药物靶标蛋白筛选的化学蛋白质组学研究进展

药物或生物活性物质通过与靶蛋白结合而发挥功能,研究表明,大多数药物具有多个作用靶点,药物靶标的发现有助于药物前体的筛选和作用机制的研究,同时对其耐药性等副作用的解决方案提供理论指导.基于生物质谱技术的蛋白质组学可对蛋白质进行高通量的定性定量分析,为药物靶标的筛选提供了全新的平台.本文综述了基于固载药物和游离药物模式的药物靶标蛋白筛选相关方法和应用研究的最新进展,为基于生物质谱技术的化学蛋白质组学研究提供参考.     

药物靶标配体高通量筛选的亲和质谱技术研究

疾病相关的药物靶标蛋白与小分子化合物的亲和作用研究是当今新药研发的热点领域,基于靶蛋白与配体亲和作用的筛选技术已成为与基于靶蛋白活性高通量筛选技术高度互补的药物先导化合物发现关键技术。本文综述了亲和质谱技术用于筛选和检测指定靶蛋白的小分子配体的基本原理和主要优势,详细介绍了该技术应用于大规模化合物库筛选、分子片段库筛选、天然产物粗提物筛选和蛋白质与胞内代谢物相互作用研究领域的主要进展。     

端粒和端粒酶在癌症中的研究进展及意义

端粒是位于染色体末端的DNA串联重复序列,对基因组稳定性和完整性起保护作用。端粒的长度与细胞周期密切相关。其长度变化机制分为依赖端粒酶活性和端粒重组两类,氧化应激和铅(Pb)与端粒酶的功能蛋白相结合抑制其活性,致使端粒缩短,硒(Se)与二者具有拮抗作用,延缓衰老。相关数据表明85%肿瘤细胞与端粒酶活性成正相关,以端粒酶活性作为肿瘤治疗靶标称为当代热点之一。主要对肺癌、乳腺癌等恶性肿瘤与端粒的相关性进行了综述,以期为端粒和端粒酶在癌症治疗研究提供参考依据。     

Skp2相关衰老信号通路的抗肿瘤机制

Skp2蛋白属于F盒蛋白家族的成员,在泛素蛋白酶体降解通路中起到特异性识别底物的作用.大量研究表明,Skp2在多种恶性肿瘤中高表达,具有原癌基因功能.通过抑制肿瘤细胞中Skp2的活性,启动衰老信号通路而抑制肿瘤的生长,Skp2有望成为抗肿瘤的新靶标.     

大鼠肝纤维化相关microRNA及其候选靶基因的筛选

microRNAs (miRNAs)是一类功能性非编码RNA,在多种生物过程中具有重要作用.然而,miRNA的表达模式、调控网络以及参与肝纤维化的miRNA仍有待阐明.为了探讨与肝纤维化相关的miRNA及其靶基因的功能,为临床肝纤维化治疗提供理论依据,本研究前期已采用胆管结扎法(BDL)建立大鼠胆汁淤积性肝纤维化模型.从大鼠肝脏中提取总RNA,应用基因芯片技术对胆汁淤积性肝纤维化肝组织中miRNA和mRNA表达谱进行综合分析;结合生物信息方法分析在胆汁淤积性肝纤维化中差异表达miRNA可能的靶基因;实时荧光定量PCR技术检测TGF-β1处理人肝星状细胞LX-2细胞中miR-29a-3p、miR-194-5p和miR-22-3p相对表达水平.结果 表明,与正常肝组织相比,纤维化肝组织中有48个差异表达miRNA (FC＞2,P＜0.05),其中36个上调,12个下调;筛选出18个预测靶基因参与与纤维化相关的生物过程;TGF-β1处理LX-2细胞中miR-29a-3p、miR-194-5p和miR-22-3p相对表达水平显著下调(P＜0.05).本研究筛选的差异表达miRNAs通过调节靶基因的表达在肝纤维化中可能发挥重要作用,将为miRNA在肝纤维化中的作用提供新的见解.     

端粒酶抑制剂在肿瘤治疗中的进展

端粒是真核细胞染色体末端含有ＴＴＡＧＧＧ重复结构的复合体 ,有防止染色体降解丢失 ,端端融合和重组建作用 ,端粒酶是一种逆转录酶 ,以自身ＲＮＡ为模板 ,逆转录维持染色体的稳定。目前肿瘤组织端粒酶检出率约 85 - 90 %,而正常组织或良性肿瘤端粒酶检出率〈5 %,说明端粒酶与恶性肿瘤密切相关。端粒酶抑制剂作为新的抗肿瘤策略正成为肿瘤研究的热点 ,现就端粒酶抑制剂在肿瘤治疗中的研究状况做一简单概述。1、阻断端粒酶ＲＮＡ的模板作用对端粒酶活性的抑制1. 1反义核苷酸、反义肽苷及硫代反义核苷酸对端粒酶活性的抑制端粒酶ＲＮＡ序列中…     

构建抑制NF-кB信号通路的药物筛选模型

NF-кB已被证明在肿瘤和炎症过程中起到至关重要的作用.因此,建立抑制NF-кB信号通路的药物筛选模型至关重要.利用荧光素酶报告基因技术与蛋白印迹技术分别探索TNFα处理浓度及时间对NF-кB报告基因表达和NF-кB抑制亚单位IкBα降解的影响,进而构建NF-кB信号通路抑制剂药物筛选模型.实验结果表明,0.01 nmol/L TNFα作用24 h即能刺激HEK293T细胞中NF-кB报告基因较高水平的表达,且其表达量与TNFα的剂量和处理时间呈正相关性;0.01 nmol/L TNFα作用5 min即能使Pane-28细胞中IкBα明显降解,20min～30 min几乎降解完全,之后IKBa含量又开始增加.NF-кB阳性抑制剂藤黄酸验证表明NF-кB萤光素酶报告基因检测筛选体系和NF-кB抑制亚单位降解筛选体系两种体系稳定可行.结果证明,两种模型可以用于NF-кB信号通路抑制剂药物的筛选.     

利用噬菌体展示技术筛选胰岛素模拟肽

为了寻找能够模拟胰岛素生物活性的小肽,以胰岛素多克隆抗体为靶标,筛选噬菌体展示随机C7C环肽库.3轮筛选后,通过ELISA方法挑取与靶分子特异性结合的15个阳性克隆,测序获得两条序列,分析所得序列并合成相应短肽.通过细胞生物学活性检测,小肽CPTSQANSC（ZJ1）能够竞争性的抑制胰岛素与其受体的结合,并对正常小鼠和四氧嘧啶诱导的糖尿病小鼠,都有明显的降血糖作用.上述结果表明,小肽CPTSQANSC具有胰岛素样生物学活性.而小肽CVQPSHSSC（ZJ2）表现出胰岛素拮抗活性,能引起正常小鼠血糖升高.这表明筛选到了能够模拟胰岛素表位的短肽CPTSQANSC,可能为治疗胰岛素依赖性糖尿病提供了新线索.     

端粒与端粒酶研究进展

细胞分裂中染色体因其末端（端粒）的DNA不能完全复制而短缩,使细胞逐渐失去增殖能力而衰老．端粒酶可延长染色体末端DNA,端粒酶的活化使细胞无限增殖．85％左右的恶性肿瘤端粒酶表达阳性,生殖细胞和无限繁殖的细胞系中端粒酶表达也呈阳性．文章综述了端粒的构成和功能、端粒酶在端粒合成中的作用,介绍了端粒酶活性的测定方法、细胞恶变与端粒酶激活的关系,并论及通过抑制端粒酶活性来治疗癌症的可能性．     

Targeting pancreatic cancer with a G-quadruplex ligand

The integrity of telomeres in most cancer cells is maintained by the action of the telomerase enzyme complex, which catalyzes the synthesis of telomeric DNA repeats in order to replace those lost during replication. Telomerase is especially up-regulated in metastatic cancer and is thus emerging as a major therapeutic target. One approach to telomerase inhibition involves the sequestration of the single-stranded 3' ends of telomeric DNA into higher-order quadruplex structures. We have recently shown that tetra-substituted naphthalene diimide compounds are potent quadruplex-stabilizing molecules with telomerase inhibitory activity in cells. We show here that one such compound, BMSG-SH-3, which has been optimized by computer modeling, has significant in vivo antitumor activity against a model for pancreatic cancer, a cancer that is especially resistant to current therapies. A large reduction in telomerase activity in treated tumors was observed and the naphthalene diimide compound was found to be selectively localized in the treated tumors. We find that the expression of the therapeutically important chaperone protein HSP90, a regulator of telomerase is also reduced in vivo by BMSG-SH-3 treatment. The compound is a potent stabilizer of two G-quadruplex sequences found in the promoter region of the HSP90 gene, as well as a G-quadruplex from human telomeric DNA. It is proposed that the simultaneous targeting of these quadruplexes may be an effective anti-tumor strategy.     

Enzymatic activity of endogenous telomerase associated with intact nuclei from human leukemia CEM cells.

Telomerase, a telomere-specific DNA polymerase and novel target for chemotherapeutic intervention, is found in many types of cancers. Telomerase activity is typically assayed using an exogenous primer and cellular extracts as the source of enzyme. Since the nuclear organization might affect telomerase function, we developed a system in which telomerase in intact nuclei catalyzes primer extension. Telomerase activity in isotonically isolated nuclei from human CEM cells shows low processivity (addition of up to four TTAGGG repeats). In contrast, telomerase activity which leaks into a 500 g postnuclear supernatant and the activity in a CHAPS extract are highly processive. The nucleotide inhibitor, 7-deaza-dGTP, seems to be more inhibitory against the nuclei-associated enzyme compared to telomerase from cytoplasmic extracts. However, 7-deaza-dATP and ddGTP are less inhibitory against nuclei-associated telomerase. The results suggest that the association of telomerase with the nuclear chromatin affects telomerase activity. Examination of telomerase activity in a more natural nuclear environment may shed new light on the telomerase function and provide a useful system for the evaluation of new telomerase inhibitors.     

Targeting human telomerase for cancer therapeutics

The enzyme telomerase is involved in the replication of telomeres, specialized structures that cap and protect the ends of chromosomes. Its activity is required for maintenance of telomeres and for unlimited lifespan, a hallmark of cancer cells. Telomerase is overexpressed in the vast majority of human cancer cells and therefore represents an attractive target for therapy. Several approaches have been developed to inhibit this enzyme through the targeting of its RNA or catalytic components as well as its DNA substrate, the single-stranded 3′-telomeric overhang. Telomerase inhibitors are chemically diverse and include modified oligonucleotides as well as small diffusable molecules, both natural and synthetic. This review presents an update of recent investigations pertaining to these agents and discusses their biological properties in the context of the initial paradigm that the exposure of cancer cells to these agents should lead to progressive telomere shortening followed by a delayed growth arrest response.     

人类造血细胞的端粒—端粒酶的研究进展

端粒和端粒酶是近年来生命科学的研究热点之一,端粒酶与肿瘤密切相关,作为特殊的肿瘤标记,已成为抗肿瘤治疗的新靶点。由于造血干细胞的特性,对正常及恶性造血细胞进行端粒－端粒酶的研究可为进一步探讨正常造血细胞的增殖、分化、成熟和凋亡的调控机制,以及恶性血液肿瘤的发病机理提供理论依据,为临床诊断和抗癌治疗提供新的思路和策略。     

Development of novel telomerase inhibitors based on a bisindole unit

Telomerase is the enzyme that elongates telomere repeat at the ends of a chromosome. As high telomerase activity is observed in most cancer cells, inhibitors of human telomerase have been expected as new chemotherapeutic agents for cancer. We describe here the discovery of novel inhibitors with IC50 values in the submicromolar range. The structure of the novel inhibitors will be useful as a scaffold for construction of the library in the search for telomerase inhibitors.     

Development patterns of telomerase activity in barley and maize

Eukaryotic chromosomes terminate with specialized structures called telomeres. Maintenance of chromosomal ends in most eukaryotes studied to date requires a specialized enzyme, telomerase. Telomerase has been shown to be developmentally regulated in man and a few other multicellular organisms, while it is constitutively expressed in unicellular eukaryotes. Recently, we demonstrated telomerase activity in plant extracts using the PCR-based TRAP (Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol) assay developed for human cells. Here we report telomerase activities in two grass species, barley and maize, using a modified, semi-quantitative TRAP assay. Telomerase was highly active in very young immature embryos and gradually declined during embryo development. The endosperm telomerase activity was detectable, but significantly lower than in the embryo and declined during kernel development with no detectable activity in later stages. Telomerase activity in dissected maize embryo axis was several orders of magnitude higher than in the scutellum. Telomerase activity was not detected in a range of differentiated tissues including those with active meristems such as root tips as well as the internode and leaf base. The role of telomerase repression during differentiation and the relationship between chromosome healing and telomerase activity is discussed.     

Changes in Telomerase Activity and Telomere Length during Human T Lymphocyte Senescence

It has been proposed that telomeres shorten with every cell cycle because the normal mechanism of DNA replication cannot replicate the end sequences of the lagging DNA strand. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that synthesizes telomeric DNA repeats at the DNA 3′ ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, can compensate for such shortening, by extending the template of the lagging strand. Telomerase activity has been identified in human germline cells and in neoplastic immortal somatic cells, but not in most normal somatic cells, which senesce after a certain number of cell divisions. We and others have found that telomerase activity is present in normal human lymphocytes and is upregulated when the cells are activated. But, unlike the immortal cell lines, presence of telomerase activity is not sufficient to make T cells immortal and telomeres from these cells shorten continuously duringin vitroculture. After senescence, telomerase activity, as detected by the TRAP technique, was downregulated. A cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cell line that was established in the laboratory has very short terminal restriction fragments (TRFs). Telomerase activity in this cell line is induced during activation and this activity is tightly correlated with cell proliferation. The level of telomerase activity in activated peripheral blood T cells, the CTL cell line, and two leukemia cell lines does not correlate with the average TRF length, suggesting that other factors besides telomerase activity are involved in the regulation of telomere length.     

Interaction of human telomerase with its primer substrate

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein responsible for maintaining the ends of linear chromosomes in nearly all eukaryotic cells. In humans, expression of the enzyme is limited primarily to the germ line and progenitor cell populations. In the absence of telomerase activity, telomeres shorten with each cell division until a critical length is reached, which can result in the cessation of cell division. The enzyme is required for cell immortality, and its activity has been detected in the vast majority of human tumors. Because of this, telomerase is an attractive target for inhibition in anticancer therapy. To learn more about the biochemistry of the human enzyme and its substrate recognition, we have examined the binding properties of single-stranded oligonucleotide primers that serve as telomerase substrates in vitro. We have used highly purified human enzyme and employed a two-primer method for determining the dissociation rates of these primers. Primers having sequence permutations of (TTAGGG)(3) were found to have considerably different affinities. They had t(1/2) values that ranged from 14 min to greater than 1200 min at room temperature. A primer ending in the GGG register formed the most stable complex with the enzyme. This particular register imparted stability to a nontelomeric primer resulting in a nearly 100-fold decrease in the k(off). We have found that interactions of telomerase with primer substrates are stabilized mainly by contacts with the protein subunit of the enzyme (hTERT). Base-pairing between the primer and the template region of telomerase contributes minimally to its stabilization.