Rapid and Efficient Investigation of Ciliate Nuclear Development During Conjugation Through Optimizing Hoechst33342 Staining Workflow

Ciliates are eukaryotic unicellular organisms with complex morphology and developmental processes,including asexual and sexual processes.Conjugation is a form of sexual process that renews genetic materials.However,visualizing conjugation in ciliates is a challenge due to the complexity and dynamics of the process,while traditional staining methods are often insufficient for the research.This study introduces a new method for visualizing developmental progression in the nuclei during conjugation using Hoechst33342 staining.It describes how to proceed from cell culture,conjugation induction and synchronization,staining preparation,and observation to statistical analysis.The combination of fluorescent staining with the‘volume-fixing'technique eliminates the fixation and dehydration steps,thus reducing the overall operation time to just 20 minutes.This method offers several advantages over traditional staining techniques for studying the nuclei during conjugation.It improves image quality and workflow efficiency and enables real-time observation of live cell states.Potential solutions to challenges that may arise during experimental procedures are introduced and references and guidelines for cytological research are provided in this paper.

Bioinspired Passive Tactile Sensors Enabled by Reversible Polarization of Conjugated Polymers

Tactile perception plays a vital role for the human body and is also highly desired for smart prosthesis and advanced robots.Compared to active sensing devices,passive piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors consume less power,but lack the capability to resolve static stimuli.Here,we address this issue by utilizing the unique polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers for the first time and propose a new type of bioinspired,passive,and bio-friendly tactile sensors for resolving both static and dynamic stimuli.Specifically,to emulate the polarization process of natural sensory cells,conjugated polymers(including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophen e):poly(styrenesulfonate),polyaniline,or polypyrrole)are controllably polarized into two opposite states to create artificial potential differences.The controllable and reversible polarization process of the conjugated polymers is fully in situ characterized.Then,a micro-structured ionic electrolyte is employed to imitate the natural ion channels and to encode external touch stimulations into the variation in potential difference outputs.Compared with the currently existing tactile sensing devices,the developed tactile sensors feature distinct characteristics including fully organic composition,high sensitivity(up to 773 mV N^(−1)),ultralow power consumption(nW),as well as superior bio-friendliness.As demonstrations,both single point tactile perception(surface texture perception and material property perception)and two-dimensional tactile recognitions(shape or profile perception)with high accuracy are successfully realized using self-defined machine learning algorithms.This tactile sensing concept innovation based on the polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers opens up a new path to create robotic tactile sensors and prosthetic electronic skins.

Localization of stationary pronuclei during conjugation of Paramecium as indicated by immunofluorescence staining

After the third prezygotic division during conjugation of Paramecium caudatum,migratory and stationary pronuclei are produced.The migratory pronuclei remain in the paroral region tightly against the conjugating boundaries;while the stationary pronuclei are located beside the migratory pronuclei.To date,however,it is not clear what causes this close side-by-side localization between migratory and stationary pronuclei.In the current study,immunofluorescence staining with monoclonal antibody of anti-α tubulin indicated that ＂U＂ or ＂V＂ shaped spindles connected the migratory and stationary pronuclei during the third prezygotic division.This observation accounts for the close localization between these two types of pronuclei.

New details indicated by different stainings during conjugation of ciliated protozoa Paramecium

During conjugation of Paramecium caudatum, nuclear events occur in a scheduled program. Morphological studies on nuclear behavior during conjugation of P. caudatum have been performed since the end of the 19th century. Here we report on new details concerning the conjugation of P. caudatum through the staining of conjugating ceils with protargol, carbol fuchsin solution, Hoechst 33342 and immunofluorescence labeling with monoclonal antibody of anti-a tubulin. 1） The crescent nucleus is a characteristic of the meiotic prophase of P. caudatum, has an unstained area. We stained this area with protargol, which was separated from the chromatin area and was not detected by the other stainings. 2） In regards to the four meiotic products, it has long been considered that only one product enters the paroral cone region （PC） and survives after meiosis. However, our protargol and immunofluorescence labeling results indicated that PC entrance of the meiotic product happened before the completion of meiosis instead of after. 3） In our previous study, protargol staining indicated the presence of a swollen structure around the central part of the ＂U＂ and ＂V＂ shaped spindles connecting the two types of prospective pronuclei. However, immunofluorescence labeling with anti-a tubulin antibodies gave a different image from protargol. All these observations form the basis for further studies of their molecular mechanisms.

Synthesis of CuAPTPP-TDI-TiO2 Conjugated Microspheres and its Photocatalytic Activity

The metal complex 5-（4-aminophenyl）-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin copper （CuAPTPP） was covalently linked on the surface of TiO2 microspheres by using toluene disocyanate （TDI） as a bridging bond unit. The hydroxyl group （-OH） of TiO2 microspheres surface and the amino group （-NH2） of CuAPTPP reacted respectively with the active -NCO groups of TDI to form a surface conjugated microsphere CuAPTPP-TDI-TiO2 that was confirmed by FT-IR spectra. The CuAPTPP-TDI-TiO2 microspheres were characterized with UV-visible, elemental analysis, XRD, SEM, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The effect of amounts of linked TDI on the performance of photocatalytic microspheres was discussed, and the optimal molar ratio of TDI：TiO2 was established. The photocatalytic activity of CuAPTPP- TDI-TiO2 was evaluated using the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue （MB） under visible-light irradiation. The results showed that, TDI, as a bond unit, was used to form a steady chemical brigdging bond linking CuAPTPP and the surface of TiO2 microspheres, and the prepared catalyst exhibited higher photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation for MB degradation. The degradation rate of 20 mg/L MB could reach 98.7% under Xe- lamp （150 W） irradiation in 120 rain. The degradation of MB followed the first-order reaction model under visible light irradiation, and the rate constant of 5.1× 10^-2 min-1 and the half- life of 11.3 min were achieved. And the new photocatalyst can be recycled for 4 times, remaining 90.0% MB degradation rate.

血清HMGA2、P-gp与老年进展性脑梗死患者预后相关研究

目的探讨血清高迁移率族蛋白A2(HMGA2)、P-糖蛋白(P-gp)在老年进展性脑梗死患者中的表达水平及其与预后的关系。方法收集2020年2月—2023年2月大连市中心医院神经内科收治老年进展性脑梗死患者67例为进展组,老年非进展性脑梗死患者79例为非进展组;进展组根据治疗后3个月神经功能恢复情况分为预后良好亚组(n=39,mRS评分0~2分)和预后不良亚组(n=28,mRS评分3~6分)。采用酶联免疫吸附法检测血清HMGA2、P-gp水平,Pearson积矩相关分析血清HMGA2、P-gp与NIHSS评分的关系,Logistic回归分析进展性脑梗死患者预后不良的影响因素,受试者工作特征曲线(ROC)评估血清HMGA2、P-gp对预后不良的预测价值。结果进展组血清HMGA2、P-gp水平及NIHSS评分高于非进展组(t/P=13.672/<0.001,8.095/<0.001,8.226/<0.001)。进展性脑梗死患者血清HMGA2、P-gp与NIHSS评分均呈正相关(r/P=0.732/<0.001、0.708/<0.001);预后不良亚组患者年龄大于预后良好亚组,血清HMGA2、P-gp水平及NIHSS评分高于预后良好亚组(t/P=5.092/<0.001、5.103/<0.001、4.449/<0.001、2.357/0.021)。多因素Logistic回归结果显示,高龄和血清HMGA2、P-gp水平及NIHSS评分升高是进展性脑梗死患者预后不良独立危险因素[OR(95%CI)=1.429(1.093~1.869),1.288(1.082~1.533),1.586(1.161~2.165),1.483(1.120~1.963)];血清HMGA2、P-gp及二者联合预测进展性脑梗死患者预后不良的AUC分别为0.738、0.740、0.895,二者联合优于各自单独预测效能(Z/P=2.031/0.002、2.006/0.003)。结论血清HMGA2、P-gp在老年进展性脑梗死患者中异常升高,并与病情严重程度以及预后不良有关,早期联合检测两项指标可预测患者预后不良风险发生。

基于P-犹豫模糊集与VIKOR的绿色产品设计多属性决策方法

针对绿色产品设计属性不确定及其关联关系的复杂性问题,提出一种基于P-犹豫模糊集与多准则妥协解排序(VIKOR)法的绿色产品设计多属性决策方法。利用Pythagorean犹豫模糊数度量产品属性及其特征值得到专家初始权重;考虑绿色设计决策者及属性关联,运用λ-模糊测度、Shapley值和交叉熵得到决策者及属性关联权重;以综合最大化整体效用和最小化个体遗憾为目标,基于VIKOR法对绿色产品设计方案进行排序选择;最后通过实例分析验证方法的合理性和有效性。研究结果显示,该方法既可以综合绿色设计决策者心理,有效区分不同绿色设计方案之间的差别,又可以描述绿色设计决策者和属性间的关联关系,为绿色产品设计多属性决策提供了一种可行的方法。

Characterization and Comparison of Ochratoxin A-Ovalbumin(OTA-OVA) Conjugation by Three Methods

In order to generate an antibody against a small hapten molecule, the hapten is cross-linked with carrier protein to make it immunogenic. In this study, the hapten （ochratoxin A, OTA） was coupled to ovalbumin （OVA） by an active ester reaction. To develop a technique for detecting the conjugation, the hapten-protein conjugate （OTA-OVA） was characterized thoroughly by immunoarray technology, ultraviolet （UV） spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS）, respectively. The molecular weight of OTA-OVA was 50 350.141 Da, and the molecular weight of OVA was 44 887.506 Da, which were determined by MALDI-TOF-MS, respectively. In OTA-OVA, the molecular coupling ratio was 13：1 by MALDI-TOF-MS while the molecular coupling ratio was 10：1 by UV. In this experiment, UV and MALDI-TOF-MS were selected as the efficient methods to evaluate the cross-linking effect and calculate the molecular coupling ratio.

Wavefront correction of Ti:sapphire terawatt laser with varying precision of phase conjugation between deformable mirror and wavefront sensor

The phase conjugation between the deformable mirror and the wavefront sensor in the aberration correction of a terawatt Ti：sapphire laser is studied experimentally and theoretically in this paper. At varying values of phase- conjugation precision, we focus the corresponding beams into spots of the same size of 5.1 μm × 5.3 μm with a f/4 parabola in the 32 TW/36 fs Ti：sapphire laser system. The results show that the precision of conjugation can induce an intensity modulation but does not significantly affect the wavefront correction.

OPTICAL PHASE CONJUGATION RESPONSE OF PHOTOINDUCED POLYMER FILMS CONTAINING AZOBENZENE MOIETIES WITH CHIRAL GROUP

An optically active monomer containing azobenzene moieties with chiral group (s-2-methyl-butyl), 4-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyloxy] -4'-(s-2-methyl-1-butyloxycarbonyl) azobenzene (M1) was synthesized. Polymer (PM1) possessing optical phase conjugated response was obtained by homopolymerization of the optically active monomer (M1) using free radical polymerization. The polymer was very soluble in common solvents and good optical quality films could be easily fabricated by spin coating. The optical phase conjugated responses of the polymer PM1 were measured by degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM). In comparison with polymer containing no chiral group, it was found from the preliminary measurement of photoisomeric change that optical phase conjugated response of the PM1 in the long-range order hexagonal symmetry microstructure could be easily controlled by choosing the appropriate polarization direction of the irradiating beams (514.5 nm) and the irradiating number, presumably due to the chiral group in the PM1 molecular structure. For the case of the polymer investigated here, a chiral group side chain was introduced to increase optical phase conjugated response intensity with different polarization directions of the irradiating beams, which aims originally at searching for a new photoactive material.

Transposon mutagenesis of Psychrobacter cryohalolentis PAMC 21807 by tri-parental conjugation

Random mutagenesis is commonly used to study gene function. The screening of mutants exhibiting specific pheno- types assists in the identification of phenotype-related genes. In the current study, we isolated Antarctic bacteria, and developed a transposon Tn5 mutagenesis system. A total of 26 strains were isolated from seawater and freshwater near Antarctic King Sejong Research Station, King George Island. Six Psychrobacter strains were identified as psychrophilic, with optimal growth tempera- tures of 10~C or 15~C Psychrobacter cryohalolentis PAMC 21807 with a high growth rate at 4~C was selected for transposon mutagenesis. Tri-parental conjugation with a plasmid containing Tn5 produced 13 putative recombinants containing the selectable marker. Genomic Southern hybridization confirmed Tn5 existed as episomes for seven recombinants, and for a single recombinant, Tn5 was integrated into the genome of Psychrobacter cryohalolentis PAMC 21807. The result indicates that the mutagenesis method, although successful, has a relatively low rate. The psychrophilic bacteria isolated in this study may be a useful resource for studying cold adaptation mechanisms, and the mutagenesis method can be applied to genetic analysis.

Modification of Periodate Oxidation Method to Produce HRP-IgG Conjugate and Test its Stability Overtime

Goat anti-Rabbit Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) secondary conjugate was produced using a modified periodate oxidation method. The obtained conjugate was tested in the quality control techniques of therapeutic proteins. To determine the working dilution, titration of the prepared conjugate was performed in Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and found to be 1:5000. This dilution was further tested in Western Blot analysis. The secondary conjugate was kept at 4&#176;C for one month and its stability was verified by Western Blot and Indirect ELISA techniques.

Strategies for Precise Engineering and Conjugation of Antibody Targeted-nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

Improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are urgently needed for use in nanotechnology.Nanoparticles(NPs)can reduce the side effects of traditional chemotherapy by sustained release of loaded drugs and increase therapeutic efficiency.NPs can also enhance endothelial permeation retention by size effect and its accumulation in tumor cells through passive targeting.Furthermore,it is critical to treat cancer with a controlled targeted drug which can be specifically delivered into tumor cells and released there,resulting in a targeted therapy to eradicate tumor cells while sparing normal cells.To this end,antibody-mediated targeting therapy has been developed,but imperfections in antibodies(Abs)limit this therapy.Therefore,the combination of NPs and Abs has been highly valued in recent years,because conjugating special Abs on the surface of NPs can increase targeting efficiency,enabling selective delivery of anti-cancer drugs to tumor cells.In this mini-review,we would like to enumerate the strategies for the conjugation of Abs to the surface of the NPs as well as the precise engineering of targeted NPs.The application of targeting antibody fragments in this drug delivery system will also be discussed.

Conjugation of a zwitterionic polymer with dimethyl chains to lipase significantly increases the enzyme activity and stability

Enzyme-polymer conjugates are complex molecules with great practical significance.This work was designed to develop a novel enzyme-polymer conjugate by covalently coupling a zwitterionic polymer with side dimethyl chains(pID)to Candida rugosa lipase(CRL)via the reaction between the anhydrides of polymer chains with the amino groups of the enzyme.The resulting two CRL-pID conjugates with different pID grafting densities were investigated in term of the catalytic activity,stability and structural changes.In comparison with native CRL,both the CRL conjugates displayed 2.2 times higher activity than the native enzyme,and showed an increase in the maximum reaction rate(V_(max))and a decrease in the Michaelis constant(K_(m)),thus resulting in about three-fold increases in the catalytic efficiency(k_(cat)/K_(m)).These are mainly attributed to the activation of lipase by the hydrophobic alky side chains.Moreover,the thermostability and pH tolerance of the lipase conjugates were significantly enhanced due to the stabilizing effect of the zwitterion moieties.For instance,a five-fold increase of the enzyme half-life at 50℃ for the high-pID conjugated CRL was observed.Spectroscopic studies reveal that the pID conjugation protected the enzyme in the changes in its microenvironment and conformation,well correlating with enhanced activity and stability of lipase conjugates.The findings indicate that enzyme conjugation to the zwitterionic polymer is promising for improving enzyme performance and deserves further development.

Boundary Control for 2 ×2 Elliptic Systems with Conjugation Conditions

In this paper, we consider 2 × 2 non-cooperative elliptic system involving Laplace operator defined on bounded, continuous and strictly Lipschitz domain of Rn. First we prove the existence and uniqueness for the state of the system under conjugation conditions;then we discuss the existence of the optimal control of boundary type with Neumann conditions, and we find the set of equations and inequalities that characterize it.

Novel insights into conjugation of antitumor-active unsymmetrical bisacridine C-2028 with glutathione:Characteristics of non-enzymatic and glutathione S-transferase-mediated reactions

Unsymmetrical bisacridines(UAs) are a novel potent class of antitumor-active therapeutics.A significant route of phase II drug metabolism is conjugation with glutathione(GSH),which can be non-enzymatic and/or catalyzed by GSH-dependent enzymes.The aim of this work was to investigate the GSHmediated metabolic pathway of a representative UA,C-2028.GSH-supplemented incubations of C-2028 with rat,but not with human,liver cytosol led to the formation of a single GSH-related metabolite.Interestingly,it was also revealed with rat liver microsomes.Its formation was NADPH-independent and was not inhibited by co-incubation with the cytochrome P450(CYP450) inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole.Therefore,the direct conjugation pathway occurred without the prior CYP450-catalyzed bioactivation of the substrate.In turn,incubations of C-2028 and GSH with human recombinant glutathione S-transferase(GST) P1-1 or with heat-/ethacrynic acid-inactivated liver cytosolic enzymes resulted in the presence or lack of GSH conjugated form,respectively.These findings proved the necessary participation of GST in the initial activation of the GSH thiol group to enable a nucleophilic attack on the substrate molecule.Another C-2028-GSH S-conjugate was also formed during non-enzymatic reaction.Both GSH S-conjugates were characterized by combined liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.Mechanisms for their formation were proposed.The ability of C-2028 to GST-mediated and/or direct GSH conjugation is suspected to be clinically important.This may affect the patient’s drug clearance due to GST activity,loss of GSH,or the interactions with GSH-conjugated drugs.Moreover,GST-mediated depletion of cellular GSH may increase tumor cell exposure to reactive products of UA metabolic transformations.

亚油酸诱导植物乳杆菌p-8产生共轭亚油酸的蛋白组和类组蛋白乙酰化分析

研究亚油酸(linoleic acid,LA)诱导下植物乳杆菌(Lactobacillus plantarum)p-8的蛋白组和类组蛋白乙酰化水平差异,探究共轭亚油酸(conjugated linoleic acid,CLA)产生的机制。结果表明,LA的最佳诱导质量浓度为1 mg/mL,在此质量浓度条件下,蛋白质组学分析发现,烯酰-酰基载体蛋白还原酶、酰基载体蛋白等脂肪酸合成的关键蛋白因子下调,脂肪酸合成下调,乙酰基转移酶水平上调。Western blot结合体外添加NaAc实验表明,乙酰辅酶A含量增加导致类组蛋白乙酰化水平提升。实时聚合酶链式反应检测显示,添加LA和NaAc使CLA相关酶、转录调控因子和Sigma因子的mRNA表达升高,CLA含量也提高。相关性分析得出,乙酰辅酶A与LA水合酶转录水平和CLA含量之间呈显著正相关,揭示乙酰辅酶A和乙酰基转移酶含量上调导致类组蛋白乙酰化加强而上调CLA合成。结果为分子改良或科学调控乳酸菌以提高CLA转化率奠定了基础。

Green-Light Electroluminescence of Conjugated Copolymer Containing p-Phenylene-ethynylene and Oxadiazole

The title copolymer(PDEBO) was synthesized. The thermal characteristics of the polymer were determined by means of DSC and TGA, revealing that the polymer has a good thermal stability. The X-ray diffraction measurements of the thin films showed that the polymer is disorder. Electroluminescence(EL) in the green region of the spectrum with a maximum at 500 nm was observed from the polymer films sandwiched between indium-tin-oxide and an Al electrode.

基于P-糖蛋白信号通路研究龙血竭对大鼠失重空肠屏障损伤的保护机制

传统中药龙血竭在航天肠道损伤的防护中发挥重要作用,但其保护失重屏障损伤的作用机制尚不清楚.P-糖蛋白(P-glycoprotein,P-gp)是肠上皮细胞膜上的外排转运体,能够将毒素、有害菌等外排以维持肠屏障完整性.文中采用大鼠尾吊模型模拟微重力效应,灌胃给药龙血竭(Dragon’s Blood,DB)21d后,观察大鼠空肠组织形态、测定肠屏障通透性标志物质量浓度、检测P-gp与Wnt/β-Catenin信号通路相关蛋白的表达.结果表明,龙血竭可通过激活Wnt/β-Catenin信号通路促进空肠中P-gp基因及蛋白的表达,能够缓解模拟微重力效应下的大鼠空肠屏障损伤.研究结果或可为航天员在轨肠道损伤防护提供基础研究数据.

Theoretical study on phase conjugation in weakly injected vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

This paper gives a detailed theoretical investigation on phase conjugation induced by nearly degenerate fourwave mixing in single mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers （VCSELs） with weak optical injection. Considering VCSELs that can work in linearly polarized or elliptically polarized states, it derives the theoretical expression of the conjugated field by small signal analysis based on the vectoral rate equations-the spin-flip model. For linearly polarized state, VCSELs show similar conjugate spectra to edge-emitting semiconductor lasers. For the elliptically polarized state, dichroism and birefringence parameters as well as the spin-flip rate can change the conjugate spectra. Especially, when frequency detuning of the probe and pump waves is between the positive and negative relaxation oscillation frequency, changes are evident. For specific values of parameters, conjugate efficiency between 20 dB to 40 dB are obtained.