用光化学方法去除废水中的有害有机物和金属

研究了一些有机物，如丙酮，酚，染料和茶皂角甙的光催化降解，结果表明：酚的降解与文献报导的情况基本相同，在催化剂TiO2的作用下，紫外光能有效降解纺织厂的印染废水中的染料；金属化合物对光降解反应具有很大影响；还首次试验了用光催化原理消除茶皂甙中有毒溶血素的方法。     

A syndrome of altered cardiovascular, craniofacial, neurocognitive and skeletal development caused by mutations in TGFBR1 or TGFBR2

We report heterozygous mutations in the genes encoding either type I or type II transforming growth factor beta receptor in ten families with a newly described human phenotype that includes widespread perturbations in cardiovascular, craniofacial, neurocognitive and skeletal development. Despite evidence that receptors derived from selected mutated alleles cannot support TGFbeta signal propagation, cells derived from individuals heterozygous with respect to these mutations did not show altered kinetics of the acute phase response to administered ligand. Furthermore, tissues derived from affected individuals showed increased expression of both collagen and connective tissue growth factor, as well as nuclear enrichment of phosphorylated Smad2, indicative of increased TGFbeta signaling. These data definitively implicate perturbation of TGFbeta signaling in many common human phenotypes, including craniosynostosis, cleft palate, arterial aneurysms, congenital heart disease and mental retardation, and suggest that comprehensive mechanistic insight will require consideration of both primary and compensatory events.     

Driver mutations in histone H3.3 and chromatin remodelling genes in paediatric glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a lethal brain tumour in adults and children. However, DNA copy number and gene expression signatures indicate differences between adult and paediatric cases. To explore the genetic events underlying this distinction, we sequenced the exomes of 48 paediatric GBM samples. Somatic mutations in the H3.3-ATRX-DAXX chromatin remodelling pathway were identified in 44% of tumours (21/48). Recurrent mutations in H3F3A, which encodes the replication-independent histone 3 variant H3.3, were observed in 31% of tumours, and led to amino acid substitutions at two critical positions within the histone tail (K27M, G34R/G34V) involved in key regulatory post-translational modifications. Mutations in ATRX (α-thalassaemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked) and DAXX (death-domain associated protein), encoding two subunits of a chromatin remodelling complex required for H3.3 incorporation at pericentric heterochromatin and telomeres, were identified in 31% of samples overall, and in 100% of tumours harbouring a G34R or G34V H3.3 mutation. Somatic TP53 mutations were identified in 54% of all cases, and in 86% of samples with H3F3A and/or ATRX mutations. Screening of a large cohort of gliomas of various grades and histologies (n = 784) showed H3F3A mutations to be specific to GBM and highly prevalent in children and young adults. Furthermore, the presence of H3F3A/ATRX-DAXX/TP53 mutations was strongly associated with alternative lengthening of telomeres and specific gene expression profiles. This is, to our knowledge, the first report to highlight recurrent mutations in a regulatory histone in humans, and our data suggest that defects of the chromatin architecture underlie paediatric and young adult GBM pathogenesis.     

A new type of synthetic peptide library for identifying ligand-binding activity

Our aim was to improve techniques for drug development by facilitating the identification of small molecules that bind with high affinity to acceptor molecules (for example, cell-surface receptors, enzymes, antibodies) and so to mimic or block their interaction with the natural ligand. Previously such small molecules have been characterized individually on a serial basis. The systematic synthesis and screening of peptide libraries of defined structure represents a new approach. For relatively small libraries, predetermined sequence variations on solid-phase supports have been used, and large libraries have been produced using a bacteriophage vector into which random oligodeoxynucleotide sequences have been introduced, but these techniques have severe limitations. Here we investigate an alternative approach to synthesis and screening of peptide libraries. Our simple methodology greatly enhances the production and rapid evaluation of random libraries of millions of peptides so that acceptor-binding ligands of high affinity can be rapidly identified and sequenced, on the basis of a 'one-bead, one-peptide' approach.