大鼠Notch 1胞质段的克隆及其表达

Notch 1信号途径参与决定细胞命运,其水解后产生的活性片段——胞质段（Notch 1 intracellular cytoplasmic domain, NICD）能被转运进核,激活下游靶基因的表达.Notch 1参与细胞的增殖、分化、程序性死亡、发育过程中的形态发生和器官形成等许多重要过程.为了获得重组的NICD,以大鼠脑cDNA文库为模板,用PCR方法扩增出编码NICD的基因片段,克隆至谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶（GST）融合表达载体pGEX-KG中,并在大肠杆菌中获得较高水平的表达.表达的融合蛋白GST-NICD分子质量约为120 ku左右,以包涵体和可溶性两种形式存在,易于亲合层析纯化.为制备抗体和进一步的功能研究奠定了基础.     

Notch信号转导与调控

Notch是一个进化上十分保守的跨膜受体蛋白家族,它可以通过与表达配体的相邻细胞间的相互作用转导信号,从而决定动物系统发育过程中多种细胞的“命运”.Notch信号转导过程包括Notch受体与配体的结合、Notch受体的酶切活化、可溶性NICD转移至细胞核并与CSL DNA结合蛋白相互作用,从而调控靶基因的表达.Notch活性水平、时间和空间分布受到包括配体、蛋白质转运、泛素化降解等多水平内源性和外源性诱导因素的调节.系统介绍了Notch信号转导通路的分子组成、Notch信号激活的生化机制、Notch信号的多水平调节以及与部分相关疾病的关系.     

Gamma-secretase inhibitor suppressed Notch1 intracellular domain combination with p65 and resulted in the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway induced by IL-1β and TNF-α in nucleus pulposus cells

In this experiment, the cross-talk betweenNotch and the NF-κB signaling pathway was examined to reveal the mechanism of slowing down the type II collagen (ColII) and aggrecan degeneration affected by inflammatory cytokines. The expression levels of ColII and aggrecan in the intervertebral disc were observed through immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin staining+alcian blue staining, respectively. The expression levels of ColII, aggrecan, Runx2, and NF-κB in the nuclei of human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) in each group, as well as the phosphorylation and acetylation levels of p65, were examined through Western blot analysis. The 293T cells were transfected with a plasmid containing the overexpressed relative domain of Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD1), and immunoprecipitation (IP) was performed to observe the combination of NICD1 and p65. HNPCs were transfected with a lentiviral-contained overexpression lacking the ANK region of NICD1, and IP was performed to observe the combination of NICD1 and p65. The expression of ColII and aggrecan in the intervertebral disc culture increased when γ-secretase inhibitor N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-1-alanyl]-Sphenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT) was added to the disc culture medium. Western blot revealed that DAPT inhibited p65 phosphorylation and acetylation, and the p65 and p50 levels in the nucleus decreased. NICD1 was found to be combined with p65 in contrast to the reverse consequences after ANK domain deletion in hNPCs. In nucleus pulposus cells, the combination of p65 and the ANK domain of NICD1 is a critical procedure for the degeneration related to the NF-κB signaling pathway activation induced by IL-1β and TNF-α.