Finding nuclear localization signals

A variety of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) are experimentally known although only one motif was available for database searches through PROSITE. We initially collected a set of 91 experimentally verified NLSs from the literature. Through iterated ‘in silico mutagenesis’ we then extended the set to 214 potential NLSs. This final set matched in 43% of all known nuclear proteins and in no known non-nuclear protein. We estimated that >17% of all eukaryotic proteins may be imported into the nucleus. Finally, we found an overlap between the NLS and DNA-binding region for 90% of the proteins for which both the NLS and DNA-binding regions were known. Thus, evolution seemed to have used part of the existing DNA-binding mechanism when compartmentalizing DNA-binding proteins into the nucleus. However, only 56 of our 214 NLS motifs overlapped with DNA-binding regions. These 56 NLSs enabled a de novo prediction of partial DNA-binding regions for ~800 proteins in human, fly, worm and yeast.     

植物TCP转录因子的作用机理及其应用研究进展

TCP转录因子是一类植物特有蛋白,含有保守的TCP domain,其中由60个氨基酸组成的b HLH结构是结合DNA和蛋白互作所必需的。TCP转录因子由于其广泛参与调控植物的生长发育过程(如分枝、株高、叶型、花型等)而备受关注。最近有报道显示,TCP转录因子在植物逆境胁迫应答中(如低温和高盐)同样发挥重要作用。TCP蛋白参与多种信号转导途径(如油菜素内酯、茉莉酸、赤霉素、细胞分裂素等),可能是连接生长发育和介导胁迫响应的一个交叉点。本文从分子生物学角度,系统综述了植物TCP转录因子的作用机理及其在激素应答、发育调控及环境胁迫响应等过程中的功能,以期为基因工程方法改良作物生长模式和抗性提供参考。