细菌尿素酶的生化和分子生物学特点

尿素酶属于镍金属酶,能够分解尿素成氨和二氧化碳.细菌尿素酶在氮素循环和致病性方面有重要的作用.本文讨论了细菌尿素酶的生物化学和分子生物学性质,并就尿素酶的活化和调控方式以及生物学效应进行阐述.     

Introductory remarks: bacterial endosymbionts or pathogens of free-living amebae1

Free-living amebae are ubiquitous in the environment and can be isolated from a variety of habitats including water, soil, air, hospital water systems, dental units, contact lens cases, and cooling towers. The interaction of amebae with other microorganisms in their environment is varied. Bacteria are a major food source for free-living amebae. However, some bacteria have established a stable symbiotic relationship with amebae. Recent reports indicate an association of amebae with intracellular bacterial pathogens. Such amebae may serve as reservoirs for maintaining and dispersing pathogenic bacteria in the environment or as vectors of bacterial disease in humans.     

溶微囊藻细菌的富集筛选及其菌群结构特征

利用铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)作为溶藻对象富集、筛选, 获得一个稳定的溶藻菌群。采用叶绿素、PCR和变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)方法研究溶藻过程及其细菌种群结构的变化。结果显示, 富集的溶藻菌经1×10-5稀释后仍有显著溶藻效果。Rubritepida菌C1、假单胞菌C2和鞘氨醇单胞菌C3是存在于铜绿微囊藻中的3种伴生细菌。加入富集的溶藻菌群后, 菌群结构发生明显的变化, Rubritepida菌C1、假单胞菌C2消失, 混合菌群包含未培养黄杆菌A2、鞘氨醇单胞菌C3和噬氢     

The Molecular Biology of Genetic-Based Epilepsies

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the central nervous system. The clinical features of this disorder are recurrent seizures, difference in age onset, type, and frequency, leading to motor, sensory, cognitive, psychic, or autonomic disturbances. Since the discovery of the first monogenic gene mutation in 1995, it is proposed that genetic factor plays an important role in the mechanism of epilepsy. Genes discovered in idiopathic epilepsies encode for ion channel or neurotransmitter receptor proteins, whereas syndromes with epilepsy as a main feature are caused by genes that are involved in functions such as cortical development, mitochondrial function, and cell metabolism. The identification of these monogenic epilepsy-causing genes provides new insight into the pathogenesis of epilepsies. Although most of the identified gene mutations present a monogenic inheritance, most of idiopathic epilepsies are complex genetic diseases exhibiting a polygenic or oligogenic inheritance. This article reviews recent genetic and molecular progresses in exploring the pathogenesis of epilepsy, with special emphasis on monogenic epilepsy-causing genes, including voltage-gated channels (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^?, and HCN), ligand-gated channels (nicotinic acetylcholine and GABA_A receptors), non-ion channel genes as well as the mitochondrial DNA genes. These progresses have improved our understanding of the complex neurological disorder.     

丁型肝炎病毒的分子生物学研究进展

丁型肝炎病毒(Hepatitis delta virus,HDV)是一种缺陷病毒,必须在嗜肝DNA病毒的辅助下才能复制并组装成有感染的病毒颗粒[1].     

Cloning and Characterization of a Gene Encoding the Major Surface Protein of the Bacterial Endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis

The maternally inherited intracellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis is well known for inducing a variety of reproductive abnormalities in the diverse arthropod hosts it infects. It has been implicated in causing cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, and the feminization of genetic males in different hosts. The molecular mechanisms by which this fastidious intracellular bacterium causes these reproductive and developmental abnormalities have not yet been determined. In this paper, we report on (i) the purification of one of the most abundantly expressed Wolbachia proteins from infected Drosophila eggs and (ii) the subsequent cloning and characterization of the gene (wsp) that encodes it. The functionality of the wsp promoter region was also successfully tested in Escherichia coli. Comparison of sequences of this gene from different strains of Wolbachia revealed a high level of variability. This sequence variation correlated with the ability of certain Wolbachia strains to induce or rescue the cytoplasmic incompatibility phenotype in infected insects. As such, this gene will be a very useful tool for Wolbachia strain typing and phylogenetic analysis, as well as understanding the molecular basis of the interaction of Wolbachia with its host.