福氏痢疾菌膜成分与细菌抗原性和毒力的关系

应用免疫转移技术,用从感染福氏痢疾菌的病人获取的恢复期血清分析了福氏痢疾菌膜成分与细菌抗原性和毒力的关一。发现福氏痢疾菌的膜蛋白67kD和63kD均含有两种成分,一种和膜蛋白60kD都可能是保护性抗原,而另一种与膜蛋白78kD和35kD一样与福氏痢疾菌的毒力有关。采用微细胞同位素掺入示踪显示这些与病人恢复期血清反应的膜蛋白由质粒编码。     

Entrapment of microbial cells and organelles with hydrophilic urethane prepolymers

Summary Microbial cells and cellular organelles were immobilized by mixing aqueous suspensions of the biocatalysts with water-miscible urethane prepolymers. Thus immobilized preparations of acetone-dried cells of Arthrobacter simplex and thawed cells of Nocardia rhodocrous showed appreciable {ie351-1} activities in the transformation of hydrocortisone into prednisolone and 4-androstene-3,17-dione to androst-1,4-diene-3,17-dione, respectively. The activities of catalase and alcohol oxidase were observed in the immobilized peroxisomes (microbodies) of a methanol-grown yeast Kloeckera sp. No. 2201. Yeast mitochondria entrapped with the prepolymer showed adenylate kinase activity. These results indicate the usefulness of the urethane prepolymers as convenient materials for entrapment of not only enzymes, but also organelles and microbial cells.     

Role of PCK2 in the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in neointimal hyperplasia

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation is a hallmark of neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) in atherosclerosis and restenosis post-balloon angioplasty and stent insertion. Although numerous cytotoxic and cytostatic therapeutics have been developed to reduce NIH, it is improbable that a multifactorial disease can be successfully treated by focusing on a preconceived hypothesis. We, therefore, aimed to identify key molecules involved in NIH via a hypothesis-free approach. We analyzed four datasets ({"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE28829","term_id":"28829"}}GSE28829, {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE43292","term_id":"43292"}}GSE43292, {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE100927","term_id":"100927"}}GSE100927, and {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE120521","term_id":"120521"}}GSE120521), evaluated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in wire-injured femoral arteries of mice, and determined their association with VSMC proliferation in vitro. Moreover, we performed RNA sequencing on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-stimulated human VSMCs (hVSMCs) post-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (PCK2) knockdown and investigated pathways associated with PCK2. Finally, we assessed NIH formation in Pck2 knockout (KO) mice by wire injury and identified PCK2 expression in human femoral artery atheroma. Among six DEGs, only PCK2 and RGS1 showed identical expression patterns between wire-injured femoral arteries of mice and gene expression datasets. PDGF-induced VSMC proliferation was attenuated when hVSMCs were transfected with PCK2 siRNA. RNA sequencing of PCK2 siRNA-treated hVSMCs revealed the involvement of the Akt-FoxO-PCK2 pathway in VSMC proliferation via Akt2, Akt3, FoxO1, and FoxO3. Additionally, NIH was attenuated in the wire-injured femoral artery of Pck2-KO mice and PCK2 was expressed in human femoral atheroma. PCK2 regulates VSMC proliferation in response to vascular injury via the Akt-FoxO-PCK2 pathway. Targeting PCK2, a downstream signaling mediator of VSMC proliferation, may be a novel therapeutic approach to modulate VSMC proliferation in atherosclerosis.     

高速逆流色谱法制备灵芝萜烯酮醇

本研究建立一种从灵芝子实体提取物中快速制备灵芝萜烯酮醇的方法.以沪农灵芝1号子实体为原料,经乙醇提取、D101大孔树脂富集后,再经一次正相色谱柱层析,获得富含灵芝萜烯酮醇的流分.采用高速逆流色谱法对该流分进行分离,优化分离条件,获得的最佳条件为:溶剂体系为正己烷-乙酸乙酯-甲醇-水(V/V/V/V,12∶24∶18∶9...     

牧户的草原生态补偿政策满意度与支持度——基于CSI框架和SEM的检验

从生计和生态双重维度探究牧户的草原生态补偿政策满意度与支持度,对于深化草原生态补偿制度改革,促进草原生态文明建设和牧区绿色发展,具有重要的理论与现实意义。基于马克思“生态经济人”预设的微观视角,以费耐尔满意度逻辑模型(CSI)为理论框架,使用2020年若尔盖草原574个牧户调研数据,通过反映性指标的结构方程模型(SEM),对牧户草原生态补偿政策满意度和支持度的因果机制进行了多变量、多路径的验证性分析。结果表明：(1)牧户对生计收入和生态质量越重视、“生态经济人”理性越高,其政策满意度就越高,生态保护的心理主动性也越大,相对效应大小=0.271。(2)牧户对政策实施结果的质量评价,是牧户政策满意度和支持度的主要影响因素,相对效应大小=0.518。(3)牧户对政策实施效果的价值感知,将会直接提升其政策满意度,并进一步促进其生态保护理性,相对效应大小=0.312。因此,提高牧户对草原生态补偿政策的满意度与支持度,应重点从三个维度综合施策：首先,应重视发展草原生态文化,培育牧户生态经济理性。其次,要稳步提升生态补偿标准,加强草原保护的工作力量,提升政策实施结果的质量。最后,草原生态补偿要重点加...     

Nontraditional translation is the key to UFMylation and beyond

The Ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (Ufm1) is a ubiquitin-like protein that can also be conjugated to protein substrates and subsequently alter their fates. Both UFMylation and de-UFMylation are mediated by Ufm1-specific proteases (UFSPs). In humans, it is widely believed that UFSP2 is the only active Ufm1 protease involved in Ufm1 maturation and de-UFMylation, whereas UFSP1 is thought to be inactive. Here, Liang et al. provide strong evidence showing that human UFSP1 is also an active Ufm1 protease. These results solve an age-old mystery in the human Ufm1 conjugation system and could have a greater impact not only on Ufm1 biology but also on the translation of genes employing nontraditional start codons.     

Occurrence and stability of anion–π interactions between phosphate and nucleobases in functional RNA molecules

We present a systematic structural and energetic characterization of phosphate(OP)–nucleobase anion…π stacking interactions in RNAs. We observed OP–nucleobase stacking contacts in a variety of structural motifs other than regular helices and spanning broadly diverse sequence distances. Apart from the stacking between a phosphate and a guanine or a uracil two-residue upstream in specific U-turns, such interactions in RNA have been scarcely characterized to date. Our QM calculations showed an energy minimum at a distance between the OP atom and the nucleobase plane centroid slightly below 3 Å for all the nucleobases. By sliding the OP atom over the nucleobase plane we localized the optimal mutual positioning of the stacked moieties, corresponding to an energy minimum below -6 kcal•mol⁻¹, for all the nucleobases, consistently with the projections of the OP atoms over the different π-rings we observed in experimental occurrences. We also found that the strength of the interaction clearly correlates with its electrostatic component, pointing to it as the most relevant contribution. Finally, as OP–uracil and OP–guanine interactions represent together 86% of the instances we detected, we also proved their stability under dynamic conditions in model systems simulated by state-of-the art DFT-MD calculations.