Wei-Hua Dong

Simple, Time-Saving Dye Staining of Proteins for Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate–Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis Using Coomassie Blue

A fixation-free and fast protein-staining method for sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using Coomassie blue is described. The protocol comprises staining and quick washing steps, which can be completed in 0.5 h. It has a sensitivity of 10 ng, comparable with that of conventional Coomassie Brilliant Blue G staining with phosphoric acid in the staining solution. In addition, the dye stain does not contain any amount of acid and methanol, such as phosphoric acid. Considering the speed, simplicity, and low cost, the dye stain may be of more practical value than other dye-based protein stains in routine proteomic research.

Progesterone inhibits the expression of cycloxygenase-2 and interleukin-1β in neonatal rats with hypoxic ischemic brain damage

Recent studies found that progesterone (PROG) has a noticeable preventive effect on brain injuries. However, the underlying mechanisms of these effects, particularly on hypoxic ischemic brain damage (HIBD), remain unclear. This study observed the influence of PROG on the expression of cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in HIBD neonatal rats, and explored the corresponding molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effect of PROG. Sixty 7-day-old neonatal Wistar rats were divided into sham operation (control), hypoxic ischemia (HI), and drug prophylaxis (PROG) groups, and HIBD animal models were routinely established. The PROG group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 g/L PROG at a dosage of 8 mg/kg 30 min before establishment of the model. All the animals were sacrificed 24 h after modeling. Changes in the COX-2 and IL-1β contents in the brain tissues were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Protein expression was observed using immunohistochemistry, and mRNA expression was determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression and contents of COX-2 and IL-1β in the HI group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.01). Compared with the HI group, the PROG group showed noticeably lower expression and contents of COX-2 and IL-1β (P < 0.05). In conclusion, PROG can inhibit the expression of COX-2 and IL-1β in brain tissue, further reducing the level of COX-2 and IL-1β, which may be one of the mechanisms for protection from HIBD.

Effect of β‑globin MAR characteristic elements on transgene expression

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the characteristic elements of matrix attachment region (MAR) on transgene expression. Human β‑globin MAR was obtained by PCR amplification. A splicing MAR fragment containing all the characteristic elements of β‑globin MAR was artificially synthesized and then cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector. Following digestion and sequence identification, we transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with the two vectors, and then screened for the transformation of stable cells. The transgene expression level was analyzed by ELISA, and the copy numbers of the CAT gene were analyzed by real‑time fluorescent quantitative PCR. β‑globin MAR enhanced CAT reporter gene expression by 2.1489‑fold, whereas the β‑globin MAR characteristic elements did not enhance this expression. The real‑time fluorescent quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that the relative copy numbers of the CAT gene of the β‑globin MAR expression vector were 1.2‑fold higher compared with those of the non‑MAR expression vector. MAR was able to improve the transgene expression level to a certain extent. The MAR characteristic elements did not improve the transgene expression alone. The transgenic expression levels were not linear with the transgene copy number; however, the enhancement of transgenic expression was relative to the increase in the gene copy number.

A simple and practical method that prepares high molecular weight DNA ladders

The purpose of the current study was to report a simple and practical method to prepare high molecular weight (mw) DNA ladders. The method involves 1,000-4,000-base pairs (bp) DNA fragments being amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using λ DNA as a template. The constructed plasmids are digested by restriction endonucleases to produce 5-, 6-, 8- and 10-kb DNA fragments, followed by purification and precipitation with ethanol, and mixed proportionally. The 1,000-4,000-bp DNA fragments were successfully generated by PCR and 5-, 6-, 8- and 10-kb DNA fragments were obtained through the digestion of the plasmids. The bands of the prepared high mw DNA ladder were clear and may aid future molecular biology studies.