The role of protein arginine methyltransferase 7 in human developmentally arrested embryos cultured in vitro

Human embryos of in vitro fertilization (IVF) are often susceptible to developmental arrest,which greatly reduces the efficiency of IVF treatment.In recent year...     

Depression compromises antiviral innate immunity via the AVP-AHI1-Tyk2 axis

Depression is a serious public-health issue. Recent reports have suggested higher susceptibility to viral infections in depressive patients. However, how depression affects antiviral innate immune signaling remains unknown. Here, we revealed a reduction in expression of Abelson helper integration site 1 (AHI1) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and macrophages from the patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), which leads to attenuated antiviral immune response. We found that depression-related arginine vasopressin (AVP) induces reduction of AHI1 in macrophages. Further studies demonstrated that AHI1 is a critical stabilizer of basal type-I-interferon (IFN-I) signaling. Mechanistically, AHI1 recruits OTUD1 to deubiquitinate and stabilize Tyk2, while AHI1 reduction downregulates Tyk2 and IFN-I signaling activity in macrophages from both MDD patients and depression model mice. Interestingly, we identified a clinical analgesic meptazinol that effectively stimulates AHI1 expression, thus enhancing IFN-I antiviral defense in depression model mice. Our study promotes the understanding of the signaling mechanisms of depression-mediated antiviral immune dysfunction, and reveals meptazinol as an enhancer of antiviral innate immunity in depressive patients.Subject terms: Innate immunity, Ubiquitylation, Cell signalling     

帝萝花‘璀璨明珠'的植株高效再生

为解决木本切花植物帝萝花‘璀璨明珠’繁殖效率低的问题,该文以帝萝花‘璀璨明珠’的幼嫩枝芽为外植体,研究了不同基本培养基对其长势的影响、不同激素种类和浓度对其增殖和生根的效果,分析了其离体繁殖的生长特点,并建立了高效的帝萝花‘璀璨明珠’组培快繁技术体系。结果表明:帝萝花‘璀璨明珠’幼嫩枝芽的消毒方法为0.1%的升汞溶液浸泡12 min,污染率为21.5%;外植体在WPM+ZT 1 mg·L~(-1)+NAA 0.1 mg·L~(-1)培养基上,侧芽萌发率为73%;增殖的最佳培养基为MS+BA 0.4 mg·L~(-1)+NAA 0.05 mg·L~(-1),增殖系数为6.63,增殖方式为侧芽增殖和植株基部丛生芽增殖;生根的适宜培养基为MS+IBA 0.75mg·L~(-1)+NAA 1 mg·L~(-1),生根率为70%;生根瓶苗移栽于珍珠岩和细草炭(体积比为0.5∶1)的基质中,光照强度为10 000～12 000 lx,空气湿度为70%～80%下培养,60 d后成活率可达72%。该研究结果为帝萝花组培种苗的商业化生产提供了技术支撑,同时促进了该高档木本切花的推广和种植及产业化。     

Circulating Mitochondrial DAMPs Are Not Effective Inducers of Proteinuria and Kidney Injury in Rodents

Mitochondria in eukaryotic cells are derived from bacteria in evolution. Like bacteria, mitochondria contain DNA with unmethylated CpG motifs and formyl peptides, both of which have recently been shown to be damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and induce immune response and cell injury. Based on the facts that circulating mitochondrial DAMPs (mtDAMPs) are increased in the patients of trauma or burn injury who also have proteinuria, that mtDAMPs can activate immune cells which in turn secrete glomerular permeability factors, that renal intrinsic cells express a variety of DAMP receptors, and that mtDAMPs can directly increase endothelial cell permeability in vitro, we hypothesized that mtDAMPs may be novel circulating factors inducing proteinuria and kidney injury. We tested this hypothesis by directly injecting mtDAMPs into rodents and examining urinary protein and kidney histology. We prepared mtDAMP samples, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and mitochondrial debris (MTD), from rodent liver. In mice, injection of mtDNA for 20 μg/ml initial concentration in circulation (much higher than the clinical range), did not cause any renal manifestations. However, an increased dose leading to 45 μg/ml initial concentration in circulation resulted in a transient, slight increase in urinary albumin. In rats, MTD injection resulting in 450 μg/ml initial concentration of MTD protein in circulation, which was much higher than the clinical range, caused mild, transient proteinuria and lung lesions. Multiple injections of such large amount of either mtDNA or MTD into rodents on 3 consecutive days also failed in inducing proteinuria and kidney injury. In summary, clinical levels of circulating mtDAMPs do not induce proteinuria and clinically irrelevant high levels of mtDAMPs cause only a transient and slight increase in urinary protein in rodents, suggesting that circulating mtDAMPs may not be responsible for the proteinuria and kidney injury in patients with trauma, burn injury, and other diseases.     

Effects of a Potential Host Gut-Derived Probiotic,Bacillus subtilis 6-3-1, on the Growth,Non-specific Immune Response and Disease Resistance of Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus♂)

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - A potential host-derived probiotic, Bacillus subtilis 6-3-1, was successfully screened from 768 isolates from the intestines of healthy hybrid grouper...     

Characterization of small RNAs in early zebrafish PGCs

Small RNAs, including miRNAs, siRNAs, and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), are small noncoding RNAs that are 21-30 nucleotides in length and play important roles...     

Enhanced chemiluminescence of the luminol–AgNO3 system by Ag nanoparticles

The oxidation reaction of luminol with AgNO₃ can produce chemiluminescence (CL) in the presence of silver nanoparticles (NPs) in alkaline solution. Based on the studies of UV‐vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and CL spectra, a CL enhancement mechanism is proposed. The CL emission spectrum of the luminol–AgNO₃–Ag NPs system indicated that the luminophore was still 3‐aminophthalate. On injection of silver nanoparticles into the mixture of luminol and AgNO₃, they catalysed the reduction of AgNO₃ by luminol. The product luminol radicals reacted with the dissolved oxygen, to produce a strong CL emission. As a result, the CL intensity was substantially increased. Moreover, the influences of 18 amino acids, e.g. cystine, tyrosine and asparagine, and 25 organic compounds, including gallic acid, tannic acid and hydroquinone, on the luminol–AgNO₃–Ag NPs CL system were studied by a flow‐injection procedure, which led to an effective method for detecting these compounds. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.