CCCH型锌指蛋白研究进展

锌指蛋白是一类生物体中广泛存在的具有典型锌指结构特征的超蛋白家族,几乎参与了生物体生长发育的各个阶段。根据锌指蛋白的结构及功能特点,锌指蛋白主要分为9大类,其中CCCH型锌指蛋白相比其它几类来说较少,约占所有锌指蛋白的0.8%,在植物、动物、微生物中都有发现。CCCH型锌指蛋白包含一个或多个由3个半胱氨酸和一个组氨酸组成的能与锌离子结合的基序。综述了CCCH型锌指蛋白的定义、结构、表达、作用方式和功能。     

CCCH型锌指蛋白的研究进展

对Cys3His(CCCH)型锌指蛋白的结构和功能的研究进展进行了综述。研究表明,CCCH型锌指蛋白是最新发现的一类参与RNA代谢,并能激活基因转录的锌指蛋白,对其结构与功能的深入研究,有望揭示真核生物中基因调控的机理。     

人造锌指蛋白的应用

C2H2锌指是真核细胞中最常见的DNA结合模体。由于C2H2锌指域靶位点特异性与结构和功能的模块性构成,使得C2H2锌指域成为构建特定的DNA结合蛋白的常用骨架。保持C2H2锌指的基本骨架不变,替换锌指特定位点的氨基酸残基,并融合表达其他功能域就可以得到具有靶向性的人造锌指蛋白(ZFP)。ZFP可以介导靶基因的转录调控,抑制或激活特定基因的表达与配体依赖的靶基因激活或抑制;对DNA进行修饰,如人造限制性内切酶,重组酶,整合酶;抗病毒感染等。因此,人造锌指蛋白应用前景广阔,研究价值显著,是未来人类基因治疗的革命性的工具。     

Selective Sensitization of Zinc Finger Protein Oxidation by Reactive Oxygen Species through Arsenic Binding

Cysteine oxidation induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) on redox-sensitive targets such as zinc finger proteins plays a critical role in redox signaling and subsequent biological outcomes. We found that arsenic exposure led to oxidation of certain zinc finger proteins based on arsenic interaction with zinc finger motifs. Analysis of zinc finger proteins isolated from arsenic-exposed cells and zinc finger peptides by mass spectrometry demonstrated preferential oxidation of C3H1 and C4 zinc finger configurations. C2H2 zinc finger proteins that do not bind arsenic were not oxidized by arsenic-generated ROS in the cellular environment. The findings suggest that selectivity in arsenic binding to zinc fingers with three or more cysteines defines the target proteins for oxidation by ROS. This represents a novel mechanism of selective protein oxidation and demonstrates how an environmental factor may sensitize certain target proteins for oxidation, thus altering the oxidation profile and redox regulation.     

锌指蛋白与心脏发育

锌指是最大的DNA结合蛋白家族,是最普遍的核酸识别元件.近年来发现锌指参与生物体的基因转录,复制及蛋白质的合成等各种基因调节和控制过程,心脏发育过程中涉及大量锌指基因.综述了心脏发育过程中起重要调控作用的锌指蛋白以及它们的作用机制.     

锌指蛋白基因ZNF191

锌指是Ｍｉｌｌｅｒ等人 (1 985年 )最初在爪蟾转录因子ＴＦ ＩＩＩＡ中发现的一种特殊结构 ,即在蛋白质一级结构上 ,存在着Ｃ Ｘ2 4 Ｃ Ｘ12 Ｈ Ｘ3 Ｈ的序列单元 (Ｃ :半胱氨酸 ;Ｈ :组氨酸 ;Ｘ :任意氨基酸 ) ,其中的 2个半胱氨酸和 2个组氨酸通过配位键与一个锌离子结合 ,成手指状结构 ,这类序列单元被称为锌指模体 ,含有锌指模体的蛋白质称为锌指蛋白。研究表明 ,锌指蛋白作为一类转录因子而广泛地参与基因表达的调控。这种调控作用主要是通过它与特定的ＤＮＡ序列 (如启动子 )和蛋白质的结合而实现的。锌指蛋白与胚胎发育和细胞分化…     

锌指蛋白的设计及其应用

人工设计的锌指蛋白一般包括两个结构域：DNA结合结构域和效应结构域。DNA结合结构域主要采用对DNA序列特异性识别结合的C2H2型锌指结构域,而功能结构域常常采用某些转录激活结构域、转录抑制结构域或某些酶的活性结构域。这样进行设计的锌指蛋白就可以在特定的核酸序列上行使相应的功能,这对于目的基因的表达调控及蛋白质与核酸的相互作用研究提供了新的思路。     

胡杨锌指蛋白基因克隆及其结构分析

锌指蛋白属于核转录因子家族,在原核生物与真核生物基因转录调控中发挥作用。分析了耐盐锌指蛋白Alfin-1基因在苜蓿与拟南芥中的保守性后,设计了一对引物。以胡杨水培叶片为材料,从总RNA中通过RT-PCR分离得到一个锌指蛋白基因,其cDNA长924bp。分析其氨基酸序列表明,存在一个典型的Cys2/His2锌指结构,从第556位开始有一个富含G的启动子结合位点GTGGGG。由于具有相同功能的转录因子在结构和DNA结合区的氨基酸序列上具有保守性,因此,从结构分析上可以推测该基因与Alfin-1在功能上是有一定的相关性。     

锌指蛋白结构及功能研究进展

锌指蛋白是一类具有手指状结构域的转录因子,对基因调控起重要的作用。根据其保守结构域的不同,可将锌指蛋白主要分为C2H2型、C4型和C6型。锌指通过与靶分子DNA、RNA、DNA-RNA的序列特异性结合,以及与自身或其他锌指蛋白的结合,在转录和翻译水平上调控基因的表达。我们简要综述了近年来锌指蛋白结构、分类及其与核酸及蛋白质相互作用等方面的研究进展。     

Solution Structure of the Oncogenic MIEN1 Protein Reveals a Thioredoxin-Like Fold with a Redox-Active Motif

The novel tumor biomarker MIEN1, identified by representational difference analysis, is overexpressed in breast cancer and prostate cancer. MIEN1 is considered an oncogenic protein, because MIEN1 overexpression functionally enhances migration and invasion of tumor cells via modulating the activity of AKT. However, the structure and molecular function of MIEN1 is little understood. Here, we report the solution structure of MIEN1, which adopts a thioredoxin-like fold with a redox-active motif. Comparison of backbone chemical shifts showed that most of the residues for both oxidized and reduced MIEN1 possessed the same backbone conformation, with differences limited to the active motif and regions in proximity. The redox potential of this disulfide bond was measured as −225 mV, which compares well with that of disulfides for other thioredoxin-like proteins. Overall, our results suggest that MIEN1 may have an important regulatory role in phosphorylation of AKT with its redox potential.     

KRAB型锌指蛋白(KZNF)的研究进展

KRAB型锌指蛋白是哺乳动物中最大的转录调控因子家族, 它的多数成员在基因组上成簇分布。其结构特征是N端含有KRAB结构域, C端含有多个C2H2型锌指结构。KRAB结构域为一蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用区, 可以与多种协同转录抑制因子和转录因子结合, 使KRAB型锌指蛋白作为转录因子和/或转录调控因子发挥依赖于DNA结合的转录抑制功能, 在胚胎发育、细胞分化、细胞转化及细胞周期的调控中发挥重要功能。     

A New Scaffold of an Old Protein Fold Ensures Binding to the Bisintercalator Thiocoraline

Thiocoraline is a thiodepsipeptide with potent antitumor activity. TioX, a protein with an unidentified function, is encoded by a gene of the thiocoraline biosynthetic gene cluster. The crystal structure of the full-length TioX protein at 2.15 Å resolution reveals that TioX protomer shares an ancient βαβββ fold motif with glyoxalase I and bleomycin resistance protein families, despite a very low sequence homology. Intriguingly, four TioX monomers form a unique 2-fold symmetric tetrameric assembly that is stabilized by four intermolecular disulfide bonds formed cyclically between Cys60 and Cys66 of adjacent monomers. The arrangement of two of the four monomers in the TioX tetramer is analogous to that in dimeric bleomycin resistance proteins. This analogy indicates that this novel higher-order structural scaffold of TioX may have evolved to bind thiocoraline. Our equilibrium titration studies demonstrate the binding of a thiocoraline chromophore analog, quinaldic acid, to TioX, thereby substantiating this model. Furthermore, a strain of Streptomyces albus containing an exogenous thiocoraline gene cluster devoid of functional tioX maintains thiocoraline production, albeit with a lower yield. Taken together, these observations rule out a direct enzymatic function of TioX and suggest that TioX is involved in thiocoraline resistance or secretion.