Investigating pathological mechanisms of depression as risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

Free Paper PresentationConference Theme: Brain and the Environmentpublished_or_final_versio

Neuroprotection in glaucoma using Gouqizi (Wolfberry)

Aging is an important risk factor for various neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Glaucoma is a common eye disease that may lead to irreversible blindness. Recent studies suggest that development of anti-aging drugs from Chinese medicinal herbs may be one of the possible interventions. The fruits of Lycium barbarum (or commonly known as Gou Qi Zi, or wolfberry), has been used for thousands of years in China and is believed to be effective as an anti-aging agent as well as nourishment of eyes, livers and kidneys. We have shown that aqueous extract of wolfberry provides neuroprotection to the eyes against degeneration in an experimental model of glaucoma.published_or_final_versio

Heat shock response of Trichinella spiralis and T. pseudospiralis

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) were documented for the first time in both somatic extracts and excretory/secretory (ES) products of the infective-stage larvae of Trichinella spiralis and T. pseudospiralis. Larvae recovered from muscles of infected mice were heat shocked at 37, 40, 43 and 45 degrees C in RPMI 1640 medium containing L(-)[35S]methionine. Somatic extracts and ES products of heat-shocked worms were then analysed by SDS-PAGE, autoradiography and laser densitometry. Prominent bands of HSPs were observed at 43 degrees C which is the optimal heat shock temperature. The major HSPs in somatic extracts of T. spiralis were 20, 47, 50, 70, 80 and 86 kDa. When the temperature was increased from 37 to 43 degrees C, the greatest increase in absorbance was observed in HSPs 70 and 86. In vitro translation of mRNA in a nuclease-treated rabbit reticulocyte lysate system showed an increase in the synthesis of the 80 kDa protein. This suggests that the production of HSP 80 is regulated at the transcriptional level. The major HSPs in the ES products were 11, 45, 53 and 64 kDa. In T. pseudospiralis, the major HSPs in the somatic extracts were 20, 26, 31, 50, 53, 70, 80 and 86 kDa, and in the ES products, 11, 35, 37, 41 and 64 kDa.published_or_final_versio

Molecular mechanism of neuroprotection in glaucoma using gouqizi (wolfberry)

published_or_final_version首都醫科大學眼科學院2009年學術年會, 北京, 2009年10月9日-10月11日. In 首都醫科大學眼科學院2009年學術年會會議指南, 2009, p. 1

Single-stranded endonuclease activity in the excretory--secretory products of Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella pseudospiralis

A novel acidic extracellular single-stranded endonuclease was demonstrated for the first time in the excretory-secretory (E-S) products of 2 species of Trichinella. Unlike the double-stranded endonuclease reported earlier, the single-stranded molecule is divalent cation independent and is detected in both T. spiralis and T. pseudospiralis E-S products. It hydrolysed single-stranded DNA and RNA at comparable rates. The single-stranded endonuclease was sensitive to inhibition by Zn2+ and to high concentrations of NaCl. Zymographic analysis indicated that it was encoded by at least 3 peptides of Mr approximately 50-60 kDa. The rate of hydrolysis of single-stranded targets by the E-S products was substantially higher than that of the double-stranded molecule. Due to the differences in peptide profile, divalent cation dependence, and species-specific expression, the single and double-stranded endonucleases are likely to be encoded by different proteins and may have different functions.published_or_final_versio

Modulation of mitochondrial calcium as a pharmacological target for Alzheimer's disease

Perturbed neuronal calcium homeostasis is a prominent feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mitochondria accumulate calcium ions (Ca2+) for cellular bioenergetic metabolism and suppression of mitochondrial motility within the cell. Excessive Ca2+ uptake into mitochondria often leads to mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and induction of apoptosis. Ca2+ is an interesting second messenger which can initiate both cellular life and death pathways in mitochondria. This review critically discusses the potential of manipulating mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations as a novel therapeutic opportunity for treating AD. This review also highlights the neuroprotective role of a number of currently available agents that modulate different mitochondrial Ca2+ transport pathways. It is reasoned that these mitochondrial Ca2+ modulators are most effective in combination with agents that increase the Ca2+ buffering capacity of mitochondria. Modulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ handling is a potential pharmacological target for future development of AD treatments. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.postprin

Identification of some heat-induced genes of Trichinella spiralis

Three heat-induced genes of the infective-stage larvae of Trichinella spiralis were successfully identified by the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. As indicated by reverse Northern blotting, 19 of 25 clones were scored as differentially transcribed in the heat-shocked infective-stage larvae. The sequencing data showed the presence of 12 different genes. Three were homologous to histone H3, histone H2B and translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP). A 0.6 kb cDNA of histone H3 was generated by the RACE method and sequenced. It contained an open reading frame of 136 amino acids that demonstrated 94% identity with genes from Drosophila hydei. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR indicated that after heat-shock treatment, the expression levels of histone H3, histone H2B and TCTP increased 4.8, 27 and 5.7-fold, respectively. Northern analysis confirmed the upregulation of histone H3, histone H2B and TCTP transcripts. The upregulation of these genes during stress conditions has not been reported in parasitic organisms. The stress proteins may play an active role to sustain the parasite after exposure to hostile host factors.published_or_final_versio