融合蛋白与病毒入膜机制研究进展

包膜病毒感染细胞的第一步即病毒与靶细胞膜的融合,它由病毒包膜上的融合蛋白诱发,融合蛋白与受体分子相互作用后暴露出融合肽,它伸向靶膜使两膜紧密接近后,多肽周围的脂质分子进一步重排,通过中间态最后发生融合,本文将介绍近年来病毒融合蛋白及入膜机制研究进展。     

Lipids as modulators of membrane fusion mediated by viral fusion proteins

Enveloped viruses infect host cells by fusion of viral and target membranes. This fusion event is triggered by specific glycoproteins in the viral envelope. Fusion glycoproteins belong to either class I, class II or the newly described third class, depending upon their arrangement at the surface of the virion, their tri-dimensional structure and the location within the protein of a short stretch of hydrophobic amino acids called the fusion peptide, which is able to induce the initial lipid destabilization at the onset of fusion. Viral fusion occurs either with the plasma membrane for pH-independent viruses, or with the endosomal membranes for pH-dependent viruses. Although, viral fusion proteins are parted in three classes and the subcellular localization of fusion might vary, these proteins have to act, in common, on lipid assemblies. Lipids contribute to fusion through their physical, mechanical and/or chemical properties. Lipids can thus play a role as chemically defined entities, or through their preferential partitioning into membrane microdomains called "rafts", or by modulating the curvature of the membranes involved in the fusion process. The purpose of this review is to make a state of the art on recent findings on the contribution of cholesterol, sphingolipids and glycolipids in cell entry and membrane fusion of a number of viral families, whose members bear either class I or class II fusion proteins, or fusion proteins of the recently discovered third class.     

The interactions of the HIV gp41 fusion peptides with zwitterionic membrane mimics determined by NMR spectroscopy

The wild-type (wt) N-terminal 23-residue fusion peptide (FP) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) fusion protein gp41 and its V2E mutant have been studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles as membrane mimics. A number of NMR techniques have been used. Pulsed field-gradient diffusion measurements in DPC and in 4:1 DPC/sodium dodecylsulfate mixed micelles showed that there is no major difference between the partition coefficients of the fusogenic wt peptide and the V2E mutant in these micelles, indicating that there is no correlation between the activity of the fusion peptides and their membrane affinities. The nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) patterns and the chemical shift index for these two peptides indicated that both FP are in an α helical conformation between the Ile⁴ to Leu¹² or to Ala¹⁵ region. Simulated annealing showed that the helical region extends from Ile⁴ to Met¹⁹. The two FPs share similar conformational characteristics, indicating that the conformation of the FP is not an important factor determining its activity. The spin-label studies, utilizing spin labels 5- and 16-doxystearic acids in the DPC micelles, provided clear indication that the wt FP inserts its N-terminus into the micelles while the V2E mutant does not insert into the micelles. The conclusion from the spin-label results is corroborated by deuterium amide proton exchange experiments. The correlation between the oblique insertion of the FP and its fusogenic activity is in excellent agreement with results from our molecular dynamics simulation and from other previous studies.     

重组HSA-hG-CSF融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达

为了延长G-CSF半衰期,我们利用甲醇酵母表达重组人血清白蛋白融合的集落细胞刺激因子（rHSA-G-CSF）。用PCR方法从人胎肝cDNA文库扩增出HSA cDNA序列,hG-CSFcDNA序列从大肠表达载体中酶切获取。将HSA和hG-CSF两片段连接后,克隆到酵母分泌型表达载体pGENYK中,酶切线性化后原生质体转化导入酵母细胞进行整合。工程菌经发酵灌培养表达,层析法分离纯化融合蛋白。纯化的融合蛋白经Western 印迹分析表明具有HSA和G-CSF的免役原性,体外生物学活性分析表明,同縻尔数的融合表达产物的活性为E.coli表达G-CSF单体的活性的50%以上。体内动物实验研究表明,经HSA融合的G-CSF的半衰期为G-CSF单体的15-20倍。甲醇酵母表达的融合HSA的G-CSF具有比G-CSF更长的半衰期,有良好的临床应用前景。     

犬瘟热病毒临床流行野毒株F蛋白信号肽区分析

根据GenBank上发表的犬瘟热病毒(CDV)融合蛋白基因(F)序列,设计引物扩增F蛋白部分信号肽区,片段长369 bp.对2005年～2007年收集的犬瘟热阳性的水貂、狐、貉实质脏器、血液、尿液等样品进行扩增,获得了13个CDVF蛋白部分信号肽区基因片段.序列分析发现,CDV 野毒F蛋白该区段核苷酸与氨基酸序列与目前我国使用疫苗株CDV3及其他国内外疫苗株比较存在较大差异,与CDV3对应区段的核苷酸同源性在80.7%～83.2%之间,而推导的对应氨基酸序列同源性只有64.8%～71.3%.部分信号肽区的氨基酸疏水性分析,推测其调控功能也发生变化,本研究为CDV遗传变异和分子流行病学提供理论数据.     

犬瘟热病毒临床流行野毒株F蛋白信号肽区分析

根据GenBank上发表的犬瘟热病毒(CDV)融合蛋白基因(F)序列, 设计引物扩增F蛋白部分信号肽区, 片段长369 bp。对2005年~2007年收集的犬瘟热阳性的水貂、狐、貉实质脏器、血液、尿液等样品进行扩增, 获得了13个CDV F蛋白部分信号肽区基因片段。序列分析发现, CDV野毒F蛋白该区段核苷酸与氨基酸序列与目前我国使用疫苗株CDV3及其他国内外疫苗株比较存在较大差异, 与CDV3对应区段的核苷酸同源性在80.7%~83.2%之间, 而推导的对应氨基酸序列同源性只有64.8%~71.3%。部分信号肽区的氨基酸疏水性分析, 推测其调控功能也发生变化, 本研究为CDV遗传变异和分子流行病学提供理论数据。     

杆状病毒SpltMNPVSl136基因的克隆、表达及其产物功能

计算机分析斜纹夜蛾核多角体病毒（SpltMNPV)基因组序列,发现第136个读码框基因表达产物具有病毒囊膜蛋白的基本特征,计算机预测的SL136蛋白氨基酸序列N端具有信号肽,C端具有跨膜区,N端区还有一个许多病毒融合蛋白共有的卷曲螺旋结构。通过PCR扩增,我们克隆了Sl136基因并分别构建了原核表达载体pBVSl136及重组病毒表达载体,SDS-PAGE结果表明Sl136基因在大肠杆菌和昆虫细胞中均获得了较高的表达,另外,我们还构建了一个瞬时表达载体pUCSl136。单独转染Sl-zsu-1细胞后,低pH值环境可诱导细胞发生膜融合并形成合胞体,这些实验结果表明,Sl136基因表达的产物是一个病毒膜融合蛋白。     

大肠杆菌表达GST-Aβ42融合蛋白的纯化条件及鉴定

目的：为了提高β-淀粉样蛋白（β-amyloid peptide,Aβ42基因在大肠杆菌中的表达,为深入研究Aβ的作用机制及其疫苗研究奠定基础。方法：大肠杆菌在37℃培养4 h后,以终浓度为1 mmol/L的IPTG在25℃下继续诱导培养2 h,促进GST-Aβ42融合蛋白的可溶性表达。表达产物以SDS-PAGE、Western bloting鉴定。结果：SDS-PAGE表明融合蛋白分子量约为32kD,与预计的一致;Western Blotting进一步分析表明它能与抗Aβ42和抗GST抗体特异反应。结论：GST-Aβ42基因的优化表达为研究Aβ42的作用机理打下了基础,同时也为Aβ42疫苗的研究提供了充分的实验条件。     

Destabilization and Fusion of Zwitterionic Large Unilamellar Lipid Vesicles Induced by a β-Type Structure of the Hiv-1 Fusion Peptide

Abstract

The peptide HIVarg, corresponding to a sequence of 23 amino acid residues at the N-terminus of HIV-1 gp41, has the capacity to induce fusion of large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) consisting of negatively charged or zwitter-ionic phospholipids. In the present study, we further characterize this destabilization and fusion process using LUV consisting of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and cholesterol (molar ratio, 1:1:1). Evidence for fusion includes a demonstration of membrane lipid mixing as well as mixing of aqueous vesicle contents. Kinetic analysis of the overall process of vesicle aggregation and fusion revealed that the rate constant of the fusion step per se increased dramatically with the peptide-to-lipid molar ratio, indicating that the peptide acts as a true fusogen. The peptide caused the release of small molecules (Ants/DPX), whereas large solutes (Fitc-dextran, MW_av 19,600) were partly retained. The estimated critical number of peptides per vesicle necessary to release vesicle contents, M = 2-4, indicates that leakage does not involve the formation of classical pores. Infrared spectroscopy of the peptide in the presence of liposomes demonstrated that the equilibrium conformation of the membrane-bound peptide is an antiparallel β-structure. This finding supports the notion that the HTV fusion peptide in a β-conformation has the capacity to perturb vesicle bilayers, inducing initial permeabilization and subsequent membrane fusion.     

Forceful large-scale expression of "problematic" membrane proteins

We developed an Escherichia coli expression system for overproduction of a highly toxic membrane protein that is impossible to overexpress by traditionally used approaches. The method is based on combination of the genetic modifications of a bicistronic expression plasmid, stabilization of a synthesized protein, and selection of a compatible expression host. This enabled us to enhance the expression level of a toxic membrane protein 30-50 times compared with expression in the native state and to obtain 3-5mg of a highly purified functionally active protein per liter of culture. We describe the method for the amplified expression of membrane proteins, using the Pseudomonas aeruginosa multidrug resistance protein, MexY, as an example. The amplified MexY was correctly folded in the cytoplasmic membrane of the E. coli without forming inclusion bodies. This method can be applicable to the large-scale expression of the other problematic membrane proteins that are otherwise extremely difficult to overproduce.     

Do hydrophobic sequences cleaved from cellular polypeptides induce membrane fusion reactions in vivo?

The concept that a direct interaction between Ca2+ and phospholipids is a major factor in membrane fusion reactions is questioned. Attention is drawn to a number of findings on associations between fusion and the proteolysis of membrane proteins. It is proposed that hydrophobic polypeptides, which are functionally comparable to the fusogenic proteins of certain viruses but which are produced in cells by the endogenous proteolysis of membrane and cellular proteins, may induce membrane fusion reactions in vivo.     

Charged residues are involved in membrane fusion mediated by a hydrophilic peptide located in vesicular stomatitis virus G protein

Membrane fusion is an essential step of the internalization process of the enveloped animal viruses. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection is mediated by virus spike glycoprotein G, which induces membrane fusion at the acidic environment of the endosomal compartment. In a previous work, we identified a specific sequence in VSV G protein, comprising the residues 145 to 164, directly involved in membrane interaction and fusion. Unlike fusion peptides from other viruses, this sequence is very hydrophilic, containing six charged residues, but it was as efficient as the virus in catalyzing membrane fusion at pH 6.0. Using a carboxyl-modifying agent, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), and several synthetic mutant peptides, we demonstrated that the negative charges of peptide acidic residues, especially Asp¹⁵³ and Glu¹⁵⁸, participate in the formation of a hydrophobic domain at pH 6.0, which is necessary to the peptide-induced membrane fusion. The formation of the hydrophobic region and the membrane fusion itself were dependent on peptide concentration in a higher than linear fashion, suggesting the involvement of peptide oligomerization. His¹⁴⁸ was also necessary to hydrophobicity and fusion, suggesting that peptide oligomerization occurs through intermolecular electrostatic interactions between the positively-charged His and a negatively-charged acidic residue of two peptide molecules. Oligomerization of hydrophilic peptides creates a hydrophobic region that is essential for the interaction with the membrane that results in fusion.     

新城疫病毒F蛋白在昆虫细胞中的表达及其融细胞作用

用RT-PCR方法扩增出新城疫病毒标准强毒株F48E8的F基因,并将其克隆到pGEM-T载体,命名为pGEM-NDF。鉴定正确后,以BamHI和XbaI双酶切将F基因从pGEM-NDF中释放出来,并插入到pFastBacI载体中,得到重组转移载体pFast-NDF。然后将该重组质粒转入含有穿梭质粒的感受态DH10Bac中,通过转座作用获得重组穿梭质粒reBacmid-NDF。再用reBacmid-NDF转染Sf9昆虫细胞,获得含有新城疫病毒F48E8株F基因的重组杆状病毒。间接免疫荧光和Western-blot分析结果表明F蛋白在昆虫细胞中获得表达,而且主要表达于细胞膜上,并使感染重组杆状病毒的昆虫细胞在96h发生融合作用。动物试验表明,表达的F蛋白能够产生中和抗体。本文的研究结果为F蛋白的进一步开发奠定了基础。     

不同区段HIV-1 env基因在Bac-to-Bac昆虫细胞杆状病毒表达系统中的表达及检测

利用昆虫细胞杆状病毒表达系统,将从一株HIV-1阳性克隆质粒中获得的几个HIV包膜蛋白基因片段,克隆入转移载体中得到重组病毒.用此重组病毒感染昆虫细胞后表达出3种HIV包膜蛋白,即GP120-41P、GP41T、GP41P,分别含有HIV-1包膜糖蛋白GP120及部分GP41,删除了N端12个疏水氨基酸的GP41和仅有主要表位约240个氨基酸的GP41.收获后分别以Western-blotting和EIA检测,有较好的免疫学活性,其中GP41T的活性最强.该实验为HIV包膜蛋白的结构研究提供了依据,加以改进后可能有免疫检测的价值.     

烟草花叶病毒运动蛋白cDNA的克隆及融合蛋白的表达

从烟草花叶病毒(TMV)中提取总RNA,通过反转录PCR (RTPCR) 扩增得到其运动蛋白(MP)的基因,将扩增产物克隆到pMD18T载体上。DNA序列分析表明,所得到的运动蛋白的基因全长为807bp (GenBank接受号AY300161), 与已发表TMV序列（GenBank登陆号为NC-001367）和同属的番茄花叶病毒（ToMV, GenBank登陆号为NC-002692相比核苷酸的同源性分别为98.0％和80.9％,氨基酸的同源性分别为99.1％和80.0％。 将目的片段亚克隆到表达载体pET30a上,并在大肠杆菌JM109中诱导表达,诱导9h 后,融合蛋白表达量最大。诱导后的工程菌超声后经SDSPAGE检测,融合蛋白以可溶形式存在。