Expression and characterization of the periplasmic cobalamin-binding protein of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida

Cobalamin (vitamin B₁₂) is an essential cofactor in a variety of enzymatic reactions and most prokaryotes contain transport systems to import vitamin B₁₂. A gene coding for a periplasmic cobalamin-binding protein of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida was identified by in silico analysis of sequences from a genomic library. The open reading frame was composed of 834 bp encoding a protein of 277 amino acids. The protein showed 61% identity with the vitamin B₁₂-binding protein precursor of P. profundum , 53% identity with the corresponding protein of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and 43% identity with the periplasmic binding protein BtuF of Escherichia coli. The expression of the native protein was investigated in P. damselae subsp. piscicida , but BtuF was weakly expressed under normal conditions. To characterize the BtuF of P. damselae subsp. piscicida , the recombinant protein was expressed with a C-terminal His₆-tag and purified; the molecular weight was estimated to be approximately 30 kDa. The protein does not contain any free thiol group, consistent with the view that the two cysteine residues are involved in a disulphide bond. The purified BtuF binds cyanocobalamin with an affinity constant of 6 ± 2 μ m .     

Review of cobalamin status and disorders of cobalamin metabolism in dogs

Disorders of cobalamin (vitamin B₁₂) metabolism are increasingly recognized in small animal medicine and have a variety of causes ranging from chronic gastrointestinal disease to hereditary defects in cobalamin metabolism. Measurement of serum cobalamin concentration, often in combination with serum folate concentration, is routinely performed as a diagnostic test in clinical practice. While the detection of hypocobalaminemia has therapeutic implications, interpretation of cobalamin status in dogs can be challenging. The aim of this review is to define hypocobalaminemia and cobalamin deficiency, normocobalaminemia, and hypercobalaminemia in dogs, describe known cobalamin deficiency states, breed predispositions in dogs, discuss the different biomarkers of importance for evaluating cobalamin status in dogs, and discuss the management of dogs with hypocobalaminemia.     

拟南芥钴胺素合成相关蛋白CSRP基因克隆及其功能分析

以拟南芥为研究对象,根据已知的生物信息数据,通过反向遗传学的方法,对与钴胺素合成相关蛋白CSRP基因进行分子克隆,得到该基因的基因组序列和cDNA序列,构建二元重组质粒,利用根癌农杆菌介导的花浸泡转基因方法分别转化突变体和野生型植株,进行互补试验和过表达试验,筛选转基因植株,并进一步预测其编码蛋白的亚细胞定位于叶绿体中.结果表明,在突变体中转入该基因后,转基因植株恢复野生型的表型,而在过表达的转基因植株中表型更为明显,即生长旺盛,晚花.说明该基因对于拟南芥的营养生长起促进作用,由于其功能预测与钴胺素合成相关的蛋白,推测其可能在植物营养生长中起作用.