B7家族成员反向信号调控的研究进展

共刺激分子免疫球蛋白家族—B7家族成员与CD28家族成员之间相互作用向T细胞传递共刺激信号,在T细胞充分活化和功能发挥中发挥了重要的功能。近几年研究表明,部分B7家族成员向T细胞传递免疫信号的同时,也向表达B7分子的抗原提呈细胞传递反向信号,增强或抑制了抗原提呈细胞的功能,并进一步在维持T细胞免疫和T细胞耐受中发挥重要的功能。     

FOXO 蛋白的修饰与细胞凋亡和癌变

Fox 蛋白家族是 2000 年才发布统一命名的蛋白质家族 . 由于其在生物体内所起的重要作用,已迅速成为生命科学研究的热点 . 目前,已经发现其家族成员有 100 多种,其中, FOXO 亚家族在动物细胞的凋亡中起重要作用 . 细胞凋亡与动物的长寿、繁殖、代谢、肿瘤发生及免疫有重要关系,对 Forkhead (Fox) 蛋白分子的命名进行了回顾、对其分类与结构特征进行了总结,并重点对 FOXO 的化学修饰、活性调节及其在细胞凋亡和肿瘤发生中的作用进行了综述 .     

B7家族成员反向信号调控的研究进展

共刺激分子免疫球蛋白家族-B7家族成员与CD28家族成员之间相互作用向T细胞传递共刺激信号,在T细胞充分活化和功能发挥中发挥了重要的功能.近几年研究表明,部分B7家族成员向T细胞传递免疫信号的同时,也向表达B7分子的抗原提呈细胞传递反向信号,增强或抑制了抗原提呈细胞的功能,并进一步在维持T细胞免疫和T细胞耐受中发挥重要的功能.     

一个新的与泛素化有关的蛋白家族——TRIM家族

TRIM家族是一个结构保守、进化快速的蛋白家族,它参与了细胞凋亡、周期调控、细胞对病毒的应答等重要的生命过程。结构上的保守预示着TRIM家族可能是以一种共同的机制参与各种生命过程的。最近的一些研究显示TRIM家族可能是一类新的RING指泛素连接酶。     

小RNA病毒受体的研究进展

病毒与宿主间的相互作用位点为病毒感染细胞提供可能性,位于宿主细胞上的结合位点称作受体。目前在宿主细胞的免疫球蛋白超家族、低密度脂蛋白受体家族、补体家族和整联蛋白细胞粘附分子家族等中陆续发现了小RNA病毒的受体。了解各个受体的利用情况,对理解病毒感染机制、宿主嗜性和抗病毒机理有重要意义。本文主要就已证实的小RNA病毒受体进行分类概述,以期为深入研究小RNA病毒的致病机理及其防控提供参考。     

Bcl-2家族蛋白的生理功能及结构基础

细胞凋亡是一个重要的生物学过程,对细胞命运及稳态的调控起着关键作用。B细胞淋巴瘤-2(Bcl-2)家族蛋白是凋亡途径的重要组分,其功能异常与多种疾病相关,包括癌症、神经退行性疾病和自身免疫疾病等。近十年涌现了大量关于Bcl-2家族蛋白生理功能及结构的报道,加深了我们对Bcl-2家族蛋白的作用机制及其病理意义的认识,且在过去几年中,许多针对不同Bcl-2成员的药物已经被开发并进入临床阶段。但Bcl-2家族蛋白功能和结构的复杂性及多样性导致该研究领域仍有大量问题尚待解决。该文总结了目前关于Bcl-2蛋白家族结构和功能的知识,还讨论了Bcl-2蛋白作为有效分子治疗靶点的药理学意义。     

嗜肺军团菌调控宿主囊泡转运的效应因子及其分子机制

嗜肺军团菌通过其特有的Dot/Icm type-IVB分泌系统向宿主胞内分泌多种效应因子,有效俘获了宿主胞内参与囊泡转运的重要蛋白,从而"绑架"了宿主细胞的囊泡运输过程,达到逃避宿主清除机制并大量增殖的目的。这些效应因子包括Sid M、Lid A、Lep B、Ank X、Lem3、Sid D、Ral F、Vip D等,通过对这些效应因子的鉴定、功能试验和结构生物学研究,逐渐揭示了它们较为完整深入的分子作用机制。本文综述了目前已知的参与调控宿主囊泡转运过程的重要效应因子及其空间结构和分子机制,有助于综合了解这种复杂的病原微生物与宿主相互作用的过程。     

Polycomb基因家族在大鼠精子发生过程中的表达

目的检测大鼠精子发生不同阶段细胞中Polycomb-group（Pc-G）家族在mRNA水平上表达是否有差异。方法提纯大鼠精子发生过程中的精原细胞、精母细胞、圆形精子细胞以及支持细胞,用荧光定量PCR方法检测Pc-G家族基因mRNA表达量。结果Pc-G基因家族中Ezh2、Eed、Bmi-1在精子发生中后期高表达;在各生精细胞中,YY1基因表达量低于支持细胞。结论Pc-G基因家族在精子发生各阶段细胞中特征性表达,与精子发生具有相关性,可能对精子发生分化和维持遗传稳定性都有重要的作用。     

RIP3蛋白的研究进展

受体相互作用蛋白-3是丝/苏氨酸蛋白激酶家族成员（RIPs）之一,该蛋白家族作为细胞重要应激传感分子,在调控细胞存活、细胞凋亡和细胞坏死通路中发挥重要作用.近年研究发现,RIP3参与肿瘤坏死因子TNF-α诱导的细胞程序性坏死生物学过程,是TNF-α诱导的细胞凋亡与坏死不同死亡途径转换的关键开关分子.本文就RIP3分子的发现、结构特点、细胞亚定位、生理功能及其分子机制进行综述,并对RIP3分子的研究进行了展望.     

alpha-v-beta 3整合素与恶性肿瘤侵袭转移关系的研究进展

整合素家族是细胞粘附分子的重要种类之一,主要作用是介导细胞与细胞之间、细胞与细胞外基质之间的粘附效应。医学 研究证实整合素家族与肿瘤的侵袭及远处转移等生物学行为密切相关。整合素alpha-v-beta-3是整合素家族中的一种重要分子,肿瘤血管内 皮细胞中alpha-v-beta-3的表达水平对肿瘤侵袭转移及血管生成有着重要作用,调节琢v茁3的表达水平可明显影响肿瘤的侵袭转移及肿瘤组 织中新生血管的形成。深入研究整合素alpha-vbeta-3的分子调节机制可以为肿瘤治疗提供新的治疗靶点。     

Control of secondary granule release in neutrophils by Ral GTPase

Neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte; PMN) inflammatory functions, including cell adhesion, diapedesis, and phagocytosis, are dependent on the mobilization and release of various intracellular granules/vesicles. In this study, we found that treating PMN with damnacanthal, a Ras family GTPase inhibitor, resulted in a specific release of secondary granules but not primary or tertiary granules and caused dysregulation of PMN chemotactic transmigration and cell surface protein interactions. Analysis of the activities of Ras members identified Ral GTPase as a key regulator during PMN activation and degranulation. In particular, Ral was active in freshly isolated PMN, whereas chemoattractant stimulation induced a quick deactivation of Ral that correlated with PMN degranulation. Overexpression of a constitutively active Ral (Ral23V) in PMN inhibited chemoattractant-induced secondary granule release. By subcellular fractionation, we found that Ral, which was associated with the plasma membrane under the resting condition, was redistributed to secondary granules after chemoattractant stimulation. Blockage of cell endocytosis appeared to inhibit Ral translocation intracellularly. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that Ral is a critical regulator in PMN that specifically controls secondary granule release during PMN response to chemoattractant stimulation.     

Nitric oxide activates Rap1 and Ral in a Ras-independent manner

Rap1 and Ral, the small GTPases belonging to the Ras superfamily, have recently attracted much attention; Ral because of Ral-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors which are regulated by direct binding to Ras and Rap1 because of its proposed role as an antagonist of Ras signaling. We have previously demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) activates Ras and proposed the structural basis of interaction between NO and Ras. In the present study we have shown that NO activates Rap1 and Ral in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Using activation-specific probes for Rap1 and Ral, it was found that the NO-generating compounds SNP and SNAP could activate both Rap1 and Ral in Jurkat and PC12 cell lines. To investigate the involvement of Ras in NO mediated activation of Rap1 and Ral, we used PC12 cell lines expressing either the Ras mutant C118S (Cys118 mutated to Ser) or N17 (GDP-locked and inactive). We had previously shown that NO fails to activate Ras in these mutant cell lines. However, here it was found that Rap1 and Ral were activated by NO in these cell lines. The evidence presented in this study unambiguously demonstrates the existence of Ras-independent pathways for NO mediated activation of Rap1 and Ral.     

RalGDS family members couple Ras to Ral signalling and that's not all

Ras proteins function as molecular switches that are activated in response to signalling pathways initiated by various extracellular stimuli and subsequently bind to numerous effector proteins leading to the activation of several signalling cascades within the cell. Ras and Ras-related proteins belong to a large superfamily of small GTPases characterized by significant sequence and function similarities. Several evidence indicate the existence of complex signalling networks that link Ras with its relatives in the family. A key role in this cross-talk is played by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that serve both as regulators and as effectors of Ras family proteins. The members of the RalGDS family, RalGDS, RGL, RGL2/Rlf and RGL3, can interact with activated Ras through their Ras Binding Domain (RBD), but may function as effectors for other Ras family members. They possess a REM-CDC25 homology region like RasGEFs, but specifically activate only RalA and RalB and not Ras or other Ras-related small GTPases. In this review we provide an update on this recently discovered family of GEFs, highlighting their crucial role in coupling activated Ras to activation of Ral, thus regulating several fundamental cell processes, and also discussing some evidence supporting Ras-independent additional functions of RalGDS proteins.     

RalB mobilizes the exocyst to drive cell migration

The Ras family GTPases RalA and RalB have been defined as central components of the regulatory machinery supporting tumor initiation and progression. Although it is known that Ral proteins mediate oncogenic Ras signaling and physically and functionally interact with vesicle trafficking machinery, their mechanistic contribution to oncogenic transformation is unknown. Here, we have directly evaluated the relative contribution of Ral proteins and Ral effector pathways to cell motility and directional migration. Through loss-of-function analysis, we find that RalA is not limiting for cell migration in normal mammalian epithelial cells. In contrast, RalB and the Sec6/8 complex or exocyst, an immediate downstream Ral effector complex, are required for vectorial cell motility. RalB expression is required for promoting both exocyst assembly and localization to the leading edge of moving cells. We propose that RalB regulation of exocyst function is required for the coordinated delivery of secretory vesicles to the sites of dynamic plasma membrane expansion that specify directional movement.     

Identification and characterization of a new family of guanine nucleotide exchange factors for the ras-related GTPase Ral

Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) are responsible for coupling cell surface receptors to Ras protein activation. Here we describe the characterization of a novel family of differentially expressed GEFs, identified by database sequence homology searching. These molecules share the core catalytic domain of other Ras family GEFs but lack the catalytic non-conserved (conserved non-catalytic/Ras exchange motif/structurally conserved region 0) domain that is believed to contribute to Sos1 integrity. In vitro binding and in vivo nucleotide exchange assays indicate that these GEFs specifically catalyze the GTP loading of the Ral GTPase when overexpressed in 293T cells. A central proline-rich motif associated with the Src homology (SH)2/SH3-containing adapter proteins Grb2 and Nck in vivo, whereas a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain was located at the GEF C terminus. We refer to these GEFs as RalGPS 1A, 1B, and 2 (Ral GEFs with PH domain and SH3 binding motif). The PH domain was required for in vivo GEF activity and could be functionally replaced by the Ki-Ras C terminus, suggesting a role in membrane targeting. In the absence of the PH domain RalGPS 1B cooperated with Grb2 to promote Ral activation, indicating that SH3 domain interaction also contributes to RalGPS regulation. In contrast to the Ral guanine nucleotide dissociation stimulator family of Ral GEFs, the RalGPS proteins do not possess a Ras-GTP-binding domain, suggesting that they are activated in a Ras-independent manner.     

All in the family? New insights and questions regarding interconnectivity of Ras,Rap1 and Ral.

Ras, Rap1 and Ral are related small GTPases. While the function of Ras in signal transduction is well established, it has been recognized only recently that Rap1 and Ral also are activated rapidly in response to a large variety of extracellular signals. Between the three GTPase an intriguing interconnectivity exists, in that guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Ral associate with the GTP-bound form of both Ras and Rap1. Furthermore, Rap1 is considered to function as an antagonist of Ras signalling by trapping Ras effectors in an inactive complex. Here, I summarize the recent developments in understanding the functional relationship between these three GTPase and argue that Rap1 functions in a signalling pathway distinct from Ras, while using similar or identical effectors.     

A novel RalGEF-like protein, RGL3, as a candidate effector for rit and Ras

The small GTPase Rit is a close relative of Ras, and constitutively active Rit can induce oncogenic transformation. Although the effector loops of Rit and Ras are highly related, Rit fails to interact with the majority of the known Ras candidate effector proteins, suggesting that novel cellular targets may be responsible for Rit transforming activity. To gain insight into the cellular function of Rit, we searched for Rit-binding proteins by yeast two-hybrid screening. We identified the C-terminal Rit/Ras interaction domain of a protein we have designated RGL3 (Ral GEF-like 3) that shares 35% sequence identity with the known Ral guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RalGEFs). RGL3, through a C-terminal 99-amino acid domain, interacted in a GTP- and effector loop-dependent manner with Rit and Ras. Importantly, RGL3 exhibited guanine nucleotide exchange activity toward the small GTPase Ral that was stimulated in vivo by the expression of either activated Rit or Ras. These data suggest that RGL3 functions as an exchange factor for Ral and may serve as a downstream effector for both Rit and Ras.     

RalGEF2, a pleckstrin homology domain containing guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ral

Ral is a ubiquitously expressed Ras-like small GTPase. Several guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Ral have been identified, including members of the RalGDS family, which exhibit a Ras binding domain and are regulated by binding to RasGTP. Here we describe a novel type of RalGEF, RalGEF2. This guanine nucleotide exchange factor has a characteristic Cdc25-like catalytic domain at the N terminus and a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain at the C terminus. RalGEF2 is able to activate Ral both in vivo and in vitro. Deletion of the PH domain results in an increased cytoplasmic localization of the protein and a corresponding reduction in activity in vivo, suggesting that the PH domain functions as a membrane anchor necessary for optimal activity in vivo.