Targeting NADPH Oxidase and Phospholipases A2 in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is marked by an increase in the production of extracellular beta amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles associated with a decline in brain function. Increases in oxidative stress are regarded as an early sign of AD pathophysiology, although the source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the mechanism(s) whereby beta amyloid peptides (Aβ) impact oxidative stress have not been adequately investigated. Recent studies provide strong evidence for the involvement of NADPH oxidase and its downstream oxidative signaling pathways in the toxic effects elicited by Aβ. ROS produced by NADPH oxidase activate multiple signaling pathways leading to neuronal excitotoxicity and glial cell-mediated inflammation. This review describes recent studies demonstrating the neurotoxic effects of Aβ in conjunction with ROS produced by NADPH oxidase and the downstream pathways leading to activation of cytosolic phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) and secretory PLA₂. In addition, this review also describes recent studies using botanical antioxidants to protect against oxidative damage associated with AD. Investigating the metabolic and signaling pathways involving Aβ NADPH oxidase and PLA₂ can help understand the mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative effects of oxidative stress in AD. This information should provide new therapeutic approaches for prevention of this debilitating disease.     

Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway modulates mouse oocyte meiotic maturation and fertilization via regulation of MAPK cascade and cyclin B1 degradation

Degradation of proteins mediated by ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) plays important roles in the regulation of eukaryotic cell cycle. In this study, the functional roles and regulatory mechanisms of UPP in mouse oocyte meiotic maturation, fertilization, and early embryonic cleavage were studied by drug-treatment, Western blot, antibody microinjection, and confocal microscopy. The meiotic resumption of both cumulus-enclosed oocytes and denuded oocytes was stimulated by two potent, reversible, and cell-permeable proteasome inhibitors, ALLN and MG-132. The metaphase I spindle assembly was prevented, and the distribution of ubiquitin, cyclin B1, and polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) was also distorted. When UPP was inhibited, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/p90rsk phosphorylation was not affected, but the cyclin B1 degradation that occurs during normal metaphase-anaphase transition was not observed. During oocyte activation, the emission of second polar body (PB2) and the pronuclear formation were inhibited by ALLN or MG-132. In oocytes microinjected with ubiquitin antibodies, PB2 emission and pronuclear formation were also inhibited after in vitro fertilization. The expression of cyclin B1 and the phosphorylation of MAPK/p90rsk could still be detected in ALLN or MG-132-treated oocytes even at 8 h after parthenogenetic activation or insemination, which may account for the inhibition of PB2 emission and pronuclear formation. We also for the first time investigated the subcellular localization of ubiquitin protein at different stages of oocyte and early embryo development. Ubiquitin protein was accumulated in the germinal vesicle (GV), the region between the separating homologous chromosomes, the midbody, the pronuclei, and the region between the separating sister chromatids. In conclusion, our results suggest that the UPP plays important roles in oocyte meiosis resumption, spindle assembly, polar body emission, and pronuclear formation, probably by regulating cyclin B1 degradation and MAPK/p90rsk phosphorylation.     

云南红豆杉紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶基因的克隆及定性

通过RACE技术,克隆了云南红豆杉紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶基因(TyTBT),该酶催化2-去苯甲酰-7,13-二乙酰巴卡亭Ⅲ生成7,13-二乙酰巴卡亭Ⅲ,是紫杉醇合成途径中的关键酶之一.TyTBT基因cDNA全长1481 bp,含有1 320 bp的开放读码框,编码440个氨基酸的多肽,分子量为50 050 Da,等电点为6.17.氨基酸序列比对表明TyTBT同植物酰化酶家族的其它成员有较高的相似性,超过67%,同东北红豆杉和曼地亚红豆杉的紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶氨基酸序列的一致性和相似性达到最高,分别为95%和96%.广泛地比对分析证明这种较高的相似性在红豆杉属的其它酶家族中具有普遍性,进化树分析表明同东北红豆杉和曼地亚红豆杉的紫杉烷2α-O-苯甲酰转运酶(TBT)的相似性高于紫杉醇合成途径中的其它酰化酶.     

A combined approach for improving alkaline acetyl xylan esterase production in Pichia pastoris, and effects of glycosylation on enzyme secretion, activity and stability

High level expression of axe1, a gene previously cloned from Volvariella volvacea that encodes an acetyl xylan esterase with two potential N-linked glycosylation sites, has been achieved in Pichia pastoris using a codon-optimized axe1 synthesized by the primer extension PCR procedure. The GC content of the codon-optimized axe1 was 48.62% compared with 55.49% in the native gene. Using the codon-optimized construct, AXE1 expression in P. pastoris was increased from an undetectable level to 136.45U/ml six days after induction of yeast cultures grown in BMMY medium. A further increase (to 463U/ml) was achieved when conditions for yeast culture were optimized as follows: 2.8% methanol, 0.63% casamino acids, and pH 8.0. This latter value represented a 3.4-fold and 246-fold increase in the enzyme levels recorded in non-optimized P. pastoris cultures and in rice straw-grown cultures of V. volvacea, respectively. N-linked glycosylation played an essential role in AXE1 secretion but had only a slight effect on the catalytic activity and stability of the recombinant enzyme.     

Wnt/β-catenin信号通路在博来霉素诱导的系统性硬化症小鼠模型血管重塑中的作用

系统性硬化症(systemic sclerosis,SSc)是一种慢性可累及全身多脏器的自身免疫性疾病,以广泛的血管病变及皮肤和内脏的纤维化为特征,但其机制迄今尚不明确。已有研究证实,Wnt通路参与了SSc纤维化,但其在血管病变中的病理作用尚未见报道。本研究拟采用博来霉素(bleomycin,BLM)诱导的SSc小鼠模型,探讨Wnt通路在SSc皮肤血管病变中的作用。将18只Balb/C小鼠随机平均分为3组,分别设为对照组(于小鼠背部皮下注射PBS 100 μL/d)、模型组(于小鼠背部皮下注射浓度为 1 mg/mL 博来霉素BLM 100 μL/d)和治疗组(于小鼠背部皮下注射 1 mg/mL BLM 100 μL/d,同时腹腔注射Wnt及β-catenin的抑制剂 iCRT3 5 mg/kg·d),于造模第28 d处死小鼠。小鼠皮肤取材后,通过HE染色及Masson染色观察到经BLM诱导的模型组小鼠背真皮、表皮厚度较对照组皮肤均明显增加(P<0.05),同时模型组的皮脂腺、毛囊等皮肤附属器明显减少,脂肪层厚度变薄并被纤维组织包绕,模型组皮肤胶原沉积较对照组增加;通过免疫组织化学染色在组织学层面鉴定α-SMA表达情况,发现模型组及治疗组α-SMA在皮肤组织中均高表达,α-SMA阳性表达在血管周围较对照组明显增加;通过ELISA方法检测出模型组小鼠血清中IL-6及IL-17表达量较对照组明显升高(P<0.05),治疗组小鼠血清中IL-6及IL-17的表达量较模型组明显下降(P<0.05);提取皮肤微血管片段,通过q-PCR检测到模型组及治疗组小鼠皮肤微血管中β-联蛋白的mRNA基因表达水平较正常组升高;通过Western印迹检测皮肤微血管Wnt5A、β-联蛋白、α-SMA、col1A1的蛋白质表达情况,发现纤维化相关蛋白质α-SMA及col1A1在模型组表达升高,较对照组有统计学差异(P<0.05),治疗组较模型组表达下降(P<0.05),Wnt通路相关蛋白质β-联蛋白及Wnt5A在模型组表达明显升高,较之对照组有统计学差异(P<0.05)。本研究提示,BLM能成功诱导小鼠系统性硬化症皮肤表型,Wnt通路的异常激活参与了BLM诱导的硬皮病小鼠皮肤微血管病变,特异性Wnt通路抑制剂iCRT3可能通过直接或间接的方式下调细胞因子IL-6及IL-17,从而降低BLM诱导的小鼠皮肤微血管中的α-SMA及col1A1蛋白质表达,改善小鼠皮肤微血管病变,干预BLM诱导的小鼠血管病变的进展。     

Alloparental feeding in Adélie penguins: why is it uncommon?

We investigated alloparental interactions and conditions which could facilitate or prevent the expression of alloparental behaviours in Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), a long-lived seabird which nests in high-density colonies around Antarctica. Observation sessions were carried out during the crèche stage on 48 identified pairs and 50 identified chicks in a 217-nest subcolony. As the season progressed, young were fed less often by their own parents because these were increasingly absent from the breeding site and less responsive to their offspring’s solicitations. As a consequence, young and particularly those with a low body mass, coming from a two-chick brood, opted for gradually soliciting more from other adults to obtain food, preferentially those nesting in their direct vicinity. Unsuccessful breeders represented a low and constant part of the adult population and were not specifically solicited by unrelated young. Despite the increasing chick demand, only 4.1% (3 out of 73) of alloparental solicitations resulted in feeding, which is negligible compared to parental feeding. To investigate factors that could trigger the appearance of alloparental care, we carried out comparisons with king (Aptenodytes patagonicus) and emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) which represent the closest species for which data on alloparental behaviour were available. Our results show different trends to those observed in these species and three factors may explain the low occurrence of alloparental behaviour in Adélie penguins: (1) the low and constant proportion of unsuccessful breeders, (2) the absence of chick selectivity towards unsuccessful breeders, and (3) the late period of chick accessibility for potential alloparents.     

Involvement of regulatory volume decrease in the migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

The transwell chamber migration assay and CCD digital camera imaging techniques were used to investigate the relationship between regulatory volume decrease (RVD) and cell migration in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z cells). Both migrated and non-migrated CNE-2Z cells, when swollen by 47% hypotonic solution, exhibited RVD which was inhibited by extracellular application of chloride channel blockers adenosine 5‘-triphosphate (ATP), 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB) and tamoxifen. However, RVD rate in migrated CNE-2Z cells was bigger than that of non-migrated cells and the sensitivity of migrated cells to NPPB and tamoxifen was higher than that of nonmigrated cells. ATP, NPPB and tamoxifen also inhibited migration of CNE-2Z cells. The inhibition of migration was positively correlated to the blockage of RVD, with a correlation coefficient (r) = 0.99, suggesting a functional relationship between RVD and cell migration. We conclude that RVD is involved in cell migration and RVD may play an important role in migratory process in CNE-2Z cells.     

辽宁黄海海岸交错带的景观变化与设计

辽宁黄海海岸交错带的景观近几十来年变化很快,其中许多景观变化是有意识的人类活动或人工管理形成的景观设计可以看作是已经出现或即将出现的景观变化。由于这一区域海岸交错带有不同的海岸带类型,因而也就有了不同的景观设计方案。     

双波长法用于磺酸型树脂吸附BSA和trypsin的研究

考察了H^ 和Na^ 变化对紫外吸收单波长法、双波长法和考马斯亮蓝法的影响。结果表明双波长法比考马斯亮蓝法和单波长法稳定性要好。选择双波长法用于磺酸型离子交换树脂吸附胰蛋白酶(trypsin)和牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的检测,结果表明：交换容量为4-88mmol／g的树脂对BSA和trypsin的吸附速率和饱和吸附量均高于交换容量为3．17mmol／g的树脂。