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KH Richau RL Kudahettige P Pujic NP Kudahettige A Sellstedt 《Journal of biosciences》2013,38(4):703-712
The actinorhizal bacterium Frankia expresses nitrogenase and can therefore convert molecular nitrogen into ammonia and the by-product hydrogen. However, nitrogenase is inhibited by oxygen. Consequently, Frankia and its actinorhizal hosts have developed various mechanisms for excluding oxygen from their nitrogen-containing compartments. These include the expression of oxygen-scavenging uptake hydrogenases, the formation of hopanoid-rich vesicles, enclosed by multi-layered hopanoid structures, the lignification of hyphal cell walls, and the production of haemoglobins in the symbiotic nodule. In this work, we analysed the expression and structure of the so-called uptake hydrogenase (Hup), which catalyses the in vivo dissociation of hydrogen to recycle the energy locked up in this ‘waste’ product. Two uptake hydrogenase syntons have been identified in Frankia: synton 1 is expressed under free-living conditions while synton 2 is expressed during symbiosis. We used qPCR to determine synton 1 hup gene expression in two Frankia strains under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. We also predicted the 3D structures of the Hup protein subunits based on multiple sequence alignments and remote homology modelling. Finally, we performed BLAST searches of genome and protein databases to identify genes that may contribute to the protection of nitrogenase against oxygen in the two Frankia strains. Our results show that in Frankia strain ACN14a, the expression patterns of the large (HupL1) and small (HupS1) uptake hydrogenase subunits depend on the abundance of oxygen in the external environment. Structural models of the membrane-bound hydrogenase subunits of ACN14a showed that both subunits resemble the structures of known [NiFe] hydrogenases (Volbeda et al. 1995), but contain fewer cysteine residues than the uptake hydrogenase of the Frankia DC12 and Eu1c strains. Moreover, we show that all of the investigated Frankia strains have two squalene hopane cyclase genes (shc1 and shc2). The only exceptions were CcI3 and the symbiont of Datisca glomerata, which possess shc1 but not shc2. Four truncated haemoglobin genes were identified in Frankia ACN14a and Eu1f, three in CcI3, two in EANpec1 and one in the Datisca glomerata symbiont (Dg). 相似文献
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Barley aleurone cells contain two types of vacuoles. Characterization Of lytic organelles by use of fluorescent probes 总被引:10,自引:1,他引:9
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Light microscopy was used to study the structure and function of vacuoles in living protoplasts of barley (Hordeum vulgare cv Himalaya) aleurone. Light microscopy showed that aleurone protoplasts contain two distinct types of vacuole: the protein storage vacuole and a lysosome-like organelle, which we have called the secondary vacuole. Fluorescence microscopy using pH-sensitive fluorescent probes and a fluorogenic substrate for cysteine proteases showed that both protein storage vacuoles and secondary vacuoles are acidic, lytic organelles. Ratio imaging showed that the pH of secondary vacuoles was lower in aleurone protoplasts incubated in gibberellic acid than in those incubated in abscisic acid. Uptake of fluorescent probes into intact, isolated protein storage vacuoles and secondary vacuoles required ATP and occurred via at least two types of vanadate-sensitive, ATP-dependent tonoplast transporters. One transporter catalyzed the accumulation of glutathione-conjugated probes, and another transported probes not conjugated to glutathione. 相似文献
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Hormonally regulated programmed cell death in barley aleurone cells 总被引:13,自引:0,他引:13
Cell death was studied in barley (cv Himalaya) aleurone cells treated with abscisic acid and gibberellin. Aleurone protoplasts incubated in abscisic acid remained viable in culture for at least 3 weeks, but exposure to gibberellin initiated a series of events that resulted in death. Between 4 and 8 days after incubation in gibberellin, >70% of all protoplasts died. Death, which occurred after cells became highly vacuolated, was manifest by an abrupt loss of plasma membrane integrity followed by rapid shrinkage of the cell corpse. Hydrolysis of DNA began before death and occurred as protoplasts ceased production of alpha-amylase. DNA degradation did not result in the accumulation of discrete low molecular weight fragments. DNA degradation and cell death were prevented by LY83583, an inhibitor of gibberellin signaling in barley aleurone. We conclude that cell death in aleurone cells is hormonally regulated and is the final step of a developmental program that promotes successful seedling establishment. 相似文献
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alpha 1-Proteinase inhibitors (alpha 1-PIs) are members of the serpin
superfamily of proteinase inhibitors, and are important in the maintenance
of homeostasis in a wide variety of animal taxa. Previous studies have
shown that in mice (genus Mus), evolution of alpha 1-PIs is characterized
by gene amplification, region-specific concerted evolution, and rapid
accumulation of amino acid substitutions. The latter occurs primarily in
the reactive center, which is the region of the alpha 1-PI molecule that
determines the inhibitor's specificity for target proteinases. The P1
residue within the reactive center, which is methionine in so-called
orthodox alpha 1-PIs and an amino acid other than methionine in unorthodox
alpha 1-PIs, is a primary determinant of inhibitor specificity. In the
present study, we find that the expression of mRNAs encoding unorthodox
alpha 1-PIs is polymorphic within Mus species, i.e., among individuals or
inbred strains. This is in striking contrast to mRNAs that encode orthodox
alpha 1-PIs, whose concentrations are relatively invariant. The
intraspecies variations in mRNA expression represent polymorphisms in the
structure of the alpha 1- PI gene family. The results, taken together with
previously described aspects of alpha 1-PI evolution, indicate that the
dissimilar levels of polymorphism exhibited by orthodox and unorthodox
alpha 1-PIs, which likely have distinct physiological functions, may
reflect different levels of selective constraint. The significance of this
finding to the evolution of gene families is discussed.
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Antigen/antibody complexes can efficiently target antigen presenting cells to allow stimulation of the cellular immune response. Due to the difficulty of manufacture and their inherent instability complexes have proved inefficient cancer vaccines. However, anti-idiotypic antibodies mimicking antigens have been shown to stimulate both antibody and T cell responses. The latter are due to T cell mimotopes expressed within the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of antibodies that are efficiently presented to dendritic cells in vivo. Based on this observation we have designed a DNA vaccine platform called ImmunoBody™, where cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and helper T cell epitopes replace CDR regions within the framework of a human IgG1 antibody. The ImmunoBody™ expression system has a number of design features which allow for rapid production of a wide range of vaccines. The CDR regions of the heavy and light chain have been engineered to contain unique restriction endonuclease sites, which can be easily opened, and oligonucleotides encoding the T cell epitopes inserted. The variable and constant regions of the ImmunoBody™ are also flanked by restriction sites, which permit easy exchange of other IgG subtypes. Here we show a range of T cell epitopes can be inserted into the ImmunoBody™ vector and upon immunization these T cell epitopes are efficiently processed and presented to stimulate high frequency helper and CTL responses capable of anti-tumor activity.Key words: DNA vaccines, cancer vaccines, melanoma, CTL, helper T cells 相似文献
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E?BaptesteEmail author E?Susko J?Leigh D?MacLeod RL?Charlebois WF?Doolittle 《BMC evolutionary biology》2005,5(1):33
Background
Since Darwin's Origin of Species, reconstructing the Tree of Life has been a goal of evolutionists, and tree-thinking has become a major concept of evolutionary biology. Practically, building the Tree of Life has proven to be tedious. Too few morphological characters are useful for conducting conclusive phylogenetic analyses at the highest taxonomic level. Consequently, molecular sequences (genes, proteins, and genomes) likely constitute the only useful characters for constructing a phylogeny of all life. For this reason, tree-makers expect a lot from gene comparisons. The simultaneous study of the largest number of molecular markers possible is sometimes considered to be one of the best solutions in reconstructing the genealogy of organisms. This conclusion is a direct consequence of tree-thinking: if gene inheritance conforms to a tree-like model of evolution, sampling more of these molecules will provide enough phylogenetic signal to build the Tree of Life. The selection of congruent markers is thus a fundamental step in simultaneous analysis of many genes. 相似文献29.
Electrophysiological and biochemical responses of mouse vomeronasal receptor cells to urine-derived compounds: possible mechanism of action 总被引:1,自引:1,他引:0
Receptor cells of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) are thought to detect
pheromone-like molecules important for reproductive physiology. Several
compounds derived from male mouse urine have been demonstrated to affect
endocrine events in female mice. In the present study, the ability of these
compounds to affect VNO activity was tested. In dissociated VNO cells held
under voltage clamp conditions, application of dehydro-exo-brevicomin (DHB)
evoked an outward current at negative holding potentials and an inward
current at positive holding potentials. Under current clamp, DHB reduced
action potential firing. Since DHB application caused a decrease in
membrane conductance, this compound appeared to act by reducing inward
current through closing an ion channel. Biochemical experiments tested the
effects of DHB and 2- (sec-butyl)-4,5-dihydrothiazole (SBT) on cAMP levels
in the VNO. A mixture of DHB and SBT decreased cAMP levels in VNO sensory
tissue and had no effect on VNO non-sensory tissue. The results suggest
that pheromones have an inhibitory influence on action potential generation
and on cAMP levels in receptor cells of the VNO.
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