Structural analysis and immunostimulatory activity of glycopeptides from Paecilomyces sinensis

The parasitic fungus, Paecilomyces sinensis, is used to produce Cordyceps materials as a succedaneum of natural Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis) in China.

Clinical observation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell treatment of severe systolic heart failure

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of chronic systolic heart failure. Fifty-nine hospitalized patients with heart failure were randomly divided into a treatment group (30 patients) and a control group (29 patients). The treatment group received treatment with medication as well as intracoronary transplantation of umbilical cord MSCs, and the control group, only medication. The cardiac structure, function change, and rehospitalization and mortality rates of the 2 groups were observed before and 1 and 6 months after treatment. One month after the transplantation of umbilical cord MSCs, the incidence of fatigue, chest tightness, and dyspnea was high in the treatment group. The 6-min walking distance of the treatment group was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05); in addition, the NT-proBNP level, left ventricular ejection fraction, and mortality rate of the treatment group were statistically lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Readmission rates showed a downward trend, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Using umbilical cord MSCs in the treatment of congestive heart failure can help improve cardiac remodeling and cardiac function and reduce the mortality rate.

Characterizations of four toll-like receptor 4s in grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus and their response to grass carp reovirus infection and lipopolysaccharide stimulation

In this study, the subcellular localization, tissue distribution and response to grass carp reovirus (GCRV) infection and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of four grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4) genes were investigated. All four genes were constitutively expressed in all tissues studied, but the subcellular localization and tissue exhibiting the highest expression differed for each protein. Following GCRV infection, all the four tlr4s were upregulated in all tissues examined, and stimulation of C. idellus kidney (CIK) cells with LPS resulted in downregulation of all four tlr4s. These results provide a foundation for further investigation of tlr4 genes in bony fishes.

Expression and diagnostic value of proteins in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

We constructed a prokaryotic expression vector expressing the Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein TB16.3, as well as 3 other proteins, including TB15.3, CFP-10, and Rv2626C, which were purified and analyzed for their effectiveness as detection antibodies. The TB16.3 genes of M. tuberculosis H37Rv genomic DNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, inserted into the expression vector pET-30a, and expressed in Escherichia coli. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the 4 M. tuberculosis antibodies. Engineered E. coli bacteria expressing TB16.3 and the 3 other proteins were constructed and found mainly to be soluble. For recombinant TB16.3 proteins, serum samples of 118 tuberculosis (TB) patients and 96 healthy controls were analyzed. Sensitivity, specificity, and adjusted concordance rate for the TB16.3 antibody were 72.9, 86.5, and 79.6%, respectively. The positive rate of Rv2626C antibody in TB patients (44.1%) was significantly lower than that in normal controls (75.0%, χ(2) = 20.8, P < 0.01). TB15.3 and TB16.3 were used for simultaneous detection and showed sensitivity, specificity, and repeatability rates of 69.4, 96.9, and 83.7%. The antibody positive rate and specificity for patients with lung disease was 9.6 and 90.4%, respectively. TB15.3 and TB16.3 were mixed and detected simultaneously. Combined with the results for TB15.3, the sensitivity, specificity, and concordance rates were 82.2, 95.9, and 88.9%, respectively. The concordance rate was the highest value observed. Target genes were cloned into a host strain and expressed successfully. The TB16.3 recombinant protein may be used as a new serological antigen for tuberculosis diagnosis.

Expression and serological diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis CFP-10 and Rv2626c proteins

We constructed a Mycobacterium tuberculosis vector expressing CFP-10 and Rv2626c to examine the expression of these proteins in Escherichia coli as well as their immunoreactivity. The CFP-10 and Rv2626c genes were amplified from tuberculosis H37Rv genomic DNA using polymerase chain reaction. They were ligated into the expression vector PET30a and expressed in E. coli. Histidine tag nickel column chromatography was used to purify the recombinant protein. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for detection. In our E. coli-engineered bacteria containing a CFP10 and Rv2626c plasmid, the target protein was found mainly to be in the soluble form. We formed mixed antigens of the recombinant CFP10 and Rv2626c proteins. ELISA results showed that in 214 blood samples, the positive rate was 77.1%. The target gene was successfully expressed in the host strain. Mixed antigens of the recombinant CFP-10 and Rv2626c proteins can be used as a combination antigen in the serological diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Optoelectronic properties of CdSe0.75S0.25 nanocrystals assembled into micro-electrodes

CdSe0.75S0.25 semiconductor nanocrystals were synthesized by chemical colloidal route. The crystal structure, morphology and optical properties of synthesized CdSe0.75S0.25 nanocrystals were characterized by XRD, TEM and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy respectively. The crystal structure of CdSe0.75S0.25 is face-centered Cubic sphalerite phase. The average size is about 7 nm in diameter. A gold tip-to-tip structure electrode with the gap size -20 microm was fabricated using conventional optical lithography technique followed by film deposition and standard lift-off process. An optoelectronics device was fabricated based on CdSe0.75S0.25 by assembling nanocrystals into electrodes by using dielectrophoresis (DEP) process. The electrical transport properties and opto-electrical transport properties of the fabricated device were measured at temperature range from 5 K to 305 K. The results show that the resistance of CdSe0.75S0.25 NCs increases with the temperature decreases, indicating a typical semiconductor behavior. An obvious photoconductive behavior was observed, demonstrated potential application in nano-optoelectronics devices. After data analyzing, the conductivity shows the 0.5 exponent of Efros-Shklovskii variable-range-hopping (ES-VRH) model.

Immunomodulatory effect of polysaccharides from submerged cultured Cordyceps gunnii

CONTEXT

The genus Cordyceps (Clavicipitaceae) is a group of entomopathogenic fungi that is widely used as tonic food or invigorant with broad-spectrum medicinal properties in China. Cordyceps gunnii (Berk.)Berk (C. gunnii), is also well known as the Chinese rare caterpillar fungus and has similar pharmacological activities with Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis). Polysaccharides (PS) from various Cordyceps species have demonstrated many interesting biological activities, including antitumor, immunopotentiation, hypoglycemic, and hypocholesterolemic activities.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of C. gunnii PS on the immunostimulatory antitumor function and expression of immune related cytokines in normal, immuno-suppressive, and H22-bearing mice, respectively.

METHODS

C. gunnii PS were extracted with hot water at 80°C for 2 h. Normal, immuno-suppressive, and H22-bearing mice were treated with PS respectively. By detecting the value of macrophage phagocytic index, proliferation of lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cell activity and expression of related cytokines, interleukin (IL-4), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-a) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor inhibition index in H22-bearing mice additionally, the effect of PS on immunostimulatory antitumor function and its mechanism were studied.

RESULTS

The total sugar content of the PS was determined to be 95% after purification. PS markedly increased the thymus and spleen indexes, the macrophage phagocytosis, the proliferation of splenic cells, and the level of IFN-γ and TNF-α. In tumor growth inhibition test, PS showed remarkable inhibition effects.

CONCLUSION

PS from the C. gunnii could enhance nonspecific immunological function, humoral immunity, cellular immunity in mice, and inhibit tumor growth.

Highly efficient synthesis and antitumor activity of monosaccharide saponins mimicking components of Chinese folk medicine Cordyceps sinensis

Ergosterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1a) and ergosterol 3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside (1b) were highly efficiently synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against two tumor cell lines. The structures of these compounds were extensively confirmed by (1)H, (13)C NMR, IR, and HRMS. Compounds 1a and 1b exhibited interesting cytotoxic profiles. The antitumor activity of compound 1a was higher than that of 1b.

Analysis of HLA-DM polymorphisms in the Chinese Han population

Non-classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DM plays an important and unique role in the processing and presentation of exogenous antigens. Polymorphisms of certain genes and frequency of alleles in populations may indicate susceptibility to certain diseases. In this study, the analysis of HLA-DMA and HLA-DMB gene polymorphisms and haplotypes in the Chinese Han population was conducted to obtain population genetic data. HLA-DM typing has been performed previously by other groups by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism and PCR-sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe techniques. In this study, we established a TaqMan PCR typing method as an alternative to these techniques to survey the frequency of DMA and DMB alleles in the population. Genotyping was conducted in 1000 unrelated individuals of Han nationality in South and North China using TaqMan PCR typing. Four different DMA alleles and six different DMB alleles were detected. All loci met the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle that both allele and genotype frequencies in a population remain constant. We found that the DMA*01:01 (69.35%) and DMB*01:01 (52.5%) alleles were more frequent in Chinese Hans. Analysis of the haplotypes for two loci of DMA and DMB showed that a highly significant positive linkage disequilibrium (LD) presented for DMA*01:01-DMB*01:02, DMA*01:01-DMB*01:03, DMA*01:01-DMB*01:04, DMA*01:02-DMB*01:01, DMA*01:02-DMB*01:05, DMA*01:03-DMB*01:07, and DMA*01:04-DMB*01:01 haplotypes. Analysis of haplotypes for four loci associated with antigen processing (DMA-DMB-TAP1-TAP2) showed a highly significant LD in DMA*01:01-DMB*01:04-TAP1*02:01:01-TAP2*01:02, DMA*01: 02-DMB*01:05-TAP1*01:01-TAP2*01:01, and DMA*01:01-DMB*01:03-TAP1* 04:01-TAP2*01:01 haplotypes. The comparison between the Chinese Han population and non-Chinese populations showed that no significant differences were found at the HLA-DMA locus in the Chinese Han population compared with people of German nationality, whereas significant differences presented when compared with Turkish, American Caucasian, Japanese, French, and Italian nationalities. However, at the HLA-DMB locus, highly significant differences presented in the Chinese Han population compared with Germans and Italians. This study lays the foundations for further disease association analyses.

The origin of the pseudogap in α-Ga

Density functional theory, the free-electron empty lattice approximation and the nearly free-electron approximation are employed to investigate the electronic properties of partially covalent α-Ga. Whereas free-electron-like properties are revealed over a large energy range, a deep pseudogap at the Fermi level is characteristic of α-Ga. We explain the origin of the pseudogap in terms of a delicate interplay between the electronic states and the specific Brillouin zone geometry.

Mapping QTL for an adaptive trait: the length of caudal fin in Lates calcarifer

The caudal fin represents a fundamental design feature of fishes and plays an important role in locomotor dynamics in fishes. The shape of caudal is an important parameter in traditional systematics. However, little is known about genes involved in the development of different forms of caudal fins. This study was conducted to identify and map quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting the length of caudal fin and the ratio between tail length and standard body length in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer). One F1 family containing 380 offspring was generated by crossing two unrelated individuals. One hundred and seventeen microsatellites almost evenly distributed along the whole genome were genotyped. Length of caudal fin at 90 days post-hatch was measured. QTL analysis detected six significant (genome-wide significant) and two suggestive (linkage-group-wide significant) QTL on seven linkage groups. The six significant QTL explained 5.5-16.6% of the phenotypic variance, suggesting these traits were controlled by multiple genes. Comparative genomics analysis identified several potential candidate genes for the length of caudal fin. The QTL for the length of caudal fin detected for the first time in marine fish may provide a starting point for the future identification of genes involved in the development of different forms of caudal fins in fishes.

Association of CYP1B1 gene polymorphisms and the positive expression of estrogen alpha and estrogen beta with endometrial cancer risk

To investigate the relationship between the CYP1B1 L432V polymorphism, ERalpha and ERbeta positivities and the incidence of endometrial cancer. The relationship between CYP1B1 L432V polymorphism, ERalpha and ERbeta positivities and endometrial cancer was investigated using the allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method to analyze gene polymorphism in exon 3 codon 432 (C-G) of CYP1B1. Our results are as follows: in endometrial cancer cases the prevalence rates of CYP1B1 L432V genotypes C/C, C/G, and G/G were 47.2%, 36.1%, and 16.7%, respectively, and 68.8%, 23.8% and 7.5% in the control group, respectively. The frequencies of CYP1B1 C and G alleles were 65.3% and 34.7% in endometrial cancer patients and 80.6% and 19.4% in the control group. A significant difference was found in the genotype distributions or allele frequencies of CYP1B1 L432V polymorphism between the two groups (p < 0.05). Compared with wild-type C/C, the susceptibility of endometrial cancer with homozygotic mutation G/G and heterozygotic mutation C/G increased by 3.235 (95%CI 1.111-9.425) and 2.214 (95% CI 1.067-4.593). Moveover, the positive expression of ERalpha in genotypes G/G and C/G was higher than in the wild genotype C/C (p < 0.05). In conclusion, allelic polymorphism of CYP1B1 L432V increases the risk of endometrial cancer and has a positive correlation with ERalpha expression.

A standard panel of microsatellites for Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer)

Microsatellites are the most popular markers for parentage assignment and population genetic studies. To meet the demand for international comparability for genetic studies of Asian seabass, a standard panel of 28 microsatellites has been selected and characterized using the DNA of 24 individuals from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The average allele number of these markers was 10.82 +/- 0.71 (range: 6-19), and the expected heterozygosity averaged 0.76 +/- 0.02 (range: 0.63-1.00). All microsatellites showed Mendelian inheritance. In addition, eight standard size controls have been developed by cloning a set of microsatellite alleles into a pGEM-T vector to calibrate allele sizes determined by different laboratories, and are available upon request. Seven multiplex PCRs, each amplifying 3-5 markers, were optimized to accurately and rapidly genotype microsatellites. Parentage assignment using 10 microsatellites in two crosses (10 x 10 and 20 x 20) demonstrated a high power of these markers for revealing parent-sibling connections. This standard set of microsatellites will standardize genetic diversity studies of Asian seabass, and the multiplex PCR sets will facilitate parentage assignment.

Discovery of four natural clones in a crayfish species Procambarus clarkii

Self-cloning is quite rare in shrimp, lobsters, crayfish and crabs. Here we report the discovery of four natural clones of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), each containing 2-6 genetically identical individuals, during the genotyping of 120 individuals with five microsatellites. The four clones were heterozygote at most of the five microsatellite loci. Phylogenetic analysis using microsatellite genotypes suggests recent origin of the four clones. Sequencing a part of the mitochondrial gene Cox I confirmed that the four clones were from the species Procambarus clarkii.

Intrinsic anisotropy of degree of transport spin polarization in typical ferromagnets

A general approach is presented for investigation of the anisotropy of the degree of transport spin polarization (P) in ferromagnets both in the ballistic regime, P(1,i), and in the diffusive regime, P(2,i), as a function of crystal direction. The validity of this approach is confirmed by the benchmark calculation for the isotropic P. By this approach, we have investigated the anisotropy of P in bcc Fe, fcc Co, fcc Ni and hcp Co. For cubic structures, P(1,i) shows a small but appreciable anisotropy, due to the difference in the electronic orbital extension for spin-up and spin-down conduction bands. However, P(2,i) shows an isotropic feature for the cubic structure, as a result of the combination of its dependence on the square of electron velocity and the lattice symmetry. On the other hand, for hcp Co, both P(1,i) and P(2,i) show a very strong anisotropy. The large anisotropy of P(1,i) and P(2,i) in hcp Co is mainly attributed to the anisotropy of spin-down ballistic (diffusive) conductance.