Expression of Anti-Lipopolysaccharide Factor Isoform 3 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Showing High Antimicrobial Activity

Antimicrobial peptides are a class of proteins with antibacterial functions. In this study, the anti-lipopolysaccharide factor isoform 3 gene (ALFPm3), encoding an antimicrobial peptide from Penaeus monodon with a super activity was expressed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which would develop a microalga strain that can be used for the antimicrobial peptide production. To construct the expression cluster, namely pH2A-Pm3, the codon optimized ALFPm3 gene was fused with the ble reporter by 2A peptide and inserted into pH124 vector. The glass-bead method was performed to transform pH2A-Pm3 into C. reinhardtii CC-849. In addition to 8 μg/mL zeocin resistance selection, the C. reinhardtii transformants were further confirmed by genomic PCR and RT-PCR. Western blot analysis showed that the C. reinhardtii-derived ALFPm3 (cALFPm3) was successfully expressed in C. reinhardtii transformants and accounted for 0.35% of the total soluble protein (TSP). Furthermore, the results of antibacterial assay revealed that the cALFPm3 could significantly inhibit the growth of a variety of bacteria, including both Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria at a concentration of 0.77 μM. Especially, the inhibition could last longer than 24 h, which performed better than ampicillin. Hence, this study successfully developed a transgenic C. reinhardtii strain, which can produce the active ALFPm3 driven from P. monodon, providing a potential strategy to use C. reinhardtii as the cell factory to produce antimicrobial peptides.     

Identification by isoelectric focusing of creatine kinase-MM isoforms in the plasma and striated muscle of pigs

Total creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MM isoforms were determined in plasma and longissimus dorsi muscle extracts from normal pigs. Based on their total CK activity, the pigs were divided into two groups. Pigs of group 1 (n=16) had a mean plasma total CK of 298±16 U/L and the distribution of the CK-MM isoforms was 65.7±2.5% CK-MM₃, 18.9±1.6% CK-MM₂ and 15.3±1.5% CK-MM. In group 2 (n=18; 826±75 U/L total CK) four isoforms were observed: 3.1±0.9% CK-MM, 67.9±3.0% CK-MM₃, 21.5±2.3% CK-MM₂ and 7.5±1.3% CK-MM₁. The differences between the two groups of pigs were significant (p<0.001) for CK-MM₁ and the presence of CK-MM. Four CK-MM isoforms were also detected in longissimus dorsi muscle homogenates: 45.6±8.1% CK-MM, 32.6±11.7% CK-MM₃, 16.6±2.3% CK-MM₂ and 5.1±2.8% CK-MM₁. The release of CK-MM isoforms from muscle into plasma seems to be unrelated to the concentration of these isoforms in striated muscle.     

Disaccharide combinations and the expression of enolase3 and plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase isoform in sturgeon sperm cryopreservation

Acipenser sinensis and Acipenser dabryanus are critically endangered species, so germplasm conservation via cryopreservation of sperm is necessary. Disaccharides can act as membrane‐impermeable cryoprotectants, and enolase3 (ENO3) and plasma membrane Ca²⁺ ATPase isoform (PMCA2) are proteins associated with sperm quality. We considered seven characteristics of sperm quality in cultured brood stock from A. sinensis and A. dabryanus. We tested use of sucrose or trehalose alone and in combination at different concentrations for cryopreservation of A. dabryanus sperm. A low concentration of sucrose plus trehalose (S₁₅T₁₅) was optimal. Mixing of the extender with sucrose, lactose, or trehalose alone or with pairwise mixtures revealed that a mixture of lactose and trehalose (L₁₅T₁₅) gave the best results for both A. sinensis and A. dabryanus. Enolase3 and PMCA2 expression levels were measured in cryopreserved A. sinensis sperm via Western blotting. Relative ENO3 and PMCA2 expression levels were examined, and the relationship between disaccharide composition, sperm quality and protein expression was explored in A. sinensis. The results showed that relative ENO3 and PMCA2 expression levels were the highest at L₁₅T₁₅ in cryopreserved A. sinensis sperm. There were significant positive correlations between ENO3 expression and percentage membrane integrity, and between PMCA2 expression and sperm motility parameters (percentage of motile sperm, curvilinear velocity, straight‐line velocity and average path velocity; p < .05) in cryopreserved A. sinensis sperm. Our results indicate the optimal disaccharide combination and concentrations for cryopreservation of A. sinensis and A. dabryanus sperm and suggest that ENO3 and PMCA2 expression levels could serve as a valuable indicator of sperm quality in A. sinensis.     

高温胁迫下水稻胚乳淀粉分支酶各同工型基因的表达特征

 以稻米品质温度敏感型的早籼稻品种浙辐49为材料,利用人工气候箱控温处理试验和实时荧光定量PCR技术,探讨了水稻发育胚乳中淀粉分支酶(starch branching enzyme, SBE)的3种主要同工型基因 (SBEⅠ、 SBEⅢ和SBEⅣ) 在不同温度处理下的相对表达量差异及动态变化特征。结果表明,高温处理对水稻胚乳中SBE基因的表达调控因其同工型的种类而异,SBEⅣ基因在高温处理下呈上调表达,而SBEⅠ和SBEⅢ基因在高温处理下的相对表达量则明显降低,表现为下调表达;与SBEⅣ等同工型相比,水稻胚乳中SBEⅠ基因对高温胁迫的表达响应相对更敏感。     

OCCURRENCE OF INDUCIBLE NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE IMMUNOREACTIVE MATERIAL IN THE RETINA OF THE CLAWED FROG,Xenopus laevis

借助Ⅱ和Ⅲ型一氧化氮合成酶（ＮＯＳ）特异性抗体对成年爪蛙（Ｘｅｎｏｐｕｓｌａｅｖｉｓ）视网膜中含ＮＯＳ的结构进行了免疫细胞化学定位研究。发现视杆和视锥细胞的视网膜杆、少数神经节细胞和无足细胞的细胞体均含有ＮＯＳⅡ免疫反应物质,缪勒细胞呈现强的ＮＯＳⅡ免疫反应性,外神经丛层的神经突起亦含强的ＮＯＳⅡ免疫反应性。在视网膜的细胞结构中,未见ＮＯＳⅢ免疫反应性。该结果暗示由ＮＯＳⅡ产生的一氧化氮可能参与视觉传导的调节。     

CaM在梨花芽分化过程中的含量变化

以梨为试材，对成花过程中的短枝芽和叶所含钙调素（ＣａＭ）的含量进行了测定。（１）短枝芽的ＣａＭ含量在整个成花前后都明显高于新梢芽的含量，特别是在成花的发端期突然成倍增加，形成高峰；（２）短果枝叶的ＣａＭ与新梢叶有着相近的变化趋势，但在成花前后，短果枝叶的ＣａＭ含量明显高于新梢叶；（３）ＣａＡｃ处理可以使短枝芽所含ＣａＭ的峰值提前出现，ＴＦＰ处理可明显降低ＣａＭ含量和延迟其峰值到来。还就ＣａＭ在成花过程中的作用及与Ｃａ２＋的关系等问题进行了讨论。     

Plasma fluctuation in estradiol-17β and bone resorption markers around parturition in dairy cows

Blood samples were obtained sequentially from 10 dairy cows around the time of parturition to assess plasma fluctuations in estradiol-17β (E₂) levels in association with those of several bone resorption markers. Plasma E₂ concentration increased sharply a few days prepartum and decreased quickly after parturition. In terms of bone resorption markers, the plasma level of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRAP5b) rose significantly, commencing 1 week prepartum, and was maintained at this level to a few days postpartum. The plasma concentration of carboxyterminal collagen cross-links of type-I collagen (CTx) increased significantly after parturition. These observations suggest that osteoclast-mediated bone resorption was activated after parturition when plasma E₂ concentrations decreased.     

渗透胁迫下小麦幼苗CaM含量变化及其与含水量的关系研究

试验研究结果表明,PEG-6000(-0.73MPa)渗透胁迫下小麦幼苗含水量降低,胁迫12h时叶片钙调素(CaM)迅速增加,之后低于对照,而根系在胁迫12h时钙调素含量降低,胁迫48h时达到高峰后迅速下降。渗透胁迫下氯丙嗪(100μmol/L)降低叶片相对含水量及干物质量,增大根系质膜透性,抑制根系和叶片的伸长。     

梨不同品种果实发育中钙与钙调素的动态研究

钙 (Ｃａ)对果实发育具有极其重要的作用 ,尤其是在与果实质地有关的性状中 ,Ｃａ的含量多少及动态更是解明其机理的基础。虽然有一些报道研究了果实发育过程中Ｃａ的含量变化动态[1 .2 ] ,但不同品种之间的对比研究还很少。而另一方面 ,随着钙调素 (ＣａＭ)的发现和深入研究 ,Ｃａ2 +不仅是一种必需的大量营养元素 ,Ｃａ2 +与ＣａＭ的结合更重要的是作为偶联胞外信号与胞内生理生化反应的第二信使 ,成为植物代谢和发育的调控者[3,4] 。为此 ,有关Ｃａ2 +与ＣａＭ的研究就成为当今植物生理学研究最活跃的领域之一。果树生理研究中虽然有一些…     

Genetic polymorphism of caspase-7 isoform β in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

AIM: To investigate the association between the rs2227309 polymorphism of cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-7 (caspase-7) isoform β and the genetic susceptibility in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Taizhou of China. METHODS: Genotyping of rs2227309 of caspase-7 isoform β gene was performed in 204 RA patients and 203 matched healthy controls using TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assays. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of GG, AG and AA of caspase-7 polymorphism in the RA patients were 33.3%, 53.4% and 13.2%, respectively, and 33.0%, 44.3% and 22.7% in the healthy individuals,respectively. There was a significant difference in caspase-7 genotype frequencies between the RA patients and healthy controls (P<0.05). The frequency of GG+AG genotype in RA patients was higher than that in healthy controls with significant difference (P<0.05, OR=1.921, 95%CI: 1.140~3.236). The frequencies of the G allele were 60.0% and 55.2% in the RA patients and the healthy individuals,respectively. No significant difference was observed in allele frequency between the RA patients and healthy controls (P>0.05, OR=1.221, 95%CI: 0.924~1.613). CONCLUSION: The rs2227309 polymorphism of caspase-7 isoform β gene is associated with the susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. The high production of the non-functional variant of caspase-7 may reduce the apoptosis of rheumatoid synovial cells, indicating the mechanism of this association.