Objective To clone the full length staphylococcal protein A(SPA) gene from Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC6538), and subsequently study the gene structure and antibody binding ability.Methods The full length and the functional region of the SPA gene were cloned into pHisSUMO vector respectively, and expressed in E. coli. The full length and the functional fragment of the SPA protein were detected for antibody binding ability and stability. The functional fragment of the SPA protein fused with SUMO was coupled to the CNBr-activated agarose for antibody purification from rabbit serum. Results A variant of the full length SPA gene was cloned, which has been submitted to GenBank (the accession number is EU695225). Two fusion proteins had the same antibody binding ability as the untagged SPA protein. However, the formers was more stable than the latter at the tested conditions. SUMO-SPA conjugated-agarose kept high efficiency for antibody binding. Conclusion To our knowledge, the full length SPA gene of S.aureus(ATCC6538) is a novel variant. The SUMO tag can improve the stability of the functional region of the SPA protein without damaging the antibody binding ability. This fusion protein has been used for antibody purification successfully.

Objective To investigate the role of neuropeptide trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) in cocaine reward responses and the underlying mechanism.Methods Fifty SD rats were divided into 6 groups including Control group,Cocaine group,Cocaine + TFF3 (0.01 mg/kg) group,cocaine + TFF3 (0.1 mg/kg) group,cocaine + TFF3 (0.5 mg/kg) group and TFF3 (0.1 mg/kg) group,ip,n=7 ～ 9),and were treated with TFF3 / saline (ip),30 min later,rats were injected with cocaine (10 mg/kg ip) followed by 1 h hypedocomotion test.Immediately after behavioral test,rats (n=4～6) were decapitated and tissues of nucleus accumbens (NAc) were isolated and prepared for neurotransmitters analysis by HPLC; Another twenty one rats were divided into control and TFF3-treatment group,and the rats were trained with a modified 2-day cocaine CPP conditioning procedure.During cocaine CPP conditioning process,saline or TFF3 (0.1 mg/kg ip) was injected 30 min prior to cocaine injection (5 mg/kg ip).Results Systemic administration of TFF3 (0.1 mg/kg,ip) significantly increased the cocaine-induced locomotor activity (Total distance in 1 hour were (180±41) cm,(359±53) cm,(590±75) cm,(153±27) cm for Control,Vehicle + Cocaine,TFF3+Cocaine and TFF3+Vehicle groups respectively) and augmented cocaine rewarding effects in CPP(Post-training CPP score were (98± 18) s,(187±24) s for Vehicle + Cocaine,TFF3+Cocaine groups respectively).TFF3 (0.1 mg/kg ip) administration increased the dopamine concentration in the NAc induced by cocaine injection ((0.65±0.1) ng/ml,(1.24±0.14) ng/ml,(1.75±0.23) ng/ml,(0.74±0.21) ng/ml for Control,Cocaine,TFF3 + Cocaine and TFF3 + Vehicle groups respectively).Conclusion TFF3 is involved in regulation of behavioral response to cocaine,which is associated with the increasing of dopamine in the NAc.

To investigate the cell-killing effect and its possible mechanism of rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL on human hepatic carcinoma (HCC) cell line, first of all, recombinant plasmid pee12.4-hDR5 was introduced into HepG2 cells by liposome transfection. After five rounds of screening by flow cytometry, HepG2 cells expressing high levels of DR5 on cell surface were isolated. The cytotoxicity of TRAIL to selected cells was higher than that of TRAIL to HepG2 cells by MTT method (P < 0.01). The result suggested that the cloned hDR5 gene had biological activity. MTT assay showed that, rClone30- hDR5 in combination with TRAIL more efficiently inhibited the tumor growth of HepG2 cells compared to rClone30-hDR5 or TRAIL in vitro. The results of Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and Quantitative Real-time PCR indicated that rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL significantly increased the mRNA levels of caspase 3 and caspase 8, and induced the apoptosis of tumor cells. HepG2 cells were infected with rClone30-hDR5 or rClone30 at MOI of 1. The expression of hDR5 on tumor surface increased significantly by rClone30-hDR5 compared to that by rClone30, which contributed to the sensitivity to TRAIL. In conclusion, rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL has potential application value in cancer treatment.

A porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was obtained from clinic samples. Genes 5 and 6 encoding for the viral glycoprotein 5 and a membrane protein of the PRRSV designated as HH08 were amplified by reverse transcription-PCR. These sequences were compared with reference sequences derived from different geographical locations. The results indicated that the virus belongs to the North American type rather than European. Comparative analyses of the genetic diversity between the PRRSV isolate HH08 and other Chinese as well as foreign reference strains of PRRSV were discussed based on the sequence comparison and the topology of phylogenetic trees constructed in this study.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; China/epidemiology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral/physiology ; Genetic Variation ; Molecular Sequence Data ; *Phylogeny ; Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome/epidemiology/virology ; Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus/*genetics/*metabolism ; Sequence Alignment ; Swine ; Viral Envelope Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Viral Matrix Proteins/genetics/*metabolism

In order to enhance the antitumor efficacy of recombinant Newcastle disease virus, rNDV-IL15 was rescued in this study. Recombinant plasmid prNDV-IL15 was constructed, and BHK21 cells were transfected with the recombinant plasmid. Finally, the recombinant Newcastle disease virus rNDV-IL15 was successfully rescued. The growth curves of these two recombinant viruses were determined. Murine melanoma B16F10 cells were infected with rNDV-IL15 at MOI of 0.1, and the expression level of IL15 in the supernatant was detected by ELISA. The antitumor efficacy of rNDV-IL15 and rNDV was compared in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that prNDV-IL15 was constructed and recombinant virus rNDV-IL15 was successfully rescued. The growth curve of rNDV-IL15 showed that the growth of rNDV-IL15 had not been changed after insertion of IL15 gene. Results showed that there was high level of IL15 expression in the supernatant of rNDV-IL5-infected B16F10 cells (1 044.3 +/- 27.7 ng x mL(-1)). rNDV-IL15 and rNDV significantly inhibited the growth of B16F10 cells in vitro in a time-dependent manner. However, there was no significant difference between them. In animal experiments, rNDV-IL15 efficiently suppressed tumor growth in vivo when compared with rNDV, and the difference was statistically significant. The results suggested that rNDV-IL15 is a more effective antitumor agent.

The aim of the study is to obtain an efficient expression of recombinant ubiquitin-like specific protease 1 (Ulp1) by gene engineering. We cloned the Ulp1p, active fragment (403 aa-621 aa) of Ulp1, from Saccharomyces cerevisia, and subcloned into pGEX/Rosetta (DE3) to form an expression plasmid, pGEX-Ulp1p-His6. In order to enhance the solubility of GST-Ulp1p-His6, we purified the fusion protein GST-Ulp1p-His6 by either glutathione S-transferase agarose or Ni-NTA resin chromatography, the purity was up to 98%. We utilized the protein to cleave the SUMO fusions, and the specific activity of GST-Ulp1p-His6 was 1.375 x 10(4) U/mg. This study showed that the recombinant protein GST-Ulp1p-His6 displayed high specificity and activity.
Cloning, Molecular ; Cysteine Endopeptidases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fungal Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Glutathione Transferase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; enzymology ; Solubility