人端粒逆转录酶与Snapin蛋白相互作用的鉴定

目的:研究人端粒逆转录酶(hTERT)与Snapin蛋白的相互作用。方法:将hTERT基因和Snapin基因分别构建到pGBKT7和pGADT7载体中,用酵母双杂交方法在酵母中验证其相互作用;在293T细胞中,共转染带有Flag标签的hTERT及带有GFP标签的Snapin质粒,进行免疫共沉淀;将GST融合的Snapin纯化蛋白与hTERT进行GST-pull down,验证其相互作用。结果:3种方法都证明hTERT能够与Snapin相互作用。结论:Snapin蛋白能够与hTERT相互作用,为研究Snapin参与调控端粒酶的功能活动提供了一些线索。     

端粒相关蛋白TIN2

TIN2（TRFI相互作用核蛋白2）是一重要的端粒相关蛋白。人TIN2蛋白包括N端,TRF1交互作用区（TRF1—Int）和C端3个结构域。它在TRF1复合物、TRF2复合物和Sheherin的功能中扮演关键角色,协同其它端粒蛋白维持端粒长度、结构和功能。TIN2与个体发育、细胞分化和肿瘤发生密切相关。     

端粒结合蛋白TRF2的研究进展

端粒DNA结合蛋白TRF2(TTAGGG repeat binding factor-2)以二聚体形式通过Myb结构域与端粒重复序列TTAGGG结合,并与TRF1、TIN2、Rap1、TINT1及POT1蛋白组成Shelterin蛋白复合物,协同在端粒动态平衡维持过程中起关键作用,进而影响整个基因组的稳定性。此外,TRF2在细胞DNA损伤应答过程中可能发挥重要作用。本文将对TRF2结构和功能研究的最新进展进行综述。     

冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白与延伸因子-1α的相互作用

目的:分析SARS冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)核衣壳蛋白(N蛋白)和229E冠状病毒(HCoV-229E)核衣壳蛋白与细胞延伸因子(EF)-1α的相互作用、翻译抑制效应及与多核细胞形成的关系。方法:构建、表达及纯化SARS-N蛋白和229E-N蛋白的GST融合蛋白,用GST-pull down方法分析其与过表达的EF-1α及内源EF-1α之间的相互作用;构建和表达SARS-N蛋白和229E-N蛋白的GFP融合表达载体,转染293T细胞,通过共聚焦显微镜分析SARS-N蛋白和229E-N蛋白的亚细胞定位及多核细胞的形成;在293T细胞中过表达SARS-N蛋白或229E-N蛋白,通过Co-IP分析其与EF-1α的相互作用。分别在细胞内和体外翻译系统中分析二者抑制报告基因翻译的程度。结果:SARS-N蛋白和229E-N蛋白都定位于细胞质,并不像其他冠状病毒的N蛋白那样定位到细胞核;二者都能诱导形成多核细胞,但229E-N蛋白导致细胞形成多核细胞的时间要晚;二者都能与EF-1α相互作用并且共定位于细胞质,二者都能导致EF-1α形成多聚体;二者在细胞内及细胞外对报告基因都有抑制翻译效应。结论:SARS冠状病毒和229E冠状病毒的核衣壳蛋白均定位于细胞胞质,可与EF-1α相互作用,导致EF-1α形成多聚体,抑制报告基因翻译及导致细胞形成多核。     

人PIRH2b与ARF4相互作用的初步研究

目的 利用酵母双杂交技术筛选PIRH2b的相互作用蛋白。方法 以PIRH2b为诱饵蛋白,利用酵母双杂交技术筛选人胎肝cDNA文库,用GST—pull down验证PIRH2b与ARF4在体外的相互作用,并用绿色荧光蛋白标记PIRH2b,红色荧光蛋白标记ARF4,观察两者在肝癌细胞株Hep3B中的亚细胞定位。结果利用酵母双杂交筛选到一个能与PIRH2b相互作用的蛋白ARF4,GST—pull down验证了两者在体外的相互作用,荧光标记共定位结果显示两个蛋白共定位于Hep3B细胞的核周区域。结论首次发现并证实了PIRH2b与ARF4的相互作用,PIRH2b对ARF4的功能可能有重要影响。     

Sema4C及其相互作用蛋白GIPC的亚细胞定位及荧光共定位研究

目的：观察脑信号蛋白Sema4C及其相互作用蛋白GIPC的亚细胞定位及两者的荧光共定位情况,为明确Sema4C和GIPC在亚细胞水平的相互作用提供佐证。方法：将Sema4C的基因编码区全长、胞外段和胞内段分别构建到pEGFPNl和pEGFPCI表达载体中,将GIPC编码区基因构建到pDsRed-C1表达载体中,分别转染HEK293细胞,观察亚细胞定位;将pEGFPNl-Sema4C和pDsRed-GIPC分别共转染HEl（293和COS7细胞,观察两者的荧光共定位情况。结果：酶切鉴定及测序结果表明重组载体构建正确,Sema4C蛋白全长和胞外段呈跨膜分布,而胞内段在全细胞中呈弥散样分布;GIPC在胞浆内呈斑块状聚集分布;pEGFPNl-Sema4C和pDsRed-GIPC存在荧光共定位区域。结论：Sema4C主要在胞膜和胞浆内表达,GIPC主要在胞浆内呈斑块样聚集分布;Sema4C和GIPC之间存在荧光共定位。     

戊型肝炎病毒ORF1多聚蛋白的不同功能域在细胞内的定位

为了探讨戊型肝炎病毒多聚蛋白ORF1的多个功能域在宿主细胞中的表达和定位情况,我们首先将psk-HEV重组载体上的ORF1各功能域的编码序列克隆到绿色荧光蛋白载体pcDNA3.1-GFP上,构建成融合表达的重组质粒,并测序和酶切鉴定其构建成功。再通过Western-Blot验证各融合蛋白在细胞中正确表达,并用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜观察融合蛋白在细胞内的分布和定位。在Huh7细胞中,RdRp蛋白主要分布于细胞核内,HEL蛋白以囊泡状分布于细胞核周,MET蛋白以颗粒状存在于细胞核和细胞质中,PLP蛋白呈极性分布于细胞核周,X蛋白在细胞核和细胞质中均存在。各融合蛋白在细胞中的不同定位印证了对这些蛋白质的功能预测和体外研究结果,这为进一步研究HEV不同蛋白功能提供了支持。     

端粒保护蛋白TRF2的研究进展

端粒是染色体末端的核蛋白结构。染色体末端重复的端粒DNA可以规避不适当的DNA损伤反应(DNA damage response, DDR)的激活,维持染色体的稳定性,端粒的缺失会引起染色体融合并导致细胞的衰老及死亡。端粒特异性蛋白复合物Shelterin在保护端粒完整性方面具有重要作用。在这个复合体中,端粒结合因子2 (telomeric-repeat binding factor 2, TRF2)在维持端粒稳定、防止端粒染色体末端融合以及端粒染色体复制过程中发挥关键作用。该文综述了TRF2介导的保护染色体末端的多方面的机制。     

KPNB1和Ran蛋白共同介导新城疫病毒基质蛋白的入核转运

【目的】鉴定与新城疫病毒(Newcastle disease virus,NDV)基质蛋白(matrix protein,M)入核相关的细胞蛋白,以阐明NDV M蛋白细胞核定位的分子机制。【方法】从鸡胚成纤维细胞中分别克隆核转运受体蛋白KPNA1–KPNA6和KPNB1基因,将其构建到真核表达载体,并与表达NDV M蛋白的重组真核表达载体分别共转染HEK-293T细胞,通过免疫共沉淀方法鉴定与NDV M蛋白相互作用的核转运受体蛋白。另外,将M蛋白与Ran蛋白突变体或与M蛋白互作的核转运受体蛋白缺失体分别共表达,通过荧光共定位确定M蛋白入核转运相关的细胞蛋白。【结果】构建的重组真核表达载体在HEK-293T细胞中能够正确表达;通过间接免疫荧光观察发现,重组蛋白中除Myc-KPNA2蛋白定位在细胞质外,其它核转运受体蛋白均与M蛋白表现出相同的细胞核定位。免疫共沉淀试验结果表明,M蛋白与KPNA1蛋白和KPNB1蛋白均存在相互作用。进一步通过荧光共定位观察发现,M蛋白与KPNA1蛋白缺失体(DN-KPNA1)共表达不改变M蛋白的细胞核定位,而与KPNB1蛋白缺失体(DN-KPNB1)共表达后导致M蛋白变为细胞质定位,说明M蛋白入核转运需要KPNB1蛋白的参与。另外,将M蛋白与Ran蛋白突变体Ran-Q69L共表达,荧光观察发现M蛋白同样由细胞核定位变为细胞质定位,说明M蛋白入核转运还需要Ran蛋白的辅助。【结论】KPNB1和Ran蛋白共同介导NDV M蛋白的入核转运,其过程是KPNB1蛋白首先和M蛋白发生相互作用并形成复合物,然后通过Ran蛋白的辅助作用完成入核转运。     

小鼠Myf5真核表达载体的构建及其在细胞中的定位

目的：获得小鼠生肌调节因子Myf5基因并构建pEYFP-C1真核表达载体,观察Myf5在小鼠C3H10T1/2细胞中的定位。方法：利用PCR获得Myf5基因克隆到pEYFP-C1载体中,利用脂质体将构建的表达载体转染C3H10T1/2细胞,荧光观察融合蛋白的表达。结果：从小鼠cDNA文库中得到760bp的myf5的CDS序列后,重组到pEYFP-C1载体中并转染C3H10T1/2细胞,荧光显示Myf5蛋白定位在细胞核中。结论：Myf5载体成功构建并在小鼠C3H10T1/2细胞表达,证明了Myf5蛋白定位于细胞核,为进一步研究Myf5与其他蛋白的相互作用奠定了基础。     

Localization of proteins, specifically binding highly-repetitive sequences of DNA in human spermatozoids

Immunoblot revealed in spermatozoa alpha-satellite (sat) DNA-specific centromere protein B (CENP-B) and p70 (Enukashvily et al., 2000), a membrane telomere binding protein (MTBP/TRF2) (Podgornaya et al., 2000), and Alu-binding protein p68 (Lukyanov et al., 2000). The localization of some of these proteins in spermatozoa was defined using indirect immunofluorescence. Spermatozoa were fixed in methanol/acetic acid 3:1, or prior to fixation were treated with 5 mM heparin and 10 mM DTT. The heparin/DTT treatment causes the nuclear membrane destruction and a partial chromatin decondensation. In non-treated spermatozoa fluorescent signals from all ABs are registered near the membrane, with MTBP/TRF2 being localized closer to the acrosome than sat-DNA-specific proteins. In the treated spermatozoa MTBP/TRF2 was partially lost, whereas part of CENP-B and sat-p70 remained in contact with membrane. Another part of sat-binding proteins reveals a dot-like staining pattern, with dots confined to the DAPI-stained chromatin area, inside a nuclei. This is in partial agreement with the pattern of telomere and CEN position revealed by FISH. Commonly MTBP has a near membrane localization, being lost when the nuclear membrane is destroyed. Centromere-binding proteins are arranged in the order from the nuclear membrane towards the nuclear center, with CENP-B being situated more peripherally but not in the middle of the nucleus. This discrepancy may be explained by the fact, that some proteins are not associated with the appropriate sequences in a spermatozoon. Possibly, such a distribution of proteins may reflect their role in unpacking the paternal genetic material in a zygote.     

Telomere binding of the Rap1 protein is required for meiosis in fission yeast.

Telomeres are essential for chromosome integrity, protecting the ends of eukaryotic linear chromosomes during cell proliferation. Telomeres also function in meiosis; a characteristic clustering of telomeres beneath the nuclear membrane is observed during meiotic prophase in many organisms from yeasts to plants and humans, and the role of the telomeres in meiotic pairing and the recombination of homologous chromosomes has been demonstrated in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we report that S. pombe Rap1 is a telomeric protein essential for meiosis. While Rap1 is conserved in budding yeast and humans, schemes for telomere binding vary among species: human RAP1 binds to the telomere through interaction with the telomere binding protein TRF2; S. cerevisiae Rap1, however, binds telomeric DNA directly, and no orthologs of TRF proteins have been identified in this organism. In S. pombe, unlike in S. cerevisiae, an ortholog of human TRF has been identified. This ortholog, Taz1, binds directly to telomere repeats [18] and is necessary for telomere clustering in meiotic prophase. Our results demonstrate that S. pombe Rap1 binds to telomeres through interaction with Taz1, similar to human Rap1-TRF2, and that Taz1-mediated telomere localization of Rap1 is necessary for telomere clustering and for the successful completion of meiosis. Moreover, in taz1-disrupted cells, molecular fusion of Rap1 with the Taz1 DNA binding domain recovers telomere clustering and largely complements defects in meiosis, indicating that telomere localization of Rap1 is a key requirement for meiosis.     

The splicing factor U2AF65 stabilizes TRF1 protein by inhibiting its ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis

The human telomeric protein TRF1 is a component of the six-subunit protein complex shelterin, which provides telomere protection by organizing the telomere into a high-order structure. TRF1 functions as a negative regulator of telomere length by controlling the access of telomerase to telomeres. Thus, the cellular abundance of TRF1 at telomeres should be maintained and tightly regulated to ensure proper telomere function. Here, we identify U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) auxiliary factor 65 (U2AF65), an essential pre-mRNA splicing factor, as a novel TRF1-interacting protein. U2AF65 interacts with TRF1 in vitro and in vivo and is capable of stabilizing TRF1 protein by inhibiting its ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. We also found that U2AF65 interferes with the interaction between TRF1 and Fbx4, an E3 ubiquitin ligase for TRF1. Depletion of endogenous U2AF65 expression by short interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced the stability of endogenous TRF1 whereas overexpression of U2AF65 significantly extended the half-life of TRF1. These findings demonstrate that U2AF65 plays a critical role in regulating the level of TRF1 through physical interaction and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Hence, U2AF65 represents a new route for modulating TRF1 function at telomeres.     

Telomere dysfunction and cell survival: roles for distinct TIN2-containing complexes

Telomeres are maintained by three DNA-binding proteins (telomeric repeat binding factor 1 [TRF1], TRF2, and protector of telomeres 1 [POT1]) and several associated factors. One factor, TRF1-interacting protein 2 (TIN2), binds TRF1 and TRF2 directly and POT1 indirectly. Along with two other proteins, TPP1 and hRap1, these form a soluble complex that may be the core telomere maintenance complex. It is not clear whether subcomplexes also exist in vivo. We provide evidence for two TIN2 subcomplexes with distinct functions in human cells. We isolated these two TIN2 subcomplexes from nuclear lysates of unperturbed cells and cells expressing TIN2 mutants TIN2-13 and TIN2-15C, which cannot bind TRF2 or TRF1, respectively. In cells with wild-type p53 function, TIN2-15C was more potent than TIN2-13 in causing telomere uncapping and eventual growth arrest. In cells lacking p53 function, TIN2-15C was more potent than TIN2-13 in causing telomere dysfunction and cell death. Our findings suggest that distinct TIN2 complexes exist and that TIN2-15C-sensitive subcomplexes are particularly important for cell survival in the absence of functional p53.     

Telomerase inhibitor PinX1 provides a link between TRF1 and telomerase to prevent telomere elongation

Telomere maintenance is essential for protecting chromosome ends. Aberrations in telomere length have been implicated in cancer and aging. Telomere elongation by human telomerase is inhibited in cis by the telomeric protein TRF1 and its associated proteins. However, the link between TRF1 and inhibition of telomerase elongation of telomeres remains elusive because TRF1 has no direct effect on telomerase activity. We have previously identified one Pin2/TRF1-interacting protein, PinX1, that has the unique property of directly binding and inhibiting telomerase catalytic activity (Zhou, X. Z., and Lu, K. P. (2001) Cell 107, 347-359). However, nothing is known about the role of the PinX1-TRF1 interaction in the regulation of telomere maintenance. By identifying functional domains and key amino acid residues in PinX1 and TRF1 responsible for the PinX1-TRF1 interaction, we show that the TRF homology domain of TRF1 interacts with a minimal 20-amino acid sequence of PinX1 via hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. Significantly, either disrupting this interaction by mutating the critical Leu-291 residue in PinX1 or knocking down endogenous TRF1 by RNAi abolishes the ability of PinX1 to localize to telomeres and to inhibit telomere elongation in cells even though neither has any effect on telomerase activity per se. Thus, the telomerase inhibitor PinX1 is recruited to telomeres by TRF1 and provides a critical link between TRF1 and telomerase inhibition to prevent telomere elongation and help maintain telomere homeostasis.     

A higher-order entity formed by the flexible assembly of RAP1 with TRF2

Telomere integrity is essential to maintain genome stability, and telomeric dysfunctions are associated with cancer and aging pathologies. In human, the shelterin complex binds TTAGGG DNA repeats and provides capping to chromosome ends. Within shelterin, RAP1 is recruited through its interaction with TRF2, and TRF2 is required for telomere protection through a network of nucleic acid and protein interactions. RAP1 is one of the most conserved shelterin proteins although one unresolved question is how its interaction may influence TRF2 properties and regulate its capacity to bind multiple proteins. Through a combination of biochemical, biophysical and structural approaches, we unveiled a unique mode of assembly between RAP1 and TRF2. The complete interaction scheme between the full-length proteins involves a complex biphasic interaction of RAP1 that directly affects the binding properties of the assembly. These results reveal how a non-DNA binding protein can influence the properties of a DNA-binding partner by mutual conformational adjustments.     

The 68-kDa Telomeric Repeat Binding Factor 1 (TRF1)-associated Protein (TAP68) Interacts with and Recruits TRF1 to the Spindle Pole during Mitosis

The telomere capping protein TRF1 is a component of the multiprotein complex “shelterin,” which organizes the telomere into a high order structure. Besides telomere maintenance, telomere-associated proteins also have nontelomeric functions. For example, tankyrase 1 and TRF1 are required for the maintenance of faithful mitotic progression. However, the functional relevance of their centrosomal localization has not been established. Here, we report the identification of a TRF1-binding protein, TAP68, that interacts with TRF1 in mitotic cells. TAP68 contains two coiled-coil domains and a structural maintenance of chromosome motifs and co-localizes with TRF1 to telomeres during interphase. Immediately after nuclear envelope breakdown, TAP68 translocates toward the spindle poles followed by TRF1. Dissociation of TAP68 from the telomere is concurrent with the Nek2A-dependent phosphorylation at Thr-221. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that the first coiled-coil domain of TAP68 binds and recruits TRF1 to the centrosome. Inhibition of TAP68 expression by siRNA blocked the localization of TRF1 and tankyrase 1 to the centrosome. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated depletion of TAP68 perturbed faithful chromosome segregation and genomic stability. These findings suggest that TAP68 functions in mediating TRF1-tankyrase 1 localization to the centrosome and in mitotic regulation.     

XPF with mutations in its conserved nuclease domain is defective in DNA repair but functions in TRF2-mediated telomere shortening

TRF2, a telomere-binding protein, is a crucial player in telomere length maintenance. Overexpression of TRF2 results in telomere shortening in both normal primary fibroblasts and telomerase-positive cancer cells. TRF2 is found to be associated with XPF-ERCC1, a structure-specific endonuclease involved in nucleotide excision repair, crosslink repair and DNA recombination. XPF-ERCC1 is implicated in TRF2-dependent telomere loss in mouse keratinocytes, however, whether XPF-ERCC1 and its nuclease activity are required for TRF2-mediated telomere shortening in human cells is unknown. Here we report that TRF2-induced telomere shortening is abrogated in human cells deficient in XPF, demonstrating that XPF-ERCC1 is required for TRF2-promoted telomere shortening. To further understand the role of XPF in TRF2-dependent telomere shortening, we generated constructs containing either wild type XPF or mutant XPF proteins carrying amino acid substitutions in its conserved nuclease domain. We show that wild type XPF can complement XPF-deficient cells for repair of UV-induced DNA damage whereas the nuclease-inactive XPF proteins fail to do so, indicating that the nuclease activity of XPF is essential for nucleotide excision repair. In contrast, both wild type XPF and nuclease-inactive XPF proteins, when expressed in XPF-deficient cells, are able to rescue TRF2-mediated telomere shortening. Thus, our results suggest that the function of XPF in TRF2-mediated telomere shortening is conserved between mouse and human. Furthermore, our findings reveal an unanticipated nuclease-independent function of XPF in TRF2-mediated telomere shortening.