6A型肺炎球菌结合物分子大小对小鼠免疫原性的影响

目的 比较不同分子大小的6A型肺炎球菌(serotype 6A Streptococcus Pneumoniae )结合物和佐剂吸附在小鼠体内免疫原性的影响。方法 通过乙酸水解降低6A型荚膜多糖的相对分子质量制备成水解物,水解物经1-氰基-4-二甲胺基吡啶四氟硼酸盐(CDAP)活化并与破伤风类毒素己二酸酰肼衍生物TT AH 结合,制备成结合物。用Sepharose 4 Fast Flow 纯化结合物,并根据化学检测结果将结合物分为 K D 0.0~0.2、 K D 0.2~0.4、 K D 0.4~0.6等3个组分,每个组分分别以磷酸铝佐剂吸附,将吸附前后的各个组分按照每针次每只小鼠0.2 μg分别免疫小鼠,并采用ELISA检测结合物在小鼠体内的抗体水平。结果 3种不同相对分子质量吸附前后的结合物在小鼠体内均能产生较高水平的抗体,各组2、3针之间具有明显的加强效应。在吸附组和未吸附组中,3种不同分子大小的结合物在小鼠体内产生抗体水平无明显差异。各组分佐剂吸附后的结合物血清抗体滴度高于未吸附组,但这种差异无统计学意义( P > 0.05)。结论 结合物的分子大小对小鼠体内抗体水平的产生没有明显影响;磷酸铝佐剂吸附对于不同分子大小的结合物在小鼠体内的免疫原性有一定的增强效应,但这种增强效应差异无统计学意义。     

不同酸水解酪蛋白对W135群和Y群脑膜炎奈瑟菌荚膜多糖产量的影响

目的 探索不同酸水解酪蛋白对W135群与Y群脑膜炎奈瑟菌(脑膜炎球菌)荚膜多糖产量的影响。方法 分别以NaCl质量分数为37%和14%的酸水解酪蛋白作为有机氮源配制改良半综合高盐培养基和低盐培养基,利用全自动细菌发酵罐分别在两种培养基里培养W135群和Y群脑膜炎球菌,比较这两种菌株在两种培养基中的生长时间、收获液菌密度( A 600 nm 值)、收获液去菌体后与去复合多糖后上清中的荚膜多糖含量,以及纯化后的精糖产量;比较高盐培养基收获液及其2倍稀释液中不同终含量的十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB)溶液对多糖沉淀效果的影响。结果 W135群与Y群脑膜炎球菌在两种培养基中的培养时间差异无统计学意义( P >0.05),但高盐培养基收获液的菌密度、收获液去菌体后上清液中的多糖含量均高于低盐培养基收获液,差异有统计学意义( P < 0.05),而高盐培养基收获液纯化后的精糖产量低于低盐培养基,差异有统计学意义( P <0.05)。高盐培养液2倍稀释后,在CTAB终体积分数为0.04%时,W135群与Y群脑膜炎球菌多糖全部沉淀,而未稀释高盐培养液即使CTAB终体积分数提高到0.14%,依然也不能完全沉淀 W135群与Y群脑膜炎球菌多糖。结论 不同酸水解酪蛋白对W135群和Y群脑膜炎球菌的生长密度和荚膜多糖产量有影响,用CTAB溶液沉淀荚膜多糖时需控制收获液盐含量。     

Sugar constituents of fucose-containing polysaccharides from various Japanese brown algae

Sugar constituents of the fucose-containing polysaccharides (FCPs) from 21 species of brown algae were analyzed. FCPs were extracted with hot water (100 °C, 4 h), separated by precipitation with 20% (v:v) ethanol in the presence of 0.05 M MgCl₂ to remove contaminating soluble alginate, and purified by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. The samples were hydrolyzed with HCI, and neutral sugar and uronic acid were separated by anion exchange chromatography. Their amounts were determined by gas-liquid chromatography. The neutral sugars in the FCPs from Ishige okamurae, Laminaria ochotensis, Myelophycus simplex, Padina arborescens and Sargassum thunbergii all contained arabinose, fucose, galactose, glucose, mannose, rhamnose and xylose residues. The FCPs from Ishige okamurae, Padina arborescens, Sargassum hemiphyllum, S. patents and S. sagamianum contained the four uronic acids, galacturonic acid, glucuronic acid, guluronic acid and mannuronic acid.     

Specificity of the lipase-specific foldases of gram-negative bacteria and the role of the membrane anchor

Folding of lipases that are secreted by Pseudomonads and other gram-negative bacteria via the type II secretion pathway is facilitated by dedicated chaperones, called lipase-specific foldases (Lifs). Lifs are membrane-anchored proteins with a large periplasmic domain. The functional interaction between the Lif and its cognate lipase is specific, since the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lif was found not to substitute for Lifs from Burkholderia glumae or Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. However, the P. aeruginosa Lif was able to activate the lipase from the closely related species P. alcaligenes. Hybrid proteins constructed from parts of the P. aeruginosa and B. glumae Lifs revealed that the C-terminal 138 amino acids of the B. glumae Lif determine the specificity of the interaction with the cognate lipase. Furthermore, the periplasmic domain of the B. glumae Lif was functional when cloned in frame with a cleavable signal sequence, which demonstrates that the membrane anchor is not essential for Lif function in vivo. However, the recombinant Lif was released into the medium, indicating that the function of the membrane anchor is to prevent secretion of the Lif together with the lipase. Received: 12 November 1998 / Accepted: 19 February 1999     

Signalling pathways in pollen germination and tube growth

Summary. Signalling is an integral component in the establishment and maintenance of cellular identity. In plants, tip-growing cells represent an ideal system to investigate signal transduction mechanisms, and among these, pollen tubes (PTs) are one of the favourite models. Many signalling pathways have been identified during germination and tip growth, namely, Ca²⁺, calmodulin, phosphoinositides, protein kinases, cyclic AMP, and GTPases. These constitute a large and complex web of signalling networks that intersect at various levels such as the control of vesicle targeting and fusion and the physical state of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we discuss some of the most recent advances made in PT signal transduction cascades and their implications for our future research. For reasons of space, emphasis was given to signalling mechanisms that control PT reorientation, so naturally many other relevant works have not been cited. Correspondence and reprints: Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.     

紫锥菊多糖抑制致病性大肠埃希菌细胞黏附的试验研究

目的研究紫锥菊多糖能否影响致病性大肠埃希菌对细胞的黏附。方法使用PK-15细胞进行黏附试验及黏附抑制试验。结果发现紫锥菊多糖浓度为1.6 mg/ml时,对细菌黏附细胞的抑制作用最好,黏附率由50个细菌/细胞降低到6.8个细菌/细胞。结论紫锥菊多糖对致病性大肠埃希菌的细胞黏附具有抑制作用,提示该多糖具有调节肠道微生态的潜在应用价值。     

Autoinhibitory regulation of TrwK, an essential VirB4 ATPase in type IV secretion systems

Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) mediate the transfer of DNA and protein substrates to target cells. TrwK, encoded by the conjugative plasmid R388, is a member of the VirB4 family, comprising the largest and most conserved proteins of T4SS. In a previous work we demonstrated that TrwK is able to hydrolyze ATP. Here, based on the structural homology of VirB4 proteins with the DNA-pumping ATPase TrwB coupling protein, we generated a series of variants of TrwK where fragments of the C-terminal domain were sequentially truncated. Surprisingly, the in vitro ATPase activity of these TrwK variants was much higher than that of the wild-type enzyme. Moreover, addition of a synthetic peptide containing the amino acid residues comprising this C-terminal region resulted in the specific inhibition of the TrwK variants lacking such domain. These results indicate that the C-terminal end of TrwK plays an important regulatory role in the functioning of the T4SS.     

Effect of water-soluble and insoluble non-starch polysaccharides isolated from wheat flour on the rheological properties of wheat starch gel

Water-soluble (WSP) and insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (WIP) were isolated from wheat flour to evaluate the effects of WSP and WIP on starch gel properties. Isolated WSP and WIP were added to two types of isolated wheat starch with different amylose content at a concentration of 3% based on the dry weight of starch. 30% starch gels were prepared and stored at 5 °C for 1, 8, or 24 h. The dynamic viscoelasticity of 30% starch gels mixed with WSP and WIP was measured using parallel plate geometry, showing that WSP and WIP affected the elastic component of starch gels in opposite ways. Adding WIP increased the storage shear modulus (G′) of starch gels, while adding WSP decreased G′ and dramatically increased the loss tangent (tan δ=G″/G′).     

天门冬多糖对人工感染鸡传染性支气管炎的治疗试验

旨在评价复方天门冬多糖注射液对鸡传染性支气管炎的临床治疗效果,为鸡传染性支气管炎临床治疗提供依据。以复方天门冬多糖注射液临床给药剂量筛选试验为基础,分别设置高剂量组、中剂量组、低剂量组、药物对照组、阳性对照组及空白对照组,运用t检验和方差分析法对攻毒前后试验动物的相对体质量及试验结束后免疫器官指数进行统计分析,通过比较各组数据的显著性差异来评价复方天门冬多糖注射液对鸡传染性支气管炎的治疗效果。结果显示,复方天门冬多糖注射液能提高发病鸡的相对增量率,并促进发病鸡的生长发育。说明,复方天门冬多糖注射液对患病鸡的临床治疗效果显著,在实际生产中可以推广应用。