Platelet Glutamate and Aspartate Uptake in Huntington's Disease

Abstract A possible involvement of amino acid uptake mechanisms in the etiology of the human neurodegenerative disease, Huntington's disease (HD), was investigated. Measurement of glutamate (Glu) and aspartate (Asp) uptake was performed in blood platelets, which have previously been shown to constitute a peripheral model system for central amino acid uptake processes. Analyses of Glu and Asp accumulation at 10⁻⁷ M and kinetic examination of the high affinity site for Glu indicate no significant differences between control and HD platelets. A genetically determined defect in amino acid uptake therefore does not seem to underlie the nerve cell loss observed in HD patients.     

Tyrosine aminotransferase deficiency in mink (Mustela vision): A model for human tyrosinemia II

Mink pseudodistemper, a recessive disease associated with high blood tyrosinelevels, is an animal analogue of the human inborn error of metabolism, tyrosinemia II. Affected mink and man have eye and skin lesions. Affected mink have no hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) activity, as measured immunologically and biochemically. Hepatic mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase is increased to 188% of control. This new genetic animal model of TAT deficiency should allow new studies of tyrosine metabolism.Supported by NIH Grants AM-17253 (LAG), 5T32-AM-07093 (LAG), and RCDA AM-0008 (LAG), grants from the Wisconsin State Mink Advisory Board, and a BRSG grant for the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Publication No. 82 of the dermatology research laboratories of Duke University Medical Center.     

Growth yield and energy generation in anaerobically-grown Campylobacter spec.

An anaerobic continuous culture study was made with Campylobacter spec. to determine growth yields under various growth conditions. The growth media contained 0.1% (w/v) yeast extract as carbon source. When grown in an aspartate-limited culture Y _asp ^max was 4.6. Inclusion of formate in the culture medium hardly affected the true growth yield. The number of ATP equivalents generated in the fumaratereductase system was 0.66 and the Y _ATP ^max was 7.0. In the nitrate reduction with formate 1.7 ATP equivalents were generated, and a YNO _3- ^max of 12.2 was observed. The true growth yield obtained with a mixture of lactate and aspartate was lower than that found with aspartate alone.     

Determination of the pH dependence,substrate specificity,and turnovers of alternative substrates for human ornithine aminotransferase

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of the liver and occurs predominantly in patients with underlying chronic liver diseases. Over the past decade, human ornithine aminotransferase (hOAT), which is an enzyme that catalyzes the metabolic conversion of ornithine into an intermediate for proline or glutamate synthesis, has been found to be overexpressed in HCC cells. hOAT has since emerged as a promising target for novel anticancer therapies, especially for the ongoing rational design effort to discover mechanism-based inactivators (MBIs). Despite the significance of hOAT in human metabolism and its clinical potential as a drug target against HCC, there are significant knowledge deficits with regard to its catalytic mechanism and structural characteristics. Ongoing MBI design efforts require in-depth knowledge of the enzyme active site, in particular, pKa values of potential nucleophiles and residues necessary for the molecular recognition of ligands. Here, we conducted a study detailing the fundamental active-site properties of hOAT using stopped-flow spectrophotometry and X-ray crystallography. Our results quantitatively revealed the pH dependence of the multistep reaction mechanism and illuminated the roles of ornithine α-amino and δ-amino groups in substrate recognition and in facilitating catalytic turnover. These findings provided insights of the catalytic mechanism that could benefit the rational design of MBIs against hOAT. In addition, substrate recognition and turnover of several fragment-sized alternative substrates of hOATs, which could serve as structural templates for MBI design, were also elucidated.     

应用植入式遥测技术观察自发性高血压大鼠血压的昼夜波动

目的应用植入式遥测技术观察自发性高血压大鼠在清醒无束缚状态下血压昼夜波动变化。方法取8只SPF级3月龄雄性SHR大鼠,进行C50-PXT植入子植入手术,恢复7 d后,用遥测系统进行24 h连续清醒无束缚的血压监测,并用EMKA分析软件对动态血压心率均值、24 h血压心率趋势等指标进行分析。结果 3月龄的SHR大鼠血压和心律呈昼夜节律性变化,白昼阶段血压明显低于夜间阶段(P<0.01),血压在1∶30～2∶30和20∶30～21∶30时出现两个高峰期,14∶00～14∶30时出现一低谷期。其中夜间阶段平均收缩压为166.02 mmHg,两个收缩压峰值分别为172.13 mmHg和171.38 mmHg;白昼平均收缩压是162.73 mmHg,收缩压谷底值为155.73mmHg。而心率两个高峰期出现在1∶30～2∶00和20∶00～21∶00,高峰值分别为375.00次/分和373.26次/分;心率低谷出现在11∶00左右,谷底值为310.91次/分,白昼和夜间的平均心率分别为328.85次/分和346.05次/分。结论 3月龄的SHR大鼠血压和心律呈昼夜节律性变化,血压和心率在夜间出现两个高峰,白昼出现一个低谷,且夜间的平均血压和心率要高于白昼,SHR大鼠的血压和心率的节律变化与其活动有关。植入式遥测技术可准确反映SHR大鼠血压昼夜的节律性变化,有助于正确评价抗高血压药物的作用和高血压的生理机制研究。     

抗反馈抑制的天冬氨酸激酶基因在钝齿棒杆菌中的表达

将来自钝齿棒杆菌（Corynebacterium crenatum）CD945具有AEC抗性的天冬氨酸激酶(AKfbr)基因克隆到穿梭载体pJC1上,构建重组质粒pLY153。用电击法将质粒pLY153转化到野生型菌株C. crenatum AS1.542及其突变株C. crenatum CD945中。携带AKfbr基因的C. crenatum AS1.542菌株能抗浓度皆为12mg/mL的AEC和苏氨酸。AKfbr基因在C. crenatum CD945中得到表达,天冬氨酸激酶活性提高4倍。摇瓶发酵实验结果表明,重组菌在对数前期和中期生长正常,不受抑制;与对照菌相比,赖氨酸终产量提高22％,赖氨酸生产率提高23％。     

基于ChIP-Seq进行肿瘤睾丸抗原XAGE-1b基因表达蛋白的DNA结合位点鉴定

XAGE-1b（X antigen family member 1B）属于XAGE亚家族,是一种肿瘤 睾丸抗原（cancer/testis antigen,CTA）,表达于正常人睾丸组织和多种类型的肿瘤细胞中.本实验室前期研究发现,该基因在涎腺腺样囊性癌高转移细胞系中呈高表达.为了进一步研究XAGE-1b下游调控基因,本实验采用ChIP Seq技术筛查XAGE 1b蛋白质可能存在的DNA结合片段. 结果发现,XAGE-1b下游调控基因富集于细胞分裂（cell division,P-Value＝7.95e-04）、细胞周期调控（cell cycle,P-Value＝5.532e-03）、及癌症相关基因（GESA/MSigDB module_11,P-Value＝2.010e-06）中．同时发现,XAGE-1b下游调控多个基因的表达产物（NCBI/interactions 22827,P-Value＝4.678e-06）能与原癌基因c-Myc的启动子抑制蛋白PUF60发生蛋白质相互作用,并通过qPCR进行了验证．这些研究对阐明XAGE-1b在肿瘤细胞的增殖和转移中的作用有重要意义.     

Elevation of the Extracellular Concentrations of Glutamate and Aspartate in Rat Hippocampus During Transient Cerebral Ischemia Monitored by Intracerebral Microdialysis

Rats were implanted with 0.3-mm-diameter dialysis tubing through the hippocampus and subsequently perfused with Ringer's solution at a flow rate of 2 microliter/min. Samples of the perfusate representing the extracellular fluid were collected over 5-min periods and subsequently analyzed for contents of the amino acids glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, taurine, alanine, and serine. Samples were collected before, during, and after a 10-min period of transient complete cerebral ischemia. The extracellular contents of glutamate and aspartate were increased, respectively, eight- and threefold during the ischemic period; the taurine concentration also was increased 2.6-fold. During the same period the extracellular content of glutamine was significantly decreased (to 68% of the control value), whereas the concentrations of alanine and serine did not change significantly during the ischemic period. The concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were too low to be measured reliably. It is suggested that the large increase in the content of extracellular glutamate and aspartate in the hippocampus induced by the ischemia may be one of the causal factors in the damage to certain neurons observed after ischemia.     

葛根素对帕金森病细胞模型的保护作用研究

目的:研究葛根素对帕金森病细胞模型的保护作用及其具体的作用机理.方法:用0.16mM的MPP+处理PC12细胞48h建立帕金森病细胞模型.实验分为对照组、损伤组和保护组,损伤组用MPP+(0.16mM)处理PC12细胞;保护组用葛根素提前预处理PC12细胞1h,后加MPP+.检测PC12细胞存活率、Caspase-3活性及ERβ的转录活性.结果:葛根素能够抑制caspase-3的激活,且其依赖于ERβ的表达,雌激素受体拮抗剂ICI182,780可阻断上述效应;其次葛根素可提高ERβ的转录活性.结论:葛根素对MPP+诱导损伤的PC12细胞具有抗细胞凋亡的保护作用,且具体的作用机理可能依赖于ERβ介导的经典的基因组作用模式.     

慢性肾脏病并发左室肥厚现况及其危险因素

目的：探索中老年慢性肾脏病并发左室肥厚（LVH）的现况及其危险因素。方法：对我院肾内科住院的40-75岁CKD2-5期患者210例的病历资料进行回顾性分析。结果：（1）心脏舒张功能减退发生率高于收缩功能减退（79.1%VS 20.3%P=0.000）;左房扩大检出率高于左室扩大检出率（46.5%VS 19.8%P=0.000）;室间隔增厚检出率（IVSH）也高于左室后壁增厚检出率（LVPWH）（43.0%VS 21.1%P=0.000）;LVH的发生率高于IVSH检出率（47.9%VS 35%P=0.001）,其中女性LVH高于男性（73.2%VS31.0%P=0.000）,然而若采用另外一种诊断标准,两者并无统计学差异（50%VS 34.5%P=0.068）。（2）IVSH组收缩压、脉压、血肌酐均高于无IVSH组。IVSH组除上述因素外血磷尚高于无IVSH组,但在CKD5期的亚组分析中仅收缩压与对照组相比有统计学差异。LVH组收缩压、脉压均高于无LVH组,而血红蛋白、体质指数则低于对照组。进一步Logistic回归分析提示仅性别、体质指数有统计学意义。结论：（1）40-75岁的心血管疾病高危的CKD患者中,采用超声心动图诊断LVH,根据公式计算的LVMI诊断阳性率最高,但诊断切点仍需进一步研究。（2）收缩压升高、脉压增大、贫血、低体质指数、女性均可能是LVH的危险因素,控制血压、纠正贫血和营养不良可能是防治LVH的重要靶点。