增强UV-B辐射对高山植物歪头菜生长及内源激素变化的影响

以青藏高原野生豆科牧草歪头菜(Vicia unijuga A.Br.)为材料,模拟甘南夏季晴朗无云天空平流层臭氧衰减9%的UV-B辐射强度(6.4 kJ/m²),分析增强UV-B辐射条件下植株内源激素水平和全氮含量随时间变化及其与生长特性的关系。结果显示:(1)来自高寒地区野生歪头菜在增强UV-B辐射的最初阶段(10 d左右)会产生对紫外胁迫的应激性响应,其内源生长激素吲哚乙酸(IAA)、玉米素(ZT)、赤霉素类(GAs)和6-苄氨基嘌呤(6-BA)含量水平以及全氮含量均明显高于对照,生长指标也相应升高。(2)随着处理时间延长,歪头菜内源生长激素含量开始迅速降低,并于处理后30 d时降至最低,处理后40 d时全氮含量也显著低于对照;同时,随着生长激素和全氮含量降低,植株生长也受到强烈抑制。(3)在处理后40 d时歪头菜内源ABA才被检测到,说明细胞膜伤害发生的时间相对较晚。研究表明,来自高寒环境的植物种歪头菜经历长期自然选择和适应,形成了对强UV-B辐射的应激响应机制,使辐射伤害延迟,内源激素含量变化与该应激响应有密切关系。     

Dynamic Host Immune and Transcriptomic Responses to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in a Vaccination-Challenge Mouse Model

Virologica Sinica - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. Inactivated RSV vaccine was developed in the late 1960’s, but the...     

盐增强培养对弗氏链霉菌产新霉素的影响

目的:弗氏链霉菌(Streptomyces fradiae)作为氨基糖苷类抗生素新霉素的主要生产菌株,其新霉素B具有抗菌活性强、抗癌、抗HIV等作用,提高新霉素B的效价具有重要意义.方法:在满足微生物正常生长所需盐离子的条件下,通过盐增强培养的方式向培养基中添加不同种类、浓度无机盐来改变细胞壁附近的理化特性、渗透压以及...     

Keratan sulfate and related murine glycosylation can suppress murine cartilage damage in vitro and in vivo

Nucleolar spindle associated protein (NuSAP) is a microtubule-stabilizing protein that localizes to chromosome arms and chromosome-proximal microtubules during mitosis and to the nucleus, with enrichment in the nucleoli, during interphase. The critical function of NuSAP is underscored by the finding that its depletion in HeLa cells results in various mitotic defects. Moreover, NuSAP is found overexpressed in multiple cancers and its expression levels often correlate with the aggressiveness of cancer. Due to its localization on chromosome arms and combination of microtubule-stabilizing and DNA-binding properties, NuSAP takes a special place within the extensive group of spindle assembly factors. In this study, we identify a SAP-like domain that shows DNA binding in vitro with a preference for dsDNA. Deletion of the SAP-like domain abolishes chromosome arm binding of NuSAP during mitosis, but is not sufficient to abrogate its chromosome-proximal localization after anaphase onset. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments revealed the highly dynamic nature of this NuSAP-chromatin interaction during mitosis. In interphase cells, NuSAP also interacts with chromatin through its SAP-like domain, as evident from its enrichment on dense chromatin regions and intranuclear mobility, measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.The obtained results are in agreement with a model where NuSAP dynamically stabilizes newly formed microtubules on mitotic chromosomes to enhance chromosome positioning without immobilizing these microtubules. Interphase NuSAP-chromatin interaction suggests additional functions for NuSAP, as recently identified for other nuclear spindle assembly factors with a role in gene expression or DNA damage response.     

Genome sequence, structural proteins, and capsid organization of the cyanophage Syn5: a "horned" bacteriophage of marine synechococcus

Marine Synechococcus spp and marine Prochlorococcus spp are numerically dominant photoautotrophs in the open oceans and contributors to the global carbon cycle. Syn5 is a short-tailed cyanophage isolated from the Sargasso Sea on Synechococcus strain WH8109. Syn5 has been grown in WH8109 to high titer in the laboratory and purified and concentrated retaining infectivity. Genome sequencing and annotation of Syn5 revealed that the linear genome is 46,214 bp with a 237 bp terminal direct repeat. Sixty-one open reading frames (ORFs) were identified. Based on genomic organization and sequence similarity to known protein sequences within GenBank, Syn5 shares features with T7-like phages. The presence of a putative integrase suggests access to a temperate life cycle. Assignment of 11 ORFs to structural proteins found within the phage virion was confirmed by mass-spectrometry and N-terminal sequencing. Eight of these identified structural proteins exhibited amino acid sequence similarity to enteric phage proteins. The remaining three virion proteins did not resemble any known phage sequences in GenBank as of August 2006. Cryo-electron micrographs of purified Syn5 virions revealed that the capsid has a single “horn”, a novel fibrous structure protruding from the opposing end of the capsid from the tail of the virion. The tail appendage displayed an apparent 3-fold rather than 6-fold symmetry. An 18 Å resolution icosahedral reconstruction of the capsid revealed a T = 7 lattice, but with an unusual pattern of surface knobs. This phage/host system should allow detailed investigation of the physiology and biochemistry of phage propagation in marine photosynthetic bacteria.     

Using Molecular Dynamics to Predict Factors Affecting Binding Strength and Magnetic Relaxivity of MRI Contrast Agents

We demonstrate the use of molecular dynamics and molecular mechanics methods to calculate properties and behavior of metal-chelate complexes that can be used as MRI contrast agents. Static and dynamic properties of several known agents were calculated and compared with experiment. We calculated the static properties such as the q-values (number of inner shell waters) and binding distances of chelate atoms to the metal ion for a set of chelates with known X-ray structure. The dynamic flexibility of the chelate arms was also calculated. These computations were extended to a series of exploratory chelate structures in order to estimate their potential as MRI contrast agents. We have also calculated for the first time the NMR relaxivity of an MRI contrast agent using a long (5 nsec) molecular dynamics simulation. Our predictions are promising enough that the method should prove useful for evaluating novel candidate compounds before they are synthesized. One novel static property, the projected area of chelate atoms onto a virtual surface centered on the metal ion (gnomonic projection), was found to give an effective measure of how well the chelate atoms use the free space around the metal ion.     

增强UV-B辐射和NaCl复合胁迫下绿豆光合作用的气孔和非气孔限制

研究了0.35 W/m2的UV-B辐射、0.4%NACl及其复合胁迫下绿豆(Phaseolus radiatus L.)幼苗光合作用的气孔和非气孔限制.发现各胁迫处理下,幼苗净光合速率、气孔导度、光合能力、羧化效率和Rubisco含量均明显降低;细胞间隙CO2浓度在各胁迫处理前期低于对照,后期高于对照;气孔限制值除复合处理第5天外,其余均高于对照;复合处理下上述指标的变化程度均大于两胁迫因子单独处理.表明各胁迫下光合速率的降低既有气孔因素也有非气孔因素,但前期以气孔限制为主,后期以非气孔限制为主;Rubisco含量的降低是各胁迫下光合速率降低的非气孔因素.     

SAHA treatment overcomes the anti-apoptotic effects of Bcl-2 and is associated with the formation of mature PML nuclear bodies in human leukemic U937 cells

Bcl-2 protects tumor cells from the apoptotic effects of various antineoplastic agents. Increased expression of Bcl-2 has been associated with poor response to chemotherapy in various malignancies, including leukemia. Therefore, bypassing the resistance conferred by anti-apoptotic factors such as Bcl-2 represents an attractive therapeutic strategy against cancer cells, including leukemic cells. We undertook this study to examine whether SAHA (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) overcomes the resistance by Bcl-2 in human leukemic cells, with a specific focus on the involvement of PML-NBs. Experiments were conducted with Bcl-2-overexpressing human leukemic U937 cells. Since we previously demonstrated that overexpression of Bcl-2 attenuates resveratrol-induced apoptosis in human leukemic U937 cells, resveratrol-treated U937 cells were used as a negative control. The present study indicates that SAHA at 1-7 μM, the dose range known to induce apoptosis in various cancer cells, overcomes the anti-apoptotic effects of Bcl-2 in Bcl-2-overexpressing human leukemic U937 cells. Notably, we observed that SAHA-induced formation of mature promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (NBs) correlates with overcoming the anti-apoptotic effects of Bcl-2 in human leukemic U937 cells. Thus, PML protein and the formation of mature PML-NBs could be considered as therapeutic targets that could help bypass the resistance to apoptosis conferred by Bcl-2. Elucidating exactly how PML regulates Bcl-2 will require further work.     

Characterization of conserved motifs in HIV-1 Vif required for APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F interaction

Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3G (APOBEC3G, or A3G) and related cytidine deaminases such as apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3F (APOBEC3F, or A3F) are potent inhibitors of retroviruses. Formation of infectious human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 requires suppression of multiple cytidine deaminases by Vif. HIV-1 Vif suppresses various APOBEC3 proteins through a common mechanism by recruiting Cullin5, ElonginB, and ElonginC E3 ubiquitin ligase to induce target protein polyubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation. Domains in Vif that mediate APOBEC3 recognition have not been fully characterized. In the present study, we identified a VxIPLx_4-5LxΦx₂YWxL motif in HIV-1 Vif, which is required for efficient interaction between Vif and A3G, Vif-mediated A3G degradation and virion exclusion, and functional suppression of the A3G antiviral activity. Amino acids 52 to 72 of HIV-1 Vif (including the VxIPLx_4-5LxΦx₂YWxL motif) alone could mediate interaction with A3G, and this interaction was abolished by mutations of two hydrophobic amino acids in this region. We have also observed that a Vif mutant was ineffective against A3G, yet it retained the ability to interact with Cullin5-E3 ubiquitin complex and A3G, suggesting that interaction with A3G is necessary but not sufficient to inhibit its antiviral function. Unlike the previously identified motif of HIV-1 Vif amino acids 40 to 44, which is only important for A3G suppression, the VxIPLx_4-5LxΦx₂YWxL motif is also required for efficient A3F interaction and suppression. On the other hand, another motif, TGERxW, of HIV-1 Vif amino acids 74 to 79 was found to be mainly important for A3F interaction and inhibition. Both the VxIPLx_4-5LxΦx₂YWxL and TGERxW motifs are highly conserved among HIV-1, HIV-2, and various simian immunodeficiency virus Vif proteins. Our data suggest that primate lentiviral Vif molecules recognize their autologous APOBEC3 proteins through conserved structural features that represent attractive targets for the development of novel inhibitors.