MiR-204 regulates cardiomyocyte autophagy induced by ischemia-reperfusion through LC3-II

Background  

Autophagy plays a significant role in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. So it is important to inhibit autophagy to protect cardiomyocytes besides anti-apoptosis. MiRNA has been demonstrated to protect cardiomyocytes against apoptosis during IR, while whether it has anti-autophagy effect has not been known. The aim of this study was to investigate whether miR-204 regulated autophagy by regulating LC3-II protein, which is the marker of autophagosome during myocardial IR injury.     

气候变化背景下基于MaxEnt模型的刺梨潜在适生区分布预测

为阐明气候变化背景下刺梨(Rosa roxburghii)在中国的潜在适生区分布,该研究基于刺梨的自然分布数据及当代(1960～1990)、未来(21世纪50年代及70年代)气候因子数据,采用最大熵(MaxEnt)模型模拟了当前和未来气候情景下刺梨在中国的潜在适生区,并确定影响其地理分布的主要气候因子.结果表明:(1)...     

RNA干扰技术在植物线虫基因功能研究及虫害防治方面的应用

RNA干扰（RNA interference,RNAi）是双链RNA（double—stranded RNA,dsRNA）介导的同源mRNA特异降解的过程,具有高效性、非绝对特异性和表型可遗传性。其在遗传育种、基因功能研究、药物研发等各方面具有广泛的运用前景。近年已应用到植物线虫基因功能的研究中。随着对植物线虫基因组及基因功能研究的不断深入。RNAi技术在植物线虫防治方面的研究也取得了很大进展。     

云南割手密血缘F1创新种质的因子和聚类分析

对70份云南割手密血缘F1创新种质材料8个农艺性状进行了因子和聚类分析,因子分析中8个公因子保留前3个公因子,其累计贡献率达79.35%。第1公因子中载荷值较大的是单产、含糖量、有效茎数、出苗率和分蘖率等性状;第2公因子中起主导作用的性状是茎径和株高两个产量因子;第3公因子只有11月理论蔗糖分起主导作用。以70份创新材料3个公因子的因子得分为指标,采用系统聚类中的最长距离法进行聚类分析。在遗传距离2.4处,参试材料被聚为10类,其中占参试材料总数50%的第Ⅰ、Ⅳ、Ⅶ、Ⅷ、Ⅹ类材料,表现高产;占参试材料72.8%的第Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ、Ⅵ、Ⅶ、Ⅸ类材料,表现高糖,特别是其中占参试材料38.6%的Ⅰ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ、Ⅵ类材料,11月理论蔗糖分均高于12%;占参试材料总数38.6%的第Ⅰ、Ⅳ、Ⅶ类材料,表现高产、高糖。本结果为有针对性地利用这些材料,培育高产、高糖创新亲本提供了科学依据。     

低氧提高肿瘤细胞反义VEGF165基因表达

为了探讨反义VEGF1 65基因对食管癌的抑制作用 ,并初步探讨利用肿瘤低氧微环境改善基因治疗的效果 ,采用PCR技术和DNA重组技术构建了含低氧反应元件的真核表达载体 ,并用此载体构建了含荧光素酶报告基因和反义VEGF1 65基因的重组载体。用脂质体将重组载体导入食管癌细胞 ,体外用化学发光光度计测定低氧对报告基因表达的调节和ELISA法间接测定低氧对反义VEGF基因表达的调节作用。体内利用裸鼠皮下移植实验研究低氧对反义VEGF1 65基因抑瘤作用的影响。体外实验表明 ,用带低氧反应元件的重组真核表达载体转染食管癌细胞 ,在低氧培养下可以使报告基因的表达提高 3 780 % ,并可以显著提高反义VEGF1 65基因的表达 ,体内用带低氧反应元件的载体将反义VEGF1 65基因导入食管癌细胞中 ,其抑瘤效果显著优于不含该元件的载体 ,抑瘤率分别为 71 .7%和 5 6 .1 %。反义VEGF1 65基因能显著抑制食管癌的生长 ;利用肿瘤低氧可以实现治疗基因的自主调节 ,改善基因治疗的效果     

基因组数据库简介

本文以北京大学生物信息中心安装的3个国际著名基因组数据库GDB、GenoList和Ensembl为基础,介绍目前常用的基因组数据库,包括这些数据数据库的内容、数据格式、使用方法,以及用于构建上述数据库的数据库管理系统。 Abstract:A brief introduction to the genome databases GDB,GenoList and Ensembl is given.These databases,mirrored and maintained at the Centre of Bioinformatics,Peking University,provide useful information for genome research.     

Blockade of L-type voltage-gated Ca channel inhibits ischemia-induced neurogenesis by down-regulating iNOS expression in adult mouse

Neurogenesis in the adult mammalian hippocampus may contribute to repairing the brain after injury. The signals that regulate neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus following ischemic stroke insult are not well known. We have previously reported that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression is necessary for ischemia-stimulated neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus. Here, we show that mice subjected to 90 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) significantly increased the number of new neurons and up-regulated iNOS expression in the dentate gyrus. Blockade of the L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel (L-VGCC) prevented neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and subventricular zone (SVZ), and down-regulated iNOS expression in the dentate gyrus after cerebral ischemia. This study suggests that Ca(2+) influx through L-VGCC is involved in ischemia-induced neurogenesis by up-regulating iNOS expression.     

Spironolactone Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Injury Partially via Modulating Mononuclear Phagocyte Phenotype Switching in Circulating and Alveolar Compartments

Background

Recent experimental studies provide evidence indicating that manipulation of the mononuclear phagocyte phenotype could be a feasible approach to alter the severity and persistence of pulmonary injury and fibrosis. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) has been reported as a target to regulate macrophage polarization. The present work was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of MR antagonism in bleomycin-induced acute lung injury and fibrosis.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We first demonstrated the expression of MR in magnetic bead-purified Ly6G-/CD11b+ circulating monocytes and in alveolar macrophages harvested in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from C57BL/6 mice. Then, a pharmacological intervention study using spironolactone (20mg/kg/day by oral gavage) revealed that MR antagonism led to decreased inflammatory cell infiltration, cytokine production (downregulated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, transforming growth factor β1, and interleukin-1β at mRNA and protein levels) and collagen deposition (decreased lung total hydroxyproline content and collagen positive area by Masson’ trichrome staining) in bleomycin treated (2.5mg/kg, via oropharyngeal instillation) male C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, serial flow cytometry analysis in blood, BALF and enzymatically digested lung tissue, revealed that spironolactone could partially inhibit bleomycin-induced circulating Ly6C^hi monocyte expansion, and reduce alternative activation (F4/80+CD11c+CD206+) of mononuclear phagocyte in alveoli, whereas the phenotype of interstitial macrophage (F4/80+CD11c-) remained unaffected by spironolactone during investigation.

Conclusions/Significance

The present work provides the experimental evidence that spironolactone could attenuate bleomycin-induced acute pulmonary injury and fibrosis, partially via inhibition of MR-mediated circulating monocyte and alveolar macrophage phenotype switching.