Proteome profiling of bovine follicular fluid-specific proteins and their effect on in vitro embryo development.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of bovine follicular fluid proteins (bFF) and their differently charged groups as maturation media supplements for in vitro embryo development. bFF was obtained by aspiration from large healthy follicles (4-10 mm in diameter) and was precipitated by 30-50% (NH4)2SO4. The precipitated protein was fractionated into basic and acidic fractions by ion-exchanger columns. In experiment 1, the oocytes were matured in TCM-199 with 1) FBS+hormones (control) and 2) 10% bFF. The oocyte maturation rate, the development to the blastocyst stage rate and blastocyst cell number were not significantly different between the groups. However, the INFα and IGF-2r expression levels in the 10% bFF were higher than in the control (P<0.05). In experiment 2, the specific charge proteins of bFF (basic and acidic) were also used as media supplements in the maturation medium. The basic fraction had higher oocyte maturation rate and blastocyst cell number when compared with addition of acidic fraction (P<0.05). The expression levels for almost all developmentally important genes in the basic fraction were greater than those in the acidic fraction, particularly INFα (P<0.05). Most of the protein in the basic fraction was associated with the immune response and mRNA processing. In conclusion, supplementation of 10% bFF alone in maturation medium can support oocyte maturation and embryo development. The basic fraction in bFF seemed to have effect on oocyte maturation rate and blastocyst cell number.

The scorpion venom peptide BmKn2 induces apoptosis in cancerous but not in normal human oral cells.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of the induction of apoptosis of human oral cancer cells by the scorpion venom peptide BmKn2. METHODS: Human oral squamous carcinoma cells (HSC4), mouth epidermoid carcinoma cells (KB), human normal gingival cells (HGC) and dental pulp cells (DPC) were treated with BmKn-2 peptide for 24h. Cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. Apoptosis was assessed using phase contrast microscopy, by propidium iodide (PI) staining to assess nuclear morphology and by Annexin V staining. Apoptotic signaling pathways were investigated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. RESULTS: BmKn-2 showed potent cytotoxic effects towards both HSC4 and KB cells with the associated induction of apoptosis. The cells showed distinct morphological changes, nuclear disintegration and an increase in the number of Annexin V-positive cells. Interestingly, at concentrations which kill cancerous cells, BmKn-2 did not affect cell viability or mediate the induction of apoptosis in normal HGC or DPC. Induction of apoptosis by BmKn-2 in HSC4 and KB cells was associated with the activation of tumor suppress p53. Pro-apoptotic BAX expression was increased, whereas antiapoptotic BCL-2 expression was decreased in BmKn-2 exposed HSC4 and KB cells. BmKn-2 treated-oral cancer cells showed distinct upregulation of initiator caspase-9, with no effect on caspase-8 expression. Increased expression levels of executor caspases-3 and -7 were also found in treated cells for both oral cancers. CONCLUSION: This study has suggested for the first time that BmKn-2 exerts selective cytotoxic effects on human oral cancer cells by inducting apoptosis via a p53-dependent intrinsic apoptotic pathway. BmKn-2 peptide originally derived from a natural source shows great promise as a candidate treatment for oral cancer, with minimal effects on healthy tissue.

Purification and partial characterization of an acidic α-glucan-protein complex from the fruiting body of Pleurotus sajor-caju and its effect on macrophage activation.

The aim of this study was to purify an acidic α-glucan-protein complex from the fruiting bodies of Pleurotus sajor-caju by using the cell wall-degrading enzymes, xylanase and cellulase. The acidic glucan-protein complex was separated from a polysaccharide extract by using DEAE Toyopearl 650M anion-exchange and Sepharose CL-6B chromatography. Its homogeneity was ensured by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography and agarose gel electrophoresis. The acidic glucan-protein complex had a molecular weight of approximately 182 kDa. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the acidic glucan-protein complex revealed an α-glycosidic bond and the typical characteristics of polysaccharides and proteins. The amino acid composition of the protein moiety was dominated by proline, glycine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid, indicating that the protein was highly flexible and had a negative charge. Atomic force microscopy proved that the acidic α-glucan-protein complex existed in a spherical conformation. The acidic α-glucan-protein complex stimulated the activation of macrophages, including the production of nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-α.

Improved purity and immunostimulatory activity of ß-(1→3)(1→6)-glucan from Pleurotus sajor-caju using cell wall-degrading enzymes.

The objective of this work was to improve the purity of ß-(1→3)(1→6)-glucan in the native triple helical structure from the fruiting bodies of Pleurotus sajor-caju for effective biological function using cell wall-degrading enzymes. A crude carbohydrate was extracted with hot water, then treated with crude xylanase and cellulase from Paenibacillus curdlanolyticus B-6. ß-Glucan in the extract was purified to homogeneity with a single and symmetrical peak using 650M DEAE Toyopearl and Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography. The purity of ß-glucan was confirmed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography. Purified ß-glucan was obtained at a purity of up to 90.2%. The Congo red reaction and atomic force microscopy indicated that the purified ß-glucan exhibited a triple helix conformation. Purified ß-glucan was able to effectively up-regulate the functions of macrophages such as nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) production.