基于细胞三维培养的气道平滑肌细胞收缩效应检测方法的建立与应用

气道平滑肌细胞(airway smooth muscle cells,ASMCs)是引起哮喘患者气道收缩狭窄、呼吸阻力增加的主要效应细胞。ASMCs收缩效应检测是研究哮喘病理生理机制、评估或研发新的支气管舒张药物的重要实验依据。而常用的活体组织张力检测以及单层培养ASMCs显微镜形态观察等方法存在样品取材或测量误差等问题。该研究利用胶原蛋白凝胶构建气道平滑肌细胞的三维立体培养模型,将凝胶与培养孔壁分离,在不同的时间点记录细胞收缩力作用下凝胶面积的变化值,以此反映ASMCs的收缩效应。结果显示,0.1,1,10 mmol/L的乙酰胆碱(acetylcholine,Ach)刺激后,凝胶面积均显著缩小,随着剂量增加ASMCs的收缩反应增强。提前加入肌球蛋白ATP酶抑制剂BDM(butanedione monoxime),能明显抑制Ach诱导的ASMCs收缩反应,说明该方法的可重复性和准确性好。     

灵长类动物基因编辑技术研究进展

灵长类动物因与人类在遗传、生理和神经功能上的高度相似性而使其在生物医学研究领域中占有非常重要的地位。构建人类疾病的灵长类动物模型,是研究疾病发病机理和探索潜在治疗手段的重要途径,而通过基因编辑的方法获得灵长类动物模型是研究一些遗传性疾病最可靠的方法。灵长类动物基因编辑技术先后经历了传统的转基因和精准基因打靶两个时代。对近年来灵长类动物基因编辑研究进行综述,重点介绍最新的利用核酸酶技术进行精准基因编辑的研究进展。     

渗透胁迫对杜氏盐藻胞内甘油含量及相关酶活性影响

杜氏盐藻(Dunaliella salina)是一种抗渗透能力强的单细胞绿藻, 甘油在其渗透调节过程中发挥重要作用。本实验对5种不同NaCl浓度条件下, 盐藻的生长、细胞内甘油含量及甘油代谢相关酶的活性变化进行了测定。结果表明, NaCl浓度过高或过低均影响盐藻的生长; 高渗胁迫条件下甘油含量迅速增加,3-磷酸甘油磷酸酶的活性和二羟丙酮还原酶催化二羟丙酮转化为甘油的活性明显增加; 而低渗胁迫条件下的甘油含量会迅速降低, 3-磷酸甘油磷酸酶的活性丧失, 二羟丙酮还原酶催化甘油转化为二羟丙酮的活性增加。基于此实验结果, 我们对盐藻渗透胁迫条件下细胞内的甘油代谢过程与其抗渗透胁迫能力的相关性进行了探讨。     

家蚕病原菌LZ10-1的分离鉴定及对鳞翅目害虫的致病性研究

家蚕是一种重要的经济昆虫,家蚕病原细菌造成的蚕病为蚕业生产带来巨大损失。本研究从自然感染病蚕组织中分离得到高致病力的家蚕病原细菌LZ10-1,结合16SrDNA分析和形态学观察结果,菌株LZ10-1为蜡样芽胞杆菌(Bacillus cereus)。对鳞翅目害虫棉铃虫和粘虫添食LZ10-1芽胞原液72h,供试昆虫的矫正死亡率分别为100%和95.7%,表明家蚕病原细菌具有防治农林害虫的潜力,作为杀虫资源具有开发利用的价值。发掘家蚕病原细菌的生防潜力,能提高蚕桑行业现有资源利用,是拓展行业发展新方向的有益探索。     

The use of intensity‐based Doppler variance method for single vessel response to functional neurovascular activation

This study presents 1 use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography technique to examine neurovascular coupling effect. Repeated B‐scans OCT recording is performed on the rat somatosensory cortex with cranial window preparation while its contralateral forepaw is electrically stimulated to activate the neurons in rest. We use an intensity‐based Doppler variance (IBDV) algorithm mapped cerebral blood vessels in the cortex, and the temporal alteration in blood perfusion during neurovascular activation is analyzed using the proposed IBDV quantitative parameters. By using principal component analysis‐based Fuzzy C Means clustering method, the stimulus‐evoked vasomotion patterns were classified into 3 categories. We found that the response time of small vessels (resting diameter 14.9 ±6.6 μm), middle vessels (resting diameter 21.1 ±7.9 μm) and large vessels (resting diameter 50.7 ±6.5 μm) to achieve 5% change of vascular dilation after stimulation was 1.5, 2 and 5.5 seconds, respectively. Approximately 5% peak change of relative blood flow (RBF) in both small and middle vessels was observed. The large vessels react slowly and their responses nearly 4 seconds delayed, but no significant change in RBF of the large vessels was seen.      

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。     

平板混合培养木质纤维素降解菌研究进展

微生物的混合培养已广泛应用于木质纤维素类物质的转化与降解领域.不同木质纤维素降解菌在混合培养时的相互关系在很大程度上影响混合培养的效果.目前对这种相互关系的研究主要依托平板混合培养展开,所用到的平板主要有基础培养基平板和改进培养基平板两种.其中基础培养基平板法主要根据菌落形态、菌丝体颜色、胞外挥发性有机化合物成分和典型胞外酶活性等进行研究,而改进培养基平板则是将基础培养基平板中的碳源更换为天然木质纤维素类物质进行对比研究.本文综述了采用平板混合培养不同木质纤维素降解菌菌株的研究现状和进展,并对该领域研究应重点关注的问题进行了展望.     

The UBAP1 subunit of ESCRT-I interacts with ubiquitin via a SOUBA domain

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Highlights? ESCRT-I subunit UBAP1 is essential for degradation of antiviral protein tetherin ? UBAP1 has a domain consisting of a solenoid of overlapping UBAs (SOUBA) ? Each of the three UBAs in the SOUBA binds monoubiquitin     

Involvement of SSAO-mediated deamination in adipose glucose transport and weight gain in obese diabetic KKAy mice

Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) is located on outer surfaces of adipocytes and endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. This enzyme catalyzes deamination of methylamine and aminoacetone, leading to production of toxic formaldehyde and methylglyoxal, respectively, as well as hydrogen peroxide and ammonium. Several lines of evidence suggest that increased SSAO activity is related to chronic inflammation and vascular disorders related to diabetic complications. We found that a highly potent and selective SSAO inhibitor, (E)-2-(4-fluorophenethyl)-3-fluoroallylamine (FPFA), was capable of reducing numbers of atherosclerotic lesions as well as weight gain in obese KKAy mice fed an atherogenic diet. SSAO inhibitors cause a moderate and long-lasting hyperglycemia. Such an increase in serum glucose is a result of reduction of glucose uptake by adipocytes. SSAO-mediated deamination of endogenous methylamine substrates induces adipocyte glucose uptake and lipogenesis. Highly selective SSAO inhibitors can effectively block induced glucose uptake. The results suggest that increased SSAO-mediated deamination may be concomitantly related to obesity and vascular disorders associated with type 2 diabetes.