Ubiquitination of ADRα1d/SerpinA1 complex stimulates hypoxia to induce gastric tumorigenesis with a combination of Helicobacter pylori and chronic stress through IL-1α

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been recognized as the class I carcinogen of gastric cancer and several studies have demonstrated that chronic stress may accelerate gastric cancer progression. However, the evidence is not sufficient.

METHODS

Here, we developed a mouse model that combined H. pylori infection with chronic stress. Gastric inflammation promotes gastric tumor development progression. To evaluate the number of pro-inflammatory cells through observing the numbers of activated macrophages and neutrophils in mice gastric tumors compared with untreated mice or only treated with one factor. ADRα1d /SerpinA1 expression and localization were assessed under stress conditions and H. pylori infection, and evaluated by analyzing IL-1α, CD8, platelet, and RBC status using α- or β- blockers against gastritis to prevent gastric cancer.

RESULTS

Further mechanism study showed that stress hormones increase the number of CD8⁺ lymphocytes by activating ADRβ2 receptors, leading to IL-1α secretion and tumorigenicity. Gastric carcinogenesis also involves gastric muscle contraction mediated through ADRα1d/Serpina1 interaction. Specifically, we showed that the ADRα1d/SerpinA1 complex increases glucose uptake and the development of hypoxia conditions. These responses promote platelet aggregation and muscle contraction. In turn, gastric cancer cells increase lactate production and promote gastric cell proliferation through Muc-13 and IL-1α stimulation.

CONCLUSION

H. pylori infection in combination with chronic stress can lead to gastric cancer, and the synergistic effects of cytokine production (i.e. IL-1α), T lymphocyte dysfunction contributes to gastric carcinogenesis which will offer treatment opportunities for stress-associated gastric cancer and provide new strategies for the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer in clinics.

Allosteric ligands control the activation of a class C GPCR heterodimer by acting at the transmembrane interface

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are among the most promising drug targets. They often form homo- and heterodimers with allosteric cross-talk between receptor entities, which contributes to fine-tuning of transmembrane signaling. Specifically controlling the activity of GPCR dimers with ligands is a good approach to clarify their physiological roles and validate them as drug targets. Here, we examined the mode of action of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) that bind at the interface of the transmembrane domains of the heterodimeric GABA_B receptor. Our site-directed mutagenesis results show that mutations of this interface impact the function of the three PAMs tested. The data support the inference that they act at the active interface between both transmembrane domains, the binding site involving residues of the TM6s of the GABA_B1 and the GABA_B2 subunit. Importantly, the agonist activity of these PAMs involves a key region in the central core of the GABA_B2 transmembrane domain, which also controls the constitutive activity of the GABA_B receptor. This region corresponds to the sodium ion binding site in class A GPCRs that controls the basal state of the receptors. Overall, these data reveal the possibility of developing allosteric compounds able to specifically modulate the activity of GPCR homo- and heterodimers by acting at their transmembrane interface.

Cytokine Signature Induced by SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in a Mouse Model

Although COVID-19 has become a major challenge to global health, there are currently no efficacious agents for effective treatment. Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which contributes to most COVID-19 mortalities. Research points to interleukin 6 (IL-6) as a crucial signature of the cytokine storm, and the clinical use of the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab shows potential for treatment of COVID-19 patient. In this study, we challenged wild-type and adenovirus-5/human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-expressing BALB/c mice with a combination of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike-extracellular domain protein. High levels of TNF-α and nearly 100 times increased IL-6 were detected at 6 h, but disappeared by 24 h in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) following immunostimulant challenge. Lung injury observed by histopathologic changes and magnetic resonance imaging at 24 h indicated that increased TNF-α and IL-6 may initiate CSS in the lung, resulting in the continual production of inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesize that TNF-α and IL-6 may contribute to the occurrence of CSS in COVID-19. We also investigated multiple monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and inhibitors for neutralizing the pro-inflammatory phenotype of COVID-19: mAbs against IL-1α, IL-6, TNF-α, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and inhibitors of p38 and JAK partially relieved CSS; mAbs against IL-6, TNF-α, and GM-CSF, and inhibitors of p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and myeloperoxidase somewhat reduced neutrophilic alveolitis in the lung. This novel murine model opens a biologically safe, time-saving avenue for clarifying the mechanism of CSS/ARDS in COVID-19 and developing new therapeutic drugs.

[Application of pump-controlled retrograde trial off in weaning from veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult patients]

Objective: To Summarize the experience of pump-controlled retrograde trial off (PCRTO) in the process of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) withdrawal in adult patients. Methods: Adult patients who received ECMO assistance in Intensive Care Unit for Cardiac Surgery from March to July 2019 were collected. According to our strategies, PCRTO was used if the patients can wean from VA-ECMO and hemodynamic indexes were recorded during the process. The statistics data was collected, including the 48 hours survival rate, ECMO re-assistance rate, thrombus complications, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay time and hospital stay time after weaning from VA-ECMO. The patients who failed in the test were continued to be assisted by ECMO. Results: There were 46 patients assisted by VA-ECMO in our center. In total, 21 adults who met the offline test standard underwent 26 PCRTOs, including 10 male adults (47.6%), with an age of 65 (55, 68) years old. Eighteen adults passed the withdrawal test. No new thrombus was found in the arteriovenous ultrasound of the lower extremity after weaning from ECMO, and no pulmonary embolism was found in the chest X-ray. The success rate of weaning from ECMO was 69.23%(18/26). The D-dimer decreased [584(348,2 107)μg/L vs 1 440(631,2 916)μg/L, P=0.014] and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increased (51.4%±8.5% vs 46.9%±10.6%, P=0.013) on the next day after weaning. There were significant differences in heart rate (HR), central venous pressure (CVP), oxygenation index and lactate (Lac) during the PCRTO in the group which involved the cases of the 8 failed experiments (all P<0.05). Compared with the failure group, there were significant differences in age, blood flow rate, CVP before the test, HR, pulse oxygen saturation(SpO(2)), CVP, Lac and oxygenation index after the test, and the variations of SpO(2), CVP and Lac. Conclusion: PCRTO is a simple, reversible, safe and effective weaning method. It can be used in the process of VA-ECMO withdrawal in adult patients.

Peacekeepers suffered combat-related injuries in Mali: a retrospective, descriptive study

PURPOSE

To describe the combat-related injuries cured by Chinese Level 2 medical treatment facility (CHN L2) in Mali from 1 March 2016 to 1 March 2018, including type of weapon, mortality, nature of injuries, degree and location of injuries and surgical procedures. METHODS : A retrospective, descriptive study of 176 injured cases that met the terrorist attacks was conducted. The medical data were collected by an electronic database system. All collected data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet for calculation.

RESULTS

We found that improvised explosive devices (114/176, 65%) were the most commonly used weapons of attack in Mali. 68.75% of the injuries (121/176) were classified as 'minor injuries according to Abbreviated Injury Scale score. As one patient may suffer multiple injuries, each location and nature of injuries was counted separately. Surface injuries were the top (116/197, 58.88%), followed by orthopaedic injuries (52/197, 26.39%) and internal injuries (29/197, 14.72%). The extremities were the most frequently injured body parts (144/197, 73.09%). We operated 175 surgeries to deal with the 176 combat-related injuries, which accounted for 40.05% of all 437 surgeries. The surgical debridement to remove fragments of explosive was the most frequently performed surgery. We also admitted 20 cases (18/176, 34%) into intensive care unit and transferred 40 cases to Level 3 medical facility. CONCLUSION : Peacekeepers taking protective measures for head and trunk frequently got surface injuries. And their unprotected extremities often got injured. The fragment removal was the top surgery and the damage control surgery was the highly technical nature surgery we performed. Chinese military should offer advanced surgical training course to military surgeons who carry out overseas operations.

Epstein-Barr virus infection and type I interferon signature in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Epstein-Barr (EB) virus infection has long been speculated to evoke systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Since a virus infection can induce interferon (IFN) system activation, we aimed to discover the relationship between the two in the progression of SLE in a Chinese inpatient cohort. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and sera were isolated from 116 SLE patients and 76 healthy controls. Antibodies against EBV-VCA (IgM and IgG) and EBNA (IgG) along with IFNα in patient sera were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The EB virus DNA load was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells both from patients and controls were isolated immediately. The mRNA from these samples was subjected to real-time PCR for the latent genes EBNA1, EBNA2 and LMP1 of EB virus, as well as four IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) ( OASL, MX1, ISG15 and LY6E). The antibody results were used to determine the stage of EBV infection (lytic, latent, or previous). Results SLE patients had a higher rate of lytic infection defined as positive EBV-VCA IgM antibody (39.66% vs 10.53%, p = 0.027), but not the EB virus DNA load. Patients with lytic EB virus infection had higher SLEDAI scores than patients with non-lytic infection (15.24 ± 2.63 vs 13.79 ± 3.24, p = 0.012). LMP1 was the only EBV gene that had a higher expression level in SLE patients than in healthy controls (3.26 ± 2.95 vs 1.00 ± 2.89, p = 0.000). It was also positively correlated with SLEDAI scores ( r = 0.462, p = 0.000). Levels of IFNα and the four ISGs were all significantly higher in SLE patients than in healthy controls ( p < 0.05). LMP1 was positively correlated with the four ISGs ( r = 0.403 ∼ 0.494, p < 0.05) in SLE patients but not in healthy controls ( r = -0.153 ∼ 0.129, p > 0.05). Neither EBNA1 nor EBNA2 was correlated with the ISGs in SLE patients or in healthy controls. Conclusions The SLE patients had higher rates of lytic EB virus infection and higher latent gene LMP1 expression, which might be associated with the development and/or the progression of SLE via the type I IFN pathway. The underlying mechanism needs more study.

Genetic analysis of molecular markers for propamocarb residue in Cucumis sativus using quantitative trait locus mapping

The use of pesticides to protect plants against harmful organisms, such as pathogenic microorganisms, is one of the most effective ways to improve agricultural production. However, the continuous use of pesticides might present a risk to human health, animals, and the environment. In this study, two cucumber (Cucumis sativus) varieties containing different levels of pesticide residues, D9320 and D0351, were selected to establish an F₂ population. A genetic model and genetic linkage map were constructed. The results showed that the heredity of pesticide residues was dominated by an additive effect and was significantly influenced by non-additive factors in cucumber. QCp1 was detected as a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that might be involved in regulating the levels of pesticide residue in cucumber. Moreover, the cucumber genetic map was compared with the LG6 map, and the results indicated that this QTL was closely related to the level of pesticide residue in cucumber.

A food-grade fimbrial adhesin FaeG expression system inLactococcus lactisandLactobacillus casei

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infection is the major cause of diarrhea in neonatal piglets. The fimbriae as colonizing factor in the pathogenesis of ETEC constitute a primary target for vaccination against ETEC. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are attractive tools to deliver antigens at the mucosal level. With the safety of genetically modified LAB in mind, a food-grade secretion vector (pALRc or pALRb) was constructed with DNA entirely from LAB, including the replicon, promoter, signal peptide, and selection marker alanine racemase gene (alr). To evaluate the feasibility of the system, the nuclease gene (nuc) from Staphylococcus aureus was used as a reporter to be expressed in both Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus casei. Subsequently, the extracellular secretion of the fimbrial adhesin FaeG of ETEC was confirmed by Western blot analysis. These results showed that this food-grade expression system has potential as the delivery vehicle for the safe use of genetically modified LAB for the development of vaccines against ETEC infection.

Attenuation of hind-limb suspension-induced bone loss by curcumin is associated with reduced oxidative stress and increased vitamin D receptor expression

Treatment with curcumin attenuated modeled microgravity-induced bone loss, possibly through abating oxidative stress and activating vitamin D receptor. Curcumin might be an effective countermeasure for microgravity-induced bone loss but remains to be tested in humans.

INTRODUCTION

Bone loss is one of the most important complications for human crewmembers who are exposed to long-term microgravity in space and also for bedridden people. The aim of the current study was to elucidate whether treatment with curcumin attenuated bone loss induced by microgravity.

METHODS

We used hind-limb suspension (HLS) and rotary wall vessel bioreactor (RWVB) to model microgravity in vivo and in vitro, respectively. We investigated the effects of curcumin consumption (40 mg kg(-1) body weight day(-1), via daily oral gavages) on Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats exposed to HLS for 6 weeks. Then, we investigated the effects of incubation with curcumin (4 μM) on MC3T3-E1 and RAW264.7 cells cultured in RWVB.

RESULTS

Curcumin alleviated HLS-induced reduction of bone mineral density in tibiae and preserved bone structure in tibiae and mechanical strength in femurs. Curcumin alleviated HLS-induced oxidative stress marked by reduced malondialdehyde content and increased total sulfhydryl content in femurs. In cultured MC3T3-E1 cells, curcumin inhibited modeled microgravity-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and enhanced osteoblastic differentiation. In cultured RAW264.7 cells, curcumin reduced modeled microgravity-induced ROS formation and attenuated osteoclastogenesis. In addition, curcumin upregulated vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in femurs of rats exposed to HLS and MC3T3-E1 cells exposed to modeled microgravity.

CONCLUSION

Curcumin alleviated HLS-induced bone loss in rats, possibly via suppressing oxidative stress and upregulating VDR expression.

All fiber-coupled, long-term stable timing distribution for free-electron lasers with few-femtosecond jitter

We report recent progress made in a complete fiber-optic, high-precision, long-term stable timing distribution system for synchronization of next generation X-ray free-electron lasers. Timing jitter characterization of the master laser shows less than 170-as RMS integrated jitter for frequencies above 10 kHz, limited by the detection noise floor. Timing stabilization of a 3.5-km polarization-maintaining fiber link is successfully achieved with an RMS drift of 3.3 fs over 200 h of operation using all fiber-coupled elements. This all fiber-optic implementation will greatly reduce the complexity of optical alignment in timing distribution systems and improve the overall mechanical and timing stability of the system.

Sensitization of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) on chemoradiation for human cervical cancer cells and its mechanism

PURPOSE

To explore the sensitization of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) on chemoradiation for cervical cancer cells and its mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After human cervical cancer SiHa cells were treated with SAHA and cisplatin (DDP) of different concentrations, inhibition and apoptosis rates, and cell cycle were detected. SiHa cells underwent radiation of various doses after treated with 20% IC50 of SAHA for 24 hours. The survival fraction of SiHa cells was calculated by colony-forming assay, and related parameters were calculated. mRNA and protein expressions of P21, Bax and Ku70 were detected.

RESULTS

The inhibition rate was higher in SD (SAHA combined with DDP) group than in D (DDP alone) group (p < 0.05). The number of cells in G0/G1 phase was higher, and the number of cells in G2/M+S phase and PI (proliferation index) were lower in S (SAHA), D, and SD groups than in control group, and in SD group than in S and D groups (p < 0.05). The apoptosis rate and the expressions of mRNA and protein of Bax and P21 were higher in SD group than in S or D group (p < 0.05). The cell survival fraction was lower in SAHA combined with radiotherapy group than in radiotherapy alone group (p < 0.05). Do, N, and Dq values were 2.329, 2.761, and 1.721, respectively, in radiotherapy alone group and 1.213, 4.770, and 0.823, respectively, in SAHA combined with radiotherapy group. SER was 1.92. Bax mRNA and protein expressions were higher but Ku70 mRNA and protein expressions were lower in SAHA combined with radiotherapy group than in radiotherapy alone group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

SAHA promotes SiHa apoptosis in chemotherapy through up-regulation of mRNA and protein of p21 and Bax which leads to cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. Low dose of SAHA promotes SiHa apoptosis and inhibits cell repair in radiotherapy through Bax up-regulation and Ku70 down-regulation.

Formononetin induces cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cells via IGF1/PI3K/Akt pathways in vitro and in vivo

Formononetin is one of the main components of red clover plants, and is considered as a typical phytoestrogen. This study further investigated that formononetin inactivated IGF1/IGF1R-PI3K/Akt pathways and decreased cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression in human breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of formononetin. The proliferation of the cells treated with formononetin was tested by MTT assay. The cell cycle in the treated cells was examined by flow cytometry. The levels of p-IGF-1 R, p-Akt, and cyclin D1 protein expression and cyclin D1 mRNA expression in the treated cells were determined by Western blot and RT-PCR, respectively. In addition, the antitumor activity of formononetin was evaluated in nude mice bearing orthotopic tumor implants. Compared with the control, formononetin inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells and effectively induced cell cycle arrest. The levels of p-IGF-1 R, p-Akt, cyclin D1 protein expression, and cyclin D1 mRNA expression were also downregulated. On the other hand, formononetin also prevented the tumor growth of human breast cancer cells in nude mouse xenografts. These results show that formononetin causes cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase by inactivating IGF1/IGF1R-PI3K/Akt pathways and decreasing cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression, indicating the use of formononetin in the prevention of breast cancer carcinogenesis.

Structural differences between the Streptococcus agalactiae housekeeping and pilus-specific sortases: SrtA and SrtC1

The assembly of pili on the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria requires transpeptidase enzymes called sortases. In Streptococcus agalactiae, the PI-1 pilus island of strain 2603V/R encodes two pilus-specific sortases (SrtC1 and SrtC2) and three pilins (GBS80, GBS52 and GBS104). Although either pilus-specific sortase is sufficient for the polymerization of the major pilin, GBS80, incorporation of the minor pilins GBS52 and GBS104 into the pilus structure requires SrtC1 and SrtC2, respectively. The S. agalactiae housekeeping sortase, SrtA, whose gene is present at a different location and does not catalyze pilus polymerization, was shown to be involved in cell wall anchoring of pilus polymers. To understand the structural basis of sortases involved in such diverse functions, we determined the crystal structures of S. agalactiae SrtC1 and SrtA. Both enzymes are made of an eight-stranded beta-barrel core with variations in their active site architecture. SrtA exhibits a catalytic triad arrangement similar to that in Streptococcus pyogenes SrtA but different from that in Staphylococcus aureus SrtA. In contrast, the SrtC1 enzyme contains an N-terminal helical domain and a ‘lid’ in its putative active site, which is similar to that seen in Streptococcus pneumoniae pilus-specific sortases, although with subtle differences in positioning and composition. To understand the effect of such differences on substrate recognition, we have also determined the crystal structure of a SrtC1 mutant, in which the conserved DP(W/F/Y) motif was replaced with the sorting signal motif of GBS80, IPNTG. By comparing the structures of WT wild type SrtA and SrtC1 and the ‘lid’ mutant of SrtC1, we propose that structural elements within the active site and the lid may be important for defining the role of specific sortase in pili biogenesis.

Air-soil exchange of mercury from background soils in the United States

The air-surface exchange of mercury (Hg) was measured, using a dynamic polycarbonate flux chamber, for soils with low or "background" Hg concentrations (<0.1 mg/kg) at eleven locations across the contiguous United States. Sampling locations included agricultural, desert, grassland, mixed and pine forest ecosystems (n=1326 soil flux measurements at 46 individual sites). An overall soil Hg flux of 0.9+/-0.2 ng/m2/h for these background soils was obtained by averaging the means for the different locations. Soil Hg fluxes were significantly lower in dark conditions than in the light for all but the grassland sites. Mean inlet air Hg concentrations were 1.0+/-0.1 ng/m3 in the dark and 1.3+/-0.2 ng/m3 in the light. Soil temperature inside and outside of the chamber, air temperature, relative humidity, and irradiance were measured concurrently with soil Hg flux. Soil-air Hg exchange was weakly predicted by environmental variables (R2 from 0.07 to 0.52). For a single location, flux was better correlated with soil moisture than other measured environmental parameters, suggesting that soil moisture might be an important driver for Hg emissions from background soils. In addition, based on data collected we suggest some quality control measures for use of Tekran 2537A analyzers when measuring low mercury fluxes. Using basic scaling procedures, we roughly estimate that natural emissions from soils in the contiguous U.S. release approximately 100 Mg/yr of Hg to the atmosphere.

[Kinetics of in vitro drug release from chitosan and N-alkyl chitosan membranes]

By using the so-called "lag-time" method, we studied the effect of membrane thickness(h), initial drug concentration(Co) and flow rate(V) on the difusion coefficient(D) of model drug in membranes. The experiment indicates that D increases as h and v increase; D Keeps constant when C0 changes; Under the same condition, the D value of N-alkyl chitosan membrane is bigger than that of pure chitosan membrane.

[Effect of temperature on the activity of some enzymes representative of EMP pathway and TCA cycle in psychrophilic yeast]

Some key enzymes of EMP pathway and TCA cycle in a psychrophilic yeast Y18 were studied in this paper compared with those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results indicated that fructose, 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, succinate dehydrogenase, and hexokinase in Y18 were very thermolabile and have high activity at low temperature. These enzymes belong to cold-active enzymes. Alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase existed possibly in isoenzyme which had different temperature characteristics. Citrayl synthetase was very similar in temperature characteristics to that of mesophiles. The Km value of succinate dehydrogenase both from Y18 and S. cerevisiae were studied and Some features of enzyme in psychrophiles were also discussed in this paper.

[Clinical study on Shenqi Fuzheng injection combined with chemotherapy in treating malignant tumor of digestive tract]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the clinical effect and safety of Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SQFZI) combined with chemotherapy in treating malignant tumor of digestive tract.

METHODS

One hundred and eighty-two patients were randomly divided into 3 groups, the combined therapy group (Group A), the SQFZI group (Group B) and the chemotherapy group (Group C). The remission and stabilization effect on cancer were observed.

RESULTS

The remission rate and stabilizing rate of Group A were 20.2% and 87.9%, and those of the Group C were 15.6% and 68.9%, the difference between the two groups was significant, P < 0.05. The symptom and living quality improving rate of Group A were 78.8% and 42.4% separately, those of the Group B were 73.7% and 68.4% and of the Group C 37.8% and 26.7% respectively, the inter-group differences were significant, P < 0.05. The weight gain rate and effective rate of Group A were 45.5% and 90.9%, of Group C were 13.3% and 40.0%, P < 0.05. SQFZI showed good protective effect on hematopoietic system, 7.7% patients in Group A with WBC count lower than 4 x 10(9)/L after treatment, while in Group C, the percentage reached 22.2%. Moreover, SQFZI could raise activity of NK cell, macrophage and T-lymphcyte subgroups, without any injury on heart, liver and kidney function or other adverse reaction.

CONCLUSION

SQFZI combined with chemotherapy has certain effect of remitting and stablizing on digestive tract tumor, the clinical effect is significant to patients with Qi-Deficiency, and is safe and reliable.

[Detection of chromosome aberrations in brain gliomas by primed in situ labelling]

To investigate the possibility of applying the primed in situ labelling (PRINS) method to detect chromosome aberrations in brain gliomas and eventually for pathological diagnosis, PRINS with chromosome 10 and 12 centromere specific primers as well as chromosome 1 telomere specific primer was carried out on tissues from 5 brain glioma cases, of which 4 cases were found to have monosomy 10 or loss of one copy of chromosome 10. The remaining case was found to have trisomy 12 and multi-copies of chromosome 1. It is suggested that PRINS is a new molecular cytological bio-technique which is faster, simpler and more efficient than conventional fluorescence in situ hybridization, and which may be clinically applied to detect chromosome aberrations in brain gliomas in the future.

NudF, a nuclear migration gene in Aspergillus nidulans, is similar to the human LIS-1 gene required for neuronal migration

During a study of the genetics of nuclear migration in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, we cloned a gene, nudF, which is required for nuclear migration during vegetative growth as well as development. The NUDF protein level is controlled by another protein NUDC, and extra copies of the nudF gene can suppress the nudC3 mutation. nudF encodes a protein with 42% sequence identity to the human LIS-1 (Miller-Dieker lissencephaly-1) gene, which is required for proper neuronal migration during brain development. This strong similarity suggests that the LIS-1 gene product may have a function similar to that of NUDF and supports previous findings to suggest that nuclear migration may play a role in neuronal migration.

A new kind of fasciolicide: molecular and electronic structures of some o-hydroxybenzenesulfonanilides

The molecular and electronic structures of some fasciolicidal o-hydroxybenzenesulfonanilides (HBSA) have been studied using X-ray diffraction and semiempirical MO calculation. In these compounds, the phenolic hydroxyl forms a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond with an adjacent sulfonyl oxygen atom and the strength of the d-p dative S<--N bond, which may control the electron delocalization throughout the entire molecule, is affected by substituents on the phenyl rings on both sides. Owing to the poor delocalization, the contribution of the keto-form of the resonance structure is larger for some phenolate anions of HBSA in solution, and this may be a key factor determining the potency of fasciolicidal activity of HBSA.