多聚磷酸盐在原核和真核生物中的研究进展

多聚磷酸盐(polyphosphate, poly P)广泛存在于自然界无机环境和生命有机体.细菌学研究显示,poly P可增强细胞抵抗外界恶劣环境的能力,促进严瑾反应(strigent response)和孢子形成,促进生物被膜的形成,提高捕食能力,增强细菌毒力等.对真核生物的研究发现,poly P可以促进正常成骨细胞和成纤维细胞分化成熟,参与胞内钙的贮存与释放,刺激一些肿瘤细胞增殖等.本文从现有的信息入手,推测poly P在神经系统中的功能.     

多聚磷酸盐及其代谢酶的研究进展

多聚磷酸盐(polyP)是由几个到几百个无机磷酸盐单体通过高能磷酸键聚合而成的线性多聚体,广泛分布于自然界和生物体.本文总结了polyP在生物体中的重要功能,包括基因表达和调控、DNA的摄取、微生物的运动性、对胁迫和饥饿的应答、病原菌的毒性以及对细胞凋亡、血液凝固、细胞钙化、线粒体功能的调节,需要polyP的酶有内切酶、葡萄糖激酶、NAD激酶和AMP磷酸转移酶等.本文对调控polyP的多聚磷酸盐激酶(polyphosphate kinase,ppk)和外切聚磷酸酶(exopolyphosphatase,PPX )的生化性质和结构也进行了总结.同时,结合我们的研究工作,重点分析了结核分枝杆菌中PPX的同源蛋白和可能的生物化学活性.     

多聚磷酸盐：不仅是异染粒

无机的多聚磷酸盐（inorganic polyphosphate,polyP）是由3个到几百个磷酸根通过高能磷酸酐键聚合而成的聚合物,具有广泛的生物学功能。然而,polyP的所有发现都是在不同的生物体和模式生物中进行研究产生的,因此,这些结果都各自独立,而不能形成一般性结论,即polyP在生物体中到底起什么样的作用。本文综述了polyP在DNA复制、基因转录、翻译和翻译后的修饰、蛋白质的折叠和降解中所发挥的生物学功能。本文尝试将polyP的各种不相关的生物学功能,从中心法则的角度进行了统一认识,希望能为polyP生物学功能的研究带来新的思考。     

藻细胞的聚磷作用及其成矿意义

研究了现代蓝藻盐泽螺旋藻（Ｓｐｉｒｕｌｉｎａ ｓｕｂｓａｌｓａ）在富磷环境中细胞的聚磷作用及其与磷块岩形成的关系。实验证明,在富磷环境中盐泽螺旋藻细胞从环境中吸收磷的速度快,并主要用以合成多聚磷酸盐。模拟成矿试验证明,从藻细胞中提取出来的多聚磷酸盐在Ｃａ２＋ －ＨＰＯ２－４ －ＨＣＯ－３ －Ｆ－ －Ｈ２Ｏ 体系中,在常温常压及偏碱性条件下形成的主要成分为碳氟磷灰石、方解石及非晶质磷酸盐的矿物,为藻类成矿提供了新的极有意义的证据     

多聚磷酸盐在细菌和哺乳动物细胞中的作用

多聚磷酸盐(Poly P)广泛分布于真核生物和原核生物中,是由几十个到几百个无机磷酸盐单体通过高能磷酸键聚合而成的线性多聚体。Poly P能影响细菌的毒力,有助于细菌抵抗环境中的压力刺激。在真核细胞中,Poly P与核仁的转录相关,可促进凝血和细胞分化、调节促炎反应,并和骨的重构、矿化及去矿化相关。同时,Poly P也是线粒体通透性转换孔的激活物。本文综合阐述Poly P在微生物及哺乳动物中的作用及相关机制,同时结合我们的研究工作,分析Poly P对大肠杆菌致病性的影响,以期引起研究者对Poly P的关注。     

多聚磷酸相关蛋白结构及生物学功能

多聚磷酸（polyphosphate,polyP）是由几个到数百个磷酸基通过高能磷酸酐键连接而成的链状多聚体,存在于所有细胞生物中.多聚磷酸相关蛋白包括多聚磷酸相关酶和多聚磷酸结合蛋白.多聚磷酸相关酶如多聚磷酸激酶（polyphosphate kinase,PPK）催化polyPn生成polyPn+1的可逆反应;外切聚磷酸酶（exopolyphosphatase,PPX）、内切聚磷酸酶（endopolyphosphatase,PPN）能将polyP水解成磷酸残基;多聚磷酸依赖的激酶将polyP的磷转移到生物小分子上,如葡萄糖和烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸（nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide,NAD）,使其分别磷酸化为6 磷酸葡萄糖和烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸（nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate,NADP）.多聚磷酸结合蛋白可与多聚磷酸结合,发挥各种生物学功能.本文将简要介绍多聚磷酸相关蛋白的结构与主要生物学功能,以阐述多聚磷酸参与的细胞内生化过程.     

多聚磷酸盐在微生物抗环境胁迫中的作用及机制

抗环境胁迫是微生物提高环境适应性和增加生存机会的一个重要策略，探明微生物抗环境胁迫的过程及分子机制对于了解微生物进化和开发微生物资源具有重要意义。多聚磷酸盐（polyphosphate, polyP）在微生物抗环境胁迫中发挥重要作用。在营养限制条件下，polyP可充当微生物的能源来源和信号分子，增强微生物对低营养环境的适应能力。在微生物应对环境胁迫过程中，polyP可作为蛋白质的伴侣，通过蛋白质修饰改变蛋白质结构使其免受失活，从而维持其功能完整性。polyP具有金属螯合能力，可提高微生物对重金属胁迫的抵抗能力。微生物能通过调节polyP的合成来适应环境pH的改变，调节酸碱胁迫过程中的能量消耗。基于polyP抗环境胁迫的特性，通过转基因技术，把polyP合成相关基因转入到农作物中，可以增加农作物体内polyP含量，从而提高农作物抗环境胁迫的能力。利用含有polyP的微生物处理重金属废水，可极大地提高重金属离子的去除效率。同时，微生物中合成的polyP颗粒也能进一步开发为生物活性产品。因此，polyP在微生物抗胁迫中发挥多样化作用，通过各种分子途径提高微生物对环境胁迫的耐受性。加强poly...     

前体mRNA的选择性多聚腺苷酸化与人类疾病

真核细胞的前体mRNA必须经过复杂的加工过程才能成熟,包括5’端加帽、剪接和3’端加工,其中3’加工包括3’端的切割和多聚腺苷酸化.该过程由前体mRNA上的顺式作用元件以及多个蛋白质因子控制.组成哺乳动物前体mRNA3’端加工机器的核心蛋白质复合体有切割和多聚腺苷酸化特异性因子、切割刺激因子、切割因子Ⅰ和切割因子Ⅱ.其他因子包括poly(A)聚合酶、poly(A)结合蛋白、偶对蛋白(symplekin)等.哺乳动物基因通常含有多个ploy(A)位点,选择性多聚腺苷酸化不仅可产生具有不同长度3’UTR的mRNA异构体,还可能改变基因的CDS区.作为真核生物基因表达调控的关键机制,选择性多聚腺苷酸化在细胞生长、增殖和分化中起着重要作用.本文综述了哺乳动物前体mRNA的3’端加工过程,3’端加工机器的组成及功能,探讨了选择性多聚腺苷酸化在多种人类疾病中的作用机制,以期为读者带来一些新的见解.     

乌龟外周血细胞的显微和超微结构

乌龟血细胞的显微和超微结构研究表明;在外周血细胞中,可分辨出红细胞、单核细胞、淋巴细胞、血栓细胞、嗜酸性粒细胞、嗜碱性粒细胞、嗜中性粒细胞等7种细胞.红细胞核圆形,胞质均匀无细胞器.单核细胞的特征是核内异染色质多聚集于周边,胞质中含有许多囊泡.淋巴细胞的核质比例大.血栓细胞以具细长的指状突起,基本无细胞器为其特征.嗜酸性粒细胞仅含一种圆形颗粒,颗粒质地均匀,电子致密,大小不等.嗜碱性粒细胞颗粒环绕在胞核周围,有三种电子密度、颗粒大小不一的类型.嗜中性粒细胞含有两种电子密度、形态不一的颗粒.       

蓝藻胞外多聚物生物合成、群体形成与微囊藻水华

有毒微囊藻水华在太湖、巢湖和滇池等饮用水源地频繁暴发, 对居民健康和水产养殖等构成严重威胁, 亟需开发新技术加以有效控制和利用。在水华暴发时, 蓝藻大量分泌胞外多聚物而形成细胞群体, 是蓝藻水华发生的关键和前提。蓝藻群体中胶质状胞外多聚物由胞外多糖、蛋白质和其他生物大分子组成, 对其结构、功能和生物合成途径研究了解仍然有限。生物信息学和比较基因组学分析发现微囊藻和其他多种蓝藻中编码大量的具有称之为PEP-CTERM结构域的潜在胞外蛋白质, 这些潜在的蛋白质可能通过特殊的分选系统分泌到细胞表面, 与胞外多糖相互作用形成结构更复杂的胞外多聚物, 介导细胞群体的形成和水华发生。亟需建立微囊藻遗传操作技术, 深入揭示胞外多聚物生物合成和群体形成的分子机制, 寻找控制蓝藻胞外多聚物的组装和分泌及群体形成的关键靶点, 将有助于揭示蓝藻水华形成机理及开发新型控藻技术。     

Formation of volutin granules in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Volutin granules are intracellular storages of complexed inorganic polyphosphate (poly P). Histochemical staining procedures differentiate between pathogenic corynebacteria such as Corynebacterum diphtheriae (containing volutin) and non-pathogenic species, such as C. glutamicum. Here we report that strains ATCC13032 and MH20-22B of the non-pathogenic C. glutamicum also formed subcellular entities (18-37% of the total cell volume) that had the typical characteristics of volutin granules: (i) volutin staining, (ii) green UV fluorescence when stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, (iii) electron-dense and rich in phosphorus when determined with transmission electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis, and (iv) 31P NMR poly P resonances of isolated granules dissolved in EDTA. MgCl2 addition to the growth medium stimulated granule formation but did not effect expression of genes involved in poly P metabolism. Granular volutin fractions from lysed cells contained polyphosphate glucokinase as detected by SDS-PAGE/MALDI-TOF, indicating that this poly P metabolizing enzyme is present also in intact poly P granules. The results suggest that formation of volutin is a more widespread phenomenon than generally accepted.     

Localization of AU-rich element-containing mRNA in cytoplasmic granules containing exosome subunits

Eukaryotic mRNAs can be degraded in either decapping/5'-to-3' or 3'-to-5' direction after deadenylation. In yeast and mammalian cells, decay factors involved in the 5'-to-3' decay pathway are concentrated in cytoplasmic processing bodies (P bodies). The mechanistic steps and localization of mammalian mRNA decay are still not completely understood. Here, we investigate functions of human mRNA decay enzymes in AU-rich element (ARE)-mediated mRNA decay (AMD) and find that the deadenylase, poly(A) ribonuclease PARN, and enzymes involved in the 5'-to-3' and 3'-to-5' decay pathways are required for AMD. The ARE-containing reporter mRNA accumulates in discrete cytoplasmic granular structures, which are distinct from P bodies and stress granules. These granules consist of poly(A)-specific ribonuclease, exosome subunits, and decay-promoting ARE-binding proteins. Inhibition of AMD increases accumulation of ARE-mRNA in these granules. We refer to these structures as cytoplasmic exosome granules and suggest that some AMD may occur in these granules.     

Determination of soluble and granular inorganic polyphosphate in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Corynebacterium glutamicum forms inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) that may occur as soluble (cytosolic) poly P and/or as volutin granules. A suitable method for monitoring soluble and granular poly P in C. glutamicum was developed and applied to C. glutamicum cells cultivated under different growth conditions. Under phosphate-limiting conditions, C. glutamicum did not accumulate poly P, but it rebuilt its poly P storages when phosphate became available. The poly P content of C. glutamicum growing on glucose minimal medium with sufficient phosphate varied considerably during growth. While the poly P content was minimal in the midexponential growth phase, two maxima were observed in the early exponential growth phase and at entry into the stationary growth phase. Cells in the early exponential growth phase primarily contained granular poly P, while cells entering the stationary growth phase contained soluble, cytosolic poly P. These results and those obtained for C. glutamicum cells cultivated under hypo- or hyperosmotic conditions or during glutamate production revealed that the poly P content of C. glutamicum and the partitioning between cytosolic and granular forms of poly P are dynamics and depend on the growth conditions.     

The Chemical Nature and Function of the Endoplasmic Granules of the Ciliate Conchophthirus curtus

SYNOPSIS. Conchophthirus curtus is a thigmotrich that occurs on the gills of Unionid clams ( Elliptio complanatus in this study). The anterior third of the endoplasm, unlike the remainder, is relatively firm and without gastrioles; it contains an extensive aggregation of specialized endoplasmic granules and is therefore called granuloplasm. On the surface ventral to the granuloplasm is a thigmotactic area that bears closely set, strongly adherent cilia. There is no evidence that the granules are intracellular microorganisms; they are Feulgen-negative and do not divide, nor do they stain like bacteria. Cytochemical tests show that the granules contain neutral fat, fatty acid, phospholipid, glycogen, and mucin. The evidence indicates that the principal function of the granules and granuloplasm is the production of mucin, which is supplied to the underlying thigmotactic cilia, thereby conferring on them their adhesive properties. Thus, the granules and granuloplasm constitute a mucous organelle, and to the extent that they are osmiophilic and secretory they qualify as Golgi bodies and Golgi material, respectively. Since endoplasmic granule is a general term for any of the granules of protozoan endoplasm, it is recommended that the granules of the present study be called muciferous granules.     

Stress induces the assembly of RNA granules in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Eukaryotic cells under stress repress translation and localize these messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to cytoplasmic RNA granules. We show that specific stress stimuli induce the assembly of RNA granules in an organelle with bacterial ancestry, the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. These chloroplast stress granules (cpSGs) form during oxidative stress and disassemble during recovery from stress. Like mammalian stress granules, cpSGs contain poly(A)-binding protein and the small, but not the large, ribosomal subunit. In addition, mRNAs are in continuous flux between polysomes and cpSGs during stress. Localization of cpSGs within the pyrenoid reveals that this chloroplast compartment functions in this stress response. The large subunit of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase also assembles into cpSGs and is known to bind mRNAs during oxidative stress, raising the possibility that it plays a role in cpSG assembly. This discovery within such an organelle suggests that mRNA localization to granules during stress is a more general phenomenon than currently realized.     

Isolation of intact chains of polyphosphate from "Propionibacterium shermanii" grown on glucose or lactate

A procedure is presented for the isolation of intact polyphosphate (poly P) from "Propionibacterium shermanii." It is demonstrated, by including [32P]poly P during the extraction, that this procedure does not hydrolyze the poly P, and it is shown that two other widely used procedures do cause breakdown of the poly P. The procedure presented allows isolation of three fractions, short-chain poly P which is soluble in trichloroacetic acid, long-chain poly P which is soluble at neutral pH, and long-chain poly P which is present in volutin granules. Cells which had been grown on lactate did not contain short-chain poly P but did contain a high amount of long-chain poly P, which accumulated to 3% of the cell dry weight. At least 70% of this poly P was present in volutin granules. The poly P ranged in length from 250 to 725 phosphate residues and was the same average size as that synthesized in vitro by the poly P kinase from "P. shermanii". This indicates that the poly P kinase is responsible for catalyzing the synthesis of the poly P. In contrast to cells grown on lactate, those which had been grown on glucose did not contain volutin granules, did contain short-chain poly P and had 100-fold less long-chain poly P than lactate-grown cells. We propose that during the fermentation of glucose, the amount of poly P is lower than during growth on lactate because it is continuously utilized as a substrate in the phosphorylation of glucose.     

Activation of the FGF signaling pathway and subsequent induction of mesenchymal stem cell differentiation by inorganic polyphosphate

Inorganic polyphosphate [poly(P)] is a biopolymer existing in almost all cells and tissues, although its biological functions in higher eukaryotes have not been completely elucidated. We previously demonstrated that poly(P) enhances the function of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) by stabilizing them and strengthening the affinity between FGFs and their cell surface receptors. Since FGFs play crucial roles in bone regeneration, we further investigated the effect of poly(P) on the cell differentiation of human stem cells via FGF signaling systems. Human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) isolated from human dental pulp show the characteristics of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). HDPCs secreted FGFs and the proliferation of HDPCs was shown to be enhanced by treatment with poly(P). Cell surface receptor-bound FGF-2 was stably maintained for more than 40 hours in the presence of poly(P). The phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was also enhanced by poly(P). The effect of poly(P) on the osteogenic differentiation of HDPCs and human MSCs (hMSCs) were also investigated. After 5 days of treatment with poly(P), type-I collagen expression of both cell types was enhanced. The C-terminal peptide of type-I collagen was also released at higher levels in poly(P)-treated HDPCs. Microarray analysis showed that expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1), osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC) and osteoprotegerin was induced in both cell types by poly(P). Furthermore, induced expression of MMP1, OPN and OC genes in both cells was confirmed by real-time PCR. Calcification of both cell types was clearly observed by alizarin red staining following treatment with poly(P). The results suggest that the activation of the FGF signaling pathway by poly(P) induces both proliferation and mineralization of stem cells.     

X-ray Microanalysis of Phosphorus in Scenedesmus obtusiusculus

Results from energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis indicate considerable variation in phosphorus as well as in other elements found in polyphosphate granules in cells of Scenedesmus obtusiusculus starved of phosphorus for 24, 36 and 48 h. Comparison is made with cells at a 3-h stage of synchronization and after 48 h cultivation in a phosphorus-containing medium. After 48 h with a very limited external source of phosphorus, phosphorus was not detectable in‘polyphosphate granules’ in Epon-Araldite sections unless the resin and other organic molecules were removed by plasma microincineration. In spite of the low amounts of elements (Mg. Al, Si, P and Ca) detected in these granules they are still dense to electrons in unstained sections, like the granules in cells cultivated in the presence of phosphorus. That suggests that the localized differences in the structural packing of elements or radicals in the polyphosphale polymer is more important For visualization of unstained polyphosphate granules than the absolute concentration of phosphorus or other elements. In contrast to previous assumptions, the abundance of morphologically-observable‘polyphosphate’ granules can no longer be taken as an index of mobilizable phosphate reserves.     

Inducing mechanism of biological phosphorus removal driven by the aerobic/extended-idle regime

Recently, it was found that excess phosphorus (Pi) removal could be achieved in activated sludge with an aerobic/extended‐idle (AEI) process. In this study, batch tests were performed to further reveal the inducing mechanism of Pi removal involved in the AEI process. Unlike the classical anaerobic/aerobic process where an anaerobic Pi release along with a significant polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation drives polyphosphate (poly‐P) accumulating organisms (PAOs) to over‐store Pi as poly‐P, an idle Pi release accompanied by a low‐idle PHA production, which is usually considered to be detrimental for biological Pi removal, was observed to induce some cells to effectively uptake Pi in excess of metabolic requirement in the AEI process. With the increase of idle Pi release, Pi removal efficiency linearly increased. The results also showed that a long idle period with a low level of intracellular glycogen could significantly increase Pi release contents, thus remarkably enhancing Pi removal performances. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis further revealed that activated sludge in the AEI process contained 37.6% of Accumulibacter (PAOs) and 28.2% of Competibacter and Defluviicoccus‐related organisms (glycogen accumulating organisms). This study revealed an actually existent, yet previously unrecognized, inducing mechanism of poly‐P accumulation, and this mechanism behind the AEI regime may provide a scientific basis for the development of an alternative strategy for Pi removal from wastewaters. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2798–2807. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Calcium‐ and polyphosphate‐containing acidocalcisomes in chicken egg yolk

Background information. Poly P (inorganic polyphosphate) is a polymer formed by P_i residues linked by high‐energy phosphoanhydride bonds. The presence of poly P in bacteria, fungi, algae and protists has been widely recognized, but the distribution of poly P in more complex eukaryotes has been poorly studied. Poly P accumulates, together with calcium, in acidic vesicles or acidocalcisomes in a number of organisms and possesses a diverse array of functions, including roles in stress response, blood clotting, inflammation, calcification, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Results. We report here that a considerable amount of phosphorus in the yolk of chicken eggs is in the form of poly P. DAPI (4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole) staining showed that poly P is localized mainly in electron‐dense vesicles located inside larger vacuoles (compound organelles) that are randomly distributed in the yolk. These internal vesicles were shown to contain calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine, iron and zinc, as detected by X‐ray microanalysis and elemental mapping. These vesicles stain with the acidophilic dye Acridine Orange. The presence of poly P in organellar fractions of the egg yolk was evident in agarose gels stained with Toluidine Blue and DAPI. Of the total phosphate (P_i) of yolk organelles, 16% is present in the form of poly P. Total poly P content was not altered during the first 4 days of embryogenesis, but poly P chain length decreased after 1 day of development. Conclusions. The results of the present study identify a novel organelle in chicken egg yolk comprising acidic vesicles with a morphology, physiology and composition similar to those of acidocalcisomes, within larger acidic vacuoles. The elemental composition of these acidocalcisomes is proportionally similar to the elemental composition of the yolk, suggesting that most of these elements are located in these organelles, which might be an important storage compartment in eggs.