Purification and properties of alkaline phosphatase of silkworm Bombyx mori

Alkaline phosphatase(AKP),from the succus entericus of silkworm,was purified using 10%-50% ammonium sulfate fractions,ion exchange chromatography Of DEAE-Sepharose,and size exclusion chromatography of Sephacryl S-200.The purification fold was 464 times and specified activity was 3936 U/mg.Optimum pH value of the phosphatase was 10.5,and was stable between pH 7.5 and 11.The optimum temperature of the phosphatase was 40℃ and it was unstable over 50℃.Km value of the phosphatase was 1.25 mmol/L.In a given condition,the phosphatase was selectively modified by PCMB,NBS,PMSE TNBS,SUAN,DTT,BrAc,and IAc,the results indicate that PMSF,SUA,BrAc,IAc,and TNBS could Obviously inhibit the activity of the phosphatase,and the degree of inhibition depended on the concentration of these reagents.There was little effect on the activity of phosphatase after treatment by PMSF,DTT,and NBT.We primarily conclude that mercapto and imidazole are essential for AKP from silkworm.Also,Lys residue and disulfide bands are necessary to protect the catalysis of the AKP.     

Cloning and expression of a pivotal calcium metabolism regulator: calmodulin involved in shell formation from pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata)

The shells of bivalves are mainly composed of calcium carbonate, a product of calcium metabolism. In the process of shell formation, the uptake, transport and recruitment of calcium ion are highly regulated and involved in many factors. Among these regulatory factors, calmodulin (CaM), a pivotal multifunction regulator of calcium metabolism in nearly all organisms, is thought to play an important role in the calcium metabolism involved in shell formation. In this study, a full-length CaM cDNA was isolated from the pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata). The oyster calmodulin encodes a 16.8 kDa protein which shares high similarity with vertebrate calmodulin. The oyster CaM mRNA shows the highest level of expression in the gill, a key organ involved in calcium uptake in oyster calcium metabolism. In situ hybridization results revealed that oyster CaM mRNA is expressed at the folds and the outer epithelial cells of the dorsal region of the mantle, suggesting that CaM is involved in regulation of calcium transport and secretion. Oyster CaM also showed a typical Ca2+ dependent electrophoretic shift characterization and calcium binding activity. Taken together, we have identified and characterized a pivotal calcium metabolism regulator of the oyster that may play an important role in regulation of calcium uptake, transport and secretion in the process of shell formation.     

短期增温对中亚热带杉木人工幼林土壤氮磷耦合作用的影响

全球变暖引起陆地生态系统和整个生物圈一系列生态问题,未来全球平均气温的持续增加将使这些问题进一步加剧。目前增温、氮沉降和森林更新方式对中亚热带土壤氮磷等养分的影响已有部分研究,但增温对亚热带森林的氮磷耦合作用的影响仍然未知。以中亚热带杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolate)幼苗为研究对象,设置埋设电缆以加热土壤增温实验(增温幅度(5±0.5)℃),研究短期增温对土壤含水量、微生物生物量氮(MBN)、微生物生物量磷(MBP)、土壤氮磷养分,以及氮(N)、磷(P)耦合作用的影响。结果表明:短期增温对全氮、全磷无显著影响;增温第1年显著提高了有效氮、铵态氮(NH_4~+)和有效磷的含量,显著降低了MBN含量。增温第2年,土壤中有效磷、NH_4~+和MBP含量显著下降;短期增温虽然对土壤全N/P,有效N/P的影响不显著,但是增温使铵态氮/硝态亚硝态氮(NH_4~+/(NO_3~-+NO_2~-))显著降低;此外,增温显著降低了MBN/MBP,缓解了微生物对磷的限制。相关性分析表明,耦合作用不仅受N和P之间相互作用的影响,也受土壤温度、水分含量等其他因素的影响。研究表明,短期增温并未对中亚热带杉木人工幼林土壤氮磷耦合作用产生显著影响,但增温后降低了有效氮、有效磷的含量。因此,在未来全球变暖背景下,研究结果为中亚热带森林生态系统的的健康发展和科学管理提供重要的理论依据。     

Simultaneous determination of dronedarone and its active metabolite debutyldronedarone in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetic study

Dronedarone is a derivative of amiodarone--a popular antiarrhythmic drug. It was developed to overcome the limiting iodine-associated toxicities of amiodarone. Debutyldronedarone is a major circulating active metabolite of dronedarone in humans. To investigate the pharmacokinetics of dronedarone, a rapid, simple, and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to simultaneously determine dronedarone and debutyldronedarone in human plasma using amiodarone as internal standard (IS). Acetonitrile with IS was used to precipitate proteins from a 50-μL aliquot of plasma. Effective chromatographic separation was performed on a CAPCELL PAK C(18) MG (100 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column with gradient elution (5 mmol/L ammonium acetate-acetonitrile, with each phase containing 0.2% acetic acid) at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. Complete separation was achieved within 5.5 min. Detection was carried out on an tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode using a positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface. A lower limit of quantification of 0.200 ng/mL was achieved for both dronedarone and debutyldronedarone, with acceptable precision and accuracy. The linear range of the method was from 0.200 to 200 ng/mL for each analyte. Intra- and inter-day precisions were lower than 7.2% in relation to relative standard deviation, while accuracy was within ±5.1% in terms of relative error for analytes. Our findings demonstrate the successful application of the validated LC-MS/MS method to a pharmacokinetic study after a single oral administration of 400mg dronedarone to six healthy volunteers.     

一株海洋链霉菌MMHS020的抗菌活性代谢产物

【背景】海洋微生物因其生存环境的多样性与独特性,已成为天然产物研究的重要来源。【目的】以一株太平洋海泥来源链霉菌MMHS020为出发菌株,筛选可促进其产生丰富代谢产物的发酵条件,挖掘菌株在抗菌抗肿瘤方面的潜力。【方法】采用单菌株多次级代谢产物策略对MMHS020菌株进行培养诱导,使其产生更丰富的活性代谢产物。双层平板法测定发酵产物对6种指示菌的抑菌活性。以硅胶柱层析、葡聚糖凝胶层析和制备层析等方法对代谢产物进行分离纯化,再通过质谱技术和~1H-NMR和~(13)C-NMR对化合物进行结构解析。【结果】链霉菌属MMHS020菌株可在较高浓度盐离子环境中产生丰富的抑菌活性代谢产物,显示出对枯草芽孢杆菌、结核分枝杆菌和藤黄微球菌等多种指示菌的抑制活性。从发酵产物中分离鉴定了3个化合物,分别是诺卡胺素(1)、麦角甾醇(2)和星形孢菌素(3)。其中星形孢菌素表现出白色念珠菌的抑制活性,而诺卡胺素则对其他几个指示菌表现出较强的抑制活性。【结论】海洋链霉菌MMHS020菌株可代谢产生丰富多样的生物活性物质,具有开发成为新型抑菌生物制剂的潜力。     

饲料中转基因成分对家蚕生长发育的影响

采用家蚕（Bombyx mori）H9品种作为实验动物,分别用转基因和非转基因大豆粉制作的人工饲料进行饲育。通过饲育试验,比较分析了不同处理后家蚕的龄期经过时间、全茧量、茧层量、茧层率、蛹体重、疏毛率、死亡率、每龄眠起体重等经济性状指标。同时采用PCR方法对转基因饲料饲育后家蚕组织中外源基因的表达情况进行了检测。结果显示,含转基因大豆粉的人工饲料对家蚕的生长发育并无显著影响,且不存在外源基因的污染。     

Cyclo-hexa-peptides at the water/cyclohexane interface: a molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations have been performed to study the behaviors of ten kinds of cyclo-hexa-peptides (CHPs) composed of amino acids with the diverse hydrophilic/hydrophobic side chains at the water/cyclohexane interface. All the CHPs take the “horse-saddle” conformations at the interface and the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the side chains influences the backbones’ structural deformations. The orientations and distributions of the CHPs at the interface and the differences of interaction energies (ΔΔE) between the CHPs and the two liquid phases have been determined. RDF analysis shows that the H-bonds were formed between the O_C atoms of the CHPs’ backbones and H_w atoms of water molecules. N atoms of the CHPs’ backbones formed the H-bonds or van der Waals interactions with the water solvent. It was found that there is a parallel relationship between ΔΔE and the lateral diffusion coefficients (D _xy ) of the CHPs at the interface. The movements of water molecules close to the interface are confined to some extent, indicating that the dynamics of the CHPs and interfacial water molecules are strongly coupled.