There are abundant igneous gas reservoirs in the South China Sea with significant value of research,and lithology classification,mineral analysis and porosity inversion are important links in reservoir evaluation.Howe...There are abundant igneous gas reservoirs in the South China Sea with significant value of research,and lithology classification,mineral analysis and porosity inversion are important links in reservoir evaluation.However,affected by the diverse lithology,complicated mineral and widespread alteration,conventional logging lithology classification and mineral inversion become considerably difficult.At the same time,owing to the limitation of the wireline log response equation,the quantity and accuracy of minerals can hardly meet the exploration requirements of igneous formations.To overcome those issues,this study takes the South China Sea as an example,and combines multi-scale data such as micro rock slices,petrophysical experiments,wireline log and element cutting log to establish a set of joint inversion methods for minerals and porosity of altered igneous rocks.Specifically,we define the lithology and mineral characteristics through core slices and mineral data,and establish an igneous multi-mineral volumetric model.Then we determine element cutting log correction method based on core element data,and combine wireline log and corrected element cutting log to perform the lithology classification and joint inversion of minerals and porosity.However,it is always difficult to determine the elemental eigenvalues of different minerals in inversion.This paper uses multiple linear regression methods to solve this problem.Finally,an integrated inversion technique for altered igneous formations was developed.The results show that the corrected element cutting log are in good agreement with the core element data,and the mineral and porosity results obtained from the joint inversion based on the wireline log and corrected element cutting log are also in good agreement with the core data from X-ray diffraction.The results demonstrate that the inversion technique is applicable and this study provides a new direction for the mineral inversion research of altered igneous formations.展开更多
Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is one of the major chronic complications of diabetes mellitus(DM),as well as a main cause of end-stage renal disease.Over the last few years,substantial research studies have revealed a co...Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is one of the major chronic complications of diabetes mellitus(DM),as well as a main cause of end-stage renal disease.Over the last few years,substantial research studies have revealed a contributory role of gut microbiota in the process of DM and DKD.Metabolites of gut microbiota like lipopolysaccharide,short-chain fatty acids,and trimethylamine N-oxide are key mediators of microbial–host crosstalk.However,the underlying mechanisms of how gut microbiota influences the onset and progression of DKD are relatively unknown.Besides,strategies to remodel the composition of gut microbiota or to reduce the metabolites of microbiota have been found recently,representing a new potential remedial target for DKD.In this minireview,we will address the possible contribution of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of DKD and its role as a therapeutic target.展开更多
Aim： To investigate the association among XRCC1 polymorphisms, smoking, drinking and the risk of prostate cancer （PCa） in men from Han, Southern China. Methods： In a case-control study of 207 patients with PCa and...Aim： To investigate the association among XRCC1 polymorphisms, smoking, drinking and the risk of prostate cancer （PCa） in men from Han, Southern China. Methods： In a case-control study of 207 patients with PCa and 235 cancerfree controls, frequency-matched by age, we genotyped three XRCC1 polymorphisms （codons 194, 280 and 399） using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RELP） method. Results： Among the three polymorphisms, we found that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln variant allele was associated with increased PCa risk （adjusted odd ratio [OR]： 1.67, 95% confident interval [CI]： 1.11-2.51）, but the XRCC1 Arg 194Trp variant allele had a 38% reduction in risk of PCa （adjusted OR： 0.62, 95% CI： 0.41-0.93）. However, there was no significant risk of PCa associated with Arg280His polymorphism. When we evaluated the three polymorphisms together, we found that the individuals with 194Arg/Arg wild-type genotype, Arg280His and Arg399Gln variant genotypes had a significantly higher risk of PCa （adjusted OR： 4.31; 95% CI： 1.24-14.99） than those with three wild-type genotypes. In addition, we found that Arg399Gln variant genotypes had a significant risk of PCa among heavy smokers （adjusted OR： 2.04; 95% CI： 1.03-4.05）. Conclusion： These results suggest that polymorphisms of XRCC1 appear to influence the risk of PCa and may modify risks attributable to environmental exposure.展开更多
Aim： To investigate the differences in microvessel densities （MVD） and the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）, VEGF-C and VEGF receptor-3 （VEGFR-3） between prostate cancer （PCa） tissues ...Aim： To investigate the differences in microvessel densities （MVD） and the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）, VEGF-C and VEGF receptor-3 （VEGFR-3） between prostate cancer （PCa） tissues and adjacent benign tissues, and to explore the correlations among MVD, Jewett-Whitmore staging, Gleason scores and expressions of VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in the progression of PCa. Methods： An immunohistochemical approach was adopted to detect the expressions of CD34, VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in both cancer areas and peripheral benign areas of 71 primary prostatic adenocarcinoma specimens. A statistic analysis was then performed according to the experimental and clinic data. Results： Significantly upregulated expressions of VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were all found in malignant epithelium/cancer cells compared with adjacent benign epithelium （P 〈 0.01）. Patients in stage D had a significantly higher score than patients in stage A, B or C when comparing the expression of VEGF-C or VEGFR-3 in the tumor area （P 〈 0.01）. In addition, significant correlations were observed between Jewett-Whitmore staging and VEGF-C （rs = 0.738, P 〈 0.01）, clinical staging and VEGFR-3 （rs = 0.410, P 〈 0.01）, VEGF-C and Gleason scores （rs = 0.401, P 〈 0.01）, VEGFR-3 and Gleason scores （rs = 0.581, P 〈 0.001） and MVD and VEGF （rs = 0.492, P 〈 0.001）. Conclusion： Increased expressions of VEGF and VEGF-C were closely associ- ated with progression of PCa. The main contribution of increased VEGF expression for PCa progression was to upregulate MVD, which maintained the growth advantage of tumor tissue. However, the chief role of increased expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 was to enhance lymphangiogenesis and provide a main pathway for cancer cells to disseminate. （Asian J Androl 2006 Mar; 8： 169-175）展开更多
The TP53, a transcriptional regulator and tumor suppressor, is functionally important in spermatogenesis. MDM2 is a key regulator of the p53 pathway and modulates p53 activity. Both proteins have been functionally lin...The TP53, a transcriptional regulator and tumor suppressor, is functionally important in spermatogenesis. MDM2 is a key regulator of the p53 pathway and modulates p53 activity. Both proteins have been functionally linked to germ cell apoptosis, which may affect human infertility, but very little is known on how common polymorphisms in these genes may influence germ cell apoptosis and the risk of male infertility. Thus, this study was designed to test whether three previously described polymorphisms 72Arg〉Pro （rs1042522） and the Ex2＋ 19C〉T （rs2287498） in TP53, and the 5＇ untranslated region （5＇ UTR） 309T〉G （rs937283） in MDM2, are associated with idiopathic male infertility in a Chinese population. The three polymorphisms were genotyped using OpenArray assay in a hospital-based case-control study, including 580 infertile patients and 580 fertile controls. Our analyses revealed that TP53 Ex2-1-19C〉T and MDM2 309T〉G polymorphisms are associated with male infertility. Furthermore, we detected a nearly statistically significant additive interaction between TP53 rs2287498 and MDM2 rs937283 for the development of male infertility （Pinteraction--O-055）- In summary, this study found preliminary evidence, demonstrating that genetic variants in genes of the TP53 pathway are risk factors for male infertility.展开更多
Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor （FSHR）, which is expressed only on Sertoli cells and plays a key role in spermatogenesis, has been paid attention for its potential in male contraception vaccine research and de...Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor （FSHR）, which is expressed only on Sertoli cells and plays a key role in spermatogenesis, has been paid attention for its potential in male contraception vaccine research and development. This study introduces a method for the preparation and purification of human FSHR 57-amino acid protein （FSHR-57aa） as well as determination of its immunogenicity and antifertility effect. A recombinant pET-28a（＋）-FSHR-57aa plasmid was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coil strain BL21 StarTM （DE3） and the FSHR-57aa protein was separated and collected by cutting the gel and recovering activity by efficient refolding dialysis. The protein was identified by Western blot and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis with a band of nearly 7 kDa and a purity of 97.4%. Male monkeys were immunized with rhFSHR-57aa protein and a gradual rising of specific serum IgG antibody was found which reached a plateau on day 112 （16 weeks） after the first immunization. After mating of one male with three female monkeys, the pregnancy rate of those mated with males immunized against FSHR-57aa was significantly decreased while the serum hormone levels of testosterone and estradiol were not disturbed in the control or the FSHR-57aa groups. By evaluating pathological changes in testicular histology, we found that the blood-testis barrier remained intact, in spite of some small damage to Sertoli cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the rhFSHR-57aa protein might be a feasible male contraceptive which could affect sperm production without disturbing hormone levels.展开更多
AIM： To explore the interaction models of the cytochrome P-450 （CYP） 1A1 Valvariant and glutathione S-transferase （GST） M1 null polymorphisms with tobacco smoking in the occurrence of intestinal gastric cancer. M...AIM： To explore the interaction models of the cytochrome P-450 （CYP） 1A1 Valvariant and glutathione S-transferase （GST） M1 null polymorphisms with tobacco smoking in the occurrence of intestinal gastric cancer. METHODS： A community-based case-control study was conducted in Yangzhong. Subjects included 114 intestinal types of gastric cancer with endoscopic and pathological diagnosis during January 1997 and December 1998, and 693 controls selected from their spouse, siblings or siblingsin-law who had no history of digestive system cancer. Logistic regression was used to estimate the interaction models. RESULTS： The frequency of the CYPIA1 Valvariant allele in cases did not differ from that in controls. The OR of GSTM1 null genotype was 2.0 （95% confidence interval [95%CI]： 1.2-3.1, P〈0.01）. It showed a significant type 2 form of interaction model when both CYPIA1 Valvariant allele and former tobacco smoking existed （i.e., among the multiplicative effects, the disease risk is increased by the tobacco exposure alone but not by the CYPIA1 variant alone）. The interaction index y was 2.8, and OReg （95%CI） was 5.0 （1.9-13.4）. GSTM1 null genctype and former tobacco smoking were significant in a type 4 interaction model （i.e., the disease risk is increased by GSTM1 null genotype or tobacco exposure alone among the multiplicative effects）. The interaction index y and OReg （95%CI） were 3.4 and 8.4 （3.4-20.9）, respectively.CONCLUSION： Different interaction models of CYPIA1 Valvariant allele and GSTM1 null genotype with tobacco smoking will contribute to understanding carcinogenic mechanism, but there is a need to further investigate in larger scale studies.展开更多
To investigate the expression pattern of rat Eppin （epididymal protease inhibitor; official symbol Spinlwl）, we detected mRNA transcripts and subsequent protein translation of Eppin in several sorts of tissues by RT...To investigate the expression pattern of rat Eppin （epididymal protease inhibitor; official symbol Spinlwl）, we detected mRNA transcripts and subsequent protein translation of Eppin in several sorts of tissues by RT-PCR and westem blotting. Then immunohistochemistry was performed for more detailed observation. The testicular transcription level was monitored by real-time PCR throughout postnatal development. We found that rat Eppin was specifically expressed in the testis and epididymis. The testicular transcription was slight in neonatal （1-day） and infantile stages （5-, 7- and 10-day）. It increased sharply thereafter, with maximum expression level （about 38- fold compared with that of 1-day old rat） detected in prepubertal stage （15-day）. Then a slightly declined but stable level （about 20-fold compared with that of 1-day old rat） was kept in pubertal-early adult （30-day） and adult （60-day） stages of postnatal maturation. In the adult rat, EPPIN protein was mainly localized in the elongated spermatids and epididymal epithelial cells. Sperm in the epididymal duct were all covered with EPPIN and its level kept constant during incubation under conditions used to achieve capacitation. Its stage-specific expression in the testis suggests that EPPIN may be important during spermatogenesis especially for the spermatid elongation. The abundant production of epididymal EPPIN indicated indirectly that it might play a role in the function of the epididymis.展开更多
Human epididymal protease inhibitor （eppin） may be effective as a male contraceptive vaccine. In a number of studies, eppin with an engineered His6-tag has been produced using prokaryotic expression systems. For pro...Human epididymal protease inhibitor （eppin） may be effective as a male contraceptive vaccine. In a number of studies, eppin with an engineered His6-tag has been produced using prokaryotic expression systems. For production of pharmaceutical-grade proteins for human use, however, the His6-tag must be removed. This study describes a method for producing recombinant human eppin without a His6-tag. We constructed plasmid pET28a （＋）-His6-tobacco etch virus （TEV）-eppin for expression in Escherichia coli. After purification and refolding, the fusion protein His6-TEV-eppin was digested with TEV protease to remove the His6-tag and was further purified by NTA-Ni2＋ affinity chromatography. Using this procedure, 2 mg of eppin without a His6-tag was isolated from 1 I of culture with a purity of 〉95%. The immunogenicity of the eppin was characterized using male Balb/c mice.展开更多
Heat shock proteins (HSP)are essential molecular chaperones that play important roles in the stress stimulation of insects.Bemisia tabaci,a phloem feeder and invasive species,can cause extensive crop damage through di...Heat shock proteins (HSP)are essential molecular chaperones that play important roles in the stress stimulation of insects.Bemisia tabaci,a phloem feeder and invasive species,can cause extensive crop damage through direct feeding and transmission of plant viruses.Here we employed comprehensive genomics approaches to identity HSP superfamily members in the Middle East Asia Minor 1 whitefly genome.In total,we identified 26 Hsp genes,including three Hsp90,17 Hsp70,one Hsp60 and five sHSP (small heat shock protein)genes.The HSP gene superfamily of whitefly is expanded compared with the other five insects surveyed here.The gene structures among the same families are relatively conserved.Meanwhile,the motif compositions and secondary structures of BtHsp proteins were predicted.In addition,quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the expression patterns of BtHsp gene superfamily were diverse across different tissues of whiteflies.Most Hsp genes were induced or repressed by thermal stress (40℃)and cold treatment (4℃)in whitefly.Silencing the expression of BtHsp70-6 significantly decreased the survival rate of whitefly under 45℃.All the results showed the Hsps conferred thermo-tolerance or cold-tolerance to whiteflies that protect them from being affected by detrimental temperature conditions.Our observations highlighted the molecular evolutionary properties and the response mechanism to temperature assaults of Hsp genes in whitefly.展开更多
基金The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42204122).
文摘There are abundant igneous gas reservoirs in the South China Sea with significant value of research,and lithology classification,mineral analysis and porosity inversion are important links in reservoir evaluation.However,affected by the diverse lithology,complicated mineral and widespread alteration,conventional logging lithology classification and mineral inversion become considerably difficult.At the same time,owing to the limitation of the wireline log response equation,the quantity and accuracy of minerals can hardly meet the exploration requirements of igneous formations.To overcome those issues,this study takes the South China Sea as an example,and combines multi-scale data such as micro rock slices,petrophysical experiments,wireline log and element cutting log to establish a set of joint inversion methods for minerals and porosity of altered igneous rocks.Specifically,we define the lithology and mineral characteristics through core slices and mineral data,and establish an igneous multi-mineral volumetric model.Then we determine element cutting log correction method based on core element data,and combine wireline log and corrected element cutting log to perform the lithology classification and joint inversion of minerals and porosity.However,it is always difficult to determine the elemental eigenvalues of different minerals in inversion.This paper uses multiple linear regression methods to solve this problem.Finally,an integrated inversion technique for altered igneous formations was developed.The results show that the corrected element cutting log are in good agreement with the core element data,and the mineral and porosity results obtained from the joint inversion based on the wireline log and corrected element cutting log are also in good agreement with the core data from X-ray diffraction.The results demonstrate that the inversion technique is applicable and this study provides a new direction for the mineral inversion research of altered igneous formations.
文摘Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is one of the major chronic complications of diabetes mellitus(DM),as well as a main cause of end-stage renal disease.Over the last few years,substantial research studies have revealed a contributory role of gut microbiota in the process of DM and DKD.Metabolites of gut microbiota like lipopolysaccharide,short-chain fatty acids,and trimethylamine N-oxide are key mediators of microbial–host crosstalk.However,the underlying mechanisms of how gut microbiota influences the onset and progression of DKD are relatively unknown.Besides,strategies to remodel the composition of gut microbiota or to reduce the metabolites of microbiota have been found recently,representing a new potential remedial target for DKD.In this minireview,we will address the possible contribution of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of DKD and its role as a therapeutic target.
文摘Aim： To investigate the association among XRCC1 polymorphisms, smoking, drinking and the risk of prostate cancer （PCa） in men from Han, Southern China. Methods： In a case-control study of 207 patients with PCa and 235 cancerfree controls, frequency-matched by age, we genotyped three XRCC1 polymorphisms （codons 194, 280 and 399） using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RELP） method. Results： Among the three polymorphisms, we found that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln variant allele was associated with increased PCa risk （adjusted odd ratio [OR]： 1.67, 95% confident interval [CI]： 1.11-2.51）, but the XRCC1 Arg 194Trp variant allele had a 38% reduction in risk of PCa （adjusted OR： 0.62, 95% CI： 0.41-0.93）. However, there was no significant risk of PCa associated with Arg280His polymorphism. When we evaluated the three polymorphisms together, we found that the individuals with 194Arg/Arg wild-type genotype, Arg280His and Arg399Gln variant genotypes had a significantly higher risk of PCa （adjusted OR： 4.31; 95% CI： 1.24-14.99） than those with three wild-type genotypes. In addition, we found that Arg399Gln variant genotypes had a significant risk of PCa among heavy smokers （adjusted OR： 2.04; 95% CI： 1.03-4.05）. Conclusion： These results suggest that polymorphisms of XRCC1 appear to influence the risk of PCa and may modify risks attributable to environmental exposure.
文摘Aim： To investigate the differences in microvessel densities （MVD） and the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）, VEGF-C and VEGF receptor-3 （VEGFR-3） between prostate cancer （PCa） tissues and adjacent benign tissues, and to explore the correlations among MVD, Jewett-Whitmore staging, Gleason scores and expressions of VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in the progression of PCa. Methods： An immunohistochemical approach was adopted to detect the expressions of CD34, VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in both cancer areas and peripheral benign areas of 71 primary prostatic adenocarcinoma specimens. A statistic analysis was then performed according to the experimental and clinic data. Results： Significantly upregulated expressions of VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were all found in malignant epithelium/cancer cells compared with adjacent benign epithelium （P 〈 0.01）. Patients in stage D had a significantly higher score than patients in stage A, B or C when comparing the expression of VEGF-C or VEGFR-3 in the tumor area （P 〈 0.01）. In addition, significant correlations were observed between Jewett-Whitmore staging and VEGF-C （rs = 0.738, P 〈 0.01）, clinical staging and VEGFR-3 （rs = 0.410, P 〈 0.01）, VEGF-C and Gleason scores （rs = 0.401, P 〈 0.01）, VEGFR-3 and Gleason scores （rs = 0.581, P 〈 0.001） and MVD and VEGF （rs = 0.492, P 〈 0.001）. Conclusion： Increased expressions of VEGF and VEGF-C were closely associ- ated with progression of PCa. The main contribution of increased VEGF expression for PCa progression was to upregulate MVD, which maintained the growth advantage of tumor tissue. However, the chief role of increased expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 was to enhance lymphangiogenesis and provide a main pathway for cancer cells to disseminate. （Asian J Androl 2006 Mar; 8： 169-175）
文摘The TP53, a transcriptional regulator and tumor suppressor, is functionally important in spermatogenesis. MDM2 is a key regulator of the p53 pathway and modulates p53 activity. Both proteins have been functionally linked to germ cell apoptosis, which may affect human infertility, but very little is known on how common polymorphisms in these genes may influence germ cell apoptosis and the risk of male infertility. Thus, this study was designed to test whether three previously described polymorphisms 72Arg〉Pro （rs1042522） and the Ex2＋ 19C〉T （rs2287498） in TP53, and the 5＇ untranslated region （5＇ UTR） 309T〉G （rs937283） in MDM2, are associated with idiopathic male infertility in a Chinese population. The three polymorphisms were genotyped using OpenArray assay in a hospital-based case-control study, including 580 infertile patients and 580 fertile controls. Our analyses revealed that TP53 Ex2-1-19C〉T and MDM2 309T〉G polymorphisms are associated with male infertility. Furthermore, we detected a nearly statistically significant additive interaction between TP53 rs2287498 and MDM2 rs937283 for the development of male infertility （Pinteraction--O-055）- In summary, this study found preliminary evidence, demonstrating that genetic variants in genes of the TP53 pathway are risk factors for male infertility.
基金This study was supported by the National Key Technologies R and D Program （No. 2012BAI31B07 and No. 2006BAI03B12）, the National Science Foundationof China （No. 81172694）. This project was also funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.
文摘Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor （FSHR）, which is expressed only on Sertoli cells and plays a key role in spermatogenesis, has been paid attention for its potential in male contraception vaccine research and development. This study introduces a method for the preparation and purification of human FSHR 57-amino acid protein （FSHR-57aa） as well as determination of its immunogenicity and antifertility effect. A recombinant pET-28a（＋）-FSHR-57aa plasmid was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coil strain BL21 StarTM （DE3） and the FSHR-57aa protein was separated and collected by cutting the gel and recovering activity by efficient refolding dialysis. The protein was identified by Western blot and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis with a band of nearly 7 kDa and a purity of 97.4%. Male monkeys were immunized with rhFSHR-57aa protein and a gradual rising of specific serum IgG antibody was found which reached a plateau on day 112 （16 weeks） after the first immunization. After mating of one male with three female monkeys, the pregnancy rate of those mated with males immunized against FSHR-57aa was significantly decreased while the serum hormone levels of testosterone and estradiol were not disturbed in the control or the FSHR-57aa groups. By evaluating pathological changes in testicular histology, we found that the blood-testis barrier remained intact, in spite of some small damage to Sertoli cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the rhFSHR-57aa protein might be a feasible male contraceptive which could affect sperm production without disturbing hormone levels.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30170827 and 30070671
文摘AIM： To explore the interaction models of the cytochrome P-450 （CYP） 1A1 Valvariant and glutathione S-transferase （GST） M1 null polymorphisms with tobacco smoking in the occurrence of intestinal gastric cancer. METHODS： A community-based case-control study was conducted in Yangzhong. Subjects included 114 intestinal types of gastric cancer with endoscopic and pathological diagnosis during January 1997 and December 1998, and 693 controls selected from their spouse, siblings or siblingsin-law who had no history of digestive system cancer. Logistic regression was used to estimate the interaction models. RESULTS： The frequency of the CYPIA1 Valvariant allele in cases did not differ from that in controls. The OR of GSTM1 null genotype was 2.0 （95% confidence interval [95%CI]： 1.2-3.1, P〈0.01）. It showed a significant type 2 form of interaction model when both CYPIA1 Valvariant allele and former tobacco smoking existed （i.e., among the multiplicative effects, the disease risk is increased by the tobacco exposure alone but not by the CYPIA1 variant alone）. The interaction index y was 2.8, and OReg （95%CI） was 5.0 （1.9-13.4）. GSTM1 null genctype and former tobacco smoking were significant in a type 4 interaction model （i.e., the disease risk is increased by GSTM1 null genotype or tobacco exposure alone among the multiplicative effects）. The interaction index y and OReg （95%CI） were 3.4 and 8.4 （3.4-20.9）, respectively.CONCLUSION： Different interaction models of CYPIA1 Valvariant allele and GSTM1 null genotype with tobacco smoking will contribute to understanding carcinogenic mechanism, but there is a need to further investigate in larger scale studies.
文摘To investigate the expression pattern of rat Eppin （epididymal protease inhibitor; official symbol Spinlwl）, we detected mRNA transcripts and subsequent protein translation of Eppin in several sorts of tissues by RT-PCR and westem blotting. Then immunohistochemistry was performed for more detailed observation. The testicular transcription level was monitored by real-time PCR throughout postnatal development. We found that rat Eppin was specifically expressed in the testis and epididymis. The testicular transcription was slight in neonatal （1-day） and infantile stages （5-, 7- and 10-day）. It increased sharply thereafter, with maximum expression level （about 38- fold compared with that of 1-day old rat） detected in prepubertal stage （15-day）. Then a slightly declined but stable level （about 20-fold compared with that of 1-day old rat） was kept in pubertal-early adult （30-day） and adult （60-day） stages of postnatal maturation. In the adult rat, EPPIN protein was mainly localized in the elongated spermatids and epididymal epithelial cells. Sperm in the epididymal duct were all covered with EPPIN and its level kept constant during incubation under conditions used to achieve capacitation. Its stage-specific expression in the testis suggests that EPPIN may be important during spermatogenesis especially for the spermatid elongation. The abundant production of epididymal EPPIN indicated indirectly that it might play a role in the function of the epididymis.
基金ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful to Dr Zi-Chun Hua （The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science, Nanjing University, China） for kindly providing plasmid pET28a （＋） and TEV endoprotease and to Dr Michael G. O＇Rand （Laboratories for Reproductive Biology and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA） for English-language editing. This study was supported by grants from the Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 30930079） and the Chinese National Nature Science Foundation （No. 81001257）.
文摘Human epididymal protease inhibitor （eppin） may be effective as a male contraceptive vaccine. In a number of studies, eppin with an engineered His6-tag has been produced using prokaryotic expression systems. For production of pharmaceutical-grade proteins for human use, however, the His6-tag must be removed. This study describes a method for producing recombinant human eppin without a His6-tag. We constructed plasmid pET28a （＋）-His6-tobacco etch virus （TEV）-eppin for expression in Escherichia coli. After purification and refolding, the fusion protein His6-TEV-eppin was digested with TEV protease to remove the His6-tag and was further purified by NTA-Ni2＋ affinity chromatography. Using this procedure, 2 mg of eppin without a His6-tag was isolated from 1 I of culture with a purity of 〉95%. The immunogenicity of the eppin was characterized using male Balb/c mice.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31390421)the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB138404).
文摘Heat shock proteins (HSP)are essential molecular chaperones that play important roles in the stress stimulation of insects.Bemisia tabaci,a phloem feeder and invasive species,can cause extensive crop damage through direct feeding and transmission of plant viruses.Here we employed comprehensive genomics approaches to identity HSP superfamily members in the Middle East Asia Minor 1 whitefly genome.In total,we identified 26 Hsp genes,including three Hsp90,17 Hsp70,one Hsp60 and five sHSP (small heat shock protein)genes.The HSP gene superfamily of whitefly is expanded compared with the other five insects surveyed here.The gene structures among the same families are relatively conserved.Meanwhile,the motif compositions and secondary structures of BtHsp proteins were predicted.In addition,quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the expression patterns of BtHsp gene superfamily were diverse across different tissues of whiteflies.Most Hsp genes were induced or repressed by thermal stress (40℃)and cold treatment (4℃)in whitefly.Silencing the expression of BtHsp70-6 significantly decreased the survival rate of whitefly under 45℃.All the results showed the Hsps conferred thermo-tolerance or cold-tolerance to whiteflies that protect them from being affected by detrimental temperature conditions.Our observations highlighted the molecular evolutionary properties and the response mechanism to temperature assaults of Hsp genes in whitefly.
