表达人冠状病毒NL63棘突蛋白不同片段的重组痘苗病毒的制备与表达分析

HCoV-NL63是新近发现的人冠状病毒,对其外膜糖蛋白-棘突蛋白的表达及功能的研究仍有待深入。本研究利用天坛株痘苗病毒载体,克隆构建可表达HCoV-NL63棘突蛋白四个片段(N端棘突蛋白:S1;C端棘突蛋白:S2;受体结合区大片段:RL;受体结合区小片段:RS)的重组痘苗病毒(vJSC1175-S1;vJSC1175-S2;vJSC1175-RL;vJSC1175-RS),酶切测序证实表达载体构建正确,免疫荧光分析(IFA)各重组痘苗病毒中棘突蛋白不同片段的表达与定位,Western-Blot分析表明各种重组蛋白表达正确。分析结果显示:4种重组蛋白均能有效表达,S1、RL及RS蛋白的荧光主要分布在细胞膜上,而S2蛋白的荧光则主要分布于细胞浆,各个片段的分子量大小与文献报道相同,并可进行正确的翻译修饰(糖基化)。本研究首次采用痘苗病毒天坛株载体构建制备了表达HCoV-NL63棘突蛋白不同片段的重组痘苗病毒,为进一步分析人冠状病毒HCoV-NL63棘突蛋白的结构功能及探索其抗原性和免疫原性奠定了基础。     

人Fas N端融合蛋白的原核表达、纯化及初步分析

目的：对Fas蛋白N端的30～108位肽段进行原核表达,制备可溶性蛋白,并完成二级结构分析。方法：利用BLAST程序进行同源性分析,确定所要构建的FasN端半胱氨酸富集结构域（CRD）,PCR扩增目的基因片段,将其克隆入表达载体pGEX-6P-1,并转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）,于16℃用0.2mmol/L的IPTG诱导25h表达GST-Fas融合蛋白;用Glu-tathione Sepharose 4B柱分离GST-Fas融合蛋白,用PreScission蛋白酶切去GST标签,将洗脱的蛋白样品经Superdex 75凝胶预装柱进一步纯化;对所获得的可溶性、高纯度蛋白进行圆二色谱分析。结果与结论：获得重组质粒pGEX-6P-1-fas,并在大肠杆菌中可溶性表达了FasN端CRD功能结构域蛋白;经亲和层析、酶切、分子筛层析后,获得了可溶的、高纯度的FasN端CRD功能结构域蛋白;圆二色谱结果揭示目标蛋白富含β-折叠,为进一步研究Fas的结构和功能奠定了基础。     

人组织激肽释放酶成熟蛋白在大肠杆菌中的高效表达

将编码人组织激肽释放酶成熟蛋白的基因片段扩增并分别克隆到原核表达载体pET2 8(b)及分泌型表达载体pET2 0 (b)中 ,使其C端融合 6×HisTag序列 .转化不同受体菌 ,IPTG诱导表达后利用SDS PAGE、免疫印记等方法对重组蛋白进行分析 .在 6株基因工程菌株中 ,均表达出分子量约30kD的激肽释放酶融合蛋白 ,其中激肽释放酶在pET2 8载体中的表达水平高于pET2 0载体 .pET2 8和pET2 0载体表达的重组激肽释放酶蛋白分别占菌体总蛋白约 2 6 %和 10 % .Western印迹分析表明 ,目的蛋白可与抗人血清KK单克隆抗体发生特异性反应 .未经纯化的激肽释放酶融合蛋白具有一定的水解苯甲酰精胺酸乙酯 (BAEE)的能力 .在大肠杆菌中获得了人组织激肽释放酶的高效表达 ,表达产物具有免疫原性和生物活力 ,这为研究其生物功能和开发基因工程药物奠定基础     

通过染色体整合表达古菌乙酰化酶合成N-末端乙酰化胸腺肽β4

胸腺肽β4（Tβ4）是N-末端乙酰化的43肽,具有多种重要生物学功能.其生物合成存在两大难点,即乙酰化修饰和小分子肽的表达.本研究发现来自古菌Sulfolobus solfataricus的乙酰化酶ssArd1可以催化Tβ4的N-末端乙酰化修饰.利用Red同源重组技术将ssArd1基因表达盒整合至E.coli BL21（DE3）染色体的lpxM位点上,构建了可以实现Tβ4N-末端乙酰化修饰的新型宿主E.coli BDA.将Tβ4编码基因融合在改造的微型Spl DnaX Intein的N端,并在Intein的C端添加His标签,构建了表达载体pET-Tβ4-Intein.在E.coli BDA中表达的融合蛋白,经镍亲和层析纯化后用β-巯基乙醇诱导融合蛋白切割释放小分子多肽,获得了具有N-末端乙酰化的Tβ4.     

嗜热子囊菌光孢变种Thermoascus aurantiacus var. levisporus内切β-葡聚糖酶的分离纯化及特性研究

采用培养分离、室内测定等方法,对嗜热子囊菌光孢变种Thermoascus aurantiacus var. levisporus产生的内切β-葡聚糖酶进行了分离纯化及特性研究.粗酶液经硫酸铵沉淀、DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow阴离子层析、Phenyl-Sepharose疏水层析等步骤获得了凝胶电泳均一的内切β-葡聚糖酶.结果表明,经12% SDS-PAGE测得酶的单亚基分子量约为31.5 kD,凝胶过滤层析测得酶的分子量约为34.5 kD.该酶反应的最适温度为55 ℃,最适pＨ为2.5～3.0该酶在pH3.0条件下60 ℃较为稳定;80 ℃保温30 min有20%原酶活性.金属离子对内切β-葡聚糖酶活性影响较大, 其中K⁺、 Ca²⁺、Mn²⁺对酶有激活作用;Al⁺、Cu²⁺ 、Al³⁺对酶有显著抑制作用.该酶对羧甲基纤维素具有很强的底物特异性.     

人IL-6和TNF突变体重组融合蛋白表达质粒的构建及在大肠杆菌中的表达

本文利用PCR技术,对人肿瘤坏死因子α(hTNFα)基因进行了改造,并将其与人白细胞介素-6(hIL-6)成熟肽编码区cDNA进行融合,构建了5′IL-6-TNF△融合蛋白的表达质粒pBVIL6-TNFA△。DNA序列分析证明,PCR扩增片段核苷酸序列与引物设计序列及相应的cDNA序列完全一致;重组子用限制性内切酶酶切鉴定,含有正确的IL6-TNF△融合cDNA片段;表达产物经SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳,分子量约为37kD,与预计的相符合;生物学活性分析初步表明,该融合蛋白具有抗肿瘤活性。     

Angioarrestin(hARPl)C端FD区的克隆、表达及其免疫活性鉴定

 Angioarrestin是一种具有潜在应用价值的肿瘤血管形成抑制因子.利用DNA重组法构建了angioarrestin C端 hFD cDNA 和麦芽糖结合蛋白(MBP)重组原核表达质粒 pMAL-C2-hFD.将重组质粒转入大肠杆菌E.coli BL21（DE3）,经0.3 mmol/LIPTG 在37℃条件下诱导表达4h,SDS-PAGE 检测,融合蛋白表达量约占细菌总蛋白的20%.Western印迹证实,目的蛋白N端带有MBP标签.取表达上清纯化、透析、浓缩并冻干,以此为抗原免疫Balb/c小鼠制备多克隆抗体.此多抗可以与pET 22b（+）表达系统获得的 hFD重组蛋白发生良好的抗原抗体反应,ELISA检测多抗效价达1∶10240.实验证明：通过基因重组可获得angioarrestin C端hFD在大肠杆菌中的高效表达蛋白,且该蛋白具有较高的免疫活性.以此为抗原制备的抗angioarrestin多克隆抗体为深入研究angioarrestin提供了材料.     

汉滩病毒核蛋白的分段表达及抗原表位分析

在大肠杆菌中对汉滩病毒S基因4种不同长度片段的重组表达质粒进行诱导表达.结果表明表达的4种GST-NP融合蛋白均以不溶性包含体形式存在于菌体细胞内,表达量分别占菌体蛋白总量的29-36%,分子量分别约为72 kD、66 kD、54 kD和44 kD.Western blot显示54 kD和72 kD融合蛋白用酶标抗汉滩病毒NP McAb 1A8和抗GST McAb 3C11染色呈阳性反应.66 kD和44 kD融合蛋白仅与酶标3C11呈阳性反应.用凝血酶切去GST,获得4种汉滩病毒重组核蛋白(rNP),分子量分别约为44 kD、40 kD、26 kD和16 kD.用19株McAb对表达产物做抗原位点分析,结果完整的rNP可与19株McAb中的13株反应,McAb反应谱与天然NP相同;S1.1 kb表达产物(N-端1-37和C端402-429位aa缺失)和S 0.5 kb表达产物(N-端1-274位aa缺失)与19株McAb均不发生反应;S0.7 kb表达产物(C-端275-429位aa缺失)可与5株组特异性McAb反应.表明汉坦病毒核蛋白上的抗原位点主要存在于N-端1-37位aa区段内.     

真菌细胞色素P450在大肠杆菌中的表达

【背景】真菌细胞色素P450蛋白在大肠杆菌中表达水平低甚至不表达,近期研究发现通过对该类蛋白氨基端(N端)氨基酸序列的修饰可优化其表达水平。【目的】在大肠杆菌系统中表达预测功能为P450酶的焦曲霉094102菌株的Au8002蛋白,为真菌P450蛋白在大肠杆菌表达系统中的N端氨基酸序列修饰策略提供有效依据。【方法】对野生型P450蛋白Au8002的氨基酸序列进行分析,对其N端序列进行了3种序列修饰,并在诱导蛋白表达时添加P450生物合成前体5-氨基乙酰丙酸(5-ALA),研究N端氨基酸序列修饰策略及前体添加对真菌P450在大肠杆菌中蛋白表达的影响。【结果】SDS-PAGE和Westernblot检测结果显示,对目的蛋白进行的3种氨基酸序列修饰均使Au8002蛋白获得了表达,前体5-ALA的添加提高了目的蛋白表达量。其中对目的蛋白进行N端全长截短时可部分增加其可溶性,同时也验证了其特征性的CO结合能力。【结论】对预测为P450酶的菌株094102蛋白Au8002氨基端(N端)氨基酸序列的修饰有效解决了其在大肠杆菌内不表达的难题,实现了其可溶性表达;另一方面P450生物合成前体5-ALA的添加也能有效提高该类蛋白的表达水平,上述策略对改善其它该类蛋白在大肠杆菌内的表达水平具有借鉴意义。     

羊毛硫细菌素bovicin HJ50修饰酶BovM双功能域单独催化活性鉴定

【目的】体外重建羊毛硫细菌素bovicin HJ50修饰酶Bov M双功能域(脱水酶与环化酶功能域)各自的催化活性,为深入了解Bov M催化机制奠定基础。【方法】在大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)中分别异源表达纯化Bov M含脱水功能域的N端与含环化功能域的C端重组蛋白,构建体外反应体系,分别对其前肽底物Bov A进行修饰,通过产物抑菌活性及MALDI-TOF MS分子量检测来鉴定两者的修饰活性;并通过体内体外两种方法检测双功能域蛋白之间的协同作用。【结果】Bov M的N端脱水功能域及C端环化功能域分别具有脱水与环化活性,但双功能域重组蛋白之间没有协同作用。【结论】Bov M双功能域均可独立行使各自的催化功能,但Bov M的完整结构对其正常的催化活性非常重要。     

Mycoplasmal membrane protein p37 promotes malignant changes in mammalian cells

Evidence of Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection in human gastric cancer tissues has been found in previous work. In this study, we demonstrate that the expression of p37, a membrane lipoprotein of M. hyorhinis, in mammalian cells induces antisenescence, enhances clonogenicity in soft agar, and co-operates with human epidermal growth factor receptor-related 2 to inhibit cell adhesion. Conversely, truncated p37 protein, with the first 28 amino acids deleted from its N terminal, promotes cell senescence. Taken together, our findings suggest that p37 promotes malignant changes in mammalian cells. With the identification of this molecular component, which is responsible for mycoplasma malignancy-promoting activity, it is possible that a better understanding of the relationship between M. hyorhinis infection and human gastric cancers will lead to novel diagnostics and therapeutics.     

Biologically active mutants with deletions in the v-mos oncogene assayed with retroviral vectors.

We have constructed retroviral expression vectors by manipulation of the Moloney murine leukemia virus genome such that an exogenous DNA sequence may be inserted and subsequently expressed when introduced into mammalian cells. A series of N-terminal deletions of the v-mos oncogene was constructed and assayed for biological activity with these retroviral expression vectors. The results of the deletion analysis demonstrate that the region of p37mos coding region upstream of the third methionine codon is dispensable with respect to transformation. However, deletion mutants of v-mos which allow initiation of translation at the fourth methionine codon have lost the biological activity of the parental v-mos gene. Furthermore, experiments were also carried out to define the C-terminal limit of the active region of p37mos by the construction of premature termination mutants by the insertion of a termination oligonucleotide. Insertion of the oligonucleotide just 69 base pairs upstream from the wild-type termination site abolished the focus-forming ability of v-mos. Thus, we have shown the N-terminal limit of the active region of p37mos to be between the third and fourth methionines, while the C-terminal limit is within the last 23 amino acids of the protein.     

Amyloid Assemblies of Influenza A Virus PB1-F2 Protein Damage Membrane and Induce Cytotoxicity

PB1-F2 is a small accessory protein encoded by an alternative open reading frame in PB1 segments of most influenza A virus. PB1-F2 is involved in virulence by inducing mitochondria-mediated immune cells apoptosis, increasing inflammation, and enhancing predisposition to secondary bacterial infections. Using biophysical approaches we characterized membrane disruptive activity of the full-length PB1-F2 (90 amino acids), its N-terminal domain (52 amino acids), expressed by currently circulating H1N1 viruses, and its C-terminal domain (38 amino acids). Both full-length and N-terminal domain of PB1-F2 are soluble at pH values ≤6, whereas the C-terminal fragment was found soluble only at pH ≤ 3. All three peptides are intrinsically disordered. At pH ≥ 7, the C-terminal part of PB1-F2 spontaneously switches to amyloid oligomers, whereas full-length and the N-terminal domain of PB1-F2 aggregate to amorphous structures. When incubated with anionic liposomes at pH 5, full-length and the C-terminal part of PB1-F2 assemble into amyloid structures and disrupt membrane at nanomolar concentrations. PB1-F2 and its C-terminal exhibit no significant antimicrobial activity. When added in the culture medium of mammalian cells, PB1-F2 amorphous aggregates show no cytotoxicity, whereas PB1-F2 pre-assembled into amyloid oligomers or fragmented nanoscaled fibrils was highly cytotoxic. Furthermore, the formation of PB1-F2 amyloid oligomers in infected cells was directly reflected by membrane disruption and cell death as observed in U937 and A549 cells. Altogether our results demonstrate that membrane-lytic activity of PB1-F2 is closely linked to supramolecular organization of the protein.     

Avian adipose lipoprotein lipase: cDNA sequence and reciprocal regulation of mRNA levels in adipose and heart

cDNA clones for chicken adipose lipoprotein lipase were isolated from an expression library in lambda gt11 by antibody screening and characterized by hybridization selection and nucleotide sequencing. Based on the cDNA sequence and on N-terminal sequence analysis of the purified enzyme, chicken adipose lipoprotein lipase is a mature protein of 465 amino acids with a signal peptide of 19 or 25 amino acids, depending on which of two methionine residues is used for translation initiation. The predicted amino-acid sequence was found to be 73-77% identical to the four known mammalian adipose lipoprotein lipase sequences, with conservation of position of cysteine residues and putative functional domains, and number of potential N-glycosylation sites. Chicken lipoprotein lipase differs from mammalian lipoprotein lipases with respect to the position of one N-glycosylation site and the presence of an additional 15-17 C-terminal amino acids. 32P-labeled cDNA clones hybridized to mRNA species of 3.7 and 4.0 kb in Northern blots of heart and adipose, but not of liver RNA. In chickens that were fasted for 48 h and then refed, lipoprotein lipase mRNA levels in adipose increased to a maximal level of 350% that of controls at 10 h, whereas heart lipoprotein lipase mRNA levels fell to 40% of controls at 14 h. Concomitantly, no changes in total RNA were observed. Thus, avian lipoprotein lipase is subject to reciprocal pretranslational regulation in adipose and heart.     

The N-terminal half of Cdc25 is essential for processing glucose signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc25 is the prototype Ras GDP/GTP exchange protein. Its C-terminal catalytic domain was found to be highly conserved in the homologues p140(ras-GRF) and Sos. The regulatory domains in each Ras exchanger mediate the signals arriving from upstream elements such as tyrosine kinases for Sos, or Ca2+ and G proteins for p140.(Ras-GRF) In this study, we show that the N-terminal half (NTH) of S. cerevisiae Cdc25, as well as the C-terminal 37 amino acids, is essential for processing the elevation of cAMP in response to glucose. The mammalian p140(ras-GRF) catalytic domain (CGRF) restores glucose signaling in S. cerevisiae only if tethered between the N-terminal half (NTH) of S. cerevisiae Cdc25 and the C-terminal 37 amino acids. The glucose-induced transient elevation in cAMP is nullified or severely hampered by the deletion of domains within the NTH of Cdc25. These deletions, however, do not modify the intrinsic GDP/GTP exchange activity of mutant proteins as compared to native Cdc25. We also show that 7 Ser to Ala mutations at the cAMP-dependent protein kinase putative phosphorylation sites within the NTH of Cdc25 eliminate the descending portion of the glucose response curve, responsible for signal termination. These findings support a dual role of the NTH of Cdc25 in both enabling the glucose signal and being responsible for its attenuation.     

Transforming p21 ras protein: flexibility in the major variable region linking the catalytic and membrane-anchoring domains.

The mammalian p21 ras proteins contain a 20-amino acid region that is highly divergent, in contrast to the strong sequence conservation that is common to other regions of these proteins. This major variable region is located near the C terminus just upstream from a conserved cysteine residue that is required for post-translational processing, membrane localization and transforming activity of the proteins. We have now used the viral oncogene (v-rasH) of Harvey sarcoma virus to study the major variable region by deleting or duplicating parts of the gene. Reducing this region to five amino acids or increasing it to 50 amino acids has relatively little effect on the capacity of the gene to induce morphological transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. Assays of GTP binding, GTPase and autophosphorylating activities of such mutant v-rasH-encoded proteins synthesized in bacteria indicated that the sequences that encode these biochemical activities are located upstream from the major variable region. In the context of transformation, we propose that the region of sequence heterogeneity serves principally to connect the N-terminal catalytic domain with amino acids at the C terminus that are required to anchor the protein in the membrane.     

The membrane biogenesis peroxin Pex16p. Topogenesis and functional roles in peroxisomal membrane assembly

Previously we isolated human PEX16 encoding 336-amino acid-long peroxin Pex16p and showed that its dysfunction was responsible for Zellweger syndrome of complementation group D (group 9). Here we have determined the membrane topology of Pex16p by differential permeabilization method: both N- and C-terminal parts are exposed to the cytosol. In the search for Pex16p topogenic sequence, basic amino acids clustered sequence, RKELRKKLPVSLSQQK, at positions 66-81 and the first transmembrane segment locating far downstream, nearly by 40 amino acids, of this basic region were defined to be essential for integration into peroxisome membranes. Localization to peroxisomes of membrane proteins such as Pex14p, Pex13p, and PMP70 was interfered with in CHO-K1 cells by a higher level expression of the pex16 patient-derived dysfunctional but topogenically active Pex16pR176ter comprising resides 1-176 or of the C-terminal cytoplasmic part starting from residues at 244 to the C terminus. Furthermore, Pex16p C-terminal cytoplasmic part severely abrogated peroxisome restoration in pex mutants such as matrix protein import-defective pex12 and membrane assembly impaired pex3 by respective PEX12 and PEX3 expression, whereas the N-terminal cytosolic region did not affect restoration. These results imply that Pex16p functions in peroxisome membrane assembly, more likely upstream of Pex3p.     

Genetic and proteomic evidences support the localization of yeast enolase in the cell surface

Although enolase, other glycolytic enzymes, and a variety of cytoplasmic proteins lacking an N-terminal secretion signal have been widely described as located at the cell surface in yeast and in mammalian cells, their presence in this external location is still controversial. Here, we report that different experimental approaches (genetics, cellular biology and proteomics) show that yeast enolase can reach the cell surface and describe the protein regions involved in its cell surface targeting. Hybrid enolase truncates, fused at their C terminus with the yeast internal invertase or green fluorescent protein (GFP) as reporter proteins, proved that the 169 N-terminal amino acids are sufficient to target the protein to the cell surface. Furthermore, the enolase-GFP fusion co-localized with a plasma membrane marker. Enolase was also identified among membrane proteins obtained by a purification protocol that includes sodium carbonate to prevent cytoplasmic contamination. These proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, trypsin digestion and LC-MS/MS for peptide identification. Elongation factors, mitochondrial membrane proteins and a mannosyltransferase involved in cell wall mannan biosynthesis were also identified in this fraction.     

Intracellular membrane localization of pseudomonas ExoS and Yersinia YopE in mammalian cells

ExoS (453 amino acids) is a bi-functional type-III cytotoxin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Residues 96-233 comprise the Rho GTPase-activating protein (Rho GAP) domain, while residues 234-453 comprise the 14-3-3-dependent ADP-ribosyltransferase domain. Residues 51-72 represent a membrane localization domain (MLD), which targets ExoS to perinuclear vesicles within mammalian cells. YopE (219 amino acids) is a type-III cytotoxin of Yersinia that is also a Rho GAP. Residues 96-219 comprise the YopE Rho GAP domain. While the Rho GAP domains of ExoS and YopE share structural homology, unlike ExoS, the intracellular localization of YopE within mammalian cells has not been resolved and is the subject of this investigation. Deletion mapping showed that the N terminus of YopE was required for intracellular membrane localization of YopE in CHO cells. A fusion protein containing the N-terminal 84 amino acids of YopE localized to a punctate-perinuclear region in mammalian cells and co-localized with a fusion protein containing the MLD of ExoS. Residues 54-75 of YopE (termed YopE-MLD) were necessary and sufficient for intracellular localization in mammalian cells. The YopE-MLD localized ExoS to intracellular membranes and targeted ExoS to ADP-ribosylate small molecular weight membrane proteins as observed for native type-III delivered ExoS. These data indicate that the YopE MLD functionally complements the ExoS MLD for intracellular targeting in mammalian cells.     

The Tir-binding region of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli intimin is sufficient to trigger actin condensation after bacterial-induced host cell signalling

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) has emerged as an important agent of diarrhoeal disease. Attachment to host cells, an essential step during intestinal colonization by EHEC, is associated with the formation of a highly organized cytoskeletal structure containing filamentous actin, termed an attaching and effacing (A/E) lesion, directly beneath bound bacteria. The outer membrane protein intimin is required for the formation of this structure, as is Tir, a bacterial protein that is translocated into the host cell and is thought to function as a receptor for intimin. To understand intimin function better, we fused EHEC intimin to a homologous protein, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis invasin, or to maltose-binding protein. The N-terminal 539 amino acids of intimin were sufficient to promote outer membrane localization of the C-terminus of invasin and, conversely, the N-terminal 489 amino acids of invasin were sufficient to promote the localization of the C-terminus of intimin. The C-terminal 181 residues of intimin were sufficient to bind mammalian cells that had been preinfected with an enteropathogenic E. coli strain that expresses Tir but not intimin. Binding of intimin derivatives to preinfected cells correlated with binding to recombinant Tir protein. Finally, the 181-residue minimal Tir-binding region of intimin, when purified and immobilized on latex beads, was sufficient to trigger A/E lesions on preinfected mammalian cells.