线粒体融合蛋白Mfn1/2的结构和功能

线粒体融合素基因（mitofusin gene,Mfn）在哺乳动物中编码两种蛋白质分子,Mfn1和Mfn2,它们在线粒体融合、分裂与细胞凋亡中起重要作用,调控着线粒体形态的动态变化。另外,Mfn1/2还参与线粒体的能量代谢并与相关疾病的发生有着密切关系。     

促线粒体融合蛋白在线粒体融合和细胞凋亡中的作用

一直以来,线粒体动态变化都备受关注,这不仅关系到线粒体本身,也与细胞的整体状态密切相关。线粒体动态变化主要指线粒体的分裂和融合,该过程涉及一系列蛋白质。在线粒体融合中,目前研究得较深入的促线粒体融合蛋白主要有Mfn1、Mfn2和OPA1。随着研究的深入,发现这3种蛋白质不仅对于线粒体融合有重要作用,在细胞凋亡过程中也扮演着重要角色。现就Mfn1、Mfn2和OPA1的促线粒体融合作用及其与细胞凋亡的关系作详细阐述。     

内质网应激与疾病

内质网是蛋白质合成与折叠、维持Ca²⁺动态平衡及合成脂类和固醇的场所。遗传或环境损伤引起内质网功能紊乱导致内质网应激,激活未折叠蛋白反应。未折叠蛋白反应是一种细胞自我保护性措施,但是内质网应激过强或持续时间过久可引起细胞凋亡。因此,内质网应激与众多人类疾病的发生发展密切相关。最近研究证明,癌症、炎症性疾病、代谢性疾病、骨质疏松症及神经退行性疾病等有内质网应激信号传递参与。然而内质网应激作为一个有效靶点参与各种疾病发挥作用的功能和机制仍然有待进一步研究。在近年来发表的文献基础上对内质网应激与疾病的关系,以及其可能的作用机制进行综述。     

细胞外热休克蛋白70及其生物学功能

热休克蛋白（HSP）一直被描述为一种细胞内蛋白质在胞内发挥一系列生物学作用,参与细胞内蛋白质的折叠、装配、降解和修复过程。近年来,有研究发现HSP70能被主动释放到胞外,成为细胞外HSP70（extracellular HSP70,eHSP70）,但关于其功能尚不清楚。循环HSP70水平与多种疾病进程密切相关。有研究发现暴露于物理和心理刺激源作用下,HSP70可能通过脂筏或Exosome介导的分泌途径释放到细胞外,作为一种生物活性因子影响多种疾病的进程。     

蛋白质酪氨酸磷酸酶与药物靶标

蛋白质酪氨酸磷酸化作用是真核细胞中的一种重要信号作用机制,由蛋白质酪氨酸激酶和蛋白质酪氨酸磷酸酶共同调控.蛋白质酪氨酸磷酸酶在真核细胞代谢进程中起着重要的作用,与许多人类疾病如肿瘤、心血管疾病、免疫缺陷性疾病、传染病、神经性以及代谢方面疾病的发病机制密切相关,许多蛋白质酪氨酸磷酸酶已成为研究和开发治疗人类重大疾病药物的优秀靶标.     

蛋白质的棕榈酰化修饰

棕榈酰化修饰是蛋白质翻译后脂质修饰的重要形式,是调控蛋白质的转运、稳定、定位和功能的重要机制,同时,棕榈酰化修饰还参与多种细胞生物学进程,与许多疾病的发生发展密切相关。本文主要就蛋白质棕榈酰化及其修饰酶与蛋白质功能、相关疾病的关系做一综述。     

中间纤维与疾病

中间纤维(intermediate filament,IF)与微管、微丝一起组成细胞骨架的蛋白质纤维网络体系。三种骨架纤维中最复杂的是IF,它由最大的基因家族所编码,组成了一个包含73个成员的蛋白大家族。IF除了支架作用还形成复杂的信息平台,并与各种激酶、受体和凋亡蛋白相互作用。目前,已知80多种人类相关疾病包括皮肤起泡、肌肉萎缩症、心肌病、早衰综合征、神经退行性疾病和白内障等与IF有关,且数量仍在增长。其中,IF的变异至少与30多种人类组织特异性疾病有关,在几种神经退行性疾病、肌肉疾病或其他相关疾病还会出现特征性的包涵体。IF可作为细胞类型的标志,其抗体被广泛应用于病理诊断,因此研究这些疾病与IF之间的相互联系、揭示它们的作用机制对全面认识IF在细胞和组织中所起的作用以及对临床疾病的治疗有着重要意义。     

抗增殖蛋白2：一种线粒体和细胞核之间的重要媒介

抗增殖蛋白2 (prohibitin2, PHB2)是抗增殖蛋白(prohibitin, PHB)家族中的重要成员,是主要定位于线粒体内膜的多功能蛋白质,对维持线粒体形态和功能的稳定具有重要作用,同时也是细胞内稳态和细胞分化的重要调节因子。随着对PHB2的深入研究,已发现PHB2是一种线粒体和细胞核之间重要的媒介。PHB2是细胞中必不可少的,它直接参与多种细胞进程并发挥重要作用,如调节转录因子的转录活性、调节细胞的分化与凋亡、维持线粒体形态和功能的稳定、调节姐妹染色单体的结合、神经细胞的修复和再生、轴突的发育形成和增强细胞氧化应激耐受性。近年来,PHB2在病理生理学中的作用及其在疾病治疗中的药靶地位受到高度重视。本文对PHB2研究的最新进展进行综述。     

线粒体分裂、融合与细胞凋亡

线粒体是高度动态变化的细胞器,其在细胞内不断分裂、融合并形成网状结构。线粒体的分裂和融合是由多种蛋白质精确调控完成的。Drp1／Dnm1p,Fis1／Fis1p,Caf4p和Mdv1p参与线粒体分裂的调控;Mfn1／2／Fzo1p控制线粒体外膜的融合,而Mgm1p／OPA1则参与线粒体内膜的融合。在细胞凋亡过程中线粒体片段化,网状结构被破坏,线粒体嵴发生重构,抑制这一过程可以部分抑制细胞色素c的释放和细胞凋亡。线粒体形态对于细胞维持正常生理代谢和机体发育起着重要的作用,一旦出现障碍会导致严重的疾病。     

线粒体形态学改变与细胞凋亡

近年来,对于线粒体形态学以及其在凋亡过程中的改变和作用的研究打破了传统的观点。正常情况下,线粒体在细胞内相互连接成管网状结构,并发生着频繁的融合与分裂。融合和分裂由一系列蛋白质介导,二者之间的动态平衡维持着线粒体的形态和功能。在细胞凋亡的早期,线粒体融合和分裂失平衡,导致线粒体管网状结构碎裂和嵴的重构,这些改变对线粒体随后的变化以及凋亡的发生具有重要的意义。融合和分裂的蛋白质不仅调控线粒体形态和细胞凋亡过程,也和某些凋亡相关疾病有关。此外,促凋亡的Bcl-2蛋白可能通过改变线粒体的构形来调控凋亡过程。     

The role of thrombomodulin lectin-like domain in inflammation

Thrombomodulin (TM) is a cell surface glycoprotein which is widely expressed in a variety of cell types. It is a cofactor for thrombin binding that mediates protein C activation and inhibits thrombin activity. In addition to its anticoagulant activity, recent evidence has revealed that TM, especially its lectin-like domain, has potent anti-inflammatory function through a variety of molecular mechanisms. The lectin-like domain of TM plays an important role in suppressing inflammation independent of the TM anticoagulant activity. This article makes an extensive review of the role of TM in inflammation. The molecular targets of TM lectin-like domain have also been elucidated. Recombinant TM protein, especially the TM lectin-like domain may play a promising role in the management of sepsis, glomerulonephritis and arthritis. These data demonstrated the potential therapeutic role of TM in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.     

Angiogenic and cell survival functions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was originally identified as an endothelial cell specific growth factor stimulating angiogenesis and vascular permeability. Some family members, VEGF C and D, are specifically involved in lymphangiogenesis. It now appears that VEGF also has autocrine functions acting as a survival factor for tumour cells protecting them from stresses such as hypoxia, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The mechanisms of action of VEGF are still being investigated with emerging insights into overlapping pathways and cross-talk between other receptors such as the neuropilins which were not previously associated with angiogenesis. VEGF plays an important role in embryonic development and angiogenesis during wound healing and menstrual cycle in the healthy adult. VEGF is also important in a number of both malignant and non-malignant pathologies. As it plays a limited role in normal human physiology, VEGF is an attractive therapeutic target in diseases where VEGF plays a key role. It was originally thought that in pathological conditions such as cancer, VEGF functioned solely as an angiogenic factor, stimulating new vessel formation and increasing vascular permeability. It has since emerged it plays a multifunctional role where it can also have autocrine pro-survival effects and contribute to tumour cell chemoresistance. In this review we discuss the established role of VEGF in angiogenesis and the underlying mechanisms. We discuss its role as a survival factor and mechanisms whereby angiogenesis inhibition improves efficacy of chemotherapy regimes. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic implications of targeting angiogenesis and VEGF receptors, particularly in cancer therapy.     

Hemicentins： What have we learned from worms？

Hemicentins are conserved extracellular matrix proteins discovered in Caenorhabditis elegans, with orthologs in all vertebrate species including human and mouse. Hemicentins share a single, highly conserved amino-terminal von Willebrand A domain, followed by a long （〉40） stretch of immunoglobulin repeats, multiple tandem epidermal growth factors and a fibulin-like carboxy-terminal module. C. elegans has a single hemicentin gene that has pleiotropic functions in transient cell contacts that are required for cell migration and basement membrane invasion and in stable contacts at hemidesmosome-mediated cell junctions and elastic fiber-like structures. Here, we summarize what is known about the function ofhemicentin in C. elegans and discuss implications for hemicentin function in other species.     

Hemicentin assembly in the extracellular matrix is mediated by distinct structural modules

Hemicentins are conserved extracellular matrix proteins characterized by a single von Willebrand A (VWA) domain at the amino terminus, a long stretch (>40) of tandem immunoglobulin domains, multiple tandem epidermal growth factors (EGFs), and a single fibulin-like carboxyl-terminal module. In Caenorhabditis elegans, hemicentin is secreted from muscle and gonadal leader cells and assembles at multiple locations into discrete tracks that constrict broad regions of cell contact into adhesive and flexible line-shaped junctions. To determine hemicentin domains critical for function and assembly, we have expressed fragments of hemicentin as GFP tagged fusion proteins in C. elegans. We find that a hemicentin fragment containing the VWA domain can target to multiple assembly sites when expressed under the control of either endogenous hemicentin regulatory sequences or the muscle-specific unc-54 promoter. A hemicentin fragment containing the EGF and fibulin-like carboxyl-terminal modules can co-assemble with existing hemicentin polymers in wild-type animals but has no detectable function in the absence of endogenous hemicentin. The data suggest that the VWA domain is a cell binding domain whose function is to target hemicentin to sites of assembly and the EGF/fibulin-like carboxyl-terminal modules constitute an assembly domain that mediates direct interactions between hemicentin monomers during the hemicentin assembly process.     

Current understanding of Th2 cell differentiation and function

Helper T cell (Th) has been identified as a critical immune cell for regulating immune response since 1980s. The type 2 helper T cell (Th2), characterized by the production of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5 and IL-13, plays a critical role in immune response against helminths invading cutaneous or mucosal sites. It also has a functional role in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic diarrhea. Currently, most studies have shed light on Th2 cell function and behavior in specific diseases, such as asthma and helminthes inflammation, but not on Th2 cell itself and its differentiation. Based on different cytokines and specific behavior in recent research, Th2 cell is also regarded as new subtypes of T cell, such as IL-9 secreting T cell (Th9) and CXCR5⁺ T follicular helper cells. Here, we will discuss the latest view of Th2 cell towards their function and the involvement of Th2 cell in diseases.     

Wnt5a及其信号通路与血管新生的研究进展

Wnt5a是Wnt蛋白家族中的成员之一,在细胞成熟、胚胎发育等过程中发挥着重要作用。研究表明Wnt5a的表达调控及其信号通路与血管新生密切相关,并且在血管新生性相关疾病中发挥了重要作用。本文从Wnt5a与其相关信号转导通路对血管新生的影响以及分子机制等方面进行阐述和展望,旨在为以Wnt5a为靶点进行血管新生性疾病的防治提供理论依据。     

细胞自噬及真菌中自噬研究概述

细胞自噬是真核生物中广泛存在的、主要依赖于溶酶体或液泡的保守的降解途径,通过降解细胞内过多或异常的蛋白、细胞器等以维持正常的细胞功能。近10年来自噬研究方面的飞速进展显示出自噬与癌症、神经退行性疾病、衰老及心脏病等人类疾病相关。与此同时,自噬在丝状真菌的生长、形态和发育等方面发挥着重要作用,特别是在丝状真菌的细胞分化过程中,自噬起到了关键性作用,如致病性生长、程序性细胞死亡及孢子形成。本文主要论述了什么是自噬,自噬的检测方法及以真菌为对象的自噬研究进展。     

SIRT3与细胞代谢及心血管疾病的相关性

蛋白去乙酰化酶在细胞生理过程中发挥着极为重要的作用。人蛋白去乙酰化酶包括HDACⅠ、HDACⅡ、HDACⅢ和HDACⅣ4个家族。其中第Ⅲ类即Sir2(Silent information regulator 2)家族包括7个成员——SIRT1~ SIRT7,每个成员都具有不同的细胞定位,并且发挥不同的生物学功能。作为主要定位于线粒体的组蛋白去乙酰化酶,SIRT3不仅调节细胞的能量代谢,并在细胞凋亡、肿瘤生长和一些疾病中发挥作用。文章综述了SIRT3在细胞代谢中的生物学功能以及其在心血管疾病中的研究进展。     

Adiponectin: Anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that plays an essential role in regulating several metabolic functions through the secretion of biological mediators called "adipokines". Dysregulation of adipokines plays a crucial role in obesity-related diseases. Adiponectin (APN) is the most abundant adipokine accounting for the 0.01% of total serum protein, and is involved in a wide variety of physiological processes including energy metabolism, inflammation, and vascular physiology. APN plasma levels are reduced in individuals with obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, all traits with low-grade chronic inflammation. It is has been suggested that the absence of APN anti-inflammatory effects may be a contributing factor to this inflammation. APN inhibits the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α-induced endothelial adhesion molecules, macrophage-to-foam cell transformation, tumor necrosis factor-α expression in macrophages and adipose tissue, and smooth muscle cell proliferation. It also has anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant effects, which play a role in its cardioprotective action. This review will focus on APN as an anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic and cardioprotective plasma protein.