Biochemical and Immunological Relationships Between Endo-β-1,4-Glucanases from Cockroaches

The cellulase from Geoscapheus dilatatus consisted of two major and four minor endo-β-1,4-glucanase components. Two major and one minor component were purified to homogeneity. The major endo-β-1,4-glucanase components, named GD1 and GD2, were similar to EG1 and EG2 from Panesthia cribrata in terms of M_r and kinetic properties. The purified minor component, named GD3, was distinct from GD1 and GD2 because of a lower M_r and a lower specific activity. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the two major endo-β-1,4-glucanase components, EG1 and EG2, of the cellulase from P. cribrata cross-reacted with each other and with pure GD1 and GD2 from the foregut and midgut of the related cockroach G. dilatatus but did not cross-react with GD3. Endo-β-1,4-glucanase components were partially purified from the foregut and midgut of four other cockroaches. These comprised three other Australian cockroaches also from the superfamily Blaberoidea and one American cockroach, Cryptocercus punctulatus, from the superfamily Blattoidea. The endogenous cellulases from all cockroaches examined consisted of either two or three major endo-β-1,4-glucanase components. The amino acid sequence of the N-terminus region of the two major endo-β-1,4-glucanase components from P. cribrata were determined and are homologous with those belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 9 (cellulase family E).     

A TUBULAR MASTIGONEME‐RELATED PROTEIN,OCM1, ISOLATED FROM THE FLAGELLUM OF A CHROMOPHYTE ALGA,OCHROMONAS DANICA1

The phylogenetic group stramenopiles refers to the systematic groups that possess tripartite tubular hairs (stramenopiles) on their flagella. There have been a number of studies describing the fine structure of these mastigonemes and a few studies isolating the component proteins; however, these proteins and their gene sequences have not yet been identified. In the present study, we identified a mastigoneme protein (Ocm1) of the chrysophycean alga Ochromonas danica Pringsh. (UTEX LB1298). Its corresponding gene, Ocm1, was identified by using degenerate primers that correspond to the partial amino acid sequences of a protein (85 kDa) obtained from a mastigoneme‐rich fraction of isolated flagella. The polypeptide encoded by Ocm1 has four cysteine‐rich, epithelial growth factor (EGF)–like motifs, potentially involved in protein–protein interactions. It lacks obvious hydrophobic regions characteristic of transmembrane domains, suggesting that this polypeptide is not likely a protein for anchoring the mastigoneme. In addition, a polyclonal antibody against Ocm1 labeled the area where the tubular shafts of the mastigonemes are located, but not the basal portion or the terminal filaments.     

小麦类脱水素的表达、纯化及多克隆抗体的制备

脱水素在胚胎发育后期累积,外源脱落酸(ABA)、低温、干旱和其他一些环境条件下能诱导脱水素的产生,尽管植物在脱水条件下脱水素广泛存在于细胞中,但其生化功能仍不清楚.为研究小麦在不同时期脱水素基因的表达情况和生物学功能及抗体制备,以小麦幼芽为材料,经干旱胁迫处理后,提取总RNA,通过RT-PCR得到小麦类脱水素基因片段(WZY1-1),再连接至克隆载体PUCM-T,并成功构建重组表达质粒PET-32a( )-wzy1-1,将阳性重组质粒转化于受体菌BL21(DE3)感受态细胞中,经IPTG诱导表达,进行表达产物的聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)检测.结果表明,表达蛋白位于37ku处,小麦类脱水素基因获得高效表达.表达蛋白经Ni2 琼脂糖凝胶亲和层析和透析袋电洗脱法纯化后,对兔子进行免疫,制备的抗血清通过ELISA检测到较高的多克隆抗体效价.蛋白质印迹结果显示,利用纯化的蛋白质制备的兔抗血清可以很好地和所表达的蛋白质带特异性结合,且郑引1号小麦幼苗进行干旱处理,提取粗蛋白,SDS-PAGE,蛋白质印迹检测显示,在分子质量28ku处出现特异的蛋白质条带,这说明所制备的抗血清可以与小麦叶片所表达的dehydrin蛋白特异性结合,证明其具有良好的免疫原性.     

A Jonah-like chymotrypsin from the therapeutic maggot Lucilia sericata plays a role in wound debridement and coagulation

Lucilia sericata larvae are used in maggot debridement therapy, a traditional wound healing approach that has recently been approved for the treatment of chronic wounds. Maggot excretion products (MEP) contain many different proteases that promote disinfection, debridement and the acceleration of wound healing, e.g. by activating the host contact phase/intrinsic pathway of coagulation. In order to characterise relevant procoagulant proteases, we analysed MEP and identified a chymotrypsin-like serine protease with similarities to Jonah proteases from Drosophila melanogaster and a chymotrypsin from Lucilia cuprina. A recombinant form of the L. sericata Jonah chymotrypsin was produced in Escherichia coli. The activated enzyme (Jonah_m) had a pH optimum of 8.0 and a temperature optimum of 37 °C, based on the cleavage of the chromogenic peptide s-7388 and casein. Jonah_m reduced the clotting time of human plasma even in the absence of the endogenous protease kallikrein, factor XI or factor XII and digested the extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin, laminin and collagen IV, suggesting a potential mechanism of wound debridement. Based on these characteristics, the novel L. sericata chymotrypsin-like serine protease appears to be an ideal candidate for the development of topical drugs for wound healing applications.     

Rapid and efficient isolation of highly specific antibodies from an antiserum against a pool of proteins

Antibodies with desired specificity to proteins of interest provide important and versatile tools for detecting and localizing specific proteins in organisms. With the rapidly increasing number of genes cloned, the demand for antibodies to the gene products is increasing greatly. We developed a procedure to isolate highly specific antibodies to an insect intestinal mucin (IIM) from a polyclonal antiserum, which served as a “library of antibodies,” by using an E. coli lysate of the IIM cDNA clone. This procedure allows rapid and efficient isolation of target protein specific antibodies from a polyclonal antiserum made against a pool of antigens.     

小鼠膜型抗衰老蛋白Klotho基因特异片段的克隆、原核表达及多克隆抗体制备

目的克隆小鼠膜型抗衰老蛋白Klotho基因特异片段,制备小鼠Klotho多克隆抗体。方法以小鼠基因组为模板进行PCR,克隆了小鼠膜型抗衰老蛋白Klotho基因外显子Ⅳ部分序列,经BamH I和Nhe I双酶切后定向克隆到质粒pET-GST中,构建原核表达质粒pET-GST-Klotho,转化大肠埃希菌BL21（DE3）,用IPTG诱导表达。以重组GST-Klotho融合蛋白免疫家兔,制备Klotho多克隆抗体。结果表达产物经SDS-PAGE检测表明,在大肠埃希菌中成功表达了GST-Klotho融合蛋白,GST-Klotho融合蛋白表达量占菌体总蛋白的15％左右;另外通过ELISA法测得抗血清抗体效价约为1：10000,Western印迹分析验证了抗体特异性。结论GST-Klotho融合蛋白的表达和Klotho多克隆抗体的制备为进一步研究Klotho蛋白在小鼠体内的表达模式以及相关抗衰老药物的研制奠定了基础。     

Connexin32 is expressed in vascular endothelial cells and participates in gap-junction intercellular communication

Endothelial cells (ECs) play many roles in vascular biology, including control of blood pressure, blood clotting, atherosclerosis, angiogenesis, and inflammation. Gap junctions (GJs) are channel-like assemblies of connexin (Cx) family proteins that connect neighboring cells and modulate and synchronize their intracellular environments by the transfer of intracellular mediators. It has been reported that vascular ECs express Cx37, Cx40, and Cx43, but not Cx32. Here, we showed that Cx32 mRNA and protein are expressed in various cultured human ECs. We confirmed Cx32 expression in blood vessel ECs using wild-type and Cx32 knock-out mice. We observed that dye transfer between cultured ECs through gap junctions is suppressed by an anti-Cx32 monoclonal antibody. These findings suggest that vascular ECs express Cx32, which participates in endothelial gap-junction intercellular communication.     

抗欧亚活血丹凝集素特异性多克隆抗体的制备

欧亚活血丹外源凝集素(Gleheda)是分离自欧亚活血丹 (Glechoma hederacea) 叶片中的一种糖基化植物新蛋白. 如同其他糖基化蛋白,通过免疫学方法探测 Gleheda 的过程中通常受到一些不相干糖蛋白的妨碍,为此制定了抗 Gleheda 特异性多克隆抗体的纯化方案. 免疫血清蛋白经硫酸铵选择性沉淀后,分别以 Gleheda 和刺槐外源凝集蛋白 (RPA) 结合在 Sepharose 4B作为亲和配体,采用亲和层析法连续纯化 2 次,然后进一步采用离子交换层析 Q Fast Flow 提纯. 经每一步骤提纯得到的抗体组分对 Gleheda 的特异性,均同时采用双向免疫扩散检验和 Western blot 分析. 结果表明,以 Gleheda 为配体,亲和纯化制备得到的抗体组分对叶片粗提物中的许多植物 (糖) 蛋白仍然表现交叉反应. 为除去由植物糖蛋白中的聚糖所引起这些非特异性交叉反应抗体,接着以 RPA 为配体再次进行亲和纯化,Western blot 分析显示,抗体的特异性得到提高但并非除去了所有非特异性交叉反应的抗体. 最后进一步采用离子交换层析制备得到仅抗 Gleheda 蛋白的特异性抗体组分,此抗体组分适用于免疫探测研究. 该抗体纯化制备程序简易而高效,而且不需要昂贵的设备.