Transcript profiles of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic manganese superoxide dismutases in Exopalaemon carinicauda under ammonia stress

Superoxide dismutase （SOD） is one of the most important antioxidant defense enzymes, and is considered as the first line against oxidative stress. In this study, we cloned a mitochondrial manganese （Mn） SOD （mMnSOD） cDNA from the ridgetail white prawn Exopalaemon carinicauda by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends （RACE） methods. The fulMength cDNA for mMnSOD was 1 014-bp long, containing a 5＇-untranslated region （UTR） of 37-bp, a 3＇-UTR of 321-bp with a poly （A） tail, and included a 657-bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 218 amino acids with a 16-amino-acid signal peptide. The protein had a calculated molecular weight of 23.87 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 6.75. The mMnSOD sequence included two putative N-glycosylation sites （NHT and NLS）, the MnSOD signature sequence 18~DVWEHAYY^87, and four putative Mn binding sites （H48, H96, D180, and H184）. Sequence comparison showed that the mMnSOD deduced amino acid sequence of E. carinicauda shared 97%, 95%, 89%, 84%, 82%, 72%, and 69% identity with that ofMacrobrachium rosenbergii, Macrobrachium nipponense, Fenneropeneaus chinensis, Callinectes sapidus, Perisesarma bidens, Danio rerio, and Homo sapiens, resectively. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that mMnSOD transcripts were present in all E. carinicauda tissues examined, with the highest levels in the hepatopancreas. During an ammonia stress treatment, the transcript levels of mMnSOD and cMnSOD were up-regulated at 12 h in hemocytes and at 24 h in the hepatopancreas. As the duration of the ammonia stress treatment extended to 72 h, the transcript levels of mMnSOD and cMnSOD significantly decreased both in hemocytes and hepatopancreas. These findings indicate that the SOD system is induced to respond to acute ammonia stress, and may be involved in environmental stress responses in E. carinicauda.

3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium improves mitochondrial functions after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium is a new synthetic water-soluble compound derived from daidzein（an active ingredient of the kudzu vine root）. It has been shown to have a protective effect on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats. We plan to study the mechanism of its protective effect. 3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium was injected in rats after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Results showed that 3′-daidzein sulfonate sodium significantly reduced mitochondrial swelling, significantly elevated the mitochondrial membrane potential, increased mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and decreased mitochondrial malondialdehyde levels. 3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium improved the structural integrity of the blood-brain barrier and reduced blood-brain barrier permeability. These findings confirmed that 3′-daidzein sulfonate sodium has a protective effect on mitochondrial functions after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, improves brain energy metabolism, and provides protection against blood-brain barrier damage.

Mitochondrial dysfunction,oxidative stress and apoptotic induction in microglial BV-2 cells treated with sodium arsenate

The treatment of microglial BV-2 cells with sodium arsenate（As（V）：0.1-400 μmol/L — 48 hr）induces a dose-dependent response.The neurotoxic effects of high concentrations of As（V）（100,200 and 400 μmol/L） are characterized by increased levels of mitochondrial complexesⅠ,Ⅱ,and Ⅳ followed by increased superoxide anion generation.Moreover,As（V） triggers an apoptotic mode of cell death,demonstrated by an apoptotic SubG1 peak,associated with an alteration of plasma membrane integrity.There is also a decrease in transmembrane mitochondrial potential and mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate ATP.It is therefore tempting to speculate that As（V） triggers mitochondrial dysfunction,which may lead to defective oxidative phosphorylation subsequently causing mitochondrial oxidative damage,which in turn induces an apoptotic mode of cell death.