1.Cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) regulates the motility of Leptospira interrogans via chemotaxis regulatory proteins CheB/CheR
Liangliang KONG ; Guohui XIAO ; Fudi YUAN ; Jie YAN ; Xu′ai LIN ;
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2017;37(7):521-526
Objective To investigate the regulatory effects of cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) signaling on CheB and CheR, which were chemotaxis regulatory proteins relating to the motility of Leptospira interrogans.Methods Real-time PCR was used to determine the expression of cheB1, cheB2, cheB3, cheR1 and cheR2 genes at mRNA level during Leptospira interrogans infection.Fragments of these genes were amplified and cloned into the expression vector pET-28a, respectively, to construct the prokaryotic expression system for them.Colony morphologies of Escherichia coli (E.coli) strains that overexpressed the target genes were observed to determine the regulatory effects of c-di-GMP on CheB and CheR.Results The expression of cheB1 gene at mRNA level increased 60 min after infection and reached the peak at 90 min.Compared with the control group, the expression of cheB3 gene at mRNA level were up-regulated, while no significant difference in the expression of cheB2 and cheR genes was observed 60 min after infection.The prokaryotic expression system for the five genes was successfully constructed and the purified proteins were obtained.CheB1, CheB3 and CheR2 improved the motility of E.coli, but that was inhibited by the inhibitor of diguanylate cyclase (DGC) or phosphodiesterase (PDE).Conclusion CheB and CheR regulate the swarming motility of E.coli and are affected by intracellular c-di-GMP.
2.Roles of the complement system in alcohol-induced liver disease
Yi ZHOU ; Guandou YUAN ; Fudi ZHONG ; Songqing HE
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2020;26(4):677-685
Alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD) is a complex disorder, with a disease spectrum ranging from steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the pathogenesis of ALD is incompletely understood and currently no effective drugs are available for ALD, several lines of evidence suggest that complement activation and oxidative stress play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of ALD. Complement activation can regulate the production of ROS and influence oxidative stress in ALD. Precise regulation of the complement system in ALD may be a rational and novel avenue to postpone and even reverse the progression of disease and simultaneously promote the repair of liver injury. In this mini-review, we briefly summarize the recent research progress, especially focusing on the role of complement and oxidative stress-induced transfer RNA-derived fragments, which might help us to better understand the pathogenesis of ALD and provide aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for ALD.