Abstract:Type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) from plants produce a variety of plant secondary metabolites with notable structural diversity and biological activity. These metabolites not only afford plants the ability to defend against pathogen attack and other external stresses, but also exhibit a wide range of biological effects on human health. Several plant PKSs have been identified and studied in recent years. This paper summarized what was known about plant PKSs and some of their aspects such as molecular structure, reaction mechanisms, gene expression and regulation, and transgenic engineering. The review provides information for manipulating polyketide formation and further increasing the scope of polyketide biosynthetic diversity, as well as new avenues for developing transgenic engineering of type Ⅲ PKSs.

Abstract:Recombinant adeno-associated virus has been proven to be a promising gene delivery vector for human gene therapy with many advantages. Successful applications of recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors in preclinical and clinical human gene therapies make it become a demanded product. A well-established and large-scale production system is therefore required. Since wild type of adeno-associated virus was well characterized in 1989, progress has been made. Particularly, package system of recombinant adeno-associated virus has been developed to use insect cell instead of human cell. These advances in adeno-associated virus production will allow it to meet the demands of basic research and clinical applications. This review will focus on trends in packaging systems and development on a large scale of recombinant adeno- associated virus production.

Abstract:In order to explore the morphological changes of Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cells induced by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) L protease, we induced the expression of FMDV L protease in bovine kidney cells (MDBK) artificially. All work is carried out on the basis of a stable MDBK cell line inducibly expresses the Lab gene under the control of tetracycline. We use cell morphology, Hoechst 33258 staining, AO-EB staining, and DNA Ladder abstraction to research the morphological changes of MDBK cells. 24 hours after FMDV L protease were induced and expressed in MDBK cells, cells shown the diminish of cell size, nuclear enrichment and the appearance of transparency circle under the light microscope. Apoptosis characteristics of nuclear condensation, fragmentation, accompanied by apoptotic bodies formation (Hoechst 33258 staining). 36 hours after the expression, nuclear staining of early lesions showed bright green plaque or debris-like dense, and advanced lesions showed Orange and dense plaques (AO-EB staining). 48 hours after the expression, DNA gel electrophoresis showed visible DNA ladder. Results indicate that FMDV L protease can induce apoptosis of MDBK and apoptosis plays an important role in the cytopathogencity effect of FMDV.

Abstract:After sequencing the Asia 1 foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) (As01 strain), we amplified the two fragments covering the whole genome by overlapping PCR and long PCR. The 5￠ fragment was 1.8 kb in length including 15Cs, and the 3￠ fragment was 6.7 kb in length. The two fragments were cloned into the pBluescript SK vector to construct recombinant plasmid pBSAs carrying the full-length cDNA of FMDV As01 strain. The RNA transcript was synthesized in vitro using T7 polymerase and transfected into BHK-21 cells. We observed the typical CPE caused by rescued FMDV. The harvested virus was confirmed to be Asia 1 FMDV by RT-PCR, indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and electron microscope observation. The rescued virus showed a similar pathogenicity in suckling mouse (LD50) compared to its wild-type virus. The infectious cDNA clone of the FMDV As01 strain laid a new ground for further investigation of FMDV virulence determinants and development of novel vaccines against FMD.

Abstract:Estrogen-related receptor a (ERRa) is an orphan nuclear receptor and functions as a key regulator of energy metabolism in high energy demand tissues. However, its role in white adipose tissue is largely unknown. In this study, we aim to clone the ORF sequence of pig ERRα with touch down-PCR, analyze the expression pattern of ERRa protein and its subcellular localization with Western blotting and cell immunofluorescence method respectively, and identify the effect of ERRα on lipid accumulation in mature porcine adipocytes with its specific inhibitor XCT790. The results showed that the ERRα ORF sequence is 1269 bp (GenBank Accession No. FJ446485, not published), and encode 422 amino acids. The homologies of ERRα nucleotide and amino acids sequences are high in different species. ERRα protein is highly expressed in pig white adipose tissue, kidney and heart, while remarkably lower in spleen. Cell immunofluorescence results indicated that ERRα protein distribute widely in adipocytes nucleus and cytoplasm. XCT790 significantly inhibited the expression of ERRα and lipid accumulation in porcine mature adipocyte. This study will provide new target and theoretical reference for fat deposition control.

Abstract:Infectious clone is a useful tool in exploring viral replication and pathogenesis. In order to prevent linear PCV2 cyclization, PCR mutagenesis was used to construct the first molecular clone (pSK-2PCV2) by ligating two copies of the complete PCV2 genome with the pBluescript SK (pSK) vector. In addition, pSK-PCV2 and ds-PCV2 were constructed. PK-15 cells were transfected with above three infectious clones. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) revealed that the virus antigen mainly localized in infected cell nucleolus and cytoplasm. PCV2 specific nucleotide fragment in cell culture was amplified by RT-PCR. Typical porcine circovirus particles with diameter about 17 nm were also observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) in the infected cells. The rescued virus sequences from the cultures had 100% homology with the inserting PCV2 genome. The rescued virus shared similar properties with that of the parental virus. The study establishes a platform for further research on the virus molecular biology and pathogenicity.

Abstract:Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) has been implicated as the etiological agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Co-infection of PCV2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) can result in severe economic losses to the swine industry. In this study, we constructed the recombinant adenovirus rAd-Cap-GP5 expressing Cap of PCV2 and GP5 of PRRSV. And the expression of Cap and GP5 protein in the HEK-293 cells inoculated with rAd-Cap-GP5 were confirmed by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA), indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and Western blotting, respectively. The immunogenicity of recombinant adenoviruses rAd-Cap-GP5 was examined in mice by vaccination with the recombinant adenovirus. The results showed that the mice could produce anti-PCV2 and PRRSV antibodies detected by indirect ELISA and virus neutralization assay. It indicated that rAd-Cap-GP5 could provide humoral immunity responses in mice. The recombinant adenovirus rAd-Cap-GP5 might be an attractive candidate vaccine for preventing the disease associated with PCV2 and PRRSV infection.

Abstract:We designed the primers based on the sequence of the follistatin-related protein from Haemaphysalis longicornis Okayama strain accessed in GenBank. We cloned a gene encoding follistatin-related protein by RT-PCR, and the length cDNA is 814?bp, encoding a deduced protein of 289 amino acids. The alignment with the sequence of follistatin-related protein from the H. longicornis Okayama strain showed that the percent of nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence is 97.8% and 99%, respectively. The expected size of GST-fused recombinant protein was 57 kD. We purified the recombinant protein through MagneGSTTM protein purification system. Western blotting revealed that stronger reaction happened with the antiserum against eggs, but not clear with antisera against other developmental stages.

Abstract:In order to study the pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes (LM), we cloned listeriolysin gene into prokaryotic expression vector PET21a. The expression vector was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 for expression of listeriolysin O (LLO). LLO-His tag fusion protein was purified with a Ni-NTA affinity column and was used as an immunogen to vaccinate BALB/C mice. Hybridomas were developed by fusing mouse myeloma cells Sp2/0 and splenocytes from the immunized mice and screened with purified LLO. Three hybridomas secreting antibodies against listeriolysin O were obtained and named anti-LLO1, anti-LLO2 and anti-LLO3, respectively. Western blotting analysis showed that all of them could specifically bind to the LLO secreted by the LM. The titers of anti-LLO monoclonal antibodies in the supernatants of three hybridomas cultures were 1:3.6×104, 1:6.4×104 and 1:1.6×104, respectively, and the titers of ascites from the hybridoma-injected mice were 1:2×107, 1:2×107 and 1:1×107, respectively, based on ELISA test. The isotypes of the monoclonal antibodies were determined to be IgG1. The dissociation constants (Kd) of these three monoclonal antibodies were determined to be 6.18×10-11, 7.50×10-11 and 6.27×10-11 respectively. These data and reagents will be of great assistance to elucidate the pathogenesis of Listeriosis.

Abstract:According to 45 hemagglutinin (HA) gene sequences of H7 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV), a pair of specific oligonucleotide primers was designed. We developed one step RT-PCR for detecting AIV subtype H7. Sensitivity to detection of allantoic fluid by one step RT-PCR reached 105.5 EID50/ mL and detection of swab samples reached 103 EID50/mL. We simultaneity detected the tissue and swab samples infected with H7 subtypes AIV by one step RT-PCR and virus isolation method. The results showed that the sensitivity of the assay gave an excellent correlation with the conventional virus isolation method. H1-H15 subtypes of avian influenza and other avian diseases were detected by the one step RT-PCR. The results showed the assays were high specific, without cross-reaction with other subtypes or other avian diseases. Development of one step RT-PCR will provide effective technical support for the rapid diagnosis and surveillance of molecular epidemiology of AIV subtype H7.

Abstract:The aims of this research were to construct prokaryotic expression vector containing the gene of porcine urate oxidase(pUOX), optimize the conditions of the expression of pUOX in recombinant Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and analyze the in vitro activity and the enzymological properties of pUOX. The pUOX gene was amplified by RT-PCR from the extracted total RNA of porcine liver, and was inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pET30a(+) to construct a recombinant expression vector pET30a(+)/pUOX. We identified the recombinant vector by endonuclease digestion and sequence analysis. The pUOX gene was amplified and cloned into the vector pET30a(+) successfully. And then the recombinant vector was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3). The expression of pUOX with a molecular of approximately 41 kD was induced by IPTG. We also optimized the expression conditions of the recombinant protein. The recombinant protein was mostly located in the cytoplasm and it was insoluble. After the inclusion body was solved in 8 mol/L urea and refolding in 2 mol/L urea, the recombinant protein was collected and purified by Ni2+-NTA column. This recombinant protein had a specific activity of 50.61 IU/mg and showed similar properties of optimum temperature and thermal stability, base on the enzymatic assay and analysis of enzymological properties. These results would help to analyze the in vivo activity by testing animal.

Abstract:Agitation plays an important role in the hyaluronic acid (HA) fermentation process. However, views about the effect of agitation on HA production remain controversial. We investigated the effect of agitation on cell growth and HA synthesis during HA fermentation process by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology. The results showed that the biomass and HA yield changed a little with the increase of impeller speed, but the HA molecular weight firstly increased and then decreased. The results of phase agitation control strategy demonstrated that the influence of agitation on the HA molecular weight mainly exhibited at the stage of HA synthesis. Moreover, the CFD simulation results indicated that when impeller speed increased, the mixing time reduced while the shear rate increased significantly. The removal of anchor could moderate the contradiction between the mixing time and shear rate, and finally the HA molecular weight increased by 23.9%. The results of this work could provide guidelines for optimizing the HA fermentation, as well as the bioreactor design and scaling up.

Abstract:The effect of cultivation conditions on the optical purity of L(+)-lactic acid produced by Rhizopus oryzae HZS6 was investigated. The isomeric composition of lactic acid was influenced by the supplementation of L(+)-lactic acid to fermentation medium. L(+)-isomer increased with the dosage, no D(-)-lactic acid was observed when the concentration of supplemented L(+)-lactic acid in matrix was ≥1.5 g/L. However, the L(+)-lactic acid yield, biomass and glucose conversion rate decreased with the dosage. With the same method, the supplementation of L(+)-lactic to substrate had no influence on isomeric composition of lactic acid by Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli.

Abstract:We studied simultaneous removal of sulfide and nitrite by an anaerobic process in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The process could remove sulfide and nitrite 13.4 kg/(m3·d) and 2.3 kg/(m3·d), respectively, of the reactor tolerated high influent substrate concentration (880.0 mg S/L and 252.7 mg N/L) with the optimum substrate concentration (460.0 mg S/L and 132.3 mg N/L). It tolerated short hydraulic retention time (HRT) with the optimum HRT of 4 h. The apparent half inhibition concentrations of sulfide and nitrite were 403.9 mg S/L and 120.8 mg N/L, respectively, under different influent substrate concentrations. The combined effect between sulfide and nitrite was antagonistic effect.

Abstract:External Guide Sequences (EGSs) represents a novel nucleic acid based gene interference approach to modulate gene expression. They are oligonucleotides that consist of a sequence complementary to a target mRNA and recruit intracellular RNase P for specific degradation of the target RNA. DNA-based EGS1386 with a size of 12 nt was chemically synthesized to target the mRNA coding for the UL49 gene of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The DNA-based EGS1386 molecule efficiently directed human RNase P to cleave the target mRNA sequence in vitro. A reduction of more than 50% in the levels of UL49 expression was observed in human cells treated with the DNA-based EGS1386 targeted UL49 assayed by fluorescent quantization PCR and Western blotting. This results showed that the DNA-EGS1386 can effectively guide the RNase P cut the target mRNA. Therefore, DNA-EGS can develop into a new gene silencing technology and potential of the anti-viral reagents.

Abstract:To prolong serum half-life of human kallikrein (hK) and enhance its secretion rate, we modified hK gene and constructed a new form of recombinant hK protein (hK'-Fc). We amplified hK gene and Fc sequence, replaced the signal peptide of hK gene with murine signal peptide, constructed native expression plasmid of pcDNA-hK-Fc and modified expression plasmid of pcDNA-hK'-Fc, then transfected to CHO cells respectively. After the stable cell lines were screened, we compared the secretion rate between native fusion protein and modified fusion protein, purified fusion protein through Protein A+G affinity chromatography column and investigated the bioactivity of fusion protein. The results showed that recombinant vectors encoding fusion protein hK-Fc and hK'-Fc were constructed successfully; CHO cell lines stably secreting fusion protein were obtained, the yield is higher than 11 mg/L; Secretion rate was enhanced by 5?10 times after the signal peptide of fusion protein was modified; Fusion protein has enzymatic activity in vitro. The above results could promote the following researches on serum half-life of the fusion protein and develop a new stroke medicine with better clinical efficacy.

Abstract:We studied the effect of surfactin on cell proliferation, apoptosis and the cytoskeleton in human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in vitro. The result of 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) showed that the surfactin inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with IC50 at 48 h of 27.3 μmol/L. Surfactin-induced cell death was considered to be apoptotic by observing the typical apoptotic morphological changes by AO/EB staining. Flow cytometric analysis also demonstrated that surfactin caused time-dependent apoptosis of MCF-7 cells through cell arrest at G2/M phase. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting showed that surfactin significantly suppressed the expression of vimentin, induced the α-tubulin depolymerization and rearrangement and then the skeleton system of the cells changed dramatically. Based on our findings, surfactin can significantly inhibit the growth of MCF-7 cells and induce apoptosis.

Abstract:Interleukin-21 is a type I cytokine mainly produced by activated CD4+ T cells that acts as a regulator of immune system. In this work, hIL-21cDNA was amplified from human peripheral blood lymphocytes by RT-PCR, and then inserted into pPIC9K. The recombinant vector pPIC9K-hIL21cDNA was linearized by Sac I, and transformed into Pichia pastoris strain GS115 by electroporation. Transformants were selected by G418 and confirmed by PCR. The recombinant protein was expressed and secreted into the supernatant after inducing by methanol. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated the molecular weight of rhIL-21 was about 16 kD. ELISA results show that the yield of rhIL-21 reach 229.28 mg/L, rhIL-21 was purified from culture supernatants, and it was purified to about 95% purity with ion-exchange chromatography. When co-stimulate with Con A, rhIL-21 can promote the proliferation of human lymphocytes. This is the first expression of bio-active rhIL-21 in Pichia pastoris. It lays a foundation for further research in immunotherapy and cancer therapy.

Abstract:Heparinase III is an enzyme that specifically cleaves certain sequences of heparan sulfate. Previous reports showed that this enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli was highly prone to aggregation in inclusion bodies and lacks detectable biological activity. In this paper, we fused a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) tag to the N-terminus of heparinase III gene and expressed the fusion protein in Escherichia coli to develop an expression system of soluble heparinase III. As a result, approximately 80% of the fusion protein was soluble. The protein was then purified to near homogeneity via one-step affinity chromatography. A 199.4-fold purification was achieved and the purified enzyme had a specific activity of 101.7 IU/mg protein. This represented 32.3% recovery of the total activity of recombinant GST-heparinase III. The maximum enzyme production was achieved when bacteria were induced with 0.5 mmol/L isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside at 15°C for 12 h. The enzyme showed maximum activity at 30°C and pH 7.5. And the enzyme activity was stimulated by 1 mmol/L Ca2+ and 150 mmol/L NaCl.

Abstract:Cordycepin has the effect of anti-tumor, immunomodulation, anti-inflammation and so on. In order to make use of Cordyceps militaris better, we implanted different doses of low-energy ion beam into C. militaris, chose best cordycepin extracting technology , and determined cordycepin content in strains before and after ion beam implantation by UV spectrophotometry. Results showed that the best dose of low-energy ion beam was 2.60×1015 ions/cm2, the best conditions of microwave assisted ultrasonic extraction technology were as follows: 70% ethanol as the solvent, microwave power as 200 W, extraction time as 110 s, Material - liquid ratio as 1: 240. We chose 15 strains with high-yielding cordycepin, of which cordycepin content was up to (11.924±0.063)?mg/g, which was a nearly 30% increase compared with the original strain.

Abstract:In vitro transcription systems with T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) were widely used in preparation of RNA because of their simplicity and high efficiency. The transcripts would have additional 5￠ sequence since T7 promoter spans the transcription start site, while deletion of the transcription start site would severely reduce the T7 RNAP transcriptional activity. We successfully developed an in vitro transcription by combining of T7 RNAP high efficient transcription system and highly specific self-splicing technology of ribozymes, in this system, ribozyme self-splices at the designed specific site and releases the aim RNA without affecting transcription efficiency of T7 RNAP, the aminoacylation activity of human mitochondrial tRNATrp (HmtRNATrp (UCA)) is 113.6 pmol/μg. This method with its high efficiency on transcription and good repeatability is very suitable for preparation of accurate RNA in large scale.

Abstract:In order to construct a novel fusion protein PTD-maxadilan (PTD-MAX) that can enter the blood-brain barrier (BBB) efficiently, a new gene encoding PTD-MAX was synthesized and cloned into the expression vector pKYB. The recombinant vector pKYB-PTD-MAX was transformed into Escherichia coli ER2566. The expression of fusion protein consisting of PTD-MAX, intein and chitin binding domain was induced by IPTG and the target PTD-MAX protein was purified using Intein Mediated Purification with an Affinity Chitin-binding Tag system. The molecular weight of PTD-MAX determined by the laser flight mass spectrometry was coherent with its theoretical value. The results of the experiment in vivo indicated that the recombinant PTD-MAX can permeate into BBS and inhibitory effects on the food intake were more significantly than maxadilan (P<0.05). The preparation of PTD-MAX lay the foundation for its further application.

Abstract:In order to obtain enough fusion protein for developing preclinical studies of IFNb-HAS, we screened Pichia pastoris transformants expressing high-level protein by immunology method. The yield of IFNβ-HSA was about 500 mg/L by fed-batch fermentation. The purity of IFNβ-HSA reached 96% through the steps of ultrafiltration, Blue Sepharose FF, Ni2+-IMAC and DEAE Sepharose FF. Analysis of Western blotting showed that IFNβ-HSA had the antigenicity of IFNβ and HSA. The specific activity was about 1.96×107 IU/mg by standard survival activity test on WISH cells challenged with VSV virus. This study provided a method to produce IFNβ-HSA.