Regulated Activation of the PAR Polarity Network Ensures a Timely and Specific Response to Spatial Cues

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Immunological cross-reactivity between outer membrane pore proteins of Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli

Immunocrossreactivity between the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Campylobacter jejuni 85H and the OmpC porin of Escherichia coli K-12 was observed. These results indicate that a common antigenic domain is conserved in both MOMP and OmpC. This antigenic region is detected only after a 96 degrees C treatment suggesting that it is buried in the native conformation of the respective porins. In addition, differences were observed between the major outer membrane proteins from various C. jejuni strains. About 60% of the C. jejuni pathogenic strains tested contained a protein exhibiting a similar electrophoretic profile to the 85H porin.     

棉花Trihelix转录因子GhGT29基因的克隆及功能分析

Trihelix转录因子在植物抵御各种逆境胁迫中扮演重要作用,克隆棉花Trihelix转录因子基因并分析其表达特性和功能,为最终利用转基因手段改良棉花抗逆性奠定基础。本文依据生物信息学分析,采用RT-PCR方法从陆地棉中克隆了一个Trihelix转录因子基因,命名为GhGT29(GenBank登录号：JQ013097)。该基因最大开放阅读框(ORF)为1092 bp,编码363个氨基酸,预测分子量为40.9 kDa,等电点为5.45。SMART蛋白结构预测发现,该蛋白含有1个Trihelix家族典型的SANT结构域。系统进化树分析表明,GhGT29属于Trihelix转录因子SH4亚家族,与拟南芥AtSH4-like1、AtSH4-like2亲缘关系最近。实时荧光定量PCR结果表明,GhGT29受高盐、干旱、低温胁迫和ABA诱导表达;GhGT29在陆地棉的根、茎、叶、花、开花后当天胚珠以及开花后12 d(12 DPA)纤维中均有表达,其中在花中表达量最高,在茎中表达量最低。利用拟南芥原生质体系统进行分析,结果显示GhGT29主要定位于细胞核中,并且具有转录激活活性。以上结果表明GhGT29基因可能参与棉花逆境信号通路中对抗逆功能基因表达的调控。     

Transmembrane domain is crucial to the subcellular localization and function of Myc target 1

Deregulation of c‐MYC occurs in a variety of human cancers. Overexpression of c‐MYC promotes cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, transformation and genomic instability. MYC target 1 (MYCT1) is a direct target gene of c‐MYC, and its murine homologue MT‐MC1 recapitulated multiple c‐Myc‐related phenotypes. However, the molecular mechanism of MYCT1 remains unclear. Here, we identified the transmembrane (TM) domain of MYCT1, not the nuclear localization sequence, is indispensable to the vesicle‐associated localization of MYCT1 protein in the cytoplasmic membrane vesicle. Overexpression of MYCT1, not MYCT1 (ΔTM), decreased cell viability under serum deprivation and increased tumour cell migration ability. We further identified CKAP4 interacted with MYCT1 and contributed to the function of MYCT1. In addition, we found that a mutation, A88D, which is observed in patient sample, changed the localization, and abolished the effect on cell viability and cell migration, suggesting that the TM domain is critical to MYCT1.     

Wnt signaling is required for organization of the lens fiber cell cytoskeleton and development of lens three-dimensional architecture

How an organ develops its characteristic shape is a major issue. This is particularly critical for the eye lens as its function depends on having appropriately ordered three-dimensional cellular architecture. Recent in vitro studies indicate that Wnt signaling plays key roles in regulating morphological events in FGF-induced fiber cell differentiation in the mammalian lens. To further investigate this the Wnt signaling antagonist, secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (Sfrp2), was overexpressed in lens fiber cells of transgenic mice. In these mice fiber cell elongation was attenuated and individual fibers exhibited irregular shapes and consequently did not align or pack regularly; microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments were clearly disordered in these fibers. Furthermore, a striking feature of transgenic lenses was that fibers did not develop the convex curvature typically seen in normal lenses. This appears to be related to a lack of protrusive processes that are required for directed migratory activity at their apical and basal tips as well as for the formation of interlocking processes along their lateral margins. Components of the Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway were downregulated or inhibited. Taken together this supports a role for Wnt/PCP signaling in orchestrating the complex organization and dynamics of the fiber cell cytoskeleton.     

大麦黄矮病毒GAV株系ORF4基因在杆状病毒-昆虫细胞系统中的表达及亚细胞定位

根据已报道的大麦黄矮病毒GAV株系(BYDV-GAV)相关基因序列,利用RT-PCR方法获得ORF4基因。在杆状病毒-昆虫细胞系统中,成功表达了ORF4和GFP(绿色荧光蛋白)的融合蛋白(GFP:ORF4),Western blot检测到目的蛋白的表达。利用激光共聚焦显微镜观察其在细胞中的积累和亚细胞分布,发现ORF4基因编码的17kD蛋白(P4)能进入细胞核,并在细胞核膜上聚集。通过对ORF4基因编码的P4蛋白的N端和C端缺失突变结合蛋白质的结构预测分析,鉴定出N端α螺旋结构对于P4蛋白的核膜定位是必需的。这些结果为进一步研究ORF4基因在黄矮病毒GAV系统侵染中的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

大麦黄矮病毒GAV株系ORF4基因在杆状病毒-昆虫细胞系统中的表达及亚细胞定位

根据已报道的大麦黄矮病毒GAV株系(BYDV-GAV)相关基因序列,利用RT-PCR方法获得ORF4基因。在杆状病毒-昆虫细胞系统中,成功表达了ORF4和GFP（绿色荧光蛋白）的融合蛋白(GFP: ORF4),Western blot检测到目的蛋白的表达。利用激光共聚焦显微镜观察其在细胞中的积累和亚细胞分布,发现ORF4基因编码的17 kD蛋白（P4）能进入细胞核,并在细胞核膜上聚集。通过对ORF4基因编码的P4蛋白的N端和C端缺失突变结合蛋白质的结构预测分析,鉴定出N端α螺旋结构对于P4蛋白的核膜定位是必需的。这些结果为进一步研究ORF4基因在黄矮病毒GAV系统侵染中的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

Membrane-Bound and cytosolic forms of heterotrimeric G proteins in young and adult rat myocardium: influence of neonatal hypo- and hyperthyroidism.

Membrane and cytosolic fractions prepared from ventricular myocardium of young (21-day-old) hypo- or hyperthyroid rats and adult (84-day-old) previously hypo- or hyperthyroid rats were analyzed by immunoblotting with specific anti-G-protein antibodies for the relative content of Gs alpha, Gi alpha/Go alpha, Gq alpha/G11 alpha, and G beta. All tested G protein subunits were present not only in myocardial membranes but were at least partially distributed in the cytosol, except for Go alpha2, and G11 alpha. Cytosolic forms of the individual G proteins represented about 5-60% of total cellular amounts of these proteins. The long (Gs alpha-L) isoform of Gs alpha prevailed over the short (Gs alpha-S) isoform in both crude myocardial membranes and cytosol. The Gs alpha-L/Gs alpha-S ratio in membranes as well as in cytosol increased during maturation due to a substantial increase in Gs alpha-L. Interestingly, whereas the amount of membrane-bound Gi alpha/Go alpha and Gq alpha/G11 alpha proteins tend to lower during postnatal development, cytosolic forms of these G proteins mostly rise. Neonatal hypothyroidism reduced the amount of myocardial Gs alpha and increased that of Gi alpha/Go alpha proteins. By contrast, neonatal hyperthyroidism increased expression of Gs alpha and decreased that of Gi alpha and G11 alpha in young myocardium. Changes in G protein content induced by neonatal hypo- and hyperthyroidism in young rat myocardium were restored in adulthood. Alterations in the membrane-cytosol balance of G protein subunits associated with maturation or induced by altered thyroid status indicate physiological importance of cytosolic forms of these proteins in the rat myocardium.     

RNA binding is more critical to the suppression of silencing function of Cucumber mosaic virus 2b protein than nuclear localization

Previously, we found that silencing suppression by the 2b protein and six mutants correlated both with their ability to bind to double-stranded (ds) small RNAs (sRNAs) in vitro and with their nuclear/nucleolar localization. To further discern the contribution to suppression activity of sRNA binding and of nuclear localization, we have characterized the kinetics of in vitro binding to a ds sRNA, a single-stranded (ss) sRNA, and a micro RNA (miRNA) of the native 2b protein and eight mutant variants. We have also added a nuclear export signal (NES) to the 2b protein and assessed how it affected subcellular distribution and suppressor activity. We found that in solution native protein bound ds siRNA, miRNA, and ss sRNA with high affinity, at protein:RNA molar ratios ~2:1. Of the four mutants that retained suppressor activity, three showed sRNA binding profiles similar to those of the native protein, whereas the remaining one bound ss sRNA at a 2:1 molar ratio, but both ds sRNAs with 1.5-2 times slightly lower affinity. Three of the four mutants lacking suppressor activity failed to bind to any sRNA, whereas the remaining one bound them at far higher ratios. NES-tagged 2b protein became cytoplasmic, but suppression activity in patch assays remained unaffected. These results support binding to sRNAs at molar ratios at or near 2:1 as critical to the suppressor activity of the 2b protein. They also show that cytoplasmically localized 2b protein retained suppressor activity, and that a sustained nuclear localization was not required for this function.