Coenzyme Q10 improves the tolerance of the senescent myocardium to aerobic and ischemic stress: studies in rats and in human atrial tissue.

The inferior recovery of cardiac function after interventional cardiac procedures in elderly patients compared to younger patients suggests that the aged myocardium is more sensitive to stress. We report two studies that demonstrate an age-related deficit in myocardial performance after aerobic and ischemic stress and the capacity of CoQ10 treatment to correct age-specific diminished recovery of function. In Study 1 the functional recovery of young (4 mo) and senescent (35 mo) isolated working rat hearts after aerobic stress produced by rapid electrical pacing was examined. After pacing, the senescent hearts, compared to young, showed reduced recovery of pre-stress work performance. CoQ10 pretreatment (daily intraperitoneal injections of 4 mg/kg CoQ10 for 6 weeks) in senescent hearts improved their recovery to match that of young hearts. Study 2 tested whether the capacity of human atrial trabeculae (obtained during surgery) to recover contractile function, following ischemic stress in vitro (60 min), is decreased with age and whether this decrease can be reversed by CoQ10. Trabeculae from older individuals (> or = 70 yr) showed reduced recovery of developed force after simulated ischemia compared to younger counterparts (< 70 yr). Notably, this age-associated effect was prevented in trabeculae pretreated in vitro (30 min at 24 degrees C) with CoQ10 (400 MicroM). We measured significantly lower CoQ10 content in trabeculae from > or = 70 yr patients. In vitro pretreatment raised trabecular CoQ10 content to similar levels in all groups. We conclude that, compared to younger counterparts, the senescent myocardium of rats and humans has a reduced capacity to tolerate ischemic or aerobic stress and recover pre-stress contractile performance, however, this reduction is attenuated by CoQ10 pretreatment.     

Separation of bovine serum albumin and its monoclonal antibody from their immunocomplexes by sodium dodecyl sulfate–capillary gel electrophoresis and its application in capillary electrophoresis-based immunoassay

A non-competitive immunoassay was performed by sodium dodecyl sulfate–capillary gel electrophoresis with UV detection using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and monoclonal anti-BSA. BSA, anti-BSA and their immunocomplexes were well resolved under non-denaturing conditions. A linear calibration curve was obtained and can be used for the quantification of anti-BSA. The limit of detection of anti-BSA was 0.1 μM under the present conditions. Compared with capillary zone electrophoresis, we believed that this method has the potential to be used as a more general format for performing capillary electrophoresis-based immunoassay of medium- and large-sized analytes.     

Concentration of circulating microparticles: a new biomarker of acute heart failure after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

Acute heart failure(AHF) is a severe complication after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB). Although some AHF biomarkers have been used in clinic, they have limitations when applied in the prediction and diagnosis of AHF after cardiac surgery with CPB, and there are still no effective and specific biomarkers. We and other researchers have shown that circulating microparticles(MPs) increased in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. However, whether the concentration of circulating MPs could be a new biomarker for AHF after cardiac surgery remains unknown. Here, 90 patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB and 45 healthy subjects were enrolled. Patients were assigned into AHF(n=14) or non-AHF(n=76) group according to the diagnosis criteria of AHF. The concentrations of circulating MPs were determined before, as well as 12 h and 3 days after operation with nanoparticle tracking analysis technique. MPs concentrations in patients before surgery were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects. Plasma levels of MPs were significantly elevated at 12 h after surgery in patients with AHF, but not in those without AHF, and the circulating MPs concentrations at 12 h after surgery were higher in AHF group compared with non-AHF group. Logistic regression analysis indicated that MPs concentration at postoperative 12 h was an independent risk factor for AHF. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve for MPs concentration at postoperative 12 h was 0.87 and the best cut-off value is 5.20×10~8 particles mL~(–1) with a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 70%. These data suggested that the concentration of circulating MPs might be a new biomarker for the occurrence of AHF after cardiac surgery with CPB.     

云南16个少数民族群体的线粒体DNA多态性研究

利用PCR—RFLP法对傣族、白族、蒙古族、彝族等10个少数民族的16个群体共654人进行了mtDNA编码区多态性分析,共检测到17种单倍群,其中4种为未能确认的单倍群。单倍群频率分布和主成分图共同显示,百越系的3个民族共6个群体有高频的B、F单倍群,聚集在图的下部,表现出鲜明的南方群体特征;蒙古族的2个群体有高频的A、D单倍群,聚在图的上部,具有典型的北方群体特征;氐羌系的5个民族共7个群体全部或绝大多数都兼有南北方高频单倍群,位于图的中间,提示他们同时具有南北方群体的一些母系遗传特征。同一民族不同群体间的单倍群频率分布存在差异,但差异不很大,一般小于不同族源民族间的差异,但不一定都小于同一族源民族间的差异。     

Characterization of nuclear targeting signal of hepatitis delta antigen: nuclear transport as a protein complex.

Hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) is the only protein encoded by hepatitis delta virus (HDV). HDAg has been demonstrated in the nuclei of HDV-infected hepatocytes, and its nuclear transport may be important for the replication of HDV RNA. In this report, we investigated the mechanism of nuclear transport of HDAg. By expressing fusion proteins consisting of the different portions of HDAg and alpha-globin, we have identified a nuclear localization signal (NLS) within the N-terminal one-third of HDAg. It consists of two stretches of basic amino acid domains separated by a short run of nonbasic amino acids. Both of the basic domains are necessary for the efficient nuclear transport of HDAg. The nonbasic spacer amino acids could be removed without affecting the nuclear targeting of HDAg significantly. Thus, the HDAg NLS belongs to a newly identified class of NLS which consists of two discontiguous stretches of basic amino acids. This NLS is separated from a stretch of steroid receptor NLS-like sequence, which is also present but not functioning as an NLS, in HDAg. Furthermore, we have shown that subfragments of HDAg which do not contain the NLS can be passively transported into the nucleus by a trans-acting full-length HDAg, provided that these subfragments contain the region with a leucine zipper sequence. Thus, our results indicate that HDAg forms aggregates in the cytoplasm and that the HDAg oligomerization is probably mediated by the leucine zipper sequence. Therefore, HDAg is likely transported into the nucleus as a protein complex.     

Transgenerational Inheritance of Modified DNA Methylation Patterns and Enhanced Tolerance Induced by Heavy Metal Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

BackgroundDNA methylation is sensitive and responsive to stressful environmental conditions. Nonetheless, the extent to which condition-induced somatic methylation modifications can impose transgenerational effects remains to be fully understood. Even less is known about the biological relevance of the induced epigenetic changes for potentially altered well-being of the organismal progenies regarding adaptation to the specific condition their progenitors experienced.Conclusions/SignificanceOur findings suggest that stressful environmental condition can produce transgenerational epigenetic modifications. Progenies of stressed plants may develop enhanced adaptability to the condition, and this acquired trait is inheritable and accord with transmission of the epigenetic modifications. We suggest that environmental induction of heritable modifications in DNA methylation provides a plausible molecular underpinning for the still contentious paradigm of inheritance of acquired traits originally put forward by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck more than 200 years ago.     

渗透胁迫对小麦幼苗叶绿素荧光参数的影响

用叶绿素荧光诱导动力学技术,研究模拟干旱条件对小麦幼苗叶片叶绿素荧光参数,即原初光能转化效率(F_v/F_m)、光合电子传递量子效率(φPSⅡ)、qP(光化学猝灭)、qNP(非光化学猝灭)、ETR(表观光合量子传递效率)的影响.结果表明,渗透胁迫对小麦幼苗叶绿素荧光参数影响较大.随着渗透胁迫的加剧,F_v/F_m和F_v/F_o都表现出现降低-增加-降低的趋势,在渗透胁迫2 h以前,小麦叶片内部没有发生光抑制,但随着胁迫的加剧,F_v/F_m值增加,使得小麦幼苗叶内发生光抑,导致ΦPSⅡ和ETR的下降;在渗透胁迫过程中,小麦叶片吸收光能的光化学猝灭(qP)的下降和光化学猝灭(qNP)呈现先降低后增加的趋势,说明小麦在受到干旱胁迫前期,PSⅡ反应中心的开放比例降低;在胁迫2h后,随着胁迫的加剧,qP和qNP增加有利于提高PSⅡ反应中心开放部分的比例,将更多的光能用于推动光合电子传递,提高了光合电子传递能力,同时非光化学能量耗散的提高,有助于耗散过剩的激发能,以保护光合机构,缓解环境胁迫对光合作用的影响,体现了小麦叶片的自我保护机制.两个品种相比,长武13的叶绿素荧光参数的变化幅度比陕253小,具有更强的抵御干旱胁迫的能力.