CD3/T-cell receptor coupling to a pertussis and cholera toxin-insensitive G-protein

We have analyzed the effect of CD3/T-cell receptor stimulation on GTP hydrolysis and GTP binding. We show that stimulation of Jurkat, T-cell, membranes with OKT3 results in a 50% increase in GTP hydrolysis which is specifically inhibited by GDP. Pretreatment of the membranes with neither pertussis toxin nor cholera toxin inhibited the GTP hydrolysis. We also show that stimulation with OKT3 increases the binding of GTPγS to Jurkat membranes. These data strongly implicate the involvement of a G-protein in CD3/T-cell receptor signalling.     

Serum non-transferrin-bound iron and low-density lipoprotein oxidation in heterozygous hemochromatosis

Non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) is implicated in lipid peroxidation but the relation with oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is not known. We assessed variables reflecting in vitro and in vivo LDL oxidation in two age- and sex-matched groups (n=23) of hereditary hemochromatosis heterozygotes (C282Y), characterized by a clear difference in mean serum NTBI (1.55+/-0.57 micromol/L vs 3.70+/-0.96 micromol/L). Plasma level of oxidized LDL (absolute and relative to plasma apolipoprotein B), and IgG and IgM antibodies to oxidized LDL, markers of in vivo LDL oxidation, did not differ between the groups with low and high serum NTBI. Mean lag-phase of in vitro LDL oxidation was also not significantly different between both study groups. Conclusion: these findings do not support the hypothesis that NTBI promotes oxidative modification of plasma LDL.     

Clumping factor A of Staphylococcus aureus inhibits phagocytosis by human polymorphonuclear leucocytes

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infection. It expresses several factors that promote avoidance of phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Clumping factor A (ClfA) is a fibrinogen-binding surface protein of S. aureus that is an important virulence factor in several infection models. This study investigated whether ClfA is an antiphagocytic factor, and whether its antiphagocytic properties were based on its ability to bind fibrinogen. In S. aureus, ClfA was shown to be of equal importance to protein A, the antiphagocytic properties of which are well established. ClfA expressed in a surrogate Gram-positive host was also found to be antiphagocytic. A ClfA mutant that was unable to bind fibrinogen had a similar antiphagocytic effect to native ClfA in the absence of fibrinogen. ClfA inhibited phagocytosis in the absence of fibrinogen, and showed enhanced inhibition in the presence of fibrinogen.     

Cardiac sodium channel Na(v)1.5 interacts with and is regulated by the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPH1

In order to identify proteins interacting with the cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel Na(v)1.5, we used the last 66 amino acids of the C-terminus of the channel as bait to screen a human cardiac cDNA library. We identified the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPH1 as an interacting protein. Pull-down experiments confirmed the interaction, and indicated that it depends on the PDZ-domain binding motif of Na(v)1.5. Co-expression experiments in HEK293 cells showed that PTPH1 shifts the Na(v)1.5 availability relationship toward hyperpolarized potentials, whereas an inactive PTPH1 or the tyrosine kinase Fyn does the opposite. The results of this study suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation destabilizes the inactivated state of Na(v)1.5.     

SynTReN: a generator of synthetic gene expression data for design and analysis of structure learning algorithms

Background  

The development of algorithms to infer the structure of gene regulatory networks based on expression data is an important subject in bioinformatics research. Validation of these algorithms requires benchmark data sets for which the underlying network is known. Since experimental data sets of the appropriate size and design are usually not available, there is a clear need to generate well-characterized synthetic data sets that allow thorough testing of learning algorithms in a fast and reproducible manner.     

Cdc37p is involved in osmoadaptation and controls high osmolarity-induced cross-talk via the MAP kinase Kss1p

Cdc37p, the p50 homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is an Hsp90 cochaperone involved in the targeting of protein kinases to Hsp90. Here we report a role for Cdc37p in osmoadaptive signalling in this yeast. The osmosensitive phenotype that is displayed by the cdc37-34 mutant strain appears not to be the consequence of deficient signalling through the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) MAP kinase pathway. Rather, Cdc37p appears to play a role in the filamentous growth (FG) pathway, which mediates adaptation to high osmolarity parallel to the HOG pathway. The osmosensitive phenotype of the cdc37-34 mutant strain is aggravated upon the deletion of the HOG gene. We report that the hyper-osmosensitive phenotype of the cdc37-34, hog1 mutant correlates to a reduced of activity of the FG pathway. We utilized this phenotype to isolate suppressor genes such as KSS1 that encodes a MAP kinase that functions in the FG pathway. We report that Kss1p interacts physically with Cdc37p. Like Kss1p, the second suppressor that we isolated, Dse1p, is involved in cell wall biogenesis or maintenance, suggesting that Cdc37p controls osmoadapation by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling aimed at adaptive changes in cell wall organization.     

导入反义蜡质基因改良水稻稻米的食味品质和营养品质

经PCR、Southern blot和稻米GUS检测,蜡质基因反义片段与gus构成的融合基因已整合到8株水稻基因组中,并能正确表达。通过稻米GUS染色追踪分析获得转反义蜡质基因纯合后代。将转基因植株的稻米送农业部稻米及制品质量监督检验测试中心进行糙米蛋白质含量和直链淀粉含量测定。结果显示：（1）在转反义蜡质基因纯合的超2-10粳稻后代中,大多数单株糙米在直链淀粉含量降低的同时,蛋白质含量有不同程度提高,糙米蛋白质含量和直链淀粉含量呈显著负相关关系;（2）对照糙米直链淀粉平均含量和糙米蛋白质平均含量分别为13.4%和9.5%。在转基因植株中,稻米直链淀粉含量最低的为11.4%,而蛋白质含量也相对最高,为13.5%。本试验结果表明在水稻中导入反义蜡质基因不仅能够降低水稻稻米的直链淀粉含量,还有可能提高水稻稻米的蛋白质含量。     

番茄青枯病拮抗菌的筛选

利用点接法从山东寿光和苍山不同种植年限的蔬菜大棚中分离得到的45株菌株以及实验室保存的19株菌株中,筛选到14株对番茄青枯病病原细菌有拮抗作用的菌株,然后通过牛津杯法复筛得到6株抑菌效果较好的细菌株。通过温室盆栽试验表明拮抗菌X10的防治效果最好,液体菌剂防治效果达到了81.8%,固体菌剂防治效果达到了65.4%,具有良好的应用前景。对菌株X10进行了培养特征、形态特征和生理生化特征测定,鉴定为侧胞短杆芽胞杆菌(Brevi Bacillus laterosporus)。     

棕色田鼠与甘肃鼢鼠咀嚼肌结构和功能的比较

为了解棕色田鼠与甘肃鼢鼠对食物的适应机制, 对它们的咀嚼肌及相关的骨学特征做了比较解剖, 并运用生物力学原理分析下颌运动方式及食物加工过程的咀嚼效率。结果表明, 两个种的下颌的咀嚼均以水平面的前后向运动为主, 研磨加工植物纤维。相应地, 咀嚼肌、牙齿及相关的骨骼形态也具有一系列与此运动方式和功能相适应的结构特征, 如彼此平行的左右侧颊齿列、沟槽状的下颌关节窝以及咬肌的排列位置前移等。此外, 两个种具有几乎相同的门齿切割效率和臼齿咀嚼效率。两个种的上述相似特征与它们有着相似的食物结构是一致的。     

温带半干旱地区一年生植物种子的萌发特性

在实验室条件下研究了中国温带半干旱地区科尔沁沙地的23种1年生植物的种子萌发特性（新采集种子、冷藏和干藏种子）.大籽蒿、虎尾草、冠芒草、沙蓬和地锦的新种子萌发率达90%左右,11种植物新种子萌发率均低于70%,说明这些植物的新种子具有或多或少的休眠属性.经过150d的冷干藏后,大籽蒿、虎尾草萌发率保持在90%以上,说明这两种植物完全没有休眠机制;冠芒草、沙蓬和地锦的种子萌发率下降较多,可能是储藏的环境条件导致的2次休眠现象;冷藏和干藏处理均能使绿珠藜、毛马唐、细叶益母草、雾冰藜、金狗尾草、苋菜、马齿苋、碱地肤和水稗草的种子在生长季开始时完成生理后熟,萌发率达到80%以上;干藏有利于促进毛马唐、细叶益母草、马齿苋和鹤虱的种子成熟,冷藏有利于促进绿珠藜和金狗尾草的种子成熟;黄蒿、灰绿藜、画眉草和烛台虫实在不同处理下的萌发率都比较低,说明种子内在生理休眠作用较强,具有减少种子一次性萌发数量的风险分摊策略.大多数1年生植物均能在较短时间内达到最终萌发率的90%,表现出迅速萌发的特性;黄蒿、灰绿藜、碱地肤和沙蓬种子则在不同处理中表现出延长萌发时间的策略来适应半干旱地区不确定的环境条件.最后,探讨了几种主要1年生植物的种子萌发对策与其对环境适应机制之间的关系.