The structure of an open form of an E. coli mechanosensitive channel at 3.45 A resolution

How ion channels are gated to regulate ion flux in and out of cells is the subject of intense interest. The Escherichia coli mechanosensitive channel, MscS, opens to allow rapid ion efflux, relieving the turgor pressure that would otherwise destroy the cell. We present a 3.45 angstrom-resolution structure for the MscS channel in an open conformation. This structure has a pore diameter of approximately 13 angstroms created by substantial rotational rearrangement of the three transmembrane helices. The structure suggests a molecular mechanism that underlies MscS gating and its decay of conductivity during prolonged activation. Support for this mechanism is provided by single-channel analysis of mutants with altered gating characteristics.     

Crystal structure of a mammalian voltage-dependent Shaker family K+ channel

Voltage-dependent potassium ion (K+) channels (Kv channels) conduct K+ ions across the cell membrane in response to changes in the membrane voltage, thereby regulating neuronal excitability by modulating the shape and frequency of action potentials. Here we report the crystal structure, at a resolution of 2.9 angstroms, of a mammalian Kv channel, Kv1.2, which is a member of the Shaker K+ channel family. This structure is in complex with an oxido-reductase beta subunit of the kind that can regulate mammalian Kv channels in their native cell environment. The activation gate of the pore is open. Large side portals communicate between the pore and the cytoplasm. Electrostatic properties of the side portals and positions of the T1 domain and beta subunit are consistent with electrophysiological studies of inactivation gating and with the possibility of K+ channel regulation by the beta subunit.     

Crystal structure of the human K2P TRAAK, a lipid- and mechano-sensitive K+ ion channel

TRAAK channels, members of the two-pore domain K(+) (potassium ion) channel family K2P, are expressed almost exclusively in the nervous system and control the resting membrane potential. Their gating is sensitive to polyunsaturated fatty acids, mechanical deformation of the membrane, and temperature changes. Physiologically, these channels appear to control the noxious input threshold for temperature and pressure sensitivity in dorsal root ganglia neurons. We present the crystal structure of human TRAAK at a resolution of 3.8 angstroms. The channel comprises two protomers, each containing two distinct pore domains, which create a two-fold symmetric K(+) channel. The extracellular surface features a helical cap, 35 angstroms tall, that creates a bifurcated pore entryway and accounts for the insensitivity of two-pore domain K(+) channels to inhibitory toxins. Two diagonally opposed gate-forming inner helices form membrane-interacting structures that may underlie this channel's sensitivity to chemical and mechanical properties of the cell membrane.     

Crystal structure of serotonin picrate, a donor-acceptor complex

The crystal structure of the red picric acid salt of serotonin was determined by x-ray diffraction methods. The structure consists of parallel hydroxyindole and picrate planes which are intimately stacked with an interplanar separation of 3.3 to 3.4 angstroms. The stacking interaction appears to be of the donor-acceptor (charge-transfer) type, involving specific contacts between picrate nitro groups and atoms of the hydroxyindole moieties. Similar interactions might mediate biological processes involving serotonin.     

Crystal structure of the potassium channel KirBac1.1 in the closed state

The KirBac1.1 channel belongs to the inward-rectifier family of potassium channels. Here we report the structure of the entire prokaryotic Kir channel assembly, in the closed state, refined to a resolution of 3.65 angstroms. We identify the main activation gate and structural elements involved in gating. On the basis of structural evidence presented here, we suggest that gating involves coupling between the intracellular and membrane domains. This further suggests that initiation of gating by membrane or intracellular signals represents different entry points to a common mechanistic pathway.     

Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase: the relation between structure and function

The x-ray structures of the allosteric enzyme aspartate transcarbamylase from Escherichia coli have been solved and refined for both allosteric forms. The T form was determined in the presence of the heterotropic inhibitor cytidine triphosphate, CTP, while the R form was determined in the presence of the bisubstrate analog N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartate. These two x-ray structures provide the starting point for an understanding of how allosteric enzymes are able to control the rates of metabolic pathways. Insights into the mechanisms of both catalysis and homotropic cooperativity have been obtained by using site-directed mutagenesis to probe residues thought to be critical to the function of the enzyme based on these x-ray structures.     

Crystal structure of the human two-pore domain potassium channel K2P1

Two-pore domain potassium (K(+)) channels (K2P channels) control the negative resting potential of eukaryotic cells and regulate cell excitability by conducting K(+) ions across the plasma membrane. Here, we present the 3.4 angstrom resolution crystal structure of a human K2P channel, K2P1 (TWIK-1). Unlike other K(+) channel structures, K2P1 is dimeric. An extracellular cap domain located above the selectivity filter forms an ion pathway in which K(+) ions flow through side portals. Openings within the transmembrane region expose the pore to the lipid bilayer and are filled with electron density attributable to alkyl chains. An interfacial helix appears structurally poised to affect gating. The structure lays a foundation to further investigate how K2P channels are regulated by diverse stimuli.     

Crystal and molecular structure of a pentagonal dodecahedrane

The successful synthesis of a pentagonal dodecahedrane molecule has been achieved. Obtained by a sequence of 20 stereochemically controlled steps beginning with the readily available cyclopentadienide anion, the 1,16-dimethyl derivative has D(3d) symmetry and unusual physical properties. The x-ray crystal structure shows that the alkyl groups cause only small distortions from pure dodecahedral symmetry.     

Crystal and molecular structure of a thymine-thymine adduct

Thymine-thymine adduct is a product isolated from thymine irradiated with ultraviolet light in frozen aqueous solution. This compound is presumably formed through the rearrangement of an initial photoproduct. Single crystal x-ray diffraction analysis has confirmed the molecular formula of the adduct, 5-hydroxy-6-4'-(5'-methylpyrimid-2'-one)-dihydrothymine, except for the possibility of a hydrogen atom on the 3' nitrogren rather than the 1' nitrogen, and has established the stereoconfiguration of the molecule.     

Crystal and molecular structure of a thymine phototrimer

Thymine trimer was isolated from a frozen aqueous solution of thymine which was irradiated with ultraviolet light and was presumably formed through the rearrangement of an initial oxetane photoproduct. X-ray diffraction analysis of a single crystal has confirmed the trimeric diol structure and has established the stereoconfiguration of the molecule. The possible importance of the diol structure in photobiology is pointed out.     

Crystal structure of Cd,Zn metallothionein

The anomalous scattering data from five Cd in the native protein were used to determine the crystal structure of cadmium, zinc (Cd,Zn) metallothionein isoform II from rat liver. The structure of a 4-Cd cluster was solved by direct methods. A 2.3 A resolution electron density map was calculated by iterative single-wavelength anomalous scattering. The structure is folded into two domains. The amino terminal domain (beta) of residues 1 to 29 enfolds a three-metal cluster of one Cd and two Zn atoms coordinated by six terminal cysteine thiolate ligands and three bridging cysteine thiolates. The carboxyl terminal domain (alpha) of residues 30 to 61 enfolds a 4-Cd cluster coordinated by six terminal and five bridging cysteine thiolates. All seven metal sites have tetrahedral coordination geometry. The domains are roughly spherical, and the diameter is 15 to 20 A; there is limited contact between domains. The folding of alpha and beta is topologically similar but with opposite chirality. Redundant, short cysteine-containing sequences have similar roles in cluster formation in both alpha and beta.     

Feedback inhibition of glycerol kinase, a catabolic enzyme in Escherichia coli

Fructose-1 ,6-diphosphate is a feedback inhibitor of the catabolic enzyme, glycerol kinase, in Escherichia coli. A mutant was isolated which produced a desensitized enzyme. Glucose was no longer as effective in preventing the utilization of exogenous glycerol by cells which synthesized constitutively such an altered enzyme, even though the usual degree of catabolite repression still operated.     

The structure of a mycobacterial outer-membrane channel

Mycobacteria have low-permeability outer membranes that render them resistant to most antibiotics. Hydrophilic nutrients can enter by way of transmembrane-channel proteins called porins. An x-ray analysis of the main porin from Mycobacterium smegmatis, MspA, revealed a homooctameric goblet-like conformation with a single central channel. This is the first structure of a mycobacterial outer-membrane protein. No structure-related protein was found in the Protein Data Bank. MspA contains two consecutive beta barrels with nonpolar outer surfaces that form a ribbon around the porin, which is too narrow to fit the thickness of the mycobacterial outer membrane in contemporary models.     

鸡大肠杆菌(HJ20株)与人大肠杆菌(RHU845)P型菌毛同源性分析

运用Goldkey电脑软件对鸡源大肠杆菌与人源大肠杆菌P型菌毛蛋白结构基因序列、氨基酸序列、二级结构进行了比较分析,二者结构基因序列相似性82.5%.二者P型菌毛的信号肽序列基本相同,氨基酸序列相似性83.7%,并且菌毛蛋白在二级结构上存在较多的相似性.     

Crystal structure of a lipid G protein-coupled receptor

The lyso-phospholipid sphingosine 1-phosphate modulates lymphocyte trafficking, endothelial development and integrity, heart rate, and vascular tone and maturation by activating G protein-coupled sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors. Here, we present the crystal structure of the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 fused to T4-lysozyme (S1P(1)-T4L) in complex with an antagonist sphingolipid mimic. Extracellular access to the binding pocket is occluded by the amino terminus and extracellular loops of the receptor. Access is gained by ligands entering laterally between helices I and VII within the transmembrane region of the receptor. This structure, along with mutagenesis, agonist structure-activity relationship data, and modeling, provides a detailed view of the molecular recognition and requirement for hydrophobic volume that activates S1P(1), resulting in the modulation of immune and stromal cell responses.     

兔源大肠埃希菌噬菌体分离鉴定与生物学特性研究

对浙江省某兔场腹泻病兔进行病原分离鉴定,经革兰氏染色和PCR鉴定,分离出致病性大肠埃希菌1株,命名为ZJE1株。ZJE1株对链霉素、环丙沙星敏感。以ZJE1株为宿主菌,分离纯化出噬菌体4株,分别命名为ZRP2、ZRP3、ZRP4和ZRP5,并对其生物学特性、形态与结构特征进行研究。结果显示,4株噬菌体分离株均由六角形的头部、可收缩的尾鞘和尾管组成,均属于肌尾噬菌体科。采用双层平板法测定噬菌体分离株的宿主谱、最佳感染复数、pH稳定性、热稳定性和一步生长曲线。结果显示,ZRP2、ZRP3、ZRP4和ZRP5具有宿主特异性,在37~55 ℃的条件下可保持良好活性。ZRP2、ZRP3在pH值7的条件下可保持良好活性,ZRP4、ZRP5在pH值5~7的条件下可保持良好活性。ZRP2、ZRP3、ZRP5的潜伏期为11~19 min,均能在体外裂解ZJE1株。研究成果可为应用噬菌体治疗兔大肠埃希菌病提供研究基础与数据支持。     

猪肠外致病性大肠杆菌的分离鉴定和药敏试验

从2006-2009年河南省发生猪高热综合征的168家规模化猪场456份病料中,分离出粗大的革兰氏阴性杆茵,通过培养特性试验、生化试验和PCR试验,鉴定出了149株猪肠外致病性大肠杆菌.对分离茵进行小鼠毒力试验、血清分型及药敏试验,结果显示,所分离肠外致病性大肠杆菌对小鼠均有毒力,以O11、O161、O8、O138、O...     

贵州羔羊致病性大肠埃希氏菌血清型和致病因子的研究--大肠埃希氏菌的分离、血清型、致病因子和致病性试验

１９９７￣１９９９年,对贵州册亨,水城,龙里,关岭４个县的３３００头份羔羊进行调查,收集羔羊腹泻病例１１５例,初分离出肠杆菌８０株,经生化试验和致病试验初步鉴定出大肠杆菌５５株菌株,分离率为４８％。经小白鼠致病性试验,５５株菌株都能引起发病死亡;并用其中的ＣＨ９８１２、ＣＨ９８１７、ＬＬ９９３４、ＧＬ９８６ ６株菌株做家兔致病性试验,结果,６株菌株都能使羔羊、家兔发病死亡。对初分离５５株菌株做知清     

Cleaving yeast and Escherichia coli genomes at a single site

The 15-megabase pair Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the 4.7-megabase pair Escherichia coli genomes were completely cleaved at a single predetermined site by means of the Achilles' heel cleavage (AC) procedure. The symmetric lac operator (lacOs) was introduced into the circular Escherichia coli genome and into one of the 16 yeast chromosomes. Intact chromosomes from the resulting strains were prepared in agarose microbeads and methylated with Hha I (5'-GCGC) methyltransferase (M.Hha I) in the presence of lac repressor (LacI). All Hae II sites (5'-[sequence: see text]) with the exception of the one in lacOs, which was protected by LacI, were modified and thus no longer recognized by Hae II. After inactivation of M.Hha I and LacI, Hae II was used to completely cleave the chromosomes specifically at the inserted lacOs. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using the AC approach to efficiently extend the specificity of naturally occurring restriction enzymes and create new tools for the mapping and precise molecular dissection of multimegabase genomes.