129/SvJ mice have mutated CD23 and hyper IgE

CD23, the low affinity IgE receptor, is hypothesized to function as a negative regulator of IgE production. Upon discovering reduced CD23 surface levels in 129/SvJ inbred mice, we sought to further investigate 129/SvJ CD23 and to examine its influence on IgE levels. Five amino acid substitutions were found in 129/SvJ CD23. Identical mutations were also observed in CD23 from New Zealand Black and 129P1/ReJ mice. 129/SvJ B cells proliferated more rapidly than those from BALB/c after stimulation with IL-4 and CD40 ligand trimer. However, in vitro IgE levels in supernatants from stimulated 129/SvJ B cells were significantly reduced. Contrary to the in vitro findings, the 129/SvJ CD23 mutations correlated with a hyper IgE phenotype in vivo and 129/SvJ were able to clear Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection more rapidly than either BALB/c or C57BL/6. Overall, this study further suggests that CD23 is an important regulatory factor for IgE production.     

拟诺卡氏菌属放线菌研究进展

拟诺卡氏菌属是一个经典的丝状放线菌类群,在近十余年来获得了快速发展,目前已合格发表42个种、2个亚种。该菌群在土壤环境,尤其是天然高盐碱土样生境中广泛分布,同时从海洋、人居环境、临床样本、堆肥等生境中也能分离到。拟诺卡氏菌不仅能合成抗生素、酶抑制剂、生物表面活性剂等多种结构新颖的活性物质,而且还能产生多种具有潜在工业用途的酶,因此近年来引起了国内外学者的广泛关注。本文综述了拟诺卡氏菌分类学、生态分布与适应机制、代谢产物及遗传转化的研究进展,并对其研究趋势做了分析。     

Infrared spectroscopic imaging: Label-free biochemical analysis of stroma and tissue fibrosis

Infrared spectroscopic tissue imaging is a potentially powerful adjunct tool to current histopathology techniques. By coupling the biochemical signature obtained through infrared spectroscopy to the spatial information offered by microscopy, this technique can selectively analyze the chemical composition of different features of unlabeled, unstained tissue sections. In the past, the tissue features that have received the most interest were parenchymal and epithelial cells, chiefly due to their involvement in dysplasia and progression to carcinoma; however, the field has recently turned its focus toward stroma and areas of fibrotic change. These components of tissue present an untapped source of biochemical information that can shed light on many diverse disease processes, and potentially hold useful predictive markers for these same pathologies. Here we review the recent applications of infrared spectroscopic imaging to stromal and fibrotic regions of diseased tissue, and explore the potential of this technique to advance current capabilities for tissue analysis.     

Higher-order polarizabilities of polymethine systems in ground and excited electronic states

The electronic higher-order polarizabilities of linear and cyclic polymethine systems withelectron donor and acceptor groups included in the conjugation systems, in the ground and first excited singlet and triplet states, are studied using semiempirical quantum-chemical calculations (MNDO and PPP-DCI). It is shown that these polarizabilities are determined by two main factors: the bond order alternation in the conjugated system and the magnitude of the electron transfer within the molecule. The effect oftrans-cis isomerisation of the linear polymethines is also studied.