Cabbage defense response provoked by Trichoderma Th-LAAO.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of Trichoderma L-amino acid oxidase (Th-LAAO) in protecting and in promoting growth of cabbage infected with Botrytis cinerea, a three-way interaction system was established. Cabbage leaves treated with purified Th-LAAO significantly constrained damaged leaf area caused by B. cinerea infection. In response to Th-LAAO treatment, the expression levels of genes involved in photosynthesis, such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase, Rubisco activase, and ATP synthase increased 2.54, 2.18, and 1.41 folds, respectively. The transcription levels of sucrose transport protein 1 increased 7.6 fold. As to the expression of defense-related genes, the transcription level of ascorbate peroxidase increased 1.46 fold. On the contrary, pathogenesis-related protein 1, chitinase, ß-1,3 glucanase, and glutathione S-transferase decreased significantly. Overall, the results indicated that Th-LAAO may stimulate CO2 fixation and sucrose transport and elicit host defense responses in cabbage against B. cinerea, and this elicitation of defense response is likely to contribute to induced systemic resistance of host plant.

Cyclophilin A as a downstream effector of PI3K/Akt signalling pathway in multiple myeloma cells.

Cyclophilin A (Cyp A), a member of the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPI) family, may function as a molecular signalling switch. Comparative proteomic studies have identified Cyp A as a potential downstream target of protein kinase B (Akt). This study confirmed that Cyp A is a downstream effector of the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling pathway. Cyp A was highly phosphorylated in response to interleukin-6 treatment, which was consistent with the accumulation of phosphorylated Akt, suggesting that Cyp A is a phosphorylation target of Akt and downstream effector of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Cyclosporine A (CsA), a PPI inhibitor, inhibited the growth of multiple myeloma (MM) U266 cells. Moreover, CsA treatment inhibited the activation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in MM U266 cells. Several Cyp A mutants were generated. Mutants with mutated AKT phosphorylation sites increased the G1 phase arrest in MM U266 cells. The other mutants that mimicked the phosphorylated state of Cyp A decreased the percentage of G1 phase. These results demonstrated that the states of phosphorylation of Cyp A by Akt can influence the progress of the cell cycle in MM U266 cells and that this effect is probably mediated through the Janus-activated kinase 2/STAT3 signalling pathway.

Class A dioscorins of various yam species suppress ovalbumin-induced allergic reactions.

CONTEXT: Dioscorins, the primary storage proteins in yam tubers, of different species exhibited varying immunomodulatory activities in mice. We inferred that this might be attributed to the various isoforms in the yam tubers. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the antiallergic potential of the Class A dioscorins of various yam species using the ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine allergy model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We purified the recombinant Class A dioscorins (rDioscorins) of various yam species from Escherichia coli and evaluated their antiallergic potential by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The Class A rDioscorins of various yam species suppressed allergic reactions by significantly decreasing the serum IgE and histamine levels. The serum IFN-γ and IgG2a levels significantly increased in all rDioscorin-treated mice. The splenocytes of the rDioscorin-treated mice also exhibited upregulated IFN-γ secretion in response to ConA stimulation. By contrast, the serum IL-5 levels decreased to basal levels in mice treated with Class A rDioscorins and the amount of IL-5 produced by splenocytes decreased in response to ConA stimulation. DISCUSSION: The Class A rDioscorins suppress allergic reactions, possibly through modulating an imbalanced Th1/Th2 immune response to OVA by promoting Th1 cell responses. Furthermore, the Class A rDioscorins of various yam species exhibited similar immunomodulatory activities in OVA-sensitized mice, which were different from the activities demonstrated by native dioscorins, suggesting that distinct immunomodulatory effects of native dioscorins on mice were attributed to the various isoforms in the yam tubers. CONCLUSION: The Class A dioscorins of various yam species exhibit antiallergic activity and are potential immunotherapeutic agents for treating IgE-mediated hypersensitivity.

Molecular cloning, structural analysis and mass spectrometric identification of native dioscorins of various yam species.

BACKGROUND: Dioscorins are the major storage proteins of yam tubers. However, the molecular nature of their heterogeneity in tubers has not been fully elucidated. In this study the authors isolated the dioscorin gene families of Dioscorea japonica and Dioscorea pseudojaponica, performed matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and elucidated which dioscorin isoforms are the major constituents in tubers. RESULTS: The dioscorin gene families of D. japonica (Dj-dioA1-Dj-dioA4, Dj-dioB1 and Dj-dioB2) and D. pseudojaponica (Dp-dioA1-Dp-dioA5 and Dp-dioB1) were cloned from cDNA libraries of yam tubers. The dioscorins isolated from Dioscorea alata (Da-dioscorins), D. japonica (Dj-dioscorins) and D. pseudojaponica (Dp-dioscorins) were mainly monomers, with a few dimers. The monomers contained one intramolecular disulfide bond (Cys(28)-Cys(187)) and belonged to Class A dioscorins with two cysteine residues. The dimers consisted of Class B dioscorins with one intermolecular disulfide bond (Cys(40)-Cys(40)). Results of MALDI-TOF-MS revealed that the Da-dioscorins were mainly encoded by Da-dioA2, Da-dioA3 and Da-dioA4. The majority of the Dj-dioscorins were encoded by Dj-dioA1, Dj-dioA2, Dj-dioA3 and Dj-dioB2. The Dp-dioscorins mainly comprised proteins encoded by Dp-dioA1, Dp-dioA3, Dp-dioA4, Dp-dioB1 and Dp-dioB2. CONCLUSION: Determination of the constituents of dioscorin isoforms in yam tubers provides a basis for future studies of their physiological and biomedical functions.

Recombinant dioscorins of the yam storage protein expressed in Escherichia coli exhibit antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities.

Dioscorins, the major storage proteins in yam tubers, exhibit biochemical and immunomodulatroy activities. To investigate the potential application of dioscorins in biomedical research, we expressed the dioscorin genes Dj-dioA3 and Dp-dioA2 from Dioscorea japonica and Dioscorea pseudojaponica, respectively, in E. coli and routinely obtained approximately 15 mg proteins per liter Escherichia coli culture (mg/L) to 30 mg/L of rDj-dioscorinA3 and 4 to 8 mg/L of rDp-dioscorinA2. Western blot analyses revealed that both recombinant dioscorins contained epitopes with similar antigenicities to those of the native dioscorins. Results from dithiothreitol (DTT) treatment followed by monobromobimane (mBBr) staining showed that both recombinant dioscorins, like the native dioscorins, contain an intramolecular disulfide bond between Cys(28) and Cys(187) residues. Circular dichroism spectroscopy findings indicated that the secondary structural contents of the recombinant dioscorins showed high similarity to those of their corresponding native dioscorins. Both recombinant dioscorins, like the native dioscorins, exhibited 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and Toll-like receptor 4 signaling activities, and stimulated the phagocytosis of E. coli by macrophage. Overall, our results indicated that substantial amounts of recombinant dioscorins can be purified easily from E. coli and that these recombinant dioscorins are appropriate for application in future investigations of the biomedical functions of dioscorins.

A dodecapeptide (YQVTQSKVMSHR) exhibits antibacterial effect and induces cell aggregation in Escherichia coli.

Antimicrobial peptides play an important role in the innate immune response and host defense mechanism. In the present study, we employed phage display technique to screen for inhibitors which may block the phosphoenolpyruvatedependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) pathway and hence retard cell growth. The recombinant histidine-containing phosphocarrier HPr protein was prepared as the target to screen for the tight binders from the phage-displayed random peptide library Ph.D.-12. The biopanning processes were performed and the binding capabilities of the selected phage were further estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The single-stranded DNAs of the 20 selected phages were isolated, sequenced, and five corresponding peptides were synthesized. Only one of the five peptides, AP1 (YQVTQSK VMSHR) was found to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli cells efficiently (IC50~50 µM). Molecular modeling reveals that AP1 may block the EI-HPr interaction and phosphotransfer. Interestingly, AP1 was also found to induce cell aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner. Since glycogen accumulation has been attributed to biofilm formation, the effects of AP1 on the intracellular glycogen levels were measured. The results strongly indicate that the cell aggregation may be caused by the binding of peptide AP1 with HPr to block the interaction of dephosphorylated HPr with glycogen phosphorylase (GP). Because glycogen phosphorylase activity can be activated by HPr-GP interaction, the binding of AP1 to HPr would cause a decreasing rate of glycogen breakdown in M9 medium and accumulation of glycogen, which may lead to eventual cell aggregation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that an inhibitor bound to a dephosphorylated HPr can decouple its regulatory function and induce cell aggregation.

ß-Actin is a downstream effector of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in myeloma cells.

Interleukin 6 is the in vivo growth factor of myeloma cells. In response to IL-6 stimulation, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is activated in these cells. With comparative proteomic approaches, this study reveals many putative downstream effectors of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Mass spectrometry analysis of excised protein spots from 2-dimensional gel allowed the identification of proteins such as ß-Actin, cyclophilin A, E3 SUMO-protein ligase PIAS-NY protein, HSP 27, PML, and transforming growth factor ß-2. Among these putative effectors, ß-Actin was chosen for further characterization. Phosphorylation of ß-Actin by AKT upon IL-6 stimulation was confirmed by western blotting using a phospho-AKT substrate antibody. Interestingly, IL-6 significantly increased cell migration (P < 0.05) and the content of filamentous actin (P < 0.05). Therefore, IL-6 stimulation could have effects on the migration of myeloma cells, and the phosphorylation of ß-Actin is probably involved in the process.

Production of reactive oxygen species and induction of signaling pathways for the ACO gene expressions in tomato plants triggered by the volatile organic compound ether.

Diethyl ether (ether), a volatile organic compound, is widely used as an industrial solvent and easily released to the environment. Acute exposure of tomato plants to high concentrations of ether caused young leaves to curl. Histochemical analyses revealed that superoxide anion (•O(2-) and hydrogen peroxide were formed sequentially by ether, and that (•O(2-) was the major ROS produced in response to ether exposure. We observed cell death by microscopic inspection of Evans blue-stained samples, following fumigation with ether for 6 h. The ethylene biosynthetic gene, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO), was induced as early as 15-30 min after ether fumigation and could be activated at ether concentration as low as 1 µL/L. Induction of ACO gene expression occurred simultaneously with ROS accumulation and coincided with the occurrence of cell death. Simultaneous treatment of tomato plants with mechanical wounding and ether induced differential expression of the ACO gene family. Ether strongly induced ACO4 and moderately induced ACO1, whereas mechanical wounding strongly induced ACO1 and slightly induced ACO4. Induction of the ACO gene family by ether occurred via different signaling pathways. While the ACO1 gene was induced via protein phosphorylation, the ACO4 gene was induced through protein dephosphorylation. Induction of ACO1 and ACO4 might be through MPK1, MPK2, MPK3, and PP2Ac1. These results suggest that the cellular responses of tomato plants to ether are different from the plant responses to ozone, and that tomato plants respond to different air pollutants through different perceptions and downstream signaling pathways.

Expression of L-amino acid oxidase of Trichoderma harzianum in tobacco confers resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea.

L-amino acid oxidase (ThLAAO) secreted by Trichoderma harzianum ETS323 is a flavoenzyme with antimicrobial characteristics. In this study, we transformed the ThLAAO gene into tobacco to elucidate whether ThLAAO can activate defense mechanisms and confer resistance against phytopathogens. Transgenic tobacco overexpressing ThLAAO showed enhanced resistance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea and activated the expression of defense-related genes and the genes involved in salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene biosynthesis accompanied by substantial accumulation of H2O2 in chloroplasts, cytosol around chloroplasts, and cell membranes of transgenic tobacco. Scavenge of H2O2 with ascorbic acid abolished disease resistance against B. cinerea infection and decreased the expression of defense-related genes. ThLAAO-FITC application on tobacco protoplast or overexpression of ThLAAO-GFP in tobacco revealed the localization of ThLAAO in chloroplasts. Chlorophyll a/b binding protein (CAB) was isolated through ThLAAO-ConA affinity chromatography. The pull down assay results confirmed ThLAAO-CAB binding. Application of ThLAAO-Cy5.5 on cabbage roots promptly translocated to the leaves. Treatment of ThLAAO on cabbage roots induces systemic resistance against B. cinerea. Overall, these results demonstrate that ThLAAO may target chloroplast and activate defense mechanisms via H2O2 signaling to confer resistance against S. sclerotiorum and B. cinerea.

Development of Yam Dioscorin-Loaded Nanoparticles for Paracellular Transport Across Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cell Monolayers.

Dioscorins, the major storage proteins of yam tubers, exert immunomodulatory activities. To improve oral bioavailability of dioscorins in the intestine, recombinant dioscorin (rDioscorin) was coated with N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC) and tripolyphosphate (TPP), resulting in the formation of TMC-rDio-TPP nanoparticles (NPs). The loading capacity and entrapment efficiency of rDioscorin in the NPs were 26 ± 0.7% and 61 ± 1.4%, respectively. The NPs demonstrated a substantial release profile in the pH environment of the jejunum. The rDioscorin released from the NPs stimulated proliferation and phagocytosis of the macrophage RAW264.7 and activated the gene expression of IL-1ß and IL-6. Incubation of the NPs in the Caco-2 cell monolayer led to a 5.2-fold increase of Papp compared with rDioscorin alone, suggesting that rDioscorin, with the assistance of TMC, can be promptly transported across the intestinal epithelia. These results demonstrate that the TMC-rDio-TPP NPs can be utilized for elucidating the immunopharmacological effects of dioscorins through oral delivery.

Effects of volatile organic compound ether on cell responses and gene expressions in Arabidopsis.

BACKGROUND: The volatile organic compound ether is widely used as an industrial solvent and easily released to the environment. Our previous research indicated that ether triggers reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and activates ethylene biosynthetic genes and defense gene expressions in tomato. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ether on cell responses and gene expressions in Arabidopsis and compared the ROS and phytohormones produced in Arabidopsis and tomato plants in response to different air pollutants (O3 vs. ether). RESULTS: Ether induced the sequential production of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide in Arabidopsis. Ether also triggered expressions of ethylene, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid biosynthetic genes. The temporal expression patterns of MAP kinase and protein phosphatase genes are in good accordance with those of the ethylene and salicylic acid biosynthetic genes, suggesting that induction of these phytohormone biosynthesis were through signaling pathways including both phosphorylation and/or dephosphorylation. By contrast, expression pattern of protein phosphatase PP2A3&4 coincided well with the expression of jasmonic acid biosynthetic gene LOX4, suggesting that induction of jasmonic acid biosynthesis is through PP2A3&4. However, the production of ROS and temporal expression patterns of phytohormone biosynthetic genes in Arabidopsis in response to ether were different from those to O3 and were different from those in tomato as well. CONCLUSIONS: Different plants have different strategies to respond to the same abiotic stress, and each plant species possesses its own unique signaling pathways that regulate the responding process.

Suppression of allergic reactions in ovalbumin-sensitized mice by yam storage proteins dioscorins.

To study the biomedical functions of dioscorins isolated from various species of Dioscorea , we investigated their antiallergic potential using an OVA-induced allergy mouse model. All the dioscorins suppressed allergic reactions by decreasing the serum IgE and histamine levels. The serum IFN-γ and IgG2a levels increased in all the dioscorin-treated mice. The spleen cells from the dioscorin-treated mice also exhibited an up-regulation of IFN-γ secretion in response to ConA stimulation. Although dioscorins did not affect the IgG1 levels, the IL-5 levels decreased to basal levels in mice treated with dioscorins of D. alata or D. japonica and in most of the lymphoid cells of the dioscorin-treated mice in response to ConA stimulation. The decrease of IgE and histamine levels was concomitant with an increase in IFN-γ and IgG2a levels and with a decrease in IL-5 levels, suggesting that dioscorins suppressed the OVA-induced allergic reactions, possibly through modulating an imbalanced Th1/Th2 immune response.

Characterization of the interactions of lysozyme with DNA by surface plasmon resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Association with nucleic acid has been recognized as a unique role of lysozyme and may explain why lysozyme was called a killer protein against HIV infection. In the present study, we characterized the interactions of lysozyme and its derived peptides with a biotin-labeled pUC19 plasmid DNA. Real-time detection of the macromolecular interaction was performed using the SPR (surface plasmon resonance) spectroscopy. The SPR sensorgrams were analyzed and the association and dissociation rate constants as well as the dissociation equilibrium constant KD were, thus, estimated. The results reveal that other than the electrostatic interactions between the basic protein and the nucleotide sequences carrying negative charges, the specific DNA-binding motifs at the N- and C-termini of lysozyme were also involved in the interactions. The nonapeptide RAWVAWRNR (aa 107-115 of lysozyme) reported previously to block HIV-1 viral entrance and replication was also able to bind DNA with its KD value comparable to that of histones. The possibilities of ligand-binding-induced conformational changes were investigated using the circular dichroism spectroscopy. The CD spectra (200-320 nm) reveal that the conformational changes indeed occur as the spectra of lysozyme-DNA interactions are much less at the major trough region than the sum of individual spectra. The interaction of lysozyme with DNA molecules may interfere with DNA replication, modulate gene expression, and block bacterial and viral infections. These all suggest that human lysozyme may represent part of the innate immune system with a very broad protective spectrum.

Yam storage protein dioscorins from Dioscorea alata and Dioscorea japonica exhibit distinct immunomodulatory activities in mice.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of the major storage protein dioscorin isolated from two different yam species, Tainong No. 1 (TN1-dioscorins) and Japanese yam (Dj-dioscorins), on the immune activities of mice. Dj-dioscorins, like TN1-dioscorins, could induce expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and stimulate phagocytosis of RAW 264.7. Intraperitoneal injection of the TN1-dioscorins into mice stimulated phagocytosis of bone marrow, spleen, and thymic cells. In contrast, the T and B cells in bone marrow, spleen, and thymus isolated from mice injected with Dj-dioscorins had higher proliferative responses to mitogens. Furthermore, Dj-dioscorins enhanced proliferation of CD4(+), CD8(+), and Tim3(+) (Th1) cells in spleen and CD19(+) cells in both spleen and thymus. Supplement of Dj-dioscorins in the lymphoid cells isolated from Dj-dioscorins primed mice induced cell proliferation of both spleen and thymic cells. These findings indicated that TN1-dioscorins have a higher ability to stimulate the phagocytic activity of the lymphoid cells than Dj-dioscorins, whereas Dj-dioscorins possess more abilities than TN1-dioscorins to enhance the proliferation of the lymphoid cells.

Identifying bacterial species using CE-MS and SEQUEST with an empirical scoring function.

CE-MS/MS analysis of proteolytic digests of bacterial cell extracts was combined with SEQUEST searching and a new scoring system to identify bacteria species in bacterial mixtures. Searches of MS/MS spectra against protein databases enabled the identification of bacterial species by the matching of the proteins associated with the corresponding species. An empirical scoring function was obtained by evaluating the SEQUEST search results of 38 samples that contained single bacterial species. The scoring by the empirical function helped move up the positive identification results from their original positions in the ranking based on Xcorr values alone. Therefore, the identification of bacteria in the samples that contained bacterial mixtures was improved. Bacterial species in 20 bacterial mixtures, including one real sample, were correctly identified by database searches and the new scoring function.

Accumulation of a 3'-terminal genome fragment in Japanese encephalitis virus-infected mammalian and mosquito cells.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) contains a single positive-strand RNA genome nearly 11 kb in length and is not formally thought to generate subgenomic RNA molecules during replication. Here, we report the abundant accumulation of a 3'-terminal 521- to 523-nucleotide (nt) genome fragment, representing a major portion of the 585-nt 3' untranslated region, in both mammalian (BHK-21) and mosquito (C6/36) cells infected with any of nine strains of JEV. In BHK-21 cells, the viral genome was detected as early as 24 h postinfection, the small RNA was detected as early as 28 h postinfection, and the small RNA was 0.25 to 1.5 times as abundant as the genome on a molar basis between 28 and 48 h postinfection. In C6/36 cells, the genome and small RNA were present 5 days postinfection and the small RNA was 1.25 to 5.14 times as abundant as the genome. The 3'-terminal 523-nt small RNA contains a 5'-proximal stable hairpin (nt 6 to 56) that may play a role in its formation and the conserved flavivirus 3'-cyclization motif (nt 413 to 420) and the 3'-terminal long stable hairpin structure (nt 440 to 523) that have postulated roles in genome replication. Abundant accumulation of the small RNA during viral replication in both mammalian and mosquito cells suggests that it may play a biological role, perhaps as a regulator of RNA synthesis.