包含体蛋白质的复性研究进展

包含体的形成是异源蛋白质在大肠杆菌中高效表达的必然结果,也是目前产生重组蛋白质最有效的方法之一。不可溶、无生物活性的包含体必须经过变性、复性才能获得天然结构,完整特定的生物学功能。聚集是造成重组蛋白质复性产率低下的主要因素,因此理解蛋白质聚集机制,减少和防止聚集的发生是建立高效、高产率复性方法的关键。分子伴侣、低分子量添加物等在复性过程中的应用及新的复性方法的建立都大大提高了重组蛋白质复性产率。     

蛋白质折叠和分子伴侣

一个有活性的蛋白质分子不但有特定的氨基酸序列,还处于特定的由氨基酸序列决定的三维空间结构。三维结构的完整性受到干扰,生物活性也会发生变化：有时即使只是轻微的破坏,都可能导致其生物活性全部丧失。所以蛋白质的生物功能是与其三维空间结构密切联系在一起的。     

β淀粉样蛋白聚集-解聚机制研究进展

阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s disease,AD)是一种严重的神经退行性疾病,在全球范围内发病成上升趋势。淀粉样蛋白级联假说是AD发病机制的重要学说之一,同时也为AD的预防和治疗提供了研究方向。在该假说中,主要认为大脑内的淀粉样蛋白的错误折叠和聚集是导致AD的核心因素,相关的研究是AD研究领域的热点问题。本文将就Aβ的聚集-解聚机制等问题进行阐述,旨在对现有的研究状况和进展进行总结。     

包含体内重组蛋白质的复性

具有临床、工业生产、药用功能的真核生物蛋白质的供给常常受到其天然来源的限制。可喜的是基因工程技术的发展使许多真核生物蛋白质能在细菌细胞中进行表达[1] 。大肠杆菌由于培养和基因操作容易而成为最受欢迎的表达系统 ,但是重组蛋白质在大肠杆菌中的高水平表达常常导致以包含体形式存在的胞內聚集的变性蛋白质的形成。这种变性蛋白质的量可高达总的重组蛋白质量的95%。由于以包含体形式存在的聚集蛋白质分子不具有正确的三维结构 (天然结构 ) ,它们在水溶液中通常不溶解且没有活性 ,因此大肠杆菌中包含体的形成就意味着可溶性重组蛋白…     

氨基酸组成对蛋白质耐热性的影响

为了研究一级结构对蛋白质耐热性的影响,利用软件DNAMAN对16个家族32种蛋白质序列进行了氨基酸含量分析,并统计分析了氨基酸组成对蛋白质耐热性的影响。通过比较同一家族的高低温蛋白质序列及16个家族中所有高温和低温蛋白质序列中氨基酸含量的变化可以推断(从低温到高温)：Ser、Cys．含量降低显著,Arg、Ile、Pro含量升高显著。由此可知高温蛋白质倾向于含有疏水性氨基酸而避免亲水性氨基酸。     

蛋白质聚集引起的UPS损伤及其对神经变性疾病的作用

泛蛋白－蛋白酶体系统（UPS）在细胞的质量控制上起关键作用,细胞内的蛋白质聚集能抑制UPS的机能,这或许是许多神经变性疾病神经元死亡的原因。     

促进或抑制α-synuclein蛋白异常聚集的相互作用蛋白质

α-synuclein蛋白的异常聚集在共核蛋白病的发病过程中起到了关键性作用。与α-synuclein相互作用的蛋白质对其异常聚集起着不同的调节作用,有的蛋白质(如:蛋白synphilin-1、微管蛋白、A-β肽等)会促进α-synuclein蛋白的异常聚集,而另外一些蛋白质(如:膜联蛋白A5、基于自识别元素设计的小肽等)却能够抑制α-synuclein蛋白的异常聚集。认识与α-synuclein相互作用的蛋白,并研究其作用位点,是从分子水平上理解α-synuclein蛋白质异常聚集、揭示共核蛋白病致病机制,以及设计新药物的基础。分子动力学模拟为开展这方面研究开辟了新的途径。文章对该领域的研究进展进行了综述。     

光敏核不育水稻61kD特异性蛋白质的纯化和N—端序列分析

用制备型聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和制备型等电聚焦纯化了曾报道的光敏核不育水稻 (Oryza sativa)农垦 58S叶绿体的特异性蛋白质 P2 ,得到 SDS- PAGE和等电聚焦 (IEF )纯的 P2。经 SDS- PAGE和 IEF测定 ,该纯蛋白质的分子量是 61 k D,等电点是 5.8。现称 P2为 P61。氨基酸序列分析表明 P61的 N-端氨基酸序列与水稻和大麦叶绿体 ATPaseβ亚基的 N-端氨基酸序列同源。     

第二遗传密码与蛋白质结构优化算法

核苷酸通过“三联密码”决定氨基酸顺序 ,这就是第一遗传密码。多肽链中氨基酸的一定顺序就是蛋白质的一级结构。 2 0世纪 5 0年代Ａｎｆｉｎｓｅｎ提出假说 ,认为蛋白质特定的三维空间结构是由氨基酸排列顺序所决定的 ,现在已被广泛接受。从无结构的氨基酸序列到有特定功能的蛋白质的信息传递 ,即蛋白质中的氨基酸序列与其空间结构的对应关系 ,被称为第二遗传密码。收稿日期 :2 0 0 2 - 0 6 - 1 1 ;修回日期 :2 0 0 2 - 0 9- 1 8作者简介 :王华伟 (1 978- ) ,男 ,湖北孝感人 ,硕士生 ,从事生物信息学、ＤＮＡ分子生物计算研究。许进 (1 959…     

Chemosensory Regulation of a HEAT-Repeat Protein Couples Aggregation and Sporulation in Myxococcus xanthus

Chemosensory systems are complex, highly modified two-component systems (TCS) used by bacteria to control various biological functions ranging from motility to sporulation. Chemosensory systems and TCS both modulate phosphorelays comprised of histidine kinases and response regulators, some of which are single-domain response regulators (SD-RRs) such as CheY. In this study, we have identified and characterized the Che7 chemosensory system of Myxococcus xanthus, a common soil bacterium which displays multicellular development in response to stress. Both genetic and biochemical analyses indicate that the Che7 system regulates development via a direct interaction between the SD-RR CheY7 and a HEAT repeat domain-containing protein, Cpc7. Phosphorylation of the SD-RR affects the interaction with its target, and residues within the α4-β5-α5 fold of the REC domain govern this interaction. The identification of the Cpc7 interaction with CheY7 extends the diversity of known targets for SD-RRs in biological systems.     

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Peptide-Driven Regulation and Neuroprotective Protein FKBP1b

Molecular Biology - Cortexin is a clinically approved cerebral cortex polypeptide complex in calves. The mechanism of cortexin action is not understood well. Two cortexin derivatives, short...     

FHL2 蛋白在肿瘤中的转录调控及其分子生物学机制

FHL2是仅有四个半LIM结构域(FHL)蛋白家族的成员,目前在FHL蛋白家族中研究最为广泛。FHL2作为重要的衔接蛋白和支架蛋白,主要通过LIM结构域介导蛋白分子间的相互作用以实现其生物学功能。Fhl2基因在转录水平受多种肿瘤相关基因的调控,如p53,血清应答因子等。FHL2与恶性肿瘤的关系是近年来的研究热点,目前认为FHL2能够作为癌蛋白及抑癌蛋白通过不同机制广泛影响乳腺癌、胃肠道肿瘤、肝癌、前列腺癌等肿瘤的发生发展,并且在不同肿瘤中的表达具有组织特异性。本文就FHL2的结构特点、功能、转录调控及与肿瘤的关系几个方面展开综述,从而明确FHL2在不同肿瘤中所发挥的作用及其分子生物学机制将会为治疗相关肿瘤提供新的干预靶点。     

错误折叠蛋白质的聚集效应及其对策

错误折叠蛋白质大量聚集将引发蛋白质构象紊乱症(protein conformational disorder,PCD)。目前的研究发现,蛋白质聚集过程中的中间体(纤维前体,pre—fibfillar)导致细胞膜结构受损,从而诱发细胞凋亡。根据这一原理设计出的抗纤维前体抗体和干扰肽可以作为PCD治疗的一般性方法。此外,该就消除错误折叠蛋白质聚集的研究方向作了展望。     

Extra- and Intracellular Mechanisms of Changes in Erythrocyte Aggregation

Reversible aggregation is a form of erythrocyte behavior. The presence of α- and β-adrenergic receptors on erythrocyte membranes suggests that aggregation can be influenced by agonists of these receptors. Human erythrocyte aggregation (EA) was studied in the presence of α- and β-agonists of adrenergic receptors (in the concentration range from 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁸ M). The α₂-agonist clonidine stimulated EA most strongly (by 163%, P < 0.01). The cell reaction decreased from the α-agonist clonidine to the β-agonist metaproterenol. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor papaverine and the penetrating cAMP analogue dibutyryl cAMP (dB-cAMP) increased the intracellular cAMP and decreased EA by 46–50% (P < 0.05). Clonidine-induced stimulation of EA sharply decreased upon erythrocyte incubation in the presence of clonidine + dB-cAMP and became even lower than in the control. Thus, α-agonists of adrenergic receptors markedly stimulated EA. The adenylate cyclase-cAMP system is likely involved as an intracellular signaling pathway.__________Translated from Fiziologiya Cheloveka, Vol. 31, No. 4, 2005, pp. 108–112.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by A. V. Murav’ev, A. A. Murav’ev.     

CPAD,Curated Protein Aggregation Database: A Repository of Manually Curated Experimental Data on Protein and Peptide Aggregation

Accurate distinction between peptide sequences that can form amyloid-fibrils or amorphous β-aggregates, identification of potential aggregation prone regions in proteins, and prediction of change in aggregation rate of a protein upon mutation(s) are critical to research on protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as biotechnological production of protein based therapeutics. We have developed a Curated Protein Aggregation Database (CPAD), which has collected results from experimental studies performed by scientific community aimed at understanding protein/peptide aggregation. CPAD contains more than 2300 experimentally observed aggregation rates upon mutations in known amyloidogenic proteins. Each entry includes numerical values for the following parameters: change in rate of aggregation as measured by fluorescence intensity or turbidity, name and source of the protein, Uniprot and Protein Data Bank codes, single point as well as multiple mutations, and literature citation. The data in CPAD has been supplemented with five different types of additional information: (i) Amyloid fibril forming hexa-peptides, (ii) Amorphous β-aggregating hexa-peptides, (iii) Amyloid fibril forming peptides of different lengths, (iv) Amyloid fibril forming hexa-peptides whose crystal structures are available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and (v) Experimentally validated aggregation prone regions found in amyloidogenic proteins. Furthermore, CPAD is linked to other related databases and resources, such as Uniprot, Protein Data Bank, PUBMED, GAP, TANGO, WALTZ etc. We have set up a web interface with different search and display options so that users have the ability to get the data in multiple ways. CPAD is freely available at http://www.iitm.ac.in/bioinfo/CPAD/. The potential applications of CPAD have also been discussed.     

Protein Misfolding and Aggregation in Ageing and Disease

Although intensively researched, the fundamental mechanism of protein misfolding that leads to protein aggregation and associated diseases remains somewhat enigmatic. The failure of a protein to correctly fold de novo or to remain correctly folded can have profound consequences on a living system especially when the cellular quality control processes fail to eliminate the rogue proteins. Over 20 different human diseases have now been designated as ‘conformational diseases’ and include neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntington’s disease (HD) and Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) that are becoming increasingly prevalent in an ageing human population. Such diseases are usually characterised by the deposition of specific misfolded proteins as amyloid fibrils and hence are often referred to as the amyloidoses.     

Protein Aggregation and Disaggregation in Cells and Development

Protein aggregation is a feature of numerous neurodegenerative diseases. However, regulated, often reversible, formation of protein aggregates, also known as condensates, helps control a wide range of cellular activities including stress response, gene expression, memory, cell development and differentiation. This review presents examples of aggregates found in biological systems, how they are used, and cellular strategies that control aggregation and disaggregation. We include features of the aggregating proteins themselves, environmental factors, co-aggregates, post-translational modifications and well-known aggregation-directed activities that influence their formation, material state, stability and dissolution. We highlight the emerging roles of biomolecular condensates in early animal development, and disaggregation processing proteins that have recently been shown to play key roles in gametogenesis and embryogenesis.     

Control of PKR Protein Kinase by Hepatitis C Virus Nonstructural 5A Protein: Molecular Mechanisms of Kinase Regulation

The PKR protein kinase is a critical component of the cellular antiviral and antiproliferative responses induced by interferons. Recent evidence indicates that the nonstructural 5A (NS5A) protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can repress PKR function in vivo, possibly allowing HCV to escape the antiviral effects of interferon. NS5A presents a unique tool by which to study the molecular mechanisms of PKR regulation in that mutations within a region of NS5A, termed the interferon sensitivity-determining region (ISDR), are associated with sensitivity of HCV to the antiviral effects of interferon. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of NS5A-mediated PKR regulation and the effect of ISDR mutations on this regulatory process. We observed that the NS5A ISDR, though necessary, was not sufficient for PKR interactions; we found that an additional 26 amino acids (aa) carboxyl to the ISDR were required for NS5A-PKR complex formation. Conversely, we localized NS5A binding to within PKR aa 244 to 296, recently recognized as a PKR dimerization domain. Consistent with this observation, we found that NS5A from interferon-resistant HCV genotype 1b disrupted kinase dimerization in vivo. NS5A-mediated disruption of PKR dimerization resulted in repression of PKR function and inhibition of PKR-mediated eIF-2α phosphorylation. Introduction of multiple ISDR mutations abrogated the ability of NS5A to bind to PKR in mammalian cells and to inhibit PKR in a yeast functional assay. These results indicate that mutations within the PKR-binding region of NS5A, including those within the ISDR, can disrupt the NS5A-PKR interaction, possibly rendering HCV sensitive to the antiviral effects of interferon. We propose a model of PKR regulation by NS5A which may have implications for therapeutic strategies against HCV.