Moth pheromone binding proteins contribute to the excitation of olfactory receptor cells

Pheromone binding proteins (PBPs) occur in high concentrations in the sensillum lymph surrounding the sensory dendrites of moth pheromone-sensitive sensilla. They were shown to transport the lipophilic odorants through the aqueous sensillum lymph to the receptor cells. The sensilla trichodea of the silkmoth Antheraea polyphemus are supplied with three types of receptor cells responding specifically to three pheromone components. The sensillum lymph of these sensilla contains three different types of PBPs. In this study, recombinant PBPs in various combinations with pheromone components were applied to the receptor cells via tip-opened sensilla during electrophysiological recordings. The responses of receptor cells were shown to depend on both the pheromone component and the PBP. Pheromone components artificially bound to particular PBPs elicited nerve impulses in receptor cell types which they do not activate under natural conditions. This is the first electrophysiological study to suggest that the PBPs contribute to the activation of receptor molecules.     

Dechloranes exhibit binding potency and activity to thyroid hormone receptors

Dechloranes are a group of halogenated flame retardants with a basic bicyclo[2.2.1]heptene, including Dechlorane Plus(DP), Dechlorane 602(Dec 602), Dechlorane 603(Dec 603) and Dechlorane 604(Dec 604). A few epidemiological investigations and animal experiments have shown that DP exhibited thyroid-interfering effects. In the present study, we investigated whether DP and three other dechloranes could interfere the thyroid function through thyroid hormone receptors(TRs, TR α and TR β) signaling pat...     

三丁基锡对正常人胚胎羊膜细胞凋亡相关蛋白表达的影响

首次采用蛋白质印迹法研究三丁基锡(tributyltin,TBT)对正常人胚胎羊膜细胞FL(human amniotic cells)的Bcl-2、Bax和p53表达的影响.结果显示,在0、1、2、3、4μmol·L-1三丁基锡下作用2 h后,FL细胞的Bax蛋白表达量随浓度增加逐渐升高,Bcl-2蛋白表达量仅在3、4μmol·L-1浓度组相比于对照组明显下降.作为凋亡是否发生的决定因素,Bax/Bcl-2比值在三丁基锡高浓度组(3、4μmol·L-1)相比于对照有显著升高;而p53蛋白表达量没有明显变化.研究表明,Bcl-2和Bax参与了TBT诱导的细胞凋亡.     

3例不同硒反应症状人血浆和血红细胞蛋白中硒的形态分布

用ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ－ＨＰＬＣ荧光检测方法了３例人血浆和红细胞蛋白或其亚其中的硒分布。在所采集的硒中毒病人，无病人和大骨节病人血浆中，分别邮５，５和４条含硒条带，在红细胞中则分别检出４，４和３条含硒条带，人血浆白蛋白或血浆硒蛋白和血红蛋白是人血硒结合蛋白。     

TCDD对乳腺癌细胞端粒酶活性的影响

探讨了2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并-ρ-二噁英(TCDD)在体外对雌激素依赖性乳腺癌细胞MCF-7端粒酶活性的影响.用0.5μmol·L-1的2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并-ρ二噁英(TCDD)作用于MCF-7细胞,裂解后提取MCF.7细胞端粒酶.采用BCA方法定量蛋白、重复序列扩增-银染法检测端粒酶活性.结果表明.TCDD作用MCF-7细胞后,细胞端粒酶活性增强,且随作用时间端粒酶活性减弱,但明显高于对照组(P<0.05).结果表明:TCDD有显著增强MCF-7细胞端粒酶活性的作用.     

Learned arbitrary responses to light in mice without rods or cones

The aim of this investigation was to discover whether mice lacking classical photoreceptors (rods and cones) can nevertheless be trained to respond to light. Mice with the coneless ( cl) transgene have an attenuated diphtheria toxin fused to a cone opsin promotor. Mutant mice homozygous for the retinal degeneration ( rd) gene undergo loss of their rods. By mating these two strains, mice lacking both cones and rods can be generated (Lucas et al. 1999). Such coneless-rodless mice were able to use light as a signal to make a behavioural response to avoid impending shock. Nevertheless, especially initially, they used the light as a cue less often than wildtype controls, indicating that normally the rods and cones are used for such responses. However, other photoreceptors are able to take over this role to some extent. When the lights were covered with opaque material, the performance of rodless-coneless mice dropped to chance level, indicating that they had been using the light as a cue for avoidance.     

Combined fluorescence and electrochemical investigation on the binding interaction between organic acid and human serum albumin

Human serum albumin (HSA) is a plasma protein responsible for the binding and transport of fatty acids and a variety of exogenous chemicals such as drugs and environmental pollutants. Such binding plays a crucial role in determining the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) and bioavailability of the pollutants. We report investigation on the binding interaction between HSA and acetic acid (C2), octanoic acid (C8) and dodecanoic acid (C12) by the combination of site-specific fluorescent probe, tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence and tyrosine electrochemistry. Two fluorescent probes, dansylamide and dansyl-L-proline, were employed in the displacement measurement to study fatty acid interaction with the two drug-binding sites on HSA. Intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan in HSA was monitored upon addition of the fatty acids into HSA. Electrocatalyzed response of the tyrosine residues in HSA by a redox mediator was used to investigate the binding interaction. Qualitatively, observations made by the three approaches are very similar. HSA did not show any change in either fluorescence or electrochemistry after mixing with C2, suggesting there is no significant interaction with the short-chain fatty acid. For C8, the measured signal dropped in a single-exponential fashion, indicative of independent and non-cooperative binding. The calculated association constant and binding ratio is 3.1×106 L/mol and 1 with drug binding Site I, 1.1×107 L/mol and 1 with Site II, and 7.0×104 L/mol and 4 with the tryptophan site. The measurement with C12 displayed multiple phases of fluorescence change, suggesting cooperativity and allosteric effect of C12 binding. These results correlate well with those obtained by the established methods, and validate the new approach as a viable tool to study the interactions of environmental pollutants with biological molecules.     

Species-dependent effects of the phenolic herbicide ioxynil with potential thyroid hormone disrupting activity: modulation of its cellular uptake and activity by interaction with serum thyroid hormone-binding proteins

Ioxynil, a phenolic herbicide, is known to exert thyroid hormone (TH) disrupting activity by interfering with TH-binding to plasma proteins and a step of the cellular TH-signaling pathway in restricted animal species. However, comparative studies are still lacking on the TH disruption.We investigated the interaction of [¹²⁵I]ioxynil with serum proteins from rainbow trout, bullfrog, chicken, pig, rat, and mouse, using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Candidate ioxynil-binding proteins, which included lipoproteins, albumin and transthyretin (TTR), differed among the vertebrates tested. Rainbow trout and bullfrog tadpole serum had the lowest binding activity for ioxynil, whereas the eutherian serum had the highest binding activity. The cellular uptake of, and response to, ioxynil were suppressed by rat serum greater than by tadpole serum. The cellular uptake of [¹²⁵I]ioxynil competed strongly with phenols with a single ring, but not with THs. Our results suggested that ioxynil interferes with TH homeostasis in plasma and with a step of cellular TH-signaling pathway other than TH-uptake system, in a species-specific manner.     

Response of soil catalase activity to chromium contamination

The impact of chromium(III) and (VI) forms on soil catalase activity was presented. The Orthic Podzol, Haplic Phaeozem and Mollic Gleysol from di erent depths were used in the experiment. The soil samples were amended with solution of Cr(III) using CrCl3, and with Cr(VI) using K2Cr2O7 in the concentration range from 0 to 20 mg/kg, whereas the samples without the addition of chromium served as control. Catalase activity was assayed by one of the commonly used spectrophotometric methods. As it was demonstrated in the experiment, both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) have an ability to reduce soil catalase activity. A chromium dosage of 20 mg/kg caused the inhibition of catalase activity and the corresponding contamination levels ranged from 75% to 92% for Cr(III) and 68% to 76% for Cr(VI), with relation to the control. Catalase activity reached maximum in the soil material from surface layers (0–25 cm), typically characterized by the highest content of organic matter creating favorable conditions for microorganisms.