On the induction of chromosome structural changes by hydroxylamine in Vicia faba

Primary roots of a new karyotype of Vicia faba with all chromosomes inter-distinguishable have been used to study the induction by hydroxylamine hydrochloride (HA) of chromatid aberrations and their intrachromosomal distribution. HA induced both chromatid intra- and interchanges of the delayed type. The effectiveness of HA increased with increasing temperature and was dependent on the pH during treatment (more aberrations at pH 7.5 as compared with 4.8). The frequency of incomplete reunion was markedly higher after HA treatment than after treatment with maleic hydrazide (MH) or ethanol. In combined treatments, HA reduced the reunion involvement in HA-induced aberrations of certain chromosome segments was found and compared with distribution patterns of chromatid aberrations after treatment with MH and ethanol. Data and hypotheses concerning possible modes of action of HA eventually resulting in chromosome structural changes are discussed. It is concluded that alterations of the cytosine moiety in chromosomal DNA are not responsible for chromosomal damage induced by HA.     

Identification of roots in lava tube caves using molecular techniques: implications for conservation of cave arthropod faunas

Lava tube cave ecosystems on the volcanic islands of Hawai‘i support communities of rare and highly specialized cave arthropods. In these cave ecosystems, plant roots, both living and dead, provide the main energy source for cave animals. Loss of deep-rooted plants over caves will affect populations of cave-adapted animals living below. Furthermore, the loss of native plant species will likely eliminate host specific cave animals. Thus, identification of plant roots currently found in caves is necessary for the development of effective management actions that encourage the growth of appropriate deep-rooted plant species, thereby protecting the underlying cave ecosystem. We used molecular techniques to identify plant roots found within cave ecosystems on the islands of Maui and Hawai‘i. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the 5.8S gene of nuclear ribosomal DNA from cave roots were compared to sequences of known plant species either collected on the surface over the footprint of each cave or to sequences accessioned in GenBank. Roots in the cave ecosystem studied on Maui belonged to two alien tree species: <i>Eucalyptus tereticornisi> and <i>Grevillea robustai>. Within the Hawai‘i cave ecosystem, roots of two plant species were identified: the alien tree <i>G. robustai> and the native vine <i>Cocculus orbiculatusi>. The Maui cave ecosystem supports populations of at least 28 species of arthropods, including eight that are blind obligate cave inhabitants. The Hawai‘i cave ecosystem supports 18 arthropod species, of which three are cave-adapted. Creating protected reserves around biologically significant caves, controlling, and preventing the introduction of harmful invasive plant species within the cave footprint, and encouraging the establishment of deep-rooted native plant species is essential for the continued survival of the unique ecosystems found within Hawaiian lava tube cave systems.     

Transmembrane proton translocation by cytochrome c oxidase

Respiratory heme-copper oxidases are integral membrane proteins that catalyze the reduction of molecular oxygen to water using electrons donated by either quinol (quinol oxidases) or cytochrome c (cytochrome c oxidases, CcOs). Even though the X-ray crystal structures of several heme-copper oxidases and results from functional studies have provided significant insights into the mechanisms of O₂-reduction and, electron and proton transfer, the design of the proton-pumping machinery is not known. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the identity of the structural elements involved in proton transfer in CcO. Furthermore, we discuss the order and timing of electron-transfer reactions in CcO during O₂ reduction and how these reactions might be energetically coupled to proton pumping across the membrane.     

Methamphetamine directly accelerates beating rate in cardiomyocytes by increasing Ca entry via L-type Ca channel

Methamphetamine induces several cardiac dysfunctions, which leads to arrhythmia, cardiac failure and sudden cardiac death. Although these cardiac alterations elicited by methamphetamine were thought to be due to an indirect action of methamphetamine, namely, an excessive catecholamine release from synaptic terminals, while it seems likely that methamphetamine directly modulates the functioning of cardiomyocytes independent of neurotransmitters. However, the direct effects of methamphetamine on cardiomyocytes are still not clear. We show that methamphetamine directly accelerates the beating rate and alters Ca²⁺ oscillation pattern in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Adrenergic receptor antagonists did not block the methamphetamine-induced alterations in cardiomyocytes. Treatment with a ryanodine receptor type 2 inhibitor and a sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase inhibitor did not affect these responses, either. In contrast, the L-type Ca²⁺ channel inhibitor nifedipine eradicated these responses. Furthermore, methamphetamine elevated the internal free Ca²⁺ concentration in HEK-293T cells stably transfected with the L-type Ca²⁺ channel α1C subunit. In neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, methamphetamine accelerates beating rate and alters Ca²⁺ oscillation pattern by increasing Ca²⁺ entry via the L-type Ca²⁺ channels independent of any neurotransmitters.     

Development of Systemic in vitro Evolution and Its Application to Generation of Peptide-Aptamer-Based Inhibitors of Cathepsin E

Proteases are involved in various biological functions. Thus, inhibition of their activities is scientifically interesting and medically important. However, there is no systematic method established to date to generate endopeptidase inhibitory peptides. Here, we report a general system to identify endopeptidase inhibitory peptides based on the use of in vitro evolution. Using this system, we generated peptides that inhibit cathepsin E (CE) specifically at a submicromolar IC₅₀. This system generates protease inhibitor peptides utilizing techniques of cDNA display, selection-by-function, Y-ligation-based block shuffling, and others. We further demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of a secondary library for obtaining small-sized and active peptides. CE inhibitory peptides generated by this method were characterized by a small size (8 to 12 aa) and quite different sequences, suggesting that they bind to different sites on CE. Typical CE inhibitory peptide aptamers obtained here (P_i101; SCGG IIII SCIA) have half an inhibition activity (K_i; 5 nM) of pepstatin A (potent CE inhibitor) without inhibiting cathepsin D (structurally similar to CE). The general applicability of this system suggests that it may be useful to identify inhibitory peptides for various kinds of proteases and that it may therefore contribute to protein science and drug discovery. The peptide binding to a protein is discussed in comparison with the antibody binding to an antigen.     

霉酚酸酯对糖尿病大鼠肾组织单核细胞趋化蛋白-表达和炎症细胞浸润的影响

目的观察霉酚酸酯(MMF)对糖尿病大鼠肾组织单核细胞趋化蛋白-1表达和炎症细胞浸润的影响,并探讨其对肾脏的保护作用及机制。方法SD大鼠随机分为三组:对照组(C组)、糖尿病组(D组)和糖尿病治疗组(M组,20mg.kg-1.d-1)。大鼠单侧肾脏切除后,腹腔注射链脲菌素(STZ)成糖尿病模型,对照组仅注射等量缓冲液。观察12周后,检测大鼠血糖(BG)、血尿素氮(BUN)、血肌酐(Scr)、肾脏肥大指数(肾重KW/体重BW)、肌酐清除率(Ccr)和24小时尿蛋白(24Upro)。肾组织做常规光镜和电镜检查,观察组织的形态结构。用免疫组织化学方法检测肾组织中巨噬细胞抗原(CD68)和增殖细胞核抗原(PCNA)的蛋白表达。用半定量RT-PCR的方法检测肾组织中单核细胞趋化蛋白-1(MCP-1)的mRNA的表达。结果与对照组相比,糖尿病组大鼠BG、KW/BW、24Upro、BUN、Scr、Ccr均显著上升(P<0.05或0.01);肾小球系膜区相对面积和肾小球基底膜厚度均显著增加(P<0.01);肾组织内CD68和PCNA的蛋白质表达和MCP-1的mRNA表达均显著上调(P<0.05或0.01)。在糖尿病治疗组,上述指标除血糖外都被显著抑制(P<0.05或0.01)。结论在糖尿病大鼠模型中,MMF能减少尿蛋白,对糖尿病肾病有保护作用,其机制可能与其抑制炎症因子-MCP-1的表达,下调CD68和PCNA的水平,减少肾组织单核/巨噬细胞的聚集有关。     

细菌中钙信号的作用

摘要：越来越多的实验证明二价钙离子（Ca2+）在细菌中有重要调控作用。本文从Ca2+ 信号对细菌生理的影响、细胞内Ca2+ 浓度及测定方法、细菌中Ca2+ 的运输和Ca2+ 结合蛋白四个方面综述了目前细菌中钙信号的研究进展。     

Structural transition from dimeric to tetrameric i‐motif,caused by the presence of TAA at the 3′‐end of human telomeric C‐rich sequence

Widely dispersed in genomic DNA, the tandem C‐rich repetitive stretches may fold below physiological pH, into i‐motif structures, stabilized by C·C⁺ pairing. Herein, structural status of a 9‐mer stretch d(CCCTAACCC), [the truncated double repeat of human telomeric sequence], and its extended version, comprising of additional ? TAA segment at the 3′‐end, representing the complete double repeat d(CCCTAACCCTAA), has been investigated. The pH dependent monophasic UV‐melting, Gel and CD data suggested that while the truncated version adopts a bimolecular i‐motif structure, its complete double repeat (12‐mer) sequence exists in two (bimolecular and tetramolecular) forms. A model is proposed for the tetramolecular i‐motif with conventional C · C⁺ base pairs, additionally stabilized by asymmetric A · A base pairs at the ?3′ TAA flanking ends and Watson–Crick A · T hydrogen bonding between intervening bases on antiparallel strands. Expanding the known topologies of DNA i‐motifs, such atypical geometries of i‐motifs may have implications in their recognition by proteins. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 93: 150–160, 2010. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com     

Three inhibitors of FGF receptor,ERK, and GSK3 establishes germline‐competent embryonic stem cells of C57BL/6N mouse strain with high efficiency and stability

C57BL/6 mouse is the most standard strain in mouse genetics. The strain does, however, have several disadvantages; one being the difficulty in establishing embryonic stem (ES) cells. No reliable C57BL/6 ES cell line is widely available for creating mutant mice through gene targeting. It also greatly favors mouse genetics if one can routinely make multiple mutations by stably culturing germline‐competent C57BL/6 ES cells or if one can routinely establish ES cells from C57BL/6‐derived mutant mice to make multiple mutations. Recently, an ES culture method with three inhibitors (3i: SU5402 for FGFR, PD184352 for ERK, and CHIR99021 for GSK3) has been reported. Here we show that this 3i method is extremely instrumental in establishing and culturing germline‐competent ES cells in the C57BL/6N strain. genesis 48:317–327, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Vegetation–Climate Interactions among Native and Invasive Species in Hawaiian Rainforest

We compiled a time series of Earth Observing-1 Hyperion satellite observations with field measurements to compare the structural, biochemical, and physiological characteristics of an invasive nitrogen-fixing tree <i>Myrica fayai> and native <i>Metrosideros polymorphai> in montane rainforests in Hawai’i. Satellite-based canopy water measurements closely tracked variations in leaf area index, and the remotely sensed photochemical and carotenoid reflectance indices (PRI, CRI) indicated variations in upper-canopy leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content during a climatological transition. The PRI and CRI were related to differences in light-use efficiency of each species, as indicated by field measurements of leaf electron transport rate. The suite of hyperspectral metrics indicated maximum differences in the structure, biochemistry, and physiology of <i>Myricai> and <i>Metrosiderosi> when canopy vapor pressure deficit was high during hotter and drier periods. These satellite data, combined with the Carnegue-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) carbon cycle model, suggested that <i>Myricai> growth rates were 16–44% higher than <i>Metrosiderosi>, with relative differences between species closely linked to climate conditions. The satellite hyperspectral data identified the basic biological mechanisms favoring the spread of an introduced tree, and provided a more detailed understanding of how vegetation–climate interactions affect the time course of plant growth with respect to the invasion process.