Expression of single-chain Fv gene specific for gamma-seminoprotein by RTS and its biological activity identification

Fabricating a single-chain variable fragment specific for human seminoprotein is very important in antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy and NMR imaging for prostate cancer. Here a single-chain Fv specific for gamma-seminoprotein was expressed by RTS. Its activity and the efficiency of entry into prostate cancer cells are investigated by immunoprecipitation and Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining, as well as entry of conjugated magnetic beads into cells. Results showed that ScFv peptides specific for gamma-seminoprotein were successfully prepared, which can bind with the prostate cells specifically and can bring magnetic beads into prostate cancer cells within 15 min, the amount of magnetic beads inside prostate cancer cells increased as the culture time prolonged. ScFv-conjugated magnetic beads did not enter into control cells. In conclusion, the ScFv peptide against human gamma-seminoprotein with biological activity was successfully fabricated, which can take magnetic beads to prostate cancer cells specifically and not to the control cells. This ScFv peptide against human gamma-seminoprotein should be useful in improving the detection and therapy of prostate cancer at early stages and NMR imaging.     

A family-based approach to preventing excessive weight gain

Objective: Preventing weight gain in adults and excessive weight gain in children is a high priority. We evaluated the ability of a family‐based program aimed at increasing steps and cereal consumption (for breakfast and snacks) to reduce weight gain in children and adults. Research Methods and Procedures: Families (n = 105) with at least one 8‐ to 12‐year‐old child who was at‐risk‐for‐overweight or overweight (designated as the target child) were recruited for the study. Eighty‐two families were randomly assigned to receive the family‐based intervention and 23 families to the control condition. The 13‐week intervention consisted of specific increases in daily steps (an additional 2000 steps/d) and consumption of 2 servings/d of ready‐to‐eat cereal. Results: The intervention was successful in increasing walking (steps) and cereal consumption. The intervention had positive, significant effects on percentage BMI‐for‐age and percentage body fat for target children and weight, BMI, and percentage body fat for parents. On further analysis, the positive effects of the intervention were seen largely in target girls and moms, rather than in target boys and dads. Discussion: This family‐based weight gain prevention program based on small changes holds promise for reducing excessive weight gain in families and especially in growing overweight children.     

Anthocyanin Accumulation Mediated by Blue Light and Cytokinin in Arabidopsis Seedlings

It has been reported that pigmentation In plants Is stimulated by light and cytoklnln （CTK）; however, the signaling pathways and the relationship between light and CTK Involved In the regulation of anthocyanln accumulation remain to be elucidated. We Investigated （i） the role of blue light （BL） and CTK In anthocyanln accumulation ; and （ii） the relationship between BL and CTK In wild type （WT） and by4 mutants of Arabidopsis thaiiana. Two-d-old seedlings grown on medium with or without klnetln （KT） or zeatln （ZT） In darkness were Irradiated using BL at different fluence rates for 3 d before the anthocyanln content was determined using a spectrophotometrlc method. Anthocyanln accumulation was strongly Induced by BL In WT seedlings but not In hy4 seedlings, which demonstrated that CRY1 Is the main photoreceptor for BL. Both KT and ZT enhanced the response of the WT seedlings to BL In a dose-dependent manner, whereas they were not sufficient to promote anthocyanln eccumulatlon In darkness. In addition, data from experiments using the hy4 mutant showed that the CTK effect of BL was also CRYl-dependent. The results from experiments with three different treatment programs showed that the relationship between BL and KT In anthocyanln accumulation of Arabidopsis seedlings seems neither muItlpllcatlve nor additive coactlon, but rather Interaction. BL Is necessary for anthocyanln accumulation, and KT might be Involved In the BL signaling pathway.     

Atomic force microscopy-based cell nanostructure for ligand-conjugated quantum dot endocytosis

While it has been well demonstrated that quantum dots (QDs) play an important role inbiological labeling both in vitro and in vivo,there is no report describing the cellular nanostructure basis ofreceptor-mediated endocytosis.Here,nanostructure evolution responses to the endocytosis of transferrin(Tf)-conjugated QDs were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM).AFM-based nanostructureanalysis demonstrated that the Tf-conjugated QDs were specifically and tightly bound to the cell receptorsand the nanostructure evolution is highly correlated with the cell membrane receptor-mediated transduction.Consistently,confocal microscopic and flow cytometry results have demonstrated the specificity anddynamic property of Tf-QD binding and internalization.We found that the internalization of Tf-QD is linearlyrelated to time.Moreover,while the nanoparticles on the cell membrane increased,the endocytosis was stillvery active,suggesting that QD nanoparticles did not interfere sterically with the binding and function ofreceptors.Therefore,ligand-conjugated QDs are potentially useful in biological labeling of cells at a nanometerscale.     

Enrichment of phosphopeptides by Fe3+-immobilized mesoporous nanoparticles of MCM-41 for MALDI and nano-LC-MS/MS analysis

Fe3+-immobilized mesoporous molecular sieves MCM-41 with particle size of ca. 600 nm and pore size of ca. 3 nm is synthesized and applied to selectively trap and separate phosphopeptides from tryptic digest of proteins. For the capture of phosphopeptides, typically 10 microL of tryptic digest solution was first diluted to 1 mL by solution of ACN/0.1% TFA (50:50, v/v) and incubated with 10 microL of 0.1% acetic acid dispersed Fe3+-immobilized MCM-41 for 1 h under vibration. Fe3+-immobilized MCM-41 with trapped phosphopeptides was separated by centrifugation. The deposition was first washed with a volume of 300 microL of solution containing 100 mM NaCl in ACN/0.1% TFA (50:50, v/v) and followed by a volume of 300 microL of solution of 0.1% acetic acid to remove nonspecifically bound peptides. The nanoparticles with trapped phosphopeptides are mixed with 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB) and deposited onto the target for analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). It was found that phosphopeptides from tryptic digest of alpha-casein and beta-casein are effectively and specifically trapped on Fe3+-immobilized MCM-41 with few peptides nonspecifically adsorbed. After the extraction by Fe3+-immobilized MCM-41, the suppression to the detection of phosphopeptides caused by abundant nonphosphopeptides from tryptic digest is effectively eliminated, and the detection of phosphopeptides by MALDI is greatly enhanced with the value of signal-to-noise (S/N) increased by more than an order of magnitude. It is demonstrated that the mechanism of the adsorption of phosphopeptides on Fe3+-immobilized MCM-41 is based on the interaction between the Fe3+ and the phosphate group. Finally, Fe3+-immobilized MCM-41 is applied to extract phosphopeptides from tryptic digest of the lysate of mouse liver for phosphoproteome analysis by nano-LC-MS/MS.     

Protective immunity induced by a LLO‐deficient Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a food‐borne pathogen able to cause serious disease in human and animals. Listeriolysin O (LLO), a major virulence factor secreted by this bacterium, is a vacuole‐specific lysin that facilitates bacterial entrance into the host cytosol. Thus, LLO plays a key role in the translocation and intracellular spread of L. monocytogenes. To study the effect of LLO on virulence and immunopotency, a LLO‐deficient L. monocytogenes mutant was constructed using a shuttle vector followed by homologous recombination. The mutant strain had lost hemolytic activity, which resulted in an extremely reduced virulence, 5 logs lower than that of the parent strain, yzuLM4, in BALB/c mice. The number of bacteria detected in the spleens and livers of mice infected with the mutant was greatly reduced, and the bacteria were rapidly eliminated by the host. Kinetics studies in this murine model of infection showed that the invasion ability of the mutant strain was much lower than that of the parent strain. Moreover, immunization with the mutant strain conferred protective immunity against listerial infection. In particular, stimulation with Ag85B_240‐259, strong specific Th1 type cellular immunity was elicited by vaccination C57BL/6 mice with hly deficient strain delivering Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion antigen Ag85B‐ESAT‐6 via intravenous inoculation. These results clearly show that highly attenuated LLO‐deficient L. monocytogenes is an attractive vaccine carrier for delivering heterologous antigens.     

组蛋白甲基化及其与肿瘤间的关系

组蛋白甲基化修饰是表观遗传学的重要研究领域之一,主要可分为精氨酸甲基化和赖氨酸甲基化两种。越来越多的证据表明组蛋白甲基化功能异常与肿瘤的发生发展密切相关,而且这种甲基化修饰过程是可逆的。对组蛋白甲基化的进一步研究,不仅有助于深入了解基因表达、调控、遗传等生理机制,而且对于肿瘤等重大疾病的诊断、防治和预后判断有重要意义。本文对组蛋白甲基转移酶、去甲基化酶及其与肿瘤发生发展的关系予以综述。     

Design and synthesis of Hsp90 inhibitors: Exploring the SAR of Sansalvamide A derivatives

Utilizing the structure–activity relationship we have developed during the synthesis of the first two generations and mechanism of action studies that point to the interaction of these molecules with the key oncogenic protein Hsp90, we report here the design of 32 new Sansalvamide A derivatives and their synthesis. Our new structures, designed from previously reported potent compounds, were tested for cytotoxicity on the HCT116 colon cancer cell line, and their binding to the biological target was analyzed using computational studies involving blind docking of derivatives using Autodock. Further, we show new evidence that our molecules bind directly to Hsp90 and modulate Hsp90’s binding with client proteins. Finally, we demonstrate that we have integrated good ADME properties into a new derivative.     

蛋白质复合体非变性凝胶电泳技术及其应用新进展

非变性凝胶电泳技术是研究蛋白质复合体的强有力工具。重点介绍了蓝绿温和非变性凝胶电泳(BN-PAGE)技术的原理和特点,比较了由BN-PAGE衍生的蓝色温和琼脂糖凝胶电泳、清澈温和非变性凝胶电泳(CN-PAGE)和高分辨清澈温和非变性凝胶电泳(HrCN-PAGE)技术的差异和适用范围,并概括地介绍了这些技术在植物蛋白质复合体研究中应用的新进展。