Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of vacuolar GFPs in Petunia leaves and petals

Abstract

A suitable Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay was evaluated for rapid analysis of vacuole organisation in different cell types in vivo. By simple infiltration of Agrobacterium cells carrying appropriate plasmid constructs into Petunia hybrida leaves and petals, reproducible expression can be revealed by GFP fluorescence within one day without using expensive equipment (e.g. biolistic gun or electroporation apparatus) or complicated procedures (e.g. preparation of protoplasts). Different vacuolar markers for the neutral compartment (GFP-Chi) or the lytic one (Aleu-GFP), and an ER resident protein (GFP-KDEL) were used. Previously, it was shown that these markers could label different compartments but that such compartments are organised differently depending on plant species and tissues. Our results demonstrate that epidermal cells of petunia petals represent a case study that demands further investigation concerning vacuolar organisation, and that Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression is a simple and efficient method for in vivo assays of sub-cellular markers in this tissue. In the present study, this method revealed an unexpected difference between the anthocyan accumulating vacuole and the normal lytic vacuole labelled by Aleu-GFP.     

西瓜食酸菌Ⅲ型效应蛋白AopAI的鉴定及其功能初步分析

【背景】西瓜食酸菌（Acidovorax citrulli,Ac）引起的细菌性果斑病是葫芦科植物重要的病害之一,通过Ⅲ型分泌系统（type Ⅲ secreted system,T3SS）分泌至植物体内的Ⅲ型效应蛋白（type Ⅲ effector,T3E）是该菌重要的致病因子,目前对Ac T3E的认识仍然非常有限。【目的】鉴定西瓜食酸菌候选的T3E Acidovorax outer protein AI （AopAI）,分析其对Ac致病力的影响和干扰植物免疫的方式。【方法】利用生物信息学方法分析AopAI序列特征、AvrBs1无毒报告系统验证蛋白转运功能;通过荧光定量PCR技术分析aopAI基因表达的调控及其对植物病原相关分子模式（pathogen-associated molecular pattern,PAMP）激发的免疫反应（PAMP-triggered immunity,PTI）信号通路标记基因表达的影响;利用基因插入突变和基因功能互补方法,检测菌的致病力、植物组织过氧化氢和胼胝质积累量的变化;运用瞬时表达技术分析AopAI亚细胞定位和其抑制激发子诱导细胞死亡的能力。【结果】AopAI蛋白序列中不含跨膜螺旋区和信号肽,含有二磷酸腺苷（adenosine diphosphate,ADP）核糖基转移酶保守结构域;在T3SS核心基因hrpG和hrpX突变体中aopAI基因表达量显著降低;表达AopAI及AvrBs1功能区（59-445 aa）的avrBs1突变体可诱导ECW-10R辣椒叶发生过敏性坏死反应,表明AopAI具有转运功能;aopAI基因突变体在黄瓜子叶上的致病力减弱,但与其互作的黄瓜子叶组织中过氧化氢和胼胝质的含量均显著增加;AopAI在本氏烟叶瞬时表达后,显示其定位于细胞膜和细胞核,还表现抑制激发子NIP诱导的叶细胞死亡,导致叶细胞的PTI信号通路标记基因GRAS2和ACRE31的表达量显著降低。【结论】在西瓜食酸菌中具有一个定位于细胞核和细胞膜、有ADP核糖基转移酶结构域的T3E蛋白AopAI,该T3E是能够抑制NIP诱导的细胞死亡的毒性蛋白,通过抑制ACRE31调节的免疫途径降低植物过氧化氢和胼胝质的积累,以抑制植物PTI防御反应机制。     

Expression,purification and biophysical characterization of recombinant Streptomyces violaceoruber phospholipase PLA2 overproduced in Pichia pastoris

Abstract

Aim: The main purpose of this work was to develop new protocols for high yield purification of secretory phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and to investigate its biophysical properties.

Materials and methods: We have used a Pichia pastoris expression system for PLA2 expression and two-stage chromatography for its purification. The biophysical properties of PLA2 were investigated by circular dichroism.

Results: A scalable method for high yield purification of recombinant Streptomyces violaceruber PLA2 was developed. The PLA2 from S. violaceruber was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast P. pastoris. Functional active phospholipase A2 with specific activity 73?U/mg was purified with a concentration of at least 3?mg/mL. The role of different divalent ions in PLA2 thermostability were evaluated. Ca²⁺ and Ba²⁺ ions significantly increased thermostability of the enzyme.     

球囊菌胁迫中华蜜蜂幼虫肠道过程中病原的转录组学研究

【目的】本研究利用RNA-seq技术对球囊菌胁迫的中华蜜蜂(中蜂)幼虫肠道进行深度测序,经趋势分析得到差异表达基因(DEGs)的显著表达模式,进而对胁迫过程中的球囊菌进行转录组学分析。【方法】利用Illumina HiSeq 2500平台对球囊菌胁迫的中蜂幼虫肠道进行深度测序,并利用相关软件进行了深入分析。最后,通过RT-qPCR对RNA-seq数据进行了验证。【结果】本研究共得到球囊菌的41133932条高质量clean reads。22865个DEGs共聚类为8个基因表达模式,其中,16769个DEGs聚类为2个显著上调趋势与2个显著下调趋势。GO富集分析结果显示,显著上调与显著下调趋势中的DEGs分别富集于40与37个GO term,基因富集数最多的为细胞进程(2486 unigenes)。KEGG代谢通路(pathway)富集分析结果显示,显著上调与显著下调趋势中的DEGs分别富集于119和112个pathway,基因富集数最多的分别是氨基酸生物合成(127 unigenes)与核糖体(98 unigenes)。进一步分析表明球囊菌在胁迫中蜂幼虫肠道的过程中通过提高物质合成促进其增殖,而宿主通过抑制球囊菌的蛋白合成抵御病原入侵。富集在MAPK信号通路的11个DEGs的表达水平随着胁迫时间的延长而逐渐下降,推测中蜂幼虫通过抑制该通路而阻遏球囊菌增殖。【结论】本研究不仅为揭示白垩病过程中的球囊菌-中蜂幼虫互作提供了重要信息,也为阐明不同抗性蜂种的球囊菌抗性差异奠定了基础。     

嗜水气单胞菌ntrC调控的生理功能及其机制研究

[目的] NtrC是一种与DNA结合的转录调控因子,在激活氮同化基因的转录和维持氮源供应中具有重要作用,本研究拟探究其对嗜水气单胞菌生理功能的影响及其作用机理。[方法] 本研究采用同源重组方法构建了嗜水气单胞菌ATCC 7966 ntrC的缺失株,并以野生株为对照,对缺失株的生理表型进行测定和分析,利用定量蛋白质组学技术比较野生株和ntrC缺失株的蛋白表达差异。[结果] 发现敲除ntrC基因后,嗜水气单胞菌在缺氮、渗透压、重金属离子、氧化以及不同抗生素胁迫下的耐受性都发生显著变化,且这些表型在其补救菌株中均能得到恢复。定量蛋白质组学分析发现,野生株和ntrC缺失株的差异表达蛋白可能参与氨基酸生物合成、抗坏血酸和醛糖酸盐等代谢通路的调控。[结论] 本研究阐明了ntrC在嗜水气单胞菌中的重要作用及其对细菌生物学功能的影响,探讨了ntrC直接或间接调控的蛋白与生理表型之间的联系,研究结果可为未来水产致病菌的防治提供理论支持。     

梨果黑斑病菌AaCaMK基因克隆、生物信息学分析及其在侵染结构分化中的表达分析

[背景] 钙/钙调素依赖型蛋白激酶（Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase,CaMK）是真核生物细胞钙信号途径中钙调素下游的一类重要靶蛋白,对病原物生长、胁迫响应及致病性等具有重要的调控作用。[目的] 对梨果黑斑病菌互隔交链孢（Alternaria alternata）AaCaMK基因进行克隆、生物信息学分析,并对其在侵染结构分化过程中的基因表达情况进行分析,为进一步研究梨果黑斑病菌钙离子信号途径中AaCaMK对A.alternata侵染结构分化调控的分子机制提供一定的理论依据。[方法] 采用同源克隆法从A. alternata JT-03中克隆得到3个AaCaMK基因;通过TMHMM、ProtScale、SOPMA等软件对AaCaMK基因进行生物信息学分析;利用实时荧光定量PCR （RT-qPCR）技术分析AaCaMK在梨果黑斑病菌侵染结构分化过程中的表达情况。[结果] 克隆得到片段分别为1 212、1 200、2 349 bp的AaCaMK1、AaCaMK2和AaCaMK3基因;生物信息学分析表明,AaCaMK1、AaCaMK2和AaCaMK3均含有典型的蛋白激酶超家族催化结构域（PKC_Like Superfamily）,并且AaCaMK1和AaCaMK2共同含有CaMK类丝/苏氨酸蛋白激酶催化结构域（STKc_CaMK）,AaCaMK3含有LKB1/CaMKK类丝/苏氨酸蛋白激酶催化结构域（STKc_LKB1_CaMKK）;同源性分析表明,AaCaMK1、AaCaMK2和AaCaMK3分别与玉米大斑病菌CAK1、CAK2和CAK3的相似性高达94.32%、97.49%和86.57%;RT-qPCR分析表明,AaCaMK1、AaCaMK2和AaCaMK3在疏水及果蜡诱导A. alternata侵染结构分化过程中均显著上调表达（P<0.05）,而且果蜡诱导作用更显著。其中AaCaMK1和AaCaMK2在附着胞形成时期（6 h）表达量为对照的1.51倍和3.05倍,而AaCaMK3在侵染菌丝形成阶段（8 h）表达量最高,为对照的2.86倍,并且在果蜡诱导下,这3个基因在芽管伸长阶段（4 h）的上调表达量显著高于疏水界面。[结论] 钙信号中AaCaMK基因在疏水及果蜡诱导A.alternata侵染结构分化过程中发挥重要的调控作用。     

INTRACELLULAR Ca2+-MOBILIZING ADENINE NUCLEOTIDES. SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF CYCLIC ADP-CARBOCYCLIC-RIBOSE AND C-GLYCOSIDIC ANALOG OF ADENOPHOSTIN A

We designed novel Ca²⁺-mobilizing purine nucleotides, cyclic ADP-carbocycl-icribose 4, and its inosine congener 5, and C-glycosidic adenophostin A 6. In the synthesis of cADPR analogs, the intramolecular condensation to form the pyrophosphate linkage should be the key step. We developed an efficient method for forming such an intramolecular pyrophosphate linkage by the activation of the phenylthiophosphate group with I₂ or AgNO₃. Using this method, we achieved to synthesize the target compounds 4 and 5. The synthesis of C-glycosidic analog 6 of adenophostin A was achieved using a temporary silicon-tethered radical coupling reaction for constructing (3′α, 1″α)-C-glycosi-dic structure as the key step.     

Tissue polarity points from cells that have higher Frizzled levels towards cells that have lower Frizzled levels

Background: The frizzled (fz) gene of Drosophila encodes the founding member of the large family of receptors for the Wnt family of signaling molecules. It was originally studied in the adult epidermis, where it plays a key role in the generation of tissue polarity. Mutations in components of the fz signal transduction pathway disrupt tissue polarity; on the wing, hairs normally point distally but their polarity is altered by these mutations.Results: We devised a method to induce a gradient of fz expression with the highest levels near the distal wing tip. The result was a large area of proximally pointing hairs in this region. This reversal of polarity was seen when fz expression was induced just before the start of hair morphogenesis when polarity is established, suggesting that the gradient of Fz protein acted fairly directly to reverse hair polarity. A similar induction of the dishevelled (dsh) gene, which acts cell autonomously and functions downstream of fz in the generation of tissue polarity, resulted in a distinct tissue polarity phenotype, but no reversal of polarity; this argues that fz signaling was required for polarity reversal. Furthermore, the finding that functional dsh was required for the reversal of polarity argues that the reversal requires normal fz signal transduction.Conclusions: The data suggest that cells sense the level of Fz protein on neighboring cells and use this information in order to polarize themselves. A polarizing signal is transmitted from cells with higher Fz levels to cells with lower levels. Our observations enable us to propose a general mechanism to explain how Wnts polarize target cells.     

LncRNA13164通过ace-miR-4968-y调节中华蜜蜂幼虫对蜜蜂球囊菌侵染的免疫应答

【目的】长链非编码RNA (long non-coding RNA,lncRNA)可通过竞争性内源RNA(competing endogenous RNA,ce RNA)等多种方式发挥重要的调控作用,但蜜蜂lncRNA的功能研究至今依然缺失,lncRNA在蜜蜂免疫应答中的作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在揭示中华蜜蜂(Apis cerana cerana,简称中蜂)幼虫响应蜜蜂球囊菌(Ascosphaera apis)侵染的免疫应答中lncRNA的调控功能及作用机制。笔者团队前期通过深度测序和生物信息学分析发现,lncRNA13164与ace-miR-4968存在靶向关系且潜在参与在中蜂幼虫对蜜蜂球囊菌侵染的应答。【方法】利用实时荧光定量PCR (real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction,RT-qPCR)检测蜜蜂球囊菌接种后中蜂幼虫肠道内lncRNA13164的表达谱。采用ILoc-Lnc RNA软件预测lncRNA13164的亚细胞定位。联用RNAhybrid、Miranda和Target Scan软件预测lnc...     

An efficient method for mutant library creation in Pichia pastoris useful in directed evolution

Abstract

The yeast Pichia pastoris is being increasingly used as a host for expressing enzymes on a large scale, but application in directed evolution requiring efficient expression of libraries of mutants is hampered due to the time-consuming multistep procedure which includes an intermediate bacterial host (Escherichia coli). Here we introduce a fast and highly simplified method to produce gene libraries in P. pastoris expression vectors. For the purpose of illustration, Galactomyces geotrichum lipase 1 (GGL1) was used as the catalyst in the enantioselective hydrolytic kinetic resolution of 2-methyldecanoic acid p-nitrophenyl ester, the gene mutagenesis method being saturation mutagenesis. The phosphorylated linear plasmid which is integrated in the yeast genome was obtained by combination of partially overlapped fragments using overlap-extension PCR. An intermediate bacterial host is not necessary, neither are restriction enzymes. This method is also applicable when using error-prone PCR for library creation in directed evolution.     

海洋来源节菱孢菌ZSDS1-F3中PKS-NRPS类天然产物挖掘

【目的】以基因组信息为指导,定向激活海洋来源真菌Arthrinium arundinisZSDS1-F3中沉默的聚酮合成酶-非核糖体肽合成酶(PKS-NRPS)类生物合成基因簇,鉴定次级代谢产物结构。【方法】通过启动子工程和异源表达的策略激活实验室培养条件下沉默或低表达的生物合成基因簇,实现目标化合物的分离,通过HR-ESI-MS和NMR数据分析鉴定产物结构,结合基因重组和生物信息学分析结果推导化合物的生物合成途径。【结果】依据基因组生物信息学分析,从海洋来源真菌A. arundinis ZSDS1-F3中选取一个编码PKS-NRPS类次级代谢产物的生物合成基因簇开展研究,在宿主Aspergillus nidulansA1145中实现了基因簇的异源表达,从中分离到2个新化合物,并推导了其生物合成途径。【结论】基因组信息指导下的天然产物挖掘,可以目标明确地分离产物,加快真菌中新颖天然产物的发现步伐。     

基于双层BiGRU网络的哺乳动物组织m6A甲基化位点预测

目的 N⁶-甲基化腺苷（N⁶-methyladenosine，m⁶A）是RNA中最常见、最丰富的化学修饰，在很多生物过程中发挥着重要作用。目前已经发展了一些预测m⁶A甲基化位点的计算方法。然而，这些方法在针对不同物种或不同组织时，缺乏稳健性。为了提升对不同组织中m⁶A甲基化位点预测的稳健性，本文提出一种能结合序列反向信息来提取数据更高级特征的双层双向门控循环单元（bidirectional gated recurrent unit，BiGRU）网络模型。方法 本文选取具有代表性的哺乳动物组织m⁶A甲基化位点数据集作为训练数据，通过对模型网络、网络结构、层数和优化器等进行搭配，构建双层BiGRU网络。结果 将模型应用于人类、小鼠和大鼠共11个组织的m⁶A甲基化位点预测上，并与其他方法在这11个组织上的预测能力进行了全面的比较。结果表明，本文构建的模型平均预测接受者操作特征曲线下面积（area under the receiver operating characteristic curve，AUC）达到93.72%，与目前最好的预测方法持平，而预测准确率（accuracy，ACC）、敏感性（sensitivity，SN）、特异性（specificity，SP）和马修斯相关系数（Matthews correlation coefficient，MCC）分别为90.07%、90.30%、89.84%和80.17%，均高于目前的m⁶A甲基化位点预测方法。结论 和已有研究方法相比，本文方法对11个哺乳动物组织的m⁶A甲基化位点的预测准确性均达到最高，说明本文方法具有较好的泛化能力。     

染色体DNA琼脂糖包埋法辅助的ExoCET技术克隆放线菌天然产物生物合成基因簇

【目的】本研究旨在通过将琼脂糖包埋染色体DNA的方法与ExoCET重组技术相结合,建立放线菌天然产物生物合成基因簇的捕获方法。然后将克隆基因簇导入通用底盘宿主中,实现目标生物合成基因簇的异源表达。【方法】首先,利用低熔点琼脂糖包埋技术制备菌株的染色体基因组总DNA,再用限制性内切酶消化含有染色体DNA的琼脂块,获得线性化的DNA样品;然后利用ExoCET重组技术,以p15A线性载体片段将目标基因簇线性片段进行捕获;再通过PCR-targeting的方法向目标质粒中引入所需的接合转移DNA元件。接着,将改造质粒通过接合转移导入到Streptomyces coelicolor M1252宿主中,获得不同的重组菌株。最后,对不同的菌株进行发酵并提取化合物,最后进行活性检测以及质谱检测。【结果】通过该方法,从菌株S.lincolnensisNRR2936中成功获得了林可霉素生物合成基因簇(lmb-BGC),从菌株Nonomuraea nitratireducens WYY166^T中克隆得到了2个核糖体肽类化合物的生物合成基因簇(nioblantin,niob-BGC和nitblantin,nitb-BGC),并实现了lmb-BGC在天蓝色链霉菌M1252中的成功表达。【结论】本研究通过将低熔点琼脂糖包埋技术与ExoCET重组技术进行合理整合,定向克隆得到了林可霉素以及2个新颖的羊毛硫肽类化合物的生物合成基因簇。然后,分别对重组质粒改造后,在天蓝色链霉菌M1252宿主中进行表达,分别获得重组菌株MJX01、MJX02和MJX04。最后,利用质谱以及活性测试的手段对发酵提取物进行了检测,确定了林可霉素生物合成基因簇在天蓝色链霉菌M1252中成功表达。本研究为通过基因簇克隆和异源表达发掘新化合物奠定了基础。     

嗜虫耶尔森氏菌HlyA及HasA外分泌表达系统的构建

【目的】构建一株具备外分泌蛋白功能的工程菌,解决杀虫毒素无法由胞内分泌至胞外,无法直接作用于虫体等问题,为松墨天牛防治提供新思路。【方法】本研究先测定从松墨天牛肠道及其生境中分离出的嗜虫耶尔森氏菌(CSLH88)的生长特性及抗性,进而对其进行分子改造。构建HlyA (pGHKW2)以及HasA (pGHKW4)外分泌表达载体,利用电穿孔法将其转入CSLH88菌株,获得能够表达绿色荧光蛋白的工程菌。利用稀释涂板及荧光体式镜检测技术对两个质粒进行遗传稳定性检测,并采用SDS-PAGE及Western blotting技术验证蛋白外分泌功能。【结果】CSLH88菌株培养2–4 h能够进入对数生长期,并对卡那霉素(Kan)敏感。成功构建了含有Kan抗性基因的pGHKW2(GenBank:MK562405)和pGHKW4(GenBank:MK562404)两个外分泌表达载体的CSLH88工程菌株。其中,发现pGHKW4质粒更加适合在嗜虫耶尔森氏菌中稳定遗传。SDS-PAGE及Western blotting检测结果表明HlyA系统无法在CSLH88菌株中将目的蛋白分泌到胞外,而HasA系统则可以有效地发挥外分泌表达功能。【结论】通过对HlyA及HasA两个外分泌表达系统进行研究,从中筛选出HasA型血红素转运系统作为CSLH88菌株的外分泌表达系统,为后续外分泌杀虫毒素蛋白菌株构建以及CSLH88菌株的致病性研究奠定基础。     

L-Asparaginase from E. chrysanthemi expressed in glycoswitch®: effect of His-Tag fusion on the extracellular expression

Abstract

L-Asparaginase (L-ASNase) is an important enzyme used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia, recombinantly produced in a prokaryotic expression system. Exploration of alternatives production systems like as extracellular expression in microorganisms generally recognized as safe (such as Pichia pastoris Glycoswitch^®) could be advantageous, in particular, if this system is able to produce homogeneous glycosylation. Here, we evaluated extracellular expression into Glycoswitch^® using two different strains constructions containing the asnB gene coding for Erwinia chrysanthemi L-ASNase (with and without His-tag), in order to find the best system for producing the extracellular and biologically active protein. When the His-tag was absent, both cell expression and protein secretion processes were considerably improved. Three-dimensional modeling of the protein suggests that additional structures (His-tag) could adversely affect native conformation and folding from L-ASNase and therefore the expression and cell secretion of this enzyme.     

构建链霉菌无细胞平台挖掘套索肽类天然产物

【目的】套索肽作为一类核糖体翻译后修饰肽(RiPPs)广泛分布于放线菌中,以其独特的修饰结构和多样的生理活性受到了广泛的关注。为了更好地研究未知的套索肽,期望开发基于链霉菌的无细胞转录翻译平台(下称“无细胞平台”)实现无细胞合成套索肽或其前体肽。【方法】首先尝试以不同的链霉菌构建无细胞合成平台,并以绿色荧光蛋白为报告蛋白对平台产率进行优化;在构建合适稳定的表达体系后,将包含有套索肽生物合成基因的质粒引入体系中以探索套索肽的无细胞合成。【结果】在对基于模式菌株Streptomyces lividans TK24的无细胞体系进行制备工艺、体系组分、反应条件等多个参数进行优化后,该体系最高能达到90μg/mL的荧光蛋白表达量;基于该体系成功表达了目标套索肽的前体肽,并通过融合SUMO标签增加前体肽在该体系中的稳定性。【结论】本研究成功构建了一类链霉菌无细胞平台,为丰富来源的基因表达提供了可能性。尽管该体系在对表达套索肽未知蛋白的适用性上仍有待进一步提升,但无细胞平台在天然产物的探索中将起到越来越重要的作用。     

Synthesis of 1-(2,3-Dideoxy-β-d-glycero-pent-2-enofuranosyl)thymine (d4T; Stavudine) from 5-Methyluridine

Abstract

A practical synthetic method of d4T (3) from 5-methyluridine (2a) was developed. The Marumoto-Mansuri method was modified using 2′,3′-O-methoxy-ethylidene-5-methyluridine (10) as an intermediate to afford 1-(3,5-di-O-acetyl-2-bromo-2-deoxy-β-D-ribofuranosyl)thymine (6a) in high yield with less formation of by-products. The reaction mechanism was also discussed.