FUT4-siRNA增强5-aza-dC对鳞癌细胞增殖和迁移的抑制

岩藻糖基转移酶IV（fucosyltransferase IV,FUT4）是催化蛋白质岩藻糖基化的关键酶．已经证明,FUT4-siRNA能够抑制鳞癌细胞的增殖．5-氮杂-2-脱氧胞苷（5-aza-dC）是临床常用化疗药物,但5-aza-dC是否对鳞癌有治疗作用,以及与FUT4-siRNA联合使用能否加强对鳞癌细胞增殖和迁移的抑制尚不清楚．本研究以鳞癌细胞系A431和SCC12为对象,探讨5-aza-dC及其与FUT4-siRNA联合使用对细胞增殖和迁移的影响．MTT结合流式细胞周期分析显示,5-aza-dC处理A431和SCC12细胞4 d后,细胞增殖被明显抑制,抑制率分别为18%和20% (P<0.05);与对照组比较,加药处理组G1期细胞数量减少,S期细胞数量明显增加．Western印迹结果揭示,A431细胞FUT4表达水平较SCC12细胞高．经5-aza-dC处理后SCC12细胞FUT4表达有所增加,但仍低于A431细胞中的表达．FUT4-siRNA转染结合台盼蓝活细胞记数证明,FUT4-siRNA明显降低细胞FUT4表达,5-aza-dC处理同时转染FUT4-siRNA的A431和SCC12细胞增殖进一步被抑制,抑制率分别为54%和60% (P<0.05)．细胞划痕法显示,5-aza-dC与FUT4-siRNA联合使用,对细胞迁移能力的抑制作用比5-aza-dC单独使用增强．上述结果提示,5-aza-dC通过诱导细胞S期阻滞抑制鳞癌细胞增殖,FUT4-siRNA与5-aza+dC联合使用可加强对细胞增殖和迁移的抑制．     

Heterologous prime-boost immunization with live SPY1 and DnaJ protein of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptococcus pneumoniae</Emphasis> induces strong Th1 and Th17 cellular immune responses in mice

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of infectious diseases in children under 5-year-old. Vaccine has been used as an indispensable strategy to prevent S. pneumoniae infection for more than 30 years. Our previous studies confirmed that mucosal immunization with live attenuated strain SPY1 can protect mice against nasopharyngeal colonization of S. pneumoniae and lethal pneumococcal infection, and the protective effects are comparable with those induced by commercially available 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine. However, live attenuated vaccine SPY1 needs four inoculations to get satisfactory protective effect, which may increase the risk of virulence recovery. It is reported that heterologous primeboost approach is more effective than homologous primeboost approach. In the present study, to decrease the doses of live SPY1 and improve the safety of SPY1 vaccine, we immunized mice with SPY1 and DnaJ protein alternately. Our results showed that heterologous prime-boost immunization with SPY1 and DnaJ protein could significantly reduce the colonization of S. pneumoniae in the respiratory tract of mice, and induce stronger Th1 and Th17 cellular immune responses than SPY1 alone. These results indicate heterologous prime-boost immunization method not only elicits better protective effect than SPY1 alone, but also reduces the doses of live SPY1 and decreases the risk of SPY1 vaccine. This work is the first time to study the protective efficiency with two different forms of S. pneumoniae candidate vaccine, and provides a new strategy for the development of S. pneumoniae vaccine.     

Effects of iron deficiency on the growth and photosynthesis of three bloom‐forming cyanobacterial species isolated from Lake Taihu

Cyanobacterial blooms are found in many freshwater ecosystems around the world, but the effect of environmental factors on their growth and the proportion of species still require more investigation. In this study, the physiological responses of bloom‐forming cyanobacteria M icrocystis aeruginosa FACHB912, M icrocystis flos‐aquae FACHB1028 and P seudanabaena sp. FACHB1282 to iron deficiency were investigated. Their specific growth rates were found to decrease as the available iron concentration decreased. At low available iron concentrations of 1 × 10^?7 M (pFe 21.3) and 5 × 10^?8 M (pFe 21.6), M . aeruginosa had the lowest specific growth rate among three studied species. The cell sizes of M . flos‐aquae and Pseudanabaena sp. were significantly smaller under the lowest iron concentration. The chlorophyll a content of the three species decreased at the lowest iron concentration. The maximal relative electron transport rate, photosynthetic efficiency, and light‐saturation parameter of M . aeruginosa were lower than the other two cyanobacteria at pFe 21.3. Therefore, M . aeruginosa was the least able to adapt to iron deficiency. Under iron deficiency, the functional absorption cross‐section of PSII and electron transport rate on the acceptor side of PSII decreased in M . aeruginosa, while the connectivity factor between individual photosynthetic units increased in M . flos‐aquae, and the electron transport rate on the acceptor side of PSII and between PSII and PSI decreased in P seudanabaena sp. The ability to store iron was highest in M . flos‐aquae, followed by P seudanabaena sp. and M . aeruginosa. Thus, these results provide necessary information for detecting the role of iron in the succession of cyanobacterial species in Lake Taihu, the third largest freshwater lake in China, because all three species were isolated from this lake.     

Inhibitory effects of xenocoumacin 1 on the different stages of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora capsici</Emphasis> and its control effect on Phytophthora blight of pepper

Phytophthora species cause enormous economic loss every year worldwide. Xenocoumacin 1 (Xcn1), isolated from the bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophilus, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic against agricultural pathogens, especially Phytophthora. To understand the inhibitory mode of Xcn1 toward Phytophthora pathogens, we determined the inhibitory effects of Xcn1 on Phytophthora capsici both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Xcn1 inhibited different stages in the life cycle of P. capsici, including sporangium formation, zoospore germination, and mycelial growth, with 50% effective concentration (EC₅₀) values of 0.037, 0.81, and 2.44 μg ml^?1, respectively. Xcn1 also reduced zoospore motility. In vivo, Xcn1 efficiently controlled the Phytophthora blight of pepper with a disease reduction of 99% at a concentration of 5 μg ml^?1 assessed on the third day after incubation of wound stem plants. In addition, Xcn1-treated P. capsici mycelia exhibited increased mycelial branch spacing, evident plasmolysis, and leakage of intracellular components. In conclusion, in the presence of Xcn1, several stages in the life cycle of P. capsici were inhibited, and the hyphae exhibited obvious morphological changes.     

Sortase A介导的(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ寡聚体高效立体选择性转化(S)-苯基乙二醇

【目的】以金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)的sortase A为"分子订书机",用于(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ分子之间的连接,获得催化功能与稳定性增强的氧化还原酶寡聚体,高效催化2-羟基苯乙酮,合成(S)-苯基乙二醇。【方法】从S.aureus基因组中克隆sortase A基因,在大肠杆菌中表达,通过镍柱和凝胶层析纯化重组酶,获得纯酶sortase A。通过基因工程手段在(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ的C末端添加GGGGSLPETGG序列,蛋白纯化获得(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ-GGGGSLPETGG,摸索了sortase A催化(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ-GGGGSLPETGG的分子连接,形成(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ寡聚体的最佳条件,并研究了寡聚体酶学性质及生物转化(S)-苯基乙二醇的效率。【结果】(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ寡聚体比酶活力为38.5 U/mg,比原始型(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ提高了6倍,最适反应温度为50°C,最适pH为6.0,在50°C放置1 h后酶活仍旧保持90%以上;蛋白质变性实验结果显示,(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ寡聚体的变性温度为60.1°C,比原始酶提高了10°C;生物转化结果显示(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ寡聚体在3 h内完全转化5 g/L 2-羟基苯乙酮,产生光学纯度为100%的(S)-苯基乙二醇,相比于重组大肠杆菌(S)-羰基还原酶Ⅱ全细胞催化时间缩短了16倍。【结论】本研究首次将sortase A应用于氧化还原酶的分子连接,显著提高了酶的催化效率和热稳定性,表明sortase在手性催化中有很大的潜在应用价值。     

A functional nanocarrier that copenetrates extracellular matrix and multiple layers of tumor cells for sequential and deep tumor autophagy inhibitor and chemotherapeutic delivery

To further enhance the intensity of deep tumor drug delivery and integrate a combined therapy, we herein report on a core-shell nanocarrier that could simultaneously overcome the double barriers of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and multiple layers of tumor cells (MLTC). A pH-triggered reversible swelling-shrinking core and an MMP2 (matrix metallopeptidase 2) degradable shell were developed to encapsulate chemotherapeutics and macroautophagy/autophagy inhibitors, respectively. MMP2 degraded the shell, which was followed by the autophagy inhibitors' release. The exposed core could diffuse along the pore within the ECM to deliver chemotherapeutics into deep tumors, and it was able to swell in lysosomes and shrink back in the cytoplasm or ECM. The swelling of the core resulted in the rapid release of chemotherapeutics to kill autophagy-inhibited cells. After leaving the dead cells, the shrinking core could act on neighboring cells that were closer to the center of the tumor. The core thus could also cross MLTC layer by layer to deliver chemotherapeutics into the deep tumor.