Cytoplasmic domain and enzymatic activity of ACE2 are not required for PI4KB dependent endocytosis entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells

The recent COVID-19 pandemic poses a global health emergency. Cellular entry of the causative agent SARS-CoV-2 is mediated by its spike protein interacting with cellular receptor-human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Here, by using lentivirus based pseudotypes bearing spike protein, we demonstrated that entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells was dependent on clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and phosphoinositides played essential roles during this process. In addition, we showed that the intracellular domain and the catalytic activity of ACE2 were not required for efficient virus entry. Finally, we showed that the current predominant Delta variant, although with high infectivity and high syncytium formation, also entered cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. These results provide new insights into SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry and present proof of principle that targeting viral entry could be an effective way to treat different variant infections.     

Effect of diet and starvation on the activity state of branched-chain 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase complex in rat liver and heart

In rats fed a high-protein diet, the branched-chain 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase complex in liver was essentially fully acitve and its activity state was unaffected by subsequent starvation for 48 h. Feeding with a low-protein diet led to a decrease in the activity state which was essentially reversed by 48 h of starvation. In heart, the enzyme was primarily inactive (activity state 18%) in rats fed a high-protein diet, with both low-protein diet and starvation leading to a further decrease in the activity state.     

Integrated computational approaches to screen gene expression data to determine key genes and therapeutic targets for type-2 diabetes mellitus

There is a rapid rise in cases of Type-2-diabetes mellitus (T2DM) globally, irrespective of the geography, ethnicity or any other variable factors. The molecular mechanisms that could cause the condition of T2DM need to be more thoroughly analysed to understand the clinical manifestations and to derive better therapeutic regimes. Tools in bioinformatics are used to trace out key gene elements and to identify the key causative gene elements and their possible therapeutic agents. Microarray datasets were retrieved from the Gene expression omnibus database and studied using R to derive different expressed gene (DEG) elements. With the comparison of the expressed genes with disease specific genes in DisGeNET, the final annotated genes were taken for analysis. Gene Ontology studies, Protein–protein interaction (PPI), Co-expression analysis, Gene-drug interactions were performed to scale down the hub genes and to identify the novelty across the genes analysed so far. In vivo and invitro analysis of key genes and the trace of interaction pathway is crucial to better understand the unique outcomes from the novel genes, forming the basis to understand the pathway that ends up causing T2DM. Afterwards, docking was executed enabling recognition of interacting residues involved in inhibition. The complex CCL5-265 and CD8A-40585 thus docked showed best results as is evident from its PCA analysis and MMGBSA calculation. There is now scope for deriving candidate drugs that could possibly detect personalized therapies for T2DM.     

Regulatory and molecular properties of citrate synthases from methylotrophs

Abstract Gram-negative methylotrophs contain a high- M _r'large' citrate synthase. Gram-positive methylotrophs, on the other hand, contain a 'small' citrate synthase. These differences in M _r coincided partly with differences in NADH sensitivity. Citrate synthases from obligate Gram-negative and Gram-positive facultative methylotrophs were insensitive to feedback inhibition by NADH; only the enzymes from Gram-negative facultative methylotrophs were inhibited by NADH.     

Identification of a novel adhesion molecule in human leukocytes by monoclonal antibody LB-2

Monoclonal antibody LB-2 to a surface antigen on human B cells, lymphoblast, monocytes and vascular endothelial cells largely inhibited adhesion among Epstein Barr virus-immortalized normal B cells (EBV-B) and concanavalin A-stimulated blood mononuclear cells (Con A-BMC) before and after phorbol ester treatment. The antibody inhibited to a lesser extent phorbol ester-induced aggregation of monocytes, U937 cells and fresh BMC and had virtually no inhibitory effect on the adhesion among enriched T cells and granulocytes. A surface glycoprotein band of 84 kDa was obtained from EBV-B cells by immunoprecipitation and gel electrophoresis. Immunological and biochemical studies clearly distinguished this molecule from gp90 and associated glycoproteins which also mediate leukocyte adhesion.     

开放式空气二氧化碳浓度增高对小麦氮素吸收利用的影响

2001—2003年,利用我国唯一的农田开放式空气CO₂浓度增高 (free-air carbon dioxide enrichment,FACE) 技术平台,研究了FACE条件下冬小麦宁麦9号不同生育期N含量、吸收、分配和N效率的响应.结果表明：与对照相比,FACE处理使不同生育时期植株含N率显著降低,降幅达4.4%～13.4%;不同生育时期吸N量显著增加(7.4%～25.4%),生育中期的增幅明显大于生育前、后期;不同生育时期茎鞘的N积累能力相对增强,叶片N积累能力相对减弱,而对麦穗N积累能力的影响因生育进程而异;FACE处理使小麦不同生育时期N物质生产效率(5.5%～10.3%)、成熟期N收获指数(16.3%)和N籽粒生产效率(9.3%)均显著或极显著增加;增施N肥,使小麦不同生育时期N含量和吸收量呈增加趋势,使N效率呈下降趋势,而对N在各器官中分配的影响较小.     

Amphiphiles for supercritical CO2

A semi-fluorinated hybrid amphiphile, pentadecafluoro-5-dodecyl (F7H4) sulfate, has been shown to form reversed micelles in dense CO₂; the aggregates evolve to form water-in-CO₂ (w/c) microemulsion droplets on addition of water. Aggregation structures in these w/c phases have been characterised by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), showing the presence of cylindrical droplets, which change into dispersed lamellar phases at even higher water loadings. Other systems are also introduced, being high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) with brine, and liquid and supercritical CO₂, stabilized by certain commercially available nonylphenol ethoxylates (Dow Tergitol NP-, and Huntsman Surfonic N- amphiphiles). These dispersions have been characterised by SANS for the first time. Quantitative analyses of the HIPEs SANS profiles show that they behave similarly to hydrocarbon-water emulsion analogues, with regard to total interfacial areas and the effects of amphiphile concentration on the underlying structures. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches for controlling the physico-chemical properties of liquid/supercritical CO₂ in potential applications are compared and contrasted. These results highlight the importance of using specially designed CO₂-philic amphiphiles for generating self-assembly structures in dense CO₂.     

二性霉素B与β-escin混合穿孔电极液在人心房肌细胞SK2电流记录中的应用

目的:为研究钙离子对人心房肌细胞小电导钙激活钾通道电流(ISK2)的调节作用,建立用二性霉素B(amphotericin B)与β-escin穿孔的膜片钳(PPR)技术。方法:体外循环术中取得右心耳,应用急性酶分离获得单个人体心房肌细胞,用二性霉素B和/或β-escin作为穿孔电极液,进行穿孔膜片钳实验,在此模式下测试钙离子对人心房肌细胞SK2电流的调控作用,并用胞内钙测试系统验证穿孔前后胞内钙变化。结果:混合使用穿孔电极液6.88μg/mlβ-escin和150μg/ml二性霉素B与单独用150μg/ml二性霉素B或6.88μg/mlβ-escin相比,前一种方法细胞容易封接,能形成稳定的穿孔膜片钳记录模式,可观察到SK2电流有激活,且胞内钙测试系统检测时可观察到穿孔后电极液至细胞内的游离钙离子浓度的增加,F340/380增强。结论:适当浓度的二性霉素B与β-escin混合使用进行穿孔膜片钳实验是一种稳定的全细胞膜片的记录技术,可以用于胞内游离钙离子对SK2电流调控的研究。     

Flux balance analysis in the production of clavulanic acid by Streptomyces clavuligerus

In this work, in silico flux balance analysis is used for predicting the metabolic behavior of Streptomyces clavuligerus during clavulanic acid production. To choose the best objective function for use in the analysis, three different optimization problems are evaluated inside the flux balance analysis formulation: (i) maximization of the specific growth rate, (ii) maximization of the ATP yield, and (iii) maximization of clavulanic acid production. Maximization of ATP yield showed the best predictions for the cellular behavior. Therefore, flux balance analysis using ATP as objective function was used for analyzing different scenarios of nutrient limitations toward establishing the effect of limiting the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and oxygen sources on the growth and clavulanic acid production rates. Obtained results showed that ammonia and phosphate limitations are the ones most strongly affecting clavulanic acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, it was possible to identify the ornithine flux from the urea cycle and the α‐ketoglutarate flux from the TCA cycle as the most determinant internal fluxes for promoting clavulanic acid production. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:1226–1236, 2015     

Ectopic activation of Dpp signalling in the male Drosophila germline inhibits germ cell differentiation

The mechanisms that control differentiation of stem cells to specialised cell types probably include factors intrinsic to stem cells as well as extrinsic factors produced by the microenvironment of the stem cell niche. The Drosophila male germline is renewed from a population of stem cells located in the apical tip of the adult testis. The morphological relationship between germline stem cells and their surrounding somatic cells is well understood but the factors that regulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation are still being uncovered. This study examined the effect of stimulating Dpp signalling directly in male germ cells. Ectopic Dpp or Activin signalling resulted in overproliferation of both stem cell-like and spermatogonial-like cells in the apical region of the testis. A third cell population that expressed stem cell markers was seen to proliferate in the distal testis when Dpp signalling was either stimulated or repressed in germline stem cells.