Peptidoglycan recognition proteins(PGRPs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors(PRRs) of the immune system,which bind and hydrolyze bacterial peptidoglycan.Here,a long type PGRP(PGRP-L) was first cloned ...Peptidoglycan recognition proteins(PGRPs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors(PRRs) of the immune system,which bind and hydrolyze bacterial peptidoglycan.Here,a long type PGRP(PGRP-L) was first cloned in the lower vertebrate species Xenopus tropicalis(Xt).The XtPGRP-L possessed a conserved genomic structure with five exons and four introns.The alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that XtPGRP-L might be a type of amidase-like PGRP.The 3-D model showed that XtPGRP-L possessed a conserved structure compared with the Drosophila PGRP-Lb.During embryonic development,XtPGRP-L was not expressed until the 72 h tadpole stage.In adult tissues,it was strongly expressed in the liver,lung,intestine,and stomach.Furthermore,after LPS stimulation,the expression of XtPGRP-L was up-regulated significantly in the liver,intestine and spleen,indicating that XtPGRP-L may play an important role in the innate immunity of Xenopus tropicalis.展开更多
Aim To establish reliable methods for evaluating the quality of rhizoma of Polygonum cuspidatum( Huzhang in Chinese). Methods TLC and HPLC were employed for the chemical identification and content determination,respec...Aim To establish reliable methods for evaluating the quality of rhizoma of Polygonum cuspidatum( Huzhang in Chinese). Methods TLC and HPLC were employed for the chemical identification and content determination,respectively. Results A qualitative TLC method and a quantitative HPLC method with piceid as the reference substance were established, respectively. With piceid as the reference substance and ethyl acetate-methanol-formic acid-water ( 19:3:0.5:1) as the mobile phase, a TLC method for the identification of Huzhang from the commonly used crude drugs of the same family was also set up. Conclusion The established TLC method can reasonably appraise the quality of the drug and easily distinguish Huzhang from the other commonly used crude drugs of the same family. The HPLC method for determining piceid is simple, reproducible, accurate, and feasible.展开更多
Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is proposed to identify linear structure under non-stationary excitation,and non-white noise coefficient is introduced under the assumption of random signals consisting of white nois...Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is proposed to identify linear structure under non-stationary excitation,and non-white noise coefficient is introduced under the assumption of random signals consisting of white noise and non-white noise signals. The cross-correlation function of response signal is decomposed into mode functions and residue by EMD method. The identification technique of the modal parameters of single freedom degree is applied to each mode function to obtain natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. The results of identification of the five-degree freedom linear system demonstrate that the proposed method is effective in identifying the parameters of linear structures under non-stationary ambient excitation.展开更多
Sex-biased dispersal,in which individuals of one sex tend to disperse and breed at a greater distance from their natal site than individuals of the opposite sex,appears to be common in vertebrate organisms and is very...Sex-biased dispersal,in which individuals of one sex tend to disperse and breed at a greater distance from their natal site than individuals of the opposite sex,appears to be common in vertebrate organisms and is very important to population structures and dynamics.Many studies have documented the dispersal patterns of monogamous birds; however,observations and data are few for polygynous birds.In our study,we report on the indication of sex-biased dispersal in Elliot's Pheasant (Syrmaticus ellioti),a vulnerable species endemic to China,using polymorphic DNA microsatellite loci (105 individual birds and seven loci) and mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences (63 birds).Contrary to the traditional concept that males are the more philopatric sex and females the more dispersing sex in birds,all the genetic information extracted from the two markers suggests that male-biased dispersal is predominant in Elliot's Pheasant.We argue that polygynous species in Galliformes without lekking behavior are more likely to exhibit male-biased dispersal patterns,consistent with the expected results based on the polygynous mating system of Elliot's Pheasant.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the 152 cases of paragangliomas resected over the past 32 years in West China Hospital dinicopathologically.METHODS: All cases of paragangliomas diagnosed at the Department of Gastrointestinal Su...AIM: To investigate the 152 cases of paragangliomas resected over the past 32 years in West China Hospital dinicopathologically.METHODS: All cases of paragangliomas diagnosed at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, China were reviewed. The pathological documents were supplied by the Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, and other necessary data were extracted from the hospital records. The statistical analyses were performed by survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier method), descriptive statistical analyses and Х^2 analysis.RESULTS: The neuroendocrine marker vimentin was found to be selectively expressed in the benign tumors, and there were significant differences in the expression of those markers in both benign and malignant tumors. The survival analysis revealed that survival correlated significantly with the malignancy, metastasis and nodal status.CONCLUSION: Vimentin may be useful in the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign tumors. The difference in the expression of this marker in the tumors could be a clue to the future clinical diagnosis. The malignancy, metastasis and the nodal status may predict the prognosis of this disease.展开更多
AIM: To conduct bhe proteomic analysis of human colorectal carcinoma cell line, SW480 by using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption /ionization-time of flight mass spectromet...AIM: To conduct bhe proteomic analysis of human colorectal carcinoma cell line, SW480 by using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption /ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDITOFMS). METHODS: The total proteins of human colorectal carcinoma cell line, SW480 were separated with 2-DE by using immobilized pH gradient strips and visualized by staining with silver nitrate. The gel images were acquired by scanner and 2-DE analysis software, Image Master 2D Elite. Nineteen distinct protein spots were excised from gel randomly and digested in gel by TPCK-trypsin. Mass analysis of the byptic digest peptides mixture was performed by using MALDI-TOF MS. Peptide mass fingerprints (PMFs) obtained by the MALDI-TOF analysis were used to search NCBI, SWISS-PROT and MSDB databases by using Mascot software. RESULTS: PMF maps of all spots were obtained by MALDI-TOF MS and thirteen proteins were preliminarily identified. CONCLUSION: The methods of analysis and identification of protein spots of tumor cells in 2-DE gel with silver staining by MALDI-TOF MS derived PMF have been established. Protein expression profile of SW480 has been obtained. It is demonstrated that a combination of proteomics and cell culture is a useful approach to comprehend the process of colon carcinogenesis.展开更多
The 8^th International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens (chaired by HZ and managed by BS) was run over a 4-year period and culminated in a conference in December 2004. Here we review the achievem...The 8^th International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens (chaired by HZ and managed by BS) was run over a 4-year period and culminated in a conference in December 2004. Here we review the achievements of the HLDA Workshops and provide links to information on CD molecules and antibodies against them, including the 93 new CDs assigned in the 8^th Workshop. We consider what remains to be achieved (including an estimate of the number of leucocyte surface molecules still to be discovered), and how the field can best move forward.展开更多
Ficolins are serum complement lectins,with a structure similar to mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and lung surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-D.Ficolins activate the lectin complement system and play important roles in...Ficolins are serum complement lectins,with a structure similar to mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and lung surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-D.Ficolins activate the lectin complement system and play important roles in host innate immunity.Ficolins are members of the collectin family of proteins,which act as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs).They are soluble oligomeric defense proteins with lectin-like activity,and are able to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs),which are carbohydrate molecules on the surface of pathogens,and of apoptotic,necrotic,and malignant cells.Upon binding to their specific PAMPs,ficolins may trigger activation of the immune system either (1) by initiating activation of complement via the lectin pathway,(2) by a primitive type of opsonophagocytosis,or (3) by stimulating secretion of the inflammatory cytokines interferon (IFN)-γ,interleukin (IL)-17,IL-6,and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α,and production of nitric oxide (NO)by macrophages,thus limiting the infection and concurrently orchestrating the subsequent adaptive immune response.Recently,a number of reports have shown that dysfunction or abnormal expression of ficolins may play crucial roles in viral and bacterial diseases and in inflammation.This review summarizes the reports on the roles of ficolins in the infectious diseases,and provides insight into ficolins as novel innate immune therapeutic options to treat these diseases.展开更多
AIM: To identify the proteins interacting with nucleostemin (NS), thereby gaining an insight into the function of NS. METHODS: Yeast two-hybrid assay was performed to screen a human placenta cDNA library with the ...AIM: To identify the proteins interacting with nucleostemin (NS), thereby gaining an insight into the function of NS. METHODS: Yeast two-hybrid assay was performed to screen a human placenta cDNA library with the full length of NS as a bait. X-Gal assay and β-galactosidase filter assay were subsequently conducted to check the positive clones and the gene was identified by DNA sequencing. To further confirm the interaction of two proteins, the DNA fragment coding NS and the DNA fragment isolated from the positive clone were inserted into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3 and pcDNA3-myc, respectively. Then, two plasmids were cotransfected into the COS-7 cells by DEAE-dextron. The total protein from the cotransfected cells was extracted and coimmunoprecipitation and Western blot were performed with suitable antibodies sequentially. RESULTS: Two positive clones that interacted with NS were obtained from human placenta cDNA library. One was an alpha isoform of human protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B (B56) (PPP2RSA) and the other was a novel gene being highly homologous to the gene associated with spondylo paralysis. The co-immunoprecipitation also showed that NS specifically interacted with PPP2R5A. CONCLUSION: NS and PPP2R5A interact in yeast and mammalian cells, respectively, which is helpful for addressing the function of NS in cancer development and progression.展开更多
Most protein-ligand interactions take place on surfaces and include but not limited to factors such as chemical composition, hydrophobicity, electronegavitiy and shape complementarity. Past studies showed that protein...Most protein-ligand interactions take place on surfaces and include but not limited to factors such as chemical composition, hydrophobicity, electronegavitiy and shape complementarity. Past studies showed that protein-protein interactions occur on comparatively fiat regions whereas protein-ligand bindings involve crevices. In the search for such sites various approaches have been designed and developed each of which is algorithmically unique. The use of grid units or voxels has been demonstrated in early studies with relatively good results obtained. We present here an approximated approach comprising of the use of voxels and computer vision methods in the search for ligand-binding areas. Each test protein is modelled and analysed in 2D with all corresponding residues graphically presented for successfully identified sites. The study was carried out on 2 sets of proteins: FK506-bound proteins and heme-bound proteins with promising results obtained for all test cases.展开更多
Human adenoviruses (HAdVs), especially HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7, are associated with Acute Respiratory Disease in Chinese children, and occasionally in adults. In order to establish and document the profiles of the respir...Human adenoviruses (HAdVs), especially HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7, are associated with Acute Respiratory Disease in Chinese children, and occasionally in adults. In order to establish and document the profiles of the respiratory adenovirus pathogen among children in Guangzhou, Southern China, a rapid, simple and practical method for identification and typing of respiratory adenoviruses was developed and evaluated. One pair of universal PCR primers was designed according to the conserved region of the hexon gene, which can detect not only HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7, but also HAdV-B14, -F40 and -F41, with a specific 300bp PCR product. Three pairs of type-specific PCR primers were also designed according to the hypervariable regions of the hexon gene to type HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7 by three independent PCR reactions, making it easy to optimize the PCR conditions. By using this method, one hundred throat swab specimens collected during Oct 2010 to Dec 2011 and suspected of being positive for adenoviral infection were identified and typed for adenoviruses. Of these samples, fifty-five were adenovirus-positive. The most common HAdV type was HAdV-B3, identified in 92.7% of samples, which is not only consistent with the data reported in 2004-2006, but also consistent with the recent report in Hangzhou, eastern China, indicating that HAdV-B3 has been circulating in Guangzhou, and maybe in eastern China, for many years. The method for the respiratory adenovirus identification and typing we developed is rapid, simple and practical, which has a potential in the real-time surveillance of circulating adenovirus strains and also to provide etiological evidence for the adenovirus-relative disease control and prevention in China.展开更多
A novel face recognition method, which is a fusion of muhi-modal face parts based on Gabor feature (MMP-GF), is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the bare face image detached from the normalized image was convolved w...A novel face recognition method, which is a fusion of muhi-modal face parts based on Gabor feature (MMP-GF), is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the bare face image detached from the normalized image was convolved with a family of Gabor kernels, and then according to the face structure and the key-points locations, the calculated Gabor images were divided into five parts: Gabor face, Gabor eyebrow, Gabor eye, Gabor nose and Gabor mouth. After that multi-modal Gabor features were spatially partitioned into non-overlapping regions and the averages of regions were concatenated to be a low dimension feature vector, whose dimension was further reduced by principal component analysis (PCA). In the decision level fusion, match results respectively calculated based on the five parts were combined according to linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and a normalized matching algorithm was used to improve the performance. Experiments on FERET database show that the proposed MMP-GF method achieves good robustness to the expression and age variations.展开更多
The objective of this study was to characterise serum protein capillary electrophoretic pattern in relation to the age and sex in dromedary camels. Fourteen healthy young camels (age: 3-5 months), 12 adult male and...The objective of this study was to characterise serum protein capillary electrophoretic pattern in relation to the age and sex in dromedary camels. Fourteen healthy young camels (age: 3-5 months), 12 adult male and 10 female camels (age: 5-8 years) were used. Blood samples collected from the jugular vein were used for the determination of serum proteins by capillary electrophoresis technique. Female camels had significantly (P 〈 0.05) higher serum-[Protein] of 63.7 ± 6.6 g/L (reference range = 51-74 g/L) compared to the other age groups. Adult male camels showed significantly (P 〈 0.05) higher percentage of albumin fraction (60%) compared to the other age groups. The concentrations of ul and ct2 globulin fractions were significantly (P 〈 0.05) higher mean value in young camels compared to the other groups (3.5% and 8.5%, respectively). 13-globulin fraction was not affected significantly by the age. The concentration of y-globulin fraction (26%) in lactating camels was higher (P 〈 0.05) compared to the other age groups. Significantly (P 〈 0.05) A/G ratio was observed in young camels. Sex had no significant effect on serum protein fractions. The results obtained were compared and interpreted in the light of finding reported by other investigators in camels, humans and other animals.展开更多
A total of 78 Yarrowia lipolytica yeast strains from seawater, sediments, mud of salterns, the guts of marine fish, and marine algae were obtained. After the crude protein of the yeasts was estimated by the method of ...A total of 78 Yarrowia lipolytica yeast strains from seawater, sediments, mud of salterns, the guts of marine fish, and marine algae were obtained. After the crude protein of the yeasts was estimated by the method of Kjehldahl, we found that seven strains of the marine yeasts grown in soy bean cake hydrolysate with 20 g LZ of glucose for 48h at 28~C contained more than 41.0g protein per 100g of cell dry weight and the cell dry weight was more than 4.4g per L of the culture. Among them, strain SWJ-Ib contained the highest crude protein. The results of Biolog identification and molecular methods further confirmed that they indeed belonged to Y lipolytica.展开更多
Background Female patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience increased risk of thromboembolism compared to males, an observation that is reflected by its inclusion in the CHA2DS2VASc score. New onset AF (oft...Background Female patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience increased risk of thromboembolism compared to males, an observation that is reflected by its inclusion in the CHA2DS2VASc score. New onset AF (often associated with tachycardia) also confers upon patients increased thromboembolic risk. The mechanisms underlying this risk are uncertain, but new onset AF is associated with profound impairment of platelet nitric oxide (NO) signalling. Given that cardiovascular responses to catecholamines are gender-dependent, and that the presence of tachycardia in new onset AF may represent a response to catecholaminergic stimulation, we explored the potential impact of gender and tachycardia on platelet aggregation and NO signalling. Methods Interactions were sought in 87 AF patients between the extent of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation, the anti-aggregatory effects of the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside, gender, and admission heart rate. The potential impact of platelet expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) was also evaluated. Results Analysis ofcovariance confLrmed the presence of physiological antagonism between platelet ADP and NO responses [F (1, 74) = 12.212, P 〈 0.01 ], while female sex correlated with impaired NO responses independent of platelet aggregability [F (2, 74) = 8.313, P 〈 0.01]. Admission heart rate correlated directly with platelet aggregation (r = 0.235, P 〈 0.05), and inversely with NO response (r = -0.331, P 〈 0.01). Txnip expression varied neither with gender nor with heart rate. Conclusions These results indicate, that gender and heart rate are independent determinants of platelet fimction. Prospective studies of the putative benefit of reversal of tachycardia on restoration of normal platelet function are therefore a priority.展开更多
AIM: To investigate whether serum levels of two soluble forms of extracellular cytokeratin 18 (M30-antigen and M65-antigen) may differentiate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from simple steatosis in patients with ...AIM: To investigate whether serum levels of two soluble forms of extracellular cytokeratin 18 (M30-antigen and M65-antigen) may differentiate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from simple steatosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: A total of 83 patients with suspected NAFLD and 49 healthy volunteers were investigated. Patients with suspected NAFLD were classified according to their liver histology into four groups: definitive NASH (n = 45), borderline NASH (n = 24), simple fatty liver (n = 9), and normal tissue (n = 5). Serum levels of caspase-3 generated cytokeratin-18 fragments (M30-antigen) and total cytokeratin-18 (M65-antigen) were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Levels of M30-antigen and M65-antigen were significantly higher in patients with definitive NASH compared to the other groups. An abnormal value (> 121.60 IU/L) of M30-antigen yielded a 60.0% sensitivity and a 97.4% specificity for the diagnosis of NASH. Sensitivity and specificity of an abnormal M65-antigen level (> 243.82 IU/L) for the diagnosis of NASH were 68.9% and 81.6%, respectively. Among patients with NAFLD, M30-antigen and M65-antigen levels distinguished between advanced fibrosis and early-stage fibrosis with a sensitivity of 64.7% and 70.6%, and a specificity of 77.3% and 71.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of M30-antigen and M65-antigen may be of clinical usefulness to identify patients with NASH. Further studies are mandatory to better assess the role of these apoptonecrotic biomarkers in NAFLD pathophysiology.展开更多
Mycoparasitic species of Trichoderma are commercially applied as biological control agents against various fungal pathogens. The mycoparasitic interaction is host specific and includes recognition, attack and subseque...Mycoparasitic species of Trichoderma are commercially applied as biological control agents against various fungal pathogens. The mycoparasitic interaction is host specific and includes recognition, attack and subsequent penetration and killing of the host. Investigations on the underlying events revealed that Trichoderma responds to multiple signals from the host (e.g. lectins or other ligands such as low molecular weight components released from the host’s cell wall) and host attack is accompanied by morphological changes and the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and antibiotics. Degradation of the cell wall of the host fungus is-besides glucanases and proteases-mainly achieved by chitinases. In vivo studies showed that the ech42 gene (encoding endochitinase 42) is expressed before physical contact of Trichoderma with its host, probably representing one of the earliest events in mycoparasitism, whereas Nag1 (N-acetylglucosaminidase) plays a key role in the general induction of the chitinolytic enzyme system of T. atroviride . Investigations on the responsible signal transduction pathways of T. atroviride led to the isolation of several genes encoding key components of the cAMP and MAP kinase signaling pathways, as alpha and β subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, adenylate cyclase, and three MAP kinases. Analysis of knockout mutants, generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, revealed that at least two alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins are participating in mycoparasitism-related signal transduction. The Tga1 G alpha subunit was shown to be involved in mycoparasitism-related processes such as chitinase expression and overproduction of toxic secondary metabolites, whereas Tga3 was found to be completely avirulent showing defects in chitinase formation and host recognition.展开更多
Objective To evaluate the difference between Baishao(Paeoniae Radix Alba,PRA)and Chishao(Paeoniae Radix Rubra,PRR)from different regions based on the characteristic spectra of amino acids(AAs).Methods Fingerprints of ...Objective To evaluate the difference between Baishao(Paeoniae Radix Alba,PRA)and Chishao(Paeoniae Radix Rubra,PRR)from different regions based on the characteristic spectra of amino acids(AAs).Methods Fingerprints of the 21 standard AAs were established using O-phthalaldehyde-9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate(OPA-FMOC)pre-column derivation method.The AA components in PRA and PRR were characterized qualitatively and quantitatively,and different AAs were screened using pattern recognition technology.Results Twelve AAs were identified in both PRA and PRR.Meanwhile,aspartic acid,glutamic acid,arginine,alanine,and gamma-aminobutyric acid were screened as characteristic components,and their concentrations could effectively distinguish PRA from PRR.Conclusion The established characterization method,which is based on the characteristic spectra of AAs,is accurate,efficient,and sensitive and can effectively distinguish between PRA and PRR from different producing areas,thus providing a reference for the overall characterization and evaluation of Chinese medicinal materials.展开更多
基金supported by the Project from the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (10KJB240001)the Foundation for Talent Recruitment of Yancheng Institute of Technology (XKR2011007)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30830083)
文摘Peptidoglycan recognition proteins(PGRPs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors(PRRs) of the immune system,which bind and hydrolyze bacterial peptidoglycan.Here,a long type PGRP(PGRP-L) was first cloned in the lower vertebrate species Xenopus tropicalis(Xt).The XtPGRP-L possessed a conserved genomic structure with five exons and four introns.The alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that XtPGRP-L might be a type of amidase-like PGRP.The 3-D model showed that XtPGRP-L possessed a conserved structure compared with the Drosophila PGRP-Lb.During embryonic development,XtPGRP-L was not expressed until the 72 h tadpole stage.In adult tissues,it was strongly expressed in the liver,lung,intestine,and stomach.Furthermore,after LPS stimulation,the expression of XtPGRP-L was up-regulated significantly in the liver,intestine and spleen,indicating that XtPGRP-L may play an important role in the innate immunity of Xenopus tropicalis.
基金TheNinth Five yearNationalKeyScientificandTech nicalProgramofChinaNo.99 92 9 0 1 3 1
文摘Aim To establish reliable methods for evaluating the quality of rhizoma of Polygonum cuspidatum( Huzhang in Chinese). Methods TLC and HPLC were employed for the chemical identification and content determination,respectively. Results A qualitative TLC method and a quantitative HPLC method with piceid as the reference substance were established, respectively. With piceid as the reference substance and ethyl acetate-methanol-formic acid-water ( 19:3:0.5:1) as the mobile phase, a TLC method for the identification of Huzhang from the commonly used crude drugs of the same family was also set up. Conclusion The established TLC method can reasonably appraise the quality of the drug and easily distinguish Huzhang from the other commonly used crude drugs of the same family. The HPLC method for determining piceid is simple, reproducible, accurate, and feasible.
基金National Natural Science Foundation(No.19972016)for partly supporting this work
文摘Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is proposed to identify linear structure under non-stationary excitation,and non-white noise coefficient is introduced under the assumption of random signals consisting of white noise and non-white noise signals. The cross-correlation function of response signal is decomposed into mode functions and residue by EMD method. The identification technique of the modal parameters of single freedom degree is applied to each mode function to obtain natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. The results of identification of the five-degree freedom linear system demonstrate that the proposed method is effective in identifying the parameters of linear structures under non-stationary ambient excitation.
基金supported by grants fromthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(30470232)
文摘Sex-biased dispersal,in which individuals of one sex tend to disperse and breed at a greater distance from their natal site than individuals of the opposite sex,appears to be common in vertebrate organisms and is very important to population structures and dynamics.Many studies have documented the dispersal patterns of monogamous birds; however,observations and data are few for polygynous birds.In our study,we report on the indication of sex-biased dispersal in Elliot's Pheasant (Syrmaticus ellioti),a vulnerable species endemic to China,using polymorphic DNA microsatellite loci (105 individual birds and seven loci) and mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences (63 birds).Contrary to the traditional concept that males are the more philopatric sex and females the more dispersing sex in birds,all the genetic information extracted from the two markers suggests that male-biased dispersal is predominant in Elliot's Pheasant.We argue that polygynous species in Galliformes without lekking behavior are more likely to exhibit male-biased dispersal patterns,consistent with the expected results based on the polygynous mating system of Elliot's Pheasant.
文摘AIM: To investigate the 152 cases of paragangliomas resected over the past 32 years in West China Hospital dinicopathologically.METHODS: All cases of paragangliomas diagnosed at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, China were reviewed. The pathological documents were supplied by the Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, and other necessary data were extracted from the hospital records. The statistical analyses were performed by survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier method), descriptive statistical analyses and Х^2 analysis.RESULTS: The neuroendocrine marker vimentin was found to be selectively expressed in the benign tumors, and there were significant differences in the expression of those markers in both benign and malignant tumors. The survival analysis revealed that survival correlated significantly with the malignancy, metastasis and nodal status.CONCLUSION: Vimentin may be useful in the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign tumors. The difference in the expression of this marker in the tumors could be a clue to the future clinical diagnosis. The malignancy, metastasis and the nodal status may predict the prognosis of this disease.
基金Supported by the Natural Science Foundation, Y100-573006Doctoral Foundation of Xi'an Jiaotong University, DFXJTU2002-11
文摘AIM: To conduct bhe proteomic analysis of human colorectal carcinoma cell line, SW480 by using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption /ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDITOFMS). METHODS: The total proteins of human colorectal carcinoma cell line, SW480 were separated with 2-DE by using immobilized pH gradient strips and visualized by staining with silver nitrate. The gel images were acquired by scanner and 2-DE analysis software, Image Master 2D Elite. Nineteen distinct protein spots were excised from gel randomly and digested in gel by TPCK-trypsin. Mass analysis of the byptic digest peptides mixture was performed by using MALDI-TOF MS. Peptide mass fingerprints (PMFs) obtained by the MALDI-TOF analysis were used to search NCBI, SWISS-PROT and MSDB databases by using Mascot software. RESULTS: PMF maps of all spots were obtained by MALDI-TOF MS and thirteen proteins were preliminarily identified. CONCLUSION: The methods of analysis and identification of protein spots of tumor cells in 2-DE gel with silver staining by MALDI-TOF MS derived PMF have been established. Protein expression profile of SW480 has been obtained. It is demonstrated that a combination of proteomics and cell culture is a useful approach to comprehend the process of colon carcinogenesis.
文摘The 8^th International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens (chaired by HZ and managed by BS) was run over a 4-year period and culminated in a conference in December 2004. Here we review the achievements of the HLDA Workshops and provide links to information on CD molecules and antibodies against them, including the 93 new CDs assigned in the 8^th Workshop. We consider what remains to be achieved (including an estimate of the number of leucocyte surface molecules still to be discovered), and how the field can best move forward.
基金supported by grants from the National Outstanding Youth Foundation of China(81025008)973 Program of China(2012CB720604)+4 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(31221061,31370197)National Grand Program on Key Infectious Disease(2012ZX10003002-015)the Hubei Province's Outstanding Medical Academic Leader Program,Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team,the 211 program(303-581045)the Science and Technology Program of Wuhan(301274075)the FundamentalResearch Funds for the Central Universities
文摘Ficolins are serum complement lectins,with a structure similar to mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and lung surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-D.Ficolins activate the lectin complement system and play important roles in host innate immunity.Ficolins are members of the collectin family of proteins,which act as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs).They are soluble oligomeric defense proteins with lectin-like activity,and are able to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs),which are carbohydrate molecules on the surface of pathogens,and of apoptotic,necrotic,and malignant cells.Upon binding to their specific PAMPs,ficolins may trigger activation of the immune system either (1) by initiating activation of complement via the lectin pathway,(2) by a primitive type of opsonophagocytosis,or (3) by stimulating secretion of the inflammatory cytokines interferon (IFN)-γ,interleukin (IL)-17,IL-6,and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α,and production of nitric oxide (NO)by macrophages,thus limiting the infection and concurrently orchestrating the subsequent adaptive immune response.Recently,a number of reports have shown that dysfunction or abnormal expression of ficolins may play crucial roles in viral and bacterial diseases and in inflammation.This review summarizes the reports on the roles of ficolins in the infectious diseases,and provides insight into ficolins as novel innate immune therapeutic options to treat these diseases.
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China, No. 200BA711A11A06Beijing Science and Technology Project, No. H020220020310
文摘AIM: To identify the proteins interacting with nucleostemin (NS), thereby gaining an insight into the function of NS. METHODS: Yeast two-hybrid assay was performed to screen a human placenta cDNA library with the full length of NS as a bait. X-Gal assay and β-galactosidase filter assay were subsequently conducted to check the positive clones and the gene was identified by DNA sequencing. To further confirm the interaction of two proteins, the DNA fragment coding NS and the DNA fragment isolated from the positive clone were inserted into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3 and pcDNA3-myc, respectively. Then, two plasmids were cotransfected into the COS-7 cells by DEAE-dextron. The total protein from the cotransfected cells was extracted and coimmunoprecipitation and Western blot were performed with suitable antibodies sequentially. RESULTS: Two positive clones that interacted with NS were obtained from human placenta cDNA library. One was an alpha isoform of human protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B (B56) (PPP2RSA) and the other was a novel gene being highly homologous to the gene associated with spondylo paralysis. The co-immunoprecipitation also showed that NS specifically interacted with PPP2R5A. CONCLUSION: NS and PPP2R5A interact in yeast and mammalian cells, respectively, which is helpful for addressing the function of NS in cancer development and progression.
文摘Most protein-ligand interactions take place on surfaces and include but not limited to factors such as chemical composition, hydrophobicity, electronegavitiy and shape complementarity. Past studies showed that protein-protein interactions occur on comparatively fiat regions whereas protein-ligand bindings involve crevices. In the search for such sites various approaches have been designed and developed each of which is algorithmically unique. The use of grid units or voxels has been demonstrated in early studies with relatively good results obtained. We present here an approximated approach comprising of the use of voxels and computer vision methods in the search for ligand-binding areas. Each test protein is modelled and analysed in 2D with all corresponding residues graphically presented for successfully identified sites. The study was carried out on 2 sets of proteins: FK506-bound proteins and heme-bound proteins with promising results obtained for all test cases.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100133)Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (S2012010009261)+2 种基金Guangdong College Students' Innovative Experimental Project(1212111023)Extracurricular Research Activities of Southern Medical University (2010kw076)School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (GWXS20110102)
文摘Human adenoviruses (HAdVs), especially HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7, are associated with Acute Respiratory Disease in Chinese children, and occasionally in adults. In order to establish and document the profiles of the respiratory adenovirus pathogen among children in Guangzhou, Southern China, a rapid, simple and practical method for identification and typing of respiratory adenoviruses was developed and evaluated. One pair of universal PCR primers was designed according to the conserved region of the hexon gene, which can detect not only HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7, but also HAdV-B14, -F40 and -F41, with a specific 300bp PCR product. Three pairs of type-specific PCR primers were also designed according to the hypervariable regions of the hexon gene to type HAdV-B3, -E4 and -B7 by three independent PCR reactions, making it easy to optimize the PCR conditions. By using this method, one hundred throat swab specimens collected during Oct 2010 to Dec 2011 and suspected of being positive for adenoviral infection were identified and typed for adenoviruses. Of these samples, fifty-five were adenovirus-positive. The most common HAdV type was HAdV-B3, identified in 92.7% of samples, which is not only consistent with the data reported in 2004-2006, but also consistent with the recent report in Hangzhou, eastern China, indicating that HAdV-B3 has been circulating in Guangzhou, and maybe in eastern China, for many years. The method for the respiratory adenovirus identification and typing we developed is rapid, simple and practical, which has a potential in the real-time surveillance of circulating adenovirus strains and also to provide etiological evidence for the adenovirus-relative disease control and prevention in China.
基金Supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program (No. 2006BAK08B07)
文摘A novel face recognition method, which is a fusion of muhi-modal face parts based on Gabor feature (MMP-GF), is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the bare face image detached from the normalized image was convolved with a family of Gabor kernels, and then according to the face structure and the key-points locations, the calculated Gabor images were divided into five parts: Gabor face, Gabor eyebrow, Gabor eye, Gabor nose and Gabor mouth. After that multi-modal Gabor features were spatially partitioned into non-overlapping regions and the averages of regions were concatenated to be a low dimension feature vector, whose dimension was further reduced by principal component analysis (PCA). In the decision level fusion, match results respectively calculated based on the five parts were combined according to linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and a normalized matching algorithm was used to improve the performance. Experiments on FERET database show that the proposed MMP-GF method achieves good robustness to the expression and age variations.
文摘The objective of this study was to characterise serum protein capillary electrophoretic pattern in relation to the age and sex in dromedary camels. Fourteen healthy young camels (age: 3-5 months), 12 adult male and 10 female camels (age: 5-8 years) were used. Blood samples collected from the jugular vein were used for the determination of serum proteins by capillary electrophoresis technique. Female camels had significantly (P 〈 0.05) higher serum-[Protein] of 63.7 ± 6.6 g/L (reference range = 51-74 g/L) compared to the other age groups. Adult male camels showed significantly (P 〈 0.05) higher percentage of albumin fraction (60%) compared to the other age groups. The concentrations of ul and ct2 globulin fractions were significantly (P 〈 0.05) higher mean value in young camels compared to the other groups (3.5% and 8.5%, respectively). 13-globulin fraction was not affected significantly by the age. The concentration of y-globulin fraction (26%) in lactating camels was higher (P 〈 0.05) compared to the other age groups. Significantly (P 〈 0.05) A/G ratio was observed in young camels. Sex had no significant effect on serum protein fractions. The results obtained were compared and interpreted in the light of finding reported by other investigators in camels, humans and other animals.
文摘A total of 78 Yarrowia lipolytica yeast strains from seawater, sediments, mud of salterns, the guts of marine fish, and marine algae were obtained. After the crude protein of the yeasts was estimated by the method of Kjehldahl, we found that seven strains of the marine yeasts grown in soy bean cake hydrolysate with 20 g LZ of glucose for 48h at 28~C contained more than 41.0g protein per 100g of cell dry weight and the cell dry weight was more than 4.4g per L of the culture. Among them, strain SWJ-Ib contained the highest crude protein. The results of Biolog identification and molecular methods further confirmed that they indeed belonged to Y lipolytica.
文摘Background Female patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience increased risk of thromboembolism compared to males, an observation that is reflected by its inclusion in the CHA2DS2VASc score. New onset AF (often associated with tachycardia) also confers upon patients increased thromboembolic risk. The mechanisms underlying this risk are uncertain, but new onset AF is associated with profound impairment of platelet nitric oxide (NO) signalling. Given that cardiovascular responses to catecholamines are gender-dependent, and that the presence of tachycardia in new onset AF may represent a response to catecholaminergic stimulation, we explored the potential impact of gender and tachycardia on platelet aggregation and NO signalling. Methods Interactions were sought in 87 AF patients between the extent of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation, the anti-aggregatory effects of the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside, gender, and admission heart rate. The potential impact of platelet expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) was also evaluated. Results Analysis ofcovariance confLrmed the presence of physiological antagonism between platelet ADP and NO responses [F (1, 74) = 12.212, P 〈 0.01 ], while female sex correlated with impaired NO responses independent of platelet aggregability [F (2, 74) = 8.313, P 〈 0.01]. Admission heart rate correlated directly with platelet aggregation (r = 0.235, P 〈 0.05), and inversely with NO response (r = -0.331, P 〈 0.01). Txnip expression varied neither with gender nor with heart rate. Conclusions These results indicate, that gender and heart rate are independent determinants of platelet fimction. Prospective studies of the putative benefit of reversal of tachycardia on restoration of normal platelet function are therefore a priority.
文摘AIM: To investigate whether serum levels of two soluble forms of extracellular cytokeratin 18 (M30-antigen and M65-antigen) may differentiate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from simple steatosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: A total of 83 patients with suspected NAFLD and 49 healthy volunteers were investigated. Patients with suspected NAFLD were classified according to their liver histology into four groups: definitive NASH (n = 45), borderline NASH (n = 24), simple fatty liver (n = 9), and normal tissue (n = 5). Serum levels of caspase-3 generated cytokeratin-18 fragments (M30-antigen) and total cytokeratin-18 (M65-antigen) were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Levels of M30-antigen and M65-antigen were significantly higher in patients with definitive NASH compared to the other groups. An abnormal value (> 121.60 IU/L) of M30-antigen yielded a 60.0% sensitivity and a 97.4% specificity for the diagnosis of NASH. Sensitivity and specificity of an abnormal M65-antigen level (> 243.82 IU/L) for the diagnosis of NASH were 68.9% and 81.6%, respectively. Among patients with NAFLD, M30-antigen and M65-antigen levels distinguished between advanced fibrosis and early-stage fibrosis with a sensitivity of 64.7% and 70.6%, and a specificity of 77.3% and 71.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of M30-antigen and M65-antigen may be of clinical usefulness to identify patients with NASH. Further studies are mandatory to better assess the role of these apoptonecrotic biomarkers in NAFLD pathophysiology.
文摘Mycoparasitic species of Trichoderma are commercially applied as biological control agents against various fungal pathogens. The mycoparasitic interaction is host specific and includes recognition, attack and subsequent penetration and killing of the host. Investigations on the underlying events revealed that Trichoderma responds to multiple signals from the host (e.g. lectins or other ligands such as low molecular weight components released from the host’s cell wall) and host attack is accompanied by morphological changes and the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and antibiotics. Degradation of the cell wall of the host fungus is-besides glucanases and proteases-mainly achieved by chitinases. In vivo studies showed that the ech42 gene (encoding endochitinase 42) is expressed before physical contact of Trichoderma with its host, probably representing one of the earliest events in mycoparasitism, whereas Nag1 (N-acetylglucosaminidase) plays a key role in the general induction of the chitinolytic enzyme system of T. atroviride . Investigations on the responsible signal transduction pathways of T. atroviride led to the isolation of several genes encoding key components of the cAMP and MAP kinase signaling pathways, as alpha and β subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, adenylate cyclase, and three MAP kinases. Analysis of knockout mutants, generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, revealed that at least two alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins are participating in mycoparasitism-related signal transduction. The Tga1 G alpha subunit was shown to be involved in mycoparasitism-related processes such as chitinase expression and overproduction of toxic secondary metabolites, whereas Tga3 was found to be completely avirulent showing defects in chitinase formation and host recognition.
基金We thank for the funding support from the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Refractory Chronic Diseases(No.2018B030322012).
文摘Objective To evaluate the difference between Baishao(Paeoniae Radix Alba,PRA)and Chishao(Paeoniae Radix Rubra,PRR)from different regions based on the characteristic spectra of amino acids(AAs).Methods Fingerprints of the 21 standard AAs were established using O-phthalaldehyde-9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate(OPA-FMOC)pre-column derivation method.The AA components in PRA and PRR were characterized qualitatively and quantitatively,and different AAs were screened using pattern recognition technology.Results Twelve AAs were identified in both PRA and PRR.Meanwhile,aspartic acid,glutamic acid,arginine,alanine,and gamma-aminobutyric acid were screened as characteristic components,and their concentrations could effectively distinguish PRA from PRR.Conclusion The established characterization method,which is based on the characteristic spectra of AAs,is accurate,efficient,and sensitive and can effectively distinguish between PRA and PRR from different producing areas,thus providing a reference for the overall characterization and evaluation of Chinese medicinal materials.