Transglutaminase-mediated modifications of the rat sperm surface in vitro

Two transglutaminase-mediated modifications of the rat epididymal spermatozoon surface were demonstrated in vitro. Transglutaminase was effective in promoting the binding of spermidine to the sperm. Moreover, the enzyme, by reacting with one of the major proteins secreted by the rat seminal vesicle epithelium, produced a modified form of the protein with a higher molecular weight and the capability of binding to the sperm cells. A specific physiological role for the enzyme, bringing about modifications of the rat sperm surface in the seminal fluid environment, is suggested.     

Aggregation of lysine-containing zeins into protein bodies in Xenopus oocytes

Zeins, the storage proteins of maize, are totally lacking in the essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan. Lysine codons and lysine- and tryptophan-encoding oligonucleotides were introduced at several positions into a 19-kilodalton zein complementary DNA by oligonucleotide-mediated mutagenesis. A 450-base pair open reading frame from a simian virus 40 (SV40) coat protein was also engineered into the zein coding region. Messenger RNAs for the modified zeins were synthesized in vitro with an SP6 RNA polymerase system and injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes. The modifications did not affect the translation, signal peptide cleavage, or stability of the zeins. The ability of the modified zeins to assemble into structures similar to maize protein bodies was assayed by two criteria: assembly into membrane-bound vesicles resistant to exogenously added protease, and ability to self-aggregate into dense structures. All of the modified zeins were membrane-bound; only the one containing a 17-kilodalton SV40 protein fragment was unable to aggregate. These findings suggest that it may be possible to create high-lysine corn by genetic engineering.     

Characterization by tandem mass spectrometry of structural modifications in proteins

Tandem mass spectrometry can be used to solve a number of protein structural problems that are not amenable to conventional methods for amino acid sequencing. Typical problems that use this approach involve characterization of peptides with blocked amino termini or peptides that have been otherwise posttranslationally processed, such as, by phosphorylation or sulfation. The structure and homogeneity of synthetic peptides can also be evaluated. Since peptides can be selectively characterized in the presence of other peptides or contaminants, the need for extensive purification is reduced or eliminated.     

凝胶电泳蛋白质染色方法研究进展

蛋白质条带染色是蛋白质凝胶电泳中一个重要的步骤。目前的方法主要有考马斯亮兰染色、银染、荧光染色、负染等。将考马斯亮兰与BBR相结合进行染色，可以减少染色／脱色的次数，能够提高考马斯亮兰在蛋白质条带上的染色效果。Gallyas Intensifying方法与银染相结合，能提高用银染已经检测到的蛋白质条带的亮度，使蛋白质点之间及其与背景之间更容易区分。将银染与考马斯亮兰结合起来进行染色可以提高同一块胶上微量蛋白质检测灵敏度。目前，对染色方法改进主要集中在如何提高蛋白质染色的灵敏度，操作方便与否，费用是否昂贵等方面。如何在保持银染方法高灵敏度的同时，又能够有效地降低染色背景，用无毒的化学物质去替换现在凝胶电泳中常用的有毒物质，克服荧光染色使蛋白质化学性质改变的缺点，在保持负染不修饰蛋白质条带化学性质优势的同时，对蛋白质条带染色结果加以改善等，可能代表了蛋白质条带染色的未来发展方向。     

Sirt5 is a NAD-dependent protein lysine demalonylase and desuccinylase

Silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) proteins (sirtuins) are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylases that regulate important biological processes. Mammals have seven sirtuins, Sirt1 to Sirt7. Four of them (Sirt4 to Sirt7) have no detectable or very weak deacetylase activity. We found that Sirt5 is an efficient protein lysine desuccinylase and demalonylase in vitro. The preference for succinyl and malonyl groups was explained by the presence of an arginine residue (Arg(105)) and tyrosine residue (Tyr(102)) in the acyl pocket of Sirt5. Several mammalian proteins were identified with mass spectrometry to have succinyl or malonyl lysine modifications. Deletion of Sirt5 in mice appeared to increase the level of succinylation on carbamoyl phosphate synthase 1, which is a known target of Sirt5. Thus, protein lysine succinylation may represent a posttranslational modification that can be reversed by Sirt5 in vivo.     

Global analysis of protein activities using proteome chips

To facilitate studies of the yeast proteome, we cloned 5800 open reading frames and overexpressed and purified their corresponding proteins. The proteins were printed onto slides at high spatial density to form a yeast proteome microarray and screened for their ability to interact with proteins and phospholipids. We identified many new calmodulin- and phospholipid-interacting proteins; a common potential binding motif was identified for many of the calmodulin-binding proteins. Thus, microarrays of an entire eukaryotic proteome can be prepared and screened for diverse biochemical activities. The microarrays can also be used to screen protein-drug interactions and to detect posttranslational modifications.     

转基因动植物生物反应器研究进展及应用现状

转基因动植物作为生物反应器,有完善的真核表达系统,可以为多种外源蛋白提供正确的翻译后修饰,表达具有生物活性的外源蛋白,可以应用于人或动物的疾病治疗及预防,因其具有成本低、产出高、产品珍贵且需求高的特点而具有广阔的商业前景。目前,转基因动植物生物反应器研究领域已经取得多项成果与突破,以此生产的蛋白制品也有部分被权威机构批准上市应用,还有许多未上市的研究成果已经进入临床试验阶段,为产业化发展做准备。动植物生物反应器已成为重组药用蛋白生产的新趋势。综述了转基因植物和转基因动物作为生物反应器生产重组蛋白的研究进展及应用现状,介绍了生物反应器类型、生产的蛋白种类、已获批应用的动植物生物反应器,讨论了利用动植物生物反应器生产外源蛋白的意义及存在的问题,对其研究及应用前景进行展望。     

适用于甜玉米叶片蛋白质组分析的双向电泳技术

采用改良的TCA/丙酮法提取叶片总蛋白,建立了一套适用于甜玉米叶片的蛋白质组学研究方法,并对蛋白溶解液、蛋白上样量、第一向IEF等电聚焦时间等条件进行了优化.用改进的蛋白溶解液提取叶片总蛋白,明显减轻了离子干扰造成的蛋白点横拖;500μg蛋白上样量的检出蛋白点最丰富,可达750个以上;延长8 000 V等电聚焦至30 000 Vh可获得良好的蛋白点分离效果;采用优化条件后的双向电泳参数,结果重复性较高,检出蛋白点的线性回归相关系数可达0.93以上.     

Spine-type-specific recruitment of newly synthesized AMPA receptors with learning

The stabilization of long-term memories requires de novo protein synthesis. How can proteins, synthesized in the soma, act on specific synapses that participate in a given memory? We studied the dynamics of newly synthesized AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) induced with learning using transgenic mice expressing the GluR1 subunit fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP-GluR1) under control of the c-fos promoter. We found learning-associated recruitment of newly synthesized GFP-GluR1 selectively to mushroom-type spines in adult hippocampal CA1 neurons 24 hours after fear conditioning. Our results are consistent with a "synaptic tagging" model to allow activated synapses to subsequently capture newly synthesized receptor and also demonstrate a critical functional distinction in the mushroom spines with learning.     

乳蛋白磷酸化分析方法研究进展

蛋白质的磷酸化是一种可逆性的蛋白质翻译后修饰,在调节蛋白结构和功能方面起重要作用。乳蛋白质的磷酸化与牛奶的稳定性有关。采用蛋白组学方法和技术,在实现乳蛋白质组成鉴定的同时,又能分析蛋白质的磷酸化修饰位点。文章综述了磷酸化蛋白质的检测和富集分离技术及乳蛋白磷酸化修饰的研究进展。     

Reversing the inactivation of peroxiredoxins caused by cysteine sulfinic acid formation

The active-site cysteine of peroxiredoxins is selectively oxidized to cysteine sulfinic acid during catalysis, which leads to inactivation of peroxidase activity. This oxidation was thought to be irreversible. However, by metabolic labeling of mammalian cells with 35S, we show that the sulfinic form of peroxiredoxin I, produced during the exposure of cells to H2O2, is rapidly reduced to the catalytically active thiol form. The mammalian cells' ability to reduce protein sulfinic acid might serve as a mechanism to repair oxidatively damaged proteins or represent a new type of cyclic modification by which the function of various proteins is regulated.     

RNA mimics of green fluorescent protein

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its derivatives have transformed the use and analysis of proteins for diverse applications. Like proteins, RNA has complex roles in cellular function and is increasingly used for various applications, but a comparable approach for fluorescently tagging RNA is lacking. Here, we describe the generation of RNA aptamers that bind fluorophores resembling the fluorophore in GFP. These RNA-fluorophore complexes create a palette that spans the visible spectrum. An RNA-fluorophore complex, termed Spinach, resembles enhanced GFP and emits a green fluorescence comparable in brightness with fluorescent proteins. Spinach is markedly resistant to photobleaching, and Spinach fusion RNAs can be imaged in living cells. These RNA mimics of GFP provide an approach for genetic encoding of fluorescent RNAs.     

Protein-bacteriophage conjugates: application in detection of antibodies and antigens

Covalent attachment of proteins to bacteriophage yielded modified phage preparations with which it is possible to detect antibodies to proteins at concentrations as low as 0.5 to 2.0 nanograms per milliliter. Similarly, antibodies may be linked covalently to phage, and the resulting antibody-phage conjugate is useful in detecting proteins. An alternative method for quantitative determination of proteins is suggested, in which the inactivation of protein-phage by antibodies to protein is inhibited by the protein tested. With rabbit immunoglobulin G as the protein, as little as 0.3 nanogram per milliliter could he determind.     

Design of bioelectronic interfaces by exploiting hinge-bending motions in proteins

We report a flexible strategy for transducing ligand-binding events into electrochemical responses for a wide variety of proteins. The method exploits ligand-mediated hinge-bending motions, intrinsic to the bacterial periplasmic binding protein superfamily, to establish allosterically controlled interactions between electrode surfaces and redox-active, Ru(II)-labeled proteins. This approach allows the development of protein-based bioelectronic interfaces that respond to a diverse set of analytes. Families of these interfaces can be generated either by exploiting natural binding diversity within the superfamily or by reengineering the specificity of individual proteins. These proteins may have numerous medical, environmental, and defense applications.     

A general method for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins

A new method has been developed that makes it possible to site-specifically incorporate unnatural amino acids into proteins. Synthetic amino acids were incorporated into the enzyme beta-lactamase by the use of a chemically acylated suppressor transfer RNA that inserted the amino acid in response to a stop codon substituted for the codon encoding residue of interest. Peptide mapping localized the inserted amino acid to a single peptide, and enough enzyme could be generated for purification to homogeneity. The catalytic properties of several mutants at the conserved Phe66 were characterized. The ability to selectively replace amino acids in a protein with a wide variety of structural and electronic variants should provide a more detailed understanding of protein structure and function.     

Phosphorylation of dipteran chromosomes and rat liver nuclei

Side-chain modifications of the nucleoproteins are believed to be involved in the control of gene function. Rat liver nuclei and chromatin incubated in adenosine triphosphate labeled in the gamma position with phosphorus-32 demonstrated rapid phosphorylation in vitro of the nuclear proteins. Dipteran salivary glands incubated in either labeled adenosine triphosphate or ortho-phosphate labeled with phosphorus-32 showed that there is phosphorylation of chromosomal protein. The phosphorus is associated in protein from both liver and salivary gland nuclei predominantly with phosphoserine.     

An expanded eukaryotic genetic code

We describe a general and rapid route for the addition of unnatural amino acids to the genetic code of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Five amino acids have been incorporated into proteins efficiently and with high fidelity in response to the nonsense codon TAG. The side chains of these amino acids contain a keto group, which can be uniquely modified in vitro and in vivo with a wide range of chemical probes and reagents; a heavy atom-containing amino acid for structural studies; and photocrosslinkers for cellular studies of protein interactions. This methodology not only removes the constraints imposed by the genetic code on our ability to manipulate protein structure and function in yeast, it provides a gateway to the systematic expansion of the genetic codes of multicellular eukaryotes.