Proteomics of the differential protein expressions in human glioma cell line U251 cells infected with human cytomegalovirus,as demonstrated by the surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization(SELDI)protein chip system

The proteomics of the differential protein expressions in human glioma cell line U251 cells infected with human cytomegalovirus （HCMV） was investigated at the protein level by using the surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization （SELDI） protein chip system in order to develop a method of study for the pathogenesis of HCMV infection. In this study, the cultured U251 cells were infected with HCMV in good condition and the supernatants of lysates and the extracellular fluids of the cultivated infected cells were quantitatively defined for the expressed proteins. The proteomics of the differential protein expression in cells before and after infection was analyzed by WCX2 arrays on the protein chip reader. It was demonstrated that the eytopathic effects of infected cells appeared on the 5th day after infection, however, the differential protein expression was evident at 6 h after infection as revealed by RT-PCR and mass spectrometry. The protein peaks captured from different batches of samples, from the same sample detected with different arrays or for the different times were all equivalent. With the molecular weight range from 2000 Da to 3000 Da, chip captured 82 peaks from the intracellular fluids and 11 protein peak from the cellular fluid in which compared with the control group, the protein peaks with molecular weight of 13 536.3 Da, 10 046.1 Da and 17 106.2 Da were close to those of β-amyloid protein, caspase-1 precursor and LPS-induced TNF-α factor respectively, which showed brief up-regulation 4 h after infection, and continued to raise 48 h later. These results infer that these proteins may be related to the apoptosis induced by HCMV infection, thus suggesting that the apoptosis induced by HCMV infection may play a role in the pathogenesis of HCMV infection.

Effects of electroacupuncture at Neiquan (PC6) on protein expressions of Raf-1,ERK 1/2,and p-ERK 1/2 of Rats with myocardial hypertrophy

Objective To observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)at Neiguan(PC6)on protein expressions of proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase-1(Raf-1),phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2(p-ERK 1/2),and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2(ERK 1/2)in rats with myocardial hypertrophy.Methods Totally 40 healthy Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats of clean grade were divided into 4 groups according to random digit table,i.e.,the normal group,the

Expressions of p16 and FHIT Proteins During Esophageal Carcinomatous Development in High Incidence Area of Esophageal Carcinoma

Objective： To detect the changes of p16 and FHIT and investigate their relationship in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma development by measuring their expression levels in normal squamous epithelium tissue, mild, moderate, severe dysplasia lesions, carcinoma in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinomas. Methods： Expressions of p16 protein and FHIT protein were detected and analyzed in 17 cases of normal squamous epithelium, 16 cases of mild dysplasia, 16 cases of moderate dysplasia, 17 cases of severe dysplasia, 10 cases of carcinoma in situ, and 18 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by immunohistochemical method. Results： With increasing histopathologic grades, the expressions of pl6 and FHIT became gradually lower. There was no remarkable difference of p16 and FHIT expressions between the normal and mild dysplasia group （P〉0.05）, but the differences between the normal and other groups were all significant （P〈0.05）. There was no remarkable difference among the squamous cell carcinoma group, the moderate and severe dysplasia groups, and the carcinoma in situ group （P〉0.05）, but significant differences existed in the expressions of p16 and FHIT proteins between the squamous cell carcinoma and the normal groups, and between the squamous cell carcinoma and the mild dysplasia groups （P〈0.05）. There was an association of descending trend between p16 and FHIT protein expressions. Conclusion： Reduced expressions of pl6 and/or FHIT proteins possible play an important role in the early occurrence of esophageal cancer. There was a positive correlation between the expressions of p16 and FHIT proteins.

Effect of different therapies of Chinese medicine on the expressions of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins in hippocampus of rats with post-stroke depression

BACKGROUND ： c-fos and c-jun, the important immediate early genes （IEG）, are regarded as the markers for the location and function of neuronal activity, as well as the third signal messengers, they couple the stress stimulation and the gene expression in neuron, and hippocampus is involved in the process of signal transmission after stress stimulation induced depression. OBJECTIVE： To observe the therapeutic effects of Bushen Yiqi （tonifying kidney to benefit qi）, Huoxue Huayu （promoting blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis） and Ditan Kaiqiao （eliminating phlegm for resuscitation） on the expressions of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins in hippocampus and spontaneous behaviors of rats with post-stroke depression （PSD）, and compare the results with those of fluoxetine, which is known to have definite effect on depression. DESIGN： A randomized controlled tna SETTING ： Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine MATERIALS ： The trial was completed in Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January to July in 2003. Fifty-six healthy adult Wistar male rats of clean grade, weighing （250±50） g, were randomly divided into 7 groups with 8 rats in each group： control group, model group, forced swimming group, Bushen Yiqi group; Huoxue Huayu, Ditan Kaiqiao group and fluoxetine group. The Bushen Yiqi Tang contained Renshen, Huangqi, Heshouwu, Gouqi, Shudi, etc., crude drugs 1 800 g/L. The Huoxue Huayu Tang contained Danshen, Chuanxiong, Chishao, Yujin, etc., crude drugs 3 600 g/L. The Ditan Kaiqiao Tang contained Banxia, Danxing, Changpu, Yuanzhi, etc., crude drug 1 000 g/b METHODS： ① Except the control group and forced swimming group, rats in the other groups were made into PSD models by deligating the bilateral common carotid artedes permanently. ② Rats in the control group, model group and forced swimming group were intragastncally perfused by saline （3 mL for each time）; those in the Bushen Yiqi group, Huoxue Huayu, Ditan Kaiqiao group and fluoxetine group were intragastncally perfused with Bushen Yiqi Tang （18 g/kg）, Huoxue Huayu Tang （9 g/kg）, Ditan Kaiqiao Tang （9 g/kg） and fluoxetine （2.5 mg/kg） respectively, once a day. ③ At 55 days after model establishment, rats in the forced swimming group were managed according to the Porsolt＇s method. They were placed in water for 15 minutes, and then taken out and dned, no moving-time within 5 minutes was recorded at drying and 24 hours after drying. ④ Measurement of spontaneous behaviors： Except the forced swimming group, the spontaneous behaviors and activities （including horizontal and vertical movements） of rats were observed with the Open-Field method at 28, 42 and 56 days after administration in the other groups. ⑤ The expressions of c-Fos and coJun proteins in hippocampus were determined with the immunohistochemical method, the relative sectional area ratio and average objective gray value of c-Fos and c-Jun positive cells in hip- pocampus were measured with the computerized image analytical system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The spontaneous behaviors of rats, the relative sectional area ratio and average objective gray value of c-Fos and c-Jun positive cells in hippocampus were observed. RESULTS： Of the 56 rats, 1 died in the forced swimming group, and finally 55 rats were involved in the analysis of results. ① Results of spontaneous activities： At 28 days, the times of crossing movements were obviously fewer in the model group and fluoxetine group [（69.00±37.01）, （98.11 ±36.68） times/3 minutes] than in the control group [（128.44±16.85） times/3 minutes, P 〈 0.01, 0.05], but those in the Bushen Yiqi group, Huoxue Quyu group and Ditan Kaiqiao group had no obvious differences as compared with those in the control group （P 〉 0.05）. At 42 and 56 days, the times of crossing movements were obviously more in the Bushen Yiqi group, Huoxue Quyu group and Ditan Kaiqiao group [（106.44±31.24）, （117.20±23.95）, （134.80±28.18）, （136.36±40.95） times/3 minutes; （117.33±35.91）, （129.60 ±23.78）, （131.90 ±26.81）, （136.09±28.34） times/3 minutes] than in the model group [（64.00±17.51）, （72.86±20.68） times/3 minutes, P 〈 0.01]. The times of rearing movements had no obvious differences among the groups for the three times （P 〉 0.05）. ② The no moving-time within 5 minutes 24 hours after drying was obviously longer than that at drying in the forced swimming group. ③ The average objective gray values of c-Fos positive cells were not obviously different in the Bushen Yiqi group and Ditan Kaiqiao group from the control group （P 〉 0.05）, but lower in the model group than in the control group （69.84±9.82, 75.78±5.89, P 〈 0.01）, and higher in the forced swimming group than in the control group （85.97±10.99, P 〈 0.01）; all higher in the fluoxetine group, Bushen Yiqi group, Huoxue Quyu group and Ditan Kaiqiao group than in the model group （81.27±10.73, 74.04±8.34, 83.29±9.89, 70.14±4.92, P 〈 0.05-0.01）. The average objective gray values of c-Jun positive cells were obviously lower in the Bushen Yiqi group than in the control group （68.11 ±6.89, 79.58±5.86, P 〈 0.01）, but all higher in the other groups than in the control group （84.68±7.15, 81.34 ±8.36, 97.51±10.55, 85.68±9.25, 86.19±10.98, P 〈 0.05-0.01）; Those were obviously higher in the fluoxetine group, Huoxue Quyu group and Ditan Kaiqiao group than in the model group （P 〈 0.05-0.01 ）, lower in the Bushen Yiqi group than in the model group （P 〈 0.05）, all obviously lower in the Bushen Yiqi group, Huoxue Quyu group and Ditan Kaiqiao group than in the fluoxetine group （P 〈 0.01）. The relative sectional area ratios of c-Fos and c-Jun positive cells had no obvious differences among the groups （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION ： The methods of Bushen Yiqi, Huoxue Quyu and Ditan Kaiqiao can effectively treat PSD in rats, and the results were equivalent with those of fluoxetine, the actions of the above-mentioned drugs may correlated with their regulation to c-Fos and c-Jun expressions in hippocampus. PSD animal models can be successfully established by both permanent deligation of bilateral common carotid arteries and forced swimming, and the models induced by the former has similar basic cerebrovascular lesions as human stroke in clinic.

Effects of Astragalus membranaceus on Energy Metabolism and Expression of CNTF Protein in Skeletal Muscle of Exercise-induced Fatigue Rats

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Astragalus membranaceus in different groups on energy metabolism and CNTF protein expression in skeletal muscle of exercise-induced fatigue rats.[Methods]Thirty-five clean male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group,and low-,meddle-and high-dose groups of A.membranaceus aqueous solution,with 7 rats in each group.The low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups were given by gavage at 0.65,1.3 and 2.6 g/kg,respectively,while the normal group and the model group were given normal food and water.The weight of rats was observed.The contents of serum urea,lactate,muscle glycogen,liver glycogen and CNTF expression were detected.[Results]After modeling,compared with the normal group,the serum lactate and urea contents of rats in the model group significantly increased(P<0.01),while the muscle glycogen content(P<0.01)and liver glycogen content(P<0.05)of the skeletal muscle significantly decreased.Compared with the model group,the low-,meddle-and high-dose groups of A.membranaceus significantly reduced the levels of lactate and urea in serum(P<0.01),while the levels of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen in the skeletal muscle significantly increased(P<0.01,P<0.05).[Conclusions]This study provides a good research foundation for the treatment of exercise-induced fatigue using traditional Chinese herb A.membranaceus in modern clinical practice.

Astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression impairs learning and memory ability in ischemic stroke via altered hippocampal neurogenesis and lipid metabolism

Vascular etiology is the second most prevalent cause of cognitive impairment globally.Endothelin-1,which is produced and secreted by endothelial cells and astrocytes,is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke.However,the way in which changes in astrocytic endothelin-1 lead to poststroke cognitive deficits following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion is not well understood.Here,using mice in which astrocytic endothelin-1 was overexpressed,we found that the selective overexpression of endothelin-1 by astrocytic cells led to ischemic stroke-related dementia(1 hour of ischemia;7 days,28 days,or 3 months of reperfusion).We also revealed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression contributed to the role of neural stem cell proliferation but impaired neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus after middle cerebral artery occlusion.Comprehensive proteome profiles and western blot analysis confirmed that levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and peroxiredoxin 6,which were differentially expressed in the brain,were significantly increased in mice with astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression in comparison with wild-type mice 28 days after ischemic stroke.Moreover,the levels of the enriched differentially expressed proteins were closely related to lipid metabolism,as indicated by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry nontargeted metabolite profiling of brain tissues showed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression altered lipid metabolism products such as glycerol phosphatidylcholine,sphingomyelin,and phosphatidic acid.Overall,this study demonstrates that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression can impair hippocampal neurogenesis and that it is correlated with lipid metabolism in poststroke cognitive dysfunction.

Cloning and Prokaryotic Expression of P23 Major Surface Protein Gene from Theileria sergenti

[Objective] The aim was to study cloning and prokaryotic expression of P23 major surface protein gene of Theileria sergenti. [Method] A pair of specific primers was designed according to the sequence of P23 major surface protein of T. sergenti (D84447).The P23 gene was amplified by PCR from genomic DNA of T. sergenti and cloned into pMD18-T vector to construct recombinant clonal vector pMD18-P23. Positive clones were identified by PCR screening and restriction digestion. A recombinant expression plasmid pGEX-4T-P23 was constructed by subcloning the cloned P23 gene into the linearized pGEX-4T-1 vector and transformed into E. coli BL21. After introduction by IPTG,the expressed fusion protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western-blotting. [Result] The cloned gene has a total length of 507 bp. Sequencing result showed that the nucleotide sequence of the cloned P23 gene shared 99.4% identity with that of P23 published in GenBank (D84447). The expressed fusion protein was 46 ku in molecular mass. Induction opportunity of zhours after culture inoculation was the best,the induction time of 6 h was the best,and induction temperature of 34 ℃ was the best as well,IPTG of 1 mmol/L had little effect on the expression. Western-blotting indicated that recombinant protein was recognized by specific antibody. [Conclusion] This study would lay a foundation for further research on the prevention and diagnose of T. sergenti.

Oncoprotein expression and inhibition of apoptosis during colorectal tumorigenesis

AIMS To study bcl-2 and P53 protein expression and inhibition of apoptosis during colorectal tumorigenesis. METHODS Expression of bcl -2 and p53 in 45 colorectal ade- nomas and 61 colorectal carcinomas was detected by immunohis- tochemical staining. RESULTS The bcl-2 and P53 protein expression was uniformly negative in normal mucosa,whereas bcl-2 and p53 positive rates were significantly higher in adenoma and carcinoma than in nor- reals(P<0.01 ).The area with strong bcl-2 expression was of- ten the area with severely dysplasia.In colorectal adenoma,ex- pression of p53 increased with the increasing size and dysplasia, in adenomas≥20 mm being higher than adenomas<10 mm(77, 8% vs 35.0%,P<0.05).p53 was relevant to differentiation and Duke's staging.A significant inverse correlation was found between bcl-2 and p53 in immunostaining in the adenomas,but not in the carcinomas.Furthermore,carcinomas with a high per- centage of bcl-2 positive cells were significantly more likely to have low rates of apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that bcl-2 gene appears to be an early event in colorectal tumorigenesis that can inhibit apoptosis,p53 expression plays an important role in the develop- ment and malignant change of colorectal adenoma,bcl-2 and p53 may be used as a good marker relating to cell apoptosis.

Separation and Identification of Differentially Expressed Proteins in Pistillate Flowers between Different Mulberry Cultivars

[Objective] This study aimed to explore the proteins related to pistillate flower development in different mulberry cultivars. [Method] The total proteins of the pistillate flowers of two mulberry cultivars Dal0 （Morus atropurpurea Roxb.） and SG01 （Morus muIticaulis Perr.） were extracted, separated and detected through two- dimensional electrophoresis （2-DE） and mass spectrometry. [Result] There was sig- nificant difference in the expression of proteins from the pistillate flowers of different mulberry cultivars. From the 2-DE images of Dal0 and SG01, 445_＋17 and 425_＋12 protein spots were respectively detected. The expression levels of 75 protein spots differed significantly. Thirteen spots those were expressed at high levels and well separated were analyzed by mass spectrometry, and nine of them were identified successfully. The nine proteins are involved in the glycometabolism, protein and amino acid metabolism and defense responses during the development of mulberry pistillate flower after they were pollinated. [Conclusion] The findings will provide reference for further study on the molecular mechanism of mulberry pistillate flower de- velopment.

Intricacies during pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus

The study by Cao et al aimed to identify early second-trimester biomarkers that could predict gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)development using advanced proteomic techniques,such as Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.Their analysis revealed 47 differentially expressed proteins in the GDM group,with retinol-binding protein 4 and angiopoietin-like 8 showing significantly elevated serum levels compared to controls.Although these findings are promising,the study is limited by its small sample size(n=4 per group)and lacks essential details on the reproducibility and reliability of the protein quantification methods used.Furthermore,the absence of experimental validation weakens the interpretation of the protein-protein interaction network identified through bioinformatics analysis.The study's focus on second-trimester biomarkers raises concerns about whether this is a sufficiently early period to implement preventive interventions for GDM.Predicting GDM risk during the first trimester or pre-conceptional period may offer more clinical relevance.Despite its limitations,the study presents valuable insights into potential GDM biomarkers,but larger,well-validated studies are needed to establish their predictive utility and generalizability.

Expression of lung resistance protein in patients with gastric carcinoma and its clinical significance

INTRODUCTION The efficacy of chemotherapy in the treatment of cance patients is often hampered by the presence or appearance of multidrug resistance(MDR) of tumor cells.

Morphological and pathologic changes of experimental chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG)and the regulating mechanism of protein expression in rats

Objective： To study the pathologic change and molecular regulation in cell proliferation and apoptosis of gastric mucosa in rats with chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG）, and evaluate the possible mechanisms. Methods： Rats were administered with 60% alcohol or 2% salicylate sodium, 20 mmol/L deoxycholate sodium and 0.1% ammonia water to establish chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） models. The gastric specimens were prepared for microscopic view with hematoxylin and eosin （H-E） and alcian blue （A-B） stain. The number of infiltrated inflammatory cells, the thickness of the mucosa gland layer （μm） and the number of gastric glands were calculated. The damage of barrier in mucosa with erosion or ulceration, and the thickness of mucin were examined by scanned electron microscope （SEM）. The levels of PGE2, EGF （epiderminal growth factor） and gastrin in the serum were measured with radioimmunoassay or ELISA method. The immunohistochemistry method was used to observe the number of G cells, the expression of protein of EGFR （EGF receptor）, C-erbB-2, p53, p6 and bcl-2 in gastric tissue. Results： Under SEM observation, the gastric mucosa was diffused erosion or ulceration and the thickness of mucin was decreased. Compared with normal rats, the grade of inflammatory cell infltration in CAG rats was elevated, whereas the thickness and number of gastric gland were significantly lower （P〈0.05）. Compared with normal level of （0.61±0.28） μg/L, EGF in CAG （2.24±0.83） μg/L was significantly higher （P〈0.05）. The levels of PGEz and gastrin in serum were significantly lower in CAG rats than that in normal rats （P〈0.05）. Immunohistochemistry detection showed that the number of G cell in antrum was lower in CAG group （P〈0.05）. Imrauno-stain showed EGFR protein expression in the basal and bilateral membrane, and the cytoplasma in atrophic gastric gland, while negative expression was observed in normal gastric epithelial cells. Positive staining of p53 and p 16 protein was localized in the nucleus of epithelial cells. The former was higher positively expressed in atrophic gland, while the later was higher positively stained in normal gastric tissue, bcl-2 protein was positively stained in the cytoplasma in atrophic gastric gland, while very weakly stained in normal gastric tissue. Conclusion： The pathological findings in gastric gland accorded with the Houston diagnostic criteria of antrum-predominant CAG. CAG in rats was related with the damage of barrier in gastric mucosa and the misbalance of cell proliferation and apoptosis. There was high protein expression of oncogene, while inhibitor of suppressor gene in CAG rats indicated high trend of carcinogenesis.

AtKP1, a kinesin-like protein, mainly localizes to mitochondria in Arabidopsis thaliana

Kinesins and kinesin-like proteins (KLPs) constitute a large family of microtubule-based motors that play important roles in many fundamental cellular and developmental processes. To date, a number of kinesins or KLPs have been identified in plants including Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, a polyclonal antibody against AtKP1 (kinesin-like protein 1 in A.thaliana) was raised by injection the expressed AtKP1 specific C-terminal polypeptides in rabbits, and immunoblot analysis was conducted with the affinity-purified anti-AtKP1 antibody. The results indicated that this antibody recognized the AtKP1 fusion proteins expressed in E. coli and proteins of ～125 kDa in the soluble fractions of Arabidopsis extracts. The molecular weight was consistent with the calculated molecular weight based on deduced amino acids sequence of AtKP1. To acquire the subcellular localization of the protein, AtKP1 in Arabidopsis root cells was observed by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. AtKP1 was localized to particle-like organelles in interphase or dividing cells, but not to mitotic microtubule arrays. Relatively more AtKP1 was found in isolated mitochondria fraction on immunoblot of the subcellular fractions. The AtKP1 protein could not be released following a 0.6 M KI washing,indicating that AtKP1 is tightly bind to mitochondria and might function associated with this kind of organelles.

Western blot detection of PMI protein in transgenic rice

Phosphomannose isomerase （PMI） encoding gene manA is a desirable selective marker in transgenic research. Under- standing of its expression patterns in transgenic plant and establishing highly sensitive detection method based on immunoassay have great impacts on the application of PMI. In this study, PMI-specific monoclonal antibodies were generated using recombinant protein as immunogen, and could be used in Western blot to detect as little as 0.5 ng His-tagged PMI protein or rice expressed PMI protein in sample accounted for 0.4% of single rice grain （about 0.08 mg）. PMI protein driven by CaMV-35S promoter was detected in dozens of tested tissues, including root, stem, leaf, panicle, and seed at all developmental stages during rice growing, and PMI protein accounted for about 0.036% of total protein in the leaves at seedling stage. The established method potentially can be used to monitor PMI protein in rice grains.

Expression of non-structural protein NS3 gene of Bombyx mori densovirus (China isolate)

The invertebrate parvovirus Bombyx mori Densonucleosis Virus type 3 （China isolate）, named BmDNV-3, is a kind of bidensovirus. It is a new type of virus with unique replication mechanisms. To investigate the effects of the NS3 gene during viral DNA replication, a pair of primers was designed for amplifying NS3 gene of Bombyx mori densovirus （China isolate）. Gene NS3 amplified was cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector pET-30a and the donor plasmid pFastBacHTe, respectively. The NS3 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The pFastBacHTe-NS3 was transformed to E. coli DHIOBac. The recombinant bacmid baculoviruses （rBacmid-EGFP-NS3） isolated from the white colonies were transfected into BmN-4 cells using a transfection reagent. BraN-4 cells were infected with recombinant virus to express fusion proteins. The expression of fusion protein around 30 kDa in E. coli BL21 was identified by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and mass spectrometry. The expressed NS3 protein by B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus bacmid system was confirmed by Western blotting using an anti-NS3 polyclonal antibody. And about 45 kDa protein was found. The expressed fusion protein was smaller than the expected size of EGFP-NS3, 55 kDa. Western blotting analysis indicated that EGFP-NS3 protein was expressed in infected larvae with smaller molecular size.

Association of gene and protein expression and genetic polymorphism of CC chemokine ligand 4 in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Leukocytes,such as T cells and macrophages,play an important role in tumorigenesis.CC chemokine ligand(CCL)4,which is produced by lymphocytes and macrophages,has been found to be expressed in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and is a potent chemoattractant for various leukocytes.AIM To examine CCL4 expression and its genetic polymorphism rs10491121 in patients with colorectal cancer(CRC)and evaluate their prognostic significance.METHODS Luminex technology was used to determine CCL4 Levels in CRC tissue(n=98),compared with paired normal tissue,and in plasma from patients with CRC(n=103),compared with healthy controls(n=97).Included patients had undergone surgical resection for primary colorectal adenocarcinomas between 1996 and 2019 at the Department of Surgery,Ryhov County Hospital,Jönköping,Sweden.Reverse transcription quantitative PCR was used to investigate the CCL4 gene expression in CRC tissue(n=101).Paired normal tissue and TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphism assays were used for the CCL4 rs10491121 polymorphism in 610 CRC patients and 409 healthy controls.RESULTS The CCL4 protein and messenger RNA expression levels were higher in CRC tissue than in normal paired tissue(90%,P<0.001 and 45%,P<0.05,respectively).CRC tissue from patients with localized disease had 2.8-fold higher protein expression levels than that from patients with disseminated disease.Low CCL4 protein expression levels in CRC tissue were associated with a 30%lower cancer-specific survival rate in patients(P<0.01).The level of plasma CCL4 was 11%higher in CRC patients than in healthy controls(P<0.05)and was positively correlated(r=0.56,P<0.01)with the CCL4 protein level in CRC tissue.The analysis of CCL4 gene polymorphism rs10491121 showed a difference(P<0.05)between localized disease and disseminated disease in the right colon,with a dominance of allele A in localized disease.Moreover,the rate of the A allele was higher among CRC patients with mucinous cancer than among those with nonmucinous cancer.CONCLUSION The present study indicates that the CRC tissue levels of CCL4 and CCL4 gene polymorphism rs10491121,particularly in the right colon,are associated with clinical outcome in CRC patients.

Molecular Cloning, and Characterization of an Adenylyl Cyclase-Associated Protein from Gossypium arboreum L.

The aim of this study was to clone CAP （adenylyl cyclase-associated protein） gene from Gossypium arboreum L. and develop a platform for expressing and purifying CAP protein, which is a base for the construction and function researches of CAP. In this work, a CAP homolog from cotton （DPL971） ovule was identified and cloned. And the cDNA sequence consisted of an open reading frame of 1 416 nucleotides encoding a protein of 471 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 50.6 kDa. To gain insight on the CAP role in cotton fiber development, the cloned CAP cDNA was expressed. A significant higher yield pure protein was obtained with the chromatographic method. Further experiments showed that the purified protein can bind with the actin in vitro indicating that the recombinant cotton CAP is functional. The procedure described here produced high yield pure protein through one chromatographic step, suitable for further structure-function studies.

Receptor-binding domain of SARS-Cov spike protein: Soluble expression in E.coli, purification and functional characterization

AIM： To find a soluble and functional recombinant receptor-binding domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus （SARS-Cov）, and to analyze its receptor binding ability. METHODS： Three fusion tags （glutathione S-transferase, GST; thioredoxin, Trx; maltose-binding protein, MBP）, which preferably contributes to increasing solubility and to facilitating the proper folding of heteroprotein, were used to acquire the soluble and functional expression of RBD protein in Escherichia coli （BL21（DE3） and Rosetta-gamiB （DE3） strains）. The receptor binding ability of the purified soluble RBD protein was then detected by ELISA and flow cytometry assay. RESULTS： RBD of SARS-Cov spike protein was expressed as inclusion body when fused as TrxA tag form in both BL21 （DE3） and Rosetta-gamiB （DE3） under many different cultures and induction conditions. And there was no visible expression band on SDS-PAGE when RBD was expressed as MBP tagged form. Only GST tagged RBD was soluble expressed in BL21（DE3）, and the protein was purified by AKTA Prime Chromatography system. The ELISA data showed that GST.RBD antigen had positive reaction with anti-RBD mouse monoclonal antibody 1A5. Further flow cytometry assay demonstrated the high efficiency of RBD＇s binding ability to ACE2 （angiotensin-converting enzyme 2） positive Vero E6 cell. And ACE2 was proved as a cellular receptor that meditated an initial-affinity interaction with SARS-Cov spike protein. The geometrical mean of GST and GST.RBD binding to Vero E6 cells were 77.08 and 352.73 respectively. CONCLUSION： In this paper, we get sufficient soluble N terminal GST tagged RBD protein expressed in EcoliBL21 （DE3）; data from ELISA and flow cytometry assay demonstrate that the recombinant protein is functional and binding to ACE2 positive Vero E6 cell efficiently. And the recombinant RBD derived from E.coli can be used to developing subunit vaccine to block S protein binding with receptor and to neutralizing SARS-Cov infection.

Loss of fragile histidine triad protein expression in inflammatory bowel disease

AIM： To investigate the expression of fragile histidine triad （FHIT） protein in 64 patients with ulcerative colitis （UC） and Crohn＇s disease （CD）, and its relation with clinicopathological data. METHODS： Rabbit-anti-FHIT antibody was used to detect FHIT protein expression in 64 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of inflammatory bowel disease （IBD） by citrate-microwave-streptavidin （SP）-HRP immunohistochemical method. RESULTS： The positive FHIT protein expression was 22.79% ± 16.16%, 42.14% ± 16.82% in active and remittent phases of UC, 36.07% ± 19.23% in CD, and 57.05% ±8.86% in normal colon mucosa. Statistically significant differences in FHIT protein expression were observed between the active and remittent phases of UC, between the active phase of UC and normal colon mucosa, as well as between the remittent phase of UC and normal colon mucosa, and between CD and normal colon mucosa. CONCLUSION： Our results show that FHIT protein expression is completely absent or reduced in IBD, suggesting that the FHIT gene might be associated with the oncogenesis and progression of IBD, an early event from inflammatory conditions to carcinoma in IBD.

An Improved Strategy for Efficient Expression and Purification of Soluble HIV-1 Tat Protein in E.coli

Although the endogenous function of Tat has been elucidated in the past twenty years, the study of its exogenous activity has been hampered due to the difficulty of large scale preparation of the active Tat protein. To express the full-length Tat protein in E.coli, the tat gene was cloned from an HIV infected patient by overlapping PCR. Rare codon usage analysis showed that rare E.coli codons, especially consecutive rare codons for Arg, account for 14% (14 of 101) rare E.coli codons in the tat gene. The expression of the HIV-1 tat gene was verified to be very poor in strain BL21 (DE3) due to the abundance of rare codons; however, tat gene expression was found to be very efficient in the host strain of Rosetta-gami B (DE3), which was supplemented with six rare tRNAs for Arg, Leu, Ile and Pro. Subsequent purification revealed that the proteins are soluble and unusually, the tagged Tat can form dimers independent of cystine disulfide bonds. The purity, integrity and molecular weight of the Tat protein were demonstrated by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Reporter gene activating assay was further confirmed by investigating the transactivation activity of the recombinant Tat protein. Our improved strategy for efficient high level expression and purification of soluble Tat protein has paved the way to fully investigate its exogenous function.