Indirubin-3-Oxime Prevents H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Induced Neuronal Apoptosis via Concurrently Inhibiting GSK3β and the ERK Pathway

Oxidative stress-induced neuronal apoptosis plays an important role in many neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we have shown that indirubin-3-oxime, a derivative of indirubin originally designed for leukemia therapy, could prevent hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced apoptosis in both SH-SY5Y cells and primary cerebellar granule neurons. H₂O₂ exposure led to the increased activities of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in SH-SY5Y cells. Indirubin-3-oxime treatment significantly reversed the altered activity of both the PI3-K/Akt/GSK3β cascade and the ERK pathway induced by H₂O₂. In addition, both GSK3β and mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors significantly prevented H₂O₂-induced neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, specific inhibitors of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K) abolished the neuroprotective effects of indirubin-3-oxime against H₂O₂-induced neuronal apoptosis. These results strongly suggest that indirubin-3-oxime prevents H₂O₂-induced apoptosis via concurrent inhibiting GSK3β and the ERK pathway in SH-SY5Y cells, providing support for the use of indirubin-3-oxime to treat neurodegenerative disorders caused or exacerbated by oxidative stress.     

Life cycle environmental assessment of industrial hazardous waste incineration and landfilling in China

Purpose

The improper handling of industrial hazardous waste (IHW), which comprises large amounts of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, or irradiation substances, is a considerable threat to human health and the environment. This study aims to quantify the life cycle environmental impacts of IHW landfilling and incineration in China, to identify its key factors, to improve its potential effects, and to establish a hazardous waste disposal inventory.

Methods

Life cycle assessment was conducted using the ReCiPe model to estimate the environmental impact of IHW landfilling and incineration. The characterization factors for the human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity categories shown in the ReCiPe were updated based on the geographies, population, food intake, and environmental conditions in China.

Results and discussion

The overall environmental burden was mainly attributed to the carcinogen category. The national carcinogen burden in 2014 at 37.8 CTUh was dominated by diesel consumption, cement and sodium hydroxide production, direct emission, transportation, and electricity generation stages caused by direct mercury and arsenic emissions, as well as indirect chromium emission. Although the atmospheric mercury emission directly caused by IHW incineration was comparative with the emission levels of developed countries, the annual direct mercury emission accounted for approximately 0.1% of the national mercury emission.

Conclusions

The key factors contributing to the reduction of the national environmental burden include the increasing diesel and electricity consumption efficiency, the reduction of cement and sodium hydroxide use, the development of air pollutant controlling systems, the reduction of transport distance between IHW disposers to suppliers, and the improvement of IHW recycling and reuse technologies.

     

Reprogramming of the activity of the activator/dissociation transposon family during plant regeneration in rice

Many aspects of epigenetic phenomena have been elucidated via studies of transposable elements. An active transposable element frequently loses its ability to mobilize and goes into an inactive state during development. In this study, we describe the cyclic activity of a maize transposable element dissociation (Ds) in rice. In rice genome, Ds undergoes the spontaneous loss of mobility. However, an inactive state of Ds can be changed into an active state during tissue culture. The recovery of mobility accompanies not only changes in the methylation patterns of the terminal region of Ds, but also alteration in the steady state level of the activator (Ac) mRNA that is expressed by a constitutive CaMV 35S promoter. Furthermore, the Ds-reactivation process is not random, but stage-specific during plantlet regeneration. Our findings have expanded previous observations on Ac reactivation in the tissue culture of maize.     

Relationship between acrylamide concentration and enzymatic activity in an improved single fibrin zymogram gel system

Based on the zymography analysis, Bacillus sp. DJ-4 (screened from Doen-Jang, a Korean traditional fermented food) secretes seven extracellular fibrinolytic enzymes (EFEs; 68, 64, 55, 45, 33, 27, and 13 kDa) in culture broth. These seven EFEs were analyzed by newly applied SDSfibrin zymography combined with gradient polyacrylamide (SDS-FZGP). This improved gel system was used with a 5-20% acrylamide gradient in a fibrin zymogram gel for the separation of proteins with molecular masses from below 10 kDa to over 100 kDa on one gel plate. Using this system, high molecular weight bands (HMWBs) were clearly and sharply resolved. We also examined the relationship between an acrylamide concentration and the enzymatic activity of EFE using densitometric analysis.     

镉吸附细菌的分离及其对土壤镉的固定

[目的] 探究镉吸附细菌是否能够高效固定土壤有效镉（Cd）,为土壤有效Cd的微生物固定提供理论依据。[方法] 利用含Cd²⁺牛肉膏蛋白胨液体培养基对细菌进行Cd的耐受性测试筛选出镉抗性强的菌株;通过16S rRNA基因相似性及系统进化分析鉴定耐镉细菌,将菌细胞加入含CdCl₂溶液中进行Cd²⁺吸附效率测定;通过土培模拟实验,测定土壤pH、碱解氮、有效磷、速效钾、有机质、CEC、有效Cd及微生物数量来分析镉吸附细菌对镉污染土壤的影响。[结果] 从德阳鱼腥草根际土壤中分离获得的57株细菌对Cd²⁺表现出不同程度的抗性,并从中筛选出3株耐Cd优势细菌普罗威登斯菌属（Providencia）DY8、芽孢杆菌属（Bacillus）DY3和芽孢杆菌属（Bacillus）DY1-4。其对溶液中的Cd²⁺表现出较好的吸附作用,吸附效率随着Cd²⁺浓度升高而降低。DY8、DY3、DY1-4能使镉污染土壤中有效Cd含量分别降低72.11%、68.55%、62.32%,同时显著提高镉污染土壤中碱解氮、有效磷的含量。[结论] Cd污染农田土壤中含有丰富的耐Cd微生物资源,Cd吸附细菌能降低土壤中有效Cd的含量,且能有效改善土壤养分条件。     

一株海洋放线菌的鉴定及其促生作用机理

【背景】海洋放线菌BM-2是本实验室从连云港海域分离得到的一株具有抗菌和促生作用的优良菌株,具有良好的开发应用前景。【目的】明确海洋放线菌BM-2的分类地位,揭示该菌株的促生作用机理,为菌株的开发应用提供理论依据。【方法】通过形态观察、生理生化特性和16S rRNA基因序列分析,对海洋放线菌BM-2菌株进行种属鉴定;采用透明圈法、平板划线法测定BM-2菌株解磷、解钾作用、固氮作用和产植酸酶、1-氨基环丙烷-1-羧基(1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate,ACC)脱氨酶的能力;运用沙尔科夫斯基反应(Salkowski法)和铬天青(chromeazurol S,CAS)法分别测定菌株产吲哚乙酸(indole acetic acid,IAA)和产铁载体的能力。【结果】培养特征、菌落形态观察及生理生化试验结果表明,BM-2菌株符合链霉菌属(Streptomyces)的特征,16SrRNA基因序列与GenBank中栗褐链霉菌(Streptomycesbadius)的序列相似性为99.72%;BM-2菌株具有固氮和解有机磷活性,能够产生ACC脱氨酶、铁载体和IAA。【...     

An anti-inflammatory isoflavone from soybean inoculated with a marine fungus Aspergillus terreus C23-3

ABSTRACT

A new isoflavone derivative compound 1 (psoralenone) was isolated from soybean inoculated with a marine fungus Aspergillus terreus C23-3, together with seven known compounds including isoflavones 2–6, butyrolactone I (7) and blumenol A (8). Their structures were elucidated by MS, NMR, and ECD. Psoralenone displayed moderate in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell model. Compound 2 (genistein) showed moderate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity whereas compounds 2, 5 (biochanin A), 6 (psoralenol), and 7 exhibited potent larvicidal activity against brine shrimp. Compounds 3 (daidzein), 4 (4?-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyisoflavone), and 5–7 showed broad-spectrum anti-microbial activity, and compound 7 also showed moderate 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity.     

High-resolution melting analysis for SNP genotyping and mapping in tetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) represent the most abundant type of genetic polymorphism in plant genomes. SNP markers are valuable tools for genetic analysis of complex traits of agronomic importance, linkage and association mapping, genome-wide selection, map-based cloning, and marker-assisted selection. Current challenges for SNP genotyping in polyploid outcrossing species include multiple alleles per loci and lack of high-throughput methods suitable for variant detection. In this study, we report on a high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis system for SNP genotyping and mapping in outcrossing tetraploid genotypes. The sensitivity and utility of this technology is demonstrated by identification of the parental genotypes and segregating progeny in six alfalfa populations based on unique melting curve profiles due to differences in allelic composition at one or multiple loci. HRM using a 384-well format is a fast, consistent, and efficient approach for SNP discovery and genotyping, useful in polyploid species with uncharacterized genomes. Possible applications of this method include variation discovery, analysis of candidate genes, genotyping for comparative and association mapping, and integration of genome-wide selection in breeding programs.