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Biomedical subjects

Ping Lu

Publications and source records attributed to Ping Lu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Evaluation of advanced glycation end-products in diabetic and inherited canine cataracts.

BACKGROUND: The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) increases in the human cataract and should correlate with increased DNA damage and proliferation of lens epithelial cells (LECs). The purpose of this study was to measure and immunolocalize RAGE in normal and cataractous canine LECs, and to determine whether there was a correlation between RAGE and DNA damage (gadd45), cell-cycle regulation (p21), and LEC proliferation (proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PCNA). METHODS: Thirty-two anterior lens capsules from 22 dogs that underwent cataract surgery and 10 lenses from dogs with normal eyes were evaluated. Eleven of the cataractous lenses were from diabetic patients (n=16), and eleven were from patients with inherited cataracts (n=16). Standard immunohistochemical staining was performed using antibodies against RAGE, gadd45, p21, PCNA, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and TGF-beta. Immunostaining intensity for each antibody was given a score of 0-4+. Standard Western blot analysis on normal and cataractous lens capsules was performed using the same antibodies as in the immunohistochemical staining. Comparisons were also made based on age and sex. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed for RAGE. RESULTS: There was an increase in RAGE expression with age in normal LECs, but no significant difference was seen when normal adult LECs were compared to cataractous LECs. The stage of the cataract and the presence of LIU were not associated with a significant increase in RAGE expression. There was no age-dependent difference in the normal lenses for gadd45, p21, or PCNA. Significant up-regulation of p21 (P < 0.05) and PCNA (P < 0.05) was seen in diabetic cataracts compared to inherited cataracts. CONCLUSION: RAGE and PCNA expression did not increase with cataractogenesis, possibly due to overexpression associated with normal aging and constant exposure to oxidative stress from sunlight-related ultraviolet irradiation, respectively. However, p21 and PCNA increased in diabetic cataractogenesis suggesting cell cycle and proliferation dysregulation. This may be related to the rapid onset in this type of cataract compared with the more chronic and slower-to-develop inherited cataracts.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

The role of the slug transcription factor in cell migration during corneal re-epithelialization in the dog.

Epithelial cell migration during corneal wound re-epithelialization shares features with the developmental process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) modulated by Snail family transcription factors, including Slug. Our studies demonstrated that Slug expression was enhanced at sites of epithelial cell migration at the margins of normally healing corneal wounds in dogs, but significantly decreased at the margins of non-healing canine corneal erosions. Increased Slug expression was associated with internalization of E-cadherin and beta-catenin from the cell membrane and with enhanced expression of smooth-muscle-specific alpha-actin, tropomyosin, and matrix metalloproteinases at wound margins. Enhanced Slug expression in corneal explants due to an adenoviral expression construct or to oxytetracycline treatment resulted in significantly higher rates of corneal epithelial cell migration. Oxytetracycline appeared to act by stimulating transforming growth factor-beta activity, thus increasing Slug expression and enhancing corneal epithelial migration. These findings highlight the similarities between epithelial migration during EMT and during successful corneal wound healing, support an important role for the Snail family in the process, and indicate that modulating Slug expression may be clinically useful in treating non-healing corneal wounds.

Actins↗
PubMed2006

Targeting the short form of cFLIP by RNA interference is sufficient to enhance TRAIL sensitivity in PC3 prostate carcinoma cells.

The pro-apoptotic death receptor ligand tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has received significant attention as a novel cancer therapeutic, since it selectively induces apoptosis in malignant and not normal cells. Unfortunately, prostate cancer cells display little if any susceptibility to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. However, sensitivity to TRAIL is enhanced by doxorubicin, which correlated with a decrease in expression of the caspase-8 inhibitor cFLIP (Kelly et al., Cancer Biol Ther 1:520). In this study we show that doxorubicin induces a time- and dose-dependent loss of cFLIP protein, but does not affect steady-state mRNA levels. Proteasome inhibition stabilized cFLIPL in the presence of doxorubicin. Although proteasome inhibitors increased basal levels of short cFLIP isoforms, cFLIPS declined at a similar rate in the absence or presence of proteasome inhibition during doxorubicin treatment. Ectopic expression of a cFLIPSGFP fusion protein protected PC3 cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis in the absence or presence of doxorubicin, whereas downregulation of cFLIPS by RNA interference resulted in sensitization to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. We conclude that doxorubicin-mediated downregulation of cFLIPS, which occurs at the post-transcriptional level independent of proteasome-mediated pathways, is sufficient to enhance TRAIL sensitivity in PC3 prostate carcinoma cells.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2006

Electrochemically deposited organic luminescent films: the effects of deposition parameters on morphologies and luminescent efficiency of films.

The electropolymerization behaviors of an electroactive and luminescent compound TCPC as precursor are studied. The resultant electrochemical deposition (ED) films are characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-vis, fluorescence spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Under the CV mode with potential range of -0.5 to 0.85 V vs Ag/Ag(+), the coupling reactions between the carbazole units of TCPC are very efficient, while the fluorescent trifluorene segment in TCPC is chemically inert in this potential range, which results in a highly fluorescent film formation on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The deposition parameters for preparing the TCPC-based ED films are optimized, and the best ED film gives the fluorescence efficiency of 45.5% with surface roughness of 2.8 nm and morphologic stability as heating to 180 degrees C. The light-emitting devices (LEDs) using this ED film as light emitting layer with structure ITO/ED film (approximately 100 nm)/Ba/Al achieve maximum luminescence and external quantum efficiency of 4224 cd/m(2) at 17 V and 0.72% at 11.5 V, respectively, which are better than the device using TCPC spin-coating films as emitting layer. The technique provides a facile route toward a patternable luminescent film and device because such luminescent ED films can be manipulatively deposited on the electrified electrode.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Expression and characterization of the catalytic subunit of telomerase in normal and cataractous canine lens epithelial cells.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the catalytic subunit of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is regionally distributed in canine lens epithelial cells (LEC), compare TERT and the RNA subunit of telomerase (TR) mRNA expression and TERT protein expression in normal and cataractous LEC, and to evaluate whether telomerase activity is present in the cytoplasm and nucleus from normal LEC. Finally, the expression of p23 and heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), coactivators of TERT in neoplastic cells, were evaluated in normal and cataractous LEC. METHODS: TERT protein was detected by imunohistochemical staining and western immunoblotting in normal and cataractous LEC. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure TERT and TR expression. Separated cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts from primary cultures of normal canine LEC were evaluated for TERT protein expression and telomerase activity. Western immunoblotting was performed on normal and cataractous LEC for p23 and hsp90, and coimmunoprecipitation was used to determine whether p23 and hsp90 were interacting with TERT in LEC. RESULTS: TERT expression in normal lens capsule whole mounts varied by region in normal LEC. All cataractous LEC demonstrated more intense TERT immunostaining in both the nucleus and cytoplasm when compared to normal LEC. Normal LEC expressed less TERT protein and less TERT and TR mRNA than cataractous LEC. Normal LEC expressed hsp90 while cataractous LEC did not; p23 was not significantly expressed in either normal or cataractous LEC. Neither hsp90 nor p23 interacted with TERT. CONCLUSIONS: The localization of TERT in normal LEC corresponded with the LEC's regional functions. There was more cytoplasmic TERT in the central region that corresponds with the need for inhibited apoptosis and for proliferative capabilities; there was more nuclear TERT in the germinal and equatorial regions corresponding with the need for proliferative capabilities. In addition, cataractous LEC demonstrated increased TERT protein and increased TERT and TR mRNA expression than normal LEC corresponding with their increased proliferative potential. However, the telomerase coactivators, p23 and hsp90, are not overexpressed and do not associate with TERT in cataractous LEC, suggesting that telomerase regulation in cataractous LEC, a somatic cell type, differs from that in neoplastic cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Nature of zinc(II)-induced ionochromic effect of bipyridine-containing conjugated polymers: an electrostatic interaction mechanism.

To reveal the nature of the zinc(II)-ion-induced ionochromic effect of bipyridine (bpy)-containing pi-conjugated polymers, we proposed an electrostatic interaction mechanism to illustrate our recent experimental findings [Tian, L., et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2005 109 (15), 6944]. Our theoretical analysis was based on the semiempirical (INDO/2) calculation of spectral properties and electronic structures of difluorene-substituted bpy model compounds. Our calculations show that the zinc(II)-induced ionochromic effect can be attributed to the electrostatic interaction between the zinc(II) ion and the polymer. Zinc(II) ion acts as a positive point charge with varied charge quantities, which is responsible for the red-shifted absorption spectra compared with those of the metal-free compound. The counterion ionochromic effect of the zinc(II) ion is also discussed. The proposed mechanism is possibly applied to the ionochromic effect induced by other metal ions such as Cd(II) and Hg(II).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Protein secretion pathways in Bacillus subtilis: implication for optimization of heterologous protein secretion.

The absence of an outer membrane in Bacillus subtilis can simplify the protein secretion pathways and allow the organism to secrete high levels of extracellular proteins. Of the three known secretory routes, Sec-SRP pathway can direct the majority of secretory proteins into the growth medium. Alternatively, a small number of exoproteins with specific functions are secreted via Tat pathway or ABC transporters in B. subtilis. The discriminating function of precursor proteins among these pathways is largely attributed to the distinct structure of their cleavable signal peptides. Individual secretion machinery components with their special functions are involved in the total flow of proteins from the cytoplasm to the medium. Notably, multiple regulators with signal transduction functions can affect expression of secretion machinery as well as their post-transcriptional actions for protein secretion, resulting in the complicated networks in B. subtilis. Ultimately, according to the available knowledge of secretion machinery, several approaches aimed at optimizing protein secretion are discussed.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed2006

[Analysis on 27 autopsy cases died of anaphylactic shock induced by mainline].

27 autopsy cases died of anaphylactic shock induced by mainline during 1996-2005 were selected and analyzed. The results showed that most anaphylactic shock induced by mainline were rapid type and more easily happened in individual clinique and lawless clinique, and it could be arisen by either antibiotics or non-antibiotics. In some cases, there may be no pathologic findings by autopsy. So, all the materials must be taken into account for determination the anaphylactic shock, such as drugs, clinic symptom, autopsy findings, and so on.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Photodegradation of polyfluorene and fluorene oligomers with alkyl and aromatic disubstitutions.

The stability of fluorene-based compounds and polymers, especially at the bridged C-9 position under photoirradiation and thermal treatment, has claimed wide attention. We report the electronic, vibrational, and MALDI-TOF mass spectral combined studies for the fluorene oligomers with alkyl and aromatic substitutions under UV-light irradiation. The low-energy emission and the formation of ketonic defects after degradation highly depend on the proportion of alkyl substitution. The oligomer with fully aromatic substitution shows good stability, but when the proportion of alkyl substitution increases, their photostability rapidly decreases. The mass spectra show not only the mass of the fluorenone-fluorene trimer but also another new degradation product with a large mass (pristine oligomer plus 14) from alkyl oxidation, which testify to the assistance of alkyl side chain during degradation. We propose that the degradation of fluorene is a radical chain process propagated by alkyl side chains, and then the different stability between alkyl and aromatic substitution can be well explained.

Fluorenes↗
PubMed2006

Highly luminescent network films from electrochemical deposition of peripheral carbazole functionalized fluorene oligomer and their applications for light-emitting diodes.

Highly luminescent network films on flat indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates are prepared by electropolymerization using an electroactive and fluorescent compound as precursor; the LEDs prepared using these films as a light emitting layer achieve the maximum luminance and external quantum efficiency of 4224 cd/m(2) and 0.72%, respectively, which demonstrates that electrochemical synthesis can be a new route to construct the highly luminescent films.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Characterization of the rhesus monkey CYP3A64 enzyme: species comparisons of CYP3A substrate specificity and kinetics using baculovirus-expressed recombinant enzymes.

The rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) is a primate species used extensively as a preclinical safety species in drug development. In this report, we describe the cloning, expression, and characterization of CYP3A64 (AY334551), a CYP3A4 homolog expressed in rhesus liver. The deduced amino acid sequence was found to be 93% similar to human CYP3A4, 83% similar to human CYP3A5, and identical to the previously reported cynomolgus monkey CYP3A8 (Komori et al., 1992). The substrate specificity of CYP3A64 for testosterone (0-250 microM), midazolam (0-200 microM), nifedipine (0-200 microM), and 7-benzoxy-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin (0-200 microM) were compared with recombinant enzymes from rat (CYP3A1, CYP3A2), dog (CYP3A12, CYP3A26), rabbit (CYP3A6), and human (CYP3A4, CYP3A5). Immunoinhibition and chemical inhibition of CYP3A64 was demonstrated using the inhibitory monoclonal antibody (MAb) 10-1-1 (anti-3A4) and ketoconazole (0-10 microM). The utility of CYP3A64 to be used as a standard in monkey induction assays was shown and the concentration of CYP3A64 protein in rhesus liver microsomes was estimated to be 72 pmol/mg protein. In summary, these results support the utilization of rhesus monkey CYP3A64 for in vitro drug metabolism studies and provide a more complete understanding of CYP3A substrate specificities and species differences in metabolic capabilities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Effect of cytochromes P450 chemical inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies on human liver microsomal esterase activity.

Selective and nonselective cytochromes P450 (P450) chemical inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are routinely used to determine the contribution of P450 enzymes involved in the biotransformation of a drug. A fluorometric assay has been established using fluorescein diacetate as a model substrate to determine the effect of some commonly used P450 inhibitors and mAbs on human liver microsomal esterase activity. Of those inhibitors studied, only alpha-naphthoflavone, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, nicardipine, and verapamil significantly inhibited human liver microsomal esterase activity, with apparent IC50 values of 18.0, 20.5, 6.5, 15.0, 19.4, and 5.4 microM, respectively. All of these showed > or =20% inhibition of human liver microsomal esterase activity at concentrations typically used for P450 reaction phenotyping studies, with clotrimazole, miconazole, nicardipine, and verapamil showing >60% inhibition. Unlike the chemical inhibitors, no inhibition of human liver microsomal esterase activity was observed in the presence of mAb to CYP1A2, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4. These results suggest that P450 chemical inhibitors are capable of inhibiting human liver microsomal esterase activity and should not be used to assess the role of P450 enzymes in the biotransformation of esters. The lack of inhibition of human liver microsomal esterase activity by P450-specific monoclonal antibodies suggests that they may be used to assess the role of P450 enzymes in the biotransformation of esters. Additional experiments to assess the contribution of oxidative enzymes in the metabolism of esters may include incubations in the presence and absence of beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2'-phosphate reduced.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed2006

Effect of traditional chinese medicine on survival and quality of life in patients with esophageal carcinoma after esophagectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and possible mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on survival and quality of life (QOL) in patients with esophageal carcinoma after esophagectomy. METHODS: Adopting prospective controlled method of study, the authors had 128 post-esophagectomy patients, hospitalized from February 2001 to February 2002, randomly divided into 3 groups: the TCM group, treated with TCM drugs alone; the chemotherapy group, with chemotherapy alone applied; and the synthetic group, treated with chemotherapy combined with Chinese medicine. Their survival rate and QOL were compared. RESULTS: In the TCM group, the chemotherapy group and the synthetic group, the respective 3-year relapse and remote metastasis rate were 71.4%, 76.7%, 53.4%, respectively (chi(2) = 6.53, P < 0.05); the 1-year survival rate 42.9%, 46.5%, 72.1%; 2-year survival rate 28.6%, 27.9%, 55.8%, and 3-year survival rate 26.2%, 23.1%, 37.2%, respectively. And the QOL improving rate was 69.0%, 37.2%, 58.1%, respectively, all showing significant difference among them (chi(2) = 6.10, all P < 0.05). Moreover, immune function was increased in the TCM and the synthetic groups. CONCLUSION: Integrative Chinese and Western medicinal treatment was the beneficial choice for post-operational patients with esophageal carcinoma. However, long time use of simple Chinese medicine was also advisable, especially for those in poverty.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

In vitro reassembly of nuclear envelopes and organelles in Xenopus egg extracts.

We reconstituted bilayer nuclear membranes, multilayer membranes, and organelles from mixtures of Xenopus laevis egg extracts and demembranated Xenopus sperm nuclei. Varying proportions of the cytosolic and vesicular fractions from the eggs were used in the reconstitution mixtures. A cytosol:vesicle ratio of 10:1 promoted reassembly of the normal bilayer nuclear membrane with inserted nuclear pore complexes around the decondensed Xenopus sperm chromatin. A cytosol:vesicle ratio of 5:1 caused decondensed and dispersed sperm chromatin to be either surrounded by or divided by unusual multilayer membrane structures with inlaid pore complexes. A cytosol:vesicle ratio of 2.5:1 promoted reconstitution of mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum networks, and Golgi apparatus. During reassembly of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, vesicular fragments of the corresponding organelles fused together and changed their shape to form flattened cisternae, which were then stacked one on top of another.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Construction and characterization of a bifunctional fusion enzyme of Bacillus-sourced beta-glucanase and xylanase expressed in Escherichia coli.

A chimeric gene, Glu-Xyl, encoding Bacillus amyloliquefaciens glucanase (Glu, 24.4 kDa) and Bacillus subtilis xylanase (Xyl, 21.2 kDa), was constructed via end-to-end fusion and expressed successfully in Escherichia coli. The purified fusion protein (46.1 kDa) exhibited both glucanase and xylanase activities. Compared with parental enzymes, the Glu moiety was characterized by kinetic parameters of decreased K(m) (0.66-fold) and increased K(cat) (2.75-fold), whereas the Xyl moiety had an increased K(m) (1.37-fold) and decreased K(cat) (0.79-fold). These indicate a 3.15-fold net increase and a 31% decrease in catalytic efficiency (K(cat)/K(m)) of the Glu and Xyl moieties. Activities and stabilities of both moieties at 40-90 degrees C or pH 3.0-10.0 were compared with those of the parental enzymes. Despite some variations, common optima were 40 degrees C and pH 9.0 for the Glu moiety and parent, and 50-60 degrees C and pH 9.0 for the Xyl counterparts. Thus, the fusion enzyme Glu-Xyl was bifunctional, with greatly enhanced glucanase activity associated with a decrease in xylanase activity.

Artificial Gene Fusion↗
PubMed2006

cvhA gene of Streptomyces hygroscopicus 10-22 encodes a negative regulator for mycelia development.

A five-gene cluster cvhABCDE was identified from Streptomyces hygroscopicus 10-22. As the first gene of this cluster, cvhA encoded a putative sensor histidine kinase with a predicted sensor domain consisting of two trans-membrane segments at the N-terminus and a conserved HATPase_c domain at the C-terminus. The C-terminus polypeptide of CvhA expressed in Escherichia coli was purified and shown to be autophosphorylated with [gamma-32P]ATP in vitro. The phosphoryl group was acid-labile and basic-stable, which supported histidine as the phosphorylation residue. No obvious difference of mycelia development was observed between the null mutant of cvhA generated by targeted gene replacement and the wild-type parental strain 10-22 grown on solid soya flour medium with 2%-8% glucose or sucrose, but the cvhA mutant could form much more abundant aerial mycelia and spores than the wild-type strain on solid soya flour medium supplemented with 6%-8% mannitol, 6%-8% sorbitol, 4%-6% mannose, or 4%-6% fructose. This phenotype was complemented by the cloned wild-type cvhA gene, and no difference was observed for growth curves of the cvhA mutant and the wild strain in liquid minimal medium with the tested sugars at a concentration of 4%, 6% and 8%. We thus propose that CvhA is likely a sensor histidine kinase and negatively regulates the morphological differentiation in a sugar-dependent manner in S. hygroscopicus 10-22.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

[Relationship of phenotype with type of deletion of dystrophin gene].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the distribution characteristics of dystrophin gene deletions in the northeastern of China and the relationship of severity with type of deletion. METHODS: To screen deletion distribution of 124 DMD/BMD patients via multiplex PCR, male high-risk fetuses were detected deletion by the same method. RESULTS: The deletion frequency was 49%. Deletions located in the regions of exons 45 - 53 and exons 8 - 19 were 41 (67%) and 13 (21%) cases respectively, and in 5 (8%) cases deletions were scattered over both regions, still 2 cases (3%) were checked up deletions lying in exons 34 and 43; there were 9 cases of in-frame deletions and 49 frameshift mutations in all deletions; of 30 high-risk fetuses 10 male ones were screened deletions, who had the same deletion-segments as their probands. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of dystrophin gene deletions in the northeastern of China cluster mainly in two hot-spots, neighboring regions of exon 8 might be a real deletion "hot spot" in this region; the phenotype is associated with the type of gene deletion, the phenotype is BMD when in-frame deletions occur; severe DMD when frameshift mutations occur. Multiplex PCR method provides the short-cuts for detecting patients and making prenatal gene diagnosis.

Adolescent↗