PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Cu/Zn SOD on reduction of hindlimb muscular atrophy induced by cisplatin in rats. METHODS: Forty-two rats were assigned to three groups; control group, Cisplatin (CDDP) group and cisplatin with Cu/Zn SOD (CDDP-SOD) group. At day 35 hindlimb muscles were dissected. Food intake, activity, withdrawal threshold, muscle weight, and Type I, II fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) of dissected muscles were measured. Relative SOD activity and expression of MHC and phosphorylated Akt, ERK were measured after dissection. RESULTS: Muscle weight and Type I, II fiber CSA of hindlimb muscles in the CDDP group were significantly less than the control group. Muscle weight and Type I, II fiber CSA of hindlimb muscles, food intake, activity, and withdrawal thresholds of the CDDP-SOD group were significantly greater than the CDDP group. There were no significant differences in relative SOD activities of hindlimb muscles between the CDDP-SOD and CDDP groups. MHC expression and phosphorylated Akt, ERK of hindlimb muscles in the CDDP-SOD group were significantly greater than the CDDP group. CONCLUSION: Cu/Zn SOD attenuates hindlimb muscular atrophy induced by cisplatin through increased food intake and activity. Increment of phosphorylated Akt, ERK may relate to attenuation of hindlimb muscular atrophy.
Animals ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Cisplatin/*toxicity ; Disease Models, Animal ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism ; Hindlimb ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/*drug effects/enzymology/metabolism ; Muscular Atrophy/*chemically induced/metabolism/pathology ; Phosphorylation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics/pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase/genetics/metabolism/pharmacology ; Superoxides/metabolism

We examined the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms of gabapentin in the attenuation of neuropathic pain and the interaction between the anti-allodynic effects of gabapentin and interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression in a rat model of neuropathic pain. The anti-allodynic effect of intrathecal gabapentin was examined over a 7-day period. The anti-allodynic effects of IL-10 was measured, and the effects of anti-IL-10 antibody on the gabapentin were assessed. On day 7, the concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and IL-10 were measured. Gabapentin produced an anti-allodynic effect over the 7-day period, reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines but increasing the expression of IL-10 (TNF-alpha, 316.0 +/- 69.7 pg/mL vs 88.8 +/- 24.4 pg/mL; IL-1beta, 1,212.9 +/- 104.5 vs 577.4 +/- 97.1 pg/mL; IL-6, 254.0 +/- 64.8 pg/mL vs 125.5 +/- 44.1 pg/mL; IL-10, 532.1 +/- 78.7 pg/mL vs 918.9 +/- 63.1 pg/mL). The suppressive effect of gabapentin on pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was partially blocked by the anti-IL-10 antibody. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was significantly attenuated by daily injections of IL-10. The anti-allodynic effects of gabapentin may be caused by upregulation of IL-10 expression in the spinal cord, which leads to inhibition of the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cords.
Amines/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Analgesics/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Animals ; Antibodies/immunology/pharmacology ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects ; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Cytokines/*metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Injections, Spinal ; Interleukin-10/genetics/immunology/*metabolism ; Male ; Neuralgia/*drug therapy/metabolism/pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics/pharmacology ; Spinal Cord/metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/pharmacology/*therapeutic use

Kallistatin (Kal) is a negative acute phase endogenous protein which can inhibit tumor angiogenesis, growth and metastasis effectively. To express and purify recombinant human kallistatin (rHKal), and characterize its biological activity, P. pastoris was transformed with pPIC9-Kal/GS115 (His4) to express rHKal. The fermentation was carried out in a 7.5 L bioreactor with high density cell culture. 1%-2% methanol was added to the medium to induce the expression of rHKal. The secretion was purified with phenyl sepharose, G-25 sepharose, heparin sepharose and Sephacryl S-100 chromatography. The biological activity of purified bulk rHKal on HUVEC was evaluated with MTT and tube formation assays. The final expression of rHKal in the supernatant reached 50 mg x L(-1), the purity of bulk rHKal after purification was above 98%. A dose-dependent inhibition of rHKal on HUVEC proliferation was observed, however, a U-shaped dose-response curve of rHKal on capillary formation of HUVEC was revealed. The described protocol provides an effective means for preparing rHKal that could be used for anti-angiogenesis therapy in the future.
Bioreactors ; Capillaries ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Fermentation ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Pichia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Serpins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein-angiopoietin-1 (COMP-Ang1) is an angiogenic factor for vascular angiogenesis. The aim was to investigate the effect of an intracavernosal injection of COMP-Ang1 on cavernosal angiogenesis in a diabetic rat model. Male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats made up the experimental group (1 yr old) and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats made up the control group. The experimental group was divided into vehicle only, 10 microg COMP-Ang1, and 20 microg COMP-Ang1. COMP-Ang1 was injected into the corpus cavernosum of the penis. After 4 weeks, the penile tissues of the rats were obtained for immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. The immunoreactivity of PECAM-1 and VEGF was increased in the COMP-Ang1 group compared with the vehicle only group. Moreover, the expression of PECAM-1 and VEGF was notably augmented in the 20 microg Comp Ang-1 group. In the immunoblotting study, the expression of PECAM-1 and VEGF protein was significantly less in the OLEFT rats than in the control LETO rats. However, this expression was restored to control level after intracavernosal injection of COMP-Ang1. These results show that an intracavernosal injection of COMP-Ang1 enhances cavernous angiogenesis by structurally reinforcing the cavernosal endothelium.
Angiopoietin-1/genetics/*metabolism ; Animals ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Blotting, Western ; Body Weight ; Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein/genetics/*metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/*pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/*drug effects ; Penis/metabolism/pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Long-Evans ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics/*pharmacology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism

The aim of the study is to establish a platform to deliver therapeutic proteins into target cells through a polyarginine-based cell penetrating peptide. To facilitate the expression of therapeutic proteins, a pSUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier)-R9-EGFP (enhanced green fluorescence protein) prokaryotic expression vector was constructed. After induction, the fusion protein SUMO-R9-EGFP was efficiently expressed. To validate the cell penetrating ability of the fusion protein, HepG2 cells were incubated with the purified R9-EGFP or EGFP protein as control, internalization of the fluorescent proteins was examined by either flow cytometry or confocal microscopy. The result obtained by flow cytometry showed that the R9-EGFP fusion protein could efficiently penetrate into the HepG2 cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. In contrast, the fluorescence was barely detected in the HepG2 cells incubated with EGFP control. The fluorescence intensity of the R9-EGFP treated cells reached plateau phase after 1.5 h. The result obtained by confocal microscopy shows that R9-EGFP efficiently entered into the HepG2 cells and was exclusively located in the cytoplasm, whereas, no fluorescence was detected in the cells incubated with the EGFP control. The heparin inhibition experiment showed that heparin could inhibit penetrating effect of the R9-EGFP protein by about 50%, suggesting that the penetrating ability of the fusion protein is heparin-dependent. In summary, the study has established a platform to deliver therapeutic proteins into target cells through a polyarginine-based penetrating peptide.
Cell-Penetrating Peptides ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Peptides ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Transport ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology

To produce recombinant phospholipase A(1) (PLA(1)) by Escherichian coli, the pla gene encoding PLA(1) was amplified from Serratia liquefaciens by PCR and cloned into two vectors pET20-b(+) and pET28-a(+). The two recombinant plasmids were then transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) individually to express PLA(1). E. coli BL21(DE3)/pET28a-pla yielded extracellular PLA(1) with an activity of 40.8 U/mL in batch cultivations of shaken flasks by auto-induction, which was accounted for 91% of total enzyme activity. On the basis of primal auto-induction medium, the optimized fermentation medium of PLA(1) contained tryptone 10 g/L, yeast extract 5 g/L, glucose 0.8 g/L, lactose 5 g/L, Na2HPO4 25 mmol/L, KH2PO4 25 mmol/L and 1 mmol/L MgSO4 (final concentration). Glycine (7.5 g/L) was added 6 h after inoculated. After incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h, extracellular enzyme activity reached 128.7 U/mL.
Cloning, Molecular ; Culture Media ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Lactose ; pharmacology ; Phospholipases A1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Serratia liquefaciens ; enzymology

To improve the expression level of tmAMP1m gene from Tenebrio molitor in Escherichia coli, we studied the effects of expression level and activity of the fusion protein HIS-TmAMP1m by conditions, such as culture temperature, inducing time and the final concentration of inductor Isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). We analyzed the optimum expression conditions by Tricine-SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, meanwhile, detected its antibacterial activity by using agarose cavity diffusion method. The results suggest that when inducing the recombinant plasmid with a final IPTG concentration of 0.1 mmol/L at 37 degrees C for 4 h, there was the highest expression level of fusion protein HIS-TmAMP1m in Escherichia coli. Under these conditions, the expression of fusion protein accounted for 40% of the total cell lysate with the best antibacterial activity. We purified the fusion protein HIS-TmAMPlm with nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) metal-affinity chromatography matrices. Western blotting analysis indicates that the His monoclonal antibody could be specifically bound to fusion protein HIS-TmAMPlm. After expression by inducing, the fusion protein could inhibit the growth of host cell transformed by pET30a-tmAMP1m. The fusion protein HIS-TmAMP1m had better stability and remained higher antibacterial activities when incubated at 100 degrees C for 10 h, repeated freeze thawing at -20 degrees C, dissolved in strong acid and alkali, or treated by organic solvents and protease. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration results demonstrated that the fusion protein HIS-TmAMP1m has a good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp., Corynebacterium glutamicum, Bacillus thuringiensis, Corynebacterium sp. This study laid the foundation to promote the application of insect antimicrobial peptides and further research.
Animals ; Anti-Infective Agents ; pharmacology ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Insect Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Tenebrio ; chemistry

Nine mutants (P2M1-9) were obtained using PCR with 5-BU based on DNA template (P2Y) encoding the active region of Parasporin-2. Mutant proteins were purified after expressing in E. coli BL21 cells, followed by assayed against hepatoma cells and normal liver cells by MTT. They showed diverse anti-hepatoma activities, in which two mutant proteins, P2M1 and P2M8, exhibited high cytotoxicity against hepatoma cell lines SMMC7721 and Be17402, meanwhile leaving normal liver cells Chang-liver unaffected. Structural comparison among P2Y, P2M1 and P2M8 showed that the length of beta-sheet or beta-fold, and the amount of alpha helix greatly affected the anti-hepatoma activity of Parasporin-2. Results based on amino acid alignment, molecular docking between P2Y, P2M1 or P2M8 and receptor, and mimic mutation demonstrated that amino acid residues at the sites of 52, 56, 58 and 208 on P2Y, especially the aromatic amino acids such as Trp, Phe, and Tyr were involved in the interactions.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Amino Acids, Aromatic ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Endotoxins ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutant Proteins ; pharmacology ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology

In this study, we expressed and purified supercharged green fluorescent protein (+36GFP) that we used to study its combination with nucleic acid and its cell transduction efficiency as carrier of DNA. We transformed pET+36GFP-HA2 plasmid into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), then expressed and purified the target protein. We used the protein to transduce a variety of mammalian cell lines including B16 cells, 293 cells, A549 cells and HepG2 cells at specified protein concentrations. Transduction efficiency of the protein was analyzed by flow cytometry. Under laser scanning confocal microscope, we observed visually transduction efficiency of +36GFP protein (100 nmol/L) to A549 cells. We incubated +36GFP with plasmid DNA and analyzed their binding ability with gel mobility shift assay. Then we transduced cells with the mixture of plasmid DNA/+36GFP protein at various ratio and detected the expression of reporter gene by using laser scanning confocal microscope and flow cytometry. The experimental results demonstrate that +36GFP had high transduction efficiency, and as the concentration increased, the efficiency improved in a dose-dependent manner. Gel mobility shift assay indicates that +36GFP could bind to plasmid DNA, blocking the migration of DNA in the gel in a concentration-dependent manner. After the plasmid wrapped by +36GFP penetrated into cells, the cells could express target protein efficiently, proving that +36GFP had the ability to carry nucleic acids into cells. Sucussful expression and purification of +36GFP protein confirms its high efficiency of cell transduction and its ability as carrier to deliver exogenous nucleic acids into cells.
Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA ; genetics ; metabolism ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Transduction, Genetic ; methods ; Transfection

Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM) acts as a netrin-1 receptor and mediates attractive response of axons to netrin-1 in neural development. However, the signaling mechanisms of netrin-DSCAM remain unclear. Here we report that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) interacts with DSCAM through its γ subunit, but does not interact with DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer), another major receptor for netrin-1. Netrin-treatment of cultured cortical neurons leads to increased phosphorylation of AMPK. Both AMPK mutant with dominant-negative effect and AMPK inhibitor can significantly suppress netrin-1 induced neurite outgrowth. Together, these findings demonstrate that AMPK interacts with DSCAM and plays an important role in netrin-1 induced neurite outgrowth. Our study uncovers a previously unknown component, AMPK, in netrin-DSCAM signaling pathway.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Mice ; Nerve Growth Factors ; pharmacology ; Netrin-1 ; Neurites ; physiology ; Neurons ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; Protein Binding ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Transfection ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; pharmacology