Responses of antioxidant systems in the hepatocytes of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) to the toxicity of microcystin-LR

The freshwater, bloom-forming cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Microcystis aeruginosa produces a peptide hepatotoxin, which causes the damage of animal liver. Recently, toxic Microcystis blooms frequently occur in the eutrophic Dianchi Lake (300 km(2) and located in the South-Westem of China). Microcystin-LR from Microcystis in Dianchi was isolated and purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and its toxicity to mouse and fish liver was studied (Li et al., 2001). In this study, six biochemical parameters (reactive oxygen species, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxide and glutathione S-transferase) were determined in common carp hepatocytes when the cells were exposed to 10 mug microcystin-LR per litre. The results showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents increased by more than one-time compared with the control after 6 h exposure to the toxin. In contrast, glutathione (GSH) levels in the hepatocytes exposed to microcystin-LR decreased by 47% compared with the control. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px) increased significantly after 6 h exposure to microcystin-LR, but glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity showed no difference from the control. These results suggested that the toxicity of microcystin-LR caused the increase of ROS contents and the depletion of GSH in hepatocytes exposed to the toxin and these changes led to oxidant shock in hepatocytes. Increases of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities revealed that these three kinds of antioxidant enzymes might play important roles in eliminating the excessive ROS. This paper also examined the possible toxicity mechanism of microcystin-LR on the fish hepatocytes and the results were similar to those with mouse hepatocytes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of hepatotoxic Microcystis strains by PCR with intact cells from both culture and environmental samples

Microcystins are small hepatotoxic peptides produced by a number of cyanobacteria. They are synthesized non-ribosomally by multifunctional enzyme complex synthetases encoded by the mcy genes. Primers deduced from mcy genes were designed to discriminate between toxic microcystin-producing strains and non-toxic strains. Thus, PCR-mediated detection of mcy genes could be a simple and efficient means to identify potentially harmful genotypes among cyanobacterial populations in bodies of water. We surveyed the distribution of the mcyB gene in different Microcystis strains isolated from Chinese bodies of water and confirmed that PCR can be reliably used to identify toxic strains. By omitting any DNA purification steps, the modified PCR protocol can greatly simplify the process. Cyanobacterial cells enriched from cultures, field samples, or even sediment samples could be used in the PCR assay. This method proved sensitive enough to detect mcyB genes in samples with less than 2,000 Microcystis cells per ml. Its accuracy, specificity and applicability were confirmed by sequencing selected DNA amplicons, as well as by HPLC, ELISA and mouse bioassay as controls for toxin production of every strain used.

Changes in culture growth dynamics and cell size in a Scenedesmus quadricauda upon action of potassium dichromate

The effect of potassium dichromate in concentrations of 0.5 to 10 mg/l on a laboratory culture of Sc. quadricauda algae was studied in standard conditions. The total cell numbers decreased at potassium dichromate concentrations over 1 mg/l, and the proportion of living cells decreased at all studied concentrations. A positive correlation was found between changes in cell size and their numbers at toxin concentrations of 1 and 3 mg/l, and a negative correlation was found between the relative size and the cell numbers at 3 and 10 mg/l. This may be due to different intensity of growth inhibition and cell division under the influence of the toxin. The culture sensitivity to the toxin increased in autumn and decreased in the spring.

CYCLIC PEPTIDE HEPATOTOXINS FROM FRESH-WATER CYANOBACTERIAL (BLUE-GREEN-ALGAE) WATERBLOOMS COLLECTED IN CENTRAL CHINA

Toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) waterblooms have been found in several Chinese water bodies since studies began there in 1984. Waterbloom samples for this study contained Anabaena circinalis, Microcystis aeruginosa and Oscillatoria sp. Only those waterblooms dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa were toxic by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) mouse bioassay. Signs of poisoning were the same as with known hepatotoxic cyclic peptide microcystins. One toxic fraction was isolated from each Microcystis aeruginosa sample. Two hepatotoxic peptides were purified from each of the fractions by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified by amino acid analysis followed by low and high resolution fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). LD50 i.p. mouse values for the two toxins were 245-mu-g/kg (Toxin A) and 53-mu-g/g (Toxin B). Toxin content in the cells was 0.03 to 3.95 mg/g (Toxin A) and 0.18 to 3.33 mg/kg (Toxin B). The amino acid composition of Toxin A was alanine [1], arginine [2], glutamic acid [1] and beta-methylaspartic acid [1]; for Toxin B it was the same, except one of the arginines was replaced with a leucine. Low- and high-resolution FAB-MS showed that the molecular weights were 1,037 m/z (Toxin A) and 994 m/z (Toxin B), with formulas of C49H76O12N13 (Toxin A) and C49H75O12N10 (Toxin B). It was concluded that Toxin A is microcystin-RR and Toxin B is microcystin-LR, both known cyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxins isolated from cyanobacteria in other parts of the world. Sodium borohydride reduction of microcystin-RR yielded dihydro-microcystin-RR (m/z = 1,039), an important intermediate in the preparation of tritium-labeled toxin for metabolism and fate studies.

A switch-on mechanism to activate maize ribosome-inactivating protein for targeting HIV-infected cells

Maize ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) is a plant toxin that inactivates eukaryotic ribosomes by depurinating a specific adenine residue at the a-sarcin/ricin loop of 28S rRNA. Maize RIP is first produced as a proenzyme with a 25-amino acid internal inactivation region on the protein surface. During germination, proteolytic removal of this internal inactivation region generates the active heterodimeric maize RIP with full N-glycosidase activity. This naturally occurring switch-on mechanism provides an opportunity for targeting the cytotoxin to pathogen-infected cells. Here, we report the addition of HIV-1 protease recognition sequences to the internal inactivation region and the activation of the maize RIP variants by HIV-1 protease in vitro and in HIV-infected cells. Among the variants generated, two were cleaved efficiently by HIV-1 protease. The HIV-1 protease-activated variants showed enhanced N-glycosidase activity in vivo as compared to their un-activated counterparts. They also possessed potent inhibitory effect on p24 antigen production in human T cells infected by two HIV-1 strains. This switch-on strategy for activating the enzymatic activity of maize RIP in target cells provides a platform for combating pathogens with a specific protease.

白喉毒素-血管内皮生长因子突变体融合毒素的研究

本研究旨在利用突变后的血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）与白喉毒素（DT）构建靶向毒素，使其特异性地杀伤肿瘤血管，达到阻断血管增生，切断肿瘤的血液供应的目的。首先通过基因工程技术从白喉杆菌中提取基因组DNA，扩增出其中的DTC区、T区基因。并运用不同的突变方法，构建了四个VEGF的突变体。即VEGF R82A，K84A，H86A突变，VEGF D63A，E64A，E67A突变，和截去了肝素结合区和NP-l（neuropilin-l）受体结合区的VEGF R82A，K84A，H86A突变和VEGF D63A，E64A，E67A突变。以这些突变体的编码基因与DT的T区、C区基因制成四个融合基因，并在大肠杆菌中表达、纯化、复性。以相似条件下制备的不加VEGF突变体的DTT区、C区蛋白为阴性对照，以VEGFR-l＋和VEGFR-2＋的Lovo细胞和VEGFR-l＋VEGFR-2-的SMMC-7721细胞做细胞实验。制成的四个融合毒素中有三个通过细胞学检验，具有靶向杀伤作用。特异性结合VEGFR-1受体的蛋白PmV8D、PsmVSD既可以抑制VEGFR-1+、VEGFR-2-的肝癌细胞SMMC-7721又可以抑制VEGFR-1+、VEGFR-2＋的结肠癌细胞Lovo。而不带VEGF突变体的DT391无抑制作用。特异性结合VEGFRZ受体的蛋白PmV6D可以抑制VEGFR-1+、VEGFR-2＋结肠癌细胞Lovo的生长，但不可以抑制VEGFR-1＋，VEGFR-2-的肝癌细胞SMMC-7721。受体结合力过弱的PsmV6D不对细胞的生长产生任何影响。

Spatial variability in water quality and surface sediment diatom assemblages in a complex lake basin,lake of the woods,ontario,canada

Lake of the Woods (LOW) is an international waterbody spanning the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, and the U.S. state of Minnesota. In recent years, there has been a perception that water quality has deteriorated in northern regions of the lake, with all increase in the frequency and intensity of toxin-producing cyanobacterial blooms. However, given the lack of long-term data these trends are difficult to verify. As a first step, we examine spatial and seasonal patterns in water quality in this highly complex lake on the Canadian Shield. Further, we examine surface sediment diatom assemblages across multiple sites to determine if they track within-take differences in environmental conditions. Our results show that there are significant spatial patterns in water quality in LOW. Principal Component Analysis divides the lake into three geographic zones based primarily on algal nutrients (i.e., total phosphorus, TP), with the highest concentrations at sites proximal to Rainy River. This variation is closely tracked by sedimentary diatom assemblages, with [TP] explaining 43% of the variation in diatom assemblages across sites. The close correlation between water quality and the surface sediment diatom record indicate that paleoecological models could be used to provide data on the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic sources of nutrients to the lake.

杀伤血管内皮生长因子受体1阳性细胞的靶向毒素

白喉毒素(diphtheria toxin DT) 是棒状白喉杆菌被茁噬菌体感染后分泌的一种外毒素. 它可以阻断真核细胞的蛋白质合成,杀死细胞. 血管内皮生长因子(VEGF) 的R82A,K84A,H86A突变体可以和肿瘤血管上高表达的VEGF受体1 (VEGFR-1) 特异性结合. 首先从白喉杆菌中提取基因组DNA,扩增出白喉毒素C区、T区基因. 并运用点突变技术,制成VEGF的R82A,K84A,H86A突变体. 利用这个可以和肿瘤血管上特异性受体相结合的VEGF的突变体,代替白喉毒素上的受体结合区,制成了针对VEGFR-1的靶向融合毒素——DT391-mVEGF. 以去除了受体结合区的DT391为阴性对照,细胞实验表明,融合毒素对VEGFR-1阳性的肿瘤细胞有特异性杀伤作用.

Kinetic analysis of interaction between lipopolysaccharide and biomolecules

Lipopolysaccharide ( LPS) is a major component of the outer membrane of all gram-negative bacteria. It is a heat-resistant toxin which can cause toxic shock in animals. LPS interacts with some biomolecules and triggers its toxic reaction. In this study, the interaction between LPS from Salmonella Minnesota and some biomolecules using syrface okasnib resibabce ( SPR) biosensor. biomolecules were imobilized on CM5 sensor-chip suing amion coupling method and LPS was injected over the immobilized surfaces.

Direct toxicity assessment of toxic chemicals with electrochemical method

Electrochemical measurement of respiratory chain activity is a rapid and reliable screening for the toxicity on microorganisms. Here, we investigated in-vitro effects of toxin on Escherichia coli (E. coli) that was taken as a model microorganism incubated with ferricyanide. The current signal of ferrocyanide effectively amplified by ultramicroelectrode array (UMEA), which was proven to be directly related to the toxicity. Accordingly, a direct toxicity assessment (DTA) based on chronoamperometry was proposed to detect the effect of toxic chemicals on microorganisms. The electrochemical responses to 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) under the incubation times revealed that the toxicity reached a stable level at 60 min, and its 50% inhibiting concentration (IC50) was estimated to be 8.0 mg L-1. At 60 min incubation, the IC50 values for KCN and As2O3 in water samples were 4.9 mg L-1 and 18.3 mg L-1, respectively. But the heavy metal ions, such as Cu2+ Pb2+ and Ni2+, showed no obvious toxicity on E. coli.

The interaction of recombinant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A with DNA and mimic biomembrane investigated by surface plasmon resonance and electrochemical methods

Based on the multidomain structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A, a fusion protein termed rPEA has been constructed, which is expected to serve as a gene carrier in vitro. The expression and purification of rPEA are described. The basal properties of rPEA as a gene carrier are evaluated by investigating its interaction with plasmid DNA and mimic biomembrane by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and electrochemical methods. rPEA is proved to be able to bind with plasmid DNA with high affinity. It can also interact with lipid membrane and increase permeability of the membrane, so the probe molecules can easily reach the gold surface and exhibit the electrochemical response.

Self-assembled monolayer growth of phospholipids on hydrophobic surface toward mimetic biomembranes: Scanning probe microscopy study

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and lateral force microscopy (LFM) were used simultaneously to analyze a model membrane bilayer structure consisting of a phospholipid outer monolayer deposited onto organosilane-derivatized mica surfaces, which were constructed by using painting and self-assembly methods. The phospholipid used as outer monolayer was dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC). The hydrocarbon-covered substrate that formed the inner half bilayer was composed of a self-assembly monolayer (SAM) of octadecyltrichloroorganosilane (OTS) on mica. SAMs of DMPC were formed by exposing hydrophobic mica to a solution of DMPC in decane/isobutanol and subsequently immersing into pure water. AFM images of samples immersed in solution for varying exposure times showed that before forming a complete monolayer the molecules aggregated into dense islands (2.2-2.6 nm high) on the surface. The islands had a compact and rounded morphology. LFM, coupled with topographic data obtained with the atomic force mode, had made possible the distinction between DMPC and OTS. The rate constant of DMPC growth was calculated. This is the first systematic study of the SAM formation of DMPC by AFM and LFM imaging. It reveals more direct information about the film morphology than previous studies with conventional surface analytical techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, X-ray, or fluorescence microscopy.

氮、磷营养盐对链状亚历山大藻（东海株）生长和产毒的影响研究

近年来，东海长江口邻近海域春季常常发生大规模链状亚历山大藻（Alexandrium catenella）赤潮。通常认为，由长江携带入海的大量营养盐导致的富营养化是该海域大规模赤潮频繁发生的重要原因。为阐明该海域富营养化特征与链状亚历山大藻赤潮的发生及其危害效应之间的关系，本文根据东海氮、磷营养盐的浓度与结构特征，设计实验研究了营养盐对链状亚历山大藻（东海株ACDH）的生长和产毒的影响。 实验结果表明，ACDH 藻株的比增长率在硝酸盐浓度大于 28.0 µM 时接近最高水平，长江口邻近海域海水中硝酸盐的浓度可以使 ACDH 藻株的比增长率接近最高值；藻株的比增长率在磷酸盐浓度大于 2.5 µM 时也接近最高水平，现场海水中磷酸盐的浓度可能对ACDH藻株的生长构成限制。ACDH藻株生长的最适氮磷比在9到11之间 ，表明链状亚历山大藻的生长需要较多的磷。ACDH 藻株对磷酸盐的最大吸收速率 (Vm) 和半饱和常数(Ks) 分别为 0.22 pmol/cell•h 和 0.75 µM，与中肋骨条藻等东海常见赤潮藻种相比并不利于其对低浓度磷酸盐的竞争吸收，但处于磷限制的链状亚历山大藻细胞有明显的碱性磷酸酶表达，这将有助于其吸收利用有机态的磷营养物质，获取所需的磷维持生长。链状亚历山大藻可以利用尿素、硝酸盐和铵盐这三种氮源进行生长，有相近的比增长率和最大细胞密度。综合本实验得到的结果与以往的文献资料可以认为，东海链状亚历山大藻的适应策略利于其在长江口邻近海域形成赤潮，但东海长江口邻近海域的富营养化并非链状亚历山大藻赤潮形成的唯一原因，链状亚历山大藻赤潮的形成还应与其生活史和垂直迁移等行为特征有关。而高浓度的营养盐对于亚历山大藻赤潮规模的增加可能具有直接作用。 在常见的铵盐、硝酸盐和尿素这三种氮源中，铵盐和硝酸盐的加入会导致细胞毒素含量的迅速增加，但是，添加尿素却不能显著提高藻细胞的毒素含量。长期以尿素作为氮源甚至会使藻细胞的毒素含量低于氮限制条件下的细胞毒素含量。磷限制能显著提高其细胞毒素含量，对野外采集的浮游植物样品分析结果显示，其细胞毒素含量在 34.7-88.4 fmol/cell 之间，显著高于室内培养的营养盐充足条件下的链状亚历山大藻的细胞毒素含量，而与磷限制条件下培养的藻细胞毒素含量接近，说明东海海水中磷酸盐的限制有可能提高藻细胞的毒素含量，从而增加其潜在的危害效应。 总之，通过我们的研究可以看出，东海的富营养化特征直接影响链状亚历山大藻赤潮的形成与潜在的危害效应。东海链状亚历山大藻的适应策略利于其在长江口邻近海域形成赤潮，同时，该海域高氮磷比和磷酸盐浓度限制会提高藻细胞的毒素含量，增加其危害效应。以上研究将有助于了解链状亚历山大藻赤潮的爆发机理，并对赤潮危害的预测和防范提供科学依据。

中国沿海典型区域织纹螺毒性及毒素成分研究

织纹螺（Nassarius spp.）味道鲜美，是中国及其它一些亚洲国家沿海地区居民习惯食用的一种水产品。但是，近几十年来，中国沿海频繁发生食用织纹螺中毒事件，严重威胁着人们的身体健康和生命安全。加之人们对织纹螺体内的毒素成分、来源及其毒性变化规律还没有清晰的认识，因此难以有效预防和控制食用织纹螺引起的中毒事件。本文根据文献报道，在中国沿海食用织纹螺中毒事件多发的典型区域，包括江苏省的连云港市和盐城市、浙江省的舟山市和宁波市、福建省的宁德市、厦门市和莆田市设立了监测点，于2006年和2007年间进行了连续采样，应用小鼠生物测试法调查了织纹螺毒性的消长情况，并利用高效液相色谱-质谱联用（Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry，LC-MS）和高效液相色谱技术（High Performance Liquid Chromatography，HPLC）对织纹螺体内的毒素成分进行了分析。 实验结果表明，2006年于江苏省盐城市射阳海域采集的织纹螺样品中，阳性样品检出率为56%，毒性在2-5 MU/g组织（湿重）之间变化，在2007年于同地采集的8个样品中，除一个样品毒性为3.14 MU/g组织（湿重）以外，其余样品均表现为阴性；而2007年采集自连云港市赣榆海域的织纹螺样品，在采样期间则呈现出极高的毒性，最高达到846.52 MU/g 组织（湿重），毒性在监测期间呈“M”状波动，在5月和7月下旬出现两个毒性高峰。2006年于浙江省宁波市象山港采集的织纹螺样品中，阳性样品检出率为25%，毒性均在2.5 MU/g组织（湿重）左右；而同年采集自舟山市定海的织纹螺样品中，阳性样品检出率为100%，最高毒性达18.40 MU/g组织（湿重），毒性在监测期间也呈“M”状波动，高峰期出现在6月初和7月底。2006年3-9月采集自福建省宁德霞浦、厦门同安和莆田涵江采集的织纹螺样品中，阳性样品检出率分别为20%、43%和14%，除7月中旬采集自宁德霞浦的一个样品毒性达到16.19 MU/g组织（湿重）之外，其余样品毒性均在2-5 MU/g组织（湿重）间波动。从阳性样品的时间分布规律来看，3月份和6、7月份是阳性样品集中出现的时期。根据以上调查结果可以看出，织纹螺的毒性消长呈现出较明显的地域性和季节性特征，不同地区的织纹螺毒性存在差异，而同一区域织纹螺毒性的消长则表现出明显的季节性集中趋势。除了2007年采集自连云港赣榆的织纹螺样品毒性与其平均个体组织重量有相似的变化趋势以外，其余地区的织纹螺样品毒性和个体大小无明显相关性。 利用LC-MS和HPLC技术对织纹螺样品中的毒素成分进行了分析，确定河豚毒素（tetrodotoxin, TTX）及其同系物（trideoxyTTX，4-epi-TTX，anhydroTTX，oxoTTX）是所采集织纹螺中的主要致毒成分，样品中没有检测到麻痹性贝毒毒素（Paralytic Shellfish Poison, PSP）。自不同地区采集的织纹螺中毒素成分基本一致，但组成存在一定差异。其中，采自江苏省连云港赣榆和浙江省舟山定海的织纹螺样品中，trideoxyTTX是主要的成分，其次是TTX；而从其它采样地点采集的织纹螺中，TTX都是主要的毒素成分，其次才是trideoxyTTX及其它同系物。对采集自江苏省连云港赣榆和浙江舟山定海的织纹螺体内毒素的解剖学分布进行了分析，结果表明肌肉、消化腺和剩余部分中的毒素组成基本一致，其中trideoxyTTX是主要的毒素成分，其次为TTX，但采自浙江舟山的织纹螺剩余部分中的TTX是主要的毒素成分。在监测期间，各组织中的毒素组成没有明显变化，但毒素含量随季节变化表现出了一定的差异。 综上所述，在中国沿海典型区域开展的织纹螺毒性调查结果表明其毒性消长具有一定的地域性和季节性特征。分析结果显示织纹螺体内的毒素成分是河豚毒素及其同系物，采自不同区域的织纹螺体内毒素成分基本一致，但毒素组成稍有差异。对织纹螺中毒素的解剖学分布研究显示，各组织中的毒素含量随季节变化而表现出一定差异，但毒素组成没有明显的季节性变化。这些结果显示中国沿海的织纹螺应具有相似的毒素来源，研究结果将为相关部门有效监测、预防和控制食用织纹螺中毒事件提供有力的科学依据。

Environmental and health effects associated with Harmful Algal Bloom and marine algal toxins in China

The frequency and scale of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) and marine algal toxin incidents have been increasing and spreading in the past two decades, causing damages to the marine environment and threatening human life through contaminated seafood. To better understand the effect of HAB and marine algal toxins on marine environment and human health in China, this paper overviews HAB occurrence and marine algal toxin incidents, as well as their environmental and health effects in this country. HAB has been increasing rapidly along the Chinese coast since the 1970s, and at least 512 documented HAB events have occurred from 1952 to 2002 in the Chinese mainland. It has been found that PSP and DSP toxins are distributed widely along both the northern and southern Chinese coasts. The HAB and marine algal toxin events during the 1990s in China were summarized, showing that the HAB and algal toxins resulted in great damages to local fisheries, marine culture, quality of marine environment, and human health. Therefore, to protect the coastal environment and human health, attention to HAB and marine algal toxins is urgently needed from the environmental and epidemiological view.