具有糖基转移抑制活性的抗生素研究进展

细菌细胞壁的骨架肽聚糖的生物合成过程在抗生素治疗中具有重要地位。随着细菌耐药性日益严重,糖基转移过程成为新型抗生素极有潜力的靶标。近年来,糖基转移酶的三维结构的确定,酶与抑制剂复合物结构及其相互作用的详细阐述,都为筛选和研究抑制糖基转移活性的新型抗生素提供了新的突破点。文中依照作用机制的不同,依次论述了直接抑制糖基转移酶活性的抗生素——默诺霉素及其类似物、万古霉素疏水衍生物,和作用于底物脂Ⅱ的抗生素——万古霉素和替考拉宁、雷莫拉宁、硫醚抗生素及一些推测的底物结合物,就其近年的研究进展做一综述。

α-1,6-单葡糖基莱鲍迪苷A的合成

莱鲍迪苷D(RD)是甜味特性最好的甜菊糖苷,也是单葡萄糖基取代的莱鲍迪苷A(RA);但RD在甜叶菊提取物中含量很低且溶解度只有莱鲍迪苷A的十分之一。本实验使用来自L.citreum CICC23234.的交替糖蔗糖酶定向催化莱鲍迪苷A C19位上的α-1,6的葡萄糖基化,得到了一种莱鲍迪苷D的同分异构体,即单葡萄糖基莱鲍迪苷A(RAG1)。25℃下,RAG1在水中的溶解度分别是RA的13倍,是RD的148倍。感官分析实验表明,0.01%(w/v)的RAG1溶液的甜度是蔗糖的190~210倍,且甜味纯正,无后苦味。

β-甘露糖苷和β-氨基甘露糖苷的合成

高立体选择性地合成β-甘露糖苷和β-氨基甘露糖苷是糖化学家所面临的富有挑战性的问题。本文综述了合成β-甘露糖苷和β-氨基甘露糖苷的方法,侧重讨论各种方法在构建β-糖苷键时所具有的优势及其应用。

放线菌天然产物糖基化改造研究进展

放线菌可以产生结构多样的天然产物,其中包括很多重要的抗菌和抗肿瘤药物。糖基化修饰在天然产物中广泛存在,糖基侧链的变化往往会影响天然产物的生物活性。本文综述了放线菌来源天然产物糖基化改造的研究进展。糖基侧链改造的方法主要分为体内基因工程和体外酶学法。运用这两种方法已经成功对多种天然产物进行了糖基侧链改造,获得了大量带有新糖基修饰的天然产物,其中有些生物活性得以提高。天然产物糖基侧链改造为新药开发提供了一个重要的途径。

Cloning of Novel Tumor Metastasis-Related Genes from the Highly Metastatic Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Line Anip973

A cDNA library was successfully constructed from Anip973, a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line with high metastatic potential. NIH3T3 cells were stably transfected using this cDNA library and screened for morphological changes in a soft agar assay. Genomic DNA was isolated from putative clones and the integrated sequence was retrieved by PCR and sequencing. Three known genes, ribosomal protein L23, hypothetical protein FLJ22104, and serine protease inhibitor, kazal type 6 and a number of 5＇-terminally truncated sequences were identified. Furthermore, cells transfected with ribosomal protein L23 was highly invasive compared with the empty vector as control （P 〈 0.02）. These results indicate that the expression cloning of cDNA libraries in NIH3T3 cells and subsequent screening for loss of contact inhibition in soft agar is a viable tool for identifying tumor-related genes and ribosomal protein L23 gene plays a role in cell movement and metastasis.

Effects of Glycosyltransferase Gene sm-Ngt1 on the Plant Height of Rice

[Objective] The aim was to study the effects of over-expressed sm-Ngt1,a glycosyltransferase gene induced by both methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid from tobacco,on the plant height of rice.[Method] The binary expression vector of the sm-Ngt1 gene was constructed and transferred to matured embryo of indica rice YTB with the method of Agrobacterium infection.The height of the positive transgenic plants was measured.[Result] 117 positive transgenic plants with sm-Ngt1 were obtained.The results showed that the rice plants dwarfed with different degrees after transferring the sm-Ngt1 gene,the height of 37% of transgenic plants is 71.4±9.8 cm,27% is 65.1±4.6 cm,and the average height of YTB（CK） is 130.0±4.3 cm.[Conclusion] These results aid a foundafion for further study on function of sm-Ngt1.

Identification of Senescence-associated Protein DpXTH1 and its Gene Cloning in Dahlia Petals

[Objective] This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of senescence in ethylene-insensitive flowers. [Method] The dahlia petals were used as matedal, and the senescence-associated proteins were isolated and identified using two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and an encoding gene was cloned using molecular biology techniques. [Result] In the two-dimensional elec- trophorogram of proteins from dahlia petals at building color, full flowering and flow- er senescence pedods, a total of 44 protein spots with differences in expression level more than two times were detected. From the 44 protein spots, xyloglucan （XTHs）, a senescence-associated protein, was iso- lated and identified and its expression level was increased continuously with the senescence process of dahlia petals. By using the total RNA of dahlia petals as matedal and a pair of degenerate pdmers, the cDNA sequence of XTH gene was cloned by RT-PCR. The encoding region of XTH gene has a full length of 882 bp, encoding 293 amino acid residues, and is named as DpXTH1 （Accession number： HM053613.1）. The cluster analysis showed that the amino acid sequence of DpXTH1 has high homology with those of XTHs in other plants. [Conclusion] The isolated and identified DpXTH1 from dahlia petals belonged to the XTH family in plants, and its biological function was associated with the senescence process and regulation of dahlia petals.

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis with combined serum aminotransferase/platelet ratio index and hyaluronic acid in patients with chronic hepatitis B

AIM： To construct a noninvasive assessment model consisting of routine laboratory data to predict significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB）. METHODS： A total of 137 consecutive patients with CriB who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups according to their aminotransferase （ALT） level. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value （PPV）, negative predictive value （NPV）, the likelihood ratio （LR） of aminotransferase/platelet ratio index （APRI） ≥ 1.5 or 〈 1.5 in combination with different hyaluronic acid （HA） cut-off points were calculated for the presence of moderate to severe fibrosis/cirrhosis （fibrosis stages 2 and 4） and no to mild fibrosis/cirrhosis （fibrosis stages 0 and 1）. RESULTS： The APRI correlated with fibrosis stage in CriB patients. The APRI ≥1.5 in combination with a cut-off HA cut-off point 〉 300 ng/mL could detect moderate to severe fibrosis （stages 2-4） in Crib patients. The PPV was 93.7%, the specificity was 98.9%. The APRI 〈 1.5 in combination with different HA cut-off points could not detect no to mild fibrosis in CHB patients. CONCLUSION： The APRI ≥ 1.5 in combination with a HA cut-off point 〉 300 ng/mL can detect moderate to severe fibrosis （stages 2-4） in Crib patients.

Functional analysis of a cotton glucuronosyltransferase promoter in transgenic tobaccos

The 5＇ fragment （1 647 bp） of the cotton glucuronosyltransferase gene （GhGlcAT1） was transcriptionally fused to the β-glucuronidase （GUS） gene, and functionally analyzed for important regulatory regions controlling gene expression in transgenic tobacco plants. GUS activity analysis revealed that the full-length promoter drives efficient expression of the GUS gene in the root cap, seed coat, pollen grains and trichomes. Exposure of the transgenic tobacco to various abiotic stresses showed that the promoter was mainly responsive to the sugars （glucose and sucrose） as well as gibberellic acid. Progressive upstream deletion analyses of the promoter showed that the region from -281 to ＋30 bp is sufficient to drive strong GUS expression in the trichomes of shoot, suggesting that the 311 bp region contains all cis-elements needed for trichome-specific expression. Furthermore, deletion analysis also revealed that the essential cis-element（s） for sucrose induction might be located between -635 and -281 bp. In addition, sequence analysis of the regulatory region indicated several conserved motifs among which some were shared with previously reported seed-specific elements and sugarresponsive elements, while others were related with trichome expression. These findings indicate that a 1 647-bp fragment of the cotton GhGIcAT1 promoter contains specific transcription regulatory elements, and provide clues about the roles of GhGIcAT 1 in cotton fiber development. Further analyses of these elements will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms regulating the expression of the GhGlcAT1 gene during fiber elongation.

Heterologous expression of active human undine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A3 in Chinese hamster lung cells

AIM: To obtain the active human recombinant uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A3 (UGT1A3) enzyme from Chinese hamster lung (CHL) cells.METHODS: The full-length UGT1A3 gene was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)using total RNA from human liver as template. The correct fragment confirmed by sequencing was subcloned into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1 (+), and the recombinant vector was transfected into CHL cells using a calcium phosphate method. Expressed UGT1A3 protein was prepared from CHL cells resistant to neomycin (G418). Then the protein was added into a reaction mixture for glucuronidation of quercetin. The glucuronidation activity of UGT1A3 was determined by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with a diode array detector (DAD). The quercetin glucuronide was confirmed by hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase. Control experiments were performed in parallel. The transcriptions of recombinants were also determined by RT-PCR.RESULTS: The gene was confirmed to be an allele (UGT1A3-3) of UGT1A3 by DNA sequencing. The fragment was introduced into pcDNA3.1 (+) successfully. Several colonies were obtained under the selection pressure of G418.The result of RT-PCR showed transcription of recombinants in mRNA level. Glucuronidation assay and HPLC analysis indicated UGT1A3 expressed heterologously in CHL cells was in an active form, and one of the gulcuronides corresponding to quercetin was also detected.CONCLUSION: Correct sequence of UGT1A3 gene can be obtained, and active UGT1A3 enzyme is expressed heterologously in CHL cells.

Adenoviral-mediated localized CTLA-4Ig gene expression induces long-term allograft pancreas survival and donor-specific immune tolerance in rats

T cell activation following alloantigen recognition plays a critical role in the development of the rejection in all solid organ, tissue and cell transplantation. A recombinant molecule, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 antibody （CTLA-4Ig）, is known to induce to T-cell into ＂anergy＂ by blocking the costimulatory B7-CD28 interaction. Either systemic or localized administration of CTLA-Ig has been shown to prolong allograft survival and induce donor-specific tolerance in some transplant models. In this study, we characterized the expression and immunosuppressive effectiveness of adenoviral-mediated CTLA-4Ig gene transfer. We demonstrated transduction of the allografts with AdCTLA-4Ig resulted in localized expression, permanent graft survival and stable donor-specific tolerance. In addition, by performing simultaneous dual-organ through a local expression of CTLA-4Ig via adenoviral-mediated transplantation, we targeted on immunosuppression gene transfer into pancreatic allografts.

Adenovirus-mediated expression of pig α(1,3) galactosyltransferase reconstructs Gal α(1,3) Gal epitope on the surface of human tumor cells

Gal alpha(1, 3) Gal (gal epitope) is a carbohydrate epitope and synthesized in large amount by alpha(1, 3) galactosyltransferase [alpha(1, 3) GT] enzyme on the cells of lower mammalian animals such as pigs and mice. Human has no gal epitope due to the inactivation of alpha(1, 3) GT gene but produces a large amount of antibodies (anti-Gal) which recognize Gal alpha(1, 3) Gal structures specifically. In this study, a replication-deficient recombinant adenoviral vector Ad5sGT containing pig alpha(1, 3) GT cDNA was constructed and characterized. Adenoviral vector-mediated transfer of pig alpha(1, 3) GT gene into human tumor cells such as malignant melanoma A375, stomach cancer SGC-7901, and lung cancer SPC-A-1 was reported for the first time. Results showed that Gal epitope did not increase the sensitivity of human tumor cells to human complement-mediated lysis, although human complement activation and the binding of human IgG and IgM natural antibodies to human tumor cells were enhanced significantly after Ad5sGT transduction. Appearance of gal epitope on the human tumor cells changed the expression of cell surface carbohydrates reacting with Ulex europaeus I (UEA I) lectins, Vicia villosa agglutinin (VVA), Arachis hypogaea agglutinin (PNA), and Glycine max agglutinin (SBA) to different degrees. In addition, no effect of gal epitope on the growth in vitro of human tumor cells was observed in MTT assay.

No association between cyclooxygenase-2 and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 genetic polymorphisms and colon cancer risk

AIM：To investigate the association of variations in the cyclooxygenase-2 （COX2） and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 （UGTIA6） genes and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs （NSAIDs） use with risk of colon cancer.METHODS： NSAIDs, which are known to reduce the risk of colon cancer, act directly on COX2 and reduce its activity. Epidemiological studies have associated variations in the COX2 gene with colon cancer risk, but others were unable to replicate this finding. Similarly,enzymes in the UGT1A6 gene have been demonstrated to modify the therapeutic effect of NSAIDs on colon adenomas. Polymorphisms in the UGTIA6 gene have been statistically shown to interact with NSAID intake to influence risk of developing colon adenomas, but not colon cancer. Here we examined the association of tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） in the COX2 and UGTIA6 genes, and their interaction with NSAID consumption, on risk of colon cancer in a population of 422 colon cancer cases and 481 population controls.RESULTS： No SNP in either gene was individually statistically significantly associated with colon cancer, nor did they statistically significantly change the protective effect of NSAID consumption in our sample. Like others, we were unable to replicate the association of variants in the COX2 gene with colon cancer risk （P 〉 0.05）,and we did not observe that these variants modify the protective effect of NSAIDs （P 〉 0.05）. We were able to confirm the lack of association of variants in UGT1A6 with colon cancer risk, although further studies will have to be conducted to confirm the association of these variants with colon adenomas.CONCLUSION： Our study does not support a role of COX2 and UGTIA6 genetic variations in the development of colon cancer.

Decreased mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid and increased oxidative damage in chronic hepatitis C

AIM： To determine whether alteration of the mito- chondria DNA （mtDNA） copy number and its oxidative damage index （mtDNA△CT） can be detected by analysis of peripheral blood cells in hepatitis C virus （HCV）- infected patients. METHODS： This study enrolled two groups of pa- tients aged 40-60 years： a control group and an HCV- infected group in Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Changhua Christian Hospital. Patients with co-infection with hepatitis B virus or human im- munodeficiency virus, autoimmune disease, malignant neoplasia, pregnancy, thyroid disease, or alcohol con- sumption 〉 40 g/d were excluded. HCV-infected pa- tients who met the following criteria were included： （1） positive HCV antibodies for 〉 6 mo; （2） alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels more than twice the upper lim- it of normal on at least two occasions during the past 6 mo; and （3） histological fibrosis stage higher than F1. The mtDNA copy number and oxidative damage index of HCV mtDNA （mtDNA△CT） were measured in periph- eral blood leukocytes. The association between mtDNA copy number and mtDNA△CT was further analyzed using clinical data. RESULTS： Forty-seven normal controls （male/female： 26/21, mean age 50.51 ± 6.15 years） and 132 HCV- infected patients （male/female： 76/61, mean age 51.65 ± 5.50 years） were included in the study. The geno- types of HCV-infected patients include type 1a （n = 3）, type 1b （n = 83）, type 2a （n = 32）, and type 2b （n = 14）. Liver fibrosis stages were distributed as follows： F1/F2/F3/F4 = 1/61/45/25 and activity scores were A0/ A1/A2/A3 = 7/45/55/25. There were no age or gender differences between the two groups. HCV-infected pa- tients had higher hepatitis activity （aspartate transami- nase levels 108.77 ± 60.73 vs 23.19 ± 5.47, P 〈 0.01; ALT levels 168.69 ± 93.12 vs 23.15 ± 9.45, P 〈 0.01） and lower platelet count （170.40±58.00 vs 251.24 ± 63.42, P 〈 0.01） than controls. The mtDNA copy num- ber was lower in HCV-infected patients than in controls （173.49 vs 247.93, P 〈 0.05）. The mtDNA△CT was higher in HCV-infected patients than in controls （2.92 vs 0.64, P 〈 0.05）. To clarify the clinical significance of these results in HCV-infected patients, their association with different clinical parameters among HCV-infected pa- tients was analyzed. A negative association was found between mtDNA copy number and elevated aspartate transaminase levels （r = -0.17, P 〈 0.05）. Changes in mtDNA copy number were not associated with HCV RNA levels, HCV genotypes, liver fibrosis severity, or inflammatory activity in the liver biopsy specimen. How- ever, a correlation was observed between mtDNA△CT and platelet count （r = -0.22, P 〈 0.01）, HCV RNA level （r = 0.36, P 〈 0.01）, and hepatitis activity （r = 0.20, P = 0.02）. However, no difference in the change in mtDNA△CT was observed between different fibrosis stages or HCV CONCLUSION： Oxidative stress and mtDNA dam- age are detectable in patient＇s peripheral leukocytes. Increased leukocyte mtDNA△CT correlates with higher HCV viremia, increased hepatitis activity, and lower platelet count.

Cloning and GST－fused expression in E. coli of mouse β－1,4－galactosyltransferase

b-1,4-galactosyltransferase (b4Gal-T) (EC 2.4.1.38) plays a multifunctional role in many aspects of normal cell physiology. By now, several dozens of b4Gal-T genes have been cloned, separated from mouse, chick, bovine, human, etc. This paper presents the cloning and GST-fused expression of mouse b4Gal-T gene in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The target gene was cloned by PCR, followed by identification by DNA sequencing and expression in E.coli with isopro-pyl-b-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) gradient concentrations, products of which were separated on SDS-PAGE showing that the target protein had the same molecular weight as that of mouse b4Gal-T. The transcriptional product of b4Gal-T gene was proved by Western hybridization analysis to be due to GST-fusion.

功能性糖品的生产和应用

功能性糖品能防止龋齿、糖尿病，促进肠内双歧杆菌等有益菌的增殖，降低血中胆固醇含量，非常适合用作保健食品的添加剂，其制造方法主要有四种，分别为提取、多糖水解、糖基转移和化学合成。

Generation of GGTA1 biallelic knockout pigs via zinc-finger nucleases and somatic cell nuclear transfer

Genetically modified pigs are valuable models of human disease and donors of xenotransplanted organs.Conventional gene targeting in pig somatic cells is extremely inefficient.Zinc-finger nuclease(ZFN)technology has been shown to be a powerful tool for efficiently inducing mutations in the genome.However,ZFN-mediated targeting in pigs has rarely been achieved.Here,we used ZFNs to knock out the porcineα-1,3-galactosyl-transferase(GGTA1)gene,which generates Gal epitopes that trigger hyperacute immune rejection in pig-to-human transplantation.Primary pig fibroblasts were transfected with ZFNs targeting the coding region of GGTA1.Eighteen mono-allelic and four biallelic knockout cell clones were obtained after drug selection with efficiencies of 23.4%and 5.2%,respectively.The biallelic cells were used to produce cloned pigs via somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT).Three GGTA1 null piglets were born,and one knockout primary fibroblast cell line was established from a cloned fetus.Gal epitopes on GGTA1 null pig cells were completely eliminated from the cell membrane.Functionally,GGTA1 knockout cells were protected from complement-mediated immune attacks when incubated with human serum.This study demonstrated that ZFN is an efficient tool in creating gene-modified pigs.GGTA1 null pigs and GGTA1 null fetal fibroblasts would benefit research and pig-to-human transplantation.

Two unrelated patients with rare Crigler-Najjar syndrome type I:two novel mutations and a patient with loss of heterozygosity of UGT1A1 gene

Cdgler-Najjar syndrome type Ⅰ （CN-I） is the most severe type of hereditary unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. It is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations of the UDP-glycuronosyltransferase gene （UGT1A1） on chromosome 2q37. Two patients clinically diagnosed with CN-I were examined in this paper. We sequenced five exons and their flanking sequences, specifically the promoter region of UGT1A 1, of the two patients and their parents. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （qRT-PCR） was used to determine the UGT1A1 gene copy number of one patient. In patient A, two mutations, c.239_245delCTGTGCC （p.Pro80HisfsX6; had not been reported previously） and c.1156G〉T （p.Va1386Phe）, were identified. In patient B, we found that this patient had lost heterozygosity of the UGTIA1 gene by inheriting a deletion of one allele, and had a novel mutation c.1253delT （p.Met418ArgfsX5） in the other allele. In summary, we detected three UGTIA 1 mutations in two CN-I patients： c.239_ 245delCTGTGCC （p.Pro80HisfsX6）, c.1253delT （p.MeH18ArgfsX5）, and c.1156G〉T （p.Va1386Phe）. The former two mutations are pathogenic; however, the pathogenic mechanism of c.1156G〉T （p.Va1386Phe） is unknown.

Synthesis of Protein Nano-Conjugates for Cancer Therapy

A eukaryotic cell contains thousands of proteins that regulate its cellular function; delivering functional proteins into cells to rectify cellular functions holds great promise for treatment of various diseases, especially cancers. In this context, ribonuclease （RNase）, an enzyme that breaks down ribonucleic acid （RNA）, has great potential for cancer therapy. However, its therapeutic application is hampered by poor intracellular delivery efficiency and inhibition by ubiquitous intracellular RNase inhibitors. In this work, by designing and synthesizing RNase nano-conjugates by in situ atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP）, we demonstrate a simple solution to address both challenges. Compared with native RNase, nano-conjugates exhibit significantly enhanced intracellular delivery efficiency, inhibitor resistance, and a near five-fold increase in cytotoxicity. This work provides a novel platform for delivery of therapeutic proteins for cancer therapy and other applications.