小麦类核糖核酸酶基因(WRN1)cDNA在自然衰老和黑暗诱导衰老条件下的表达

从普通小麦(Triticum aestivum L.)中分离了一个类核糖核酸酶(WRN1)基因的cDNA.WRN1的转录受自然衰老和黑暗诱导衰老的负调控.在幼嫩组织中WRN1也有表达.由于在两个保守的位置上组氨酸被替换,WRN1很可能已经失去了核糖核酸酶的活性.Southern分析表明,在普通小麦基因组中,WRN1以一个小基因家族的形式存在.     

泛议衰老

衰老是机体在退化时期功能下降及生理紊乱的综合表现,与机体的自由基水平,染色体端粒长度和衰老过程中起作用的重要基因有密切关系。作者重点介绍自由学说、饮食限制学说、端粒学说,以及衰老相关基因WRN、koltho和胰岛素样生长因子1（IGF－1）的信号传导途径、从遗传学的角度对衰老机理作一阐述。     

果蝇有类似人类的衰老基因

英国科学家在果蝇身上发现一种基因,其角色类似于人类衰老基因。果蝇因而可能成为研究人类衰老的试验对象。人类有一种沃纳综合征,患者在青春期前便过早衰老,其根源在于一种叫做WRN的基因的变异。之前科学家只能研究该基因在单个细胞中的工作方式,却无法探索其在发育中和整体上     

烯效唑干拌种对小麦叶片衰老期间有关酶活性的影响

研究不同浓度(0、10、20、40mg·kg-1)烯效唑干拌种对小麦品种川麦30不同叶序(3叶、7叶、旗叶)叶片衰老期间酶活性影响的结果表明,烯效唑干拌种后,不同叶序叶片超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)活性增强,衰老后期仍维持较高水平;而核糖核酸酶(RNase)活性水平及上升速率则受抑,叶片中丙二醛(MDA)积累量减少,可溶性蛋白质含量下降缓慢.     

欧芹叶片衰老过程中的核糖核酸酶类型与活性变化

以凝胶电泳检测核糖核酸酶 (RNase)活性的结果表明 ,欧芹叶片中至少有 6种分子量各不相同的RNase显示出活性。其中一种aRNase活性在衰老过程中逐渐下降 ,赤霉素可延缓其下降 ,b、cRNase活性在衰老过程中显著增加 ,乙烯加速 ,而赤霉素则抑制这两种RNase活性上升。另一种dRNase活性虽然在赤霉素处理与否的叶片中均显著增加 ,但受乙烯抑制。e、fRNase活性在各种处理的叶片中均略呈上升趋势。b、cRNase活性变化与叶片衰老进程的关联最显著     

衰老的生物学标志

目前制约哺乳动物衰老研究的一个重要因素就是缺少可靠,易测的评估生物学年龄的衰老标志,本文论述了八项可作为衰老生物学标志的指标及其检测方法,它们是成纤维细胞的体外增殖能力,DNA损伤修复能力,线粒全DNA片段缺失,DNA甲基化水平,端粒的长度,衰老相关β-半乳糖苷酶活笥,晚期糖基化终产物水平,基因表达谱。     

加速衰老小鼠脑组织中的衰老相关基因的表达

从分子水平上研究衰老对大脑的影响有助于揭示机体衰老的分子机理 ,也有助于揭示衰老相关性脑功能异常的发生过程。本研究应用DDRT PCR方法研究衰老相关基因在SAM (Senescence acceleratedmouse)小鼠脑组织中表达的变化情况。在SAMR1TA、SAMP8/Ta、SAMP1 0 /Ta三个品系中 ,通过比较不同鼠龄SAMP1 0 /Ta (2、 4、 1 2、 1 8月龄 )的基因表达情况 ,发现在 4月龄和 1 2月龄分别有一个差异表达片段 ;对不同鼠龄的SAMP8/Ta (2、 4、 1 1月龄 )经差显比较 ,发现在 2月龄和 1 1月龄各有一差异表达片段。在不同品系的比较中发现了 1 6个差异性片段 ,分别属于SAMP1 0 /Ta (3个 )、SAMP8/Ta (6个 )和SAMR1TA (7个 )。测序结果经检索显示 ,它们分别与下列基因转录产物同源 :热休克识别蛋白 70、ATP依赖性线粒体RNA螺旋酶、DleumRNA、小鼠X染色体RP2 3 334C4克隆DNA序列、还原型辅酶Q 细胞色素c还原酶复合物 7 2kD亚单位、 6 0S核糖体蛋白L2 1、FIS、苯基烷基胺钙离子拮抗物结合蛋白、岩藻糖基转移酶 9、胶质细胞源性神经营养因子家族受体α1、内切核酸酶 /逆转录酶、PER1蛋白相关超级融原核蛋白、中心体蛋白CG NAP、转铁蛋白重链基因、巢蛋白 2基因、DNA依赖性蛋白激酶催化亚单位基因 prkdc     

免疫衰老及免疫细胞在衰老中的作用

人类的衰老是一个复杂的生理过程,是机体随着年龄增长出现生理结构的退行性改变以及机能衰退,表现出机体适应性和抵抗力减退的过程。免疫系统是衰老过程的主要调节系统,免疫衰老会导致机体对病原体和癌细胞的抵抗能力降低,同时伴随相关疾病的发生,如心血管疾病、神经系统疾病及癌症等。本文主要综述了免疫衰老以及免疫细胞在衰老中作用的研究进展,旨在阐明免疫衰老与衰老相关疾病的关系及免疫细胞的抗衰老机制,为精准免疫细胞抗衰老模式提供临床应用的新策略。     

核糖核酸酶抑制因子与衰老关系的研究

本文研究了红细胞核糖核酸酶抑制因子(RI)活力在小鼠和人增龄时的变化。在3、7、17和34周龄?性小鼠(BALB/C,ICR和DBA/2)的实验中,观察到红细胞RI活力随小鼠周龄的增加而显著下降。用20—60岁健康人为研究对象,发现红细胞RI的活力变化与增龄具有线性相关。y=-43.25x+5290,r=0.477,P<0.001,n=58。 本文提出;红细胞RI活力随增龄而下降,能反映生物年龄的变化,并对RI在细胞代谢的意义及与衰老的关系进行了讨论。RI的研究为阐明衰老机理提供了一条途径。     

生物体衰老与复制衰老--体内与体外研究

体外连续培养的细胞在有人数的细胞分裂后,更新换代合成ＤＮＡ及分裂的能力,最后导致增殖能力的丧失,但基本代谢过程仍能维持,这种现象称为复制衰老。本文讨论了复制衰老现象存在的普遍性,描述了衰老细胞伯特征,对复制衰老和生物体衰老之间的联系进行了重点分析。现有的研究虽然还不完全,但都提示复制衰老是生物体衰老在细胞水平上的反映,并充分肯定了复制衰老是一个较好的研究机体衰老的模型。     

The discovery of a Werner helicase interacting protein (WHIP) association with the nuclear pore complex

The gateway for molecular trafficking between the cytoplasm and the nucleus is the Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC). Through mass spectral analysis of the isolated Nuclear Pore Nup107-160 subcomplex, we discovered an in vivo interaction with Werner's Helicase Interacting Protein 1, (WRNIP1 or WHIP). WHIP was originally identified as a binding partner of Werner protein (WRN), which functions to maintain genome stability and is responsible for the progeria disease, Werner syndrome. We established the reciprocal isolation of Nup107 by α-WHIP. WHIP was found in purified Nuclear Envelope (NE) fractions treated with DNase/RNase/Heparin. We demonstrated by immunofluorescence microscopy that WHIP is located at the nuclear rim as well as punctate regions in the nuclear matrix. Ultimately, synchronized cells show a dynamic association between WHIP and the Nup107-160 subcomplex through the cell cycle without an interaction with WRN. We thus identify WHIP as a partner/component of the NE/NPC and set forth to investigate a role for the protein positioned at the NPC.     

Checkpoint-dependent and independent roles of the Werner syndrome protein in preserving genome integrity in response to mild replication stress

Werner syndrome (WS) is a human chromosomal instability disorder associated with cancer predisposition and caused by mutations in the WRN gene. WRN helicase activity is crucial in limiting breakage at common fragile sites (CFS), which are the preferential targets of genome instability in precancerous lesions. However, the precise function of WRN in response to mild replication stress, like that commonly used to induce breaks at CFS, is still missing. Here, we establish that WRN plays a role in mediating CHK1 activation under moderate replication stress. We provide evidence that phosphorylation of CHK1 relies on the ATR-mediated phosphorylation of WRN, but not on WRN helicase activity. Analysis of replication fork dynamics shows that loss of WRN checkpoint mediator function as well as of WRN helicase activity hamper replication fork progression, and lead to new origin activation to allow recovery from replication slowing upon replication stress. Furthermore, bypass of WRN checkpoint mediator function through overexpression of a phospho-mimic form of CHK1 restores fork progression and chromosome stability to the wild-type levels. Together, these findings are the first demonstration that WRN regulates the ATR-checkpoint activation upon mild replication stress, preventing chromosome fragility.     

Werner syndrome helicase activity is essential in maintaining fragile site stability

WRN is a member of the RecQ family of DNA helicases implicated in the resolution of DNA structures leading to the stall of replication forks. Fragile sites have been proposed to be DNA regions particularly sensitive to replicative stress. Here, we establish that WRN is a key regulator of fragile site stability. We demonstrate that in response to mild doses of aphidicolin, WRN is efficiently relocalized in nuclear foci in replicating cells and that WRN deficiency is associated with accumulation of gaps and breaks at common fragile sites even under unperturbed conditions. By expressing WRN isoforms impaired in either helicase or exonuclease activity in defective cells, we identified WRN helicase activity as the function required for maintaining the stability of fragile sites. Finally, we find that WRN stabilizes fragile sites acting in a common pathway with the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related replication checkpoint. These findings provide the first evidence of a crucial role for a helicase in protecting cells against chromosome breakage at normally occurring replication fork stalling sites.     

Biochemical and kinetic characterization of the DNA helicase and exonuclease activities of werner syndrome protein

The WRN gene, defective in the premature aging and genome instability disorder Werner syndrome, encodes a protein with DNA helicase and exonuclease activities. In this report, cofactor requirements for WRN catalytic activities were examined. WRN helicase performed optimally at an equimolar concentration (1 mm) of Mg(2+) and ATP with a K(m) of 140 microm for the ATP-Mg(2+) complex. The initial rate of WRN helicase activity displayed a hyperbolic dependence on ATP-Mg(2+) concentration. Mn(2+) and Ni(2+) substituted for Mg(2+) as a cofactor for WRN helicase, whereas Fe(2+) or Cu(2+) (10 microm) profoundly inhibited WRN unwinding in the presence of Mg(2+).Zn(2+) (100 microm) was preferred over Mg(2+) as a metal cofactor for WRN exonuclease activity and acts as a molecular switch, converting WRN from a helicase to an exonuclease. Zn(2+) strongly stimulated the exonuclease activity of a WRN exonuclease domain fragment, suggesting a Zn(2+) binding site in the WRN exonuclease domain. A fluorometric assay was used to study WRN helicase kinetics. The initial rate of unwinding increased with WRN concentration, indicating that excess enzyme over DNA substrate improved the ability of WRN to unwind the DNA substrate. Under presteady state conditions, the burst amplitude revealed a 1:1 ratio between WRN and DNA substrate, suggesting an active monomeric form of the helicase. These are the first reported kinetic parameters of a human RecQ unwinding reaction based on real time measurements, and they provide mechanistic insights into WRN-catalyzed DNA unwinding.     

Analyses of the interaction of WRNIP1 with Werner syndrome protein (WRN) in vitro and in the cell

Werner was originally identified as a protein that interacts with the product of the Werner syndrome (WS) gene, WRN. To examine the function of the WRNIP1/WRN complex in cells, we generated knock-out cell lines that were deficient in either WRN (WRN(-/-)), WRNIP1 (WRNIP10(-/-/-)), or both (WRNIP1(-/-/-)/WRN(-/-)), using a chicken B lymphocyte cell line, DT40. WRNIP1(-/-/-)/WRN(-/-) DT40 cells grew at a similar rate as wild-type cells, but the rate of spontaneous sister-chromatid exchange was augmented compared to that of either of the single mutant cell lines. Moreover, while WRNIP1(-/-/-) and WRN(-/-) cells were moderately sensitive to camptothecin (CPT), double mutant cells showed a synergistic increase in CPT sensitivity. This suggested that WRNIP1 and WRN do not always function cooperatively to repair DNA lesions. The lack of a discernable functional interaction between WRNIP1 and WRN prompted us to reevaluate the nature of the physical interaction between these proteins. We found that MBP-tagged WRNIP1 interacted directly with WRN, and that the interaction was enhanced by the addition of ATP. Mutations in the Walker A motifs of the two proteins revealed that WRNIP1, but not WRN, must bind ATP before an efficient interaction can occur.     

Telomere-binding protein TRF2 binds to and stimulates the Werner and Bloom syndrome helicases

Werner syndrome is a human premature aging disorder displaying cellular defects associated with telomere maintenance including genomic instability, premature senescence, and accelerated telomere erosion. The yeast homologue of the Werner protein (WRN), Sgs1, is required for recombination-mediated lengthening of telomeres in telomerase-deficient cells. In human cells, we report that WRN co-localizes and physically interacts with the critical telomere maintenance protein TRF2. This interaction is mediated by the RecQ conserved C-terminal region of WRN. In vitro, TRF2 demonstrates high affinity for WRN and for another RecQ family member, the Bloom syndrome protein (BLM). TRF2 interaction with either WRN or BLM results in a notable stimulation of their helicase activities. Furthermore, the WRN and BLM helicases, partnered with replication protein A, actively unwind long telomeric duplex regions that are pre-bound by TRF2. These results suggest that TRF2 functions with WRN, and possibly BLM, in a common pathway at telomeric ends.