Regulatory role of l-proline in fetal pig growth and intestinal epithelial cell proliferation

l-proline (Pro) is a precursor of ornithine, which is converted into polyamines via ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Polyamines plays a key role in the proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells. The study investigated the effect of Pro on polyamine metabolism and cell proliferation on porcine enterocytes in vivo and in vitro. Twenty-four Huanjiang mini-pigs were randomly assigned into 1 of 3 groups and fed a basal diet that contained 0.77% alanine (Ala, iso-nitrogenous control), 1% Pro or 1% Pro + 0.0167% α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) from d 15 to 70 of gestation. The fetal body weight and number of fetuses per litter were determined, and the small and large intestines were obtained on d 70 ± 1.78 of gestation. The in vitro study was performed in intestinal porcine epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells cultured in Dulbecco''s modified Eagle medium-high glucose (DMEM-H) containing 0 μmol/L Pro, 400 μmol/L Pro, or 400 μmol/L Pro + 10 mmol/L DFMO for 4 d. The results showed that maternal dietary supplementation with 1% Pro increased fetal weight; the protein and DNA concentrations of the fetal small intestine; and mRNA levels for potassium voltage-gated channel, shaker-related subfamily, member 1 (Kv1.1) in the fetal small and large intestines (P < 0.05). Supplementing Pro to either gilts or IPEC-J2 cells increased ODC protein abundances and polyamine concentrations in the fetal intestines and IPEC-J2 cells (P < 0.05). In comparison with the Pro group, the combined administration of Pro and DFMO reduced the expression of ODC protein and spermine concentration in the fetal intestine, as well as the concentrations of putrescine, spermidine and spermine in IPEC-J2 cells (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the percentage of cells in the S-phase and the mRNA levels of proto-oncogenes c-fos and c-myc were increased in response to Pro supplementation, whereas depletion of cellular polyamines with DFMO increased tumor protein p53 (p53) mRNA levels (P < 0.05). Taken together, dietary supplementation with Pro improved fetal pig growth and intestinal epithelial cell proliferation via enhancing polyamine synthesis.     

Localization of amino acids in germinated rice grain: Gamma-aminobutyric acid and essential amino acids production approach

Germinated rice is popularly consumed for its high gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and bioactive compounds. Supporting information on how to germinate rice with high GABA content and essential amino acids is lacking. White and colored rough rice were germinated for 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144 h. GABA, GABA substrates and essential amino acids were also investigated using GC-MS and MALDI-MSI. GABA was more concentrated after germination and shifted into the coleoptile. High correlation was recorded between germination time and GABA (0.79–0.83, p ≤ 0.01) and glutamic acid (0.88–0.89, p ≤ 0.01). Highest rates of GABA and glutamic production were observed within 48 h of germination in both rice varieties (26.12 and 34.28 mg/100g) and reached maximum value at 96 h (31.36 and 38.75 mg/100g). Colored rice germination showed higher GABA, GABA substrates and deficient amino acids than white rice. GABA and essential amino acids drastically increased after germination, supporting the consumption of germinated rice as a functional food.     

Abnormally modified tau and hypoxic-ischemic brain damage

Tau is the most abundant microtubule-associated protein in the brain. If tau protein lost the normal function, the toxic effect should be showed and plays an important role in various central nervous system lesions. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is an important cause of mortality in the neonatal period and it is mainly characterized by neurological deficits such as cognitive limitations. However, the mechanism still needs further study, and the underlying relationship between tau protein and HIE lacks direct evidence. Some recent clinical study reported that tau protein expression elevated in the serum of asphyxia children and had a high correlation with behavior deficient. In this review, we focus on 3 key points to provide new insights to understand the tau protein-related pathogenesis of HIE as followed: (1) tau protein and its phosphorylation change during central nervous system development; (2) comparison of tau protein expression in developing brain and adult brain under some neurological disorders; (3) potential pathological change of tau in HIE related pathological conditions, such as dysmyelination, inflammation response and glutamate metabolism.     

紫花苜蓿甘氨酸脱羧酶H-蛋白基因MsGDC-H1功能分析

光呼吸通过清除2-磷酸乙醇酸（2-PG）使氧合光合作用成为可能,该过程对C₃植物至关重要。H-蛋白是光呼吸过程中将甘氨酸转化为丝氨酸的甘氨酸脱羧酶（GDC）的关键组成蛋白之一。本研究克隆了紫花苜蓿MsGDC-H1,该基因编码166个氨基酸,具有1个硫辛酰基附着位点保守结构域和1个N6-硫辛酰赖氨酸保守位点。进化分析表明,MsGDC-H1蛋白与双子叶植物的甘氨酸脱羧酶H-蛋白（GDC-H）亲缘关系近。表达模式分析表明,MsGDC-H1在苜蓿叶中表达丰度高,且受光诱导。为了探究MsGDC-H1基因对拟南芥生长的影响,分别使用光诱导的茎叶特异性启动子ST-LS1和组成型启动子CaMV 35S驱动MsGDC-H1（ST-LS1：：MsGDC-H1; CaMV 35S：：MsGDC-H1）在拟南芥中异源表达。检测过表达植株生物量、淀粉、可溶性糖含量以及光合速率。数据分析显示,CaMV 35S：：MsGDC-H1过表达拟南芥（G系列植株）生长受阻,淀粉含量比ST-LS1：：MsGDC-H1特异性表达拟南芥（GS系列植株）增加了34%~67%,比野生型（WT）增加了7.3%~33.7%;可溶性糖含量比GS系列降低了36%~38%,比WT增加了44.3%~49.7%;与WT相比,GS系列植株生长更快,淀粉含量无显著差异（P>0.05）,可溶性糖含量显著增加（P<0.05）。试验结果表明,MsGDC-H1基因在调控拟南芥光合速率、碳水化合物合成以及生长等方面发挥重要作用,未来可作为提高苜蓿产量的基因工程育种候选基因。     

水稻丙酮酸脱羧酶基因OsPDC3功能的初步研究

 植物花粉中存在着活跃的有氧发酵过程。丙酮酸脱羧酶（PDC）作为发酵途径中的关键酶，参与花粉中的能量和物质代谢，在花粉萌发过程中起重要作用。通过反向遗传学的方法对水稻丙酮酸脱羧酶基因OsPDC3的功能进行了初步分析。OsPDC3是一个单外显子基因，编码蛋白与另外4个水稻PDC蛋白间的序列一致性达到77%~82%。表达模式分析显示OsPDC3在花粉中特异表达，GUS组织染色进一步证实其启动子具有花粉特异表达活性。超量表达OsPDC3会使转基因植株叶片中的PDC酶活性上升，表明OsPDC3在体内具有活性功能，能够参与花粉内的生理活动。反义抑制下调了OsPDC3在花粉中的表达水平，但对花粉的离体萌发率没有产生影响，推测这是由于PDC基因间的冗余造成的。     

大豆萌发过程中谷氨酸脱羧酶活性变化研究

研究了大豆在浸泡、萌发两个过程中谷氨酸脱羧酶(GAD)的活力变化。通过测定大豆中γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)的含量变化,间接测定大豆中GAD的活性。结果表明,大豆在25℃,浸泡10h,大豆中的GAD活性达到浸泡中最高水平,酶活性为2.45U。浸泡后的大豆在30℃,萌发40h时,酶活性达到萌发中最高水平,为1.28U。大豆在浸泡和萌发两个状态下,GAD活性较储藏期都有很大提高,且浸泡时酶活总体水平高于萌发期酶活总体水平,其中大豆GAD在25℃,浸泡10h时活性最高,为2.45U。     

雌二醇和孕酮对小鼠子宫半胱亚磺酸脱羧酶基因表达和牛磺酸含量的调控

实验主要研究了17β-雌二醇(E2)和孕酮(P4)对小鼠子宫组织中半胱亚磺酸脱羧酶基因(CSD)表达和牛磺酸含量的调控。给去卵巢小鼠分别皮下注射植物油(对照组)、17β-雌二醇(E2)、孕酮(P4)、E2和P4、E2和氟维司群(ICI 182780)、P4和米非司酮(RU486),24h后观察各组小鼠子宫中CSD的表达和牛磺酸的含量。Real-time PCR和Western blot定量分析结果显示,每只小鼠注射1μg E2能够显著抑制CSD的mRNA和蛋白的表达,6mg P4能够显著促进CSD mRNA和蛋白的表达,其受体抑制剂RU486和ICI182780都能逆转它们的作用。高效液相色谱(HPLC)测定结果显示,注射1μg E2和6mg P4分别下调和上调子宫组织中牛磺酸的含量。上述结果提示E2和P4可能通过受体途径参与调节子宫CSD的表达,从而调节子宫中牛磺酸含量。     

条锈菌诱导上调表达的小麦腺苷甲硫氨酸脱羧酶（SAMDC）基因的克隆及其特征分析

为了克隆条锈菌诱导上调表达的小麦腺苷甲硫氨酸脱羧酶（SAMDC）基因并研究其在小麦感病、抗病单株苗期抗条锈病防御反应中的作用,以大麦（Hordeum vulgareL.）SAMDC全长cDNA序列为信息探针,采用电子克隆、RACE（Rapid amplification of cDNA ends）和RT-PCR方法,从条锈菌（Puccinia stri-iformisf.sp.tritici）CYR32侵染的小麦（Triticum aestivumL.）抗条锈病新种质NR1121中分离出1个新的小麦SAMDC基因家族成员,命名为TaSAMDC2（GU016570）。TaSAMDC2基因cDNA序列全长2 003 bp,5′非翻译区区域和一个带有Poly（A）的3′非翻译区区域长分别为553和283 bp;该基因的开放阅读框为1 167 bp,编码388个氨基酸,编码的氨基酸序列包含酶原剪切位点和PEST结构域。基因组序列全长2 539bp,位于5′UTR存在一个526 bp长的内含子序列,内含子的剪切位点均符合真核生物GT-AG规则。同源序列分析表明,TaSAMDC2与来自大麦、水稻（Oryza sativaL.）、玉米（Zea maysL.）、一粒小麦（TriticummonococcumL.）4种植物SAMDC蛋白的相似性分别为95.0%、85.0%、80.0%和80.0%。半定量RT-PCR与实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,TaSAMDC2的表达受条锈菌诱导,小麦苗期经条锈菌侵染后,在抗病材料中,该基因于48 hpi上调表达至最高水平,而在感病材料中先下调、上调表达至最高水平明显滞后。结果提示,分离到的是一个条锈菌CYR32诱导后上调表达的小麦SAMDC基因,该基因可能参与了小麦的抗条锈病反应。     

高羊茅腺苷甲硫氨酸脱羧酶基因FaSAMDC的克隆与差异表达分析

在进行高羊茅光敏色素C基因5′端克隆时,筛选到腺苷甲硫氨酸脱羧酶基因的5′端序列,根据5′端序列设计引物,扩增出该基因的3′端,拼接得到高羊茅腺苷甲硫氨酸脱羧酶基因全序列,命名为FaSAMDC(GenBank登录号:HQ606139),利用实时荧光定量PCR技术研究FaSAMDC基因在长日照与短日照条件下昼夜24 h的表达差异,为进一步揭示不同光周期调控FaSAMDC基因的表达奠定理论基础。FaSAMDC的cDNA全长1 964 bp,具有微型上游阅读框、小型上游阅读框和主阅读框3个开放阅读框,分别位于226～234,234～380和555～1 742 bp,微型上游阅读框和小型上游阅读框存在1个碱基重叠,主阅读框编码395个氨基酸,含有保守功能域:酶原剪切位点功能域和SAMDC蛋白快速降解有关的PEST功能域。对编码蛋白氨基酸序列的同源性分析表明,FaSAMDC与其他单子叶植物SAMDC蛋白的亲缘关系较近。在长日照和短日照处理条件下,FaSAMDC都具有3个表达峰。短日照处理条件下的表达峰比长日照处理条件下的表达峰早几个小时,但峰高低于长日照条件。由此说明,FaSAMDC基因的表达受光周期调控,与生物钟控制的昼夜节律有关。     

破壁方法对短乳杆菌谷氨酸脱羧酶提取效果的影响

采用不同的破壁方法提取短乳杆菌谷氨酸脱羧酶（GAD）,研究破壁方法对所得GAD活力的影响。结果表明,超声波破壁有利于菌体释放胞内谷氨酸脱羧酶。正交试验结果表明,超声波破壁的最佳工艺条件为：超声功率220 W,工作时间20 min,工作/间歇时间比5 s/10 s。