Identification,Quantification, and System Analysis of Protein N‐ε Lysine Methylation in Anucleate Blood Platelets

Protein posttranslational modifications critically regulate a range of physiological and disease processes. In addition to tyrosine, serine, and threonine phosphorylation, reversible N‐ε acylation and alkylation of protein lysine residues also modulate diverse aspects of cellular function. Studies of lysine acyl and alkyl modifications have focused on nuclear proteins in epigenetic regulation; however, lysine modifications are also prevalent on cytosolic proteins to serve increasingly apparent, although less understood roles in cell regulation. Here, the methyl‐lysine (meK) proteome of anucleate blood platelets is characterized. With high‐resolution, multiplex MS methods, 190 mono‐, di‐, and tri‐meK modifications are identified on 150 different platelet proteins—including 28 meK modifications quantified by tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling. In addition to identifying meK modifications on calmodulin (CaM), GRP78 (HSPA5, BiP), and EF1A1 that have been previously characterized in other cell types, more novel modifications are also uncovered on cofilin, drebin‐like protein (DBNL, Hip‐55), DOCK8, TRIM25, and numerous other cytoplasmic proteins. Together, the results and analyses support roles for lysine methylation in mediating cytoskeletal, translational, secretory, and other cellular processes. MS data for this study have been deposited into the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD012217.     

Association of interleukin‐27 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression

Interleukin‐27 (IL‐27) gene polymorphisms are linked to infectious disease susceptibility and IL‐27 plasma level is associated with HIV infection. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between IL‐27 polymorphisms and susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression. A total of 300 patients with HIV infection (48 long‐term nonprogressors and 252 typical progressors) and 300 healthy controls were genotyped for three IL‐27 polymorphisms, rs17855750, rs181206, rs40837 which were performed by using multiple single nucleotide primer extension technique. Significant association was found between IL‐27 rs40837 polymorphisms with susceptibility to HIV infection (AG vs AA: adjusted OR = 1.60, 95% CI, 1.11‐2.30, P = 0.012; AG+GG vs AA: adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI, 1.02‐2.03, P = 0.038) and disease progression (LTNP: AG vs AA: adjusted OR = 2.33, 95% CI, 1.13‐4.80, P = 0.021; TP: AG vs AA: adjusted OR = 1.50, 95% CI, 1.04‐2.24, P = 0.030). Serum IL‐27 levels were significantly lower in cases compared to controls (P < 0.001). There were lower serum IL‐27 levels in TPs than in LTNPs (P < 0.001). We further found that LTNPs with rs40837 AG or GG genotype had lower serum IL‐27 levels than with AA genotype (P < 0.05). The CD4⁺T counts in cases were significantly lower than controls (P < 0.001). In contrast, individuals with rs40837 AG genotype had lower CD4⁺T counts than with AA genotype in cases (P < 0.05). In addition, CD4⁺T counts in TPs were significantly lower than LTNPs (P < 0.001). IL‐27 rs40837 polymorphism might influence the susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression probably by regulating the level of serum IL‐27 or the quantity of CD4⁺T.     

Structural Insight into Layer Gliding and Lattice Distortion in Layered Manganese Oxide Electrodes for Potassium‐Ion Batteries

Potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are an emerging, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative to lithium‐ion batteries, with their further development driven by the need for suitably performing electrode materials capable of reversibly accommodating the relatively large K⁺. Layer‐structured manganese oxides are attractive as electrodes for PIBs, but suffer from structural instability and sluggish kinetics of K⁺ insertion/extraction, leading to poor rate capability. Herein, cobalt is successfully introduced at the manganese site in the K_xMnO₂ layered oxide electrode material and it is shown that with only 5% Co, the reversible capacity increases by 30% at 22 mA g^‐1 and by 92% at 440 mA g^‐1. In operando synchrotron X‐ray diffraction reveals that Co suppresses Jahn–Teller distortion, leading to more isotropic migration pathways for K⁺ in the interlayer, thus enhancing the ionic diffusion and consequently, rate capability. The detailed analysis reveals that additional phase transitions and larger volume change occur in the Co‐doped material as a result of layer gliding, with these associated with faster capacity decay, despite the overall capacity remaining higher than the pristine material, even after 500 cycles. These results assert the importance of understanding the detailed structural evolution that underpins performance that will inform the strategic design of electrode materials for high‐performance PIBs.     

花青素转录因子调控机制及代谢工程研究进展

花青素是广泛存在于植物中的一类重要的类黄酮化合物, 在植物生长发育和人类营养保健方面具有重要价值。花青素的生物合成途径已经解析得比较清楚, 但花青素的代谢调控网络还在不断完善。调控花青素生物合成的转录因子主要包括MYB、bHLH和WD40三大类, 这些转录因子通过激活或抑制CHS、ANS和DFR等花青素途径关键结构基因的表达水平, 进而决定花青素积累的部位与水平。该文结合国内外花青素生物合成与转录调控方面的研究进展, 简要介绍了花青素的生物合成途径, 归纳总结了模式植物中花青素代谢调控的分子机理, 尤其是MYB、bHLH和WD40三类主要转录因子的调控机理, 以及这些转录因子在观赏植物和水果等经济作物花青素代谢工程中的应用。该文将为系统阐明花青素的转录调控机制和利用代谢工程改良花青素的相关研究提供有益参考。     

Structural insights into dehydratase substrate selection for the borrelidin and fluvirucin polyketide synthases

Engineered polyketide synthases (PKSs) are promising synthetic biology platforms for the production of chemicals with diverse applications. The dehydratase (DH) domain within modular type I PKSs generates an α,β-unsaturated bond in nascent polyketide intermediates through a dehydration reaction. Several crystal structures of DH domains have been solved, providing important structural insights into substrate selection and dehydration. Here, we present two DH domain structures from two chemically diverse PKSs. The first DH domain, isolated from the third module in the borrelidin PKS, is specific towards a trans-cyclopentane-carboxylate-containing polyketide substrate. The second DH domain, isolated from the first module in the fluvirucin B₁ PKS, accepts an amide-containing polyketide intermediate. Sequence-structure analysis of these domains, in addition to previously published DH structures, display many significant similarities and key differences pertaining to substrate selection. The two major differences between BorA DH M3, FluA DH M1 and other DH domains are found in regions of unmodeled residues or residues containing high B-factors. These two regions are located between α3–β11 and β7–α2. From the catalytic Asp located in α3 to a conserved Pro in β11, the residues between them form part of the bottom of the substrate-binding cavity responsible for binding to acyl-ACP intermediates.

     

Low breeding success of the little egret (Egretta garzetta) near residential areas and in colonies exposed to gales: a comparison of colony in Sichuan,Southwest China,with literature

The breeding biology of the little egret (Egretta garzetta) was studied in 20 nests within the mixed-species breeding colonies at Nanchong, Sichuan, Southwest China, in 2006. By measuring a set of physical characteristics of vegetation at the nests and at a set of 20 randomly chosen sites we showed that birds preferentially used taller trees in areas with fewer shrubs of higher species diversity. Nests at lower locations in trees had marginally lower hatching success due to their destruction by humans; this destruction contributed marginally significantly to lowering of the total nesting success in all studied nests. Although gale winds also had a negative effect on breeding success, the anthropogenic influences were a greater factor in reproductive failure. We found similar effects in our review of literature on breeding success of the little egret from various geographical areas. Our results may be of use by conservation organizations in their actions to protect colonies of the little egret.     

Exosomal miR-19a decreases insulin production by targeting Neurod1 in pancreatic cancer associated diabetes

Molecular Biology Reports - New onset diabetes mellitus demonstrates a roughly correlation with pancreatic cancer (PaC), which is unique in PaC and was named as PaC-induced DM, but the inner...