Impaired degradation of mutant alpha-synuclein by chaperone-mediated autophagy

Aberrant alpha-synuclein degradation is implicated in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis because the protein accumulates in the Lewy inclusion bodies associated with the disease. Little is known, however, about the pathways by which wild-type alpha-synuclein is normally degraded. We found that wild-type alpha-synuclein was selectively translocated into lysosomes for degradation by the chaperone-mediated autophagy pathway. The pathogenic A53T and A30P alpha-synuclein mutants bound to the receptor for this pathway on the lysosomal membrane, but appeared to act as uptake blockers, inhibiting both their own degradation and that of other substrates. These findings may underlie the toxic gain-of-function by the mutants.     

Chaperone suppression of alpha-synuclein toxicity in a Drosophila model for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Dopaminergic neuronal loss also occurs in Drosophila melanogaster upon directed expression of alpha-synuclein, a protein implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and a major component of proteinaceous Lewy bodies. We report that directed expression of the molecular chaperone Hsp70 prevented dopaminergic neuronal loss associated with alpha-synuclein in Drosophila and that interference with endogenous chaperone activity accelerated alpha-synuclein toxicity. Furthermore, Lewy bodies in human postmortem tissue immunostained for molecular chaperones, also suggesting that chaperones may play a role in Parkinson's disease progression.     

含GFP-Lac Z基因的伪狂犬病病毒上海株缺失株的构建

在伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)上海株gI和gE基因克隆鉴定的基础上，用BamHⅠ BstpⅠ去掉gE基因的5′端363bp，在缺失位置插入绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)和Lac Z基因，构建含双报告基因的PRV-SH转移载体pgEI-GFPZ。将psEI-GFPZ转染PRV-SH的BHK-21细胞，待出现80％病变后收获病毒，并以蚀斑法得到纯化的含Lac Z和GFP两种筛选标记的缺失了gE／gI的重组病毒株。     

A new class of steroids inhibits angiogenesis in the presence of heparin or a heparin fragment

Steroids that lack glucocorticoid or mineralocorticoid activity were found to inhibit angiogenesis in the presence of heparin or specific heparin fragments. This newly discovered steroid function appears to be governed by distinct structural configurations of the pregnane nucleus. These compounds are here named angiostatic steroids.     

mRNA差异显示分离西瓜核雄性不育基因的相关cDNA片段

【目的】揭示西瓜核雄性不育发生的分子机理。【方法】应用mRNA差异显示技术,研究西瓜核雄性不育材料Se18不育株和可育株雄花花蕾中基因表达的差异。【结果】获得了西瓜细胞核雄性不育两用系不育相关特异cDNA片段T12C/B0315S-359和育性相关特异cDNA片段T12C/B0315F-175、T12G/B0318F-260。经过序列比较,T12C/B0315S-359与美洲杨树一段未知的cDNA序列同源性较高(82%);T12C/B0315F-175与葫芦科植物中编码细胞色素C装配蛋白的ycf5基因高度同源(98%);T12G/B0318F-260与植物中硫氧还蛋白过氧化物酶(Thioredoxinperoxidase,TPx)基因高度同源(84%)。【结论】经序列分析初步认为,这3个片段与西瓜细胞核雄性不育的发生有重要相关性。     

Angiogenesis inhibition and tumor regression caused by heparin or a heparin fragment in the presence of cortisone

Heparin or a heparin fragment administered with cortisone inhibited angiogenesis, caused regression of large tumor masses, and prevented metastases. Oral administration of heparin resulted in the release of non-anticoagulant heparin fragments in the serum which, in the presence of cortisone, had similar anti-angiogenic and antitumor effects. Of all the heparin fragments tested, the most potent inhibition of angiogenesis in the presence of cortisone was provided by a hexasaccharide with a molecular weight of about 1600.     

Allelic genes in the housefly producing modified enzymes that cause organophosphate resistance

In all of six phosphate-resistant strains of Musca domestica L. a mutant gene is present which produces an altered ali-esterase. The modified enzymes are no longer irreversibly inhibited by the oxygen analogs of the insecticides to which the strains are resistant but can slowly convert them. In five of the strains the resistance is caused by this gene only.     

水稻白叶枯病菌PXO99A无毒基因缺失突变的研究

对同源重组获得的水稻白叶枯病菌PXO99A菌株的无毒基因突变体PXO99△avr进行Southern杂交验证、突变序列分析和致病性测定.结果表明:该突变体缺失了5个无毒基因,同源重组发生在PXO99A全基因组中一个有5个无毒基因串联的位点上;与PXO99A相比,突变体在IRBB10等15个水稻品种上引致的病斑明显缩短,而在IRBB14、IRBB21和IRBB55上的病斑则变长;缺失的5个无毒基因的综合表现为毒性因子功能.推断:在缺失的基因中含有无毒基因avrXa14、avrXa21、avrxa13以及与抗病基因Xa3、Xa4、xa5、Xa10、Xa17亲和互作有关的毒性因子.     

Tetraplex formation of a guanine-containing nonameric DNA fragment

A combination of spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques has been used to characterize the structures formed by a family of short, guanine-containing DNA single strands of the form d[GGTTXTTGG], X = A, C, G, T. In 1 molar NaCl at low temperatures, these molecules do not behave like single strands, but rather exhibit properties consistent with tetraplex formation. The standard state enthalpies, entropies, and free energies for formation of each tetraplex have been measured, as have preliminary nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. In 1 molar KCl, the melting behavior of the structure or structures is more complex than in 1 molar NaCl. This observation may be related to the recently proposed "sodium-potassium switch."     

A G protein mutant that inhibits thrombin and purinergic receptor activation of phospholipase A2

The stimulation of phospholipase A2 by thrombin and type 2 (P2)-purinergic receptor agonists in Chinese hamster ovary cells is mediated by the G protein Gi. To delineate alpha chain regulatory regions responsible for control of phospholipase A2, chimeric cDNAs were constructed in which different lengths of the alpha subunit of Gs (alpha s) were replaced with the corresponding sequence of the Gi alpha subunit (alpha i2). When a carboxyl-terminal chimera alpha s-i(38), which has the last 38 amino acids of alpha s substituted with the last 36 residues of alpha i2, was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, the receptor-stimulated phospholipase A2 activity was inhibited, although the chimera could still activate adenylyl cyclase. Thus, alpha s-i(38) is an active alpha s, but also a dominant negative alpha i molecule, indicating that the last 36 amino acids of alpha i2 are a critical domain for G protein regulation of phospholipase A2 activity.     

谷子XTH基因家族与抗旱相关基因的分析

[目的]木葡聚糖内转糖苷酶/水解酶(XTH)属于糖苷水解酶GH16家族,其家族成员可能在植物响应逆境胁迫的过程中发挥重要作用,为深入挖掘谷子抗旱基因,进而选育谷子抗逆新品种,[方法]本研究利用生物信息学手段,对谷子XTH基因家族进行了分析。[结果]从谷子基因组数据库中鉴定出16个XTH基因。结构分析表明:SiXTH家族成员在基因结构及编码区序列上较为保守,含1~3个内含子;谷子XTH蛋白含有XTH家族典型的保守基序DEIDFEFLG;预测SiXTH基因家族成员在启动子区域含有响应逆境胁迫的顺式作用元件。在干旱胁迫下,通过比较两个谷子品种勾勾母鸡咀及晋汾16在干旱胁迫下基因的相对表达水平,我们发现了3个上调表达和1个下调表达的SiXTH基因。[结论]因此推测,同一类基因其基因结构及蛋白结构域相似,且XTH基因家族在谷子应答干旱胁迫的过程中起一定的作用,同时本研究也为深入探究XTH基因家族成员的功能奠定了一定的基础。     

Neurotoxicity of a fragment of the amyloid precursor associated with Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid deposition in senile plaques and the cerebral vasculature is a marker of Alzheimer's disease. Whether amyloid itself contributes to the neurodegenerative process or is simply a by-product of that process is unknown. Pheochromocytoma (PC12) and fibroblast (NIH 3T3) cell lines were transfected with portions of the gene for the human amyloid precursor protein. Stable PC12 cell transfectants expressing a specific amyloid-containing fragment of the precursor protein gradually degenerated when induced to differentiate into neuronal cells with nerve growth factor. Conditioned medium from these cells was toxic to neurons in primary hippocampal cultures, and the toxic agent could be removed by immunoabsorption with an antibody directed against the amyloid polypeptide. Thus, a peptide derived from the amyloid precursor may be neurotoxic.