Rab蛋白的结构、功能及进化

Rab蛋白是小分子GTP结合蛋白家族(small GTP-binding proteins)中最大的亚家族,大约由200个氨基酸组成,由保守的G结构域与高度可变的N端和C端组成。Rab蛋白作为细胞内囊泡运输的分子开关,与其上游调控子和下游特定的效应子相互作用,并与GTP的结合和水解过程相偶联,在囊泡运输的不同阶段发挥作用。对不同Rab蛋白调控囊泡运输的研究有利干全面理解细胞内各类囊泡定向运输的分子动力学机制。     

细胞内体中Rab蛋白对病毒感染的调控作用研究进展

Rab蛋白是一类具有分子开关功能的GTP酶。它们作为细胞内体中的关键调控因子,不仅调控细胞内囊泡运输、信号转导、细胞分裂与融合等生理过程,还广泛参与病毒感染进程。本文系统综述了细胞内体中Rab蛋白的生物学特性及其功能,重点探讨了其在病毒感染中的调控作用,为深入研究病毒与内体的相互作用机制奠定基础,并为相关病毒性疾病的干预和治疗提供参考。     

真核细胞内膜泡运输的分子机制

真核细胞内一些蛋白质需靠膜泡进行定向运输,膜泡是在外衣蛋白的作用下形成的,根据外衣蛋白的不同,膜泡分为笼蛋白,COPⅠ和COPⅡ外衣膜泡,这些外衣膜泡分别在细胞内不同供膜（donor membrane)处形成,因为被运输蛋白具有分选信号可与供膜上相应的受体结合,所以能被包裹在特异的膜泡之中,在膜泡形成过程中,外衣蛋白在“芽生”膜泡的细胞质侧组装成笼状外衣,帮助“芽生”膜泡从供膜处脱落,一旦笼状外衣膜泡脱离供膜,笼状外衣蛋白便发生解聚而成为无衣膜泡,无衣膜泡在Rab蛋白的调控下可定向运输蛋白质,而解聚后的外衣蛋白可重新介导新的外衣膜泡形成。     

细胞囊泡的研究进展

阐述了细胞囊泡出芽、运输、融合的分子机制,并就最新进展进行了综述．以对这个领域有一初步认识。     

Rab4：细胞囊泡循环运输过程的重要因子

囊泡运输是真核细胞中物质运输及信息交流的重要形式,Rab蛋白在这个过程中发挥着重要功能.Rab4是Rab蛋白家族的成员之一,参与调控早期内体的分选与内体循环途径.Rab4包括Rab4A、Rab4B和Rab4C 3个亚型.本文主要阐述了Rab4的结构特征、主要的效应蛋白和参与运输的货物蛋白以及影响细胞自噬、葡萄糖摄取、神经调节、心脏功能及肿瘤发生方面的功能.     

SM蛋白在膜泡运输中的功能

大多数细胞内都包含靶向不同细胞器的各种运输囊泡,其运输机制在进化上是高度保守的。Sec1/Munc-18(SM)蛋白在膜泡运输中起着重要的调控作用,它能够与SNARE(Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factorattachment protein receptor)蛋白结合,共同在细胞内各个膜融合发生部位发挥重要作用。SM蛋白和SNARE复合体中的Syntaxin蛋白结合,调节SNARE复合体的装配,并与SNARE协同作用促进整个膜融合过程。文章对SM蛋白在结构和功能分析方面的最新研究进展进行了概述。     

胞浆囊泡转运的包被复合体与蛋白分拣

在胞浆囊泡转运体系中囊泡包被复合体对于蛋白的分拣与定向转运有重要意义。目前较明确的囊泡包被复合体有：笼形蛋白被复合体,COPⅠ、COPⅡ,囊泡相关肌球蛋白。这些复合体各有其特定识别序列,彼此分工又相互协同,维持着转运系统的协调有序。     

囊泡运输的功能与调控机制

真核细胞通过区隔化形成各种细胞器,这些膜状结构和细胞质膜共同构成了复杂的生物膜系统。细胞质膜和细胞器之间以及细胞器之间大量的物质和信息交流构成了细胞生命活动的基础。由马达蛋白驱动的囊泡运输是细胞内物质运输的主要形式,囊泡运输的调控机制是细胞生物学领域的重大科学问题。该文重点总结了近年来基于微管轨道的囊泡运输领域中关于马达蛋白kinesin和cytoplasmic dynein的货物识别机制、货物卸载机制的研究进展,并对马达蛋白对于微管轨道的识别机制进行了初步探讨。此外,该文还总结了囊泡运输与人类疾病之间的关系。     

细胞内膜泡运输中拴系因子的功能

膜泡运输是不同细胞器间进行物质传递的基本方式,分为4个重要步骤：囊泡的出芽、转运、拴系和融合。在此过程中,有许多相关因子参与调控,如包被蛋白、Rab蛋白、拴系因子、SM蛋白和SNARE等。拴系因子在运输囊泡和靶位膜发生接触的最初阶段起重要调控作用,多数拴系因子形成大的多亚基复合体发挥功能。目前,关于拴系因子的功能已经有了一定的了解,在此,我们对酵母、哺乳动物以及植物细胞中的已知拴系因子的特点和功能进行了概述。     

How to get to the right place at the right time: Rab/Ypt small GTPases and vesicle transport

Summary Vesicles often must be transported over long distances in a very crowded cytoplasmic environment encumbered by the cytoskeleton and membranes of different origin that provide an important barrier to their free diffusion. In animal cells with specialised tasks, such as neurons or endothelial cells, vesicles that are directed to the cell periphery are linked to the microtubular cytoskeleton tracks via association with motor proteins that allow their vectorial movement. In lower eukaryotes the actin cytoskeleton plays a prominent role in organising vesicle movement during polarised growth and mating. The Ras-like small GTPases of the Rab/Ypt family play an essential role in vesicle trafficking and due to their diversity and specific localisation have long been implicated in the selective delivery of vesicles. Recent evidence has cast doubt on the classical point of view of how this class of proteins acts in vesicle transport and suggests their involvement also in the events that permit vesicle anchoring to the cytoskeleton. Therefore, after a brief review of what is known about how vesicle movement is achieved in mammalian and yeast systems, and how Rab/Ypt proteins regulate the vesicle predocking events, it is discussed how these proteins might participate in the events that lead to vesicle movement through association with the cytoskeleton machinery.     

Giantin interacts with both the small GTPase Rab6 and Rab1

The interaction of small GTPases of the Rab family and coiled coil proteins of the golgin family has been reported for example for the Rab1 GTPase and p115, GM130 and Giantin. We now show that Rab6A, a GTPase that controls retrograde trafficking within the Golgi back to the endoplasmic reticulum is also able to bind to Giantin in vivo and in vitro pointing to an interesting complex formation between Giantin and two different Rab GTPases. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae a genetic interaction between Ypt1 and Ypt6 has already been demonstrated, but in this paper we were able to describe that the mammalian Rab GTPases are able to interact on the same golgin protein, Giantin.     

一个新的人Rb26基因cDNA的克隆、表达及其增强细胞吞噬功能研究

Rab GTPase家族成员基因及其调节囊泡膜运输途径功能已有许多报道,但Rab26蛋白分子的结构和功能仍不清晰.通过生物信息学分析,并在人脑cDNA文库中克隆了一个新的Rab26基因全长cDNA序列,长1 656bp,与已发表的基因序列相比,在48～50位插入了GCC,在956位T被C取代,而在1 197位G被A取代.该序列包含一个771 bp完整的开放阅读框(ORE),编码256个氨基酸残基的Rab26蛋白,分子质量为27.9 ku(GenBank登录号No.AY646153),而非如以往报告的190个氨基酸残基.GFP荧光标记全长Rb26在哺乳动物细胞中表达显示,Rab26主要呈现在细胞膜状结构相联系的分布,发现该基因高表达能显著增强PE标记的红色异源蛋白质的吞噬.还应用逆转录.聚合酶链反应对多种人肿瘤细胞Rb26表达进行了研究,结果显示,Rab26在Acc2、SPC-A1,K562以及HeLa等肿瘤细胞株呈高表达,而在SMMOL/LC-7721、HepG2、Caco2等肝和肠上皮细胞株中则不表达,值得进一步深入研究.     

Atg9 Vesicles Recruit Vesicle-tethering Proteins Trs85 and Ypt1 to the Autophagosome Formation Site

Atg9 is a transmembrane protein that is essential for autophagy. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it has recently been revealed that Atg9 exists on cytoplasmic small vesicles termed Atg9 vesicles. To identify the components of Atg9 vesicles, we purified the Atg9 vesicles and subjected them to mass spectrometry. We found that their protein composition was distinct from other organellar membranes and that Atg9 and Atg27 in particular are major components of Atg9 vesicles. In addition to these two components, Trs85, a specific subunit of the transport protein particle III (TRAPPIII) complex, and the Rab GTPase Ypt1 were also identified. Trs85 directly interacts with Atg9, and the Trs85-containing TRAPPIII complex facilitates the association of Ypt1 onto Atg9 vesicles. We also showed that Trs85 and Ypt1 are localized to the preautophagosomal structure in an Atg9-dependent manner. Our data suggest that Atg9 vesicles recruit the TRAPPIII complex and Ypt1 to the preautophagosomal structure. The vesicle-tethering machinery consequently acts in the process of autophagosome formation.     

Rabs 8A and 14 are targets of the insulin-regulated Rab-GAP AS160 regulating GLUT4 traffic in muscle cells

Insulin causes translocation of glucose transporter GLUT4 to the membrane of muscle and fat cells, a process requiring Akt activation. The Rab GTPase-activating protein (Rab-GAP) AS160 is inhibited upon phosphorylation by insulin-activated Akt, thereby allowing GLUT4 translocation. Although several Rab proteins are detected on GLUT4 vesicles, the target Rabs of AS160 involved in the GLUT4 translocation have not been identified. We test whether Rabs 8A, 10, and 14 (in vitro targets of AS160) rescue the inhibition of GLUT4 translocation caused by 'constitutively active' 4P-AS160 in L6 muscle cells. Coexpression of GFP-tagged Rabs 8A or Rab14 with 4P-AS160 prevented the inhibition of GLUT4 translocation imposed by 4P-AS160. GFP-tagged, constitutively active Rab8A also elicited this rescue. In contrast, neither wild-type nor constitutively active GFP-tagged Rab10 restored GLUT4 translocation. These results suggest that Rab8A and possibly Rab14 may be targets of AS160 leading to GLUT4 translocation in L6 muscle cells.     

Rab cascades and tethering factors in the endomembrane system

Rab GTPases are key proteins that determine organelle identity and operate at the center of fusion reactions. Like Ras, they act as switches that are connected to a diverse network of tethering factors, exchange factors and GTPase activating proteins. Recent studies suggest that Rabs are linked to each other via their effectors, thus coordinating protein transport in the endomembrane system. Within this review, we will focus on selected examples that highlight these issues.