核开关结构、机制及应用新进展

核开关(riboswitch)是Breaker等在2002年发现的一种全新的转录后调节机制．它可以通过小分子与mRNA结合来直接调控基因的表达,不需要任何蛋白质的参与．与常见的经由蛋白质的调控方式相比,riboswitch响应更迅速,对细胞内代谢物的变化更敏感．它的发现为RNA研究展示了新的领域． 目前在这个领域,既有基础研究,如riboswitch晶体结构解析、作用机制和动力学研究,又有前沿应用研究,如基于riboswitch的生物传感器和药物设计．Topp等通过设计riboswitch成功地改变了大肠杆菌的趋化性,这为合成生物学和人工生物网络的设计提供了新思路．目前对于riboswitch结构、机制及动力学的研究为基于riboswitch的合理药物设计奠定了基础,有望针对这一新的机制开发新一代抗菌药物．     

核糖开关及其在抗菌药物方面的研究进展

核糖开关是一类与核酸、氨基酸、金属离子、糖类衍生物以及辅酶等特异性配体结合的RNA元件,它与配体结合后通过调控相应下游的基因表达起到控制细胞生命及活动的作用。目前核糖开关是基因调控方面的研究热点,应用于大量筛选工程菌株、构建新型生物传感器以及作为抗菌药作用的新靶点。综述了几种主要的核糖开关(如:嘌呤核糖开关、赖氨酸核糖开关、环二鸟苷酸核糖开关、glm S核糖开关、TPP核糖开关、FMN核糖开关等)在抗菌药物靶点方面的研究进展。     

一个用于黄单胞菌核开关筛选鉴定的GUS报告载体的构建

核开关(riboswitch)是存在于信使RNA(messenger RNA, mRNA)分子的5′非翻译区(5′-untranslated region, 5′UTR)的一段具有调控功能的RNA片段,它通过与特定的代谢物分子直接结合来调控所在mRNA自身的表达。核开关广泛存在于细菌中,在调控细菌的基础代谢以及致病等生理过程中发挥非常重要的作用。尽管目前在大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)等模式细菌中已经鉴定了许多核开关,然而,至今在重要的植物病原细菌黄单胞菌属(Xanthomonas)细菌中只鉴定了1个核开关。为了实现在全基因组水平上对黄单胞菌的核开关进行高通量筛选鉴定,本研究设计和构建了1个β-葡萄糖苷酸酶(β-glucuronidase, GUS)报告载体pL3-SD⁺gusA。该载体既适用于在黄单胞菌属细菌中对候选的核开关进行验证,也可以通过构建基因组DNA表达文库而实现对黄单胞菌核开关的高通量筛选鉴定。     

拟南芥EBP1蛋白与RNA相互作用的初步研究

基因表达调控是现代分子生物学研究的热点话题,随着研究手段的不断成熟,其RNA转录后调控已成为备受关注的领域。RNA结合蛋白(RBPs)是转录后调控的关键因子,参与RNA可变剪切、RNA稳定、翻译等多个过程的调控。ErbB3绑定蛋白(EBP1)是结构功能高度保守的RNA结合蛋白,可与rRNA、tRNA、mRNA等多种RNA结合,参与调控核糖体生物生成、蛋白质翻译多个过程,但目前已报道的靶RNA甚少,对靶RNA的作用机制目前仍不清楚。通过生物信息学分析发现拟南芥EBP1结合RNA的保守结构域,并在体外可直接结合"GUCUCUCACUGCGACGGCUU"序列;通过RNA免疫共沉淀实验找到了3个靶mRNA(AT1G24792、AT3G25211、AT3G24320);结合核糖体提取及虫草素处理实验发现EBP1可显著调控特定靶mRNA的稳定性及其翻译速率。研究结果不仅证实拟南芥EBP1具有结合RNA的功能,还显示其参与调控靶RNA的转录后事件,为进一步研究EBP1在转录后调控的生物学机制奠定基础。     

circRNA在病毒感染及相关疾病诊断中的研究进展

环状RNA(circular RNA,circRNA)是一种新型非编码RNA,由mRNA在转录后加工过程中反向剪接形成。不同于线性RNA,circRNA是以共价键连接形成的闭合环状结构,缺少5?末端帽子和3?末端poly(A)尾巴结构。circRNA可作为miRNA(microRNA)的分子海绵,也可在细胞发生过程中发挥多种功能。此外,circRNA在机体免疫调控过程中也扮演了重要角色,参与了多种疾病的发生发展,因此对circRNA的深入探索可为治疗人类疾病提供重要的理论依据。该文就circRNA的生物合成、分类和功能作综述,重点讨论circRNA对病毒感染的调控机制以及circRNA作为病毒检测标记物和药物靶点的研究进展,从而为病毒性疾病的诊断提供新的参考依据和方向。     

RNA结合蛋白Sam68及其功能

细胞通过基因表达调控来应对外界刺激,其中影响mRNA稳定性及翻译效率的转录后调控发挥重要作用。RNA结合蛋白(RNA binding proteins, RBPs)是介导转录后调控的重要分子,Sam68（SRC associated in mitosis of 68 kD）是集信号转导特性与RNA激活功能于一身的RNA结合蛋白,参与转录、可变剪接及核输出等mRNA 的代谢过程,且Sam68可通过信号通路参与细胞应答、细胞周期调控和疾病发生等。最新研究表明,Sam68可通过非编码RNAs(noncoding RNA, ncRNAs)参与表观遗传、转录与转录后调控。本文在介绍Sam68结构和转录后修饰的基础上,着重讨论Sam68在信号转导、可变剪接、ncRNAs代谢、疾病发生等方面的最新研究进展。     

染色质结构与mRNA可变剪接

mRNA的可变剪接(alternative splicing)是一种由一个mRNA前体(pre-mRNA)通过不同的剪接方式产生多个mRNA变异体(variants)的RNA加工过程。在过去很长一段时间里,人们认为mRNA剪接过程是独立于转录过程的一个转录后RNA加工过程。然而,越来越多的实验证明mRNA剪接在很大程度上是与转录偶联发生的。因此,剪接调控会受到与转录相关因素的调控。本文将对染色质与mRNA剪接调控的相关性和染色质结构调控可变剪接的分子机制进行阐述。     

细菌RNA聚合酶亚单位研究进展

细菌的转录过程是一个由多种分子共同调控的复杂过程,其中RNA聚合酶(RNA polymerase,RNAP)是催化转录合成RNA的重要酶.作为RNAP中一个独立的亚单位,σ因子(sigma factor)在转录起始过程中起着至关重要的作用.最近的研究表明σ因子参与了转录起始的各个过程,包括启动子的定位、启动子的解链、起始RNA合成、脱离启动子等过程.由于其在细菌转录过程中的重要作用,σ因子正在成为抗菌药物研究的新靶点.本文对σ因子的结构、分类、功能以及以它为中心的调控网络的研究进行综述.     

P小体的研究进展

P小体(processing bodies)即mRNA处理小体,它是一种富含了多种功能相关蛋白以及RNA的胞浆集合体(cytoplasmic foci)。研究表明这种胞浆结构与mRNA的降解过程以及RNA干扰介导的转录后基因沉默效应有关,另外,它还参与了细胞增殖和细胞周期以及宿主的抗病毒感染能力的调控。     

甲基化寡聚核苷酸作为靶基因抑制剂的研究进展

反义RNA对靶基因的抑制作用近来越来越受到人们的重视,这是因为反义RNA能在分子水平上有效地抑制有害的靶基因表达,为发展新一代治疗药物提供了可靠的理论基础。当反义RNA和靶mRNA的起始编码区(initiation coding region)互补结合或和一个靶mRNA前体的拼接区(splicing junction)互补结合形成三螺旋结构(triple stranded complexes),则这个mRNA的翻译或mRNA前体的拼接加工将被抑制,最后阻断这些靶基因正常表达。故反义RNA既可作为遗传分析的强有力的工具又可促进发展新一代基因型治疗试剂。因此,     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.