Bao Yongming

Effect of Cuscuta chinensis glycoside on the neuronal differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells

Exposure of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells to Cuscuta chinensis glycoside induced neuronal differentiation with resulting outgrowth of neurites and increase of acetylcholinesterase activity. A specific inhibitor of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase, PD98059, prevented this effect of C. chinensis on PC12 cells. These results suggested that C. chinensis glycoside induced neuronal differentiation in PC12 cells linked to the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling cascade.

An expeditious method for constructing T-vectors usingEam 1105 I cassettes

An expeditious method is described for constructing T-vectors containing complementary 3′-thymidine overhangs. A T-vector was developed by cloning a 90-bpEam 1105 I cassette containing 2Eam 1105 I restriction sites into a modified pUC119 vector. TheEam 1105 I cassette was generated by PCR with 2 specific primers containing different recognition sequences ofEam 1105 I. The recombinant vector was easily converted into a T-vector by digestion of the plasmid withEam 1105 I. The cloning efficiency of the PCR product was approximately 90%. The method described here is a simple way to construct a variety of T-vectors.

Production of a functional single-chain Fv protein in transgenic tobacco root exudates

Nicotiana tabacum was transformed with a gene encoding anti-PreS1 of hepatitis B surface antigen single-chain Fv antibody (scFv) and bearing an N-terminal endoplasmic reticulum protein signal peptide sequence. The scFv antibody protein was continuously secreted from the transgenic tobacco roots into a simple hydroponic medium at 630 to 760 ng g−1 dry wt root day−1. The antibody was about 2% of the total secreted protein and still possessed antigen-binding activity.

Myotoxic activity of a Gln-49 phospholipase A2 from Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis snake venom

Abstract A novel myotoxic protein phospholipase A2 (PLA2), denoted as Gln49-PLA2, denoted as Gln49-PLA2, has been isolated from snake venom of Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis, which has weak lethal effect and apparent anticoagulant activity, but lacks the PLA2 and hemorrhagenic activity. Gln49-PLA2 obviously increases of plasma creatine-kinase (CK) upon intramuscular injection in mice, suggesting that it may induce a dose-dependent myonecrosis. Histological studies also reveal morphological changes in mouse skeletal muscles, including extensive myonecrosis, hemorrhage and neutrophil infiltration in the treated animals. The myotoxic ability induced by Gln49-PLA2 can be partially inhibited by heparin. * Supported by Dalian Science and Technology Bureau