2DE-MS中膜蛋白质组的研究进展

2-维凝胶电泳(2DE)具有高分辨率、高通量等特点,已被广泛地用于蛋白质组的研究.然而,2DE-MS在膜蛋白质组学研究方面却有其局限性,主要因为:膜蛋白具有低丰度、难溶、等电点时易沉淀、难酶解等特点.然而随着亚细胞分离技术和直接的生化方法富集等技术的发展,低丰度问题得到了极大的改善;增溶剂(尿素,硫脲),新的两性离子和非离子去垢剂,以及有机溶剂等的利用极大地改善了膜蛋白质组的溶解性能;同时,一些新的2DE技术的利用扩大了常规2DE的分离范围.在膜蛋白裂解方面,将酶解法与化学法(CNBr)相结合,另外先进的质谱技术的发展使得膜蛋白质组的研究在最近几年取得了较大的发展.现对2DE-MS途径中,膜的富集、膜蛋白的提取、分离、酶解、鉴定方面的进展进行综述.     

催乳素A基因的克隆与表达

用PCR和限制性酶酶切方法将CS-A基因克隆到表达载体pCDGFP中,用免疫沉淀和Western blot的方法检测转染后的表达以及表达产物在细胞中分布。结果表明表达产物的分子量与预测的一致,而且证明CS-A是一个分泌蛋白;荧光显微镜观察表明CS-A蛋白分布于细胞质中。     

Heavy Metal Accumulation and Distribution in Organs of the Mussel Crenomytilus grayanus from Upwelling Areas of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan

The subcellular and cytosolic distribution of Zn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mn, Cd, and Pb in the digestive gland and kidney of the mussel Crenomytilus grayanus from upwelling areas of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan was studied. Cd, Zn, Pb, and Ni have accumulated in the kidneys of mussels from these areas. When the concentrations of both essential and toxic metals in the mussel organs had increased significantly, their redistribution into the cytosol took place. Gel chromatography of cytosolic proteins in the kidneys of mussels sampled in the area with a strong stationary upwelling revealed metallothioneins. This is uncommon for bivalve mollusks from unpolluted areas. High molecular weight proteins act as preliminary ligands for Cd.     

Activity of calpain in subcellular fractions of the rat brain

We studied the activity of a calcium-dependent proteinase, calpain, in subcellular fractions obtained from rat brain tissue. The rates of calpain-mediated hydrolysis of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled substrates, casein and fodrin, were comparable; in the former case the rate was higher. This fact stipulated the choice of fluorescent-labeled casein as an adequate substrate. The greatest enzyme activity of calpain (87% of total) was found in the cytoplasmic fraction. At the same time, quite detectable enzyme activities were observed in the investigated membrane fractions obtained from rat brain tissue (coarse mitochondrial fraction, microsomes, and myelin). The highest specific calpain activity was registered in the cytoplasmic fraction. The enzyme activity was efficiently suppressed in the presence of calpain inhibitor I and increased after purification of the preparations from an endogenous calpain inhibitor, calpastatin.Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 265–271, July–August, 2004.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

PC-1分子在细胞内定位的深入探讨

为了寻找影响PC-1分子进入细胞核的序列,将该分子不同区段分别与EGFP融合表达,通过观察绿色荧光蛋白在细胞内的分布,发现PC-1分子的第112～190区段是一独立的功能区,缺失这一区段后,分子的其余部分能够进入细胞核并在其中积累,这一区段使PC-1分子被排斥于细胞核之外,并在细胞质中浓缩成许多点状结构.运用以SOS恢复系统为基础的酵母双杂交方法,发现PC-1分子能够定位于细胞膜上,通过缺失突变发现该分子的第112～190区段是一独立的细胞膜定位信号序列,这一序列将其定位于细胞的胞膜上.     

玉米逆境响应相关转录因子ZmC2H2-1基因克隆及功能验证

玉米是我国第一大作物,提高玉米的抗逆性是玉米育种的重要目标性状之一。植物C2H2型锌指蛋白广泛参与植物各个时期的生长发育及逆境应答过程。本研究从玉米中分离了转录因子ZmC2H2-1基因并对其功能进行了初步研究。结果表明,ZmC2H2-1属于C2H2锌指蛋白转录因子家族,编码蛋白主要位于细胞核中,酵母自激活实验表明ZmC2H2-1不具有自激活活性;干旱、盐和ABA等逆境可抑制ZmC2H2-1基因在玉米中的表达;过表达ZmC2H2-1基因的拟南芥叶片失水速率更快,在PEG、高盐和ABA处理条件下,与对照相比转ZmC2H2-1基因拟南芥耐逆性降低,以上结果说明ZmC2H2-1基因是作为玉米抗逆的负调控因子参与了逆境胁迫应答。本研究为深入解析玉米ZmC2H2-1的调控网络和玉米的抗逆调控机制奠定了基础。     

盐穗木功能未知蛋白 (HcUKPP)的亚细胞定位

藜科的极端盐生植物盐穗木（Halostachys caspica）的高盐胁迫抑制差减文库中有39%的功能未知蛋白（proteins with obscure features, POFs）,利用亚细胞定位分析可以初步判断其可能的功能.将盐穗木的1个POF-cDNA序列HcUKPP的编码区构建至pCAMBIA1301-GFP植物表达载体上,冻融法将重组质粒pCAMBIA1301-HcUKPP-GFP转化农杆菌EH105A,利用花序浸染法将基因导入拟南芥,经潮霉素筛选获得T1代阳性幼苗.通过激光扫描共聚焦显微镜观察转基因拟南芥植株的根部细胞. 结果显示,表达GFP蛋白的对照转基因植株中,绿色荧光在细胞核、细胞膜以及细胞质中均能检测到,而表达HcUKPP-GFP融合蛋白的转基因植株中,绿色荧光只在细胞质膜上表达,说明HcUKPP蛋白为细胞质膜相关蛋白.本研究为深入探讨盐穗木未知蛋白的功能奠定了基础.     

hNUDT16: a universal decapping enzyme for small nucleolar RNA and cytoplasmic mRNA

Human NUDT16 (hNUDT16) is a decapping enzyme initially identified as the human homolog to the Xenopus laevis X29. As a metalloenzyme, hNUDT16 relies on divalent cations for its cap-hydrolysis activity to remove m⁷GDP and m²²⁷GDP from RNAs. Metal also determines substrate specificity of the enzyme. So far, only U8 small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) has been identified as the substrate of hNUDT16 in the presence of Mg²⁺. Here we demonstrate that besides U8, hNUDT16 can also actively cleave the m⁷GDP cap from mRNAs in the presence of Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺. We further show that hNUDT16 does not preferentially recognize U8 or mRNA substrates by our cross-inhibition and quantitative decapping assays. In addition, our mutagenesis analysis identifies several key residues involved in hydrolysis and confirms the key role of the REXXEE motif in catalysis. Finally an investigation into the subcellular localization of hNUDT16 revealed its abundance in both cytoplasm and nucleus. These findings extend the substrate spectrum of hNUDT16 beyond snoRNAs to also include mRNA, demonstrating the pleiotropic decapping activity of hNUDT16.     

A Genome-wide Functional Characterization of Arabidopsis Regulatory Calcium Sensors in Pollen Tubes

Calcium, an ubiquitous second messenger, plays an essential and versatile role in cellular signaling. The diverse function of calcium signals is achieved by an excess of calcium sensors. Plants possess large numbers of calcium sensors, most of which have not been functionally characterized. To identify physiologically relevant calcium sensors in a specific cell type, we conducted a genome-wide functional survey in pollen tubes, for which spatiotemporal calcium signals are well-characterized and required for polarized tip growth. Pollen-specific members of calmodulin (CaM), CaM-like (CML), calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) and calcineurin B-like protein (CBL) families were tagged with green fluorescence protein (GFP) and their localization patterns and overexpression phenotypes were characterized in tobacco pollen tubes. We found that several fusion proteins showed distinct overexpression phenotypes and subcellular localization patterns. CDPK24-GFP was localized to the vegetative nucleus and the generative cell/sperms. CDPK32-GFP caused severe growth depolarization. CBL2-GFP and CBL3-GFP exhibited dynamic patterns of subcellular localization, including several endomembrane compartments, the apical plasma membrane (PM), and cytoskeleton-like structures in pollen tubes. Their overexpression also inhibited pollen tube elongation and induced growth depolarization. These putative calcium sensors are excellent candidates for the calcium sensors responsible for the regulation of calcium homeostasis and calcium-dependent tip growth and growth oscillation in pollen tubes.     

PALM成像中激光强度和定位精度相关性的研究

近十年来,基于单分子定位的PALM成像技术快速发展,将显微镜的分辨率提高到了2-25nm。本文发现PALM成像过程中采用的激发光强度与成像的定位精度之间有密切的联系。我们分别选择了PALM成像使用的光激活荧光蛋白、光转换荧光蛋白和光开关荧光蛋白中最常用的荧光蛋白进行验证。实验发现伴随激光强度的增加,大部分荧光蛋白的光子数先升高然后趋于饱和,背景噪声几乎线性升高。进一步分析发现荧光蛋白的定位误差随着激光强度增强先降低后升高,因此选用合适的激光强度在PALM成像实验中至关重要。如何提高PALM成像的分辨率一直是科学家研究的热点,本研究内容可以指导研究人员在PALM成像中选用合适的激发光强度,从而得到高分辨率的图像。