Induction of transient ion channel-like pores in a cancer cell by antibiotic peptide

The anticancer activity of anti-bacterial cecropins makes them potentially useful as peptide anti-cancer drugs. We used the cell-attached patch to study the effect of cecropin B (CB; having one hydrophobic and one amphipathic alpha-helix) and its derivative, cecropin B3 (CB3; having two hydrophobic alpha-helices) on the membrane of Ags cancer cells. Application of 10-60 microM CB onto the membrane of the cancer cell produces short outward currents. Comparative study with CB3, which induces no outward currents, shows that the amphipathic group of CB is necessary for the pore formation. The results provide a rationale to study the cell-killing activity of antimicrobial peptides at the single cancer cell level.     

极端耐盐放线菌白色普氏菌YIM 90005T四氢嘧啶及5-羟基四氢嘧啶合成相关基因的克隆

摘要：【目的】 为了研究耐盐放线菌对高盐环境的适应机理。【方法】 用HPLC定量检测了极端耐盐、丝状产孢放线菌——白色普氏菌（Prauserella alba） YIM 90005T在不同盐浓度下胞内相容性溶质的种类和含量。【结果】 结果发现,四氢嘧啶和5-羟基四氢嘧啶是其主要的相容性溶质。在培养基NaCl浓度为10%时,四氢嘧啶在胞内累积浓度最大,为18.77 μg/mg干菌体重。之后随NaCl浓度的升高,胞内的四氢嘧啶含量逐渐减少,而5-羟基四氢嘧啶的含量逐渐增加,在该菌耐受的最高NaCl浓度下（24% w/v）,胞内5-羟基四氢嘧啶含量达到最大值,为22.98 μg/mg干菌体重。设计兼并引物,利用染色体步移,克隆得到四氢嘧啶及5-羟基四氢嘧啶合成相关基因ectABCD。序列分析表明,ectABCD位于一个操纵子中。进一步对不同NaCl浓度培养条件下ectB,D的表达量进行定量分析,结果表明该基因簇表达量随着培养基中NaCl浓度的增加而增大。【结论】 研究结果证实5-羟基四氢嘧啶是P. alba YIM 90005T在极高盐浓度条件下起渗透调节及保护的相容性溶质。     

Critical role of Toll‐like receptor 2 in Bacteroides fragilis‐mediated immune responses in murine peritoneal mesothelial cells

In this study, the role of Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) in immune responses of murine peritoneal mesothelial cells against Bacteroides fragilis was investigated. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure cytokines and chemokines. Activation of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB‐α) and mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) was investigated by western blot analysis. B. fragilis induced production of interleukin‐6, chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) and chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) in wild type peritoneal mesothelial cells; this was impaired in TLR2‐deficient cells. In addition, in response to B. fragilis, phosphorylation of inhibitory NF‐κB‐α and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) was induced in wild type mesothelial cells, but not in TLR2‐deficient cells,. Inhibitor assay revealed that NF‐κB and MAPKs are essential for B. fragilis‐induced production of CXCL1 and CCL2 in mesothelial cells. These findings suggest that TLR2 mediates immune responses in peritoneal mesothelial cells in response to B. fragilis.     

MicroRNA-processing enzyme Dicer is required in epicardium for coronary vasculature development

The epicardium is a sheet of epithelial cells covering the heart during early cardiac development. In recent years, the epicardium has been identified as an important contributor to cardiovascular development, and epicardium-derived cells have the potential to differentiate into multiple cardiac cell lineages. Some epicardium-derived cells that undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and delaminate from the surface of the developing heart subsequently invade the myocardium and differentiate into vascular smooth muscle of the developing coronary vasculature. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated broadly in tissue patterning and development, including in the heart, but a role in epicardium is unknown. To examine the role of miRNAs during epicardial development, we conditionally deleted the miRNA-processing enzyme Dicer in the proepicardium using Gata5-Cre mice. Epicardial Dicer mutant mice are born in expected Mendelian ratios but die immediately after birth with profound cardiac defects, including impaired coronary vessel development. We found that loss of Dicer leads to impaired epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and a reduction in epicardial cell proliferation and differentiation into coronary smooth muscle cells. These results demonstrate a critical role for Dicer, and by implication miRNAs, in murine epicardial development.     

Sphingosine kinase regulates the sensitivity of Dictyostelium discoideum cells to the anticancer drug cisplatin

The drug cisplatin is widely used to treat a number of tumor types. However, resistance to the drug, which remains poorly understood, limits its usefulness. Previous work using Dictyostelium discoideum as a model for studying drug resistance showed that mutants lacking sphingosine-1-phosphate (S-1-P) lyase, the enzyme that degrades S-1-P, had increased resistance to cisplatin, whereas mutants overexpressing the enzyme were more sensitive to the drug. S-1-P is synthesized from sphingosine and ATP by the enzyme sphingosine kinase. We have identified two sphingosine kinase genes in D. discoideum--sgkA and sgkB--that are homologous to those of other species. The biochemical properties of the SgkA and SgkB enzymes suggest that they are the equivalent of the human Sphk1 and Sphk2 enzymes, respectively. Disruption of the kinases by homologous recombination (both single and double mutants) or overexpression of the sgkA gene resulted in altered growth rates and altered response to cisplatin. The null mutants showed increased sensitivity to cisplatin, whereas mutants overexpressing the sphingosine kinase resulted in increased resistance compared to the parental cells. The results indicate that both the SgkA and the SgkB enzymes function in regulating cisplatin sensitivity. The increase in sensitivity of the sphingosine kinase-null mutants was reversed by the addition of S-1-P, and the increased resistance of the sphingosine kinase overexpressor mutant was reversed by the inhibitor N,N-dimethylsphingosine. Parallel changes in sensitivity of the null mutants are seen with the platinum-based drug carboplatin but not with doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and etoposide. This pattern of specificity is similar to that observed with the S-1-P lyase mutants and should be useful in designing therapeutic schemes involving more than one drug. This study identifies the sphingosine kinases as new drug targets for modulating the sensitivity to platinum-based drugs.     

角蛋白HGTP及其对羊毛发育的影响

羊毛的主要成分是角蛋白,其组分高甘氨酸-酪氨酸蛋白(HGTP)家族成员KAP6、KAP7和KAP8基因表达对羊毛细度和弯曲等特性具有重要影响。本文从羊毛的组成、角蛋白的生物学特征以及HGTP基因定位和表达对细度的影响等方面进行了综述,旨在为羊毛发育调控研究提供理论参考。     

银杏牛蒡混合发酵食品对小鼠衰老指标的影响

目的：研究一种以银杏叶、牛蒡提取物为主成分的发酵食品(GBF)对小鼠衰老指标的影响。方法：以D-半乳糖造衰老模型,以每只每天0．5ml剂量的GBF对小鼠灌胃,以不喂GBF的衰老模型小鼠为对照,以正常饲养的小鼠为空白对照(CK),42d后研究其对衰老相关指标组织单胺氧化酶、丙二醛含量、羟脯氨酸含量和腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬活性的影响。结果：喂食GBF的小鼠肝,脑组织中单胺氧化酶的活性比对照降低了36．7%和25．1%,丙二醛含量比对照降低了19%和44．6%。差异达到统计学显著水平(p＜0．05);而皮肤组织中羟脯氨酸含量和巨噬细胞吞噬活性分别高于对照28．6%和63．2%,显著高于对照(p＜0．05)。结论：GBF具有显著抗衰老活性。     

黄芪甲苷促进心肌干细胞分化的作用研究

目的 探讨黄芪甲苷对心肌干细胞分化的促进作用。方法 采用磁珠分选法,分离小鼠Sca-1＋心肌干细胞,通过免疫组化方法观察黄芪甲甙处理后心肌细胞表面标志蛋白desmin、α-sarcomeric？actin和C-TnT表达的变化,以判断是否对心肌干细胞分化有促进作用。结果 250 mg/L的黄芪甲甙诱导4周后免疫组化染色显示心肌干细胞明显表达desmin、α-sarcomeric actin和C-TnT。而未诱导的细胞desmin、α-sarcomeric actin、C-TnT 均为阴性。因此黄芪甲甙可以促进小鼠Sca-1＋心肌干细胞分化为心肌样细胞,这些细胞表达心肌特异性的蛋白。结论 黄芪甲苷对心肌干细胞分化的促进作用表明其在心肌损伤性疾病的康复中有潜在的治疗价值,值得进一步研究。