生物体中位点2切割蛋白酶在致病菌致病机理方面的研究进展

膜内切割蛋白酶在信号传导过程中起着重要作用。Site-2 proteases（简称s2p）属于膜内切割蛋白酶中的金属蛋白酶类,如今在大多数细菌基因组中都发现了s2p。然而目前除了具有代表性的Rsep和SpolVFB蛋白酶被人们熟知之外,s2p更多的作用还未被发现。笔者就其实验结果以及结合最新关于s2p蛋白的研究数据,对s2p在细菌体内的生理生化作用及其在致病菌内致病过程中所起到作用展开一定的讨论。     

Intramembrane proteolysis: theme and variations

Proteases that reside in cellular membranes apparently wield water to hydrolyze the peptide bonds of substrates despite their water-excluding environment. Although these intramembrane proteases bear little or no sequence resemblance to classical water-soluble proteases, they have ostensibly converged on similar hydrolytic mechanisms. Identification of essential amino acid residues of these proteases suggests that they use residue combinations for catalysis in the same way as their soluble cousins. In contrast to classical proteases, however, the catalytic residues of intramembrane proteases lie within predicted hydrophobic transmembrane domains. Elucidating the biological functions of intramembrane proteases, identifying their substrates, and understanding how they hydrolyze peptide bonds within membranes will shed light on the ways these proteases regulate crucial biological processes and contribute to disease.     

丝氨酸蛋白酶研究进展

综述了丝氨酸蛋白酶的结构与功能、蛋白质工程、表达系统和应用。丝氨酸蛋白酶是一类以丝氨酸为活性中心的重要的蛋白水解酶,在生物有机体中发挥着重要而又广泛的生理作用,具有广泛的研究和应用价值。它们的活性部位都含Ser、His、Asp,并具有相同的催化机制。丝氨酸蛋白酶超家族成员执行多种多样的生理功能,在很多致病过程以及细胞内的信号转导等方面起着重要作用。正是由于丝氨酸蛋白酶在结构上的微小变化,从而引起了其在功能上的进化。     

Differential lysosomal proteolysis in antigen-presenting cells determines antigen fate

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) internalize antigens and present antigen-derived peptides to T cells. Although APCs have been thought to exhibit a well-developed capacity for lysosomal proteolysis, here we found that they can exhibit two distinct strategies upon antigen encounter. Whereas macrophages contained high levels of lysosomal proteases and rapidly degraded internalized proteins, dendritic cells (DCs) and B lymphocytes were protease-poor, resulting in a limited capacity for lysosomal degradation. Consistent with these findings, DCs in vivo degraded internalized antigens slowly and thus retained antigen in lymphoid organs for extended periods. Limited lysosomal proteolysis also favored antigen presentation. These results help explain why DCs are able to efficiently accumulate, process, and disseminate antigens and microbes systemically for purposes of tolerance and immunity.     

Human insulin-degrading enzyme shares structural and functional homologies with E. coli protease III

A proteinase with high affinity for insulin has been proposed to play a role in the cellular processing of this hormone. A complementary DNA (cDNA) coding for this enzyme has been isolated and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme contained the sequences of 13 peptides derived from the isolated protein. The cDNA could be transcribed in vitro to yield a synthetic RNA that in cell-free translations produced a protein that coelectrophoresed with the native proteinase and could be immunoprecipitated with monoclonal antibodies to this enzyme. The deduced sequence of this proteinase did not contain the consensus sequences for any of the known classes of proteinases (that is, metallo, cysteine, aspartic, or serine), but it did show homology to an Escherichia coli proteinase (called protease III), which also cleaves insulin and is present in the periplasmic space. Thus, these two proteins may be members of a family of proteases that are involved in intercellular peptide signaling.     

大丽轮枝菌（Verticillium dahliae VdLs.17）分泌组预测及分析

 【目的】预测并分析大丽轮枝菌基因组范围内的分泌蛋白,为大丽轮枝菌分泌蛋白致病机理的研究奠定基础。【方法】利用已公布的大丽轮枝菌全基因组序列,组合使用生物信息学软件SignalP、TargetP、TMHMM、Big-pi和PROSITE,预测大丽轮枝菌基因组范围内所有分泌蛋白,定义为分泌组。统计分析分泌组中蛋白N-端信号肽特点;应用碳水化合物活性酶类数据库和病原菌-寄主互作蛋白数据库对分泌组蛋白进行注释,预测分泌组中潜在果胶酶、纤维素酶和病原菌寄主互作蛋白;利用真菌激发子的保守结构域,预测分泌组中潜在的激发子蛋白集;应用BLASTP程序比较分析大丽轮枝菌和黑白轮枝菌分泌组,获得大丽轮枝菌相对于黑白轮枝菌特异的分泌蛋白。【结果】大丽轮枝菌分泌组共有922个蛋白。信号肽分析表明,以19个氨基酸为信号肽的蛋白数目最多,非极性氨基酸丙氨酸的出现频率最高,而有带电侧链的氨基酸天冬氨酸和谷氨酸的出现频率最低,信号肽的-3和-1位置上的氨基酸相对保守。大丽轮枝菌分泌组含有158个潜在的碳水化合物活性酶类,其中,包括10个果胶水解酶和14个果胶裂解酶;190个潜在的病原菌-寄主互作蛋白、97个含有RxLx[EDQ]模体的蛋白和52个富含半胱氨酸的小分子量分泌蛋白;58个相对于黑白轮枝菌分泌组特异的蛋白。【结论】本文建立了预测大丽轮枝菌分泌组蛋白的方法。分泌组蛋白信号肽长度具有高度的变异性,氨基酸组成多为脂肪族氨基酸,序列在C-端结构域较为保守。分泌组中包含大量潜在的果胶降解酶、病原菌-寄主互作蛋白、RxLx[EDQ]模体蛋白和富含半胱氨酸的小分子量蛋白等致病相关蛋白。     

Structure of the protease domain of memapsin 2 (beta-secretase) complexed with inhibitor

Memapsin 2 (beta-secretase) is a membrane-associated aspartic protease involved in the production of beta-amyloid peptide in Alzheimer's disease and is a major target for drug design. We determined the crystal structure of the protease domain of human memapsin 2 complexed to an eight-residue inhibitor at 1.9 angstrom resolution. The active site of memapsin 2 is more open and less hydrophobic than that of other human aspartic proteases. The subsite locations from S4 to S2' are well defined. A kink of the inhibitor chain at P2' and the change of chain direction of P3' and P4' may be mimicked to provide inhibitor selectivity.     

Games played by rogue proteins in prion disorders and Alzheimer's disease

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and that of prion disorders (PrD) could not be more different. One-third of octogenarians succumb to AD, whereas Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease typically affects one individual in a million each year. However, these diseases have many common features impinging on the metabolism of neuronal membrane proteins: the amyloid precursor protein APP in the case of AD, and the cellular prion protein PrPC in PrD. APP begets the Abeta peptide, whereas PrPC begets the malignant prion protein PrPSc. Both Abeta and PrPSc are associated with disease, but we do not know what triggers their accumulation and neurotoxicity. A great deal has been learned, however, about protein folding, misfolding, and aggregation; an entirely new class of intramembrane proteases has been identified; and unsuspected roles for the immune system have been uncovered. There is reason to expect that prion research will profit from advances in the understanding of AD, and vice versa.     

极大螺旋藻藻胆蛋白α亚基基因的生物信息学分析（摘要）

[目的]对极大螺旋藻藻胆蛋白α亚基进行分析研究,为该蛋白的后续研究提供依据。[方法]用生物信息学分析方法对已经在GenBank上登录的极大螺旋藻藻胆蛋白的α亚基基因（GenBank AF441177）及其翻译的氨基酸序列进行了其组成和相关性质的分析、蛋白质信号肽预测、跨膜结构域的预测及亲水性/疏水性的测定,同时构建了分子进化树,对上述结果进行了分析和探讨。[结果]该蛋白的氨基酸组成丰富,不仅含18种必需氨基酸还含有含有甘氨酸、天冬氨酸等非必需氨基酸;对该蛋白信号肽和跨膜结构域分析表明,其属于胞内蛋白;对该蛋白的亲水性分析表明,其属于亲水性蛋白;进化树分析表明,该蛋白与节旋藻的同源性高,达99%～100%。[结论]该研究为α亚基和β亚基之间的关系和相互作用提供了一定依据。     

极大螺旋藻藻胆蛋白α亚基基因的生物信息学分析

[目的]对极大螺旋藻藻胆蛋白α亚基进行分析研究,为该蛋白的后续研究提供依据。[方法]用生物信息学分析方法对已经在GenBank上登录的极大螺旋藻藻胆蛋白的α亚基基因（GenBank AF441177）及其翻译的氨基酸序列进行了其组成和相关性质的分析、蛋白质信号肽预测、跨膜结构域的预测及亲水性/疏水性的测定,同时构建了分子进化树,对上述结果进行了分析和探讨。[结果]该蛋白的氨基酸组成丰富,不仅含18种必需氨基酸还含有甘氨酸、天冬氨酸等非必需氨基酸;对该蛋白信号肽和跨膜结构域分析表明,其属于胞内蛋白;对该蛋白的亲水性分析表明,其属于亲水性蛋白;进化树分析表明,该蛋白与钝顶节旋藻的同源性高,达99%～100%。[结论]该研究为α亚基和β亚基之间的关系和相互作用提供了一定依据。     

PuGV-Ps对甜菜夜蛾中肠液酶解δ-内毒素的影响

粘虫颗粒体病毒(PuGV-Ps)总蛋白酶活力测定表明,PuGV-Ps在pH 7.38～10.38范围内均具有蛋白酶活性,且酶活力随pH的升高而显著提高.4种蛋白酶抑制剂均能抑制PuGV-Ps的蛋白酶活力,以大豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂的抑制作用最强,表明PuGV-Ps的蛋白酶活性是以胰蛋白酶为主要活力的多种蛋白酶的活性特征.PuGV-Ps对甜菜夜蛾(Spodoptera exigua)中肠酶液离体蛋白酶活力及取食PuGV-Ps后总蛋白酶活力的影响测定表明,在中肠液酶适宜pH(9.38～10.38)范围内,PuGV-Ps在一定程度上抑制了中肠酶液的总蛋白酶活力.SDS-PAGE试验表明,PuGV-Ps影响甜菜夜蛾中肠酶液对苏云金杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis) δ-内毒素的降解活化作用,表现在对130 ku的δ-内毒素酶解活化成60～87 ku的活性多肽影响不大,但对其进一步降解具有抑制作用.不同缓冲液同样影响甜菜夜蛾中肠酶液对δ-内毒素的降解,Na2CO3是影响降解程度的重要因子.     

Vascular injury and lysis of basement membrane in vitro by neutral protease of human leukocytes

Frozen and thawed granules of human, peripheral-blood leukocytes rapidly produce hemorrhage when injected into animal tissues. The effect is blocked by inhibitors of proteolysis. The granule extract can digest vascular basement membrane in vitro at neutral pH. In addition, basement membranes of blood vessels damaged in vivo by the leukocyte fraction are found to be attenuated when examined by electron microscopy. The proteases of human leukocyte granules differ in several important respects from known lysosomal cathepsins and trypsin-like esterases. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils are a major source of the neutral proteases present in circulating white cells, and release these enzymes during phagocytosis of immune complexes.     

脱脂奶溶蛋白琼脂扩散抑制试验检测兔血清中嗜水气单胞菌胞外蛋白酶的抗体

利用蛋白酶的蛋白特性，结合琼脂免疫扩散试验，建立了脱脂奶溶蛋白琼脂扩散抑制试验的新方法，用以检测免血清中的嗜水气单胞菌（Aeromonas hydrophilla)胞外蛋白酶抗体，同时与琼脂扩散免疫沉淀试验及ELISA试验进行了比较，结果显示，该方法的敏感性优于琼脂扩散免疫沉淀试验，而与ELISA试验相当。     

Homologies between signal transducing G proteins and ras gene products

The guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins (G proteins) found in a variety of tissues transduce signals generated by ligand binding to cell surface receptors into changes in intracellular metabolism. Amino acid sequences of peptides prepared by partial proteolysis of the alpha subunit of a bovine brain G protein and the alpha subunit of rod outer-segment transducin were determined. The two proteins show regions of sequence identity as well as regions of diversity. A portion of the amino-terminal peptide sequence of each protein is highly homologous with the corresponding region in the ras protein (a protooncogene product). These similarities suggest that G proteins and ras proteins may have analogous functions.     

Alignment of rat cardionatrin sequences with the preprocardionatrin sequence from complementary DNA

Mammalian atria contain peptides that promote the excretion of salt and water from the kidney. When rat atrial tissue is extracted under conditions known to inhibit proteolysis, four natriuretic peptides, cardionatrins I to IV, are consistently isolated. These peptides derive from a common precursor, preprocardionatrin, of 152 amino acids, whose sequence was determined by DNA sequencing of a complementary DNA clone. Amino acid sequencing located the start points of cardionatrins I, III, and IV in the overall sequence. Cardionatrin IV most closely resembles procardionatrin because it begins immediately after the signal sequence at residue 25. Cardionatrin III begins at residue 73, and cardionatrin I, sequenced previously, begins at residue 123. Compositional analysis indicated that each of these cardionatrins extends up to tyrosine at position 150 but lacks the terminal two arginine residues.     

受PVY诱导的烟草天冬氨酸蛋白酶基因Ntasp的克隆与分析

【目的】通过筛选并克隆烟草抗马铃薯Y病毒(Potato virus Y,PVY)相关基因,分析其在不同诱导时间的相对表达量,揭示烟草抗病毒诱导的分子机理,以期为烟草抗病毒病育种奠定基础。【方法】通过抑制差减杂交和cDNA芯片从PVY诱导的抑制差减杂交文库中筛选上调表达(Ratio2)的基因中间片段,用RACE技术克隆其cDNA全长,并利用实时荧光定量PCR分析其在不同诱导时期的相对表达量。【结果】从受PVY诱导的烟草叶片中筛选一条595bp的基因中间片段并克隆得到一个全长为1770bp的天冬氨酸蛋白酶基因Ntasp(GenBank登录号为GU144571),该基因编码506个氨基酸。多序列比对结果显示,该基因的编码产物与其它植物天冬氨酸蛋白酶家族成员具有高度的同源性,具有植物天冬氨酸蛋白酶典型的结构特征。实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,Ntasp在PVY接种早期上调表达。【结论】克隆得到一个烟草天冬氨酸蛋白酶基因Ntasp,其表达受PVY侵染诱导。     

In vivo function and membrane binding properties are correlated for Escherichia coli lamB signal peptides

Wild-type and pseudorevertant signal peptides of the lamB gene product of Escherichia coli interact with lipid systems whereas a nonfunctional deletion mutant signal peptide does not. This conclusion is based on interaction of synthetic signal peptides with a lipid monolayer-water surface, conformational changes induced by presence of lipid vesicles in an aqueous solution of signal peptide, and capacities of the peptides to promote vesicle aggregation. Analysis of the signal sequences and previous conformational studies suggest that these lipid interaction properties may be attributable to the tendency of the functional signal peptides to adopt alpha-helical conformations. Although the possibility of direct interaction between the signal peptide and membrane lipids during protein secretion is controversial, the results suggest that conformationally related amphiphilicity and consequent membrane affinity of signal sequences are important for function in vivo.     

Structure of a site-2 protease family intramembrane metalloprotease

Regulated intramembrane proteolysis by members of the site-2 protease (S2P) family is an important signaling mechanism conserved from bacteria to humans. Here we report the crystal structure of the transmembrane core domain of an S2P metalloprotease from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. The protease consists of six transmembrane segments, with the catalytic zinc atom coordinated by two histidine residues and one aspartate residue approximately 14 angstroms into the lipid membrane surface. The protease exhibits two distinct conformations in the crystals. In the closed conformation, the active site is surrounded by transmembrane helices and is impermeable to substrate peptide; water molecules gain access to zinc through a polar, central channel that opens to the cytosolic side. In the open conformation, transmembrane helices alpha1 and alpha6 separate from each other by 10 to 12 angstroms, exposing the active site to substrate entry. The structure reveals how zinc embedded in an integral membrane protein can catalyze peptide cleavage.     

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.     

Role of the ABC transporter Mdl1 in peptide export from mitochondria

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) adenosine triphosphatases actively transport a wide variety of compounds across biological membranes. Here, the ABC protein Mdl1 was identified as an intracellular peptide transporter localized in the inner membrane of yeast mitochondria. Mdl1 was required for mitochondrial export of peptides with molecular masses of approximately 2100 to 600 daltons generated by proteolysis of inner-membrane proteins by the m-AAA protease in the mitochondrial matrix. Proteolysis by the i-AAA protease in the intermembrane space led to the release of similar-sized peptides independent of Mdl1. Thus, two pathways of peptide efflux from mitochondria exist that may allow communication between mitochondria and their cellular environment.