Vegetative Storage Proteins in Meliaceae

采用光学和电子显微镜技术及SDS_PAGE研究了营养贮藏蛋白质 (VSPs)在楝科树木中的分布和超微结构 ;并采用免疫印迹技术 ,以大叶桃花心木 (SwieteniamacrophyllaKing)的 2 1kDVSP的抗血清检测楝科树木VSPs的免疫相关性。结果表明 ,在桃花心木亚科 (Swietenioideae)的树木中普遍存在VSPs ,但楝亚科 (Melioidae)仅部分属的树木有VSPs而椿亚科 (Cedreloideae)树木没有VSPs。VSPs在同一属树木中的分布是一致的。桃花心木亚科和楝亚科树木之间的VSPs几乎没有免疫相关性 ,但是在桃花心木亚科中 ,VSPs具有相对高的同源性。楝科树木VSPs的超微结构存在一定程度的差异 ,这可能与VSPs的种类不同有关。VSPs的分布。

Insulin resistance is associated with subclinical vascular disease in humans

Insulin resistance is associated with subclinical vascular disease that is not justified by conventional cardiovascular risk factors,such as smoking or hypercholesterolemia.Vascular injury associated to insulin resistance involves functional and structural damage to the arterial wall that includes impaired vasodilation in response to chemical mediators,reduced distensibility of the arterial wall(arterial stiffness),vascular calcification,and increased thickness of the arterial wall.Vascular dysfunction associated to insulin resistance is present in asymptomatic subjects and predisposes to cardiovascular diseases,such as heart failure,ischemic heart disease,stroke,and peripheral vascular disease.Structural and functional vascular disease associated to insulin resistance is highly predictive of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Its pathogenic mechanisms remain undefined.Prospective studies have demonstrated that animal protein consumption increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and predisposes to type 2 diabetes(T2D)whereas vegetable protein intake has the opposite effect.Vascular disease linked to insulin resistance begins to occur early in life.Children and adolescents with insulin resistance show an injured arterial system compared with youth free of insulin resistance,suggesting that insulin resistance plays a crucial role in the development of initial vascular damage.Prevention of the vascular dysfunction related to insulin resistance should begin early in life.Before the clinical onset of T2D,asymptomatic subjects endure a long period of time characterized by insulin resistance.Latent vascular dysfunction begins to develop during this phase,so that patients with T2D are at increased cardiovascular risk long before the diagnosis of the disease.

Toxicity and binding analyses of Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Vip3A in Cry1Ac-resistant and-susceptible strains of Helicoverpa armigera(Hübner)

The Bacillus thuringiensis vegetative insecticidal protein, Vip3 A, represents a new family of Bt toxin and is currently applied to commercial transgenic cotton. To determine whether the Cry1Ac-resistant Helicoverpa armigera is cross-resistant to Vip3 Aa protein, insecticidal activities, proteolytic activations and binding properties of Vip3 Aa toxin were investigated using Cry1Ac-susceptible（96S） and Cry1Ac-resistant H. armigera strain（Cry1Ac-R）. The toxicity of Vip3 Aa in Cry1Ac-R slightly reduced compared with 96 S, the resistance ratio was only 1.7-fold. The digestion rate of full-length Vip3 Aa by gut juice extracts from 96 S was little faster than that from Cry1Ac-R. Surface plasmon resonance（SPR） showed there was no significant difference between the binding affinity of Vip3 Aa and BBMVs between 96 S and Cry1Ac-R strains, and there was no significant competitive binding between Vip3 Aa and Cry1 Ac in susceptible or resistant strains. So there had little cross-resistance between Vip3 Aa and Cry1 Ac,Vip3A＋Cry proteins maybe the suitable pyramid strategy to control H. armigera in China in the future.

Fluctuation of Vegetative Storage Proteins in the Seedlings of Swietenia macrophylla, Analogous to the Seasonal Changes of Those in the Shoot of the Adult Tree

In order to Identify appropriate plant materials for studying the gene expression and biological function of vegetative storage proteins （VSPs） in woody plants, the VSPs in the seedlings of Swietenla rnacrophylla King were investigated by using light microscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE） and Western.blotting. The seed of S. macrophylla was rich in storage proteins that accumulated In the vacuoles of cotyledon parenchyma cells in appearance of compact spherical grains. The growth and development of S. macrophylla seedlings were characterized by an obvious growth rhythm. The storage proteins In seeds disappeared during seedling growth while VSPs appeared in the stem 2 weeks after seedling leaves matured. Thereafter, the VSPs In the seedling stem almost exhausted during new shoot growth, and when the leaves of new shoot Just matured, both the stem beneath the new shoot of seedlings and the stem of new shoot started to accumulate VSPs. Nitrogen application dramatically Increased the level of VSPs, but had little influence on the dynamics of VSP consumption and accumulation in seedling stem. Together with these data, the fluctuation of VSPs in seedlings was very similar to that in the branches of the adult trees. In addition, seedlings are easy to be treated due to their small size. Our results suggested that S. rnacrophylla seedlings were suitable for Investigating the biological roles of VSPs and the mechanism of nitrogen storage in trees.

Effects of protein sources for milk replacers on growth performance and serum biochemical indexes of suckling calves

This study investigated the effects of protein sources for milk replacers on growth performance and serum biochemical indexes of suckling calves. Fifty Chinese Holstein bull calves with similar BW and age were randomly allocated to 5 groups(1 control and 4 treatments) of 10 calves in each group. Five types of milk replacers were designed to have the same level of energy and protein. The protein source for milk replacers of the control group was full milk protein(MP). The protein source of milk replacers of the 4 treatment groups was composed of MP and one vegetable protein(VP)(30 and 70% of total protein). The4 types of VP were soybean protein concentrate(SP), hydrolyzed wheat protein(WP), peanut protein concentrate(PP), and rice protein isolate(RP). Results of the experiment showed: 1) there was no significant difference on average daily gain(ADG) and feed:gain ratio(F:G) among the MP, SP and RP groups(P > 0.05), whereas the ADG and F:G of the WP and PP groups were significantly lower compared with the MP group(P < 0.05); 2) there was not a significant difference in withers height, body length and heart girth among treatment groups compared with the MP group(P > 0.05). Thereby the 4 VP milk replacers had no adverse effects on body size of calves; 3) all groups showed no significant difference in the serum contents of urea nitrogen, total protein, albumin, globulin, β-hydroxybutyrate, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, and the ratio of albumin to globulin(A:G)(P> 0.05). In conclusion, SP or RP(accounts for 70% of the total protein) as calf milk replacers could substitute MP, whereas wheat gluten and PP had a significant adverse effect on growth performance in this experiment.

Poplar Trees （Populus canadensis Moench） Initiate Vegetative Storage Protein Accumulation During New Shoot Development in Spring

: It was generally assumed that the accumulation of vegetative storage protein (VSP) in poplar trees and/or temperate hardwoods did not occur in spring. To test this assumption, the accumulation of the 32-kDa VSP and the differential expression of a gene encoding for the protein in poplars were investigated using light and electron microscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We report, for the first time, that poplar trees initiated VSP accumulation in new shoots during the development of new shoots in spring under conditions of high temperature and long days. The amount of 32-kDa VSP increased gradually in the stem of new shoots and in two-year-old branches, but there were no detectable changes in its abundance in the bark tissues of trunks during new shoot development. Based on the presence of a 286-bp DNA fragment that is identical to the VSP gene bspA, encoding for the 32-kDa VSP in Populus deltoids Bartr. ex Marsh., the differential expression of the 32-kDa VSP gene in P. canadensis Moench was revealed by RT-PCR. The results indicated that the 32-kDa VSP gene was expressed strongly in new shoots, relative weakly in two-year-old branches and was not expressed in the trunk during new shoot development. This pattern of VSP accumulation and VSP gene space-time differential expression may be an important mechanism by which stored nitrogen compounds are used preferentially to exogenously available nitrogen and, in addition, the dynamic pattern may also have a role in the regulation of nitrogen metabolism, especially nitrogen uptake by the roots.

Altered Protein Profiling in Tears from Patients in a Traumatic Vegetative State

Following severe traumatic brain injury .（sTBI）, patients may remain in a coma, vegetative state （VS）, or minimally conscious state （MCS）, all of which are also clinically termed disorders of consciousness. Patients in a coma show complete disability in the arousal system and fail to achieve awareness spontaneously; yet true coma represents a transient state and rarely lasts longer than a month [1]. The VS （also known as unresponsive wakefulness syndrome）, characterized as a state with spontaneous or stimulus-induced eye-opening but the patient appears totally unaware of self and environment, may persist for months or years [2]. In contrast, the MCS is evidenced by preserved and reproducible signs of awareness as well as sleep-wake cycles, suggesting better recovery than coma and VS. Considering that no signs of consciousness are detectable, patients in a VS suffer from a high rate of misdiagnosis [3].