多烯磷脂酰胆碱对β-淀粉样蛋白（Aβ 1—40）致阿尔茨海默病模型大鼠的治疗作用

目的：研究多烯磷脂酰胆碱（Polyene Phosphatiayl choline,PPC）对β-淀粉样蛋白（Apl-40）致阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer＇s Dis．ease,AD）模型大鼠的治疗作用。方法：32只SD大鼠随机分为正常组、假手术组、模型组和处理组,海马内注射淀粉样蛋白（Aβ1—40）,制作大鼠阿尔茨海默病模型,处理组给予多烯磷脂酰胆碱。通过Moms水迷宫实验验检测各组大鼠认知行为学改变,海马组织学及免疫组化染色,观察多烯磷脂酰胆碱对阿尔茨海默病模型大鼠的影响,并进行统计学分析。结果：①Moms水迷宫实验,模型组与正常组、假手术组比较,学习和记忆潜伏期显著增加;处理组与模型组比较,学习和记忆潜伏期显著减少;组间比较差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）,提示多烯磷脂酰胆碱使AD模型大鼠的认知行为学功能改善。（2）Nissl染色,模型组与正常对照组、假手术组组织学染色结果有显著性差异（P〈0．05）,PPC处理组与模型组比较有显著性差异（P〈0．05）,PPC处理组与正常组及假手术组比较也呈现出显著性差异（P〈0．05）;提示多烯磷脂酰胆碱可以减少神经元的凋亡。③β-淀粉样蛋白免疫组化染色,模型组与正常对照组、假手术组比较,Aβ沉积明显增加;PPC处理组与模型组比较,Aβ沉积范围明显缩小,PPC处理组与正常对照组、假手术组也呈现出显著性差。结论：多烯磷脂酰胆碱对淀粉样蛋白（Aβ1—40）致阿尔茨海默病模型大鼠有治疗作用。     

Endogenous generation of sulfur dioxide in rat tissues

While sulfur dioxide (SO₂) has been previously known for its toxicological effects, it is now known to be produced endogenously in mammals from sulfur-containing amino acid l-cysteine. l-cysteine is catalyzed by cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) to l-cysteinesulfinate, which converts to β-sulfinylpyruvate through transamination by aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), and finally spontaneously decomposes to pyruvate and SO₂. The present study explored endogenous SO₂ production, and AAT and CDO distribution in different rat tissue. SO₂ content was highest in stomach, followed by tissues in the right ventricle, left ventricle, cerebral gray matter, pancreas, lung, cerebral white matter, renal medulla, spleen, renal cortex and liver. AAT activity and AAT1 mRNA expression were highest in the left ventricle, while AAT1 protein expression was highest in the right ventricle. AAT2 and CDO mRNA expressions were both highest in liver tissue. AAT2 protein expression was highest in the renal medulla, but CDO protein expression was highest in liver tissue. In all tissues, AAT1 and AAT2 were mainly distributed in the cytoplasm rather than the nucleus. These observed differences among tissues endogenously generating SO₂ and associated enzymes are important in implicating the discovery of SO₂ as a novel endogenous signaling molecule.     

Application of repeated aspartate tags to improving extracellular production of Escherichia coli l-asparaginase isozyme II

Asparaginase isozyme II from Escherichia coli is a popular enzyme that has been used as a therapeutic agent against acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Here, fusion tag systems consisting of the pelB signal sequence and various lengths of repeated aspartate tags were devised to highly express and to release active asparaginase isozyme II extracellularly in E. coli. Among several constructs, recombinant asparaginase isozyme II fused with the pelB signal sequence and five aspartate tag was secreted efficiently into culture medium at 34.6 U/mg cell of specific activity. By batch fermentation, recombinant E. coli produced 40.8 U/ml asparaginase isozyme II in the medium. In addition, deletion of the gspDE gene reduced extracellular production of asparaginase isozyme II, indicating that secretion of recombinant asparaginase isozyme II was partially ascribed to the recognition by the general secretion machinery. This tag system composed of the pelB signal peptide, and repeated aspartates can be applied to extracellular production of other recombinant proteins.     

鸭血清胆碱酯酶的纯化及性质研究

首次采用新技术双水相萃取方法作为鸭血清胆碱酯酶(EC.3.1.1.8 CHE) 纯化的第一步,后经 DEAE-Sephadex A50,sephadex G200 柱层析,获得电泳纯鸭血清胆碱酯酶,提纯倍数1018倍,酶活力回收43.4%,比活274.9U/mg。鸭血清胆碱酯酶性质研究表明:此酶是糖蛋白和酸性蛋白水解酶,等电点 4.2 左右,最适 pH7.5 左右;对底物碘化硫代丁酰胆碱的 K_m=9.8×10^-5mol/L;SDS-PAGE 电泳和聚丙烯酰胺梯度电泳表明,鸭血清胆碱酯酶以相同亚基组成的不同聚合体形式存在,亚基分子量 78000,具有完整的酶活性.不同聚合体带电状态相同.     

Increased choline acetyltransferase activity by Chinese herbal medicine Sho-saiko-to-go-keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to in aged rat brain

The effect of a Chinese herbal medicine Sho-saiko-to-go-keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to (TJ-960) on the brain choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity was studied in adult (3.5 months of age) and aged (24 months of age) rats. After oral administration of 5% TJ-960 solution for 3 months, CAT activity in the hippocampus, pons-medulla oblongata and striatum of aged rats was significantly lower than that of adult rats. CAT activity in the cerebellum, however, was significantly higher in the aged rats, as compared to the adult rats. TJ-960 significantly increased CAT activity in the hippocampus and striatum of aged rats, but did not affect the activity of the enzyme in the adult rat brain.     

Study of amino acid formation during palmitate oxidation in rat brain mitochondria

The interrelation of palmitate oxidation with amino acid formation in rat brain mitochondria has been investigated in purified mitochondria of nonsynaptic origin by measuring the formation of aspartate, -ketoglutarate, and glutamate during palmitate oxidation, and also by assaying¹⁴C-products of [1-¹⁴C]palmitate oxidation. Oxidation of palmitate (or [1-¹⁴C]palmitate) resulted in the formation of aspartate (or¹⁴C-aspartate), and the oxidation was inhibited by aminooxyacetate (an inhibitor of transaminase), Palmitate oxidation also resulted in -ketoglutarate formation, which was sensitive to the effect of aminooxyacetate. Addition of NH₄Cl was found to increase¹⁴C-products and formation of -ketoglutarate, whereas glutamate formation was not increased unless the rate of palmitate oxidation was reduced by 50% by aminooxyacetate or -ketoglutarate was added exogenously. Exogenous -ketoglutarate was found to decrease¹⁴C-products, but not aspartate formation. These results indicated that palmitate oxidation was closely related to aspartate formation via aspartate aminotransferase. During palmitate oxidation without aminooxyacetate or added -ketoglutarate, however, -ketoglutarate was not available for glutamate formation via glutamate dehydrogenase. We discuss the possibility that this was because (a) oxidative decarboxylation of -ketoglutarate to form succinyl-CoA was favored over glutamate formation for the competition for -ketoglutarate in the same pool, and (b) the pool of -ketoglutarate produced in the aspartate aminotransferase reaction did not serve as substrate for glutamate formation.     

Activation of GSK‐3 disrupts cholinergic homoeostasis in nucleus basalis of Meynert and frontal cortex of rats

The cholinergic impairment is an early marker in Alzheimer's disease (AD), while the mechanisms are not fully understood. We investigated here the effects of glycogen synthase kinse‐3 (GSK‐3) activation on the cholinergic homoeostasis in nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and frontal cortex, the cholinergic enriched regions. We activated GSK‐3 by lateral ventricular infusion of wortmannin (WT) and GF‐109203X (GFX), the inhibitors of phosphoinositol‐3 kinase (PI3‐K) and protein kinase C (PKC), respectively, and significantly decreased the acetylcholine (ACh) level via inhibiting choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) rather than regulating acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Neuronal axonal transport was disrupted and ChAT accumulation occurred in NBM and frontal cortex accompanied with hyperphosphorylation of tau and neurofilaments. Moreover, ChAT expression decreased in NBM attributing to cleavage of nuclear factor‐κB/p100 into p52 for translocation into nucleus to lower ChAT mRNA level. The cholinergic dysfunction could be mimicked by overexpression of GSK‐3 and rescued by simultaneous administration of LiCl or SB216763, inhibitors of GSK‐3. Our data reveal the molecular mechanism that may underlie the cholinergic impairments in AD patients.