质膜H~＋－ATP酶在玉米叶片渗透调节中的作用

干早胁迫下,玉米幼叶生长部位质膜Ｈ＋－ＡＴＰ酶活性显著上升,游离脯氨酸、可溶性糖和无机离子亦同时在玉米叶片生长部位大量积累,二者之间呈明显的正相关．质膜Ｈ＋－ＡＴＰ酶的专一性抑制剂Ｎａ３ＶＯ４在干旱胁迫下强烈抑制游离脯氨酸的积累,说明ＰＭＨ＋－ＡＴＰａｓｅ参与了玉米叶片的渗透调节过程．     

钙对生长素诱导的玉米胚芽鞘切段延长生长的影响

１０μｇ／ｇ的ＩＡＡ溶液强烈地促进玉米胚芽鞘切段的延长生长和质子分泌,但这两种效应的启动时间有别．Ｃａ２＋在高浓度下（２—５ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ）强烈抑制ＩＡＡ诱导的延长生长,但在低浓度下（０．５ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ）则有轻微的促进作用．ＩＡＡ增大质膜相对透性,而Ｃａ２＋则有稳定膜的作用,且适宜的浓度较低（０．５ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ）．     

脂肪来源干细胞治疗心肌梗死的现状及策略

急性心肌梗死是最常见的心血管疾病之一,由于冠状动脉供血不全导致心肌细胞大量坏死、生存微环境恶化,近期可发生心肌细胞机械-电生理功能紊乱,远期可导致心力衰竭。目前的临床治疗方法虽能在一定程度上改善心功能,减轻心室重塑,但由于心肌细胞再生能力有限,心脏功能难以完全恢复正常。近年来,脂肪来源干细胞移植治疗急性心肌梗死受到广泛关注,但由于移植后细胞的存留和存活率普遍较低,总体治疗效果并不理想。本文对目前脂肪来源干细胞治疗急性心肌梗死的现况及提高其疗效的途径和方法作一综述。     

Defining the native disulfide topology in the somatomedin B domain of human vitronectin

The N-terminal 44 amino acid residues of the human plasma glycoprotein vitronectin, known as the somatomedin B (SMB) domain, mediates the interaction between vitronectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) in a variety of important biological processes. Despite the functional importance of the Cys-rich SMB domain, how its four disulfide bridges are arranged in the molecule remains highly controversial, as evidenced by three different disulfide connectivities reported by several laboratories. Using native chemical ligation and orthogonal protection of selected Cys residues, we chemically synthesized all three topological analogs of SMB with predefined disulfide connectivities corresponding to those previously published. In addition, we oxidatively folded a fully reduced SMB in aqueous solution, and prepared, by CNBr cleavage, the N-terminal segment of 51 amino acid residues of intact vitronectin purified from human blood. Proteolysis coupled with mass spectrometric analysis and functional characterization using a surface plasmon resonance based vitronectin-PAI-1-SMB competition assay allowed us to conclude that 1) only the Cys(5)-Cys(21), Cys(9)-Cys(39), Cys(19)-Cys(32), and Cys(25)-Cys(31) connectivity is present in native vitronectin; 2) only the native disulfide connectivity is functional; and 3) the native disulfide pairings can be readily formed during spontaneous (oxidative) folding of the SMB domain in vitro. Our results unequivocally define the native disulfide topology in the SMB domain of human vitronectin, providing biochemical as well as functional support to the structural findings on a recombinant SMB domain by Read and colleagues (Zhou, A., Huntington, J. A., Pannu, N. S., Carrell, R. W., and Read, R. J. (2003) Nat. Struct. Biol. 10, 541-544).     

Permeation mechanism of a two-state potassium channel

A two-state hopping model was proposed to study the permeation of ion channel. The Nernst equation in equilibrium and the Michaelis-Menten relation in steady state were derived from the two-state kinetic model. The current-voltage relationship obtained in the symmetrical solutions case was linear when the applied potential was less than 100 mV, which met Ohm’s law. The conductance-concentration relationship exhibited the saturation property. Moreover, the characteristic time reaching the steady state of the KcsA channel was also discussed. Translated from Acta Biophysica Sinica, 2005, 21(4): 289–294 [译自: 生物物理学报]     

Laboratory evaluation of entomopathogenic fungi against the white grubs,Holotrichia oblita and Anomala corpulenta (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the field of peanut,Arachis hypogaea

We evaluated the pathogenicity of nine isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, including six isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae, one of Beauveria bassiana, and two of Beauveria brongniartii, against eggs and various larval instars of two scarab-beetle species, Holotrichia oblita and Anomala corpulenta, under laboratory conditions. The fungal isolates differed in pathogenicity. Generally, the isolates were more pathogenic to A. corpulenta than to H. oblita. Some of the isolates prevented egg hatching and caused larval death. Isolates M2-2 and Br5-8 caused 39 and 27% egg mortality, respectively, and produced 23 and 24% viewable fungal-infection rates in H. oblita. Three isolates had no significant effect on egg hatchability. Three isolates (Br5-8, Br232818, and M200614) caused about 40% mortality in H. oblita first instars. In A. corpulenta, all isolates except M200614 caused more than 60% egg mortality, and M2-2, Br232818 and Br5-8 caused egg-infection rates greater than 50%. M2-2 caused 47% infection and 100% mortality in first-instar larvae of A. corpulenta, while Br5-8 and Br232818 yielded over 80% mortality of the larvae. The three most virulent isolates, M2-2, Br232818 and Br5-8, were selected for further bioassays against second- and third-instar larvae. In addition, seven graduated concentrations of a Br5-8 conidial suspension were assayed against H. oblita second instars. Larval mortality was positively correlated with fungal dosage, and the LC₅₀ was 4.49×10⁶ conidia/mL. These three virulent isolates may be used to prevent H. oblita and A. corpulenta larval infestations in field crops.     

Total chemical synthesis of human psoriasin by native chemical ligation

Human psoriasin (S100A7), a member of the S100 family of calcium-binding proteins, is richly expressed in keratinocytes of patients suffering from psoriasis. To date, the exact physiological function of psoriasin abundant in many human cell types remains unclear. A recent report by Schr?der and colleagues suggests that psoriasin, purified from human stratum corneum extracts, selectively kills Escherichia coli by sequestering Zn(2+) ions essential for bacterial growth, indicative of an important role in innate immune defense against microbial infection. We chemically synthesized the N-terminally acetylated psoriasin of 100 amino acid residues using solid phase peptide synthesis in combination with native chemical ligation. More than 140 mg of highly pure and correctly folded synthetic psoriasin was obtained from a single synthesis on a 0.25 mmol scale. Analysis of synthetic psoriasin by size exclusion chromatography showed that the protein forms a homodimer in solution. Circular dichroism analysis indicated that the alpha-helicity of psoriasin increases by more than 20% in the presence of CaCl(2) or ZnCl(2), suggesting a metal ion binding induced conformational change. Circular dichroism based titration further established that the synthetic protein binds two Ca(2+) and two Zn(2+) ions per dimer, in agreement with the published structural findings. Importantly, the ability of the synthetic protein to kill E. coli and the inhibition of the killing by ZnCl(2) is comparable to that of psoriasin isolated from its natural source. The robust synthetic access to large quantities of human psoriasin should facilitate studies of its biological functions as well as its mode of action.     

Binding characteristics of the Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 surface layer to extracellular matrix proteins

Self-assembling proteins that form crystalline surface layers on many microorganisms can be involved in bacterial-host adhesion via specific interactions with components of the extracellular matrix. Here, we describe the interaction of the Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 surface-layer protein SlpA with fibronectin, laminin, fibrinogen and collagen using surface plasmon resonance. SlpA was found to interact with high affinity to fibronectin and laminin, with a respective binding constant of 89.8 and 26.7 nM. The interaction of SlpA with collagen and fibrinogen was found to be of much lower affinity, with respective binding constants of 31.8 and 26.1 microM. The serine protease inhibitor benzamidine greatly reduced the affinity of SlpA for fibronectin, whereas the affinity for laminin remained unaffected. No protease activity of the purified SlpA protein could be detected. These data suggest that L. brevis may interact with host cells directly through high affinity interactions with laminin and fibronectin predominantly, involving distinct regions of the SlpA protein.