水稻蜡质基因5'非翻译区一个与调控有关的内含子

从发育的水稻种子中分离出RNA,经RT－PCR反应并结合顺序测定,在籼稻232蜡质基因编码区5′上游非翻译区中证明确实存在一个长度为1126bp的内含于,其A＋T碱基的含量高达67．4％,它的边界符合真核基因内含子的GT-AG规则。表明该内含子与蜡质基因的表达调控有一定的关系。     

水稻蜡质基因第一内含子碱基突变引起其RNA二级结构的可能变化

通过体外转录得到籼稻品种232蜡质基因第一内含子5’端430 bp的ssRNA分子,以及在此区域发生了自然突变的粳稻品种寒丰蜡质基因第一内含子5’端同样长度的ssRNA分子。部分变性胶电泳结果表明两种ssRNA分子的迁移速率不同。将两种ssRNA分子的核酸序列用计算机分析,表明此两种ssRNA分子能形成不同的茎-环结构,自由能值也有差异。对突变引起的这些不同与两种水稻品种蜡质基因转录本剪接的差异进行了讨论。     

水稻蜡质基因5'上游区中31 bp序列增强基因表达的作用

为研究水稻蜡质基因 (Wx) 5’上游区中一个与胚乳核蛋白结合的 31bp序列在基因表达中的作用 ,将一系列包含或不包含此序列的长度不同的Wx启动区与 β 葡萄糖苷酸酶基因 (GUS)编码区连接 ,构建成嵌合质粒。将这些质粒通过农杆菌介导转化水稻幼胚愈伤组织 ,并分化产生转基因植株。分别测定抗性愈伤组织中与转基因植株未成熟种子胚乳中的GUS酶活性。结果表明含有 31bp序列的比不含此序列的Wx启动区使GUS报告基因的表达水平高出 2～ 3倍     

CRAC motif peptide of the HIV-1 gp41 protein thins SOPC membranes and interacts with cholesterol

This study uses low-angle (LAXS) and wide-angle (WAXS) X-ray synchrotron scattering, volume measurements and thin layer chromatography to determine the structure and interactions of SOPC, SOPC/cholesterol mixtures, SOPC/peptide and SOPC/cholesterol/peptide mixtures. N-acetyl-LWYIK-amide (LWYIK) represents the naturally-occurring CRAC motif segment in the pretransmembrane region of the gp41 protein of HIV-1, and N-acetyl-IWYIK-amide (IWYIK), an unnatural isomer, is used as a control. Both peptides thin the SOPC bilayer by ∼ 3 Å, and cause the area/unit cell (peptide + SOPC) to increase by ∼ 9 Å² from the area/lipid of SOPC at 30 °C (67.0 ± 0.9 Å²). Model fitting suggests that LWYIK's average position is slightly closer to the bilayer center than IWYIK's, and both peptides are just inside of the phosphate headgroup. Both peptides increase the wide-angle spacing d of SOPC without cholesterol, whereas with 50% cholesterol LWYIK increases d but IWYIK decreases d. TLC shows that LWYIK is more hydrophobic than IWYIK; this difference persists in peptide/SOPC 1:9 mole ratio mixtures. Both peptides counteract the chain ordering effect of cholesterol to roughly the same degree, and both decrease K_C, the bending modulus, thus increasing the SOPC membrane fluidity. Both peptides nucleate crystals of cholesterol, but the LWYIK-induced crystals are weaker and dissolve more easily.     

水稻Wx基因表达调控的研究进展

水稻Wx基因编码颗粒结合淀粉合成酶(GBSS),是控制直链淀粉合成的主效基因。文中主要从转录水平和转录后水平介绍水稻Wx基因表达调控的研究进展,同时介绍转基因、遗传背景以及环境温度对Wx基因表达的影响,并提出Wx基因表达调控研究中一些期待解决的问题。     

Thermodynamic signature of GCN4-bZIP binding to DNA indicates the role of water in discriminating between the AP-1 and ATF/CREB sites

The energetic basis of GCN4-bZIP complexes with the AP-1 and ATF/CREB sites was investigated by optical methods and scanning and isothermal titration microcalorimetry. The dissociation constant of the bZIP dimer was found to be significantly higher than that of its isolated leucine zipper domain: at 20 degrees C it is 1.45microM and increases with temperature. To avoid complications from dissociation of this dimer, DNA binding experiments were carried out using an SS crosslinked version of the bZIP. The thermodynamic characteristics of the bZIP/DNA association measured at different temperatures and salt concentrations were corrected for the contribution of refolding the basic segment upon binding, determined from the scanning calorimetric experiments. Fluorescence anisotropy titration experiments showed that the association constants of the bZIP at 20 degrees C with the AP-1 and ATF/CREB binding sites do not differ much, being 1.5nM and 6.4nM, corresponding to Gibbs energies of -49kJmol(-1) and -46kJmol(-1), respectively. Almost half of the Gibbs energy is attributable to the electrostatic component, resulting from the entropic effect of counterion release upon DNA association with the bZIP and is identical for both sites. In contrast to the Gibbs energies, the enthalpies of association of the fully folded bZIP with the AP-1 and ATF/CREB sites, and correspondingly the entropies of association, are very different. bZIP binding to the AP-1 site is characterized by a substantially larger negative enthalpy and non-electrostatic entropy than to the ATF/CREB site, implying that the AP-1 complex incorporates significantly more water molecules than the ATF/CREB complex.     

Interleukin 4 (IL-4) gene promoter polymorphisms in Rhombomys opimus,the main reservoir of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis

Great gerbils (Rhombomys opimus) are the most common gerbils in center to northeast of Iran as well as central Asia and serve as reservoirs for the zoonotic agents, including Leishmania major, the principal etiologic agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL). The outcome of L. major infection in gerbils is not uniform. Among several immune-related factors including cytokine genes, the polymorphism in interleukin 4 (IL-4) promoter gene showed a great impact on outcome and pathological symptoms of L. major infection at least in mouse model. In this study gerbils’ IL-4 promoter gene polymorphism is assessed. Specific primers were designed to develop a PCR-based assay to amplify IL-4 promoter gene to possibly define IL-4 promoter gene polymorphism in great gerbil populations with a range of Leishmania infection and symptoms collected from different foci of the central, north and northeast regions of Iran. The results showed that the designed primers amplify 689 bp of the promoter gene. Sequence analysis of the promoter gene revealed five polymorphic sites assembly six haplotypes among the gerbil populations. Further studies are needed to assess whether or not the five polymorphisms cause different outcome phenotypes following infection with L. major in great gerbils. The data might be used to characterize the immune responses of R. opimus against L. major infection.     

Identification of new human cadherin genes using a combination of protein motif search and gene finding methods

We have combined protein motif search and gene finding methods to identify genes encoding proteins containing specific domains. Particularly, we have focused on finding new human genes of the cadherin superfamily proteins, which represent a major group of cell-cell adhesion receptors contributing to embryonic neuronal morphogenesis. Models for three cadherin protein motifs were generated from over 100 already annotated cadherin domains and used to search the complete translated human genome. The genomic sequence regions containing motif "hits" were analyzed by eukaryotic GeneMark.hmm to identify the exon-intron structure of new genes. Three new genes CDH-J, PCDH-J and FAT-J were found. The predicted proteins PCDH-J and FAT-J were classified into protocadherin and FAT-like subfamilies, respectively, based on the number and organization of cadherin domains and presence of subfamily-specific conserved amino acid residues. Expression of FAT-J was shown in almost all tested tissues. The exon-intron organization of CDH-J was experimentally verified by PCR with specifically designed primers and its tissue-specific expression was demonstrated. The described methodology can be applied to discover new genes encoding proteins from families with well-characterized structural and functional domains.     

Effect of pressure on the secondary structure of coiled coil peptide GCN4-p1

It has recently been demonstrated that pressure induces folding of the α-helix of an alanine-based peptide (AK20), which is a monomer in water (Imamura and Kato, Proteins 2009;76:911–918). The present study focused on a coiled coil peptide GCN4-p1, the α-helices of which associate via a hydrophobic core, to examine whether the pressure stability of the α-helices depends on the hydrophobic core. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the effect of pressure on the secondary structures of GCN4-p1. The infrared spectra of GCN4-p1 shows the two amide I' peaks at ∼ 1650 and ∼ 1630 cm^− 1 stemming from the solvent-inaccessible α-helix and the solvent-accessible α-helix, respectively. The intensities of both the peaks increase with increasing pressure, whereas they decrease with increasing temperature. This indicates that pressure induces both the α-helices of GCN4-p1 to fold. The present result suggests that the positive volume change upon unfolding of an α-helix is a common characteristic of peptides. The pressure-induced stabilization of the α-helices is discussed in comparison with the pressure denaturation of proteins.     

在转基因水稻植株中蜡质基因第1内含子对-基因表达影响的分析

为阐明水稻Wx基因第1内含子在整体植株的胚乳发育阶段是否确有增强基因表达的功能,以及弄清高和中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种Wx基因第1内含子1 126个碱基之间有差异的16个碱基中哪几个碱基影响了该内含子的正常剪接从而降低了基因的表达水平,我们分别用高直链淀粉含量品种的Wx基因翻译起始密码子ATG上游3.1和2.1 kb片段与GUS基因编码区融合构建成嵌合质粒,并在此基础上,(1)去除嵌合质粒中Wx基因的第1内含子;(2)将嵌合质粒Wx基因的第1内含子中(3.1 kb)与中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种Wx基因第1内含子有差异的6个碱基以中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种的碱基替换.将上述改造过的几种质粒分别转化粳稻品种中花11,测定转化植株未成熟种子胚乳中的GUS活性.结果表明第1内含子的缺失或此内含子的5′端剪接点上的碱基G以T替换均造成GUS活性的急剧下降,说明第l内含子在植株体内的确有增强基因表达的功能,而且在中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种中Wx基因第1内含子5′端剪接点上自然存在的G→T突变是造成这些品种中该内含子剪接不正常、从而使Wx基因表达水平和直链淀粉含量下降的主要原因.     

Arabidopsis mu A-adaptin interacts with the tyrosine motif of the vacuolar sorting receptor VSR-PS1

In receptor‐mediated transport pathways in mammalian cells, clathrin‐coated vesicle (CCV) µ‐adaptins are the main binding partners for the tyrosine sorting/internalization motif (YXXØ). We have analyzed the function of the µA‐adaptin, one of the five µ‐adaptins from Arabidopsis thaliana, by pull‐down assays and plasmon resonance measurements using its receptor‐binding domain (RBD) fused to a histidine tag. We show that this adaptin is able to bind the consensus tyrosine motif YXXØ from the pea vacuolar sorting receptor (VSR)‐PS1, as well as from the mammalian trans‐Golgi network (TGN)38 protein. Moreover, the tyrosine residue was revealed to be crucial for binding of the complete cytoplasmic tail of VSR‐PS1 to the plant µA‐adaptin. The trans‐Golgi localization of the µA‐adaptin strongly suggests its involvement in Golgi‐ to vacuole‐trafficking events.     

The protein of a new gene,Tctex4, interacts with protein kinase CK2beta subunit and is highly expressed in mouse testis

Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a ubiquitous, multifunctional eukaryotic serine/threonine kinase that phosphorylates an array of proteins. CK2 is a heterotetramer composed of two catalytic (alpha,alpha(')) and two regulatory (beta) subunits. CK2 plays an essential role in regulatory pathways in cell transformation and proliferation. But the role and function of the individual subunits of CK2, which are not in the holoenzyme, are not yet clear. Northern blot analysis reveals the highest CK2beta activity in mouse testicles and brain. By employing a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify the proteins that interact with CK2beta, we have isolated a cDNA clone encoding a 14-kDa protein with homology to dynein light chains and have designated it as Tctex4. CK2beta interacts specifically with Tctex4 both in a yeast two-hybrid system and in an in vitro interaction assay. Northern blot and in situ hybridization showed that Tctex4 is a novel gene that is expressed in mouse testis.