ABSTRACT Introduction: Knockdown of fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) can induce N6-methyladenosine (m 6A) ribonucleic acid (RNA) methylation. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of m 6A RNA methylation on atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque by FTO knockdown. Methods: A total of 50 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into pure high-fat group, sham operation group, vulnerable plaque group, empty load group, and FTO knockdown group (10 rabbits/group). Results: Flow cytometry showed that helper T (Th) cells in the FTO knockdown group accounted for a significantly higher proportion of lymphocytes than in the vulnerable plaque group and empty load group (P<0.05). Th cells were screened by cell flow. The level of m 6A RNA methylation in the FTO knockdown group was significantly higher than in the vulnerable plaque group and empty load group (P<0.05). The levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein C were higher at the 12th week than at the 1st week, but the high-density lipoprotein C level was lower at the 12th week than at the 1st week. At the 12th week, the interleukin-7 level was significantly lower in the adeno-associated virus-9 (AVV9)-FTO short hairpin RNA group than in the control and AVV9-green fluorescent protein groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: After successfully establishing a vascular parkinsonism rabbit model, m 6A RNA methylation can decrease Th cells and vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques.

Abstract Background: The gamma-type phospholipase A2 inhibitor (ΡLIγ) is a natural protein commonly found in snake serum, which can neutralize pathophysiological effects of snake venom phospholipases A2. Therefore, this protein is a potential candidate to the development of a novel antivenom. To the best of our knowledge, there is no antibody currently available for PLIγ identification and characterization. Methods: Bioinformatics prediction of epitope using DNAStar software was performed based on the sequence of Sinonatrix annularis PLIγ (SaPLIγ). The best epitope 151CPVLRLSNRTHEANRNDLIKVA172 was chosen and synthesized, and then conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin and bovine serum albumin for use as an immunogen and plate-coating antigen, respectively. Results: Eighteen IgG anti-PLIγ mAb hybridoma cell strains were obtained, and all the mAbs had positive interaction with recombinant His6-PLIγ and natural SaPLIγ. Moreover, the mAb from 10E9 strain was also successfully used for the immunodetection of other snake serum PLIγs. cDNA sequence alignment of those PLIγs from different snake species showed that their epitope segments were highly homologous. Conclusions: The successful preparation of anti-PLIγmAb is significant for further investigation on the relationship between the structure and function of PLIγs, as well as the interaction between PLIγs and PLA2s.

The Dof proteins belong to a large family of plant transcription factors that share a single highly conserved zinc finger and play an important role in many physiological processes. To elucidate the function of Dof in soybean, GmDof17-1 was cloned from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr); the open reading frame (ORF) of GmDof17-1 is 846 bp and encodes a putative protein that includes 281 amino acids. Using qRT-PCR, the expression profiles of GmDof17-1 were obtained for various parts of the soybean plant. GmDof17-1 was primarily expressed in the roots and pods at various stages of pod development. The gene was ectopically expressed in tobacco under the control of the 2 × CaMV35S promoter to study the functions of the gene product. The transgenic tobacco plants showed to be dwarf, and the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content was decreased, whereas the sulfur-containing amino acid content of the seeds increased. These results provide new insight into the function of GmDof17-1 in seed development.

Um novo eletrodo modificado com nanotubos de carbono foi fabricado, com base em nanotubos de carbono multi-paredes (MWCNTs) dispersos em colóide de nanopartículas de ouro (AuNPs). Foi observado que MWCNTs foram dispersos no colóide AuNPs homogeneamente. Fosfato ácido de dihexadecil (DHP) foi adicionado à suspensão para preparar um filme mais estável. O filme mostrou estrutura em rede e teve boa função de transferência de elétron. O comportamento eletroquímico do ácido mefenâmico, no eletrodo coberto com filme composto, mostrou um pico anódico irreversível, o qual foi muito maior do que para o eletrodo de carbono vítreo (GCE), devido ao co-efeito de MWCNTs e AuNPs na oxidação eletroquímica do ácido mefenâmico. Sob ótimas condições, a corrente do pico anódico foi linear à concentração do ácido mefenâmico, no intervalo de 1,0 × 10-7 a 2,0 × 10-5 mol L-1. O limite de detecção foi estimado em 1,0 × 10-8 mol L-1 após 120 s de pré-concentração. O método foi aplicado com sucesso à determinação do ácido mefenâmico em amostra medicinal.

A novel carbon nanotubes modified electrode was fabricated, which was based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) colloid. It was observed that MWCNTs were dispersed in AuNPs colloid homogenously. Dihexadecyl hydrogen phosphate (DHP) was added into the suspension to prepare a more stable film modified electrode. The film showed net structure and had good electron-transfer function. On the composite film coated electrode, the electrochemical behavior of mefenamic acid was studied and an irreversible anodic peak was obtained, which was much larger than that on a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE), due to the co-effect of MWCNTs and AuNPs on the electrochemical oxidation of mefenamic acid. Under the optimized conditions the anodic peak current was linear to the concentration of mefenamic acid in the range of 1.0 × 10-7 to 2.0 × 10-5 mol L-1. The detection limit was estimated to be 1.0 × 10-8 mol L-1 after 120 s preconcentration. The method was applied successfully to the determination of mefenamic acid in medicine sample.