凝血接触系统对人血管内皮细胞炎症活性的影响

内源性凝血途径的起始部分称为接触系统,包括高分子量激肽原、前激肽释放酶、XII因子和XI因子。以接触系统成分及激活产物分别刺激人血管内皮细胞,检测了其NF-κB活性、细胞间黏附分子1(ICAM-1)表达和炎性细胞因子分泌的变化。结果显示:与对照组相比较,只有游离XI因子和激活的XI因子可以使内皮细胞NF-κB活性升高,并具有统计学差异(P<0.01);而激活的XI因子能够进一步使内皮细胞的ICAM-1和细胞因子分泌显著增加(P<0.01)。其余各组与对照组相比没有统计学差异。这些观察结果提示接触系统可以直接活化血管内皮细胞,说明内源性凝血途径也参与了炎症的发展过程。     

Diversity and dispersal of a ubiquitous protein family: acyl-CoA dehydrogenases

Acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (ACADs), which are key enzymes in fatty acid and amino acid catabolism, form a large, pan-taxonomic protein family with at least 13 distinct subfamilies. Yet most reported ACAD members have no subfamily assigned, and little is known about the taxonomic distribution and evolution of the subfamilies. In completely sequenced genomes from approximately 210 species (eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea), we detect ACAD subfamilies by rigorous ortholog identification combining sequence similarity search with phylogeny. We then construct taxonomic subfamily-distribution profiles and build phylogenetic trees with orthologous proteins. Subfamily profiles provide unparalleled insight into the organisms’ energy sources based on genome sequence alone and further predict enzyme substrate specificity, thus generating explicit working hypotheses for targeted biochemical experimentation. Eukaryotic ACAD subfamilies are traditionally considered as mitochondrial proteins, but we found evidence that in fungi one subfamily is located in peroxisomes and participates in a distinct β-oxidation pathway. Finally, we discern horizontal transfer, duplication, loss and secondary acquisition of ACAD genes during evolution of this family. Through these unorthodox expansion strategies, the ACAD family is proficient in utilizing a large range of fatty acids and amino acids—strategies that could have shaped the evolutionary history of many other ancient protein families.     

Invasiveness-triggered state transition in malignant melanoma cells

Cancer cells are considered to have high morphological heterogeneity in human melanoma tissue. Here, we report that epithelial cancer cells are dominant in different development stages of human melanoma tissues. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that maintain melanoma cells in the epithelial state are further investigated in the A2058 cell line. We find that micropore (8 µm) transwell invasion, but not superficial migration in the scratch assay, can induce remarkable morphological changes between epithelial and mesenchymal melanoma cells within 4 days. The morphological switch is associated with dynamic changes of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) hallmarks E-cadherin and vimentin. Further immunoflurencent staining and co-immunoprecipitation assay showed the uncoupling of the M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) and the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) in epithelial melanoma cells. Specific knockdown of M3 mAChR by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly abrogates the transition of spindle-shaped mesenchymal cells to epithelial cells. Collectively, we report a cellular model of invasiveness-triggered state transition (ITST) in which melanoma cell invasion can induce morphological changes between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. ITST is one of the biological basis for maintaining metastatic melanoma cells in the epithelial state. Furthermore, M3 mAChR receptor-mediated ITST provides a novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit the development of malignant melanoma.     

Influenza Virus Vaccination Elicits Poorly Adapted B Cell Responses in Elderly Individuals

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转基因鱼研究中的若干问题

本文综述了近年来转基因鱼研究的某些进展,主要涉及外源基因导入的方法、基因转移提高鱼类抗性的主要内容（如：促进生长,提高抗冻性及抗病性等）。此外,还对我国转基因鱼研究的主要工作进行了介绍。     

PCR方法用于奶牛早期胚胎的性别鉴定

根据牛Y染色体上的特异DNA序列合成一对引物, 通过PCR反应对奶牛早期胚胎进行性别鉴定。预测性别与移植胚胎产犊的实际性别相符率为80%。 Abstract:We have obtained the specific DNA segment from the bovine Y-chromosome and used it to design a pair of primer.The sex of embryos at the preimplantation stage have determined by using the polymerase chain reaction.10 months after uterine transfer showed that the rate of accuracy is 80%.     

Antisense-mediated knockdown of Na(V)1.8, but not Na(V)1.9, generates inhibitory effects on complete Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammatory pain in rat

Tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) sodium channels Na(V)1.8 and Na(V)1.9 in sensory neurons were known as key pain modulators. Comparing with the widely reported Na(V)1.8, roles of Na(V)1.9 on inflammatory pain are poorly studied by antisense-induced specific gene knockdown. Here, we used molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral methods to examine the effects of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS ODN) targeting Na(V)1.8 and Na(V)1.9 on inflammatory pain. Following complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) inflammation treatment, Na(V)1.8 and Na(V)1.9 in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) up-regulated mRNA and protein expressions and increased sodium current densities. Immunohistochemical data demonstrated that Na(V)1.8 mainly localized in medium and small-sized DRG neurons, whereas Na(V)1.9 only expressed in small-sized DRG neurons. Intrathecal (i.t.) delivery of AS ODN was used to down-regulate Na(V)1.8 or Na(V)1.9 expressions confirmed by immunohistochemistry and western blot. Unexpectedly, behavioral tests showed that only Na(V)1.8 AS ODN, but not Na(V)1.9 AS ODN could reverse CFA-induced heat and mechanical hypersensitivity. Our data indicated that TTX-R sodium channels Na(V)1.8 and Na(V)1.9 in primary sensory neurons played distinct roles in CFA-induced inflammatory pain and suggested that antisense oligodeoxynucleotide-mediated blocking of key pain modulator might point toward a potential treatment strategy against certain types of inflammatory pain.     

TESTLoc: protein subcellular localization prediction from EST data

Background  

The eukaryotic cell has an intricate architecture with compartments and substructures dedicated to particular biological processes. Knowing the subcellular location of proteins not only indicates how bio-processes are organized in different cellular compartments, but also contributes to unravelling the function of individual proteins. Computational localization prediction is possible based on sequence information alone, and has been successfully applied to proteins from virtually all subcellular compartments and all domains of life. However, we realized that current prediction tools do not perform well on partial protein sequences such as those inferred from Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) data, limiting the exploitation of the large and taxonomically most comprehensive body of sequence information from eukaryotes.     

油松胚珠愈伤组织诱导和悬浮细胞系的建立

雌配子体处于游离核时期的油松胚珠以含不同浓度和配比生长调节剂的培养基诱导产生愈伤组织,并建立了悬浮细胞系.这一悬浮细胞系生长快,分散性好,稳定均一,适用于研究其生理、生化和细胞周期调控.     

Distribution and properties of the genes encoding the biosynthesis of the bacterial cofactor, pyrroloquinoline quinone

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a small, redox active molecule that serves as a cofactor for several bacterial dehydrogenases, introducing pathways for carbon utilization that confer a growth advantage. Early studies had implicated a ribosomally translated peptide as the substrate for PQQ production. This study presents a sequence- and structure-based analysis of the components of the pqq operon. We find the necessary components for PQQ production are present in 126 prokaryotes, most of which are Gram-negative and a number of which are pathogens. A total of five gene products, PqqA, PqqB, PqqC, PqqD, and PqqE, are identified as being obligatory for PQQ production. Three of the gene products in the pqq operon, PqqB, PqqC, and PqqE, are members of large protein superfamilies. By combining evolutionary conservation patterns with information from three-dimensional structures, we are able to differentiate the gene products involved in PQQ biosynthesis from those with divergent functions. The observed persistence of a conserved gene order within analyzed operons strongly suggests a role for protein-protein interactions in the course of cofactor biosynthesis. These studies propose previously unidentified roles for several of the gene products, as well as identifying possible new targets for antibiotic design and application.