Examination of metabolic responses to phosphorus limitation via proteomic analyses in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for the survival of marine phytoplankton. In the present study, phytoplankton response to phosphorus limitation was studied by proteomic profiling in diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum in both cellular and molecular levels. A total of 42 non-redundant proteins were identified, among which 8 proteins were found to be upregulated and 34 proteins were downregulated.

Analyzing Carbohydrate-Protein Interaction Based on Single Plasmonic Nanoparticle by Conventional Dark Field Microscopy.

We demonstrated a practical method to analyze carbohydrate-protein interaction based on single plasmonic nanoparticles by conventional dark field microscopy (DFM). Protein concanavalin A (ConA) was modified on large sized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and dextran was conjugated on small sized AuNPs. As the interaction between ConA and dextran resulted in two kinds of gold nanoparticles coupled together, which caused coupling of plasmonic oscillations, apparent color changes (from green to yellow) of the single AuNPs were observed through DFM.

Tapetum-specific expression of a cytoplasmic orf507 gene causes semi-male sterility in transgenic peppers.

Though cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in peppers is associated with the orf507 gene, definitive and direct evidence that it directly causes male sterility is still lacking. In this study, differences in histochemical localization of anther cytochrome c oxidase between the pepper CMS line and maintainer line were observed mainly in the tapetal cells and tapetal membrane. Inducible and specific expression of the orf507 gene in the pepper maintainer line found that transformants were morphologically similar to untransformed and transformed control plants, but had shrunken anthers that showed little dehiscence and fewer pollen grains with lower germination rate and higher naturally damaged rate.

Attenuation of Cisplatin-Induced Neurotoxicity by Cyanidin, a Natural Inhibitor of ROS-Mediated Apoptosis in PC12 Cells.

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy in clinic is severely limited by its adverse effect, including neurotoxicity. Oxidative damage contributes to cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity, but the mechanism remains unclearly. Cyanidin, a natural flavonoid compound, exhibits powerful antioxidant activity.

Reliable resonance assignments of selected residues of proteins with known structure based on empirical NMR chemical shift prediction.

A robust NMR resonance assignment method is introduced for proteins whose 3D structure has previously been determined by X-ray crystallography. The goal of the method is to obtain a subset of correct assignments from a parsimonious set of 3D NMR experiments of (15)N, (13)C labeled proteins. Chemical shifts of sequential residue pairs are predicted from static protein structures using PPM_One, which are then compared with the corresponding experimental shifts.

Neuroprotective effects of an aqueous extract of Futokadsura stem in an Aβ-induced Alzheimer's disease-like rat model.

Futokadsura stem has been traditionally used to dispel wind-damp obstruction syndrome manifested as painful and stiff joints, tendon and muscle spasms, lower back pain, painful knees and pain from external injury. An aqueous extract of Futokadsura stem has previously been found to have neuro-protective effects in vitro. In this study, we aimed to investigate if the Futokadsura stem extract could protect the neuron in the brain of an Aβ-induced Alzheimer's Disease (AD)-like rat model by improving the learning and memory ability of the rats.

Activation of mGluR5 Attenuates Microglial Activation and Neuronal Apoptosis in Early Brain Injury After Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Rats.

Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) provided neuroprotection in multiple central nervous system injury, but the roles of mGluR5 in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remain unclear. In present study, we aimed to evaluate whether activation of mGluR5 attenuates early brain injury (EBI) after experimental SAH in rats. We found that selective mGluR5 orthosteric agonist CHPG or positive allosteric modulator VU0360172 administration significantly improves neurological function and attenuates brain edema at 24 h after SAH.

Label-free in-situ monitoring of protein tyrosine nitration in blood by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

A novel label-free method for the in-situ monitoring of protein tyrosine nitration (PTN) was explored based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Benefiting from the relative weak binding ability of sulfate to silver surface, the Raman signals of nitrated peptides were boosted well with sulfate-aggregated silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The distinction of the SERS spectra between non-nitrated peptides and nitrated peptides was obtained by directly comparing SERS bands at 330-400cm(-1), allowing the rapid identification of PTN.

Optical monitoring of faradaic reaction using single plasmon-resonant nanorods functionalized with graphene.

Real-time optical monitoring of the electron-transfer process was achieved and modulated on individual gold nanoparticles functionalized with graphene. We found that charge accumulation on single gold nanorods (GNRs) depends on the rate of Faradaic reaction, which is synchronized with double-layer charging.

An ignored variable: solution preparation temperature in protein crystallization.

Protein crystallization is affected by many parameters, among which certain parameters have not been well controlled. The temperature at which the protein and precipitant solutions are mixed (i.e.

Facile fabrication of a silver dendrite-integrated chip for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

A facile approach to fabricating a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active chip by integrating silver dendrites with copper substrate through a one-step process was explored. The structures of dendrites were synthesized and controlled by an AgNO3/PVP aqueous system, and the fabrication parameters amount of AgNO3/PVP and reaction time were systematically investigated. The optimized silver dendrites, closely aggregated on the surface of the copper chip, exhibited high SERS activity for detecting rhodamine 6G at a concentration as low as 3.

Cysteamine alleviates early brain injury via reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis in a rat experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage model.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of early brain injury (EBI) following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The aim of this study was to assess whether cysteamine prevents post-SAH oxidative stress injury via its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic effects. It was observed that intraperitoneal administration of cysteamine (20 mg/kg/day) could significantly alleviate EBI (including neurobehavioral deficits, brain edema, blood-brain barrier permeability, and cortical neuron apoptosis) after SAH in rats.

ABCG2 regulated by MAPK pathways is associated with cancer progression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G, member 2 (ABCG2) overexpression has been associated with multidrug resistance and cancer progression by promoting proliferation and/or suppressing apoptosis, but how this process happens remains to be determined. In this study, the roles and the mechanisms of ABCG2 in the progression of Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) were investigated. We found that introduction of ABCG2 siRNA into Hep-2 and Hep-2T cells significantly enhanced the intracellular accumulation of mitoxantrone (MX).

Development of three full-length infectious cDNA clones of distinct brassica yellows virus genotypes for agrobacterium-mediated inoculation.

Brassica yellows virus is a newly identified species in the genus of Polerovirus within the family Luteoviridae. Brassica yellows virus (BrYV) is prevalently distributed throughout Mainland China and South Korea, is an important virus infecting cruciferous crops. Based on six BrYV genomic sequences of isolates from oilseed rape, rutabaga, radish, and cabbage, three genotypes, BrYV-A, BrYV-B, and BrYV-C, exist, which mainly differ in the 5' terminal half of the genome.

Strategy to Suppress Oxidative Damage-Induced Neurotoxicity in PC12 Cells by Curcumin: the Role of ROS-Mediated DNA Damage and the MAPK and AKT Pathways.

Oxidative damage plays a key role in causation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of oxidative stress represents one of the most effective ways in treating human neurologic diseases. Herein, we evaluated the protective effect of curcumin on PC12 cells against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity and investigated its underlying mechanism.

Intranasal Delivery of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Enhances Its Neuroprotective Effects Against Ischemic Brain Injury in Rats.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor with strong neuroprotective properties. However, it has limited capacity to cross the blood-brain barrier and thus potentially limiting its protective capacity. Recent studies demonstrated that intranasal drug administration is a promising way in delivering neuroprotective agents to the central nervous system.

Unified and isomer-specific NMR metabolomics database for the accurate analysis of (13)C-(1)H HSQC spectra.

A new metabolomics database and query algorithm for the analysis of (13)C-(1)H HSQC spectra is introduced, which unifies NMR spectroscopic information on 555 metabolites from both the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB) and Human Metabolome Database (HMDB). The new database, termed Complex Mixture Analysis by NMR (COLMAR) (13)C-(1)H HSQC database, can be queried via an interactive, easy to use web interface at http://spin.ccic.

Carnosine attenuates early brain injury through its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic effects in a rat experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage model.

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) has been demonstrated to provide antioxidative and anti-apoptotic roles in the animal of ischemic brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this study was to examine whether carnosine prevents subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced early brain injury (EBI) in rats. We found that intraperitoneal administration of carnosine improved neurobehavioral deficits, attenuated brain edema and blood-brain barrier permeability, and decreased reactive oxygen species level at 48 h following SAH in rat models.

Guanosine exerts neuroprotective effects by reversing mitochondrial dysfunction in a cellular model of Parkinson's disease.

The mitochondria are the most important cytoplasmic organelles in determining cell survival and death. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to a wide range of disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. The central events in the mitochondrial‑dependent cell death pathway are the activation of the mitochodrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) and the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, which cause the release of apoptogenic molecules and finally lead to cell death.

RNA-seq identifies determinants of oxaliplatin sensitivity in colorectal cancer cell lines.

Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, such as FOLFOX, is the first-line therapy for advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) or metastatic CRC patients. However, the partial response of patients to these regimes and the severe peripheral neuropathy toxicity induced by oxaliplatin makes it urgent to figure out biomarkers for oxaliplatin sensitivity to select suitable patients who benefit from these treatments. In present work, 21 CRC cell lines with different sensitivities to oxaliplatin were applied to RNA-seq.

Non-motor symptoms in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients with and without LRRK2 G2385R and R1628P variants.

Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are common among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, reports on NMS in Chinese PD population are scarce. Little is known about NMS in patients with Asian specific leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) variants in G2385R and R1628P.

Infection of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus with RNA4-encoded P31 specifically up-regulates pathogenesis-related protein 10 in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Background: Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) is the infectious agent of sugar beet rhizomania, which consists of four or five plus-sense RNAs. RNA4 of BNYVV is not essential for virus propagation in Nicotiana benthamiana but has a major effect on symptom expression. Early reports showed that RNA4-encoded P31 was associated with severe symptoms, such as curling and dwarfing, in N.

NMR Order Parameter Determination from Long Molecular Dynamics Trajectories for Objective Comparison with Experiment.

Functional protein motions covering a wide range of time scales can be studied, among other techniques, by NMR and by molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations. MD simulations of proteins now routinely extend into the hundreds of nanoseconds time scale range exceeding the overall tumbling correlation times of proteins in solution by several orders of magnitude. This provides a unique opportunity to rigorously validate these simulations by quantitative comparison with model-free order parameters derived from NMR relaxation experiments.