Influence of PrP 106―126 on expression of laminin and fibronectin in astrocyte

Astrogliosis is a hallmark of prion disease, but the metabolic alterations of astrocytes remain poorly documented. A synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acid 106―126 of the human prion protein (PrP) has been shown to be toxic to neurons. In this study, the effects of PrP 106―126 on astrocytes were investigated in vitro. The proliferation of astrocytes was significantly (P < 0.05) increased when grown in media conditioned with PrP 106―126 (80 μmol/L) from microglia. The expression of laminin (LN) and fibronectin (FN) was examined at both mRNA and protein levels. The results showed that ex- posure of astrocytes to PrP 106―126 enhanced the expression of LN and FN. The increase of FN in astrocyte cultures required cytokines previously released by activated microglia. This study reveals the expression of LN and FN affected by PrP106―126.     

Cloning, sequencing and phylogenic analysis of duck prion gene

Duck prion gene was cloned and sequenced. Similar to mammalian prion protein (PrP), duck prion is encoded by a single exon of a single copy in genome, which was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. All of the structural features of mammalian PrP were also identified in the duck PrP. Compared with mammalian PrP, it exhibited a 30 % of general similarity. When compared with chicken PrP, it showed a higher homology of 97%. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to trace evolution of prion gene in animals.     

Cloning and Expression of BTB/POZ-Domain from Zebrafish gcl （Germ Cell-Less）, and Appraisement of Its Polyclonal-Antibody

In this study, a recombinant pET28c-gBTB/POZ was constructed by cloning the sequence of the BTB/POZ domain of the zebrafish gcl （germ cell-less） into the expression vector pET28c, and pET28c-gBTB/POZ was transformed into BL21（DE3） pLysS strain to express the fusion protein for the preparation of antibody. Polyclonal-antibody against the GCL-BTB/POZ domain was prepared by immunizing rabbit with the fusion protein, and the Western Blot and immuno-histochemical analysis were performed to detect the quantity of the polyclonal-antibody. The result indicates that the polyclonal-antibodies were of good quantity and specification. Further studies will be performed to demonstrate the function and expression pattern of the GCL protein during the development process of zebrafish with the polyclonal-antibody.     

Advances in research on Shadoo,shadow of prion protein

Prion plays a central role in the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, also known as prion diseases. However, the biology of the protein and the pathophysiology of these diseases remain largely unknown. It has been speculated that additional factor or factors may be involved in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. Recently, a PrP-like protein, recognized as shadow of prion protein （Shadoo, Sho）, is thought to be an interesting candidate factor because both the prion protein and Sho have been shown to have overlapping expression patterns and shared functions. Therefore, extensive study of Sho may advance our understanding of the enigmatical biology of prion and prion diseases. In this review, recent studies on Sho asso- ciated with prion diseases and functions are summarized. These studies have demonstrated the functional importance of Sho, and they further need to investigate its biological roles in prion diseases.     

Gene transfer into primary cultures of fetal neural stem cells by a recombinant adenovirus carrying the gene for green fluorescent protein

Objective： To evaluate the transduction efficiency of a recombinant adenovirus carrying the gene for green fluorescent protein （Ad-GFP） into the primary cultures of fetal neural stem cells （NSCs） by the expression of GFP. Methods： The Ad-GFP was constructed by homologous recombination in bacteria with the AdEasy system; NSCs were isolated from rat fetal hippocampus and cultured as neurosphere suspensions. After infection with the recombinant Ad-GFP, NSCs were examined with a fluorescent microscopy and a flow cytometry for their expression of GFP. Results： After the viral infection, flow cytometry analysis revealed that the percentage of GFP-positive cells was as high as 97.05%. The infected NSCs sustained the GFP expression for above 4 weeks. After differentiated into astrocytes or neurons, they continued to express GFP efficiently. Conclusion： We have success- fully constructed a viral vector Ad-GFP that can efficiently infect the primary NSCs. The reporter gene was showed fully and sustained expression in the infected cells as well as their differentiated progenies.     

Polyclonal antibody against an insect excitatory toxin BmKIT from Buthus Martensii karsch and detection of BmKIT expressed in transgenic cotton

An insect excitatory toxin gene from Buthus martensii Karseh （BmKIT） was cloned into the expression vector, pET-28a. BmKIT was expressed as inclusion bodies in Eseherichia coli BL21 （DE3） host cells. The authenticity of in vitro expressed protein was confirmed by Western blot. The inclusion body protein band in SDS-PAGE was excised and the protein, BmKIT, was extracted. Polyelonal antibodies to the purified protein were raised in rabbits. The antibody reacted specifically with the expressed BmKIT and was used to quantify its presence in transgenic cotton.     

Cu（Ⅱ） effect on the conformation of regenerated silk fibroin in dilute aqueous solution

Much attention has been paid to the natural mechanism of silkworm spinning due to the impressive mechanical properties of the natural fibers. In this work, we studied the effect of Cu（Ⅱ） ions on the secondary structure of Bombyx mori regenerated silk fibroin （SF） in dilute solution by circular dichroism （CD）. The results indicate that a given amount of Cu（Ⅱ） induces the SF conformational transition from random coil to β-sheet, however, further addition of Cu（Ⅱ） is unfavorable for this conversion. Meanwhile, the conformational changes induced by Cu（Ⅱ） follow a nucleation-dependent aggregation mechanism, which is similar to that found in Prion protein （PrP） denaturation and Aβ-peptide aggregations, leading to the neurodegenerative disease. This work would help one understand further the natural spinning process of silkworm. Additionally, it would be significant for the study of the nervous system diseases, because silk fibroin, extracted in large amounts from Bombyx mori silkworm gland, could be a proper model to study PrP denaturation and Aβ-peptide aggregations.     

Inhibitory effect of the adenovirus type 5 E1A protein expressed in the yeast system of the human tumor cell growth

Adenovirus 5 type E1A as a tumor suppressor gene can inhibit tumor growth and enhance the censitivity of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.E1A have the ability to integrate into the host genome,resulting in long-time expres-sion that induces Rb gene inactivation and animal cells im-mortalization.This prompted us to select the E1A protein for treatment of cancer in order to overcome the limitations of E1A gene therapy.Thus,we firstly comstructed E1A eu-caryotic expression vector (pPIC9/E1A),transformated the pichia pastoris yeast cells(GS115) and screened the high-expressing recombinant strains.The positive yeast strains were cultured in the shake flask,and induced for 3d.The crude E1A protein was purified using two steps of col-umu chromatography on HiTrap Q and HiTrap SP.The pu-rified E1A protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot.E1A protein was mostly located at cellular unclear when Cheriot delivered E1A protein into cells.The analysis in vitro indicated that the E1A protein arrested LN686 cell cycle at G2/M phase,and significantly inhibited the growth of LN686 tumor cells.The current studies firstly provided an experimental basis to further develop E1A protein for tumor treatment.     

Effects of niacin on nitric oxide synthase expression in rat lungs exposed to silica

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of niacin in diet on the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in rat lungs of the animal model of silicosis established by direct tracheal instillation of silica particles into rat lungs surgically. The niacin concentration in serum was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein in paraffin-embedded lung sections was determined by streptavidin/peroxidase (SP) staining. Quantitative analysis by Image-Pro Plus was also performed on the expression of iNOS. The results showed that niacin concentration in serum of the niacin-treated rats was significantly higher than that in the control and silica-treated rats. After 7 days of silica instillation, iNOS integrated optical density (IOD) in rat lungs and total NOS and iNOS activities in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in silica-treated rats rose by 273420.75, 2.61 units/mL and 1.89 units/mL respectively, when compared with those in the control rats. Niacin treatment significantly reduced silica-induced iNOS IOD in rat lung tissues and total NOS and iNOS activities in BALF supernatant by 248292.35, 1.50 units/mL and 0.91 units/mL, respectively, as compared with those in silica-treated rats. Therefore, niacin can effectively attenuate the pathological expression of NOS in rat lung tissues induced by silica particles.     

Down-regulation of αGal epitopes by co-transfection of α1,3-galactosidase gene and α1,2–fucosyltransferase gene

The polycarbohydrate structure of Galα1- 3Ga1β1-4GluNAc-R （known as αGal epitopes of xenoantigen）, produced by α1-3-galactosyltransferase （α1,3-GT） in the course of animal development, is the major xenoantigen on the cell surface of porcine which causes hyperacute rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. Alpha-1,3-galactosidase （AGL）, a hydrolytic enzyme, can remove the terminal α1,3-galactosyi from the Galα1-3Galβ1-4GluNAc-R structure resulting in cleaning αGai epitopes from the porcine cells. Aipha-1,2-fucosyitransferase （HT） can modify the surface carbohydrate phenotype of porcine cells, bringing about reduction of αGai epitopes expression. In this study, human AGL and HT gene were co-transfected to porcine fetal fibroblast （PFFb） in equimolar concentration to reduce the xenoantigen. Gene and protein of hAGL and HT were both detected to express at high level by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. There was an 84% reduction in αGai xenoantigen and an 82% increase in H antigen as assayed by flow cytometry in the AGL and HT gene co-transfected PFFb. The number and morphology of transgenic PFFb chromosome were normal. Findings indicate that Galα1-3Gal epitopes of PFFb could be down regulated by AGL and HT co-transfection without deleterious effects on the chromosomal profile of the transgenic ceil.     

Ubi1 intron-mediated enhancement of the expression of Bt cry1Ah gene in transgenic maize （Zea mays L.）

The cry1Ah gene was one of novel insecticidal genes cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis isolate BT8. Two plant expression vectors containing cry1Ah gene were constructed. The first intron of maize ubiqutinl gene was inserted between the maize Ubiquitin promoter and cry1Ah gene in one of the plant expressing vectors （pUUOAH）. The two vectors were introduced into maize immature embryonic calli by microprojectile bombardment, and the reproductively plants were acquired. PCR and Southern blot analysis showed that foreign genes had been integrated into maize genome and inherited to the next generation stably. The ELISA assay to T1 and T2 generation plants showed that the expression of CrylAh protein in the construct containing the ubil intron （pUUOAH） was 20% higher than that of the intronless construct （pUOAH）. Bioassay results showed that the transgenic maize harboring cry1Ah gene had high resistance to the Asian corn borers and the insecticidal activity of the transgenic maize containing the ubil intron was higher than that of the intronless construct. These results indicated that the maize ubil intron can enhance the expression of the Bt cry1Ah gene in transgenic maize efficiently     

Cloning, prokaryotic expression,purification and sequence analysis of 20S proteasome subunit gene from T.harzianum

The gene encoding the 20S proteasome subunit（PR29） was cloned from cDNA library of Trichoderma harzianum and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 （D3） using a pET-28a expression system. The molecular weight of the protein was found to be approximately 29 kDa, as estimated by SDS-PAGE on gels. The target protein was insoluble when induced at 22℃ with 0.4 mmol/L IPTG, while dissoluble if induced at 37℃ with 0.8mmoL/L IPTG. The expressed product was purified through Ni-magnetic beads His Bind. The purity of the fusion protein reached above 80%. The entire eDNA sequence consisted of 1094 bp with 173 and 135 bp in 5＇ and 3＇ untranslated regions respectively. The gene encoding 261 amino acids has no signal peptide sequence. These results could provide a basis for validating the func-tions of PR29. It also provided a preliminary indication for further study of the mechanism and function of proteasome, and more information of proteasome mechanism in T.harzianum could be obtained.     

Interacting domains of the HN and F Proteins of paramyxovirus

Binding sialates to hemagglutinin-neuraminidase （HN） activates （triggers） the fusion protein （F） to start the membrane fusion process of paramyxovirus, but the mechanism by which the HN and F associate with each other to induce membrane fusion is still unclear. It is noteworthy to study the interaction domains of HN and F of paramyxovirus. To screen interacting domains of the HN and F proteins of Avian parainfluenza virus-2 （APIV-2） and identify the structure of binding proteins, the GST pull-down assay and mass spectroscopy （MS） and circular dichroism （CD） experiments were performed in this study. The study revealed that the globular head region of HN protein tends to form a complex with either the heptad repeat 1 （HR1） or the heptad repeat 2 （HR2） of F protein respectively. This paper discusses the novel fusion mechanism induced by paramyxovirus HN and F proteins.     

Characterization of a PDR type ABC transporter gene from wheat （Triticum aestivum L.）

DON, as a virulence factor, plays an important role in the infection of Fusarium graminearum in wheat. The infection ability of F. graminearum depends on its capacity of producing DON. The production of DON by F. graminearum is significantly decreased in the wheat varieties with scab resistance. In this study, GeneChip analysis indicated that an EST encoding an ATP-binding cassette （ABC） transporter was up-regulated by 45 times in a wheat landrace Wangshuibai, which is resistant to DON accumulation. A pair of EST-derived primers were designed based on the EST sequence, and a clone was then isolated from a wheat genomic DNA TAC library. The TAC clone was sequenced using chromosome walking and gene prediction was conducted using Softberry. A cDNA clone of this gene was subsequently isolated from Wangshuibai induced by DON using gene-specific primers designed according to the untranslated sequence of the gene. The genome size of the gene is 7377 bp, consisting of 19 exons with coding sequences of 4308 bp. It encodes a protein with 1435 amino acid residues and the calculated molecular weight is about 161 kD. BLAST analysis indicated that the gene may belong to pleiotropic drug resistance （PDR） sub-family, and hence designated as TaPDR1 （Triticum aestivum pleiotropic drug resistance）. TaPDR1 was located on chromosome 5A of wheat using nullisomic-tetrasomic lines of Chinese Spring. TaPDR1 was up-regulated by induction of both DON and F. graminearum. Expression patterns of TaPDR1 were different in wild-type Wangshuibai and the fast-neutron induced Wangshuibai mutant lacking FHB1, a major QTL of FHB resistance and DON resistance in chromosome arm 3BS. These results suggested that TaPDR1 might be a candidate gene responsible for DON accumulation resistance. The expression profile showed that TaPDR1 expression was neither induced by hormones typically involved in biotic stress, such as JA and SA, nor by abiotic stresses, such as heat, cold, wounding and NaCI. However, TaPDR1 expression was regulated by Al^3＋ and [Ca^2＋], indicating that [Ca^2＋]1 might mediate the signal of TaPDR1 expression.