Targeted overexpression of inducible 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase in adipose tissue increases fat deposition but protects against diet-induced insulin resistance and inflammatory responses

Increasing evidence demonstrates the dissociation of fat deposition, the inflammatory response, and insulin resistance in the development of obesity-related metabolic diseases. As a regulatory enzyme of glycolysis, inducible 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (iPFK2, encoded by PFKFB3) protects against diet-induced adipose tissue inflammatory response and systemic insulin resistance independently of adiposity. Using aP2-PFKFB3 transgenic (Tg) mice, we explored the ability of targeted adipocyte PFKFB3/iPFK2 overexpression to modulate diet-induced inflammatory responses and insulin resistance arising from fat deposition in both adipose and liver tissues. Compared with wild-type littermates (controls) on a high fat diet (HFD), Tg mice exhibited increased adiposity, decreased adipose inflammatory response, and improved insulin sensitivity. In a parallel pattern, HFD-fed Tg mice showed increased hepatic steatosis, decreased liver inflammatory response, and improved liver insulin sensitivity compared with controls. In both adipose and liver tissues, increased fat deposition was associated with lipid profile alterations characterized by an increase in palmitoleate. Additionally, plasma lipid profiles also displayed an increase in palmitoleate in HFD-Tg mice compared with controls. In cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes, overexpression of PFKFB3/iPFK2 recapitulated metabolic and inflammatory changes observed in adipose tissue of Tg mice. Upon treatment with conditioned medium from iPFK2-overexpressing adipocytes, mouse primary hepatocytes displayed metabolic and inflammatory responses that were similar to those observed in livers of Tg mice. Together, these data demonstrate a unique role for PFKFB3/iPFK2 in adipocytes with regard to diet-induced inflammatory responses in both adipose and liver tissues.     

甜菜夜蛾的生物防治及其展望

近些年来,甜菜夜蛾在我国淮河以南地区蔬菜等作物上频繁发生,已成为一种灾害性害虫.由于在无公害蔬菜生产中对化学农药残留要求高,因此生物防治受到人们的广泛关注与重视.本文综述了甜菜夜蛾生物防治进展以及对生物防治的展望.     

An efficient protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Antirrhinum majus

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) is a popular ornamental and model plant species, and the recently released reference genome could greatly boost its utilization in fundamental research. However, the lack of an efficient genetic transformation system is still a major limiting factor for its full application in genetic and molecular studies. In this study, a simple method for quick regeneration and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of snapdragon was developed. Cotyledon petiole and hypocotyl explants derived from two-week-old seedlings were cultured on MS media supplemented with 2 mg/L zeatin (ZT), 0.2 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 2 mg/L AgNO₃, and adventitious shoots were regenerated through organogenesis with an average regeneration of 48.00% and 41.33%, respectively. By contrast, the regeneration frequency was only 22.67% for cotyledon petiole and 25.67% for hypocotyl explants in the absence of AgNO₃. Moreover, the application of AgNO₃ promoted indirect shoot organogenesis, while direct shoot organogenesis occurred in the absence of AgNO₃ from both hypocotyl or cotyledon petiole explants. Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation systems were developed with this high-efficient regeneration system. The transformation efficiency has been improved from 0 to 1% through the direct shoot organogenesis to 3 to 4% via the indirect shoot organogenesis. This efficient regeneration and genetic transformation method could be important for future use of snapdragon as a model plant to address some fundamental questions which are hard to be solved by using other model plant species, and to accelerate the breeding process through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

     

Probiotic properties of Enterococcus strains isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in China

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the probiotic properties of Enterococcus strains isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in China. Four Enterococcus isolates showed high cholesterol removal ability in media were identified as Enterococcus durans (KLDS 6.0930 and 6.0933) and Enterococcus faecalis (KLDS 6.0934 and 6.0935) by 16S rRNA and pheS gene sequences, respectively, and selected for further evaluation. In order to assess the probiotic potential and safety of these strains, the property of four Enterococcus strains were examined, including acid and bile tolerance, adherence to Caco‐2 cells and antibiotics susceptibility. All four strains showed potential cholesterol assimilation, de‐conjugation of bile salts and/or cholesterol degradation to remove cholesterol in vitro. In addition, the potential effect of E. durans KLDS 6.0930 on serum cholesterol levels was evaluated in Sprague‐Dawley rats. After 4 weeks administration, compared with rats fed a high‐cholesterol diet without lactic acid bacteria supplementation, there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the serum of rats treated with KLDS 6.0930. Furthermore, total bile acid level in the feces was significantly (P < 0.05) increased after KLDS 6.0930 administration. These observations suggested that the strain E. durans KLDS 6.0930 may be used in the future as a good candidate for lowering human serum cholesterol levels.     

羊蹄甲属植物种子的裂解色谱鉴定法研究

本文探索了裂解气相色谱法作为植物种子分类表征方法的可能性。对豆科植物中不同属、不同亚属及相同亚属的共10种种子的裂解色谱图,用分区编码法进行区别,分析结果表明,不同种子最少有一个编码不同,方法简易快速,可为高等植物种子的区分提供一种佐证手段。     

三七总皂甙对博莱霉素所致小鼠肺纤维化的干预作用

目的:观察三七总皂甙(PNS)对实验性小鼠肺纤维化的干预作用。方法:小鼠随机分为正常对照组、模型对照组、醋酸泼尼松组和PNS大、中、小剂量组。通过气管内注入博莱霉素(BLM)复制小鼠肺纤维化模型,于造模后第2天各治疗组开始给药,于给药后第7、14、28 d处死部分小鼠,取肺组织,行HE染色,并测定肺组织中羟脯氨酸(HYP)含量。结果PNS能减少实验性肺纤维化小鼠肺组织中胶原沉积及降低肺系数(P<0.05,P<0.01),减轻肺部的病理损害(P<0.05,P<0.01)。结论:PNS对BLM诱导产生的小鼠肺纤维化有一定的抑制作用。     

Characterization of CD200 Ectodomain Shedding

We have previously reported the existence of a soluble form of CD200 (sCD200) in human plasma, and found sCD200 to be elevated in the plasma of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) patients. CLL cells release CD200 at a constitutive level, which could be attenuated partially by ADAM28 silencing. In this study, we further explored mechanisms of CD200 shedding beyond that of ADAM28, and performed biochemical analysis of sCD200 using materials derived from purified CLL cells and Hek293 cells stably transfected with CD200, and antibodies generated specifically against either the extracellular or cytoplasmic regions of CD200. CD200 shedding was enhanced by PMA stimulation, and the loss of cell surface CD200 could be monitored as a reduction in CD200 cell surface expression by flow cytometry, in parallel with an increase in the detection of sCD200 in the supernatant. Western blot analyses and functional studies using CD200R1 expressing Hek293 cells showed that the shed CD200 detected in CLL and Hek293-hCD200 supernatants lacked the cytoplasmic domain of CD200 but retained the functional extracellular domain required for binding to, and phosphorylation of, CD200R. These data confirms that a functionally active CD200 extracellular moiety can be cleaved from the surface of CD200 expressing cells following ectodomain shedding.     

转基因植物中RNA介导的病毒抗性机制

介绍了近年来转基因植物中RNA介导的抗性特征和解释这种抗性机制的两种模型,一种是阈值模型,一种是质量模型,并对这两种模型的优缺点进行了讨论.     

Magnetic-Based Fano Resonance by a Trimer with Y-shaped Gap

We introduce a Y-shaped gap into a silver disk to break the structure symmetry which can be looked as a loop-linked structure. Magnetic resonances are excited by incident light when incident electric field is parallel to the trimer plane. Fano resonance is generated by the coupling between bright electric mode and dark magnetic mode. These resonances can be adjusted by tuning the gap size, the radius of trimer, and the position of Y-shaped gap. The extinction cross section of the structure is calculated with the finite element method (FEM). The maximum figure of merit (FOM) is 37.8. Both the magnetic and electric field are greatly enhanced at the Fano dip and the magnetic resonance peak.