Thiamine deficiency (TD) causes mild impairment of oxidative metabolism and region‐selective neuronal loss in the brain, which may be mediated by neuronal oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and neuroinflammation. TD‐induced brain damage is used to model neurodegenerative disorders, and the mechanism for the neuronal death is still unclear. We hypothesized that autophagy might be activated in the TD brain and play a protective role in TD‐induced neuronal death. Our results demonstrated that TD induced the accumulation of autophagosomes in thalamic neurons measured by transmission electron microscopy, and the up‐regulation of autophagic markers LC3‐II, Atg5, and Beclin1 as measured with western blotting. TD also increased the expression of autophagic markers and induced LC3 puncta in SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. TD‐induced expression of autophagic markers was reversed once thiamine was re‐administered. Both inhibition of autophagy by wortmannin and Beclin1 siRNA potentiated TD‐induced death of SH‐SY5Y cells. In contrast, activation of autophagy by rapamycin alleviated cell death induced by TD. Intraperitoneal injection of rapamycin stimulated neuronal autophagy and attenuated TD‐induced neuronal death and microglia activation in the submedial thalamus nucleus (SmTN). TD inhibited the phosphorylation of p70S6 kinase, suggesting mTOR/p70S6 kinase pathway was involved in the TD‐induced autophagy. These results suggest that autophagy is neuroprotective in response to TD‐induced neuronal death in the central nervous system. This opens a potential therapeutic avenue for neurodegenerative diseases caused by mild impairment of oxidative metabolism.
This article discusses the Chinese legal framework in relation to ship recycling and suggests that the various legislation, standards, and opinions provide disorderly and nosystematic regulation. A uniform law specifically regulating the ship-recycling industry should be adopted by China, with a single competent authority empowered to supervise ship-recycling activities, that will effectively implement the 2009 Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. 相似文献
Recent development of titratable coions has paved the way for realizing all-atom molecular dynamics at constant pH. To further improve physical realism, here we describe a technique in which proton titration of the solute is directly coupled to the interconversion between water and hydroxide or hydronium. We test the new method in replica-exchange continuous constant pH molecular dynamics simulations of three proteins, HP36, BBL, and HEWL. The calculated pKa values based on 10-ns sampling per replica have the average absolute and root-mean-square errors of 0.7 and 0.9 pH units, respectively. Introducing titratable water in molecular dynamics offers a means to model proton exchange between solute and solvent, thus opening a door to gaining new insights into the intricate details of biological phenomena involving proton translocation.Solution pH is an important factor in biology. Although neutral pH in extracellular medium accounts for balanced electrostatics and proper folding of protein structures, pH gradients across cell membranes induce large conformational changes that are necessary for biological functions, such as ATP synthesis and efflux of small molecules out of the cell. To gain detailed insights into pH-dependent conformational phenomena, several constant pH molecular dynamics (pHMD) methods, based on either discrete or continuous titration coordinates, have been developed in the last decade (1–4). In the continuous pHMD (CpHMD) framework (2,4), a set of titration coordinates {λi} are simultaneously propagated along with the conformational degrees of freedom. Although the original CpHMD method based on the generalized Born (GB) implicit-solvent models (2,4) offers quantitative prediction of pKa values and pH dependence of folding and conformational dynamics of proteins (5), its accuracy and applicability to highly charged systems and those with dominantly hydrophobic regions are limited due to the approximate nature of the underlying implicit-solvent models.Motivated by the above-mentioned need, three groups have made efforts to develop a CpHMD method using exclusively the explicit-solvent models (6–8). In our development, the titration of acidic and basic sites is coupled with that of coions to level the total charge of the system (8). To further improve physical realism, here we replace the coions by titratable water molecules, which not only absorb the excess charge but also enable direct modeling of solute-solvent proton exchange in classical molecular dynamics simulations.To illustrate the utility of the new methodology, we applied it to the titration simulations of three proteins that were previously used to benchmark the GB-based CpHMD. Although this work does not explore specific interactions between titratable waters and proteins, the methodology can be further tested or improved to provide a rigorous way for modeling proton transfer in molecular dynamics, which is a computationally efficient alternative to the empirical valence-bond theory-based methodologies (9,10).We define titration of water as:
1.Loss of a proton to give a negatively charged hydroxide,
H2O ? OH? + H+, (1)or
2.Gain of a proton to give a positively charged hydronium,
H2O + H+ ? H3O+.(2)We now couple the titration of hydroxide (Eq. 1) with that of an acidic site of the solute in the CpHMD simulation,(3)The use of hydronium is avoided here to prevent a potential artifact due to prolonged attraction with A−. Analogously, we couple the titration of hydronium (Eq. 2) with that of a basic site,(4)Thus, effectively, a proton is transferred between the solute and solvent. However, we should note that in CpHMD simulations, titratable protons are represented by covalently attached dummies (2,4). Through varying the atomic charges and van der Waals interactions, they are seen by other atoms in the protonated state but not in the unprotonated state (see Table S1 in the Supporting Material). Furthermore, the solution proton concentration is implicitly modeled through a free energy term (2,4).In CpHMD, the reference potential of mean force (PMF) for titration is that of the model compound (blocked single amino acid in water) along λ (2,4). In the presence of cotitrating water molecules, it is necessary to add the PMF for the conversion of water to hydroxide or hydronium. One-nanosecond NPT simulations at ambient pressure and temperature were performed to calculate the average force, 〈dU/d,θ〉 at given θ-values, which are related to λ by λ = sin2θ (see Fig. S1 in the Supporting Material). Thermodynamic integration was then applied to calculate the PMF. We found that the average force can be accurately fit when assuming the PMF is quadratic in λ (Fig. 1). The same applies to the PMFs for titration of models Asp, Glu, and His. After testing on the titration of model compounds (see Table S2), we performed 10-ns all-atom CpHMD simulations with the pH replica-exchange protocol for three proteins: HP36, BBL and HEWL (see the Supporting Material for details). Most of the calculated pKa values were converged in 10 ns per replica (see Fig. S3). Results are summarized in Fig. S4. Based on the 10-ns data, the root-mean-square (RMS) and average absolute errors are 0.9 and 0.7 pH units, respectively, while the largest absolute error is 2.5 (Glu35 of HEWL). Linear regression of the calculation versus experiment gives R2 of 0.8 and slope of 1.2.Open in a separate windowFigure 1Average force and potential of mean force for converting a water molecule to hydroxide (A) and hydronium. (B) (Data points) Average forces. (Dashed curves) Best fits using a linear function, 2A(λ − B). (Solid curves) Corresponding potential of mean force.
Table 1
Calculated and experimental pKa values of three proteins
Residue
Experimenta
GBa
All-atom CpHMD
Time (ns)b
0–1
0–5
5–10
0–10
HP36
Asp44
3.10 (0.01)
3.2 (0.1)
2.0
3.0
2.6 (0.5)
Glu45
3.95 (0.01)
3.5 (0.1)
4.3
4.5
4.4 (0.1)
Asp46
3.45 (0.12)
3.5 (0.1)
2.4
3.7
3.1 (0.6)
Glu72
4.37 (0.03)
3.5 (0.1)
4.4
4.4
4.4 (0.0)
BBL
Asp129
3.88 (0.02)
3.2 (0.0)
2.2
3.2
2.7 (0.5)
Glu141
4.46 (0.04)
4.3 (0.0)
4.0
4.4
4.2 (0.2)
His142
6.47 (0.04)
7.1 (0.0)
5.9
5.8
5.8 (0.0)
Asp145
3.65 (0.04)
2.8 (0.2)
3.0
3.1
3.1 (0.0)
Glu161
3.72 (0.05)
3.6 (0.3)
4.2
3.9
4.0 (0.2)
Asp162
3.18 (0.04)
3.4 (0.3)
2.9
3.5
3.2 (0.3)
Glu164
4.50 (0.03)
4.5 (0.1)
5.7
4.6
5.2 (0.6)
His166
5.39 (0.02)
5.4 (0.1)
4.4
4.4
4.4 (0.0)
HEWL
Glu7
2.6 (0.2)
2.6 (0.1)
3.6
3.4
3.5 (0.1)
His15
5.5 (0.2)
5.3 (0.5)
5.1
5.1
5.1 (0.0)
Asp18
2.8 (0.3)
2.9 (0.0)
2.5
3.3
2.9 (0.4)
Glu35
6.1 (0.4)
4.4 (0.2)
8.5
8.7
8.6 (0.1)
Asp48
1.4 (0.2)
2.8 (0.2)
−0.1
1.1
0.6 (0.6)
Asp52
3.6 (0.3)
4.6 (0.0)
5.4
5.6
5.5 (0.1)
Asp66
1.2 (0.2)
1.2 (0.4)
−0.6
0.8
0.3 (0.7)
Asp87
2.2 (0.1)
2.0 (0.1)
0.8
2.1
1.5 (0.7)
Asp101
4.5 (0.1)
3.3 (0.3)
6.1
5.7
5.9 (0.2)
Asp119
3.5 (0.3)
2.5 (0.1)
3.0
3.3
3.2 (0.1)
Maximum absolute deviation
1.8
2.4
2.6
2.5
Average absolute deviation (RMS deviation)
0.5 (0.7)
1.0 (1.2)
0.6 (0.9)
0.7 (0.9)
Linear fit R2 (slope)
0.7 (0.8)
0.8 (1.4)
0.7 (1.1)
0.8 (1.2)
Open in a separate windowaTaken from Wallace and Shen (12). The pKa''s of BBL were recalculated.bSampling time per pH replica.Breaking the simulations in two halves, we noticed that the second 5-ns sampling gave better agreement with experiment. The RMS deviation is reduced from 1.2 to 0.9 pH units, while the average absolute deviation is reduced from 1.0 to 0.6 pH units. The linear regression against experimental data is also improved, with the slope decreasing from 1.4 to 1.1 although R2 remains the same. Comparing these second-half results with the GB-based simulations, we find that the RMS and average absolute deviations are about the same as the GB-CpHMD results; however, the all-atom simulations show a small systematic overestimation (regression slope >1), whereas GB simulations show a systematic underestimation (regression slope <1).The improvement in the second halves of the simulations are seen mainly for residues involved in attractive electrostatic interactions, including Asp44 and Asp46 of HP36, Asp129 of BBL, and Asp48, Asp66, and Asp87 of HEWL. These residues are initially locked in salt-bridges or hydrogen bonds. However, in the second 5 ns, the attractive interactions weakened, leading to a decrease in the calculated pKa shifts relative to the model values and better agreement with experiment. For instance, Asp44 was initially in a salt-bridge distance from Arg55. However, the salt-bridge positions were sampled less often in the second 5 ns (see Fig. S5), which explains the 1-unit reduction in the calculated pKa shift. Significant fluctuation in ion-pair interactions was also observed in the work by Alexov (11). The carboxyl oxygen of Asp46 was a hydrogen-bond acceptor with both the backbone amide and hydroxyl of Ser43. These hydrogen bonds were less frequently sampled in the second 5 ns (see Fig. S6), leading to a decrease of the pKa shift for Asp46 by 1.3 units. These results indicate that extensive conformational sampling is necessary to give an accurate estimate of the ratio between the charged and neutral populations.Limited conformational sampling is also a contributing factor to the overestimation of the pKa shifts for buried residues (Fig. S7 and Fig. S8). The increase in SASA is correlated with the more frequent sampling of the states with λ close to 1, i.e., the deprotonated form (see Fig. S9). However, because Glu35 was buried in the starting conformation and the transition between buried and exposed states is slow compared to the simulation length, the exposed state may not be sufficiently sampled, leading to overestimation of the pKa shift.In contrast to Glu35, the SASA of Asp52 in HEWL is almost identical for both protonation states. The lack of conformational fluctuation is due to the strong hydrogen bonding with the side-chain amino group of Asn46 and Asn59 (data not shown). Overestimation of the pKa shifts for buried residues can also be attributed to the limitation of the additive force field which underestimates dielectric response in protein environment (more discussion see Supporting Material) of the pKa shifts for buried residues.Finally, to ascertain if the presence of hydroxide/hydronium introduces artifacts, we studied the interaction between hydroxide/hydronium and the titratable sites/ions. Comparing the hydroxide/hydronium with respective chloride/sodium ions, we find that the spatial distributions are nearly identical (see plots of distance distributions and radial distribution functions in Figs. S10–S13). However, the relative occupancy of the hydroxide around the neutral Asp/Glu, positive histidine, or sodium ion is 2–3 times as that of a chloride. The water-bridged interaction between sodium and chloride ions becomes much weaker when chloride is replaced by hydroxide or sodium is replaced by hydronium. By contrast, the occupancy of the hydronium around the solute is similar to that of the sodium. Furthermore, similar pKa results for these proteins were obtained when coions were used instead of titratable waters (data not shown). Thus, we believe that potential artifacts related to the ionized forms of water are negligible. Work is underway to further understand the limitations of the methodology and to explore applications to protein dynamics coupled to proton transfer.In summary, we have developed and tested titratable water models for use in all-atom CpHMD simulations. Although the benchmark pKa calculations indicate a comparable accuracy as the GB-CpHMD method, the all-atom method offers physical rigor and most importantly, it is applicable to systems that cannot be studied with GB-based simulations such as lipids and nucleic acids. We anticipate that the accuracy of this methodology can be further improved by incorporating the new-generation force fields that account for polarization. The coupling between proton titration of water and solute offers a computationally efficient way to model proton transfer in molecular mechanics simulations. 相似文献
A novel actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-M9T, was isolated from soybean root (Glycine max (L.) Merr) and characterized using a polyphasic approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies showed that strain NEAU-M9T belonged to the genus Actinoplanes, being most closely related to Actinoplanes campanulatus DSM 43148T (98.85 %), Actinoplanes capillaceus DSM 44859T (98.70 %), Actinoplanes lobatus DSM 43150T (98.30 %), Actinoplanes auranticolor DSM 43031T (98.23 %) and Actinoplanes sichuanensis 03-723T (98.06 %); similarity to other type strains of the genus Actinoplanes ranged from 95.87 to 97.56 %. The neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate formed a distinct phyletic line with A. campanulatus DSM 43148T and A. capillaceus DSM 44859T. This branching pattern was also supported by the tree constructed with the maximum-likelihood method. However, the low level of DNA–DNA relatedness allowed the isolate to be differentiated from the above-mentioned two Actinoplanes species. Moreover, strain NEAU-M9T could also be distinguished from the most closely related species by morphological, physiological and characteristics. Therefore, it is proposed that strain NEAU-M9T represents a novel Actinoplanes species, Actinoplanes hulinensis sp. nov. The type strain of Actinoplanes hulinensis is NEAU-M9T (= CGMCC 4.7036T = DSM 45728T). 相似文献
The ‘Tanaka‐Kaiyong Line’ (TKL) is a major phytogeographic boundary in Southwest China, separating East Asia's Sino‐Himalayan and Sino‐Japanese Floras. However, little is known about the importance of this boundary in promoting intraspecific phylogeographic subdivision and divergence. Using chloroplast (cpDNA) and nuclear‐intron (nDNA) sequence data, we reconstructed the population history of Sophora davidii, a drought‐tolerant riparian shrub widely distributed on either side of the TKL. Specifically, we aimed at testing two long‐standing explanations for possible vicariant events across the TKL: (i) Late Pliocene (c. 3 Ma) geological uplift of the eastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) or (ii) a sharp environmental gradient associated with the establishment of different monsoon regimes on either side of the TKL during the (Late) Pleistocene. Our genealogical analyses detected a major west–east split in cpDNA, geographically largely consistent with the TKL, and dated to c. 1.28 Ma (95% HPD: 0.21–2.96 Ma), hence postdating the latest phase of eastern QTP uplift. Furthermore, integrating cpDNA phylogeographic patterns with mismatch analyses, we found multiple refugial isolation and long‐term demographic stability of populations in the west (Hengduan Mountain Range) compared with extensive range expansions in the east, possibly during the last glacial period(s) and followed by differentiation into regional sublineages (southeast: Yunnan‐Guizhou Plateau vs. northeast: Qinling Mts./Loess Plateau). Although nuclear differentiation was less marked, the geographical pattern of nDNA haplotypes provided some further indication of the species' eastward expansion, possibly from source populations located just east of the TKL (lower Jinshajiang region). Overall, the present data reject the geological (tectonic) explanation for the TKL and, instead, provide supportive evidence for its role as a climatically driven barrier to present‐day plant dispersal. In addition, our study highlights changing temperatures and vegetation types during the last glacial period(s), along with aspects of regional topography, to be important determinants of the glacial eastward expansion of S. davidii. In consequence, our study lends support to a ‘glacial out‐of‐Hengduan Mts’. hypothesis for the xerophytic‐riparian flora of Southwest China, which in turn is inconsistent with the traditional view of the TKL as a ‘classical’ vicariant‐biogeographic boundary. 相似文献
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an effective molecular target of anti-cancer therapies. Curcumin inhibits cancer cell growth in vitro by suppressing gene expression of EGFR and reduces tumor growth in various animal models. To overcome instable and insoluble properties of curcumin as therapeutics, we designed and synthesized six novel pyrimidine-substituted curcumin analogues with or without a hydroxyl group originally present in curcumin. The cell viability tests indicated that IC50 of the analogues containing hydroxyl group were 3 to 8-fold lower than those of the analogues without hydroxyl group in two colon cancer cell lines tested. Western blot analysis indicates the analogues containing hydroxyl group inhibited expression and tyrosine phosphorylation of EGFR. Further protein analyses showed that the analogues had anti-cellular proliferation, pro-apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest properties associated with suppressed EGFR expression. These results indicate that the hydroxyl groups in curcumin and the analogues were critical for observed biological activities. 相似文献