Nutritional Evaluation of Milk Thistle Meal as a Protein Feedstuff for Diets of Dairy Cattle.

The objective of this work is to investigate the chemical and nutritional value of milk thistle meal (MTM) in order to improve it and to provide theoretical support for its application in dairy cattle production. MTM was assessed in comparison with seven conventional protein feed sources, namely, soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CS), canola meal (CN), palm kernel meal (PK), rice bran meal (RB), corn germ meal (CG), and sesame meal (SS). The chemical composition of these feedstuffs was assessed using wet chemical analysis, the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System was used to evaluate the carbohydrate and protein fractions, and the in situ nylon bag technique and the modified three-step in vitro method were used to assess the rumen degradation and intestinal digestibility.

BBB: Permeable Conjugate of Exogenic GABA.

Neurotransmitters are the key factors in ameliorating the symptoms of nervous system diseases. Stroke/cerebral ischemia has been proven to be caused by the excess release of excitatory amino acid glutamate in the brain, and the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is considered to be the best choice to counteract the action of glutamate. Here, we show that GABA conjugated to a cytoplasmic transduction peptide (YGRRARRRRRR) by means of custom chemical synthesis could penetrate through the blood-brain barrier, increasing the GABA level in the plasma of rats and mice, which, as a result, display a state of calmness and somnolence.

Ilomastat, a synthetic inhibitor of MMPs, prevents lung injury induced by γ-ray irradiation in mice.

Lung injury is one of the pathological features in human or animal after radiation and the main side effect for patient after lung cancer radiotherapy. The efficient protective strategy still needs to exploit and the underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated. We found that the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) significantly increased at the early stage of radiation-induced lung injury (RILI).

Arginine-rich membrane-permeable peptides are seriously toxic.

The membrane-permeable peptides (MPP) such as undecapeptides TAT (YGRKKRRQRRR) and CTP (YGRRARRRRRR) have been receiving much attention for delivering various kinds of low membrane-permeability materials in vitro and in vivo. We have successfully used MPP in carrying various proteins through blood-brain barrier (BBB) in treatment of many kinds of nervous diseases. However, people always concentrate their mind on the efficacy and the mechanism of permeation of the conjugates across BBB, but overlook the toxicity of the membrane-permeable peptide itself.

Generation of Alzheimer's Disease Transgenic Zebrafish Expressing Human APP Mutation Under Control of Zebrafish appb Promotor.

Background: Amyloid peptide precursor (APP) as the precursor protein of peptide betaamyloid (β-amyloid, Aβ), which is thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), also has an important effect on the development and progression of AD. Through knocking-in APP gene in animals, numerous transgenic AD models have been set up for the investigation of the mechanisms behind AD pathogenesis and the screening of anti-AD drugs. However, there are some limitations to these models and here is a need for such an AD model that is economic as well as has satisfactory genetic homology with human.

Amelioration of dementia induced by Aβ 22-35 through rectal delivery of undecapeptide-hEGF to mouse brain.

A group of growth factors have been shown to play important roles in amelioration of the malfunction of the neurodegenerative diseases. However, the proteins or polypeptides passing across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to access the brain parenchyma are relatively few so that it hinders the therapies in clinic. Here a genetically reconstructed fusion peptide of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) with an undecapeptide YGRKKRRQRRR (P11) was used to investigate the permeability between the cell membrane and the BBB via rectal administration.

Transmembrane delivery and biological effect of human growth hormone via a phage displayed peptide in vivo and in vitro.

For a long time, people have been looking forward to being able to clinically deliver bio-drugs systemically by a noninvasive method. Here, we show that a synthetic peptide, TD (ACSSSPSKHCG) was efficient in transferring human growth hormone (GH) across various kinds of membranes and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo via rectal administration, resulting in elevation of GH level in serum, acetylcholine and O-choline acetyltransferase activities and GH /IGF-1 contents in brain tissues, manifesting great therapeutic effects on chronic age-related dementia in mice and ameliorating neuronal damage in the brain. Furthermore, the effects of Aβ and TD/GH on LDH release, apoptosis and its relevant gene expression, involving bcl-2 and bax/caspase-3, were observed in a human neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y).

Role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase signal transduction pathway in anxiety.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signal transduction pathway is widely implicated in multiple physiological processes. However, it remains to be determined whether ERK pathway plays roles in anxiety. Here we investigated the changes of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) and c-Fos expression by immunostaining in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of anxious rats.

[PTD-hEGF fusion protein--gene expression and function analysis].

To produce membrane-permeable human epidermal growth factor (hEGF), a pPTD-hEGF prokaryocyte expression vector was constructed and transformed into E. coli BL 21 (DE3). The PTD-hEGF fusion protein was induced by 0.

Transgenic mini-tomato and protection against alcohol-induced gastric injury.

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to promote the proliferation of various types of cells, to maintain the physiological function of the mucosa of the digestive tract, and to promote the healing of the gastric and duodenal ulcers. It has been expressed in many types of bacteria and yeasts. In this article, a bio-reactor was constructed, namely, the human EGF (hEGF) transgenic mini-tomato.

Protective effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine on amyloid beta-peptide-induced learning and memory deficits in mice.

This study aimed to examine the effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on protecting neurons function and improving learning and memory deficits in mice. Mice were intracerebroventricularly (icv) injected with the aggregated amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) to produce Alzheimer's disease (AD). Learning and memory functions in mice were examined by the step through test and the water maze performance.

High-level secretion and purification of recombinant acetylcholinesterase from human cerebral tissue in P. pastoris and identification by chromogenic reaction.

The gene encoding human cerebral tissue acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was cloned from an 18-week fetal cerebral tissue and expressed in Pichia pastoris. Twenty-two positive transformants were obtained by Mut(+)/Mut(s) phenotypes screening in MD/MM medium and polymerase chain reaction amplification, and four recombinant P. pastoris strains that could secrete active AChE at high level were identified by simple and specific development reaction with indoxyl acetate as the chromogenic substrate.

Antisense inhibition of acetylcholinesterase gene expression for treating cognition deficit in Alzheimer's disease model mice.

To examine whether the selected antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-ODN) targeting against human brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) mRNA could improve the cognitive deficit in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice induced by amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta), we determined the time-effect relationship of AChE activity and the learning and memory after AS-ODN delivery. The results showed that the AChE activity decreased gradually along with time, initiating at 8 h and lasting 42 h. The time-effect curves of acetylcholine (ACh) behaved consistency with that of AChE activity.

High-level expression of recombinant human paraoxonase 1 Q in silkworm larvae (Bombyx mori).

Human serum paraoxonase 1 (hPON1) belongs to a family of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of a broad range of esters and lactones. Although the very first identification of hPON1 might have been as a calcium-dependent paraoxonase/arylesterase, PON1 is in fact a lactonase associated with high-density lipoprotein and strongly stimulated by apoA-I. PON1 hydrolyzes various organophosphates, including insecticides and nerve gases.

Screening and identification of linear B-cell epitopes and entry-blocking peptide of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus using synthetic overlapping peptide library.

A 10-mer overlapping peptide library has been synthesized for screening and identification of linear B-cell epitopes of severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which spanned the major structural proteins of SARS-CoV. One hundred and eleven candidate peptides were positive according to the result of PEPscan, which were assembled into 22 longer peptides. Five of these peptides showed high cross-immunoreactivities (approximately 66.

Purification and characterization of recombinant human liver prolidase expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The recombinant human liver prolidase (rh-prolidase, EC 3.4.13.

Production of human liver prolidase by Saccharomyces cerevisiae as host cells.

Aim: To clone and express the recombinant human liver prolidase in yeast and explore the activities of both dipeptidase and organophosphoric acid anhydrolase (OPAA).

Methods: The cDNA encoding human liver prolidase derived from healthy adult liver was cloned into the pYES2, an expression vector of S cerevisiae, and then transformed into S cerevisiae INVSc1 by electroporation. The transformant with the highest enzymatic activity was induced by galactose for expression.

Anti-epitope antibody, a novel site-directed antibody against human acetylcholinesterase.

Aim: To construct synthetic antigens using the epitope of human brain acetylcholinesterase (hbAChE) for induction and detection of the specific antibody against the epitope, and to analyse the immunogenicity of the antibody.

Methods: The epitope (RTVLVSMNYR, amino acids 143-152) of hbAChE was chemically synthesized, coupled with the carrier protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) to construct an artificial immunogen (KLH-epitope), and injected into rabbits to raise antibody. The epitope conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as the detection antigen.

Screening of RNA molecules inhibiting human acetylcholinesterase by virtue of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment.

Aim: To acquire the specific RNA aptamers inhibiting human red blood cell (RBC) acetylcholinesterase (AChE).

Methods: Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) aptamer against human red blood cell membrane AChE was selected by microtiter plate method in vitro. The specifity binding to AChE was determined by gel mobility shift analysis.

Molecular simulation of a single-chain antibody against AChE to explore molecular basis of inhibitory effect of 3F3 McAb on enzyme activity.

Aim: To explore the molecular basis of the inhibitory effect of 3F3, a monoclonal antibody against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), by computer-aided molecular simulation.

Methods: The single-chain 3F3 antibody (Sc3F3) was designed by joining VH and VL via a flexible linker (Gly4Ser)3. The amino acid sequence of the recombinant Sc3F3 was then subjected to computer-aided molecular modeling, and docking with the antigen molecule AChE to mimic the immunoactive interaction in a three-dimensional fashion.

[Reactivation and aging of acetylcholinesterase in human brain inhibited by phoxim and phoxim oxon in vitro].

Objective: Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in human brain caused by phoxim or phoxim oxon, their reactivation with oxime and aging of phosphorylated AChE were studied and compared in vitro.

Methods: Micro-colorispectrophotometric assay was used to determine the activity of AChE.

Results: The pI(50) of inhibition of AChE in human brain by phoxim and phoxim oxon were 5.