Binding of wogonin to human gammaglobulin

The binding of wogonin to HGG was studied by spectroscopic method including circular dichroism (CD), fourier transformation infrared spectra (FT-IR), fluorescence spectra. The binding parameters and the thermodynamic parameters for the reaction have been calculated according to Sips method and Gibbs-Helmholtz equation, respectively, at different temperatures. AutoDock3.05 program was used to calculate the interaction modes between the drug and HGG. The Sips plots indicated that the binding of HGG to wogonin at 297, 304, 310 and 317 K is characterized by two binding sites with the average affinity constant Ko at 2.102x10(4), 2.078x10(4), 1.956x10(4) and 1.931x10(4), respectively. The binding process was exothermic, spontaneous and entropy driven, as indicated by the thermodynamic analyses, and the major part of binding energy is electrostatic interaction accompanied by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bond. The secondary structure compositions of free HGG and its wogonin complexes were estimated by the FT-IR spectra and the curve-fitted results of amide I band, which are in good agreement with the analyses of CD spectra. Furthermore, the average binding distance between wogonin and HGG (5.60 nm) was obtained on the basis of the theory of F?rster energy transfer.     

Diagnostic value of nucleic acid amplification tests on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis: a meta-analysis

The diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (SNPT) remains a clinical challenge. Many studies suggest that nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) plays a role in diagnosing SNPT, but with considerable varying results. The current study aimed to summarize the overall diagnostic accuracy of NAATs assay on BALF for SNPT. A systematic literature search was performed and data were retrieved. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. A summary receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the overall diagnostic performance. All the statistical analysis was performed by using STATA 12.0 and Meta-DiSc 1.4 software. A total of nine studies with 1214 subjects were included this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR were 0.54 [95% CI (confidence interval): 0.48–0.59], 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.98), 12.13 (95% CI: 8.23–17.88), 0.36 (95% CI: 0.23–0.56) and 44.71 (95% CI: 22.30–89.63) respectively. The AUC was 0.96. Estimated positive and negative post-probability values for a SNPT prevalence of 20% were 82% and 7% respectively. No publication bias was identified. Current available evidence indicated that NAATs on BALF may play a role in diagnosing SNPT, whereas the results should be interpreted in parallel with clinical information of patients and the results of traditional tests. Further studies should be performed to confirm our findings.     

基于荧光染料PicoGreen和核酸适配体的伏马毒素B1检测方法

伏马毒素B1是主要存在于玉米及玉米制品中的一种可以引起癌症的霉菌毒素。针对霉菌毒素精准检测技术的开发对于保障食品安全至关重要。本研究利用核酸适配体与伏马毒素B1结合后不再结合其互补核酸序列的选择性以及Pico Green与双链DNA结合的特异性,开发了一种快速检测伏马毒素B1的适配体方法。Pico Green与双链DNA反应15 min后激发产生的荧光达到峰值(激发波长为480 nm,发射波长为520 nm)。该方法的最低检测限为0.1μg/L(0.1 ppb),线性范围为0.1-1μg/L(0.1-1 ppb),整个检测流程可在40 min内完成。特异性试验显示伏马毒素B1适配体与黄曲霉毒素B1、赭曲霉毒素、桔毒素和玉米赤霉烯酮等常见霉菌毒素无交叉反应。结果表明适配体方法与基于抗体的检测伏马毒素B1商品化ELISA试剂盒相当,Kappa值为0.857。由于核酸适配体比抗体成本低,检测时间短,因此基于核酸适配体的方法比基于抗体的ELISA方法更具有推广应用价值。     

Focal adhesion kinase signaling pathway is involved in mechanotransduction in MG-63 cells

Interstitial fluid flow, generated upon induced movement of extracellular fluid after mechanical loading, activates many signal transduction pathways in bone cells. The mechanisms of mechanobiology in bone tissue are still not clearly understood. Recently focal adhesion kinase (FAK) was shown to be involved in mechanotransduction in a number of cells. This study was designed to characterize the functional roles of FAK in mediating osteoblast response to mechanical steady-state fluid shear stress (FSS). We reported here that FSS (15 dynes/cm²) induced activation of FAK and formation of FAK·Grb2·Sos ternary complex in MG-63 cells, which was necessary for activation of the downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway signaling molecules extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Our results also showed that transfection of FAK (F397Y) plasmid, a negative mutant of FAK, blocked the increased expression of binding factor alpha 1, osterix, osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase induced by FSS in MG-63 cells. These results demonstrate that FAK signaling is critical for FSS-induced activation of ERK and JNK, and for promotion of osteoblast differentiation and osteogenesis via its association with Grb2/Sos complex.     

Molecular Characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae Isolated from Bovine Mastitis in Eastern China

One hundred and two Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus [GBS]) isolates were collected from dairy cattle with subclinical mastitis in Eastern China during 2011. Clonal groups were established by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), respectively. Capsular polysaccharides (CPS), pilus and alpha-like-protein (Alp) family genes were also characterized by molecular techniques. MLST analysis revealed that these isolates were limited to three clonal groups and were clustered in six different lineages, i.e. ST (sequence type) 103, ST568, ST67, ST301, ST313 and ST570, of which ST568 and ST570 were new genotypes. PFGE analysis revealed this isolates were clustered in 27 PFGE types, of which, types 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 18, 23 and 25 were the eight major types, comprising close to 70% (71/102) of all the isolates. The most prevalent sequence types were ST103 (58% isolates) and ST568 (31% isolates), comprising capsular genotype Ia isolates without any of the detected Alp genes, suggesting the appearance of novel genomic backgrounds of prevalent strains of bovine S. agalactiae. All the strains possessed the pilus island 2b (PI-2b) gene and the prevalent capsular genotypes were types Ia (89% isolates) and II (11% isolates), the conserved pilus type providing suitable data for the development of vaccines against mastitis caused by S. agalactiae.     

外源氯胁迫对甘薯幼苗光合特性的影响

采用温室水培方法,以甘薯品种‘徐薯22’,‘苏薯11’和‘宁紫1号’为材料,外源氯(0、42.2、84.4、168.8、211mmol.L-1)胁迫处理7d、14d和21d,测定其生理生化及气体交换参数,探讨Cl-对甘薯幼苗生长以及光合特性的影响。结果表明:(1)‘徐薯22’叶面积与主蔓生长速率受外源氯胁迫而降低但仍维持在一定水平,而‘苏薯11’和‘宁紫1号’则在低浓度Cl-(≤84.4mmol.L-1)处理下高于对照。(2)3个甘薯品种叶片净光合速率(Pn)及光合色素含量在42.2mmol.L-1 Cl-处理下均高于对照;导致‘徐薯22’光合能力降低的主要因素为非气孔限制,而‘苏薯11’和‘宁紫1号’兼有气孔限制和非气孔限制因素,在短期或低浓度Cl-处理条件下以气孔限制因素为主。(3)处理21d时,甘薯幼苗根系氯离子含量低于14d且氯离子向地上部运输比率(SCl)上升;‘徐薯22’积累Cl-含量低于‘苏薯11’和‘宁紫1号’。研究发现:外源氯低浓度短期处理利于甘薯幼苗生长及光合作用的进行;在胁迫初期甘薯可有效抑制Cl-向地上部转运,但在处理第3周该抗逆性明显减弱;甘薯对氯胁迫的耐受性存在基因型差异,本实验中以‘徐薯22’耐性较强。     

Differential expression of signaling pathways in odontogenic differentiation of ectomesenchymal cells isolated from the first branchial arch

The aim of this study was to screen for differential expression of signaling pathways in odontogenic differentiation of ectomesenchymal cells isolated from the first branchial arch of embryonic day 10 (E10) mice by real time RT-PCR microarray. Observations of cellular morphology, immunocytochemistry, and RT-PCR were used to identify the cell source. A real time RT-PCR microarray was then used to detect the differential expression of signaling pathways in cells dissected from animals at two different developmental stages. These assays identified 25 up-regulated genes and 16 down-regulated genes involved in odontogenic differentiation of the ectomesenchymal cells of the first branchial arch. They represented the main members of Wnt, Hedgehog, TGF-β, NF-κB, and LDL signaling pathways. This study determined that these signaling pathways are important for odontogenic differentiation of ectomesenchymal cells of the first branchial arch.