乙肝病毒核心蛋白病毒样颗粒作为载体在表位疫苗中的应用

乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(hepatitis B core antigen,HBcAg)是由乙型肝炎病毒(Hepatitis B virus,HBV) C基因编码的病毒蛋白,是HBV的衣壳蛋白,主要存在于HBV核衣壳表面。乙肝病毒核心蛋白(hepatitis B virus core protein,HBc)来源于HBcAg,由183或185个氨基酸组成。由于HBc本身具有高度的免疫原性,并且可携带自身或外源病原体的抗原/表位在体外自组装成病毒样颗粒,20世纪80年代开始HBc就被用于疫苗载体的研究。现对HBc近年来作为载体在表位疫苗中的应用作一概述。     

丙肝病毒核心蛋白与乙肝病毒核心抗原的融合表达及其性质研究

构建了丙肝病毒核心蛋白 ( 1～ 191)及其N端 ( 1～ 69)和 ( 1～ 40 )与乙肝病毒核心抗原 ( 1～ 14 4 )羧端的融合克隆 ,在大肠杆菌中进行了表达 .其表达产物B14 4C191,B14 4C69和B14 4C40同时具有乙肝核心抗原 (HBc)和丙肝核心蛋白 (HCc)的双重抗原性和免疫原性 .CsCl密度梯度超离心和电镜观察表明 ,融合蛋白能组装成颗粒 .比较等量的融合蛋白的抗原性和免疫原性后发现 ,融合的HCc长度对HBc的抗原性和免疫原性影响不大 .而B14 4C69和B14 4C40比B14 4C191免疫小鼠能产生更高的抗HCc抗体 .利用表达的融合蛋白建立了ELISA法 ,对人血清中抗HBc抗体和抗HCc抗体进行了检测 .     

乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原作为免疫载体的研究进展

乙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白(HBc)基因序列的C端、N端以及MIR区在插入外源基因后,能够正确折叠和组装成病毒样颗粒(VLPs),并且将外源序列暴露到衣壳的刺突,诱发强烈的外源序列特异的体液和细胞免疫反应.因此,HBc可作为基因工程疫苗的载体,在病毒性传染病的预防和肿瘤疫苗的开发和研制中都有广阔的前景.本文将从HBc作为免疫载体所具备的优势及其在病毒性传染病和肿瘤疫苗的应用进行综述.     

促吞噬肽功能化的HBc VLPs纳米载体的制备

促吞噬肽(Tuftsin)是机体脾组织产生的生理活性肽,具有强大的免疫调节和免疫治疗潜力。乙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白病毒样颗粒(hepatitis B virus core protein virus-like particles, HBc VLPs)是由HBc自组装形成的空心纳米颗粒,其不仅能应用于药物的递送,还能应用于外源蛋白质的显示。因此,Tuftsin功能化HBc VLPs载体的研究在免疫治疗、分子递送等方面具有重要意义。本研究选用PET43.1-a质粒作为Tuftsin-HBc VLP的表达载体,以大肠杆菌BL21 (DE3)为工程菌进行诱导表达,通过盐析、分子筛层析和离子交换层析技术纯化生产Tuftsin-HBc VLP。利用Western印迹和ELISA分别对Tuftsin-HBc VLP上HBc和Tuftsin进行定性分析。结果显示,Tuftsin-HBc VLP可与抗HBc抗体和抗Tuftsin抗体发生特异性结合。透射电镜观察结果显示,Tuftsin-HBc VLP呈大小均一的球形结构,粒度分析仪测得Tuftsin-HBc VLP的直径约为30 nm。CCK8法显示,Tuftsin-HBc VLP在0～480μg/mL范围内,细胞增殖未见显著变化。上述结果表明,本研究成功制备了可以在原核系统中高效表达且安全有效的Tuftsin-HBc VLP生物纳米递送载体。     

乙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白作为表位疫苗载体的应用

乙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白(Hepatitis B viruscore protein,HBc)可以形成二十面体对称的颗粒样结构,由于其N端、C端和主要免疫显性区域(Major immunodominant region,MIR)允许一定程度的缺失和外源插入,并且能够将外源序列重复且高密度地暴露在颗粒的表面,诱发强烈的外源序列特异的体液和细胞免疫反应,从上世纪80年代中期就开始被运用于表位疫苗的研究。以下主要从影响HBc作为表位疫苗载体的因素,包括HBc长度、外源插入位点和表位序列的性质等来介绍HBc作为表位疫苗载体的应用。     

鼠多瘤病毒样颗粒及其在疫苗开发等方面的研究进展

鼠多瘤病毒(murine polyomavirus,MPV)的病毒样颗粒(virus-like particle,VLP)是通过MPV的衣壳结构蛋白VP1自组装而成的球形纳米壳状结构. MPV VLP具有独特的纳米结构,在一定条件下能够进行体内或体外自组装,具有丰富的可修饰位点.因此,容易通过结构的修饰改造实现MPV VLP在诸多领域的应用.本文从MPV VLP的结构特点着眼,回顾MPV VLP的发现历程,介绍MPV VLP的制备表达系统和组装机理,综述MPV VLP的修饰.重点介绍化学修饰和基因工程修饰方法,并通过实例阐述MPV VLP在疫苗开发、药物及其他分子载体等领域的应用及其研究进展.基于对已有研究进展的分析,指出大规模生产、组装机理解析及其应用研究的关键环节,服务于MPV VLP的应用开发.     

新型γ-聚谷氨酸自组装纳米胶束的制备及用于蛋白载体的研究

对水溶性的γ-聚谷氨酸(γ-PGA)进行了接枝改性,合成了两亲性γ-聚谷氨酸(γ-PGA)接枝衍生物,采用超声探头法制备胆甾醇基γ-PGA自组装胶束,并以卵清蛋白(OVA)作为模型蛋白,研究其载药和释药性能.结果表明,制备的两亲性胆甾醇基γ-PGA自组装胶束平均粒径为299.6+ 27.3nm,粒径的多分散系数较窄(0.17),且具有较低的细胞毒性;其疏水核-亲水壳的纳米微结构对蛋白药物显示了良好载药性能,对OVA载药量可达118.8 μg/mg,包封率33.5％;体外释药结果显示,负载OVA的甾醇基γ-PGA自组装胶束能延缓蛋白的释放,释药速率与介质pH密切相关.     

HIV-1 CAP2NC蛋白的表达及体外自组装

构建并表达HIV-1 CAP2NC蛋白,探索其体外自组装条件。通过PCR技术扩增HIV-1(NL4-3毒株)CAP2NC基因片段,并将其连接到原核表达载体pTO-T7,获得重组质粒pTO-T7-CAP2NC,然后转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)菌株,经疏水层析纯化后获得重组蛋白CAP2NC。SDS-PAGE结果表明,重组蛋白CAP2NC可在大肠杆菌可溶高效表达,经纯化后纯度约为95%。ELISA检测表明重组蛋白CAP2NC可被HIV-1衣壳蛋白特异性单克隆抗体识别,具有较好反应活性。重组蛋白透析后在非原性SDS-PAGE中呈现为多种聚体形式。分子筛排阻层析分析CAP2NC蛋白透析后可进行组装,负染电镜进一步观察显示CAP2NC蛋白在RNA存在条件下,可形成空心管状颗粒,其形态结构与HIV-1病毒衣壳体外自组装形成的类似。上述结果表明HIV-1 CAP2NC蛋白具有体外自组装的性质,为进一步在体外研究非成熟病毒样颗粒结构奠定基础。     

乙肝核心抗原病毒样颗粒呈现HPV 16L1抗原表位及特异抗体诱导

目的:构建呈现HPV 16L1抗原表位的病毒样颗粒(VLPs),为新型HPV疫苗及特异抗体制备提供新的思路。方法:将编码HPV 16L1抗原表位QPLGVGISGHPLLNKLDDTE寡聚核苷酸片段克隆于HBc Ag基因编码第78、79位氨基酸序列之间,重组质粒转化大肠杆菌DH5α。重组蛋白经IPTG诱导后以SDS-PAGE分析表达情况,并以Western blot鉴定重组蛋白中HPV 16L1表位的免疫反应性。菌体超声破碎后经硫酸铵盐析法和蔗糖密度梯度离心进行纯化,并经凝胶层析Sepharose G25脱盐,最后以电子显微镜及高效液相(HPLC)凝胶过滤色谱鉴定VLPs的存在并分析纯度。纯化的病毒样颗粒分别于0周、2周、4周经皮下注射免疫BALB/c小鼠,以Western blot分析血清特异识别L1蛋白的能力。结果:HBc Ag/L1肽嵌合蛋白获得成功表达,能够被商业化L1抗体特异识别,经密度梯度超速离心及HPLC分析显示其与HBc Ag行为一致,电子显微镜观察进一步确定其以HBc Ag病毒样颗粒形式存在。VLPs免疫小鼠获得的抗血清能够特异识别酵母表达的重组L1蛋白。结论:HBc Ag VLPs成功呈现HPV16L1蛋白并有效激发特异抗体应答。     

由乙肝病毒核心蛋白(HBc-VLP)递载的流感通用疫苗Flu@uV设计构建、表征及初步活性研究

目的:构建以HBc为载体的甲型流感病毒HA和M2e流感通用疫苗(Flu@uV),利用大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)表达系统,进行初步的蛋白表达及纯化。在此基础上,构建DNA流感通用疫苗。方法:利用全基因合成的序列为模板,成功构建HA-M2e-HBc、M2e-HBc、HBc、3M2e-HBc和3HA-3M2e-HBc基因的重组质粒,并在大肠杆菌中表达,经SDS-PAGE、Western blot和电镜检测其表达。将纯化的蛋白与弗氏佐剂共同免疫小鼠,取小鼠外周血进行流式细胞分析。通过荧光分析和Western blot初步验证DNA流感通用疫苗在人源胚胎肾细胞(HEK293T)中的表达情况。结果:成功表达纯化了HA-M2e-HBc、M2e-HBc、HBc和3M2e-HBc四种蛋白,经电镜观察到30nm左右的蛋白纳米颗粒样结构。小鼠外周血流式细胞分析显示HBc和3M2e-HBc可以增加小鼠的免疫力,而HA-M2e-HBc和M2e-HBc对小鼠免疫力的提高没有影响。通过荧光检测和Western blot检测说明DNA流感通用疫苗在真核细胞中成功表达。结论:成功构建HBc与甲型流感病毒HA和M2e的病毒样颗粒,为流感通用疫苗的研制奠定了重要基础。     

Taxonomic status of the species of the green algal genusNeochloris

Komárek has recently reviewed the various species assigned to the green algal genusNeochloris Starr (Chlorococcales, Chlorococcaceae) and removed those with uninucleate vegetative cells to a new genus,Ettlia. Watanabe & Floyd, unaware ofKomárek's work, also reviewed the species ofNeochloris and distributed them among three genera—Neochloris, Chlorococcopsis gen. nov., andParietochloris gen. nov.—on the basis of details of the covering of the zoospore and the arrangement of the basal bodies of the flagellar apparatus. This paper reconciles these two treatments and makes additional recommendations at the ranks of genus, family, order, and class.     

Hectorella: A member of the betalain-suborderChenopodiineae of the orderCentrospermae

Roots ofHectorella caespitosa Hook. f. were induced to produce a red pigment which was shown to be a betalain and not an anthocyanin. These data indicate thatHectorella belongs to theChenopodiineae, the betalain suborder of theCentrospermae, and excludes alignment with the anthocyanin family theCaryophyllaceae.     

Succession in the southern part of the Canadian boreal forest

Forest succession following fire in a forest mosaic of northwestern Quebec has been studied in order to: (1) describe the successional pathways using communities of different ages and (2) evaluate convergence of successional pathways and possible effect of fire suppression on the establishment of steady-state communities. As a first step, ordination and classification techniques were used in order to remove changes in forest composition which are related to abiotic conditions. Then, ordinations based on tree diameter distributions were used to study shifts in species composition in relation to time since the last fire.Even under similar abiotic conditions, successional pathways are numerous. However, regardless of forest composition after fire, most stands show convergence toward dominance of Thuja occidentalis and Picea mariana on xeric sites and dominance of Abies balsamea and Thuja occidentalis on more mesic sites. Stable communities of >300 yr occur on xeric sites while on mesic sites directional succession still occurs after 224 yr. Nearly all species involved in succession are present in the first 50 yr following fire. Only Abies balsamea and Thuja occidentalis increase significantly in frequency during succession. Following initial establishment, successional processes can generally be explained by species longevity and shade tolerance. Early successional species may be abundant in the canopy for more than 200 yr while the rapid decrease of Picea glauca, a late successional species could be related to spruce budworm outbreaks. Considering the short fire rotation observed (about 150 yr), a steady-state forest is unlikely to occur under natural conditions, though it may be possible if fire is controlled.     

The purification of the three trimannosyl-N-acetylchitobiose pentasaccharides from the urine of swainsonine-intoxicated sheep

A simple method for the preparative resolution of three Man₃GlcNAc₂ isomers called Ia, Ib and II has been designed. It consists mainly of the use of concanavalin A-Sepharose which allowed the total purification of Man₃GlcNAc₂-Ia, and then of anion-exchange resin in borate buffer-gradient to separate the Ib and II isomers. The purity of each oligosaccharide was checked by two HPLC methods. The use of these oligosaccharides for different analytical and biosynthetic purposes is discussed, and the unexpected resistance of one of the Man₃GlcNAc₂ alditols to the action of endo--N-acetylglucosaminidase H is noted.     

Evaluation of the Pro-Lab ID ring system for the identification of medically important yeasts

We evaluated 151 coded isolates of medically important yeast species belonging to the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Geotrichum, Rhodoturula, Saccharomyces and Torulopsis using the newly developed rapid Pro-Lab Identification Ring, PL 960 system (PLID-Ring). All isolates were concurrently identified by the API 20C and conventional procedures comprising macro- and micromorphology, assimilation and fermentation of various carbon and nitrogen compounds. The PLID-Ring system identified isolates of Candida albicans, C. kefyr, C. krusei, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis, Rhodotorula rubra, and Torulopsis glabrata with 100% accuracy in 24 h. This system identified C guilliermondii and S. cerevisiae isolates with an accuracy of 90% and 86%, respectively, while those belonging to Cr. neoformans, T. candida (= C. famata), C. rugosa and C. tropicalis were identified with 38.4%, 50%, 12.5% and 50% accuracy, respectively. Three isolates of Cr. laurentii were not identified by the PLID-Ring system. The overall accuracy of the PLID-Ring system was 81.45% (123 of 151 isolates). However, the system does not include species such as Cr. laurentii in its data base. When these three Cr. laurentii isolates were excluded from the evaluation, the accuracy of the PLID-Ring system increased from 81.45% to 83.1%.     

Analysis of the genes of the OEE1 and OEE3 proteins of the photosystem II complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The sequences of the nuclear genes of the 33 kDa (OEE1) and the 16 kDa (OEE3) polypeptides of the oxygen evolving complex of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been established. Comparison between the OEE1 protein sequences of C. reinhardtii and higher plants and cyanobacteria reveals 67 and 47% homology. In contrast, C. reinhardtii and higher plants have only 28% overall homology for OEE3 which is mostly limited to the central portion of the protein. The transit peptides of the C. reinhardtii proteins consist of 52 (OEE1) and, most likely, 51 (OEE1) amino acids. They have a basic amino terminal region and, at least in the case of OEE1, a hydrophobic segment at their carboxy terminal end typical of thylakoid lumen proteins. Comparison of the genomic and cDNA clones indicates that the OEE1 and OEE3 genes contain five and four introns, respectively, some of which are located within the coding sequences of the transit peptides.     

Progress on the genetics of the N2-fixing actinorhizal symbiont Frankia

The actinomycete Frankia is of fundamental and ecological interests for several reasons including its wide distribution, its ability to fix nitrogen, differentiate into sporangium and vesicle (specialized cell for nitrogen-fixation), and to nodulate plants from about 24 genera. Here, we present a review on the genetics performed so far on Frankia. At the end of July 2001, 293 kbp of Frankia DNA sequences were found in the databases. Thirty five percent of these sequences corresponded to full gene or gene cluster sequences. These genes could be divided according to their role into 6 key activities: gene translation (rrnA and tRNA ^pro gene), proteolysis (pcr genes), assimilation of ammonium (glnA and glnII), protection against superoxide ions (sodF), nitrogen fixation (nif cluster), and plasmid replication. We present a review of these genetic islands; their function, expression, localization and particular properties are discussed. A comparative analysis of Frankia nif genes from various strains and species is presented. An improved nomenclature for some of these genes is suggested to avoid conflicts. Frankia plasmids DNA sequences are also presented. The novel trends in Frankia genetics are described.     

The history of the genusHomo

The genusHomo was established by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. During the course of the past 150 years, the addition of fossil species to the genusHomo has resulted in a genus that, according to the taxonomic interpretation, could span as much time as 2.5 Myr, and include as many as ten species. This paper reviews the fossil evidence for each of the species involved, and sets out the case for their inclusion inHomo. It suggests that while the case for the inclusion of some species in the genus (e.g.Homo erectus) is well-supported, in the case of two of the species,Homo habilis andHomo rudolfensis, the case for their inclusion is much weaker. Neither the cladistic evidence, nor evidence about adaptation suggest a particularly close relationship with laterHomo.     

Comparative analysis of the Kekkon molecules,related members of the LIG superfamily

Leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) and immunoglobulin (Ig) domains represent two of the most abundant sequence elements in metazoan proteomes. Despite this prevalence, comparatively few molecules containing both LRR and Ig (LIG) modules exist, and fewer still have been functionally defined. One LIG whose function has been investigated is the Drosophila protein Kekkon1 (Kek1). In vivo studies have demonstrated a role for Kek1 in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling and have suggested a role in neuronal pathfinding. Kek1 is the founding member of the Kek family, a group of six Drosophila transmembrane proteins that contain seven LRRs and a single Ig in their extracellular domains. While this arrangement of domains predicts a possible role as cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), to date little is known about the function or evolutionary relationship of these additional Kek molecules. Here we report that orthologs of Kek1, Kek2, Kek5, and Kek6 exist in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and the honeybee, Apis mellifera, indicating that this family has been conserved for ~300 million years of evolutionary time. Comparative sequence analyses reveal remarkable identity among these orthologs, primarily in their extracellular regions. In contrast, the intracellular regions are more divergent, exhibiting only small pockets of conservation. In addition, we provide support for the general notion that these molecules may share common functions as CAMs, by demonstrating that Kek family members can form homotypic and heterotypic complexes.Edited by D. TautzChristina M. MacLaren, Timothy A. Evans and Diego Alvarado contributed equally to this work     

Comparison of the Influence of Carbon Substrates on the Fibrolytic Activities of Anaerobic Rumen Fungi

Cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities among genera of anaerobic fungi when grown on glucose, xylan and the cellulosic substrates, filter paper and Avicel were compared. All the fungi had basal extracellular fibrolytic activities that could be enhanced by growth on xylan or the cellulosic substrates. However,Piromyces communisstrain 22 andNeocallimastix patriciarumstrain 27 had substantially greater levels of fibrolytic activity thanOrpinomyces joyoniistrain 19-2 orNeocallimastix frontalisstrain RE1. Zymogram analysis suggested both structural and regulatory differences amongst the enzyme systems of the fungi. Numerous and varied enzyme bands were evidenced for all the fungi, with substantial substrate influences seen in the xylanase activities. Most commonly the smaller molecular weight bands, found exclusively extracellularly, appeared under the greatest regulatory control. Endoglucanase activities ofP. communisandO. joyoniidemonstrated similar regulatory control, while those of the twoNeocallimastixstrains did not appear to exert such control. These results suggest that while the enzymatic activities are functionally similar, there are likely significant variations in the enzyme systems of the anaerobic fungi.