厌氧甲烷氧化微生物物质代谢与能量代谢研究进展

甲烷既是一种温室气体,也是一种潜在的能源物质,其源与汇的平衡对地球化学循环及工程应用均有重要意义。厌氧甲烷氧化(anaerobic oxidation of methane,AOM)过程是深海、湿地和农田等自然生境中重要的甲烷汇,在缓解温室气体排放方面发挥了巨大作用。AOM微生物的中枢代谢机制及其能量转化途径则是介导厌氧甲烷氧化耦合其他物质还原的关键所在。因此,本文从电子受体多样性的视角,主要分析了硫酸盐型,硝酸盐/亚硝酸盐型,金属还原型厌氧甲烷氧化微生物的生理生化过程及环境分布,并对近些年发现的新型厌氧甲烷氧化进行了梳理;重点总结了厌氧甲烷氧化微生物细胞内电子传递路径以及胞外电子传递方式;根据厌氧甲烷氧化微生物环境分布及反应特征,就其生态学意义及在污染治理与能源回收方面的潜在应用价值进行了展望。本综述以期深化对厌氧甲烷氧化过程的微生物学认知,并为其潜在的工程应用方向提供新的思路。     

限制活动加剧2型糖尿病小鼠肠道菌群和糖脂代谢紊乱

【背景】久坐行为在2型糖尿病(type 2 diabetes mellitus,T2DM)患者群体中广泛存在,对于患者的血糖控制具有严重的不良影响,但是其具体机制还缺乏较为完善的阐述。【目的】通过限制小鼠活动模拟久坐行为,从而阐明久坐导致2型糖尿病小鼠糖脂代谢紊乱加剧的具体机制,为相应的健康教育和干预提供一定的理论基础。【方法】利用C57BL/6J雄性小鼠构建糖尿病模型,小鼠随机分为3组：正常组(CON)、2型糖尿病模型组(MOD)和2型糖尿病限制活动组(SED),通过限制小鼠活动的方法使其进行8周的久坐行为;采用试剂盒和形态学观察法测定小鼠糖脂代谢紊乱情况;HE和PAS染色观察小鼠回肠组织受损情况;采用RT-qPCR法测定小鼠粪便微生物的变化;采用TBA试剂盒测定小鼠血清和肝脏中总胆汁酸含量;分别通过荧光定量PCR(RT-qPCR)和Western blotting测定小鼠回肠和肝脏组织中法尼醇X受体(farnesoid X receptor,FXR)和G蛋白偶联胆汁酸受体5(G protein coupled bile acid receptor 5,TGR5)的mRNA和蛋白表达水平。【结果】与正常组相比,模型组小鼠血糖升高、血脂增加、胰岛素抵抗和口服葡萄糖耐量紊乱,而且肠道病理学变化明显,限制活动使T2DM小鼠糖脂代谢紊乱增加(P<0.05);T2DM小鼠肠道菌群失调,在门和属水平上的有益菌减少、有害菌增加,限制活动加剧了这一情况;与正常组相比,T2DM小鼠血清和肝脏组织中总胆汁酸含量增加,限制活动组总胆汁酸进一步增加(P<0.05);模型组小鼠胆汁酸受体FXR和TGR5表达较正常组显著降低(P<0.01),限制活动后进一步抑制了这些受体的表达。同时,Spearman相关性分析也显示小鼠糖脂代谢水平与肠道菌群及肠道菌群代谢物胆汁酸存在显著相关性。【结论】限制活动致使T2DM小鼠糖脂代谢紊乱加剧,其机制可能与肠道菌群和胆汁酸代谢失调,以及胆汁酸受体的进一步下调有关。     

DLGAP1-AS2 promotes human colorectal cancer progression through trans-activation of Myc

Mammalian Genome - Substantial evidence suggests that non-coding RNA plays a vital role in human cancer, especially long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) with a length greater than 200nt. Herein, we found a...     

文心兰浅绿条纹突变体的生理生化及叶绿素荧光特性研究

以文心兰浅绿条纹突变体为材料,分析叶片光合色素含量和组成、叶绿素合成前体物质含量以及叶绿素荧光参数的变化,观察突变体叶绿体超微结构的改变,以探寻其叶色变异的生理基础。结果表明:(1)突变体叶绿素a(Chl a)、叶绿素b(Chl b)、类胡萝卜素(Car)和总叶绿素(Chl)含量分别比叶色正常植株显著降低了37.1%、34.0%、30.8%和36.3%。(2)突变体叶绿素生物合成受阻于胆色素原(PBG)到尿卟啉原Ⅲ(UrogenⅢ)的反应步骤。(3)突变体叶绿体发育存在明显的缺陷,基粒数目及基粒片层的垛叠层数明显减少,嗜锇颗粒及囊泡较多。(4)突变体初始荧光(Fo)比正常植株高39%,最大荧光(Fm)、最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)、PSⅡ有效光化学效率(Fv′/Fm′)和PSⅡ实际光化学效率(ΦPSⅡ)均显著低于正常植株,但光化学淬灭系数(qP)和非光化学淬灭系数(NPQ)与正常植株无显著差异。研究结果说明,文心兰叶绿素生物合成受阻和叶绿体结构发育不良,导致叶绿素的含量下降,致使突变体叶片呈现浅绿条纹,光能利用率降低。     

Structural Studies of Truncated Forms of the Prion Protein PrP

Prions are proteins that adopt self-propagating aberrant folds. The self-propagating properties of prions are a direct consequence of their distinct structures, making the understanding of these structures and their biophysical interactions fundamental to understanding prions and their related diseases. The insolubility and inherent disorder of prions have made their structures difficult to study, particularly in the case of the infectious form of the mammalian prion protein PrP. Many investigators have therefore preferred to work with peptide fragments of PrP, suggesting that these peptides might serve as structural and functional models for biologically active prions. We have used x-ray fiber diffraction to compare a series of different-sized fragments of PrP, to determine the structural commonalities among the fragments and the biologically active, self-propagating prions. Although all of the peptides studied adopted amyloid conformations, only the larger fragments demonstrated a degree of structural complexity approaching that of PrP. Even these larger fragments did not adopt the prion structure itself with detailed fidelity, and in some cases their structures were radically different from that of pathogenic PrP^Sc.     

Proteinase-activated Receptor 2 Promotes Cancer Cell Migration through RNA Methylation-mediated Repression of miR-125b

Proteinase activated-receptor 2 (PAR₂) participates in cancer metastasis promoted by serine proteinases. The current study aimed to test the molecular mechanism by which PAR₂ promotes cancer cell migration. In different cancer cells, activation of PAR₂ by activating peptide (PAR₂-AP) dramatically increased cell migration, whereas knock down of PAR₂ inhibited cellular motility. The PAR₂ activation also repressed miR-125b expression while miR-125b mimic successfully blocked PAR₂-induced cell migration. Moreover, Grb associated-binding protein 2 (Gab2) was identified as a novel target gene of miR-125b and it mediated PAR₂-induced cell migration. The correlation of PAR₂ with miR-125b and Gab2 was further supported by the findings obtained from human colorectal carcinoma specimens. Remarkably, knock down of NOP2/Sun domain family, member 2 (NSun2), a RNA methyltransferase, blocked the reduction in miR-125b induced by PAR₂. Furthermore, PAR₂ activation increased the level of N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A)-containing pre-miR-125b in NSun2-dependent manner. Taken together, our results demonstrated that miR-125b mediates PAR₂-induced cancer cell migration by targeting Gab2 and that NSun2-dependent RNA methylation contributes to the down-regulation of miR-125b by PAR₂ signaling. These findings suggest a novel epigenetic mechanism by which microenvironment regulates cancer cell migration by altering miRNA expression.