Toll-like receptor 4-dependent activation of dendritic cells by beta-defensin 2

beta-Defensins are small antimicrobial peptides of the innate immune system produced in response to microbial infection of mucosal tissue and skin. We demonstrate that murine beta-defensin 2 (mDF2beta) acts directly on immature dendritic cells as an endogenous ligand for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), inducing up-regulation of costimulatory molecules and dendritic cell maturation. These events, in turn, trigger robust, type 1 polarized adaptive immune responses in vivo, suggesting that mDF2beta may play an important role in immunosurveillance against pathogens and, possibly, self antigens or tumor antigens.     

Sir2-dependent activation of acetyl-CoA synthetase by deacetylation of active lysine

Acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase (Acs) is an enzyme central to metabolism in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Acs synthesizes acetyl CoA from acetate, adenosine triphosphate, and CoA through an acetyl-adenosine monophosphate (AMP) intermediate. Immunoblotting and mass spectrometry analysis showed that Salmonella enterica Acs enzyme activity is posttranslationally regulated by acetylation of lysine-609. Acetylation blocks synthesis of the adenylate intermediate but does not affect the thioester-forming activity of the enzyme. Activation of the acetylated enzyme requires the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylase activity of the CobB Sir2 protein from S. enterica. We propose that acetylation modulates the activity of all the AMP-forming family of enzymes, including nonribosomal peptide synthetases, luciferase, and aryl- and acyl-CoA synthetases. These findings extend our knowledge of the roles of Sir2 proteins in gene silencing, chromosome stability, and cell aging and imply that lysine acetylation is a common regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes and prokaryotes.     

Apaf-1 and caspase-9 in p53-dependent apoptosis and tumor inhibition

The ability of p53 to promote apoptosis in response to mitogenic oncogenes appears to be critical for its tumor suppressor function. Caspase-9 and its cofactor Apaf-1 were found to be essential downstream components of p53 in Myc-induced apoptosis. Like p53 null cells, mouse embryo fibroblast cells deficient in Apaf-1 and caspase-9, and expressing c-Myc, were resistant to apoptotic stimuli that mimic conditions in developing tumors. Inactivation of Apaf-1 or caspase-9 substituted for p53 loss in promoting the oncogenic transformation of Myc-expressing cells. These results imply a role for Apaf-1 and caspase-9 in controlling tumor development.     

辛伐他汀通过激活p38MAPK信号通路促进MC3T3-E1细胞增殖的研究

为研究辛伐他汀通过激活p38MAPK信号通路对小鼠胚胎成骨前体细胞(MC3T3-E1)增殖的影响,将试验分为2个部分:①将辛伐他汀作用于MC3T3-E1细胞,设置不同的辛伐他汀浓度和作用时间,采用pNPP、CCK8方法检测细胞碱性磷酸酶(ALP)活性并得到辛伐他汀对MC3T3-E1细胞增殖作用的最适浓度和最佳培养时间....     

Selective trafficking of non-cell-autonomous proteins mediated by NtNCAPP1

In plants, cell-to-cell communication is mediated by plasmodesmata and involves the trafficking of non-cell-autonomous proteins (NCAPs). A component in this pathway, Nicotiana tabacum NON-CELL-AUTONOMOUS PATHWAY PROTEIN1 (NtNCAPP1), was affinity purified and cloned. Protein overlay assays and in vivo studies showed that NtNCAPP1 is located on the endoplasmic reticulum at the cell periphery and displays specificity in its interaction with NCAPs. Deletion of the NtNCAPP1 amino-terminal transmembrane domain produced a dominant-negative mutant that blocked the trafficking of specific NCAPs. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing this mutant form of NtNCAPP1 and plants in which the NtNCAPP1 gene was silenced were compromised in their ability to regulate leaf and floral development. These results support a model in which NCAP delivery to plasmodesmata is both selective and regulated.     

Phosphorylation by p38 MAPK as an alternative pathway for GSK3beta inactivation

Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) is involved in metabolism, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Inhibition of GSK3beta activity is the primary mechanism that regulates this widely expressed active kinase. Although the protein kinase Akt inhibits GSK3beta by phosphorylation at the N terminus, preventing Akt-mediated phosphorylation does not affect the cell-survival pathway activated through the GSK3beta substrate beta-catenin. Here, we show that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) also inactivates GSK3beta by direct phosphorylation at its C terminus, and this inactivation can lead to an accumulation of beta-catenin. p38 MAPK-mediated phosphorylation of GSK3beta occurs primarily in the brain and thymocytes. Activation of beta-catenin-mediated signaling through GSK3beta inhibition provides a potential mechanism for p38 MAPK-mediated survival in specific tissues.     

The oncogenic activation of human p21ras by a novel mechanism

Single amino acid changes were introduced into normal (non-oncogenic) and activated forms of the human H-ras protein at a position (residue 116) proposed on structural grounds to represent a contact site with guanine nucleotides. Substitutions at this site could significantly reduce the ability of both forms to bind and hydrolyze guanosine 5'-triphosphate; these substitutions, however, did not necessarily diminish the transforming capacity of activated derivatives. One substitution that severely impairs these functions activated the transforming potential of the otherwise normal polypeptide.     

The structure of a human p110alpha/p85alpha complex elucidates the effects of oncogenic PI3Kalpha mutations

PIK3CA, one of the two most frequently mutated oncogenes in human tumors, codes for p110alpha, the catalytic subunit of a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, isoform alpha (PI3Kalpha, p110alpha/p85). Here, we report a 3.0 angstrom resolution structure of a complex between p110alpha and a polypeptide containing the p110alpha-binding domains of p85alpha, a protein required for its enzymatic activity. The structure shows that many of the mutations occur at residues lying at the interfaces between p110alpha and p85alpha or between the kinase domain of p110alpha and other domains within the catalytic subunit. Disruptions of these interactions are likely to affect the regulation of kinase activity by p85 or the catalytic activity of the enzyme, respectively. In addition to providing new insights about the structure of PI3Kalpha, these results suggest specific mechanisms for the effect of oncogenic mutations in p110alpha and p85alpha.     

HCV p7下调基因p7TP2启动子序列的克隆及转录活性检测

【目的】克隆p7TP2基因的启动子区域,并检测HCV p7TP2启动子的转录活性。【方法】通过分析确定p7TP2基因翻译起始密码子ATG上游1 203 bp至下游147 bp的基因组DNA序列作为启动子,克隆启动子片段并构建载体pCAT3-p7TP2-p和pGLB-p7TP2-p,转染HepG2细胞,应用CAT表达系统和双荧光素酶系统检测启动子活性。【结果】克隆了预测具有启动子活性的片段,成功构建了pCAT3-p7TP2-p和pGLB-p7TP2-p载体,转染pCAT3-p7TP2-p的HepG2细胞,CAT表达活性是转染pCAT3-Basic细胞的5.98倍;转染pGLB-p7TP2-p的HepG2细胞,双荧光素酶表达活性是转染pGLB细胞的9.67倍。【结论】克隆的p7TP2启动子序列与预测的序列一致,并且具有启动子转录活性。     

草鱼TAB1蛋白的原核重组表达及其抗体制备

为了制备草鱼重组TAB1蛋白(rCiTAB1)及其特异性抗体,首先以草鱼头肾组织c DNA为模板,PCR扩增Ci TAB1基因全长序列,并依次构建重组克隆质粒p MD19-T-Ci TAB1与重组表达质粒pET-32a-Ci TAB1。该重组表达质粒经0.5 mmol·L~(-1) IPTG,37℃诱导表达12 h后获得以包涵体形式表达的重组CiTAB1蛋白(rCiTAB1)。然后,采用3种不同方法对包涵体蛋白进行变性,发现与高浓度尿素直接变性法和洗涤后尿素变性法相比,洗涤后梯度尿素变性法处理后的蛋白纯度最好,经透析复性后得到浓度为2 mg·mL~(-1)的r Ci TAB1。最后,将rCiTAB1蛋白与白油佐剂及免疫增强剂混合,室温下混合1.5h乳化成免疫原,3次免疫新西兰大白兔制备兔抗CiTAB1抗体,经间接ELISA方法和免疫琼脂双向扩散试验测得免疫后第33天血清中特异性抗体的效价分别为1∶1 048 576和1∶16。Western blot检测到一条分子量约为72 kDa的特异性条带,表明该抗体能特异性识别r Ci TAB1蛋白。研究结果为后续深入研究CiTAB1蛋白功能提供了物质基础。     

高致病性毒力岛Irp1介导的细菌对Vero细胞黏附作用

高致病性毒力岛(HPI)已经在多种类型大肠杆菌中被发现。为了解HPI-Irp1在细菌致病中的作用,通过生物软件DNAStar的分析,筛选出HPI中irp1和fyuA基因上10个表位作用优势较强的区域。设计特异性引物10对,进行PCR扩增,将获得的PCR产物,插入原核表达载体pET32a,构建重组质粒;将获得的重组质粒转化进入菌毛阴性宿主菌BL21,获得的重组菌用IPTG诱导表达后与Vero细胞混合进行体外作用。结果表明:带有irp1-1基因片段的重组菌BL21-rpET32a-irp1-1表现出对Vero细胞较强的聚集黏附作用,空载体对照和宿主菌对照均未出现相关现象。因而推测irp1-1基因片段编码的产物在细菌对宿主致病过程中,介导了细菌与宿主细胞的相互作用。     

ER cargo properties specify a requirement for COPII coat rigidity mediated by Sec13p

Eukaryotic secretory proteins exit the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via transport vesicles generated by the essential coat protein complex II (COPII) proteins. The outer coat complex, Sec13-Sec31, forms a scaffold that is thought to enforce curvature. By exploiting yeast bypass-of-sec-thirteen (bst) mutants, where Sec13p is dispensable, we probed the relationship between a compromised COPII coat and the cellular context in which it could still function. Genetic and biochemical analyses suggested that Sec13p was required to generate vesicles from membranes that contained asymmetrically distributed cargoes that were likely to confer opposing curvature. Thus, Sec13p may rigidify the COPII cage and increase its membrane-bending capacity; this function could be bypassed when a bst mutation renders the membrane more deformable.