TGF-β家族信号的细胞内传导蛋白:SMAD蛋白家族

SMADs是新近发现的参与TGFβ超家族的信号在细胞内传导的一族蛋白,包括8个成员,分别称SMAD1～8。SMAD1、2、3、5和8属于一类,它们被TGFβ的受体或BMP的受体激活而磷酸化,称为受体调节SMAD,传导TGFβ或BMP的信号。SMAD6和7属于另一类,它们抑制受体调节SMAD的信号传导。SMAD4是第三类,它是受体调节SMAD传导信号的伴侣。受体调节SMAD传导信号必须先与SMAD4结合形成异源复合物,才能进到核中,调节转录活动 。     

TGF—β家族信号的细胞内传导蛋白：MAD蛋白家族

ＳＭＡＤｓ是新近发现的参与ＴＧＦ－β超家族的信号在细胞内声望地的一族蛋白,包括８个成员,分别称ＳＭＡＤ１－８。ＳＭＡＤ１、２、３、５和８属于一类,它们被ＴＧＦ－β的受体或ＢＭＰ的受体激活而磷酸化,称为受体调节ＳＭＡＤ,传导下ＴＧＦ－β或ＢＭＰ的信号。ＳＭＡＤ６和７属于另一类,它们抑制制受体调节ＳＭＡＤ的信号传导。ＳＭＡＤ４是第三类,它是受体调节ＳＭＡＤ传导信号的伴侣。受体调节ＳＭＡＤ传导信号必须先     

Smads基因功能的研究进展

转化生长因子 -β( TGF-β)超家族通过调节细胞的增殖、分化、移行和凋亡而在脊椎动物发育过程中起重要的作用 . SMAD家族是一类新发现的 TGF-β信号的细胞质内介导者 ,它们可将TGF- β信号直接从细胞膜转导入细胞核内 .受体激活的 SMADs被特导性的细胞表面受体磷酸化后 ,与通用介导分子 SMAD4相互作用形成异源三聚体 ,转移至细胞核内并激活靶基因的转录 .抑制型 SMADs通过负反馈途径阻断或减弱 TGF- β信号 .SMADs通过与 TGF- β配体应答的启动子序列及其它转录因子和辅助活化因子相互作用而调节转录 .通过同源重组在小鼠中定位敲除Smads基因的研究已经开始揭示 SMADs分子在脊椎动物发育过程中的功能 .     

转化生长因子-β族信号的转导

TGF-β族细胞因子通过各自信号转导产生多种生物学效应,其基本过程是：信号沿TGF-β族配体→受体→SMAD蛋白→转录因子→DNA表达的次序转导.在TGF-β族各因子刺激各自具有蛋白激酶活性的两型膜受体时,各因子先结合Ⅱ型受体,结合配体的Ⅱ型受体再激活Ⅰ型受体.活化的I型受体磷酸化通路特异性SMAD,后者与公用性SMAD结合后从胞浆移至核内,核内SMAD通过与转录因子结合和直接与DNA结合调节基因的表达.     

BMP-1及BMP家族在背-腹轴图式形成中的作用

骨形态发生蛋白（bone morphogenetic proteins, BMPs）是一类在发育过程中起重要作用的分子。除BMP-1外,其他BMP分子均属于转化生长因子-β（transforming growth factor-β, TGF-β）/BMP超家族的发育信号分子。在胚胎发育过程中,这些信号分子通过形成浓度梯度对背—腹轴各向异性分化进行调控。它们借助细胞表面受体的识别进行信号传导,参与调控细胞分化、增殖等活动。而BMP-1则属于细胞外基质金属蛋白酶超家族中的Tolloid蛋白酶家族。BMP-1通过水解其他BMP的抑制物（如脊索发生素,Chordin）,达到促进其他BMP信号传导的目的。BMP-1、BMP和Chordin三者通过相互制约与相互促进等一系列作用,在背—腹沿线建立起稳定的BMP信号梯度。本文就BMP浓度梯度的形成及其稳态维持的机制进行回顾与总结。并在此基础上,对各个物种间BMP浓度梯度形成机制的异同,以及可能存在的协同进化进行比较、分析和讨论。     

TRAF4介导TGF-β信号通路的激活并可作为乳腺癌发生的生物学检测指标

TGF-β受体所介导的信号在肿瘤发生的后期具有促进肿瘤发展的作用,这一作用被视为掌控乳腺癌细胞转移的主要调节因素.哺乳动物细胞中存在6种不同类型的肿瘤坏死因子受体(TNFR)相关因子(TRAF1~TRAF6),其中TRAF4的功能在过去的研究中并未被广泛证实.尽管大量研究已表明,TRAF4在肿瘤发生时高度表达,但其涉及的致癌机制仍未知.本文旨在阐述TRAF4参与调控TGF-β诱导发生的下游SMAD依赖型和SMAD非依赖型的2条TGF-β信号通路在乳腺癌肿瘤转移过程中的作用.     

SMAD4/DPC4基因与TGF-β超家族信号传导

SMAD4基因是一个肿瘤抑制基因。本介绍了SMAD4基因和SMADs家族在TGF-β超家族信号传导中的作用,并讨论了其抑制肿瘤的机制及其与肿瘤发生与发展的关系。     

转化生长因子—β超家族成员的信号传导通路

转化生长因子-β超家族是在无脊椎动物和脊椎动物中高度保守的一类细胞因子,其家族成员参与调节细胞的增殖、凋亡、分化和发育等多种生命活动。具有丝氨酸／苏氨酸激酶活性的Ⅰ型受体和Ⅱ型受体共同介导了转化生长因子-β超家族成员的跨膜信号传导。新近克隆鉴定的Smad蛋白家族负责将信号由细胞膜传导到细胞核。Smad介导的信号传导通路同其他信号传导通路之间存在相互调节。转化生长因子-β超家族的信号传导通路异常与肿瘤的发生有密切关系。     

骨形态发生蛋白的受体及其信号传递过程

近年来已克隆出几种Ⅰ型和Ⅱ型BMP受体.BMP受体属于TGFβ受体超家族的成员,具有丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶活性.Ⅰ型与Ⅱ型BMP受体均可与BMP配基结合,但若执行传递信号功能,两受体需首先形成复合物.删除突变和基因剔除研究证明,ⅠA型BMP受体对动物的中胚层发育至关重要.而ⅠB型BMP受体在软骨细胞形成、成骨细胞分化以及程序化细胞死亡方面起主要作用.BMP受体信号传递分子Smad 1和Smad 5也已被克隆和鉴定,它们在BMP受体介导的功能中起重要作用.     

RANBP9调控结直肠癌细胞凋亡的信号通路分析

RANBP9是RAS超家族成员RAN的一种结合蛋白,参与多种肿瘤的发生发展。为探索它对结直肠癌细胞凋亡的调控作用,该研究利用慢病毒感染结直肠癌HCT116、HT29细胞的方法,建立RANBP9-shRNA稳转细胞系,经氟尿嘧啶诱导凋亡后利用流式细胞仪和caspase-2酶活力实验检测细胞凋亡;抽提实验组和对照组HCT116细胞总RNA,经质检合格后进行基因表达谱芯片实验,筛选出RANBP9敲减前后结直肠癌细胞的差异表达基因并进行定量PCR验证,基于Gene Ontology数据库进行分子功能注释,基于Ingenuity Pathway Analysis数据库进行通路分析。流式细胞分析显示,在HCT116和HT29细胞中RANBP9-shRNA均促进氟尿嘧啶诱导的细胞凋亡;基因芯片数据分析得到差异表达mRNAs 857个(|Fold Change|1.5且FDR0.05),其中上调表达677个,下调表达180个,涉及的分子功能主要包括γ-谷氨酰转移酶活性、钙离子结合、胰岛素受体结合、病毒受体活性、GTP酶活性、细胞外基质结合、β-连环蛋白结合、SMAD结合、转录调节、AMP活化蛋白激酶活性、蛋白质转运蛋白活性、细胞骨架结合等,其显著参与的信号通路主要涉及癌症的TGF-β、BMP、IL-8和RhoA等。实时定量PCR证实上述通路中的SMAD3、SMAD7、BMP6、BMP7、CXCL8、RAPGEF6的mRNA表达水平在RANBP9-shRNA组中显著高于对照组。综上,RANBP9可能通过多个信号通路来调控结直肠癌细胞的凋亡,该研究为阐明其中的分子机制提供了新的思路。     

Structured proteins and proteins with internal disorder

The point of view that a uniquely folded protein tertiary structure is required for the protein functioning has been prevailing in the literature quite recently. However of lately it has been found that many proteins in a cell have no such structure in an isolated state, though they have a well-defined function in physiological conditions. These proteins were named as proteins with natural or internal disorder. The portion of disordered regions in such proteins may vary from a sequence of several amino acids to a completely disordered sequence containing from tens to hundreds of amino acids. The main difference of these proteins from the structured (globular) ones is that they have no unique tertiary structure in an isolated state and acquire it after interaction with their partners. Their conformation in such a complex depends on the interacting partner and not only on their own amino acid sequence, which is specific for structured (globular) proteins. The problem of structural and functional relations in the structured proteins and proteins with internal disorder is discussed in this review. The complexity of the problem and its potential solutions are illustrated by the example of elongation factors EFlA.     

Structured proteins and proteins with intrinsic disorder

Until recently, the point of view that the unique tertiary structure is necessary for protein function has prevailed. However, recent data have demonstrated that many cell proteins do not possess such structure in isolation, although displaying a distinct function under physiological conditions. These proteins were named the naturally, or intrinsically, disordered proteins. The fraction of intrinsically disordered regions in such proteins may vary from several amino acid residues to a completely unordered sequence of several tens or even several hundreds of residues. The main distinction of these proteins from structured (globular) proteins is that they have no unique tertiary structure in isolation and acquire it only upon interaction with their partners. The conformation of these proteins in a complex is determined not only by their own amino acid sequence (as is typical of structured, or globular, proteins) but also by the interacting partner. This review discusses the structure-function relationships in structured and intrinsically disordered proteins. The intricateness of this problem and the possible ways to solve it are illustrated by the example of the EF1A elongation factor family.     

Tethering of proteins to RNAs by bacteriophage proteins

Many steps in the control of gene expression are dependent on RNA-binding proteins, most of which are bi-functional, in as much as they both bind to RNA and interact with other protein partners in a functional complex. A powerful approach to study the functional properties of these proteins in vivo, independently of their RNA-binding ability, is to attach or tether them to specifically engineered reporter mRNAs whose fate can be easily followed. Two tethering systems have been mainly used in eukaryotic cells, namely the MS2 coat protein system and the lambda N-B box system. In this review, we firstly describe several studies in which these tethering systems have been used and provide an overview of these applications. We next describe the major features of these two systems, and, finally, we highlight a number of points that should be considered when designing experiments using this approach.