Efficient assembly of a large fragment of monkeypox virus genome as a qPCR template using dual-selection based transformation-associated recombination

Transformation-associated recombination (TAR) has been widely used to assemble large DNA constructs. One of the significant obstacles hindering assembly efficiency is the presence of error-prone DNA repair pathways in yeast, which results in vector backbone recircularization or illegitimate recombination products. To increase TAR assembly efficiency, we prepared a dual-selective TAR vector, pGFCS, by adding a P_ADH1-URA3 cassette to a previously described yeast-bacteria shuttle vector, pGF, harboring a P_HIS3-HIS3 cassette as a positive selection marker. This new cassette works as a negative selection marker to ensure that yeast harboring a recircularized vector cannot propagate in the presence of 5-fluoroorotic acid. To prevent pGFCS bearing ura3 from recombining with endogenous ura3-52 in the yeast genome, a highly transformable Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, VL6-48B, was prepared by chromosomal substitution of ura3-52 with a transgene conferring resistance to blasticidin. A 55-kb genomic fragment of monkeypox virus encompassing primary detection targets for quantitative PCR was assembled by TAR using pGFCS in VL6-48B. The pGFCS-mediated TAR assembly showed a zero rate of vector recircularization and an average correct assembly yield of 79% indicating that the dual-selection strategy provides an efficient approach to optimizing TAR assembly.     

A recombinant trans-membrane protein hMnSOD–R9 inhibits the proliferation of cervical cancer cells in vitro

Human manganese superoxide dismutase (hMnSOD) is a new type of cancer suppressor. Nonamer of arginine (R9) is an efficient protein transduction domain (PTD). The aim of the study was to improve the transduction efficiency of hMnSOD and investigate its activity in vitro. In this study, we designed, constructed, expressed, and purified a novel fusion protein containing the hMnSOD domain and R9 PTD (hMnSOD–R9). The DNA damaged by Fenton’s reagent was found to be significantly reduced when treated with hMnSOD–R9. hMnSOD–R9 fusion protein was successfully delivered into HeLa cells. The MTT assay showed that proliferation of various cancer cell lines were inhibited by hMnSOD–R9 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the cell cycle of HeLa cells was arrested at the sub-G0 phase by hMnSOD–R9. hMnSOD–R9 induced apoptosis of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. With hMnSOD–R9 treatment, Bax, JNK, TBK1 gene expression was increased and STAT3 gene expression was gradually down-regulated in HeLa cells. We also found that apoptosis was induced by hMnSOD–R9 in HeLa cells via up-regulation of cleaved caspase-3 and down-regulation phospho-STAT3 pathway. These results indicated that hMnSOD–R9 may provide benefits to cervical cancer treatment.     

HS-SPME-GC / MS 在大熊猫尿液化学成分检测中的应用

尿液在大熊猫化学通讯过程中具有重要作用。对大熊猫尿液中化学成分的检测是揭示大熊猫尿液中化学物质组成及其功能的关键。本实验通过使用顶空固相微萃取技术(Headspace-solid phase microextraction,HSSPME)对大熊猫尿液样品进行前期处理,继而利用气相色谱- 质谱联用技术(Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,GC / MS)对大熊猫尿液中化学成分进行检测。共检测到56 个峰,通过在NIST (National Institute of Standards
and Technology)质谱库中进行检索,初步推定出其中的38 种物质。除此之外,还对HS - SPME 萃取头的净化方法进行了探索和改进。结果表明,顶空固相微萃取技术结合气相色谱- 质谱联用技术能够应用于大熊猫尿液中挥发性与半挥发性化合物的检测,并且能够得到较好的实验结果,为揭示大熊猫化学通讯机理提供基础。     

A novel peroxiredoxin from the antagonistic endophytic bacterium Enterobacter sp. V1 contributes to cotton resistance against Verticillium dahliae

Plant and Soil - [Aims] To reveal the molecular mechanism of endophytic bacteria in Verticillium wilt-resistant cottons and deeply understand the interaction between soil and plants. [Methods]...     

AAV-Mediated Clarin-1 Expression in the Mouse Retina: Implications for USH3A Gene Therapy

Usher syndrome type III (USH3A) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in clarin-1 (CLRN1) gene, leading to progressive retinal degeneration and sensorineural deafness. Efforts to develop therapies for preventing photoreceptor cell loss are hampered by the lack of a retinal phenotype in the existing USH3 mouse models and by conflicting reports regarding the endogenous retinal localization of clarin-1, a transmembrane protein of unknown function. In this study, we used an AAV-based approach to express CLRN1 in the mouse retina in order to determine the pattern of its subcellular localization in different cell types. We found that all major classes of retinal cells express AAV-delivered CLRN1 driven by the ubiquitous, constitutive small chicken β-actin promoter, which has important implications for the design of future USH3 gene therapy studies. Within photoreceptor cells, AAV-expressed CLRN1 is mainly localized at the inner segment region and outer plexiform layer, similar to the endogenous expression of other usher proteins. Subretinal delivery using a full strength viral titer led to significant loss of retinal function as evidenced by ERG analysis, suggesting that there is a critical limit for CLRN1 expression in photoreceptor cells. Taken together, these results suggest that CLRN1 expression is potentially supported by a variety of retinal cells, and the right combination of AAV vector dose, promoter, and delivery method needs to be selected to develop safe therapies for USH3 disorder.     

Probiotics-fermented Massa Medicata Fermentata ameliorates weaning stress in piglets related to improving intestinal homeostasis

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Weaning stress has serious negative effects on piglets’ health and the swine industry. Probiotics-fermented Chinese herbal medicines are potential...     

HPLC with cellulose Tris (3,5‐DimethylPhenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase: Influence of coating times and coating amount on chiral discrimination

Coating cellulose tris (3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) (CDMPC) on silica gels with large pores have been demonstrated as an efficient way for the preparation of chiral stationary phase (CSP) for high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). During the process, a number of parameters, including the type of coating solvent, amount of coating, and the method for subsequent solvent removing, have been proved to affect the performance of the resultant CSPs. Coating times and the concentration of coating solution, however, also makes a difference to CSPs' performance by changing the arrangement of cellulose derivatives while remaining the coating amount constant, have much less been studied before, and thereby, were systematically investigated in this work. Results showed that CSPs with more coating times exhibited higher chiral recognition and column efficiency, suggesting that resolution was determined by column efficiency herein. Afterwards, we also investigated the effect of coating amount on the performance of CSPs, and it was shown that the ability of enantio‐recognition did not increase all the time as the coating amount; and four of seven racemates achieved best resolution when the coating amount reached to 18.37%. At the end, the reproducibility of CDMPC‐coated CSPs were further confirmed by two methods, ie, reprepared the CSP‐0.15‐3 and reevaluated the effect of coating times.     

The Role of Autophagy in Lamellar Body Formation and Surfactant Production in Type 2 Alveolar Epithelial Cells

The lamellar body (LB), a concentric structure loaded with surfactant proteins and phospholipids, is an organelle specific to type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2). However, the origin of LBs has not been fully elucidated. We have previously reported that autophagy regulates Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) formation, and here we demonstrated that autophagy is involved in LB maturation, another lysosome-related organelle. We found that during development, LBs were transformed from autophagic vacuoles containing cytoplasmic contents such as glycogen. Fusion between LBs and autophagosomes was observed in wild-type neonate mice. Moreover, the markers of autophagic activity, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B), largely co-localized on the limiting membrane of the LB. Both autophagy-related gene 7 (Atg7) global knockout and conditional Atg7 knockdown in AT2 cells in mice led to defects in LB maturation and surfactant protein B production. Additionally, changes in autophagic activity altered LB formation and surfactant protein B production. Taken together, these results suggest that autophagy plays a critical role in the regulation of LB formation during development and the maintenance of LB homeostasis during adulthood.