稀土离子对重组内皮抑素与肝素相互作用的影响

通过荧光光谱法和圆二色谱法研究了重组内皮抑素与稀土离子和肝素的作用.结果表明,稀土离子和肝素都可以与重组内皮抑素结合并引起蛋白的荧光猝灭和二级结构的改变,稀土离子与重组内皮抑素的结合会影响其与肝素的相互作用,并降低重组内皮抑素对人脐静脉内皮细胞的增殖抑制活性.     

重组内皮抑素的性质表征与生物活性分析

通过SDS—PAGE电泳、基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱、高效液相色谱、地高辛方法、蛋白印迹方法、鸡胚尿囊膜血管生成抑制实验和透射电子显微镜法对重组内皮抑素进行纯度分析、鉴定和生物活性研究。重组内皮抑素纯度达到99％，能够抑制鸡胚尿囊膜新血管生成和人脐静脉内皮细胞ECV304增殖，引发内皮细胞的凋亡。     

MALDI-TOF-MS法对重组人内皮抑素蛋白分子质量测定

肿瘤的生长依赖于血管的生成,新生血管不仅为肿瘤生长提供必需的营养物质,而且为肿瘤细胞扩散提供了重要的途径。1997年哈佛大学的O'Reilly等发现了一种内源性新血管生成抑制因子内皮抑素(Endoscatin),显示出特异抑制激活的血管内皮细胞增殖和肿瘤新血管生成的生物学活性,其抗肿瘤作用具有高效、低毒、无耐药性的优点。目前,内皮抑素的研究引起了国内外广泛的兴趣,在美国已进行以安全性为目的的I期临床实验,国内也有多家公司对内皮抑素进行了抗肿瘤研究并申报一类新药。内皮抑素有望成为医治肿瘤而又没有化疗和放疗的毒副作用的一种新的治疗方法,但是否能作为药物应用于临床,尚需对内皮抑素的结构特点及抑制肿瘤和内皮细胞的作用机制等方面进行许多深入的研究。     

荧光光谱和圆二色谱研究重组内皮抑素与芦荟大黄素的相互作用

利用荧光光谱法和圆二色谱法研究了重组内皮抑素与中药有效成分芦荟大黄素的相互作用机制,求得两者在25℃和37℃的结合常数Ka为6.623×104和3.796×104。研究发现,Zn2+等5种金属离子能够竞争性降低重组内皮抑制与芦荟大黄素的结合常数,下降幅度为35%～55%,并且其影响程度随温度升高而增强。鸡胚尿囊膜血管生成实验结果表明,芦荟大黄素能增强重组内皮抑素的抗血管生成活性,使其对新生血管的抑制作用提高50%。     

人工细胞外基质对血管内皮细胞生存的影响

通过物理吸附方法, 利用胶原、 聚赖氨酸和融合蛋白VEGF-Fc对聚苯乙烯培养板表面进行改性, 以研究细胞外基质材料对血管内皮细胞的影响. 结果表明, 3种蛋白显著提高了聚苯乙烯表面的亲水性. 内皮细胞的黏附、 增殖、 细胞骨架蛋白染色和血管性血友病因子(vWF)免疫染色实验结果表明, 胶原、 聚赖氨酸和VEGF-Fc基质均能有效提高血管内皮细胞的黏附, 其中胶原可与VEGF协同作用促进内皮细胞分化表型的表达; VEGF-Fc基质兼具了VEGF的生物学活性, 可促进内皮细胞的黏附和增殖以及vWF功能性蛋白的表达. 本研究为诱导材料表面内皮化和血管新生的生物活性材料的设计开发提供了新思路.     

具有嘌呤结构的细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂研究进展

细胞周期是细胞生命活动的基本特征,完整的细胞周期受多种蛋白酶的调控,细胞周期调控失调与细胞癌变有着密切的关系.细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂(cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors,CDKI)是以细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶(cyclin-dependent kinases,CDKs)为靶点,通过阻断细胞周期控制细胞增殖,从而达到抗肿瘤的目的.简述了细胞周期、细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂、细胞周期调控机制与抗肿瘤作用之间的关系,综述了近年来具有嘌呤骨架的细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂的研究进展,并展望了其发展趋势.     

含悬挂羧基手臂聚乳酸材料的内皮细胞黏附及其细胞活性

为了考察内皮化材料表面的细胞活性, 在前期工作的基础上, 分别在聚乳酸(PLA)、乳酸-苹果酸共聚物(PLMA), 以及含悬挂羟基或羧基的乳酸-苹果酸共聚物膜(PLMAHE,PLMACA)表面种植人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVEC), 成功地制备了内皮化表面. 通过测定内皮化材料表面内皮细胞释放的内皮型一氧化氮合酶(eNOS)以及一氧化氮的释放量, 间接考察了内皮细胞的抗凝血活性; 另外, 通过内皮化表面的血小板黏附实验, 直接观察了血小板在内皮细胞上的黏附情况. 实验结果表明, 含羧基材料表面的内皮细胞活性比PLA和PLMAHE的高; 相对其它材料PLMACA能更有效地保留黏附于其表面内皮细胞的活性, 其单位内皮细胞的eNOS以及NO的释放量分别为(41.8±8.1) μmol/104 cells和(0.76±0.16) U/104 cells. 电镜照片(SEM)显示, 各种材料表面的内皮细胞均能有效地减少血小板的黏附与聚集; 在内皮细胞脱落的区域, PLMACA仍能较好地实现其抑制血小板黏附的功能, 有望成为新型血管修复(替代)材料.     

小麦ACCase CT功能域基因在大肠杆菌中的表达及与除草剂的相互作用

以中国春小麦幼苗为材料,克隆构建了小麦质体乙酰辅酶A羧化酶(ACCase)的羧基转移酶(CT)重组质粒( RCP18-5),并实现了重组质粒在大肠杆菌中的可溶性高表达.对重组蛋白的性质研究表明,该蛋白具有较强的疏水性,稳定性不高.为改善这种状况,对CT功能域基因进行了截短和延长,同样于大肠杆菌中进行表达.结果表明,仅长...     

基于聚乙二醇和不同多肽构建的生物涂层及其内皮细胞选择性研究

利用自由基聚合反应将甲基丙烯酸聚乙二醇酯(PEGMA)和甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(GMA)的二元共聚物接枝在基材表面,并通过开环反应分别固定精氨酸-甘氨酸-天冬氨酸(RGD)、精氨酸-谷氨酸-天冬氨酸-缬氨酸(REDV)和酪氨酸-异亮氨酸-甘氨酸-丝氨酸-精氨酸(YIGSR)3种可特异性黏附内皮细胞的多肽.通过核磁共振检测合成的聚合物分子结构,并进一步通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS))以及原子力显微镜(AFM)的测试结果证明聚合物成功接枝在基材表面.利用紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)对表面固定的3种多肽进行了定量表征.体外内皮细胞和平滑肌细胞黏附结果表明,3种不同多肽修饰的共聚物表面均能够有效阻抗平滑肌细胞的黏附,同时不同程度地促进内皮细胞的黏附,从而实现了基材表面内皮细胞的选择性黏附.其中与RGD和YIGSR多肽修饰的表面相比,REDV多肽修饰的表面呈现出更优异的内皮细胞选择性.这种具有内皮细胞特异选择性的界面在心血管支架涂层原位内皮化方面具有良好的应用前景.     

多功能基因递送系统促进内皮细胞增殖

由于自体血管供应不足,人工血管在心血管疾病的临床治疗中发挥着非常重要的作用。人工血管由于表面缺乏活性内皮层,经常面临术后再狭窄等问题,严重限制了其在临床中的应用。人工血管内皮化能够提高其血液相容性并维持其长期通畅率。大量研究表明,多功能基因递送系统可以促进血管内皮细胞增殖,从而实现人工血管快速内皮化。近年来,功能多肽和阳离子聚合物为开发低毒且高效的多功能基因递送系统提供了有效途径。本文详细介绍了目前用于血管内皮细胞基因转染的功能多肽和聚阳离子基因载体,重点阐述了促进内皮细胞增殖的多功能逐级靶向基因递送系统的研究进展,对采用基因转染方式促进人工血管快速内皮化进行了分析和展望。     

Purification and characterization of recombinant murine endostatin in E. coli

Endostatin, a carboxyl-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII is known as an anti-angiogenic agent, that specifically inhibits the proliferation of endothelial cell and the growth of several primary tumor. We report here the purification and characterization of the recombinant murine endostatin (rmEndostatin) which was expressed in a prokaryotic expression system. This rmEndostatin has similar physiochemical properties of yeast-produced recombinant endostatin, and it also specifically inhibits the proliferation and migration of bovine capillary endothelial cells stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor. The biological activity of rmEndostatin was also shown by its anti-angiogenic ability on the chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryo in vivo. In this article, we demonstrate the refolding and purification of rmEndostatin, expressed using E. coli system, to a biologically active and soluble form. In addition, these results confirm the activity of endostatin as a potent anti-angiogenic agent.     

Hypoxia induces Wee1 expression and attenuates hydrogen peroxide-induced endothelial damage in MS1 cells

In an oxygen-depleted environment, endothelial cells initiate an adaptive pattern of synthesis, which may enable them to survive hypoxic crises. Using high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in conjunction with mass spectroscopy, we obtained a 24 differential display of proteins in the pancreatic endothelial cell line, MS-1, at four time points following induction of hypoxia. The induction of Wee1 under hypoxia was confirmed both at the mRNA and protein levels. The phosphorylation of cell division cycle 2, which is downstream of Wee1, was also increased after hypoxic exposure. In addition, pre-exposure to hypoxia attenuated a decrease in hydrogen peroxide-induced cell number. The induction of bax (a pro-apoptotic protein) and reduction of bcl (an anti-apoptotic protein) after hypoxia stimulus were also attenuated by hypoxic pre-exposure. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide-induced morphologic damage did not appear in the wild-type Wee1-expressing cells. Taken together, our results suggest that Wee1 may have important role in hypoxia- induced pathophysiological situations in endothelial cells.     

Uptake of Cell-Penetrating Peptide RL2 by Human Lung Cancer Cells: Monitoring by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy

RL2 is a recombinant analogue of a human κ-casein fragment, capable of penetrating cells and inducing apoptosis of cancer cells with no toxicity to normal cells. The exact mechanism of RL2 penetration into cells remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of RL2 penetration into human lung cancer A549 cells by a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. EPR spectra of A549 cells incubated with RL2 (sRL2) spin-labeled by a highly stable 3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl radical were found to contain three components, with their contributions changing with time. The combined EPR and confocal-microscopy data allowed us to assign these three forms of sRL2 to the spin-labeled protein sticking to the membrane of the cell and endosomes, to the spin-labeled protein in the cell interior, and to spin labeled short peptides formed in the cell because of protein digestion. EPR spectroscopy enabled us to follow the kinetics of transformations between different forms of the spin-labeled protein at a minimal spin concentration (3–16 μM) in the cell. The prospects of applications of spin-labeled cell-penetrating peptides to EPR imaging, DNP, and magnetic resonance imaging are discussed, as is possible research on an intrinsically disordered protein in the cell by pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy.     

Cathepsin L derived from skeletal muscle cells transfected with bFGF promotes endothelial cell migration

Gene transfer of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been shown to induce significant endothelial migration and angiogenesis in ischemic disease models. Here, we investigate what factors are secreted from skeletal muscle cells (SkMCs) transfected with bFGF gene and whether they participate in endothelial cell migration. We constructed replication-defective adenovirus vectors containing the human bFGF gene (Ad/bFGF) or a control LacZ gene (Ad/LacZ) and obtained conditioned media, bFGF-CM and LacZ-CM, from SkMCs infected by Ad/bFGF or Ad/LacZ, respectively. Cell migration significantly increased in HUVECs incubated with bFGF-CM compared to cells incubated with LacZ-CM. Interestingly, HUVEC migration in response to bFGF-CM was only partially blocked by the addition of bFGF-neutralizing antibody, suggesting that bFGF-CM contains other factors that stimulate endothelial cell migration. Several proteins, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and cathepsin L, increased in bFGF-CM compared to LacZ-CM; based on 1-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Their increased mRNA and protein levels were confirmed by RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis. The recombinant human bFGF protein induced MMP-1, PAI-1, and cathepsin L expression in SkMCs. Endothelial cell migration was reduced in groups treated with bFGF-CM containing neutralizing antibodies against MMP-1 or PAI-1. In particular, HUVECs treated with bFGF-CM containing cell-impermeable cathepsin L inhibitor showed the most significant decrease in cell migration. Cathepsin L protein directly promotes endothelial cell migration through the JNK pathway. These results indicate that cathepsin L released from SkMCs transfected with the bFGF gene can promote endothelial cell migration.     

Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) via hydrolysis and layer-by-layer assembly of chitosan and chondroitin sulfate to construct cytocompatible layer for human endothelial cells

Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film was performed by surface hydrolysis and layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly followed a mechanism of electrostatic adsorption of oppositely charged polymers, exemplified with chitosan and chondroitin sulfate (CS). Hydrolysis of PET in concentrated alkaline solution produced a carboxyl-enriched surface. The changes of weight loss and surface chemistry, morphology and wettability were monitored and verified by UV-vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle. Assembly of positively charged chitosan and negatively charged CS was then conducted in a LBL manner to create multilayers on the hydrolyzed PET film. The process of layer growth and oscillation of surface wettability were monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy and water contact angle measurement, respectively. In vitro cell culture revealed that the adherence of endothelial cells was significantly enhanced on the biomacromolecules-modified PET film with preserved endothelial cell function, in particular on those assembled with larger number of chitosan/CS layers. However, with regard to cell proliferation and viability properties after cultured for 4 days, minor difference was determined between the modified and the unmodified PET films.     

Effects of the cyclin-dependent kinase 10 (CDK10) on the tamoxifen sensitivity of keloid samples

Cyclin-dependent kinase 10 (CDK10) is a cell cycle regulating protein kinase, which has just been discriminated in recent years. In this paper, mRNA and protein expression of CDK10 were first investigated by a comparative study between 23 human keloid tissue samples and their adjacent normal skin. To further address its potential as a therapeutic target in the treatment of keloid, a plasmid expressing the CDK10 gene was transfected into keloid fibroblast. The effects on tamoxifen-induced apoptosis were then investigated using Western blot assay and flow cytometry. Results showed that there is a generally down-regulated expression of CDK10 in keloid compared to normal skin samples. Transfection with the recombinant CDK10 plasmid significantly decreased the viability of cells and increased the apoptosis rates. Tamoxifen sensitivity in keloid fibroblasts was observed after treatment with the recombinant CDK10 plasmid. The results suggested that CDK10 may play an important role in enhancement of tamoxifen efficiency, and its expression may have a synergistic effect on keloid treatments.     

Determination of the disulfide bond pattern of the endogenous and recombinant angiogenesis inhibitor endostatin by mass spectrometry.

Endostatin, a C-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII, is a promising protein drug which is in development for cancer therapy due to its anti-angiogenic activity. Although several endogenous molecular forms of human endostatin differing in their N-terminal length and their post-translational modifications (18.5-22 kDa) have been discovered, only one recombinant form of 20 kDa is used in clinical trials. This protein, recombinantly expressed in Pichia pastoris, contains four cysteines forming two disulfide bonds (Cys1-Cys4 and Cys2-Cys3). In contrast, there are conflicting data about the disulfide pattern of endogenous material. This report presents the disulfide analyses of both the endogenous circulating endostatins isolated from human hemofiltrate and the recombinant protein. The determination of the disulfide pattern was performed by Edman degradation, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) and electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-ITMS) performed in the off-line nanospray mode. All native and recombinant endostatins exhibited a Cys1-Cys4 (Cys(162)-Cys(302)) and Cys2-Cys3 (Cys(264)-Cys(294)) linkage. For a clear discussion of fragmented disulfide-bridged peptide chains obtained from MS(n) experiments, a modified general nomenclature is proposed.