Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Coumarins with tert‐Butyl and Terpene Substituents

Coumarins with terpene and tert‐butyl substituents were synthesized via Pechmann condensation reaction. New derivatives were investigated in different model system for the exhibition of antioxidant, radical scavenging and membrane‐protective activities. It has been found that 4‐methylcoumarin derivatives with monoterpene moieties exhibit high antioxidant activities. The most active and promising for further investigations is 5‐hydroxy‐6,8‐diisobornyl‐4‐methylcoumarin, containing two isobornyl substituents on the benzopyran ring.     

Proteome profile of maize (Zea Mays L.) leaf tissue at the flowering stage after long-term adjustment to rice black-streaked dwarf virus infection

Maize rough dwarf disease (MRDD) is a viral disease and causes great yield loss. To better understand the effects of MRDD on plant growth and metabolism, comparative proteomic analysis of leaves from virus-infected and normal plants was performed. In order to eliminate the interference of Ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase with low-abundance proteins, total proteins were pre-fractionated by 15% PEG and the proteins from supernatant and precipitated fractions were analyzed by 2-DE, subsequently. Out of approximately 1200 protein spots detected, less than 2% of the spots on the gels were overlapping between the fractions of precipitation and supernatant. We identified 91 differentially accumulated proteins that belong to multiple metabolic/biochemical pathways in plants. Further analysis of these identified proteins indicated that MRDD resulted in dramatic changes in the fundamental metabolism, including glycolysis and starch metabolism, and eventually the significant differences in morphology and development between virus-infected and normal plants. Moreover, MRDD occurrence increased the demands for G-proteins, antioxidant enzymes, lipoxygenases and UDP-glucosyltransferase BX9, which may play important roles in response of plant against virus infection. The results also suggested that MRDD is a complicated disease controlled by multigene participating in different pathways.     

Structure and DNA-binding activity of the Pyrococcus furiosus SMC protein hinge domain

Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) proteins are essential for a wide range of processes including chromosome structure and dynamics, gene regulation, and DNA repair. While bacteria and archaea have one SMC protein that forms a homodimer, eukaryotes possess three distinct SMC complexes, consisting of heterodimeric pairs of six different SMC proteins. SMC holocomplexes additionally contain several specific regulatory subunits. The bacterial SMC complex is required for chromosome condensation and segregation. In eukaryotes, this function is carried out by the condensin (SMC2-SMC4) complex. SMC proteins consist of N-terminal and C-terminal domains that fold back onto each other to create an ATPase "head" domain, connected to a central "hinge" domain via a long coiled-coil region. The hinge domain mediates dimerization of SMC proteins and binds DNA. This activity implicates a direct involvement of the hinge domain in the action of SMC proteins on DNA. We studied the SMC hinge domain from the thermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. Its crystal structure shows that the SMC hinge domain fold is largely conserved between archaea and bacteria as well as eukarya. Like the eukaryotic condensin hinge domain, the P. furiosus SMC hinge domain preferentially binds single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), but its affinity for DNA is weaker than that of its eukaryotic counterpart, and point mutations reveal that its DNA-binding surface is more confined. The ssDNA-binding activity of its hinge domain might play a role in the DNA-loading process of the prokaryotic SMC complex during replication.     

Site-Directed Spin-Labeling Study of the Light-Harvesting Complex CP29

The topology of the long N-terminal domain (∼100 amino-acid residues) of the photosynthetic Lhc CP29 was studied using electron spin resonance. Wild-type protein containing a single cysteine at position 108 and nine single-cysteine mutants were produced, allowing to label different parts of the domain with a nitroxide spin label. In all cases, the apoproteins were either solubilized in detergent or they were reconstituted with their native pigments (holoproteins) in vitro. The spin-label electron spin resonance spectra were analyzed in terms of a multicomponent spectral simulation approach, based on hybrid evolutionary optimization and solution condensation. These results permit to trace the structural organization of the long N-terminal domain of CP29. Amino-acid residues 97 and 108 are located in the transmembrane pigment-containing protein body of the protein. Positions 65, 81, and 90 are located in a flexible loop that is proposed to extend out of the protein from the stromal surface. This loop also contains a phosphorylation site at Thr81, suggesting that the flexibility of this loop might play a role in the regulatory mechanisms of the light-harvesting process. Positions 4, 33, 40, and 56 are found to be located in a relatively rigid environment, close to the transmembrane protein body. On the other hand, position 15 is located in a flexible region, relatively far away from the transmembrane domain.     

DNA replication stress induces deregulation of the cell cycle events in root meristems of Allium cepa

Background and Aims

Prolonged treatment of Allium cepa root meristems with changing concentrations of hydroxyurea (HU) results in either premature chromosome condensation or cell nuclei with an uncommon form of biphasic chromatin organization. The aim of the current study was to assess conditions that compromise cell cycle checkpoints and convert DNA replication stress into an abnormal course of mitosis.

Methods

Interphase-mitotic (IM) cells showing gradual changes of chromatin condensation were obtained following continuous 72 h treatment of seedlings with 0·75 mm HU (without renewal of the medium). HU-treated root meristems were analysed using histochemical stainings (DNA-DAPI/Feulgen; starch-iodide and DAB staining for H₂O₂ production), Western blotting [cyclin B-like (CBL) proteins] and immunochemistry (BrdU incorporation, detection of γ-H2AX and H3S10 phosphorylation).

Key Results

Continuous treatment of onion seedlings with a low concentration of HU results in shorter root meristems, enhanced production of H₂O₂, γ-phosphorylation of H2AX histones and accumulation of CBL proteins. HU-induced replication stress gives rise to axially elongated cells with half interphase/half mitotic structures (IM-cells) having both decondensed and condensed domains of chromatin. Long-term HU treatment results in cell nuclei resuming S phase with gradients of BrdU labelling. This suggests a polarized distribution of factors needed to re-initiate stalled replication forks. Furthermore, prolonged HU treatment extends both the relative time span and the spatial scale of H3S10 phosphorylation known in plants.

Conclusions

The minimum cell length and a threshold level of accumulated CBL proteins are both determining factors by which the nucleus attains commitment to induce an asynchronous course of chromosome condensation. Replication stress-induced alterations in an orderly route of the cell cycle events probably reflect a considerable reprogramming of metabolic functions of chromatin combined with gradients of morphological changes spread along the nucleus.     

热牙胶充填与冷牙胶侧方加压在根管充填中应用的临床效果比较

目的:比较热牙胶充填与冷牙胶侧方加压在根管充填中应用的临床效果。方法:选择62例急性牙髓炎和根尖周炎患者,均分后分别选择热牙胶充填与冷牙胶侧方加压的方法进行根管充填,比较两组患者根管充填时间、术后牙周疼痛病例和术后3个月后充填质量及临床疗效。结果:两组患者术后牙周疼痛病例比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);其余各方面比较,差异均均有统计学意义(P>0.05),热牙胶组优于冷牙胶组。结论:临床进行根管充填治疗时,应首选热牙胶充填的方式,可显著提高临床疗效,且不增加患者术后牙周疼痛的发生。     

Light-induced and apoptosis-like cell death in the unicellular eukaryote, Blepharisma japonicum

The unicellular eukaryote, Blepharisma japonicum, is a light-sensitive ciliated protozoa. It possesses a photoreceptor pigment called blepharismin that plays critical roles in defensive behavior against predators and step-up photophobic response. In addition, the pigment generates reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals which contribute to photodynamic action. Previous studies reported that intense light (>300 W m⁻²) induced rapid photodynamic killing (necrosis) characterized by cell swelling and plasma efflux, while moderate light (3-30 W m⁻²) only induced pigment extrusion and photooxidation. We have found that moderate light (5 W m⁻²) induced apoptosis-like cell death. Microscopically it was found that >3 h of moderate light irradiation induced macronuclear condensation and plasma efflux without cell swelling. Single cell gel electrophoresis assay showed that DNA fragmentation occurred between 1 and 3 h of irradiation, and the condensed macronuclei contained quite fragmented DNA. Macronuclear DNA extracted from light-irradiated cells contained DNA fragments of 180-200 and 360-400 bp, which were seen as apoptosis ladders.