Inactivation of the apoptosis effector Apaf-1 in malignant melanoma

Metastatic melanoma is a deadly cancer that fails to respond to conventional chemotherapy and is poorly understood at the molecular level. p53 mutations often occur in aggressive and chemoresistant cancers but are rarely observed in melanoma. Here we show that metastatic melanomas often lose Apaf-1, a cell-death effector that acts with cytochrome c and caspase-9 to mediate p53-dependent apoptosis. Loss of Apaf-1 expression is accompanied by allelic loss in metastatic melanomas, but can be recovered in melanoma cell lines by treatment with the methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5aza2dC). Apaf-1-negative melanomas are invariably chemoresistant and are unable to execute a typical apoptotic programme in response to p53 activation. Restoring physiological levels of Apaf-1 through gene transfer or 5aza2dC treatment markedly enhances chemosensitivity and rescues the apoptotic defects associated with Apaf-1 loss. We conclude that Apaf-1 is inactivated in metastatic melanomas, which leads to defects in the execution of apoptotic cell death. Apaf-1 loss may contribute to the low frequency of p53 mutations observed in this highly chemoresistant tumour type.     

Sirtuin activators mimic caloric restriction and delay ageing in metazoans

Caloric restriction extends lifespan in numerous species. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae this effect requires Sir2 (ref. 1), a member of the sirtuin family of NAD+-dependent deacetylases. Sirtuin activating compounds (STACs) can promote the survival of human cells and extend the replicative lifespan of yeast. Here we show that resveratrol and other STACs activate sirtuins from Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster, and extend the lifespan of these animals without reducing fecundity. Lifespan extension is dependent on functional Sir2, and is not observed when nutrients are restricted. Together these data indicate that STACs slow metazoan ageing by mechanisms that may be related to caloric restriction.     

Direct detection of more than 50% of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutations by field inversion gels

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disorder affecting about 1 in 3,500 males. It is allelic with the milder Becker muscular dystrophy. The biochemical basis for both diseases is unknown and no effective treatment is available. Long-range physical mapping has shown that the DMD gene, localized in Xp21, is extremely large, exceeding 2 million base pairs. Until now, carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis has involved the use of linked restriction fragment length polymorphism markers which detect muscular dystrophy-associated deletions in about 10% of the cases. Field inversion gel electrophoresis (FIGE) allows the detection of structural rearrangements in 21 out of 39 of the DMD patients studied (54%), of which 14 (65%) were not detected by conventional methods. Large deletions seem to make up a much higher fraction of the DMD mutations than so far indicated by other methods. A region prone to deletion was located in the distal half of the gene. FIGE analysis could provide a valuable extension of information for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis. The technique should be generally applicable to the study of diseases involving structural chromosomal rearrangements.     

Effect of slag composition on the cleanliness of 28MnCr5 gear steel in the refining processes

The equilibrium reaction between CaO—Al₂O₃—SiO₂—MgO slag and 28MnCr5 molten steel was calculated to obtain the suitable slag composition which is effective for decreasing the oxygen content in molten steel. The dissolved oxygen content [O] in molten steel under different top slag conditions was calculated using a thermodynamic model and was measured using an electromotive force method in slag–steel equilibrium experiments at 1873 K. The relations among [O], the total oxygen content (T.O), and the composition of the slag were investigated. The experimental results show that both [O] and T.O decrease with decreasing SiO₂ content of the slag and exhibit different trends with the changes in the CaO/Al₂O₃ mass ratio of the slag. Increasing the CaO/Al₂O₃ mass ratio results in a decrease in [O] and an increase in T.O. To ensure that T.O ≤ 20 ppm and [O] ≤ 10 ppm, the SiO₂ content should be controlled to <5wt%, and the CaO/Al₂O₃ mass ratio should be in the range from 1.2 to 1.6.     

唇鱼骨基因组DNA提取与ISSR-PCR的优化

以唇鱼骨为材料,分别采用4种不同方法(CTAB法、SDS法、ROSE法及试剂盒)提取基因组DNA,并对影响PCR反应的模板DNA、引物、dNTPs、Mg2+、Taq酶浓度等主要因子进行了优化,建立了适合唇鱼骨基因组DNA的ISSR-PCR反应体系.25μL的PCR反应液含有的组分和终浓度分别为:约60 ng模板DNA,1.2 U Taq酶,0.4 μrnol/L引物,2.0 mmol/L MgCl2,0.2 mmol/L dNTPs,2%甲酰胺.结果表明,利用优化反应体系对4种不同方法提取的DNA进行PCR扩增,均能得到较好的PCR扩增条带,以试剂盒法最佳,为淡水溪流性同属鱼类遗传多样性分析奠定了技术基础.     

低温度系数高电源抑制比带隙基准源的设计

基于SMIC 0.18 μm CMOS工艺,设计了一种适用于数模或模数转换等模数混合电路的低温度系数、高电源抑制比的带隙基准电压源.针对传统带隙基准源工作电压的限制,设计采用电流模结构使之可工作于低电源电压,且输出基准电压可调;采用共源共栅结构(cascode)作电流源,提高电路的电源抑制比(PSRR);采用了具有高增益高输出摆幅的常见的两级运放.Cadence仿真结果表明:在1.8V电源电压下,输出基准电压约为534 mV,温度在-25～100℃范围内变化时,温度系数为4.8 ppm/℃,低频电源抑制比为-84 dB,在1.6～2.0 V电源电压变化范围内,电压调整率为0.15 mV/V.     

石灰石—石膏湿法烟气脱硫效率影响因素分析

从5个方面分析了影响石灰石—石膏湿法烟气脱硫效率的因素,并对各因素进行了综合探讨。     

表面态对TiO_2纳米晶薄膜光电流的影响

研究 Ti O2 纳米晶薄膜电极的光电化学特性 .通过测定阳极光电流 -时间瞬态光电流响应 ,分析纳米晶薄膜 /溶液界面的光生电荷转移的动力学规律 .光照后的慢电流响应与 Ti O2纳米材料的表面态有关 .导带电子向深能级表面态的传递是造成慢电流响应的原因 .     

Myeloid leukaemia inhibitory factor maintains the developmental potential of embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, the totipotent outgrowths of blastocysts, can be cultured and manipulated in vitro and then returned to the embryonic environment where they develop normally and can contribute to all cell lineages. Maintenance of the stem-cell phenotype in vitro requires the presence of a feeder layer of fibroblasts or of a soluble factor, differentiation inhibitory activity (DIA) produced by a number of sources; in the absence of DIA the ES cells differentiate into a wide variety of cell types. We recently noted several similarities between partially purified DIA and a haemopoietic regulator, myeloid leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a molecule which induces differentiation in M1 myeloid leukaemic cells and which we have recently purified, cloned and characterized. We demonstrate here that purified, recombinant LIF can substitute for DIA in the maintenance of totipotent ES cell lines that retain the potential to form chimaeric mice.