寨卡病毒NS1的结构研究进展及其应用

寨卡病毒感染与小头畸形和神经系统并发症紧密相关,甚至可能损伤男性生殖系统,引起了全球性的关注,研究其结构和致病机制以及开发有效的诊断治疗方法成为当务之急。寨卡病毒的非结构蛋白NS1是病毒与宿主相互作用的重要蛋白,在病毒复制、发病机制及免疫逃逸中起着关键作用。本文总结了寨卡病毒NS1的空间精细结构,并将其与其它黄病毒NS1进行比较。本文也分析了寨卡病毒基于NS1的致病机理,总结了NS1在疾病诊断中的应用。     

探究黄热病毒NS1蛋白在感染早期的诊断价值

为了探讨黄热病毒(Yellow fever virus,YFV)非结构蛋白1(Nonstructural protein 1,NS1)在感染早期的诊断价值。颅内注射YFV-17D感染乳鼠,每日处死1窝,收集抗凝血。Vero细胞和C6/36细胞感染YFV-17D病毒后,每隔12h收集培养上清。分别采用荧光定量PCR和基于YFV NS1多克隆抗体的双抗体夹心酶联免疫(Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay,ELISA)方法检测感染后乳鼠血液、C6/36和Vero细胞上清中YFV的扩增情况和NS1蛋白的分泌规律。乳鼠感染YFV-17D后第2d在血清中即可检测到YFV NS1,第3d血液中检测到YFV核酸。敏感细胞株在感染YFV-17D后第36h培养上清中可检测到YFV NS1,而48h后才能检测到YFV核酸。YFV NS1蛋白具有作为YFV感染早期的诊断靶标的潜在价值。     

基因免疫制备西尼罗病毒NS5蛋白特异性单抗

研究了NS5蛋白在西尼罗病毒的特异性检测方面的应用及NS5在黄病毒复制中的作用机理。采用RT．PCR方法扩增了西尼罗病毒株的NS5基因片段,将其克隆至真核表达载体pVAX1,构建真核表达质粒。以重组质粒免疫BALB／c小鼠后取脾脏进行杂交瘤细胞融合,建立能稳定分泌西尼罗NS5单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株。构建了真核表达质粒pVAX1-WNV—NS5,免疫动物后获得了28289等4株稳定分泌特异性抗体的杂交瘤细胞株,均为IgM型。真核表达质粒免疫后成功地诱导了针对NS5蛋白的体液免疫应答,单抗特异性分析显示4株单抗与其他黄病毒存在一定交叉反应。     

NS3蛋白在黄病毒科病毒生命活动中的作用

黄病毒科病毒包括三个属,即黄病毒属(Flavivirus),瘟病毒属(Pestivirus)和丙型肝炎病毒属(Hepacivirus).这些病毒均能引起人和动物患严重疾病.黄病毒属黄热病毒(Yellow fever virus,YFV)、登革病毒(Dengue virus,DEN)能引起发烧、出血,患者死亡率极高,瘟病毒属牛腹泻病毒(Bovine viral diarrhea petivirus, BVDV)、猪瘟病毒(Classical swine fever virus, CSFV)等能引起其各自宿主家畜患严重疾病.近年来,又发现丙型肝炎病毒(Hepatitis C virus, HCV)与人类原发性肝癌和肝硬化密切相关.然而,目前仍没有对各种黄病毒科病毒有效的治疗方法.尤其是近年来干扰素对丙型肝炎治疗的疗效低,反复率高,使得研究更为有效的抗病毒药物成为各种病毒疾病治疗中亟待解决的问题之一.在BVDV的研究中发现,当非结构蛋白NS3蛋白与NS2蛋白一起以复合物的形式存在时,病毒对其寄主是非致病性的;而当NS3蛋白独立地存在时,病毒颗粒是致病性的[1].这提示NS3蛋白很可能与病毒的致病性密切相关.而且,序列分析表明非结构蛋白NS3(nonstructure protein 3)是黄病毒科病毒中最为保守的非结构蛋白.后来许多研究证明NS3蛋白参与蛋白质水解加工,以及病毒的复制,对病毒的生命循环是必需的.因此,NS3蛋白成为了人们研究的一个热点.     

2019新型冠状病毒感染血清学检测的临床和公共卫生意义探讨

目前对2019新型冠状病毒感染的病原体确诊主要依靠病毒核酸检测,但各种原因所致核酸检测灵敏度低的问题成为疫情防控的瓶颈。病毒核酸检测结合血清学检测可在维持特异性的前提下明显提高检测灵敏度,具有重要的临床和公共卫生价值。     

黄病毒NS2B-NS3pro蛋白酶的结构研究进展

黄病毒能引起严重的人类疾病,但是并无特定药物来治疗病毒感染。黄病毒非结构蛋白NS3的N端区域及其辅因子NS2B构成蛋白酶,该酶切割病毒的多聚蛋白形成成熟的结构蛋白和非结构蛋白来帮助病毒完成增殖过程。NS2B-NS3pro蛋白酶在黄病毒生命周期中起关键的作用,使之成为抗病毒药物研发的重要靶标。本文综述了黄病毒属中寨卡病毒、登革热病毒、西尼罗病毒的NS2B-NS3pro蛋白酶结构的研究进展,并介绍了相关抑制剂与蛋白酶形成的复合物结构,以期为研发抗黄病毒药物提供必要的参考。     

广东省三株蚊媒黄病毒的鉴定和系统进化分析

为了解广东省蚊媒病毒的种类和分子特征,本研究对从蚊子中分离的三株黄病毒提取病毒核酸并进行二代测序,经序列拼接和比对,基因组序列中缺失的gap通过RT-PCR进行扩增填补。用MEGA软件登录GenBank下载黄病毒代表株序列并绘制进化树,同时用ClustalW2软件与新毒株进行氨基酸同源性比对和编码框序列的分析。结果显示利用二代测序技术获得了三株病毒基因组序列的96.35%～98.26%,并用RT-PCR成功补齐所有gap,序列比对显示其中一株与黄斑库蚊病毒核苷酸和氨基酸同源性98.51%,两株病毒与广平病毒的核苷酸同源性分别为97.30%和89.78%。三株病毒都属于黄病毒家族中的未分类黄病毒或昆虫特异性黄病毒,编码区序列中C蛋白的同源性最低,NS5的同源性最高。本研究发现的三株蚊媒黄病毒中,库蚊黄斑病毒在国内为首次鉴定;两株广平病毒核苷酸同源性存在较大差异,可能存在不同基因亚型。     

辽宁发现库蚊黄病毒

2011年从辽宁省丹东地区蚊虫样品中分离到6株病毒,采用逆转录-聚合酶链式扩增(RT-PCR)检测方法,结果黄病毒属通用引物和库蚊黄病毒特异性引物均为阳性。6株病毒核苷酸序列经基因库(GenBank)比对后,证实6株病毒为库蚊黄病毒,为我国首次报道。将病毒NS5基因和E基因核苷酸序列与GenBank中10株库蚊黄病毒参考毒株核苷酸序列进行比较,并构建遗传进化树,结果显示本次分离的6株病毒与美国和日本的毒株亲缘关系较近。     

H5N1亚型禽流感病毒NS1基因在昆虫细胞中的表达

将H5N1亚型禽流感病毒（AIV）NS1基因插入到杆状病毒转移载体pFastBac1中,获得重组转移载体pFastBac1- NS1。将pFastBac1- NS1转化到DH10Bac感受态细胞中,筛选到重组转座子rBacmid-NS1。在脂质体转染试剂介导下将rBacmid-NS1转染对数生长期的Sf9昆虫细胞获得重组杆状病毒rBV-NS1。rBV-NS1感染Sf9细胞后,通过SDS-PAGE、Western blot和ELISA分析表明：获得了分子量为26ku的特异性NS1蛋白;并且该蛋白可与H5N1 AIV攻毒鸭的血清发生特异性免疫反应,而不能与H5N1AIV灭活疫苗免疫鸭的血清发生反应。试验结果表明：NS1在Sf9昆虫细胞中获得了高效表达,具有与天然蛋白相似的免疫活性,并可以作为区分免疫及自然感染个体的鉴别诊断抗原。本实验为建立禽流感病毒自然感染家禽与禽流感灭活苗免疫家禽的鉴别诊断方法奠定基础。     

丙型肝炎病毒NS3蛋白的原核表达及多克隆抗体制备

提高对丙型肝炎患者实验室检测的灵敏度和特异性,对相关人群进行筛查和早期诊断,是控制丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)流行与传播的有效措施。为了建立更为可靠的HCV诊断方法,通过采用PCR方法从J6/JFH12a型病毒中克隆出HCV ns3基因片段,将其连接到p ET-28a载体上,重组载体p ET-28a-ns3转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)后诱导表达,以10%SDS-PAGE进行鉴定,获得表达的NS3重组蛋白分子量为72 k Da。将纯化的NS3蛋白免疫BALB/c小鼠,第4次免疫后采集血液并分离血清进行抗体活性鉴定,小鼠抗体效价为1∶256 000。进一步的Western blotting和间接免疫荧光结果显示,以重组NS3蛋白免疫小鼠制备的多克隆抗体可以很好地识别HCV感染Huh7.5.1细胞中的NS3蛋白,为下一步开展单克隆抗体制备和检测试剂盒研制工作奠定了基础。     

细胞色素P450 1A1和1B1靶向抗肿瘤前药研究进展

细胞色素P450（CYP）能催化各种内源性及外源性化合物的代谢,与多种肿瘤发生有关。其中CYP1A1参与多种前致癌物和致突变物的代谢活化,CYP1B1被认为在许多人癌细胞中特异性表达,参与药物的氧化代谢和前药的活化。CYP1A1和181已成为靶向抗肿瘤前药研究的新靶点。相继有大量相关研究报道,本文就近年来文献报道的CYP1A1和1B1靶向抗肿瘤前药研究进展。     

Association of SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 polymorphisms with breast cancer risk and phenotypes in Russian women

Estrogens are critical for breast cancer initiation and development. Sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) conjugate and inactivate both estrogens and their metabolites, thus preventing estrogen-mediated mitosis and mutagenesis. SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 are both polymorphic, and different alleles encode functionally different allozymes. We hypothesize that low-activity alleles SULT1A1*2 and UGT1A1*28 are associated with higher risk for breast cancer and more severe breast tumor phenotypes. We performed a case-control study, which included 119 women of Russian ancestry with breast cancer and 121 age-matched Russian female controls. We used PCR followed by pyrosequencing to determine the SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 genotypes. Allele UGT1A1*28 was present at a higher frequency than the wild-type UGT1A1*1 allele in breast cancer patients as compared to controls (P = 0.002, OR = 1.79, CI 1.23–2.63). Consistently, the frequency of genotypes that contain allele UGT1A1*28 in the homozygous or the heterozygous state was greater in breast cancer patients as compared with the frequency of the wild-type UGT1A1*1/*1 genotype (P = 0.003, OR = 4.00, CI 1.49–11.11 and P = 0.014, OR = 2.04, CI 1.14–3.57, respectively). Individuals carrying allele UGT1A1*28 in the homo-or heterozygous state had larger breast tumors (>2 cm) as compared to the group with high-activity genotypes (P = 0.011, IR = 3.44, CI 1.42–8.36). No association was observed between any of the SULT1A1 genotypes and breast cancer risk or phenotypes. Our data suggest that UGT1A1, but not SULT1A1, genotypes are important for breast cancer risk and phenotype in Russian women. Published in Russian in Molekulyarnaya Biologiya, 2006, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 263–270. The article was translated by the authors.     

NPC1L1:固醇脂质吸收的关键蛋白质

NPC1L1是最近发现的一种与NPC1同源的蛋白质。在体内的分布有物种差异性,其亚细胞定位存在很大争议。近些年发现NPC1L1在固醇类脂质代谢途径中起着重要作用,是肠道吸收固醇类脂质尤其是胆固醇的关键蛋白质,这项新发现使得人们对固醇类脂质的吸收机制有了了解。高胆固醇血症是心血管系统疾病的一个高危因子,因此,对NPC1L1的研究具有重大的实际意义,正逐渐成为研究的热点。     

Isolation and Characterization of Ubiquitin-activating Enzyme E1-domain Containing 1, UBE1DC1

Ubiquitin and other ubiquitin-like proteins play important roles in post-translational modification. They are phylogenetically well-conserved in eukaryotes. Activated by other proteins, ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins can covalently modify target proteins. The enzymes responsible for the activation of this modification have been known to include UBA1, SAE2, UBA3, SAE1 and ULA1. Here we report a new ubiquitin activating enzyme like cDNA, named ubiquitin activating enzyme E1-domain containing 1 (UBE1DC1), whose cDNA is 2654 base pairs in length and contains an open reading frame encoding 404 amino acids. The UBE1DC1 gene consists of 12 exons and is located at human chromosome 3q22. The result of RT-PCR showed that UBE1DC1 is expressed in most of human tissues. These two authors contributed equally to this paper. The nucleotide sequence reported in this paper has been submitted to GenBank under accession number AY253672.     

Upregulation of MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 lncRNAs in non-functioning pituitary adenoma

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to be dysregulated in a variety of malignant and non-malignant lesions including non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). In the current experimental study, we have selected six lncRNAs, namely MAPKAPK5-AS1, NUTM2B-AS1, ST7-AS1, LIFR-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 to assess their expression in a cohort of Iranian patients with NFPA. MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 were shown to be over-expressed in NFPA tissues compared with control samples (Expression ratios (95% CI) = 10 (3.94–25.36), 11.22 (4.3–28.8) and 9.33 (4.12–21.12); p values < 0.0001, respectively). The depicted ROC curves showed the AUC values of 0.73, 0.80 and 0.73 for MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1, respectively. Relative expression level of PXN-AS1 was associated with tumour subtype (p value = 0.49). Besides, relative expression levels of MAPKAPK5-AS1 and LIFR-AS1 were associated with gender of patients (p values = 0.043 and 0.01, respectively). Cumulatively, the current study indicates the possible role of MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of NFPAs.     

Bmi1 cooperates with Dnmt1-associated protein 1 in gene silencing

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are involved in gene silencing through chromatin modifications. Among polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs), PRC1 exhibits H2A-K119 ubiquitin E3 ligase activity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PRC1-mediated gene silencing remain largely obscure. In this study, we found that Bmi1 directly interacts with Dnmt-associated protein 1 (Dmap1), which has been characterized to associate with the maintenance DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt1. Bmi1 was demonstrated to form a ternary complex with Dmap1 and Dnmt1 with Dmap1 in the central position. Chromatin immunoprecipitations confirmed the ternary complex formation within the context of the PRC1 at the Bmi1 target loci. Loss of Dmap1 binding to the Bmi1 target loci was tightly associated with derepressed gene expression in Bmi1-/- cells. Dmap1 knockdown exhibited the same impact as Bmi1 knockout did on the expression of Bmi1 targets, including Hox genes. Collectively, our findings suggest that Bmi1 incorporates Dmap1 in polycomb gene silencing.     

Acid-dependent Interleukin-1 (IL-1) Cleavage Limits Available Pro-IL-1β for Caspase-1 Cleavage

Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (stroke and heart attack), cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and are worsened by inflammation. IL-1 is a driver of inflammation and implicated in many noncommunicable diseases. Acidosis is also a key feature of the inflammatory microenvironment; therefore it is vital to explore IL-1 signaling under acidic conditions. A HEK-IL-1 reporter assay and brain endothelial cell line were used to explore activity of mature IL-1α and IL-1β at pH 7.4 and pH 6.2, an acidic pH that can be reached under inflammatory or ischemic conditions, alongside cathepsin D-cleaved 20-kDa IL-1β produced under acidic conditions. We report that mature IL-1 signaling at IL-1 receptor type 1 (IL-1R1) is maintained at pH 6.2, but the activity of the decoy receptor, IL-1R2, is reduced. Additionally, cathepsin D-cleaved 20-kDa IL-1β was minimally active at IL-1R1 and was not further cleaved to highly active 17-kDa IL-1β. Therefore formation of the 20-kDa form of IL-1β may prevent the generation of mature bioactive IL-1β and thus may limit inflammation.