玉米钼辅助因子硫酸化酶基因启动子的克隆与功能验证

为克服组成型启动子启动外源基因过量表达引起的诸多问题,同源克隆(Mo-molybdopterin cofactor sulfurase)基因（ABA3）的启动子(ABA3s)序列,并用PlantCARE软件分析其非生物逆境应答元件, 实时定量PCR检测ABA3基因在非生物逆境诱导下的差异表达后。然后,用该启动子构建启动GUS（β-glucuronidase）基因的表达载体, 基因枪法转化玉米愈伤组织。经组织化学染色法检测其表达后, 在高渗、高盐、低温胁迫处理及ABA诱导下检测GUS酶荧光值与荧光素酶(内参)发光值的比值(GUS/LUC), 以此评价ABA3s启动子在非生物逆境胁迫下的启动活性。结果表明, ABA3基因在模拟干旱、低温、高温、高盐胁迫及ABA、乙稀诱导下差异表达, 说明该基因的启动子(ABA3s)具有非生物逆境诱导活性。序列分析表明, ABA3s启动子全长777 bp, 含有ARE、HSE、MBS、TGA、Circadian等多种非生物逆境胁迫应答元件。用ABA3s启动GUS基因构建的表达载体转化的玉米愈伤组织, 响应干旱、低温、高温、高盐胁迫等多种非生物逆境胁迫, 及ABA和乙稀诱导, GUS检测呈阳性。在8%甘露醇高渗条件下, GUS/LUC比值比空白对照高6倍。上述结果表明, ABA3s启动子具有非生物逆境诱导特性, 经进一步验证其功能后, 可用于玉米抗逆转基因研究。     

Mutation of human molybdenum cofactor sulfurase gene is responsible for classical xanthinuria type II

Drosophila ma-l gene was suggested to encode an enzyme for sulfuration of the desulfo molybdenum cofactor for xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and aldehyde oxidase (AO). The human molybdenum cofactor sulfurase (HMCS) gene, the human ma-l homologue, is therefore a candidate gene responsible for classical xanthinuria type II, which involves both XDH and AO deficiencies. However, HMCS has not been identified as yet. In this study, we cloned the HMCS gene from a cDNA library prepared from liver. In two independent patients with classical xanthinuria type II, we identified a C to T base substitution at nucleotide 1255 in the HMCS gene that should cause a CGA (Arg) to TGA (Ter) nonsense substitution at codon 419. A classical xanthinuria type I patient and healthy volunteers lacked this mutation. These results indicate that a functional defect of the HMCS gene is responsible for classical xanthinuria type II, and that HMCS protein functions to provide a sulfur atom for the molybdenum cofactor of XDH and AO.     

Tissue-specific regulation of rice molybdenum cofactor sulfurase gene in response to salt stress and ABA

Molybdenum-containing aldehyde oxidase is a key enzyme for catalyzing the final step of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis in plants. Sulfuration of the molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) is an essential step for activating aldehyde oxidase. The molybdenum cofactor sulfurase (MCSU) that transfers the sulfur ligand to aldehyde oxidase-bound MoCo is thus considered an important factor in regulating the ABA levels in plant tissues. In this study, we identified the rice MCSU cDNA (OsMCSU), which is the first MCSU gene cloned in monocot species. According to the functional domain analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence, the OsMCSU protein contains a Nifs domain at its N-terminus and a MOSC domain at the C-terminus. Expression of the OsMCSU gene was up-regulated by salt stress in root tissues of rice seedlings, but this effect was not observed in leaf tissues. In roots, regulations of OsMCSU expressions could be mediated by both ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling pathways under salt stress condition.     

Mutations of the silkworm molybdenum cofactor sulfurase gene,og, cause translucent larval skin

Normal silkworms (Bombyx mori) have opaque larval skin due to uric acid accumulation in the epidermis while a mutant, og, is translucent owing to a deficiency in xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), which synthesizes uric acid. Molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) sulfurase is responsible for XDH activation in various organisms. A silkworm MoCo sulfurase gene was cloned and found to be on the og locus, whose mutant alleles, og(k) and og(t), show premature stop codons, proving that og is the MoCo sulfurase gene. It was observed that a miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE), named Organdy, when inserted in an og(t) mutant allele exon, causes unstable splicing of a downstream intron leading to incomplete open reading frames.     

珍稀植物矮沙冬青的资源调查及其保护

2000年对新疆境内颁的矮沙冬青资源进行了调查,探明了此种植物资源的分布规律、资源量及濒危原因,并提出了相应的保护措施.研究结果表明,矮沙冬青仅分布于新疆鸟恰县境内,沿天山山脉分布于康苏、克孜勒阿根、巴音库鲁提、肖尔布拉克、膘尔托卡依、克孜勒河两岸和沙漫等地区的荒漠草地带,由于长期受干旱多风气候的影响,分布面积逐渐缩小,群落结构逐渐向旱化、寒化方向演变,构成亚洲中部山地中所特有的低山丘陵常绿阔叶灌丛.群落盖度最高可达10%.     

Cloning and characterization of dehydrin gene from Ammopiptanthus mongolicus

Based on the sequence of an expressed sequence tag, the full-length cDNA of 1,008 nucleotides was cloned from Ammopiptanthus mongolicus by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. It was designated as AmDHN, encoding a protein of 183 amino acids. The calculated molecular weight of the AmDHN protein is 18.4 k Da, and theoretical isoelectric point is 5.78. The AmDHN localized in nucleus. Under normal growth conditions, differential expression of AmDHN exhibited that the expression was the highest in seeds and the lowest in flowers. AmDHN could be induced by NaCl, PEG6000, ABA and drought treatments. Salt and drought resistances of transgenic plants with overexpression of AmDHN are improved. Taken together, these results demonstrated that AmDHN could regulate the expression of abiotic-responsive genes and plays important roles in modulating the tolerance of plants to abiotic stresses.     

沙冬青AmNAC6基因的克隆与功能初步分析

以强抗逆植物沙冬青(Ammopiptanthus mongolicus(Maxim. ex Kom.) Cheng f.)为材料,克隆获得一个NAC转录因子基因Am NAC6的全长cDNA,并对其序列特征、蛋白质亚细胞定位和表达模式进行了分析。研究结果表明,Am NAC6基因的编码蛋白由304个氨基酸组成,具有NAC家族典型的结构特征,亚细胞定位实验证实该蛋白分布于细胞核内。表达图谱分析结果显示,在室内培养的沙冬青幼苗中,Am NAC6的转录水平受干旱、高盐、低温和高温胁迫的影响,其中在干旱诱导下该基因的转录水平上调较为明显;野外生长植株的嫩叶中,该基因的转录水平在中秋和初冬略低于其他季节,春季则低于其在侧根、嫩枝、花蕾和未成熟果荚中的转录水平。此外,本研究还将Am NAC6基因成功地构建到植物表达载体。     

The Arabidopsis LOS5/ABA3 locus encodes a molybdenum cofactor sulfurase and modulates cold stress- and osmotic stress-responsive gene expression

To understand low temperature and osmotic stress signaling in plants, we isolated and characterized two allelic Arabidopsis mutants, los5-1 and los5-2, which are impaired in gene induction by cold and osmotic stresses. Expression of RD29A-LUC (the firefly luciferase reporter gene under the control of the stress-responsive RD29A promoter) in response to cold and salt/drought is reduced in the los5 mutants, but the response to abscisic acid (ABA) remains unaltered. RNA gel blot analysis indicates that the los5 mutation reduces the induction of several stress-responsive genes by cold and severely diminishes or even completely blocks the induction of RD29A, COR15, COR47, RD22, and P5CS by osmotic stresses. los5 mutant plants are compromised in their tolerance to freezing, salt, or drought stress. los5 plants are ABA deficient, as indicated by increased transpirational water loss and reduced accumulation of ABA under drought stress in the mutant. A comparison with another ABA-deficient mutant, aba1, reveals that the impaired low-temperature gene regulation is specific to the los5 mutation. Genetic tests suggest that los5 is allelic to aba3. Map-based cloning reveals that LOS5/ABA3 encodes a molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) sulfurase. MoCo sulfurase catalyzes the generation of the sulfurylated form of MoCo, a cofactor required by aldehyde oxidase that functions in the last step of ABA biosynthesis in plants. The LOS5/ABA3 gene is expressed ubiquitously in different plant parts, and the expression level increases in response to drought, salt, or ABA treatment. Our results show that LOS5/ABA3 is a key regulator of ABA biosynthesis, stress-responsive gene expression, and stress tolerance.     

濒危植物矮沙冬青开花物候研究

对矮沙冬青(Ammopiptanthus nanus Cheng f.)的形态学特征、开花物候及花空间分布进行了研究,结果表明:在单花、花序、单株、居群水平上的开花物候都表现出很强的开花不同步性,在单花、单花序水平主要表现在单花寿命4~9 d不等,平均(6.74±1.23)d,以7 d出现的频率最高;单花序开花持续时间范围在4~13 d,平均(8.33±2.63)d,以10 d出现的频率最高;单株及居群水平上表现更为明显.矮沙冬青的花具有虫媒传粉的特征,花主要分布在花枝的上部,下部花所占比例很小,有很多花枝花全部为上部花.相关性分析表明上部花和总花数相关性极显著(r=0.990,P<0.01),而中部花、下部花和总花数的相关性不显著,甚至呈负相关.单株不同方位开花数量差异不显著(F=0.0579,P>0.05).     

矮沙冬青小孢子发生和雄配子体发育的观察

对矮沙冬青（Ammopiptanthus nanus）小孢子发生及雄配子体发育过程进行了观察,结果表明：花约具4个花粉囊,花药壁发育为基本型,由表皮、药室内壁、中层（2—3层）和绒毡层组成,绒毡层为腺质型。小孢子母细胞减数分裂后胞质分裂为同时型,四分体为四面体型排列,成熟的花粉粒为二细胞型。在矮沙冬青小孢子发生及雄配子体发育过程中没有发现异常现象,认为矮沙冬青濒危不存在雄性生殖结构与发育过程异常的内在因素。     

濒危植物小沙冬青研究进展

小沙冬青(Ammopiptanthus nanus (M. Pop.) Cheng f.)是荒漠干旱极端环境下唯一的常绿阔叶灌木,也是抗逆性研究的优秀指示植物材料。本文在查阅文献的基础上,对小沙冬青的群落生态学、解剖学、生殖生态学及遗传多样性、逆境胁迫下小沙冬青的生理及分子生物学响应方面的研究进行了综述,旨在为该植物资源的开发利用、荒漠区物种多样性的维持和生态环境建设提供借鉴。     

ABA3 is a molybdenum cofactor sulfurase required for activation of aldehyde oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The xanthine oxidase class of molybdenum enzyzmes requires a terminal sulfur ligand at the active site. It has been proposed that a special sulfurase catalyzes the insertion of this ligand thereby activating the enzymes. Previous analyses of mutants in plants indicated that the genetic locus aba3 is involved in this step leading to activation of the molybdenum enzymes aldehyde oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase. Here we report the cloning of the aba3 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana and the biochemical characterization of the purified protein. ABA3 is a two-domain protein with a N-terminal NifS-like sulfurase domain and a C-terminal domain that might be involved in recognizing the target enzymes. Molecular analysis of three aba3 mutants identified mutations in both domains. ABA3 contains highly conserved binding motifs for pyridoxal phosphate and for a persulfide. The purified recombinant protein possesses a cysteine desulfurase activity, is yellow in color, and shows a NifS-like change in absorbance in the presence of L-cysteine. Pretreatment of ABA3 with a thiol-specific alkylating reagent inhibited its desulfurase activity. These data indicate a transsulfuration reaction similar to bacterial NifS. In a fully defined in vitro system, the purified protein was able to activate aldehyde oxidase by using L-cysteine as sulfur donor. Finally, we show that the expression of the aba3 gene is inducible by drought-stress.     

新疆沙冬青基因组调查测序与基因组大小预测

新疆沙冬青是中国荒漠地区代表性常绿阔叶植物,属于第三纪孑遗植物。其极强的逆境耐受性受到了研究者的广泛关注,但由于缺乏基因组序列,分子生物学研究水平进展缓慢。本研究对新疆沙冬青进行了基因组调查测序,共得到65 Gb大小的双端测序数据。结合基于K-mer分析和流式细胞分析的方法,预测基因组大小、杂合率和GC含量等特征,估计基因组大小为770~787 Mb。测序数据拼接构建得到contigs的N50为684 bp,总读长为0.538 Gb;进一步组装后scaffolds的N50为12.09 kb,总读长为0.602 Gb。对拼接数据进行SSR分子标记预测,共得到151858个SSR,其中二核苷酸重复单元比例最高为56.39%,在二核苷酸重复单元中,AT/TA组成形式占多数。本研究首次报道了荒漠植物新疆沙冬青的基因组特征,为后续基因组学研究提供参考。     

濒危植物矮沙冬青减数分裂期染色体行为的观察

用涂片法和酶解法,观察了濒危植物矮沙冬青的减数分裂过程。在减数分裂双线期末或终变期初,可以观察到9个二价体,在中期Ⅰ末至后期Ⅰ初,同源染色体基本排列在赤道板上,然后在纺锤丝的牵引下二价体的两条同源染色体分开,分别移向两极,每一极有9条染色体,从而确认该属植物的染色体基数为x=9。在矮沙冬青减数分裂过程中,没有发现染色体有异常行为,认为其小孢子形成过程正常。因此认为矮沙冬青濒危不是染色体行为异常和小孢子发育不正常而造成的。     

Identification of persulfide-binding and disulfide-forming cysteine residues in the NifS-like domain of the molybdenum cofactor sulfurase ABA3 by cysteine-scanning mutagenesis

The Moco (molybdenum cofactor) sulfurase ABA3 from Arabidopsis thaliana catalyses the sulfuration of the Moco of aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidoreductase, which represents the final activation step of these enzymes. ABA3 consists of an N-terminal NifS-like domain that exhibits L-cysteine desulfurase activity and a C-terminal domain that binds sulfurated Moco. The strictly conserved Cys430 in the NifS-like domain binds a persulfide intermediate, which is abstracted from the substrate L-cysteine and finally needs to be transferred to the Moco of aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidoreductase. In addition to Cys?3?, another eight cysteine residues are located in the NifS-like domain, with two of them being highly conserved among Moco sulfurase proteins and, at the same time, being in close proximity to Cys?3?. By determination of the number of surface-exposed cysteine residues and the number of persulfide-binding cysteine residues in combination with the sequential substitution of each of the nine cysteine residues, a second persulfide-binding cysteine residue, Cys2??, was identified. Furthermore, the active-site Cys?3? was found to be located on top of a loop structure, formed by the two flanking residues Cys?2? and Cys?3?, which are likely to form an intramolecular disulfide bridge. These findings are confirmed by a structural model of the NifS-like domain, which indicates that Cys?2? and Cys?3? are within disulfide bond distance and that a persulfide transfer from Cys?3? to Cys2?? is indeed possible.     

矮沙冬青雌配子体及胚胎发育研究

矮沙冬青子房单心皮1室,边缘胎座,弯生胚珠,胚珠具双珠被、厚珠心。大孢子孢原细胞发生于珠心表皮下,大孢子母细胞减数分裂形成直线排列的四分体,合点端大孢子具功能,并按蓼型胚囊发育,雌配子体成熟于4月中旬。双受精后,胚乳发育为核型。在矮沙冬青大孢子发生、雌配子体和胚胎发育过程中未发现异常现象,因此认为矮沙冬青濒危不存在雌性生殖结构与发育过程异常的内在因素。     

Characterization of molybdenum cofactor from Escherichia coli.

Molybdenum cofactor activity was found in the soluble fraction of cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli grown aerobically in media supplemented with molybdate. Cofactor was detected by its ability to complement the nitrate reductase-deficient mutant of Neurospora crossa, nit-1, resulting in the vitro formation of nitrate reductase activity. Acid treatment of E. coli extracts was not required for release of cofactor activity. Cofactor was able to diffuse through a membrane of nominal 2,000-molecular-weight cutoff and was insensitive to trypsin. The cofactor was associated with a carrier molecule (approximately 40,000 daltons) during gel filtration and sucrose gradient centrifugation, but was easily removed from the carrier by dialysis. The carrier molecule protected the cofactor from inactivation by heat or oxygen. E. coli grown in molybdenum-free media, without and with tungsten, synthesized a metal-free "empty" cofactor and its tungsten analog, respectively, both of which were subsequently activated by the addition of molybdate. Empty and tungsten-containing cofactor complemented the nitrate reductase subunits in the nit-1 extract, forming inactive, but intact, 7.9S nitrate reductase. Addition of molybdate to the enzyme complemented in this manner restored nitrate reductase activity.     

Extraction and purification of molybdenum cofactor from milk xanthine oxidase

Molybdenum cofactor (mocofactor) is extracted efficiently, free of impurities and in high concentrations, by acid treatment of xanthine oxidase and subsequent incubation of the precipitate with phosphate buffer containing EDTA, molybdate and oxygen. It is suggested that cofactor is bound to the enzyme via hydrophobic forces as well as via an oxygen-sensitive mechanism. Upon extraction, the capability to complement the apo nitrate reductase of Neurospora crassa nit-1 can be conserved only in the total absence of oxygen. Cysteine and glutathione were shown to protect efficiently free mocofactor from oxidation. Two species of active mocofactor, probably a molybdoform and a demolybdoform, could be separated by means of reversed-phase HPLC with a mobile phase of 5 mM sodium citrate at a pH of 6.5. The mode of interaction between either of these species with thiol reagents is discussed.