酶启动和调控自组装超分子水凝胶

超分子间的弱相互作用使自组装超分子水凝胶的结构比较容易改变。用酶启动和调控超分子水凝胶的自组装不仅能在原位上对超分子水凝胶结构进行调整和控制,而且具有很好的生物选择性,有望制造出生物医学上所需要的材料,并能够控制生物体系中一些重要的生物过程。本文对酶启动和调控自组装超分子水凝胶的两类过程进行了总结,并以磷酸酯酶、β-内酰胺酶、嗜热菌蛋白酶、脂肪酶、基质金属蛋白酶和磷酸酯酶/激酶等酶为例,综述了如何设计和使用酶来启动和调控小分子的自组装超分子水凝胶。     

超分子多肽自组装在生物医学中的应用

近年来,自组装多肽纳米技术因其可形成规则有序的结构、具有多样的功能而备受关注.研究发现自组装多肽能在特定的条件下形成具有确定结构的聚集体,这种聚集体具备生物相容性好、稳定性高等优点,表现出不同于单体多肽分子的特性和优势,因此其在药物传递、组织工程、抗菌等领域具有良好的应用前景.文中介绍了 自组装多肽形成的分子机理、类型...     

哈里逊教授谈 病毒结构以及DNA与蛋白质相互作用

国际知名结构分子生物学家哈里逊博士(stephen C.Harrison),现为美国哈佛大学生物化学与分子生物学系教授。他是世界上第一个完成了球状植物病毒—西红柿矮丛病毒(TBSV)晶体结构测定的科学家,二十年来集中精力于核酸与蛋白质相互作用,蛋自质与蛋白质相互作用、病毒颗粒的自组装等生物大分子体系的结构研究。他对于X射线晶体学和电子显微术等应用于结构分子生物学也有一定贡献。1984年8月下旬,他应中国科学院生物物理所的邀请,对我国进行了访问。哈里逊博士在上海作了题为《病毒的结构与组装》的报告,用幻灯和电影生动地介绍了作为把遗传信息     

自组装IKVAV多肽纳米纤维支架凝胶及其对嗅鞘细胞的作用

旨在观察自组装IKVAV多肽纳米纤维支架凝胶对鼠嗅鞘细胞(OECs)的作用。通过调整IKVAV溶液pH值并加入培养液触发多肽自组装为支架凝胶, 用原子力显微镜检测IKVAV分子可以自组装成编织状纳米纤维(直径为3~5 nm)。采用原代分离培养方法获得OECs单细胞悬液后, 使用差速贴壁法两次纯化OECs且在第12天通过免疫染色计数OECs纯度为85%。将IKVAV多肽纳米纤维支架凝胶与OECs复合培养, 倒置显微镜下观察OECs生长良好, Calcein-AM/PI活、死细胞染色表明活细胞数达95%。CCK-8法间接细胞计数证实IKVAV多肽可促进OECs的黏附, 对OECs增殖没有影响。由此可见IKVAV多肽可以自组装成纳米纤维支架凝胶且对OECs有良好的生物相容性及黏附作用, 可作为神经组织工程支架材料。     

生物分子自组装

分子自组装是一种普遍存在于生命体系中的现象,是生命科学最本质的内容之一。开展分子自组装的研究具有重要意义,有助于人们从分子水平上认识自然界中生命形成和演变的过程,并为人们提供新的思路,开展生物医学基础研究、新材料合成及分子器件研制等。该文介绍了自组装的基本含义,对分子自组装技术在生物材料、生物分子器件研究方面的进展作了综述。     

手性自组装短肽对子宫创伤修复的影响

本研究旨在探索手性自组装短肽在大鼠子宫创伤修复过程中发挥的作用。通过圆二色谱仪分析手性自组装短肽的二级结构;刚果红染色观察短肽自组装过程;红细胞裂解实验检测短肽对细胞膜的裂解作用;通过在模拟子宫创伤大鼠模型上引入手性自组装短肽,利用HE染色及免疫组织手段分析其在子宫创伤修复过程中的影响。结果显示,手性自组装短肽二级结构均为稳定的β折叠;可在盐离子触发下自组装形成致密的膜状结构;短肽自组装前后对细胞膜无裂解作用;可为细胞提供三维培养支架;Hela细胞在短肽形成的水凝胶环境中可持续生长;动物实验结果表明,手性自组装短肽可明显加快子宫修复过程。手性自组装短肽作为新型生物工程材料,可构建细胞三维培养环境并用于子宫创伤修复。     

功能化自组装肽水凝胶在细胞培养中应用

自组装肽水凝胶是一类能够在特定的条件下利用疏水作用、静电作用、氢键、范德华力等非共价作用力来形成内部高度有序结构的多肽分子凝胶。自组装多肽凝胶具有易于设计合成、低免疫原性、低炎症反应、良好组织相容性、生物利用度高等特点,可为各种细胞提供近似于天然的细胞外基质,促进细胞增殖、分化、黏附等细胞生物学行为。因此,自组装肽水凝胶是细胞培养理想支架,具有广阔应用前景。本文主要对功能化自组装肽凝胶在干细胞、成骨细胞、内皮细胞、肿瘤细胞培养中的应用进行综述,期望为功能性自组装肽水凝胶在细胞培养中应用提供理论依据。     

铁硫簇的结构、功能及生物合成研究进展

铁硫簇是普遍存在于生物体中的最古老的生命物质之一.铁硫簇基本结构单元有[2Fe-2S]、[3Fe-4S]、[4Fe-4S]及.[8Fe-7S]等几种形式,不同结构的铁硫簇具有不同的生物学功能,主要包括参与电子传递、底物的结合与激活、铁/硫的存储、基因表达的调控、酶活的调控等.铁硫簇既可在生物体内合成,也可在体外进行人工组装.铁硫簇的生物合成主要和NIF、ISC、SUF这三个系统有关.研究已确定了参与铁硫簇合成的关键蛋白,但对它们分子水平上的机制及如何进行相互作用在体内外合成铁硫簇的认识尚待进一步研究.     

基于壳聚糖的生物组装技术及应用研究进展

壳聚糖是一种具有良好生物相容性、独特pH值响应性、易改性和易成膜特性的高分子材料。在生物组装技术中,壳聚糖可作为多功能活性介体,与生物组分和微加工装置连接,制成高选择性、高灵敏度的生物微机电系统(BioMEMS)。以下介绍了基于壳聚糖的3种生物组装技术——定向组装、酶促组装、自组装的制备原理和过程,评述了基于壳聚糖的BioMEMS在生物、医学、环境领域中的应用现状,并展望了今后的研究方向。     

基于机器学习的蛋白质相互作用文献挖掘方法研究进展

蛋白质相互作用是生物体内一类极其重要的分子活动.自动挖掘、整合生物文献中的蛋白质相互作用有助于生物学的研究,获得了人们的广泛关注,成为生物文献挖掘领域的重要任务之一.目前,基于机器学习的蛋白质相互作用挖掘方法已经取得了很大进步,对该领域的进展进行归纳总结将有助于方法的进一步优化和应用.本文在对机器学习方法构建流程介绍的基础上,进一步从机器学习的分类器、学习特征、方法评估以及挖掘系统4个方面对蛋白质相互作用文献挖掘进行系统总结,并探讨了其发展前景.     

Sub-cellular internalization and organ specific oral delivery of PABA nanoparticles by side chain variation

Background  

Organic nanomaterials having specific biological properties play important roles in in vivo delivery and clearance from the live cells. To develop orally deliverable nanomaterials for different biological applications, we have synthesized several fluorescently labelled, self-assembled PABA nanoparticles using possible acid side chain combinations and tested against insect and human cell lines and in vivo animal model. Flurophores attached to nanostructures help in rapid in vivo screening and tracking through complex tissues. The sub-cellular internalization mechanism of the conjugates was determined. A set of physio-chemical parameters of engineered nanoskeletons were also defined that is critical for preferred uptake in multiple organs of live Drosophila.     

Designed Auto-assembly of Nanostreptabodies for Rapid Tissue-specific Targeting in Vivo

Molecular medicine can benefit greatly from antibodies that deliver therapeutic and imaging agents to select organs and diseased tissues. Yet the development of complex and defined composite nanostructures remains a challenge that requires both designed stoichiometric assembly and superior in vivo testing ability. Here, we generate nanostructures called nanostreptabodies by controlled sequential assembly of biotin-engineered antibody fragments on a streptavidin scaffold with a defined capacity for additional biotinylated payloads such as other antibodies to create bispecific antibodies as well as organic and non-organic moieties. When injected intravenously, these novel and stable nanostructures exhibit exquisite targeting with tissue-specific imaging and delivery, including rapid transendothelial transport that enhances tissue penetration. This “tinkertoy construction” strategy provides a very flexible and efficient way to link targeting vectors with reporter and/or effector agents, thereby providing virtually endless combinations potentially useful for multipurpose molecular and functional imaging in vivo as well as therapies.     

Design and biosynthesis of functional protein nanostructures

Proteins are one of the major classes of biomolecules that execute biological functions for maintenance of life. Various kinds of nanostructures self-assembled from proteins have been created in nature over millions of years of evolution, including protein nanowires, layers and nanocages. These protein nanostructures can be reconstructed and equipped with desired new functions.Learning from and manipulating the self-assembly of protein nanostructures not only help to deepen our understanding of the nature of life but also offer new routes to fabricate novel nanomaterials for diverse applications. This review summarizes the recent research progress in this field, focusing on the characteristics, functionalization strategies, and applications of protein nanostructures.     

一种溶酶体靶向的原位自组装短肽设计及抗肿瘤活性研究

肿瘤已成为威胁人类生命的一大杀手,目前主要采用手术和放、化疗等手段进行治疗,但由于放、化疗的细胞选择性差、毒副作用明显且易引起肿瘤细胞产生耐受(/药)性,不利于肿瘤的持续治疗,因此亟待研发具有定向定位优势、毒副作用低的新型靶向药物.原位自组装多肽能识别肿瘤部位的特异性高表达物质,在肿瘤部位靶向性聚集形成稳定的纳米结构,实现精准和高效治疗,有望成为一种新型的抗肿瘤药物.本研究基于多肽原位自组装的设计理念,利用溶酶体内组织蛋白酶L的催化活性,设计了靶向溶酶体且能够原位自组装的多肽分子Fmoc-FFRIKFERQ-OH,研究了该分子的自组装特性及抗肿瘤活性.结果显示,在体外酸性条件下,组织蛋白酶L能精准切割Fmoc-FFRIKFERQ-OH分子,其酶切产物FmocFFR-OH自组装形成长纳米纤维结构,对肿瘤细胞A375和SH-SY5Y均具有较好的杀伤作用.该分子通过靶向溶酶体杀伤肿瘤细胞且对正常细胞的毒性较低,有望成为一种新型的抗肿瘤药物.     

Self-Assembly and Headgroup Effect in Nanostructured Organogels via Cationic Amphiphile-Graphene Oxide Composites

Self-assembly of hierarchical graphene oxide (GO)-based nanomaterials with novel functions has received a great deal of attentions. In this study, nanostructured organogels based on cationic amphiphile-GO composites were prepared. The gelation behaviors of amphiphile-GO composites in organic solvents can be regulated by changing the headgroups of amphiphiles. Ammonium substituted headgroup in molecular structures in present self-assembled composites is more favorable for the gelation in comparison to pyridinium headgroup. A possible mechanism for headgroup effects on self-assembly and as-prepared nanostructures is proposed. It is believed that the present amphiphile-GO self-assembled system will provide an alternative platform for the design of new GO nanomaterials and soft matters.     

基于双工程菌的“锁扣”生物活材料构建及其体内肠道滞留应用

生物活材料的研究主要集中在利用单一细菌生产生物膜、水塑料等体外应用。由于菌株尺寸较小，当其应用于体内时，容易发生逃逸，导致滞留效果较差。为解决这一难题，本研究借助大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)表面展示系统(Neae)，在两个菌株表面分别展示SpyTag和SpyCatcher，构建一种双菌“锁扣”型生物活材料生产系统。两菌株之间通过SpyTag和SpyCatcher的结合，发生原位交联，从而长时间滞留在肠道部位。体外实验表明两菌株混合几分钟后，会发生明显的沉降。此外，利用共聚焦成像和微流控平台进一步证明了该系统在流动状态下的粘附效果。最后，为了验证该系统在体内应用的可行性，小鼠连续3d口服A菌(p15A-Neae-SpyTag/sfGFP)和B菌(p15A-Neae-SpyCatcher/mCherry)，收集肠道组织进行冷冻切片染色。结果表明，相较于未结合菌株，该双菌系统能更多滞留在小鼠肠道，为生物活材料进一步的体内应用奠定了基础。     

综述——新型纳米生物材料的研发：稀土上转换荧光纳米材料的制备与生物应用

近几年,稀土上转换荧光纳米材料作为新型的荧光探针受到研究者的广泛关注,其优势在于光化学稳定性好、发射谱带窄、荧光寿命长、Stokes位移大等．同时,它利用近红外激光器作为激发光源,组织穿透能力好、对生物组织的损伤小、几乎没有背景荧光,使其应用于生物活体荧光成像成为可能．本文主要综述了最近稀土上转换荧光纳米材料在制备与生物应用方面的研究进展．     

Design and preparation of organic nanomaterials using self-assembled peptoids

The self-assembly and self-organization of peptoids, peptidomimetic polymers composed of N-substituted glycine monomers, can result in a plethora of well-defined organic nanostructures. Such classes of nanomaterials represent highly interesting functional platforms for many applications, for example, drug delivery, sensing, and catalysis. The main advantages of using self-assembling peptoids to engineer organic nanostructures include their chemical diversity, biocompatibility, enzymatic stability, and ease of synthesis. The goal of this review is to present a comprehensive summary of the most relevant studies regarding the self-assembling process of peptoids into zero-, one-, and two-dimensional nanostructures, with a focus on their mechanism of formation and their potential applications.     

Applications of low-light imaging to life sciences

Photon imaging is a new technique for the quantitative analysis of bioluminescence and chemiluminescence and can be performed both at the macro and micro levels. The high sensitivity and spatial resolution of photon-counting cameras have resulted in the development of new applications in the life sciences. At the macro level, imaging is a valuable tool for the rapid identification of biological samples emitting long-lasting glows in assays using microtitre plates or filter formats (immunoassays, DNA probes, phagocytosis, gene expression, metabolite and drug analysis) and also for in vivo studies of promoter activity. At the micro level, low-light imaging can be used for analysing multiple analytes on micro sensors and for advanced cell analysis (immunocytology, in situ hybridization, identification of cells or tissues expressing the luciferase gene, intracellular or intercellular protein traffic, metabolite analysis and imaging of Ca²⁺ flux and phosphorylation reactions). Two-dimensional photon-counting instrumentation is a versatile and powerful research tool for imaging and is complementary to conventional luminometers. The main applications to the life sciences involve many types of luminescence assays and can be performed on multiple samples in standard and non-standard formats. Photon-counting coupled to imaging is very helpful in selecting microorganisms or cells expressing bioluminescent genes. Measurements can be made in vitro and in vivo with a sensitivity comparable to that of phototube luminometers.     

Human parvovirus B19 virus-like particles: In vitro assembly and stability

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are biological nanoparticles identical to the natural virions, but without genetic material. VLPs are suitable for the analysis of viral infection mechanisms, vaccine production, tissue-specific drug delivery, and as biological nanomaterials. Human parvovirus B19 (B19) infects humans; therefore VLPs derived from this virus have enormous potential in medicine and diagnostics. Current production of self-assembled VLPs derived from B19 is typically carried out in eukaryotic expression systems. However many applications of VLPs require access to its internal core. Consequently, the processes of disassembly and further reassembly of VLPs are critical both for purification of viral proteins, and for encapsulation purposes. Herein we report the in vitro self-assembly of B19 VLPs derived from the recombinant VP2 protein expressed in Escherichia coli and the effects of pH and ionic strength on the assembly process. Our results demonstrate that VP2 is able to form VLPs completely in vitro. At neutral pH, homogeneous VLPs assemble, while at acidic and basic pHs, with low ionic strength, the major assemblies are small intermediates. The in vitro self-assembled VLPs are highly stable at 37 °C, and a significant fraction of particles remain assembled after 30 min at 80 °C.