光调控植物种子萌发分子机制研究进展

萌发是种子植物进入农业生态系统的重要发育阶段。对于需光类种子,光是调控其萌发最重要的环境信号因子之一,红光促进而远红光抑制种子萌发。光敏色素是调控种子萌发的主要光受体。活化的光敏色素诱导萌发主效抑制因子PIF1发生蛋白降解,调节赤霉素和脱落酸代谢和信号途径相关基因的表达,从而促进种子的萌发。同时,一系列的表观遗传因子通过改变染色质结构,动态调节萌发相关基因的表达从而影响种子的萌发进程。该论文重点论述了光调控种子萌发的转录及表观遗传机制研究进展,并对其在农业生产中的应用进行了展望。     

光敏色素与光调控

生物体的新陈代谢和生长发育主要受遗传信息及环境信息的调控,遗传信息规定了个体发育的潜在模式,但它的实现在很大程度上受控于环境信息。光作为主要的环境因子,不仅提供光合作用所需的能量,而且触发植物形态变化、质体分化、新陈代谢等重要反应(统称为光形态建成)。光形态建成至少与四个不同类型光受体相关:光敏色素、蓝光受体、UV-A受体、UV-B受体,其中研究最深入的当属光敏色素。自1983年Vierstra和Quail分离到完整的光敏色素蛋白质以来,科学家相继对光敏色素的分子种类、生物合成与调控及生理机制展开了广泛深入的研究,并且取得了令人瞩目的进展。时至今日,随着新方法、新技术的应用,从光敏色素感受光刺激到基因在细胞核中表达,再到光形态建成的整个信号传递途径已逐步为人们所认识,许多与光敏色素调节有关的顺式因子及相应的DNA结合蛋白也已被确定。功能研究发现,没有哪一个反式作用因子在光调节的表达中单独起作用,可见光敏色素调控的基因表达是相当复杂的。本文拟就光敏色素分子、光敏色素基因家族、光敏色素所激活的信号传递途径及光敏色素与基因表达的关系等方面做一综述。     

木质素生物合成翻译后修饰调控研究进展

蛋白质翻译后修饰（post-translational modifications,PTMs）在植物生长发育过程中具有十分重要的作用,它们通过调节蛋白质的结构、稳定性以及活性,从而影响植物的生长发育以及响应环境胁迫的能力。木质素生物合成途径及其上游转录调控机制目前已研究得较为清楚,但翻译后修饰研究较少。综述了木质素生物合成翻译后修饰调控的最新研究进展,重点介绍了磷酸化、泛素化、糖基化和S-亚硝基化4类重要的翻译后修饰对木质素合成关键酶和转录因子的调控机制,旨在深化对木质素生物合成调控机理的认知,并为深入理解植物木质素合成的精准时空调控机制提供参考和启发。     

TB4的翻译后修饰及其功能调控

肌动蛋白单体隔离肽胸腺素β4(thymosin beta 4,TB4)是一种十分重要的胸腺素β类小分子多肽,广泛分布于机体的组织细胞中.自发现TB4以来,人们对它的研究就不曾间断,发现其拥有多种生物学功能,如结合肌动蛋白单体、抑制微丝的形成、抑制炎症和调节血管再生等.成熟的TB4仅由43个氨基酸残基组成,却拥有如此多样...     

蛋白质翻译后修饰研究进展

翻译后修饰在蛋白质加工、成熟的过程中发挥着重要的作用,它可以改变蛋白质的物理、化学性质,影响蛋白质的空间构象、立体位阻及其稳定性,进而对蛋白质的生物学活性产生作用,引起蛋白质的功能改变。修饰基团自身的结构特性对蛋白质的性质、功能也会产生深远的影响。在已有的研究基础上,综述蛋白质翻译后修饰的主要类型以及各修饰作用潜在的生物学功能。     

孕烷X受体的翻译后修饰及其功能调控作用研究进展

孕烷X 受体（PXR）是一类配体依赖性的核受体亚家族,可感受外源物质,被多种药物激活。PXR 可转录调控多种与药物代谢相关的药物代谢酶和药物转运体的表达,参与药物代谢调控。PXR 转录活性的变化可改变药物在体内的代谢过程,继而诱发潜在药物不良反应,与药物药代动力学研究和临床药物治疗密切相关,并有潜力成为防治药物介导的肝损伤和逆转化疗药物耐药的新型药物靶标。综述了目前已发现的PXR 翻译后修饰及其对PXR 功能调控机制的研究进展。     

蛋白质翻译后修饰研究进展

蛋白质是执行细胞功能的基本功能单元,其表达受基因组和表观遗传学的调控。通常,蛋白质在表达以后还需要经过不同程度的修饰才能发挥所需要的功能。这种翻译后修饰过程受到一系列修饰酶和去修饰酶的严格调控,使得在某一瞬间细胞中蛋白质表现出某种稳定或动态的特定功能。最新的研究表明,真核细胞中存在着各种各样的蛋白质修饰过程,其中大约70%目前还无法解释。有理由认为,这种经过了特定修饰的蛋白质,更客观地反映了细胞的各种生理以及病理过程。因此,除了基因组所编码的＂裸＂蛋白质组的表达以外,更需要对经过翻译后修饰的蛋白质及蛋白质组的调控过程进行深入的研究。该文对常见翻译后修饰以及研究方法进行了综述。     

光敏色素与转录因子结合直接调控植物基因表达和发育

植物的光控发育一直是植物学中一个非常活跃的研究领域,是近该领域又取得重大突破性进展,人们通过酵母双杂交技术克隆到在体内与光敏色素相互作用的转录因子,并证实被光活化的光敏色素直接进入细胞核与转录因子结构合启动基因表达,本文就此研究进展作简要介绍。     

组蛋白翻译后修饰与DNA损伤响应蛋白招募的调控

组蛋白翻译后修饰是细胞DNA损伤早期应答反应的重要内涵,一方面是松弛、开放染色质结构的必要分子调节事件,以便DNA损伤响应蛋白能接近DNA损伤位点;另一方面直接参与DNA损伤修复蛋白招募过程的调控。综述了在DNA损伤信号激发下,发生的组蛋白主要修饰类型,异组蛋白H2AX、H2A.Z在DNA损伤部位与组蛋白置换,及其对DNA损伤响应蛋白招募的调节作用和机制。     

光受体及光信号转导

植物在进化过程中形成了对环境信号反应的能力,光是植物生长发育中的一个重要的环境信号.植物为了更好地生长和发育形成了精密的光信号接收和转导系统.本文介绍近年来光信号接收即光受体和光信号的转导研究进展.     

植物光反应突变体

光信号转导途径是植物发育调控机制的中心组成部分。目前在植物光信号受体及下游转导组分突变体筛选方面已经取得许多重要结果。本文综述了这些突变体和光信号转导途径组成及调控机制研究方面的进展。     

Spatial distribution of phytochromes

Phytochromes are chromoproteins which mediate several light responses in plants. Phytochrome proteins are encoded by a gene family which is currently being characterized in several plant species. Analysis of type-specific mutants of two well-characterized members of the family, PhyA and PhyB, indicates that these proteins have distinct functions. Much remains to be learned about the mechanisms by which the phytochromes carry out their distinct and diverse functions. It is hoped that information concerning the localization of phytochromes, at the whole plant and subcellular levels, will aid in elucidating the mechanism of phytochrome function. This review, which summarizes information about phytochrome distribution, has an emphasis on recent reports in which the molecular species of phytochrome are differentiated. However, classical data are also included and reinterpreted using knowledge of the phytochrome family.     

Domain interaction in cyanobacterial phytochromes as a prerequisite for spectral integrity

Two phytochromes, CphA and CphB, from the cyanobacterium Calothrix PCC7601, with similar size (768 and 766 amino acids) and domain structure, were investigated for the essential length of their protein moiety required to maintain the spectral integrity. Both proteins fold into PAS-, GAF-, PHY-, and Histidine-kinase (HK) domains. CphA binds a phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore at a “canonical” cysteine within the GAF domain, identically as in plant phytochromes. CphB binds biliverdin IXα at cysteine24, positioned in the N-terminal PAS domain. The C-terminally located HK and PHY domains, present in both proteins, were removed subsequently by introducing stop-codons at the corresponding DNA positions. The spectral properties of the resulting proteins were investigated. The full-length proteins absorb at (CphA) 663 and 707 nm (red-, far red-absorbing P _r and P _fr forms of phytochromes) and at (CphB) 704 and 750 nm. Removal of the HK domains had no effect on the absorbance maxima of the resulting PAS–GAF–PHY constructs (CphA: 663/707 nm, CphB: 704/750 nm, P _r/P _fr, respectively). Further deletion of the “PHY” domains caused a blue-shift of the P _r and P _fr absorption of CphA (λ _max: 658/698 nm) and increased the amount of unproperly folded apoprotein, seen by a reduced capability to bind the chromophore in photoconvertible manner. In CphB, however, it practically impaired the formation of P _fr, i.e., showing a very low oscillator strength absorption band, whereas the P _r form remains unchanged (702 nm). This finding clearly indicates a different interaction between domains in the “typical”, PCB binding and in the biliverdin-binding phytochromes, and demonstrates a loss of oscillator strength for the latter, most probably due to a strong conformational distortion of the chromophore in the CphB P _fr form. Proceedings of the XVIII Congress of the Italian Society of Pure and Applied Biophysics (SIBPA), Palermo, Sicily, September 2006.     

脂多糖信号通路中的蛋白质修饰

革兰氏阴性细菌外膜中的脂多糖,又称内毒素,感染宿主后可导致脓毒症、脓毒性休克和多器官功能障碍综合症. 脂多糖借助信号转导通路诱发宿主的应答,刺激免疫细胞产生大量具有致热效应的炎性细胞因子,引起免疫系统的过度活化. 近年来,研究脂多糖受体TLR4及其信号转导在先天免疫和获得性免疫中的作用,以及脂多糖信号通路的复杂调控机制取得了突破性进展. 其中蛋白质翻译后修饰参与脂多糖信号通路调节的研究成为这一领域的新热点之一. 本文总结了磷酸化修饰、泛素化修饰、ISG15化修饰和SUMO化修饰在调节脂多糖信号通路方面的作用.不仅对被修饰蛋白如何传递和调节脂多糖信号以及翻译后修饰在该过程中的作用进行了阐述,还着眼于不同翻译后修饰形式之间的关联.脂多糖信号通路的深入研究不但有助于阐明内毒素相关疾病的分子机理,还可为临床预防和治疗革兰氏阴性细菌感染所致疾病提供新靶点.     

Structural domains of phytochrome deduced from homologies in amino acid sequences

A method of semiempirical identification of structural domains is proposed. The procedure is based on the comparison of amino acid sequences in groups of homologous proteins. This approach was tested using 32 known protein sequences from different cytochromeb ₅, cytochromec, lysozyme, hemoglobin, and myoglobin proteins. The method presented was able to identify all structural domains of these reference proteins. A consensus secondary structure provided information on structural content of these domains predicting correctly 21 of 23 (91%) of -helices. We applied this method to six homologous phytochrome sequences fromAvena, Arabadopsis, Cucurbita, Maize, Oryza, andPisum. Some of the identified domains can be assigned to the known tertiary structure categories. For example, an / domain is localized in the region known to stabilize the phytochrome chromophore in the red light absorbing form (Pr). One -helical and one / domains are localized in regions important for the chromophore stabilization in the far-red absorbing form (Pfr). From an analysis of noncovalent interaction patterns in another domain it is proposed that a phytochrome dimer contact involves two segments localized between residues 730 and 821 (using numbering of aligned sequences). Also, a possible antiparallel -sheet structure of this region has been suggested. According to this model, the long axis of the interacting structures is perpendicular to a twofold symmetry axis of the phytochrome dimer.