Bex蛋白家族的研究进展

Bex家族(brain expressed,X-linked gene family)是X染色体连锁基因家族,虽然蛋白分子量只有120aa左右,但却包含了入核信号序列、出核信号基序、CAAX膜锚定序列等多个功能结构域,这些结构域的存在决定了Bex分子可以在亚细胞的不同部位间穿梭,执行不同的信号转导和生理功能。目前很多研究报导了Bex参与机体的发育与分化、细胞凋亡与肿瘤形成等重要的生理和病理过程,提示这类小分子蛋白家族可能扮演了重要的在体功能的角色。虽然人的Bex基因由我国学者首次发现,但国内有关Bex家族的研究工作和相关的理论参考均不多见。本文拟就Bex家族迄今为止突出的研究进展作一综述,旨在为下一步的功能研究工作提供理论参考和依据。     

PIAS:不只是活化STAT的抑制蛋白

PIAS(protein inhibitor of activated STAT)家族蛋白是作为活化的STAT的转录活性抑制蛋白被发现的,有5个成员,5种PIAS蛋白都具有3个共同的结构域特征,即N端SAP结构域,中间的锌结合模体Zn-RF和C端的富含丝氨酸/苏氨酸区域。现发现PIAS蛋白不但与激活的STAT蛋白相互作用,还与核内激素受体、TGFβ通路的Smad、Wnt通路的LEF1、细胞周期相关的P53等转录因子和HDAC、FAK等非转录因子相互作用,并调节转录因子的活性。PIAS对转录因子活性的调节有正或负调节,这决定于不同的PIAS分子与不同的转录因子的相互作用。随着对PIAS的研究增多,也引发出许多重要问题需待未来研究去回答。     

染色质乙酰化相关BRD蛋白家族

Bromodomain结构域首先在果蝇蛋白质Brahma中发现,折叠模式独特且高度保守,是最早也是截至目前公认唯一可与乙酰化赖氨酸结合的结构域。BRD蛋白通过结合不同的蛋白质或者定位蛋白质到细胞核发挥精细调节作用。BRD蛋白复合物常特异性识别并结合到染色质组蛋白H3/H4特定的乙酰化赖氨酸残基,从而影响靶基因的转录翻译;该蛋白复合物功能异常通常与多种疾病的发生相关联,表明对转录翻译调节有重要意义。但迄今为止,BRD蛋白复合物修饰染色质机理不明,现有研究提示BRD蛋白复合物维持染色质乙酰化状态,也可以与染色质组蛋白其它位点结合,从整体水平增强组蛋白乙酰化精度和效率。     

细胞凋亡的线粒体调控蛋白的研究进展

凋亡早期近科固定不变的标志之一就是线粒体膜通透性（MMP）的变化,这提示线粒体在凋亡过程中执行双重作用。一方面,将多种促细胞凋亡级联转导信号合于一条由MMP激活的通路;另一方面,通过释放存在于膜间隙的可溶性蛋白参与凋亡后期的分解代谢反应,最近研究发现,核转录因子能易位到线粒体膜引起MMP改变;线粒体膜间隙存在一种蛋白质Smac/DIABLO,释放后可特异性阻抑细胞凋亡蛋白抑制剂（IAPs）,进而促进胱冬肽酶活化,引发细胞凋亡,这些发现进一步阐明了MMP与细胞死亡机制的关系。     

DCAF家族蛋白研究进展

DCAF (DDB1-and CUL4-associated factor)是一类新发现的含"WDXR"结构域的蛋白质家族,其可与CRL4-DDB1构成E3泛素连接酶,通过对靶蛋白进行泛素化修饰,实现对细胞生长、分化、凋亡等一系列生命活动的调控。DCAF蛋白的异常表达通常与肿瘤、发育障碍等疾病密切相关。本文主要根据目前的研究成果对DCAF家族蛋白的功能及机制展开论述。     

分化抑制因子（Id）家族研究进展

分化抑制因子（Ｉｄ）蛋白能够与很多螺旋－－环－－螺旋（ＨＬＨ）转录因子相结合形成无功能活性的异二聚体,抑制这些蛋白起始一些分化重要基因的转录,以达到其抑制分化的作用。同时民细胞周期,阻止细胞增殖方面有重要作用。以上结果表明,Ｉｄ蛋白在细胞分化及增殖中起重要作用,而且对发育畸形、癌症等疾病的发病机理的研究有所帮助。     

Novel role and mechanism of protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 in spatial learning

By using differential display PCR, we have previously identified 98 cDNA fragments from rat dorsal hippocampus, which are expressed differentially between the fast learners and slow learners from water-maze learning task. One cDNA fragment, which showed a higher expression level in fast learners, encodes the rat protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 (pias1) gene. Spatial training induced a significant increase in PIAS1 expression in rat hippocampus. Transient transfection of the wild-type (WT) PIAS1 plasmid to CA1 neurons facilitated, whereas transfection of PIAS1 siRNA impaired spatial learning in rats. Meanwhile, PIAS1WT increased STAT1 sumoylation, decreased STAT1 DNA binding and decreased STAT1 phosphorylation at Tyr-701 associated with spatial learning facilitation. But PIAS1 siRNA transfection produced an opposite effect on these measures associated with spatial learning impairment. Further, transfection of STAT1 sumoylation mutant impaired spatial acquisition, whereas transfection of STAT1 phosphorylation mutant blocked the impairing effect of PIAS1 siRNA on spatial learning. In this study, we first demonstrate the role of PIAS1 in spatial learning. Both posttranslational modifications (increased sumoylation and decreased phosphorylation) mediate the effect of PIAS1 on spatial learning facilitation.     

The E2F functional analogue SBF recruits the Rpd3(L) HDAC,via Whi5 and Stb1, and the FACT chromatin reorganizer,to yeast G1 cyclin promoters

Regulation of the CLN1 and CLN2 G1 cyclin genes controls cell cycle progression. The SBF activator binds to these promoters but is kept inactive by the Whi5 and Stb1 inhibitors. The Cdc28 cyclin‐dependent kinase phosphorylates Whi5, ending the inhibition. Our chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments show that SBF, Whi5 and Stb1 recruit both Cdc28 and the Rpd3(L) histone deacetylase to CLN promoters, extending the analogy with mammalian G1 cyclin promoters in which Rb recruits histone deacetylases. Finally, we show that the SBF subunit Swi6 recruits the FACT chromatin reorganizer to SBF‐ and MBF‐regulated genes. Mutations affecting FACT reduce the transient nucleosome eviction seen at these promoters during a normal cell cycle and also reduce expression. Temperature‐sensitive mutations affecting FACT and Cdc28 can be suppressed by disruption of STB1 and WHI5, suggesting that one critical function of FACT and Cdc28 is overcoming chromatin repression at G1 cyclin promoters. Thus, SBF recruits complexes to promoters that either enhance (FACT) or repress (Rpd3L) accessibility to chromatin, and also recruits the kinase that activates START.     

The F-box protein Fbxo7 interacts with human inhibitor of apoptosis protein cIAP1 and promotes cIAP1 ubiquitination

Human cIAP1 protein is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) that are involved in apoptosis regulation and an increasing number of other functions, including cell cycle and intracellular signal transduction. In order to identify novel proteins involved in cIAP1 regulation, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen and identified an F-box protein Fbxo7 as a cIAP1 interacting protein. Co-immunoprecipitation assay showed that cIAP1 can interact with Fbxo7 in human cells. When co-expressed in cells, cIAP1 and Fbxo7 co-localized remarkably both in the cytoplasm and nucleus, and considerable amounts of these often co-localized at one or few distinct Golgi-like structures close to the nucleus. Furthermore, we showed that overexpression of Fbxo7 promotes the ubiquitination of cIAP1. Since F-box proteins are specificity determining subunits of SCF ubiquitin protein ligases, our results suggest that Fbxo7 can mediate the ubiquitination of cIAP1 by SCF ubiquitin protein ligase and thus have important implication in the regulation of cIAP1 function.