields. Dormancy of flixweed seeds is deep at maturity and is maintained in soil for several months. To identify regulators of seed dormancy and germination of flixweed, the effect of environmental and hormonal signals were examined using dormant and non-dormant seeds. The level of dormancy was decreased during after-ripening and stratification, but long imbibition (over 5 days) at 4 °C in the dark resulted in the introduction of secondary dormancy. The strict requirement of duration of cold treatment for the break of dormancy may play a role in the seasonal regulation of germination. The germination of non-dormant flixweed seeds was critically regulated by red (R) and far-red (FR) light in a photoreversible manner. Sodium nitroprusside, a donor of nitric oxide (NO), promoted germination of half-dormant seeds, suggesting that NO reduced the level of seed dormancy. As has been shown in other related species, light elevated sensitivity to GA₄ in dark-imbibied flixweed seeds, but cold treatment did not affect GA₄-sensitivity unlike in Arabidopsis. Taken together, our results indicate that seed germination in flixweed and its close relative Arabidopsis is controlled by similar as well as distinct mechanisms in response to various endogenous and environmental signals.     

锌指类基因调控蛋白──生物无机化学和分子生物学发展的新领域

生命必需元素锌,除了以锌酶的形式,参与生物体的各类代谢过程外,近年来发现,锌还以各种锌蛋白的结构方式,包括锌指、锌纽、锌带和锌簇等,参与生物体的基因转录、复制及蛋白质的合成等各种基因调节和控制过程．联想到金属硫蛋白在锌的体内平衡中所扮演的角色,很有可能锌是通过金属硫蛋白和锌指类蛋白的逐级调控,成为生物体生长发育的调控中心．癌基因和人免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）的许多调节蛋白也具有锌指类结构,这给癌症和爱滋病的治疗提供了新思路．     

Strigolactones in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses: An emerging avenue of plant research

Phytohormones play central roles in boosting plant tolerance to environmental stresses, which negatively affect plant productivity and threaten future food security. Strigolactones (SLs), a class of carotenoid‐derived phytohormones, were initially discovered as an “ecological signal” for parasitic seed germination and establishment of symbiotic relationship between plants and beneficial microbes. Subsequent characterizations have described their functional roles in various developmental processes, including root development, shoot branching, reproductive development, and leaf senescence. SLs have recently drawn much attention due to their essential roles in the regulation of various physiological and molecular processes during the adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses. Reports suggest that the production of SLs in plants is strictly regulated and dependent on the type of stresses that plants confront at various stages of development. Recently, evidence for crosstalk between SLs and other phytohormones, such as abscisic acid, in responses to abiotic stresses suggests that SLs actively participate within regulatory networks of plant stress adaptation that are governed by phytohormones. Moreover, the prospective roles of SLs in the management of plant growth and development under adverse environmental conditions have been suggested. In this review, we provide a comprehensive discussion pertaining to SL‐mediated plant responses and adaptation to abiotic stresses.     

Safeguarding clinical translation of pluripotent stem cells with suicide genes

The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) opens a new avenue in regenerative medicine. However, transplantation of hiPSC-derived cells carries a risk of tumor formation by residual pluripotent stem cells. Numerous adaptive strategies have been developed to prevent or minimize adverse events and control the in vivo behavior of transplanted stem cells and their progeny. Among them, the application of suicide gene modifications, which is conceptually similar to cancer gene therapy, is considered an ideal means to control wayward stem cell progeny in vivo. In this review, the choices of vectors, promoters, and genes for use in suicide gene approaches for improving the safety of hiPSCs-based cell therapy are introduced and possible new strategies for improvements are discussed. Safety-enhancing strategies that can selectively ablate undifferentiated cells without inducing virus infection or insertional mutations may greatly aid in translating human pluripotent stem cells into cell therapies in the future.     

High-Fat Diet/Low-Dose Streptozotocin-Induced Type 2 Diabetes in Rats Impacts Osteogenesis and Wnt Signaling in Bone Marrow Stromal Cells

Bone regeneration disorders are a significant problem in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are recognized as ideal seed cells for tissue engineering because they can stimulate osteogenesis during bone regeneration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the osteogenic potential of BMSCs derived from type 2 diabetic rats and the pathogenic characteristics of dysfunctional BMSCs that affect osteogenesis. BMSCs were isolated from normal and high-fat diet+streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Cell metabolic activity, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralization and osteogenic gene expression were reduced in the type 2 diabetic rat BMSCs. The expression levels of Wnt signaling genes, such as β-catenin, cyclin D1 and c-myc, were also significantly decreased in the type 2 diabetic rat BMSCs, but the expression of GSK3β remained unchanged. The derived BMSCs were cultured on calcium phosphate cement (CPC) scaffolds and placed subcutaneously into nude mice for eight weeks; they were detected at a low level in newly formed bone. The osteogenic potential of the type 2 diabetic rat BMSCs was not impaired by the culture environment, but it was impaired by inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway, likely due to an insufficient accumulation of β-catenin rather than because of GSK3β stimulation. Using BMSCs derived from diabetic subjects could offer an alternative method of regenerating bone together with the use of supplementary growth factors to stimulate the Wnt signaling pathway.     

The antitumor effect of hinesol,extract from Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. by proliferation,inhibition, and apoptosis induction via MEK/ERK and NF-κB pathway in non–small cell lung cancer cell lines A549 and NCI-H1299

Lung cancer (especially, non–small cell lung cancer [NSCLC]) is one of the most malignant cancers in the world. Hinesol is the major component of the essential oil of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC and possesses the most promising anticancer function. However, the effects and molecular mechanism of hinesol on antiproliferation in NSCLC cells has not been well understood. In this study, we found that hinesol effectively inhibited the A549 and NCI-H1299 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assay. In addition, hinesol induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis assessed by flow cytometry in A549 cells. Furthermore, Western blot analysis showed that hinesol decreased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, IκBα, and p65 inhibited the expressions of Bcl-2, cyclin D1 and upregulated the expression of Bax. Based on these results, hinesol might be a potential drug candidate of anti-NSCLC for therapy.     

Chronic haloperidol increases voltage-gated Na currents in mouse cortical neurons

Typical antipsychotics are characterized by extrapyramidal syndrome (EPS). Previous studies demonstrated that typical antipsychotics could inhibit neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC). However, EPS typically emerge only upon prolonged exposure. As a result, we examined effects of haloperidol, a prototype typical antipsychotic, on neuronal VGSC upon incubation for varying duration. Briefly, VGSC currents were activated and recorded using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique in primary culture of mouse cortical neurons. VGSC activity was inhibited by acute haloperidol exposure (for minutes), but enhanced in a time- and concentration-dependent manner by chronic haloperidol exposure (for hours). The effects of chronic haloperidol were associated with increased expression of VGSC subunits as well as corresponding electrophysiological channel properties. In summary, we found enhanced VGSC currents upon chronic haloperidol exposure in cortical neurons in contrast to inhibition by acute haloperidol exposure. Such a results may contribute to EPS of typical antipsychotics.