γ-氨基丁酸和2-乙酰-1-吡咯啉代谢通路在水稻籽粒发育过程中的变化分析

【目的】结合代谢组和转录组技术,分析香稻和非香稻不同发育时期籽粒中γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）和2-乙酰-1-吡咯啉（2AP）代谢通路主要化合物和基因的动态变化,为高含量GABA和2AP的水稻育种提供理论依据。【方法】本研究收集优质香籼稻美香占2号和优质籼稻黄华占花后8 d（乳熟期）、花后15 d（蜡熟期）、30 d（完熟期）的脱壳籽粒和花后40 d收获的籽粒的精米,对各样本采用LC-MS/MS和RNA-seq技术进行代谢产物检测和转录表达分析,分析两个水稻品种GABA和2AP代谢通路相关化合物的空间分布以及含量变化特征。【结果】代谢组数据PCA分析表明两个水稻品种乳熟期籽粒和花后40 d收获的籽粒的精米明显分离,蜡熟期和完熟期籽粒分离不明显。代谢组共鉴定出623种代谢物,四个时期差异代谢物合计161个。GABA和2AP通路中9个代谢物被检出,两个水稻品种的相关代谢物变化趋势相似,其中腐胺主要定位于籽粒的糊粉层,而亚精胺在内胚乳特异累积。转录组共检出3.3万个左右基因,其中检出GABA通路18个酶中的14个酶对应的基因有较高的表达水平,除Badh2外其他基因均不是差异表达基因,同一基因在两份水稻材料中的表达水平和变化趋势相似,GAD1、GABA-T1、DAO4和PAO4在相应同源基因中表达水平较高。黄华占籽粒中L-精氨酸和腐胺的代谢在蜡熟期已基本结束,美香占2号在籽粒整个发育期具有持续较强的多胺降解水平。美香占2号籽粒具有合成2AP的物质基础,多胺降解途径和谷氨酸-脯氨酸转化通路同时有助于2AP的积累。【结论】水稻籽粒GABA代谢以降解为主,GABA-T1和GABA-T2共同调控GABA的降解。GABA相关代谢物主要集中在糊粉层,黄华占籽粒中代谢物分布和基因表达特征与美香占2号相似,美香占2号籽粒成熟过程中具有持续较高的线粒体活性。     

壳聚糖复合β-乳球蛋白负载EGCG纳米粒的制备及其对糖尿病小鼠血糖的影响

表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯（EGCG）作为茶叶中主要生物活性成分,具有良好的生理功能,但低稳定性使其容易被氧化降解,生物利用率低。利用羧甲基壳聚糖（CMC）、壳聚糖盐酸盐（CHC）、β-乳球蛋白（β-LG）作为壁材,制备壳聚糖复合β-乳球蛋白负载EGCG纳米粒,通过透射电镜、结构表征（粒径、Zeta电位测定）对颗粒微观形态进行观察,利用高效液相色谱仪对颗粒包埋率、模拟胃肠液释放率进行测定,最后建立糖尿病小鼠模型,探究包埋后颗粒的降血糖活性。结果表明,CS-β-LG-EGCG纳米粒结构完整、粒径10~100 nm、粒子分散;包埋率大于50%,且在肠液和胃液中具有缓释作用;CS-β-LG-EGCG纳米粒与胰岛素无拮抗作用,与未包埋的EGCG相比,包埋后颗粒具备的缓释作用可减缓血糖的回升。     

橡胶树炭疽菌HCkHNQZ1736 β-TUB2基因对多菌灵的抗性相关性分析

天然橡胶是四大工业原料中唯一的可再生资源,由炭疽病菌侵染引起的橡胶树炭疽病是当前我国橡胶生产上最为严重的两大叶部病害之一。本研究以分离自云南保山的喀斯特炭疽病菌MeCkYN1705为对照,对海南新发炭疽病菌喀斯特炭疽菌HCkHNQZ1736进行抗药性评价。结果表明,菌株HCkHNQZ1736对苯并咪唑类杀菌剂多菌灵表现出高抗药性,EC₅₀达1107.2654 µg/mL,而MeCkYN1705的EC₅₀仅为0.0554 µg/mL。克隆了菌株HCkHNQZ1736的tub2基因,序列分析发现其所编码的第198个氨基酸位点由谷氨酸（Glu-E）突变为丙氨酸（Ala-A）,推测该氨基酸位点突变是导致该菌株产生多菌灵抗性的原因。此外生物学特性测定发现,该菌株最适生长温度为28 ℃,致死温度为35 ℃;最适生长pH为6;光暗交替利于菌落生长;果胶、蛋白胨分别为最适碳源和氮源。     

伐地那非增加EGCG-β-乳球蛋白纳米粒对肝癌细胞的抑制作用

较高浓度的EGCG才能抑制癌细胞的增殖,通过纳米化和EGCG与其他药物的联合使用是提高EGCG生物活性的重要策略。本研究将EGCG和伐地那非（VD）同时包埋于β-乳球蛋白（β-Lg）纳米载体中,制备出EGCG-VD-β-Lg纳米粒（EVβ-NPs）,体外试验证实,EVβ-NPs能提高人肝癌细胞（HepG2细胞）中Caspase-3活性,使HepG2细胞在S期产生明显的阻滞,诱发细胞核分裂,从而导致HepG2细胞凋亡。研究结果表明,将EGCG与微量的VD联合使用,并通过纳米化包埋可以显著提高EGCG的抗癌活性。这一方法在EGCG抗癌制品的开发方面具有潜在的价值。     

A Novel α4/7-Conotoxin QuIA Selectively Inhibits α3β2 and α6/α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes with High Efficacy

α6β4 nAChR is expressed in the peripheral and central nervous systems and is associated with pain, addiction, and movement disorders. Natural α-conotoxins (α-CTxs) can effectively block different nAChR subtypes with higher efficacy and selectivity. However, the research on α6β4 nAChR is relatively poor, partly because of the lack of available target-specific α-CTxs. In this study, we synthesized a novel α-4/7 conotoxin QuIA that was found from Conus quercinus. We investigated the efficacy of this peptide to different nAChR subtypes using a two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Remarkably, we found α-QuIA inhibited the neuronal α3β2 and α6/α3β4 nAChR subtypes with significantly high affinity (IC₅₀ was 55.7 nM and 90.68 nM, respectively), and did not block other nAChR subtypes even at a high concentration of 10 μM. In contrast, most α-CTxs have been determined so far to effectively block the α6/α3β4 nAChR subtype while also maintaining a similar higher efficacy against the closely related α6β2β3 and/or α3β4 subtypes, which are different from QuIA. In conclusion, α-QuIA is a novel α4/7-CTx, which has the potential to develop as an effective neuropharmacology tool to detect the function of α6β4 nAChR.     

Interactions of Globular and Ribbon [γ4E]GID with α4β2 Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The α4β2 nAChR is implicated in a range of diseases and disorders including nicotine addiction, epilepsy and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Designing α4β2 nAChR selective inhibitors could help define the role of the α4β2 nAChR in such disease states. In this study, we aimed to modify globular and ribbon α-conotoxin GID to selectively target the α4β2 nAChR through competitive inhibition of the α4(+)β2(−) or α4(+)α4(−) interfaces. The binding modes of the globular α-conotoxin [γ4E]GID with rat α3β2, α4β2 and α7 nAChRs were deduced using computational methods and were validated using published experimental data. The binding mode of globular [γ4E]GID at α4β2 nAChR can explain the experimental mutagenesis data, suggesting that it could be used to design GID variants. The predicted mutational energy results showed that globular [γ4E]GID is optimal for binding to α4β2 nAChR and its activity could not likely be further improved through amino-acid substitutions. The binding mode of ribbon GID with the (α4)₃(β2)₂ nAChR was deduced using the information from the cryo-electron structure of (α4)₃(β2)₂ nAChR and the binding mode of ribbon AuIB. The program FoldX predicted the mutational energies of ribbon [γ4E]GID at the α4(+)α4(−) interface, and several ribbon[γ4E]GID mutants were suggested to have desirable properties to inhibit (α4)₃(β2)₂ nAChR.     

巴西橡胶树氰丙氨酸合成酶基因HbCAS的克隆与表达分析

氰丙氨酸合成酶（β-cyanoalanine synthase,β-CAS）是植物氰化物解毒的关键酶,在调节植物生长发育及逆境胁迫中扮演重要角色。本研究从巴西橡胶树中克隆氰丙氨酸合成酶基因HbCAS,并对其进行分析。结果表明：HbCAS基因开放阅读框长为1113 bp,编码370个氨基酸,其理论分子量为40.15 kDa,等电点为8.90,属于色氨酸合成酶超家族。实时荧光定量PCR分析结果显示,HbCAS基因在橡胶树各种组织中均有表达,其中在胶乳中的表达量最高。同健康树相比,HbCAS基因在死皮树中的表达显著下调。过氧化氢及乙烯利、茉莉酸甲酯、水杨酸及脱落酸等多种激素均能调控HbCAS基因的表达。同时,HbCAS基因的表达也受干旱、低温、甲基紫精、高盐等多种非生物胁迫调节。本研究结果揭示HbCAS基因可能在橡胶树死皮发生、活性氧信号、激素调节及多种非生物胁迫应答中起重要作用。     

Characterization of an α 4/7-Conotoxin LvIF from Conus lividus That Selectively Blocks α3β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), a member of pentameric ligand-gated ion channel transmembrane protein composed of five subunits, is widely distributed in the central and peripheral nervous system. The nAChRs are associated with various neurological diseases, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and neuralgia. Receptors containing the α3 subunit are associated with analgesia, generating our interest in their role in pharmacological studies. In this study, α-conotoxin (α-CTx) LvIF was identified as a 16 amino acid peptide using a genomic DNA clone of Conus lividus (C. lividus). The mature LvIF with natural structure was synthesized by a two-step oxidation method. The blocking potency of α-CTx lvIF on nAChR was detected by a two-electrode voltage clamp. Our results showed that α-CTx LvIF was highly potent against rα3β2 and rα6/α3β2β3 nAChR subtypes, The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of α-CTx LvIF against rα3β2 and rα6/α3β2β3 nAChRs expressed in Xenopus oocytes were 8.9 nM and 14.4 nM, respectively. Furthermore, α-CTx LvIF exhibited no obvious inhibition on other nAChR subtypes. Meanwhile, we also conducted a competitive binding experiment between α-CTxs MII and LvIF, which showed that α-CTxs LvIF and MII bind with rα3β2 nAChR at the partial overlapping domain. These results indicate that the α-CTx LvIF has high potential as a new candidate tool for the studying of rα3β2 nAChR related neurophysiology and pharmacology.     

α-Conotoxin TxID and [S9K]TxID, α3β4 nAChR Antagonists,Attenuate Expression and Reinstatement of Nicotine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice

Tobacco smoking has become a prominent health problem faced around the world. The α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is strongly associated with nicotine reward and withdrawal symptom. α-Conotoxin TxID, cloned from Conus textile, is a strong α3β4 nAChR antagonist, which has weak inhibition activity of α6/α3β4 nAChR. Meanwhile, its analogue [S9K]TxID only inhibits α3β4 nAChR (IC₅₀ = 6.9 nM), and has no inhibitory activity to other nAChRs. The present experiment investigates the effect of α3β4 nAChR antagonists (TxID and [S9K]TxID) on the expression and reinstatement of nicotine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and explores the behaviors of acute nicotine in mice. The animal experimental results showed that TxID and [S9K] TxID could inhibit the expression and reinstatement of CPP, respectively. Moreover, both had no effect in acute nicotine experiment and the locomotor activity in mice. Therefore, these findings reveal that the α3β4 nAChR may be a potential target for anti-nicotine addiction treatment. [S9K]TxID, α3β4 nAChR antagonist, exhibit a superior effect for anti-nicotine addiction, which is promising to develop a novel smoking cessation drug.     

Selection of Culture Conditions and Cell Morphology for Biocompatible Extraction of β-Carotene from Dunaliella salina

Biocompatible extraction emerges recently as a means to reduce costs of biotechnology processing of microalgae. In this frame, this study aimed at determining how specific culture conditions and the associated cell morphology impact the biocompatibility and the extraction yield of β-carotene from the green microalga Dunaliella salina using n-decane. The results highlight the relationship between the cell disruption yield and cell volume, the circularity and the relative abundance of naturally permeabilized cells. The disruption rate increased with both the cell volume and circularity. This was particularly obvious for volume and circularity exceeding 1500 µm³ and 0.7, respectively. The extraction of β-carotene was the most biocompatible with small (600 µm³) and circular cells (0.7) stressed in photobioreactor (30% of carotenoids recovery with 15% cell disruption). The naturally permeabilized cells were disrupted first; the remaining cells seems to follow a gradual permeabilization process: reversibility (up to 20 s) then irreversibility and cell disruption. This opens new carotenoid production schemes based on growing robust β-carotene enriched cells to ensure biocompatible extraction.     

β-Carotene from the Alga Dunaliella bardawil Decreases Gene Expression of Adipose Tissue Macrophage Recruitment Markers and Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids are involved in the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism and inflammation. We examined the effect of dietary supplementation using all-trans and 9-cis β-carotene-rich Dunaliella bardawil alga as the sole source of vitamin A on obesity-associated comorbidities and adipose tissue dysfunction in a diet-induced obesity mouse model. Three-week-old male mice (C57BL/6) were randomly allocated into two groups and fed a high-fat, vitamin A-deficient diet supplemented with either vitamin A (HFD) or β-carotene (BC) (HFD-BC). Vitamin A levels in the liver, WATs, and BAT of the HFD-BC group were 1.5–2.4-fold higher than of the HFD group. BC concentrations were 5–6-fold greater in BAT compared to WAT in the HFD-BC group. The eWAT mRNA levels of the Mcp-1 and Cd68 were 1.6- and 2.1-fold lower, respectively, and the plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were 30% and 28% lower in the HFD-BC group compared with the HFD group. Dietary BC can be the exclusive vitamin A source in mice fed a high-fat diet, as shown by the vitamin A concentration in the plasma and tissues. Feeding BC rather than vitamin A reduces adipose tissue macrophage recruitment markers and plasma lipid concentrations.