Genetic basis of differential opsin gene expression in cichlid fishes

Visual sensitivity can be tuned by differential expression of opsin genes. Among African cichlid fishes, seven cone opsin genes are expressed in different combinations to produce diverse visual sensitivities. To determine the genetic architecture controlling these adaptive differences, we analysed genetic crosses between species expressing different complements of opsin genes. Quantitative genetic analyses suggest that expression is controlled by only a few loci with correlations among some genes. Genetic mapping identifies clear evidence of trans‐acting factors in two chromosomal regions that contribute to differences in opsin expression as well as one cis‐regulatory region. Therefore, both cis and trans regulation are important. The simple genetic architecture suggested by these results may explain why opsin gene expression is evolutionarily labile, and why similar patterns of expression have evolved repeatedly in different lineages.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of β₂-microglobulin in denaturing and stabilizing conditions

β₂‐Microglobulin has been a model system for the study of fibril formation for 20 years. The experimental study of β₂‐microglobulin structure, dynamics, and thermodynamics in solution, at atomic detail, along the pathway leading to fibril formation is difficult because the onset of disorder and aggregation prevents signal resolution in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments. Moreover, it is difficult to characterize conformers in exchange equilibrium. To gain insight (at atomic level) on processes for which experimental information is available at molecular or supramolecular level, molecular dynamics simulations have been widely used in the last decade. Here, we use molecular dynamics to address three key aspects of β₂‐microglobulin, which are known to be relevant to amyloid formation: (1) 60 ns molecular dynamics simulations of β₂‐microglobulin in trifluoroethanol and in conditions mimicking low pH are used to study the behavior of the protein in environmental conditions that are able to trigger amyloid formation; (2) adaptive biasing force molecular dynamics simulation is used to force cis‐trans isomerization at Proline 32 and to calculate the relative free energy in the folded and unfolded state. The native‐like trans‐conformer (known as intermediate 2 and determining the slow phase of refolding), is simulated for 10 ns, detailing the possible link between cis‐trans isomerization and conformational disorder; (3) molecular dynamics simulation of highly concentrated doxycycline (a molecule able to suppress fibril formation) in the presence of β₂‐microglobulin provides details of the binding modes of the drug and a rationale for its effect. Proteins 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

基于结构基础的嗜热细菌贝斯其热解纤维素菌木聚糖酶CbXyn10C的热稳定性分子改良

【背景】作为降解木聚糖的核心酶种,木聚糖酶可以有效促进木质纤维素的消化水解,在动物养殖领域应用广泛。来源于嗜热细菌贝斯其热解纤维素菌(Caldicellulosiruptorbescii)的GH10家族木聚糖酶Cb Xyn10C最适温度为85℃,在80℃条件下具有良好的热稳定性,具有饲料工业应用潜力。【目的】为满足饲料制粒尤其是水产饲料加工过程的工艺要求,进一步提高木聚糖酶Cb Xyn10C的热稳定性并阐明其耐热机理。【方法】以Cb Xyn10C晶体结构为基础,采用刚性氨基酸引入、疏水作用网络重排2种策略对其热稳定性进行理性设计,获得在100℃条件下比活提高的单点突变体后,通过有益突变位点叠加策略进一步提升酶的热稳定性,最后采用分子动力学模拟技术分析其热稳定性提高的分子机制。【结果】共获得了4个稳定性提高的单点突变体A45P、T69P、F309V和A325P,其中突变体A45P效果最优。随着在A45P基础上另外3个突变位点的叠加,酶的热稳定性在不损失酶活的前提下得到了逐步提升。获得的四点突变体A45P/F309V/A325P/T69P的耐热性最好,其最适反应温度和熔解温度Tm值较野生型...     

A G-rich element forms a G-quadruplex and regulates BACE1 mRNA alternative splicing

β-Site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the transmembrane aspartyl protease that catalyzes the first cleavage step in the proteolysis of the APP to the amyloid β-protein (Aβ), a process involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. BACE1 pre-mRNA undergoes complex alternative splicing, the regulation of which is not well understood. We identified a G-rich sequence within exon 3 of BACE1 involved in controlling splice site selection. Mutation of the G-rich sequence decreased use of the normal 5' splice site of exon 3, which leads to full-length and proteolytically active BACE1, and increased use of an alternative splice site, which leads to a shorter, essentially inactive isoform. Nuclease protection assays, nuclear magnetic resonance, and circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that this sequence folds into a G-quadruplex structure. Several proteins were identified as capable of binding to the G-rich sequence, and one of these, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H, was found to regulate BACE1 exon 3 alternative splicing and in a manner dependent on the G-rich sequence. Knockdown of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H led to a decrease in the full-length BACE1 mRNA isoform as well as a decrease in Aβ production from APP, suggesting new possibilities for therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer's disease.     

Aryl Hetaryl Ketones and Thioketones as Efficient Inhibitors of Peptidyl‐Prolyl cis‐trans Isomerases

A series of 18 differently substituted new aryl hetaryl ketones and thioketones were synthesized in four to six steps from commercial starting materials. The new ketones were evaluated as inhibitors of the peptidyl‐prolyl cis‐trans isomerase hPin1 with K_i values ranging in the one‐digit micromolar to sub‐micromolar numbers. A crystal structure revealed the non‐planar arrangement of the aryl residues at the carbonyl compound and supports the hypothesis that the new compounds might mimic the transition state of the enzymatic conversion.