Structural and expressional analysis of a cDNA that expresses predominantly in rice stamens

The development of stamen is an important stage during the sexual reproduction in higher plants. Studying the genes that predominantly or even specifically expressed in stamens will aid in undestanding the molecular mechanism of stamen development. The structure of a rice CHS-like gene (D5) which predominantly expressed in anthers has been analysised, showing high structural similarity with two other anther-specific genes (A1 and BA42) fromBrassica napus. Northern analysis also reveals that the three genes share a similar expression pattern and that the expression of D5 may relate to the early development of pollens. It is concluded that D5, A1 and BA42 represent a group of diverged CHS-like genes which are related to stamen development.     

Cyclophosphamide-impaired regulation of hepatic heme metabolism

Summary Im male rats hepatic cytochromes b₅ and P-450 were reduced at different times after treatment with cyclophosphamide (CP) (200 mg/kg i.p. for 3 days). In contrast, microsomal heme did not change until 48 h after the last dose of CP, leading to accumulation of heme in a non-cytochromal form. Parallel to the above changes the heme metabolism showed derangement: -aminolaevulinate synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme in heme synthesis, was depressed and heme oxygenase, the enzyme which catalyzes the oxidative degradation of heme, was increased.     

不同动物小肠肌间神经丛内NOS神经元分布的比较

采用NADPH-黄递酶组织化学法对草鱼、牛蛙、家鸡和大鼠小肠肌间神经丛内NOS阳性神经元的分布进行了比较研究．结果表明，NOS阳性产物在草鱼肌间神经丛中未见分布，而在其它几类动物中阳性反应明显．但在不同动物NOS阳性神经元的形态、分布、密度及神经纤维的分布存在差异．在牛蛙、家鸡和大鼠的小肠肌间神经丛中，NOS阳性神经元的分布从分散到集中，形态呈现由不规则形到规则形再到不规则形的复杂变化；神经节从无到有，神经网络由不发达趋于发达；而在每种动物中，NOS阳性神经元的密度沿肠道由前向后基本呈上升趋势，这种节段性的差异牛蛙极显著，家鸡和大鼠则不甚显著．实验结果提示，随着动物的进化，一氧化氮能神经元在肠肌间神经丛中的分布也更加复杂而有序，从而使胃肠道的调节更加精确．     

表达长喙田菁SrPCS4烟草的获得及Cd抗性研究

植物螯合肽(phytochelatins,PCs)在植物解除重金属的毒性方面具有重要作用,是以谷胱甘肽为底物,在植物螯肽合成酶(phytochelatin synthase,PCS)催化下合成的.作者已经克隆得到的长喙田菁(Sesba-nia rostrata)植物螯合肽合成酶SrPCS4 cDNA长为1035 bp,其ORF编码177个氨基酸,以pHANNIBAL及pART27为基础,构建了CaMV35S启动子驱动的SrPCS4基因植物表达载体pAM25,采用电击转化方法将pAM25导入根癌农杆菌EHA105,并通过改良叶盘转化方法用该菌株对烟草进行了转化,对转基因烟草进行了PCR与northern-blot检测,研究结果表明得到了表达该基因的烟草,但表达该基因的烟草不能够提高对Cd的抗性.     

Sugar-mimicking glycosidase inhibitors: bioactivity and application

A large number of compounds mimicking the structures of monosaccharides or oligosaccharides have been discovered from natural sources. Such sugar mimics inhibit carbohydrate-degrading enzymes because of a structural resemblance to the sugar moiety of the natural substrate. Carbohydrate-degrading enzymes are involved in a wide range of important biological processes, such as intestinal digestion, posttranslational processing of the sugar chain of glycoproteins, their quality control mechanisms, lysosomal catabolism of glycoconjugates, and some viral infections. It has now been realized that inhibitors of the enzymes have enormous therapeutic potential in diabetes and lysosomal storage disorders. In this review, the general bioactivity, current applications, and the prospects for new therapeutic applications are described. Received 27 August 2008; received after revision 08 November 2008; accepted 03 December 2008     

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β and Alzheimer’s disease: pathophysiological and therapeutic significance

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with cognitive and behavioral dysfunction and is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Several studies have implicated molecular and cellular signaling cascades involving the serine-threonine kinase, glycogen synthase kinase β(GSK-3β) in the pathogenesis of AD. GSK-3β may play an important role in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques, the two classical pathological hallmarks of AD. In this review, we discuss the interaction between GSK-3β and several key molecules involved in AD, including the presenilins, amyloid precursor protein, tau, and β-amyloid. We identify the signal transduction pathways involved in the pathogenesis of AD, including Wnt, Notch, and the PI3 kinase/Akt pathway. These may be potential therapeutic targets in AD. Received 19 December 2005; received after revision 24 January 2006; accepted 6 February 2006     

真菌聚酮合酶分类进展及其应用

概述了真菌聚酮合酶几种有代表性的新分类,这些分类对于进一步认识、改造和利用真菌聚酮合酶以及开发真菌聚酮化合物资源等方面具有重要意义。     

Effects of truncated mutants of the ε subunit of chloroplast ATP synthase on the fast phase of millisecond delayed light emission of chloroplast and its ATP synthesis ability

The ε subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase and the truncated ε mutants which lack some amino acid residues from the N-terminus or C-terminus were overexpressed in E. coil When the ε subunit or the truncated ε proteins was added to the spinach chloroplast suspension, both the intensity of the fast phase of millisecond delayed light emission (ms-DLE) and the cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation activity of chloroplast were enhanced. With an increase in the number of residues deleted from the N-terminus, the enhancement effect of the N-terminal truncated proteins decreased gradually. For the C-terminal truncated proteins, the enhancement effect increased gradually with an increase in the number of residues deleted from the C-terminus. Besides, the ATP synthesis activity of ε-deficient membrane reconstituted with the ε subunit or the truncated ε proteins was compared. The ATP synthesis activity of reconstituted membrane with the N-terminal truncated proteins decreased gradually as the number of residues deleted from the N-terminus increased. For the C-terminal truncated proteins, the ATP synthesis activity of reconstituted membrane increased gradually with an increase in the number of residues deleted from the C-terminus, but was still lower than that of the wild type ε protein. These results suggested that: (a) the N-terminal domain of the ε subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase could affect the ATP synthesis activity of ATP synthase by regulating the efficiency of blocking proton leakage of ε subunit; and (b) the C-terminal domain of the ε subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase had a subtle function in modulating the ATP synthesis ability of ATP synthase.     

Enzymes and receptors in the leukotriene cascade

Leukotrienes are a family of paracrine hormones derived from the oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid. These lipid mediators are recognized as important signal molecules in a variety of inflammatory and allergic conditions affecting the skin, joints, gastrointestinal and respiratory systems, in particular asthma. Such conditions are typified by local pain, tissue edema, hyperemia and functional losses. In the tissues, immunocompetent cells accumulate at the site of injury which contribute to tissue damage and perpetuation of the disease process. Leukotrienes can elicit most, if not all, of these signs and symptoms. Thus, leukotriene B₄ is one of the most powerful chemotactic agents known to date and participates in the recruitment of leukocytes. The cysteinyl leukotrienes, on the other hand, contract smooth muscles, particularly in the peripheral airways and microcirculation. Recently, drugs which block the formation and action of leukotrienes have been introduced as novel antiasthmatic medications. This chapter reviews the biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology of the key enzymes and cognate receptors in the leukotriene cascade.     

Arginase expression in peritoneal macrophages and increase in circulating polyamine levels in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni

We investigated the nitric oxide (NO) synthase and arginase pathways in resident peritoneal macrophages of mice infected with the tropical parasite Schistosoma mansoni. The two enzymes may have opposite effects, insofar as NO may be involved in the killing of the parasite whereas arginase may stimulate parasite growth via polyamine synthesis. We determined the effects of the infection on the expression and activity of the two enzymes in macrophages, before and after cytokine activation. Cells from infected mice expressed the hepatic type I arginase, whereas in control cells, the enzyme was expressed only after cytokine activation, as were NO synthase II and type II arginase in both groups of cells. Moreover, we found that in infected mice, arginase expression in macrophages was associated with a ten fold increase in the concentration of circulating ornithine-derived polyamines. This may be of pathological importance, since parasitic helminths are though to be dependent on their hosts for the uptake and interconversion of polyamines. Received 13 March 2001; received after revision 4 May 2001; accepted 7 June 2001