Uncoupling and turnover in a Cl-/H+ exchange transporter

The CLC-family protein CLC-ec1, a bacterial homologue of known structure, stoichiometrically exchanges two Cl(-) for one H(+) via an unknown membrane transport mechanism. This study examines mutations at a conserved tyrosine residue, Y445, that directly coordinates a Cl(-) ion located near the center of the membrane. Mutations at this position lead to "uncoupling," such that the H(+)/Cl(-) transport ratio decreases roughly with the volume of the substituted side chain. The uncoupled proteins are still able to pump protons uphill when driven by a Cl(-) gradient, but the extent and rate of this H(+) pumping is weaker in the more uncoupled variants. Uncoupling is accompanied by conductive Cl(-) transport that is not linked to counter-movement of H(+), i.e., a "leak." The unitary Cl(-) transport rate, measured in reconstituted liposomes by both a conventional initial-velocity method and a novel Poisson dilution approach, is approximately 4,000 s(-1) for wild-type protein, and the uncoupled mutants transport Cl(-) at similar rates.     

A family-based approach to preventing excessive weight gain

Objective: Preventing weight gain in adults and excessive weight gain in children is a high priority. We evaluated the ability of a family‐based program aimed at increasing steps and cereal consumption (for breakfast and snacks) to reduce weight gain in children and adults. Research Methods and Procedures: Families (n = 105) with at least one 8‐ to 12‐year‐old child who was at‐risk‐for‐overweight or overweight (designated as the target child) were recruited for the study. Eighty‐two families were randomly assigned to receive the family‐based intervention and 23 families to the control condition. The 13‐week intervention consisted of specific increases in daily steps (an additional 2000 steps/d) and consumption of 2 servings/d of ready‐to‐eat cereal. Results: The intervention was successful in increasing walking (steps) and cereal consumption. The intervention had positive, significant effects on percentage BMI‐for‐age and percentage body fat for target children and weight, BMI, and percentage body fat for parents. On further analysis, the positive effects of the intervention were seen largely in target girls and moms, rather than in target boys and dads. Discussion: This family‐based weight gain prevention program based on small changes holds promise for reducing excessive weight gain in families and especially in growing overweight children.     

Case of a stronger capability of maize seedlings to use ammonium being responsible for the higher 15N recovery efficiency of ammonium compared with nitrate

Plant and Soil - Biocrusts are important functional units in dryland ecosystems. Regarded as ecosystem engineers, cyanobacteria in biocrusts contribute several major physico-chemical and biological...     

银杏叶提取物对糖尿病大鼠心肌损伤的防护作用

目的:研究银杏叶提取物(EGb)对糖尿病大鼠心肌的防护作用.方法:用光镜和透射电镜观察EGb对糖尿病大鼠心肌的形态学改变,并测定心肌组织内超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、一氧化氮合酶(NOS)、结构型一氧化氮合酶(cNOS)、诱导型一氧化氮合酶(iNOS)的活性及一氧化氮(NO)、丙二醛(MDA)的含量.结果:糖尿病大鼠心肌光镜下主要表现为心肌细胞空泡变性及心肌纤维局灶性溶解;电镜下主要表现为心肌线粒体肿胀,嵴变短,肌原纤维溶解;SOD活性下降,NOS、iNOS活性及MDA、NO含量增高.EGb治疗组病变明显减轻,EGb治疗组心肌组织内SOD活性明显高于糖尿病组,NOS、iNOS活性及MDA、NO含量低于糖尿病组.结论:EGb可能通过抗脂质过氧化作用和降低NO水平而对糖尿病心肌产生保护作用.     

Human variants of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase

This article summarizes the current understanding of known variant forms of the MGMT gene that encode an altered protein. Epidemiological studies have been carried out to test whether these alterations are associated with altered cancer risk. Laboratory studies using recombinant proteins and cells expressing the known variants have investigated the possible effects of these sequence alterations on the ability of the encoded O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase protein to protect cells from alkylation damage and to respond to therapeutic inactivators currently undergoing trials for cancer chemotherapy.     

The resonant recognition model (RRM) predicts amino acid residues in highly conserved regions of the hormone prolactin (PRL)

The resonant recognition model (RRM) is a model which treats the protein sequence as a discrete signal. It has been shown previously that certain periodicities (frequencies) in this signal characterise protein biological function. The RRM was employed to determine the characteristic frequencies of the hormone prolactin (PRL), and to identify amino acids ('hot spots') mostly contributing to these frequencies and thus proposed to mostly contribute to the biological function. The predicted 'hot spot' amino acids, Phe-19, Ser-26, Ser-33, Phe-37, Phe-40, Gly-47, Gly-49, Phe-50, Ser-61, Gly-129, Arg-176, Arg-177, Cys-191 and Arg-192 are found in the highly conserved amino-terminal and C-terminus regions of PRL. Our predictions agree with previous experimentally tested residues by site-direct mutagenesis and photoaffinity labelling.     

代谢、血液碱化和纯氧影响呼吸调控的人体实验研究III： 血液碱化后纯氧运动试验*

目的: 在急性血液碱化前、后空气吸入下完成症状限制性最大极限心肺运动试验(CPET)的基础上,本文探讨在血液碱化后吸入纯氧对呼吸调控的影响。方法: 正常志愿者5名在碱化血液后呼吸纯氧CPET,在静息、热身、运动及恢复期,连续测定肺通换气指标及每分钟动脉取样的血气指标,对CPET期间的呼吸气体交换和血气指标的动态变化进行分析,同时与急性碱化血液前、后空气CPET数据比较。结果: 碱化血液后吸入纯氧运动呼吸反应与急性碱化血液前、后空气CPET呼吸反应基本一致。CPET期间,各运动状态下的每分通气量均与对照组相似(P>0.05);仅静息每分通气量较血液碱化空气CPET略高(P<0.05),而其它状态和恢复2min时均相近(P>0.05)。潮气量仅峰值运动时较对照和血液碱化空气CPET略低(P<0.05);而运动过程和恢复2min时的潮气量均相近(P>0.05)。呼吸频率在各个时间与血液碱化前后CPET均无差异(P>0.05)。在碱化血液后吸入纯氧运动各个时期的PaO₂和SaO₂较碱化血液前后空气CPET时明显提高(P<0.001,P<0.05)。血红蛋白浓度虽然较急性血液碱化前后均低,但仅较血液碱化前显著降低(P<0.05),比血液碱化后差异不显著(P>0.05) ; 开始时的PaCO₂较碱化血液前后空气CPET时降低(P<0.05),无氧阈时相近(P>0.05),但到峰值及恢复2 min时明显增高(P<0.05);pH仅较对照增高(P<0.05),但与碱化血液空气试验时无差异;乳酸水平较对照略高,但仅在热身和恢复期有差异(P<0.05)。纯氧提高了两人无氧阈和三人峰值运动的功率和时间。结论: 虽然血液碱化给予纯氧, CPET呼吸反应与碱化血液前、后空气CPET呼吸反应模式相似,表明运动中呼吸反应主要取决于代谢变化,而非动脉血气平均值高低。