脱血红素细胞色素c的68~88肽段在插膜及与线粒体结合中具有关键作用

细胞色素c的前体蛋白——脱血红素细胞色素c是在细胞质中合成后运入线粒体的. 结合人工合成多肽及完整分子的缺失突变体探索了脱血红素细胞色素c跨膜转运中的关键肽段, 结果表明, 无论在单分子层插膜, 还是在与脂质体、线粒体的相互作用中, 脱血红素细胞色素c的68~88肽段都起着关键作用.     

表面压与紫膜含量对紫膜LB膜质量的影响

本文报导了用表面轮廓测量仪测量了不同表面压和不同紫膜含量下制备的紫膜LB膜中紫膜碎片的厚度。实验结果表明:单个紫膜碎片在紫脂LB膜中的厚度为50左右,相当数量的紫膜碎片之间有重叠。当表面压为30mN/m或紫膜碎片与大豆磷脂之重量比为20:1时,紫膜碎片容易进入到水相或碎片之间相互重叠变得更加严重。     

牛胰多肽与脂作用时插膜状态的研究

利用单层膜和荧光技术,研究牛胰多肽（ＢＰＰ）和磷脂单分子层及脂质体的相互作用。ＢＰＰ与磷脂单分子层作用的动力学曲线以及临界插膜压表明它和磷脂,尤其是酸性磷脂有较强的相互作用;荧光研究表明,与脂作用后多肽内源性荧光光谱峰位蓝移,说明发荧光的酪氨酸残基存在由亲水环境向疏水环境的转变。荧光猝灭实验表明多肽与脂作用后,其内源性酪氨酸残基荧光更不容易被碘盐所猝灭,提示酪氨酸残基受到了脂双层的屏蔽作用;自旋标记磷脂的猝灭实验计算结果表明ＢＰＰ插膜深度在磷脂头部与脂酰链交界处稍内侧     

天花粉蛋白可以插入含有天然细胞膜非胞质侧组分的磷脂膜

天花粉蛋白发挥细胞毒性需要跨过脂膜双分子层进入细胞质,但是这一过程的机制尚不清楚。在内吞过程中,膜的拓扑方向始终保持不变,天花粉蛋白首先接触磷脂膜双分子层的非胞质一侧。利用混合磷脂制备的磷脂单分子层和磷脂双分子膜来模拟天然细胞膜的非胞质侧,检验了天花粉蛋白与该混合磷脂膜问的相互作用。结果表明,在37℃、酸性pH下,天花粉蛋白对含有天然细胞膜非胞质侧组分的磷脂膜有较强的插膜能力;但在低温,如25℃、中性pH下,天花粉蛋白的插膜能力明显减弱。天花粉蛋白可以较深地插入混合磷脂膜双分子层中,使其色氨酸内源荧光被磷脂疏水尾链上的自旋基团淬灭。天花粉蛋白的插膜行为可以对磷脂膜产生瞬间的扰动,引起包裹的荧光染料泄漏。增加天花粉蛋白的浓度,可以促进天花粉蛋白与脂膜的相互作用。     

紫膜LB膜的结构特性研究

研究了紫膜LB膜中的紫膜碎片的结构特性。扫描电子显微镜观察表明,紫膜LB膜中单个紫膜碎片的直径大约为0.3微米。表面轮廓测量仪(简称台阶仪)观察到紫膜LB膜中的紫膜碎片的厚度为40—50。在不同的表面压和不同紫膜含量时测量了紫膜碎片在紫膜LB膜中的形态学分布,当表面压为30mN/m或紫膜与大豆磷脂的重量比大于20:1时,紫膜碎片容易重叠或凝聚。     

淀粉样蛋白Aβ的插膜作用可以抑制其形成纤维

作为老年性痴呆(AD)患者脑中淀粉样斑块的核心蛋白,β-淀粉样蛋白(Aβ)是从淀粉样前体蛋白(APP)水解而来。该蛋白是多种长度多肽的混合物,其中Aβ40和Aβ42是主要组分。分别研究了膜中胆固醇含量及溶液pH对Aβ40和Aβ42形成纤维的影响。电镜观察发现,含有胆固醇的脂质体几乎可以完全抑制Aβ40的纤维形成,而低pH只能部分地抑制Aβ42的纤维形成。单层膜的实验证明这两种因素都有利于Aβ40和Aβ42的插膜。构象研究表明插膜会诱导Aβ40和Aβ42的二级结构发生不同的变化。结果说明,Aβ40和Aβ42的插膜作用能够在一定程度上抑制蛋白形成纤维,但两者具有不同的抑制机制。     

β淀粉样蛋白突变体的寡聚及插膜能力鉴定

β-淀粉样蛋白（β-amyloid peptide, Aβ）的插膜与寡聚是导致阿尔茨海默症（Alzheimer disease, AD）发病的重要事件。已有研究证明,Aβ氨基酸序列29～36与1～28依靠“核心疏水簇”（central hydrophobic cluster,CHC）的作用形成一个稳定的β-发夹结构,Aβ1-40/Aβ1-42的插膜与寡聚需要作用于序列37～40/37～42从而解除序列29～36与N-端之间的结合,但各基元序列如何互作从而贡献出Aβ的寡聚及插膜行为仍不清楚。本文主要研究Aβ1-28、Aβ1-36、Aβ1-40、Aβ1-42、Aβ11-42、Aβ17-42等突变体的寡聚和插膜能力,并探讨各基元序列（motif）在突变体插膜与寡聚过程中的相互作用。Western印迹、硫黄素T荧光分析、透射电镜等实验检测寡聚能力,模型膜实验比较插膜能力。结果显示：与Aβ1-28及Aβ1-36相比,Aβ1-42、Aβ11-42及Aβ17-42均具有较强的寡聚及插膜能力,说明C-端序列37～42在Aβ寡聚及插膜过程中具有重要的起始作用;Aβ1-42及Aβ1-40可以形成原纤维及纤维,但Aβ11-42、Aβ17-42却不能,这显示序列1～17可以稳定纤维结构。Aβ1-28及Aβ1-36插膜及寡聚能力弱,暗示这两个突变体可能形成了不容易插膜且不容易寡聚的自身稳定结构。上述结果证明,Aβ蛋白C-端是诱导插膜与寡聚的主因,N-端可以稳定长纤维,但对插膜和寡聚的影响并不大,中间肽段很可能形成一个自身稳定的区域,这在一定程度上解释Aβ基元序列的相互作用,但具体氨基酸互作分子机制及抑制方法还需进一步研究。     

大豆磷脂脂质体对再灌注心肌线粒体的影响

利用Ｌａｎｇｅｎｄｏｒｆｆ离体心脏灌流装置,研究在缺血－再灌注时补充大豆磷脂脂质体对心肌线粒体膜脂质特性和超微结构的影响。结果：在缺血－再灌注时补充大豆磷脂脂质体可提高线粒体膜磷脂含量,抑制胆固醇－磷脂摩尔比和膜脂质微粘度的增加,改善线粒体的超微结构。结果表明,补充大豆磷脂脂质体对再灌注心肌线粒体的脂质特性和超微结构的损伤性变化具有保护作用。     

突触结合蛋白Ⅰ的胞质片段与磷脂膜的相互作用

突触结合蛋白Ⅰ是神经细胞突触囊泡上的一个膜整合蛋白,C2AB是其具有重要功能的胞质片段.近年的研究表明,突触结合蛋白Ⅰ在钙引发的神经递质快速释放过程中起到钙感受器的作用,它与神经细胞突触前膜的相互作用与其生理功能有关,但是其作用机制还不清楚.利用气/液单层膜技术结合荧光发射光谱和圆二色光谱技术,发现C2AB倾向于插入带负电荷的磷脂膜中(如磷脂酰丝氨酸),而且插膜是钙依赖性的;对于不带电荷的磷脂不插膜.C2AB与膜之间的作用力主要为静电力.荧光发射光谱和圆二色光谱结果显示,它与膜相互作用时二级结构不发生显著变化.结果表明,突触结合蛋白Ⅰ钙依赖的插入负电荷膜特点,可以帮助解释其钙感受器的作用机制.     

脱血红素细胞色素c与膜结合及插膜时的构象研究

应用特殊的单分子层样品制备技术,分别制备了与中性、酸性磷脂膜结合的和完全插膜的鸡心脱血红素细胞色素c样品,并运用圆二色谱(CD)、表面衰减全反射Fourier变换红外光谱(ATR-FTIR)对膜上蛋白的构象进行了鉴定.研究结果表明,蛋白在与膜结合及插入阶段的构象是不同的,膜界面性质的不同也会对蛋白的构象产生不同的诱导,在酸性磷脂DSPG膜表面,该蛋白是以α螺旋和β折叠混合的构象形式结合;而在中性磷脂DSPC膜表面是以β折叠为主的构象形式结合.插入 DOPG单分子层内时则是 α螺旋为主的构象形式.     

Structural studies of eukaryotic cytochrome c modified at methionine-65.

1H n.m.r. spectra were recorded in both oxidation states for the following species: tuna cytochrome c, tuna [carboxymethylmethionine-65]cytochrome c, horse cytochrome c and horse [homoserine-65]cytochrome c. The experiments give the assignments of the singlet methyl resonances of methionine-65 and the N-terminal acetyl group. The modification at methionine-65 is shown to cause an extremely small structural perturbation to one part of the molecule close to the site of modification.     

Identification of the ligand-exchange process in the alkaline transition of horse heart cytochrome c.

Magnetic-circular-dichroism (m.c.d.) spectra over the wavelength range 300-2000 nm at room temperature and at 4.2K of horse heart cytochrome c are reported at a series of pH values between 7.8 and 11.0, encompassing the alkaline transition. The effect of glassing agents on the e.p.r. spectrum at various pH values is also reported. Comparison of these results with spectra obtained for the n-butylamine adduct of soybean leghaemoglobin support the hypothesis that lysine is the sixth ligand in the alkaline form of horse heart cytochrome c. The m.c.d. and e.p.r. spectra of horse heart cytochrome c in the presence of 1-methylimidazole have also been examined. These studies strongly suggest that histidine-18, the proximal ligand of the haem, is the ionizing group that triggers the alkaline transition. Low-temperature m.c.d. and e.p.r. spectra are also reported for Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c551. It is shown that no ligand exchange takes place at the haem in this species over the pH range 6.0-11.3.     

Structural role of the tyrosine residues of cytochrome c.

The tertiary structures of horse, tuna, Neurospora crassa, horse [Hse65,Leu67]- and horse [Hse65,Leu74]-cytochromes c were studied with high-resolution 1H n.m.r. spectroscopy. The amino acid sequences of these proteins differ at position 46, which is occupied by phenylalanine in the horse proteins but by tyrosine in the remaining two, and at positions 67, 74 and 97, which are all occupied by tyrosine residues in horse and tuna cytochrome c but in the other proteins are substituted by phenylalanine or leucine, though there is only one such substitution per protein. The various aromatic-amino-acid substitutions do not seriously affect the protein structure.     

The conformation of eukaryotic cytochrome c around residues 39, 57, 59 and 74.

1H-n.m.r. studies of horse, tuna, Candida krusei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytochromes c showed that each of the proteins contains a similar cluster of residues at the bottom of the protein that assists in shielding the haem from the solvent. The relative positions of the residues forming these clusters vary continuously with temperature, and they change with the change in protein redox state. This conformational heterogeneity is discussed with reference to the conformational flexibility of cytochrome c around residues 57, 59 and 74. Spectroscopic measurements of pKa values for Lys-55 (horse and tuna cytochromes c) and His-33 and His-39 (C. krusei and S. cerevisiae cytochromes c) are in excellent agreement with expectations based on chemical-modification studies of horse cytochrome c. [Bosshard & Zürrer (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 6694-6699] and on the X-ray-crystallographic structure of tuna cytochrome c [Takano & Dickerson (1981) J. Mol. Biol. 153, 79-94, 95-115].     

Interactions of cytochromes b5 and c with phospholipid monolayers

Monolayers of charged and neutral phospholipids at the air/water interface containing the cytochromes b5 and c are studied by film balance techniques and by fluorescence microscopy. A new technique is introduced to obtain a defined and homogeneous protein distribution within the membrane. It is shown that both proteins preferentially partition into the fluid membrane phases coexisting with solid lipid domains, thus allowing formation of periodic protein distributions. Protein reconstitution in protein/lipid ratios up to 1:50 does not change the pressure, pi c, corresponding to the main lipid transition but changes the slope in the pressure/area isotherms. It also affects the pressure-induced lipid crystallization, in that the monolayer can be viewed as segregated into a protein-free and a protein-enriched phase. Whereas penetration of cytochrome c into the monolayer is highly dependent on lipid head group charge, this does not hold for cytochrome b. In both cases, monolayer penetration is monotonously reduced with increasing surface pressure, pointing to the dependence of hydrophobic protein-lipid interactions on hydrocarbon chain density.     

The solution structures of tuna and horse cytochromes c

The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of tuna ferricytochrome c and tuna ferrocytochrome c are described. Resonance assignments are made using NMR double-resonance techniques. A comparison of the NMR data for tuna cytochrome c with the previously reported data for horse cytochrome c shows that the proteins have virtually identical main-chain folds. Three regions of local conformational differences have been distinguished.     

Cytochrome c: ion binding and redox properties. Studies on ferri and ferro forms of horse, bovine, and tuna cytochrome c

The ion binding properties of horse, bovine, and tuna cytochrome c (both oxidized and reduced) have been measured using a combination of ultrafiltration, neutron activation, and ion chromatography. The ions investigated were chloride, phosphate, and Tris-cacodylate. Ion chromatography and neutron activation analysis techniques were employed to determine the concentration of free anions. Binding constants are obtained from modified Scatchard plots (in the range of 10-2000 M-1). The redox potentials for cytochrome c at different ionic strengths, pH 7.0, have been determined. In this paper we report the ionic strength and ion binding effects on the redox properties of horse, bovine, and tuna cytochrome c. Potential versus ionic strength dependence for horse, bovine, and tuna cytochrome c from the experimental data were compared with a theoretical model.     

Probing stability and dynamics of proteins by protease digestion. II: Identification of the initial chymotryptic cleavage sites of homologous cytochromes c

Three homologous cytochromes c from horse, rabbit and tuna were subjected to chymotryptic digestion and their initial cleavage sites were identified. The sites in oxidized cytochromes c are the COOH-terminal sides of Tyr-48, Phe-46 and Tyr-46 for horse, rabbit and tuna cytochromes c, respectively. The results show that the chymotrypsin attacks a single site in each protein; the sites are located at the almost identical position on the polypeptide chain. Through the time-course studies of digestion, it was found that the three cytochromes c have different chymotrypsin-susceptibility at the initial cleavage site in the order of horse less than rabbit less than tuna. Studies on chymotryptic digestion of tuna cytochrome c in the reduced form revealed that the haem-reduction does not alter the initial cleavage site but increases the resistance to the proteolysis at the site. The uniqueness of the initial cleavage site in each cytochrome c species suggests that the protease susceptibility reflects some overall properties of the protein. At the same time, it was clarified that the initial cleavage site is also affected by a neighboring region by the fact that another potential cleavage site is located near the site in question. In order to elucidate the initial cleavage site, several physical properties of tuna cytochrome c molecule deduced from the X-ray 3D structure, accessible surface area, temperature factor, effective hydrophobicity and electrostatic potential, were compared with the experimental results and it was concluded that these properties given by a residue have no direct relationship with the chymotrypsin susceptibility.     

Probing local thermal stabilities of bovine,horse, and tuna ferricytochromes<Emphasis Type="Italic"> c</Emphasis> at pH 7

Correlation between the flexibility of the Met80 loop (residues 75-86) and the local stabilities of native ferricytochromes c from horse, bovine, and tuna was examined. By monitoring the heme bands versus temperature, absorption changes associated with altered ligation in the alkaline isomers were observed. In addition, the intensity of the 695-nm absorption band, which is associated with the heme-crevice stability, decreased with increasing temperature and exhibited biphasic temperature dependence, with transition temperatures (Tc) at 35 degrees C in tuna c, 55 degrees C in horse c, and 58 C in bovine c. Since the heme crevice plays a key role in the thermal stabilities of cytochromes c, their susceptibility to proteolytic attack was examined as a function of temperature. Proteolytic digestion, which requires local conformational instability, revealed that the local stabilities of the cytochromes follow the order: bovine > horse > tuna, and increased digestion occurred at temperatures close to the 695-nm Tc for each protein. This is consistent with the actual substitution of the Met80 ligand above the 695-nm Tc, which is reflected in the thermodynamic parameters for the two phases. Also, tuna c, unlike horse and bovine c, exhibits different 695-nm (35 degrees C) and Soret (approximately 46 degrees C) Tc values, but its local stability is controlled by the transition detected at 695 nm. The combined spectroscopic and proteolysis results clearly indicate that the flexibility of the Met80 loop determines the local stability of cytochromes c.     

High-resolution three-dimensional structure of horse heart cytochrome c

The 1.94 A resolution three-dimensional structure of oxidized horse heart cytochrome c has been elucidated and refined to a final R-factor of 0.17. This has allowed for a detailed assessment of the structural features of this protein, including the presence of secondary structure, hydrogen-bonding patterns and heme geometry. A comprehensive analysis of the structural differences between horse heart cytochrome c and those other eukaryotic cytochromes c for which high-resolution structures are available (yeast iso-1, tuna, rice) has also been completed. Significant conformational differences between these proteins occur in three regions and primarily involve residues 22 to 27, 41 to 43 and 56 to 57. The first of these variable regions is part of a surface beta-loop, whilst the latter two are located together adjacent to the heme group. This study also demonstrates that, in horse cytochrome c, the side-chain of Phe82 is positioned in a co-planar fashion next to the heme in a conformation comparable to that found in other cytochromes c. The positioning of this residue does not therefore appear to be oxidation-state-dependent. In total, five water molecules occupy conserved positions in the structures of horse heart, yeast iso-1, tuna and rice cytochromes c. Three of these are on the surface of the protein, serving to stabilize local polypeptide chain conformations. The remaining two are internally located. One of these mediates a charged interaction between the invariant residue Arg38 and a nearby heme propionate. The other is more centrally buried near the heme iron atom and is hydrogen bonded to the conserved residues Asn52, Tyr67 and Thr78. It is shown that this latter water molecule shifts in a consistent manner upon change in oxidation state if cytochrome c structures from various sources are compared. The conservation of this structural feature and its close proximity to the heme iron atom strongly implicate this internal water molecule as having a functional role in the mechanism of action of cytochrome c.