Biomedical subjects

Jian-Guo Ren

Publications and source records attributed to Jian-Guo Ren.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[Study on a bacterial strain Bt8 for biocontrol against citrus bacterial canker].

Citrus bacterial canker is an important disease of Citrus species in China. The disease severely occurs especially in the coastal area. Integrated control system has been used for the control of the disease, in which chemotherapy plays an important role at present. The chemotherapy-dominant control system brought many problems to the environment, such as chemical residua in the products and induction of resistance to fungicide(s) by the pathogen. To solve these problems, an intensive study on biocontrol of citrus bacterial canker is needed. Isolations and characterizations of biocontrol agents are the basis for biocontrol of the disease. A bacterial strain Bt8 with strong inhibiting ability against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Hasse) Vauterin, was isolated from citrus orchard soil in Nanning, China. The isolated bacterial strain was identified and characterized as Acinetobacter baumannii Bouvet et Grimont on the base of its morphology and 16S rDNA sequence analysis as well as physiological and biochemical characters. The inhibiting activity of the bacterium suspension against the pathogen was significantly influenced by environmental factors, such as temperatures, pHs and media. At temperatures of 18 degrees C to 33 degrees C, both the inhibiting activity of the bacterium suspension and the biomass of the bacterium increased with the increases of temperatures, suggesting that the influence of temperature on inhibiting activity of the bacterium suspension was in dependence on the bacterial biomass. In NA liquid medium of pH 10, the bacterium suspension showed the highest inhibiting activity against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, which was not in dependence on biomass of the bacterium. The bacterium suspension provided 55.2% inhibition against bacterial canker under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that Acinetobacter baumannii has potential as biocontrol agent against bacterial canker disease. Acinetobacter baumannii was reported as the pathogens infecting human and animals. The present study enriched the understanding on biological diversity in Acinetobacter baumannii to sciences. This is the first report on the isolation of Acinetobacter baumannii with strong inhibiting ability against plant pathogen.

Acinetobacter baumannii↗

PubMed2005

Self-association of IQGAP1: characterization and functional sequelae.

The scaffolding protein IQGAP1 participates in numerous cellular functions by binding to target proteins such as actin, calmodulin, E-cadherin, beta-catenin, Cdc42, Rac1, and CLIP-170. IQGAP1 regulates the cytoskeleton, promotes cell motility, and modulates E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion. However, how IQGAP1 exerts its functions in vivo is still unclear. In this study we investigate the self-association of IQGAP1 and its role in IQGAP1 function. Endogenous IQGAP1 co-immunoprecipitated from MCF-7 cells with IQGAP1 tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein, indicating that IQGAP1 self-associates in cells. In vitro assays confirmed that IQGAP1 can self-associate and that this effect is mediated by the N-terminal half of the protein. Gel filtration analysis suggested that full-length IQGAP1 exists as a combination of monomers, dimers, and larger oligomers. Analysis performed with multiple fragments of IQGAP1 narrowed the self-association region to amino acids 763-863. In support of this observation, a peptide comprising residues 763-863 disrupted self-association of full-length IQGAP1 in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, deleting this sequence from IQGAP1 abolished binding to full-length IQGAP1. In addition, the ability of IQGAP1 to increase the amount of active Cdc42 in cells is abrogated upon removal of this region. Consistent with these findings, transfection into cells of a peptide containing the self-association domain significantly reduced the amount of active Cdc42 in cell lysates. These observations define a sequence of IQGAP1 that is necessary for its oligomerization and demonstrate that self-association is required for the normal cellular function of IQGAP1.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2005

How PEDF prevents angiogenesis: a hypothesized pathway.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a multiple functional protein, coded by the serine proteinase inhibitor, clade F, member 1 (SERPINF1) gene, which has both anti-angiogenic activity and neurotrophic activity at the same time. Its antiangiogenic activity in the mammalian eye is the most potent known at this time. However, the mechanism(s) by which PEDF works in vivo is still uncertain. Some observations suggest that PEDF can simultaneously inhibit the migration and proliferation induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and then further inhibits angiogenesis by interacting with specific cell surface receptors, but no such receptor has been reported to date. Here we propose a hypothesis that PEDF exerts its function by binding with intergrins. Intergrin can therefore serve as the receptor of PEDF.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Identification of the antivasopermeability effect of pigment epithelium-derived factor and its active site.

Vascular permeability plays a key role in a wide array of life-threatening and sight-threatening diseases. Vascular endothelial growth factor can increase vascular permeability. Using a model system for nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, we found that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) effectively abated vascular endothelial growth factor-induced vascular permeability. A 44-amino acid region of PEDF was sufficient to confer the antivasopermeability activity. Additionally, we identified four amino acids (glutamate-101, isoleucine-103, leucine-112, and serine-115) critical for this activity. PEDF, or a derivative, could potentially abate or restore vision loss from diabetic macular edema. Furthermore, PEDF may represent a superior therapeutic approach to sepsis-associated hypotension, nephrotic syndrome, and other sight-threatening and life-threatening diseases resulting from excessive vascular permeability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗