The Study of Food-Grade Induced Expression and Enzymatic Properties of L-Arabinose Isomerase from Lactobacillus plantarum WU14 with High D-Tagatose Yield

L-arabinose isomerase (L-AI) is the key enzyme for D-galactose isomerization of D-tagatose by biological method. In this research, Lactobacillus plantarum WU14 with high D-tagatose yield was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum was isolated from the number of lactic acid bacteria from pickled vegetables. The crude L-arabinose isomerase activity of Lactobacillus plantarum WU14 with high D-tagatose yield was 13.95 U/mL under the optimal temperature 60&degC, pH 7.17 and substrate concentration 0.8 mol/L, and the conversion rate of 56.12% could be gained after 28 hours. Protein structure and specific of L-Arabinose Isomerase of Lactobacillus plantarum WU14 were researched. The results showed that L-arabinose isomerase is mainly composed of alpha helix and random coil. Then the recombinant L-AI gene was inserted into the food-grade expression vector pRNA48 and expressed in L. lactis NZ9000 successfully. The target protein expression reached the maximum amount when the induced concentration of nisin reaches 30 ng/mL after 12 h. And the crude enzyme activity of recombinant bacteria reached 6.21 U/mL under 60&degC. Otherwise the optimal conversion rate recombinant of L. lactis NZ9000/pRNA48-L-AI can reach 39.21% under the temperature of 50&degC, pH 7.17 and D-galactose concentration was 0.6 mol/L.

Overexpression of p27^(KIP1)induced cell cycle arrest in G_1 phase and subsequent apoptosis in HCC-9204 cell line

AIM We have previously reported that inducibleover-expression of Bak may prolong cell cycle inG1 phase and lead to apoptosis in HCC-9204 cells.This study is to investigate whether p27KIP1playsan important role in this process.METHODS In order to elucidate the exactfunction of p27KIP1in this process,a zinc induciblep27KIP1stable transfectant and transient p27KIP1-GFP fusion transfectant were constructed.Theeffects of inducible,p27KIP1on cell growth,cellcycle arrest and apoptosis were examined in themock,control pMD vector,and pMD-KIP1transfected HCC-9204 cells.RESULTS This p27KIP1-GFP transfectant maytransiently express the fusion gene.The cellgrowth was reduced by 35% at 48 h of p27KIP1induction with zinc treatment as determined bytrypan blue exclusion assay.These differencesremained the same after 72 h of p27KIP1expression,p27KIP1caused cell cycle arrest after24 h of induction,with 40% increase in G1population.Prolonged p27KIP1expression in thiscell line induced apoptotic cell death reflected byTUNEL assay.Fourty-eight h and 72 h of p27KIP1expression showed a characteristic DNA ladder onagarose gel electrophoresis. CONCLUSION Bak may induce cell cycle arrest inG1 phase through upregulating expression ofp27KIP1and subsequently lead to apoptosis inHCC-9204 cells.The p27KIP1-GFP fusion proteincan be transiently expressed in HCC-9204 cells.The inducible p27KIP1-expressing cell line providesa model to assess p27KIP1function.

Senescence-like changes induced by expression of p21^(Waf1/Cip1) in NIH3T3 cell line

P21Waf1/Cip1 is a potent cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. As a downstream mediator of p53, p21Waf1/cip1involves in cell cycle arrest, differentiation and apoptosis. Previous studies in human cells provided evidencefor a link between p21Waf1/cip1 and cellular senescence. While in murine cells, the role of p21Waf1/Cip1is indefinite. We explored this issue using NIH3T3 cells with inducible p21Waf1/cip1 expression. Induc-tion of p21Waf1/Cip1 triggered G1 growth arrest, and NIH3T3-p21 cells exhibited morphologic features,such as enlarged and flattened cellular shape, specific to the senescence phenotype. We also showed thatp21Waf1/Cip1-transduced NIH3T3 cells expressedβ-galactosidase activity at pH 6.0, which is known to bea marker of senescence. Our results suggest that p21Waf1/cipx can also induce senescence-like changes inmurine cells.

Expression of Peroxiredoxins and Pulmonary Surfactant Protein A Induced by Silica in Rat Lung Tissue

Silicosis is one of the most serious occupational diseases in China and dates back to centuries ago. In this study, we successfully established a rat model of silicosis by intratracheal silica injection for 28 days and determined hydroxyproline levels to evaluate collagen metabolism in lung homogenates. Oxidative stress status was evaluated by detecting catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities.

Construction of a Food-Grade Expression Vector Based on pMG36e by Using an α-Galactosidase Gene as a Selectable Marker

Construction of a food-grade expression vector for application to lactic acid bacteria（LAB） is of importance for dairy fermentation system. An α-galactosidase（aga） gene encoding an enzyme degrading melibiose was amplified by PCR from the plasmid p RAF800 of Lactococcus lactis NZ9000. The aga gene was introduced into pMG36 e to substitute the p rimary antibiotic selectable marker of pMG36 e, resulting in construction of a new food-grade expression vector pMG36-aga. To testify the expression efficiency of exogenous gene in pMG36-aga, a 1.5 kb long α-amylase（amy） gene from Ba cillus li cheniformis was cloned by PCR and introduced into the plasmid pMG36-aga. The resultant plasimd pMG36-aga-amy was transformed into L. lactis ML23 by electroporation. The positive clones were selected with the medium containing melibiose as the sole carbon source. Th e selection efficiency of aga was 8.71×103 CFU with a standard deviation of 9.1×102 CFU ？g-1 DNA of pMG36-aga. Furthermore, the SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the pMG36-aga-amy expressed a 56.4 kDa protein which was the same as the putati ve molecular weight of α-amylase. The starch plate assay also indicated that L. lactis ML23 displayed high activity of α-amylase by expressing of amy gene of pMG36-aga-amy.

Dynamic Expression of Hyperpolarization-activated Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Cation Channel 4 Involved in Microwave Induced Pacemaker Cell Injuries

To investigate the mechanisms of microwave induced pacemaker cell injuries, Wistar rats and the primary pacemaker cells of newborn Wistar rats were exposed to microwave at average power density of 50 mW/cm2. Slower spontaneous beating rate, intercellular Ca2＋ aggregation and cell membrane perforation were detected immediately after the exposure. Moreover, hyperpolarizationactivated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel 4 （HCN4） was down-regulated immediately after the exposure and up-regulated at 12 h after the exposure. In the sinoatrial node （SAN） of the rats,

Senescence—like changes induced by expression of p21^Waf1／Cip1 in NIH3T3 cell line

P21Waf1/Cip1 is a potent cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. As a downstream mediator of p53, p21Waf1/cip1involves in cell cycle arrest, differentiation and apoptosis. Previous studies in human cells provided evidencefor a link between p21Waf1/cip1 and cellular senescence. While in murine cells, the role of p21Waf1/Cip1is indefinite. We explored this issue using NIH3T3 cells with inducible p21Waf1/cip1 expression. Induc-tion of p21Waf1/Cip1 triggered G1 growth arrest, and NIH3T3-p21 cells exhibited morphologic features,such as enlarged and flattened cellular shape, specific to the senescence phenotype. We also showed thatp21Waf1/Cip1-transduced NIH3T3 cells expressedβ-galactosidase activity at pH 6.0, which is known to bea marker of senescence. Our results suggest that p21Waf1/cipx can also induce senescence-like changes inmurine cells.

Physiological and genome-wide gene expression analyses of cold-induced leaf rolling at the seedling stage in rice(Oryza sativa L.)

Leaf rolling and discoloration are two chilling-injury symptoms that are widely used as indicators for the evaluation of cold tolerance at the seedling stage in rice. However, the difference in cold-response mechanisms underlying these two traits remains unknown. In the present study, a cold-tolerant rice cultivar, Lijiangxintuanheigu, and a cold-sensitive cultivar, Sanhuangzhan-2, were subjected to low-temperature treatments and physiolog-ical and genome-wide gene expression analyses were conducted. Leaf rolling occurred at temperatures lower than 11℃, whereas discoloration appeared at moderately low temperatures such as 13℃. Chlorophyll contents in both cultivars were significantly decreased at 13℃, but not altered at 11℃. In contrast, the relative water content and relative electrolyte leakage of both cultivars decreased significantly at 11℃, but did not change at 13℃. Expression of genes associated with calcium signaling and abscisic acid (ABA) degradation was significantly altered at 11℃ in comparison with 25℃ and 13℃. Numerous genes in the DREB, MYB, bZIP, NAC, Zinc finger, bHLH, and WRKY gene families were differentially expressed. Many aquaporin genes and the key genes in trehalose and starch synthesis were down regulated at 11℃ in comparison with 25℃ and 13℃. These results suggest that the two chilling injury symptoms are temperature-specific and are controlled by different mechanisms. Cold-induced leaf rolling is associated with calcium and ABA signaling pathways and is regulated by multiple transcriptional regulators. The suppression of aquaporin genes and reduced accumulation of soluble sugars under cold stress results in a reduction in cellular water potential and consequently leaf rolling.

Cytokines Expression in Lymphocytes From Rats With Allergic Asthma Induced by Pleurotus sapidus besidiospores

Allergic asthma caused by mushroom spores (Pleurotus sapidus besidiospores) is a common health problem among mushroom-cultivating workers in China. An animal model of allergic asthma through the challenge of Pleurotus sapidus besidiospores in primed rats was developed for investigating the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of the disease. In the study a series of related cytokines and their receptors, including their activity and mRNA levels of spleen lymphocytes isolated from asthmatic rats, were measured. Determined by 3H-TdR incorporation assay and NAG microcolorimetric assay, Con A-induced spleen lymphocyte proliferation and IL-2 activity in culture supernatants of spleen lymphocytes from 7-day challengedrats with allergic asthma increased significantly by 261% and 208%, respectively, as compared with those in the control. Cytokines and their receptor expression at mRNA levels were determined by RNA/cDNA hybridization, using (α-32P-dCTP radiolabeled cDNA probes for different cytokines and their receptors in vitro. The results showed that mRNA expression of IL-4, GM-CSF, IL-6, IL-2 and IL-2R, except IL-6R, in lymphocytes of 7-day-challenged asthma-suffering rats, increased significantly by 54%, 45%, 170%, 83% and 76%, respectively. In 2-day challenged-rats, mRNA levels of IL-4, IL-6 and IL-2 increased by 37%,58% and 125%, respectively, whereas mRNA leve1s of GM-CSF, IL-2R and IL-6R remained unchanged. Thus, the experimental results suggested a significant increase in TH2type cytokines in the pathogenesis of Pleurotus sapidus besidiospore-induced allergic asthma and IL-4 may play an essential role.

Suppressive effect of dexamethasone on the neutrophil expression of CD18 in rats with radiation induced brain edema

BACKGROUND： Stereo-tactic radiation therapy （SRT） is widely used to treat intracranial diseases, but some patients suffered from radiation induced brain edema after SRT. Once radiation induced brain edema occurs, the treatment is quite difficult, and it always leads to a poor outcome. Dexamethasone has certain therapeutic effect on traumatic brain edema, but the biological mechanism is still unclear. OBJECTIVE ： To observe the effect of dexamethasone on the neutrophil expression of CD18.DESIGN ： A randomized control observation.SETTING： Changhai Hospital of the Second Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. MATERIALS ： The experiment was carried out in Changhai Hospital of the Second Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from January 1999 to December 1999. Twenty SD rats （male and female each in half） weighing （250±50） g were used. METHODS： Twenty SD rats were divided into four groups at random. ① Blank control group （n=5）： The rats were not treated without dexamethasone or irradiation;② Irradiation group （n=5）： The rats were given irradiation but no dexamethasone treatment; ③ Irradiation＋1 mg/kg dexamethasone group （n=5）; The rats were treated with irradiation and dexamethasone of 1 mg/kg; ④Irradiation＋5 mg/kg dexamethasone group （n=5）： The rats were treated with irradiation and dexamethasone of 5 mg/kg. The heads of the rats were irradiated with 10 MeV X-ray （30 Gy）, and brain tissue was removed after 2 weeks to observe the pathological changes. Blood samples were taken from the carotid artery, gradient centrifugation was used, and neutrophile layer was obtained, the level of neutrophile expression of CD18 mRNA and quantity of membrane proteins in blood were detected with Northern blot and flow cytometry respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① Blood cell count; ② Pathological results; ③ level of neutrophile expression of CD18 mRNA and quantity of membrane proteins. RESULTS ： All the 20 SD rats were involved in the analysis of results without deletion. At 2 weeks after irradiation, obvious cell injury could be observed under light microscope. The level of neutrophile expression of CD18 mRNA and quantity of membrane proteins in blood were obviously increased, but the severity of cell injury was relieved in the irradiation＋1 and 5 mg/kg dexamethasone groups, and the CD18 expression was markedly suppressed （P 〈 0.05）, and the suppression was more obvious in the irradiation＋5 mg/kg dexamethasone group than in the irradiation＋1 mg/kg dexamethasone group （P 〈 0.01 ）. CONCLUSION： Dexamethasone can reduce the radiation induced brain edema by inhibiting the expression of CD18.

Mitochondrial and nuclear damages and caspase-3 expression in the hippicampal CA3 region of rats with kainic acid induced statuse pilepticus

BACKGROUND: Some scholars believed that the neuronal injury after status epilepticus is apoptosis, the main evidence is the changes of expressions of various apoptosis related genes, such as immediate-early gene, p53 gene and genes of bcl-2 family, etc. But there is still no ultrastructural evidence for apoptosis. OBJECTIVE: To observe the ultrastructural damages of mitochondrion and nucleus and the changes of caspase expression in neurons of hippocampal CA3 region in rats with status epilepticus induced by kainic acid. DESIGN: A randomized controlled study. SETTING: Department of Anesthesiology and Department of Neurology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. MATERIALS: Seventy-five adult male Wistar rats of 250-300 g, clean degree, were provided by the experimental animal center of Shandong University. Kainic acid was purchased from Sigma Company (USA); rabbit anti-rat polyclonal antibody caspase-3 from Santa Cruz Company (USA). METHODS: The experiments were carried out in the Department of Anesthesiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from October 2005 to February 2006. ① The 75 rats were randomly divided into experimental group (n =45) and control group (n =30). ② Model establishment, convulsion grading and the judging standards for status epilepticus: Rats in the experimental group were given intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (10 mg/kg), and those in the control group were injected with saline of the same volume. The time of seizure was recorded and their behavioral manifestations were observed, and the seizure was terminated by intraperitoneal injection of diazepam (10 mg/kg). ③ Observation under electron microscope: At 3, 12 and 24 hours after status epilepticus respectively, bilateral hippocampal tissues were taken out, semithin sections of about 75 nm were prepared after fixation, dehydration and embedding, and then observed under H-800 transmission electron microscope. ④ Immunohistochemical detection: Bilateral hippocampi were removed at 3, 12 and 24 hours after status epilepticus respectively, the fixation, dehydration, transparence, wax immersion and embedding were performed, then serial sections of CA3 region were immunohistochemically determined by the SABC method. Leica QWinV3 image analytical software was applied, then the average number and average gray value of positive cells were calculated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results of observation under electron microscope, that of immunohistochemical staining of neurons in hippocampal CA3 region; Comparison of number of caspase-3 positive cells and gray value. RESULTS: All the 75 Wistar rats were involved in the analysis of results. ① Results of observation under electron microscope: At 3 hours after status epilepticus, swelling crista and membranous disintegration were observed under electron microscope. At 24 hours, obvious nuclear changes occurred, and manifested as the side-aggegation of chromatins. ② Results of immunohistochemical detection: In the experimental group, the number of caspase-3 positive cells at 3 hours after status epilepticus had no obvious difference as compared with that in the control group (P > 0.05); At 12 hours, the number and gray value of caspase-3 positive cells in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (10.49±0.68 vs. 5.33±0.43; 45.57±2.27 vs. 19.79±0.33, P < 0.05), the same results were also observed at 24 hours (37.36±0.57 vs. 5.12±0.47; 115.24±1.22 vs. 18.73±0.42, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In the rat models of status epilepticus induced by kainic acid, mitochondrial damage was earlier than the increase of caspase-3 expression and nuclear changes, which suggested that mitochondrion was the key link for the neuronal death after status epilepticus.

Induced in vitro Expression of Human Lactoferrin in Goat Mammary Gland Epithelial Cell

[客观]这研究的目的是在山羊乳腺的 vitro 探索导致的表示的技术系统上皮的房间，并且评估在房间的特定的向量和外国蛋白质铺平的乳腺的表达式效率[方法]山羊乳腺由人的 lactoferrin 基因的上皮的房间 transfected 被 culturing 在与 5 mg/L 胰岛素补充的 DMEM/F12 媒介征调， 5 mg/L 催乳激素和 1 mg/L hydrocortisone.Supernatant 每 6 个小时和 concentrated.Expression

Quantitative analysis of hepatic hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and its abnormal gene expression during the formation of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND:Hepatic hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1) is activated in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).This study aimed to investigate the dynamic alterations of HIF-1αand its gene expression so as to explore the relationship between HIF-1αexpression and hepatocarcinogenesis at the early stage of HCC. METHODS:A hepatoma model was made with 2-fluorenyl- acetamide(2-FAA)in male Sprague-Dawley rats.Morphological changes of rat hepatocytes were assessed pathologically (HE staining).The dynamic expression of hepatic and circulating HIF-1αwas quantitatively analyzed by ELISA. The gene fragments of hepatic HIF-1αmRNA were amplified by RT-PCR and confirmed by sequencing.The cellular distribution of hepatic HIF-1αexpression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:Histological examination confirmed granulelike degeneration to atypical hyperplasia and HCC development in rat hepatocytes and progressive increases in the levels of hepatic and circulating HIF-1αand its gene expression during the course.The levels of HIF-1α expression in the liver and blood of rats with hepatoma were significantly higher than those in normal ratsand those with degeneration.Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the positive expression and hepatocyte distribution of HIF-1αin the development of rat hepatoma. A positive relationship was found between HIF-1α expression in the liver and blood(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS:The above observations support the hypothesis that the overexpression of HIF-1αand its gene are closely associated with the malignant transformation of hepatocytes and play an important role at the stage of hepatocarcinogenesis.

Identification of an intestine-specific promoter and inducible expression of bacterial α-galactosidase in mammalian cells by a lac operon system

Background： o-galactosidase has been widely used in animal husbandry to reduce anti-nutritional factors （such as o-galactoside） in feed. Intestine-specific and substrate inducible expression of a-galactosidase would be highly beneficial for transgenic animal production. Methods： To achieve the intestine-specific and substrate inducible expression of o-galactosidase, we first identified intestine-specific promoters by comparing the transcriptional activity and tissue specificity of four intestine-specific promoters from human intestinal fatty acid binding protein, rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein, human mucin-2 and human lysozyme. We made two chimeric constructs combining the promoter and enhancer of human mucin-2, rat intestinal trefoil factor and human sucrase-isomaltase. Then a modified lac operon system was constructed to investigate the induction of o-galactosidase expression and enzyme activity by isopropyl p-D-]-thiogalactopyranoside （IPTG） and an a-galactosidase substrate, a-lactose. We declared that the research carried out on human （Zhai Yafeng） was in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration and experimental research on animals also followed internationally recognized guidelines. Results： The activity of the human mucin-2 promoter was about 2 to 3 times higher than that of other intestine-specific promoters. In the/ac operon system, the repressor significantly decreased （P 〈 0.05） luciferase activity by approximately 6.5-fold and reduced the percentage of cells expressing green fluorescent protein （GFP） by approximately 2-fold. In addition, the expression level of o-galactosidase mRNA was decreased by 6-fold and a-galactosidase activity was reduced by 8-fold. in line with our expectations, IPTG and a-lactose supplementation reversed （P 〈 O.O5） the inhibition and produced a 5-fold increase of luciferase activity, an 11-fold enhancement in the percentage of cells with GFP expression and an increase in o-galactosidase mfiNA abundance （by about 5-fold） and o-galactosidase activity （by about 7-fold）. Conclusions： We have successfully constructed a high specificity inducible lac operon system in an intestine-derived cell line, which could be of great value for gene therapy applications and transgenic animal production.

Expression in Arabidopsis of a Strawberry Linalool Synthase Gene Under the Control of the Inducible Potato PI2 Promoter

To investigate the role of inducible linalool in Arabidopsis-insect interactions, the FANES 1 linalool synthase （LIS） cDNA from strawberry with plastid targeting and a synthetic intron （LIS＇） was placed under the control of the wound inducible proteinase inhibitor 2 （PI2） promoter from potato. The construct pBin-PPi2-LIS＇ was transformed to Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Columbia 0. Kanamycin resistant TO seedlings were confirmed for the presence and transcription of the LIS＇ gene by PCR analysis on genomic DNA and by RT-PCR analysis on RNA. Genomic and RT-PCR products were sequenced to confirm correct splicing of the synthetic intron. The expression of active linalool synthase by the PPI2-LIS＇ gene construct in the transgenic lines was assessed by measuring linalool emission using solid phase micro-extraction （SPME） GC-MS measurements after induction with methyl jasmonate. Among 30 tested independent T2 transgenic lines, 10 exhibited linalool production. Linalool expression could be induced by methyl jasmonate treatment, but not by diamondback moth larvae.

EFFECT OF TNF-a AND IFN-g ON THE EXPRESSION OF INDUCIBLE NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE GENE AND PROLIFERATION INHIBITION OF HUMAN COLON CANCER CELL LINE

Objective: To study the expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene and the effects of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-a) and interferon-γ(IFN-g)on proliferation of the continuous cultured human colon cancer cell line CCL229. Methods: Using the molecular and biochemical techniques and electron microscopy to analyze the expression of iNOS, production of NO and growth characteristics of human colon cancer cells. Results: cytokine treatment can induce expression of the iNOS gene and production of nitric oxide was significantly higher after treatment of CCL229 cells with TNF-αor IFN-γ. Treatment with either cytokine or a combination of both significantly increased levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA) over control. Furthermore, cytokine treatment increased the proliferation inhibition rate as assessed in vitro and decreased the cell proliferation index on flow cytometry. Electron microscopy showed that cells treated with cytokines had fewer pseudopodia or cell processes than control cells and that cytokine treated cells had dilatation of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum and dilated vesicular or tubular cisternae. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that TNF-α and IFN-γ induce the expression of iNOS gene in CCL229 cells, which increases the production of nitric oxide, inhibits proliferation, causes lipid peroxidation, and results in ultrastructural changes.

Screening of Epstein-Barr Virus Early Antigen Expression Inducers from Chinese Medicinal Herbs and Plants

Ether extrilcls of 1693 Chinesc medicinal herbs and plilnts from 268 families werestudied for the induction of Epstcin-Barr viral (EBV ) early antigcn (EA ) expression in theRaji cell line. Fifty-two from 18 families were found to have inducing activity. Twenty-fiveand seven of them were from Euphorbiaccae and Thymclaeaceae, respectively. Some ofthem, such as Croton tiglium, Euphorbia kansui, Daphnc genkwa, Wikstrocmia chamacdaphen, Wikstroemia indica, Prunus mandshurica Koehne and Achyranthes bidentata arecommonly used drugs. The significance of these herbs in the activation of EBV in vivo andtheir relation to the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were discussed.

Expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha and ischemic erythropoietin tolerance in the brain of cerebral ischemic tolerance model rats

BACKGROUND： Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha （HIF-1 （x） and erythropoietin（EPO）, possessing neuroprotective effect in the cerebral ischemia, might play an important role in the formation of cerebral ischemic tolerance （IT）. OBJECTIVE：To observe the neuroprotective effect of cerebral ischemic preconditioning（IPC） of rats, and the expression and mechanism of HIF-1α and target gene erythropoietin in the brain tissue following the formation of cerebral IT. DESIGN ： A randomized and controlled observation SETTING： Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Qingdao University MATERIALS： Totally 84 enrolled adult healthy male Wistar rats of clean grade, weighing 250 to 300 g, were provided by the Animal Experimental Department, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Ready-to-use SABC reagent kit and rabbit anti-rat HIF-1α monoclonal antibody were purchased from Boshide Bioengineering Co.Ltd （Wuhan）; Rabbit anti-rat EPO monoclonal antibody was purchased from Santa Cruz Company （USA）. METHODS： This experiment was carried out in the Department of Anatomy, Medical College, Qingdao University during March 2005 to March 2006. ① The 84 rats were divided into 3 groups by a lot： IPC group （n=40）, sham-operation group （n=40） and control group （n=4）. In the IPC group, middle cerebral artery was occluded for 2 hours respectively on the 1^st, 3^rd, 7^th, 14^th and 21^st days of the reperfusion following 10-minute preischemia was made using a modified middle cerebral artery second suture method from Zea-Longa. The rats were sacrificed 22 hours after reperfusion in the end of middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO）. That was to say, after 10-minute preischemia, suture was exited to the extemal carotid artery and embedded subcutaneously. Middle cerebral artery was occluded again to form the second reperfusion at the set time point after reperfusion. Twenty-two hours later, rats were sacrificed; In the sham-operation group,the preischemia was substituted by sham-operation（only common carotid artery and crotch were exposed, and MCAO by suture was omitted）, and the other procedures were the same as those in the IPC group. In the control group, rats were given sham-operation twice at an interval of one day, and they were sacrificed 24 hours after the second sham-operation. ② Brain tissue was taken from the rats in each group. Cerebral infarction area of each layer was measured with TTC staining, and total cerebral infarction volume （The total cerebral infarction area of each layerxinterspace ） was calculated. After brain tissue was stained by haematoxylin-esoin （HE）, the form of nerve cells was observed under an optical microscope, and the expressions of HIF-1α（and EPO protein in the brain tissue were detected with immunohistochemical method. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ①Cerebral infarction volume;②form of nerve cell; ③ the expression of HIF-1α and EPO protein in the brain tissue. RESULTS：Totally 84 rats were enrolled in the experiment. The dead rats were randomly supplied during the experiment, and finally 84 rats entered the stage of result analysis. ① Detection of cerebral infarction volume of rats in each group： Cerebral infarction volume in the IPC group was significantly smaller than that in the sham-operation group on the 1^st, 3^rd and 7^th days after reperfusion respectively [（161.2±6.9） mm^3 vs （219.9±11.2） mm^3, （134.9±9.0） mm^3 vs （218.6±13.0） mm^3, （142.9±13.7） mm^3 vs （221.3±14.2） mm^3, t=-8.924, 10.587,7.947, P〈 0.01]. ② Observation of nerve cell form of brain tissue： HE staining showed that the ischemic degree, range and cerebral edema degree of IPC group were significantly milder than those of sham-operation group. ③ The expressions of HIF-1α and EPO protein in cerebral cortex and hippocampus ： The expression of HIF-1αof IPC group was significantly higher than that of sham-operation group on the 1^st, 3^rd and 7^th days after reperfusion respectively （125.93±3.79 vs 117.65±5.60, 140.63±4.64 vs 119.33±4.26, 131.15±2.74 vs 107.60±3.89, t=2.449, 6.763,9.899,P 〈 0.05-0.01）. The expression of EPO of IPC group was significantly higher than that of sham-operation group on the 3^rd and 7^th days after perfusion respectively （141.68±3.29 vs 126.33±4.51, 138.88±2.59 vs 125.58±6.18,t=5.499,3.970, P〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION ： ①IPC can protect the never cells in rat brain and the best time to onset of cerebral IT induced by IPC is 1 to 7 days after reperfusion. ② Neuroprotective effect of cerebral IT might be related to the expression of HIF-1α and its target gene EPO.

Prenatal Exposure to Perfluorooctane Sulfonate impairs Placental Angiogenesis and Induces Aberrant Expression of LncRNA Xist

Perfluorooctane sulfonate （PFOS） is a class of stable organic compounds with wide industrial,commercial, and consumer applications, such as in textiles, paper, pesticides, and shampoos;. It is readily absorbed, but poorly eliminated, with the elimination half-life of approximately 5 years;.Hence, there have been concerns regarding its potential damage to human health. Some studies

Hypoxia upregulates hypoxia inducible factor(HIF)-3α expression in lung epithelial cells: characterization and comparison with HIF-1α

The role of the hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)subunits 1α and 2α in response to hypoxia is well established in lungepithelial cells,whereas little is known about HIF-3α with respect to transcriptional and translational regulation by hy-poxia.HIF-3α and HIF-1α are two similar but distinct basic helix-loop-helix-PAS proteins,which have been postulatedto activate hypoxia responsive genes in response to hypoxia.Here,we used quantitative real time RT-PCR and immu-noblotting to determine the activation of HIF-3α vs.HIF-1α by hypoxia.HIF-3α was strongly induced by hypoxia(1%O_2)both at the level of protein and mRNA due to an increase in protein stability and transcriptional activation,whereasHIF-1α protein and mRNA levels enhanced transiently and then decreased because of a reduction in its mRNA stabilityin A549 cells,as measured on mRNA and protein levels.Interestingly,HIF-3α and HIF-1α exhibited strikingly similarresponses to a variety of activating or inhibitory pharmacological agents.These results demonstrate that HIF-3α is ex-pressed abundantly in lung epithelial cells,and that the transcriptional induction of HIF-3α plays an important role in theresponse to hypoxia in vitro.Our findings suggest that HIF-3α,as a member of the HIF system,is complementary ratherthan redundant to HIF-1α induction in protection against hypoxic damage in alveolar epithelial cells.