PKCβ/NF-κB pathway in diabetic atrial remodeling

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Atrial remodeling in diabetes is partially attributed to NF-κB/TGF-β signal transduction pathway activation. We examined whether the...     

葛根芩连汤在模拟胃肠液中对微生物生长的影响

目的探究葛根芩连汤在模拟胃肠液中对微生物生长的影响。方法在模拟胃肠液中分别加入消化液10%量的金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠埃希菌、沙门菌、产气杆菌、黑曲霉、米曲霉、青霉和汉逊德巴利酵母,然后加入生药浓度为1 g/mL的葛根芩连汤水煎液,37℃恒温培养。分别在0、1、2和4 h吸取1 mL培养液做稀释平板计数。结果体外模拟肠液中,葛根芩连汤对金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠埃希菌、沙门菌、产气杆菌、黑曲霉、米曲霉和青霉有较强的抑制作用,而对汉逊德巴利酵母的生长则为先促进后抑制,并且在2 h时对黑曲霉、米曲霉、青霉和汉逊德巴利酵母的抑制效果最显著;在模拟胃液中,葛根芩连汤对金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠埃希菌、沙门菌、黑曲霉、青霉和汉逊德巴利酵母均有一定的抑制作用,而对产气杆菌无明显影响。结论葛根芩连汤在模拟胃肠液中对金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠埃希菌、沙门菌、黑曲霉、米曲霉、青霉和汉逊德巴利酵母等均具有一定的抑制作用,在模拟肠液中对产气杆菌抑制作用明显,而在模拟胃液中对其抑制效果不明显。     

Analysis of High Affinity Self-Association by Fluorescence Optical Sedimentation Velocity Analytical Ultracentrifugation of Labeled Proteins: Opportunities and Limitations

Sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (SV) is a powerful first-principle technique for the study of protein interactions, and allows a rigorous characterization of binding stoichiometry and affinities. A recently introduced commercial fluorescence optical detection system (FDS) permits analysis of high-affinity interactions by SV. However, for most proteins the attachment of an extrinsic fluorophore is an essential prerequisite for analysis by FDS-SV. Using the glutamate receptor GluA2 amino terminal domain as a model system for high-affinity homo-dimerization, we demonstrate how the experimental design and choice of fluorescent label can impact both the observed binding constants as well as the derived hydrodynamic parameter estimates for the monomer and dimer species. Specifically, FAM (5,6-carboxyfluorescein) was found to create different populations of artificially high-affinity and low-affinity dimers, as indicated by both FDS-SV and the kinetics of dimer dissociation studied using a bench-top fluorescence spectrometer and Förster Resonance Energy Transfer. By contrast, Dylight488 labeled GluA2, as well as GluA2 expressed as an EGFP fusion protein, yielded results consistent with estimates for unlabeled GluA2. Our study suggests considerations for the choice of labeling strategies, and highlights experimental designs that exploit specific opportunities of FDS-SV for improving the reliability of the binding isotherm analysis of interacting systems.     

Cytosine Methylation Alteration in Natural Populations of Leymus chinensis Induced by Multiple Abiotic Stresses

Background

Human activity has a profound effect on the global environment and caused frequent occurrence of climatic fluctuations. To survive, plants need to adapt to the changing environmental conditions through altering their morphological and physiological traits. One known mechanism for phenotypic innovation to be achieved is environment-induced rapid yet inheritable epigenetic changes. Therefore, the use of molecular techniques to address the epigenetic mechanisms underpinning stress adaptation in plants is an important and challenging topic in biological research. In this study, we investigated the impact of warming, nitrogen (N) addition, and warming+nitrogen (N) addition stresses on the cytosine methylation status of Leymus chinensis Tzvel. at the population level by using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and retrotransposon based sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (SSAP) techniques.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Our results showed that, although the percentages of cytosine methylation changes in SSAP are significantly higher than those in MSAP, all the treatment groups showed similar alteration patterns of hypermethylation and hypomethylation. It meant that the abiotic stresses have induced the alterations in cytosine methylation patterns, and the levels of cytosine methylation changes around the transposable element are higher than the other genomic regions. In addition, the identification and analysis of differentially methylated loci (DML) indicated that the abiotic stresses have also caused targeted methylation changes at specific loci and these DML might have contributed to the capability of plants in adaptation to the abiotic stresses.

Conclusions/Significance

Our results demonstrated that abiotic stresses related to global warming and nitrogen deposition readily evoke alterations of cytosine methylation, and which may provide a molecular basis for rapid adaptation by the affected plant populations to the changed environments.     

NKG2D discriminates diverse ligands through selectively mechano‐regulated ligand conformational changes

Stimulatory immune receptor NKG2D binds diverse ligands to elicit differential anti‐tumor and anti‐virus immune responses. Two conflicting degeneracy recognition models based on static crystal structures and in‐solution binding affinities have been considered for almost two decades. Whether and how NKG2D recognizes and discriminates diverse ligands still remain unclear. Using live‐cell‐based single‐molecule biomechanical assay, we characterized the in situ binding kinetics of NKG2D interacting with different ligands in the absence or presence of mechanical force. We found that mechanical force application selectively prolonged NKG2D interaction lifetimes with the ligands MICA and MICB, but not with ULBPs, and that force‐strengthened binding is much more pronounced for MICA than for other ligands. We also integrated steered molecular dynamics simulations and mutagenesis to reveal force‐induced rotational conformational changes of MICA, involving formation of additional hydrogen bonds on its binding interface with NKG2D, impeding MICA dissociation under force. We further provided a kinetic triggering model to reveal that force‐dependent affinity determines NKG2D ligand discrimination and its downstream NK cell activation. Together, our results demonstrate that NKG2D has a discrimination power to recognize different ligands, which depends on selective mechanical force‐induced ligand conformational changes.     

金华北山三种啮齿动物身体热值、脂肪和水分含量的研究

研究了浙江金华３种啮齿动物的身体热值,脂肪含量和水分含量。成年社鼠、褐家鼠和白腹巨鼠生物量热值季节变动范围分别为６．２０９７－７．６５７ＫＪ／ｇ,６．１５３－７．０９６ＫＪ／ｇ,６．１９９－１２．０３３ＫＪ／ｇ;水分含量为６６．６４％－６９．７５％,６７．４８％－７０．１９％,５４．６４％－７２．３７％;灰分含量不存在季节差异,年平均值分别为１２．５０％,１２．２３％,１０．４９％。神鼠脂肪含量春     

痛泻要方对“肝气乘脾”泄泻小鼠肠黏膜及肠内容物消化酶活性的影响

目的探讨痛泻要方对"肝气乘脾"泄泻小鼠肠道酶活性的影响。方法采用"番泻叶-离心管束缚夹尾法"进行"肝气乘脾"泄泻造模,造模成功后以痛泻要方治疗,造模和治疗后分别分析小鼠肠道酶活性。结果造模后,模型组小鼠肠道内容物的淀粉酶活性显著降低(t=4.007,P=0.015),纤维素酶、蛋白酶、蔗糖酶活性下降不显著。模型组小鼠肠黏膜蛋白酶、淀粉酶、蔗糖酶活性显著下降(t_蛋=5.652,P=0.005;Z_淀=-1.964,P=0.050;t_蔗=4.737,P=0.009)。痛泻要方治疗后,中药干预组小鼠肠道内容物蛋白酶、纤维素酶、乳糖酶和蔗糖酶活性变化不显著;自然恢复组的淀粉酶活性显著高于正常组(t=-7.497,P=0.002)。中药干预组小鼠肠道前段黏膜蛋白酶、乳糖酶、淀粉酶、蔗糖酶活性恢复不显著;中药干预组小鼠肠道黏膜中段乳糖酶、蔗糖酶活性显著低于自然恢复组(t_乳=4.074,P=0.013;t_蔗=8.072,P0.001),而蛋白酶、淀粉酶及纤维素酶活性均高于自然恢复组;中药干预组小鼠肠道后段黏膜乳糖酶、蔗糖酶及淀粉酶活性显著高于正常组(t_乳=-7.962,P0.001;t_蔗=-15.921,P0.001;Z_淀=6.489,P=0.034),蛋白酶与纤维素酶活性均有所升高。结论 "肝气乘脾"泄泻肠道内容物及黏膜淀粉酶活性显著降低,痛泻要方对"肝气乘脾"泄泻小鼠肠黏膜乳糖酶、蔗糖酶及淀粉酶活性作用显著。