Regulation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway in the nucleus

Canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays a central role in development, homeostasis, as well as tumorigenesis. The regulation of the pathway involves various and complicated mechanisms, including the extracellular, intracellular and endonuclear regulation. As the key component of the pathway, the Lefl/Tcfs-β-catenin complex is also the key target of regulation in the nucleus. In the current review, we are going to summarize the regulators in the nucleus which can modify the transcrip- tional activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.     

Study of molecular events in cells by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

To understand processes in a living cell, sophisticated and creative approaches are required that can be used for gathering quantitative information about large number of components interacting across temporal and spatial scales without major disruption of the integral network of processes. A physical method of analysis that can meet these requirements is fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), which is an ultrasensitive and non-invasive detection method capable of single-molecule and real-time resolution. Since its introduction about 3 decades ago, this until recently emerging technology has reached maturity. As commercially built equipment is now available, FCS is extensively applied for extracting biological information from living cells unattainable by other methods, and new biological concepts are formulated based on findings by FCS. In this review, we focus on examples in the field of molecular cellular biology. The versatility of the technique in this field is illustrated in studies of single-molecule dynamics and conformational flexibility of proteins, and the relevance of conformational flexibility for biological functions regarding the multispecificity of antibodies, modulation of activity of C5a receptors in clathrin-mediated endocytosis and multiplicity of functional responses mediated by the p53 tumor suppressor protein; quantitative characterization of physicochemical properties of the cellular interior; protein trafficking; and ligand-receptor interactions. FCS can also be used to study cell-to-cell communication, here exemplified by clustering of apoptotic cells via bystander killing by hydrogen peroxide.Received 15 July 2004; received after revision 13 October 2004; accepted 12 November 2004     

异丙嗪对下丘脑细胞内游离钙浓度的影响

目的：观察异丙嗪（ｐｒｏｍｅｔｈａｚｉｎｅ,ＰＭＺ）对下丘脑细胞内游离钙浓度（［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ）的影响。方法：以酶法制备家兔下丘脑细胞悬液,运用钙指示剂Ｆｕｒａ－２／ＡＭ作为细胞内游离钙的荧光探针测定下丘脑细胞［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ。结果：１）ＰＭＺ（０４６ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ）使下丘脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ显著升高,且在一定的剂量范围内呈量效关系。２）事先向细胞悬液中加入钙通道阻滞剂维拉帕米可明显抑制ＰＭＺ诱导的［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ升高,但不能完全阻断ＰＭＺ的这种作用。结论：上述结果提示ＰＭＺ可引起下丘脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ升高,钙通道开放导致细胞外钙内流是ＰＭＺ引起下丘脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ升高的机制之一。     

红细胞膜变形能力与胞内血红蛋白聚合状态及细胞形态的关系

以显微激光散射光谱和图像分析技术,对单个活态红细胞在无扰、在位、实时的情况下,测量了人血红细胞胞膜的变形能力,以及与之同时对应的胞内血红蛋白的聚合状态和细胞的形态结构.并据此研究了它们的相关关系以及随各种生理条件而交互变化的情况.     

乙酰胆碱对大鼠离体输精管平滑肌细胞膜电位的作用

采用细胞内微电极技术对大鼠离体输精管平滑肌细胞进行记录,观察其静息电位、膜阻抗等被动膜电性质及ACh对平滑肌细胞膜电位的作用,在此基础上运用微电泳技术对所记录细胞进行标记,从而分析不同走行方向的平滑肌细胞的电生理学特性。实验测得输精管平滑肌细胞静息电位为-48.56±0.46mV(n=1141),膜输入阻抗为1638.70±205.20MΩ(n=45)。实验用ACh(0.3～100μmol L)灌流平滑肌细胞,可引起膜发生浓度依赖性超极化。10μmol LACh引起超极化幅值为13.67±0.98mV(n=116),膜电导平均增加2.31%(n=10)。标本经1μmol L硫酸阿托品(n=10)和100nmol L2' deoxyadenosine5' monophosphate(n=11)预处理后,ACh引起的超极化幅值明显减小。经荧光染料(0.1%propidiumiodide)标记鉴别后,统计分析外纵走行细胞的静息电位为-53.56±3.88mV(n=37),膜输入阻抗为2245.60±372.50MΩ(n=13);内环走行细胞的静息电位为-51.62±4.27mV(n=17),膜输入阻抗为2101.50±513.50MΩ(n=10);并且2种走形方向的平滑肌细胞对ACh的反应形式亦无显著性差异。实验表明:输精管平滑肌细胞的电生理特性以及对ACh的反应与其走形方向无关。     

伤寒沙门菌非编码RNA ArpH表达特征及功能初探

通过研究σ因子和RNase对伤寒沙门菌非编码RNA ArpH表达的影响，并结合全基因组芯片的结果，初步探讨ArpH对细菌侵袭力和胞内生存力的影响.应用qRT-PCR检测了rpoE和rpoS对ArpH转录的影响，以及RNase III、RNase G和RNase E分别对ArpH降解的影响.另外还利用全基因组芯片技术对ArpH高表达菌株在氧应激下的基因表达谱进行分析.最后观察了ArpH对伤寒沙门菌侵袭力的影响和对胞内生存力的作用.结果显示，rpoE在酸、氧及高渗应激下、rpoS在氧应激下调节ArpH的转录.细菌中RNase III主要参与了ArpH的降解.氧应激下高表达ArpH后，基因表达上调的有89个，基因表达下调的有24个.ArpH高表达可以减弱伤寒沙门菌对上皮细胞的侵袭力，并能增强细菌的胞内生存力.     

MicroRNAs in hypoxia and acidic tumor microenvironment

MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are short non-coding RNAs of ,-22 nucleotides that play important roles in diverse biological functions including tumor adaption, survival, and metabolism homeostasis in specific tumor microenvironment, such as hypoxia and low pH. Hypoxia is a unique physiological condition during tumor development and progression, which alters a set of hypoxia-mediated miRNAs expression. These hypoxia-mediated miRNAs may exhibit either oncogenic activities or tumor-suppres sive activities, mainly through the regulation of cellular pathways including hypoxia-inducible factors signaling. Acidic tumor microenvironment develops in hypoxic solid tumors due to a combination of predominant glycolytic metabolism （Warburg effect） and poor fluid clearance due to incomplete vascularization. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the emerging roles of miRNAs in hypoxia and acidic tumor microenvironment.     

Effect of Aβ1-40 on membrane permeability and intracellular free Ca2+ of nerve cells

The effects of soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 on membrane permeability and intracellular free Ca2+ of nerve cells were investigated by the laser confocal microscopy. Results indicate that: i) Effects of soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 on cell membrane permeability are both concentration-de- pendent. Soluble Aβ1-40 increases membrane permeability only at concentration of 3 ?mol/L, while the toxic effect of fibrillar Aβ1-40 is much stronger, its evident effect begins from 1 ?mol/L. When its concentration rose to 3 ?mol/L, not only the membrane permeability increased, but also the nuclear membrane broke seriously. ii) Both soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 at high concentrations increased the intracellular free Ca2+, and the increased amplitudes are concentration-dependent. However, the fibrillar one induces the increase of intracellular Ca2+ much quicker and synchronously. These results indicate that some correlation exists between the neurotoxicity of high concentration soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 and the change of physico-chemical properties and intracellular Ca ion imbalance.     

大力开发高校创新型师资人才资源

高等教育创新的关键，是要建立一支创新型的师资队伍。从创造有利于创新型人才成长的微观生态环境和可行的激励措施方面，论述了开发创新型高校师资人才的几个基本问题。     

Signaling mechanisms of neurite outgrowth induced by the cell adhesion molecules NCAM and N-Cadherin

Formation of appropriate neural circuits depends on a complex interplay between extracellular guiding cues and intracellular signaling events that result in alterations of cytoskeletal dynamics and a neurite growth response. Surface-expressed cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) interact with the surroundings via the extracellular domain and bind to the cytoskeleton via their intracellular domain. In addition, several CAMs induce signaling events via direct interactions with intracellular proteins or via interactions with cell surface receptors. Thus, CAMs are obvious candidates for transmitting extracellular guidance cues to intracellular events and thereby regulating neurite outgrowth. In this review, we focus on two CAMs, the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and N-cadherin, and their ability to mediate signaling associated with a neurite outgrowth response. In particular, we will focus on direct interaction between NCAM and N-cadherin with a number of intracellular partners, as well as on their interaction with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR). Received 23 May 2008; received after revision 14 July 2008; accepted 21 July 2008