用原位分子杂交技术定位牛生长激素基因于5号染色体

本工作利用放射性标记的ｂＧＨ基因（３．０ｋｂ）为探针,通过原位杂交定位牛生长激素基因于染色体５ｑ２２－２６内。该结果与以前的ｂＧＨ基因定位的结果不同,讨论了基因探针、基因定位方法等方面与定位准确性的关系。     

Expression of type II iodothyronine deiodinase marks the time that a tissue responds to thyroid hormone-induced metamorphosis in Xenopus laevis

The thyroid gland synthesizes thyroxine (T4), which passes through the larval tadpole's circulatory system. The enzyme type II iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) converts thyroxine (T4) to the active hormone 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) in peripheral tissues. An early response to thyroid hormone (TH) in the Xenopus laevis tadpole is the stimulation of cell division in cells that line the brain ventricles, the lumen of the spinal cord, and the limb buds. These cells express constitutively high levels of D2 mRNA. Exogenous T4 induces early DNA synthesis in brain, spinal cord, and limb buds as efficiently as T3. The deiodinase inhibitor iopanoic acid blocks T4- but not T3-induced cell division. At metamorphic climax, both TH-induced cell division and D2 expression decrease in the brain. Then D2 expression appears in late-responding tissues including the anterior pituitary, the intestine, and the tail where cell division is reduced or absent. Therefore, constitutive expression of D2 occurs in the earliest target tissues of TH that will grow and differentiate, while TH-induced expression of D2 takes place in late-responding tissues that will remodel or die. This pattern of constitutive and induced D2 expression contributes to the timing of metamorphic changes in these tissues.     

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone protects retinal pigment epithelium cells from oxidative stress through activation of melanocortin 1 receptor–Akt–mTOR signaling

Patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD) will develop vision loss in the center of the visual field. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell apoptosis is an important contributor of AMD. In this study, we explored the pro-survival effect of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) on oxidative stressed RPE cells. We found that α-MSH receptor melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) was functionally expressed in primary and transformed RPE cells. RPE cells were response to α-MSH stimulation. α-MSH activated Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Erk1/2 signalings in RPE cells, which were inhibited by MC1R siRNA knockdown. α-MSH protected RPE cells from hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced apoptosis, an effect that was almost abolished when MC1R was depleted by siRNA. α-MSH-mediated S6K1 activation and pro-survival effect against H₂O₂ was inhibited by Akt inhibitors (perifosine, MK-2206 and LY294002). Further, mTOR inhibition by rapamycin, or by mTOR siRNA knockdown, diminished α-MSH’s pro-survival effect in RPE cells. Thus, Akt and its downstream mTOR signaling mediates α-MSH-induced survival in RPE cells. In summary, we have identified a new α-MSH–MC1R physiologic pathway that reduces H₂O₂-induced RPE cell damage, and might minimize the risk of developing AMD.     

Quantitation and characterization of thyrotropin-releasing hormone in vagal nuclei and other regions of the medulla oblongata of the rat

Abstract: Since evidence is now available to support a nonendocrine autonomic function for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), quantitative measurements of TRH were made in nuclei of the vagal complex and other areas of the caudal medulla oblongata of the rat. Regions containing the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMN), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), hypoglossal nucleus, dorsal column nuclei, descending nucleus V (DNV), nucleus ambiguus (NA), raphe nuclei (MR) dorsomedial and ventromedial reticular formation, and inferior olivary nuclei were isolated from 300-μm-thick frozen sections of medulla by the micropunch technique. Each region was pooled bilaterally, homogenized in 0.1 M HCl, and vacuum-dried. Extracts were assayed for TRH by specific radioimmunoassay (RIA). TRH levels varied 100-fold among medulla nuclei. Highest content (ng/mg protein ± SEM) was found in DMN (14 ± 1.38) and NTS (4.7 ± 0.68), whereas lowest levels occurred in the DNV and MR (0.13, 0.06). Nearly 65% of the total medullary TRH was localized in nuclei associated with vagal complex (DMN, NTS, NA). Characterization of tissue immunoreactivity (TRHi) in these regions suggests the presence of TRH, since (1) medullary tissue extracts competed with ¹²⁵I-TRH for antibody binding sites with the same affinity as authentic TRH; (2) TRHi in tissue extracts co-migrated with synthetic TRH when subjected to reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography and Sephadex G-10 chromatography; and (3) rat serum TRH peptidases degraded TRHi and authentic TRH at similar rates. Another group of rats was subjected to unilateral (right side) vagotomy. At 33 weeks post-vagotomy, the vagal preganglionic cell population in the ipsilateral DMN was depleted 50–75%, while the contralateral side was unaffected. Interestingly, the content of TRH in the ipsilateral (right) DMN remained unchanged, whereas TRH in the contralateral DMN increased by 50%. In contrast, TRH was significantly elevated in the NA on the ipsilateral side of the lesion. TRH in both ipsi- and contralateral NTS was unchanged when compared with sham-operated controls. These results indicate that (1) TRH is present in several specific loci of the medulla; (2) very high levels are found in the vagal complex; and (3) vagotomy may alter TRH in the contralateral DMN and ipsilateral NA.     

Lipid droplet proteins and metabolic diseases

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous cellular organelles for lipid storage which are composed of a neutral lipid core bounded by a protein decorated phospholipid monolayer. Although lipid storage is their most obvious function, LDs are far from inert as they participate in maintaining lipid homeostasis through lipid synthesis, metabolism, and transportation. Furthermore, they are involved in cell signaling and other molecular events closely associated with human disease such as dyslipidemia, obesity, lipodystrophy, diabetes, fatty liver, atherosclerosis, and others. The last decade has seen a great increase in the attention paid to LD biology. Regardless, many fundamental features of LD biology remain obscure. In this review, we will discuss key aspects of LD biology including their biogenesis, growth and regression. We will also summarize the current knowledge about the role LDs play in human disease, especially from the perspective of the dynamics of the associated proteins. This article is part of a Special issue entitled Cardiac adaptations to obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance, edited by Professors Jan F.C. Glatz, Jason R.B. Dyck and Christine Des Rosiers.     

自然越冬期软枣猕猴桃枝条组织结构及内源激素的变化特征

该试验以抗寒性不同的5年生软枣猕猴桃品种‘魁绿’、‘丰绿’和‘96-6’为试验材料,测定分析自然越冬期间枝条组织解剖结构、细胞膜透性和内源激素GA3、ABA、IAA含量水平的变化,以明确不同品种软枣猕猴桃越冬期间对低温的适应能力及其内在生理机制,为软枣猕猴桃抗寒品种的选育及鉴别提供理论依据。结果表明:(1)软枣猕猴桃枝条木质部比率大小依次为‘魁绿’>‘96-6’>‘丰绿’,皮层比率依次为‘丰绿’>96-6’>魁绿’,二者表现趋势相反,且‘魁绿’枝条的解剖结构与其他两品种差异显著。(2)在自然越冬期间,各品种软枣猕猴桃枝条相对电导率和MDA含量随温度变化均呈先升后降的趋势,在温度最低的1月份达到最高,其中‘魁绿’枝条的相对电导率和MDA含量变化幅度最小,而‘丰绿’受低温影响较大。(3)在11月份至2月份,随自然温度的变化,各品种软枣猕猴桃枝条的GA3和IAA含量均呈先降低后升高的变化趋势,ABA含量则呈先升后降的趋势,且都在1月份分别达到最低或最高值。研究发现,在自然越冬期间,低温对3个软枣猕猴桃品种的组织解剖结构、膜透性及内源激素含量均都造成较大的影响,品种‘魁绿’枝条的木质部比率最大、皮层比率最小,相对电导率和MDA含量变化幅度最小,内源激素含量GA3和ABA/GA3变化趋势较小,故其抗寒性比‘丰绿’和‘96-6’更强。     

The role of lipid second messengers in aldosterone synthesis and secretion

Second messengers are small rapidly diffusing molecules or ions that relay signals between receptors and effector proteins to produce a physiological effect. Lipid messengers constitute one of the four major classes of second messengers. The hydrolysis of two main classes of lipids, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids, generate parallel profiles of lipid second messengers: phosphatidic acid (PA), diacylglycerol (DAG), and lysophosphatidic acid versus ceramide, ceramide-1-phosphate, sphingosine, and sphingosine-1-phosphate, respectively. In this review, we examine the mechanisms by which these lipid second messengers modulate aldosterone production at multiple levels. Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid hormone responsible for maintaining fluid volume, electrolyte balance, and blood pressure homeostasis. Primary aldosteronism is a frequent endocrine cause of secondary hypertension. A thorough understanding of the signaling events regulating aldosterone biosynthesis may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. The cumulative evidence in this literature emphasizes the critical roles of PA, DAG, and sphingolipid metabolites in aldosterone synthesis and secretion. However, it also highlights the gaps in our knowledge, such as the preference for phospholipase D-generated PA or DAG, as well as the need for further investigation to elucidate the precise mechanisms by which these lipid second messengers regulate optimal aldosterone production.     

Effect of hypophysectomy and growth hormone replacement on hypothalamic GHRH

Long-term (7 and 14 days) hypophysectomy resulted in a striking decrease in growth hormone releasing hormone-like immunoreactivity (GHRH-LI) in the median eminence (ME) of adult male rats, evaluated by both radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry. Treatment with human GH (125 μg/rat, twice daily IP for 14 days) prevented, though partially, depletion of GHRH-LI from the ME, as assessed by both methods. These results demonstrate that circulating GH levels regulate the function of GHRH-producing structures, via a feedback mechanism.     

昆虫神经肽研究进展

近年来鉴定了化学结构的昆虫神经肽数目呈快速上升趋势, 家蚕滞育激素和性信息素合成激活肽被分离纯化.三种近年出现的研究方法对寻找新型昆虫神经肽起到重要作用,已经成功地鉴定了数个新型神经肽.昆虫神经肽cDNA或基因组DNA克隆显示了新的结构信息和神经肽间的相互关系.     

昆虫保幼激素促进家蚕杆状病毒系统的基因表达

杆状病毒表达载体系统(Baculovirus Expression VecterSvstem,BEVS)的一个最大优点是外源基因的高效表达(Hy-perexpression).但是,不同的外源基因在BEVS系统中的表达水平相差很大,较低的如α-干扰素,表达量为1～5mg/L培养细胞;高的如β-半乳糖苷酶,表达量可达600mg/L培养细胞.外源基因在BEVS系统中表达量受到诸多因素的影响,如细胞的类型与质量,外源基因蛋白的性质,启动子序列的完整性,是否为融合蛋白等[1].如何使外源基因在BEVS系统中高效表达,是近年来该领域中研究最活跃的方向之一.已证实家蚕杆状病毒的表达量受宿主遗传型的影响,最低和最高的遗传型相差达7倍以上[2].林水中等发现家蚕饲料中添食适当浓度的硫酸铜可提高外源基因单位表达量10%左右[3].杆状病毒在复制循环中表现出两种类型:芽生病毒和包涵体病毒,其中芽生病毒引起宿主体内不同组织间的感染,包涵体病毒则引起宿主之间感染[1].杆状病毒基因组中蜕皮激素尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖基转移酶(egt)基因影响激素在宿主体内的平衡[4],egt基因通过糖基化作用使蜕皮激素失活,打破宿主体内的激素平衡,延长幼虫期,以利于病毒的增殖[5].家蚕血淋巴中保幼激素(Juvenile hormone,JH)的滴度同样决定着幼虫发育的进程[6],本文通过体表使用保幼激素,以研究保幼激素对家蚕核型多角体病毒和宿主之间的相互关系及对外源基因表达量的影响.