甜叶菊葡糖基转移酶基因UGT76G2的克隆及生物信息学分析

本研究利用RT-PCR方法从甜叶菊(Stevia rebaudian)叶片中分离了与甜叶菊UGT76G1高度同源的UGT76G2基因,该基因编码一条分子量为52.029 kD的由458个氨基酸残基组成的多肽,含有c-端所特有的高度保守的信号序列PSPG基序和N-端膜结合序列,属于植物中特有PSPG基序的UGT家族成员.半定量RT-PCR分析表明:UGT76G2在甜叶菊根、茎、叶、花不同组织中具有组织表达特异性,在叶组织中的表达丰度略高,在根中不表达而在茎中表达较低.推断的UGT76G2编码产物与其它参与植物次级代谢产物的糖基转移相关酶同源比对和系统发生分析表明该蛋白与康乃馨(Dianthus caryophyllus)DicGT4、棉花(Gossypi-um hirsutum)GhUGT1、甜叶菊(Stevia rebaudian)UGT76H1及玉米(Zea mays)BX8的一致性较高,分别为41%、35%、35%和32%.对UGT76G2和UGT76G1的次级结构和立体结构分析发现,苜蓿(Medicago sativa)UGT71G1与二者的一致性皆为23%,它们有类似的次级结构.在C-端的PSPG信号区内具有10个相同的基质结合位点.但在UGT76G2和UGT76G1之间也有个别位置氨基酸存在差异.它们的N-端含有保守的组氨酸H25和天冬氨酸D124残基,可能与受体的结合有关.     

磷和葡萄糖及细胞分裂素对拟南芥SEN1基因表达的影响

拟南芥SEN1基因受衰老诱导.将该基因启动子融合报告基因萄聚糖酶(glucuronidase,GUS)基因转入拟南芥,通过染色并测定GUS活性发现,缺氮、缺磷、缺钾诱导叶中SEN1表达,而只有缺磷能导根中SEN1表达.缺磷对根叶中SEN1的诱导被3%葡萄糖和细胞分裂素抑制.3%葡萄糖胺在根和叶中均诱导SEN1表达,外源细胞分裂素不能抑制这种效应.结果表明:SEN1基因可受缺磷信号特异调控,并受糖信号和细胞分裂素负调控;葡萄糖胺能大大促进根和叶中SEN1表达,且不受细胞分裂素的负调控.     

拟南芥中4种细胞分裂素的高效液相色谱法测定

应用高效液相色谱法同时测定拟南芥中4种细胞分裂素组分玉米素(Z)、玉米素核苷(ZR)、6-r,r-二甲基烯丙基氨基嘌呤(2ip)和6-r,r-二甲基烯丙基氨基嘌呤核苷(2ipr)含量。结果表明,采用反相色谱柱Waters C₁₈柱(4.6×250 mm,5 μm),在35℃以乙腈和三乙胺缓冲液为流动相梯度洗脱,流速1 ml/min,在270 nm处能准确检测出拟南芥中4种细胞分裂素组分的含量,检测限达0.001 μg/ml。     

植物源UDP-糖基转移酶及其分子改造*

糖基化能够增加化合物的结构多样性,有效改善水溶性、药理活性和生物利用度,对植物天然产物的药物开发至关重要。UDP-糖基转移酶(UGTs)能够催化糖基从活化的核苷酸糖供体转移到受体形成糖苷键,植物中天然产物的糖基化修饰主要通过UGTs实现。但是大多数天然UGTs的催化活性、稳定性和底物特异性较低,难以满足工业用酶的要求,限制了它们的工业化应用。近年来,通过分子改造技术改进天然UGTs的催化特性取得了突破性的研究进展。为此,概述了植物源UGTs的挖掘与表征、三维结构和催化机制,归纳了UGTs分子改造的思路和方法,包括理性设计和定向进化,重点介绍了结构域替换、序列保守分析和结构分析与定点突变的结合,总结了定向进化中的高通量筛选方法,为植物天然产物酶法糖基化的工业应用提供了参考和借鉴。     

植物细胞分裂素的糖苷物生物活性分析

用附加细胞分裂素及其糖苷物的MS培养基,垂直培养拟南芥并测定根的伸长,以此分析细胞分裂素及其糖苷物的生物学活性的结果表明,细胞分裂素的N-糖苷物几乎完全失去细胞分裂素活性,而D-糖苷仍具有细胞分裂素活性。推测两类糖苷物对植物体内细胞分裂素活性可能有不同的调控作用。     

糖基转移酶基因双敲除对依博素生物合成的影响

以往研究已确定链霉菌胞外多糖依博素的生物合成基因簇(ste), ste15 和ste22 分别编码葡萄糖糖基转移酶和鼠李糖糖基转移酶。现通过基因同源重组双交换,在ste15基因缺失突变株Streptomyces sp. 139 (ste15-) 基础上,再进行ste22 基因阻断,经Southern 杂交验证,得到了ste15 和ste22 双基因缺失突变株Streptomyces sp. 139 (ste15-ste22-),并对该菌株进行了基因互补研究。双基因缺失株产生的胞外多糖与依博素相比,葡萄糖与鼠李糖含量明显降低,分子量下降,生物活性明显变弱。基因互补株产生的胞外多糖中葡萄糖与鼠李糖含量基本恢复至依博素水平,生物活性也显著提高。因此,进一步阐明了ste15和ste22基因参与了依博素生物合成中葡萄糖和鼠李糖重复单元序列的形成过程,在依博素的生物合成中起重要作用,变株产生的依博素新衍生物体内外生物学活性正在深入研究中。     

在ipt-GUS转基因拟南芥中双组分信号传导基因应答体内细胞分裂素的增加

ipt—GUS转录融合基因在拟南芥植物中表达,其体内细胞分裂素的含量可达到野生型的20-30倍。从拟南芥种子萌发后的6、12、20和30d四个时间分析了植物体内细胞分裂素含量的提高对其双组分信号传导系统中基因的影响。研究发现：细胞分裂素受体基因CRE1比CKI1基因更容易被增加的植物细胞分裂素诱导表达。拟南芥植物细胞分裂素反应调节基因ARR4和ARR5在植物发育的不同时期应答植物体内增加的植物细胞分裂素,ARR4的应答反应比ARR5早,种子萌发后的第6天幼苗真叶形成初期,ARR4基因被明显涛导;而ARR5的应答反应在幼苗真叶形成后的几个时间段均能检测到,并且在种子萌发后的第20天,花枝形成开始时特别明显。在双组分信号传导途径中,从受体到反应调节基因传导磷酸基团的传导基因AHP4在幼苗发育的后期种子萌发后的第20和30天,应答植物体内增加的植物细胞分裂素,并且在花枝形成初期比较明显。     

亚位点+1处突变提高软化类芽胞杆菌环糊精糖基转移酶底物麦芽糊精特异性

通过改造来源于软化类芽胞杆菌Paenibacillus macerans的环糊精糖基转移酶(Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase,CGT酶)的+1亚位点提高其对麦芽糊精的底物特异性,并进一步提高以麦芽糊精为糖基供体催化合成2-O-D-吡喃葡糖基-L-抗坏血酸(AA-2G)的效率。首先对+1亚位点附近的3个氨基酸残基Leu194、Ala230和His233分别进行定点饱和突变,得到3个优势突变体L194N(亮氨酸→天冬酰胺),A230D(丙氨酸→天冬氨酸),H233E(组氨酸→谷氨酸),然后以这3个优势突变体为模板进一步进行两点和三点复合突变,获得7个复合突变体。研究结果表明,突变体L194N/A230D/H233E以麦芽糊精为底物合成AA-2G的产量最高,达到1.95 g/L,比野生型CGT酶提高了62.5%。对获得的突变体进行动力学分析,发现高浓度的底物L-AA对突变型CGT酶催化的酶促反应具有抑制作用。确定了突变体酶促反应的最适温度、pH和反应时间。模拟突变体的三维结构并进行分析,突变体底物特异性的改善可能与CGT酶第194位、230位和233位的氨基酸残基的亲水性及与底物分子间的作用力的改变有关。     

癌基因ras对β-1,4-半乳糖基转移酶活性的调节

 研究癌基因ras对细胞表面的 β 1,4 半乳糖基转移酶活性的调节 构建Ha ras表达载体并转染NIH 3T3细胞株 ,测定细胞表面和细胞内 β 1,4 半乳糖基转移酶活性和其mRNA的水平 结果发现ras使NIH 3T3细胞表面的 β 1,4 半乳糖基转移酶活性降低 ,而高尔基体内的活性不变 此外用Northern印迹检测后发现 ,ras不能改变细胞内 β 1,4 半乳糖基转移酶的mRNA水平 这说明癌基因ras能够调节细胞表面β 1,4 半乳糖基转移酶活性 ,但不能改变其转录水平     

Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase 1 is a Key Enzyme Catalyzing Cytokinin Conversion from Nucleobases to Nucleotides in Arabidopsis

In plants, the cytokinin metabolic processes, including cytokinin biosynthesis, interconversion, inactivation, and degradation, play critical roles in the regulation of cytokinin homeostasis and plant development. Purine meta- bolic enzymes have been implied to catalyze the cytokinin interconversion in previous works. In this study, we report that Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase 1 （APT1） is the causal gene of the high-dose cytokinin-resistant mutants. APT1 catalyzes the cytokinin conversion from free bases to nucleotides, and is functionally predominant among the five members of the Arabidopsis Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase family. Loss of APT1 activity in plants leads to excess accumulation of cytokinin bases, thus evoking myriad cytokinin-regulated responses, such as delayed leaf senescence, anthocyanin accumulation, and downstream gene expression. Thus, our study defines APT1 as a key metabolic enzyme participating in the cytokinin inactivation by phosphoribosylation.     

Differential Responses in Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes to Different Environmental Stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana . Three-week-old plants were exposed to a high temperature (30 C), an enhanced light intensity (200 μE/m²/sec), water deficiency (water deprivation for 2 days), a chilling temperature (5 C), or ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation (0.25 or 0.094 W/m²) for 1 week (except for water deficiency). The high temperature and enhanced light treatments increased only dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activity. Water deficiency enhanced the activities of DHAR and guaiacol peroxidase (PER). Chilling temperature increased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR), whereas it decreased catalase (CAT) activity. UV-B at an intensity of 0.25 W/m² elevated the activities of APX, monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), GR, PER and superoxide dismutase (SOD). It was suggested that the amounts of phenylpropanoid compounds increased during treatments of plants with enhanced light intensity, chilling temperature, and UV-B. These results suggest that some differences exist among the oxidative stress conditions caused by the different treatments, although all of these treatments seem to be related to active oxygen production. We propose that in A. thaliana, environmental stresses may be classified into those which induce DHAR activity and those which induce APX activity. Received 11 January 1999/ Accepted in revised form 22 April 1999     

拟南芥VSP2蛋白的重组表达及其酸性磷酸酶活性的测定

通过PCR扩增从拟南芥cDNA文库中得到VSP2蛋白的编码序列,将其构建到原核表达载体pET-22b上,并在大肠杆菌BL21菌株中实现高效可溶表达。经过Ni-NTA亲和层析一步纯化,获得电泳纯的重组VSP2蛋白。以pNPP为底物检测,该蛋白具有酸性磷酸酶活性,反应的最适pH值4.5,最适温度为45oC,Km值为26.2mM。重组VSP2蛋白表达量高,纯化后均一性好,适于蛋白晶体生长。     

拟南芥反应调节因子研究进展

反应调节因子是His_Asp磷酸转移信号传导途径的重要组分。它通过在保守的Asp残基上接受由感受器转移而来的磷酸基团对下游基因进行调控 ,以对环境刺激作出反应。在高等植物拟南芥中已经发现 1 4种反应调节因子 ,它们可分为A ,B两种亚型。在结构上 ,B亚型反应调节因子的B盒序列和较长的C末端延伸使其具有转录因子的作用 ;在表达特性上 ,A亚型反应调节因子的转录受细胞分裂素和硝酸盐诱导 ;在生化特性上 ,A亚型反应调节因子具有磷酸化酶活性 ,而B亚型反应调节因子可能是AHPs的磷酸提供者     

Ethylene and Cytokinin in the Control of Senescence in Detached Leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana eti-5Mutant and Wild-Type Plants

We studied the effects of cytokinin benzyladenine (BA) and ethylene on the senescence in the dark of detached leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana(L.) Heynh wild-type plants and theeti-5mutant, which was described in the literature as the ethylene-insensitive one. Leaf senescence was assessed from a decrease in the chlorophyll content. The content of endogenous cytokinins (zeatin and zeatin riboside) was estimated by the ELISA technique. We demonstrated that the content of endogenous cytokinins in the leaves of the three-week-old eti-5mutants exceeded that of the wild-type leaves by an order of magnitude; in the five-week-old mutants, by several times; and in the seven-week-old plants, the difference became insignificant. Due to the excess of endogenous cytokinins in the three–five-week-old mutant leaves, their senescence in the dark was retarded and exogenous cytokinin affected these leaves to a lesser extent. The seven-week-old mutant and the wild-type leaves, which contained practically similar amounts of endogenous cytokinins, did not differ in these indices. Thus, the level of endogenous cytokinins determined the rate of senescence and the leaf response to cytokinin treatment. Ethylene accelerated the senescence of detached wild-type leaves. Ethylene action increased with increasing its concentration from 0.1 to 100 l/l. BA (10^–6M) suppressed ethylene action. Similar data were obtained for the eti-5mutant leaves. We therefore suggest that the mutant leaves comprised the pathways of the ethylene signal reception and transduction, which provided for the acceleration of their senescence.     

Effect of ABA on the UV-B-Induced Ethylene Evolution by the etr and ctr Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

The responses of 14-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. plants to UV-B irradiation (280–320 nm) and ABA treatment were investigated. Wild-type plants as well as ethylene-insensitive etr1-1 and ctr1-1 mutants were used. Theetr1-1 mutant considerably differed from the ctr1-1 one in the fresh weight production after UV-B treatment (29.5 kJ/m²). The irradiated etr1-1 plants fell well behind the nonirradiated ones during the first two days after stress, but by the 8th day, their weight attained 70% of control plant weight. In contrast, Ctr1-1 mutant weight comprised 70% of control level after two days of stress but, by the 8th day, it was only 56% of the weight of control plants. In wild-type and ctr1-1 plants, ABA, in the 8 × 10^–6 to 2 × 10^–4 M concentration range, increased the difference between the weights of nonirradiated and irradiated plants, but in etr1-1 plants, ABA decreased this difference. The etr1-1, ctr1-1, and wild-type plants were very similar in the dynamics of ethylene evolution after UV-B treatment (7.4 kJ/m²). In wild-type, etr1-1, and ctr1-1 plants, ABA, in a concentration-dependent manner, inhibited UV-B-induced ethylene evolution to the same extent. The results obtained show that ABA exerted an opposite effect on UV-B-dependent growth in the plants with active (wild type and ctr1-1) and blocked (etr1-1) ethylene signal pathway, whereas the inhibition of ethylene synthesis by ABA was not related to ethylene signal transmission.     

Effects of gene expression on molecular evolution in Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis lyrata

We analyzed the complete genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana and sequence data from 83 genes in the outcrossing A. lyrata, to better understand the role of gene expression on the strength of natural selection on synonymous and replacement sites in Arabidopsis. From data on tRNA gene abundance, we find a good concordance between codon preferences and the relative abundance of isoaccepting tRNAs in the complete A. thaliana genome, consistent with models of translational selection. Both EST-based and new quantitative measures of gene expression (MPSS) suggest that codon preferences derived from information on tRNA abundance are more strongly associated with gene expression than those obtained from multivariate analysis, which provides further support for the hypothesis that codon bias in Arabidopsis is under selection mediated by tRNA abundance. Consistent with previous results, analysis of protein evolution reveals a significant correlation between gene expression level and amino acid substitution rate. Analysis by MPSS estimates of gene expression suggests that this effect is primarily the result of a correlation between the number of tissues in which a gene is expressed and the rate of amino acid substitution, which indicates that the degree of tissue specialization may be an important determinant of the rate of protein evolution in Arabidopsis.     

Antisense inhibition of protein phosphatase 2C accelerates cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Two related protein phosphatases 2C, ABI1 and AtPP2CA have been implicated as negative regulators of ABA signalling. In this study we characterized the role of AtPP2CA in cold acclimation. The pattern of expression of AtPP2CA and ABI1 was studied in different tissues and in response to abiotic stresses. The expression of both AtPP2CA and ABI1 was induced by low temperature, drought, high salt and ABA. The cold and drought-induced expression of these genes was ABA-dependent, but divergent in various ABA signalling mutants. In addition, the two PP2C genes exhibited differences in their tissue-specific expression as well as in temporal induction in response to low temperature. To elucidate the function of AtPP2CA in cold acclimation further, the corresponding gene was silenced by antisense inhibition. Transgenic antisense plants exhibited clearly accelerated development of freezing tolerance. Both exposure to low temperature and application of ABA resulted in enhanced freezing tolerance in antisense plants. These plants displayed increased sensitivity to ABA both during development of frost tolerance and during seed germination, but not in their drought responses. Furthermore, the expression of cold-and ABA-induced genes was enhanced in transgenic antisense plants. Our results suggest that AtPP2CA is a negative regulator of ABA responses during cold acclimation.