Evidence that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase- and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-4/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-dependent Pathways cooperate to maintain lung cancer cell survival

Cancer cells in which the PTEN lipid phosphatase gene is deleted have constitutively activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent signaling and require activation of this pathway for survival. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, PI3K-dependent signaling is typically activated through mechanisms other than PTEN gene loss. The role of PI3K in the survival of cancer cells that express wild-type PTEN has not been defined. Here we provide evidence that H1299 NSCLC cells, which express wild-type PTEN, underwent proliferative arrest following treatment with an inhibitor of all isoforms of class I PI3K catalytic activity (LY294002) or overexpression of the PTEN lipid phosphatase. In contrast, overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of the p85alpha regulatory subunit of PI3K (Deltap85) induced apoptosis. Whereas PTEN and Delta85 both inhibited activation of AKT/protein kinase B, only Deltap85 inhibited c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. Cotransfection of the constitutively active mutant Rac-1 (Val12), an upstream activator of JNK, abrogated Deltap85-induced lung cancer cell death, whereas constitutively active mutant mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK)-1 (R4F) did not. Furthermore, LY294002 induced apoptosis of MKK4-null but not wild-type mouse embryo fibroblasts. Therefore, we propose that, in the setting of wild-type PTEN, PI3K- and MKK4/JNK-dependent pathways cooperate to maintain cell survival.     

Characterization of Pseudomonas corrugata Strain P94 Isolated from Soil in Beijing as a Potential Biocontrol Agent

In an attempt to obtain biologic control agents for grey mildew of tomato, a total of 628 bacterial strains were isolated from agricultural soil samples in Beijing, China, and screened for in vitro antibiosis toward Botrytis cinerea. Strain P94 exhibited the most obvious antagonistic activity. It P94 had no pathogenicity and was identified as Pseudomonas corrugata by the Biolog identification system combined with 16S rDNA sequence analysis and biochemical and physiologic characteristics. The specific products of polymerase chain reaction with two pairs of specific primers indicated that P94 belonged to P. corrugata genomic group II. Strain P94 inhibited the growth of a number of phytopathogenic fungal and bacterial species and showed inhibition activity to tomato grey mildew by tomato leaf testing in vitro. Strain P94 showed a positive reaction for HCN, protease, phosphatase, and indole acetic acid tests and a negative reaction for siderophore-, chitinase-, and cellulase-production tests. Therefore, the secondary metabolites producing novel P. corrugata strain P94 exhibited an innate potential of biocontrol activities in vitro.     

Stacking interactions in PUF-RNA complexes

Stacking interactions between amino acids and bases are common in RNA-protein interactions. Many proteins that regulate mRNAs interact with single-stranded RNA elements in the 3' UTR (3'-untranslated region) of their targets. PUF proteins are exemplary. Here we focus on complexes formed between a Caenorhabditis elegans PUF protein, FBF, and its cognate RNAs. Stacking interactions are particularly prominent and involve every RNA base in the recognition element. To assess the contribution of stacking interactions to formation of the RNA-protein complex, we combine in vivo selection experiments with site-directed mutagenesis, biochemistry, and structural analysis. Our results reveal that the identities of stacking amino acids in FBF affect both the affinity and specificity of the RNA-protein interaction. Substitutions in amino acid side chains can restrict or broaden RNA specificity. We conclude that the identities of stacking residues are important in achieving the natural specificities of PUF proteins. Similarly, in PUF proteins engineered to bind new RNA sequences, the identity of stacking residues may contribute to "target" versus "off-target" interactions, and thus be an important consideration in the design of proteins with new specificities.     

Distinct contributions of T1R2 and T1R3 taste receptor subunits to the detection of sweet stimuli

Animals utilize hundreds of distinct G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-type chemosensory receptors to detect a diverse array of chemical signals in their environment, including odors, pheromones, and tastants. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors selectively interact with their cognate ligands remain poorly understood. There is growing evidence that many chemosensory receptors exist in multimeric complexes, though little is known about the relative contributions of individual subunits to receptor functions. Here, we report that each of the two subunits in the heteromeric T1R2:T1R3 sweet taste receptor binds sweet stimuli though with distinct affinities and conformational changes. Furthermore, ligand affinities for T1R3 are drastically reduced by the introduction of a single amino acid change associated with decreased sweet taste sensitivity in behaving mice. Thus, individual T1R subunits increase the receptive range of the sweet taste receptor, offering a functional mechanism for phenotypic variations in sweet taste.     

Expression of Multiple Virus-derived Resistance Determinants in Transgenic Plants Does Not Lead to Additive Resistance Properties

Plants can be protected against infection by potyviruses by expressing different portions of potyviral genomes as transgenes. This strategy has proven effective with several potyvirus genes, including the Nla, Nlb, and coat protein coding regions. Given the effectiveness of separate potyvirus coding regions as determinants of resistance, we tested the hypothesis that combinations of potyvirus coding regions would provide additively greater protection of plants against potyviruses. For this, we compared transgenic plant lines that expressed either the coat protein (CP) or the Nla+Nlb+coat protein (NNC) coding regions from tobacco vein mottling virus (TVMV). We found that plants that carry the NNC gene combination were invariably less resistant to TVMV than were lines that contain a CP gene alone. Additionally, we found that NNC lines displayed virtually no resistance to tobacco etch virus (TEV), in contrast to the CP lines. We conclude that combining more than one virus-derived resistance determinant in a single construct is detrimental to the production of virus-resistant plants.     

Ultrasound Based Assessment of Coronary Artery Flow and Coronary Flow Reserve Using the Pressure Overload Model in Mice

Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) is a clinically useful, noninvasive tool for studying coronary artery flow velocity and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in humans. Reduced CFR is accompanied by marked intramyocardial and pericoronary fibrosis and is used as an indication of the severity of dysfunction. This study explores, step-by-step, the real-time changes measured in the coronary flow velocity, CFR and systolic to diastolic peak velocity (S/D) ratio in the setting of an aortic banding model in mice. By using a Doppler transthoracic imaging technique that yields reproducible and reliable data, the method assesses changes in flow in the septal coronary artery (SCA), for a period of over two weeks in mice, that previously either underwent aortic banding or thoracotomy. During imaging, hyperemia in all mice was induced by isoflurane, an anesthetic that increased coronary flow velocity when compared with resting flow. All images were acquired by a single imager. Two ratios, (1) CFR, the ratio between hyperemic and baseline flow velocities, and (2) systolic (S) to diastolic (D) flow were determined, using a proprietary software and by two independent observers. Importantly, the observed changes in coronary flow preceded LV dysfunction as evidenced by normal LV mass and fractional shortening (FS). The method was benchmarked against the current gold standard of coronary assessment, histopathology. The latter technique showed clear pathologic changes in the coronary artery in the form of peri-coronary fibrosis that correlated to the flow changes as assessed by echocardiography. The study underscores the value of using a non-invasive technique to monitor coronary circulation in mouse hearts. The method minimizes redundant use of research animals and demonstrates that advanced ultrasound-based indices, such as CFR and S/D ratios, can serve as viable diagnostic tools in a variety of investigational protocols including drug studies and the study of genetically modified strains.     

化龙山七筋姑种内二倍体与四倍体表型分化分析

七筋姑(Clintonia udensis Trautv. et Mey.)属百合科(Liliaceae)七筋姑属(Clintonia Raf.),多年生草本,具有二倍体(2n=14)和四倍体(4n=28)两种倍性。在陕西化龙山地区,二倍体主要分布在南坡海拔2 450 m处,四倍体主要生长在北坡海拔1 900 m左右,成为研究种内多倍体分化的理想材料。该研究从七筋姑营养和繁殖系统出发,研究其不同倍性的表型分化,揭示不同倍性的生态适应特征,为阐明七筋姑种内多倍体的演化提供线索。研究表明：(1)在根、茎、叶、花、果实、种子的11个性状中,二倍体的果实体积性状最为稳定(CV=0.02),叶长性状遗传多样性最高(CV=0.85);四倍体中果实体积性状也最为稳定(CV=0.06),而花数量性状多样性最高(CV=0.42)。(2)四倍体的果实体积平均值明显高于二倍体,但种子数量平均值显著少于二倍体,果实体积和种子体积性状在不同倍性间的分化占比最高(V_st=0.69)。(3)四倍体营养器官表型性状的遗传变异丰富度低于二倍体,其平均变异系数(CV=0.16)小于二倍体的变异系数(CV=0.44);在繁殖系统表型性状中,四倍体的遗传变异丰富度高于二倍体,平均变异系数(CV=0.30)大于二倍体(CV=0.26)。(4)显著性分析表明,二倍体与四倍体表型性状差异显著(P<0.05),而繁殖系统性状在不同倍性间无显著差异(P>0.05);PCA分析同样显示二倍体与四倍体间存在明显差异。四倍体显著的表型差异是对低海拔环境长期适应的结果。     

谷氨酸致痫大鼠海马内spinophilin免疫反应的变化

目的 研究spinophilin与癫痫发病的关系。方法 采用侧脑室注射L-谷氨酸钠6μl（50mg/ml)制作大鼠癫痫模型。动物存活2小时,然后用免疫组织化学方法观察大鼠海巴内spinophilin表达的变化。结果 实验组大鼠海马CAI及CA3区阳性反应产物较对照组明显增多。结论 提示spinophilin可能参与了癫痫的发生。但是其机理尚需要进一步探索。