Neurofilament Protein Phosphorylation in Spinal Cord of Experimentally Diabetic Rats

This study was designed to determine if the known decrease in slow axonal transport of proteins in the sciatic nerve of experimentally diabetic rats is related to altered phosphorylation of neurofilament proteins (NFPs). Rats were rendered diabetic with 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin, i.p. At 3 and 6 weeks later, NFPs were prepared from spinal cord. The in vivo phosphorylation state of NFPs was examined by using phosphate-dependent (RT97) and -independent (RMd09) antibodies against high-molecular-mass NFPs on Western blots. Neurofilament-associated kinase activity was also measured in vitro by incubation of NFPs with [32P]ATP. Phosphorylation of all three NFPs (high, medium, and low molecular mass) occurred, as confirmed by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. At 30 min of incubation, protein-bound radioactivity in NFPs from diabetic animals was reduced to 86.7 +/- 3.4 and 54.3 +/- 19.6% of that in nondiabetic animals at 3 and 6 weeks of diabetes, respectively (p less than 0.001 and p less than 0.05, respectively). NFPs were also incubated with acid phosphatase and rephosphorylated. Results showed that the increased in vivo phosphorylation contributed to the decreased in vitro phosphorylation. Extraction of protein kinases and addition back to the NFPs revealed, in addition, a reduced activity in the diabetic animals of the protein kinases measured in vitro.     

Idiotype stimulation of T lymphocytes from Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients

Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote antibodies (anti-epi) from pooled and individual sera from patients with chronic Chagas' disease were purified on immunoaffinity columns of epimastigotes antigens (epi) coupled to activated Sepharose 4B. SDS-PAGE analysis of purified anti-epi preparations showed only the presence of human IgG H and L chains. These antibodies preparations showed similar Western blotting profiles as the sera pools from which they originated. The main polypeptides recognized by anti-epi had apparent molecular masses 31, 46, 51, 75 and 85 kDa. No difference in these patterns were detected between anti-epi from pooled sera of cardiac (anti-epiC) and indeterminate (anti-epiI) clinical forms. Anti-epi preparations (20 to 60 micrograms/ml) of pooled and individual sera stimulated proliferation of homologous and autologous PBMN or T-lymphocyte-enriched population. The stimulatory ability was dependent upon the PBMN-anti-epi combinations. There is no direct correlation between the level of PBMN response to epi and anti-epi stimuli. Comparison of the stimulatory activities of anti-epiC vs anti-epiI on PBMN of either cardiac or indeterminate group of patients indicate that anti-epiC is significantly more active than anti-epiI (p less than 0.025). These data demonstrate the presence of auto-anti-idiotypic-T cells in chagasic patients and lead to the possibility that idiotype/anti-idiotype interactions may play a role in determining the pathogenesis of chagasic cardiopathy.     

Validation of the cumulative or replicate NAA method for the determination of trace elements in biological materials

Biological Trace Element Research - To make the best use of time and facilities, a neutron activation system, fully automatic, including spectrum and data processing, to be used with short-lived...     

Modelling the Human Immune System by Combining Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Approaches

Over the past decade a number of bioinformatics tools have been developed that use genomic sequences as input to predict to which parts of a microbe the immune system will react, the so-called epitopes. Many predicted epitopes have later been verified experimentally, demonstrating the usefulness of such predictions. At the same time, simulation models have been developed that describe the dynamics of different immune cell populations and their interactions with microbes. These models have been used to explain experimental findings where timing is of importance, such as the time between administration of a vaccine and infection with the microbe that the vaccine is intended to protect against. In this paper, we outline a framework for integration of these two approaches. As an example, we develop a model in which HIV dynamics are correlated with genomics data. For the first time, the fitness of wild type and mutated virus are assessed by means of a sequence-dependent scoring matrix, derived from a BLOSUM matrix, that links protein sequences to growth rates of the virus in the mathematical model. A combined bioinformatics and systems biology approach can lead to a better understanding of immune system-related diseases where both timing and genomic information are of importance.     

薄膜包装对于柿果冷藏生理及品质变化的影响

冷藏条件下采用有孔的聚乙烯薄膜为包装材料贮藏‘尖柿’,研究了聚乙烯薄膜的保湿作用对果实质地、生理生化,以及失重、失鲜等变化进程的影响。结果表明：薄膜包装能有效地防止蒸腾失水、显著抑制失重率增加,减缓硬度下降,推迟呼吸、乙烯峰到来的时间,并降低峰值,抑制细胞膜透性的增大,使果实保持光洁、饱满的外观形态,县有良好的商品性。     

小麦苗期地下茎蛋白质双向电泳技术体系的优化

以东农冬麦1号为材料,对苗期地下茎处的蛋白提取方法、蛋白溶解、上样量、胶条的转移等方面进行了试验.结果表明:在蛋白提取方面,TCA/丙酮法(T法)和尿素/硫脲法(N法)相比T法能减少低丰度蛋白的损失得到蛋白点数更多的图谱.在蛋白溶解方面,经过两次水化液溶解的蛋纯度较高,在等电聚焦时能保持8000伏较高电压.上样量方面,10mg粗蛋白溶于两次水化液能得到清晰、分离效果好、蛋白点数较多的图像.胶条转移方面,先向胶面中加入400μl0.3%普通琼脂糖溶液后,用200μl的电极缓冲液冲洗胶条支撑膜会使胶条顺利转移到第二向胶面上且胶条与胶面间不会产生气泡.     

Soluble expression, purification and functional identification of a disulfide-rich conotoxin derived from Conus litteratus

Conotoxins are a diverse array of small peptides mostly with multiple disulfide bridges. These peptides become an increasing significant source of neuro-pharmacological probes and drugs as a result of the high selectivity for ion channels and receptors. Usually, the analogue of natural conotoxins is produced by means of chemical synthesis. Here, we present a simple and fast strategy of producing disulfide-rich conotoxins via recombinant expression. By fused with thioredoxin and His tag, a novel O-superfamily conotoxin lt7a was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and purified, resulting in a high yield of recombinant lt7a about 6 mg/l. The purity of target protein is up to 95% as identified by HPLC results. Whole cell patch-clamp recording revealed that the new conotoxin blocked voltage-sensitive sodium channels in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, indicating it might be a novel microO-conotoxin.     

鄂东花马湖水生高等植物研究：Ⅰ.水生植物区系

花马湖位于北纬30°15′—30°18′、东经114°58′—115°1′,面积约27.5km~2。湖中分布82种2变种水生维管束植物,隶属于34科66属,其中资源植物众多。花马湖水生高等植物大型属少,小型属较多,单型属相对突出。区系地理成分以温带成分占优势,计34种,占全湖种类的40.48%。起源古老的成分也较多。通过与有关湖泊水生植物区系的比较,及区系成分的分析,说明花马湖水生植物区系具有从暖温带至中亚热带过渡的特点。