线粒体DNA损伤与细胞凋亡

细胞核DNA（nuclear DNA,nDNA）损伤后诱导细胞凋亡的信号转导途径已经逐渐清晰,而线粒体DNA（mitochondrial DNA,mtDNA）损伤与细胞凋亡之间的关系尚有待进一步明确.目前已有研究结果表明：mtDNA断裂、缺失或功能缺陷能够显著影响细胞凋亡发生率;线粒体缺失细胞（p0细胞）同其亲代细胞相比,对多种凋亡诱导因素的反应存在显著差异;ROS的产生并非mtDNA损伤诱导凋亡的必要条件,mtDNA损伤断裂本身可能启动了凋亡的级联反应.但mtDNA的损伤,在细胞凋亡的信号转导途径具体扮演何种角色,还有待深入研究.     

Is mitochondrial DNA copy number a good prognostic marker in resectable pancreatic cancer?

Background

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in a group of resectable pancreatic cancer (PC) tumor tissues and adjacent normal pancreatic tissues, and to explore the correlation between the mtDNA content in tissues and the clinicopathological parameters and the overall survival.

Regulation of longevity and oxidative stress by nutritional interventions: Role of methionine restriction

Comparative studies indicate that long-lived mammals have low rates of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production (mtROSp) and oxidative damage in their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Dietary restriction (DR), around 40%, extends the mean and maximum life span of a wide range of species and lowers mtROSp and oxidative damage to mtDNA, which supports the mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (MFRTA). Regarding the dietary factor responsible for the life extension effect of DR, neither carbohydrate nor lipid restriction seems to modify maximum longevity. However protein restriction (PR) and methionine restriction (at least 80% MetR) increase maximum lifespan in rats and mice. Interestingly, only 7 weeks of 40% PR (at least in liver) or 40% MetR (in all the studied organs, heart, brain, liver or kidney) is enough to decrease mtROSp and oxidative damage to mtDNA in rats, whereas neither carbohydrate nor lipid restriction changes these parameters. In addition, old rats also conserve the capacity to respond to 7 weeks of 40% MetR with these beneficial changes. Most importantly, 40% MetR, differing from what happens during both 40% DR and 80% MetR, does not decrease growth rate and body size of rats. All the available studies suggest that the decrease in methionine ingestion that occurs during DR is responsible for part of the aging-delaying effect of this intervention likely through the decrease of mtROSp and ensuing DNA damage that it exerts. We conclude that lowering mtROS generation is a conserved mechanism, shared by long-lived species and dietary, protein, and methionine restricted animals, that decreases damage to macromolecules situated near the complex I mtROS generator, especially mtDNA. This would decrease the accumulation rate of somatic mutations in mtDNA and maybe finally also in nuclear DNA.     

A comprehensive work up for an asthenozoospermic man with repeated intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) failure

Infertility affects about 15-20% couples attempting pregnancy and in about half cases the problem lies in the male. Among the sperm parameters, linear progressive motility is one of the most important predictors of fertility potential. Though genetic and chromosomal abnormalities are important aetiological factors in the pathogenesis of male infertility, the mechanism involved in impaired sperm motility is poorly understood. Here we report mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations with increased seminal reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and higher DNA fragmentation level in the sperm resulting in decreased ATP production which plays an important role in sperm motility defect. Thus it is important to understand the aetiology of asthenozoospermia and to distinguish if infertile men harbour nuclear or mtDNA mutation as they are very important prognostic markers. This case study also highlights that routine semen parameters are very modest predictors of fertility outcome but ROS estimation and DNA integrity analysis by Comet assay have better diagnostic and prognostic capabilities. Thus this study is a detailed and comprehensive workup of an infertile asthenozoospermic male.     

用RAPD技术对利什曼原虫kDNA、nDNA的分析

目的 :用RAPD技术分析利什曼原虫的kDNA及nDNA。方法 :用 7种随机引物扩增L .infantum和L .donovaniGS2的kDNA和nDNA ,分析扩增结果并计算两虫种间kDNA和nDNA共享度F值。结果 :7种随机引物对两虫种的kDNA、nDNA均扩增出各自特有带型。L .infantum和L .donovaniGS2两虫种间kD NA、nDNA扩增片段的F值分别为 0 2 2 7和 0 2。结论 :kDNA和nDNA均可作为利什曼原虫的RAPD扩增模板 ,这 7种引物均可用于对L .infantum和L .donovaniGS2进行RAPD分析。该两虫种kDNA、nDNA的共享度较低 ,说明二者遗传距离较远。在进行RAPD分析时 ,提取全DNA (包括kDNA和nDNA)进行扩增即可     

Repetitive sequences scattered throughout the genome of Trypanosoma cruzi

A clone bank from Trypanosoma cruzi DNA was constructed in the plasmid vector pBR325 and screened with total labelled DNA from the same parasite. The experimental conditions used enable recombinant clones containing repetitive sequences to be detected. 2% of the clones gave a strong positive signal. Half of them carried mini-circle sequences but the other half contained repetitive sequences from the nuclear genome. 50% of all colonies showed up more weakly suggesting that half of the trypanosome DNA fragments carried few repetitive elements. One family of repeats, present in two clones from different genomic regions, hybridized with a broad range of nuclear DNA fragment sizes. Moreover, one of these clones had at least two kinds of elements with no common sequences. A third clone, detected under the same conditions, hybridized with distinct nuclear DNA bands. The number of copies estimated for the latter was much lower than the number of homologous sequences detected in nuclear DNA with the former two. This third recombinant plasmid proved useful to differentiate among closely related trypanosome stocks. Neither poly(A)+ or poly(A)- RNA, nor the 50 kilobase pair band corresponding to the satellite DNA already described in trypanosomes, contribute to the repeats present within these recombinant DNAs. Sequences with some degree of homology were found in the nuclear genome of T. brucei and Crithidia fasciculata.