ThiS可能作为一个原核翻译后修饰分子通过二硫键结合细胞蛋白

泛素及其相关蛋白是真核细胞中广泛存在的结构高度保守的一类小分子蛋白,参与蛋白翻译后修饰. 尽管在少数原核种属含有Pupylation这样的翻译后修饰,在原核细胞中尚未发现通用的泛素样修饰系统. ThiS是原核细胞广泛存在的泛素样小蛋白分子,它作为硫转运蛋白参与辅助因子的合成. 当与靶蛋白融合重组表达时,ThiS可降低靶蛋白在大肠杆菌中的稳定性. 本研究旨在探讨ThiS是否可能在原核细胞中参与翻译后修饰. ThiS在大肠杆菌中重组表达时,它可与细胞蛋白游离巯基发生共价结合,但与真核细胞泛素修饰不同,ThiS是通过12位半胱氨酸的游离巯基与蛋白形成二硫键,而不是通过C端活化的硫代羧基的转化过程发生共价结合. 在细胞内,氧化应激可诱导ThiS与蛋白的共价结合. 结果提示,ThiS在大肠杆菌中与细胞蛋白的结合,可能与真核细胞泛素化修饰在功能上存在进化联系;原核细胞中这种ThiS的结合形式可能代表一种古老的原核泛素样修饰方式.     

泛肽、核糖体蛋白及泛肽-核糖体蛋白S27a与肿瘤的关系

泛肽-核糖体蛋白S27a(Ubiquitin-ribosomal protein S27a,UBRS27a)是泛肽和核糖体蛋白的融合蛋白,N端为泛肽,C端由含C2-C2型锌指结构域的高度保守核糖体蛋白S27a构成。在真核细胞中表达时,被酶解成泛肽和核糖体蛋白。该多功能核糖体蛋白在各种活性增殖细胞和瘤组织中高度表达,在多种类型的肿瘤细胞中,该基因的过量表达是一个典型特征。本实验室对该蛋白在家蚕中的作了初步研究,也发现RPS27a在活性增殖细胞中表达量很高。大多数核糖体蛋白的功能还没有完全探明,它们不仅仅在组装成核糖体时起作用,往往还有核糖体外的功能。回顾了最近几年有关该融合蛋白以及与它相关的泛肽途径、核糖体蛋白与肿瘤之间的关系。通过对它们的研究,有可能预示肿瘤的发生和发展,并为肿瘤临床诊断提供依据,为恶性肿瘤的治疗提供靶点。     

Ubiquitin-metallothionein fusion protein expression in yeast. A genetic approach for analysis of ubiquitin functions

We have established a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genetic system that expresses the fusion protein ubiquitin-metallothionein. We have evaluated the effects of amino-terminal ubiquitination of metallothionein on the stability and function of metallothionein. The fusion protein of wild type ubiquitin and metallothionein was rapidly processed in vivo to release free ubiquitin and metallothionein. Site-directed mutants of ubiquitin-metallothionein expressed in yeast were used to study the specificity of the (alpha-NH2-ubiquitin) protein endopeptidases. The data suggest that amino-terminal ubiquitination is not a signal for the proteolysis of yeast metallothionein in yeast. We have also discovered that expression of selected ubiquitin mutants blocked the growth of yeast. The data suggest that in addition to its function as a proteolytic signal, ubiquitination of proteins plays multiple roles in the cell.     

一种新的遍在蛋白融合基因Uba256的克隆及表达

斜纹夜蛾核多角体病毒 (Spodopteralituramulticapsidnucleopolyhedrovirus ,SpltMNPV)的Uba2 5 6基因是已知昆虫病毒基因组中惟一编码遍在蛋白与GP37融合蛋白的基因。通过PCR方法扩增得到该基因及其N端的遍在蛋白编码区与C端的GP37编码区。将这 3个基因片段分别克隆至质粒pBV2 2 0与pQE30 ,构建得到重组质粒pB VUBCP、pQEUB与pQECP。pBVUBCP转化大肠杆菌DH5α ,经热激诱导表达了一条 38kD的蛋白带 ,证明Uba2 5 6表达的蛋白在大肠杆菌中没有发生剪切。pQEUB、pQECP转化大肠杆菌M15 ,经IPTG诱导 ,Western印迹分析结果表明遍在蛋白与GP37蛋白获得高效表达。以Ni2 NTA偶联抗体检测证明所表达的蛋白质均为融合蛋白质。纯化的融合蛋白质免疫新西兰大白兔可诱导产生特异抗体。ELISA和Western印迹检测结果显示 ,SpltMNPV遍在蛋白抗体及GP37抗体均与表达的融合蛋白质呈阳性反应 ,表明所表达的融合蛋白质仍保持原有蛋白质的免疫原性。以获得的抗体对感染SpltMNPV 72h的Sl zsu 1细胞进行检测 ,发现仅有一条 34kD的蛋白质带与GP37抗体发生特异反应 ;而有 4条分子量分别为 14、2 4、33、5 1kD的蛋白质带与遍在蛋白抗体发生特异反应 ,表明Uba2 5 6基因表达的蛋白质在宿主细胞内发生了剪切。     

Maltose-Binding Protein (MBP), a Secretion-Enhancing Tag for Mammalian Protein Expression Systems

Recombinant proteins are commonly expressed in eukaryotic expression systems to ensure the formation of disulfide bridges and proper glycosylation. Although many proteins can be expressed easily, some proteins, sub-domains, and mutant protein versions can cause problems. Here, we investigated expression levels of recombinant extracellular, intracellular as well as transmembrane proteins tethered to different polypeptides in mammalian cell lines. Strikingly, fusion of proteins to the prokaryotic maltose-binding protein (MBP) generally enhanced protein production. MBP fusion proteins consistently exhibited the most robust increase in protein production in comparison to commonly used tags, e.g., the Fc, Glutathione S-transferase (GST), SlyD, and serum albumin (ser alb) tag. Moreover, proteins tethered to MBP revealed reduced numbers of dying cells upon transient transfection. In contrast to the Fc tag, MBP is a stable monomer and does not promote protein aggregation. Therefore, the MBP tag does not induce artificial dimerization of tethered proteins and provides a beneficial fusion tag for binding as well as cell adhesion studies. Using MBP we were able to secret a disease causing laminin β2 mutant protein (congenital nephrotic syndrome), which is normally retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. In summary, this study establishes MBP as a versatile expression tag for protein production in eukaryotic expression systems.     

SARS冠状病毒NS融合蛋白的重组表达纯化与免疫学性质分析(英文)

刺突蛋白(S)和核心蛋白(N)是SARS冠状病毒的主要结构蛋白.在病毒细胞受体结合和病毒包装过程起重要作用.重组融合表达这2种蛋白具有较高的诊断学价值.对SARS病毒N蛋白和S蛋白氨基酸序列进行计算机分析,选择含有优势抗原表位的N蛋白1～227位氨基酸片段和S蛋白450～650位氨基酸片段,采用序列重叠延伸策略(sequenceoverlappingextension,SOE)构建编码N1227LinkerS450650新型融合蛋白的基因片段,导入原核表达载体,实现融合蛋白在大肠杆菌的高效表达.利用组氨酸标签亲和层析的方法纯化,获得高纯度的融合蛋白.对该融合蛋白的结构特征模拟分析的结果显示,其免疫化学性质均无显著改变.采用ELISA和Western印迹方法对其识别SARS冠状病毒特异性抗体的能力进行初步鉴定,显示该融合蛋白具有较好的抗原性和特异性,可有效特异性地检测恢复期SARS病人血清中抗SARS冠状病毒结构蛋白的抗体,可以作为SARS冠状病毒感染的辅助诊断手段.     

An efficient system for high-level expression and easy purification of authentic recombinant proteins

Expression of recombinant proteins as fusions to the eukaryotic protein ubiquitin has been found to significantly increase the yield of unstable or poorly expressed proteins. The benefit of this technique is further enhanced by the availability of naturally occurring deubiquitylating enzymes, which remove ubiquitin from the fusion product. However, the versatility of the system has been constrained due to the lack of a robust, easily purified deubiquitylating enzyme. Here we report the development of an efficient expression system, utilizing the ubiquitin fusion technique, which allows convenient high yield and easy purification of authentic protein. An Escherichia coli vector (pHUE) was constructed for the expression of proteins as histidine-tagged ubiquitin fusions, and a histidine-tagged deubiquitylating enzyme to cleave these fusions was expressed and purified. The expression system was tested using several proteins varying in size and complexity. These results indicate that this procedure will be suitable for the expression and rapid purification of a broad range of proteins and peptides, and should be amenable to high-throughput applications.     

Use of Ubiquitin Fusions to Augment Protein Expression in Transgenic Plants

A major goal of plant biotechnology is the production of genetically engineered crops that express natural or foreign proteins at high levels. To enhance protein accumulation in transgenic plants, we developed a set of vectors that express proteins and peptides as C-terminal translational fusions with ubiquitin (UBQ). Studies of several proteins in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) showed that: (a) proteins can be readily expressed in plants as UBQ fusions; (b) by the action of endogenous UBQ-specific proteases (Ubps), these fusions are rapidly and precisely processed in vivo to release the fused protein moieties in free forms; (c) the synthesis of a protein as a UBQ fusion can significantly augment its accumulation; (d) proper processing and localization of a protein targeted to either the apoplast or the chloroplast is not affected by the N-terminal UBQ sequence; and (e) single amino acid substitutions surrounding the cleavage site can inhibit in vivo processing of the fusion by Ubps. Noncleavable UBQ fusions of β-glucuronidase became extensively modified, with additional UBQs in planta. Because multiubiquitinated proteins are the preferred substrates of the 26S proteasome, noncleavable fusions may be useful for decreasing protein half-life. Based on their ability to augment protein accumulation and the sequence specificity of Ubps, UBQ fusions offer a versatile way to express plant proteins.     

可溶性HLA-A*0203-BSP原核表达载体的构建及其在大肠杆菌中的高效表达

目的：构建HLA-A*0203重链胞外域羧基端融合生物素化酶BirA底物肽(BSP)的融合蛋白（HLA-A*0203-BSP）的原核表达载体并在大肠杆菌中进行表达。方法：以RT-PCR方法从HLA-A2+ 供者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)中克隆HLA-A*0203重链基因的cDNA并测序鉴定,然后以PCR方法构建HLA-A*0203-BSP的原核表达载体,在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)菌株中诱导表达并以免疫印迹鉴定。结果：DNA测序显示,从3名HLA-A2+ 供者PBMC中克隆的cDNA中,只有从供者2获得编码HLA-A*0203重链基因的cDNA。将编码重链胞外域1-276的序列和编码BSP的序列融合,构建HLA-A*0203-BSP融合蛋白的原核表达载体并经测序验证。该融合蛋白在BL21(ED3)中获得高效表达,约占菌体总蛋白的30％;产物相对分子质量约为34 kD,与理论大小一致。Western印迹分析显示融合蛋白完全存在于包涵体中。结论：成功克隆HLA-A*0203重链基因的cDNA,构建HLA-A*0203-BSP融合蛋白的原核表达载体,并在大肠杆菌中获得高效表达,为制备HLA-A*0203四聚体打下基础。     

大鼠脑红蛋白(NGB)的原核表达、抗体制备及其细胞分布

脑红蛋白 (NGB)是新发现的与脑内氧供应密切相关的分子 .为了检测细胞内脑红蛋白的表达、亚细胞分布从而对该分子进行深入的功能研究 ,成功地将大鼠脑红蛋白基因编码区构建于原核表达载体pGEX 4T 2 ,转化大肠杆菌BL2 1(DE3) ,获得融合表达产物 .对含有融合蛋白的包含体进行溶解和复性 ,用谷胱甘肽S 转移酶 (GST)亲和层析柱纯化 ,通过免疫家兔获得了兔源性抗NGB多克隆抗体 .采用Western印迹分析技术 ,用该抗体检测NGB基因的真核表达产物 ,证明该抗体有较好的针对NGB蛋白的专一性 ,可用于对NGB的结构和功能研究 .同时 ,用该抗体进行免疫组化分析发现 ,正常成年大鼠神经系统中有较多的NGB免疫反应阳性细胞分布 ,提示NGB是与神经系统功能密切相关的重要分子     

Expression and accurate processing of yeast penta-ubiquitin in Escherichia coli

An expression vector (pSJyub-5) was constructed which contained five repeats of the "yeast ubiquitin gene" regulated by a heat-inducible lambda PL promoter. The vector, when expressed in Escherichia coli, produced a penta-ubiquitin of approximately 42 kDa. Purified penta-ubiquitin was found to be as active as the human mono-ubiquitin in the in vitro ATP/ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic assay of the reticulocyte lysate, indicating that the expressed gene product was recognized by the enzymes involved in the ATP/ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway. The inability of penta-ubiquitin to act as a substrate in the pyrophosphate exchange reaction with the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1 suggested that it had a carboxyl-terminal Asn, in agreement with the nucleotide sequence. In E. coli, the expressed penta-ubiquitin was processed correctly to mono-ubiquitin. The fidelity of processing in E. coli was confirmed by the following observations. The amino acid compositions of the processed mono-ubiquitin and human ubiquitin were similar. The 1H NMR spectrum of peaks representing amide hydrogens of the carboxyl-terminal Arg-74, Gly-75, and Gly-76 of the processed mono-ubiquitin was identical with that of human ubiquitin. The immunoreactivity of processed mono-ubiquitin and human ubiquitin against polyclonal antibodies that recognized epitope(s) only on the carboxyl terminus of ubiquitin were similar. The human and processed mono-ubiquitin were equally active in degrading 125I-bovine serum albumin in the ATP/ubiquitin-dependent in vitro proteolytic assay with reticulocyte lysates. In the pyrophosphate exchange assay with isolated ubiquitin activating enzyme E1, they were also equally reactive, confirming that the expressed and processed ubiquitin contained an intact carboxyl-terminal Gly-76. Purified penta-ubiquitin should prove to be a useful substrate for identifying and isolating processing enzyme(s) involved in the ATP/ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway.     

Systematic analysis of fusion and affinity tags using human aspartyl-tRNA synthetase expressed in E. coli

Fusion and affinity tags are popular tools for the expression of mammalian proteins in bacteria. To facilitate the selection of expression approaches, a systematic comparison was performed. We cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli ubiquitin- and SUMO-hDRS fusion proteins with biotin- or 6xHis-tags. The tagging of hDRS with ubiquitin or SUMO was necessary to express properly folded and biologically active enzyme. Similar enhancement of hDRS activity was obtained by fusion to ubiquitin or SUMO. Ubiquitin, SUMO, biotin, and hexahistidine tags did not appreciably interfere with hDRS activity. Fusion proteins were specifically cleaved without altering the N-terminal of hDRS. After cleavage hDRS remained soluble and active with a specific activity comparable to that of the fused protein. Similar activity was observed with biotin- and 6xHis-tagging of hDRS. Higher purity but significantly lower yields of hDRS were obtained using biotin-tagging. Overall we demonstrated ubiquitin and SUMO fusion proteins similarly enhanced the proper folding of hDRS expressed in E. coli. In comparison to previous expressions of hDRS as a GST fusion, ubiquitin, and SUMO fusions provided higher yields and easier purification and cleavage.     

Eukaryotic peptide deformylases. Nuclear-encoded and chloroplast-targeted enzymes in Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis (ecotype Columbia-0) genes, AtDEF1 and AtDEF2, represent eukaryotic homologs of the essential prokaryotic gene encoding peptide deformylase. Both deduced proteins contain three conserved protein motifs found in the active site of all eubacterial peptide deformylases, and N-terminal extensions identifiable as chloroplast-targeting sequences. Radiolabeled full-length AtDEF1 was imported and processed by isolated pea (Pisum sativum L. Laxton's Progress No. 9) chloroplasts and AtDEF1 and 2 were immunologically detected in Arabidopsis leaf and chloroplast stromal protein extracts. The partial cDNAs encoding the processed forms of Arabidopsis peptide deformylase 1 and 2 (pAtDEF1 and 2, respectively) were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using C-terminal hexahistidyl tags. Both recombinant Arabidopsis peptide deformylases had peptide deformylase activity with unique kinetic parameters that differed from those reported for the E. coli enzyme. Actinonin, a specific peptide deformylase inhibitor, was effective in vitro against Arabidopsis peptide deformylase 1 and 2 activity, respectively. Exposure of several plant species including Arabidopsis to actinonin resulted in chlorosis and severe reductions in plant growth and development. The results suggest an essential role for peptide deformylase in protein processing in all plant plastids.     

Purification of a ubiquitin protein peptidase from yeast with efficient in vitro assays

In eukaryotic cells ubiquitin is synthesized as a polyubiquitin protein or as a protein fused at the carboxyl terminus to other polypeptides. An enzyme activity, ubiquitin protein peptidase, has been proposed to process these precursors by cleaving the peptide bond between adjoining ubiquitin molecules or between ubiquitin and the fused peptides. Using the cleavage of a 35S-labeled yeast ubiquitin protein fused to a synthetic 38-residue peptide obtained by in vivo metabolic labeling in Escherichia coli in an expression system based on the interaction of bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase and its promoter, it is possible to detect a processing activity in soluble yeast extract. The specificity of the cleavage suggests this activity could be the in vivo processing activity for various ubiquitin precursor proteins in yeast cells. A similarly labeled ubiquitin protein fused to one cysteine residue was also utilized to detect an activity capable of removing a single cysteine residue from ubiquitin in a soluble extract. Employing assays based on the cleavage of labeled ubiquitin protein fusions, a ubiquitin protein peptidase activity from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was purified about 15,000-fold to yield a protein mixture consisting of only a few protein species. The major protein band which comigrated with the activities in in vitro assays has an apparent molecular weight of 29,000 when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two other protein species, about 20,000 and 10,000 in molecular weight, also comigrated with the in vitro activities throughout the purification procedure. Though our most purified protein fraction was shown to cleave various artificial ubiquitin protein fusions under our experimental conditions, it cannot cleave a ubiquitin dimer protein, suggesting the existence of functionally distinct ubiquitin protein peptidases. Our experimental protocol for preparing various labeled ubiquitin protein precursors provides a means to explore various processing enzymes existing in cells. The same protocol may also be adapted to prepare substrates for the study of other specific protein processing enzymes.     

A set of dual promoter vectors for high throughput cloning, screening, and protein expression in eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems from a single plasmid

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The ability to produce the same recombinant protein in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells offers many experimental opportunities. However, the cloning of the same gene into multiple plasmids is required, which is time consuming, laborious and still may not produce soluble, stable protein in sufficient quantities. We have developed a set of expression vectors that allows for ligation-independent cloning and rapid functional screening for protein expression in both E. coli and S. cerevisiae. RESULTS: A set of expression vectors was made that can express the same open reading frame in E. coli (via the T7 phage promoter) and in S. cerevisiae (via the CUP1 or MET25 promoter). These plasmids also contain the essential elements for replication and selection in both cell types and have several advantages: they allow for cloning of genes by homologous recombination in yeast, protein expression can be determined before plasmid isolation and sequencing, and a GST-fusion tag is added to aid in soluble expression and purification. We have also included a TEV recognition site that allows for the specific cleavage of the fusion proteins to yield native proteins. CONCLUSIONS: The dual promoter vectors can be used for rapid cloning, expression, and purification of target proteins from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems with the ability to study post-translation modifications.     

Tolerance for random recombination of domains in prokaryotic and eukaryotic translation systems: Limited interdomain misfolding in a eukaryotic translation system

It has been proposed that eukaryotic translation systems have a greater capacity for cotranslational folding of domains than prokaryotic translation systems, which reduces interdomain misfolding in multidomain proteins and, therefore, leads to tolerance for random recombination of domains. However, there has been a controversy as to whether prokaryotic and eukaryotic translation systems differ in the capacity for cotranslational domain folding. Here, to examine whether these systems differ in the tolerance for the random domain recombination, we systematically combined six proteins, out of which four are soluble and two are insoluble when produced in an Escherichia coli and a wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis systems, to construct a fusion protein library. Forty out of 60 two-domain proteins and 114 out of 120 three-domain proteins were more soluble when produced in the wheat system than in the E. coli system. Statistical analyses of the solubilities and the activities indicated that, in the wheat system but not in the E. coli system, the two soluble domains comprised mainly of beta-sheets tend to avoid interdomain misfolding and to fold properly even at the neighbor of the misfolded domains. These results demonstrate that a eukaryotic system permits the concomitance of a wider variety of domains within a single polypeptide chain than a prokaryotic system, which is probably due to the difference in the capacity for cotranslational folding. This difference is likely to be related to the postulated difference in the tolerance for random recombination of domains.     

血管紧张素(1-7)的受体MAS与PSD-95的相互作

经过对蛋白质MAS的氨基酸序列进行分析、比对发现,其羧基末端含有一段高度保守的PDZ结合模序.据此推测,MAS通过此模序可能会与某些PDZ蛋白质发生相互作用.将MAS羧基末端27个氨基酸所对应的DNA序列,克隆到原核表达载体pGEX-4T-1中,构建重组质粒pGEX-MAS-CT.将重组质粒转入大肠杆菌BL21内,经IPTG诱导,并用glutathione-Sepharose 4B纯化,得到纯化的融合蛋白GST-MAS-CT.以GST-MAS-CT为饵蛋白,利用GST pull down方法,在兔脑组织中筛选与MAS特异结合的蛋白质.结果表明,在兔脑组织中有多种蛋白质可以与MAS-CT特异结合,经Western印迹检验其中之一为突触后致密物质-95 (postsynaptic density protein 95, PSD -95).PSD-95与MAS的相互作用的研究结果,为研究完整的MAS与PSD-95的相互作用以及这种相互作用对MAS受体的功能的影响奠定了基础.     

A new general method for the biosynthesis of stable isotope-enriched peptides using a decahistidine-tagged ubiquitin fusion system: An application to the production of mastoparan-X uniformly enriched with 15N and 15N/13C

A new strategy is described for the production of peptides enriched with stable isotopes. Peptides of interest are expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells as recombinant fusion proteins with Saccharomyces cerevisiae ubiquitin. This method yields as much as 30–100 mg/l of isotope-enriched fusion proteins in minimal media. A decahistidine tag attached to the N-terminus of ubiquitin enables a one-step purification of the fusion protein via Ni²⁺-chelating affinity chromatography. The ubiquitin moiety is then easily and specifically cleaved off by a protease, yeast ubiquitin hydrolase. Since this enzyme is also expressed at a high level in E. coli cells and can be purified in one step, the presented strategy has an advantage in view of costs over others that use commercially available proteases. In addition, since ubiquitin fusion proteins easily refold, the fusion protein can be expressed either in a soluble form or as inclusion bodies. This flexibility enables us to prepare peptides that are unstable in a soluble state in E. coli cells. As an example, the expression and the uniform stable isotope enrichment with ¹⁵N and/or¹³ C are described for mastoparan-X, a tetradecapeptide known to activate GTP-binding regulatory proteins. An amide group at the C-terminus of this peptide can also be formed by our method. The presented system is considered powerful for the stable isotope enrichment of short peptides with proton resonances that are too severely overlapped to be analyzed solely by proton NMR.