家族性高胆固醇血症样表型遗传异质性的分子基础

家族性高胆固醇血症(FH)是由于低密度脂蛋白受体(LDL—R)基因突变,致使细胞表面LDL-R蛋白功能缺陷,导致血浆低密度脂蛋白(LDL)大幅度增高,并可导致早发冠心病。“FH”已经成为携带LDL-R基因突变患者的同意词,但日益增多的研究证实,其他6种基因突变也可通过不同机制导致FH样表型。这些致病基因的发现．促进胆固醇代谢的研究进入新领域,有助于深入探讨胆固醇代谢的调节机制,并将为FH样表型的诊断和治疗提供新的理论依据。文章就有关FH样表型遗传异质性的分子基础研究的近况作一简要综述．以引起人们的关注。     

玉米杂种优势分子基础研究进展

当今作物改良中杂种优势的广泛应用得益于杂交玉米的首先培育成功,对其分子基础的探讨已历经近一个世纪却尚未达成共识。关于杂种优势的经典解释曾聚焦于显性和超显性假说,现在看来似乎是借喻遗传学分子概念而无实际分子基础的实用性概念,籍此导致了一些研究结果的不一致是可以理解的。随着基因组时代的到来和相关分子技术的出现,文章回顾了过去的研究结果,分析了杂种优势分子机制研究的现状和问题,针对两亲本及其后代杂交后基因组构架和基因表达变化的研究趋势及方向进行了评价,并提出了由此资讯引发的SNPs单倍型用于玉米杂种优势分子基础研究的新策略。     

Elucidation of the Molecular Basis of a Null Allele in a Rainbow Trout Microsatellite

The use of microsatellites for studies of population structure, as markers in genome mapping, and for parentage control has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, the presence of null alleles can lead to confounding results when using microsatellites. In the Omy3DIAS microsatellite, the presence of a null allele was discovered by analysis of family material. The null allele was sequenced after amplification with new primers located farther away from the repeat sequence. The null allele was shown to be caused by a deletion of a 4-bp sequence, which was part of a repetitive sequence within one of the primer recognition sites. As this phenomenon has been seen in other cases of null alleles, this observation leads to the recommendation to avoid repetitive sequences of any kind within primer sequences. Allele-specific amplification of the null allele revealed the presence of a single variant of this allele. Received January 31, 2000; accepted May 5, 2000.     

Independent Molecular Basis of Convergent Highland Adaptation in Maize

Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar traits in different species or lineages of the same species; this often is a result of adaptation to similar environments, a process referred to as convergent adaptation. We investigate here the molecular basis of convergent adaptation in maize to highland climates in Mesoamerica and South America, using genome-wide SNP data. Taking advantage of archaeological data on the arrival of maize to the highlands, we infer demographic models for both populations, identifying evidence of a strong bottleneck and rapid expansion in South America. We use these models to then identify loci showing an excess of differentiation as a means of identifying putative targets of natural selection and compare our results to expectations from recently developed theory on convergent adaptation. Consistent with predictions across a wide parameter space, we see limited evidence for convergent evolution at the nucleotide level in spite of strong similarities in overall phenotypes. Instead, we show that selection appears to have predominantly acted on standing genetic variation and that introgression from wild teosinte populations appears to have played a role in highland adaptation in Mexican maize.     

Molecular Basis of Late-flowering Phenotype Caused by Dominant Epi-alleles of the FWA Locus in Arabidopsis

The above article was published in Plant and Cell Physiology48(2): 205–220. The end of the last line in the legend     

On the Molecular Basis for Mechanotransduction

Much is currently known about the signaling pathways that are excited when cells are subjected to a mechanical stimulus, yet we understand little of the process by which the mechanical perturbation is transformed into a biochemical signal. Numerous theories have been proposed, and each has merit. While cells may possess many different ways of responding to stress, the existence of a single unifying principle has much appeal. Here we propose the hypothesis that cells sense mechanical force through changes in protein conformation, leading to altered binding affinities of proteins, ultimately initiating an intracellular signaling cascade or producing changes in the proteins localized to regions of high stress. More generally, this represents an alternative to transmembrane signaling through receptor-ligand interactions providing the cell with a means of reacting to changes in its mechanical, as opposed to biochemical, environment. One example is presented showing how the binding affinity between the focal adhesion targeting domain of focal adhesion kinase and the LD motif of paxillin is influenced by externally applied force.     

Role of RANKL (TNFSF11)-Dependent Osteopetrosis in the Dental Phenotype of Msx2 Null Mutant Mice

The MSX2 homeoprotein is implicated in all aspects of craniofacial skeletal development. During postnatal growth, MSX2 is expressed in all cells involved in mineralized tissue formation and plays a role in their differentiation and function. Msx2 null (Msx2 ^−/−) mice display complex craniofacial skeleton abnormalities with bone and tooth defects. A moderate form osteopetrotic phenotype is observed, along with decreased expression of RANKL (TNFSF11), the main osteoclast-differentiating factor. In order to elucidate the role of such an osteopetrosis in the Msx2 ^−/− mouse dental phenotype, a bone resorption rescue was performed by mating Msx2 ^−/− mice with a transgenic mouse line overexpressing Rank (Tnfrsf11a). Msx2 ^−/− Rank^Tg mice had significant improvement in the molar phenotype, while incisor epithelium defects were exacerbated in the enamel area, with formation of massive osteolytic tumors. Although compensation for RANKL loss of function could have potential as a therapy for osteopetrosis, but in Msx2 ^−/− mice, this approach via RANK overexpression in monocyte-derived lineages, amplified latent epithelial tumor development in the peculiar continuously growing incisor.     

A Biochemical Phenotype for a Disease Resistance Gene of Maize

In maize, major resistance to the pathogenic fungus Cochliobolus (Helminthosporium) carbonum race 1 is determined by the dominant allele of the nuclear locus hm. The interaction between C. carbonum race 1 and maize is mediated by a pathogen-produced, low molecular weight compound called HC-toxin. We recently described an enzyme from maize, called HC-toxin reductase, that inactivates HC-toxin by pyridine nucleotide-dependent reduction of an essential carbonyl group. We now report that this enzyme activity is detectable only in extracts of maize that are resistant to C. carbonum race 1 (genotype Hm/Hm or Hm/hm). In several genetic analyses, in vitro HC-toxin reductase activity was without exception associated with resistance to C. carbonum race 1. The results indicate that detoxification of HC-toxin is the biochemical basis of Hm-specific resistance of maize to infection by C. carbonum race 1.     

Mu Element-Generated Gene Conversions in Maize Attenuate the Dominant Knotted Phenotype

The knotted1 gene was first defined by dominant mutations that affect leaf morphology. The original allele, Kn1-O, results from a 17-kb tandem duplication. Mutator (Mu) insertions near the junction of the two repeats suppress the leaf phenotype to different degrees depending on the position of the insertion. The Mu insertions also increase the frequency of recombination at Kn1-O to create derivative alleles in which the Mu element and one copy of the repeat are lost. These derivatives are normal in appearance. Here we describe two derivatives that retained the tandem duplication but gained insertions of 1.7 and 3 kb in length in place of the Mu element. In each case, the inserted DNA is a sequence that normally flanks the distal repeat unit. Thus, each derivative consists of a tandem duplication in which the repeat unit has been extended at its distal end by the length of the new insertion. The 1.7-kb insertion dampens the phenotype, as did the original Mu insertion, whereas the 3-kb insertion completely suppresses the knotted phenotype. We propose that gene conversion, stimulated by the double-strand break of the Mu excision, gave rise to these derivatives.     

Mutations That Enhance the Cap2 Null Mutant Phenotype in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Affect the Actin Cytoskeleton, Morphogenesis and Pattern of Growth

Mutations conferring synthetic lethality in combination with null mutations in CAP2, the gene encoding the β subunit of capping protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were obtained in a colony color assay. Monogenic inheritance was found for four mutations, which were attributed to three genetic loci. One mutation, sac6-69, is in the gene encoding fimbrin, another actin-binding protein, which was expected because null mutations in SAC6 and CAP2 are known to be synthetic-lethal. The other two loci were designated slc for synthetic lethality with cap2. These loci include the mutations slc1-66, slc1-87 and slc2-107. The slc mutations are semi-dominant, as shown by incomplete complementation in slc/SLC cap2/cap2 heterozygotes. The slc mutations and sac6-69 interact with each other, as shown by enhanced phenotypes in diheterozygotes. Moreover, the haploid slc2-107 sac6-69 double mutant is inviable. In a CAP2 background, the slc mutations lead to temperature and osmotic sensitivity. They alter the distribution of the actin cytoskeleton, including deficits in the presence of actin cables and the polarization of cortical actin patches. The slc mutations also lead to a pseudomycelial growth pattern. Together these results suggest that slc1 and slc2 encode components of the actin cytoskeleton in yeast and that the actin cytoskeleton can regulate the patterns of growth.     

Molecular Basis for the Resistance of Human Mitochondrial 2-Cys Peroxiredoxin 3 to Hyperoxidation

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) detoxify peroxides and modulate H₂O₂-mediated cell signaling in normal and numerous pathophysiological contexts. The typical 2-Cys subclass of Prxs (human Prx1–4) utilizes a Cys sulfenic acid (Cys-SOH) intermediate and disulfide bond formation across two subunits during catalysis. During oxidative stress, however, the Cys-SOH moiety can react with H₂O₂ to form Cys sulfinic acid (Cys-SO₂H), resulting in inactivation. The propensity to hyperoxidize varies greatly among human Prxs. Mitochondrial Prx3 is the most resistant to inactivation, but the molecular basis for this property is unknown. A panel of chimeras and Cys variants of Prx2 and Prx3 were treated with H₂O₂ and analyzed by rapid chemical quench and time-resolved electrospray ionization-TOF mass spectrometry. The latter utilized an on-line rapid-mixing setup to collect data on the low seconds time scale. These approaches enabled the first direct observation of the Cys-SOH intermediate and a putative Cys sulfenamide (Cys-SN) for Prx2 and Prx3 during catalysis. The substitution of C-terminal residues in Prx3, residues adjacent to the resolving Cys residue, resulted in a Prx2-like protein with increased sensitivity to hyperoxidation and decreased ability to form the intermolecular disulfide bond between subunits. The corresponding Prx2 chimera became more resistant to hyperoxidation. Taken together, the results of this study support that the kinetics of the Cys-SOH intermediate is key to determine the probability of hyperoxidation or disulfide formation. Given the oxidizing environment of the mitochondrion, it makes sense that Prx3 would favor disulfide bond formation as a protection mechanism against hyperoxidation and inactivation.