人线粒体蛋白编码基因C2ORF47在细胞增殖与凋亡中的作用初探

线粒体在真核细胞中扮演着重要的角色,其功能障碍与许多疾病的发生密切相关.在这项研究中,我们鉴定了一个有Tim44样结构域(Tim44-like domain)的人类线粒体蛋白编码基因C2ORF47(chromosome 2openreading frame 47).该基因是从人的睾丸组织中克隆出来的,在人体各种组织中广泛表达.序列比对和进化分析表明,该蛋白质和其同系物在脊椎动物中是保守的.采用免疫荧光技术,我们发现该基因产物定位于线粒体.过表达C2ORF47可以抑制细胞增殖.使用siRNA敲减内源的C2ORF47能促进细胞增殖.此外,敲减C2ORF47会导致糖和血清饥饿引发的细胞凋亡大幅减少.总之,在细胞增殖和由饥饿引发的细胞凋亡的调控中,该基因可能发挥重要作用.     

桑色素对小鼠T细胞增殖、周期和巨噬细胞分泌NO的影响

目的:研究桑色素(morin)对小鼠T细胞增殖、细胞周期和腹腔巨噬细胞分泌一氧化氮(nitrogen monoxidum,NO)的影响.方法:以佛波醇酯(phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate,PDB)和离子霉素(ionomycin,Ion)联合刺激淋巴结来源的小鼠T淋巴细胞,再以不同终浓度的morin与上述细胞共培养,利用流式细胞术(FCM),以羧基荧光素双醋酸盐琥珀酰脂(carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimide ester,CFDA-SE)染色检测T细胞的增殖;以碘化丙锭(propidiumiodide,PI)染色分析T细胞的细胞周期;脂多糖(Lipopolysaccharide,LPS)刺激小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞,与不同浓度morin共培养,以Griess反应检测上清液中的NO含量.结果:CFDA-SE染色分析显示,PDB Ion组的增殖指数(proliferation index,PI)为1.70±0.05,各浓度的morin对PDB Ion刺激的T细胞增殖,具有明显地抑制作用,以100 μmol/L的morin抑制作用最明显,PI为1.03±0.01(P＜0.01).细胞周期的分析结果表明,morin组中处于S期的细胞比率较高,与PDB Ion组相比有明显差异.Griess反应检测NO含量的结果显示,各浓度组的morin均抑制LPS刺激巨噬细胞产生NO,100 μmol/L的morin可将LPS刺激巨噬细胞产生NO为(12.89±0.11)μmol/L降低为(7.25±0.05)μmol/L,抑制作用最强.结论:Morin可显著抑制PDB Ion刺激的T细胞增殖;其对增殖的抑制作用主要表现为S期的细胞的阻滞;对LPS刺激巨噬细胞产生的NO也有显著的抑制作用.     

Within the Ischemic Penumbra,Sub-Cellular Compartmentalization of Heat Shock Protein 70 Overlaps with Autophagy Proteins and Fails to Merge with Lysosomes

The brain area which surrounds the frankly ischemic region is named the area penumbra. In this area, most cells are spared although their oxidative metabolism is impaired. area penumbra is routinely detected by immunostaining of a molecule named Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70). Within the area penumbra, autophagy-related proteins also increase. Therefore, in the present study, the autophagy-related microtubule-associated protein I/II-Light Chain 3 (LC3) was investigated within the area penumbra along with HSP70. In C57 black mice, ischemia was induced by permanent occlusion of the distal part of the middle cerebral artery. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy show that LC3 and HSP70 are overexpressed and co-localize within the area penumbra in the same cells and within similar subcellular compartments. In the area penumbra, marked loss of co-localization of HSP70 and LC3-positive autophagy vacuoles, with lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) or cathepsin-D-positive lysosome vacuoles occurs. This study indicates that, within the area penumbra, a failure of autophagolysosomes depends on defective compartmentalization of LC3, LAMP1 and cathepsin-D and a defect in merging between autophagosomes and lysosomes. Such a deleterious effect is likely to induce a depletion of autophagolysosomes and cell clearing systems, which needs to be rescued in the process of improving neuronal survival.     

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Anti-Proliferative Potential of the Pyrazole Scaffold in the Design of Anticancer Agents

The current work presents an objective overview of the impact of one important heterocyclic structure, the pyrazole ring, in the development of anti-proliferative drugs. A set of 1551 pyrazole derivatives were extracted from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) database, together with their growth inhibition effects (GI%) on the NCI’s panel of 60 cancer cell lines. The structures of these derivatives were analyzed based on the compounds’ averages of GI% values across NCI-60 cell lines and the averages of the values for the outlier cells. The distribution and the architecture of the Bemis–Murcko skeletons were analyzed, highlighting the impact of certain scaffold structures on the anti-proliferative effect’s potency and selectivity. The drug-likeness, chemical reactivity and promiscuity risks of the compounds were predicted using AMDETlab. The pyrazole ring proved to be a versatile scaffold for the design of anticancer drugs if properly substituted and if connected with other cyclic structures. The 1,3-diphenyl-pyrazole emerged as a useful scaffold for potent and targeted anticancer candidates.     

Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Extracts Exert Cytotoxicity in Two Selected Melanoma Cell Lines—A Factorial Analysis of Time-Dependent Alterations in Values Obtained with SRB and MTT Assays

Despite the fact that phytochemicals of Cornaceae species have long been discussed as possible auxiliary agents in contemporary treatment, the insights on their properties remain relatively scarce. This study focuses on Cornus mas L. (Cornelian cherry), the extracts of which are reported to exert a pleiotropic effect shown in both in vivo and in vitro studies. This study aimed to explore the cytotoxic effect of extracts from fruits of red (Cornus mas L. ‘Podolski’) and yellow (Cornus mas L. ‘Yantarnyi’ and ‘Flava’) Cornelian cherries on two melanoma cell lines (A375 and MeWo). The extracts were characterized in the context of the concentration of bioactive compounds of antioxidative properties. Cytotoxicity was investigated with the use of the following two assays: SRB and MTT. An additional, alternative protocol for the SRB assay was used in this study so as to account for possible bias. Cytotoxicity was assessed as a difference in the whole time series of cell viability, instead of analyzing differences in raw values (often found in the literature). Both extracts from Cornus mas L. induced cytotoxicity in both A375 and MeWo cell lines, although the response of these cells was different. Moreover, based on this study, there is no evidence for claiming a different magnitude of cytotoxicity between these two extracts.     

The Pharmacokinetics in Mice and Cell Uptake of Thymus Immunosuppressive Pentapeptide Using LC-MS/MS Analysis

Thymus immunosuppressive pentapeptide (TIPP) is a novel anti-inflammatory peptide with high efficacy and low toxicity. This study aims to establish a selective LC-MS/MS method for analyzing the analyte TIPP in biological samples, laying the foundation for further PK and PD studies of TIPP. Protein precipitation was conducted in acetonitrile supplemented with 2% formic acid and 25 mg/mL dithiothreitol as a stabilizer, which was followed by backwashing the organic phase using dichloromethane. The chromatographic separation of TIPP was achieved on a C18 column with a gradient elution method. During positive electrospray ionization, TIPP was analyzed via multiple-reaction monitoring. The linear relationships between the concentration of TIPP and peak area in murine plasma cell lysates, supernatants, and the final cell rinse PBS were established within the ranges of 20–5000 ng/mL, 1–200 ng/mL, 10–200 μg/mL, and 0.1–20 ng/mL, respectively (r² > 0.99). Validated according to U.S. FDA guidelines, the proposed method was proved to be acceptable. Such a method had been successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of TIPP in mice via subcutaneous injection. The plasma half-life in mice was 5.987 ± 1.824 min, suggesting that TIPP is swiftly eliminated in vivo. The amount of TIPP uptake by RBL-2H3 cells was determined using this method, which was also visually verified by confocal. Furthermore, the effective intracellular concentration of TIPP was deduced by comparing the intracellular concentration of TIPP and degrees of inflammation, enlightening further investigation on the intracellular target and mechanism of TIPP.     

Acrylamide-Derived Ionome,Metabolic, and Cell Cycle Alterations Are Alleviated by Ascorbic Acid in the Fission Yeast

Acrylamide (AA), is a chemical with multiple industrial applications, however, it can be found in foods that are rich in carbohydrates. Due to its genotoxic and cytotoxic effects, AA has been classified as a potential carcinogen. With the use of spectrophotometry, ICP-OES, fluorescence spectroscopy, and microscopy cell growth, metabolic activity, apoptosis, ROS production, MDA formation, CAT and SOD activity, ionome balance, and chromosome segregation were determined in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. AA caused growth and metabolic activity retardation, enhanced ROS and MDA production, and modulated antioxidant enzyme activity. This led to damage to the cell homeostasis due to ionome balance disruption. Moreover, AA-induced oxidative stress caused alterations in the cell cycle regulation resulting in chromosome segregation errors, as 4.07% of cells displayed sister chromatid non-disjunction during mitosis. Ascorbic acid (AsA, Vitamin C), a strong natural antioxidant, was used to alleviate the negative impact of AA. Cell pre-treatment with AsA significantly improved AA impaired growth, and antioxidant capacity, and supported ionome balance maintenance mainly due to the promotion of calcium uptake. Chromosome missegregation was reduced to 1.79% (44% improvement) by AsA pre-incubation. Results of our multiapproach analyses suggest that AA-induced oxidative stress is the major cause of alteration to cell homeostasis and cell cycle regulation.     

Highly Effective Proton-Conduction Matrix-Mixed Membrane Derived from an -SO3H Functionalized Polyamide

Developing a low-cost and effective proton-conductive electrolyte to meet the requirements of the large-scale manufacturing of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is of great significance in progressing towards the upcoming “hydrogen economy” society. Herein, utilizing the one-pot acylation polymeric combination of acyl chloride and amine precursors, a polyamide with in-built -SO₃H moieties (PA-PhSO₃H) was facilely synthesized. Characterization shows that it possesses a porous feature and a high stability at the practical operating conditions of PEM fuel cells. Investigations of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements revealed that the fabricated PA-PhSO₃H displays a proton conductivity of up to 8.85 × 10⁻² S·cm⁻¹ at 353 K under 98% relative humidity (RH), which is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of its -SO₃H-free analogue, PA-Ph (6.30 × 10⁻⁴ S·cm⁻¹), under the same conditions. Therefore, matrix-mixed membranes were fabricated by mixing with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in different ratios, and the EIS analyses revealed that its proton conductivity can reach up to 4.90 × 10⁻² S·cm⁻¹ at 353 K and a 98% relative humidity (RH) when the weight ratio of PA-PhSO₃H:PAN is 3:1 (labeled as PA-PhSO₃H-PAN (3:1)), the value of which is even comparable with those of commercial-available electrolytes being used in PEM fuel cells. Additionally, continuous tests showed that PA-PhSO₃H-PAN (3:1) possesses a long-life reusability. This work demonstrates, using the simple acylation reaction with the sulfonated module as precursor, that low-cost and highly effective proton-conductive electrolytes for PEM fuel cells can be facilely achieved.     

基于分水岭变换的彩色细胞图像分割

提出了一种彩色细胞图像的分割方法,重点解决邻接或者重叠的细胞核或者细胞质之间的分割问题。算法主要基于数学形态学方法,首先利用k-均值聚类和直方图上的分水岭变换对像素进行聚类,从而得到细胞图像背景、细胞质和细胞核的粗略估计;然后利用形态学滤波和分水岭变换提取细胞核、细胞质的边界。结果表明:在少量人工干预的情况下,所述算法获得的细胞核、细胞质边界与实际情况比较吻合。对于含有邻接或者重叠的细胞核或者细胞质的图像,算法仍能提取理想的细胞组织边界。     

Natural Formulations Based on Olea europaea L. Fruit Extract for the Topical Treatment of HSV-1 Infections

In the present study, a hydroxytyrosol-rich Olea europaea L. fruit extract (OFE) was added to three thoroughly green formulations—hydrogel, oleogel, and cream—in order to evaluate their antiviral activity against HSV-1. The extract was characterized by different analytical techniques, i.e., FT-IR, XPS, and TGA. HPLC analyses were carried out to monitor the content and release of hydroxytyrosol in the prepared formulations. The total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity were investigated through Folin–Ciocâlteu’s reagent, DPPH, and ABTS assays. The ability of the three formulations to convey active principles to the skin was evaluated using a Franz cell, showing that the number of permeated polyphenols in the hydrogel (272.1 ± 1.8 GAE/g) was significantly higher than those in the oleogel and cream (174 ± 10 and 179.6 ± 2 GAE/g, respectively), even if a negligible amount of hydroxytyrosol crossed the membrane for all the formulations. The cell viability assay indicated that the OFE and the three formulations were not toxic to cultured Vero cells. The antiviral activity tests highlighted that the OFE had a strong inhibitory effect against HSV-1 with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) at 25 µg/mL, interfering directly with the viral particles. Among the three formulations, the hydrogel exhibited the highest antiviral activity also against the acyclovir-resistant strain.