Evaluation of a radioimmunoassay for type III procollagen peptide in the dog

Type III procollagen peptide (P-3-P) is a serum marker for hepatic fibrosis in humans. The utility of a commercially available radioimmunoassay for P-3-P was evaluated in the dog. The specificity of the assay was assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of canine serum and purified bovine P-3-P, followed by Western immunoblotting with rabbit aniti-P-3-P serum. The sensitivity was assessed by performing the radioimmunoassay on dilutions of sera from 22 dogs. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified bovine P-3-P and sera from two dogs suspected of having elevated P-3-P concentrations revealed no homologous bands of staining. Western immunoblotting showed marked cross-reactivity of the high antisera concentrations with several components of the serum proteins, but none corresponding to the purified P-3-P. All tested sera from dogs had minimal competitive binding with radiolabeled P-3-P in the radioimmunoassay. Dilution curves of dog sera did not parallel either the standard curve or the dilution curve of a known test human serum. There were no statistically different P-3-P concentrations in any of the groups of dogs studied. It was concluded that currently available radioimmunoassay kits for the measurement of P-3-P in the human are not applicable in the dog. Seemingly, the structure or metabolism of canine P-3-P may vary significantly from that of the bovine or human, limiting the sensitivity and specificity of this assay in the dog.     

Transgenic cucumber expressing an endogenous class III chitinase gene has reduced symptoms from Botrytis cinerea

A class III chitinase gene (CHI2) is induced in cucumber plants (Cucumis sativa L.) in response to infection by pathogenic microorganisms. Infection of Botrytis cinerea, causal agent of gray mold disease on cucumber, also induces CHI2 expression. To investigate whether CHI2 is involved in resistance to gray mold disease, transgenic cucumber plants were produced to overexpress the CHI2 gene. One line was analyzed in detail in terms of disease resistance. The transgenic cucumber plant (CC2) constitutively expressed CHI2 and reduced the symptoms of B. cinerea for 4 days after inoculation compared with nontransgenic plants. However, this inhibitory effect was not absolute, and CC2 eventually developed serious disease symptoms. Chitinase activity of the crude extract from CC2 leaves was higher than that from nontransgenic plants. A high-molecular-weight fraction containing CHI2 from CC2 leaves had fungistatic activity against B. cinerea. Interestingly, the low-molecular-weight fraction from CC2 leaves with CHI2 removed also had fungistatic activity against B. cinerea. Not only the introduced chitinase activity but also the endogenous defense reactions activated by overexpression of CHI2 may be involved in the enhanced gray mold disease resistance in CC2.     

Biological functions and clinical significance of secretogranin III

AIM: Secretogranin III (SCG3/Sg III) is extensively distributed in endocrine or endocrine-like cells in human body and plays an important role in some biological functions by regulating peptide hormone secretion and neuroendocrine activity.The distribution and functions of SCG3 make itself as not only one of the most useful biological markers in association with neuroendocrine functions, but also a potential indicator of diagnostic and prognostic evaluation in certain diseases.The gene and protein structures, tissue expression, biological functions as well as pathophysiology and clinical significance of SCG3 are reviewed in this article.     

寄主植物中抑制十字花科黑腐病菌Ⅲ型分泌系统小分子化合物的鉴定

 寻找抑制植物病原菌III型分泌系统的植物源活性小分子化合物,是研发生物安全农药的重要途径之一。本研究采用水煮提取法从十字花科黑腐病菌寄主植物满身红萝卜中提取分离活性小分子化合物,利用高效液相-质谱联用解析出活性物质的单体结构。然后用荧光素酶基因luxAB构建融合报告系统以及定量PCR检测活性物质对十字花科黑腐病菌III型分泌系统的抑制效果,最后采用剪叶接种和压渗接种的方法研究活性小分子物质对十字花科黑腐病菌的生防作用。研究表明,植物鞘氨醇和二氢鞘氨醇对十字花科黑腐病菌III型分泌系统基因的转录表达有一定程度的抑制作用,但是对I、II、IV型分泌系统基因的表达没有明显的抑制作用。植物鞘氨醇在XCM1上影响菌的生长,而二氢鞘氨醇不影响菌的生长。同时,还发现这两种物质能显著降低Xcc在寄主植株满身红萝卜上的病害症状以及能够使Xcc在非寄主植物辣椒上引起过敏反应的能力丧失。该研究结果为深入研究小分子化合物对十字花科黑腐病菌III型分泌系统的作用机制及后续开发植物源抑制剂提供了一定的理论依据。     

Characterization of Bioactivities and Biosynthesis of Angucycline/Angucyclinone Derivatives Derived from Gephyromycinifex aptenodytis gen. nov., sp. nov.

Strain NJES-13^T is the type strain and currently the only species of the newly established actinobacteria genera Aptenodytes in the family Dermatophilaceae isolated from the gut microbiota of the Antarctic emperor penguin. This strain demonstrated excellent bioflocculation activity with bacteria-derived exopolysaccharides (EPSs). Moreover, it produced bioactive angucycline/angucyclinone derivatives (ADs) and contained one type III polyketide synthase (T3PKS), thus demonstrating great potential to produce novel bioactive compounds. However, the low productivity of the potential new AD metabolite was the main obstacle for its chemical structure elucidation. In this study, to increase the concentration of targeted metabolites, the influence of cellular morphology on AD metabolism in strain NJES-13^T was determined using glass bead-enhanced fermentation. Based on the cellular ultra-structural observation driven by bacterial EPSs, and quantitative analysis of the targeted metabolites, the successful increasing of the productivity of three AD metabolites was achieved. Afterward, a new frigocyclinone analogue was isolated and then identified as 2-hydroxy-frigocyclinone, as well as two other known ADs named 2-hydroxy-tetrangomycin (2-HT) and gephyromycin (GPM). Three AD metabolites were found to demonstrate different bioactivities. Both C-2 hydroxyl substitutes, 2-hydroxy-tetrangomycin and 2-hydroxy-frigocyclinone, exhibited variable inhibitory activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans. Moreover, the newly identified 2-hydroxy-frigocyclinone also showed significant cytotoxicity against three tested human-derived cancerous cell lines (HL-60, Bel-7402 and A549), with all obtained IC₅₀ values less than 10 µM. Based on the genetic analysis after genomic mining, the plausible biogenetic pathway of the three bioactive ADs in strain NJES-13^T was also proposed.     

具有III型分泌系统的Pseudomonas moraviensis FP1761植物益生功能及其全基因组分析

 本研究从节瓜根际分离到一株具有防病促生功能的荧光类假单胞菌FP1761。该菌株对部分植物病原真菌和细菌具有拮抗能力,能够解钾、解有机磷和无机磷,可产生氨、蛋白酶、嗜铁素、吲哚乙酸。生物测定表明菌株FP1761可显著促进小麦生长。生理生化、平均核苷酸相似度、16S rDNA和多基因分析将FP1761鉴定为摩拉维亚假单胞菌(Pseudomonas moraviensis)。菌株FP1761基因组草图全长6.12 Mb,(G+C)含量为59.9%,共编码5467个基因序列。将该菌株与种内3个代表性菌株进行泛基因组和核心基因组分析,共产生 4 357个共有基因,菌株FP1761特有基因327个。利用antiSMASH对菌株次生代谢基因簇进行预测,发现其含有8个潜在的次生代谢产物基因簇。其中两个基因簇与嗜铁素pyoverdine合成相关,未见聚酮类合成基因。基因组分析发现,该菌株具有与病原性假单胞菌相似的III型分泌系统,但丢失了效应蛋白调控因子hrpS和转运相关的hrpH和hrpK1基因。对全基因组扫描,菌株FP1761仅保留了病原性假单胞菌的保守效应蛋白AvrE和HopAA1-1。FP1761是目前已发现的唯一具有III型分泌系统的摩拉维亚假单胞菌。本研究表明摩拉维亚假单胞菌FP1761具有潜在的植物防病促生功能,但其III型分泌系统与植物益生互作机制有待进一步解析。     

黄杜鹃提取物对小菜蛾的产卵忌避和杀卵作用

报道了闹羊花素 III(简称R III)和黄杜鹃花乙酸乙酯 (EtOAc)萃取物等对小菜蛾 (PlutellaxylostellaL .)的产卵忌避和杀卵作用 .在非选择性和选择性试验处理后 72h ,R III(ρ =0 5g·L-1)的产卵忌避率分别为 77 5 4%和80 1 3% ,EtOAc萃取物 (ρ =5g·L-1)的忌避率分别为 5 5 86 %和 6 6 0 1 % .经R III和EtOAc萃取物处理后 ,叶背与叶面卵数之比显著变小 ,卵孵化率明显降低 以 ρ =0 1g·L-1R III处理后 5d ,杀卵率可达 6 6 % .     

以電化學分析法探討堆肥對土壤三價砷活性的影響

台灣西南沿?貐^土壤中砷含量有偏高情形,砷含量過高會經由各種途徑對人體造成毒害。以X-射線繞射儀與傅立葉轉換紅外線吸收光譜儀證明普魯士藍對三價砷的孯恍晕綑C制,再以普魯士藍修飾電極搭配流動注入系統來偵測土壤三價砷,並探討堆肥對三價砷在不同土壤中吸附與脫附的影響。試驗結果得知電化學分析技術可快速、簡便且準確地偵測土壤三價砷,且結果中也指出堆肥處理會增加秀水與後里土壤對三價砷的吸附。此外,三種土壤不論有無施用堆肥,脫附百分率的大小順序爲興大>秀水>後里,其中秀水土壤雖在施用堆肥後吸附力大小明顯增加,但脫附百分率下降的情形較不明顯,顯示黏土礦物種類與含量控制三價砷的脫附行爲。     

Aeromonas sobria, a causative agent of disease in farmed perch, Perca fluviatilis L

Significant numbers of perch, Perca fluviatilis, raised on a pilot fish farm in Switzerland presented focal skin lesions on the lateral sides and fin rot. Mortality rates reached levels of up to 1% of the total fish on the farm per day. Virtually pure cultures of Aeromonas sobria were isolated from the liver, kidney, spleen and skin lesions of affected fish. Aeromonas sobria isolated from the farmed perch had a haemolytic effect on sheep and trout erythrocytes, autoaggregated, was cytotoxic for cultured fish cells and possessed genes involved in type III protein secretion. Experimental infection of naive perch with a single colony isolate of A. sobria from an affected farm fish resulted in the development of clinical signs identical to those seen on the farm. The results indicate that A. sobria can act as a primary pathogen of perch.