Lithium-Lanthanide Bimetallic Metal-Organic Frameworks towards Negative Electrode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Novel lithium-lanthanide (Ln: cerium and praseodymium) bimetallic coordination polymers with formulas C10 H2 LnLiO8 (Ln: Ce (CeLipma) and Pr (PrLipma)) and C10 H3 CeO8 (Cepma) were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method. The three compounds were characterized by means of FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results of structural refinement show that they belong to triclinic symmetry and P 1 ‾ space group with cerium (or praseodymium) and lithium cations, forming coordination bonds to oxygen atoms from different pyromellitic acid molecules, and leading to the construction of 3D structures. It is interesting to note that the frameworks exclude any coordination water and lattice water. As an electrode material for lithium-ion batteries, CeLipma exhibits a maximum capacity of 800.5 mAh g-1 and a retention of 91.4 % after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g-1 . The favorable electrochemical properties of the lanthanide coordination polymers show potential application prospects in the field of electrode materials.

Ubiquitin Extension Protein UEP1 Modulates Cell Death and Resistance to Various Pathogens in Tobacco.

Ubiquitin (Ub) extension proteins (UEPs) are fusion proteins of a Ub at the N terminus to a ribosomal protein. They are the main source of Ub and the only source of extension ribosomal protein. Although important roles of the Ub-26S proteasome system in various biological processes have been well established, direct evidence for the role of UEP genes in plant defense is rarely reported. In this study, we cloned a Ub-S27a-type UEP gene (NbUEP1) from Nicotiana benthamiana and demonstrated its function in cell death and disease resistance. Virus-induced gene silencing of NbUEP1 led to intensive cell death, culminating in whole-seedling withering. Transient RNA interference (RNAi) of NbUEP1 caused strong cell death in infiltrated areas, while stable NbUEP1-RNAi tobacco plants constitutively formed necrotic lesions in leaves. NbUEP1-RNAi plants exhibited increased resistance to the oomycete Pythium aphanidermatum and viruses Tobacco mosaic virus and Cucumber mosaic virus while displaying decreased resistance to the nematode Meloidogyne incognita compared with non-RNAi control plants. Transcription profiling analysis indicated that jasmonate and ethylene pathways, lipid metabolism, copper amine oxidase-mediated active species generation, glycine-rich proteins, vacuolar processing enzyme- and RD21-mediated cell death and defense regulation, and autophagy might be associated with NbUEP1-mediated cell death and resistance. Our results provided evidence for the important roles of plant UEPs in modulating plant cell death and disease resistance.

Proteomic and bioinformatic analyses of possible target-related proteins of gambogic acid in human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells.

Gambogic acid (GA) is an anticancer agent in phase ‖b clinical trial in China but its mechanism of action has not been fully clarified. The present study was designed to search the possible target-related proteins of GA in cancer cells using proteomic method and establish possible network using bioinformatic analysis. Cytotoxicity and anti-migration effects of GA in MDA-MB-231 cells were checked using MTT assay, flow cytometry, wound migration assay, and chamber migration assay. Possible target-related proteins of GA at early (3 h) and late stage (24 h) of treatment were searched using a proteomic technology, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). The possible network of GA was established using bioinformatic analysis. The intracellular expression levels of vimentin, keratin 18, and calumenin were determined using Western blotting. GA inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Additionally, GA exhibited anti-migration effects at non-toxic doses. In 2-DE analysis, totally 23 possible GA targeted proteins were found, including those with functions in cytoskeleton and transport, regulation of redox state, metabolism, ubiquitin-proteasome system, transcription and translation, protein transport and modification, and cytokine. Network analysis of these proteins suggested that cytoskeleton-related proteins might play important roles in the effects of GA. Results of Western blotting confirmed the cleavage of vimentin, increase in keratin 18, and decrease in calumenin levels in GA-treated cells. In summary, GA is a multi-target compound and its anti-cancer effects may be based on several target-related proteins such as cytoskeleton-related proteins.

Proteomic studies on protective effects of salvianolic acids, notoginsengnosides and combination of salvianolic acids and notoginsengnosides against cardiac ischemic-reperfusion injury.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng are popularly used traditional Chinese medicine for cardiovascular disorders and they are often used in the form of combination. However, mechanisms of their cardioprotective effects were still not clear. In the present study, the protective effects of salvianolic acids (SA), notoginsengnosides (NG) and combination of SA and NG (CSN) against rat cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury were checked and the protein expression profiles of heart tissues were examined to search their possible protein targets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cardioprotective effects of SA, NG and CSN were checked in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) by temporarily occluding coronary artery for 20 min followed by reperfusion. Rats were grouped into sham-operation group, IR group, IR+SA group, IR+NG group and IR+CSN group. The plasma creatine kinase (CK) activities were measured using commercial kit and the percentages of infarcted area in total ventricle tissue were calculated after nitroblue-tetrazolium (N-BT) staining of heart tissue slices. Two-dimensional protein electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to check the protein expression profiles of heart tissues. Then, proteins differentially expressed between IR group and sham-operation group were identified using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS/MS). The regulative effects of SA, NG and CSN on these IR-related proteins were analyzed. RESULTS: Treatments including SA, NG and CSN all showed cardioprotective effects against ischemia-reperfusion injury and CSN exhibited to be the best. Eighteen proteins involved in IR injury were found. These proteins are involved in pathways including energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, muscle contraction, heat shock stress, cell survival and proliferation. The regulation of these proteins by SA, NG or CSN suggested possible protein targets in their cardioprotective effects. CONCLUSIONS: SA and NG showed both similarity and difference in their protein targets involved in cardioprotective effects. The capability of CSN to regulate both protein targets of SA and NG might be the basis of CSN to show cardioprotective effects better than that of SA or NG.

Cytotoxicity of 9,11-dehydroergosterol peroxide isolated from Ganoderma lucidum and its target-related proteins.

The cytotoxicty of 9,11-dehydroergosterol peroxide (DHEP) isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum on HeLa cells was studied. DHEP treatment for 48 h inhibited the proliferation of HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells with an IC50-value of 8.58 +/- 0.98 microM. Morphological changes of DHEP-treated cells indicated that DHEP induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. To identify the cellular targets of DHEP, two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis was performed to compare the protein expression profiles of DHEP-treated cells with that of control cells. Proteins altered in expressional level after DHEP exposure were identified by MALDI-TOF MS/MS. The cytotoxic effect of DHEP was associated with regulated expression of 6 proteins. Stathmin 1 might be an important target-related protein of DHEP. The regulation of stathmin 1 by DHEP treatment was also confirmed by Western blotting.

Cytotoxic triterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum.

A systematic study of the metabolites in Ganoderma lucidum led to isolation of 43 triterpenoids, six of them (1-6) are hitherto unknown. The structures of the latter were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic studies and comparison with the known related compounds. All of the compounds were assayed for their inhibitory activities against human HeLa cervical cancer cell lines. Some compounds exhibit significant cytotoxicity, and their structure-activity relationships are discussed.