An Insertion Peptide in Yeast Glycyl-tRNA Synthetase Facilitates both Productive Docking and Catalysis of Cognate tRNAs

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses two distinct glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) genes: GRS1 and GRS2. GRS1 is dually functional, encoding both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial activities, while GRS2 is dysfunctional and not required for growth. The protein products of these two genes, GlyRS1 and GlyRS2, are much alike but are distinguished by an insertion peptide of GlyRS1, which is absent from GlyRS2 and other eukaryotic homologues. We show that deletion or mutation of the insertion peptide modestly impaired the enzyme''s catalytic efficiency in vitro (with a 2- to 3-fold increase in K_m and a 5- to 8-fold decrease in k_cat). Consistently, GRS2 can be conveniently converted to a functional gene via codon optimization, and the insertion peptide is dispensable for protein stability and the rescue activity of GRS1 at 30°C in vivo. A phylogenetic analysis further showed that GRS1 and GRS2 are paralogues that arose from a gene duplication event relatively recently, with GRS1 being the predecessor. These results indicate that GlyRS2 is an active enzyme essentially resembling the insertion peptide-deleted form of GlyRS1. Our study suggests that the insertion peptide represents a novel auxiliary domain, which facilitates both productive docking and catalysis of cognate tRNAs.     

Pattern analysis of stem cell differentiation during <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro Arabidopsis</Emphasis> organogenesis

Plant somatic cells have the capability to switch their cell fates from differentiated to undifferentiated status under proper culture conditions, which is designated as totipotency. As a result, plant cells can easily regenerate new tissues or organs from a wide variety of explants. However, the mechanism by which plant cells have such remarkable regeneration ability is still largely unknown. In this study, we used a set of meristem-specific marker genes to analyze the patterns of stem cell differentiation in the processes of somatic embryogenesis as well as shoot or root organogenesis in vitro. Our studies furnish preliminary and important information on the patterns of the de novo stem cell differentiation during various types of in vitro organogenesis.     

Engineering lysine‐rich caleosins as carrier proteins to render biotin as a hapten on artificial oil bodies for antibody production

It has been demonstrated that caleosin alone is sufficient to stabilize artificial oil bodies. A series of recombinant caleosins, mutated with 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17 extra Lys residues and over‐expressed in Escherichia coli, were used as carrier proteins to render biotin as a hapten on the surface of artificial oil bodies for antibody production. Biotinylation levels of the recombinant caleosins were step‐wisely elevated as the number of extra Lys residues increased, and the biotinylated Lys residues were identified by mass spectrometric analysis. Polyclonal antibodies against biotin were successfully generated in rats injected with artificial oil bodies constituted with each of the biotinylated caleosins. Moreover, those generated via the biotinylated caleosins with eight or more extra Lys residues no longer recognized caleosin. It appears that engineered Lys‐rich caleosins are suitable carrier proteins for the production of antibodies against small molecules. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011     

Hypophysiotrophic thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) synthesizing neurons. Ultrastructure, adrenergic innervation and putative transmitter action

The neuropeptide thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) is capable of influencing both neuronal mechanisms in the brain and the activity of the pituitary-thyroid endocrine axis. By the use of immunocytochemical techniques, first the ultrastructural features of TRH-immunoreactive (IR) perikarya and neuronal processes were studied, and then the relationship between TRH-IR neuronal elements and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) or phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT)-IR catecholaminergic axons was analyzed in the parvocellular subnuclei of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). In control animals, only TRH-IR axons were detected and some of them seemed to follow the contour of immunonegative neurons. Colchicine treatment resulted in the appearance of TRH-IR material in parvocellular neurons of the PVN. At the ultrastructural level, immunolabel was associated with rough endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes and neurosecretory granules. Non-labelled axons formed synaptic specializations with both dendrites and perikarya of the TRH-synthesizing neurons. TRH-IR axons located in the parvocellular units of the PVN exhibited numerous intensely labelled dense-core and fewer small electron lucent vesicles. These axons were frequently observed to terminate on parvocellular neurons, forming both bouton- and en passant-type connections. The simultaneous light microscopic localization of DBH or PNMT-IR axons and TRH-synthesizing neurons demonstrated that catecholaminergic fibers established contacts with the dendrites and cell bodies of TRH-IR neurons. Ultrastructural analysis revealed the formation of asymmetric axo-somatic and axo-dendritic synaptic specializations between PNMT-immunopositive, adrenergic axons and TRH-IR neurons in the periventricular and medial parvocellular subnuclei of the PVN. These morphological data indicate that the hypophysiotrophic, thyrotropin releasing hormone synthesizing neurons of the PVN are directly influenced by the central epinephrine system and that TRH may act as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator upon other paraventricular neurons.