日本鳗鲡肝脏表达抗菌肽2基因的克隆与表达

为探讨鱼类抗菌肽基因的生物学功能,研究应用RACE方法克隆获得了日本鳗鲡 (Anguilla japonica) 肝脏表达抗菌肽2基因 (Liver-Expressed Antimicrobial Peptide 2,LEAP-2),即AJLEAP-2的cDNA序列,全长为450 bp,开放阅读框编码89个氨基酸。其成熟肽含有LEAP-2保守基序C-X5-C-X4-C-X4-C。AJLEAP-2基因组结构与其他脊椎动物LEAP-2相同,都包含有三个外显子。利用荧光定量PCR检测了AJLEAP-2在日本鳗鲡不同组织/器官中的表达,发现其转录子在肝脏中表达量最高,是内参基因 (-actin) 的6倍; 其次是肠道,但其表达量仅为肝脏的1/130。此外,还检测了AJLEAP-2在日本鳗鲡玻璃鳗(Glass eel)阶段的转录表达水平,结果显示,玻璃鳗中AJLEAP-2的转录表达量仅低于黑仔期的肝脏,为黑仔鳗肠道表达量的2倍。LPS和迟缓爱德华菌 (Edwardsiella tarda) 刺激能显著上调鳗鲡血液中AJLEAP-2的转录表达,刺激16h后上调倍数最高,分别为对照组的86倍和12倍。此外,LPS刺激72h和E. tarda 刺激8h后,肠道中AJLEAP-2显著上调表达(P0.05),为对照组的8倍。Poly I:C刺激24h后,血液中AJLEAP-2转录表达显著下调。结果表明,AJLEAP-2在日本鳗鲡抗细菌感染过程中起重要的作用。     

Structure of the human ubiquitin fusion gene Uba80 (RPS27a) and one of its pseudogenes

Ubiquitin is a highly conserved 76 amino acid protein that is generated in the cell by proteolysis of larger proteins containing either polyubiquitin chains or ubiquitin fused to carboxyl extension proteins (CEPs). In humans, the two human ubiquitin-CEP genes are Uba80 and Uba52, which code for ubiquitin fused to ribosomal protein S27a and L40, respectively. Working from a recently generated physical map of human chromosome 2p16, we determined the genetic and physical location and the genomic structure of the Uba80 gene in its entirety. A comparison of Uba80 to Uba52 revealed that the two genes share a conserved 5'-end structure, but that the structure of the ubiquitin coding regions was not conserved. Analysis of 400 bp of the promoter of Uba80 revealed strong similarity not only to the Uba52 promoter, but also to the other known human ribosomal gene promoters that have been identified to date. Homology searches also detected the presence of a pseudogene for Uba80, and the structure of this sequence feature is also reported.     

Ubiquitin--conserved protein or selfish gene?

The posttranslational modifier ubiquitin is encoded by a multigene family containing three primary members, which yield the precursor protein polyubiquitin and two ubiquitin moieties, Ub(L40) and Ub(S27), that are fused to the ribosomal proteins L40 and S27, respectively. The gene encoding polyubiquitin is highly conserved and, until now, those encoding Ub(L40) and Ub(S27) have been generally considered to be equally invariant. The evolution of the ribosomal ubiquitin moieties is, however, proving to be more dynamic. It seems that the genes encoding Ub(L40) and Ub(S27) are actively maintained by homologous recombination with the invariant polyubiquitin locus. Failure to recombine leads to deterioration of the sequence of the ribosomal ubiquitin moieties in several phyla, although this deterioration is evidently constrained by the structural requirements of the ubiquitin fold. Only a few amino acids in ubiquitin are vital for its function, and we propose that conservation of all three ubiquitin genes is driven not only by functional properties of the ubiquitin protein, but also by the propensity of the polyubiquitin locus to act as a 'selfish gene'.     

粘虫核糖体蛋白S7 cDNA的克隆和表达分析

运用RT-PCR和RACE技术克隆了粘虫Mythimna separata(Walker)核糖体蛋白S7基因(RPS7)的全长cDNA序列(GenBank登录号:JN582331),并对其进行生物信息学分析。结果表明,粘虫RPS7全长cDNA序列为762 bp,包括5'非编码区32 bp和3'非编码区67 bp。其开放阅读框(573 bp)编码190氨基酸肽链,具有核糖蛋白S7e蛋白家族典型特征。该肽链理论分子量为21.924 ku,等电点为9.82,富含4种类型的特定功能位点。该蛋白序列与其他动物RPS蛋白序列具有96.8%～98.2%高度同源性。应用荧光实时定量技术建立了粘虫脑部胚后发育RPS7表达模式。RPS7表达量随胚后发育脑部重建呈现出动态变化,这一结果显示RPS7是在转录水平上呈现发育性调节。     

Streptococcus pneumoniae recruits complement factor H through the amino terminus of CbpA

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a human pathogen, is naturally capable of colonizing the upper airway and sometimes disseminating to remote tissue sites. Previous studies have shown that S. pneumoniae is able to evade complement-mediated innate immunity by recruiting complement factor H (FH), a complement alternative pathway inhibitor. Pneumococcal binding to FH has been attributed to choline-binding protein A (CbpA) of S. pneumoniae and its allelic variants, all of which are surface-exposed proteins. In this study, we sought to determine the molecular basis of the CbpA-FH binding interaction. Initial deletional analysis of the CbpA protein in strain D39 (capsular serotype 2) revealed that the N-terminal region of 89 amino acids in the mature CbpA protein is required for FH binding. Immunofluorescence microscopy analysis showed that this region of CbpA is also necessary for FH deposition to the surface of the intact pneumococci. Moreover, recombinant proteins representing the 104 amino acids of the N-terminal CbpA alone was sufficient for high affinity binding to FH (KD < 1 nm). The FH binding activity was finally localized to a 12-amino acid motif in the N-terminal CbpA by peptide mapping. Further kinetic analysis suggested that additional amino acids downstream of the 12-amino acid motif provide necessary structural or conformational support for the CbpA-FH interaction. The 12-amino acid motif and its adjacent regions contain highly conserved residues among various CbpA alleles, suggesting that this region may mediate FH binding in multiple pneumococcal strains.     

Molecular cloning of calnexin and calreticulin in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and its expression in response to air exposure

Calnexin (CNX) and calreticulin (CRT) are endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones. CNX is a type I transmembrane protein and CRT is a soluble CNX homologue. In the ER, CNX and CRT are important for Ca(2+) homeostasis and protein maturation. Here, we describe the full-length cDNA of the first mollusk CNX (cgCNX) and a second mollusk CRT (cgCRT) from the oyster Crassostrea gigas. CgCNX, containing 3255bp, was composed of a 1764bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a 588-amino acid protein. CgCRT, containing 1727bp, was composed of a 1242bp ORF that encodes a 414-amino acid protein. CgCNX and cgCRT contains an N-terminal 21- and 16-amino acid sequence, respectively, which is characteristic of a signal sequence. At the C-terminus, cgCRT also contains the KDEL (-Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) peptide motif suggesting that cgCRT localizes in the ER. Northern blot analysis showed that both cgCNX and cgCRT mRNAs are induced by air exposure. The expression patterns of cgCNX mRNA differed from those of cgCRT during air exposure. This suggests that these two molecular chaperones have different roles in the response to air exposure.     

The NMR solution structure of the 30S ribosomal protein S27e encoded in gene RS27_ARCFU of Archaeoglobus fulgidis reveals a novel protein fold

The Archaeoglobus fulgidis gene RS27_ARCFU encodes the 30S ribosomal protein S27e. Here, we present the high-quality NMR solution structure of this archaeal protein, which comprises a C4 zinc finger motif of the CX(2)CX(14-16)CX(2)C class. S27e was selected as a target of the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (target ID: GR2), and its three-dimensional structure is the first representative of a family of more than 116 homologous proteins occurring in eukaryotic and archaeal cells. As a salient feature of its molecular architecture, S27e exhibits a beta-sandwich consisting of two three-stranded sheets with topology B(decreasing), A(increasing), F(decreasing), and C(increasing), D(decreasing), E(increasing). Due to the uniqueness of the arrangement of the strands, the resulting fold was found to be novel. Residues that are highly conserved among the S27 proteins allowed identification of a structural motif of putative functional importance; a conserved hydrophobic patch may well play a pivotal role for functioning of S27 proteins, be it in archaeal or eukaryotic cells. The structure of human S27, which possesses a 26-residue amino-terminal extension when compared with the archaeal S27e, was modeled on the basis of two structural templates, S27e for the carboxy-terminal core and the amino-terminal segment of the archaeal ribosomal protein L37Ae for the extension. Remarkably, the electrostatic surface properties of archaeal and human proteins are predicted to be entirely different, pointing at either functional variations among archaeal and eukaryotic S27 proteins, or, assuming that the function remained invariant, to a concerted evolutionary change of the surface potential of proteins interacting with S27.     

The budding yeast homolog of the human EBNA1-binding protein 2 (Ebp2p) is an essential nucleolar protein required for pre-rRNA processing

The human EBP2 protein was found by two-hybrid analysis to interact with the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1). Homologs of human EBP2 can be found in Caenorhabditis elegans, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and they all share a conserved 200-300-amino acid block of residues at their C termini. To understand the cellular function of EBP2, we have begun to study the protein in S. cerevisiae. The yeast Ebp2 protein contains N-terminal, nucleolar-associated KKE motifs, and deletion analysis reveals that the C-terminal conserved region is required for the activity of the protein. The EBP2 gene codes for an essential protein that localizes to the nucleolus. Temperature-sensitive ebp2-1 mutants become depleted of ribosomes and cease to divide after several generations at the restrictive temperature of 36 degrees C. This decline in ribosome levels is accompanied by a diminution in the levels of the 35 S-derived recombinant RNAs (rRNAs) (in particular the 25 S and 5.8 S rRNAs). Pulse-chase, Northern, and primer extension analysis of the rRNA biosynthetic pathway indicates that ebp2-1 mutants are defective in processing the 27 SA precursor into the 27 SB pre-rRNA.     

Structural insights into endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT-I) recognition of ubiquitinated proteins

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT-I) is a 350-kDa complex of three proteins, Vps23, Vps28, and Vps37. The N-terminal ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 variant (UEV) domain of Vps23 is required for sorting ubiquitinated proteins into the internal vesicles of multivesicular bodies. UEVs are homologous to E2 ubiquitin ligases but lack the conserved cysteine residue required for catalytic activity. The crystal structure of the yeast Vps23 UEV in a complex with ubiquitin (Ub) shows the detailed interactions made with the bound Ub. Compared with the solution structure of the Tsg101 UEV (the human homologue of Vps23) in the absence of Ub, two loops that are conserved among the ESCRT-I UEVs move toward each other to grip the Ub in a pincer-like grasp. The contacts with the UEV encompass two adjacent patches on the surface of the Ub, one containing several hydrophobic residues, including Ile-8(Ub), Ile-44(Ub), and Val-70(Ub), and the second containing a hydrophilic patch including residues Asn-60(Ub), Gln-62(Ub), Glu-64(Ub). The hydrophobic Ub patch interacting with the Vps23 UEV overlaps the surface of Ub interacting with the Vps27 ubiquitin-interacting motif, suggesting a sequential model for ubiquitinated cargo binding by these proteins. In contrast, the hydrophilic patch encompasses residues uniquely interacting with the ESCRT-I UEV. The structure provides a detailed framework for design of mutants that can specifically affect ESCRT-I-dependent sorting of ubiquitinated cargo without affecting Vps27-mediated delivery of cargo to endosomes.