In silico analysis of proteins and microRNAs related to human African trypanosomiasis in tsetse fly

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, causes millions of deaths worldwide. HAT is primarily transmitted by the vector tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans). Early diagnosis remains a key objective for treating this disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved small non-coding RNAs that play key roles in vector-borne diseases. To date, the roles of proteins and miRNAs in HAT disease have not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we have re-annotated the function of protein-coding genes and identified several miRNAs based on a series of bioinformatics tools. A batch of 81.1 % of tsetse fly proteins could be determined homology in mosquito genome, suggesting their probable similar mechanisms in vector-borne diseases. A set of 11 novel salivary proteins and 14 midgut proteins were observed in the tsetse fly, which could be applied to the development of vaccine candidates for the control of HAT disease. In addition, 35 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 10 miRNAs were found to be unique in tsetse fly. Pathway analysis of these 10 miRNAs indicated that targets of miR-15a-5p were significantly enriched in the HAT-related neurotrophin signaling pathway. Besides, topological analysis of the miRNA-gene network indicated that miR-619-5p and miR-2490-3p targeted several genes that respond to trypanosome infection, including thioester-containing protein Tep1 and heat shock protein Hsp60a. In conclusion, our work helps to elucidate the function of miRNAs in tsetse fly and establishes a foundation for further investigations into the molecular regulatory mechanisms of HAT disease.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis with UV-scanning detection for the analysis of metal species and their organic binding partners in biological systems

A capillary zone electrophoretic method with UV-scanning detection for the separation and identification of both free ligands and metal species is presented. The electrophoretic behavior of naturally occurring binding partners such as organic acids and amino acids was studied and compared with their metal-complexes. Copper(II) complexes of citrate and amino acids showed decreased electrophoretic mobilities and altered UV spectra. The optimized method was validated on ultrafiltered cow's milk and human milk samples. In cow's milk six low molecular weight substances, including citrate, orotate, and hippurate, could be separated. Metal supplementation with Cu(II), Ni(II), or Zn(II) decreased not only the citrate peak but also the orotate signal and in the case of copper(II) supplementation a new signal for the copper(II)-citrate complex appeared. In human milk samples various amino acids such as glutamate, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan could be identified besides citrate. The electrophoretic mobilites and peak areas of the amino acids were also influenced by the metal supplementation.     

铋膜电极微分电位溶出法测定生物材料中痕量铅

研究了镀铋膜电极替代镀汞膜电极痕量铅的微分电位溶出分析法(DPSA)。考察并优化了同位镀铋膜测定铅的条件。结果表明,在HAc-NaAc(pH=4.4)介质中,铅可在镀铋膜电极上得到灵敏的微分电位溶出峰;利用标准加入法对人尿及血中痕量铅进行了测定。本法避免了镀汞膜电极对人体健康及环境的危害。     

共振光散射法测定环境水样中痕量锡

基于在Tris-HCl介质中,痕量锡对氯酚红-人血白蛋白-十二烷基硫酸钠体系的共振散射光谱有明显的猝灭作用;考察了它们的光谱特征、影响因素和适宜的反应条件;确定了散射光强度与Sn2 的关系,从而建立了测定痕量锡的共振光散射新方法.该法在室温下进行,操作方便,灵敏度高和选择性好.其线性范围为0.2-4.0μg/L,检出限0.12μg/L,用于环境水样中痕量Sn2 的测定,相对标准偏差小于3.1%,加标回收率为95.5%-100.5%,效果良好.     

Interactions of human islet amyloid polypeptide with lipid structure of different curvatures

Curvature is one of the most important features of lipid membranes in living cells, which significantly influences the structure of lipid membranes and their interaction with proteins. Taken the human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), an important protein related to the pathogenesis of type II diabetes, as an example, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the interaction between the protein and the lipid structures with varied curvatures. We found that the lipids in the high curvature membrane pack loosely with high mobility. The hIAPP initially forms H-bonds with the membrane surface that anchored the protein, and then inserts into the membrane through the hydrophobic interactions between the residues and the hydrophobic tails of the lipids. hIAPP can insert into the membrane more deeply with a larger curvature and with a stronger binding strength. Our result provided important insights into the mechanism of the membrane curvature-dependent property of proteins with molecular details.     

石英芯片电泳分离检测尿中蛋白的研究

通过对缓冲体系、缓冲液浓度、酸度、乳酸钙浓度、乙胺浓度、电泳电压和进样时间的优化选择，用石英芯片电泳一紫外检测法分离了纯人白蛋白和人运铁蛋白；在75mmol／L硼酸盐（pH10．55）（含0．8mmol／L乳酸钙、1％（φ）乙胺）运行缓冲液中，上述两组分在3min内完全分离；纯人白蛋白和人运铁蛋白的线性范围分别为1．0～15．0g/L和1．0～10．0g／L；检出限（S／N=3）均为0．5g／L，应用于临床尿蛋白分离测定，并与Helena琼脂糖凝胶电泳仪电泳结果进行比较，获得一致结果。     

Determination of human IgG by solid-substrate room-temperature phosphorescence immunoassay based on an antibody labeled with nanoparticles containing rhodamine 6G luminescent molecules

Luminescent 50-nm silicon dioxide nanoparticles containing both types of rhodamine 6G (R; particles denoted R-SiO₂) were synthesized by the sol–gel method. In the presence of Pb(Ac)₂ as a heavy atom perturber the particle can emit the intense and stable room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) signal of R on a polyamide membrane, with _ex^max/_em^max=470/635 nm for R. Our research indicates that the specific immune reaction between goat-anti-human IgG antibody labeled with R-SiO₂ and human IgG can be carried out quantitatively on a polyamide membrane, and the phosphorescence intensity was enhanced after the immunoreaction. Thus a new method for solid-substrate room-temperature phosphorescence immunoassay (SS-RTP-IA) for determination of human IgG was established on the basis of antibody labeled with the nanoparticles containing binary luminescent molecules. The linear range of this method is 0.0624–20.0 pg spot^–1 of human IgG (corresponding to a concentration range of 0.156–50.0 ng mL^–1, sample volume 0.40 L spot^–1). The regression equations of the working curves are I_p=71.27+7.208m_IgG (pg spot^–1) (r=0.9996). Detection limits calculated as 3S_b/k are 0.022 pg spot^–1. Compared with the same IA using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) as the marker the new method was more sensitive and had a wider linear range. After elevenfold replicate measurement RSD are 4.5 and 3.6% for samples containing 0.156 and 50.0 ng mL^–1 IgG, respectively. This method is sensitive, accurate, and of high precision.     

乌头碱的LC-MS定量分析

乌头生物碱各成分毒性差异很大,其中乌头碱的毒性为其它成分的100-2000倍,是引起中毒和死亡的主要原因。乌头生物碱种类多,在煎煮或泡制过程中易水解产生不同水解产物,进入体内后代谢情况又不明,因此采用液相色谱方法对体内检材乌头碱成分仅靠保留时间确定依据不足,定量工作更是无法开展。但在现实生活中炮制后的乌头植物可入药,且炮制过的乌头植物也可检出少量原碱。遇到体内检材中检验出乌头生物碱成分时,办案单位往往希望有一个量的甄别。经查阅资料,未见体内检材(如血、肝、尿等)中乌头碱含量的报道。我们应用LC-MS,采用646.4单离子扫描方式对实际案例血中乌头碱含量进行了测定,为今后的进一步研究和同行提供数据积累。     

人血中10种常见毒品的GC-MS同时检测方法研究

建立了同时检测人血液中鸦片类、巴比妥类和苯二氮卓类10种常见毒品的气相色谱-质谱新方法。系统地对提取溶剂及其组成配比、体系pH值、超声振荡提取时间等样品预处理条件以及色谱柱等GC-MS分析条件进行考察和优化。运用选择离子模式(SIM)检测,每种成分选择4个特征离子。所选的离子分别为:摇头丸m/z44、77、136、207;异戊巴比妥m/z156、55、141、41;司可巴比妥m/z168、97、195、41;咖啡因m/z194、82、109、67;安眠酮m/z235、213、250、91;美沙酮m/z72、57、165、213;吗啡m/z271、150、201、81;安定m/z256、221、283、165;氯氮平m/z243、227、256、192;艾司唑仑m/z207、239、293、259,其中黑斜体为定量离子。在选定的条件下,异戊巴比妥等7种药物在0.10~25.0 mg/L范围内线性关系良好,安定等3种药物在0.50~25.0 mg/L范围内线性关系良好,方法回收率在96%~103%之间,RSD在1.64%~6.32%之间,检出限为0.01~0.05 mg/kg。本文同时研究了pH值对吗啡类药物的影响机理。与文献报道的检测方法比较,本法更加简便易行,灵敏度提高1个数量级以上,分析时间缩短,用色谱保留时间与质谱同时定性,消除血液中其他成分干扰,结果准确可靠,选择性和重复性好,可应用于中毒患者体液样品及毒物成分的分析检测。     

微分电位溶出法测定人发中铜铅镉锌的研究

本文报道了０．００２５ｍｏｌ·Ｌ￣（－１）ＨＣｌ－０．２ｍｏｌ·Ｌ￣（－１）ＮＨ＿（４）Ｃｌ底液中连续测定人发中铜、铅、镉、锌的微分电位溶出法。四元素峰电位分别为－０．２０Ｖ，－０．４６Ｖ，－０．６７Ｖ，一１．０２Ｖ（ＳＣＥ），峰形好，灵敏度高，干扰少，测定发样相对标准偏差≤４．３％，回收率为９７．６％～１０４．６％。并对ＨＮＯ＿３－ＨＣｌＯ＿４和ＨＮＯ＿（３）Ｈ＿（２）Ｏ＿２消化发样进行了比较。