The antibody preparation and expression of human Pescadillo

To explore the biological roles of human Pescadillo and investigate its potential effect on tumorigene- sis, the cDNA of Pescadillo was fused with that of GST. After purification and elution, the purified GST-Pescadillo fusion protein was obtained, and the antibody against the fusion protein was generated. Endogenous Pescadillo protein was observed to be remarkably induced by estrogen. It was mainly distributed in the tissues such as breast, ovary and intestine, all of which contain proliferating cells, and was also detected in many cell lines of human cancer: renal carcinoma, hepatoma, ovarian cancer, colon carcinoma, and breast cancer. The expression level of Pescadillo was increased significantly in breast cancer tissues compared with their paired margin tissues. Taken together, these data suggest that Pescadillo may play important roles in the initiation and development of cancer and may be a po- tential target in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Preparation of Polyclonal Antibodies against NS3 Protein of Japanese Encephalitis Virus

Japanese encephalitis （JE） is a central nervous system disease caused by Japanese encephalitis virus （JEV）, which can infect human and a variety of animals and cause irreversible nerve damages. NS3 protein plays an important role in the process of JEV polyprotein hydrolysis, which is essential for JEV replication. Therefore, NS3 protein may be used as a potential drug target to treat Japanese encephalitis. In this study, the pET-28a-NS3 plasmid was successfully constructed and expressed in E. coli BL21 （ DE3 ） under IPTG induction. The molecular weight of the expressed recombinant protein was 55 ku, which was consistent with the expected result. The positive serum was prepared by immunizing BALB/c mice with NS3 protein and identified by indirect immunofluorescence （IFA）. The results showed that there was a fluorescence reaction between the prepared positive serum of NS3 protein and cells infected with JEV.

Polyclonal antibody against an insect excitatory toxin BmKIT from Buthus Martensii karsch and detection of BmKIT expressed in transgenic cotton

An insect excitatory toxin gene from Buthus martensii Karseh （BmKIT） was cloned into the expression vector, pET-28a. BmKIT was expressed as inclusion bodies in Eseherichia coli BL21 （DE3） host cells. The authenticity of in vitro expressed protein was confirmed by Western blot. The inclusion body protein band in SDS-PAGE was excised and the protein, BmKIT, was extracted. Polyelonal antibodies to the purified protein were raised in rabbits. The antibody reacted specifically with the expressed BmKIT and was used to quantify its presence in transgenic cotton.

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.