分子信标及其应用研究进展

分子信标作为一种核酸荧光探针,其最初的设计目的是用来检测核酸,特别是用作实时荧光PCR反应的探针。由于其特殊的发夹结构,决定的其具有多种的用途。不仅能在液相或固相对核酸进行定性、定量分析,还能用于多种DNA－蛋白质、DNA－DNA损伤试剂之间相互作用等的研究。     

新型分子信标技术的研究进展

分子信标是一种设计巧妙的新型荧光标记核酸探针。特殊的发夹结构使分子信标具有很强的特异性识别靶标序列的能力,目前已成为生物学中一种强有力的研究工具。本文介绍了近年来出现的各种新型的分子信标(MB)的结构及工作原理。简要概述了MB技术在生命科学领域中的应用,展望了MB技术的发展趋势。     

单分子荧光共振能量转移技术

单分子荧光共振能量转移技术（single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer,smFRET）通过检测单个分子内的荧光供体及受体间荧光能量转移的效率,来研究分子构象的变化。在单分子探测技术发展之前,大多数的分子实验是探测分子的综合平均效应（ensemble averages）,这一平均效应掩盖了许多特殊的信息。单分子探测可以对体系中的单个分子进行研究,得到某一分子特性的分布状况,也可研究生物分子的动力学反应。介绍了近来单分子荧光共振能量转移技术的进展。     

分子信标-实时 PCR法快速检测双歧杆菌的研究

为建立双歧制品中双歧杆菌快速、敏感、特异的检测方法,根据双歧杆菌16SrRNA/16SrDNA基因设计合成了双歧杆菌属特异性引物和分子信标探针,建立了快速检测双歧杆菌的分子信标-实时PCR检测方法,并对反应条件进行优化。检测方法重复性好,批内和批间变异系数均小于5%;特异性强,扩增曲线呈现明显的S型,无非特异性扩增;灵敏度高,是普通PCR的100倍,对纯双歧杆菌DNA的检出限为5.7fg/PCR反应体系,纯双歧杆菌菌液的检出限为2×103CFU/mL;线形范围宽,起始模板数在2×108CFU/mL～2×104CFU/mL之间具有良好的线性关系,相关系数大于97%。该方法具有灵敏、特异、简便和快速的特点,可用于对双歧杆菌原位菌数的定量检测。     

NASBA荧光分子信标技术定量检测丙型肝炎病毒

建立NASBA荧光分子信标探针检测技术,并对国家HCV标准品、人工构建HCVRNA野生株及HCV抗体阳性不同人群进行检测。实验结果:该方法检测HCV的灵敏度为103拷贝ml血清,阴性参比品的符合率为100%;检测的线性范围为103拷贝～109拷贝ml血清;精密性(CV值)小于6%,在HCV抗体阳性人群中HCVRNA的检出率在45%～65%之间。结论:该方法在HCVRNA临床定量检测中具有良好的灵敏度、特异性、重复性与实用性。     

分子信标检测限制性内切酶活性的新型荧光分析方法

利用分子信标被切割后荧光信号的变化.发展了一种简便的检测限制性内切酶活性的新型荧光分析方法.以限制性内切酶Xsp I为例.将其识别位点嵌入具有茎环结构的分子信标探针(Molecular Beacon,MB)的环状部分,利用这种分子信标在溶液中形成的瞬时二聚体结构,实现了限制性内切酶对分子信标的切割.在优化的条件下,反应初速度与酶的浓度成正比,线性范围为0.05～50 U/mL,检测限为0.05 U/mL.通过改变分子信标环部的识别位点的序列.还可以检测其他限制性内切酶如Alu I的活性.     

以分子信标为报告分子的凝血酶检测新方法

以分子信标为报告分子,核酸适体为识别分子,发展了一种新的凝血酶检测方法.含有分子信标互补序列的核酸适体探针与凝血酶结合后,分子信标的荧光信号下降,从而得到凝血酶的浓度信息.该方法快速、灵敏,核酸适体探针无需荧光标记、设计简单,检测限达到0.83nmol/L.     

分子灯标:用于基因检测的荧光杂交探针

随着基因工程技术应用的日趋广泛,如何快速简便准确地检测出基因序列变得日益重要。目前,一种新型的基因检测探针——分子灯标（ｍｏｌｅｃｕｌａｒｂｅａｃｏｎ）诞生了。它是在ＤＮＡ杂交技术和荧光共振能量转移原理的基础上开发出来的［１］,可以实现对基因序列的精...     

分子信标DNA计算模型的研究进展与展望

由于分子信标具有结构简单,灵敏度高及反应迅速等优点,因此,利用分子信标进行数学问题的求解将成为可能.通过对分子信标的计算模型进行详细的介绍,并对分子信标的计算模型的研究思路进行了展望,据此思路,可以建立多种组合优化问题及逻辑门的分子信标计算模型.     

神经递质的可视化荧光检测技术研究进展

神经递质是神经系统中至关重要的组成部分,神经递质释放的时间和空间变化是神经网络中信息处理的核心,可视化监测神经递质的生物传感器是探究各类生理和病理活动的重要工具。文中综述了近年来具有较高时间和空间分辨率的监测神经递质时空分布变化技术的研究进展,介绍了对谷氨酸、多巴胺、γ-氨基丁酸和乙酰胆碱这4类重要的神经递质的检测方法,并归纳总结了各类检测方法的基本原理和优缺点,为设计具有高时空分辨率的神经递质传感器提供一个较为系统的参考。     

Design and Development of a Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection of HIV-1 and HCV Using Molecular Beacons

At least 10 million individuals worldwide are co-infected with immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). These two viruses are transmitted most primarily by exposure to infected blood or blood products. Various nucleic acid assays have been developed for diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring of infections. In the present study, a multiplex real-time PCR assay for simultaneous detection of HCV and HIV-1 using molecular beacons were designed and validated. A well-conserved region in the HIV-1 pol gene and 5′NCR of HCV genome were used for primers and molecular beacon design. The analysis of scalar concentrations of the samples indicated that this multiplex procedure detects at least 1,000 copies/ml of HIV-1 and 100 copies/ml of HCV with linear reference curve (R ² > 0.94). The results demonstrate that a specificity of 100 % and sensitivity of 96 % can be achieved. The analytical sensitivity study with BLAST software demonstrated that the primers do not attach to any other sequences except for that of HIV-1 or HCV. The primers and molecular beacon probes only detected HIV-1 and all major variants of HCV. This assay may represent an alternative rapid and relatively inexpensive screening method for detection of HIV-1/HCV co-infection especially in blood screening.     

Quantitative,Real-time Analysis of Base Excision Repair Activity in Cell Lysates Utilizing Lesion-specific Molecular Beacons

We describe a method for the quantitative, real-time measurement of DNA glycosylase and AP endonuclease activities in cell nuclear lysates using base excision repair (BER) molecular beacons. The substrate (beacon) is comprised of a deoxyoligonucleotide containing a single base lesion with a 6-Carboxyfluorescein (6-FAM) moiety conjugated to the 5''end and a Dabcyl moiety conjugated to the 3'' end of the oligonucleotide. The BER molecular beacon is 43 bases in length and the sequence is designed to promote the formation of a stem-loop structure with 13 nucleotides in the loop and 15 base pairs in the stem^1,2. When folded in this configuration the 6-FAM moiety is quenched by Dabcyl in a non-fluorescent manner via Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)^3,4. The lesion is positioned such that following base lesion removal and strand scission the remaining 5 base oligonucleotide containing the 6-FAM moiety is released from the stem. Release and detachment from the quencher (Dabcyl) results in an increase of fluorescence that is proportionate to the level of DNA repair. By collecting multiple reads of the fluorescence values, real-time assessment of BER activity is possible. The use of standard quantitative real-time PCR instruments allows the simultaneous analysis of numerous samples. The design of these BER molecular beacons, with a single base lesion, is amenable to kinetic analyses, BER quantification and inhibitor validation and is adaptable for quantification of DNA Repair activity in tissue and tumor cell lysates or with purified proteins. The analysis of BER activity in tumor lysates or tissue aspirates using these molecular beacons may be applicable to functional biomarker measurements. Further, the analysis of BER activity with purified proteins using this quantitative assay provides a rapid, high-throughput method for the discovery and validation of BER inhibitors.     

G蛋白偶联受体与G蛋白相互作用的最新研究进展

传统观念认为,在激动剂作用下,G蛋白偶联受体(GPCRs)能够激活G蛋白的α亚基,从而使Gα亚基与Gβγ亚基分离,被激活的Gα亚基通过信号转导进一步参与细胞的生理过程。但是,最新研究发现GPCRs和G蛋白存在多种偶联关系,GPCRs不仅能够激活Gα亚基,还可以与Gβγ亚基相互靠近,甚至会使G蛋白亚基构象发生重排而不分离,这对于疾病发病机制的研究及新的药物靶点的发现具有重要意义。就GPCRs与G蛋白之间的相互作用以及最新研究技术作一简要综述。     

生物学中荧光共振能量转移的研究应用进展

荧光共振能量转移（FRET）可用于对生物大分子之间的距离进行定性、定量检测,所采用的材料、方法在近年都有了很大的发展,在核酸、蛋白质、细胞器结构功能检测、免疫测定、配体－受体相互作用测定等方面都有巧妙而有效的应用,应用前景十分广阔。     

橙色荧光蛋白的研究进展及其应用

荧光蛋白(Fluorescent protein,FPs)可作为探针用以探究细胞内分子间相互作用,追踪特定代谢物的代谢途径,对活细胞内的各种代谢过程和细胞通路进行详细、准确的描述。目前已有的FPs几乎已经覆盖了从紫外光到远红外光的所有光谱波段,这些FPs借助高分辨率显微技术应用于生命科学的诸多领域,为生物学的发展作出巨大贡献。橙色FPs通常指光谱区间在540–570nm的FPs,近几年来关于橙色FPs的研究进展较快,并且其作为标记蛋白以及荧光共振能量转移技术(Fluorescence resonance energy transfer,FRET)中的荧光受体在生物学及医学领域得到较多的应用。文中综述了近15年橙色FPs领域的相关研究,重点聚焦橙色FPs的发展和应用,为今后橙色FPs的研究提供依据。     

Quantitative analyses of individual sugars in mixture using FRET‐based biosensors

Molecular biosensors were developed and applied to measure individual sugars in biological mixtures such as bacterial culture broths. As the sensing units, four sugar‐binding proteins (SBPs for allose, arabinose, ribose, and glucose) were selected from the Escherichia coli genome and connected to a cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein via dipeptide linkers (CFP‐L‐SBP‐YFP). The putative sensors were randomized in the linker region (L) and then investigated with regard to the intensity of fluorescence resonance energy transfer on the binding of the respective sugars. As a result, four representatives were selected from each library and examined for their specificity using 16 available sugars. The apparent dissociation constants of the allose, arabinose, ribose, and glucose sensors were estimated to be 0.35, 0.36, 0.17, and 0.18 μM. Finally, the sugar sensors were applied to monitor the consumption rate of individual sugars in an E. coli culture broth. The individual sugar profiles exhibited a good correlation with those obtained using an HPLC method, confirming that the biosensors offer a rapid and easy‐to‐use method for monitoring individual sugars in mixed compositions. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012     

烟草野火病菌毒素的分子生物学研究进展

本文概述了近１０ 年来围绕烟草野火病菌毒素的合成、调节等分子生物学研究所取得的进展。烟野火毒素的生物活性部为一种二氨基二羧基的氨基酸野火氨酸,野火氨酸单独存在或与苏氨酸或丝氨酸以肽键结合成二肽,野火氨酸的游离羧基与β位氨基以酰胺键结合成β－ 内酰胺环。野火氨酸的合成有ｔａｂＡ,ｔａｂＢ,ｔａｌＡ,ｄａｐＢ等基因参与,受ｌｅｍＡ 基因调控。野火氨酸β－ 内酰胺可在酰基转移酶和β－ 内酰胺酶的作用下失毒。建议尝试转β－ 内酰胺酶基因于烟草以获得转基因抗野火病烟草。     

The conserved asparagine in the HNH motif serves an important structural role in metal finger endonucleases

The HNH motif is a small nucleic acid binding and cleavage module, widespread in metal finger endonucleases in all life kingdoms. Here we studied a non-specific endonuclease, the nuclease domain of ColE7 (N-ColE7), to decipher the role of the conserved asparagine and histidine residues in the HNH motif. We found, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays, that the DNA hydrolysis activity of H545 N-ColE7 mutants was completely abolished while activities of N560 and H573 mutants varied from 6.9% to 83.2% of the wild-type activity. The crystal structures of three N-ColE7 mutants in complex with the inhibitor Im7, N560A-Im7, N560D-Im7 and H573A-Im7, were determined at a resolution of 1.9 A to 2.2 A. H573 is responsible for metal ion binding in the wild-type protein, as the zinc ion is still partially associated in the structure of H573A, suggesting that H573 plays a supportive role in metal binding. Both N560A and N560D contain a disordered loop in the HNH motif due to the disruption of the hydrogen bond network surrounding the side-chain of residue 560, and as a result, the imidazole ring of the general base residue H545 is tilted slightly and the scissile phosphate is shifted, leading to the large reductions in hydrolysis activities. These results suggest that the highly conserved asparagine in the HNH motif, in general, plays a structural role in constraining the loop in the metal finger structure and keeping the general base histidine and scissile phosphate in the correct position for DNA hydrolysis.     

肉类工业微生物诱变及应用研究进展

随着分子生物学、细胞生物学及分子遗传学等学科的迅猛发展,对微生物诱变分子机理的研究也日益完善。从微生物诱变分子机理出发,着重介绍了DNA损伤分子机理、基因突变分子机理和诱变剂的种类及遗传效应,同时,列举了诱变菌在肉类工业中的应用。     

Molecular and cellular approaches for the detection of protein-protein interactions: latest techniques and current limitations

Homotypic and heterotypic protein interactions are crucial for all levels of cellular function, including architecture, regulation, metabolism, and signaling. Therefore, protein interaction maps represent essential components of post-genomic toolkits needed for understanding biological processes at a systems level. Over the past decade, a wide variety of methods have been developed to detect, analyze, and quantify protein interactions, including surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, NMR, yeast two-hybrid screens, peptide tagging combined with mass spectrometry and fluorescence-based technologies. Fluorescence techniques range from co-localization of tags, which may be limited by the optical resolution of the microscope, to fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based methods that have molecular resolution and can also report on the dynamics and localization of the interactions within a cell. Proteins interact via highly evolved complementary surfaces with affinities that can vary over many orders of magnitude. Some of the techniques described in this review, such as surface plasmon resonance, provide detailed information on physical properties of these interactions, while others, such as two-hybrid techniques and mass spectrometry, are amenable to high-throughput analysis using robotics. In addition to providing an overview of these methods, this review emphasizes techniques that can be applied to determine interactions involving membrane proteins, including the split ubiquitin system and fluorescence-based technologies for characterizing hits obtained with high-throughput approaches. Mass spectrometry-based methods are covered by a review by Miernyk and Thelen (2008; this issue, pp. 597–609 ). In addition, we discuss the use of interaction data to construct interaction networks and as the basis for the exciting possibility of using to predict interaction surfaces.