The effect of soybean isoflavone on the dysregulation of NMDA receptor signaling pathway induced by β-amyloid peptides 1-42 in rats.

Synaptic damage is the key factor of cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of soybean isoflavone (SIF) on synaptic damage induced by β-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Aβ1-42) in rats. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control, Aβ1-42, SIF, and SIF + Aβ1-42 (SIF pretreatment) groups according to body weight.

A general computational approach for repeat protein design.

Repeat proteins have considerable potential for use as modular binding reagents or biomaterials in biomedical and nanotechnology applications. Here we describe a general computational method for building idealized repeats that integrates available family sequences and structural information with Rosetta de novo protein design calculations. Idealized designs from six different repeat families were generated and experimentally characterized; 80% of the proteins were expressed and soluble and more than 40% were folded and monomeric with high thermal stability.

Effects of GSTM1/GSTT1 gene polymorphism and fruit & vegetable consumption on antioxidant biomarkers and cognitive function in the elderly: a community based cross-sectional study.

Background: It was reported that Glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene polymorphism and fruit and vegetable (FV) intake were associated with body antioxidant capacity. The oxidative/anti-oxidative imbalance played an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. However, the association of GST genotype, dietary FV consumption with body antioxidant biomarkers and cognitive function in the elderly is not clear.

Hypomethylation and overexpression of ITGAL (CD11a) in CD4(+) T cells in systemic sclerosis.

Background: The pathogenesis and etiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc) are complex and poorly understood. To date, several studies have demonstrated that the activation of the immune system undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in SSc pathogenesis. Activated immune effector T cells contribute to the release of various pro-inflammatory cytokines and drive the SSc-specific autoantibody responses.

A hybrid NMR/SAXS-based approach for discriminating oligomeric protein interfaces using Rosetta.

Oligomeric proteins are important targets for structure determination in solution. While in most cases the fold of individual subunits can be determined experimentally, or predicted by homology-based methods, protein-protein interfaces are challenging to determine de novo using conventional NMR structure determination protocols. Here we focus on a member of the bet-V1 superfamily, Aha1 from Colwellia psychrerythraea.

Genistein alleviates β-amyloid-induced inflammatory damage through regulating Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor κB.

Genistein (GEN), a major soybean isoflavone (SIF), might possess neuroprotective properties through its anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that GEN could prevent the inflammatory damage detected in C6 cells induced by β-amyloid peptides 25-35 (Aβ25-35). Accordingly, we evaluated the inflammatory damage induced by Aβ25-35 and the protective effect of GEN against Aβ25-35 in C6 cells.

Lack of Association of the CD247 SNP rs2056626 with Systemic Sclerosis in Han Chinese.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex disease involving multiple genetic factors. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) indicated that CD247 was strongly associated with SSc, which was subsequently confirmed in a SSc cohort of European population. However, genetic heterogeneity in different ethnic populations may significantly impact the complex trait of SSc.

Auto-induction-based rapid evaluation of extracellular enzyme expression from lac operator-involved recombinant Escherichia coli.

Degeneration of engineered strains and decreased production of target gene products were often observed during recombinant bioprocess. Although several strategies have been developed to ensure high levels of target gene products, these methods seemed to be complex and laborious. By investigating possible factors contributing to the decreased yield, degeneration of host cells was identified as the main cause.

Seasonal dynamics of trace elements in tidal salt marsh soils as affected by the flow-sediment regulation regime.

Soil profiles were collected in three salt marshes with different plant species (i.e. Phragmites australis, Tamarix chinensis and Suaeda salsa) in the Yellow River Delta (YRD) of China during three seasons (summer and fall of 2007 and the following spring of 2008) after the flow-sediment regulation regime.

[Progress in sodium channelopathies and biological functions of voltage-gated sodium channel blockers].

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), which are widely distributed in the excitable cells, are the primary mediators of electrical signal amplification and propagation. They play important roles in the excitative conduction of the neurons and cardiac muscle cells. The abnormalities of the structures and functions of VGSCs can change the excitability of the cells, resulting in a variety of diseases such as neuropathic pain, epilepsy and arrhythmia.

[Isolation and identification of Myxobacteria strain STXZ54 with antitumor activities].

Objective: We isolated Myxobacteria strains from soil samples collected from Guangzhou, identified the strain and studied the antitumor activity.

Methods: We isolated Myxobacteria strains from soil samples through inactivated E. coli inducing method, identified the strain according to morphological observation, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and the homologous analysis of 16S rRNA sequences of nucleotides.

Association of the HLA-DRB1 with scleroderma in Chinese population.

Multiple alleles of the Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DRB1 have been strongly associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and its clinical or serological subsets. However, the associations vary in different ethnic populations. To define SSc-risk and/or -protective alleles of HLA-DRB1 in Chinese population, we studied a Han Chinese cohort containing 585 patients with SSc and 458 gender-matched, unrelated controls.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage in the brain of diet-induced obese rats but not in diet-resistant rats.

Aims: It has been suggested that obesity triggered by consuming a high-fat diet (HF) can account for oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, we aim to explore the oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction detected in the brain of diet-induced obese (DIO) rats.

Main Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed either a HF diet or a normal-fat (NF) diet for 10weeks to obtain the control (CON), DIO and diet-resistant (DR) rats.

Real-time manipulation with magnetically tunable structures.

Magnetically tunable micropillar arrays with uniform, continuous and extreme tilt angles for real-time manipulation are reported. We experimentally show uniform tilt angles ranging from 0° to 57°, and develop a model to accurately capture the behavior. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the flexible uniform responsive microstructures (μFUR) can dynamically manipulate liquid spreading directionality, control fluid drag, and tune optical transmittance over a large range.

Polyploid evolution of the Brassicaceae during the Cenozoic era.

The Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family, owing to its remarkable species, genetic, and physiological diversity as well as its significant economic potential, has become a model for polyploidy and evolutionary studies. Utilizing extensive transcriptome pyrosequencing of diverse taxa, we established a resolved phylogeny of a subset of crucifer species. We elucidated the frequency, age, and phylogenetic position of polyploidy and lineage separation events that have marked the evolutionary history of the Brassicaceae.

Structural and functional characterization of DUF1471 domains of Salmonella proteins SrfN, YdgH/SssB, and YahO.

Bacterial species in the Enterobacteriaceae typically contain multiple paralogues of a small domain of unknown function (DUF1471) from a family of conserved proteins also known as YhcN or BhsA/McbA. Proteins containing DUF1471 may have a single or three copies of this domain. Representatives of this family have been demonstrated to play roles in several cellular processes including stress response, biofilm formation, and pathogenesis.

Solution NMR structures of immunoglobulin-like domains 7 and 12 from obscurin-like protein 1 contribute to the structural coverage of the Human Cancer Protein Interaction Network.

High-quality solution NMR structures of immunoglobulin-like domains 7 and 12 from human obscurin-like protein 1 were solved. The two domains share 30% sequence identity and their structures are, as expected, rather similar. The new structures contribute to structural coverage of human cancer associated proteins.

Glutamine downregulates TLR-2 and TLR-4 expression and protects intestinal tract in preterm neonatal rats with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Background/purpose: Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 and TLR-2 play an essential role in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). In this study, we investigated the protective effect of glutamine (Gln) in an NEC neonatal rat model, and the potential association with TLR-4 and TLR-2 expression in local intestinal tissues.

Methods: Preterm neonatal rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal control; NEC model; and NEC plus Gln intervention.

Solution NMR structures of homeodomains from human proteins ALX4, ZHX1, and CASP8AP2 contribute to the structural coverage of the Human Cancer Protein Interaction Network.

High-quality solution NMR structures of three homeodomains from human proteins ALX4, ZHX1 and CASP8AP2 were solved. These domains were chosen as targets of a biomedical theme project pursued by the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium. This project focuses on increasing the structural coverage of human proteins associated with cancer.