The conserved cysteine residues in Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac protoxin are not essential for the bipyramidal crystal formation.

To evaluate the function of conserved cysteine residues in Cry1Ac protoxin, we constructed a series of Cry1Ac mutants in which single or multiple cysteine residues were replaced with serine. It was found that cysteine substitution had little effect on the protoxin expression and bipyramidal crystal formation. Bioassays using Plutella xylostella larvae showed that two mutants with fourteen cysteine residues in the C-terminal half and all sixteen residues replaced had similar toxicity as wildtype Cry1Ac protoxin. Our study suggests that the conserved cysteine resudues in the Cry1Ac protoxin are not essential for deposition into a bipyramidal crystal even though the C-terminal half was directly involved in crystal formation.

The distribution pattern of DNA and protoxin in Bacillus thuringiensis as revealed by laser confocal microscopy analysis.

It was reported that the parasporal crystal from Bacillus thuringiensis contained DNA fragments. To investigate the distribution of protoxin and DNA in B. thuringiensis cells at different growth stages, a cry1Ac-gfp fusion gene was constructed and expressed in an acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis strain, in which the localization of DNA and protoxin were indicated by DNA-specific dye and green fluorescent protein, respectively. When the recombinant cells were at the vegetative growth stage, the Cry1Ac-GFP fusion protein was not expressed and the DNA fluorescent signal was evenly distributed throughout the cell. At the initial stage of sporulation, the Cry1Ac-GFP fusion protein was expressed and accumulated as inclusion body, while two condensed DNA signals existed at each pole of the cell. With the extension of culture time, it seemed that the DNA fluorescence from the region of spore development gradually became faint or vanishing, while the DNA signal was still present in the other pole or the remaining area of the mother cell. Interestingly and unexpectedly, there was no DNA fluorescence signal in the region of the growing and mature inclusion body of Cry1Ac-GFP in B. thuringiensis cell, which might indicate that the DNA embodied in the inclusion body was not accessible to the DNA-specific dye. This was the first investigation devoted exclusively to the in vivo distribution of protoxin and DNA in B. thuringiensis at different growth stages. These data shed light on deeply understanding the process of sporulation and parasporal crystal formation as well as further exploring the interaction of DNA and protoxin in B. thuringiensis.

Construction and characterization of the interdomain chimeras using Cry11Aa and Cry11Ba from Bacillus thuringiensis and identification of a possible novel toxic chimera.

Three structural domains of mosquitocidal Cry11Aa and Cry11Ba from Bacillus thuringiensis were exchanged to produce interdomain chimeras [BAA (11Ba/11Aa/11Aa), ABA (11Aa/11Ba/11Aa), AAB (11Aa/11Aa/11Ba), ABB (11Aa/11Ba/11Ba), BAB (11Ba/11Aa/11Ba), BBA (11Ba/11Ba/11Aa]. Chimeras BAB, BAA, BBA, and AAB formed inclusion bodies in the crystal-negative B. thuringiensis host and produced expected protein bands on SDS-PAGE gel. However, no inclusion body or target protein could be found for chimeras ABA and ABB. In bioassays using the fourth-instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti, AAB had ~50 % lethal concentrations of 4.8 and 2.2 µg ml(-1), respectively; however, the rest of chimeras were not toxic. This study thus helps to understand the domain-function relationships of the Cry11Aa and Cry11Ba toxins. The toxic chimera, AAB, might be a candidate for mosquito control as its amino acid sequence is different from the two parental toxins.

Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG improves insulin sensitivity and offspring survival via modulation of gut microbiota and serum metabolite in a sow model.

BACKGROUND: Sows commonly experience insulin resistance in late gestation and lactation, causing lower feed intake and milk production, which can lead to higher mortality rates in newborn piglets. The probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is known to improve insulin resistance. However, whether supplementing LGG can improve insulin sensitivity in sows and enhance lactation performance, particularly the early survival of offspring remains unclear. Hence, we explored the effects and mechanisms of supplementing LGG during late gestation and lactation on sow insulin sensitivity, lactation performance, and offspring survival. In total, 20 sows were randomly allocated to an LGG (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). RESULTS: In sows, LGG supplementation significantly improved insulin sensitivity during late gestation and lactation, increased feed intake, milk production and colostrum lactose levels in early lactation, and enhanced newborn piglet survival. Moreover, LGG treatment significantly reshaped the gut microbiota in sows, notably increasing microbiota diversity and enriching the relative abundance of insulin sensitivity-associated probiotics such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides. Serum metabolite and amino acid profiling in late-gestation sows also revealed decreased branched-chain amino acid and kynurenine serum levels following LGG supplementation. Further analyses highlighted a correlation between mitigated insulin resistance in late pregnancy and lactation by LGG and gut microbiota reshaping and changes in serum amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, maternal LGG enhanced immunity in newborn piglets, reduced inflammation, and facilitated the establishment of a gut microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: We provide the first evidence that LGG mitigates insulin resistance in sows and enhances offspring survival by modulating the gut microbiota and amino acid metabolism.

Identification and characterization of three previously undescribed crystal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan.

The total protoxin complement in the parasporal body of mosquitocidal strain, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan 367, was determined by use of a polyacrylamide gel block coupled to mass spectrometry. A total of eight protoxins were identified from this strain, including five reported protoxins (Cry11Ba, Cry19Aa, Cry24Aa, Cry25Aa, and Cyt2Bb), as well as three previously undescribed (Cry30Ca, Cry60Aa, and Cry60Ba) in this isolate. It was interesting that the encoding genes of three new protoxins existed as cry30Ca-gap-orf2 and cry60Ba-gap-cry60Aa. The cry30Ca and a downstream orf2 gene were oriented in the same direction and separated by 114 bp, and cry60Ba was located 156 bp upstream from and in the same orientation to cry60Aa. The three new protoxin genes were cloned from B. thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan and expressed in an acrystalliferous strain under the control of cyt1A gene promoters and the STAB-SD stabilizer sequence. Recombinant strain containing only cry30Ca did not produce visible inclusion under microscope observation, while that containing both cry30Ca and orf2 could produce large inclusions. Cry60Aa and Cry60Ba synthesized either alone or together in the acrystalliferous host could yield large inclusions. In bioassays using the fourth-instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus, Cry60Aa and Cry60Ba alone or together had estimated 50% lethal concentrations of 2.9 to 7.9 µg/ml; however, Cry30Ca with or without ORF2 was not toxic to this mosquito.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of (1,2,4)triazole[4,3-a]pyridine derivatives as potential therapeutic agents for concanavalin A-induced hepatitis.

A series of (1,2,4)triazole[4,3-a]pyridine (TZP) derivatives have been designed and synthesized. Compound 8d was identified as having the most potent inhibitory activity on NO release in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation and inhibition of the migration induced by MCP-1 protein on RAW264.7 macrophages. Based on the screening data, an immunofluorescence assay and a real-time qPCR assay were conducted, indicating that compound 8d suppressed NF-κB p65 translocation and expression of inflammatory genes by concanavalin A (Con A)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. More importantly, 8d also exhibited potent efficacy, alleviating Con A-induced hepatitis by downregulating the levels of plasma alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and inflammatory infiltration in a mouse autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) model. In addition, the flow cytometry (FCM) data showed that compound 8d inhibited the accumulation of MDSCs in the liver of Con A-induced mice. These findings raise the possibility that compound 8d might serve as a potential agent for the treatment of AIH.

Novel selective TOPK inhibitor SKLB-C05 inhibits colorectal carcinoma growth and metastasis.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway member T-LAK cell-originated protein kinase/PDZ-binding kinase (TOPK/PBK) is closely involved in tumorigenesis and progression. Its overexpression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) exacerbates tumor malignancy, promotes metastasis and results in dismal prognosis. Therefore, targeting TOPK is a promising approach for CRC therapy. Here, we report the development of a TOPK selective inhibitor SKLB-C05, with subnanomolar inhibitory potency. In vitro, SKLB-C05 exhibited excellent cytotoxicity and anti-migration and invasion activity on TOPK high-expressing CRC cells and induced cell apoptosis. These activities could attribute to its inhibition of TOPK downstream signaling including extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1, 2, and 3 (JNK1/2/3), as well as downregulation of FAK/Src- MMP signaling. Furthermore, SKLB-C05 disrupted cell mitosis and blocked CRC cell cycle. In vivo, oral administration of SKLB-C05 at concentrations of 20 and 10 mg kg-1·day-1 dramatically attenuated CRC tumor xenograft growth and completely suppressed hepatic metastasis of HCT116 cells, respectively. Thus, these findings suggest that SKLB-C05 is a specific TOPK inhibitor with potent anti-CRC oncogenic activity in vitro and in vivo.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1-phenyl phenanthridin-6(5H)-one derivatives as anti-tumor agents targeting TOPK.

T-lymphokine-activated killer cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK) is a serine-threonine mitogen-activated protein kinase that is highly expressed in many types of human cancer. Due to its important role in cancer progression, TOPK is becoming an attractive target in chemotherapeutic drug design. In this study, a series of 1-phenyl phenanthridin-6(5H)-one derivatives have been identified as a novel chemical class of TOPK inhibitors. Some of them displayed very potent anti-cancer activity with IC50s less than 100 nM, superior than reference compound OTS964. The most potent compound, 9g suppressed the growth of cancer cells by apoptosis and specifically inhibited the activities of TOPK. Oral administration of 9g effectively suppressed tumor growth with TGI >79.7% in colorectal cancer xenograft models, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to OTS964. Pharmacokinetic studies reveal its good oral bioavailability. Our findings therefore show that 9g is a specific inhibitor of TOPK both in vitro and in vivo that may be further developed as a potential therapeutic agent against colorectal cancer.

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular C-H arylation of 2-halo-N-Boc-N-arylbenzamides for the synthesis of N-H phenanthridinones.

A palladium catalyzed synthesis of N-H phenanthridinones was developed via C-H arylation. The protocol gives phenanthridinones regioselectively by one-pot reaction without deprotection. It exhibits broad substrate scope and affords targets in up to 95% yields. Importantly, it could be applied for the less reactive o-chlorobenzamides.