2,4-diarylthiazole antiprion compounds as a novel structural class of antimalarial leads

A significant intersection between antimalarial and antiprion activity is well established for certain compound classes, specifically for polycyclic antimalarial agents bearing basic nitrogen-containing sidechains (e.g., chloroquine, quinacrine, mefloquine). Screening a recently reported set of antiprion compounds with such sidechains showed these 2,4-diarylthiazole based structures also possess significant antimalarial activity. Of particular note, all but one of the compounds displayed activity against a chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain, identifying them as interesting leads for further development in this context. In addition, three new members of the series showed superior antiprion activity compared to the earlier-reported compounds.     

表达毒素源性大肠杆菌定居因子抗原CS6的一组基因的克隆

人源毒素源性大肠杆菌(Enterotoxigenic E.Coil ETEC)是引起婴幼儿及旅游者腹泻的主要致病菌。ETEC的致病因子包括定居因子抗原 (Colonization factor antigens,CFAs)和肠毒素。大多数ETEC菌株均能产生抗原特异的菌毛,介导细菌与宿主小肠粘膜表面并在粘膜表面上受体的结合,使得细菌能定殖于粘膜表面并在粘膜的功能性清除中存活下来。已经报道的定居因子抗原包括CFA/Ⅰ,CFA/Ⅱ、CFA/Ⅲ、CFA/Ⅳ(PCF8775)、PCF09和PCFO159等。CFA/Ⅰ和CFA/Ⅲ均由单一的菌毛亚基构成,CFA/Ⅱ、CFA/Ⅳ则由多种表面抗原(colisurface antigen,CS)复合而成。所有的CFA/Ⅳ阳性菌株均表达CS6抗原,其中有些同时表达CS4或CS5抗原。CS4和CS5都是直径6～7nm的菌毛,能引起人和牛血红细胞的甘露糖抗性的凝集反应(MRHA)。迄今为止,没有观祭到CS6明显的菌毛结构,CS6也不能引起MRHA阳性反应。然而动物实验的结果表明,CS6是CFA/Ⅳ复合抗原中一种对定居作用最重要的抗原”,。本研究组已经通过分子克隆的手段获得了能分别表达CFA/Ⅰ和CS3抗原的重组菌株,用于人源ETEC疫苗的研究。本文报道了表达CS6菌毛抗原的DNA片段的克隆,并用免疫吸附制备的CS6抗血清测定了重组菌株表达的菌毛蛋白。     

饲养方式对藏猪结肠消化酶活性、菌群结构及短链脂肪酸含量的影响

【目的】为探究饲养方式对藏猪结肠消化酶活性、菌群结构和短链脂肪酸含量的影响。【方法】研究分别选取5头相同月龄的放养藏猪和舍饲藏猪。屠宰采集结肠粪便样品,分别利用酶联免疫吸附法(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA)试剂盒、高通量测序技术和气相色谱仪测定放养藏猪和舍饲藏猪结肠消化酶活性、菌群结构和短链脂肪酸含量。【结果】同一月龄下,放养藏猪的日增重显著低于舍饲藏猪(P<0.05)。放养藏猪结肠中纤维素酶和半纤维素酶的活性均显著高于舍饲藏猪(P<0.05);2种饲养方式藏猪结肠的6种α多样性指数均无显著差异(P>0.05),且主成分分析(principal component analysis, PCA)得到放养藏猪和舍饲藏猪结肠菌群存在一定的相似性。在门和科分类水平上,相较于舍饲藏猪,放养藏猪结肠中疣微菌门、黄杆菌科、月形单胞菌科、浮霉状菌科和伊格尔兹氏菌科的相对丰度显著升高,而链球菌科、韦荣氏球菌科、假单胞菌科、红环菌科、红螺菌科、乳杆菌科、理研菌科和巴斯德氏菌科的相对丰度显著降低(P<0.05);在属和种分类水平上,...     

Predicted consequences of site-directed mutagenesis and the impact of species variation on prion protein misfolding through the N-terminal domain

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD) is considered to afflict humans through the acquisition of variant isomers and misfolding of the normal cellular prion polypeptide, PrP(C). Although the exact mechanism of the misfolding is not been yet clearly understood, this paper provides four additional pieces of evidence in support of the hypothesis that misfolding within PrP(C) involves N-terminal residues, up to and including Asn178. Structural predictions for N-terminal residues between Leu4 and Gly124 revealed that Leu4-Leu19 might adopt a helical conformation. Furthermore, measurement of C(alpha) distance variations, as determined from available NMR solution structures of wild type, as well as the biologically significant Val166, Asn170 and Lys220 variants of PrP(C), revealed previously unreported global and local conformational differences may occur in PrP(C) as a result of these amino-acid substitutions. Notably, three regions, His140-Tyr150 and Met166-Phe175 showed deviations greater than 3 A in their C(alpha)-coordinates (cf wild type) indicating that the majority of the N-terminal domain is likely to contribute to the misfolding of PrP(C). Minor variations in the orientation of amino acids Thr193-Glu200, located towards the C terminus of the protein, were also noted. This most likely indicates the presence of a hinge mechanism, inherent to a Helix-Loop-helix (HLH) motif formed by amino acids within alpha2, LIII and alpha3, in order to accommodate reorientation of the motif in response to misalignment of the N-terminal domain. An unexpected 3 angstroms deviation from the coordinates of the wild type polypeptide, absent from either Val166, Asn170 variants was observed over the region Arg154-Tyr155 within the Val166 form of PrP(C). This may contribute to the explanation as to why patients carrying the Val166 isoform of PrP(C) may be more susceptible to vCJD.     

Differential Structural Development of Adult-Born Septal Hippocampal Granule Cells in the Thy1-GFP Mouse,Nuclear Size as a New Index of Maturation

Adult neurogenesis is frequently studied in the mouse hippocampus. We examined the morphological development of adult-born, immature granule cells in the suprapyramidal blade of the septal dentate gyrus over the period of 7–77 days after mitosis with BrdU-labeling in 6-weeks-old male Thy1-GFP mice. As Thy1-GFP expression was restricted to maturated granule cells, it was combined with doublecortin-immunolabeling of immature granule cells. We developed a novel classification system that is easily applicable and enables objective and direct categorization of newborn granule cells based on the degree of dendritic development in relation to the layer specificity of the dentate gyrus. The structural development of adult-generated granule cells was correlated with age, albeit with notable differences in the time course of development between individual cells. In addition, the size of the nucleus, immunolabeled with the granule cell specific marker Prospero-related homeobox 1 gene, was a stable indicator of the degree of a cell''s structural maturation and could be used as a straightforward parameter of granule cell development. Therefore, further studies could employ our doublecortin-staging system and nuclear size measurement to perform investigations of morphological development in combination with functional studies of adult-born granule cells. Furthermore, the Thy1-GFP transgenic mouse model can be used as an additional investigation tool because the reporter gene labels granule cells that are 4 weeks or older, while very young cells could be visualized through the immature marker doublecortin. This will enable comparison studies regarding the structure and function between young immature and older matured granule cells.     

CS3菌毛可以作为异源抗原决定簇的嵌合表达载体

CS3是肠毒素源性大肠杆菌的菌毛蛋白,是一种很强的免疫原。研究了利用CS3菌毛作为异源抗原决定簇载体的可能性。在计算机分析预测CS3亚基的抗原表位区、二级结构的基础上,运用PCR定点突变在CS3亚基结构基因中引入了SacⅡ酶切位点序列,插入编码霍乱毒素B亚基抗原表位CTP3的DNA序列,构建了表达CS3/CTP3的重组菌株。电镜和免疫电镜观察证明,CS3/CTP3以杂合菌毛的形式存在于菌体表面,SDS聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳显示了CS3/CTP3杂合蛋白的存在。口服和腹腔注射免疫Bal b/c小鼠,该重组菌株可诱发抗CS3和抗CTP3的双重免疫应答。结果表明CS3可以作为表达异源抗原决定簇的表达载体,可望成为研制口服粘膜免疫多价疫苗的新型系统。     

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous determination of cefoperazone and sulbactam in plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of cefoperazone sodium and sulbactam sodium in human plasma was developed. The analytes and internal standard (IS), cefuroxime sodium, were extracted from human plasma via liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and separated on a Waters Xterra C18 column within 3.5 min. Quantitation was performed on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer employing electrospray ionization technique, operating in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) and negative ion mode. The precursor to product ion transitions monitored for cefoperazone, sulbactam and IS were m/z 644.1→528.0, 232.1→140.0, and 423.0→362.0, respectively. The assay was validated in the linear range of 0.1-20 μg/mL for cefoperazone and 0.02-4 μg/mL for sulbactam. The intra- and inter-day precisions (CV%) were within 8.39% for each analyte. The recoveries were greater than 87.3% for cefoperazone and 87.2% for sulbactam. Each analyte was found to be stable during all sample storage, preparation and analytical procedures. The method was successfully applied in a pharmacokinetic study of Sulperazon injection in six hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) patients.     

A novel protocol to accelerate dynamic combinatorial chemistry via isolation of ligand–target adducts from dynamic combinatorial libraries: A case study identifying competitive inhibitors of lysozyme

A novel protocol based on size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and MS was established to accelerate dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) in this study. By isolating ligand–target adducts from the dynamic combinatorial library (DCL), ligands could be identified directly by MS after denaturation. Three new inhibitors for lysozyme were discovered by this SEC–MS protocol in a case study. K_m Data for these new inhibitors was also determined.