Crystal structures of an antibody to a peptide and its complex with peptide antigen at 2.8 A

The three-dimensional structures of an antibody to a peptide and its complex with the peptide antigen have been determined at 2.8 A resolution. The antigen is a synthetic 19-amino acid peptide homolog of the C helix of myohemerythrin (Mhr). The unliganded Fab' crystals are orthorhombic with two molecules per asymmetric unit, whereas the complex crystals are hexagonal with one molecule per asymmetric unit. The Fab' and the Fab'-peptide complex structures have been solved independently by molecular replacement methods and have crystallographic R factors of 0.197 and 0.215, respectively, with no water molecules included. The amino-terminal portion of the peptide sequence (NH2-Glu-Val-Val-Pro-His-Lys-Lys) is clearly interpretable in the electron density map of the Fab'-peptide complex and adopts a well-defined type II beta-turn in the concave antigen binding pocket. This same peptide amino acid sequence in native Mhr is alpha-helical. The peptide conformation when bound to the Fab' is inconsistent with binding of the Fab' to native Mhr, and suggests that binding of the Fab' to conformationally altered forms of the native Mhr or to apo-Mhr. Immunological mapping previously identified this sequence as the peptide epitope, and its fine specificity correlates well with the structural analysis. The binding pocket includes a large percentage of hydrophobic residues. The buried surfaces of the peptide and the antibody are complementary in shape and cover 460 A2 and 540 A2, respectively. These two structures now enable a comparison of a specific monoclonal Fab' both in its free and antigen complexed state. While no major changes in the antibody were observed when peptide was bound, there were some small but significant side chain and main chain rearrangements.     

A Mycobacterium leprae-specific human T cell epitope cross-reactive with an HLA-DR2 peptide

Mycobacterium leprae induces T cell reactivity and protective immunity in the majority of exposed individuals, but the minority that develop leprosy exhibit various types of immunopathology. Thus, the definition of epitopes on M. leprae antigens that are recognized by T cells from different individuals might result in the development of an effective vaccine against leprosy. A sequence from the 65-kD protein of this organism was recognized by two HLA-DR2-restricted, M. leprae-specific helper T cell clones that were derived from a tuberculoid leprosy patient. Synthetic peptides were used to define this epitope as Leu-Gln-Ala-Ala-Pro-Ala-Leu-Asp-Lys-Leu. A similar peptide that was derived from the third hypervariable region of the HLA-DR2 chain, Glu-Gln-Ala-Arg-Ala-Ala-Val-Asp-Thr-Tyr, also activated the same clones. The unexpected cross-reactivity of this M. leprae-specific DR2-restricted T cell epitope with a DR2 peptide may have to be considered in the design of subunit vaccines against leprosy.     

Self-assembly of large and small molecules into hierarchically ordered sacs and membranes

We report here the self-assembly of macroscopic sacs and membranes at the interface between two aqueous solutions, one containing a megadalton polymer and the other, small self-assembling molecules bearing opposite charge. The resulting structures have a highly ordered architecture in which nanofiber bundles align and reorient by nearly 90 degrees as the membrane grows. The formation of a diffusion barrier upon contact between the two liquids prevents their chaotic mixing. We hypothesize that growth of the membrane is then driven by a dynamic synergy between osmotic pressure of ions and static self-assembly. These robust, self-sealing macroscopic structures offer opportunities in many areas, including the formation of privileged environments for cells, immune barriers, new biological assays, and self-assembly of ordered thick membranes for diverse applications.     

植物维管组织形态建成的分子调控机制

在植物个体发育过程中,维管组织形态建成受多种外源及內源因子的共同影响。研究表明:植物激素、CLE 短肽信号分子、多种转录因子、热精胺、NO 等均在维管组织形态建成中发挥重要调控作用。AUX、CTK、ET、BRs、 GA 等共同参与调节原形成层与形成层细胞的增殖和分化;CLE 短肽信号分子可促进(原)形成层细胞增殖并抑制 木质部分化;HD-ZIP Ⅲ基因家族,KAN、NAC、MYB 转录因子及木质形成素与木质部、韧皮部的布局排列及发育相 关;热精胺与NO 影响着木质部细胞的分化。多种调节因子相互关联构建形成复杂的调控网络,作用于植物维管组 织的形态建成过程。      

A poliovirus neutralization epitope expressed on hybrid hepatitis B surface antigen particles

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope protein carrying the surface antigen (HBsAg) is assembled with cellular lipids in mammalian cells into empty viral envelopes. In a study to evaluate the capacity of such particles to present foreign peptide sequences in a biologically active form, in-phase insertions were created in the S gene encoding the major envelope protein. One of the sequences inserted was a synthetic DNA fragment encoding a poliovirus neutralization epitope. Mammalian cells expressing the modified gene secreted hybrid particles closely resembling authentic 22-nanometer HBsAg particles. These particles reacted with a poliovirus-specific monoclonal antibody and induced neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus. The results indicate that empty viral envelopes of HBV may provide a means for the presentation of peptide sequences and for their export from mammalian cells.     

Presence of laminin receptors in Staphylococcus aureus

A characteristic feature of infection by Staphylococcus aureus is bloodstream invasion and widespread metastatic abscess formation. The ability to extravasate, which entails crossing the vascular basement membrane, appears to be critical for the organism's pathogenicity. Extravasation by normal and neoplastic mammalian cells has been correlated with the presence of specific cell surface receptors for the basement membrane glycoprotein laminin. Similar laminin receptors were found in Staphylococcus aureus but not in Staphylococcus epidermidis, a noninvasive pathogen. There were about 100 binding sites per cell, with an apparent binding affinity of 2.9 nanomolar. The molecular weight of the receptor was 50,000 and pI was 4.2. Eukaryotic laminin receptors were visualized by means of the binding of S. aureus in the presence of laminin. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic invasive cells might utilize similar, if not identical, mechanisms for invasion.     

刺激隐核虫抑动抗原生物学信息及抗原特性分析

对刺激隐核虫抑动抗原基因进行生物学信息分析,利用抗原表位多肽制备了鼠源抗抑动抗原抗体,并研究其抗原特性.试验结果表明：利用表位串联多肽所制备的鼠源抗抑动抗原抗体包含有针对刺激隐核虫抑动抗原的特异性抗体,为刺激隐核虫单克隆抗体和疫苗的制备奠定了基础.     

Probing the solvent-assisted nucleation pathway in chemical self-assembly

Hierarchical self-assembly offers a powerful strategy for producing molecular nanostructures. Although widely used, the mechanistic details of self-assembly processes are poorly understood. We spectroscopically monitored a nucleation process in the self-assembly of p-conjugated molecules into helical supramolecular fibrillar structures. The data support a nucleation-growth pathway that gives rise to a remarkably high degree of cooperativity. Furthermore, we characterize a helical transition in the nucleating species before growth. The self-assembly process depends strongly on solvent structure, suggesting that an organized shell of solvent molecules plays an explicit role in rigidifying the aggregates and guiding them toward further assembly into bundles and/or gels.     

Constitutive display of cryptic translation products by MHC class I molecules

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules display tens of thousands of peptides on the cell surface, derived from virtually all endogenous proteins, for inspection by cytotoxic T cells (CTLs). We show that, in normal mouse cells, MHC I molecules present a peptide encoded in the 3' "untranslated" region. Despite its rarity, the peptide elicits CTL responses and induces self-tolerance, establishing that immune surveillance extends well beyond conventional polypeptides. Furthermore, translation of this cryptic peptide occurs by a previously unknown mechanism that decodes the CUG initiation codon as leucine rather than the canonical methionine.     

A synthetic peptide from fibronectin inhibits experimental metastasis of murine melanoma cells

Adhesive interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix occur at several stages of metastasis. Such interactions might be inhibited by synthetic peptide probes derived from the cell-binding regions of matrix molecules. Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) is a pentapeptide sequence that appears to be critical for cell interaction with fibronectin. Coinjection of GRGDS with B16-F10 murine melanoma cells dramatically inhibited the formation of lung colonies in C57BL/6 mice. Two closely related control peptides, in which specific amino acids within the GRGDS sequence were transposed or substituted, displayed little or no activity. Inhibition by GRGDS was dose-dependent, noncytotoxic, and did not result from an impairment of cellular tumorigenicity. GRGDS may function by inhibiting tumor cell retention in the lung since radiolabeled B16-F10 tumor cells injected with the peptide were lost at a substantially greater rate than control cells.     

Limit of T cell tolerance to self proteins by peptide presentation

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognize foreign peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. MHC molecules can also bind endogenous self peptides, to which T cells are tolerant. Normal mice contained CTLs specific for self peptides that were from proteins of ubiquitous or tissue-restricted expression. In vivo, these endogenous self peptides are not naturally presented in sufficient density by somatic cells expressing MHC class I molecules. They can, however, be presented if added exogenously. Thus, our data imply that CTLs are only tolerant of those endogenous self peptide sequences that are presented by MHC class I-positive cells in a physiological manner.     

Self-nonself discrimination by T cells

The alpha beta T cell receptor (TCR) recognizes antigens that are presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded cell surface molecules by binding to both the antigen and the MHC molecules. Discrimination of self from nonself antigens and MHC molecules is achieved by negative and positive selection of T cells in the thymus: potentially harmful T cells with receptors that bind to self antigens plus self MHC molecules are deleted before they can mount immune responses. In contrast, the maturation of useful T cells with receptors that bind foreign antigens plus self MHC molecules requires the binding of their receptor to MHC molecules on thymic epithelium in the absence of foreign antigen. The binding of the TCR to either class I or class II MHC molecules directs differentiation of the selected cells into either CD4-8+ (killer) or CD4+8- (helper) T cells, respectively.     

利用噬菌体随机肽库筛选抗原模拟表位的研究进展

噬菌体随机肽库技术是将编码外源多肽的DNA序列插入到噬菌体外壳蛋白结构基因的适当位置,使外源基因随外壳蛋白结构基因的表达而表达,被展示的外源多肽可保持相对独立的空间结构和生物活性,是一种基因型与表达型的统一。近年来,噬菌体随机肽库技术被广泛应用于各种抗原的模拟表位筛选中,并取得了显著成果。综述了利用噬菌体随机肽库技术在抗原模拟表位筛选中的研究进展。     

奶牛乳房炎重要候选疫苗蛋白的抗原表位分析及三联重组表位疫苗的氨基酸序列设计

为设计奶牛乳房炎三联重组表位多肽疫苗,选取奶牛乳房炎3种主要感染菌的候选疫苗蛋白:金黄色葡萄球菌的Ebps与ClfA,大肠埃希菌的OmpA与OmpC,链球菌的SIP与PGK,通过ABCpred和BepiPred方案,预测获得每种蛋白各有2个优势B细胞表位;利用神经网络与量化矩阵法预测蛋白的CTL表位。结果显示,SIP蛋白无CTL表位,其余蛋白均存在1个CTL细胞表位;采用MHC-Ⅱ类分子结合肽在线程序预测蛋白的Th表位,结果发现每种蛋白各有1个Th细胞表位。使用DNASTAR软件分析6个蛋白的二级结构,结果发现,预测获得的B/T细胞表位大多处于蛋白易于产生表位的暴露表面、无规则卷曲与转角等位置。再通过Protean程序重组拼接获得的B/T细胞抗原表位,最终设计获得抗原性较好的三联表位疫苗氨基酸序列。为新型奶牛乳房炎三联表位疫苗的研制奠定基础。     

猪O型FMDV主要抗原表位多肽的合成与鉴定

为筛选口蹄疫病毒表位抗原,使用Symphony 12通道多肽合成仪,采用Fmoc固相合成原理,合成5条O型FMDV抗原表位肽。Quattro Micro液-质联用仪分析多肽分子的结构特性,分析结果表明,在误差允许的范围内所检测的结果与理论值相符,5条多肽均通过质谱检测。通过SMCC双功能偶联剂将多肽偶联于BSA载体蛋白,以Dot-blot和间接ELISA法检测这5条与BSA偶联得多肽与O型FMDV阳性血清的结合能力,结果显示,中和表位Pep1、Pep2、Pep3能特异性结合O型FMDV感染血清和免疫血清,为抗FMDV中和表位单克隆抗体的制备和FMDV抗体检测试纸条方法的建立奠定基础。     

Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: a chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.     

The role of beta 2-microglobulin in peptide binding by class I molecules

Efficient transport of class I major histocompatibility complex molecules to the cell surface requires association of the class I heavy chain with endogenous peptide and the class I light chain, beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M). A mutant cell line deficient in beta 2M transports low amounts of nonpeptide-associated heavy chains to the cell surface that can associate with exogenously provided beta 2M and synthetic peptide antigens. Normal beta 2M-sufficient cells grown in serum-free media devoid of beta 2M also require an exogenous source of beta 2M to efficiently bind synthetic peptide. Thus, class I molecules on normal cells do not spontaneously bind or exchange peptides.     

Self-assembly of phase-segregated liquid crystal structures

Additional functionality can be incorporated into liquid crystalline materials by using phase segregation and self-assembly. Intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions play key roles in the formation of these complex structures. One-, two-, and three-dimensional phase-segregated structures on various scales of length are formed by self-assembly of a variety of partially incompatible molecules. Such structures can enhance anisotropic properties such as ionic conductivity.     

噬菌体展示技术在毒素检测分析中的应用

霉菌毒素严重危害动物及人类健康,毒素检测已成为评价农产品、食品、饲料品质的重要内容之一.毒素检测有一定危险性,建立新的毒素检测手段意义重大.噬菌体展示技术是一种设计精巧、具有极强分离多肽功能的生物学技术.综述了此项技术的发展和在筛选霉菌毒素模拟表位肽中的作用及模拟表位肽在毒素检测中的应用,并展望了该技术的应用前景.     

An antigenic peptide produced by peptide splicing in the proteasome

CD8 T lymphocytes recognize peptides of 8 to 10 amino acids presented by class I molecules of the major histocompatibility complex. Here, CD8 T lymphocytes were found to recognize a nonameric peptide on melanoma cells that comprises two noncontiguous segments of melanocytic glycoprotein gp100(PMEL17). The production of this peptide involves the excision of four amino acids and splicing of the fragments. This process was reproduced in vitro by incubating a precursor peptide of 13 amino acids with highly purified proteasomes. Splicing appears to occur by transpeptidation involving an acyl-enzyme intermediate. Our results reveal an unanticipated aspect of the proteasome function of producing antigenic peptides.