A cross-talk between epithelium and endothelium mediates human alveolar–capillary injury during SARS-CoV-2 infection

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is an acute and rapidly developing pandemic, which leads to a global health crisis. SARS-CoV-2 primarily attacks human alveoli and causes severe lung infection and damage. To better understand the molecular basis of this disease, we sought to characterize the responses of alveolar epithelium and its adjacent microvascular endothelium to viral infection under a co-culture system. SARS-CoV-2 infection caused massive virus replication and dramatic organelles remodeling in alveolar epithelial cells, alone. While, viral infection affected endothelial cells in an indirect manner, which was mediated by infected alveolar epithelium. Proteomics analysis and TEM examinations showed viral infection caused global proteomic modulations and marked ultrastructural changes in both epithelial cells and endothelial cells under the co-culture system. In particular, viral infection elicited global protein changes and structural reorganizations across many sub-cellular compartments in epithelial cells. Among the affected organelles, mitochondrion seems to be a primary target organelle. Besides, according to EM and proteomic results, we identified Daurisoline, a potent autophagy inhibitor, could inhibit virus replication effectively in host cells. Collectively, our study revealed an unrecognized cross-talk between epithelium and endothelium, which contributed to alveolar–capillary injury during SARS-CoV-2 infection. These new findings will expand our understanding of COVID-19 and may also be helpful for targeted drug development.Subject terms: Mechanisms of disease, Viral infection     

LncRNA Bmp1 promotes the healing of intestinal mucosal lesions via the miR-128-3p/PHF6/PI3K/AKT pathway

Intestinal mucosal injuries are directly or indirectly related to many common acute and chronic diseases. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are expressed in many diseases, including intestinal mucosal injury. However, the relationship between lncRNAs and intestinal mucosal injury has not been determined. Here, we investigated the functions and mechanisms of action of lncRNA Bmp1 on damaged intestinal mucosa. We found that Bmp1 was increased in damaged intestinal mucosal tissue and Bmp1 overexpression was able to alleviate intestinal mucosal injury. Bmp1 overexpression was found to influence cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration in IEC-6 or HIEC-6 cells. Moreover, miR-128-3p was downregulated after Bmp1 overexpression, and upregulation of miR-128-3p reversed the effects of Bmp1 overexpression in IEC-6 cells. Phf6 was observed to be a target of miR-128-3p. Furthermore, PHF6 overexpression affected IEC-6 cells by activating PI3K/AKT signaling which was mediated by the miR-128-3p/PHF6 axis. In conclusion, Bmp1 was found to promote the expression of PHF6 through the sponge miR-128-3p, activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote cell migration and proliferation.Subject terms: Cell growth, Cell migration     

Studies on anabolic steroids--12. Epimerization and degradation of anabolic 17 beta-sulfate-17 alpha-methyl steroids in human: qualitative and quantitative GC/MS analysis.

The epimerization and dehydration reactions of the 17 beta-hydroxy group of anabolic 17 beta-hydroxy-17 alpha-methyl steroids have been investigated using the pyridinium salts of 17 beta-sulfate derivatives of methandienone 1, methyltestosterone 4, oxandrolone 7, mestanolone 10 and stanozolol 11 as model compounds. Rearrangement of the sulfate conjugates in buffered urine (pH 5.2) afforded the corresponding 17-epimers and 18-nor-17,17-dimethyl-13(14)-enes in a ratio of 0.8:1. These data indicated that both epimerization and dehydration of the 17 beta-sulfate derivatives were not dependent upon the respective chemical features of the steroids studied, but were instead inherent to the chemistry of the tertiary 17 beta-hydroxy group of these steroids. Interestingly, in vivo studies carried out with human male volunteers showed that only methandienone 1, methyltestosterone 4 and oxandrolone 7 yielded the corresponding 17-epimers 2, 5 and 8 and the 18-nor-17,17-dimethyl-13(14)-enes 3, 6 and 9 in ratios of 0.5:1, 2:1 and 2.7:1, respectively. No trace of the corresponding 17-epimers and 18-nor-17,17-dimethyl-13(14)-enes derivatives of mestanolone 10 and stanozolol 11 was detected in urine samples collected after administration of these steroids. These data suggested that the in vivo formation of the 17-epimers and 18-nor-17,17-dimethyl-13(14)-enes derivatives of 17 beta-hydroxy-17 alpha-methyl steroids is also dependent upon phase I and phase II metabolic reactions other than sulfation of the tertiary 17 beta-hydroxyl group, which are probably modulated by the respective chemical features of the steroidal substrates. The data reported in this study demonstrate that the 17-epimers and 18-nor-17,17-dimethyl-13(14)-enes are not artifacts resulting from the acidic or microbial degradation of the parent steroids in the gut as previously suggested by other authors, but arise from the rearrangement of their 17 beta-sulfate derivatives. Unchanged oxandrolone 7 was solely detected in the unconjugated steroid fraction whereas unchanged steroids 1, 4 and 11 were recovered from the glucuronide fraction. These data are indirect evidences suggesting that the glucuronide conjugates of compounds 1 and 4 are probably enol glucuronides and that of compound 11 is excreted in urine as a N-glucuronide involving its pyrazole moiety. The urinary excretion profiles of the epimeric and 18-nor-17,17-dimethyl-13(14)-ene steroids are presented and discussed on the basis of their structural features.     

纪念蒋英教授

蒋英教授是著名的植物分类学家。他从事中国夹竹桃科、萝藦科、番荔枝科植物的专门研究和教育事业有五十四年历史,为祖国科学事业奋斗一生,作出了重大贡献。本文详细地介绍了他的生平、艰苦创业的经过、严谨治学精神、培养人才的经验,并总结了他一生的科研成就和八十多篇著作名录,供后人参考。     

烟草愈伤组织分化和芽原基形成期间呼吸代谢途径的改变

接种在继代培养基上的柳叶烟草愈伤组织,未观察到组织分化和芽原基形成。在分化培养基上生长的愈伤组织,接种后第6天可见拟分生组织和管胞分化,9—12天有芽原基形成,15—18天可观察到苗端结构。根据碘乙酸、Na_3PO_4和丙二酸抑制试验,以及3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶与琥珀酸脱氢酶活性测定结果,初步表明烟草愈伤组织呼吸中存在有EMP、HMP和TCAC代谢途径.在发生输导组织和芽原基分化的愈伤组织中(接种后第6—12天),HMP途径的运行程度较高;而芽原基的继续生长(培养12天以后),则与EMP途径的增加有关;分化培养基上生长的愈伤组织,始终较继代培养愈伤组织具有较高的FCAC活性水平。     

Sequence analysis of a cDNA containing the gag and prot regions of the soybean retrovirus-like element, SIRE-1

SIRE-1 is a family of several hundred dispersed copies of a very large DNA element from Glycine max that has features characteristic of retroviruses and retrotransposons. A 2.4 kb SIRE-1-specific fragment was recovered from a soybean cDNA library and sequenced. The sequence contains two ORFs. Theoretical translation of ORF1 produces a gag-prot-like polyprotein containing highly conserved motifs found in retroelement nucleocapsids (CX₂CX₄HX₄C) and aspartic proteases (LDSG). The second ORF is foreshortened. The cDNA also contains nearly 200 bp of a putative 5 LTR just upstream of a tRNA primer-binding site.     

丙型肝炎病毒基因组部份NS5区蛋白基因在大肠杆菌中的表达

在大肠杆菌中表达了丙型肝炎病毒基因组ＮＳ５区Ａ段和部份Ｂ段蛋白。ＮＳ５Ａ蛋白溶于水,可经过ＧＳＴ亲和层析柱纯化;ＮＳ５Ｂ蛋白不溶于水,经ＰＢＳ－Ｔｒｉｔｏｎ Ｘ－１００洗涤,尿素溶解后,通过离子交换柱纯化。经ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ和Ｗｅｓｔｅｍｂｌｏｔ分析,ＮＳ５Ａ蛋白除在５７ｋＤ左右有条带外,还有不同程度的降解产物;ＮＳ５Ｂ蛋白主要在５８ｋＤ左右有条带出现。为查明表达蛋白抗体在病人血清中的分布,取９     

海南省粉褶蕈属的分类研究(Ⅱ)

本文报道了海南省粉褶蕈属[Entoloma(Fr.)Kumm.]的31个种,其中17个为新记录种。并附分种检索表,表中含6个新种。 所有标本保藏于广东省微生物研究所真菌标本室。     

关于一个“基细胞”的疑问

有或没有基细胞是毛鞘藻属(Bulbochaets)与枝鞘藻属(Oedocladium)的区别之一。这里叙述了Mrozinska在其专著(1985)中,将Oedocladium indicum Kama附图(即模式图)上的一个基细胞错误地移置到Oe.PrescottiiIslam上去的情况。