Tandem action of glycosyltransferases in the maturation of vancomycin and teicoplanin aglycones: novel glycopeptides

The glycopeptides vancomycin and teicoplanin are clinically important antibiotics. The carbohydrate portions of these molecules affect biological activity, and there is great interest in developing efficient strategies to make carbohydrate derivatives. To this end, genes encoding four glycosyltransferases, GtfB, C, D, E, were subcloned from Amycolatopsis orientalis strains that produce chloroeremomycin (GtfB, C) or vancomycin (GtfD, E) into Escherichia coli. After expression and purification, each glycosyltransferase (Gtf) was characterized for activity either with the aglycones (GtfB, E) or the glucosylated derivatives (GtfC, D) of vancomycin and teicoplanin. GtfB efficiently glucosylates vancomycin aglycone using UDP-glucose as the glycosyl donor to form desvancosaminyl-vancomycin (vancomycin pseudoaglycone), with k(cat) of 17 min(-1), but has very low glucosylation activity, < or = 0.3 min(-1), for an alternate substrate, teicoplanin aglycone. In contrast, GtfE is much more efficient at glucosylating both its natural substrate, vancomycin aglycone (k(cat) = 60 min(-1)), and an unnatural substrate, teicoplanin aglycone (k(cat) = 20 min(-1)). To test the addition of the 4-epi-vancosamine moiety by GtfC and GtfD, synthesis of UDP-beta-L-4-epi-vancosamine was undertaken. This NDP-sugar served as a substrate for both GtfC and GtfD in the presence of vancomycin pseudoaglycone (GtfC and GtfD) or the glucosylated teicoplanin scaffold, 7 (GtfD). The GtfC product was the 4-epi-vancosaminyl form of vancomycin. Remarkably, GtfD was able to utilize both an unnatural acceptor, 7, and an unnatural nucleotide sugar donor, UDP-4-epi-vancosamine, to synthesize a novel hybrid teicoplanin/vancomycin glycopeptide. These results establish the enzymatic activity of these four Gtfs, begin to probe substrate specificity, and illustrate how they can be utilized to make variant sugar forms of both the vancomycin and the teicoplanin class of glycopeptide antibiotics.     

Profilin I attached to the Golgi is required for the formation of constitutive transport vesicles at the trans-Golgi network

Profilin I was identified, by mass spectrometric sequencing and immunoblotting, as a component of purified Golgi cisternae from HepG2 cells. Binding to the Golgi was verified by indirect immunofluorescence in MT-1 cells showing that a fraction of profilin I colocalizes with TGN38, a marker of the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Studying the formation of constitutive exocytic vesicles at the TGN in a cell-free system demonstrated that cytosolic profilin I has no effect, while incubation of Golgi cisternae with a profilin I-specific antibody reduced vesicle formation by about 50%. Notably, the antibody displaces a fraction of the Golgi-bound dynamin II indicating that profilin I may indirectly promote vesicle formation by supporting the binding of dynamin II to the Golgi membrane. The impact of dynamin II on vesicle formation is demonstrated by incubating the Golgi with the proline-rich domain of dynamin II which concomitantly displaces dynamin II and inhibits vesicle formation. The data provide evidence that profilin I attaches to the Golgi apparatus and is required for the formation of constitutive transport vesicles.     

高压氧对体外培养的成骨细胞增殖和分化的影响

为探讨高压氧对成骨细胞增殖和成骨分化的影响,把来源于牙槽骨的成骨细胞接种在24孔培养皿中,每孔2 500个细胞,4个治疗组分别接受不同条件的高压氧治疗,分别是2.4ATA 90 min,2.4ATA 30 min,1.5ATA 90 min和1.5ATA30 min,每天一次,共10天.对照组进行常规的细胞培养.分别在高压氧治疗前和高压氧治疗后的1、2、3、4、6、8、10天,采用WST-1分析试剂进行成骨细胞的增殖分析.使用乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)毒性分析法检测高压氧对成骨细胞的毒性影响.另将细胞接种于96孔培养皿中,每孔10 000个细胞,正常培养3天后,改用成骨化培养基,24h后,两个治疗组分别接受2.4ATA 90 min和1.5ATA 90 min的高压氧治疗,每天一次共19次.采用钙沉积分析法、碱性磷酸酶(ALP)活性分析和Von Kossa染色进行成骨分析.同样的方法观察高压空气对细胞增殖和分化的影响.结果显示,在10%小牛血清培养基条件下,高压氧刺激了成骨细胞的增殖,而在使用2%小牛血清培养基时,并末观察到高压氧对细胞增殖的促进作用.高压氧治疗前后细胞外乳酸脱氢酶含量没有发生改变,提示了高压氧未对成骨细胞造成毒性影响.另一方面,高压氧增加了骨结节的形成,同时钙沉积增加,碱性磷酸酶的活力也显著增强,表明了高压氧促进了成骨细胞的成骨分化.     

极端耐盐放线菌白色普氏菌YIM 90005T四氢嘧啶及5-羟基四氢嘧啶合成相关基因的克隆

摘要：【目的】 为了研究耐盐放线菌对高盐环境的适应机理。【方法】 用HPLC定量检测了极端耐盐、丝状产孢放线菌——白色普氏菌（Prauserella alba） YIM 90005T在不同盐浓度下胞内相容性溶质的种类和含量。【结果】 结果发现,四氢嘧啶和5-羟基四氢嘧啶是其主要的相容性溶质。在培养基NaCl浓度为10%时,四氢嘧啶在胞内累积浓度最大,为18.77 μg/mg干菌体重。之后随NaCl浓度的升高,胞内的四氢嘧啶含量逐渐减少,而5-羟基四氢嘧啶的含量逐渐增加,在该菌耐受的最高NaCl浓度下（24% w/v）,胞内5-羟基四氢嘧啶含量达到最大值,为22.98 μg/mg干菌体重。设计兼并引物,利用染色体步移,克隆得到四氢嘧啶及5-羟基四氢嘧啶合成相关基因ectABCD。序列分析表明,ectABCD位于一个操纵子中。进一步对不同NaCl浓度培养条件下ectB,D的表达量进行定量分析,结果表明该基因簇表达量随着培养基中NaCl浓度的增加而增大。【结论】 研究结果证实5-羟基四氢嘧啶是P. alba YIM 90005T在极高盐浓度条件下起渗透调节及保护的相容性溶质。     

颈斑尖猪鱼——中国南海隆头鱼科新纪录种

本文根据采自海南岛的标本描述了中国南海一新记录种:颈斑尖猪鱼(Leptojulis lambdastigma)。本种的主要形态特征为:体长形,体长为体高的3.7~4.0倍,为头长的3.1~3.6倍;头长为吻长的2.7~3.3倍,为胸鳍长的1.45~1.65倍;头裸露无鳞;两颌前端各具2对大犬齿,外侧1对犬齿弯向外后方;背鳍Ⅸ-12,臀鳍Ⅲ-12,胸鳍i(不分支)+11-12(分支);侧线完整,侧线鳞27;颈部具一个"V"形大黑斑,胸鳍后部的上方、侧线的下方具一小黑斑。新鲜标本头部具2条黄色纵带,沿体侧分别经眼和胸鳍基部向后达尾鳍基部;体侧背部具1条浅棕黄色条带;胸鳍基部棕红色,后部浅色;臀鳍浅蓝色;尾鳍下部淡蓝色,上部橙色。本种与尾斑尖猪鱼(L.urostigma)形态较为相似,主要差别在于颈斑尖猪鱼的颈部具有一显著的"V"形黑斑,尾鳍基部无黑斑(尾斑尖猪鱼具此黑斑)。     

Endostatin gene therapy enhances the efficacy of paclitaxel to suppress breast cancers and metastases in mice

Chemotherapy combined with antiangiogenic therapy is more effective than chemotherapy alone. The aim of this study was to investigate whether endostatin, a potent anti-angiogenic agent, could enhance the efficacy of paclitaxel to combat breast cancer. An expression plasmid encoding mouse endostatin (End-pcDNA3.1) was constructed, which produced intense expression of endostatin and inhibited angiogenesis in the chorioallantoic membrane assay. 4T1 breast tumors were established in BALB/c mice by subcutaneous injection of 1 × 10⁵ 4T1 cells. The End-pcDNA3.1 plasmid diluted in the transfection reagent FuGENE^TM was injected into the tumors (around 100 mm²), and paclitaxel was injected i.p. into the mice. Endostatin gene therapy synergized with paclitaxel in suppressing the growth of 4T1 tumors and their metastasis to the lung and liver. Both endostatin and paclitaxel inhibited tumor angiogenesis and induced cell apoptosis. Despite the finding that endostatin was superior to paclitaxel at inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, paclitaxel was nevertheless more effective at inducing tumor apoptosis. The combination of paclitaxel and endostatin was more effective in suppressing tumor growth, metastases, angiogenesis, and inducing apoptosis than the respective monotherapies. The combinational therapy with endostatin and paclitaxel warrants future investigation as a therapeutic strategy to combat breast cancer.     

人结核分枝杆菌特异性核酸探针制备及结核病PCR检测技术的初步临床应用

采用人结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis TB)染色体DNA为模板,选择位于插入片段IS6110中884～865和568～588碱基对处的两个片段为引物,扩增出317bp的特异性片段．将其克隆进pUCl9载体。酶切图谱分析和DNA序列测定证实为目的片段。该片段经DIG标记,分别与11种分枝杆菌DNA进行Southern杂交,结果证明只与人型复合分枝杆菌发生杂交反应。利用该对引物建立的PcR检测拄术对74份结核病痰液标本进行检测,并与临床细菌快速培养结果相比较,发现48份临床阳性均为PcR阳性,在26份临床阴性标本中亦发现11份PCR检测阳性。将标本PCR产物与克隆探针进行杂交,显示两者结果完全一致。说明PCR检测体系结果可靠,其灵敏度明显高于目前临床所采用的方法,可作为一种常规技术用于结核病的临床检测。     

中国大鲵研究进展

中国大鲵是我国特有濒危的两栖物种,是研究生物进化、生物多样性、性别决定分子机制等问题的好材料。近年来,人们对它的研究力度不断加大,著述颇多。本文对大鲵的生态保护、解剖发育、生理生化、遗传进化等方面的近期研究资料进行了整理和回顾,也简要探讨了今后大鲵研究的主要工作,以期为研究者们提供有价值的资料。