抗增殖蛋白与氧化应激北大核心CSCD

抗增殖蛋白为一种高度保守、分布广泛、功能多样的蛋白,由核基因编码,定位于线粒体内膜、细胞核、细胞膜和基质中,由于其参与多种生物学进程,已引起广泛关注。由于其在线粒体上的特殊定位、结构和功能,使其近年在与氧化应激功能相关的研究中开始逐渐成为新的热点。针对抗增殖蛋白与线粒体的研究,系统阐述其在氧化应激及相关疾病和老龄化过程中的重要作用,并对其应用前景作以展望。     

ABC转运蛋白结构与转运机制的研究进展

腺苷三磷酸结合盒转运蛋白(ATP-binding cassette transporter,ABC转运蛋白)是一类跨膜蛋白,其主要功能是利用ATP水解产生的能量将底物进行逆浓度梯度运输。这类跨膜转运蛋白具有保守的功能结构域和多样化的生物学功能,广泛分布于原核和真核生物中。近几年的研究结果表明,人类多种疾病,如免疫缺陷、癌症等,都与ABC转运蛋白病变相关,因此这类转运蛋白结构及转运机制的研究受到广泛关注。现对近几年ABC转运蛋白结构及其转运机制的研究进展进行讨论。     

植物细胞壁伸展蛋白的功能与利用

伸展蛋白是一类富含羟脯氨酸的糖蛋白,是植物细胞壁中重要的结构蛋白。伸展蛋白家族基因广泛存在于多种植物中,参与植物细胞壁网络结构形成与修饰、植物细胞伸长、根生长发育等过程,并且影响植物机械强度、倒伏抗性和各种逆境胁迫反应。本文拟从蛋白结构、进化关系、生物学功能等方面介绍植物伸展蛋白近期研究进展,并初步提出了此类基因在农作物和能源植物遗传改良中的利用。     

硒蛋白N结构及功能的研究进展

硒蛋白N(selenoprotein N,Sel N)是Lescure在1999年应用生物信息学方法发现的一种硒蛋白,其广泛表达于内质网膜表面。SEPN1基因突变能够造成多种神经肌肉遗传疾病,如肌肉无力、肌肉萎缩、脊柱强直和呼吸功能不全。目前研究发现,Sel N具有维持机体氧化还原水平、影响肌肉形成和调节钙稳态平衡等重要生物学作用。现对硒蛋白N的结构特点、性质和生物功能以及与重大疾病的关系、研究进展及今后研究方向等进行了综述和展望。     

昆虫血蓝蛋白功能研究进展

血蓝蛋白是一种重要的昆虫呼吸蛋白,参与昆虫的氧气转运、免疫防御和蛋白存储等多种生理过程,并显著影响昆虫的生长发育及其对环境的适应性.近年来,血蓝蛋白在不完全变态昆虫中被陆续报道;血蓝蛋白的进化及功能已受到国内外学者的广泛关注.基于目前研究现状,本文系统综述昆虫血蓝蛋白的结构和生物学功能,并重点探讨血蓝蛋白对昆虫氧气转运和低氧适应的影响.     

植物特有的SBP-box基因家族的研究进展

SBP-box基因家族是植物特有的一个基因家族,广泛存在于绿色植物中,其编码的蛋白被认为是一种转录因子,该转录因子含有一个非常保守的SBP区,这个区域包括一个新的锌指结构和一个核定位信号。研究表明SBP转录因子参与了花的形成及其后期发育,叶的形态建成和环境信号应答等多个生物学过程,在植物的生长和发育中起着重要作用。近年来,已从多种植物中分离出SBP-box基因,对于该基因家族结构和功能的研究已成为国内外的研究热点。该文从SBP-box基因家族的发现、结构、系统进化、生物学功能及其调控等方面的研究现状进行综述,并对该基因家族的研究前景提出展望。     

前体蛋白转化酶家族的重要成员之一：弗林蛋白酶

弗林蛋白酶(Furin)是前体蛋白转化酶家族的重要成员之一,广泛存在于各种组织和细胞系中。Furin经过两次自剪切去掉前肽后具有生理活性,能够识别特定的氨基酸序列并在TGN中对多种前体蛋白进行加工。Furin的作用底物不仅包括神经肽和肽类激素,还包括许多生长因子、受体、血浆蛋白酶、基质金属蛋白酶及细菌外毒素等,具有重要的生物学功能。     

补体C1q/肿瘤坏死因子相关蛋白6的结构与功能研究进展

补体C1q/肿瘤坏死因子相关蛋白6(CTRP6)是与脂联素高度同源的脂肪因子,广泛表达于人体多种组织中,常以三聚体的形式发挥其生物学功能。研究表明, CTRP6在脂质代谢、肥胖症、糖尿病、炎症、肿瘤、纤维化等多种生理和病理过程中发挥重要的调控作用。此外, CTRP6在农业动物育种中也具有一定的应用前景。该文将对CTRP6的结构特征、表达调控及主要生物学功能进行全面的综述,为CTRP6的进一步研究提供参考和借鉴。     

TAM受体的生物学功能

TAM受体是最新的一个受体酪氨酸激酶(Recepter tyrosine kinases,RTKs)亚家族,包括三个成员:Tyro3、Axl和Mer。它们结构相似,具有共同的配体Gas6和Protein S。TAM受体广泛表达于哺乳动物的多种组织中,在神经、免疫、造血、生殖等系统发挥重要的生物学功能,可以调节多种细胞的存活、增殖与分化。对其功能及作用机理的研究近年来取得了较大进展,并受到广泛的重视。本文旨在概述TAM受体的研究进展,着重介绍其生物学功能的作用机理,特别是其介导的信号通路。     

生长因子Progranulin的结合受体和生物学功能

生长因子颗粒素蛋白前体（progranulin, PGRN）广泛存在于动物和植物组织中.研究证明,哺乳动物的PGRN是一个多功能分子,在组织/器官发育、细胞分化、肿瘤发生发展、炎症应答以及神经退行性疾病中均具有重要的作用.PGRN发挥生物学功能需要和多种结合蛋白相互结合,例如sortilin、Toll样受体9（TLR9）、肿瘤坏死因子受体（TNFR）及分泌性淋巴细胞蛋白酶抑制因子（SLPI）等. 本文将对PGRN的结合受体和生物学功能进行综述.     

Probing for primary functions of prohibitin in Trypanosoma brucei

Prohibitins (PHBs) 1 and 2 are small conserved proteins implicated in a number of functions in the mitochondrion, as well as in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The current understanding of PHB functions comes from studies of model organisms such as yeast, worm and mouse, but considerable debate remains with regard to the primary functions of these ubiquitous proteins. We exploit the tractable reverse genetics of Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, in order to specifically analyse the function of PHB in this highly divergent eukaryote. Using inducible RNA interference (RNAi) we show that PHB1 is essential in T. brucei, where it is confined to the cell’s single mitochondrion forming a high molecular weight complex. PHB1 and PHB2 appear to be indispensible for mitochondrial translation. Their ablation leads to a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, however no effect on the level of reactive oxygen species was observed. Flagellates lacking either PHB1 or both PHB1 and PHB2 exhibit significant morphological changes of their organelle, most notably its inflation. Even long after the loss of the PHB proteins, mtDNA was unaltered and mitochondrial cristae remained present, albeit displaced to the periphery of the mitochondrion, which is in contrast to other eukaryotes.     

Prohibitin-1 maintains the angiogenic capacity of endothelial cells by regulating mitochondrial function and senescence

Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) is a highly conserved protein that is mainly localized to the inner mitochondrial membrane and has been implicated in regulating mitochondrial function in yeast. Because mitochondria are emerging as an important regulator of vascular homeostasis, we examined PHB1 function in endothelial cells. PHB1 is highly expressed in the vascular system and knockdown of PHB1 in endothelial cells increases mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species via inhibition of complex I, which results in cellular senescence. As a direct consequence, both Akt and Rac1 are hyperactivated, leading to cytoskeletal rearrangements and decreased endothelial cell motility, e.g., migration and tube formation. This is also reflected in an in vivo angiogenesis assay, where silencing of PHB1 blocks the formation of functional blood vessels. Collectively, our results provide evidence that PHB1 is important for mitochondrial function and prevents reactive oxygen species–induced senescence and thereby maintains the angiogenic capacity of endothelial cells.     

Prohibitin promotes androgen receptor activation in ER-positive breast cancer

Prohibitin (PHB) is an evolutionarily conserved protein with multiple functions in both normal and cancer cells. Androgen receptor (AR) was reported to act as a different role in the ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer. However, little is known about the role of PHB and whether PHB could regulate AR expression in the ER-positive breast cancer. Here, we determined the expression and clinical outcomes of PHB in breast cancer samples using 121 breast cancer tissues and published databases, and investigated the role of PHB in breast cancer cell growth, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the ER-positive breast cancer cells. We obtained the expression of PHB is significantly low in breast cancer samples, and low PHB expression positively correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer. We detected that PHB could inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, change cell cycle distribution and promote cell apoptosis in the ER-positive breast cancer cells. Moreover, we found PHB could significantly increase AR expression in both mRNA and protein levels in the ER-positive breast cancer cells. Additionally, a significant positive correlation between PHB and AR expression was identified in the 121 breast cancer tissues. PHB and AR expression are associated with prognosis in the ER-positive breast cancer patients. Our results indicate that PHB promotes AR activation in ER-positive breast cancer, making PHB and AR potential molecular targets for ER-positive breast cancer therapy.     

Prohibitin deficiency causes opposing lipid metabolism between 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Clone 9 hepatocytes

Prohibitin (PHB) is a highly conserved protein in eukaryotic cells that are present in multiple cellular compartments and has potential roles as a tumor suppressor, an anti-proliferative protein, a regulator of cell-cycle progression and in apoptosis. In the present study, we generated PHB-deficient 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Clone 9 (C9) hepatocytes by oligonucleotide siRNA and investigated whether PHB affect lipid metabolism. It was revealed that PHB deficiency caused opposing lipid metabolism between the two cell models. PHB deficiency increased expression of adipogenic, lipogenic, and other lipid metabolic proteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, whereas significantly decreased the levels of those proteins in C9 cells. Collectively, PHB deficiency promoted lipid metabolism in 3T3-L1 adipocytes while it aggravated lipid metabolism in C9 hepatocytes.     

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate metabolism in the type II methanotroph Methylocystis parvus OBBP

Differences in carbon assimilation pathways and reducing power requirements among organisms are likely to affect the role of the storage polymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). Previous researchers have demonstrated that PHB functions as a sole growth substrate in aerobic cultures enriched on acetate during periods of carbon deficiency, but it is uncertain how C(1) metabolism affects the role of PHB. In the present study, the type II methanotroph Methylocystis parvus OBBP did not replicate using stored PHB in the absence of methane, even when all other nutrients were provided in excess. When PHB-rich cultures of M. parvus OBBP were deprived of carbon and nitrogen for 48 h, they did not utilize significant amounts of stored PHB, and neither cell concentrations nor concentrations of total suspended solids changed significantly. When methane and nitrogen both were present, PHB and methane were consumed simultaneously. Cells with PHB had significantly higher specific growth rates than cells lacking PHB. The addition of formate (a source of reducing power) to PHB-rich cells delayed PHB consumption, but the addition of glyoxylate (a source of C(2) units) did not. This and results from other researchers suggest that methanotrophic PHB metabolism is linked to the supply of reducing power as opposed to the supply of C(2) units for synthesis.     

Prohibitins Are Required for Cancer Cell Proliferation and Adhesion

Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) is a highly conserved protein that together with its homologue prohibitin 2 (PHB2) mainly localizes to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Although it was originally identified by its ability to inhibit G1/S progression in human fibroblasts, its role as tumor suppressor is debated. To determine the function of prohibitins in maintaining cell homeostasis, we generated cancer cell lines expressing prohibitin-directed shRNAs. We show that prohibitin proteins are necessary for the proliferation of cancer cells. Down-regulation of prohibitin expression drastically reduced the rate of cell division. Furthermore, mitochondrial morphology was not affected, but loss of prohibitins did lead to the degradation of the fusion protein OPA1 and, in certain cancer cell lines, to a reduced capability to exhibit anchorage-independent growth. These cancer cells also exhibited reduced adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Taken together, these observations suggest prohibitins play a crucial role in adhesion processes in the cell and thereby sustaining cancer cell propagation and survival.