Search

A naphthalimide-azide based colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent probe, NAP-1, has been developed for the selective and sensitive detection of hydrogen sulphide. Advantages of the probe NAP-1 include a low detection limit (110 nM), good selectivity, high sensitivity and excellent photostability. A linear relationship between the emission intensity ratios and sulphide concentrations was observed in PBS buffer and bovine serum, respectively. Our probe facilitates ratiometric determination and imaging of endogenous H2S in living cells. Furthermore, this probe was successfully applied to the measurement of endogenous sulphide in human plasma and mouse hippocampus. A significant reduction in sulphide levels and CBS mRNA expression was observed in the hippocampus of mouse models of lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation-related diseases, suggesting that decreased levels of endogenous H2S might be involved in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammation-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Detailed understandings of the reaction mechanisms of RNA catalysis in various environments can have profound importance for many applications, ranging from the design of new biotechnologies to the unraveling of the evolutionary origin of life. An integral step in the nucleolytic RNA catalysis is self-cleavage of RNA strands by 2'-O-transphosphorylation. Key to elucidating a reaction mechanism is determining the molecular structure and bonding characteristics of transition state. A direct and powerful probe of transition state is measuring isotope effects on biochemical reactions, particularly if we can reproduce isotope effect values from quantum calculations. This article significantly extends the scope of our previous joint experimental and theoretical work in examining isotope effects on enzymatic and nonenzymatic 2'-O-transphosphorylation reaction models that mimic reactions catalyzed by RNA enzymes (ribozymes), and protein enzymes such as ribonuclease A (RNase A). Native reactions are studied, as well as reactions with thio substitutions representing chemical modifications often used in experiments to probe mechanism. Here, we report and compare results from eight levels of electronic-structure calculations for constructing the potential energy surfaces in kinetic and equilibrium isotope effects (KIE and EIE) computations, including a "gold-standard" coupled-cluster level of theory [CCSD(T)]. In addition to the widely used Bigeleisen equation for estimating KIE and EIE values, internuclear anharmonicity and quantum tunneling effects were also computed using our recently developed ab initio path-integral method, that is, automated integration-free path-integral method. The results of this work establish an important set of benchmarks that serve to guide calculations of KIE and EIE for RNA catalysis., (Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Men who have sex with men (MSM) have recently accounted for an alarmingly increasing proportion of HIV-1 transmission in China. In order to investigate the immune status as a result of CRF01&#95;AE infection and CXCR4 co-receptor usage in a young Shanghai-based HIV-1-infected MSM population in Shanghai, 364 HIV-1-infected MSM with average age of 22.7 years old, newly diagnosed between Jan 2009 and Jul 2013 were analyzed for CD4+T cell count, subtyping using phylogenetic analysis, and viral co-receptor tropism using Geno2pheno and webPSSM in combination. A total of 276 individuals were identified as recently infected. Subtype assignment were as follows: 176 (63.8%) CRF01&#95;AE, 77 (27.9%) CRF07&#95;BC, and 23 (8.3%) subtype B. Besides, 24 second-generation recombinant strains were identified. A lower CD4+T cell count at baseline survey was observed among CRF01&#95;AE strain-infected individuals, compared to those who were infected with CRF07&#95;BC (P<0.01). The frequency of baseline CD4+T cell count <200 was higher and the frequency of CD4 T counts >500 lower in CRF01&#95;AE infection than CRF07&#95;BC infection. It is worth noting that 32.4%-40.9% of CRF01&#95;AE strain-infected individuals were predicted to carry CXCR4-tropic viruses whereas none of CRF07&#95;BC and subtype B were found to be as CXCR4-tropic viruses (P<0.001). As could be expected CXCR4 tropism was associated with lower CD4 T counts. This study revealed that CRF01&#95;AE strains with high frequency of CXCR4 tropism are prevailing in the young MSM population in China and could potentially cause a severe loss of CD4+T cell count and rapid disease progression. A regular surveillance of HIV-1 subtypes, CD4+T cell count and viral co-receptor usage would be greatly beneficial for effectively monitoring disease progression, improvement of antiretroviral therapy strategy and prompt intervention of transmission.

Objective: To determine the tumoricidal ability of combined immunotherapy of natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells (DCs) in a melanoma mouse model and the functions of tumor-associated effector cells., Materials and Methods: A C57BL/6 mouse model of subcutaneous melanoma and lung metastasis was established. NK cells and DCs were cultured and labeled in vitro. Varying frequencies of both NK cells and DCs were adoptively transferred into tumor-bearing mice. Tumor, liver, spleen, and lung were studied for the number and distribution of effector cells. Additionally, CD8+T cell numbers in the lung and numbers of metastatic lung nodules were determined., Results: Co-culture of NK cells and DCs might maintain and promote NK cell activity without exogenous cytokines. Both NK cells and DCs were distributed in the tumor microcirculation and parenchyma. We found significant time-dependent differences in the numbers of infiltrating NK cells and DCs (P < 0.01), which stimulated the highest frequencies of effector cells 4 h after transfer and the lowest at 12 h. Low NK cell numbers were found in the spleen, and fewer numbers were found in liver and lung. Infiltration of tumors with effector cells was greatest following mixed cell transfers as compared to single transfers, and markedly increased CD8+T cells were associated with significant decreases in lung metastases., Conclusion: NK cells and DCs adoptive immunotherapy targeted the tumor and exhibited improved therapeutic efficacy as compared to that of the cells given alone. This strategy could induce tumorigenic immunological memory and suggests that mixed NK cells and DCs adoptive immunotherapy offers therapeutic options against cancer.

Molecular devices with nitro groups display unique electronic transport properties in experiments. By applying the non-equilibrium Green's function combined with density functional theory, we find that the orientation of the nitro group with respect to the backbone of the molecule has a crucial effect on the device performance and can show unusual experimental phenomena. Furthermore, molecular devices with a nitro group are sensitive to gate voltage and suitable for making effective single molecular field-effect transistors. These results provide an important theoretical support to experiments and the design of future molecular devices by using nitro groups.

Rhein is a primary anthraquinone found in the roots of a traditional Chinese herb, rhubarb, and has been shown to have some anticancer effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of rhein on the apoptosis of the human gastric cancer line SGC-7901 and to identify the mechanism involved. SGC-7901 cells were cultured and treated with rhein (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 µM) for 24, 48, or 72 h. Relative cell viability assessed by the MTT assay after treatment was 100, 99, 85, 79, 63% for 24 h; 100, 98, 80, 51, 37% for 48 h, and 100, 97, 60, 36, 15% for 72 h, respectively. Cell apoptosis was detected with TUNEL staining and quantified with flow cytometry using annexin FITC-PI staining at 48 h after 100, 200 and 300 µm rhein. The percentage of apoptotic cells was 7.3, 21.9, 43.5%, respectively. We also measured the mRNA levels of caspase-3 and -9 using real-time PCR. Treatment with 100 µM rhein for 48 h significantly increased mRNA expression of caspase-3 and -9. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins including Bcl-2, Bax, Bcl-xL, and pro-caspase-3 were evaluated in rhein-treated cells. Rhein increased the Bax:Bcl-2 ratio but decreased the protein levels of Bcl-xL and pro-caspase-3. Moreover, rhein significantly increased the expression of cytochrome c and apoptotic protease activating factor 1, two critical components involved in mitochondrial pathway-mediated apoptosis. We conclude that rhein inhibits SGC-7901 proliferation by inducing apoptosis and this antitumor effect of rhein is mediated in part by an intrinsic mitochondrial pathway.

Cytokine-induced apoptosis inhibitor 1 (CIAPIN1), initially named anamorsin, a newly indentified antiapoptotic molecule is a downstream effector of the receptor tyrosine kinase-Ras signaling pathway. Current study has revealed that CIAPIN1 may have wide and important functions, especially due to its close correlations with malignant tumors. However whether or not it is involved in the multi-drug resistance (MDR) process of breast cancer has not been elucidated. To explore the effect of CIAPIN1 on MDR, we examined the expression of P-gp and CIAPIN1 by immunohistochemistry and found there was positive correlation between them. Then we successfully interfered with RNA translation by the infection of siRNA of CIAPIN1 into MCF7/ADM breast cancer cell lines through a lentivirus, and the expression of the target gene was significantly inhibited. After RNAi the drug resistance was reduced significantly and the expression of MDR1mRNA and P-gp in MCF7/ADM cell lines showed a significant decrease. Also the expression of P53 protein increased in a statistically significant way (p ≤ 0.01) after RNAi exposure. In addition, flow cytometry analysis reveals that cell cycle and anti-apoptotic enhancing capability of cells changed after RNAi treatment. These results suggested CIAPIN1 may participate in breast cancer MDR by regulating MDR1 and P53 expression, changing cell cycle and enhancing the anti-apoptotic capability of cells.

The electronic transport properties of an all-carbon mechanically controlled molecular device based on carbon nanotubes are studied using non-equilibrium Green's function in combination with density functional theory. A segment of (10,0) single-walled carbon nanutube (SWCNT) is placed concentrically outside a (5,0) SWCNT, namely, a (5,0)@(10,0) double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT). It is found that the position, orientation and length scaling of the (10,0) SWCNT have crucial effects on the electronic transport properties of the system. When the (10,0) SWCNT is mechanically pushed forward along the axial direction, alternation of on/off switching behavior under low bias and negative differential resistance behavior under high bias are observed. Significant changes in the electronic transport properties arise when rotating the (10,0) SWCNT around the common axis or adding carbon atom layers in the transport direction. Theoretical explanations are proposed for these phenomena.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine in the development and progress in human cancer. TNF-α polymorphisms have been confirmed to influence the risk for several types of cancer, however, the associations between TNF-α polymorphisms and breast cancer (BC) remain controversial and ambiguous. The aim of this meta-analysis is to explore more precise estimations regarding this point. Electronic searches of several databases were conducted for all online publications on the associations between TNF-α-238, -308, -857, -863, -1031, -1210 polymorphisms and BC through March 2011. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to assess the strength of these associations in fixed- and random-effect models with Review manager 5.0. A total of 17 studies with 44,442 BC patients and 49,926 controls involved were identified. This meta-analysis showed no significant association between TNF-α-308 polymorphism and BC (AA + GA vs. GG: OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.82-1.09) in overall and (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.61-3.40) Asian populations, however, a negative association was shown in Caucasian subgroup (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85-0.97). As regards the TNF-α-238 polymorphism, the OR values (95% CI) were 0.99 (0.94-1.05), 0.94 (0.78-1.14), and 1.00 (0.95-1.05) for the overall, Asian, and Caucasian studies, respectively. No significant associations were found for other polymorphisms. Furthermore, there was a coincidence in the sensitivity analysis of these associations. No publication bias was detected in this study. To sum up, no significant associations were found between the TNF-α-308, -238, -857, -863, -1031, -1210 polymorphisms and the risk for BC in overall populations, whereas a negative association was found between TNF-α-308 polymorphism and BC in Caucasian populations.

FcgammaRs are involved in regulating a multitude of innate and adaptive immune responses, which makes them attractive targets for the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. In this report, we describe a simple method for the production of a large quantity of recombinant porcine FcgammaRII. The extracellular domain of the porcine FcgammaRII (poFcgammaRII) gene was constructed and cloned into the Escherichiacoli expression vector pET-28a. The recombinant protein was expressed at high level in E. coil BL21 (DE3) and existed mainly as inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies were solubilized in 6M guanidine hydrochloride and purified by Ni-chelation, and refolded by rapid dilution. After purification and renaturation, the recombinant soluble protein (rsFcgammaRII) coated on high-binding ELISA plates, showed concentration dependent binding of porcine IgG and the binding of porcine IgG to the surface bound rsFcgammaRII was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by soluble rsFcgammaRII itself. Then by the inhibition assay we evaluated the effectiveness of the rsFcgammaRII in inhibiting the IgG binding to the whole molecule of poFcgammaRII expressed on the Marc-145 cell surface, the rsFcgammaRII inhibited the binding of porcine IgG to the transfected Marc-145 cell's surface, with an IC(50) value of 0.87 microM, demonstrating that rsFcgammaRII manifests the similar specificity as native poFcgammaRII. The method for highly efficient production of biologically active poFcgammaRII may be employed for both basic research and potential clinical applications.