A new mechanism for altering chromosome number during karyotype evolution

Summary A new mechanism for changing chromosome numbers (preserving the fundamental number of long chromosome arms) during karyotype evolution is suggested. It includes: 1) Occurrence of individuals heterozygous for two interchanges between different arms of three chromosomes (a metacentric and two acrocentric ones). 2) Formation in heterokaryotypes of multivalents during meiosis between the chromosomes involved in the interchanges and their unchanged homologues. 3) Mis-segregation of chromosomes from these multivalents resulting in hypoploid (n-1) and hyperploid (n+1) simultaneously instead of euhaploid gametes. 4) Fusion of n-1 or n+1 gametes which gives rise to (zygotes and) individuals representing homokaryotypes with changed number of chromosomes (2n+2 or 2n-2), but preserves (as compared to the parental karyotypes) the number of long chromosome arms. Under definite conditions, chromosome numbers of the progeny may be changed by this process in both directions (upwards and downwards). The mechanism is free of the difficulties associated with the explanation for such changes by direct Robertsonian interchanges (see Discussion), which are usually considered to be responsible for such alterations in chromosome number. The above-mentioned process has been experimentally documented in Vicia faba and it probably also occurred naturally within the Vicia sativa group.     

Liver-targeting of primaquine-(poly-γ-glutamic acid) and its degradation in rat hepatocytes

We have synthesized poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) modified with a synthetic trivalent glyco-ligand (TriGalNAc) for the hepatocyte asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R). We investigated in vivo distribution of unmodified PGA and TriGalNAc-modified PGA (TriGalNAc-PGA) in mice after intravenous injection. Most of unmodified PGA administered was transported to the bladder over 20–80 min, suggesting a rapid excretion of unmodified PGA into urine. In contrast, TriGalNAc-PGA was found exclusively in the liver over the same period of time. We further synthesized TriGalNAc-PGA–primaquine conjugate (TriGalNAc-PGA–PQ), and investigated binding, uptake, and catabolism of the conjugate by rat hepatocytes. Our studies indicated that approximately 250 ng per million cells of the conjugate bound to one million rat hepatocytes at 0 °C, and approximately 2 μg per million cells of the conjugate was taken up over 7 h incubation at 37 °C. Furthermore, our results suggested that TriGalNAc-PGA–PQ was almost completely degraded over 24 h, and small degradation products were secreted into cell culture medium.The results described in this report suggest that the TriGalNAc ligand can serve as an excellent targeting device for delivery of PGA-conjugates to the liver hepatocytes, and rat hepatocytes possess sufficient capacity to digest PGA even modified with other substituents.     

Retention of antigen on follicular dendritic cells and B lymphocytes through complement-mediated multivalent ligand-receptor interactions: theory and application to HIV treatment

In HIV-infected patients, large quantities of HIV are associated with follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) in lymphoid tissue. During antiretroviral therapy, most of this virus disappears after six months of treatment, suggesting that FDC-associated virus has little influence on the eventual outcome of long-term therapy. However, a recent theoretical study using a stochastic model for the interaction of HIV with FDCs indicated that some virus may be retained on FDCs for years, where it can potentially reignite infection if treatment is interrupted. In that study, an approximate expression was used to estimate the time an individual virion remains on FDCs during therapy. Here, we determine the conditions under which this approximation is valid, and we develop expressions for the time a virion spends in any bound state and for the effect of rebinding on retention. We find that rebinding, which is influenced by diffusion, may play a major role in retention of HIV on FDCs. We also consider the possibility that HIV is retained on B cells during therapy, which like FDCs also interact with HIV. We find that virus associated with B cells is unlikely to persist during therapy.     

Conjugation of oligosaccharides by reductive amination to amine modified chondroitin oligomer and γ-cyclodextrin

Carbohydrates present on cell surfaces participate in numerous biological recognition phenomena including cell–cell interactions, cancer metastasis and pathogen invasion. Therefore, synthetic carbohydrates have a potential to act as pharmaceutical substances for treatment of various pathological phenomena by inhibiting specifically the interaction between cell surface carbohydrates and their protein receptors (lectins). However, the inherently low affinity of carbohydrate-protein interactions has often been an obstacle for successful generation of carbohydrate based pharmaceuticals. Multivalent glycoconjugates, i.e. structures carrying several copies of the active carbohydrate sequence in a carrier molecule, have been constructed to overcome this problem. Here we present two novel types of multivalent carbohydrate conjugates based on chondroitin oligomer and cyclodextrin carriers. These carriers were modified to express primary amino groups, and oligosaccharides were then bound to carrier molecules by reductive amination. Multivalent conjugates were produced using the human milk type oligosaccharides LNDFH I (Lewis-b hexasaccharide), LNnT, and GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glc.     

抗日本血吸虫pVAX1／SjHGPRT-SDISP多价疫苗对昆明小鼠的保护作用及其机制探讨

目的：探讨抗日本血吸虫生殖产卵编码基因多价疫苗pVAX1／sjHGPRToSDISP对昆明小鼠的保护作用及其机制。方法：选取昆明小鼠30只,分别使用pVAX1／sjHGPRToSDISP、pVAX1以及生理盐水,每只小鼠100ug或等量经左腿股四头肌注射。处理2周后,采集动物模型血样检测IgG、IL-2,IL-4,IL-10以及INF-Y表达量。处理4周后,以20±1条尾蚴贴腹感染,感染6周后检测减虫率、减卵率。结果：尾蚴攻击动物后6周,pVAX1／sjHGPRToSDISP免疫组的肝脏减虫率为42．2％,子宫与肝脏减卵率分别为68．04％以及72．96％。与对照组比较,差异有显著性。pVAX1／sjHGPRToSDISP免疫组虫体内IgG、IL-4以及INF．V表达量明显升高．与对照组比较差异有显著性（P〈0．05）。结论：pVAX1／sjHGPRToSDISP多价疫苗具有较好的免疫保护作用,且该类作用的机制与IgG、IL-4以及INF—v的表达升高存在关联。     

Identification and synthesis of an efficient multivalent E. coli heat labile toxin inhibitor __ A dynamic combinatorial chemistry approach

A polymer based dynamic combinatorial library (DCL) was generated through condensation between aldehyde functionalized linear poly(glycidol) (APG) and galactose containing acylhydrazide derivatives. Pentameric E. coli heat labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) was subsequently applied to the DCL as external stimulus, resulting in amplification of a specific acylhydrazone side chain that was further used for the synthesis of a multivalent LTB inhibitor. In the in vitro biological evaluation, this inhibitor exhibited strong inhibition properties as well as low cytotoxicity.     

Comparative analysis of oligosaccharide specificities of fucose-specific lectins from Aspergillus oryzae and Aleuria aurantia using frontal affinity chromatography

Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) is widely used to estimate the extent of α1,6-fucosylated oligosaccharides and to fractionate glycoproteins for the detection of specific biomarkers for developmental antigens. Our previous studies have shown that Aspergillus oryzae lectin (AOL) reflects the extent of α1,6-fucosylation more clearly than AAL. However, the subtle specificities of these lectins to fucose linked to oligosaccharides through the 2-, 3-, 4-, or 6-position remain unclear, because large amounts of oligosaccharides are required for the systematic comparative analysis using surface plasmon resonance. Here we show a direct comparison of the dissociation constants (K_d) of AOL and AAL using 113 pyridylaminated oligosaccharides with frontal affinity chromatography. As a result, AOL showed a similar specificity as AAL in terms of the high affinity for α1,6-fucosylated oligosaccharides, for smaller fucosylated oligosaccharides, and for oligosaccharides fucosylated at the reducing terminal core GlcNAc. On the other hand, AOL showed 2.9-6.2 times higher affinity constants (K_a) for α1,6-fucosylated oligosaccharides than AAL and only AAL additionally recognized oligosaccharides which were α1,3-fucosylated at the reducing terminal GlcNAc. These results explain why AOL reflects the extent of α1,6-fucosylation on glycoproteins more clearly than AAL. This systematic comparative analysis made from a quantitative viewpoint enabled a clear physical interpretation of these fucose-specific lectins with multivalent fucose-binding sites.     

抗日本血吸虫pVAX1／SjHGPRT·SDISP多价疫苗的构建方法探讨

目的：探讨抗日本血吸虫生殖产卵编码基因多价疫苗pVAX1／SjHGPRT·SDISP的构建方法并从基因与蛋白水平验证该构建方法是否成功。方法：分别以pcDNA3．0／SjHGPRT、pcDNA3．0／SjSDISP为模板,设计引物扩增SjHGPRT、sjSDISP,采用overlap方法扩增全长SjHGPRT·SDISP。将纯化后的产物sjHGPRT·SDISP以及pVaxl质粒采用KpnI和XbaI双酶切,1％低熔点胶回收目的DNA片段以及酶切后Pvaxl载体片段双胶连。连接产物转化至DH5a细胞。挑选阳性克隆采用双酶切以及测序方法从基因水平鉴定是否构建成功。将构建产物免疫观察动物,采用免疫组化方法从蛋白水平鉴定疫苗pVAX1／SjHGPRT·SDISP是否构建成功。结果：酶切方法以及测序结果均显示重组质粒的插入序列分别与目的基因完全一致,昆明小鼠肌肉组织酶免疫组织化学染色显示免疫组小鼠肌细胞中呈现较强的棕黄色颗粒,而阴性对照组肌细胞呈阴性。结论：真核重组质粒pVAX1／SjHG—PRT·SDISP构建成功,且在昆明鼠肌肉细胞内能够获得良好的表达。     

Membrane attachment and fusion of HIV-1, influenza A,and SARS-CoV-2: resolving the mechanisms with biophysical methods

Attachment to and fusion with cell membranes are two major steps in the replication cycle of many human viruses. We focus on these steps for three enveloped viruses, i.e., HIV-1, IAVs, and SARS-CoV-2. Viral spike proteins drive the membrane attachment and fusion of these viruses. Dynamic interactions between the spike proteins and membrane receptors trigger their specific attachment to the plasma membrane of host cells. A single virion on cell membranes can engage in binding with multiple receptors of the same or different types. Such dynamic and multivalent binding of these viruses result in an optimal attachment strength which in turn leads to their cellular entry and membrane fusion. The latter process is driven by conformational changes of the spike proteins which are also class I fusion proteins, providing the energetics of membrane tethering, bending, and fusion. These viruses exploit cellular and membrane factors in regulating the conformation changes and membrane processes. Herein, we describe the major structural and functional features of spike proteins of the enveloped viruses including highlights on their structural dynamics. The review delves into some of the case studies in the literature discussing the findings on multivalent binding, membrane hemifusion, and fusion of these viruses. The focus is on applications of biophysical tools with an emphasis on single-particle methods for evaluating mechanisms of these processes at the molecular and cellular levels.     

Discovery of TD-4306, a long-acting β2-agonist for the treatment of asthma and COPD

A multivalent approach focused on amine-based secondary binding groups was applied to the discovery of long-acting inhaled β₂-agonists. Addition of amine moieties to the neutral secondary binding group of an existing β₂-agonist series was found to provide improved in vivo efficacy, but also led to the formation of biologically active aldehyde metabolites which were viewed as a risk for the development of these compounds. Structural simplification of the scaffold and blocking the site of metabolism to prevent aldehyde formation afforded a potent series of dibasic β₂-agonists with improved duration of action relative to their monobasic analogs. Additional optimization led to the discovery of 29 (TD-4306), a potent and selective β₂-agonist with potential for once-daily dosing.