Molecular cloning and characterization of the extracellular sucrase gene (sacC) of Zymomonas mobilis

The Zymomonas mobilis gene sacC that encodes the extracellular sucrase (protein B46) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. the gene was found to be present downstream to the already described levansucrase gene sacB in the cloned chromosomal fragment of Z. mobilis. The expression product was different from SacB and exhibited sucrase but not levansucrase activity; therefore, SacC behaves like a true sucrase. Expression of sacC in E. coli JM109 and XL1 was very low; overexpression was observed in E. coli BL21 after induction of the T7 polymerase expression system with IPTG. Subcellular fractionation of the E. coli clone carrying plasmid pLSS2811 showed that more than 70% of the sucrase activity could be detected in the cytoplasmic fraction, suggesting that the enzyme was soluble and not secreted in E. coli. The nucleotide sequence analysis of sacC revealed an open reading frame 1239 bp long coding for a 413 amino acid protein with a molecular mass of 46 kDa. The first 30 deduced amino acids from this ORF were identical with those from the N-terminal sequence of the extracellular sucrase (protein B46) purified from Z. mobilis ZM4. No leader peptide sequence could be identified in the sacC gene. The amino acid sequence of SacC showed very little similarity to those of other known sucrases, but was very similar to the levansucrases of Z. mobilis (61.5%), Erwinia amylovora (40.2%) and Bacillus subtilis (25.6%).     

A simple method for the purification of over-expressed extracellular sucrase of Zymomonas mobilis from a recombinant Escherichia coli

The over-expressed extracellular sucrase (SacC) of Zymomonas mobilisfrom a recombinant Escherichia coli (pZSP62) carrying the sacC gene was purified partially by repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. This method separated the highly expressed recombinant protein from the bulk of endogenous E. coli proteins. The enzyme was further purified 14 fold with a 55% yield from the cellular extract of E. coli by hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purified enzyme had a Mr of 46 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Its km value for sucrose was 86 mM and was optimal at pH 5.0 and at 36°C.     

The intracellular sucrase (SacA) of Zymomonas mobilis is not involved in sucrose assimilation

The intracellular sucrase SacA from Zymomonas mobilis was purified to homogeneity from a recombinant E. coli strain containing the SacA gene under an expression system. The protein was monomeric with a molecular mass of 58 kDa. The sucrase activity was maximal at 25 °C and thermal stability of the purified protein was low (50% recovery after 30 min at 46 °C ). The activation energy was low at 33 kJ mol^–1. Maximum activity was at pH 6.5. Activity was strongly inhibited (>99%) by SH blocking reagents and reducing agents slightly (10–60%) increased the activity of purified SacA. The sucrase showed a low K _M (42 mM) and k _cat (125 s^–1) which indicated its very low efficiency for sucrose hydrolysis. A mutant strain of Z. mobilis not able to grow on sucrose was isolated. This strain (ZM4S) lacked the two sucrases SacB and SacC but SacA was present in the intracellular fraction. Therefore, SacA alone is unable to allow growth Z. mobilis on sucrose.     

Influence of intra- and extracellular sucrases of Zymomonas mobilison the ethanol production and by-product formation

A spontaneous mutant of Zymomonas mobilis LS1A lacking intracellular sucrase SacA was isolated from a levan-sucrase mutant of Z. mobilis LS1. The intracellular sucrase SacA does not have a role in sucrose hydrolysis and fermentation. The amount of the extracellular levansucrase SacB produced by the strain B-806 was about one third of the total sucrase activity. In the absence of the SacB, the strains LS1 and LS1A did not produce levan during sucrose fermentation. The extracellular sucrase SacC was sufficient for the complete hydrolysis of sucrose for fermen-tation. The low hydrolysis rate of sucrose was responsible for the increased amount of ethanol production (37.5 g/l to 44.2 g/l) and the decreased amount of sorbitol production (4.5 g/l to 1.2 g/l) by the strains LS1 and LS1A.     

Characterization of the levanase gene of Bacillus subtilis which shows homology to yeast invertase

Summary The structural gene for the enzyme levanase of Bacillus subtilis (SacC) was cloned in Escherichia coli. The cloned gene was mapped by PBS1 transduction near the sacL locus on the B. subtilis chromosome, between leu4 and aroD. Expression of the enzyme was demonstrated both in B. subtilis and in E. coli. The presence of sacC allowed E. coli to grow on sucrose as the sole carbon source. The complete nucleotide sequence of sacC was determined. It includes an open reading frame of 2,031 bp, coding for a protein with calculated molecular weight of 75,866 Da, including a putative signal peptide similar to precursors of secreted proteins found in Bacilli. The apparent molecular weight of purified levanase is 73 kDa. The sacC gene product was characterized in an in vitro system and in a minicellproducing strain of E. coli, confirming the existence of a precursor form of levanase of about 75 kDa. Comparison of the predicted aminoacid sequence of levanase with those of the two other known -D-fructofuranosidases of B. subtilis indicated a homology with sucrase, but not with levansucrase. A stronger homology was detected with the N-terminal region of yeast invertase, suggesting the existence of a common ancestor.     

肝癌相关抗原SMP30重组基因的构建、表达及分子伴侣共表达系统的探索

旨在通过应用基因工程的方法构建、表达和纯化肝癌相关抗原SMP30,研究共表达分子伴侣提高基因工程蛋白表达的可溶性及效率。PCR扩增SMP30 cDNA序列,用基因工程技术构建重组表达质粒,转化E.coliBL21(DE3)pLysS宿主菌。表达蛋白经Ni-NTA亲和柱纯化获得HIS-SMP30融合蛋白;分别将4种表达不同分子伴侣的质粒(pG-KJE8、pGro7、pKJE7、pTf16)转入E.coliBL21(DE3)中;然后再将重组质粒转入含有分子伴侣质粒的细胞中,进行分子伴侣与重组质粒的共表达,SDS-PAGE检测目的蛋白的表达量与可溶性分析。经优化表达条件后,目的蛋白以包涵体形式表达,目的蛋白占总蛋白的60%以上;纯化后纯度高达95%以上;诱导共表达后,目的蛋白在上清含量极少,不到总表达目的蛋白的10%。成功构建出高效表达的SMP30重组质粒;加入到诱导表达体系中的4种分子伴侣质粒不能有效的促进可溶性蛋白的表达,pTf16共表达系统能增加目的蛋白表达量。     

胃癌患者Sox2蛋白和CTHRC-1蛋白的表达与肿瘤发展密切相关

本研究选取病理科收集的自2016年1月至2016年12月的90例术后胃癌组织标本(胃癌组)、45例癌旁组织标本(对照组),采用免疫组化染色法检测两组标本中的Y框蛋白(Sox2)、胶原三股螺旋重叠蛋白-1表达,并分析其与肿瘤TNM分期、淋巴结转移、浸润深度、分化程度的关系,采用Spearman秩相关检验检测两种蛋白的相互关系,试图探讨胃癌患者癌组织中性别决定区Y框蛋白(Sox2)、胶原三股螺旋重叠蛋白-1(CTHRC-1)的表达及其相关性。研究结果表明:胃癌组的Sox2蛋白阳性表达率63.33%显著低于对照组的93.33%(p<0.05),胃癌组的CTHRC-1蛋白阳性表达率78.89%显著高于对照组的24.44%(p<0.05);胃癌组的Sox2蛋白阳性表达与胃癌的分化程度、发生淋巴结转移具有相关性(p<0.05);胃癌组的CTHRC-1蛋白阳性表达与胃癌的淋巴结转移、TNM分期、肿瘤浸润深度具有显著的相关性(p<0.05);胃癌组的Sox2蛋白与CTHRC-1蛋白呈显著的负相关表达(Spearman相关系数r=-0.322, p=0.002<0.05)。本研究的初步结论表明:胃癌组织中Sox2蛋白低表达和CTHRC-1蛋白高表达,并且与肿瘤发展密切相关,且二者表达呈负相关。     

Correlation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers with clinicopathologic parameters in adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is characterized by the loss of epithelial cell junction proteins and the gain of mesenchymal markers. The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between the EMT-related markers vimentin, E-cadherin, β-catenin, slug, snail, and twist1 and clinicopathologic parameters as well as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene copy number and protein expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Fifty-nine squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 43 adenocarcinomas (AD) were immunohistochemically examined for respective EMT markers and for EGFR, using the EGFR PharmDx kit (Dako) for protein expression and automated silver enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH) for copy number. Vimentin expression in tumor epithelia was significantly higher in AD samples than in SCC samples (P=0.015). Among AD samples, vimentin expression was positively correlated with histologic grade (2 vs. 3; P=0.021) and exhibited a tendency toward a positive correlation with pTNM stage (I vs. II-IV; P=0.052). EGFR gene copy number was positively correlated with EGFR protein expression among both AD samples (P=0.008) and SCC samples (P=0.042), with EGFR protein expression being significantly higher in SCC samples compared with AD (P=0.038). Among AD samples, EGFR protein expression was associated with higher cytoplasmic expression of β-catenin (P=0.031). Among SCC samples, EGFR protein expression was negatively correlated with nuclear expression of β-catenin (P=0.033) but positively with nuclear slug (P=0.021). The expression pattern of EMT markers in AD suggests that vimentin is a possible immunohistochemical predictor of tumor progression.     

单纯疱疹病毒2型衣壳支架蛋白ICP35原核表达载体的构建及其表达特性分析

本研究旨在构建单纯疱疹病毒2型(herpes simplex virus type 2,HSV-2)衣壳支架蛋白ICP35的原核表达载体,并分析其在HSV-2增殖中的表达特性。以HSV-2基因组DNA为模板,采用聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)扩增HSV-2 ICP35的编码基因UL26.5,并克隆至原核表达载体pET-32a(＋),转化大肠埃希菌BL21(DE3)进行诱导表达,将纯化的重组ICP35免疫家兔后获得抗体,采用免疫荧光检测ICP35在HSV-2增殖中的表达特性。结果显示,HSV-2 UL26.5基因的PCR产物大小约为1 065 bp,原核表达重组蛋白的相对分子质量约为6.3×10⁴,免疫家兔的血清抗体可特异性识别HSV-2 ICP35。免疫荧光检测结果显示,HSV-2 ICP35可在感染后8 h出现于细胞核周围,12 h表达量进一步增加并向细胞核内聚集,16 h后在细胞核、细胞质内均可检测到聚集成斑点状的衣壳支架蛋白。结果表明,HSV-2 ICP35原核表达载体的成功构建及对其在HSV-2增殖中表达特性的分析,将为研究UL26.5基因的功能、蛋白相互作用、病毒与宿主的相互作用及筛选药物靶标等奠定基础。     

Assessment of the pathway of apoptosis involving PAR-4, DAXX and ZIPK proteins in CLL patients and its relationship with the principal prognostic factors

Par-4 (prostate apoptosis response-4) protein was originally found upregulated in prostate tumor cells undergoing apoptosis. Then it was further identified as a proapoptotic protein upregulated both in normal and leukemic lymphocytes. The aim of our study was to assess PAR-4 protein expression in the B cells of CLL patients and to examine its relationship with the expression of other proteins involved in the apoptosis process, such as DAXX, ZIPK and BCL-2. We found a positive relationship between PAR-4 and BCL-2 protein expression. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between PAR-4 and both DAXX and ZIPK protein expression. The results of our research were also analyzed in association with the principal CLL prognostic factors. There was a positive correlation between the expression of PAR-4 protein and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) serum concentration (p < 0.005). The expression of PAR-4 protein in B cells correlated positively with the percentage of CD38(+) cells (p < 0.05), as well as with CD38(+)/ZAP-70(+) cells (p < 0.05). Moreover, we found a close relationship between LPL protein expression or LPL/ADAM29 MFI ratio and PAR-4 protein expression. Our results confirm the significance of apoptosis deregulation in CLL, and suggest a possible relationship between PAR-4 expression and the clinical course of the disease. This however requires further investigation.     

Up-Regulation of Adiponectin Expression in Antigravitational Soleus Muscle in Response to Unloading Followed by Reloading,and Functional Overloading in Mice

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression level of adiponectin and its related molecules in hypertrophied and atrophied skeletal muscle in mice. The expression was also evaluated in C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes. Both mRNA and protein expression of adiponectin, mRNA expression of adiponectin receptor (AdipoR) 1 and AdipoR2, and protein expression of adaptor protein containing pleckstrin homology domain, phosphotyrosine binding domain, and leucine zipper motif 1 (APPL1) were observed in C2C12 myoblasts. The expression levels of these molecules in myotubes were higher than those in myoblasts. The expression of adiponectin-related molecules in soleus muscle was observed at mRNA (adiponectin, AdipoR1, AdipoR2) and protein (adiponectin, APPL1) levels. The protein expression levels of adiponectin and APPL1 were up-regulated by 3 weeks of functional overloading. Down-regulation of AdipoR1 mRNA, but not AdipoR2 mRNA, was observed in atrophied soleus muscle. The expression of adiponectin protein, AdipoR1 mRNA, and APPL1 protein was up-regulated during regrowth of unloading-associated atrophied soleus muscle. Mechanical loading, which could increase skeletal muscle mass, might be a useful stimulus for the up-regulations of adiponectin and its related molecules in skeletal muscle.     

Expression of mdm-2 oncoprotein in the primary and metastatic sites of mammary tumor (GI-101) implanted athymic nude mice

The expression of mdm-2 oncoprotein (p90) was determined in a human breast tumor xenograft line (GI-101) that was derived from a 57 year old female cancer patient with recurrent, infiltrating ductal adenocarcinoma (Stage IIIa, T3N2MX). Immunoprecipitation coupled western blot analysis of the primary tumors that have been obtained from xenograft implanted athymic nude mice, using mdm-2 (Ab-1) mouse monoclonal antibody, primarily revealed high level expression of a 90 kD full length mdm-2 protein. In the GI-101 tumor the level of full length mdm-2 (p90) protein expression increased with the increase in the size of the tumor (100 to 2,000 mm(3)) and a maximum expression was detected in 2,000 mm(3) size tumors. In addition to the expression in the primary site, a significantly high level expression of mdm-2 protein (p90) was detected in the lung and liver tissues also, which are the known metastatic sites for GI-101 xenograft tumors. However, the level of mdm-2 protein expression was undetectable in the lung and liver tissues obtained from control mice. A cell line (GI-101A) derived from the GI-101 xenograft tumor also showed a high level expression of mdm-2 protein after several generations of cell passage. When the GI-101A cells were treated with DES (Diethylstilbestrol) the mdm-2 protein expression increased after 10 min treatment and reached a peak level at 40 min. Interestingly, DES (10 and 20 microM) treatment increased the total cell number also after 96 hr treatment compared to the non-treated cells. It appears that mdm-2 (p90) may have a significant role in supporting the tumor cell growth as well as the metastatic process of the GI-101A cells.     

小鼠紧密连接蛋白ZO-2 真核表达载体的构建和表达

目的:克隆小鼠紧密连接蛋白ZO-2(zonula occludens protein2)基因构建其真核表达载体,并验证其在293T细胞系中的表达,为进一步研究其功能奠定基础。方法:从小鼠淋巴结来源的cDNA中分三段分别扩增,通过基因克隆方法获得紧密连接蛋白ZO-2基因全长,连接至pMD-18T载体中,酶切测序正确后,插入pEGFP-C2载体中,构建真核表达载体pEGFP-C2-ZO2。酶切正确后,瞬时转染入293T细胞中,48h后荧光显微镜观察其绿色荧光GFP融合蛋白的表达,并用Western blot检测其在转染细胞中的蛋白水平表达。结果:通过酶切鉴定和测序结果证明成功克隆了ZO-2基因,western blot结果表明成功构建了真核表达载体pEGFP-C2-ZO2。结论:小鼠紧密连接蛋白ZO-2基因的获得和真核表达载体pEGFP-C2-ZO2的成功构建为下一步研究其生物学功能奠定了基础。     

花胫绿纹蝗和疣蝗配子发生时原癌基因c-kit特异性表达比较研究

应用免疫组织化学和生物统计分析相结合的方法,对花胫绿纹蝗Aiolopus tamulus (Fabricius)和疣蝗Trilophidia annulata (Thunberg)配子发生过程中原癌基因c-kit特异表达进行了比较研究。结果表明：（1）精子发生过程中,精原细胞、初级精母细胞、次级精母细胞和成熟精子中均有不同程度的c-kit蛋白表达,精巢末端还有较粗大的阳性颗粒分布;（2）卵子发生过程中,第1～6阶段卵母细胞中有不同程度的c-kit蛋白特异性表达,但随着卵黄发生的开始逐渐消失;（3）2种蝗虫配子发生过程中c-kit表达存在种间差异。     

雌激素受体阳性乳腺癌中mTOR 蛋白的表达及与内分泌辅助治疗预后的关系

目的:研究雌激素受体阳性乳腺癌中m TOR蛋白的表达以及与内分泌辅助治疗预后的关系。方法:选取2010年6月到2011年8月我院收治的雌激素受体阳性乳腺癌且接受内分泌辅助治疗的患者110例,应用免疫组化法检测患者乳腺癌组织中的m TOR蛋白的表达,观察其与临床特征和预后的关系。结果:m TOR蛋白表达阳性者68例,m TOR蛋白表达阴性者42例,m TOR蛋白表达阳性者存在较多的组织学特征;m TOR蛋白表达阴性者无病中位生存期为(56.8±1.1)个月,显著优于m TOR蛋白表达阳性者的(32.8±2.1)个月,比较差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);多因素分析显示,m TOR蛋白表达阳性者出现肿瘤复发转移的风险是m TOR蛋白表达阴性者的3.21倍,且是影响预后的独立性影响因子。结论:m TOR蛋白的表达阳性是雌激素受体阳性乳腺癌复发转移的独立因素,在临床上可以联合m TOR抑制剂来治疗。     

协同激活分子CBP诱饵表达质粒的构建和鉴定

构建协同激活分子CBP（CREB（cAMP response element binding）binding protein）的诱饵表达质粒pGBKT7-CBP并检测其蛋白表达、毒性和自激活作用.PCR扩增小鼠CBP的基因编码序列（CDS（coding sequence）序列）并克隆入诱饵表达载体pGBKT7中,通过酶切和测序鉴定后,把构建好的诱饵表达质粒pGBKT7-CBP转化到酵母AH109细胞中,Western blot检测诱饵蛋白表达情况,同时检测诱饵蛋白的毒性和自激活作用.结果成功扩增了小鼠CBP基因的CDS序列,并成功克隆到酵母诱饵表达载体pGBKT7中,测序结果正确.诱饵表达质粒成功转化到酵母AH109细胞中,Western blot分析结果证实酵母细胞高表达诱饵蛋白CBP,但诱饵蛋白有自激活作用.提示pGBKT7-CBP不能用于酵母双杂交或三杂交系统检测CBP与其他蛋白质或小分子的相互作用,对其他研究CBP生物学功能试验的方法选取具有一定的借鉴意义.     

Rapid establishment of high-producing cell lines using dicistronic vectors with glutamine synthetase as the selection marker

Recombinant proteins are useful tools in biological research, drug development, and drug screening. Specially designed expression vectors have been developed to introduce cDNA for recombinant protein expression in mammalian cells. We have combined a discistronic mRNA design for expression of the recombinant protein, using glutamine synthetase (GS) for selection. A soluble form of human interleukin-4 receptor alpha chain was used as the model protein. The dicistronic vectors were compared to a standard expression vector in CHO-K1 cells in parallel experiments. Our data showed that a dicistronic vector containing an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the encephalomyocarditis virus (ECMV) was superior to a conventional expression vector in both levels of protein expression and amplification efficiency. The productivity of these clones was stable without selection pressure for an extended period of time. The GS selection system within a dicistronic vector design can achieve rapid and efficient gene amplification for protein production.