MAPKs对磷酸酶MKP1-CD催化的激活作用研究

目的:丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases, MAPKs)是细胞内重要的信号传导通路,双位点特异性磷酸酶(Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Phosphatases, MKPs)去磷酸化MAPKs,负调控MAPKs的信号传递。在MKPs去磷酸化MAPKs的过程中,MAPKs同时会激活部分MKPs的催化能力,MKP1便是其中之一。本文旨在比较三种经典MAPKs底物,ERK2、JNK1和p38α对MKP1磷酸酶催化能力的激活效果,进一步理解MAPKs与MKP1的底物特异性机制。方法:以p NPP为底物,检测在不同浓度的非磷酸化ERK2、JNK1和p38α存在下,MKP1-CD催化结构域片段蛋白质去磷反应速度的变化,对比所得的动力学参数以确定MAPKs对MKP1激活程度的差异。结果:ERK2和JNK1能够激活MKP1的催化活力,将催化速率提升1.5～2倍,而ERK2与MKP1的结合力比JNK1弱约6倍;p38α则没有观察到对MKP1去磷酸化能力的激活效果。结论:三种经典MAPKs中,ERK2和JNK1能够激活MKP1催化活力,而p38α则无法激活MKP1,进一步揭示了MAPKs和MKPs间的特异性相互作用,以及底物对MKPs活力的影响。     

牙周超声治疗仪联合头孢克洛治疗牙周炎的临床研究

目的:研究牙周超声治疗仪联合头孢克洛治疗牙周炎患者的临床效果。方法:选择2016年1月～2018年6月我院收治的70例牙周炎患者,共有患牙103颗,将其随机分为两组。对照组采用牙周超声治疗仪治疗,观察组在牙周超声治疗后联合口服头孢克洛,每次0.25 g,每8 h给药1次。比较两组治疗前后的咬合指标(咬合创伤指数(TOI)和咬合时间(OT))、牙周指标(附着水平(AL)、探诊深度(PD)、临床附着丧失(CAL)和出血指数(BI))、血清炎性指标(白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β)和肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α))水平的改变情况。结果:治疗后,观察组的有效率明显高于对照组(91.43%vs. 74.28%,P0.05);两组治疗后的TOI、OT、AL、PD、CAL、BI、血清IL-1β和TNF-α水平均较治疗前明显降低(P0.05),且观察组以上指标均明显低于对照组(P0.05)。结论:牙周超声治疗仪联合头孢克洛治疗牙周炎患者的疗效,明显优于单用牙周超声治疗仪治疗,其可有效改善患者的牙周状况和咬合指标,并且能减轻炎症反应。     

Effect of Xanthan Gum on the Freeze-Thaw Stability of Wheat Gluten

Food Biophysics - The effect of xanthan gum on the freeze-thaw stability of wheat gluten was evaluated during a 60-day storage period at −18 °C with thawing every...     

Underestimated ecosystem carbon turnover time and sequestration under the steady state assumption: A perspective from long‐term data assimilation

It is critical to accurately estimate carbon (C) turnover time as it dominates the uncertainty in ecosystem C sinks and their response to future climate change. In the absence of direct observations of ecosystem C losses, C turnover times are commonly estimated under the steady state assumption (SSA), which has been applied across a large range of temporal and spatial scales including many at which the validity of the assumption is likely to be violated. However, the errors associated with improperly applying SSA to estimate C turnover time and its covariance with climate as well as ecosystem C sequestrations have yet to be fully quantified. Here, we developed a novel model‐data fusion framework and systematically analyzed the SSA‐induced biases using time‐series data collected from 10 permanent forest plots in the eastern China monsoon region. The results showed that (a) the SSA significantly underestimated mean turnover times (MTTs) by 29%, thereby leading to a 4.83‐fold underestimation of the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in these forest ecosystems, a major C sink globally; (b) the SSA‐induced bias in MTT and NEP correlates negatively with forest age, which provides a significant caveat for applying the SSA to young‐aged ecosystems; and (c) the sensitivity of MTT to temperature and precipitation was 22% and 42% lower, respectively, under the SSA. Thus, under the expected climate change, spatiotemporal changes in MTT are likely to be underestimated, thereby resulting in large errors in the variability of predicted global NEP. With the development of observation technology and the accumulation of spatiotemporal data, we suggest estimating MTTs at the disequilibrium state via long‐term data assimilation, thereby effectively reducing the uncertainty in ecosystem C sequestration estimations and providing a better understanding of regional or global C cycle dynamics and C‐climate feedback.     

L‐type voltage‐gated calcium channels in stem cells and tissue engineering

L‐type voltage‐gated calcium ion channels (L‐VGCCs) have been demonstrated to be the mediator of several significant intracellular activities in excitable cells, such as neurons, chromaffin cells and myocytes. Recently, an increasing number of studies have investigated the function of L‐VGCCs in non‐excitable cells, particularly stem cells. However, there appear to be no systematic reviews of the relationship between L‐VGCCs and stem cells, and filling this gap is prescient considering the contribution of L‐VGCCs to the proliferation and differentiation of several types of stem cells. This review will discuss the possible involvement of L‐VGCCs in stem cells, mainly focusing on osteogenesis mediated by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different tissues and neurogenesis mediated by neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs). Additionally, advanced applications that use these channels as the target for tissue engineering, which may offer the hope of tissue regeneration in the future, will also be explored.     

Functional analyses of an axonemal inner‐arm dynein complex in the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei uncover its essential role in cytokinesis initiation

The flagellated eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei alternates between the insect vector and the mammalian host and proliferates through an unusual mode of cell division. Cell division requires flagellum motility‐generated forces, but flagellum motility exerts distinct effects between different life cycle forms. Motility is required for the final cell abscission of the procyclic form in the insect vector, but is necessary for the initiation of cell division of the bloodstream form in the mammalian host. The underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we carried out functional analyses of a flagellar axonemal inner‐arm dynein complex in the bloodstream form and investigated its mechanistic role in cytokinesis initiation. We showed that the axonemal inner‐arm dynein heavy chain TbIAD5‐1 and TbCentrin3 form a complex, localize to the flagellum, and are required for viability in the bloodstream form. We further demonstrated the interdependence between TbIAD5‐1 and TbCentrin3 for maintenance of protein stability. Finally, we showed that depletion of TbIAD5‐1 and TbCentrin3 arrested cytokinesis initiation and disrupted the localization of multiple cytokinesis initiation regulators. These findings identified the essential role of an axonemal inner‐arm dynein complex in cell division, and provided molecular insights into the flagellum motility‐mediated cytokinesis initiation in the bloodstream form of T. brucei.