Control of yeast mating signal transduction by a mammalian beta 2-adrenergic receptor and Gs alpha subunit

To facilitate functional and mechanistic studies of receptor-G protein interactions, [corrected] the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor (h beta-AR) has been expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This was achieved by placing a modified h beta-AR gene under control of the galactose-inducible GAL1 promoter. After induction by galactose, functional h beta-AR was expressed at a concentration several hundred times as great as that found in any human tissue. As determined from competitive ligand binding experiments, h beta-AR expressed in yeast displayed characteristic affinities, specificity, and stereoselectivity. Partial activation of the yeast pheromone response pathway by beta-adrenergic receptor agonists was achieved in cells coexpressing h beta-AR and a mammalian G protein (Gs) alpha subunit-demonstrating that these components can couple to each other and to downstream effectors when expressed in yeast. This in vivo reconstitution system provides a new approach for examining ligand binding and G protein coupling to cell surface receptors.     

赤拟谷盗章鱼胺受体3(TcOctβR3)cDNA克隆、表达及功能

【目的】章鱼胺信号系统在调节昆虫行为和生理过程中具有至关重要的作用。赤拟谷盗(Tribolium castaneum)作为一种模式昆虫,被广泛用于解析昆虫生长发育及生理等调控机制的研究工作。本研究以赤拟谷盗为对象,旨在明确章鱼胺受体在调节赤拟谷盗行为和生理方面的功能。【方法】根据Gen Bank登录的相关序列信息(XP_008198078),利用RT-PCR技术克隆赤拟谷盗章鱼胺受体基因Tc OctβR3的c DNA序列。利用在线生物信息学分析软件预测该基因的开放阅读框、编码的氨基酸序列以及跨膜结构域等信息,基于邻接法构建该基因与其他昆虫相关序列的系统发育树,明确系统进化关系。分别提取赤拟谷盗各发育阶段(卵、幼虫、蛹和成虫)、不同组织(中枢神经系统、脂肪体、中肠、后肠、马氏管、精巢和卵巢)以及饥饿胁迫后的RNA,以赤拟谷盗核糖体蛋白S3(Tc RPS3)为内参基因,采用实时定量PCR技术分析该基因在赤拟谷盗不同发育阶段、不同组织以及在饥饿胁迫下的表达模式。运用哺乳动物异源表达系统在人胚胎肾细胞HEK293中瞬时表达Tc OctβR3,进而利用第二信使c AMP含量测定技术分析Tc OctβR3与配体的结合能力。最后,通过体外合成赤拟谷盗Tc OctβR3的双链RNA,利用RNA干扰以及轨迹球行为分析等技术探究该基因的生理功能。【结果】序列分析结果表明,赤拟谷盗Tc OctβR3开放阅读框全长1 305 bp,编码434个氨基酸,序列中含有G蛋白偶联受体典型的7个跨膜结构域。基于邻接法构建的系统发育树表明,该基因编码的蛋白质与小蜂甲(Aethina tumida)的OctβR3亲缘关系最近。实时定量PCR分析结果表明,Tc OctβR3在赤拟谷盗各发育阶段均有表达,尤其在低龄幼虫期转录水平最高,而在其他发育阶段表达量无显著差异;在赤拟谷盗不同组织中,Tc OctβR3在中枢神经系统的表达量显著高于其他组织;赤拟谷盗幼虫在经饥饿处理24 h的过程中,Tc OctβR3的表达量呈先下降后上升的趋势,且在处理6 h的表达量最低,为对照的0.47倍,在16 h表达量最高,为对照的1.80倍,最后恢复到正常水平。通过HEK293细胞异源表达Tc OctβR3后,c AMP测定结果表明章鱼胺(OA)呈浓度依赖性地激活Tc OctβR3,其EC50为8.68×10-7 mol·L-1,萘甲唑啉(NA)的激动活性最高,其有效中浓度EC50为8.56×10-8 mol·L-1。4种供试生物胺激动剂活性强弱为:萘甲唑啉酪胺(TA)章鱼胺多巴胺(DA)。进一步采用RNA干扰技术的分析结果表明,注射ds RNA能有效抑制Tc OctβR3的表达,沉默效率高达61.5%,但干扰该基因表达后不会影响赤拟谷盗成虫的爬行速度和产卵量。【结论】Tc OctβR3在赤拟谷盗中枢神经系统可能发挥重要作用,能调节幼虫对饥饿胁迫的响应。明确了Tc OctβR3的分子生物学特性,可为将来以其为靶标筛选高效激动剂和抑制剂提供理论依据。     

园艺植物 WRKY 基因功能研究进展

WRKY 转录因子是植物中特有的一类反式作用因子。WRKY 基因家族成员众多,是植物中最大的转录因子家族之一。目前,已在多种园艺植物中对该家族进行了全基因组鉴定。大量研究表明,WRKY 转录因子参与了植物中多种生物学过程,如营养剥夺、胚胎发生、种子发育、毛状体发育、叶片衰老及其他发育和激素调节的过程,是许多调控信号网络的重要组成部分。WRKY 转录因子还可参与植物适应各种逆境的转录调控,已被证明其在生物应激反应中发挥重要作用并参与植物的防御机制,其在植物防御病菌、病毒和虫害调控过程中的重要作用正被逐步揭示。此外,WRKY 转录因子在植物响应环境中非生物胁迫方面的作用也被不断解析,其可参与调控植物对干旱、温度、盐及渗透的响应,并在此过程中发挥正向或负向调节作用。本文基于近年来的相关研究成果,重点综述了 WRKY 转录因子在园艺植物生长发育、胁迫响应和代谢合成方面所发挥的作用和调控机理,进一步明确园艺植物 WRKY 转录因子的重要生物学功能,阐明 WRKY 转录因子介导的转录调控网络,为园艺植物优良性状相关的遗传资源挖掘和分子育种提供理论支撑。     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the gene coding for the human platelet alpha 2-adrenergic receptor

The gene for the human platelet alpha 2-adrenergic receptor has been cloned with oligonucleotides corresponding to the partial amino acid sequence of the purified receptor. The identity of this gene has been confirmed by the binding of alpha 2-adrenergic ligands to the cloned receptor expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The deduced amino acid sequence is most similar to the recently cloned human beta 2- and beta 1-adrenergic receptors; however, similarities to the muscarinic cholinergic receptors are also evident. Two related genes have been identified by low stringency Southern blot analysis. These genes may represent additional alpha 2-adrenergic receptor subtypes.     

生防链霉菌Men-myco-93-63nsdBmgh基因的克隆及序列分析

为了获得生防链霉菌Men-myco-93-63中nsdB基因,根据天蓝色链霉菌A3(2)负调控基因nsdB序列设计引物,扩增Men-myco-93-63基因组DNA,获得1 121 bp的片段,经NPA-PCR对其两端进行延伸,拼接后得到2 073 bp的全长序列,命名为nsd Bmgh.经Southern杂交验证,该...     

GPCR engineering yields high-resolution structural insights into beta2-adrenergic receptor function

The beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) is a well-studied prototype for heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that respond to diffusible hormones and neurotransmitters. To overcome the structural flexibility of the beta2AR and to facilitate its crystallization, we engineered a beta2AR fusion protein in which T4 lysozyme (T4L) replaces most of the third intracellular loop of the GPCR ("beta2AR-T4L") and showed that this protein retains near-native pharmacologic properties. Analysis of adrenergic receptor ligand-binding mutants within the context of the reported high-resolution structure of beta2AR-T4L provides insights into inverse-agonist binding and the structural changes required to accommodate catecholamine agonists. Amino acids known to regulate receptor function are linked through packing interactions and a network of hydrogen bonds, suggesting a conformational pathway from the ligand-binding pocket to regions that interact with G proteins.     

Pht1家族在几种植物中的研究进展

植物磷转运蛋白是植物磷营养中必需的一种膜蛋白。植物磷转运子在植物根系中负责磷的吸收、转运,其表达受磷调控,磷元素广泛存在于动植物组织中,是植物生长所必需的大量无机营养元素之一,在诸多代谢过程中都起着举足轻重的作用。在植株中,磷素通过磷酸盐转运蛋白吸收和转运,该蛋白在调控植株对磷素吸收、利用效率等方面具有重要作用。植物基因组中含有大量推测的以基因家族的形式存在的编码磷转运蛋白基因。目前已知的磷转运子分为五大家族Pht1、Pht2、Pht3、Pho1和Pho2。文中主要综述了水稻、大豆、玉米、小麦、拟南芥、番茄、苜蓿、马铃薯中Pht1家族的结构、功能及表达调控方面的研究进展。     

Mutagenic Action of Ethyl Methanesulfonate in Maize

Pollen of corn plants carrying three closely linked genes (alpha beta Sh(2)) on chromosome 3 were treated by ethyl methanesulfonate in order to determine the nature of genetic changes produced. In this genetic material the loss of the beta gene alone represents a discrete genetic change, possibly a point mutation, while the loss of two or more markers represents chromosome aberrations. Ethyl methanesulfonate, x-rays, and ultraviolet light all induced numerous chromosome aberrations, but only ultraviolet light and probably ethyl methanesulfonate induced discrete genetic changes.     

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.     

污水深度处理工艺对抗生素抗性菌和抗性基因去除研究进展

由抗生素的不合理使用产生的抗生素抗性菌(Antibiotic-resistant bacteria,ARB)和抗性基因(Antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)已广泛存在于各种环境介质中,对人类健康和生态安全造成了潜在危害。即使抗生素消减后ARB也能在环境中长期存在,ARGs可通过水平基因转移(Horizontal gene transfer,HGT)进一步扩散。污水处理厂是ARB和ARGs的储存库,也是实现其削减的重要环节。因此,探索可高效去除ARB和ARGs的污水深度处理工艺是十分必要的。本文综述了多种深度处理工艺对ARB和ARGs的去除研究进展,分析了氯消毒、紫外和臭氧氧化等传统消毒处理工艺和光/H2O2、光芬顿、光催化等高级氧化技术,以及人工湿地、混凝、膜处理等工艺对ARB和ARGs的去除效果与机理。在此基础上,对今后ARB和ARGs去除相关的研究重点和方向提出建议,以期为我国污水深度处理工艺的选择提供借鉴。     

果树病毒载体研究进展

植物病毒载体作为重要的研究工具被广泛运用于蛋白表达、基因沉默等研究,当前普遍使用的是以烟草花叶病毒载体等为代表的草本植物病毒载体,但其大多不能侵染果树,且稳定性较差,容易丢失插入的外源基因,因此该类载体无法满足果树等多年生植物研究的需要。近年来新兴的果树病毒载体可解决这些难题,为此作者对果树病毒载体的研究进展和发展方向进行综述。当前国内外取得的研究成果主要包括：（1）通过掌握柑橘衰退病毒、柑橘叶斑病毒、李痘病毒、苹果潜隐球形病毒、葡萄病毒A和葡萄卷叶伴随病毒等果树病毒的传播途径、寄主范围、致病力分化、基因功能和表达策略等特性,采用体外转录或农杆菌介导的方式获得了上述果树病毒的全长侵染性克隆。在此基础上,通过在病毒外壳蛋白基因与其邻近的上游基因之间插入外源基因（包括荧光蛋白基因和β-葡萄糖醛酸酶基因等报告基因）,并用该病毒外壳蛋白基因的启动子或其他异源启动子驱动外源基因表达的方式,将上述6种果树病毒的全长侵染性克隆改造成为病毒载体;（2）运用果树病毒载体明确了柑橘衰退病毒、柑橘叶斑病毒、李痘病毒、苹果潜隐球形病毒和葡萄卷叶伴随病毒在植株中的分布、移动规律,及其在细胞中的定位。探寻了柑橘衰退病毒在大翼来檬上产生茎陷点症状的原因,以及交叉保护防治柑橘衰退病的主要机理。果树病毒载体还被作为病毒诱导的基因沉默载体用于基因功能和防病研究;（3）通过选用本地已经存在,且无虫传能力的弱毒株,以及对控制病毒致病和媒介传播能力的基因进行敲除、突变可以解决果树病毒载体研发过程中所遇到的安全风险。由于有些果树病毒仅分布于植株的韧皮部,因此限制了其作为病毒载体在植株中表达外源基因的范围,但由这类果树病毒构建的病毒载体稳定性极高,并且通过添加分泌信号肽基因等方式可以扩大表达产物在植株中的分布和作用范围,因此其在果树病毒研究方面仍然具有很高的应用价值。此外,采用不同病毒来源的异源启动子代替同源重复区来驱动外源基因的表达,可以进一步提高果树病毒载体的稳定性。     

Regulation of expression of the interleukin-2 receptor on hematopoietic cells by interleukin-3

Remarkable similarities in the intracellular and genetic events occur when lymphoid and hematopoietic cells are exposed to their specific growth factors. The interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor, whose cell-surface expression is an absolute requirement for the growth and differentiation of lymphoid cells, was detected on various nonlymphoid hematopoietic cell types in this study. Cell lines consisting either of granulocyte-macrophage precursors or mast cells, which are dependent on interleukin-3 (IL-3) for their growth, expressed high levels of the IL-2 receptor on their surface. Analysis of the binding characteristics of these receptors with 125I-labeled recombinant IL-2 revealed that only receptors with low affinity for IL-2 were present on these cells. Addition of purified recombinant IL-3 to these cell lines led to an increase in IL-2 receptor gene expression within 1 hour in isolated nuclei. This IL-3--induced increase in the number of IL-2 receptors on the cell surface is maximal within 24 hours. Addition of 10,000 units of IL-2 to these cells had no apparent effect on their growth or differentiation. The presence of the receptor with only low affinity for IL-2 on hematopoietic cells and the regulation by IL-3 suggest that this receptor is involved in some important metabolic event in hematopoiesis.     

植物膨大素的研究进展

膨大素是一种能促进细胞壁膨胀,对植物生长发育具有重要作用的广谱蛋白质。它是一个庞大的基因大家族,目前已发现的膨大素被分为α、β、γ和δ四个亚家族。膨大素的功能广泛,除了具有诱导细胞壁松弛和扩展、促进细胞生长的功能外,还在叶片生长、花发育、果实成熟、种子萌发、根系生长、块茎膨大等方面发挥重要作用。文章综述了膨大素的基因家族、蛋白结构、功能、作用机制等,并指出了存在问题和发展方向,为植物膨大素的研究和利用提供参考。     

牛科物种FSHβ基因外显子1和外显子2遗传特征分析

 促卵泡素（follicle stimulating hormone, FSH）对刺激动物卵泡发育和促进精子生成具有重要作用,但有关牛科物种FSH基因的群体遗传特征还不十分清楚。本文针对FSHβ基因外显子1和外显子2,采用PCR SSCP结合PCR产物直接测序技术对353头水牛(来自11个水牛群体)、30头牦牛和30头大额牛样品进行了群体变异检测,并结合NCBI数据库中已发表的普通牛、山羊和绵羊等物种同源序列进行了群体遗传和生物信息学分析。在FSHβ基因外显子1中,水牛中发现1个核苷酸替换和1个缺失,即c-49A>G和c-31delG;其中,SNP49在河流型和沼泽型水牛中均存在,等位基因c-49A为优势等位基因,而c-31delG只存在于沼泽型水牛中,且为杂合状态,基因频率为0.077。在牦牛外显子1中检测到c-37G>A和c-12T>C替换,且为连锁遗传的,而在大额牛外显子1中未检测到SNP位点。在FSHβ基因外显子2中,水牛中发现c132G>A替换,该位点在河流型和沼泽型水牛均存在,但等位基因频率在两类水牛间不一致。在牦牛外显子2中检测到c9C>T和c21C>T替换,该替换也存在于普通牛中;大额牛外显子2为单态,未见SNP位点。生物信息学分析显示,在一些牛科物种FSHβ基因外显子2中发现的SNP位点均为同义替换,揭示了其序列的高度保守性。在牛科物种中,山羊和绵羊FSHβ基因第36位密码子编码氨基酸与其他物种不同,可作为区分它们的遗传标记。     

荞麦根的转录组学分析及黄酮合成基因的鉴定

荞麦基因资源相对匮乏。以甜荞根和金荞根为材料,利用Illumina Hi SeqTM2000对其进行转录组测序,经过de novo从头组装得到64 618条Unigene,其中37 546条基因得到了有效注释。对甜荞根和金荞根中的差异基因进行筛选,共获得了4 709个差异基因,其中2 460个上调表达,2 249个下调表达。这些差异基因的GO注释集中在10个细胞组分(cellular component)、12个分子功能(molecular function)和22个生物学过程(biological process)中。对差异基因参与的代谢途径进行富集,上调基因中共有40个代谢途径显著富集,下调基因中共有18个代谢途径显著富集,这些显著富集的代谢途径参与甜荞根和金荞根的生物学调控。最后对转录组中注释到黄酮合成途径中的关键基因进行了分析,共有21个基因注释到黄酮合成途径中的关键酶。不仅丰富了荞麦的基因资源,为荞麦分子生物学研究提供数据基础,也为筛选甜荞根和金荞根中相关基因的表达趋势提供参考依据。