Cloning and Bioinformatics Analysis of Rosa rugosa β-1,3-Glucanase Gene (RrGlu)

In order to reveal which role the callose played in R. rugosa pollination incompatibility, the full-length cDNA sequence of β-1,3-glucanase gene was cloned for the first time from the stylus of Rosa rugosa “Tanghong” with RT-PCR and RACE methods and named as RrGlu. The full-length cDNA is 1380 bp with an open reading frame of 1041 bp, encoding 346 amino acids. The derived protein has a molecular weight of 37.85 kD, a calculated pI of 9.12, a pfam00332 conserved domain at position 36 - 345, and belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 17. The derived protein is a hydrophilic protein secreted into the vacuole. There is a signal peptide cleavage site at position 34 - 35, a transmembrane domain at position 13 - 32, six Ser phosphorylation sites, three Thr phosphorylation sites, three Tyr phosphorylation sites, one N-glycosylation site, and five O-glycosylation sites. There are 31.50% α-helixes, 30.92% random coil, 25.14% extended peptide chain, and 12.43% β-corner structure. This protein and the Glu protein from eight other species, including Prunus persica, share a sequence homology of greater than 72%;all of the proteins contain a pfam00332 conserved domain and a β-1,3-glucanase active center sequence (LIVM)-X-(LIVMFYW)3-(STAG)-E-(ST)-G-W-P-(ST)-X-G. Furthermore, their phylogenetic relationships are consistent with their traditional classifications. These results were meaningful to reveal the molecular mechanism of R. rugosa pollination incompatibility and improve the theory and techniques of breeding ornamental R. rugosa.

Enhancement of the thermostability of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase by directed evolution

In order to improve the thermostability of β- 1,3-1,4-glucanase, evolutionary molecular engineering was used to evolve the β-1,3-1,4-glucanase from Bacillus subtilis ZJF-1A5. The process involves random mutation by error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling followed by screening on the filter-based assay. Two mutants, EGsl and EGs2, were found to have four and five amino acid substitutions, respectively. These substitutions resulted in an increase in melting temperature from Tm=62.5℃ for the wild-type enzyme to Tm=65.5℃ for the mutant EGsl and 67.5℃ for the mutant EGs2. However, the two mutated enzymes had opposite approaches to produce reducing sugar from lichenin with either much higher （28%） for the former or much lower （21.6%） for the latter in comparison with their parental enzymes. The results demonstrate that directed evolution is an effective approach to improve the thermostability of a mesophilic enzyme.

Expressions of MMP-2,-9,TIMP-1,-2,-3 mRNA in Rat Uterus during Estrous Cycle

Zymography and in situ hybridization were used to investigate matrixmetalloproteinase -2, -9 (MMP -2, MMP-9) activities and expressions of MMP -2, -9 and TIMP1, -2, -3 (tissue inhibitors of matrix metallo-proteinases) mRNA in the rat uterus during estrouscycle. The relative activity was semiquanted by using densitometric analysis. The MMP-2(67 kDa) activity in every stage during estrpus cycle was detected by zymography. MMP-2activity was highest at proestrus; higher at estrus and metaestrus; lowest at diestrus. Throughin situ hybridization, MMP -2, -9, TIMP -1~ -3 mRNA mainly in hasal stroma cells of uterineendometrium were detected. The positive signals of MMP -2 and -9 mRNAs in hasal stromacells were shown stronger at proestrus, estrus and metaestrus while they showed the weakest atdiestrus. The expression of MMP -2 mRNA coincided with MMP -2 activity change. MMP-2and -9 mRNAs were also highly expressed in uterine circular muscle at estrus. Weak signals ofMMP -9 mRNA were detected in uterine luminal and glandular epithelial cells at estrus.TIMP -1 mRNA in hasal stroma cells was shown as the strongest expression at estrus andmetaestrus; stronger at proestrus and the weakest at diestrus. TIMP-2 mRNA in basal stromacells was stronger at estrus and diestrus; weaker at proestrus and metaestrus. TIMP -1 and -2mRNAs were also highly expressed in uterine luminal and glandular epithelial cells at estrus.TIMP -3 mRNA in hasal stroma cells revealed the strongest expression at estrus; stronger atdiestrus and metaestrus and showed the weakest at proestrus. The mRNA was also highlyexpressed in uterine circular muscle at estrus. In short, our present results provide evidencethat MMP -2, -9 and TIMP -1~ -3 were involved in rat uterine endometrium reconstructionduring estrous cycle.

Transgenic Pigs Carrying a Synthesized Fatty Acid Desaturase Gene Yield High Level of ω-3 PUFAs

Polyunsaturated fatty acids （PUFAs） are essential for normal growth in mammals, especially the ω-3 PUFAs, which play important roles in preventing several life-threatening diseases, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the sFat-1 gene from Caenorhabditis briggsae could be functionally expressed in transgenic pigs, and whether the transgenic could synthesize high quality ω-3 PUFAs endogenously. In this study, a gene construct consisting of CMV promoter and 1.9 kb cDNA of ω-3 fatty acid desaturase gene （sFat-1） from C. briggsae was injected into the male pronucleus of pig embryos by microinjection. The piglets were screened for the transgene by PCR, Southern blot and reverse transcription-PCR analysis. Pigs that give positive results were mated with wild-type pigs to produce the next generation and the transmission of transgene was examined by PCR analysis. Fatty acids compositions of various tissues in the transgenic pigs were then analyzed by gas chromatograph. A total of 878 embryos were transferred into 42 recipients, among which 29 successfully got pregnant and gave birth to a total of 162 piglets, and 8 of them were identified to be transgenic. Fatty acid compositions in the transgenic pigs were altered, and the levels of ω-6：ω-3 ratios were decreased from 14.53 in the control to 2.62 in Fat-1 transgenic pigs. A number of primary sFat-1-transgenic pigs were bred in this study, which lays the foundation for cultivation of new varieties of transgenic pigs.

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate enhances poly I:C-induced interferon-λ1 production and inhibits hepatitis C virus replication in hepatocytes

AIM To investigate the effect of(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG) on polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid(poly I:C)-triggered intracellular innate immunity against hepatitis C virus(HCV) in hepatocytes. METHODS A cell culture model of HCV infection was generated by infecting a hepatoma cell line, Huh7, with HCV JFH-1 strain(JFH-1-Huh7). Poly I:C with a high molecular weight and EGCG were used to stimulate the JFH-1-Huh7 cells. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression levels of intracellular m RNAs and of intracellular and extracellular HCV RNA. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate the interferon(IFN)-λ1 protein level in the cell culture supernatant. Immunostaining was used to examine HCV core protein expression in Huh7 cells.RESULTS Our recent study showed that HCV replication could impair poly I:C-triggered intracellular innate immune responses in hepatocytes. In the current study, we showed that EGCG treatment significantly increased the poly I:C-induced expression of Toll-like receptor 3(TLR3), retinoic acid-inducible gene I, and IFN-λ1 in JFH-1-Huh7 cells. In addition, supplementation with EGCG increased the poly I:C-mediated antiviral activity in JFH-1-Huh7 cells at the intracellular and extracellular HCV RNA and protein levels. Further investigation of the mechanisms showed that EGCG treatment significantly enhanced the poly I:C-induced expression of IFN-regulatory factor 9 and several antiviral IFNstimulated genes, including ISG15, ISG56, myxovirus resistance A, and 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1, which encode the key antiviral elements in the IFN signaling pathway. CONCLUSION Our observations provide experimental evidence that EGCG has the ability to enhance poly I:C-induced intracellular antiviral innate immunity against HCV replication in hepatocytes.

Study of Swine Leukocyte Antigen Class I-3 (SLA-3) Gene for Inbreeding Wuzhishan Pig

To elucidate the structure of SLA-3 alleles on inbred line of Wuzhishan pig （WZSP） population, we examined the partial exon 1, completed exon 2, and partial exon 3 of SLA-3 loci using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT- PCR） and the sequencing-based method in 32 WZSPs. According to pedigree and amplification results, PCR products of 8 WZSPs were selected to clone and sequence. Nine different nucleotide sequences were obtained. After comparing the DNA and protein sequences of the WZSPs SLA-3 alleles with the published GenBank SLA sequences, it was found that the SLA-3 alleles in WZSPs were all novel, but there were very few variations among them. Comparision of SLA-3 and HLA-A protein sequences indicated that there was more sequence homology. Meanwhile, the construction of a phylogenetic tree using the nucleotide sequences of 23 SLA-3 alleles and 1 HLA-A allele represented that the WZSP population owns its unique genetics resource. In this study, the alleles of SLA-3 on WZSP group were successfully detected and analyzed, which provided the firm basis on the genotype of SLA-3 for breeding specific haplotypes WZSPs.

Enhanced nitrogen removal of the anaerobic ammonia oxidation process by coupling with an efficient nitrate reducing bacterium(Bacillus velezensis M3-1)

Bacillus velezensis M3-1 strain isolated from the sediment of Myriophyllum aquatium con-structedwetlandswas found to efficiently convert NO_(3)^(-)-N to NO_(2)^(−)-N,and the requirements for carbon source additionwere not very rigorous.Thiswork demonstrates,for the first time,the feasibility of using the synergy of anammox and Bacillus velezensis M3-1 microorganisms for nitrogen removal.In this study,the possibility of M3-1 that converted NO_(3)^(−)-N produced by anammox to NO_(2)^(−)-N was verified in an anaerobic reactor.The NO_(3)^(−)-N reduction ability of M3-1 and denitrifying bacteria in coupling system was investigated under different C/N conditions,and it was found that M3-1 used carbon sources preferentially over denitrifying bacteria.By adjusting the ratio of NH4+-N to NO_(2)^(−)-N,it was found that the NO_(2)^(−)-N con-verted from NO_(3)^(−)-N by M3-1 participated in the original anammox.The nitrogen removal efficacy(NRE)of the coupled system was increased by 12.1%,compared to the control group anammox system at C/N=2:1.Functional gene indicated that itmight be a nitrate reducing bacterium.This study shows that the nitrate reduction rate achieved by the Bacillus velezensis M3-1 can be high enough for removing nitrate produced by anammox process,which would enable improve nitrogen removal from wastewater.

Primary 4-3-oxosteroid 5β-reductase deficiency:Two cases in China

Aldo-keto reductase 1D1(AKR1D1) deficiency,a rare but life-threatening form of bile acid deficiency,has not been previously described in China.Here,we describe the first two primary 4-3-oxosteroid 5β-reductase deficiency patients in China's Mainland diagnosed by fast atom bombardment-mass spectroscopy of urinary bile acids and confirmed by genetic analysis.A high proportion of atypical 3-oxo-4-bile acids in the urine indicated a deficiency in 4-3-oxosteroid 5β-reductase.All of the coding exons and adjacent intronic sequence of the AKR1D1 gene were sequenced using peripheral lymphocyte genomic DNA of two patients and one of the patient's parents.One patient exhibited compound heterozygous mutations:c.396C>A and c.722A>T,while the other was heterozygous for the mutation c.797G>A.Based on these mutations,a diagnosis of primary 4-3-oxosteroid 5β-reductase deficiency could be confirmed.With ursodeoxycholic acid treatment and fat-soluble vitamin supplements,liver function tests normalized rapidly,and the degree of hepatomegaly was markedly reduced in both patients.

Continuous Saccharification of Laminarin by Immobilized Laminarinase ULam111 Followed by Ethanol Fermentation with a Marine-Derived Yeast

We isolated a novel laminarinase ULam111 from Flavobacterium sp. strain UMI-01. Purified ULam111 showed degradation activity against laminarin with the specific activity of 224 ± 18 U/mg at 30°C and pH 6.0. Its optimum temperature was 50°C, and degradation activities against laminarin were observed at 4°C - 80°C. With a laminarin degradation system, we investigated the preparation and properties of immobilized ULam111 with the use of the 11 types of carriers. The high activity recoveries of immobilized ULam111 were as follows: 19.4% for IB-S60P carrier beads (the non-ionic type), 15.6% for IB-S60S carrier beads (the non-ionic type), 11.9% for IB-150P carrier beads (the covalent type), and 7.1% for IB-C435 carrier beads (the cationic type). With the repeated use of immobilized ULam111, the enzyme activities immobilized on IB-S60S and those on IB-S60P remained at 40% and 30% respectively after the sixth trial. We selected IB-S60S as suitable beads for enzyme immobilization, and we attempted to construct a reactor system with ULam111 immobilized on IB-S60S beads. In this system, 1.2 - 1.9 g/L glucose was repeatedly produced from 30 mg/mL laminarin solutions after 20 hr when the reactor operation was repeated 10 times. We examined ethanol fermentation from the saccharified solutions with a marine-derived yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae C-19), and 0.51 - 0.58 g/L bioethanol was produced from the saccharified solution that contained 1.71 - 1.86 g/L of glucose.

Production of β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase of two biocon-trol agents and their possible modes of action

Pichia membranefaciens Hansen and Candida guilliermondii (Cast) Langeronet Guerra are two antagonists of R. stolonifer on harvested nectarine and peach fruits. In this study, β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities of the antagonists were induced in vitro and in vivo. The highest β-1, 3-glucanase activity was detected in Lilly-Barnett minimal salt medium supplemented with glucose in combination with CWP of R. stolonifer as a carbon source. The β-1,3-glucanase activity of P. membranefaciens reached the maximum level, being 114.0 SU (specific activity unit), and that of C. guilliermondii reached 103.2 SU. The lowest β-1,3-glucanase activity was observed in the medium containing glucose as sole car-bon source. P. membranefaciens was able to produce signifi-cantly higher levels of chitinase (exochitinase and endochiti-nase) in vitro than C. guilliermondii grown in Czapeck mini-mal medium. An increase in β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activity was also triggered by wounding, adding of carbon sources

A food-grade industrial arming yeast expressing β-1,3-1,4-glucanase with enhanced thermal stability

The aim of this work was to construct a novel food-grade industrial arming yeast displaying β-1,3-1,4-glucanase and to evaluate the thermal stability of the glucanase for practical application. For this purpose, a bi-directional vector containing galactokinase （GALl） and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 （PGK1） promoters in different orientations was constructed. The β-1,3-1,4-glucanase gene from Bacillus subtilis was fused to α-agglutinin and ex- pressed under the control of the GALl promoter, α-galactosidase induced by the constitutive PGK1 promoter was used as a food-grade selection marker. The feasibility of the α-galactosidase marker was confirmed by the growth of transformants harboring the constructed vector on a medium containing melibiose as a sole carbon source, and by the clear halo around the transformants in Congo-red plates owing to the expression of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase. The analysis of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase activity in cell pellets and in the supernatant of the recombinant yeast strain revealed that β-1,3-1,4-glucanase was successfully displayed on the cell surface of the yeast. The displayed β-1,3-1,4-glucanase activity in the recombinant yeast cells increased immediately after the addition of galactose and reached 45.1 U/ml after 32-h induction. The thermal stability of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase displayed in the recombinant yeast cells was en- hanced compared with the free enzyme. These results suggest that the constructed food-grade yeast has the potential to improve the brewing properties of beer.

ZmGns,a maize class I β-1,3-glucanase,is induced by biotic stresses and possesses strong antimicrobial activity

Plant b-1,3-glucanases are members of the pathogenesis-related protein 2（PR-2） family,which is one of the 17 PR protein families and plays important roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses.One of the differentially expressed proteins（spot 842） identified in a recent proteomic comparison between five pairs of closely related maize（Zea mays L.） lines differing in aflatoxin resistance was further investigated in the present study.Here,the corresponding cDNA was cloned from maize and designated as ZmGns.ZmGns encodes a protein of338 amino acids containing a potential signal peptide.The expression of Zm Gns was detectible in all tissues studied with the highest level in silks.ZmGns was significantly induced by biotic stresses including three bacteria and the fungus Aspergillus flavus.ZmGns was also induced by most abiotic stresses tested and growth hormones including salicylic acid.In vivo,ZmGns showed a significant inhibitory activity against thebacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.tomato DC3000 and fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea when it overexpressed in Arabidopsis.Its high level of expression in the silk tissue and its induced expression by phytohormone treatment,as well as by bacterial and fungal infections,suggest it plays a complex role in maize growth,development,and defense.

Construction of recombinant industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with bglS gene insertion into PEP4 locus by homologous recombination

The bglS gene encoding endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase from Bacillus subtil＆ was cloned and sequenced in this study. The bglS expression cassette, including PGK1 promoter, bglS gene fused to the signal sequence of the yeast mating pheromone a-factor （MFals）, and ADH1 terminator with G418-resistance as the selected marker, was constructed. Then one of the PEP4 allele of Saccharomyces cerevisiae WZ65 strain was replaced by bglS expression cassette using chromosomal integration of polymerase chain reaction （PCR）-mediated homologous recombination, and the bglS gene was expressed simultaneously. The recombinant strain S. cerevisiae （SC-βG） was preliminarily screened by the clearing hydrolysis zone formed after the barley β-glucan was hydrolyzed in the plate and no proteinase A （PrA） activity was measured in fermenting liquor. The results of PCR analysis of genome DNA showed that one of the PEP4 allele had been replaced and bglS gene had been inserted into the locus of PEP4 gene in recombinant strains. Different endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase assay methods showed that the recombinant strain SC-βG had high endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase expression level with the maximum of 69.3 U/（h·ml） after 60 h of incubation. Meanwhile, the Congo Red method was suitable for the determination of endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase activity during the actual brewing process. The current research implies that the constructed yeast strain could be utilized to improve the industrial brewing property of beer.

Study of the SH3-domain GRB2-1ike 2 gene expression in laryngeal carcinoma

Background Laryngeal carcinoma is a common malignant tumor of the upper respiratory tract, and in 95% of cases the tumor is laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma （LSCC）. The abnormity of SH3-domain GRB2-1ike 2 （SH3GL2） gene was found in LSCC. In order to clarify the relationship between SH3GL2 gene and LSCC, we evaluated the expression of the SH3GL2 gene in LSCC. Method Real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression and find the various rules of SH3GL2 gene in LSCC. Results The result of real-time PCR showed that the expression level of SH3GL2 mRNA in LSCC tissue was apparently down-regulated; immunohistochemical analysis showed that SH3GL2 protein was mainly located in cytoplasm, the rate of positive cells and SH3GL2 protein expression level were fluctuated with the pathological classification of LSCC; the result of Western blotting showed that SH3GL2 protein was down-regulated significantly in LSCC samples, especially in metastatic lymph nodes. Conclusions These results suggest that SH3GL2 is a LSCC related gene and its expression level is fluctuated with the pathological classification which indicate that SH3GL2 participates in the development and progression of LSCC. And it may be considered as a novel tumor marker to find both a new anti-oncogene and relative factors of invasion and metastasis of laryngeal carcinoma.

Free fatty acids, glucose, and insulin in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Xu et al used the HOMA2 model to estimate theβ-cell function and insulin resistance levels in an individual from simultaneously measured fasting plasma glucose and fasting plasma insulin levels.This method is based on the assumption that the glucose-insulin axis is central for the metabolic activities,which led to type 2 diabetes.However,significant downregulation of both the NKX2-1 gene and the TPD52L3 gene force an increase in the release of free fatty acids(FFAs)into the blood circulation,which leads to a marked reduction in membrane flexibility.These data favor a FFA-glucose-insulin axis.The authors are invited to extend their study with the introduction of the saturation index(number of carbon-carbon double bonds per 100 fatty-acyl chains),as observed in erythrocytes.

Steroidal Plant Growth Promoters vs. Phytopathogens, via Enzymatic Regulation;An in <i>Silico</i>Approach

Steroidal plant growth promoters (SPGP) have been continuously studied due to their high activity increasing biomass and resistance to diverse stress factors. In our hands, a new SPGP family of 22-oxocholestanic compounds stands out at a comparative level to brassinosteroids (BSs). The potential activity of new SPGP against phytopathogens was studied through in silico molecular docking, these assays were performed with relevant ensymes of phytopatogens Chitinase B and 1,3-β-Glucanase. Nine Chitinase B inhibitors and two 1,3-β-Glucanase inhibitors were proposed. The launched study analyzed the interactional and spatial level, determining the presence of interactions with key amino acids in receptors in comparison to reference inhibitors. Even more, the AVR4 and ECP6 effectors were also examined. No compound that blocks ECP6 was found;due to, probably, the influence of its highly hydrophilic environment. In the case of AVR4, two SPGP showed a better docking score (DS) than a chitin fragment (endogenous ligand);this fact demonstrates the latent potential of the 22-oxocholestanic derivatives against phytopathogens, with a specific regulation via proliferation inhibition. Moreover, this SPGP does not affect the symbiotic fungi that are beneficial for the natural plant system.