Metabonomic study of aristolochic acid-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

This paper describes a metabonomic study characterizing the nephrotoxicity induced by aristolochic acid (AA), a suspected kidney toxicant. For these studies, we examined the biochemical compositions of AA-treated rat urine using LC-MS and pattern recognition methods. The biochemical and histological patterns of rat groups treated with different AA sources showed distinct differences from those of the control group. Certain metabolic pathways, such as homocysteine formation and the folate cycle were significantly accelerated, while others, including arachidonic acid biosynthesis, were decreased. A subset-validation procedure using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and selected predictive variables indicated that approximately 95% of the treated and nontreated rat urine samples were classified correctly into their respective treatment groups. The results suggested that this metabonomic approach is a promising methodology for the rapid in vivo screening of nephrotoxicity associated with ingesting multi-ingredient medicinal herb supplements, and provides a valid method for comprehending the chemical-induced perturbations in the metabolic network and the networked lesions.     

Generation of a tumor vaccine candidate based on conjugation of a MUC1 peptide to polyionic papillomavirus virus-like particles

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising vaccine technology due to their safety and ability to elicit strong immune responses. Chimeric VLPs can extend this technology to low immunogenicity foreign antigens. However, insertion of foreign epitopes into the sequence of self-assembling proteins can have unpredictable effects on the assembly process. We aimed to generate chimeric bovine papillomavirus (BPV) VLPs displaying a repetitive array of polyanionic docking sites on their surface. These VLPs can serve as platform for covalent coupling of polycationic fusion proteins. We generated baculoviruses expressing chimeric BPV L1 protein with insertion of a polyglutamic-cysteine residue in the BC, DE, HI loops and the H4 helix. Expression in insect cells yielded assembled VLPs only from insertion in HI loop. Insertion in DE loop and H4 helix resulted in partially formed VLPs and capsomeres, respectively. The polyanionic sites on the surface of VLPs and capsomeres were decorated with a polycationic MUC1 peptide containing a polyarginine-cysteine residue fused to 20 amino acids of the MUC1 tandem repeat through electrostatic interactions and redox-induced disulfide bond formation. MUC1-conjugated fully assembled VLPs induced robust activation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells, which could then present MUC1 antigen to MUC1-specific T cell hybridomas and primary naïve MUC1-specific T cells obtained from a MUC1-specific TCR transgenic mice. Immunization of human MUC1 transgenic mice, where MUC1 is a self-antigen, with the VLP vaccine induced MUC1-specific CTL, delayed the growth of MUC1 transplanted tumors and elicited complete tumor rejection in some animals.     

The effect of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase kappa on the change of cell adhesion and proliferation induced by N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase V

N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT‐V) has been reported to be positively associated with tumor progression, but its mechanism still remains unknown. In the present study, we found that GnT‐V overexpression not only changed the glycosylation of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase kappa (RPTPκ) but also decreased its protein level. Moreover, GnT‐V overexpression decreased cell calcium‐independent adhesion and increased the tyrosine phosphorylation level of β‐catenin, in which RPTPκ played an important role. Since RPTPκ has an RXKR motif, which is a favored cleavage site for furin, we used furin inhibitor to further explore the effect of RPTPκ on the change of cell adhesion and β‐catenin signaling induced by GnT‐V. Our results showed that preventing RPTPκ cleavage rescued the above effects of GnT‐V, suggesting that furin cleavage could be one of the factors for RPTPκ to regulate cell adhesion and β‐catenin signaling in GnT‐V overexpression cell lines. In addition, the increased tyrosine phosphorylation level of β‐catenin was associated with the increased nuclear level of β‐catenin and downstream signaling molecules such as c‐myc and cyclin D1 that were associated with cell proliferation. Our results suggest that GnT‐V could decrease human hepatoma SMMC‐7721 cell adhesion and promote cell proliferation partially through RPTPκ. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 113–123, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

PPAR‐β facilitating maturation of hepatic‐like tissue derived from mouse embryonic stem cells accompanied by mitochondriogenesis and membrane potential retention

Relatively little is known about mitochondria metabolism in differentiating embryonic stem (ES) cells. Present research focused on several elements of cellular energy metabolism in hepatic‐like tissue derived from mouse ES cells. We demonstrated that mitochondrial location patterns and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m) existed in subsequent differentiation of the tissue. Mitochondriogenesis appeared at the early stage and kept a normal ΔΨ_m in differentiated mature hepatocytes. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐α (PPAR‐α) expression was transitorily increased at the beginning, and kept a relatively low level later, which accompanied by expression of PPAR‐γ coactivator (PGC)‐1α, a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. PPAR‐β expression showed robust up‐regulation in the late differentiation course. Enhanced co‐expressions of PPAR‐β and albumin with catalysis of UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) were observed at mature stage. While PPAR‐γ expression changed little before and after differentiation. Mitochondriogenesis could be accelerated by PPAR‐α specific agonist WY14643 and abolished by its antagonist GW6471 at the early stage. Neither of them affected mitochondrial ΔΨ_m and albumin generation in the differentiated hepatocytes. Furthermore, maturation of hepatic‐like tissue and mitochondriogenesis in hepatocyte could be efficiently stimulated by PPAR‐β specific agonist L165041 and abolished by PPAR‐β specific antagonist GSK0660, but not affected by PPAR‐γ specific agonist GW1929. In conclusion, the derived hepatic tissue morphologically possessed cellular energy metabolism features. PPAR‐α seemed only necessary for early mitochondriogenesis, while less important for ΔΨ_m retention in the mature tissue derived. The stimulation of PPAR‐β but not ‐γ enhanced hepatogenesis, hepatocytes maturation, and mitochondriogenesis. PPAR‐β took an important role in cellular energy metabolism of hepatogenesis. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 498–508, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Dammaranes from Gynostemma pentaphyllum and synthesis of their derivatives as inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a key factor in the negative regulation of insulin pathway and a promising target for treatment of diabetes and obesity. Herein, the sapogenin 2b, prepared from the natural triterpene saponin 1b, was modified at 3-position to establish the dammarane derivatives library via esterification, oxidation and reductive amination reaction and evaluated as PTP1B inhibitors. 3-O-para-Carboxylphenyl substituted derivative 5b was found with the best in vitro inhibition activity to protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (IC₅₀ = 0.27 μM), where 3-O-meta-carboxylphenyl substituted 5a exhibited the best selectivity (nearly fivefolds) between PTP1B and T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase.     

Conjugating folic acid to gold nanoparticles through glutathione for targeting and detecting cancer cells

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were modified with glutathione (GSH) to form GSH-capped GNPs, which have carboxyl groups on the surface of these nanoparticles. Then folic acid (FA) was conjugated with GNPs through the reaction between amino group of FA and carboxyl group of GSH. These folic acid-conjugated nanoparticles (FA-GSH-GNPs) were stable in aqueous solution over a broad range of pH and ionic strength values. The targeting of FA-GSH-GNPs in human cervices carcinoma cells (HeLa cells) with high-level folate receptor expression was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). No cellular uptake of these nanoparticles was observed in A549 cells lack of folate receptor. HeLa cells and mouse fibroblasts incubated with FA-GSH-GNPs were assayed by measuring the relative absorbance of the supernatant collected at low-speed centrifugation. Based on this simple spectroscopic method, HeLa cells have been detected with a detection limit of 10² cells/mL.     

乳源活性肽对抗猪瘟病毒抗体IgG、IgA和IgM水平的影响

不同剂量乳源活性肽与2头份猪瘟活疫苗同时分点肌肉注射仔猪,每周一次耳静脉采血,间接ELISA法检测抗猪瘟病毒抗体IgG、IgA和IgM水平.发现乳源活性肽能够明显提高抗猪瘟病毒抗体水平.当乳源活性肽为15 g/L时,与对照组相比,IgG抗体水平在注射后28 d时提高了21.0%,IgA和IgM抗体水平在注射后14 d时分别提高了13.8%和7.8%.实验组腹泻率、发病率和死亡率明显比对照组低,同时发现乳源活性肽具有促进生长的作用.     

Development of HBsAg-Binding Aptamers that bind HepG2.2.15 cells via HBV surface antigen

Hepatitis B virus surface antigen(HBsAg),a specific antigen on the membrane of Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected cells,provides a perfect target for therapeutic drugs.The development of reagents with high affinity and specificity to the HBsAg is of great significance to the early-stage diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection.Herein,we report the selection of RNA aptamers that can specifically bind to HBsAg protein and HBsAg-positive hepatocytes.One high affinity aptamer,HBs-A22,was isolated from an initial ...     

Cd2+ 、Zn2+单一及复合胁迫对凤眼莲根质膜3种氧化还原酶活性的影响

采用水培法研究了不同浓度Cd2+ 、Zn2+单一及复合胁迫(0.05和0.50 mmol·L-1 Cd2+,0.5和5.0 mmol·L-1 Zn2+)对凤眼莲[Eichhornia crassipes (Mart. ) Solms]幼苗根质膜3种氧化还原酶[NADH氧化酶、Fe(CN)63-还原酶和EDTA-Fe3+还原酶]活性的影响. 结果表明, Cd2+ 、 Zn2+单一及复合胁迫对凤眼莲根质膜NADH氧化酶、Fe(CN)63-还原酶及EDTA-Fe3+还原酶活性的影响效应有明显的差异.0.05或0.50 mmol·L-1 Cd2+单一胁迫处理20 h可使凤眼莲根质膜3种氧化还原酶活性均较对照显著降低(P≤0.05),0.5或5.0 mmol·L-1 Zn2+单一胁迫20 h可导致凤眼莲根质膜NADH氧化酶和EDTA-Fe3+还原酶活性也均较对照显著降低(P≤0.05).随胁迫时间的延长,Cd2+ 、 Zn2+单一及复合胁迫处理均可使凤眼莲根质膜氧化还原酶活性增强,胁迫处理20 d时凤眼莲根质膜3种氧化还原酶活性均高于胁迫20 h的活性.Cd2+-Zn2+复合胁迫对凤眼莲根质膜3种氧化还原酶活性的影响效应因作用时间和胁迫浓度的不同而有一定的差异;在胁迫20 h时,Cd2+与Zn2+之间对凤眼莲根质膜3种氧化还原酶活性的作用关系较复杂,因胁迫浓度的不同表现出协同或拮抗的关系;胁迫20 d时,Cd2+与Zn2+对凤眼莲根质膜3种氧化还原酶活性的复合影响表现出明显的拮抗关系.研究结果显示,Cd2+ 、 Zn2+对凤眼莲根质膜氧化还原酶的复合作用效应与Cd2+和Zn2+的浓度比例及胁迫时间均相关.