New insights into redox regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS), the natural byproducts of aerobic metabolism, are precisely orchestrated to evoke diverse signaling pathways. To date, studies have focused mainly on the detrimental effects of ROS in stem cells. Recently, accumulating evidence has suggested that ROS also function as second messengers that modulate stem cell self-renewal and differentiation by regulating intricate signaling networks. Although many efforts have been made to clarify the general effects of ROS on signal transduction in stem cells, less is known about the initial and direct executors of ROS signaling, which are known as 'redox sensors'. SCOPE OF REVIEW: Modifications of cysteine residues in redox sensors are of significant importance in the modulation of protein function in response to different redox conditions. Intriguingly, most key molecules in ROS signaling and cell cycle regulation (including transcriptional factors and kinases) that are crucial in the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation have the potential to be redox sensors. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: We highlight herein the importance of redox regulation of these key regulators in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Understanding the mechanisms of redox regulation in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation will open exciting new perspectives for stem cell biology. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Redox regulation of differentiation and de-differentiation.

Adsorption of Cr(VI) and speciation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in aqueous solutions using chemically modified chitosan.

A new type of grafting chitosan (CTS) was synthesized using 2-hydroxyethyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride (HGCTS). The adsorption of Cr(VI) on HGCTS was studied. The effect factors on adsorption and the adsorption mechanism were considered. The results indicated that the HGCTS could concentrate and separate Cr(VI) at pH 4.0; the adsorption equilibrium time was 80 min; the maximum adsorption capacity was 205 mg/g. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics were investigated, equilibrium data agreed very well with the Langmuir model and the pseudo second-order model could describe the adsorption process better than the pseudo first-order model. A novel method for speciation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in environmental water samples has been developed using HGCTS as adsorbent and FAAS as determination means. The detection limit of this method was 20 ng/L, the relatively standard deviation was 1.2% and the recovery was 99%~105%.

Adsorption behavior of Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions on thiourea cross-linked chitosan with Fe(III) as template.

A new type of thiourea cross-linked chitosan with Fe(III) as template (TCCTS template) was synthesized. The adsorption of Fe(II) and Fe(III) on this TCCTS template was studied. The factors affecting adsorption such as pH and contact time were considered. The results showed that the optimum pH value for adsorption was pH = 5.0 and the adsorption equilibrium time was about 60 min. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics were investigated, and the equilibrium data agreed very well with the Langmuir model and the pseudo second-order model could describe adsorption process better than the pseudo first-order model. Results also showed that TCCTS template was a favourable adsorbent for Fe(II) and Fe(III) in aqueous solution.

Synthesis, identification and anti-cancer activity of 1-(4-methylpent-2-enyl)-2-(4-phenylbut-2-enyl)disulfane.

In this study, we synthesized 1-(4-methylpent-2-enyl)-2-(4-phenylbut-2- enyl)disulfane using sodium sulfide, 1-bromine-4-methyl-2-amylene and 1-(4-bromine-2- butylene)benzene as raw materials. The yield rate of target product was 84%. The structure of the target product was confirmed by GC-MS, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The results of anti-cancer activity experiments showed that 1-(4-methylpent-2-enyl)-2-(4- phenylbut-2-enyl)disulfane could significantly inhibit the proliferation, induce the apoptosis of CNE2 cells in a dose dependent manner, and could significantly enhance the activity of XIAP.

Synthesis and effect on human HepG2 cells of 1,2-bis-(2-methylallyl)disulfane.

1,2-bis(2-methylallyl)disulfane was synthesized from sodium sulfide and 3-chloro-2-methylpropylene. The structure of the target product was confirmed by GC-MS, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. Cell viability assay, flow-cytometric analysis and protein expression results showed that 1,2-bis(2-methylallyl)disulfane could significantly inhibit the proliferation, and induce the apoptosis of human HepG2 cells.

The roles of p38MAPK and caspase-3 in DADS-induced apoptosis in human HepG2 cells.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the function of p38MAPK and caspase-3 in DADS-induced apoptosis in human HepG2 cells, and discuss the signal transduetion mechanism of HepG2 cells in the apoptosis process induced by DADS by using the inhibitors of p38MAPK (SB203580) and caspase-3 (Z-DEVD-FMK). METHODS: After the human HepG2 cells had been treated with the DADS and inhibitors for 24 h, cell viability was determined by the MTT method, apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM) and the expressions of p38MAPK and caspase-3 were measured by western-blot. RESULTS: Our results indicated that DADS activities the p38MAPK and caspase-3, but the inhibitors, SB203580 and Z-DEVD-FMK (for p38MAPKand for caspase-3, respectively), both have the effect of inhibitory activity on P38MAPK and caspase-3. Furthermore, a combination treatment with both DADS and inhibitor (SB203580 or Z-DEVD-FMK) decreases the inhibitory and apoptotic activity of HepG2 cells increased compared with DADS-treated. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that p38MAPK and caspase-3 are involved in the process of DADS-induced apoptosis in human HepG2 cells and interact with each other.

Quantitative proteomics identification of phosphoglycerate mutase 1 as a novel therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with poor prognosis due to resistance to conventional chemotherapy and limited efficacy of radiotherapy. There is an urgent need to develop novel biomarkers for early diagnosis, as well as to identify new drug targets for therapeutic interventions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 54 paired HCC samples and 21 normal liver tissues were obtained from West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Informed consent was obtained from all the patients or their relatives prior to analysis, and the project was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Sichuan University. Stable Isotope Labeling with Amino Acids in Cell Culture (SILAC)-based proteomics was employed to profile the differentially expressed proteins between a HepG2 human hepatoma cell line and an immortal hepatic cell line L02. Validation of PGAM1 expression was performed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblot and immunohistochemistry using clinical samples. shRNA expressing plasmids specifically targeting PGAM1 were designed and constructed by GenePharma Corporation (Shanghai, China), and were utilized to silence expression of PGAM1 in vitro and in vivo. Cell proliferation was measured by a combination of colony formation assay and Ki67 staining. Apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. RESULTS: A total of 63 dysregulated proteins were identified, including 51 up-regulated proteins, and 12 down-regulated proteins (over 2-fold, p < 0.01). Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) was found markedly upregulated. Clinico-pathological analysis indicated that overexpression of PGAM1 was associated with 66.7% HCC, and strongly correlated with poor differentiation and decreased survival rates (p < 0.01). shRNAs-mediated repression of PGAM1 expression resulted in significant inhibition in liver cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our studies suggested that PGAM1 plays an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis, and should be a potential diagnostic biomarker, as well as an attractive therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Influence of hydroxylation and glycosylation in ring A of soybean isoflavones on interaction with BSA.

In this paper, the influence of hydroxylation and glycosylation of soybean isoflavones in ring A on the interaction with BSA was investigated. Two soybean isoflavone aglycones (daidzein and genistein) and their glycosides (daidzin and genistin) were used to study their ability to bind BSA by quenching the BSA intrinsic fluorescence in solution. The hydroxylation and glycosylation of soybean isoflavones in ring A significantly affected the binding/quenching process; in general, the hydroxylation increases the binding affinity and the glycosylation decreased the binding affinity. For daidzein and daidzin, the binding constants for BSA were 5.2 x 10(4) and 5.58 x 10(3) L mol(-1), respectively. For genistein and genistin, the binding constants were 8.40 x 10(5) and 1.44 x 10(5) L mol(-1), respectively.

Influence of B-ring hydroxylation on interactions of flavonols with bovine serum albumin.

The B-ring substitution pattern of flavonols is a significant structural feature for their function as free radical scavengers and antioxidants. In this paper, four differently substituted B-ring hydroxylation flavonols (galangin, kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin) and a flavonol glycoside (quercitrin) were studied for their ability to bind BSA by quenching the protein intrinsic fluorescence. From the spectra obtained, the biomolecular quenching constants, the apparent static binding constants, and the binding site values were calculated. The B-ring hydroxylation of flavonols significantly affected the binding/quenching process; in general, the binding affinity increased with the number of hydroxyl groups on the B-ring. The binding constants ( Ka) were determined as myricetin (4.90 x 10(8) L/mol) > quercetin (3.65 x 10(7) L/mol) > kaempferol (2.57 x 10(6) L/mol) > galangin (6.43 x 10(5) L/mol). The glycoside substitute at the C-ring position decreased the binding affinity. The chromatographic retention factor ( K') and logarithms of apparent partition coefficient (log Kow) were linear to the logarithms of apparent binding constants (log Ka) for flavonols with increasing hydroxyl groups on the B-ring. These results showed that the hydrogen bond force play an important role in binding flavonols to BSA. These results are also in agreement with the generally accepted structure-dependent free radical scavenger and antioxidant abilities of flavonols.

Analysis of binding interaction between puerarin and bovine serum albumin by multi-spectroscopic method.

The interaction of puerarin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, resonance light-scattering spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and synchronous fluorescence spectra. The apparent binding constants (K(a)) between puerarin and BSA were 1.13 x 10(4) (20 degrees C), and 1.54 x 10(4) lmol(-1) (30 degrees C), and the binding sites values (n) were 0.95+/-0.02. The experimental results showed that the puerarin could be inserted into the BSA, quenching the inner fluorescence by forming the puerarin-BSA complex. The addition of increasing puerarin to BSA solution leads to the gradual decrease in RLS intensity, exhibiting the formation of the aggregate in solution. It was found that both static quenching and non-radiation energy transfer were the main reasons for the fluorescence quenching. The positive entropy change and enthalpy change indicated that the interaction of puerarin and BSA was driven mainly by hydrophobic forces. The process of binding was a spontaneous process in which Gibbs free energy change was negative. The competing binding reaction with BSA between Fe(3+), Cu(2+) and puerarin was investigated. The effect of Fe(3+) and Cu(2+) on the binding of puerarin with BSA is discussed.

[Simultaneous resolution and determination of tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine by alternating penalty trilinear decomposition algorithm coupled with 3D emission-excitation matrix fluorometry].

A new method using alternating penalty trilinear decomposition algorithm coupled with excitation-emission matrix fluorometry has been developed for simultaneous resolution and determination of tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Their correlation coefficients were 0.9987, 0.9995 and 0.9993 respectively. The contents of tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan in Hibiscus syriacus L. leaves were also be determined by this method after being extracted by ultrasonic. The coefficients of variation and the recoveries of the three amino acids were 0.84%, 0.36%, 1.59% and 101.0%-92.7%, 106.5%-93.0%, 103.0%-95.0% respectively. All these show that this is a simple, fast and cridible method.

A fluorescent chemosensor for copper(II) based on a carboxylic acid-functionalized tris(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) complex.

In this research, bis(2,2'-bipyridine)(4-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine-4'-carboxylic acid)ruthenium(II).2PF(6)- complex (1), was first used as a fluorescent chemosensor to recognize Cu(II) in EtOH/H(2)O (1:1, v/v) solution. The response of the sensor is based on the fluorescence quenching of complex 1 by binding with Cu(II). The analytical performance characteristics of the proposed Cu(II)-sensitive chemosensor were investigated. The sensor can be applied to the quantification of Cu(II) with a linear range covering from 5.0 x 10(-8) to 1.0 x 10(-4) M and a detection limit of 4.2 x 10(-8) M. The experiment results show that the response behavior of 1 to Cu(II) is pH independent in medium condition (pH 4.0 - 8.0), and show excellent selectivity for Cu(II) over other transition metal cations.

Use of sodium lauroyl sarcosinate in a high-sensitivity protein assay by resonance light scattering technique.

A simple and high-sensitivity method has been developed for the determination of proteins in aqueous solutions by resonance light scattering (RLS) technique. At pH 3.4 and ionic strength 1.2 x 10(-3), the weak RLS intensity of sodium lauroyl sarcosinate was greatly enhanced by the addition of proteins with the maximum peak located at 391 nm. Under the optimum conditions, the enhanced RLS intensities were in proportion to the concentrations of proteins in the range of 0.04 to 2.1 microg/mL for lysozyme, 0.0025 to 1.2 microg/mL for bovine serum albumin, 0.0075 to 0.9 microg/mL for human serum albumin, 0.02 to 1.4 microg/mL for gamma-globulin, 0.02 to 0.8 microg/mL for egg albumin, and 0.01 to 0.6 microg/mL for hemoglobin. Low detection limits ranging from 0.8 ng/mL to 4.3 ng/mL depending on the kind of proteins that have been achieved. The protein concentrations in synthetic samples and real biochemical samples were determined with satisfactory results. This method presented here is not only sensitive and simple but also reliable and suitable for practical bioassay applications.

A fluorescent chemical sensor for Hg(II) based on a corrole derivative in a PVC matrix.

A fluorescent chemical sensor for Hg(II) using 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (H(3)(tpfc)) as fluorophore is described in this paper. The response of the sensor is based on the fluorescence quenching of H(3)(tpfc) by coordination with Hg(II). H(3)(tpfc) based sensor shows a linear response towards Hg(II) in the concentration range from 1.2x10(-7) to 1.0x10(-4)M, with a working pH range from 5.0 to 8.0. The response time for Hg(II) concentration

Study of adsorption behavior of bilirubin on human-albumin monolayer using a quartz crystal microbalance.

The quartz crystal microbalance was employed to study the adsorption behavior of bilirubin on human-albumin layer, which was chemically bound to the self-assembled monolayer of 4-aminothiophenol on the surface of a gold electrode of the crystal via glutaraldehyde. A long-time adsorption process of bilirubin that took place on a human-albumin-modified surface was observed, and the adsorption kinetic parameters were estimated from the in situ frequency measurements. The amount of adsorbed bilirubin increased with increasing of both hydrogen ions and bilirubin concentration and was larger than that estimated based on the conclusion that there are two affinity sites for bilirubin per albumin molecule. With the present method, the displacement of bilirubin from an albumin layer caused by aspirin was also examined. QCM measurement provides a facile method for in situ monitoring of the adsorption/desorption of bilirubin on proteins layers.