Expression analysis of a type S2 EUL-related lectin from rice in Pichia pastoris

Rice (Oryza sativa) expresses different putative carbohydrate-binding proteins belonging to the class of lectins containing an Euonymus lectin (EUL)-related domain, one of them being OrysaEULS2. The OrysaEULS2 sequence consists of a 56 amino acid N-terminal domain followed by the EUL sequence. In this paper the original sequence of the EUL domain of OrysaEULS2 and some mutant forms have been expressed in Pichia pastoris. Subsequently, the recombinant proteins were purified and their carbohydrate binding properties determined. Analysis of the original protein on the glycan array revealed interaction with mannose containing structures and to a lesser extent with glycans containing lactosamine related structures. It was shown that mutation of tryptophan residue 134 into leucine resulted in an almost complete loss of carbohydrate binding activity of OrysaEULS2. Our results show that the EUL domain in OrysaEULS2 interacts with glycan structures, and hence can be considered as a lectin. However, the binding of the protein with the array is much weaker than that of other EUL-related lectins. Furthermore, our results indicate that gene divergence within the family of EUL-related lectins lead to changes in carbohydrate binding specificity.     

用PO4细胞为靶细胞检测人血清中Epstein-Barr病毒IgA/MA抗体以诊断鼻咽癌

近年来,常用未经丙酮固定的、由丁酸和巴豆油激活的B95-8细胞或P3HR-1细胞为靶细胞,检测人血清中EB病毒IgA/MA抗体以早期诊断鼻咽癌,效果良好。但由于B95-8细胞含有多种EB病毒抗原,不能用丙酮固定,需多次离心沉淀,在浮悬状态下检测,技术比较复杂。     

外源基因表达造成的群体感应细菌生存压力的建模分析

外源基因的表达及其对细菌种群的影响对于群体感应系统和合成生物学产业的研究具有重要意义。然而,人们对于表达外源蛋白的细菌本身的行为模式仍然知之甚少。为了研究菌落生长和外源基因表达的过程究竟受到哪些因素的影响,文中测量了受Lux类受体调控的外源基因在N-酰基高丝氨酸内酯 (N-acyl homoserine lactone,N-AHL) 信号分子诱导下的表达,并模拟了其对细菌种群动态的影响。文中建立了一个假设性的数学模型,对信号分子诱导表达下细菌种群生长受影响的现象进行了分析。先前的研究通常将细菌种群生长受群体感应系统影响的现象归咎于合成群体感应信号分子的消耗与N-AHL信号分子的毒性,文中提供了对于这种生存压力的另一种可能的解释。     

含甲肝病毒基因的重组痘苗病毒在动物体内产生针对甲肝病毒的中和抗体

用DNA重组技术得到的含甲肝病毒基因的重组痘苗病毒,可在家兔体内产生ELISA竞争抑制与中和抗体。基础免疫后,动物体内竞争抑制抗体滴度为10,加强免疫后达到80。由重组病毒产生的抗体中和指数比甲肝病毒产生者略低。     

CO2和O3浓度倍增及其交互作用对大豆叶绿体超微结构的影响

应用透射电镜观察了模拟大气CO2和O3浓度倍增及其交互作用(开顶箱法)对大豆叶肉细胞叶绿体超微结构的影响。结果表明,CO2浓度倍增促进了大豆叶绿体的发育,内含淀粉粒积累明显增多、体积增大;叶绿体被膜保持完好;叶绿体基粒片层排列整齐,而O3浓度倍增抑制了叶绿体内淀粉粒的累积,并导致叶绿体被膜破碎,片层解体,严重地破坏了叶绿体的结构和功能CO2和O3浓度倍增的交互作用对叶绿体超微结构有不同程度的破坏,但二者浓度呈梯度增加对叶绿体的损害作用要大于二者浓度持续倍增对叶绿体的影响,进一步表明CO2正效应对O3负效应的补偿作用。     

Biology, fisheries, and conservation of sturgeons and paddlefish in China

This paper reviews five of the eight species of acipenseriforms that occur in China, chiefly those of the Amur and Yangtze rivers. Kaluga Huso dauricus and Amur sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii are endemic to the Amur River. Both species still support fisheries, but stocks are declining due to overfishing. Acipenseriformes of the Yangtze River are primarily threatened by hydroelectric dams that block free passage to spawning and feeding areas. The Chinese paddlefish Psephurus gladius now is rare in the Yangtze River system, and its spawning activities were severely limited by completion of the Gezhouba Dam in 1981. Since 1988, only 3–10 adult paddlefishes per year have been found below the dam. Limited spawning still exists above the dam, but when the new Three Gorges Dam is complete, it will further threaten the paddlefish. Artificial propagation appears to be the only hope for preventing extinction of P. gladius, but it has yet to be successfully bred in captivity. Dabry's sturgeon A. dabryanus is a small, exclusively freshwater sturgeon found only in the Yangtze River system. It is concentrated today in reaches of the main stream above Gezhouba Dam. The fishery has been closed since 1983, but populations continue to decline. Acipenser dabryanus has been cultured since the 1970s, and holds promise for commercial aquaculture; availability of aquacultural methods offers hope for enhancing natural populations. The Chinese sturgeon A. sinensis occurs in the Yangtze and Pearl rivers and seas of east Asia. There is still disagreement about the taxonomy of the Pearl and Yangtze River populations. The Yangtze River population is anadromous. Adults begin spawning at about age 14 years (males) and 21 years (females), and adults spend over 15 months in the river for reproduction. Spawning sites of A. sinensis were found every year since 1982 below the Gezhouba Dam, but it seems that insufficient suitable ground is available for spawning. Since 1983, commercial fishing has been prohibited but more measures need to be taken such as establishing protected areas and characterizing critical spawning, summering and wintering habitats.     

Polymorphisms associated with egg number at 300 days of age in chickens

We looked for variations that could be associated with chicken egg number at 300 days of age (EN300) in seven genes of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, including gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-I (GnRH-I), GnRH receptor (GnRHR), neuropeptide Y (NPY), dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), VIP receptor-1 (VIPR-1), prolactin (PRL), and the QTL region between 87 and 105 cM of the Z chromosome. Ten mutations in the seven genes were chosen to do marker-trait association analyses in a population comprising 1310 chickens, which were obtained from a company located in Guangdong Province of China. The C1704887T of VIPR-1 was found to have a highly significant association with EN300. The T5841629C of DRD2 and the C1715301T of VIPR-1 were significantly associated with EN300. A highly significant association was also found between the C1704887T-C1715301T haplotypes of VIPR-1 and EN300. H1H3 had the highest EN300. Four PCR-RFLP variations in the candidate QTL region were selected to investigate their genetic effects on EN300. The haplotypes of T32742468C-G32742603A in this region showed a highly significant association with EN300. Bioinformatics analyses showed that both T32742468C and G32742603A were located in intron 1 of the SH3-domain GRB2-like 2 (SH3GL2) gene. We conclude that five SNPs, including C1704887T and C1715301T of VIPR-1, T5841629C of DRD2, and T32742468C and G32742603A of SH3GL2, would be useful as markers for breeding to increase chicken EN300.     

Novel Bacillus thuringiensis δ-endotoxin active against Locusta migratoria manilensis

A novel δ-endotoxin gene was cloned from a Bacillus thuringiensis strain with activity against Locusta migratoria manilensis by PCR-based genome walking. The sequence of the cry gene was 3,432 bp long, and it encoded a Cry protein of 1,144 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 129,196.5 kDa, which exhibited 62% homology with Cry7Ba1 in the amino acid sequence. The δ-endotoxin with five conserved sequence blocks in the amino-terminal region was designated Cry7Ca1 (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"EF486523","term_id":"1121787749","term_text":"EF486523"}}EF486523). Protein structure analysis suggested that the activated toxin of Cry7Ca1 has three domains: 227 residues forming 7 α-helices (domain I); 213 residues forming three antiparallel β-sheets (domain II); and 134 residues forming a β-sandwich (domain III). The three domains, respectively, exhibited 47, 44, and 34% sequence identity with corresponding domains of known Cry toxins. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis showed that Cry7Ca1, encoded by the full-length open reading frame of the cry gene, the activated toxin 1, which included three domains but without the N-terminal 54 amino acid residues and the C terminus, and the activated toxin 2, which included three domains and N-terminal 54 amino acid residues but without the C terminus, could be expressed in Escherichia coli. Bioassay results indicated that the expressed proteins of Cry7Ca1 and the activated toxins (toxins 1 and 2) showed significant activity against 2nd instar locusts, and after 7 days of infection, the estimated 50% lethal concentrations (LC₅₀s) were 8.98 μg/ml for the expressed Cry7Ca1, 0.87 μg/ml for the activated toxin 1, and 4.43 μg/ml for the activated toxin 2. The δ-endotoxin also induced histopathological changes in midgut epithelial cells of adult L. migratoria manilensis.     

自旋捕捉结合液相色谱/电子自旋共振/质谱联用技术用于检测多不饱和脂肪酸过氧化过程中产生的自由基(英文)

ω-6和ω-3类多不饱和脂肪酸是两种人体所需的重要营养物质。人体内的很多生理病理过程均涉及到这些多不饱和脂肪酸,以及它们在环氧合酶(cyclooxygenase,COX)和脂氧合酶(lipoxygenase,LOX)催化下产生的过氧化代谢物。环氧合酶和脂氧合酶催化的多不饱和脂肪酸的过氧化是复杂的生化过程,会产生一系列的自由基产物。这些自由基产物又会与蛋白质、DNA和RNA结合,从而导致很多生理功能的改变。然而一直以来,缺乏合适的分析方法来有效分离和鉴定这些自由基产物,限制了人们对环氧合酶和脂氧合酶,以及多不饱和脂肪酸的过氧化在生理作用方面的研究。直到最近,才出现了对COX/LOX催化产生的活泼自由基定性和定量分析的报道。这里将对一种可以用来鉴定体外脂类过氧化产生的自由基产物的自旋捕捉-LC/ESR/MS联用技术的发展与改进过程进行综述。这种新颖的LC/ESR/MS联用技术首次使得直接检测多不饱和脂肪酸代谢产生的自由基成为可能,这对自由基的生理学作用研究是一个重大突破,为人们在多不饱和脂肪酸的生理作用以及环氧合酶和脂氧合酶催化的脂质过氧化方面的研究带来了极大便利。     

用RAPD技术鉴定小麦属间不对称体细胞杂种

用随机引物扩增多态DNA(RAPD)技术对三种不同组合:小麦(Triticum aestivum)( )簇毛麦(Haynaldia villosa);小麦( )羊草(Leymus chinensis)和小麦( )高冰草(Agropyron elongatum)的属间不对称杂种进行分子鉴定,不同杂种植株的基因组经随机引物扩增后,均出现双亲的多态特异产物,证实它们含有双亲的基因组。将引物OPJ-12扩增的高冰草多态特异产物(分子量为0.77bp的DNA片段)分离纯化并标记作探针,用Southern杂交证明了小麦( )高冰草杂种经OPJ-12扩增的0.77kbp特异片段与高冰草这一片段具有同源性。本文结果证明,RAPD技术可作为小麦属间不对称体细胞杂种的一种快速、简便、有效的分子鉴定方法。