Optimization of SSR-PCR Non-denatured Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis Conditions in Kernelled Apricot

[Objective] The aim was to optimize the SSR-PCR non-denatured polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis conditions in kernelled apricot.[Method]25 accessions of kernelled apricot and three accessions of edible apricot were selected as experimental materials to screen the repeatable SSR loci with high polymorphism by the use of SSR markers combined with non-denatured polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.And the effect of different factors on electrophoresis conditions was compared to explore the optimal SSR-PCR non-denatured polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis conditions in kernelled apricot.[Result]The optimal non-denatured polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis conditions for SSR-PCR were established as follows：polyacrylamide gel concentration 6%,the ratio of acrylamide to bisacrylamide 29∶1,electrophoresis at 1 000 V for 2-3 h,and staining for 15 min within 0.1% AgNO3.[Conclusion]The optimum electrophoresis system has provided some technical foundations to further study the phylogenetic relationship of kernelled apricots by SSR markers.

Isolation and purification of guinea pig inner ear antigens by preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Objective To isolate and purify the subcomponents of guinea pig inner ear antigens for further study on the autoimmunity of the inner ear.Methods Inner ear tissues were homogenized in phosphate buffered saline containing 0.1% SDS, and then frozen and defrosted repeatedly to extract inner ear antigens. Preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to separate the subcomponents of inner ear antigens. Following electrophoresis,the protein bands were localized by rapid staining and destaining.Results The major protein bands were clearly distinct when 3 mg of crude inner ear antigens was loaded,and the three major subcomponents (31, 42- 45 and 60 kD proteins) accounted for about 25.99%,21.91% and 21.10%, respectively.Conclusion Preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis can be used to purify the major subcomponents of inner ear antigens.

Conformer Analysis of a Biological G-Quadruplex Element in the Human c-MYC Promoter by Native Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

The G-quadruplexes undergo complex folding and conformation exchanges.G-quadruplex stability is substantially influenced by sequence,bufer and temperature.Mutational analysis together with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(NMR),X-ray crystallography and circular dichroism spectroscopy has been proved to be a powerful approach for G-quadruplex structural analysis.Herein,we used DNA sequence mutation and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to investigate the topology and conformations of a G-quadruplex model molecule Pu18 found in the human c-MYC promoter.The guanines(G6,G9 or G18)which were not contributable to G-tetrad formation in c-MYC Pu18 sequence were mutated to thymine or adenine.We screened the buffer and temperature of gel electrophoresis for Pu18.Gel electrophoresis showed that two of the four conformers of c-MYC Pu18 in 100 mM K+buffer were resolved,which was in accordance with the conformations as determined by the 1 H NMR spectra in previous studies.This technique is expected as a general methodology for its easy operation and low cost to facilitate uncovering more yet unidentified G-quadruplex folds and functions,with the assistance of other analytical methods like NMR,X-ray crystallography and circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Research on Sex and Tissue Differences in Isozymic Phenotype of Varicorhinus macrolepis through Isozyme Electrophoresis

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and biochemical staining method were used in this study for the analysis on malate dehydrogenase (MDH,E.C. 1.1.1.37) isozymes zymogram in 11 different types of tissues of male and female Varicorhinus macrolepis. It had been found for the first time that the phenotype of malate dehydrogenase (MDH),acid phosphatase (ACP) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed difference between male and female V. macrolepis,and there was no difference among different individuals in the same sex. Therefore,the electrophoresis band of malate dehydrogenase,acid phosphatase and superoxide dismutase could be used as an indicator for the identification of gender and tissues of V. macrolepis,which would provide basic data for the developmental genetics,variety improvement and directed breeding of V. macrolepis groups,thus facilitating the development and protection of this valuable fish species.

Characterization of Agro-diversity by Seed Storage Protein Electrophoresis:Focus on Rice Germplasm from Uttarakhand Himalaya,India

The characteristics of 48 rice varieties from Uttarakhand Himalaya, India were detected by morphological and biochemical markers. The grains of the selected rice varieties varied in their morphological （grain length, grain width and grain weight） and biochemical characters （sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE）. Based on the presence of 70, 65, 60, 57, 37-39, 22-23, 13 and 10 kDa protein bands in the 48 rice varieties, seven types of profiles were identified. An unweighted pair group average method with arithmetic mean （UPGMA） dendrogram based on cluster analysis of genetic similarity of the protein bands showed two distinct groups with 1%-78% similarity coefficients. The presence of characteristic bands in selected varieties is a useful parameter for identification of rice germplasm.

Non-decoloured In-gel Digestion of Coomassie Blue-stained Proteins

A simplified method is presented for tryptic digestion of Coomassie brilliant blue(CBB)-stained proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Compared with conventional methods, the proposed method does not require a removal of the dye before digestion, and is thus faster and saves a lot of labor. The resulted digest can be analyzed by either RPLC/ESIMS or MALDI MS for identification of the protein in a conventional way. Model studies with bovine serum albumin(BSA) showed that 50 ng of the protein could be routinely identified. The simplified procedure displays a tendency to produce more incompletely cleaved peptides, which is favorable for improving the sequence coverage.

Plant Proteomics in the Post-genomic Era

Proteomics is one of the most active research fields in the post-genomic era. Here we briefly introduce the scientific background of the origination of proteomics and its content, research method. The new developments of proteomics at the levels of individual plants, tissues, organs and organells, as well as its applications in the area of plant genetic diversity, mutant characterization, and plant physiology, etc are reviewed. At last, the challenge and prospect of proteomics are discussed.

Optimization of Extraction Methods of ROP GTPase from Young Leaves of Wheat

All of the Rho GTPase seems to form a special sub-family,because such a sub-family has so far only found in plants,and then named Rop GTPase,which directly involved in and regulated of muscle actin cytoskeletal reorganization,such as a series of signal transductions.The efficient purification technology and the means of ROP GTPase in wheat are the key basis of the studies on its functions and prosperities.And it has a very important theoretical and practical significance in the signal transduction and F-act...

Comparative proteomics analysis of human gastric cancer

AIM: To isolate and identify differentially expressed proteins between cancer and normal tissues of gastric cancer by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). METHODS: Soluble fraction proteins of gastric cancer tissues and paired normal tissues were separated by 2-DE. The differentially expressed proteins were selected and identified by MALDI-TOF-MS and database search. RESULTS: 2-DE profiles with high resolution and reproducibility were obtained. Twenty-three protein spots were excised from sliver staining gel and digested in gel by trypsin, in which fifteen protein spots were identified successfully. Among the identified proteins, there were ten over-expressed and five under-expressed proteins in stomach cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. CONCLUSION: In this study, the well-resolved, reproducible 2-DE patterns of human gastric cancer tissue and paired normal tissue were established and optimized and certain differentially-expressed proteins were identified. The combined use of 2-DE and MS provides an effective approach to screen for potential tumor markers.

Diagnosis of disease-specific proteins in cerebrospinal fluid of children infected with tuberculous meningitis

BACKGROUND： Isolated mycobacterium tuberculosis from cerebrospinal fluid （CSF） is regarded as the ＂gold standard＂ for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis （TBM）. However, culture of CSF specimens is time-consuming and lacks sensitivity. There is a strong need to determine complementary disease-specific markers, which are essential for increasing early diagnosis and improving prognosis in patients with TBM OBJECTIVE： To establish proteomic profiles of CSF in TBM and normal children using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and to screen for disease-specific proteins. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The case-control study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and the Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics of Ministry of Public Health of China between January 2008 and January 2009. PARTICIPANTS： The TBM group included three patients with a strongly positive tuberculin skin test, as well as positive CSF mycobacterial staining and culture, who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Xiangya Hospital from January 2008 to January 2009. Three healthy, age- and gender-matched children served as the control group. METHODS： CSF proteins were separated using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in both groups. Gels were scanned using Image scanner and LabScan software. Differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using PDQuest 7.0 software. The clearly discernible spots, which were expressed only in the TBM group, were chosen to perform matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Differentially expressed spots on CSF profiles of TBM and normal children were measured. RESULTS： Following comparison of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis maps between TBM and control groups, 546 and 533 spots were detected, respectively. A total of 64 differentially expressed proteins were observed between the groups, including 15 upregulated spots, eight downregulated spots, 27 spots that were exclusively expressed in the TBM group, and 14 spots that were exclusively expressed in the control group. At total of 20 spots that were exclusively expressed in the TBM group were chosen for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis, and 20 peptide mass fingerprints were obtained. After searching the data base, 16 proteins were matched. CONCLUSION： Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profiles of the CSF proteome were successfully established in the TBM and normal children. Parts of these differentially expressed proteins were identified through mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. Results indicated that apolipoprotein A I, anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibody, crystal structure of MRP14 and HLA class II histocompatibility antigen DRB1-4 could be closely correlated with TBM pathogenesis.

Proteomic identification of potential target proteins regulated by an ASK1-mediated proteolysis pathway

The ASK1 （ARABIDOPSIS SKP1-LIKE） protein is a critical component of the SCF （Skpl-Cullin-F box protein） ubiquitin ligase complexes that recruit target proteins for degradation by the 26S proteosome. To investigate proteins that are affected by the ASK1-mediated proteolysis pathway in Arabidopsis flowers, we compared the proteomes of the Arabidopsis wild type and ask1 mutant flower buds using two-dimensional electrophoresis （2-DE）. Ten protein spots with higher or lower abundance in the ask1 mutant flowers compared to wild type flowers were excised and subjected to further mass spectrometry （MS） analysis. The results showed that they were proteins involved in photomorphogenesis, circadian oscillation, post-translation process, stress-responses and cell expansion or elongation, suggesting that those processes were affected in the ask1 mutant. The transcript levels of these genes were also compared based on the Affymetrix gene chip microarray data. No significant difference was observed for most of the genes, suggesting that the proteins with elevated levels of accumulation in the ask1 mutant could be candidate targets regulated by an ASK 1-mediated proteolysis pathway. These results help to elucidate the pleiotropic functions of ASK1 in Arabidopsis developmental processes and also demonstrate the importance and necessity of studying protein levels with respect to gene functions.

Quasispecies groups in the core promoter region of hepatitis B virus

Objectives: To investigate the mutation of the basic core promoter (BCP) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and clarify the significance of HBV quasispecies groups in patients with chronic HBV infection. Methods: A set of specific primers was synthesized according to the HBV DNA sequence of a Chinese strain. The BCP was amplified by PCR method from the serum of 40 patients with chronic HBV infection, and the PCR products of 2 patients were subcloned into pGEM Teasy vectors. Polyacrylamide gel elec- trophoresis (PAGE) was employed to display the de- letion mutations, and clones with differential length were selected to be sequenced. Sequence comparison was made to find the difference. Results: Two or three bands were displayed by PAGE in 60% patients. The results of sequence anal- ysis showed that there are some kinds of mutations in the BCP region. The substitution always occurs in TATA-like boxes, especially from T to C on 140 site. The deletion mutations were detected in TA1, TA2 and TA3. The 8bp, 20bp deletion mutations fre- quently happened. Conclusions: There is a hot deletion region in the BCP. The deletion and the substitution in the TATA- like box may influence the expression of preC/C pro- tein. The sequencing results indicate that there are HBV quasispecies groups in patients with chronic HBV infection.

Differential Proteomic Analysis of Carbon Ion Radiation in Sheep Sperm

This study is first to investigate proteomic changes in sheep sperm induced by carbon ion radiation using two-dimensional electrophoresis （2-DE） analysis in the project of breeding a new variety of sheep. Differential expression proteins were detected using the PDQuest 8.0 software after staining with Coomassie blue. Valid spots were then analyzed through liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS）. Among the 480 total protein spots displayed in 2-D gels, 6 specific protein spots were observed in sperm gels. A search against protein sequences in the National Center for Biotechnology Information databases （NCBI） indicated that differentially expressed proteins correspond to two proteins, identified to be enolase and transcription factor AP-2-alpha （TFAP-2c0. The two proteins were up-regulated in the irradiated sperm. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to identify proteomic changes induced by carbon ion radiation in sheep sperm. The analysis of differential expression protein may be useful in identifying new breeding markers in sheep reproduction and in clarifying the mechanisms involved in irradiation or space breeding.

Molecular characterization of yolk proteins in the female crab Neptunus pelagicus(A.Milne-Edwards,1861) from the Mediterranean Sea of Alexandria,Egypt

This study aimed to characterize the morphological changes in the ovary of the female crab Neptunus pelagicus and to identify specific fractions of vitelloginin and vitelline molecules during primary and secondary vitellogenesis.Samples of the blue crab were collected from the Mediterranean Sea of Alexandria monthly during 2017.Ovaries and oocytes in primary and secondary vitellogenesis were detached and treated for histological test.Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(PAGE)Bis-Tris Gels was applied to identify vitelloginin(VN)and vitelline(VL)molecules.Protein Analyses were done by PAGE-SDS.The initial degenerate primers were built regarding the conserved amino acid domains of the yolk proteins.Primary and secondary vitellogeneses consisted of 8 phases.Lipoprotein fraction with molecular weight 550 kDa was identified in the hemolymph in secondary vitellogenesis.Two protein fractions(VLI&VLII)were identified in secondary vitellogenic oocytes.The electrophoresis performed with extract of stage I oocyte showed two protein fractions with molecular weights 550 kDa and 460 kDa.In stage II and III oocyte,4 subunits were presented of 180,195,140 and 120 kDa in VLI and 2 subunits with molecular weight of 110 kDa and 95 kDa in VLII.Another two fractions in stage V oocyte presented with molecular weights of 380 kDa and 360 kDa.Western blot analysis proved that both fractions were of four major polypeptide subunits with molecular weight of 180,125,90 and 85 kDa in each of the two VLs.The hybridization signal obtained by the Northern blot was detected in the hepatopancreas during ovarian cycle and in the ovary during secondary vitellogenesis.The result of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)analysis showed that the mRNA that encodes the C-terminal region of the VN cDNA was found in the ovary in secondary vitellogenesis and in the hepatopancreas.

High-throughput Three-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis for Versatile Utilities: A Stacked Slice-gel System for Separation and Reactions (4SR)

A novel high-throughput system, called the stacked slice-gel system for separation and reactions （4SR）, was developed for the analysis of DNA/RNA and protein/peptide. The system provides a novel three-dimensional gel electrophoresis approach that exploits the property of stacked slice gels. It allows multiple samples simultaneously to react as well as to be separated, offering a two-dimensional （m×n） sample loading system. For this purpose, high-throughput multi-micro vessels （MMVs） containing variable numbers of wells （100 wells in this paper） have been used, which are made of 25 mm square-size polyacrylamide gels. Furthermore, after electrophoretic separation, a slice gel containing a desired sample can be easily removed and proceeded to the next step. Different biological reactions as well as successive separation of products were effectively carried out dealing with DNA/RNA and protein/peptide. It shows that this system has a diversity of potentials to be developed.

Construction and Preliminary Analysis of Ovine Oocytes Proteomic 2-DE Map

[Objective] To obtain ovine oocytes 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis （2-DE） maps. [Method] Ovine oocytes were solubilized in lysis buffer, and protein concentrations were measured using the method of Bradford and Ramagli. Then the samples were subjected to two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 2-DE maps of ovine oocytes were analyzed through PDQuest 8.0. [Resait] The Ramagli method could re- flect concentration of oocyte protein more actually and could optimize the quantity of samples to get a 2-DE map with higher quality. The protein concentration measured by the Bradford method was higher than its actual value. [Coclusion] Each 2-DE map loading 700 oocytes is more reasonable.

Effect of high salinity on cell growth and protein production of Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L

Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L can survive and thrive in Antarctic sea ice.In this study,Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L could survive at the salinity of 132‰ NaCl.SDS-PAGE showed that the density of 2 bands（26 and 36 kD） decreased obviously at the salinity of 99‰ NaCl compared to at the salinity of 33‰ NaCl.The soluble proteins in Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L grown under salinity of 33‰ and 99% NaCl were compared by 2-D gel electrophoresis.After shocking with high salinity,8 protein spots were found to disappear,and the density of 28 protein spots decreased.In addition,19 protein spots were enhanced or induced,including one new peptide（51 kD）.The changes of proteins might be correlated with the resistance for Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L to high salinity.

Virulence and potential pathogenicity of coccoid Helicobacter pylori induced by antibiotics

AIM: To explore the virulence and the potential pathogenicity of coccoid Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) transformed from spiral form by exposure to antibiotic. METHODS: Three strains of H. pylori, isolated from gastric biopsy specimens of confirmed peptic ulcer, were converted from spiral into coccoid from by exposure to metronidazole. Both spiral and coccoid form of H. pylori were tested for the urease activity, the adherence to Hep-2 cells and the vacuolating cytotoxicity to Hela cells, and the differences of the protein were analysed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The mutation of the genes including ureA, ureB,hpaA, vacA and cagA, related with virulence, was detected by means of PCR and PCR-SSCP. RESULTS: In the coccoid H. pylori,the urease activity, the adherence to Hep-2 cells and the vacuolating cytotoxicity to Hela cells all decreased. In strain F44, the rate and index of adherence reduced from 70.0% +/- 5.3% to 33% +/- 5.1% and from 2.6 +/- 0.4 to 0.96 +/- 0.3 (P 【 0.01), respectively. The invasion of coccoid H. pylori into Hep-2 cell could be seen under electronmicroscope. SDS-PAGE showed that the content of the protein with the molecular weight over Mr 74000 decreased, and the hybriditional signal in band M(r) 125000 weakened, while the band M(r)110000 and M(r)63000 strengthened in coccoid H.pylori as shown in Western blot. The results of PCR were all positive, and PCR-SSCP indicated that there may exist the point mutation in gene hpaA or vacA. CONCLUSION: The virulence and the proteins with molecular weight over M(r)74000 in coccoid H.pylori decrease, but no deletion exists in amplification fragments from ureA, ureB, hpaA, vacA and cagA genes, suggesting that coccoid H.pylori may have potential pathogenicity.

Altered expression of nuclear matrix proteins in etoposide induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells

The events of cell death and the expression of nuclear matrix protein (NMP) have been investigated in a promyelocytic leukemic cell line HL-60 induced with etoposide. By means of TUNEL assay, the nuclei displayed a characteristic morphology change, and the amount of apoptotic cells increased early and reached maximun about 39% after treatment with etoposide for 2 h. Nucleosomal DNA fragmentation was observed after treatment for 4 h. The morphological change of HL-60 cells, thus, occurred earlier than the appearance of DNA ladder. Total nuclear matrix proteins were analyzed by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Differential expression of 59 nuclear matrix proteins was found in 4 h etoposide treated cells. Western blotting was then performed on three nuclear matrix acssociated proteins, PML, HSC70 and NuMA. The expression of the suppressor PML protein and heat shock protein HSC70 were significantly upregulated after etoposide treatment, while NuMA, a nuclear mitotic apparatus protein, was down regulated. These results demonstrate that significant biochemical alterations in nuclear matrix proteins take place during the apoptotic process.