膜蛋白的表达：在无细胞体系中实现功能性表达、折叠和组装

膜蛋白在人类和其他物种的生命活动中都起着至关重要的作用.在已完成测序的基因组中,膜蛋白占据30%.药物作用靶向位点、细胞之间的信号传递以及对外界环境的探测等功能,大多是通过生物膜上的特殊膜受体蛋白实现的.膜蛋白研究在工业、环境、国防、医学等领域具有重大意义.嗅觉受体蛋白是一类典型的膜蛋白,属于G蛋白偶联受体家族.嗅觉受体蛋白调控着生物的食物寻找、危险趋避和求偶行为.其主要分布于脊椎动物鼻腔和昆虫触角.嗅觉受体蛋白可以直接识别气味分子,将生物信号转化为电信号,最终传递至神经中枢,进而做出相关应答.膜蛋白的获取并不容易.天然组织中的膜蛋白含量太低不足以支撑学术研究.异源表达难以实现膜蛋白整合上膜,这给膜蛋白的结构和功能研究带来很大挑战.无细胞蛋白质合成系统是一个开放体系,且不依赖细胞活性,是体外表达蛋白质的有效方法.通过无细胞蛋白合成体系,在体外实现膜蛋白二聚体的自组装,将为膜蛋白研究带来全新突破.本文总结了用于无细胞表达的膜蛋白研究进展.     

可控释放纳米载体在癌症治疗中的研究进展

癌症治疗的靶向分子药物的设计与构建,是目前生物医学领域的研究前沿热点之一。靶向药物载体的构建,是通过药物直接加载靶向生物分子或者利用载体自身特性,使化疗药物可以到达并富集在特定组织,所以也被称为"分子火车"。纳米药物的研究已经从单靶向发展到多靶向,实现从单一功能到多功能的应用。单纯的被动释放药物的载体颗粒在复杂的细胞微环境中缺乏精确治疗。因此通过构建带有可控释放特性的纳米药物载体,不仅能有效的提高药物在靶向部位的药物浓度,加强药效,而且还能降低对非靶向组织的毒副作用,提高纳米药物的安全性。常用的控制纳米药物释放的方式包括pH响应,酶响应,光响应,磁响应等。本文主要介绍构建可控药物释放纳米载体的研究进展。     

脂质体重组和脂蛋白体在植物生物膜研究中的应用

脂质体是磷脂在一定条件下在水中形成的由脂质双分子层组成的内部为水相的闭合囊泡。在推动生物膜的研究进展中,它作为模式系统起着非常重要的作用,能用于研究膜蛋白的性质和功能;膜脂和膜蛋白的相互关系;膜的电化学性质等。近年来脂质体重组技术开始引入到植物学研究领域,用于对植物膜蛋白的研究。本文简要介绍了脂质体的制备和脂酶体重组的方法及其在植物生物膜研究中的应用。     

脂质体重组和脂蛋白体在植物生物膜研究中的应用

脂质体是磷脂在一定条件下在水中形成的由脂质双分子层组成的内部为水相的闭合囊泡。在推动生物膜的研究进展中,它作为模式系统起着非常重要的作用,能用于研究膜蛋白的性质和功能;膜脂和膜蛋白的相互关系;膜的电化学性质等。近年来脂质体重组技术开始引入到植物学研究领域,用于对植物膜蛋白的研究。本文简要介绍了脂质体的制备和脂酶体重组的方法及其在植物生物膜研究中的应用。     

细胞内吞循环运输通路及其分子调控机制

内吞运输对于细胞与外界的物质信息交流至关重要,其过程涉及对胞外大分子、膜磷脂、膜蛋白内吞及分选的精细调控。在内吞运输系统中,循环运输通路负责将膜蛋白和磷脂等送回质膜,维持质膜组成的稳定,保障多种细胞生物学过程的正常进行,如营养吸收、细胞极性形成、细胞迁移、细胞分裂、突触可塑性、免疫应答、生长因子受体调控等。真核细胞中存在两大类循环运输通路,分别是网格蛋白依赖内吞货物蛋白的循环运输(CDE货物循环)和非网格蛋白依赖内吞货物蛋白的循环运输(CIE货物循环)。在体内具有重要生理功能的转铁蛋白受体TfR和低密度脂蛋白受体LDLR是CDE循环的代表性货物膜蛋白。近年,受CIE货物循环调控的重功能膜蛋白被逐步发现,如IL2受体α-亚基、主要组织相容性复合体MHC ClassⅠ、葡萄糖转运因子GLUT4等。因而,对CIE货物循环调控机制的研究越来越受到学界关注,相关研究既有重要的细胞生物学理论意义,也能为诸如Ⅱ型糖尿病和癌症等重大疾病的诊疗策略提供科学依据和潜在治疗线索。相较于CDE货物循环,学界对CIE货物循环的研究开展较晚,对其调控机制的了解也较少。为此,本文在介绍内吞循环运输通路类型及其特点的基础上,着重关注CIE循环运输调控的分子基础,对CIE货物循环研究领域的新进展、新研究体系进行了归纳和说明。     

内质网靶向纳米药物的研究进展

内质网作为真核细胞内极为重要的细胞器,在生物大分子合成与加工、物质转运、离子稳态维持、信号转导、细胞器间物质与信号交流等诸多方面发挥关键作用,其功能异常与癌症、自身免疫疾病、病原微生物感染、神经退行性疾病、糖尿病等诸多重大疾病紧密相关。随着纳米技术的不断发展,内质网靶向纳米药物的开发与应用逐渐成为生物工程、纳米医学、材料化学等领域的研究热点。文中结合近年来国内外相关研究进展,对内质网功能紊乱与疾病发生的关系、内质网靶向纳米药物的设计原理、内质网靶向纳米药物的应用进行了综述。内质网靶向纳米药物基于纳米药物载体或生物活性分子自组装原理进行设计。它们以主动或被动方式靶向内质网,通过破坏或维持内质网功能而发挥作用,在癌症靶向治疗、免疫调节、神经系统功能修复等诸多方面具有广泛的应用前景。     

核定位信号肽修饰的抗肿瘤纳米载药体系

纳米载药体系作为一类具有可控性和靶向性的药物递送工具,可以保护生物分子药物免于细胞内快速酶促降解、免于快速血液清除,确保将生物分子药物安全递送至作用部位,从而有效改善药物的生物利用度,提高药物疗效并降低毒副作用,在生物医学领域具有广阔的应用前景,在功能材料研究和肿瘤靶向治疗研究中受到广泛关注.近年来,通过使用功能性生物...     

易位子辅助膜蛋白插入热力学

易位子辅助膜蛋白插入内质网膜是膜蛋白质生物生成的关键过程。了解不同类分子插入生物膜的机制是预测溶质分子透膜速度的先决条件,这也是药物设计和药理学领域的关键因素。根据插入机制,可以设计插膜肽直接用于疾病治疗,或者作为载体有选择性地将药物靶向特定细胞。自从2004年第1个易位子通道蛋白（Sec）的晶体结构被解析后,近十几年来大量的实验和理论研究,都在致力于揭示Sec辅助膜蛋白插入过程的分子机制。本文总结了过去该领域的实验和分子动力学模拟研究进展,从热力学方面重点分析了造成膜蛋白插入自由能分子动力学模拟计算值,以及实验值间偏差的原因。其中,根据研究条件精确设置模拟参数、插入造成的膜变形对自由能计算有很大的影响;核糖体为新生肽插入到Sec通道过程提供了能量,核糖体与Sec的结合影响Sec侧门的开放程度和Sec通道的结构,从而降低膜插入自由能。Sec辅助膜蛋白插入是一个极其复杂的过程,但整个过程仍然符合热力学和动力学的基本原理,尽管疏水性是Sec辅助膜蛋白质插入的关键性因素,但也不能忽略动力学因素的影响。     

封面说明

<正>内吞循环运输是细胞中高度动态的一类生物学过程,与胞吐运输一起协同维持细胞质膜上磷脂和蛋白等大分子的稳态水平。循环运输的失调会导致信号受体和离子通道等功能膜蛋白的胞内异常积累以及质膜功能受损,诱发诸如肿瘤和代谢异常等疾病的发生。本期林珑等"细胞内     

天花粉蛋白可以插入含有天然细胞膜非胞质侧组分的磷脂膜

天花粉蛋白发挥细胞毒性需要跨过脂膜双分子层进入细胞质,但是这一过程的机制尚不清楚。在内吞过程中,膜的拓扑方向始终保持不变,天花粉蛋白首先接触磷脂膜双分子层的非胞质一侧。利用混合磷脂制备的磷脂单分子层和磷脂双分子膜来模拟天然细胞膜的非胞质侧,检验了天花粉蛋白与该混合磷脂膜问的相互作用。结果表明,在37℃、酸性pH下,天花粉蛋白对含有天然细胞膜非胞质侧组分的磷脂膜有较强的插膜能力;但在低温,如25℃、中性pH下,天花粉蛋白的插膜能力明显减弱。天花粉蛋白可以较深地插入混合磷脂膜双分子层中,使其色氨酸内源荧光被磷脂疏水尾链上的自旋基团淬灭。天花粉蛋白的插膜行为可以对磷脂膜产生瞬间的扰动,引起包裹的荧光染料泄漏。增加天花粉蛋白的浓度,可以促进天花粉蛋白与脂膜的相互作用。     

Recent advances in the study of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication and pathogenesis

It has now been over twenty years since a novel herpesviral genome was identified in Kaposi's sarcoma biopsies. Since then, the cumulative research effort by molecular biologists, virologists, clinicians, and epidemiologists alike has led to the extensive characterization of this tumor virus, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus(KSHV; also known as human herpesvirus 8(HHV-8)), and its associated diseases. Here we review the current knowledge of KSHV biology and pathogenesis, with a particular emphasis on new and exciting advances in the field of epigenetics. We also discuss the development and practicality of various cell culture and animal model systems to study KSHV replication and pathogenesis.     

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.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial studies of hydrazone derivatives of 4-[3-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-4-formyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]benzoic acid and 4-[3-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-formyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]benzoic acid

Microbial resistance to antibiotics is an unresolved global concern, which needs urgent and coordinated action. One of the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) to combat antibiotic resistance is the development of new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacteria. In our effort to find new antibiotics, we report the synthesis and antimicrobial studies of 30 new pyrazole derivatives. These novel molecules have been synthesized by using readily available starting materials and benign reaction conditions. Some of these molecules have shown activity with MIC values as low as 0.78?µg/mL against four bacterial strains; Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Furthermore, active molecules are non-toxic to mammalian cell line.

     

Novel compounds with potent CDK9 inhibitory activity for the treatment of myeloma

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and Polo-like kinases (PLKs) play key role in the regulation of the cell cycle. The aim of our study was originally the further development of our recently discovered polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibitors. A series of new 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized around the original hit, but their PLK1 inhibitory activity was very poor. However the novel compounds showed nanomolar CDK9 inhibitory activity and very good antiproliferative effect on multiple myeloma cell lines (RPMI-8226).