Expression of a recombinant crustacean hyperglycemic hormone of the kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

ABSTRACT:   Until now, six crustacean hyperglycemic hormones (CHH) designated Pej-SGP-I, -II, -III, -V, -VI and -VII have been characterized in the kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus . All CHH consist of 72 amino acid residues and have an amidated carboxyl (C)-terminus. In the present study, we expressed Pej-SGP-III in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris in order to obtain a large quantity of recombinant CHH possessing biological activity. A cDNA encoding Pej-SGP-III that had been previously cloned was processed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the resulting product was ligated into an expression vector. Pichia pastoris was transformed with this vector after which a recombinant Pej-SGP-III was expressed having an additional amino acid residue (glycine) at the C-terminus (rPej-SGP-III-Gly), a form considered to be a putative precursor of this hormone. rPej-SGP-III-Gly secreted into the culture medium was purified by reversed-phase HPLC, and amidated using a peptidylglycine alpha-amidating enzyme. The amidated rPej-SGP-III (rPej-SGP-III) showed hyperglycemic activity in in vivo bioassay almost comparable to that of the natural Pej-SGP-III. rPej-SGP-III thus obtained will be a useful tool not only for its physiological study but also for the determination of its 3-D structure.     

酿酒葡萄成熟特性的研究

葡萄浆果成熟过程中,存在着多方面的变化。只有含糖量、含酸量的变化最有规律,最能代表葡萄品种的成熟特性。含糖量的变化与logistic曲线、含酸量的变化与对数曲线拟合性最好。不同品种成熟特性的差异,主要表现为含糖量上升速率与含酸量下降速率的不同。气象因素能明显影响葡萄的成熟特性,最终造成同一品种在不同地区成熟度的差异。     

Biosynthesis of Depsipeptide Mycotoxins in Fusarium

The cyclic hexadepsipeptide enniatin is known as a phytopathogenic compound from Fusaria causing necrosis and wilt. The molecule consists of three alternating residues each of a branched chain amino acid and D-hydroxyisovaleric acid (D-Hiv). Enniatins are synthesized by a 347kDa multienzyme (enniatin synthetase) via a thiol template mechanism. The corresponding gene esyn1 has an open reading frame of 9393 nucleotides and harbours two modules, one responsible for D-hydroxy acid activation and one for L-amino acid activation with an integrated N-methyltransferase domain. Such methyltransferases build an homologous group among N-methyl peptide synthetases. Enniatins are synthesized by step-wise condensation of dipeptidol building blocks in an iterative manner resembling fatty acid synthesis. A key enzyme in enniatin biosynthesis is the NADPH-dependent D-2-hydroxyisovalerate dehydrogenase, that supplies enniatin synthetase with D-Hiv. Enniatins contribute to the wilt toxic character of Fusaria. Virulence was significantly reduced in F. avenaceum after disruption of the esyn1 gene.     

法氏囊活性肽BP7调节鸡未成熟B细胞的基因表达谱及功能分析

试验旨在探索法氏囊活性肽BP7调节鸡未成熟B细胞的分子基础.利用BP7刺激禽前B淋巴细胞DT40细胞,采用荧光定量PCR(qPCR)检测IgM的mRNA水平,并采用基因芯片分析基因表达谱及其生物学功能.结果 显示,BP7刺激的DT40细胞产生IgM的mRNA水平明显升高.基因芯片分析发现,BP7处理的DT40细胞中共有...     

抗菌肽对抗生素耐药菌株的抑菌活性研究

[目的]研究抗菌肽对抗生素耐药菌株的抑菌活性。[方法]利用抗性平板划线法从腹泻病牛血便中筛选分离出1株耐药菌,通过16S rDNA序列进行鉴定,采用琼脂孔穴扩散法通过梯度盐酸壮观霉素（spectinomycin,Spe⁺）、氨苄青霉素（ampicillin,Amp⁺）、硫酸卡那霉素（kanamycin,Kan⁺）和氯霉素（chloramphenicol,Cm⁺）试验确定该菌药敏特性,并利用1种抗菌肽制剂对该菌株进行药敏试验。[结果]经BLAST比对分析该菌16S rDNA序列,鉴定该耐药菌为科氏葡萄球菌（Staphylococcus cohnii）,此菌对Amp⁺敏感,但对试验中其他抗生素均有耐药性,各梯度抗菌肽对该耐药菌均具有明显的抑菌活性。[结论]抗菌肽能有效抑制耐药科氏葡萄球菌的生长,有望在畜牧生产中代替抗生素使用。     

Antihypertensive Effects of IGTGIPGIW Peptide Purified from Hippocampus abdominalis: p-eNOS and p-AKT Stimulation in EA.hy926 Cells and Lowering of Blood Pressure in SHR Model

The aim of this study was to assess the potential hypertensive effects of the IGTGIPGIW peptide purified from Hippocampus abdominalis alcalase hydrolysate (HA) for application in the functional food industry. We investigated the antihypertensive effects of IGTGIPGIW in vitro by assessing nitric oxide production in EA.hy926 endothelial cells, which is a major factor affecting vasorelaxation. The potential vasorelaxation effect was evaluated using 4-amino-5-methylamino-2′,7′-difluorofluorescein diacetate, a fluorescent stain. IGTGIPGIW significantly increased the expression of endothelial-derived relaxing factors, including endothelial nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase B, in EA.hy926 cells. Furthermore, oral administration of IGTGIPGIW significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (183.60 ± 1.34 mmHg) and rapidly recovered the diastolic blood pressure (143.50 ± 5.55 mmHg) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model in vivo. Our results demonstrate the antihypertensive activity of the IGTGIPGIW peptide purified from H. abdominalis and indicate its suitability for application in the functional food industry.     

Marine Cyclic Peptides: Antimicrobial Activity and Synthetic Strategies

Oceans are a rich source of structurally unique bioactive compounds from the perspective of potential therapeutic agents. Marine peptides are a particularly interesting group of secondary metabolites because of their chemistry and wide range of biological activities. Among them, cyclic peptides exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, including against bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses. Moreover, there are several examples of marine cyclic peptides revealing interesting antimicrobial activities against numerous drug-resistant bacteria and fungi, making these compounds a very promising resource in the search for novel antimicrobial agents to revert multidrug-resistance. This review summarizes 174 marine cyclic peptides with antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, or antiviral properties. These natural products were categorized according to their sources—sponges, mollusks, crustaceans, crabs, marine bacteria, and fungi—and chemical structure—cyclic peptides and depsipeptides. The antimicrobial activities, including against drug-resistant microorganisms, unusual structural characteristics, and hits more advanced in (pre)clinical studies, are highlighted. Nocathiacins I–III (91–93), unnarmicins A (114) and C (115), sclerotides A (160) and B (161), and plitidepsin (174) can be highlighted considering not only their high antimicrobial potency in vitro, but also for their promising in vivo results. Marine cyclic peptides are also interesting models for molecular modifications and/or total synthesis to obtain more potent compounds, with improved properties and in higher quantity. Solid-phase Fmoc- and Boc-protection chemistry is the major synthetic strategy to obtain marine cyclic peptides with antimicrobial properties, and key examples are presented guiding microbiologist and medicinal chemists to the discovery of new antimicrobial drug candidates from marine sources.     

植物抗软腐病基因工程的策略及研究进展

通过基因工程的手段提高植物对软腐病的抗性已被认为是一条切实可行的途径。目前已有大量研究证实,利用植物与病原菌互作的相关基因、病原菌致病性的相关基因以及杀菌肽基因可以或有望提高植物对软腐病的抗性。文章对以上几个方面及相关的抗软腐病基因工程的一些策略与研究进展进行了论述。     

Identifying and Characterizing a Novel Peritrophic Matrix Protein (MdPM-17) Associated With Antibacterial Response From the Housefly,Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)

Peritrophic matrix/membrane (PM) critically prevents the midgut of insects from external invasion by microbes. The proteins in the peritrophic membrane are its major structural components. Additionally, they determine the formation and function of this membrane. However, the role of PM proteins in immune regulation is unclear. Herein, we isolated a novel PM protein (MdPM-17) from Musca domestica larvae. Further, the function of MdPM-17 in regulating host innate immunity was identified. Results showed that the cDNA of MdPM-17 full is 635 bp in length. Moreover, it consists of a 477-bp open reading frame encoding 158 amino acid residues. These amino acid residues are composed of two Chitin-binding type-2 domain (ChtBD2) and 19 amino acids as a signal peptide. Moreover, tissue distribution analysis indicates that MdPM-17 was enriched expressed in midgut, and moderate levels in the fat body, foregut, and malpighian tubule. Notably, MdPM-17 recombinant protein showed high chitin-binding capacity, thus belongs to the Class III PM protein group. MdPM-17 protein silencing via RNA interference resulted in the expression of antimicrobial peptide (defensin, cecropins, and diptericin) genes, and this occurred after oral inoculation with exogenous microbes Escherichia coli (Enterobacteriales:Enterobacteriaceae), Staphylococcus aureus (Bacillales:Staphylococcaceae), and Candida albicans (Endomycetales:Saccharomycetaceae)). Therefore, all the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gene expression levels are high in MdPM-17-depleted larvae during microbial infection compared to controls. Consequently, these findings indicate that MdPM-17 protein is associated with the antibacterial response from the housefly.     

固态发酵大豆制备的抗氧化肽的活性分析

综合评价用固态发酵法制备的大豆抗氧化肽的抗氧化活性.通过T-AOC方法测定总抗氧化能力、通过水杨酸法测定·OH、通过邻苯三酚法测定O2ˉ、通过卵磷脂法测定脂质体过氧化、通过POV值法测定抗油脂自氧化.大豆抗氧化肽的总抗氧化能力为50.07 U、对羟基自由基的清除率达到85.68%、抑制邻苯三酚自氧化能力达到23.61 U/mL、抑制脂质体过氧化率为34.58%、对油脂过氧化抑制抑制率为30%.用固态发酵法制备出的大豆抗氧化肽具有较强的还原能力、能清除羟基自由基、抑制邻苯三酚自氧化,并能够对脂质体过氧化和油脂过氧化具有一定的清除作用能力.