Stigmatellin Y – An anti-biofilm compound from Bacillus subtilis BR4 possibly interferes in PQS–PqsR mediated quorum sensing system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Hitherto this is the first report pertaining to production of biofilm inhibitory compound(s) (BIC) from Bacillus subtilis BR4 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) coupled with production optimization. In order to achieve this, combinations of media components were formulated by employing statistical tools such as Plackett–Burman analysis and central composite rotatable design (CCRD). It was evident that at 35 ml L^?1 glycerol and 3.8 g L^?1 casamino acid, anti-biofilm activity and production of extracellular protein significantly increased by 1.5-fold and 1.2-fold, respectively. These results corroborate that the combination of glycerol and casamino acid plays a key role in the production of BIC. Further, metabolic profiling of BIC was carried out using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) based on m/z value. The presence of Stigmatellin Y was predicted with monoisotopic neutral mass of 484.2825 Da. In support of optimization study, higher production of BIC was confirmed in the optimized-media-grown BR4 (OPT-BR4) than in the ideal-media-grown BR4 (ID-BR4) by LC–MS/MS analysis. PqsR in P. aeruginosa is a potential target for anti-virulent therapy. Molecular docking study has revealed that Stigmatellin Y interacts with PqsR in the similar orientation like a cognate signal (PQS) and synthetic inhibitor. In addition, Stigmatellin Y was found to exhibit interaction with four more amino acid residues of PqsR to establish strong affinity. Stigmatellin Y thus might play a role of competitor for PQS to distract PQS–PqsR mediated communication in P. aeruginosa. The present investigation thus paves new avenues to develop anti-Pseudomonas virulent therapy.     

Bovine Sex Determining Region Y: Cloning,Optimized Expression,and Purification

Sex determining region Y gene (SRY) is located on Y chromosome and encodes a protein with 229 amino acids. In this study, ORF region of SRY with a length of 690 bp was synthesized using PCR and ligated to pET28a (+), then transformed in E.coli DH5α. E.coli BL21 (DE3) strain was chosen to express recombinant bovine SRY protein. A set of optimization steps was taken including different concentrations of IPTG, glucose, and temperatures at differed incubation times after the induction. Results showed that temperature points and different concentrations of IPTG and glucose had a significant effect (p < 0.01) on total protein and recombinant bovine SRY. After purification, various temperatures and concentrations of IPTG showed meaningful effects (p < 0.01) on the solubility of expressed recombinant SRY. Highest soluble rSRY protein amount was achieved where 0.5 mM IPTG and 0.5% glucose was used at 20°C during induction. In the absence of glucose, the highest amount of soluble recombinant SRY levels were achieved at the concentrations of 0.8 mM of IPTG at 28°C, 20°C, and 1.5 mM IPTG at 37°C during induction for 16, 24, and 8 hours, respectively. Regarding the results obtained in this study, it could be stated that by decreasing temperature and inducer concentration, soluble bovine SRY protein expression increases.     

Chemical screening identifies ROCK as a target for recovering mitochondrial function in Hutchinson‐Gilford progeria syndrome

Hutchinson‐Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) constitutes a genetic disease wherein an aging phenotype manifests in childhood. Recent studies indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in HGPS phenotype progression. Thus, pharmacological reduction in ROS levels has been proposed as a potentially effective treatment for patient with this disorder. In this study, we performed high‐throughput screening to find compounds that could reduce ROS levels in HGPS fibroblasts and identified rho‐associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor (Y‐27632) as an effective agent. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of ROCK in regulating ROS levels, we performed a yeast two‐hybrid screen and discovered that ROCK1 interacts with Rac1b. ROCK activation phosphorylated Rac1b at Ser71 and increased ROS levels by facilitating the interaction between Rac1b and cytochrome c. Conversely, ROCK inactivation with Y‐27632 abolished their interaction, concomitant with ROS reduction. Additionally, ROCK activation resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction, whereas ROCK inactivation with Y‐27632 induced the recovery of mitochondrial function. Furthermore, a reduction in the frequency of abnormal nuclear morphology and DNA double‐strand breaks was observed along with decreased ROS levels. Thus, our study reveals a novel mechanism through which alleviation of the HGPS phenotype is mediated by the recovery of mitochondrial function upon ROCK inactivation.     

云南泸西汉族17个Y-STR基因座多态性及遗传关系分析

调查云南泸西县汉族群体17个Y-STR基因座的多态性分布, 探讨其群体遗传学及法医学应用价值。应用AmpF?STR?Yfiler荧光标记复合扩增系统扩增156名汉族无关男性个体的17个Y-STR基因座, 用ABI3100遗传分析仪进行基因检测, 计算等位基因及单倍型频率, 并结合已公开发表的国内外其他16个群体的遗传学资料, 分析各群体间的遗传距离。云南泸西汉族男性群体中, 共观察到154种单倍型, 其中152种为仅观察到1次的单倍型, 2种单倍型观察到2次, 单倍型多样性(HD)值为0.9998, 基因多样性(GD)值在0.3901(DYS437)—0.9632(DYS385a/b)。17个群体遗传距离分析提示, 国内人群云南泸西汉族与湖南汉族的遗传距离最小(0.005), 与闽南汉族的遗传距离最大(0.035); 在中国周边群体中,云南泸西汉族与新加坡华人的遗传距离最小(0.015), 与日本人和马来西亚印度人群的遗传距离最大(0.060)。结果表明, 17个Y-STR基因座在云南泸西汉族中具有较高的遗传多态性, 适用当地的法医学应用。与其他民族群体的遗传多样性比较, 对了解各群体的起源、迁徙及相互关系有重要意义。     

濒危植物峨眉黄连的生活史和繁殖特性及生态特征

峨眉黄连(Coptis omeiensis (Chen) C. Y. Cheng)是一种药用价值较高的国家二级保护植物。采用野外观察与室内解剖的方法, 详细描述和分析了峨眉黄连的生活史、繁殖特性及生态特征, 并寻找致危因子。结果表明: 峨眉黄连从种子萌发至自然死亡, 其生活史可分为4个时期, 寿命长达15年以上。峨眉黄连行有性繁殖, 无侧生无性繁殖枝; 顶生芽是一个混合芽, 由侧生花序和1个定芽组成; 花的各部分均发育正常, 花瓣原基和雄蕊原基同源; 花粉粒直径16–24 μm, 有刺状雕纹。种子腹面有窄翼状突起, 胚后熟, 翌年萌发。海拔1 100–1 700 m的阴湿岩壁是其最适生长环境, 降雨量、温度、湿度和光照等因素对其生存与分布至关重要。     

人牙根龋发生中有机质破坏的酶学研究

目的 :了解牙根部有机质破坏的机制。方法 :将健康恒牙根颈 1/ 3牙体硬组织 ,磨制成 38.5～149m组织粉粒作样本 ,乳酸 (p H 4.0和 p H5 .5 )及醋酸 (p H 4.5和 p H5 .5 )溶液预处理后 ,测定钙、总蛋白和胶原含量 ;再经胰酶、胶原酶处理后分析释出的胶原量。结果 :乳酸和醋酸预处理不能降解人牙根部的胶原 ,但采用 p H4.0的乳酸处理牙齿后可以使酶对牙本质胶原的降解量明显增高 ,达 (4 4.0 5± 4.5 0 ) μl/ mg;随 p H升高 ,胰酶和胶原酶对根部牙体组织胶原的降解量明显下降 ,脱矿程度减弱 ,钙释出减少。结论 :酸和酶有协同降解胶原的作用。     

Le^Y寡糖单克隆抗体对小鼠胚泡基质金属蛋白酶表达和分泌的影响

以LeY 寡糖特异性单克隆抗体AH6为工具中和胚泡表面LeY 寡糖后 ,通过RT PCR、明胶酶谱法、免疫印迹法等方法 ,在体外研究了着床前小鼠胚泡表面LeY 寡糖抗原与其基质金属蛋白酶 (MMP)、金属蛋白酶组织抑制因子 (TIMP1)的表达和分泌之间的关系。结果显示 :胚泡表面LeY 寡糖抗原被中和后仅 1.5h ,胚泡MMP2和MMP9基因转录表达明显下降、而TIMP1基因转录表达则略有升高 ;随后抗体中和引起胚泡MMP2、MMP9的分泌减少 ,而TIMP1的分泌则未见明显变化。结果表明胚泡表面的LeY 寡糖抗原对着床前胚泡的MMP的合成和分泌具有调节作用 ,而且这种作用可能主要是通过调节相应的MMP2和MMP9基因的表达而引起的     

中国6个人群中Y染色体15个双等位基因标记变异频率分布及单体群分析

以6个群体（5个民族）342名男性为研究对象,采用等位基因特异性PCR技术对Y染色体上15个双等位基因标记进行基因分型,得到15个标记的变异频率分布并界定了6个群体的单体群。结果显示,在两个汉族人群中M9G的频率相当高（96.20%和96.43%）,为一特征性标志;四川汉族以高M95T（82.14%）为显著特点：回族以M45A（18.57%）的高频率有别于其他5个群体（0%）。进一步对单体群分析表明,4个少数民族群体享有共同的基本单体群,并根据群体间的共有单体群比较推测出4个少数民族间的相对遗传距离,而两个汉族群体中的单体群类型即表现出显著不同。     

用C-带和涂染技术检测棕色田鼠Y染色体

采用染色体C 带技术和小鼠整条Y染色体特异探针检测棕色田鼠的Y染色体 ,结果如下 :棕色田鼠雄性个体C 带中期分裂相中 ,X性染色体是亚中部着丝粒染色体 ,在着丝粒处存在着强烈的C阳性带 ,而且在短臂的中间也有一条C阳性带 ,但是没有发现深染的Y染色体。用小鼠整条Y染色体特异探针涂染棕色田鼠的骨髓细胞中期分裂相和间期核 ,以小鼠骨髓细胞中期分裂相和间期核作为对照。涂染结果表明 :棕色田鼠骨髓细胞中期分裂相和间期核涂染信号检出率分别为 0 - 2 %和 3% - 5 % ,两者均呈阴性反应 ,而对照都呈阳性反应。根据实验结果 ,作者认为在棕色田鼠的Y染色体上及整个基因组DNA中不存在小鼠整条Y染色体特异DNA的同源序列 ,其Y染色体上可能没有决定雄性性别的重要基因     

栽培荒漠肉苁蓉化学成分研究

从荒漠肉苁蓉(Cistanche deserticola Y．C．Ma)栽培品中分离得到7个化合物,通过理化常数和波谱分析鉴定为甘露醇(1)、β-谷甾醇(2)、甜菜碱(3)、2′-乙酰基麦角甾甙(4)、麦角甾甙(5)、肉苁蓉甙A(6)和海胆甙(7)。本研究表明,栽培肉苁蓉与已报道的野生肉苁蓉主要成分一致。