Amelioration of human osteoarthritis symptoms with topical ‘biotherapeutics’: a phase I human trial

Osteoarthritis (OA) treatments presently rely on analgesics, which manage pain but fail to restore imbalances between catabolic and anabolic processes that underlie OA pathogenesis. Recently, biologic (biotherapeutic) drugs, which alter the activity of catabolic agents such as nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokines in ways, allowing tissue regeneration, were evaluated for efficacy in OA treatment. These studies failed to demonstrate dramatic abatement of OA symptoms by these drugs, but suggested strategies by which biologic agents might be used to treat OA. The present review summarizes current understanding of OA pathogenesis and evolving treatments. Preliminary evaluations of a novel biotherapeutic strategy are presented here. Twenty OA patients receiving sour topical cherry seed extract (SCE), an inducer of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a major physiological protectant against oxidative stress exhibited significantly decreased joint pain and activation of CD4+ T cells expressing inflammatory cytokines (p < 0.05), significantly decreased peripheral blood C-reactive protein (CRP), and increased leukocyte HO-1 (p < 0.05) in comparison with ten placebo-treated patients. SCE inhibits joint-damaging inflammatory mediator production. This agent therefore meets the main criterion for classification as a “biotherapeutic,” or “biologic” agent. The negligible toxicity and low cost of such materials make them promising contributors to OA treatment, sustainable within resource limitations of a wide range of patients.     

利用能源植物治理土壤重金属污染

随着工农业的发展,土壤重金属污染日益加剧,严重威胁着粮食生产和人类健康。植物修复因其成本低、环境友好以及可大规模原位修复等优点备受关注,成为近年来迅速发展的重金属污染土壤治理技术。在介绍国内外植物修复技术发展与应用现状的基础上,提倡大力发展能源植物修复重金属污染土地,并结合湖南重金属污染田间试验结果,重点对甜高粱(Sorghum bicolor(Linn.)Moench)用于重金属污染土壤修复的优势、可行性及提高修复效率的措施进行了深入分析与探讨。利用甜高粱治理土壤重金属污染,能将土壤修复与生物能源生产有机结合,使重金属从粮食链转入能源链,同时兼顾了生态和经济效益,具有广阔的应用前景。     

沙生灌木沙漠葳区域栽培试验

在吐鲁番、敦煌、民勤和天水4个地区进行了连续4年的沙漠葳[Chilopsis linearis（Cav．）Sweet]引种栽培试验,结果表明：沙漠葳是嗜热喜光的阳性树种,在吐鲁番生长表现良好,苗高、地茎、冠幅、主根长及侧根数等指标远高于其他试验区,苗高的年平均生长量可达2．26m,是其他3个试验区的3倍以上,2年生苗即可正常开花结实;在敦煌和民勤地区,沙漠葳能开花但种子不能成熟,植株生长量小,且受冬季低温和初春大气干旱的危害严重;在天水地区沙漠葳生长表现较好并能越冬存活,但不能正常开花结实。沙漠蒇的营养生长与年均温度和≥10℃有效积温呈显著正相关,相关系数分别达0．9868和0．9921,而与日照时数和相对湿度的相关性不显著。     

Amiloride reduces the sweet taste intensity by inhibiting the human sweet taste receptor

In mammals, sweet taste perception is mediated by the heterodimeric G-protein-coupled receptor, T1R2/T1R3. An interesting characteristic of this sweet taste receptor is that it has multiple ligand binding sites. Although there have been several studies on agonists of sweet taste receptors, little is known about antagonists of these receptors. In this study, we constructed a cell line stably expressing the human sweet taste receptor (hT1R2/hT1R3) and a functional chimeric G-protein (hGα16gust44) using the Flp-In system for measuring the antagonistic activity against the receptor. This constructed cell line responded quite intensely and frequently to the compounds applied for activation of hT1R2/hT1R3. In the presence of 3 mM amiloride, the responses to sweet tastants such as sugar, artificial sweetener, and sweet protein were significantly reduced. The inhibitory activity of amiloride toward 1 mM aspartame was observed in a dose-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ value of 0.87 mM. Our analysis of a cell line expressing hT1R3 mutants (hT1R3-A733V or hT1R3-F778A) made us to conclude that the target site of amiloride is distinct from that of lactisole, a known sweet taste inhibitor. Our results strongly indicate that amiloride reduces the sweet taste intensity by inhibiting the human sweet taste receptor and also that this receptor has multiple inhibitor binding sites.     

Functional hypothesis on miraculin’ sweetness by a molecular dynamics approach

Miraculin differs from other sweet-tasting proteins because it is a taste-modifier having the unusual property of modifying sourness into sweetness. Its dimer is covalently linked by an inter-chain disulphide bond, and shows its taste-modifying activity at acidic pH, with maximum at pH 3.0, while it is flat at neutral pH. Previous studies suggested the importance of two histidine residues for the taste-modifying activity of miraculin. In this work, we have conducted molecular dynamics simulations on wild type miraculin and on three mutated dimers (H29A, H59A and H29A/H59A) both at neutral and acidic pH to investigate the structural and functional role of these two His residues. Our results suggested that at acidic pH the presence of two charged His at the interface induced a structural rearrangement of the two monomers, thus leading to their relative opening and the following adaptation of their conformation to the receptor surface. On the other hand the simulations on three mutants showed that the mutated dimers had a closed form, and highlighted the important role of H29 in stabilizing/destabilizing the dimer arrangement and also a cooperative effect of the two histidines.     

Interactions between the human sweet-sensing T1R2-T1R3 receptor and sweeteners detected by saturation transfer difference NMR spectroscopy

The sweet receptor is a member of the G-protein coupled receptor family C that detects a wide variety of chemically and structurally diverse sweet-tasting molecules. We recently used saturation transfer difference spectroscopy (STD) to monitor the direct binding of a set of sweet agonists and antagonists to the human taste receptor in membranes prepared from human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells transfected with and expressing the sweet receptor [F.M. Assadi-Porter, M. Tonelli, E. Maillet, K. Hallenga, O. Benard, M. Max, J.L. Markley, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130 (2008) 7212-7213]. Here we review this work and related studies, discuss the procedures involved, and expand on their potential for identifying specific binding interactions of ligands to the membrane spanning and extracellular regions of the full heterodimeric sweet taste receptor. Whereas activity assays are unable to distinguish mutations that alter ligand-binding sites from those that alter signal transduction downstream of the binding site, STD NMR now allows us to make this distinction.     

Increased growth in elevated [CO2]: an early,short-term response?

Saplings of four clones of Sitka spruce and cherry were grown for three and two growing seasons, respectively, in open top chambers at two CO₂ concentrations (≈ 350 and ≈ 700 μmol mol^–1) to determine whether the increase in total biomass brought about by enhanced [CO₂] is a result of a transient or persistent effect in nonlimiting conditions. Classical growth analysis was applied to both species and mean current relative growth rate of total dry mass (R_T) and leaf dry mass (R_L), and period relative growth rate of total dry mass ( ) and leaf dry mass ( ) were calculated. Sitka spruce saplings and cherry seedlings showed a positive growth response to elevated [CO₂], and at the end of the experiments both species were ≈ 40% larger in elevated [CO₂] than in ambient [CO₂]. As a result, the period mean and were significantly higher in elevated [CO₂]. The differences in plant dry mass at the end of the experiments were a consequence of the more rapid growth in the early phase of exposure to elevated [CO₂]. After this initial phase mean R_T and R_L were similar or even lower in elevated [CO₂] than in ambient [CO₂]. NAR of both species was much higher in elevated [CO₂], whereas both LAR, SLA, and LMR showed the opposite trend. The higher LAR and SLA of plants in ambient [CO₂] contributed to a compensation by which they maintained R_T similar to that of elevated [CO₂] saplings despite lower NAR and photosynthetic rate. However, when the same size the trees were similar amongst the [CO₂] treatments, indicating that one of the main effect of elevated [CO₂] on tree growth is to speed-up early development in all aspects.     

Differential response of four tree species to ozone-induced acceleration of foliar senescence

Ozone (O₃)-induced accelerated senescence of leaves was measured in four tree species: black cherry ( Prunus serotina ), hybrid poplar ( Populus maximowizii x trichocarpa , clone 245), northern red oak ( Quercus rubra ) and sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ). Seedlings or ramets of the four species were subjected to chronic O₃ exposures and designated leaves harvested periodically from emergence to senescence. Gas exchange was analysed, and concentrations of total soluble protein and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase were measured as indicators of leaf senescence. Total antioxidant potential and ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities also were determined. Black cherry and hybrid poplar exhibited O₃-induced accelerated leaf senescence, whereas sugar maple and northern red oak did not. When the O₃ effects were related to cumulative uptake of the gas, black cherry was the most sensitive of the four species. Although hybrid poplar exhibited similar symptoms of O₃-induced accelerated senescence after the same exposure period as did black cherry, this species took up much greater quantities of O₃ to achieve the same response. The O₃-induced increase in glutathione reductase activity in hybrid poplar was consistent with the capacity of this species to take up high concentrations of the gas. Relative tolerance of northern red oak and sugar maple could be explained only in part by lower cumulative O₃ uptake and lower rate of uptake. Sugar maple had the highest antioxidant potential of all four species, which may have contributed to O₃ tolerance of this species. Ascorbate peroxidase activity, when expressed on a fresh weight basis, could not account for differential sensitivity among the four species.     

Plant Regeneration and Transformation of Sweet Papper (Capsicum frutescens)

Three strains of sweet pepper, (Capsicum frutescens) “Shuang Feng”, “Zhong Jiao No. 2” and “Zhong Jiao No.3” were screened out of six Chinese cuhivars for their high capacity of regeneration. The normal flowering and fertile regenerated plants have been obtained from cotyledons of seedlings from 10 to 16 days old by a four-step culture procedure; short induction, shoot elongation, rooting of excised shoot and transplanting into soil. MS was the basal medium in all steps, supplemented with different kind and different concentration Of phytohomores. Optimal shoot ioduction medium is MS +4–6mg/LBA+0.5mg/LIAA which gives rise a shoot regeneration frequency of 100%. 35% of the induced shoots elongated on the medium of MS+2mg/L Zeatin or 2mg/L. BA+l–3mg/L GA, and subsequently rooted on MS medium or in addition of 0.1–0.5mg/LNAA. The regenerants were transplanted into soil and developed into normal plants. In the transformation of sweet pepper using the leaf disc method, two kinds of wild type Agrobacterium tumefaciens, C58 and GV3111, have been screened out in regard to their high infection capacity. The transient expression of GUS gene was detected and Kanamycin-resistant shoots from infected cotyledons have been obtained. Further assay and transfering the TMV-resistant and CMV-resistant genes into sweet pepper are in progress.