The study of neuroprotective effect of ferulic acid based on cell metabolomics.

Ferulic acid (FA), a naturally derived phenolic compound, has antioxidant and antidepressant-like effects. It is still a challenge to study its mechanism due to the complexity of the pathophysiology of depression. In this study, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was used to perform metabolomics studies based on biochemical changes in differentiated rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells treated with corticosterone-induced neurological damage after FA treatment. A total of 31 metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers for corticosterone-induced PC12 cells injury. Among them, 24 metabolites were regulated after FA treatment. Pathway analysis revealed that these metabolites were mainly involved in the amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism. In addition, based on the results of metabolomics, three cell signaling pathways related to glutamate were discovered. To further study the interactions between FA and major targets in three signaling pathways, a molecular docking method was employed. The results showed that FA had the strongest binding power with protein kinase B (AKT). Furthermore, the result of mRNA changes analyzed by quantitative real time RT-PCR indicated that AKT and protein kinase A (PKA) in the signaling pathway were up regulated after treatment with FA compared with model group. This study shows that strategies based on cell metabolomics associated with molecular docking and molecular biology is a helpful tool to elucidate the neuroprotective mechanism of FA.

[Water use strategy of Tamarix chinensis during a drought year in the coastal wetlands of the Yellow River Delta, China]. / 黄河三角洲海岸带湿地柽柳在干旱年份的水分利用策略.

Tamarix chinensis, the dominant species of plant communities in the coastal wetlands of the Yellow River Delta, was selected to study the water use strategy of coastal plants at different habitats during a drought year. The Δ18O values for xylem water of T. chinensis were analyzed. Potential contributions by different water sources to T. chinensis were estimated using the IsoSource model. The contributions were analyzed to reveal the adaptation mechanism of T. chinensis to water stress at different habitats. The results showed that the main water sources for T. chinensis during a drought year were soil water and groundwater rather than precipitation. However, the water use strategies of T. chinensis changed significantly with different micro-topographies. For dune crests, 72.6%-95.4% water of T. chinensis came from deeper soil water (40-100 cm) and groundwater. However, near the high tide line, T. chinensis absorbed 40.7%-97.3% of the water from the upper soil (0-40 cm) to avoid the salt stress caused by sea water and shallow groundwater. This provided T. chinensis with a competitive advantage related to water consumption and improved its water use efficiency in the coastal ecosystem, which led to mono-dominant shrub community of T. chinensis in this area.

Parental health and social support in the first trimester of pregnancy and the risk of oral clefts: a questionnaire-based, case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic oral clefts are complex in cause and have multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. This retrospective, questionnaire-based, case-control study investigated the relationship between oral clefts and parental mental and physical health and social support. METHODS: Three hundred forty-seven parents of children with nonsyndromic oral clefts and 420 controls were included. Maternal and paternal health during the first trimester was assessed using interviews and questionnaires modeled from the Cornell Medical Index and the Social Support Rating Scale. Case-control analyses were performed using t tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. RESULTS: Parental age, household income, and subsisting on farming were significantly different for cases and controls. The Cornell Medical Index for cases was significantly worse compared with controls for physical and psychological health. Logistic regression showed that nine factors were significantly associated with oral clefts: paternal respiratory health (OR, 1.56; p = 0.03), maternal gastrointestinal health (OR, 1.71; p < 0.01), maternal musculoskeletal health (OR, 1.50; p < 0.01), paternal nervous system health (OR, 2.82; p < 0.01), maternal frequency of illness (OR, 2.21; p = 0.01), maternal diseases (OR, 2.44; p < 0.01), maternal health habits (OR, 1.73; p < 0.01), paternal feelings of inadequacy (OR, 2.28; p = 0.03), and maternal anger (OR, 2.28; p < 0.01) in the first trimester. Weaker social support from the community was associated with oral clefts (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Maternal and paternal health and social support may affect a family's risk of having a child with a cleft. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

[Quality level assessment of lowly efficient Tamarix chinensis secondary shrubs in Laizhou Bay of Yellow River Delta].

Taking the Tamarix chinensis secondary shrubs in Laizhou Bay of Yellow River Delta as test objects, and by using synthetic factor method, this paper studied the main factors causing the lowly efficiency of T. chinensis secondary shrubs as well as the main parameters for the classification of lowly efficient T. chinensis secondary shrubs. A total of 24 indices including shrubs growth and soil physical and chemical properties were selected to determine the main affecting factors and parameters in evaluating and classifying the lowly efficient shrubs. There were no obvious correlations between the indices reflecting the shrubs growth and soil quality, and thus, only using shrub growth index to reflect the lowly efficiency level of T. chinensis was not enough, and it would be necessary to combine with soil quality factors to make a comprehensive evaluation. The principal factors reflecting the quality level of lowly efficient T. chinensis shrubs included soil salt content and moisture content, stand age, single tree's aboveground stem, leaf biomass, and basal diameter, followed by soil density, porosity, and soil nutrient status. The lowly efficient T. chinensis shrubs in the Bay could be classified into five types, namely, shrub with growth potential, slightly low quality shrub, moderately lowly efficient shrub, moderately low quality and lowly efficient shrub, and seriously low quality and lowly efficient shrub. The main features, low efficiency causes, and management measures of these shrubs were discussed based on the mean cluster value.

Interaction between Jak3 and Nucleosome Assembly Protein 1.

Tyrosine kinase Jak3 plays a critical role in the interleukin 2 IL-2 signaling because it not only participates the Jak-Stat pathway, but also interacts with unidentified signal transducers and regulates expression of some oncogenes such as c-fos and c-myc. Abundant evidence demonstrated that phosphorylated tyrosine was necessary for the interaction between two proteins. Therefore, in order to clarify the role of Jak3 in IL-2 signal transduction, the tyrosine-phosphorylation-involved yeast two-hybrid system was constructed and the N-terminal region JH3-JH7 of Jak3 was used as a bait to screen a peripheral blood cDNA library. About 50 double-positive colonies were obtained. Sequence analysis indicated that one of them was from nucleosome assembly protein 1 gene (Nap1), and encoded a protein of 392 amino acid residues. Two-hybrid system results demonstrated that interaction between Jak3 and Nap1 depended on the level of tyrosine phosphorylation. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation and Western blot experiments confirmed that Jak3 really interacted with Nap1 in murine pro-B lymphocyte BAF/BO3beta cells.

Isolation and Characterzation of p160.2, a Signal Transducing Protein Downstream of Jak3.

Nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Jak3, which binds to intracellular domain of interleukin-2 receptor gamma subunit (IL-2Rgamma), plays an important role in IL-2 function. To find downstream signal transducer of Jak3, the N-terminal region JH3-JH7 of Jak3 was used as a baitg to screen a cDNA library by using the yeast two-hybrid system. One real true clone was obtained out of 10(5) cotransformants. Sequencing indicated that it encoded a p160.2 protein fragment which consisted of 399 amino acid residues. Further results showed that the p160.2 fragment merely bound to the intact JH3-JH7 through its C-terminal. Northern blot revealed that human p160.2 shared homology with monkey p160.2, but was different from mouse p160.2; and p160.2 was widely expressed in various tissues.