ABSTRACT
BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders exhibit abnormalities in perceptual processing. Previous perceptual studies are mainly based on asking participants to fill in a questionnaire， and little research has been undertaken on objective behavior in patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders. ObjectiveTo explore the behavioral changes in vibrotactile sense among patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders， so as to enrich relevant findings in objective behavioral research. MethodsFrom March 2021 to September 2023， 33 patients with schizophrenia and 31 patients with depressive disorders in the outpatient and inpatient departments of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital and met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5） diagnostic criteria were enrolled. And another 34 healthy controls were concurrently recruited at Beihang University and Beijing Huilongguan Hospital. Patients with schizophrenia were assessed using Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS）， and patients with depressive disorders were assessed using Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17）. The vibrotactile sensitivity of the left hand in all participants was tested in a delay match-to-sample procedure， and the correct rate of vibrotactile delayed discrimination task was compared among the three groups. ResultsCompared with healthy controls， a reduction was found in the correct rates at index finger， middle finger and ring finger in patients with schizophrenia （P<0.01）， the average correct rate at five fingers in patients with schizophrenia （P=0.001）， and the correct rate at thumb in patients with depressive disorders （P=0.026）. No statistical difference was reported in correct rate of vibrotactile delayed discrimination task between patients with depression disorders and schizophrenia （P>0.05）. The average correct rate of vibrotactile sense in schizophrenia group was not significantly correlated with the duration of disease， age of onset， chlorpromazine equivalent doses and PANSS score （r=0.058、0.045、0.114、-0.194， P>0.05）. The average correct rate in depressive group was negatively correlated with age of onset （r=-0.415， P=0.020）， but not significantly correlated with the duration of disease and HAMD-17 score （r=-0.044， 0.142， P>0.05）. ConclusionPatients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders have impaired vibrotactile sense. The vibrotactile sense is impaired in index， middle and ring fingers among patients with schizophrenia， and in thumbs of patients with depressive disorders. Moreover， the impairment in patients with depressive disorders may be related to the age of onset. ［Funded by 2023 Hebei Provincial Graduate Innovation Funding Project （number， CXZZSS2023140）］
ABSTRACT
Deficient activity of endo-1,4-beta-glucanase II (Cel5A) secreted by Trichoderma reesei is one of the challenges involved in effective cellulase saccharification of cellulosic substrates. Therefore, we expressed Cel5A in Pichia pastoris by constructing a recombinant strain. With the gene optimization based on codon bias, and the construction of expression vector pPIC9K-eg2, the optimized gene was electro-transformed into P. pastoris GS115 to form transformants. Then, a high Cel5A activity producing recombinant, namely P. pastoris GS115-EG Ⅱ, was selected on G-418 resistant plates, followed by shake-flask cultivation. Enzyme characterization showed that the recombinant Cel5A reacted optimally at pH 4.5 and 60 ℃, with 50 kDa of molecular weight, preferentially degrading amorphous cellulose. Recombinant Cel5A was not significantly different from the native T. reesei Cel5A. Moreover, a shake-flask fermentation of the recombinant strain was optimized as below: incubation temperature 28 ℃, initial pH 5.0, inoculum volume 2%, methanol addition (per 24 h) 1.5% (V/V), sorbitol addition (per 24 h) 4 g/L and Tween 80 4 g/L. Under above optimized condition, the recombinant produced 24.0 U/mL of the Cel5A after 192 h fermentation. When incubated in a 5 L fermentation, Cel5A enzyme activity reached 270.9 U/mL at 180 h, with 4.16 g/L of the total protein. The study indicates that the recombinant strain P. pastoris GS115-EG Ⅱ is extremely suitable for heterologous expression of T. reesei cellulase Cel5A. And the recombinant Cel5A can be used as an alternative to the native T. reesei Cel5A in development of a commercially relevant enzyme based biorefinery process.