用mtDNA 12S rRNA序列变异检验鲤形目鱼类系统发育关系

通过对鲤形目鱼类5个科的代表类群的完整线粒体12S rRNA进行测序和分析,以检验目前的形态学假说。经序列比对后,有1000个位点,其中467个位点在茎区,533个在环区;有395个位点为变化位点,其中267个为系统发育信息位点。采用邻接法和最大简约法进行了系统发育分析,其结果支持鲤科鱼类成为一个单系群,非鲤科的鲤形目鱼类成为另一个单系群的观点,这与Siebert提出的假说相一致。鲤科鱼类包含3个主要的分支,即鱼丹系、鲤系和雅罗鱼系;但在非鲤科鲤形目鱼类中,其关系不能得到很好的解决,其中鳅科是复系,平鳍鳅科、条鳅亚科和花鳅亚科可能有较近的亲缘关系。     

Inhibition of established subcutaneous and metastatic murine tumors by intramuscular electroporation of the interleukin-12 gene

In vivo electroporation (EP) of the murine interleukin-12 (IL-12) gene in an expression plasmid (pIL-12) was evaluated for antitumor activity. EP transfer of pIL-12 into mouse quadriceps muscles elicited significant levels of serum IL-12 and interferon-gamma. Intramuscular EP of pIL-12 resulted in complete regression or substantial inhibition of 38C13 B-cell lymphoma, whereas pIL-12 delivered by gene gun or intramuscular injection without EP showed little therapeutic effect. Impressive antitumor activity by intramuscular EP was also demonstrated in animals with advanced malignant disease. At day 14 after 38C13 tumor inoculation, all animals were found to carry large tumors and to have metastases; without treatment, most died within a week. A single intramuscular EP of pIL-12 resulted in regression of 50% of large subcutaneous tumors and significantly prolonged the lifespan of these animals. Moreover, animals that were previously cured of 38C13 tumors by in vivo EP treatment significantly suppressed tumor growth when challenged 60 days later. In vivo EP of the IL-12 gene was also effective in suppressing subcutaneous and lung metastatic tumors of CT-26 colon adenocarcinoma and B16F1 melanoma cells. Together, these results show that intramuscular electrotransfer of the IL-12 gene may represent a simple and effective strategy for cancer treatment.     

Sesquiterpene lactones of Podanthus mitiqui

Ovatifolin and two new sesquiterpene lactones, deacetylovatifolin and arturin (1β-hydroxy-8β-angeloyloxy-eudesmane-4(15),11(13)-diene-6α,12-olide, have been isolated from stems and leaves of Podanthus mitiqui. Two of these compounds showed cytotoxic activity.     

Dietary folate affects the response of rats to nickel deprivation

Because vitamin B₁₂ and Ni are known to interact and because of the similar metabolic roles of vitamin B₁₂ and folate, an experiment was performed to determine the effect of dietary folate on Ni deprivation in rats. A 2×2 factorially arranged experiment used groups of nine weanling Sprague-Dawley rats. Dietary variables were Ni, as NiCl₂·6H₂O, 0 or 1 μg/g; and folic acid, 0 or 2 mg/kg. The basal diet, based on skim milk, contained less than 20 ng Ni/g. After 54 d, an interaction between dietary Ni and folate affected several variables including erythrocyte folate, plasma amino acids, and femur trace elements. For example, folate deprivation decreased erythrocyte folate; folate supplementation to the Ni-supplemented rats caused a larger increase in erythrocyte folate concentration than did folate supplementation to the Ni-deprived rats. Also, dietary Ni affected several plasma amino acids important in one-carbon metabolism (e.g., Ni deprivation increased the plasma concentrations of glycine and serine). This study shows that dietary Ni, folate, and their interaction can affect variables associated with one-carbon metabolism. This study does not show a specific site of action of Ni but it indicates that Ni may be important in processes related to the vitamin B₁₂-dependent pathway in methionine metabolism, possibly one-carbon metabolism. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northern Plans Area is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all agency services are available without discrimination.     

Radiation hybrid comparative mapping between human chromosome 17 and porcine chromosome 12 demonstrates conservation of gene order

A comparative study of human chromosome 17 (HSA17) and pig chromosome 12 (SSC12) was conducted using both somatic cell hybrid panel (SCHP) and radiation hybrid (RH) panel analysis. Sequences from an expressed sequence tag (EST) project in pig reproduction were examined and six genes and ESTs originally believed to map to HSA17 were selected for this study. The genes/ESTs were TATA box binding protein-associated factor (TAF2N/RBP56), alpha-2-plasmin inhibitor (SERPINF2/PLI), H3 histone family 3B (H3F3B), aminopeptidase puromycin sensitive (NPEPPS), an expressed sequence tag (ESTMI015) and P311 protein (P311). The SCHP analysis mapped five genes/ESTs (TAF2N, H3F3B, SERPINF2, NPEPPS and ESTMI015) to SSC12q11-q15 and SSC12p11-p15 with 100% concordance, and assigned P311 to SSC2 (1/2q24)-q29 with 100% concordance. Radiation hybrid analysis of all six genes confirmed the SCHP mapping results, with average retention frequency of 25%. Recent human sequence data demonstrated that P311 is actually located on HSA5q. As HSA5q and SSC2q show conserved syntenic regions predicted from bi-directional painting, our P311 mapping data is consistent with these results. An expanded comparative SSC12 RH map integrating the five new type I markers and 23 previously mapped loci was established using a LOD score threshold of 4.8. The gene order of the five genes/ESTs on the SSC12 framework RH map (H3F3B-ESTMI015-NPEPPS-TAF2N-SERPINF2) is identical to the HSA17 GB4 map but with inversion of the map as conventionally drawn.     

Association between prehypertension and psychological distress among adults in Saudi Arabia: A population-based survey

BackgroundPrehypertension is a precursor to hypertension status. Psychological distress has been identified earlier among hypertensives; however, there is little evidence for the presumptive relationship between prehypertension and psychological distress.ObjectiveThe study aimed to assess the psychological wellbeing of the Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia population, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and correlating it with prehypertensive patients in the same population.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of the population of Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, was carried out between January and June of 2016. With an 85 percent response rate, a total of 1016 participants participated in the study. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between prehypertension and psychological distress.ResultsThe findings of the adjusted analysis demonstrated that, on average prehypertensive patients were more distressed psychologically than non-hypertensive patients (unstandardized Beta regression coefficient = 3.600; P-value 0.025). Similarly, on average women were found to be more psychologically distressed than men (unstandardized Beta = 1.511, P-value 0.002). Civil workers and unemployed individuals were more psychologically distressed than employed individuals (unstandardized Beta = 1.326, P-value 0.041) while adjusting for the sociodemographic and other variables such as BMI, diabetes status, cholesterol, and smoking status.ConclusionThe current study shows that as compared to normotensive patients, self-rated mental wellbeing and psychological wellbeing are all considerably poorer among prehypertensive patients. To prevent individuals from having negative psychological outcomes and their long-term complications, the Government of Saudi Arabia needs to concentrate on prehypertensive, female, and unemployed individuals. Well-designed longitudinal studies, primarily in Saudi Arabia, are needed in the future to research the cause and impact of poor mental health and prehypertension.     

Increase in β-1,4-Galactosyltransferase Activity During PC12 Cell Differentiation Induced by Forskolin and 2-Chloroadenosine

Galactosyltransferase (GALTase) activity was measured in differentiating PC12 cells induced by either forskolin or 2-chloroadenosine. The specific activity of GALTase in whole cells and isolated Golgi membranes increased as early as 3 h after initiating treatment with 2-chloroadenosine, and maximal activity was reached at approximately 12 h. In two mutant PC12 cell lines deficient in protein kinase A, both forskolin and 2-chloroadenosine failed to increase GALTase activity. The adenosine A2 receptor antagonist, xanthine amine congener, prevented 2-chloroadenosine stimulation of GALTase, demonstrating that this adenosine derivative was mediating its effect via the A2 receptor. These data suggest that GALTase activity during PC12 cell differentiation is regulated by cyclic AMP (cAMP)- and protein kinase A-dependent processes. In support of the role of cAMP in regulating GALTase activity were studies with murine PC carcinoma cells demonstrating that the greatest stimulation of GALTase activity occurred with cells treated with both retinoic acid and dibutyryl cAMP.     

Cytotoxic Constituents and Mechanism from Peganum harmala

Peganum harmala L. is a traditional Chinese and Uygur medicine used to treat cancer. Bioactivity‐guided fractionation was applied to determine the cytotoxic constituents from P. harmala. A novel triterpenoid and a phenolic glycoside were isolated and identified, as well as seven known compounds. The novel metabolites were elucidated to be 3α‐acetoxy‐27‐hydroxyolean‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid methyl ester ( 1 , OA) and N‐acetyl‐9‐syringinoside ( 9 ). Some compounds exhibited potent cytotoxicity against human tumor cells. Among them, OA showed the highest cytotoxicity against human lung cancer cells A549 with an IC₅₀ value of 8.03 ± 0.81 μm . OA had a potent anti‐NSCLC cell activity by interfering with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation and its downstream signaling, and could exert an antiproliferative effect by inactivation of EGFR‐driven antiapoptotic pathway followed by the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, which might prove to be a promising leading compound for the development of an anti‐lung cancer drug.