Inhibition of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-induced Apoptosis by Silkworm Storage Protein 1

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays essential roles indispensable for cellular activity and survival, including functions such as protein synthesis, secretory and membrane protein folding, and Ca²⁺ release in cells. The ER is sensitive to stresses that can lead to the aggregation and accumulation of misfolded proteins, which eventually triggers cellular dysfunction; severe or prolonged ER stress eventually induces apoptosis. ER stress-induced apoptosis causes several devastating diseases such as atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. In addition, the production of biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies requires the maintenance of normal ER functions to achieve and maintain the production of high-quality products in good quantities. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods to efficiently relieve ER stress and protect cells from ER stress-induced apoptosis. The silkworm storage protein 1 (SP1) has anti-apoptotic activities that inhibit the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. However, the role of SP1 in controlling ER stress and ER stress-induced apoptosis has not been investigated. In this paper, we demonstrate that SP1 can inhibit apoptosis induced by a well-known ER stress inducer, thapsigargin, by alleviating the decrease in cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential. Interestingly, SP1 significantly blocked increases in CHOP and GRP78 expression as well as ER Ca2+ leakage into the cytosol following ER stress induction. This indicates that SP1 protects cells from ER stressinduced apoptosis by functioning as an upstream inhibitor of apoptosis. Therefore, studying SP1 function can offer new insights into protecting cells against ER stress-induced apoptosis for future applications in the biopharmaceutical and medicine industries.     

Constitutive production of human leptin by fed-batch culture of recombinant rpoS- Escherichia coli

High-level production of human leptin by fed-batch culture of recombinant Escherichia coli using constitutive promoter system was investigated. For the constitutive expression of the obese gene encoding human leptin, the strong constitutive HCE promoter cloned from the D-amino acid aminotransferase gene of Geobacillus toebii was used. To develop an optimal host-vector system, several different recombinant E. coli strains were compared for leptin production. In flask cultures, E. coli FMJ123, which is a rpoS mutant strain, showed the highest level of leptin production (41% of total proteins). By comparing the expression levels of leptin in several different rpoS- and rpoS+ strains, it could be concluded that rpoS mutation positively affected constitutive production of leptin. For the large-scale production of human leptin, fed-batch cultures of recombinant E. coli FMJ123 were carried out using three different feeding solutions--chemically defined, yeast extract-containing, and casamino acid-containing feeding solutions. Among these, the use of casamino acid-containing feeding solution allowed production of leptin up to 2.1 g/L, which was 2.1- and 1.8-fold higher than that obtained with chemically defined and yeast extract-contained feeding solutions, respectively. These results suggest that the HCE promoter can be used for the efficient production of leptin, and most likely other recombinant proteins, in a constitutive manner.     

Neural interface with a silicon neural probe in the advancement of microtechnology

In this paper we describe the status of a silicon-based microelectrode for neural recording and an advanced neural interface. We have developed a silicon neural probe, using a combination of plasma and wet etching techniques. This process enables the probe thickness to be controlled precisely. To enhance the CMOS compatibility in the fabrication process, we investigated the feasibility of the site material of the doped polycrystalline silicon with small grains of around 50 nm in size. This silicon electrode demonstrated a favorable performance with respect to impedance spectra, surface topography and acute neural recording. These results showed that the silicon neural probe can be used as an advanced microelectrode for neurological applications.     

Intraoperative tumor-specific fluorescence imaging in ovarian cancer by folate receptor-α targeting: first in-human results

The prognosis in advanced-stage ovarian cancer remains poor. Tumor-specific intraoperative fluorescence imaging may improve staging and debulking efforts in cytoreductive surgery and thereby improve prognosis. The overexpression of folate receptor-α (FR-α) in 90-95% of epithelial ovarian cancers prompted the investigation of intraoperative tumor-specific fluorescence imaging in ovarian cancer surgery using an FR-α-targeted fluorescent agent. In patients with ovarian cancer, intraoperative tumor-specific fluorescence imaging with an FR-α-targeted fluorescent agent showcased the potential applications in patients with ovarian cancer for improved intraoperative staging and more radical cytoreductive surgery.     

Selective C-Rel activation via Malt1 controls anti-fungal T(H)-17 immunity by dectin-1 and dectin-2

C-type lectins dectin-1 and dectin-2 on dendritic cells elicit protective immunity against fungal infections through induction of T(H)1 and T(H)-17 cellular responses. Fungal recognition by dectin-1 on human dendritic cells engages the CARD9-Bcl10-Malt1 module to activate NF-κB. Here we demonstrate that Malt1 recruitment is pivotal to T(H)-17 immunity by selective activation of NF-κB subunit c-Rel, which induces expression of T(H)-17-polarizing cytokines IL-1β and IL-23p19. Malt1 inhibition abrogates c-Rel activation and T(H)-17 immunity to Candida species. We found that Malt1-mediated activation of c-Rel is similarly essential to induction of T(H)-17-polarizing cytokines by dectin-2. Whereas dectin-1 activates all NF-κB subunits, dectin-2 selectively activates c-Rel, signifying a specialized T(H)-17-enhancing function for dectin-2 in anti-fungal immunity by human dendritic cells. Thus, dectin-1 and dectin-2 control adaptive T(H)-17 immunity to fungi via Malt1-dependent activation of c-Rel.     

Fabrication of degradable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) microneedle with laser writing and replica molding process for enhancement of transdermal drug delivery

Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) may provide a more reliable method of drug delivery than oral delivery by avoiding gut absorption and first-pass metabolism, but needs a method for efficiently crossing the epidermal barrier. To enhance the delivery through the skin, we have developed a biocompatible, dissolvable microneedle array made from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Using laser ablation for creating the mold greatly improved the efficiency and reduced the cost of microneedle fabrication. Mixing CMC with amylopectin (AP) enhanced the mechanical and tunable dissolution properties of the microneedle for controlled release of model compounds. Using the CMC microneedle array, we observed significant enhancement in the skin permeability of a fluorescent model compound, and also increase in the anti-oxidant activity of ascorbic acid after crossing the skin. Our dissolvable microneedle array provides a new and biocompatible method for delivery of drugs and cosmetic compounds through the skin.     

Solid cultures of thrips-pathogenic fungi Isaria javanica strains for enhanced conidial productivity and thermotolerance

Entomopathogenic fungi have great potential to control agricultural and horticultural insect pests, however optimizing conidial production systems to demonstrate high productivity and stability still needs additional efforts for successful field application and industrialization. Although many virulent entomopathogenic fungal isolates have been viewed as potential candidates in a laboratory environment, very few of the isolates are being used in practice for application in agricultural fields as commercial products. I. javanicus is an entomopathogenic fungus that is parasitic to various diverse coleopteran and lepidopteran insects and thought good candidate as biopesticdes. In this work, the basic characteristics of two entomopathogenic fungi, I. javanica FG340 and Pf04, were investigated in morphological examinations, genetic identification, and virulence against Thrips palmi, and then the feasibility of various grains substrates for conidial production was assessed, particularly focusing on conidial productivity and thermotolerance. Isaria javanica FG340 and Pf04 conidia were solid-cultured on 12 grains for 14?days in a Petri dish. Of the tested Italian millet, perilla seed, millet and barley-based cultures showed high conidial production. The four-grain media yielded >1?×?10⁹ conidia/g of I. javanica FG340 and Pf04. Pf04 strain had enhanced thermotolerance up to 45?°C when cultured on Italian millet. In application, it was easy to make a conidial suspension using the cultured grains, and several surfactants were tested to release the conidia. This work suggests several possible inexpensive grain substrates by which to promote conidial production combined with enhanced stability against exposure to high temperature.     

Manganese Regulation of Veratryl Alcohol in White Rot Fungi and Its Indirect Effect on Lignin Peroxidase

Many white rot fungi are able to produce de novo veratryl alcohol, which is known to be a cofactor involved in the degradation of lignin, lignin model compounds, and xenobiotic pollutants by lignin peroxidase (LiP). In this study, Mn nutrition was shown to strongly influence the endogenous veratryl alcohol levels in the culture fluids of N-deregulated and N-regulated white rot fungi Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55 and Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM-F-1767, respectively. Endogenous veratryl alcohol levels as high as 0.75 mM in Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55 and 2.5 mM in P. chrysosporium were observed under Mn-deficient conditions. In contrast, veratryl alcohol production was dramatically decreased in cultures supplemented with 33 or 264 (mu)M Mn. The LiP titers, which were highest in Mn-deficient media, were shown to parallel the endogenous veratryl alcohol levels, indicating that these two parameters are related. When exogenous veratryl alcohol was added to Mn-sufficient media, high LiP titers were obtained. Consequently, we concluded that Mn does not regulate LiP expression directly. Instead, LiP titers are enhanced by the increased production of veratryl alcohol. The well-known role of veratryl alcohol in protecting LiP from inactivation by physiological levels of H(inf2)O(inf2) is postulated to be the major reason why LiP is apparently regulated by Mn. Provided that Mn was absent, LiP titers in Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55 increased with enhanced fungal growth obtained by increasing the nutrient N concentration while veratryl alcohol levels were similar in both N-limited and N-sufficient conditions.     

阿哈湖深层水中微生物和硫酸还原菌数量及群落结构空间变化

采用荧光原位杂交法分析了贵州阿哈湖深层水环境中总微生物、真细菌和硫酸盐还原菌数量。结果表明:该湖水中微生物总量为1.6×107个.L-1,真细菌占微生物总量的52.9%,且微生物总量和真细菌数量垂直变化无明显差异。随着水体深度的增加,活性微生物数量增加,且微生物的群落结构更加复杂。阿哈湖深层水体中有一定数量的硫酸盐还原菌存在。     

Variation analysis and gene annotation of eight MHC haplotypes: The MHC Haplotype Project

The human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is contained within about 4 Mb on the short arm of chromosome 6 and is recognised as the most variable region in the human genome. The primary aim of the MHC Haplotype Project was to provide a comprehensively annotated reference sequence of a single, human leukocyte antigen-homozygous MHC haplotype and to use it as a basis against which variations could be assessed from seven other similarly homozygous cell lines, representative of the most common MHC haplotypes in the European population. Comparison of the haplotype sequences, including four haplotypes not previously analysed, resulted in the identification of >44,000 variations, both substitutions and indels (insertions and deletions), which have been submitted to the dbSNP database. The gene annotation uncovered haplotype-specific differences and confirmed the presence of more than 300 loci, including over 160 protein-coding genes. Combined analysis of the variation and annotation datasets revealed 122 gene loci with coding substitutions of which 97 were non-synonymous. The haplotype (A3-B7-DR15; PGF cell line) designated as the new MHC reference sequence, has been incorporated into the human genome assembly (NCBI35 and subsequent builds), and constitutes the largest single-haplotype sequence of the human genome to date. The extensive variation and annotation data derived from the analysis of seven further haplotypes have been made publicly available and provide a framework and resource for future association studies of all MHC-associated diseases and transplant medicine. Horton and Gibson contributed equally to this work.