Cyclic strain modulates migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells via Rho‐GDIα, Rac1, and p38 pathway

Cyclic strain is an important inducer of proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) which are involved in vascular remodeling during hypertension. However, its mechanism remains to be elucidated. VSMCs of rat aorta were exposed to cyclic strains in vitro with defined parameters, the static, 5%‐strain (physiological) and 15%‐strain (pathological), at 1.25 Hz for 24 h respectively. Then the possible signaling molecules participated in strain‐induced VSMC migration and proliferation were investigated. The results showed that 15%‐strain significantly increased VSMC migration and proliferation in comparison with 5%‐strain. Expression of Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor alpha (Rho‐GDIα) was repressed by 15%‐strain, but expressions of phospho‐Rac1 and phospho‐p38 were increased. Expressions of phospho‐Akt and phospho‐ERK1/2 were similar between the static, 5%‐strain and 15%‐strain groups. Rho‐GDIα “knock‐down” by target siRNA transfection increased migration and proliferation of VSMCs, and up‐regulated phosphorylation of Rac1 and p38 in all groups. Rac1 “knock‐down” repressed migration and proliferation of VSMCs, down‐regulated phosphorylation of p38, but had no effect on Rho‐GDIα expression. When siRNAs of Rho‐GDIα and Rac1 were co‐transfected to VSMCs, the expressions of Rho‐GDIα and phospho‐Rac1 were both decreased, and the effects of Rho‐GDIα “knock‐down” were blocked. Rho‐GDIα “knock‐down” promoted while Rac1 “knock‐down” postponed the assembly of stress fibers and focal adhesions in static. The results demonstrate that the pathological cyclic strain might induce migration and proliferation of VSMCs via repressing expression of Rho‐GDIα, which subsequently verified phosphorylations of Rac1 and p38. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 906–914, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Application of organic solvent system for lipase-catalyzed regioselective benzoylation of 1-<Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine

In this paper, enzymatic regioselective acylation of 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) with vinyl benzoate (VB) using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B in binary organic solvents was explored. It was found that the lipase showed high regioselectivity (> 99%) towards the 5′-OH of ara-C in the representative organic solvent mixture (hexane-pyridine). To understand the enzymatic processes and provide a fair comparison of hexane-pyridine with C₄MIm·PF₆-pyridine (the representative ionic liquid-containing system), the effect of each process variable on the reactions in hexane-pyridine was investigated. The results indicate that the optimum hexane content, initial a _w , molar ratio of VB to ara-C, and temperature were 28% (v/v), 0.11, 15, and 40°C, respectively. Under optimized conditions, the initial reaction rate in hexanepyridine (44.4 mM/h) was much higher than that in C₄MIm·PF₆-pyridine (29.4 mM/h) for each case. The maximum conversion yield, however, was increased when the reaction system was shifted from hexane-pyridine to C₄MIm·PF₆-pyridine. Further study revealed that the presence of an acidic by-product (benzoate acid, released during the acylation process) may cause rapid inactivation of the enzyme in hexane-pyridine, leading to a lower conversion rate, whereas the ionic liquid may have coating and protecting effects on the lipase during the reaction.     

Characterization of a new SCCmec element in Staphylococcus cohnii

Background

Many SCCmec elements of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) could not be typed using multiplex PCR. Such a ‘non-typable’ SCCmec was encountered in a Staphylococcus cohnii isolate.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The SCCmec type of methicillin-resistant S. cohnii clinical isolate WC28 could not be assigned using multiplex PCR. Newly-designed primers were used to amplify ccrA and ccrB genes. The whole SCCmec was obtained by three overlapping long-range PCR, targeting regions from left-hand inverted repeat (IRL) to ccrA/B, from ccrA/B to mecA and from mecA to orfX. The region abutting IRL was identified using inverse PCR with self-ligated enzyme-restricted WC28 fragments as the template. WC28 SCCmec had a class A mec gene complex (mecI-mecR1-mecA). The ccrA and ccrB genes were closest (89.7% identity) to ccrA _SHP of Staphylococcus haemolyticus strain H9 and to ccrB3 (90% identity) of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strain KM241, respectively. Two new genes potentially encoding AAA-type ATPase were found in J1 region and a ψTn554 transposon was present in J2 region, while J3 region was the same as many SCCmec of Staphylococcus aureus. WC28 SCCmec abutted an incomplete SCC element with a novel allotype of ccrC, which was closest (82% identity) to ccrC1 allele 9 in Staphylococcus saprophyticus strain ATCC 15305. Only two direct target repeat sequences, one close to the 3′-end of orfX and the other abutting the left end of WC28 SCCmec, could be detected.

Conclusions/Significance

A new 35-kb SCCmec was characterized in a S. cohnii isolate, carrying a class A mec gene complex, new variants of ccrA5 and ccrB3 and two novel genes in the J1 region. This element is flanked by 8-bp perfect inverted repeats and is similar to type III SCCmec in S. aureus and a SCCmec in S. pseudintermedius but with different J1 and J3 regions. WC28 SCCmec was arranged in tandem with an additional SCC element with ccrC, SCC_WC28, but the two elements might have integrated independently rather than constituted a composite. This study adds new evidence of the diversity of SCCmec in CoNS and highlights the need for characterizing the ‘non-typable’ SCCmec to reveal the gene pool associated with mecA.     

Low level of genetic diversity in cultivated Pigeonpea compared to its wild relatives is revealed by diversity arrays technology

Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity among individuals, populations and gene pools is crucial for the efficient management of germplasm collections and breeding programs. Diversity analysis is routinely carried out using sequencing of selected gene(s) or molecular marker technologies. Here we report on the development of Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) for pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) and its wild relatives. DArT tests thousands of genomic loci for polymorphism and provides the binary scores for hundreds of markers in a single hybridization-based assay. We tested eight complexity reduction methods using various combinations of restriction enzymes and selected PstI/HaeIII genomic representation with the largest frequency of polymorphic clones (19.8%) to produce genotyping arrays. The performance of the PstI/HaeIII array was evaluated by typing 96 accessions representing nearly 20 species of Cajanus. A total of nearly 700 markers were identified with the average call rate of 96.0% and the scoring reproducibility of 99.7%. DArT markers revealed genetic relationships among the accessions consistent with the available information and systematic classification. Most of the diversity was among the wild relatives of pigeonpea or between the wild species and the cultivated C. cajan. Only 64 markers were polymorphic among the cultivated accessions. Such narrow genetic base is likely to represent a serious impediment to breeding progress in pigeonpea. Our study shows that DArT can be effectively applied in molecular systematics and biodiversity studies.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .     

Use of an ionic liquid to improve asymmetric reduction of 4′-methoxyacetophenone catalyzed by immobilized Rhodotorula sp. AS2.2241 cells

Rhodotorula sp. AS2.2241, a newly isolated strain, was used as biocatalyst for asymmetric reduction of 4′-methoxyacetophenone (MOAP) to enantiopure (S)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol {(S)-MOPE}. Despite the improved efficiency of the reaction with immobilized cells compared to free cells, the inhibition of the reaction by substrate and product in monophasic aqueous system proved to be big problem. For high efficient biotransformation, several water-immiscible ionic liquids (ILs) were employed as green solvents to construct ionic liquid-involving biphasic systems. Of the six ILs tested, C₄MIM·PF₆ exhibited the best biocompatibility with the cells, and consequently the biocatalytic reduction proceeded with the fastest initial reaction rate and the highest maximum substrate conversion in the C₄MIM·PF₆-based biphasic system. To better understand the bioreduction conducted in the C₄MIM·PF₆-based biphasic system, various variables that influenced the performance of the reaction were examined. The optimal buffer pH, reaction temperature, volume ratio of buffer to C₄MIM·PF₆ and substrate concentration were 7.5, 25 °C, 4/1 and 40 mM, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, the initial reaction rate, maximum substrate conversion and product e.e. were 1.6 μmol/h, 95.5% and >99%, respectively. Additionally, the cells still remained above 90% of their original activity in the C₄MIM·PF₆-based biphasic system, which was much higher than that in the monophasic buffer system (about 25% of their original activity), after being repeatedly used for 8 batches (50 h per batch), indicating that C₄MIM·PF₆ markedly enhanced the operational stability of the cells.     

MAMMALIAN REMAINS FROM THE PLIOCENE OF THE HANSHUI RIVER BASIN, SHAANXI

<正> A lot of mammalian remains from Yangjiawan village, the Hanshui River basin, Mianxian, Shaanxi, were collected by a field team of IVPP and the Geological Museum of Shaanxi Province in the autumn of 1984. Fossil mammals found in Yangjiawan Formation include 13 species (including three new species) belonging to 12 genera. This paper will give a preliminary study of the mammalian remains and observation of stratigraphic sections of several localities.     

反应介质对脂肪酶稳定性的影响

脂肪酶Ｌｉｐｏｚｙｍｅ~（ＩＭ）在有机溶剂中的热稳定性显著提高。在水溶液中,热处理温度高于５０℃后,其催化甘油三酯水解的活力迅速下降。温度升到６０℃时,水解活力仅残存１３．６％。温度高于７０℃该酶完全失活。而在有机溶剂正庚烷中,温度高达８５℃仍表现出较高的活性。反应介质的疏水性越强,酶抗超声辐射变性作用的能力越强。经同样的超声辐射处理后,正己烷中Ｌｉｐｏｚｙｍｅ~（ＩＭ）的酯水解活力仅损失ｌｌ．８％,而在水溶液中其活力却损失了９５．９％。     

Conformation of the abortifacient protein pinellin: A circular dichroic study

The conformation of pinellin was studied by circular dichroism, which showed a minimum at 223 nm and a double maximum at 198–200 nm. The protein was rich in -sheet (about 40%) with little -helix, based on current CD analyses. It was stable betweenpH 4 and 10 beyond which it unfolded reversibly, but in alkaline solution, prolongly stored at, say,pH 12, it became irreversibly denatured. Thermal denaturation indicated a transition between 55° and 68°C; the solution at 80°C was partially renatured upon air-cooling back to room temperature. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate caused a sharp increase in -helix, which leveled off at 0.25 mM surfactant.     

LPS和PMA诱导小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞的PKC-α和PKC-ε的激活与转位

利用免疫印迹技术及内源性底物磷酸化方法,我们研究了在巨噬细胞的信号传递中起重要作用的PKC同功酶的分布及其在免疫调变剂LPS的刺激下产生的激活和转位。在未激活的巨噬细胞中,PKC-β的含量高于PKC-α和ε,它和PKC-α的分布均是胞质中大于胞膜。以PMA为阳性对照,结果提示LPS介导的抑制性巨噬细胞兔疫调变机制中涉及到了PKC-α和PKC-ε从胞质到膜组份的转让而不是PKC-β(PKC-βⅠ或βⅡ)的转位。应用PKC-依赖的内源性底物磷酸化的分析,结果说明胞质中55 kDa和74 kDa蛋白质磷酸化条带的减弱和膜组份中的类似蛋白质(PMA与LPS的刺激有不同的反应)磷酸化强度的增加,与PKC的转位有着相同的时间梯度。这结果提示在LPS介导的免疫调变信号传递通路中,PKC-α和PKC-ε可能介导了信号的传导及放大。