Targeted nanoparticles for precise cancer therapy

<正>Cancer has become one of the biggest challenges in the development of modern medical science. In particular, many problems, such as low efficiency, severe side effects, metastasis, and tumor invasion, challenge the development of precise cancer therapy. Continuous advancements in medicine, however, have allowed clear differentiation between tumors and normal tissues that can be exploited for cancer     

Dysregulated haemolysin promotes bacterial outer membrane vesicles‐induced pyroptotic‐like cell death in zebrafish

Inflammasomes are important innate immune components in mammals. However, the bacterial factors modulating inflammasome activation in fish, and the mechanisms by which they alter fish immune defences, remain to be investigated. In this work, a mutant of the fish pathogen Edwardsiella piscicida (E. piscicida), called 0909I, was shown to overexpress haemolysin, which could induce a robust pyroptotic‐like cell death dependent on caspase‐5‐like activity during infection in fish nonphagocyte cells. E. piscicida haemolysin was found to mainly associate with bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which were internalised into the fish cells via a dynamin‐dependent endocytosis and induced pyroptotic‐like cell death. Importantly, bacterial immersion infection of both larvae and adult zebrafish suggested that dysregulated expression of haemolysin alerts the innate immune system and induces intestinal inflammation to restrict bacterial colonisation in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest a critical role of zebrafish innate immunity in monitoring invaded pathogens via detecting the bacterial haemolysin‐associated OMVs and initiating pyroptotic‐like cell death. These new additions to the understanding of haemolysin‐mediated pathogenesis in vivo provide evidence for the existence of noncanonical inflammasome signalling in lower vertebrates.     

A fundamental regulatory role of formate on thuringiensin production by resting cell of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis> YBT-032

In this work, a fundamental regulatory role of formate on thuringiensin production by resting cell of Bacillus thuringiensis YBT-032 was investigated. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) production and formate dehydrogenase activity increased with formate addition from 0.5 to 2.0 g/L, respectively. However, with the formate addition of 1.5 g/L, the activities of pyruvate kinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase reached a peak and increased by 316 and 150% relative to those of the control, respectively. In addition, intracellular production of pyruvate, aspartate, citrate and adenine were significantly enhanced by 75, 66, 32 and 78% as well. An improvement (90%) of thuringiensin production was also successfully obtained. Interestingly to point out, thuringiensin yield was closely correlative with adenine production, and the linear relationship was also observed. The results suggest that appropriate formate addition did act as a modulator and facilitate carbon flux in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway to synthesize adenine and thuringiensin via intracellular NADH availability.     

Adsorption of insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kurstaki by some Chinese soils: effects of organic acid ligands addition

We have investigated the effects of low molecular weight organic acid ligands on the adsorption of the insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) by the colloidal (<2 μm particle-size) fraction of some soils. The desorption of the bound toxin by NaCl and phosphate buffer has also been measured. The soils used were a red soil (Ultisol), a latosol (Oxisol), a yellow brown soil (Alfisol) and a yellow cinnamon soil (Alfisol) from central and southern China. The adsorption isotherms were all of the L-type, and the data fitted the Langmuir equation (R² > 0.97). When present at low concentrations, organic acids (acetate, oxalate, citrate) had an inhibitory effect on toxin adsorption. Uptake, however, was promoted when the organic acid concentration exceeded 10 mM. The toxin was very strongly bound by the soils but the soil-toxin interaction weakened in the presence of organic acids. A small portion of the toxin was adsorbed by electrostatic and ligand exchange interactions. The addition of organic acids appeared to enhance these interactions. Responsible Editor: Thomas B. Kinraide     

Identification of three Zwittermicin A biosynthesis-related genes from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">kurstaki</Emphasis> strain YBT-1520

Zwittermicin A (ZwA) is a novel, broad-spectrum linear aminopolyol antibiotic produced by some Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. However, only part of its biosynthesis cluster has been identified and characterized from B. cereus UW85. To better understand the biosynthesis cluster of ZwA, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain YBT-1520, a ZwA-producing strain, was constructed. Two BAC clones, 1F8 and 5E2, were obtained by PCR, which overlap the known ZwA biosynthesis cluster of B. cereus UW85. This ZwA biosynthesis cluster is at least 38.6 kb and is located on the chromosome, instead of the plasmid. Partial DNA sequencing revealed both BAC clones carry three new ZwA biosynthesis-related genes, zwa6, zwa5A and zwa5B, which were found at the corresponding location of B. cereus UW85. Putative amino acid sequences of these genes shown that ZWA6 is homologous to a typical carbamoyltransferase from Streptomyces avermitilis, while ZWA5A and ZWA5B are homologs of cysteine synthetase and ornithine cyclodeaminase which jointly synthesize 2,3-diaminopropionate in the viomycin biosynthesis pathway, respectively. The identification of these three genes further supports the hypothesized ZwA biosynthesis pathway.     

Synthesis, spectral and crystallographic characterization of manganese(II) coordination polymers based on aliphatic dicarboxylate and flexible bis(imidazolyl) derivatives

Two structurally related flexible imidazolyl ligands, bis(N-imidazolyl)methane (L₁) and 1,4-bis(N-imidazolyl)butane (L₂) reacted with Mn(II) salts of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids resulted in the formation of a number of novel metal-organic coordination architectures. All complexes have been structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The different coordination modes of dicarboxylate anions due to their chain length, rigidity and diimidazolyl functionality lead to a range of different coordination structures. The coordination polymers exhibit 1D single chain, 2D sheet and 3D network structures. The aliphatic dicarboxylates can adopt chelating μ₂, bridging μ₂, and chelating-bridging μ₃ coordination modes, or act as uncoordinated counter anions. The central metal ions are coordinated in N₂O₄ and N₄O₂ fashions depending on the ancillary ligands. The topology of [Mn(male)(L₁)(H₂O)₂] (1, male = maleate) gives rise to singly bridged 1D chains, whereas compound [Mn(mal)(L₁)(H₂O)] · H₂O (2, mal = malonate) exhibits 2D sheets in which the metal centers are bridged by both imidazolyl ligands and dicarboxylates. Compounds [Mn(L₁)₂(H₂O)₂](suc) · 6H₂O (3, suc = succinate) and [Mn(L₁)₂(H₂O)₂](fum) · 6H₂O (4, fum = fumarate) show doubly bridged 1D chains, and the dicarboxylate groups are not coordinated but form 2D corrugated sheets with water molecules intercalated between the cationic layers. Compound [Mn(suc)(L₂)(H₂O)₂] (5, suc = succinate) was built from very flexible succinate and 1,4-bis(N-imidazolyl)butane which yielded three-dimensional interpenetrate networks, both succinate anion and the imidazolyl ligand act as bidentate bridging.     

苎麻雄性不育系生化代谢和育性遗传研究

用不同温度和日长处理盆栽材料,测试苎麻雄性不育系的温光反应;于雌雄性器官发育期取盆栽植株顶部展开叶往下数第7叶,分析不育系的生化代谢;根据杂交及自交后代育性分离情况,鉴定不育系的不育性遗传方式.结果如下高温加速营养生长,而短日促进生殖生长,短日高温明显加快不育系的发育进度,但高温的促进作用随日长增加而减弱,以至消失.不育系的叶片粗蛋白质、氨基酸含量比可育系减少,尤其是天门冬氨酸、谷氨酸、甘氨酸、胱氨酸、缬氨酸、苯丙氨酸和精氨酸减少明显,但游离脯氨酸含量增加.这些物质代谢的变化,可能是导致苎麻雄性不育的原因.不育系GS14-1、SS370、GSA-2、GS15-8和SS387等的不育性遗传与1对相对性状的遗传方式相符,已找到不育系的保持系和恢复系.