人类基因组计划与后基因组时代

2003年4月14日生命科学诞生了一个新的重要里程碑,人类基因组计划完成,后基因组时代正式来临。着重介绍了人类基因组计划的提出、目标与任务、实施与进展等方面的基本情况,讨论了后基因组时代的时间界定,分析展望了后基因组时代与人类基因组计划密切相关的生物信息学、功能基因组学、蛋白质组学、药物基因组学等几个重要研究领域 。     

比较基因组学和人类基因组研究

在人类基因组计划突飞猛进地开展的同时,模式生物基因组计划也在轰轰烈烈地进行,并取得许多实质性的进展,是人类对于模式生物基因组有了更广泛更深刻的认识。这些知识的积累,从根本上推动了人类基因组计划的进行。     

Role of the JNK/c-Jun/AP-1 signaling pathway in galectin-1-induced T-cell death

Galectin-1 (gal-1), an endogenous β-galactoside-binding protein, triggers T-cell death through several mechanisms including the death receptor and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In this study we first show that gal-1 initiates the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4), and MKK7 as upstream JNK activators in Jurkat T cells. Inhibition of JNK activation with sphingomyelinase inhibitors (20 μM desipramine, 20 μM imipramine), with the protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) inhibitor rottlerin (10 μM), and with the specific PKCθ pseudosubstrate inhibitor (30 μM) indicates that ceramide and phosphorylation by PKCδ and PKCθ mediate gal-1-induced JNK activation. Downstream of JNK, we observed increased phosphorylation of c-Jun, enhanced activating protein-1 (AP-1) luciferase reporter, and AP-1/DNA-binding in response to gal-1. The pivotal role of the JNK/c-Jun/AP-1 pathway for gal-1-induced apoptosis was documented by reduction of DNA fragmentation after inhibition JNK by SP600125 (20 μM) or inhibition of AP-1 activation by curcumin (2 μM). Gal-1 failed to induce AP-1 activation and DNA fragmentation in CD3-deficient Jurkat 31-13 cells. In Jurkat E6.1 cells gal-1 induced a proapoptotic signal pattern as indicated by decreased antiapoptotic Bcl-2 expression, induction of proapoptotic Bad, and increased Bcl-2 phosphorylation. The results provide evidence that the JNK/c-Jun/AP-1 pathway plays a key role for T-cell death regulation in response to gal-1 stimulation.     

EB病毒LMP-1上调鼻咽癌细胞系AP-1的活性

为了探讨 EB病毒潜伏膜蛋白 1 ( LMP- 1 )通过信号传导途径介导的致瘤分子机制 ,由此首先构建了 AP- 1报告基因 ,用佛波酯诱导确定了其报道 AP- 1的功能 ;通过建立荧光素酶双报道系统 ,研究了 LMP- 1表达对 AP- 1和 NFκB活性的影响 .研究发现 :在 LMP- 1阴性鼻咽癌 ( NPC)细胞系 ,导入 LMP- 1表达质粒后 ,AP- 1和 NFκB的活性均升高 4～ 5倍 ;而在 LMP- 1阳性 NPC细胞系中 ,当导入 LMP- 1反义表达质粒 ,AP- 1和 NFκB的活性则受抑制 ,活性下调 3～ 4倍 .结果表明 ,LMP- 1能上调 NPC细胞系 AP- 1的活性 ,同时再次证实了 LMP- 1能活化 NFκB.     

Identification of acidic dileucine signals in LRP9 that interact with both GGAs and AP-1/AP-2

The Golgi-localized, gamma-ear-containing, ADP ribosylation factor-binding family of monomeric clathrin adaptors (GGAs) is known to bind cargo molecules through short C-terminal peptide motifs conforming to the sequence DXXLL (X = any amino acid), while the heterotetrameric adaptors AP-1 and AP-2 utilize a similar but discrete sorting motif of the sequence [D,E]XXXL[L,I]. While it has been established that a single cargo molecule may contain either or both types of these acidic cluster-dileucine (AC-LL) sorting signals, there are no examples of cargo with overlapping GGA and AP-1/AP-2-binding motifs. In this study, we report that the cytosolic tail of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP)9 contains a bifunctional GGA and AP-1/AP-2-binding motif at its carboxy-terminus (EDEPLL). We further demonstrate that the internal EDEVLL sequence of LRP9 also binds to GGAs in addition to AP-2. Either AC-LL motif of LRP9 is functional in endocytosis. These findings represent the first study characterizing the trafficking of LRP9 and also have implications for the identification of additional GGA cargo molecules.     

The enhanced IL-18 production by UVB irradiation requires ROI and AP-1 signaling in human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT)

Based on our recent observation that enhanced IL-18 expression positively correlates with malignant skin tumors, such as SCC and melanoma, we examined the possible role of UVB, known to be associated with skin cancer development, in the enhancement of IL-18 production using primary human epidermal keratinocytes and human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. After cells were exposed to UVB irradiation in vitro, IL-18 production was examined by Northern blot analysis and ELISA, and it was found that IL-18 production is enhanced by UVB irradiation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, we confirmed that it is functionally active form of IL-18 using the inhibitor of caspase-1. The effect of UVB irradiation was blocked by antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which suggested the involvement of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) in the signal transduction of UVB irradiation-enhanced IL-18 synthesis. We also found that UVB irradiation increased AP-1 binding activity by using EMSA with AP-1-specific oligonucleotide. Furthermore, inhibitors of UVB-induced AP-1 activity, such as PD98059, blocked enhanced IL-18 production, indicating that AP-1 activation is required for UVB-induced IL-18 production. Taken together, our results suggest that UVB irradiation-enhanced IL-18 production is selectively mediated through the generation of ROI and the activation of AP-1.     

Biological Implications of Isochore Boundaries in the Human Genome

Abstract

The human genome is composed of large sequence segments with fairly homogeneous GC content, namely isochores, which have been linked to many important functions; biological implications of most isochore boundaries, however, remain elusive, partly due to the difficulty in determining these boundaries at high resolution. Using the segmentation algorithm based on the quadratic divergence, we re-determined all 79 boundaries of previously identified human isochores at single-nucleotide resolution, and then compared the boundary coordinates with other genome features. We found that 55.7% of isochore boundaries coincide with termini of repeat elements; 45.6% of isochore boundaries coincide with termini of highly conserved sequences based on alignment of 17 vertebrate genomes, i.e., the highly conserved genome sequence switches to a less or non-conserved one at the isochore boundary; some isochore boundaries coincide with abrupt change of CpG island distribution (note that one boundary can associate with more than one genome feature). In addition, sequences around isochore boundaries are highly conserved. It seems reasonable to deduce that the boundaries of all the isochores studied here would be replication timing sites in the human genome. These results suggest possible key roles of the isochore boundaries and may further our understanding of the human genome organization.     

红藻氨酸致敏癫痫大鼠海马内AP-1 DNA结合活性和成分的改变

一次皮下注射惊厥剂量（７．５ｍｇ／ｋｇ）的红藻氨酸（ｋａｉｎｉｃ ａｃｉｄ,ＫＡ）诱发Ｆｉｓｈｅｒ３４４大鼠出现急性癫痫发作,７ｄ后即可形成癫痫敏感大鼠,继用Ｇｅｌ ｓｈｉｆｔ、Ｓｕｐｅｒ－ｓｈｉｆｔ和Ｗｅｓｔｅｍ ｂｌｏｔ方法测定大鼠海马内ＡＰ－１ ＤＮＡ结合活性及其组成成分。Ｇｅｌ ｓｈｉｆｔ结合显示,癫痫敏感大鼠海马内ＡＰ－１ ＤＮＡ结合活性的基础水平较对照组为高;Ｓｕｐｅｒ－ｓｈｉｆｔ实研     

AP-1与STAT5相互作用协同调节血管紧张素原基因表达

为研究AP-1和STAT5协同调节血管紧张素原基因表达的作用机制,用凝胶电泳迁移率改变分析（EMSA）和染色质免疫沉淀分析（ChIP assay）检测血管紧张素Ⅱ（AngⅡ）诱导的AP-1和STAT5的DNA结合活性;用凝胶超迁移分析和免疫共沉淀方法观察AP-1和STAT5的相互作用. 结果显示,AngⅡ可分别促进AP-1和STAT5与血管紧张素原基因调控区顺式元件的结合以及二者之间的相互作用;核蛋白与含AP-1结合位点的寡核苷酸探针结合形成的复合物可与抗c-Jun抗体和抗STAT5抗体形成超迁移电泳区带;而用抗c-Jun抗体也可从STAT5 染色质免疫沉淀复合物洗脱液中检测到AP-1的存在. 而且,AP-1和STAT5的相互作用程度及其二者与DNA的结合活性与血管紧张素原表达活性具有一致关系,该效应可被JAK2特异抑制剂AG490所抑制. 上述结果提示,与顺式元件结合的AP-1和STAT5通过相互作用而形成四元复合物协同调节血管紧张素原基因的表达,JAK2对该过程具有诱导活化作用.