In vivo half-life of a protein is a function of its amino-terminal residue

When a chimeric gene encoding a ubiquitin-beta-galactosidase fusion protein is expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ubiquitin is cleaved off the nascent fusion protein, yielding a deubiquitinated beta-galactosidase (beta gal). With one exception, this cleavage takes place regardless of the nature of the amino acid residue of beta gal at the ubiquitin-beta gal junction, thereby making it possible to expose different residues at the amino-termini of the otherwise identical beta gal proteins. The beta gal proteins thus designed have strikingly different half-lives in vivo, from more than 20 hours to less than 3 minutes, depending on the nature of the amino acid at the amino-terminus of beta gal. The set of individual amino acids can thus be ordered with respect to the half-lives that they confer on beta gal when present at its amino-terminus (the "N-end rule"). The currently known amino-terminal residues in long-lived, noncompartmentalized intracellular proteins from both prokaryotes and eukaryotes belong exclusively to the stabilizing class as predicted by the N-end rule. The function of the previously described posttranslational addition of single amino acids to protein amino-termini may also be accounted for by the N-end rule. Thus the recognition of an amino-terminal residue in a protein may mediate both the metabolic stability of the protein and the potential for regulation of its stability.     

Molecular cloning and expression of a complementary DNA for inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase

A complementary DNA (cDNA) clone that encodes inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase was isolated from a rat brain cDNA expression library with the use of monoclonal antibodies. This clone had an open reading frame that would direct the synthesis of a protein consisting of 449 amino acids and with a molecular mass of 49,853 daltons. The putative protein revealed a potential calmodulin-binding site and six regions with amino acid compositions (PEST regions) common to proteins that are susceptible to calpain. Expression of the cDNA in COS cells resulted in an approximately 150-fold increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase activity of these cells.     

Proteome half-life dynamics in living human cells

Cells remove proteins by two processes: degradation and dilution due to cell growth. The balance between these basic processes is poorly understood. We addressed this by developing an accurate and noninvasive method for measuring protein half-lives, called "bleach-chase," that is applicable to fluorescently tagged proteins. Assaying 100 proteins in living human cancer cells showed half-lives that ranged between 45 minutes and 22.5 hours. A variety of stresses that stop cell division showed the same general effect: Long-lived proteins became longer-lived, whereas short-lived proteins remained largely unaffected. This effect is due to the relative strengths of degradation and dilution and suggests a mechanism for differential killing of rapidly growing cells by growth-arresting drugs. This approach opens a way to understand proteome half-life dynamics in living cells.     

Protein synthesis upon acute nutrient restriction relies on proteasome function

The mechanisms that protect mammalian cells against amino acid deprivation are only partially understood. We found that during an acute decrease in external amino acid supply, before up-regulation of the autophagosomal-lysosomal pathway, efficient translation was ensured by proteasomal protein degradation. Amino acids for the synthesis of new proteins were supplied by the degradation of preexisting proteins, whereas nascent and newly formed polypeptides remained largely protected from proteolysis. Proteasome inhibition during nutrient deprivation caused rapid amino acid depletion and marked impairment of translation. Thus, the proteasome plays a crucial role in cell survival after acute disruption of amino acid supply.     

Propolypeptide of von Willebrand factor circulates in blood and is identical to von Willebrand antigen II

The generally mild bleeding disorder of von Willebrand disease is associated with abnormalities of two distinct plasma proteins, the large multimeric von Willebrand factor (vWF), which mediates platelet adhesion, and von Willebrand antigen II (vW AgII), which is of unknown function. The two proteins were found to have a common biosynthetic origin in endothelial cells and megakaryocytes, which explains their simultaneous absence in the severe form of this hereditary disease. Shared amino acid sequences from a 100-kilodalton plasma glycoprotein and from vW AgII are identical to amino acid sequences predicted from a complementary DNA clone encoding the 5' end of vWF. In addition, these proteins have identical molecular weights and immunologic cross reactivities. Monoclonal antibodies prepared against both proteins recognize epitopes on the pro-vWF subunit and on a 100-kilodalton protein that are not present on the mature vWF subunit in endothelial cell lysates. In contrast, polyclonal antibodies against vWF recognize both pro-vWF and vWF subunits. Thus, the 100-kilodalton plasma glycoprotein and vW AgII are identical proteins and represent an extremely large propolypeptide that is first cleaved from pro-vWF during intracellular processing and then released into plasma.     

枯草芽孢杆菌新抗病基因aiiA的克隆

枯草芽孢杆菌内生亚种BS-1aiiA基因测序结果表明,该基因(GenBank登录号DQ000640)由753个碱基组成,其编码的蛋白质含有250个氨基酸残基,与10个已报道的具有减弱欧文氏菌胡萝卜亚种致病力的AiiA蛋白酶氨基酸序列总的相似性为82%.它们均含有相同的氨基酸序列保守区.Signal P分析结果显示,BS-1 AiiA没有信号肽序列,并利用Swiss-model预测、分析了BS-1 AiiA蛋白的三维结构.     

梭梭ARF1基因的克隆及序列分析

二磷酸腺苷-核糖基化作用因子(ADP-ribosylation factors,ARFs)属小G蛋白超级家族中的Arf亚族,是真核细胞囊泡运输通道的关键组成成分,参与细胞运输和信号传导。本试验采用RT-PCR、RACE等方法从超旱生、耐盐植物梭梭(Haloxylon ammodendron)中扩增出ADP-ribosylation factor(ARF1)基因的cD-NA序列(命名为HaARF1),其开放阅读框为546bp,推测氨基酸序列全长为181个氨基酸残基,具有典型的小GTP结合蛋白结构域。其氨基酸序列与GenBank中已发表同源对比相似度达99%以上,表明ARF1基因在不同物种间高度保守。     

Complete genome sequence of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B strain MC58

The 2,272,351-base pair genome of Neisseria meningitidis strain MC58 (serogroup B), a causative agent of meningitis and septicemia, contains 2158 predicted coding regions, 1158 (53.7%) of which were assigned a biological role. Three major islands of horizontal DNA transfer were identified; two of these contain genes encoding proteins involved in pathogenicity, and the third island contains coding sequences only for hypothetical proteins. Insights into the commensal and virulence behavior of N. meningitidis can be gleaned from the genome, in which sequences for structural proteins of the pilus are clustered and several coding regions unique to serogroup B capsular polysaccharide synthesis can be identified. Finally, N. meningitidis contains more genes that undergo phase variation than any pathogen studied to date, a mechanism that controls their expression and contributes to the evasion of the host immune system.     

A role for a 70-kilodalton heat shock protein in lysosomal degradation of intracellular proteins

A 73-kilodalton (kD) intracellular protein was found to bind to peptide regions that target intracellular proteins for lysosomal degradation in response to serum withdrawal. This protein cross-reacted with a monoclonal antibody raised to a member of the 70-kD heat shock protein (hsp70) family, and sequences of two internal peptides of the 73-kD protein confirm that it is a member of this family. In response to serum withdrawal, the intracellular concentration of the 73-kD protein increased severalfold. In the presence of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and MgCl2, the 73-kD protein enhanced protein degradation in two different cell-free assays for lysosomal proteolysis.     

云南3种野生稻中抗病基因同源序列的克隆及序列分析

 根据已报道的NBS LRR类和STK类抗病基因结构中的氨基酸保守区域 ,设计简并引物 ,通过PCR扩增及克隆 ,从普通野生稻 (OryzarufipogonGriff.)、药用野生稻 (OryzaofficinalisWall.)、疣粒野生稻 (Oryzameye rianaBaill.)中共获得 14类NBS LRR类抗病基因同源序列 ,其中普通野生稻中的有 7类 ,药用野生稻中的有 2类 ,疣粒野生稻中的有 6类。药用野生稻中TO12代表序列与普通野生稻中TR19代表序列 ,同属一类 ,且具有 10 0 %的同源性 ,说明不同种野生稻中的同一类 (聚类 )抗病基因同源序列是完全一致的。同时 ,还获得 5类STK类抗病基因同源序列 ,其中普通野生稻中的有 4类 ;药用野生稻中的有 1类。通过氨基酸同源性比较分析 ,发现笔者克隆到的抗病基因同源序列与已克隆的抗病基因L6、N、Bs2、Prf、Pto、Lr10和Xa2 1等的氨基酸同源性都相当低 (均低于 2 5 % ) ,暗示了这些抗病基因同源序列可能是目前尚未报道的抗病基因的同源序列。     

Expression of a platelet-derived growth factor-like protein in simian sarcoma virus transformed cells

The near identity of the partial amino acid sequence of human platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and that predicted for p28sis, the putative transforming protein of the simian sarcoma virus (SSV), suggests expression of a growth factor activity may be central for transformation by SSV. It is now reported that SSV-transformed cells but not control cells contain a growth factor activity that is identical to PDGF in immunoassay, in mitogenic dose response, and in specific mitogenic activity. The protein immunoprecipitated by antiserum to human PDGF has an apparent molecular weight of 20,000, identical to that of p20sis, the putative intracellular degradation product of p28sis. The results support the concept that expression of a PDGF-like molecule, which appears to be the product of the viral-sis gene, is responsible for the abnormal regulation of growth is SSV-transformed cells.     

Rapid and sensitive protein similarity searches

An algorithm was developed which facilitates the search for similarities between newly determined amino acid sequences and sequences already available in databases. Because of the algorithm's efficiency on many microcomputers, sensitive protein database searches may now become a routine procedure for molecular biologists. The method efficiently identifies regions of similar sequence and then scores the aligned identical and differing residues in those regions by means of an amino acid replacability matrix. This matrix increases sensitivity by giving high scores to those amino acid replacements which occur frequently in evolution. The algorithm has been implemented in a computer program designed to search protein databases very rapidly. For example, comparison of a 200-amino-acid sequence to the 500,000 residues in the National Biomedical Research Foundation library would take less than 2 minutes on a minicomputer, and less than 10 minutes on a microcomputer (IBM PC).     

不同植物查尔酮合成酶CHS基因的生物信息学分析

采用生物信息学方法对GenBank中已登录的10种不同植物中的查尔酮合成酶基因的核苷酸序列及所推测的氨基酸序列的理化性质、信号肽、跨膜结构、亲/疏水性、功能结构域以及其二级结构进行了详细的分析,构建了不同植物CHS的系统进化树。结果表明,10种植物中CHS基因的开放阅读框的全长在1.2 kb左右,大约编码399个氨基酸;不同植物中的CHS的氨基酸序列均包括1个N-糖基化位点(32NMSS),4个蛋白激酶c磷酸化位点(69TIR、158SVK、202TFR、359SAK)和1个查尔酮合成酶活性位点(161RLMMYQQGCFAGGTVLR),均不存在信号肽、无跨膜结构域,是一个疏水性蛋白。     

Studies of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C

Inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C is the enzyme that generates phosphoinositide-derived messenger molecules. Mammalian cells contain at least five immunologically distinct phospholipase C enzymes that appear to be separate gene products. Complete amino acid sequences of four of these isozymes have been established. The overall sequence similarity is surprisingly low for enzymes catalyzing the same chemical reaction: three of them show limited amino acid sequence similarity to each other in two narrow regions, and the fourth enzyme is completely different. The diversity in primary structure together with different regional and cellular expression of the isozymes suggests that each isozyme has a defined function in processing the physiological response of different cell types to a variety of external stimuli and that each is regulated differently.     

Structure and diversity of the human T-cell receptor beta-chain variable region genes

In order to characterize the variability of the expressed human T-cell receptor (TCR) beta-chain repertoire and contrast this variability to the known murine beta-chain repertoire, 15 independent complementary DNA (cDNA) clones containing TCR beta-chain variable region (V beta) genes were isolated from a human tonsil cDNA library. The nucleotide and derived amino acid sequences of these 15 V beta genes were analyzed together with 7 previously defined sequences. Fifteen different human V beta genes could be identified from 22 independent sequences. By means of DNA hybridization and sequence homology comparisons, it was possible to group these 15 genes into ten distinct V beta subfamilies, each containing from one to seven members. Minimal polymorphism was noted between individuals, except in multimember subfamilies. The amino acid sequences of these genes contain conserved amino acids that are also shared by murine TCR V beta genes and immunoglobulins; no features were found that distinguish human V beta genes from their murine counterparts. Evaluation of secondary structure showed that maximum variability coincides with generally hydrophilic portions of the amino acid sequence, while specific hydrophobic regions were conserved in all V beta genes examined.     

A peptide sequence confers retention and rapid degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum

A nonlysosomal pathway exists for the degradation of newly synthesized proteins retained within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This pathway is extremely selective: whereas some proteins are rapidly degraded, others survive for long periods in the ER. The question of whether this selectivity is due to the presence within the sensitive proteins of definable peptide sequences that are sufficient to target them for degradation has been addressed. Deletion of a carboxyl-terminal sequence, comprising the transmembrane domain and short cytoplasmic tail of the alpha chain of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR-alpha), prevented the rapid degradation of this polypeptide. Fusion of this carboxyl-terminal sequence to the extracellular domain of the Tac antigen, a protein that is normally transported to the cell surface where it survives long-term, resulted in the retention and rapid degradation of the chimeric protein in the ER. Additional mutagenesis revealed that the transmembrane domain of TCR-alpha alone was sufficient to cause degradation within the ER. This degradation was not a direct consequence of retention in the ER, as blocking transport of newly synthesized proteins out of the ER with brefeldin A did not lead to degradation of the normal Tac antigen. It is proposed that a 23-amino acid sequence, comprising the transmembrane domain of TCR-alpha, contains information that determines targeting for degradation within the ER system.     

Adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and adrenocortical cytosol protein synthesis

In cultures of mouse adrenocortical tumor cells (Sato's minimal deviation Y-1 clonal strain), the acceleration of steroid biosynthesis after exposure to adrenocorticotropic hormone or cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate is maximum within 15 to 60 minutes and precedes any significant increase in labeling of protein with [4,5-(3)H]leucine. However, when cytosol proteins are separated by acrylamidegel electrophoresis, rapid changes in the amount and labeling of several protein fractions are evident in less than 30 minutes and are no longer evident within 60 minutes. This finding supports the proposal that the effects of tropic hormones and their intracellular mediators involve rapid selective effects on protein synthesis.     

梭梭过氧还蛋白基因（PrxQ）克隆与序列分析

采用RT-PCR、RACE方法从超旱生、耐盐植物梭梭中扩增出PrxQ基因cDNA序列,该序列全长966bp,包含654bp的开放阅读框,推测氨基酸序列全长为218个氨基酸残基,该蛋白分子量为24 106.0,等电点为9.78,含有2个保守的Cys残基。序列同源性分析结果显示,核苷酸序列与藜科几种盐生植物如碱蓬等的同源性为70.01%,与其他植物佛甲草等的同源性为55.30%。说明,PrxQ基因在藜科盐生植物中是一种较高保守的基因。     

Carboxyl terminal domain of Gs alpha specifies coupling of receptors to stimulation of adenylyl cyclase

The alpha subunits of Gs and Gi link different sets of hormone receptors to stimulation and inhibition, respectively, of adenylyl cyclase. A chimeric alpha i/alpha s cDNA was constructed that encodes a polypeptide composed of the amino terminal 60% of an alpha i chain and the carboxyl terminal 40% of alpha s. The cDNA was introduced via a retroviral vector into S49 cyc- cells, which lack endogenous alpha s. Although less than half of the hybrid alpha chain is derived from alpha s, its ability to mediate beta-adrenoceptor stimulation of adenylyl cyclase matched that of the normal alpha s polypeptide expressed from the same retroviral vector in cyc- cells. This result indicates that carboxyl terminal amino acid sequences of alpha s contain the structural features that are required for specificity of interactions with the effector enzyme, adenylyl cyclase, as well as with the hormone receptor.