Proteomic analysis of red blood cells and the potential for the clinic: what have we learned so far?

Introduction: Red blood cells (RBC) are the most abundant host cells in the human body. Mature erythrocytes are devoid of nuclei and organelles and have always been regarded as circulating ‘bags of hemoglobin’. The advent of proteomics has challenged this assumption, revealing unanticipated complexity and novel roles for RBCs not just in gas transport, but also in systemic metabolic homeostasis in health and disease.

Areas covered: In this review we will summarize the main advancements in the field of discovery mode and redox/quantitative proteomics with respect to RBC biology. We thus focus on translational/clinical applications, such as transfusion medicine, hematology (e.g. hemoglobinopathies) and personalized medicine. Synergy of omics technologies – especially proteomics and metabolomics – are highlighted as a hallmark of clinical metabolomics applications for the foreseeable future.

Expert commentary: The introduction of advanced proteomics technologies, especially quantitative and redox proteomics, and the integration of proteomics data with omics information gathered through orthogonal technologies (especially metabolomics) promise to revolutionize many biomedical areas, from hematology and transfusion medicine to personalized medicine and clinical biochemistry.     

棉铃虫化学感受蛋白HarmCSP6二聚体的组织表达分析及气味结合特征

为了研究棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)化学感受蛋白（chemosensory proteins, CSPs）在嗅觉识别过程中的功能, 本研究克隆并在原核细胞中表达了棉铃虫化学感受蛋白HarmCSP6, Western blot和快速液相色谱（fast protein liquid chromatography, FPLC）检测证实该HarmCSP6蛋白以二聚体的形式表达。实时荧光定量PCR检测发现HarmCSP6基因在雌雄虫触角中表达量很高, 在雌虫足及翅中也有一定程度的表达。该二聚体蛋白与22种气味分子的荧光竞争结合实验结果表明, 该蛋白与醛类及萜烯类等气味小分子具有较强的结合能力。通过研究该蛋白与小分子的结合, 筛选出合适的气味, 从而为开发棉铃虫引诱剂及驱避剂提供理论依据。     

赤拟谷盗HSP70基因克隆和竞争定量PCR检测

为研究赤拟谷盗Tribolium castaneum受到热胁迫后高度保守的热激蛋白70（heat shock protein 70,HSP70）基因的表达变化,本研究扩增了681 bp的赤拟谷盗hsp70片段,编码227个氨基酸残基,GenBank登录号为HM345948。同源性分析表明：赤拟谷盗hsp70核苷酸序列与马铃薯甲虫Leptinotarsa decemlineata的hsp70（GenBank登录号：AF322911.1）同源性最高,为97%;其推测的蛋白序列与马铃薯甲虫、甘蓝夜蛾Mamestra brassicae、黑腹果蝇Drosophila melanogaster和美洲斑潜蝇Liriomyza sativae的HSP70蛋白均有94%以上的同源性。利用RT-PCR技术得到与赤拟谷盗hsp70进行竞争定量的内部竞争物, 以等量的目标cDNA和一系列稀释的竞争模板进行竞争PCR扩增,构建了hsp70的竞争定量PCR检测体系, 该体系标准曲线的线性方程为Y=1.032X-1.618 (r²=0.975)。这些结果为赤拟谷盗的hsp70定量检测提供了方便,并为热控技术防治害虫提供了基础资料。     

长白山林区森林生物量变化定量驱动分析

根据研究区单木生物量模型及森林资源清查资料计算样地生物量,采用试验精度较高的遥感模型进行4期遥感数据的森林生物量估算,获得区域单位面积生物量变化值,并利用bootstrap方法对引起这种变化的气象因素、森林经营活动因素和社会经济因素等驱动因子进行变量筛选,利用偏最小二乘算法建立不同时间段的森林生物量变化驱动模型,计算变量投影重要性指标（VIP）定量刻画各因素对森林生物量变化的影响重要程度.结果表明：目前人为因素对长白山林区森林生物量变化的影响程度（VIP值）已经小于自然因素,说明国家对林区的森林保护政策已经起到了明显的效果.本文拓宽了森林生物量变化驱动分析的内容,引入了VIP值对森林生物量的变化驱动因子进行定量刻画,为定量分析森林生物量的变化提供了一条新的途径.     

REV3基因对结肠癌细胞遗传信息表达的影响

利用RNA干扰技术降低REV3基因在人类结肠癌细胞(SW480)中的表达, 以荧光实时定量PCR检测REV3表达量的降低情况, 选择低表达效率具有统计学意义的细胞作为实验组细胞。运用细胞生长曲线、MTT、微核和姐妹染色单体交换等方法, 对实验组和对照组细胞进行细胞生长周期、增殖变化情况和遗传信息表达等指标的检测。结果显示: REV3低表达的结肠癌实验组细胞在细胞增殖以及细胞的微核和姐妹染色单体交换等遗传信息表达均明显低于结肠癌对照组细胞, 实验结果具有统计学意义(P＜0.05); 结肠癌的两对照组间(阴性和空白)的结果虽然有一定的差异, 但没有统计学意义。研究结果提示, REV3低表达时, 可能对结肠癌细胞(SW480)的生长与增殖产生影响, 并对微核和姐妹染色单体交换等遗传不稳定现象的产生有一定的抑制作用。     

甜菜夜蛾HSP90基因克隆及高温胁迫下其表达量的变化

为阐明热激蛋白90（heat shock protein 90, HSP90）在甜菜夜蛾Spodoptera exigua (Hübner)幼虫抵抗高温过程中的作用, 克隆了其HSP90基因cDNA全长序列, 并检测了在系列高温胁迫下不同龄期幼虫体内其相对表达量。根据已报道的热激蛋白90基因序列同源性设计简并引物, 利用反转录聚合酶链式反应（RT-PCR）结合cDNA末端快速扩增（RACE）技术成功克隆了甜菜夜蛾HSP90基因全长cDNA（GenBank登录号FJ862050）。该cDNA序列开放阅读框长2 154 bp, 编码717个氨基酸, 预测的相对分子量和等电点分别为82.6 kD和5.0。该序列具有HSP90家族的典型特征和特殊的功能结构域, 并且与多种生物的HSP90基因序列有较高的同源性。为了研究HSP90抵抗高温的作用, 构建荧光定量RT-PCR体系, 检测了37, 39, 41, 43和45℃胁迫下甜菜夜蛾不同龄期幼虫体内HSP90表达量的变化。结果表明, 高温胁迫对甜菜夜蛾幼虫体内的HSP90表达具有明显的诱导作用。幼虫体内HSP90表达量随着温度升高呈增加的趋势。43℃和45℃胁迫下, 各龄幼虫体内HSP90的表达量均显著高于常温（P< 0.05）, 但不同龄期之间没有显著差异。这说明HSP90在甜菜夜蛾幼虫抗高温中起到重要作用。     

Long‐term stability of entomopathogenic nematode spatial patterns in soil as measured by sentinel insects and real‐time PCR assays

Quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) techniques are being increasingly used to provide accurate and reliable methods to identify and quantify cryptic organisms in soil ecology. Entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) diversity in Florida is known to be extensive and our phylogenetic studies of the D2D3 and ITS regions showed the occurrence of an additional species‐complex in the Steinernema glaseri‐ group in widely separated locations of the peninsula. To address ecological studies, we developed and used qPCR assays to detect and quantify six species of EPN that are naturally distributed in Florida citrus orchards (Steinernema diaprepesi, Steinernema riobrave, Heterorhabditis indica, Heterorhabditis zealandica, Heterorhabditis floridensis and an undescribed species in the S. glaseri group) and an exotic species, S. glaseri. Species‐specific primers and TaqMan® probes were designed from the ITS rDNA region. No nonspecific amplification was observed in conventional or qPCR when the primers and probes were tested using several populations of each of the Florida species and other exotic EPN species. Standard curves were established using DNA from pure cultures. We optimised a protocol for extracting nematodes and DNA from soil samples that can detect one EPN added to nematode communities recovered by conventional extraction protocols. A survey of an 8‐ha orchard in April 2009 compared the EPN spatial patterns derived from qPCR to that obtained by baiting soil samples with Galleria mellonella larvae. The patterns were also compared to those derived from the same site in 2000–01 by repeatedly (12 sampling events) baiting soil in situ with caged larvae of the root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus. The qPCR assay was more efficient than the Galleria baiting method for detecting the EPN species composition in population mixtures. Moreover, the spatial patterns of EPN in this orchard were remarkably stable over the course of nearly a decade. The pattern of H. zealandica detected at the site 8 years earlier was related to those derived by qPCR (P = 0.002) and from sample baiting (P = 0.02). The spatial pattern of H. indica derived from qPCR, but not that from sample baiting, was also related to the earlier pattern (P = 0.01). The qPCR assay developed here is a fast, affordable and accurate method to detect and quantify these EPN species in soil and offers great potential for studying the ecology of EPN.