Activation of chicken liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by oxidized glutathione

Treatment of chicken liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase with oxidized glutathione (GSSG) leads to an increase in activity. This activation is markedly enhanced if treatment is performed in the presence of AMP or Mn²⁺. The effects of AMP and Mn²⁺ appear to be synergistic. The maximal activation is over 13-fold and is accompanied by the disappearance of 4 sulfhydryl groups per molecule of enzyme. Both fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate can largely prevent this activation. Activation can be reversed by dithiothreitol or cysteine. It appears that GSSG activates this enzyme by thiol/disulfide exchanges with the enzyme's specific sulfhydryl groups.     

Effect of diet and starvation on the activity state of branched-chain 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase complex in rat liver and heart

In rats fed a high-protein diet, the branched-chain 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase complex in liver was essentially fully acitve and its activity state was unaffected by subsequent starvation for 48 h. Feeding with a low-protein diet led to a decrease in the activity state which was essentially reversed by 48 h of starvation. In heart, the enzyme was primarily inactive (activity state 18%) in rats fed a high-protein diet, with both low-protein diet and starvation leading to a further decrease in the activity state.     

Phosphorylation of liver gap junction protein by protein kinase C

The 27 kDa protein, a major component of rat liver gap junctions, was shown to be phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C. The stoichiometry of the phosphorylation indicated that approx. 0.33 mol phosphate was incorporated per mol 27 kDa protein. Phosphorylation was entirely dependent on the presence of calcium and was virtually specific for serine residues. For comparison, the gap junction protein was also examined for its phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the extent of phosphorylation being one-tenth that exerted by protein kinase C.     

Stabilization of quaternary structure and activity of bovine liver catalase through encapsulation in liposomes

Bovine liver catalase was encapsulated in an aqueous phase of the phospholipid vesicle (liposome) to improve the stability of its tetrameric structure and activity. The catalase-containing liposomes (CALs) prepared were 30, 50 and 100 nm in mean diameters (CAL₃₀, CAL₅₀ and CAL₁₀₀, respectively). The CAL₁₀₀ included the types I, II and III based on the amounts of catalase encapsulated. The CAL₃₀, CAL₅₀ and CAL₁₀₀-I contained one catalase molecule per liposome, and the CAL₁₀₀-II and CAL₁₀₀-III on average 5.2 and 17 molecules, respectively. The storage stability of catalase in either CAL system was significantly increased compared to that of free catalase at 4 °C in a buffer of pH 7.4. At 55 °C, free catalase was much more deactivated especially with decreasing its concentration predominantly due to enhanced dissociation of catalase into subunits while it was so done at excessively high enzyme concentration mainly due to enhanced formation of catalase intermolecular aggregates. Among the three types of CAL₁₀₀, the CAL₁₀₀-II showed the highest thermal stability, indicating that an excess amount of catalase in the CAL₁₀₀-III was also disadvantageous to maintain an active form of the catalase even in liposome. In the CAL₁₀₀-III, however, the stability of catalase was significantly improved compared to that of free catalase at the same concentration. The CAL thermal stability was little affected by the liposome size as observed in the CAL₃₀, CAL₅₀ and CAL₁₀₀-I. An intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of the catalase recovered from the CAL₁₀₀-II thermally treated at 55 °C revealed that a partially denatured catalase molecule was stabilized through its hydrophobic interaction with liposome membrane. This interaction depressed not only dissociation of catalase into subunits but also formation of an inactive intermolecular aggregate between the catalase molecules in a liposome. Furthermore, either type of CAL₁₀₀ showed a higher stability than free catalase in the successive decompositions of 10 mM H₂O₂ at 25 °C mainly because the H₂O₂ concentration was kept low inside liposomes due to the permeation barrier of the lipid membrane to H₂O₂.     

细胞色素P450调节肝脏药物代谢的途径

大量研究认为细胞色素P450与药物性肝损伤的病理生理过程密切相关,对其在肝损伤的作用已成为当前研究的一个热点.主要介绍细胞色素P450与药物性肝损伤的相关研究进展.     

辣木叶乙醇提取物对非酒精性脂肪肝小鼠 模型血脂和氧化应激影响的研究

该研究以低剂量(5 mg·kg~(-1))、中剂量(30 mg·kg~(-1))和高剂量(60 mg·kg~(-1))的辣木叶乙醇提取物(EE-MO)干预高脂饮食诱导的非酒精性脂肪肝(NAFLD)小鼠动物模型。结果表明:(1)高剂量的EE-MO显著降低NAFLD小鼠的体重和肝湿重; EE-MO剂量依赖性地降低NAFLD小鼠血清TC、TG、HDL-C和LDLC含量;高剂量的EE-MO除降低上述生化指标外,还显著降低血清中FFA含量。(2) HE和苏丹红Ⅲ染色发现,EE-MO处理后,模型组小鼠的肝脂肪病变和细胞损伤得到显著改善。(3) EE-MO对NAFLD小鼠模型的血脂代谢具有改善作用。(4)高脂饮食诱导小鼠肝脏和血清的ROS和MDA的含量,诱导SOD、POD和CAT活性增加,降低GSH-Px活性。(5)低剂量、中剂量和高剂量的EE-MO依赖性地降低NAFLD小鼠肝脏和血清的ROS和MDA的含量,缓解氧化胁迫。(6)低剂量的EE-MO对SOD、POD、CAT和GSH-Px酶活性无显著影响;中剂量和高剂量的EE-MO处理后,NAFLD小鼠的SOD、POD和CAT酶活性显著下降,GSH-Px活性显著增加; EE-MO可能通过GSH-Px抗氧化酶途径缓解NAFLD小鼠的氧化胁迫。     

Microtubule destruction induces tau liberation and its subsequent phosphorylation

Neurofibrillary tangle-bearing neurons, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, are mostly devoid of normal microtubule (MT) structure and instead have paired helical filaments that are composed of abnormal hyperphosphorylated tau. However, a causal relationship between tau phosphorylation and MT disruption has not been clarified. To examine whether MT disruption induces tau phosphorylation, stathmin, an MT-disrupting protein, was co-expressed with tau in COS-7 cells. Stathmin expression induced apparent MT catastrophe and tau hyperphosphorylation at Thr-181, Ser-202, Thr-205, and Thr-231 sites. In contrast, c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation, or phosphatase inhibition, led to significant tau phosphorylation without affecting MT structure. These findings suggest that MT disruption induces subsequent tau phosphorylation.     

侗族新生儿的~Gγ/~Aγ值及一例高~Gγ者的γ基因图谱分析

用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳法测定了广西和湖南省侗族居住区的120例侗族新生儿脐血胎儿血红蛋白中B.subtilis与~Ar比值(~Gr/~Ar值)。显示出119例新生儿的~Gr值(％~Gr)在56—76％之间,均值与标准差为69.4±3.1％;一例新生儿~Gr值高达81.4％,基因图谱分析确定其基因型为~Gr-~(AG)r-~Ar/~Gr-~Ar。     

胰岛素抵抗与脂肪肝关系的研究

胰岛素抵抗(IR)是许多疾病的独立危险因素。胰岛素抵抗与脂肪代谢紊乱非常密切,研究发现它在脂肪肝的发生、发展过程中起了很大的作用。近年来,越来越多的人已经意识到脂肪肝与胰岛素抵抗之间的密切关系。在胰岛素抵抗与脂肪肝的研究中关于瘦素及瘦素抵抗在胰岛素抵抗及脂肪肝的关系中的作用是研究比较多的,本文主要介绍了胰岛素抵抗、脂肪肝的发生机制及瘦素、瘦素抵抗在其中的催化作用。