脱氧核糖核酸内切酶与细胞凋亡

哺乳动物细胞广泛存在细胞凋亡。脱氧核糖核酸内切酶(DNase)在细胞凋亡中发挥重要作用,染色质DNA降解、浓缩及细胞核结构的破坏都与DNase有关。目前已发现多种DNase参与不同类型细胞的凋亡。本重点对DNaseⅠ、DNaseⅡ、NUC18、NUC70、AN34、DFF(DFF40/DFF45)等内源性DNase与哺乳动物细胞凋亡的关系作系统的归纳和分析。     

钙、镁离子在活化HL-60细胞核酸内切酶中的作用不同

EGTA ,EDTA抑制游离HL- 6 0细胞核中核酸内切酶的活化 .EDTA对游离HL -6 0细胞核中核酸内切酶活性的抑制可被外加Ca ²⁺逆转 ,而EDTA对该酶活性的抑制却不能被外加Mg ²⁺逆转 .用CHELEX 1 0 0去除游离核孵育缓冲液中存在的Ca2 ²⁺,Mg ²⁺后 ,外界Ca2 ²⁺( 1～ 1 0mmol/L)单独可诱导游离HL -6 0细胞核中的核酸内切酶活化 ,且强度一致 ;而外加Mg ²⁺则不能诱导该酶活性 .只有在钙存在( 0 1～ 1 0mmol/L)的条件下 ,该酶活性才随Mg ²⁺浓度增高而增高 .这说明HL- 6 0细胞中核酸内切酶的活化必须有Ca ²⁺存在 ,在Ca ²⁺存在的条件下 ,其活性可被镁增强 ,Ca ²⁺和Mg ²⁺在核酸内切酶活化中的作用是不同的 .     

单纯疱疹病毒基因组的限制性核酸内切酶分析

为了获得单纯疱疹病毒(HSV)基因组的限制性核酸内切酶(RE)分析资料和选择合适的RE去研究HSV感染,用11种常用的RE对HSV两个型别的实验室标准毒株的基因组分别作了分析。比较研究的结果表明,BamHI、HpaI和PstI等RE较适于HSV的研究和分型。本研究所采用的小量提取HSV DNA的方法具有快速、简便和实用的特点,值得在HSV感染的诊断、分型和HSV分子流行病学诸研究中推广使用。     

BamHI DNA甲基化酶的纯化及对BamHI限制性核酸内切酶限制作用的保护作用

用硫酸铵盐析、磷酸纤维素柱层析和肝素-Sepharose 4B亲和层析从解淀粉芽孢杆菌(Raviflus amyloliquefaciens)纯化了BamHI DNA甲基化酶。并以λDNA为底物,研究了λDNA被BamHIDNA甲基化酶作用后,对BamHI限制性核酸内切酶的切割产生了明显的阻抗作用。     

BamHI DNA甲基化酶的纯化及对BamHI限制性核酸内切酶限制作用的保护作用

用硫酸铵盐析、磷酸纤维素柱层析和肝素-Sepharose 4B亲和层析从解淀粉芽孢杆菌(Rocllus amyloliquefaciens)纯化了BamHl DNA甲基化酶。并以λDNA为底物,研究了λDNA被BamHl DNA甲基化酶作用后,对BamHl限制性核酸内切酶的切割产生了明显的阻抗作用。     

限制性核酸内切酶（restrictionendonuclease）

利用基因重组技术的研究以及产品的制造得到广泛普及，其中的有功之臣就是限制性核酸内切酶。具有识别特定的碱基序列并加以切割的功能。日本东京大学的小宫山真教授为我们就其有关机理及应用用研究进行阐述。[编者按]     

限制性核酸内切酶与DNA相互作用研究进展

蛋白质对ＤＮＡ识别的模体中,除了锌指结构、螺旋—转角—螺旋、亮氨酸拉链和β带外,近年来发现,Ⅱ型限制性内切酶与ＤＮＡ作用的模体有许多特别之处。通过对ＥｃｏＲＩ、ＢａｍＨＩ、ＥｃｏＲＶ等与ＤＮＡ复合物的空间构象、一级结构分析,发现酶分子存在催化性裂缝,并且氨基端形成臂结构包绕ＤＮＡ;同时ＤＮＡ发生构象变化、螺旋扭结。这些有趣的结构有利于酶对底物的特异性结合和催化作用。     

Localization of Apoptosis (Programmed Cell Death) in Mice by Administration of Lipopolysaccharide

Localization of apoptotic cells by administration of lipopolysaccharide into mice was studied by using the in situ specific labeling of fragmented DNA. This method clearly stained the nuclei of thymocytes at the cortex of the thymus. The nuclei of cells in the bone marrow and in the spleen were also positively stained. It was suggested that the cortex in the thymus is where the LPS-induced programmed cell death occurs.     

Apoptosis and DNA fragmentation precede TNF-induced cytolysis in U937 cells.

The hypothesis that activation of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation is involved in TNF-mediated cytolysis of U937 tumor cells was investigated. Morphological, biochemical, and kinetic criteria established that TNF activates apoptosis as opposed to necrosis. Within 2-3 h of exposure to TNF, U937 underwent the morphological alterations characteristic of apoptosis. This was accompanied by cleavage of DNA into multiples of nucleosome size fragments. Both of these events occurred 1-2 h prior to cell death as defined by trypan blue exclusion or 51Cr release. DNA fragmentation was not a non-specific result of cell death since U937 cells lysed under hypotonic conditions did not release DNA fragments. The percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis depended on the concentration of TNF and was augmented by the addition of cycloheximide. A TNF-resistant variant derived from U937 did not undergo apoptosis in response to TNF, even in the presence of cycloheximide. Furthermore, TNF could still activate NFkB in this variant, suggesting that this pathway is not involved in TNF-mediated cytotoxicity. Two agents known to inhibit TNF-mediated cytotoxicity, ZnSO4 and 3-aminobenzamide, were shown to inhibit TNF-induced apoptosis. Taken altogether, these data support the hypothesis that activation of apoptosis is at least one essential step in the TNF lytic pathway in the U937 model system.     

Apoptosis in Etiolated Wheat Seedlings: 1. Ultrastructure of the Apoptotic Cell

We studied the process of apoptosis in etiolated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings. As a result, an integral pattern of the apoptotic plant cell ultrastructure was established. In the apoptotic cells of the coleoptile, we observed chromatin condensation and margination, an increased density and specific cytoplasm fragmentation accompanied by the appearance of unusual cytoplasmic vesicles containing subcellular organelles, mitochondria in particular, in the vacuoles.     

Apoptosis: Identification of dying cells

Cell death is usually classified into two broad categories: apoptosis and necrosis. Necrosis is a passive, catabolic process, always pathological, that represents a cell's response to extreme accidental or toxic insults. Apoptosis, in contrast, occurs under normal physiological conditions and is an active process requiring energy. However, apoptosis can also be elicited in a pathological way by toxic injury or during disease processes. In these nonphysiological conditions, both types of cell death can be encountered following the same initial insult and the balance between death by apoptosis and by necrosis appears to depend upon the intensity of the injury and the level of available intracellular ATP. It is important, however, to discriminate between apoptosis and necrosis in pathological conditions, as therapeutic intervention could be considered in apoptotic cell death with putative new pharmacological agents aimed at interfering with the key molecular events involved. In most cases, none of the current laboratory techniques used alone allows for unambiguous identification of apoptotic cells. Some of the most common methods based on morphology, biochemistry, and plasma membrane changes are discussed in terms of specificity and possible sources of error in data interpretation. As a rule, classification of cell death in a given model should always include morphological examination coupled with at least one of the other assays.     

DNA End Resection: Nucleases Team Up with the Right Partners to Initiate Homologous Recombination

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination commences by nucleolytic degradation of the 5′-terminated strand of the DNA break. This leads to the formation of 3′-tailed DNA, which serves as a substrate for the strand exchange protein Rad51. The nucleoprotein filament then invades homologous DNA to drive template-directed repair. In this review, I discuss mainly the mechanisms of DNA end resection in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which includes short-range resection by Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2 and Sae2, as well as processive long-range resection by Sgs1-Dna2 or Exo1 pathways. Resection mechanisms are highly conserved between yeast and humans, and analogous machineries are found in prokaryotes as well.     

Early Features of Apoptosis Detected by Four Different Flow Cytometry Assays

The objective of this study was to investigate the sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of some frequently used apoptosis assays. The degree of apoptosis was tested in two T-lymphoblastoid cell lines, HSB and Jurkat, in which apoptosis was induced by ionizing radiation. HSB and Jurkat samples were taken before, and 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 h after irradiation with 6 and 10 Gray, or with 10 and 14 Gray, respectively. Four frequently used flow cytometric techniques were evaluated: (i) Annexin V/Propidium Iodide assay, detecting the translocation of phosphatidylserine to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, simultaneously with preservation of the membrane integrity; (ii) Terminal deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT) Uridine triphosphate (UTP) nick end labelling (TUNEL), revealing the presence of DNA strand breaks; (iii) DNA-flow cytometry, measuring DNA-stainability (DNA-fragmentation assay) and (iv) Phycoerythrin-labelled (PE) Apo2.7-assay, a monoclonal antibody against 7A6 antigen, a protein, which becomes exposed upon the mitochondrial membrane during apoptosis. As a general standard for identifying that apoptosis had occurred, the cells were assessed for the presence of DNA-laddering on agar gel electrophoresis and by demonstration of characteristic cell morphology. Results were as follows: Fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled Annexin V/Propidium iodide flow cytometry appeared to be the most sensitive, the most specific and the most user-friendly test for measurement of apoptosis of cells in culture conditions in suspension. The expression of 7A6 antigen on the mitochondrial membrane appeared to be not specific for apoptotic cell death.     

Oligonucleosomal DNA Fragmentation in MCF-7 Cells Undergoing Palmitate-Induced Apoptosis

Oligonucleosomal fragmentation of nuclear DNA is the late-stage apoptosis hallmark. In apoptotic mammalian cells the fragmentation is catalyzed by DFF40/CAD DNase primarily activated by caspase 3 through the site-specific proteolytic cleavage of DFF45/ICAD. A deletion in the casp3 gene of human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 results in lack of procaspase 3 in these cells. The absence of caspase 3 in MCF-7 leads to disability to activate oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation in TNF-alpha induced cell death. In this study, sodium palmitate was used as an apoptotic stimulus for MCF-7. It has been shown that palmitate but not TNF-alpha induces both apoptotic changes in nuclei and oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation in casp3-mutated MCF-7. Activation and accumulation of 40-50 kD DFF40-like DNases in nuclei of palmitate-treated apoptotic MCF-7 were detected by SDS-DNA-PAGE assay. Microsomal fraction of apoptotic MCF-7 does not contain any detectable DNases, but activates 40-50 kD nucleases when incubated with human placental chromatin. Furthermore, microsomes of apoptotic MCF-7 induce oligonucleosomal fragmentation of chromatin in a cell-free system. Both the activation of DNases and chromatin fragmentation are suppressed in the presence of the caspase 3/7 inhibitor Ac-DEVD-CHO. Microsome-associated caspase 7 is suggested to play an essential role in the induction of oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation in casp3-deficient MCF-7 cells.     

Oxidative Damage and Fragmentation of Mitochondrial DNA in Cellular Apoptosis

The molecular genetics and bioenergetics of oxidative damage, fragmentation, and fragility of mitochondrial DNA in cellular apoptosis is reviewed in connection with the redox mechanism of ageing.     

结构特异性核酸酶FEN-1的功能和结构

FEN-1(flap endo/exonuclease)是一种结构特异性核酸酶,它能识别特定的DNA分叉结构,并切除含有游离5′端的单链核酸. 在DNA复制过程中,FEN-1通过其外切酶、内切酶活力去除了冈崎片段前端RNA引物的最后一个核糖核苷.在DNA修复中,FEN-1以其内切酶活力参与了损伤碱基的修复过程.FEN-1基因含有两个保守区和一个PCNA结合区.