Polymeric micelles with glycolipid-like structure and multiple hydrophobic domains for mediating molecular target delivery of paclitaxel

Herein, polymeric micelles with glycolipid-like structure and about 40 nm diameter are prepared by self-aggregation from stearate-grafted chitosan oligosaccharides in aqueous medium. The micelles, with high degree of substitution (DS), present specific spatial structure with multiple hydrophobic "minor cores", and thus obtain excellent internalization into cancer cells and accumulation in cytoplasm. Furthermore, the micelles showed pH-sensitive properties, thus favoring intracellular delivery of encapsulated drug via endocytosis. The cell cytotoxicity of paclitaxel encapsulated in micelles was improved sharply and contributed to the increased intracellular delivery of the drug. The present micelles are a promising carrier candidate for targeting therapy of antitumor drugs with a cytoplasmic molecule target.     

盐酸4-(β-氨乙基)苯乙酸的合成

以苯乙晴为原料,经水解、氯甲基化、取代、还原四步反应制得盐酸4-(β-氨乙基)苯乙酸。并对文献方法进行了改进。     

Phylogenetic analysis of Nosema antheraeae (Microsporidia) isolated from Chinese oak silkworm, Antheraea pernyi

The microsporidian Nosema antheraeae is a pathogen that infects the Chinese oak silkworm, Antheraea pernyi. We sequenced the complete small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of N. antheraeae, and compared the SSU rRNA sequences in other microsporidia. The results indicated that Nosema species, including N. antheraeae, formed two distinct clades, consistent with previous observations. Furthermore, N. antheraeae is clustered with N. bombycis with high bootstrap support. The organization of the rRNA gene of N. antheraeae is LSU-ITS1-SSU-ITS2-5S, also following a pattern similar to the Nosema type species, N. bombycis. Thus, N. antheraeae is a Nosema species and has a close relationship to N. bombycis.     

天麻AFLP分析技术体系的建立

目的:建立一个适于天麻研究用的AFLP分析技术体系。方法:以11份天麻种质资源为试材,构建供试天麻的AFLP指纹图谱,同时对AFLP分析过程中DNA提取、酶切、连接、预扩增、引物筛选、选择性扩增、电泳和银染等多种因素进行分析。结果:AFLP分析体系要求DNA模板质量高,酶切连接可同时进行,37℃、9h效果较好,预扩增要求高质量DNA聚合酶,产物15倍稀释作为选择性扩增模板效果好,制胶前玻璃板的处理和银染时间的掌控对获得较好结果非常关键。P-GGA/M-GT引物构建的指纹图谱拥有可清晰辨认的扩增条带45条。结论:AFLP指纹技术具有稳定性高、重复性好等优点,可用于天麻DNA分析。     

Inhibition of Filamin-A Reduces Cancer Metastatic Potential

Filamin-A cross-links actin filaments into dynamic orthogonal networks, and interacts with an array of proteins of diverse cellular functions. Because several filamin-A interaction partners are implicated in signaling of cell mobility regulation, we tested the hypothesis that filamin-A plays a role in cancer metastasis. Using four pairs of filamin-A proficient and deficient isogenic cell lines, we found that filamin-A deficiency in cancer cells significantly reduces their migration and invasion. Using a xenograft tumor model with subcutaneous and intracardiac injections of tumor cells, we found that the filamin-A deficiency causes significant reduction of lung, splenic and systemic metastasis in nude mice. We evaluated the expression of filamin-A in breast cancer tissues by immunohistochemical staining, and found that low levels of filamin-A expression in cancer cells of the tumor tissues are associated with a better distant metastasis-free survival than those with normal levels of filamin-A. These data not only validate filamin-A as a prognostic marker for cancer metastasis, but also suggest that inhibition of filamin-A in cancer cells may reduce metastasis and that filamin-A can be used as a therapeutic target for filamin-A positive cancer.     

Combinatorial signals of activin/nodal and bone morphogenic protein regulate the early lineage segregation of human embryonic stem cells

Cell fate commitment of pre-implantation blastocysts, to either the inner cell mass or trophoblast, is the first step in cell lineage segregation of the developing human embryo. However, the intercellular signals that control fate determination of these cells remain obscure. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provide a unique model for studying human early embryonic development. We have previously shown that Activin/Nodal signaling contributes to maintaining pluripotency of hESCs, which are derivatives of the inner cell mass. Here we further demonstrate that the inhibition of Activin/Nodal signaling results in the loss of hESC pluripotency and trophoblast differentiation, similar to BMP4-induced trophoblast differentiation from hESCs. We also show that the trophoblast induction effect of BMP4 correlates with and depends on the inhibition of Activin/Nodal signaling. However, the activation of BMP signaling is still required for trophoblast differentiation when Activin/Nodal signaling is inhibited. These data reveal that the early lineage segregation of hESCs is determined by the combinatorial signals of Activin/Nodal and BMP.     

表观遗传学与人类表观基因组计划

表观遗传学已被用来描述许多生物学过程,成为生物学与医学领域中热点的学科之一.本文简要介绍表观遗传学与表观遗传基因组学的概念、人类表观基因组计划研究的目标与意义,并阐述DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、染色质重塑和非编码微小RNA等表观遗传学调控基因表达的机制.我们已经认识到人类疾病基因缺损可能部分或完全与表观遗传有关.所以,研究疾病状态下非突变的、可逆的表观遗传调节,以及治疗的可能性具有重要实际意义.     

大肠杆菌中表达关键基因产异丁醇的研究

目的:改造大肠杆菌的代谢途径,使非生产菌株大肠杆菌具备产异丁醇的能力.方法:将乳脂乳球菌NIZO B1157的2-酮酸脱羧酶基因kdcA克隆到大肠杆菌中,使大肠杆菌产异丁醇;另外,采取两种方法过量表达alsS、ilvC、ilvD基因,增加前体物质酮酸的供应,以提高异丁醇的产量:一是与kdcA串联表达;二是在另一个相容质粒中表达.结果:大肠杆菌工程菌具备产异丁醇的能力,其中相关基因在一个质粒中串联表达的产量比其在两个相容质粒中共表达的产量高30倍,达到3g/L.结论:导入的酮酸合成途径与醇类生产途径结合,能使非生产菌株大肠杆菌生产异丁醇,并且单质粒表达代谢途径相关基因的效果优于双质粒表达.