Arginine kinase from the beetle Cissites cephalotes (Olivier). Molecular cloning, phylogenetic analysis and enzymatic properties

Here, we report the PCR amplification and cloning of a cDNA for arginine kinase (AK) from the beetle Cissites cephalotes (Olivier). The cDNA is 1210bp and has an open reading frame of 1125bp and 5' and 3'-untranslated regions of 30 and 55bp, respectively. The open reading frame encodes a 374 amino acid protein with most of the residues considered necessary for AK function: five residues predicted to interact with the substrate arginine (S77, Y82, E239, C285 and E328), and five residues predicted to interact with the substrate ADP (R138, R140, R243, R294 and R323). A phylogenetic tree of arthropod AKs indicated clearly that insect AKs can be separated into typical AKs from various insect species (group 1) and putative AK sequences deduced from genomic sequences (group 2). Cissites AK clustered in group 2 and provides the first evidence that a group-2 gene is indeed expressed in insects. Moreover, we expressed Cissites AK protein in Escherichia coli as a fusion with maltose-binding protein, and kinetic constants (K(m), K(d), V(max) and k(cat)) were determined for the forward reaction. Comparison of kinetic constants with those of AKs from other sources (insects, mollusks and echinoderms) indicated that insect AKs from Cissites and Periplaneta have two very unique features, the lowest k(cat) (and k(cat)/K(m)(arg)) among AKs, and a lack of synergistic substrate binding (K(d)/K(m) approximately 1).     

Molecular and catalytic properties of an arginine kinase from the nematode Ascaris suum

We amplified the cDNA coding for arginine kinase (AK) from the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum, cloned it in pMAL plasmid and expressed the enzyme as a fusion protein with the maltose-binding protein. The whole cDNA was 1260 bp, encoding 400 amino acids, and the recombinant protein had a molecular mass of 45,341 Da. Ascaris suum recombinant AK showed significant activity and strong affinity ( K(m)(Arg) = 0.126 mM) for the substrate L-arginine. It also exhibited high catalytic efficiency ( k(ca)/K(m)(Arg) = 352) comparable with AKs from other organisms. Sequence analysis revealed high amino acid sequence identity between A. suum AK and other nematode AKs, all of which cluster in a phylogenetic tree. However, comparison of gene structures showed that A. suum AK gene intron/exon organization is quite distinct from that of other nematode AKs. Phosphagen kinases (PKs) from certain parasites have been shown to be potential novel drug targets or tools for detection of infection. The characterization of A. suum AK will be useful in the development of strategies for control not only of A. suum but also of related species infecting humans.     

Cloning, expression, purification, and properties of an endoglucanase gene (glycosyl hydrolase family 12) from Aspergillus niger VTCC-F021 in Pichia pastoris

A gene coding for an endoglucanase (EglA), of the glycosyl hydrolase family 12 and derived from Aspergillus niger VTCC-F021, was cloned and sequenced. The cDNA sequence, 717 bp, and its putative endoglucanase, a 238 aa protein with a predicted molecular mass of 26 kDa and a pI of 4.35, exhibited 98.3-98.7% and 98.3-98.6% identities, respectively, with cDNA sequences and their corresponding endoglucanases from Aspergillus niger strains from the GenBank. The cDNA was overexpressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 under the control of an AOX1 promoter with a level of 1.59 U/ml culture supernatant, after 72 h of growth in a YP medium induced with 1% (v/v) of methanol. The molecular mass of the purified EglA, determined by SDS-PAGE, was 33 kDa, with a specific activity of 100.16 and 19.91 U/mg toward 1% (w/v) of beta-glucan and CMC, respectively. Optimal enzymatic activity was noted at a temperature of 55°C and a pH of 5. The recombinant EglA (rEglA) was stable over a temperature range of 30- 37°C and at pH range of 3.5-4.5. Metal ions, detergents, and solvents tested indicated a slightly inhibitory effect on rEglA activity. Kinetic constants (K(m), V(max), k(cat), and k(cat)/ K(m)) determined for rEglA with beta-glucan as a substrate were 4.04 mg/ml, 102.04 U/mg, 2,040.82 min-1, and 505.05, whereas they were 10.17 mg/ml, 28.99 U/mg, 571.71 min-1, and 57.01 with CMC as a substrate, respectively. The results thus indicate that the rEglA obtained in this study is highly specific toward beta-glucan. The biochemical properties of rEglA make it highly valuable for downstream biotechnological applications, including potential use as a feed enzyme.     

中华鲟促性腺激素释放激素受体基因cDNA序列的克隆及表达分析

为了研究中华鲟(Acipenser sinensis)促性腺激素释放激素受体(Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, GnRH-R)基因在中华鲟中的组织表达特征, 为中华鲟生长发育调控研究提供基础数据, 通过构建中华鲟(Acipenser sinensis)垂体的SMART cDNA质粒文库, 采用cDNA末端快速扩增(RACE), 克隆得到了中华鲟GnRH-R基因的cDNA全长序列。该序列全长1530 bp, 有478 bp的5′非翻译区, 579 bp的开放阅读框和473 bp的3′非翻译区, 共编码192个氨基酸, 其成熟多肽含有5个Ｎ连糖基化位点。通过和已知其他鱼类的GnRH-R基因进行氨基酸序列多重比对, 发现其与真鲷(Pagrus major)的同源性最高, 为76%, 与米氏叶吻银鲛(Callorhinchus milii)的同源性最低, 为39%。采用实时荧光定量PCR (Real time PCR)方法, 检测了GnRH-R的mRNA在中华鲟心、肝、脾、肾、肠道、精巢、肌肉及脑组织中的表达状况, 发现其在精巢中大量转录, 而在其他组织中则表达微弱。以上结果表明中华鲟GnRH-R基因在性腺发育特别是精子发生过程中可能起重要作用。     

罗氏沼虾幼体精氨酸激酶基因的cDNA克隆及其在双顺反子病毒感染后的表达特征

为探求罗氏沼虾精氨酸激酶（Macrobrechium rosenbergii arginine kinase,MrAK）基因特征和与病毒感染的相关性,研究通过AK基因mRNA全长克隆,并采用QPCR检测病毒感染前后不同时间点罗氏沼虾幼体AK基因的转录差异。最终克隆得到的AK序列全长为1740 bp（GenBank:KT970484）,其开放阅读框包含1068个碱基,编码356个氨基酸;同源性分析显示MrAK基因编码区蛋白与多齿新米虾、南极磷虾、鲑鱼海虱和安氏伪镖水蚤的同源性分别为97%、82%、83%和79%;系统进化树分析表明,该基因与多齿新米虾的AK聚在同一分支簇,而蟹、对虾和螯虾聚在另一分支;氨基酸结构分析表明,其存在一个可能的ATP:胍基磷酸转移酶的活性位点（Cys286-Pro287-Thr288-Asn289-Leu290-Gly291-Thr292）;病毒感染罗氏沼虾幼体后,其AK基因表达在第9h开始出现显著性上调,在12h时达到峰值,随后开始降低。以上研究结果表明,AK基因在无脊椎甲壳动物中存在多样性,其蛋白结构存在保守性,并且其在罗氏沼虾病毒感染过程中起到潜在的能量供给调节作用。     

鳜鱼胰蛋白酶和淀粉酶与胃蛋白酶原基因的克隆与序列分析

采用RT-PCR及RACE法,克隆得到鳜鱼(Siniperca chuatsi)肝胰脏胰蛋白酶(trypsin, Try)、淀粉酶(amylase, Amy)基因 cDNA全序列.结果表明,鳜鱼Try基因cDNA全长为896 bp,其中开放阅读框 (open reading frame,ORF)为744 bp,编码247个氨基酸. 序列同源性分析发现,鳜鱼Try与 斑马鱼(Danio rerio)、非洲爪蟾(Xenopus laevis)、 小鼠Try和人TRY氨基酸序列同源性分别为81.4%、75.3%、74.5%和71.4%.鳜鱼Amy 基因cDNA全长为1 647 bp,其中ORF为1 539 bp,编码512个氨基酸.鳜鱼Amy与斑马鱼 、非洲爪蟾、小鼠Amy和人AMY氨基酸序列同源性分别为79.7%、75.4%、71.9%和70.9%. 同时对鳜鱼基因组进行PCR,获得鳜鱼Try、Amy与胃蛋白酶原(pepsinogen, Pep)全基因组DNA序列.序列分析表明,鳜鱼Try基因由4个内含子和5个外显子组成,全长1 362 bp;鳜鱼Amy基因由8个内含子和9个外显子组成,全长4 267 bp;鳜鱼Pep基因由8个内含子和9个外显子组成,全长 4 032 bp,与其它脊椎动物基因结构相似.应用Genome walker方法在鳜鱼克隆得到长度分别为1 189 bp、413 bp和527 bp的Try、Amy和Pep基因的5′侧翼区序列以及1段长为704 bp的Pep 基因3′侧翼区序列,并利用相关软件预测其中具有多个可调节其表达的调控元件.鳜鱼Try、Am y和Pep基因组全序列的克隆及其序列、结构分析和分子系统进化等的研究,为鱼类消化代谢相关基因的生理功能及表达调控机理进一步研究提供依据.     

茶树肌动蛋白基因（CsActin1）全长cDNA克隆与生物信息学分析

以茶树（Camellia sinensis）萌动芽为材料,根据茶树萌动芽芽抑制消减杂交文库中分离得到的肌动蛋白（actin）基因的5′-片段设计引物,利用3′-RACE技术克隆了其cDNA全长序列,该基因cDNA全长1 470 bp,命名为CsActin1（GenBank登录号HQ235647）。序列分析表明,CsActin1开放阅读框长1 134 bp,编码377个氨基酸,5′非编码区100 bp,3′非编码区236 bp。推测的蛋白质分子量为41.70 kD,等电点约为5.31,具有肌动蛋白家族的特征信号序列（YVGDEAQs.KRG和WIAKaEYDE）和肌动蛋白相关蛋白的特征信号序列（LLTEApLNPkaNR）。CsActin1与GenBank中注册的其它植物肌动蛋白核苷酸序列的相似性在80%以上,氨基酸序列相似性在95%以上。与其它植物肌动蛋白的进化树分析结果表明,茶树肌动蛋白与杨树的两个肌动蛋白间的亲缘关系最为密切。并对推导的蛋白结构进行了分析。     

Arginine kinase isoforms in the closest protozoan relative of metazoans

The genome of the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis contains at least three genes for the phosphoryl transfer enzyme, arginine kinase (AK; EC 2.7.3.3). Bioinformatic analyses of the deduced amino acid sequences of the proteins coded for by two of these genes showed that one of these AKs is cytoplasmic (denoted AK1) while the other appears to have an N-terminal mitochondrial targeting peptide (denoted AK2). Cloning and expression of the cDNA for AK1 yielded considerable soluble AK activity. Three AK2 constructs were expressed - one corresponding to the full length protein and two corresponding to truncated versions in which the signal peptide had been deleted. Expression of the former construct yielded minimal soluble activity. In contrast, significant AK activity was found in both truncated constructs confirming the importance of removal of the targeting peptide for proper folding and catalytic activity. Both AK1 and AK2 are functional oligomers unlike typical AKs which are monomeric. A phylogenetic analysis showed that these choanoflagellate AKs group more closely with a supercluster consisting of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial CKs and invertebrate AKs that evolved secondarily from a CK-like ancestor. Reaction-diffusion constraints in choanoflagellates are likely mitigated by the presence of AK isoforms which facilitate energy transport in these highly polarized cells.     

Hypotaurocyamine kinase evolved from a gene for arginine kinase

Hypotaurocyamine kinase (HTK) is a member of the highly conserved family of phosphagen kinases that includes creatine kinase (CK) and arginine kinase (AK). HTK is found only in sipunculid worms, and it shows activities for both the substrates hypotaurocyamine and taurocyamine. Determining how HTK evolved in sipunculids is particularly insightful because all sipunculid-allied animals have AK and only some sipunculids have HTK. We determined the cDNA sequence of HTK from the sipunculid worm Siphonosoma cumanense for the first time, cloned it in pMAL plasmid and expressed it in E. coli as a fusion protein with maltose-binding protein. The cDNAderived amino acid sequence of Siphonosoma HTK showed high amino acid identity with molluscan AKs. Nevertheless, the recombinant enzyme of Siphonosoma HTK showed no activity for the substrate arginine, but showed activity for taurocyamine. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of HTK and AK indicated that the amino acid residues necessary for the binding of the substrate arginine in AK have been completely lost in Siphonosoma HTK sequence. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the HTK amino acid sequence was placed just outside the molluscan AK cluster, which formed a sister group with the arthropod and nematode AKs. These results suggest that Siphonosoma HTK evolved from a gene for molluscan AK. Moreover, to confirm this assertion, we determined by PCR that the gene for Siphonosoma HTK has a 5-exon/4-intron structure, which is homologous with that of the molluscan AK genes. Further, the positions of splice junctions were conserved exactly between the two genes. Thus, we conclude that Siphonosoma HTK has evolved from a primordial gene for molluscan AK.     

The Early Evolution of the Phosphagen Kinases—Insights from Choanoflagellate and Poriferan Arginine Kinases

Arginine kinase (AK) is a member of a large family of phosphoryl transfer enzymes called phosphagen (guanidino) kinases. AKs are present in certain protozoans, sponges, cnidarians, and both lophotrochozoan and ecdysozoan protostomes. Another phosphagen kinase, creatine kinase (CK), is found in sponges, cnidarians, and both deuterostome and protostome groups but does not appear to be present in protozoans. To probe the early evolution of phosphagen kinases, we have amplified the cDNAs for AKs from three choanoflagellates and from the hexactinellid sponge Aphrocallistes beatrix and the demosponges Suberites fuscus and Microciona prolifera. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood of these choanoflagellate and sponge AKs with other AK sequences revealed that the AK from the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis clusters with the AK from the glass sponge Aphrocallistes and is part of a larger cluster containing AKs from the demosponges Suberites and Microciona as well as basal and protostome invertebrates. In contrast, AKs from Codonosiga gracilis and Monosiga ovata form a distinct cluster apart from all other AK sequences. tBLASTn searches of the recently released M. brevicollis genome database showed that this species has three unique AK genes—one virtually identical to the M. brevicollis cDNA and the other two showing great similarity to C. gracilis and M. ovata AKs. Three distinct AK genes are likely present in choanoflagellates. Two of these AKs display extensive similarity to both CKs and an AK from sponges. Previous work has shown CK evolved from an AK-like ancestor prior to the divergence of sponges. The present results provide evidence suggesting that the initial gene duplication event(s) leading to the CK lineage may have occurred before the divergence of the choanoflagellate and animal lineages.     

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of alpha 2-macroglobulin in the kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus

The cDNA encoding the kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)M) was obtained by screening a haemocyte cDNA library and 5' RACE PCR amplification. The full length cDNA of 4748 bp contains an open reading frame of 4518 nucleotides that translates into a 1505-amino acid putative peptide, with a 5'untranslated region (UTR) of 59 bp and a 3'UTR of 171 bp. The open reading frame encodes an N-terminal signal sequence of 17 residues and a mature protein of 1488 residues. The entire amino acid sequence is similar to the alpha(2)M sequences of arthropods (30-31% identity), mammals (26-27% identity) and fish (25-28% identity). The M. japonicus alpha(2)M sequence contains putative functional domains including a bait region, an internal thiol ester site, and a receptor-binding domain, which are present in mammalian alpha(2)Ms. In a healthy shrimp, the mRNA of alpha(2)M was mainly expressed in haemocytes. In addition, the expression level of alpha(2)M mRNA was dramatically increased by through time upon oral administration of peptidoglycan (PG), which is an immune stimulant. The highest expression of alpha(2)M mRNA was observed 7 days after feeding with PG. These results suggest that the shrimp alpha(2)M is an important molecule in immune system.     

Cloning and expression of arginine kinase from a swimming crab, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Portunus trituberculatus</Emphasis>

Arginine kinase (AK) is an important phosphotransferase that plays a critical role in energy metabolism in invertebrates. In this paper, the cDNA of AK (designated as PtAK) was identified from the eyestalk cDNA library of swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus. The full-length cDNA was 1,479 bp, containing an open reading frame of 1,074 bp that coded for 357 amino acids. The estimated molecular mass of mature PtAK was 40.30 kDa and theoretical isoelectric point was 6.18. Amino acid sequence alignment showed that PtAK had very high similarity with other shrimp and crab AKs ranging from 0.876 to 0.983. The genomic DNA fragments of about 1,434 bp consisted of two exons interrupted by an intron. Totally 24 SNPs, including 17 in the coding region and seven in the non-coding region, were detected by direct sequencing of 19 genomic samples. In exon 1, the coding SNPs (cSNPs) were only found in the disease-resistant specimens. The fluorescent real-time PCR analysis revealed that the expression of PtAK was detected in all the examined tissues with the highest expression in the muscle and the lowest in the eyestalk. The expression of PtAK after Vibrio alginolyticus injection was tested in haemocytes, showing that two peak values were 5.01-fold (at 3 h) and 3.60-fold (at 24 h) compared with the control values, respectively. The results suggested that AK might play an important role in the immune response in crabs.     

Gastropod arginine kinases from Cellana grata and Aplysia kurodai. Isolation and cDNA-derived amino acid sequences

Arginine kinase (AK) was isolated from the radular muscle of the gastropod molluscs Cellana grata (subclass Prosobranchia) and Aplysia kurodai (subclass Opisthobranchia), respectively, by ammonium sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-75 gel filtration and DEAE-ion exchange chromatography. The denatured relative molecular mass values were estimated to be 40 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The isolated enzyme from Aplysia gave a K_m value of 0.6 mM for arginine and a V_max value of 13 μmole Pi min⁻¹ mg protein⁻¹ for the forward reaction. These values are comparable to other molluscan AKs. The cDNAs encoding Cellana and Aplysia AKs were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and the nucleotide sequences of 1608 and 1239 bp, respectively, were determined. The open reading frame for Cellana AK is 1044 nucleotides in length and encodes a protein with 347 amino acid residues, and that for A. kurodai is 1077 nucleotides and 354 residues. The cDNA-derived amino acid sequences were validated by chemical sequencing of internal lysyl endopeptidase peptides. The amino acid sequences of Cellana and Aplysia AKs showed the highest percent identity (66–73%) with those of the abalone Nordotis and turbanshell Battilus belonging to the same class Gastropoda. These AK sequences still have a strong homology (63–71%) with that of the chiton Liolophura (class Polyplacophora), which is believed to be one of the most primitive molluscs. On the other hand, these AK sequences are less homologous (55–57%) with that of the clam Pseudocardium (class Bivalvia), suggesting that the biological position of the class Polyplacophora should be reconsidered.     

青岛文昌鱼过氧化氢酶基因的克隆及生物信息学分析

过氧化氢酶(catalase,CAT)是一类广泛存在于动物、植物和微生物体内的末端氧化酶,是生物体内抗氧化酶体系的重要成员,因此本研究旨在克隆文昌鱼CAT基因并对其进行生物信息学分析。本研究以青岛文昌鱼(Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense)为材料,用RACE技术首次克隆了其CAT全长cDNA的基因序列,命名为AmphiCAT(GenBank登录号:KU058636);该序列总长为2640 bp,开放阅读框(open reading frame,ORF)为1533 bp,编码510个氨基酸,含有一个长为19个氨基酸序列的潜在活性位点和一个长为9个氨基酸序列的血红素配体信号,总分子量在线预测约为57.85 kD;经生物软件分析确定该蛋白质无信号肽序列,预测该蛋白质为非分泌性蛋白,属于单功能CAT的clade3分支;该基因的分子进化树表明青岛文昌鱼CAT同软体动物的亲缘关系较近。     

朱砂叶螨HSP90基因克隆及原核表达

采用RT-PCR及RACE技术克隆朱砂叶螨Tetranychus cinnabarinus的热激蛋白90(HSP90)基因, 并进行序列分析, 得到一条长2 595 bp的cDNA序列, 该序列开放阅读框（open reading frame, ORF）为2 169 bp, 编码722个氨基酸, 分子量约为83.45 kDa, 理论等电点为4.81, 3′非编码区（untranslated region, UTR）为249 bp, 5′UTR为177 bp。通过Antheprot分析发现5个HSP90家族的签名序列及胞质HSP90特征序列MEEVD。同源性分析表明, 朱砂叶螨HSP90编码区核苷酸序列和其他已知的HSP90, 尤其是节肢动物昆虫的HSP90, 具有很高的相似性。将鉴定正确的原核重组表达质粒pET43a-TcHSP90, 转化大肠杆菌Escherichia coli BL21(origami) 进行原核表达, 应用SDS-PAGE和Western blotting技术分离并检测融合蛋白, 结果表明构建的原核表达质粒可以在宿主菌中稳定、正确表达。朱砂叶螨TcHSP90基因的克隆、原核表达, 为进一步研究HSP90的性质和功能的研究提供有用的实验材料。     

Molecular Cloning of cDNA for Trehalase from the European Honeybee,Apis mellifera L., and Its Heterologous Expression in Pichia pastoris

cDNA encoding the bound type trehalase of the European honeybee was cloned. The cDNA (3,001 bp) contained the long 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of 869 bp, and the 3′ UTR of 251 bp including a poly(A) tail, and the open reading frame of 1,881 bp consisting of 626 amino acid residues. The M _r of the mature enzyme comprised of 591 amino acids, excluded a signal sequence of 35 amino acid residues, was 69,177. Six peptide sequences analyzed were all found in the deduced amino acid sequence. The amino acid sequence exhibited high identity with trehalases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 37. A putative transmembrane region similar to trehalase-2 of the silkworm was found in the C-terminal amino acid sequence. Recombinant enzyme of the trehalase was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris as host, and displayed properties identical to those of the native enzyme except for higher sugar chain contents. This is the first report of heterologous expression of insect trehalase.