Comparison of two noninvasive methods for measuring the pigment content in foliose macrolichens

Photosynthesis Research - Chlorophyll content in lichens is routinely used as an accurate indicator of lichen vigor, interspecific differences, and the effect of site-related environmental...     

Mercuric chloride mediates a protein sulfhydryl modification-based pathway of signal transduction for activating Src kinase which is independent of the phosphorylation / dephosphorylation of a carboxyl terminal tyrosine

Little is known about the regulatory mechanism of c-Src kinase in cells except the suggested regulation through phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of its carboxyl terminal tyrosine residue (Y527). We here demonstrated that exposure of NIH3T3 cells to mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) induces both aggregation and activation of Src kinase protein through a redox-linked mechanism. The aggregation of Src proteins was suggested to be induced by the sulfhydryl groups-to-Hg²⁺ reaction-mediated polymerization of cell membrane proteins to which the Src proteins associate noncovalently. The possibility was ruled out that the aggregation occurred secondarily to the promotion of protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Further study revealed that the Src kinase was activated by HgCl₂ at least in part independent of the known Csk kinase-linked or Y527-phosphorylation/dephosphorylation-mediated control. Correspondingly, CNBr cleavage mapping of phosphopeptides for autophosphorylated c-Src protein demonstrated selective promotion of phosphorylation at Y416 in HgCl₂-treated cells without obvious change in the phosphorylation level at Y527. These results suggest a unique protein sulfhydryl modification-based pathway of signal transduction for activating Src kinase in NIH3T3 cells. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

SLC25A38 as a novel biomarker for metastasis and clinical outcome in uveal melanoma

Risk of metastasis is increased by the presence of chromosome 3 monosomy in uveal melanoma (UM). This study aimed to identify more accurate biomarker for risk of metastasis in UM. A total of 80 patients with UM from TCGA were assigned to two groups based on the metastatic status, and bioinformatic analyses were performed to search for critical genes for risk of metastasis. SLC25A38, located on chromosome 3, was the dominant downregulated gene in metastatic UM patients. Low expression of SLC25A38 was an independent predictive and prognostic factor in UM. The predictive potential of SLC25A38 expression was superior to that of pervious reported biomarkers in both TCGA cohort and {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE22138","term_id":"22138"}}GSE22138 cohort. Subsequently, its role in promoting metastasis was explored in vitro and in vivo. Knock-out of SLC25A38 could enhance the migration ability of UM cells, and promote distant metastasis in mice models. Through the inhibition of CBP/HIF-mediated pathway followed by the suppression of pro-angiogenic factors, SLC25A38 was situated upstream of metastasis-related pathways, especially angiogenesis. Low expression of SLC25A38 promotes angiogenesis and metastasis, and identifies increased metastatic risk and worse survival in UM patients. This finding may further improve the accuracy of prognostic prediction for UM.Subject terms: Eye cancer, Prognostic markers     

A stop-gain mutation in GXYLT1 promotes metastasis of colorectal cancer via the MAPK pathway

Genomic instability plays a key role in the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Although cancer driver genes in CRC have been well characterized, identifying novel genes associated with carcinogenesis and treatment remains challenging because of tumor heterogeneity. Here, we analyzed the genomic alterations of 45 samples from CRC patients in northern China by whole-exome sequencing. In addition to the identification of six well-known CRC driver genes (APC, TP53, KRAS, FBXW7, PIK3CA, and PABPC), two tumor-related genes (MTCH2 and HSPA6) were detected, along with RRP7A and GXYLT1, which have not been previously linked to cancer. GXYLT1 was mutated in 40% (18/45) of the samples in our cohort. Functionally, GXYLT1 promoted migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo, while the GXYLT1^S212* mutant induced significantly greater effect. Furthermore, both GXYLT1 and GXYLT1^S212* interacted with ERK2. GXYLT1 induced metastasis via a mechanism involving the Notch and MAPK pathways, whereas the GXYLT1^S212* mutant mainly promoted metastasis by activating the MAPK pathway. We propose that GXYLT1 acts as a novel metastasis-associated driver gene and GXYLT1^S212* might serve as a potential indicator for therapies targeting the MAPK pathway in CRC.Subject terms: Cancer genomics, Colorectal cancer, Metastasis, Oncogenes, Cell signalling     

中国4个少数民族中SDF1多态性研究

研究与HIV 1感染相关的基质细胞衍生因子 (SDF1)等位基因突变频率和多态性在中国 4个少数民族的分布特征。应用PCR/ RFLP等方法检测回族 (5 7例 )、鄂伦春族 (71例 )、蒙古族 (30例 )及锡伯族 (2 6例 )共 184个个体中SDF1 -3’A基因突变频率。结果得出中国 4个民族中SDF1- 3’A基因的基因频率分别为 :蒙古族为 38 3%,锡伯族为 2 3 .1%,回族为 2 0 .2 %,鄂伦春族为 10 .6 %。中国 4个少数民族中SDF1- 3’A等位基因频率存在较大的差异 (χ2 =37 .82 6 ,P<0.01) , 提示这 4 个民族的遗传结构存在着一定的差异。 本研究 为评估中国不同民族对 HIV-1 的易感性及艾滋病的流行病学研究提供了基本数据。     

石香薷挥发油提取的比较研究

利用GC-MS对石香薷挥发油进行了定性、定量分析。采取超临界CO2萃取、水蒸气蒸馏和有机溶剂石油醚萃取这三种方法提取石香薷挥发油。这三种方法提取石香薷挥发油的主要成分基本相似,主要为含氧化合物(香薷酮、百里香酚和香荆芥酚)等,采取超临界CO2萃取和水蒸气蒸馏的石香薷挥发油品质较优。超临界CO2萃取法为提取石香薷挥发油的理想方法。     

中心体蛋白Cenexin在大鼠精子发生过程中的表达特征

中心体蛋白Cenexin是成熟中心粒的唯一标志分子。为阐明中心粒在大鼠精子发生中的成熟以及功能,我们首先通过RT－PCR技术从大鼠睾丸组织中扩增出了Cenexin cDNA片段,原核表达重组蛋白后,用其免疫小鼠制备了高滴度的抗Cenexin的多克隆抗体,然后利用免疫荧光染色、Western Blot和半定量RT－PCR方法,研究了大鼠精子发生过程中Cenexin蛋白和基因的表达特征。结果显示Cenexin mRNA水平在精原细胞和精母细胞中较高,随后表达水平下降,而蛋白质分子在精原细胞到精子细胞中都定位于细胞的一个中心粒上,表示有成熟中心粒的存在,在长形精子细胞中该蛋白位于鞭毛的基体部。附睾的绝大多数成熟精子中Cenexin免疫染色消失。中心体蛋白Cenexin在精子变态期的表达变化可能与精子鞭毛形成的起始有关。     

植物锌铁转运蛋白ZIP基因家族的研究进展

金属离子对植物的正常发育至关重要,但过量又会中毒.植物体内的自动调节平衡机制会调节金属离子的吸收和运输,从而控制金属离子的含量.锌铁调控蛋白ZIP( ZRT,IRT-like protein)家族是广泛存在于植物中的转运蛋白,具有Ca2+、Fe2+、Mn2+及Zn2+等多种金属元素的转运功能.了解ZIP转运体在植物中如何发挥离子转运功能,从分子水平认识金属离子缺乏或过量积累的机理有重要意义.综述拟南芥、水稻、大麦、苜蓿和玉米ZIP家族成员及其研究进展.