Treatment of colorectal cancer by anticancer and antibacterial effects of hemiprotonic phenanthroline-phenanthroline^(+) with nanomicelle delivery

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a common digestive tract tumor worldwide.Specific microorganisms,including Fusobacterium nucleatum(F.nucleatum)and Escherichia coli(E.coli),are abundant in colonic mucosa and can promote the cancer progression and malignancy.Therefore,a therapeutic strategy is proposed to deliver effective drugs to colorectum for both anticancer and antibacteria.Here we used thin-film dispersionmethod to encapsulate hemiprotonic phenanthroline-phenanthroline^(+)(ph-ph^(+))into nanomicelle.The results showed that the drug-loading nanomicelle had good dispersion,and the particle size was about 28 nm.In vitro assay indicated that the nanomicelle was active against CRC-related obligate and facultative anaerobes.In human CRC cells,the nanomicelle could effectively inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis.In vivo distribution showed that the nanomicelle could release ph-ph^(+) mainly in the colorectum.In CRC model mice,the nanomicelle significantly reduced tumor number and volume,and decreased the bacteria load and colorectal inflammation.Together,the study identifies that the ph-ph^(+) nanomicelle has the potential to apply in treating CRC,and also suggests that anticancer combined with antimicrobial therapy would be a feasible way for CRC therapy.

Bioinformatics analysis for structure and function of CPR of Plasmodium falciparum

Objective:To analyse the structure and function of NADPH-cytochrome p450 reductase(CYPOR or CPR) from Plasmodium falciparum(Pf),and to predict its’ drug target and vaccine target. Methods:The structure,function,drug target and vaccine target of CPR from Plasmodium falciparum were analyzed and predicted by bioinformatics methods.Results:PfCPR,which was older CPR,had close relationship with the CPR from other Plasmodium species,but it was distant from its hosts,such as Homo sapiens and Anopheles.PfCPR was located in the cellular nucleus of Plasmodium falciparum.335aa-352aa and 591aa - 608aa were inserted the interior side of the nuclear membrane,while 151aa-265aa was located in the nucleolus organizer regions.PfCPR had 40 function sites and 44 protein-protein binding sites in amino acid sequence.The teriary structure of laa-700aa was forcep-shaped with wings.15 segments of PfCPR had no homology with Homo sapien CPR and most were exposed on the surface of the protein.These segments had 25 protein-protein binding sites.While 13 other segments all possessed function sites. Conclusions:The evolution or genesis of Plasmodium falciparum is earlier than those of Homo sapiens.PfCPR is a possible resistance site of antimalarial drug and may involve immune evasion, which is associated with parasite of sporozoite in hepatocytes.PfCPR is unsuitable as vaccine target,but it has at least 13 ideal drug targets.

Identification and bioinformatics analysis of lactate dehydrogenase genes from Echinococcus granulosus

Objective:To identify full length cDNA sequence of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) from adult Echinococcus granulosus(E.granulosus) and to predict the structure and function of its encoding protein using bioinformatics methods.Methods:With the help of NCBI,EMBI, Expasy and other online sites,the open reading frame(ORF),conserved domain,physical and chemical parameters,signal peptide,epitope,topological structures of the protein sequences were predicted and a homology tertiary structure model was created:Vector NT1 software was used for sequence alignment,phylogenetic tree construction and tertiary structure prediction. Results:The target sequence was 1 233 bp length with a 996 bp biggest ORF encoding 331 amino acids protein with typical L-LDH conserved domain.It was confirmed as full length cDNA of LDH from E.granulosus and named as EgLDH(GenBank accession number:HM748917).The predicted molecular weight and isoelectric point of the deduced protein were 3 5516.2Da and 6.32 respectively.Compared with LDHs from Taenia solium,Taenia saginata asiatica,Spirometra erinaceieuropaei.Schistosoma japonicum,Clonorchis sinensis and human,it showed similarity of 86% ,85% ,55% ,58% ,58% and 53% ,respectively.EgLDH contained 3 putative transmembrane regions and 4 major epitopes(54aa-59aa.81aa-87aa,97aa-102aa,307aa-313aa),the latter were significant different from the corresponding regions of human LDH.In addition,some NAD and substrate binding sites located on epitopes 54aa-59aa and 97aa-102aa,respectively.Tertiary structure prediction showed that 3 key catalytic residues 105R,165D and 192H forming a catalytic center near the epitope 97aa-102aa,most NAD and substrate binding sites located around the center.Conclusions:The full length cDNA sequences of EgLDH were identified.It encoded a putative transmembrane protein which might be an ideal target molecule for vaccine and drugs.

Bioinformatics analysis and prediction for structure and function of nitric oxide synthase and similar proteins from Plasmodium berghei

ObjectiveTo search and analyze nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and similar proteins from Plasmodium berghei(Pb).MethodsThe structure and function of nitric oxide synthase and similar proteins from Plasmodium berghei were analyzed and predicted by bioinformatics.ResultsPbNOS were not available, but nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2′–phosphate reduced tetrasodium (NADPH)–cytochrome p450 reductase(CPR) were gained. PbCPR was in the nucleus of Plasmodium berghei, while 134aa–229aa domain was localize in nucleolar organizer. The amino acids sequence of PbCPR had the closest genetic relationship with Plasmodium vivax showing a 73% homology. The tertiary structure of PbCPR displayed the forcep–shape with wings, but no wings existed in the tertiary structure of its' host, Mus musculus(Mm). 137aa–200aa, 201aa–218aa, 220aa–230aa, 232aa–248, 269aa–323aa, 478aa–501aa and 592aa–606aa domains of PbCPR showed no homology with MmCPRs', and all domains were exposed on the surface of the protein.ConclusionsNOS can't be found in Plasmodium berghei and other Plasmodium species. PbCPR may be a possible resistance site of antimalarial drug, and the targets of antimalarial drug and vaccine. It may be also one of the mechanisms of immune evasion. This study on Plasmodium berghei may be more suitable to Plasmodium vivax. And 137aa–200aa, 201aa–218aa, 220aa–230aa, 232aa–248, 269aa–323aa, 478aa–501aa and 592aa–606aa domains of PbCPR are more ideal targets of antimalarial drug and vaccine.

Improved activity of Ni/MgAl_2O_4 for CO_2 methanation by the plasma decomposition

CO2 methanation has been a hot topic because of its important application in the spacecraft and potential utilization of carbon dioxide. Nickel catalyst is active for this reaction. However, its activity still needs to be improved. Dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma, initiated at ambient condition and operated at -150 ℃, has been employed in this work for decomposition of nickel precursor to prepare Ni/MgAl2O4. The plasma decomposition results in high dispersion, unique structure, enhanced reducibility of Ni particles and promoted catalyst-support interaction. An improved activity of CO2 methanation with a higher yield of methane has been achieved over the plasma decomposed catalyst, compared to the catalyst prepared thermally. For example, the methane yield of the plasma prepared catalyst is 71.8% at 300 ℃ but it is 62.9% over the thermal prepared catalyst. The catalyst characterization confirmed that CO2 methanation over the DBD plasma prepared catalyst follows pathway of CO methanation.

Prokaryotic expression,identification and bioinformatics analysis of fbpB-esxA fusing gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Objective:To obtain fbpB-esxA fusing gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis（MTU）,express the encoded fusing protein in Escherichia coli（E.coli）,identify protein acquired,and predict the structure and function of the protein utilizing methods of bioinformatics.Methods:fbpB and esxA gene were amplified from genome of MTB H37Rv by PCR.The fbpB-esxA fusing gene Iigated by（Gly4Ser）3 linker was gained by means of Gene Splicing by Overlapping Extension PCU（SOEPCR）, and fusing gene was cloned into expression vector pET-30a.The recombinant plasmid was sequenced and expressed in E.coli BL21（DE3）.The protein was identified by Western blot using anti-HIS antibody.Secondary structure and antigenic epitopes of the protein were predicting using tools of bioinformatics.Results:The UNA sequences fbpB-esxA were identical with that published by GenBank.The Ag85B-ESAT-6 fusion protein about 50 kDa comprised 485 amino acids was efficiently produced from expression system in E.coli B1.21（DE3） under the induction of IPTG.Bioinformatics analysis showed the protein contained one transmembrane region and fourteen potential antigenic epitopes.Conclusions:The Ag85B-ESAT-6 fusion protein is successfully expressed with N-terminal HIS-tag.Gel filtration demonstrated that it exists as insoluble inclusion bodies mainly.The existence of linker doesn’t affect immunogenicity of Ag85B and ESAT-6.It will allow lor characterization in vitro and establish a foundation of further function research such as vaccine or diagnostic reagent.

Retinal ganglion cells regenerate long-distance axons through neural activity stimulation and find their way back to the brain

Human central nerve system(CNS)is an extremely complex and delicate structure.While regeneration is possible in some reptiles and fish CNS,the regeneration capacity seems completely lost in adult mammals.Therefore,the classic concept is that once neurons in mammal

Association between the M98K variant of the OPTN gene and the risk for primary open angle glaucoma:an updated meta-analysis

Background:The association between optineurin(OPTN)M98K variant and primary open angle glaucoma(POAG)has been widely investigated.However,the results remain controversial among published meta-analyses.Therefore,we conducted an updated meta-analysis to further explore the association between M98K and POAG and its subgroups.Methods:PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,and China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)databases were searched to find all articles describing the relationships between the M98K variant and POAG,which were published from the inception to 31 December,2019.The associations between M98K and overall POAG,normal tension glaucoma(NTG),high tension glaucoma(HTG),POAG in Asian and non-Asian populations,juvenile open angle glaucoma(JOAG)and adult-onset POAG were evaluated by calculating the pooled odds ratio(OR)and 95%confidence interval(CI).The Bonferroni correction was used to determine the statistically significant genetic models.Results:A total of 34 eligible articles involving 7,310 POAG patients and 5,173 controls were identified in the present meta-analysis.The articles achieved an average of 6.21 stars for quality assessment by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale(NOS).Evidence from the pooled results indicated significant association between M98K and overall POAG susceptibility under the dominant model(OR=1.30,95%CI,1.12-1.52;P<0.001).In the subgroup analyses,no significant associations were found between M98K and the risks of NTG,HTG,JOAG,adult-onset POAG,Asian POAG or non-Asian POAG.Conclusions:The updated meta-analysis revealed that OPTN M98K was significantly associated with the susceptibility to overall POAG.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress is involved in retinal injury induced by repeated transient spikes of intraocular pressure

Clinically,a large proportion of glaucoma patients undergo repeated intraocular pressure(IOP)spike(Spike IOP)attacks during their sleep,which may facilitate retinopathy.In this study,we established a mouse model of repeated transient Spike IOP to investigate the direct damage to the retina following Spike IOP attacks,and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanism.We analyzed the changes in the number of retinal ganglion cells(RGCs)via immunofluorescence.Thereafter,we detected retinal cell apoptosis via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate(d UTP)nick-end labeling(TUNEL)staining,and performed RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)to reveal the underlying molecular mechanism.Finally,we validated the expression of key molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress pathway using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(q RT-PCR)and western blot analysis.Results revealed a time-dependent RGC loss in Spike IOP,evidenced by a reduction in the number of Brn3 a-positive RGCs in experimental eyes following a 7-d continuous treatment with Spike IOP.In addition,TUNEL staining indicated that apoptosis of retinal cells started in the outer nuclear layer(ONL),and then spread to the ganglion cell layer(GCL)with time.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress might be involved in Spike IOP-induced retinal injury.This result was corroborated by western blot,which revealed upregulation of ER stress-related proteins including binding immunoglobulin protein/glucose-regulated protein 78(Bi P/GRP78),phosphorylated inositolrequiring enzyme 1(p-IRE1),unspliced X-box-binding protein 1(XBP1-u),spliced X-box-binding protein 1(XBP1-s),phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase(p-JNK),C/EBP-homologous protein(CHOP),and B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2)-associated X protein(Bax).These findings indicate that repeated IOP transients are detrimental to the retina,while ER stress plays an important role in retinal cell apoptosis in this situation.Notably,repeated Spike IOP among glaucoma patients is a crucial factor for progressive retinopathy.