高等植物维生素C和维生素E代谢调控

维生素C和维生素E是植物自身合成的抗氧化剂,对植物发育具有重要调控作用。本文对近年来高等植物维生素C和维生素E合成途径、代谢调控、关键酶基因的克隆和转化进行了论述,分析两种维生素之间的相互作用,对该领域未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

刘勇研究组在营养代谢研究领域取得进展

中科院上海生命科学院营养研究所刘勇研究组的一项最新研究表明,一种非常规的基因调控机制-RNA编辑（RNA editing）与营养代谢和能量代谢密切相关。该小组发现,在因分泌胰岛素而在糖脂代谢中起关键作用的胰岛-细胞中,ADAR2所介导的A-至-IRNA编辑水平受到营养和能量代谢状况的调控,因此RNA编辑极有可能参与胰岛和胰岛β细胞的功能调控。这一研究结果已经在近期的国际学术期刊上发表（J Biol Chem,281（44）：33386—33394）。     

植物果实中维生素C合成代谢及其基因表达研究

维生素C(Vitamin C),又名抗坏血酸（Ascorbate acid,AsA）,是生物体中具有多效功能的必需化合物。整理了植物果实中维生素C的生理功能以及其中参与维生素C合成的L-半乳糖途径、D-半乳糖醛酸途径、L-古洛糖途径、肌醇途径和维生素C循环途径,并分析了相关基因的功能和表达。对参与维生素C合成与循环的16个基因：PMI、PMM、GMP、GME、GGP、GPP、GalDH、GLDH、GalUR、MIOX、GuLDH、MDHAR、DHAR、AO、APX、GR,及其在维生素C代谢途径中的作用进行了综述。植物果实中维生素C合成代谢途径多样,关键基因的表达会在不同程度上影响其合成代谢,了解植物果实中维生素C合成代谢及相关基因的功能和表达,可为生产富含维生素C的转基因水果和蔬菜奠定基础。     

链霉菌次级代谢调控机制进展

链霉菌除具有复杂的形态分化特征外 ,还可以产生多种具有重要应用价值的次级代谢产物 ,这两个过程密切相关。因此 ,链霉菌存在着原核生物中罕见的庞大而复杂的调控网络。链霉菌在遗传水平有三个层次的调控 ,分别是 :途径特异性调控、多效调控和全局调控。阐明这些调控网络将为利用代谢工程手段提高次级代谢产物的产量并对其进行结构改造奠定理论基础 ,还将有助于发现新的有价值的天然产物。     

高等植物中维生素C 的功能、合成及代谢研究进展

植物体内合成的维生素C在植物抗氧化和自由基清除、光合作用和光保护、细胞生长和分裂以及一些重要次生代谢物和乙烯的合成等方面具有非常重要的生理功能。维生素C的生物合成途径及其代谢调控的基因工程研究最近取得了突破。     

高等植物中维生素C的功能、合成及代谢研究进展

植物体内合成的维生素C在植物抗氧化和自由基清除、光合作用和光保护、细胞生长和分裂以及一些重要次生代谢物和乙烯的合成等方面具有非常重要的生理功能.维生素C的生物合成途径及其代谢调控的基因工程研究最近取得了突破.     

小鼠模型在铁代谢研究中的应用

铁代谢在维持生命活动中至关重要,机体铁代谢紊乱会导致贫血和人类遗传性血色病等诸多疾病,对人体健康造成危害。在铁代谢研究领域,小鼠模型具有人群及细胞模型所不具备的优势,可以最准确的表现相应基因及通路在铁代谢调控中的生理作用。利用基因敲除及转基因小鼠模型,许多铁代谢相关的基因及调控通路被发现,有助于深入了解铁稳态调控的分子机制。这些小鼠模型为治疗铁代谢紊乱相关疾病潜在药物的开发和评估提供了理想的平台。     

钙对NaCl胁迫下马铃薯脱毒苗碳水化合物代谢的影响

以‘克新一号’马铃薯品种为试验材料,采用组织培养方法,研究了0、5、10、15、20mmol·L-1 CaCl2对0、25、50、75mmol·L-1 NaCl胁迫下马铃薯脱毒苗碳水化合物含量及相关酶活性的影响。结果表明,(1)随着NaCl胁迫浓度的增加,马铃薯脱毒苗叶片淀粉含量、蔗糖含量、葡萄糖含量、果糖含量以及可溶性总糖含量逐渐下降,蔗糖合成酶(SS)和蔗糖磷酸合成酶(SPS)活性明显降低,中性转化酶(NI)和酸性转化酶(AI)活性先升高后降低。(2)在NaCl胁迫下,添加适量CaCl2能显著增加淀粉含量、蔗糖含量、葡萄糖含量和可溶性总糖含量,显著降低NI和AI活性,有效缓解盐胁迫对SS和SPS的抑制作用。(3)蔗糖含量与AI存在负相关关系、与NI存在极显著负相关关系、与SPS以及SS存在极显著正相关关系。研究表明,外源施钙可调节马铃薯苗的酶活性变化,改善盐胁迫下马铃薯脱毒苗碳水化合物代谢方向,增强植株碳素合成作用和渗透调节能力,减轻盐害。     

拟南芥和作物中维生素C 生物合成与代谢研究进展

维生素C(vitamin C, Vc)是动植物体内含量较为丰富且发挥着重要功能的小分子物质。该文综述了近年来以模式植物拟南芥为实验材料研究Vc生物合成和代谢取得的进展, 并对作物中类似的研究进行了概述。总结的信息对于在作物中进一步 开展Vc合成与代谢研究并通过分子育种提高作物的抗逆性和营养价值具有参考意义。     

Enhancing ascorbate in fruits and tubers through over-expression of the L-galactose pathway gene GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase

Ascorbate, or vitamin C, is obtained by humans mostly from plant sources. Various approaches have been made to increase ascorbate in plants by transgenic means. Most of these attempts have involved leaf material from model plants, with little success reported using genes from the generally accepted l-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis. We focused on increasing ascorbate in commercially significant edible plant organs using a gene, GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase (GGP or VTC2), that we had previously shown to increase ascorbate concentration in tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana. The coding sequence of Actinidia chinensis GGP, under the control of the 35S promoter, was expressed in tomato and strawberry. Potato was transformed with potato or Arabidopsis GGP genes under the control of the 35S promoter or a polyubiquitin promoter (potato only). Five lines of tomato, up to nine lines of potato, and eight lines of strawberry were regenerated for each construct. Three lines of tomato had a threefold to sixfold increase in fruit ascorbate, and all lines of strawberry showed a twofold increase. All but one line of each potato construct also showed an increase in tuber ascorbate of up to threefold. Interestingly, in tomato fruit, increased ascorbate was associated with loss of seed and the jelly of locular tissue surrounding the seed which was not seen in strawberry. In both strawberry and tomato, an increase in polyphenolic content was associated with increased ascorbate. These results show that GGP can be used to raise significantly ascorbate concentration in commercially significant edible crops.     

植物维生素E生物强化研究进展

维生素E是一种只能在光合组织中合成的脂溶性小分子有机化合物,是人体和动物营养不可缺少的重要维生素。由于植物中维生素E含量较低,人类大多处于慢性缺乏维生素E--“隐性饥饿”的状态,而动物饲料中则需要添加外源合成的维生素E以满足其营养需求。因此,提高植物中维生素E的含量是改善维生素E缺乏的重要途径之一。从维生素E的合成途径入手,详细地综述了维生素E合成关键酶基因的表达变化以及前体物质的含量变化对维生素E合成的影响,发现三烯生育酚和α-生育酚的生物强化效果较好,而生育酚总量提高受限;进而从遗传的角度探讨了维生素E合成受限的原因以及遗传上可能影响维生素E合成的其他代谢途径;最后结合可能影响维生素E合成的调控因子以及其前体物质的转运等方面为今后维生素E的生物强化提出了新的思路。     

植物硒吸收转化机制及生理作用研究进展

硒是大多微生物、动物及人类的必要微量元素,但其在植物生长发育中的生理作用至今存在争议.较低浓度硒具有促进植物生长、提高植物耐受能力的功能,而大部分植物在高浓度下表现出中毒现象.随着人类对摄入硒及环境硒污染问题的认识加深,作物硒生物强化与硒污染植物修复问题引起重视,推动了对硒在植物中的吸收积累及代谢调控的研究.近年来对植物硒吸收及转化的研究表明,不同硒水平下植物对硒吸收积累及生理响应存在差异,土壤环境因素对植物硒吸收及转化具有重要影响,对高聚硒植物硒代谢研究逐渐揭示出硒在植物体内的转化过程和调控机理等.本文总结了目前硒生物强化与植物修复方面的研究进展,对环境中硒分布特点、植物硒吸收及其影响因素、植物体内硒转化及其过程调控关键酶,以及硒在植物中的生理作用等进行了综述,并对植物硒生理及分子机制未来研究方向进行展望.     

In Vivo Metabolism of the Vitamin D Analog, 22-Oxacalcitriol: Evidence for Side-chain Truncation and 17-Hydroxylation

After intravenous administration of the vitamin D₃ analog, 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT), to normal rats plasma metabolites were investigated by HPLC, GC-MS and LC-MS. Five side-chain oxidation metabolites, 24R(OH)OCT, 24S(OH)OCT, (25R)-26(OH)OCT, (25S)-26(OH)OCT and 24oxoOCT, were identified by comparison with the corresponding synthetic compounds. These side-chain oxidation metabolites were similar to those of calcitriol [1,25(OH)₂ vitamin D₃] described previously. Besides these five metabolites, two unique side-chain cleavage metabolites, 20S(OH)-hexanor-OCT and 17,20S(OH)₂-hexanor-OCT, were identified as main metabolites in plasma by GC-MS and LC-MS using a specific chemical reaction. Our studies suggest that OCT is extensively metabolized and circulates in blood as a number of metabolites as well as unchanged OCT. This metabolism includes both unique pathways of C₂₃-O₂₂ cleavage and 17-hydroxylation, in addition to the side-chain oxidation metabolites similar to those of 1,25-(OH)₂D₃.     

Over-Expression of an Arabidopsis Zinc Transporter in Hordeum Vulgare Increases Short-Term Zinc Uptake after Zinc Deprivation and Seed Zinc Content

Increasing the zinc content of cereal grains will be important for improving human nutrition. Improved plant zinc efficiency will lead to increased yields when available zinc is limiting plant growth. The aim of our work was to test how the over-expression of zinc transporters in cereals affects plant growth, seed mineral content, and zinc transport rates. Known zinc transporters from Arabidopsis were over-expressed in Hordeum vulgare cv. Golden Promise by means of a ubiquitin promoter. Multiple transgenic lines were obtained, and the locus number and expression levels were verified. Transgenic lines were tested in long-term growth and short-term uptake experiments. Seeds from transgenic lines grown in soil had higher zinc and iron contents than controls. Short-term uptake rates were higher in the transgenic lines after zinc deprivation. Resupply of zinc after a period of deprivation resulted in the rapid decrease in zinc uptake even in transgenic lines in which a zinc transporter gene was constitutively expressed. Similar to processes in yeast and Arabidopsis, we hypothesize that this rapid decrease in zinc transport activity may be caused by the degradation of transporters in response to zinc-sufficient conditions. In the long-term growth experiments, there were no significant differences between transgenic and control lines in leaf zinc content or shoot biomass under zinc-sufficient or -deficient conditions. However, root-to-shoot ratios were higher in the transgenic plants grown under low-zinc conditions; this could impact zinc acquisition under field conditions. Increased seed zinc and iron content by over-expression of a zinc transporter provides a new strategy for increasing the micronutrient content of cereals.