ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of tacrolimus (FK506) on macrophage accumulation,proliferation and activation in the kidney of early diabetic rats and to explore its possible mechanism of renal protection.Methods Rats were randomly divided into control,model and tacrolimus groups.Diabetic model rats were induced with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin.Tacrolimus(0.5 or 1.0 mg·kg-1 ·d-1) was orally administered once a day for 4 weeks.Kidney weight index(KWI),24-h urinary albumin excretion rate(UAER) and creatinine clearance rate(Ccr) were measured.Kidney pathology was observed by light microscopy.ED-1,PCNAandiNOSpositivemacrophagesweredetectedbysingleanddoublestainingof immunohistochemistry.Results KWI increased in model group and was significantly reduced by tacrolimus treatment with 1.0 mg·kg-1 ·d-1 (P＜0.05).UAER elevated in model group and was markedly attenuated by tacrolimus treatment with 0.5 and 1.0 mg·kg-1 ·d-1 (P＜0.05).Elevated glomerular volume of model rats was significantly decreased by tacrolimus treatment with 0.5 and 1.0 mg·kg-1·d-1 (P＜0.05),and increased indices of tubulointerstitial injury were only ameliorated by 1.0 mg·kg-1·d-1 tacrolimus(P＜0.01).Marked accumulation of ED-1+ cells in diabetic kidney was found,which was not inhibited by tacrolimus treatment with 0.5 and 1.0 mg·kg-1·d-1.ED-1PCNA+ cells and ED-1+ iNOS+ cells were significantly elevated in kidneys of model group,while they were significantly inhibited by tacrohmus treatment with 0.5 and 1.0 mg·kg-1·d-1 (P＜0.01).Conclusion Tacrolimus can ameliorate early renal injury of diabetic rats and its mechanism may be partly associated with the suppression of increased macrophages activation.

[Objective] To further explore the mechanism of regulating the central nerveous system by Nao-Tai-Ji (NTJ), a brain balance bionic instrument, for hypertension. [Methods] Rat models with nephrovasopressive hypertension were established by the occlusion of left renal artery and venous injection of vasopressin. Effects of NTJ on blood pressure and monamine neurotransmitter in hypothalamus were observed. [ Results ] Blood pressure was decreased, approaching the normal level in model rabbits treated by NTJ (P

Objective To establish an efficient baculovirus-insect cell expression system for the production of human immunodeficiency virus-1 ( HIV-1 ) envelope glycoprotein gp120 and to evaluate the physiochemical properties, antigenicity and immunogenicity of the recombinant protein. Methods The gene encoding HIV-1 NL4-3 gp120 was cloned into the downstream of pH promoter of the baculovirus transfer vec-tor pAcgp67B to construct the recombinant transfer vector pAc-gp120. Expression of the protein of interest was induced in baculovirus-infected High FiveTM insect cells. ELISA, analytical ultracentrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography were carried out to characterize physicochemical properties of the expressed gp120 protein. Immunogenicity of the recombinant gp120 protein was analyzed by HIV neutralization assay after im-munizing BALB/c mice with it. Results The recombinant HIV-1 gp120 protein was successfully obtained from the established insect cell expression system with a purity of more than 90％ and a mean yield of 13 mg/L in four batches. That recombinant HIV-1 gp120 protein was characterized by homogeneity in solution and possessed a good immunoreactivity to neutralizing antibodies and antisera against HIV. Immunogenicity analysis in BALB/c mice demonstrated that the recombinant gp120 protein could induce effective immune re-sponses against HIV-1 NL4-3. Conclusion A simple and scalable approach to obtain homogeneous and im-munogenic HIV-1 gp120 antigen is successfully established, which will promote further investigation of HIV vaccine candidates.

Lentiviral vectors were powerful gene delivery tools for gene therapy. We developed a new lentiviral vector pBobi-MIL that constitutively expressed O6-methylguanine-DNAmethyltransferase (MGMT) and Luciferase, linked by the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), to realize drug tolerance and real time monitoring in vivo. All results from RT-PCR, drug treating clones forming, immunofluorometric assay and chemiluminescence detection showed that cells infected by recombinant lentivirus L-MIL simultaneously expressed these two genes. This lays the foundation for the further research in gene therapy and can also help identify lentivirus titer.
DNA Modification Methylases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; DNA Repair Enzymes ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Drug Resistance ; genetics ; Genetic Therapy ; methods ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Humans ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Luciferases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

We constructed the CAP2NC prokaryotic expression vector of HIV-1 NL4-3 strain and obtained relatively pure CAP2NC protein by optimizing its purification conditions to explore its in vitro self-assembly conditions. Primers were designed according to the CAP2NC DNA sequence of HIV-1 NL4-3 strain. The target gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pTO-T7. Then the recombinant strain was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). IPTG induced protein expression, then the protein was purified by hydrophobic chromatography. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting were performed to analyze the target protein, and the biological activity of the antigen was identified through ELISA. The self-assembly of CAP2NC protein was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and gel filtration chromatography. The protein had good reaction with the specific antibodies of p24 and formed different structures in various conditions. When 10% yeast RNA was added to the protein complex, the recombinant protein only formed into a tubular structure, which was similar to the self-assembled structure of the HIV-1 virus capsid. The results showed that the HIV-1 CAP2NC protein had in vitro self-assembly activity, and the RNA affected the structure of CAP2NC protein assembly. The protein can be used as a simple and effective molecular model to study its structure, and then it can provide a reference for the study of HIV immature virus particles.