Molecular characterization of Trimeresurus stejnegeri venom L-amino acid oxidase with potential anti-HIV activity

A novel L-amino acid oxidase, named TSV-LAO, has been purified and cloned from the snake Trimeresurus stejnegeri. Fifty percentage cytotoxic concentrations (CC50) of TSV-LAO on C8166 cells were 24 and 390 nM in the absence or presence of catalase (400nM), respectively. However, at concentrations that showed little effect on cell viability, TSV-LAO displayed dose dependent inhibition on HIV-1 infection and replication. The antiviral selectivity indexes (CC50/EC50) were 16 and 6, respectively, corresponding to the measurements of syncytium formation and HIV-1 p24 antigen expression. Interestingly, the presence of catalase resulted in an increase of its antiviral selectivity to 52 and 38. Under the same conditions, no anti-HIV-1 activity was observed by exogenous addition of H2O2. The complete amino acid sequence of TSV-LAO, as deduced from its cDNA, exhibits a high degree of sequence identity with other snake venom LAOs. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide on cryopreservation of rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) sperm

Glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are widely used as penetrating cryoprotectants in the freezing of sperm, and various concentrations are applied in different species and laboratories. The present study aimed to examine the effect of these two cryoprotectants at different concentrations (2%, 5%, 10%, and 15% glycerol or DMSO) on rhesus monkey sperm cryopreservation. The results showed that the highest recovery of post-thaw sperm motility, and plasma membrane and acrosome integrity was achieved when the sperm was frozen with 5% glycerol. Spermatozoa cryopreserved with 15% DMSO showed the lowest post-thaw sperm motility, and spermatozoa cryopreserved with 15% glycerol and 15% DMSO showed the lowest plasma membrane integrity among the eight groups. The results achieved with 5% glycerol were significantly better for all parameters than those obtained with 5% DMSO. The functional cryosurvival of sperm frozen with 5% glycerol was further assessed by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Overall, 85.7% of the oocytes were successfully fertilized, and 51.4% and 5.7% of the resulting zygotes developed into morulae and blastocysts, respectively. The results indicate that the type and concentration of the penetrating cryoprotectant used can greatly affect the survival of rhesus monkey sperm after it is frozen and thawed. The suitable glycerol level for rhesus monkey sperm freezing is 5%, and DMSO is not suitable for rhesus monkey sperm cryopreservation. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A novel algesic peptide derived from skin secretions of the frog Amolops loloensis

Several algesic agents including bradykinin and tachykinin have been identified from skin secretions of amphibians. They may act in defensive roles against aggressors. In this study, a novel peptide named Amolos with an amino acid sequence of FLPIVGAKL an

Cloning and characterization of a blood coagulation factor IX-binding protein from the venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri

A blood coagulation factor IX-binding protein (TSV-FIX-BP) was isolated from the snake venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri. On SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, TSV-FIX-BP showed a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 23,000 under non-reducing conditions. and two distinct bands with apparent molecular weights of 14,800 and 14,000 under reducing conditions. cDNA clones containing the coding sequences of TSV-FIX-BP were isolated and sequenced to determine the structure of the precusors of TSV-FIX-BP subunits. The deduced amino acid sequences of two subunits of TSV-FIX-BP were confirmed by N-terminal protein sequencing and trypsin-digested peptide mass fingerprinting. TSV-FIX-BP was a nonenzymatic C-type lectin-like anti-coagulant. The anti-coagulant activity of TSV-FIX-BP was mainly caused by its dose dependent interaction with blood coagulation factor IX but not with blood coagulation factor X. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a platelet glycoprotein Ib-binding protein from the venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri

A platelet glycoprotein Ib-binding protein, termed TSV-GPIb-BP, was isolated from the venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri. On SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, TSV-GPIb-BP showed a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 28,000 and two distinct bands with apparent molecular weights of 16,000 and 15,000 under non-reducing and reducing conditions, respectively. cDNA clones containing the coding sequences for both TSV-GPIb-BP subunits were isolated and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequences of TSV-GPIb-BP subunits were confirmed by N-terminal protein sequencing and trypsin-digested peptide mass fingerprinting. Interestingly, the a subunit of TSV-GPIb-BP is identical to that of alboaggregin-B, and the sequence identity of their beta subunits is 94.3%. TSV-GPIb-BP inhibited ristocetin-induced human platelet agglutination in platelet-rich plasma under lower dosages (<5 mug/ml). On the other hand, it directly aggregated washed human platelets in the absence of additional Ca2+ or any other cofactors under higher dosages (>5 mug/ml). This platelet aggregation activity was dose-dependently inhibited by specific GPIbalpha antibodies, but not by those antibodies against platelet GPIa, GPIIa, GPIIb and GPIIIa. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chryseobacterium flavum sp nov., isolated from polluted soil

A Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated CW-E 2(T), was isolated from a polluted soil sample collected from Jiangsu Province, China. A taxonomic study of the isolate, including phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene seque

大蹼铃蟾多肽及其制备方法和在制药中的应用

本发明属于生物医学领域。大蹼铃蟾多肽是从中国两栖类动物大蹼铃蟾皮肤分泌物中分离得到的一种单链多肽，分子量2698.4，等电点10.0，多肽全序列一级结构为：NH2—TITTKKLSGLKTALKGAAKELASTYT—COOH。制备方是将活体大蹼铃蟾用水清洗干净，置于带盖的玻璃容器中，滴加无水乙醚，密闭容器3—5分钟，可见大量的泡沫状物质从大蹼铃蟾皮肤分泌出来，收集分泌物，离心去除沉淀、冷冻干燥后，经离子交换、凝胶过滤、高压液相反相柱层析分离纯化后得到。具有显著的抑制细菌和真菌生长、肿瘤细胞生长、和抗艾滋病病毒活性的作用。适用于制备抗微生物感染、抗肿瘤、抗艾滋病药物。

Bombinakinin M gene associated peptide, a novel bioactive peptide from skin secretions of the toad Bombina maxima

A novel 28-amino acid peptide, termed bombinakinin-GAP, was purified and characterized from skin secretions of the toad Bombina maxima. Its primary structure was established as DMYEIKQYKTAHGRPPICAPGEQCPIWV-NH2, in which two cysteines form a disulfide bond. A FASTA search of SWISS-PROT databank detected a 32% sequence identity between the sequences of the peptide and a segment of rat cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART). Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of the peptide induced a significant decrease in food intake in rats, suggesting that it played a role in the control of feeding by brain. Analysis of its cDNA structure revealed that this peptide is coexpressed with bombinakinin M, a bradykinin-related peptide from the same toad. Bombinakinin-GAP appears to be the first example of a novel class of bioactive peptides from amphibian skin, which may be implicated in feeding behavior. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

A new family of antimicrobial peptides from skin secretions of Rana pleuraden

While conducting experiments to investigate antimicrobial peptides of amphibians living in the Yunnan-Guizhou region of southwest China, a new family of antimicrobial peptides was identified from skin secretions of the Yunnan frog, Rana pleuraden. Members

姚虻纤维蛋白原水解酶tabfiblysin及其基因和应用

本发明涉及一种姚虻唾液腺蛋白酶tabfiblysin及其基因和应用，属于生物医学技术领域。本发明的姚虻蛋白酶tabfiblysin是从姚虻唾液腺中分离得到的一种活性蛋白质，分子量27145.5道尔顿，其全序列由255个氨基酸组成；姚虻蛋白酶tabfiblysin基因由871个核苷酸组成。本发明的姚虻唾液腺蛋白酶 tabfiblysin具有显著的水解纤维蛋白原和抑制血小板聚集的作用，能作为制备治疗血栓性疾病药物的应用。

TMVA, a snake C-type lectin-like protein from Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus venom, activates platelet via GPIb

TMVA is a C-type lectin-like protein with potent platelet activating activity from Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus venom. In the absence of von Willebrand factor (vWF), TMVA dose-dependently induced aggregation of washed platelets. Anti-GP Ib monoclonal antib

An antimicrobial peptide with antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori

An antimicrobial peptide named odorranain-HP was identified from skin secretions of the diskless odorous frog, Odorrana grahami. It is composed of 23 amino acids with an amino acid sequence of GLLRASSVWGRKYYVDLAGCAKA. By BLAST search, odorranain-HP had si

姚虻唾液腺免疫调节肽及其基因和应用

本发明涉及一种姚虻唾液腺免疫调节肽及其基因和应用，属于生物医学领域。该免疫调节肽是中国虻科昆虫唾液腺免疫调节肽基因编码的一种线状多肽，其全序列为：甘氨酸-甘氨酸-缬氨酸-丝氨酸-甘氨酸-缬氨酸-丝氨酸-天冬氨酸-苯丙氨酸-谷氨酸-脯氨酸-异亮氨酸-谷氨酸-缬氨酸-丝氨酸- 甘氨酸-谷氨酸-天冬氨酸-酪氨酸-天冬酰胺-丝氨酸-天冬氨酸-谷氨酸 -丙氨酸-天冬氨酸-谷氨酸-天冬氨酸-甘氨酸-赖氨酸-丙氨酸。免疫调节肽基因由362个核苷酸组成，其中编码成熟编码姚虻唾液腺免疫调节肽为第 115-204位核苷酸。该姚虻唾液腺免疫调节肽作为抑制多种细胞因子的应用。本发明的免疫调节肽具有结构简单、人工合成方便、抗菌活性强等特点。

Cloning and purification of alpha-neurotoxins from king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

Thirteen complete and three partial cDNA sequences were cloned from the constructed king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) venom gland cDNA library. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of king cobra with those from other snake venoms revealed that obta

Isolation and cDNA cloning of cholecystokinin from the skin of Rana nigrovittata

Many neuroendocrine peptides that are distributed in amphibian gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system are also found in amphibian skins, and these peptides are classified into skin-gut-brain triangle peptides, such as bombesins, gastrin-releasi