Construction and Expression of Prokaryotic Expression Vector of MPT-64 Gene

[Objective]Protective antigen gene MPT-64 was cloned from genomic DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and transferred into prokaryotic competent cells for expression to obtain MPT-64 fusion protein.[Method]Based on the GenBank,primers were designed for amplification of MPT-64 gene,and the recombinant plasmid pET-32a-MPT-64 was constructed.The recombinant plasmid was expressed in prokaryotic expression vector to obtain fusion protein.[Result]Protective antigen gene MPT-64 was successfully cloned.The recombinant plasmid pET-32a-MPT-64 was obtained.MPT-64 fusion protein was successfully expressed.[Conclusion]This study laid solid foundation for the prevention,diagnosis,treatment of tuberculosis and the development of tuberculosis vaccines.

Current status and perspective of liver preservation solutions

BACKGROUND: A safe and effective preservation solution is a precondition for liver transplantation, which is accepted as the radical treatment for patients with end- stage liver disease. The increasing use of marginal donors and non-heart beating donors as well as the establishment of a national organ allocation network call for better preservation. New preservation solutions like histidine- tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution and Celsior solution have been introduced to liver preservation, and protective gene intervention and other modifications have also been investigated. In this article, we review recent advances in liver preservation solutions. DATA SOURCES: An English-language literature search was conducted using MEDLINE (1990-2005) on liver preservation solution, biliary complication, protective gene and other related subjects. RESULTS: Although the high viscosity of the University of Wisconsin (UW) solution proved harmful to the hepatic microcirculation, three solutions showed equivalent preservation effects. When the cold ischemia time was short, there were no significant differences among the three solutions in the incidence of biliary complications. So far, modifications of preservation solutions have achieved great success. Several types of protective genes like A20, Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and HO-1 were reported to have definite liver protective effects. The addition of other substrates like TNF-α antibody, tacrolimus (FK506) and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate (FBP) can also improve the preservation effect. However, addition of insulin to UW solution is harmful to the graft. CONCLUSIONS: In centers with highly-developed transplantation techniques, HTK and Celsior solutions are acceptable in liver preservation. Protective genemodification and addition of substrates like TNF-α antibody, FK506 and FBP are prominent approaches to improve liver preservation.

Protection of 3'-methoxy-puerarin against focal brain ischemia and its association with c-fos expression

The present study established a rat model of focal brain ischemia by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery covered with FeCl3, and investigated the protective effect of 3＇-methoxy-puerarin. Hippocampal and cortical c-fos gene expression was determined using in situ hybridization. Results showed that 3＇-methoxy-puerarin reduced neurological deficit scores, cerebral infarcted zone and water content of brain tissues, dramatically increased the activity of catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the ischemia zone of the hippocampus, increased the activity of catalase in the cortex, decreased lipid peroxide and lactic acid contents in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, and down-regulated c-fos gene expression in brain ischemic rats. Results demonstrated that 3＇-methoxy-puerarin exhibited cerebroprotective effects against focal brain ischemia, which involved c-fos gene expression.