FADD基因的结构与功能

FADD是新近克隆出的一种能与Fas相互作用而诱导细胞凋亡的蛋白,其基因位于人11号染色体长臂上,由死亡效应结构域（DED）和死亡结构域（DD）两部分组成,FADD基因介导着多种死亡受体诱导的细胞凋亡信号传导通路。FADD基因在T细胞增殖及胚胎发育中也发挥着重要的作用。在基因治疗领域,FADD基因可促进胶质瘤细胞和类风湿性关节炎滑膜细胞的凋亡。有必要在FADD的基因治疗方面加大研究力度,为疾病的基因治疗开辟新的途径。     

转运RNA衍生的小RNA功能及其研究方法

转运RNA衍生的小RNA(tRNA-derived small RNAs,tsRNA)是近年来发现的一类由成熟tRNA或tRNA前体通过特殊的作用机制加工产生的非编码RNA.根据其产生方式的不同,主要分为tRNA半分子(tRNA halves)和tRNA衍生片段(tRNA-derived RNA fragments,t...     

TRAF4的结构与生物学功能

TRAF(TNF receptor associated factor)家族蛋白是一类具有相同C末端保守结构域的细胞内接头蛋白,能够与包括TNF受体在内的多种受体蛋白相互作用传递信号并因此得名,目前已经发现了7种TRAF家族蛋白。TRAF4是TRAF家族蛋白中最古老的成员之一,最早在乳腺癌的转移淋巴结中发现,在多种实体肿瘤组织中存在高表达和亚细胞定位的异常。与其他TRAF家族蛋白主要参与免疫和炎症反应不同,TRAF4在免疫中的作用非常有限,目前其已知功能主要体现在胚胎发育、细胞极性、凋亡以及活性氧生成调节等方面。     

WRN结构及其生物学功能研究进展

Werner综合征蛋白(Werner syndrome protein,WRN)是一种既可以和DNA结合又可以和其他蛋白质结合的具有多种酶活性的多功能DNA解螺旋酶。该酶在防止早衰与肿瘤,维持基因组完整与稳定的过程中发挥着重要的作用。文章综述了DNA解螺旋酶WRN的结构特征及其在DNA复制、DNA重组、DNA损伤修复、基因转录、维持端粒稳定、维持异染色质稳定过程中的生物学功能,并且展望了DNA解螺旋酶WRN在结构与生物学功能研究方面未来有待深入解决的问题。     

CD109的生物学功能及其与乳腺癌的关系

CD109是细胞的一种表面抗原,通过TGF-β信号通路传导来调控细胞的增殖与分化,CD109还同时参与JAK-STAT和表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）信号通路调节细胞增殖与分化功能,与一些疾病及肿瘤的发生与发展密切相关。近年来研究发现CD109在基底细胞样乳腺癌中呈明显高表达,并且与基底细胞样乳腺癌易复发及转移相关,导致治疗和预后效果差。因此CD109检测分析对乳腺癌的诊断及治疗具有重要意义,CD109与乳腺癌的关系成为当前研究的热点。本文综述了CD109的生物学功能及CD109与乳腺癌的关系。     

miR-132的生物学功能

microRNA是生物内源性的非编码小RNA,选择性地作用于mRNA的3’非翻译区（UTR）,对基因的表达起重要的调控作用。miR-132是发现较早的microRNA之一,我们对其在癌症、感染、心血管疾病、神经系统调节等众多生命过程中的作用进行简要综述。     

应激对机体脑体功能的影响及其生物学机制初探

目的：探讨应激对机体脑体功能的损伤效应及其生物学机制,为应激损伤防护措施的制订提供科学依据。方法：采用束缚应激模型,观察模型动物认知功能、体能、海马LTP、血浆糖皮质激素、心电图、心肌组织结构等指标的变化。结果：应激动物学习记忆能力和运动耐力明显下降,血浆糖皮质激素水平显著升高,海马LTP诱发受到抑制,心电图异常改变,心功能紊乱,心肌组织结构出现病理损伤,心肌细胞凋亡率增加,心肌组织Hsp70表达水平随应激强度增加而逐渐降低。结论：应激诱导机体神经一内分泌功能紊乱,进而导致机体脑体功能损伤。     

生物节律基因Timeless的生物学功能研究进展

Timeless基因广泛分布于生物体中,是主要的生物节律基因之一,它通过与节律基因Per和Cry家族成员的相互作用影响它们的表达水平。Timeless和Tipin能够稳定复制叉,促进姊妹染色单体凝聚,对DNA复制有促进作用;在细胞周期中激活S期检测点,参与ATR-Chk1和ATM-Chk2的DNA损伤修复通路,加强细胞周期的阻滞以修复DNA损伤。Timeless是生物节律和细胞周期的连接者,在多种癌组织(如肝癌、肺癌、乳腺癌、结直肠癌、肾癌和胰腺癌)中的表达水平与癌旁非癌组织相比有差异,提示Timeless表达异常可能与肿瘤的发生和发展相关。     

类肌钙蛋白（Calponin）亚型和生物学功能

Calponin(类肌钙蛋白)是一个肌动蛋白细肌丝相关的调节蛋白,表达在平滑肌细胞和许多类型的非肌细胞中。哺乳动物有Calponin 1、Calponin 2和Calponin 3三个亚型,分别由三个同源基因CNN1、CNN2和CNN3编码,表达于不同的细胞类型,并执行细胞类型特异性的生理功能。除了调节平滑肌收缩功能,Calponin还调节非肌细胞肌动蛋白骨架的功能并参与多种细胞生命活动,如增殖、粘附、迁移、分化、吞噬和细胞融合等。本综述重点讨论Calponin亚型的基因进化、组织和细胞类型特异性表达、结构和功能的关系以及相关的调节机制。     

The Many Virtues of tRNA-derived Stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs): Discovering Novel Mechanisms of Stress Response and Effect on Human Health

In mammalian cells, mature tRNAs are cleaved by stress-activated ribonuclease angiogenin to generate 5′- and 3′-tRNA halves: a novel class of small non-coding RNAs of 30–40 nucleotides in length. The biogenesis and biological functions of tRNA halves are emerging areas of research. This review will discuss the most recent findings on: (i) the mechanism and regulation of their biogenesis, (ii) their mechanism of action (we will specifically discuss their role in the protein synthesis inhibition and the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis), and (iii) their effects on the human physiology and disease conditions.     

蛋白酶体调节颗粒的结构生物学特征及其功能

蛋白酶体调节颗粒(regulatory particle,RP)参与调控许多重要信号通路的蛋白质降解,在维持细胞稳态中发挥重要作用.近年来,真核细胞蛋白酶体在癌症治疗中的作用机制及药物研发已引起了广泛关注,并有3种蛋白酶体抑制剂已用于临床治疗.随着蛋白酶体功能研究的不断深入,以及晶体学和冷冻电镜技术在其结构生物学研究中...     

tRNA衍生片段的鉴定及对靶分子的调节机制

随着测序技术的发展和对tRNA衍生小分子(tRNA-derived small RNA,tsRNAs)的深入研究,越来越多的tsRNAs及其功能在各物种中被鉴定。tsRNAs根据切割位点的不同可分为tRNA衍生片段(tRNA-derived fragment,tRF)和tRNA应激诱导RNA(tRNA-derived stress-induced RNA,tiRNA),其中tRF是一类具有调节功能的非编码RNA。为了加深对tRF的研究,近年来一些基于测序数据的tRF鉴定方法和相关数据库不断涌现,前者主要包括Telonis等人的算法和tDRmapper方法,后者主要有tRFdb、tRF2Cancer和MINTbase等。同时这两者为tRF的深入研究提供了更有效的工具。大量的研究表明,tRF主要以类似miRNA的方式对RNA、DNA及蛋白质进行调节,但也存在特异的作用方式。随着对这三者的深入研究,研究人员发现tRF在人类疾病的各种生物过程中也扮演着重要的角色,例如可以作为生物标志物。因此本文主要对tRF的鉴定方法、数据库、对靶分子的调节机制及其与人类疾病的关系作一综述。     

tRNAHis 5-methylcytidine levels increase in response to several growth arrest conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

tRNAs are highly modified, each with a unique set of modifications. Several reports suggest that tRNAs are hypomodified or, in some cases, hypermodified under different growth conditions and in certain cancers. We previously demonstrated that yeast strains depleted of tRNA^His guanylyltransferase accumulate uncharged tRNA^His lacking the G₋₁ residue and subsequently accumulate additional 5-methylcytidine (m⁵C) at residues C₄₈ and C₅₀ of tRNA^His, due to the activity of the m⁵C-methyltransferase Trm4. We show here that the increase in tRNA^His m⁵C levels does not require loss of Thg1, loss of G₋₁ of tRNA^His, or cell death but is associated with growth arrest following different stress conditions. We find substantially increased tRNA^His m⁵C levels after temperature-sensitive strains are grown at nonpermissive temperature, and after wild-type strains are grown to stationary phase, starved for required amino acids, or treated with rapamycin. We observe more modest accumulations of m⁵C in tRNA^His after starvation for glucose and after starvation for uracil. In virtually all cases examined, the additional m⁵C on tRNA^His occurs while cells are fully viable, and the increase is neither due to the GCN4 pathway, nor to increased Trm4 levels. Moreover, the increased m⁵C appears specific to tRNA^His, as tRNA^Val(AAC) and tRNA^Gly(GCC) have much reduced additional m⁵C during these growth arrest conditions, although they also have C₄₈ and C₅₀ and are capable of having increased m⁵C levels. Thus, tRNA^His m⁵C levels are unusually responsive to yeast growth conditions, although the significance of this additional m⁵C remains unclear.     

Classical molecular dynamics simulation of seryl tRNA synthetase and threonyl tRNA synthetase bound with tRNA and aminoacyl adenylate

Lacunae of understanding exist concerning the active site organization during the charging step of the aminoacylation reaction. We present here a molecular dynamics simulation study of the dynamics of the active site organization during charging step of subclass IIa dimeric SerRS from Thermus thermophilus (^ttSerRS) bound with ^tttRNA^Ser and dimeric ThrRS from Escherichia coli (^ecThrRS) bound with ^ectRNA^Thr. The interactions between the catalytically important loops and tRNA contribute to the change in dynamics of tRNA in free and bound states, respectively. These interactions help in the development of catalytically effective organization of the active site. The A76 end of the ^tttRNA^Ser exhibits fast dynamics in free State, which is significantly slowed down within the active site bound with adenylate. The loops change their conformation via multimodal dynamics (a slow diffusive mode of nanosecond time scale and fast librational mode of dynamics in picosecond time scale). The active site residues of the motif 2 loop approach the proximal bases of tRNA and adenylate by slow diffusive motion (in nanosecond time scale) and make conformational changes of the respective side chains via ultrafast librational motion to develop precise hydrogen bond geometry. Presence of bound Mg²⁺ ions around tRNA and dynamically slow bound water are other common features of both aaRSs. The presence of dynamically rigid Zinc ion coordination sphere and bipartite mode of recognition of ^ectRNA^Thr are observed.     

Calpain Cleaves Most Components in the Multiple Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase Complex and Affects Their Functions

Nine aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) and three scaffold proteins form a super multiple aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC) in the human cytoplasm. Domains that have been added progressively to MSC components during evolution are linked by unstructured flexible peptides, producing an elongated and multiarmed MSC structure that is easily attacked by proteases in vivo. A yeast two-hybrid screen for proteins interacting with LeuRS, a representative MSC member, identified calpain 2, a calcium-activated neutral cysteine protease. Calpain 2 and calpain 1 could partially hydrolyze most MSC components to generate specific fragments that resembled those reported previously. The cleavage sites of calpain in ArgRS, GlnRS, and p43 were precisely mapped. After cleavage, their N-terminal regions were removed. Sixty-three amino acid residues were removed from the N terminus of ArgRS to form ArgRSΔN63; GlnRS formed GlnRSΔN198, and p43 formed p43ΔN106. GlnRSΔN198 had a much weaker affinity for its substrates, tRNA^Gln and glutamine. p43ΔN106 was the same as the previously reported p43-derived apoptosis-released factor. The formation of p43ΔN106 by calpain depended on Ca²⁺ and could be specifically inhibited by calpeptin and by RNAi of the regulatory subunit of calpain in vivo. These results showed, for the first time, that calpain plays an essential role in dissociating the MSC and might regulate the canonical and non-canonical functions of certain components of the MSC.     

垂体瘤转化基因1(PTTG1)的表达变化对人前列腺癌细胞LNCaP生长增殖的影响

垂体肿瘤转化基因1(PTTG1)具有促进肿瘤生长和转移的作用.通过上调或下调基因表达的策略,观察PTTG1基因对人前列腺癌细胞株LNCaP细胞生长增殖的影响.利用PCR技术分离出PTTG1全长cDNA,分别正向和反向插入真核表达载体pIRES2-EGFP,重组载体分别命名为正义PTTG1-S/pIRES2-EGFP(即pI-P-S)和反义PTTG1-AS/pIRES2-EGFP(即pI-P-AS),将这两种重组载体稳定转染LNCaP细胞,通过流式细胞仪和MTT法分别检测了细胞周期和细胞增殖的情况.转染正义PTTG1后处于S期和G2期的细胞明显增加,细胞生长增殖能力增强;相反,转染反义PTTG1后处于S期和G2期细胞明显减少,细胞生长增殖能力减弱(P<0.05).结果表明,PTTG1能明显改变人前列腺癌细胞株LNCaP的细胞周期和细胞生长增殖能力,它的异常表达可能参与前列腺癌细胞生长增殖过程.