Constitutive expression of cell wall invertase genes increases grain yield and starch content in maize

Grain size, number and starch content are important determinants of grain yield and quality. One of the most important biological processes that determine these components is the carbon partitioning during the early grain filling, which requires the function of cell wall invertase. Here, we showed the constitutive expression of cell wall invertase–encoding gene from Arabidopsis, rice (Oryza sativa) or maize (Zea mays), driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter, all increased cell wall invertase activities in different tissues and organs, including leaves and developing seeds, and substantially improved grain yield up to 145.3% in transgenic maize plants as compared to the wild‐type plants, an effect that was reproduced in our 2‐year field trials at different locations. The dramatically increased grain yield is due to the enlarged ears with both enhanced grain size and grain number. Constitutive expression of the invertase‐encoding gene also increased total starch content up to 20% in the transgenic kernels. Our results suggest that cell wall invertase gene can be genetically engineered to improve both grain yield and grain quality in crop plants.     

Structural prediction of the beta-domain of metallothionein-3 by molecular dynamics simulation

The beta-domain of metallothionein-3 (MT3) has been reported to be crucial to the neuron growth inhibitory bioactivity. Little detailed three-dimensional structural information is available to present a reliable basis for elucidation on structure-property-function relationships of this unique protein by experimental techniques. So, molecular dynamics simulation is adopted to study the structure of beta-domain of MT3. In this article, a 3D structural model of beta-domain of MT3 was generated. The molecular simulations provide detailed protein structural information of MT3. As compared with MT2, we found a characteristic conformation formed in the fragment (residue 1-13) at the N-terminus of MT3 owing to the constraint induced by 5TCPCP9, in which Pro7 and Pro9 residues are on the same side of the protein, both facing outward and the two 5-member rings of prolines are arranged almost in parallel, while Thr5 is on the opposite side. Thr5 in MT3 is also found to make the first four residues relatively far from the fragment (residue 23-26) as compared with MT2. The simulated structure of beta-domain of MT3 is looser than that of MT2. The higher energy of MT3 than that of MT2 calculated supports these conclusions. Simulation on the four isomer arising from the cis- or trans-configuration of 6CPCP9 show that the trans-/trans-isomer is energetic favorable. The partially unfolding structure of beta-domain of MT3 is also simulated and the results show the influence of 6CPCP9 sequence on the correct folding of this domain. The correlations between the bioactivity of MT3 and the simulated structure as well as the folding of beta-domain of MT3 are discussed based on our simulation and previous results.     

Study on structure-property-reactivity-function relationship of human neuronal growth inhibitory factor (hGIF)

Human metallothionein-3 (hMT3), also named as human neuronal growth inhibitory factor (hGIF), can inhibit the outgrowth of embryonic cortical neurons in the presence of brain extracts. In order to systematically study the structure-property-reactivity-function relationship of hGIF, our laboratory designed a series of mutants and studied their structure, property, reactivity and functions by a series of chemical and biological tools including UV spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, NMR, chemical reaction and primary neuronal culture assays. In summary, we concluded that the bioactivity of hGIF was regulated by multiple factors, including the ⁶CPCP⁹ motif, an additional threonine insert at sequence position 5, domain-domain interactions, the structure and stability of the metal-thiolate cluster and the linker. Our studies provide more and more evidences which revealed that the bioactivity of hGIF is mainly related to the essential metal release and its characteristic conformation.     

G蛋白Rab3a协同神经生长抑制因子(GIF)抑制神经元的生长

为了研究G蛋白Rab3a与神经生长抑制因子 (growthinhibitoryfactor,GIF ,原称金属硫蛋白 3,MT 3)相互作用对神经元细胞生长的影响 ,以嗜铬细胞瘤株 (pheochromocytoma)PC1 2充当神经元模型 .将hMT 3(humanMT 3)和Rab3a基因分别克隆至真核表达载体pFlag CMV 2和pSV HA中 ,质粒共同转染PC1 2细胞 ,观察转染后细胞的生长状态 .以共转染pFlag CMV 2 hMT 1和pSV HA Rab3a的细胞组作为对照 ,验证hMT 3与Rab3a相互作用对PC1 2影响的特异性 .结果发现 ,共转染pFlag CMV 2 hMT 3和pSV HA Rab3a的PC1 2细胞生长明显受到抑制 ,细胞生长抑制率与GIF在脑提取物存在F的神经元生长抑制作用接近 ,但转染两基因中的任何单个基因以及共转染pFlag CMV 2 hMT 1和pSV HA Rab3a对PC1 2细胞生长无影响 .进一步构建重组表达质粒pGEX 4T 1 Rab3a和pGEX 4T 1 hMT 3,转化大肠杆菌BL2 1 ,经谷胱甘肽 Sepharose 4B亲和层析、凝血酶酶切和SephacrylS 1 0 0纯化 ,得到纯度 95 %以上的Rab3a和hMT 3蛋白 .体外细胞生物学活性检测表明 ,表达的Rab3a蛋白与重组hMT 3蛋白共培养PC1 2 ,对细胞的生长产生了明显的特异性协同抑制作用 ,抑制曲线与GIF在脑提取物存在下的神经元生长抑制曲线极为相似     

神经生长抑制因子研究进展

神经生长抑制因子(neuronal growth inhibitory factor, GIF) 又名金属硫蛋白-Ⅲ (metallothionein-Ⅲ,MT-Ⅲ),特异分布于中枢神经系统(CNS),是神经系统中第一个被鉴定的具有神经元生长抑制功能的蛋白. GIF一级序列、高级结构、金属结合特性类似于其他MTs,基因结构也与其他MTs高度同源,但表达调控途径相异. GIF可能以其β结构域的CPCP区,与脑组织提取物中的相关因子结合,进而表现其生物学功能. 有研究认为GIF与阿尔茨海默等脑相关疾病均有密切关系.     

Incorporation of a glycine within the conserved TCPCP motif of human neuronal growth inhibitory factor significantly reduces its bioactivity

It has been reported that the ⁶CPCP⁹ motif near the N-terminus is pivotal to the inhibitory activity of human neuronal growth inhibitory factor (hGIF). In order to better understand the biological significance of this region on the structure, property and function of hGIF, we introduced a highly flexible residue, Gly, either in front of the ⁶CPCP⁹ motif (the IG6 mutant, TGCPCP) or in the middle of it (the IG8 mutant, TCPGCP) and investigated their structural and metal binding properties in detail. The results showed that the overall structure and the stability of the metal-thiolate clusters of the two mutants were comparable to that of hGIF. However, the bioassay results showed that the bioactivity of the IG6 mutant decreased significantly, while the bioactivity of the IG8 mutant was almost abolished. Molecular dynamics simulation results showed that the backbone of the IG6 mutant exhibited high similarity to that of hGIF, and the two prolines could still induce structural constraints on the ⁶CPCP⁹ tetrapeptide and form a similar conformation with that of hGIF, however, the conformation of the first five amino acid residues in the N-terminus was quite different. In hGIF, the five residues are twisted and form a restricted conformation, while in the IG6 mutant this peptide extends more naturally and smoothly, which is similar to that of MT2. As to the IG8 mutant, the Gly insertion broke the ⁶CPCP⁹ motif, thus probably abolishing the interactions with other molecules and eliminating its inhibitory activity. Based on these results, we suggested that although the structure adopted by the ⁶CPCP⁹ motif is the determinant factor of the inhibitory bioactivity of hGIF, other residues within the N-terminal fragment (residue 1-13) may also influence the peptide conformation and contribute to the protein’s bioactivity.     

Interactions of growth inhibitory factor with hydroxyl and superoxide radicals

To show the effects of growth inhibitory factor (Cu₄Zn₃MT-III) involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a pulse radiolytic study was employed using N₂O-saturated Cu₄Zn₃MT-III aqueous solutions. It was demonstrated that the oxidizing OH radical efficiently reacted with Cu₄Zn₃MT-III by forming a thiyl radical RS with a second-order constant of 1.46×10¹¹ mol l^–1s^–1, which was determined by competition kinetics against KSCN. The thiyl radical RS reacted rapidly and reversibly with a thiolate in Cu₄Zn₃MT-III to form radical anion RSSR ^– with a constant of 1.65×10⁹ mol lL^–1s^–1 per thiolate, while the constant of the decay of this radical anion was 2.72×10⁵ s^–1, and the equilibrium constant of the formation for RSSR ^– was 6.08×10³ mol^–1 l. These values were close to those of Cd₅Zn₂MT-II. The SOD activity of Cu₄Zn₃MT-III to quench O₂ ^–was assayed by the riboflavine-methionine-nitrobluetetrazolium (NBT) method which catalyzed the dismutation of superoxide (O₂ ^–) at pH 7.8 with an IC₅₀ value of 1.50×10^–6 M for Cu₄Zn₃MT-III and 1.62×10^–6 M for Cd₅Zn₂MT-II. Additionally, the down-regulation of GIF may be a main factor in the decrease of the scavenging ability for the free OH and O₂ ^–radicals, which is possibly associated with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease.     

G-蛋白 Rab3a 对神经生长抑制因子 (GIF) 抑制神经元细胞生长作用的影响

为了深入研究 Rab3a 和神经生长抑制因子 (GIF) 的相互作用,在大鼠海马神经元细胞原代培养体系中,用 MTT 还原法定量研究了 Rab3a 对 GIF 神经生长活性的影响,发现 Rab3a 可以替代脑提取物而使 GIF 发挥神经生长抑制活性 . 接着又利用多克隆抗体方法研究了 GIF 与 Rab3a 的相互作用,结果说明 Rab3a 是 GIF 发挥神经生长抑制活性所必需的蛋白质,并且它们的相互作用受空间位置的因素影响较大 . 在随后对它们相互作用的机理和可能的生物学意义进行了讨论 .     

神经生长抑制因子相互作用蛋白的分子克隆、鉴定及其生物学特性

为了探讨神经生长抑制因子(Neuronal growth inhibitory factor,GIF)与Alzheimer’s病(Alzheimer’s disease,AD)的关系,将GIF的cDNA全基因克隆到载体pHyblex中,运用酵母双杂交系统从Alzheimer’s病人脑cDNA文库中筛选出与GIF相互作用蛋白的cDNA克隆。免疫共沉淀和蛋白质印迹实验进一步验证了该蛋白在体内与GIF相互作用的特异性。克隆并鉴定了其中1个与GIF特异性结合的蛋白,与人细胞核dUTP焦磷酸酶(DUT)同源。进一步构建了重组表达质粒pGEX-4T-1／DUT,转化大肠杆菌BL21,经谷胱甘肽-Sepharose 4B亲和层析、凝血酶酶切和Sephacryl S100纯化,得到纯度95％以上的dUTPase蛋白。体外生物学活性检测表明,表达的dUTPase蛋白可以与GIF共同作用嗜铬细胞瘤株(pheochromocytoma)PC12,对细胞的生长产生抑制作用。