利用基因组挖掘技术分析短短芽孢杆菌菌株GZDF3全基因组几丁质酶基因家族

本研究目的是利用全基因组挖掘技术分析短短芽胞杆菌GZDF3菌株中的几丁质酶基因家族。首先利用Bio Edit软件本地搜索短短芽孢杆菌GZDF3全基因组数据库中几丁质酶基因家族,然后采用在线分析及相应软件分析预测几丁质酶基因氨基酸组成、理化性质、信号肽、疏水性、二级结构等,并构建系统发育树。结果显示,短短芽孢杆菌GZDF3全基因组中预测共存在6个几丁质酶基因,编码6种不同结构类型的几丁质酶。6种几丁质酶均属于糖苷键水解酶第18家族。其中2种几丁质酶N端有信号肽序列和信号肽酶切位点;有2种几丁质酶为碱性蛋白,4种为酸性蛋白,6种均为亲水性蛋白。本研究揭示了短短芽孢杆菌菌株GZDF3基因组中有结构多样的几丁质酶,分析结果将为后续的基因克隆及功能研究提供参考。     

推定第四类羊毛硫素合成酶生物信息学分析

【目的】获得更多关于第四类羊毛硫素合成酶的序列及蛋白结构特征信息,并为研究其作用机制及生物学功能奠定基础。【方法】应用多种软件分析和预测了山丘链霉菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、肺炎双球菌、惰性乳杆菌、德氏乳杆菌、长双歧杆菌、拟无枝酸菌、大芬戈尔德菌中此类蛋白质的理化性质、结构域、二级结构等,同时采用邻位连接法对这8种蛋白及其结构域进行了进化树的构建。【结果】所研究的这8种蛋白均为亲水性蛋白,均无信号肽;山丘链霉菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、肺炎双球菌、德氏乳杆菌、长双歧杆菌、拟无枝酸菌、大芬戈尔德菌的此类合成酶属于酸性蛋白,惰性乳杆菌的类第四类羊毛硫素合成酶属于碱性蛋白;除山丘链霉菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、肺炎双球菌的此类合成酶不稳定外,其它菌株的合成酶均稳定;进化结果表明枯草芽孢杆菌和肺炎链球菌同源性最高,LANC-like结构域与合成酶的进化关系保持了高度的一致,而STYKc/S_TKc结构域的进化关系表现出了一定的差异;二级结构主要以α螺旋和无规卷曲为主;所有的蛋白均有LANC-like结构域。【结论】类第四类羊毛硫素合成酶在不同的菌种中具有一定的保守性,因此能够发挥相似的生物学功能。研究结果对进一步研究第四类羊毛硫素合成酶具有一定的参考价值,尤其是为通过该途径进一步提高枯草芽孢杆菌生防价值提供基础。     

羊毛硫肽的高通量工程改造方法新进展

羊毛硫肽(lanthipeptide)是由核糖体合成并经翻译后修饰产生的肽类天然产物,具有丰富的分子结构和多样的生物活性.新型羊毛硫肽是活性药物的重要来源,可以通过基因组挖掘和工程改造获得.羊毛硫肽前体肽由基因编码,同时其合成酶具有较高的底物杂泛性.基于这些特征,可以对羊毛硫肽的生物合成过程开展高通量工程改造,从而快速...     

短短芽胞杆菌功能基因的研究及其应用

短短芽胞杆菌分布广泛,并且在不同生长阶段,菌落形态也有所不同。目前已经完成2株短短芽胞杆菌的全基因组测序,但只对短短芽胞杆菌部分基因的功能进行了研究,如编码二硫化物氧化还原酶的基因bdb、α-乙酰乳酸脱羧酶的基因aldB、耐碱性木聚糖酶xylB基因和细胞壁的合成基因等,特别是具有抗菌活性的短杆菌酪肽的合成过程及所需酶的基因均有研究。短短芽胞杆菌在生物防治、作为分泌表达外源蛋白的宿主及环境治理等领域有广泛应用前景。     

生防解淀粉芽胞杆菌的研究进展

解淀粉芽胞杆菌(Bacillus amyloliquefaciens)因能抑制植物病害和促进植物生长而被广泛研究。随着测序技术的不断发展,解淀粉芽胞杆菌菌株的全基因组序列陆续被测定,综述了其拮抗作用相关的功能基因、生防机制及植物-病原物-生防菌的相互作用,并对后续研究趋势进行了展望,为解淀粉芽胞杆菌的深入研究及其更好的应用提供理论参考     

非核糖体肽合成酶基因腺苷酰化结构域序列克隆及分析

微生物许多非核糖体肽类次生代谢产物主要是由非核糖体肽合成酶(NRPS)催化合成。参考Gontang发布的非核糖体肽合成酶(NRPS)通用引物设计扩增NRPS腺苷酰化结构域基因序列的特异引物,从海洋链霉菌L1的基因组DNA中扩增获得一个715 bp的NRPS基因序列。测序结果及比对分析表明该片段属于NRPS腺苷酰化结构域部分序列。对其拟翻译的氨基酸序列组成成分、理化性质进行分析,显示其包含AFD class I超基因家族核心结合区,为NRPS腺苷酰化结构域(A结构域)所在区域。对氨基酸序列的二级结构预测和三级结构模拟,发现与数据库中肠菌素合酶F组分的结构相似。为后续研究A结构域的特异性及完整NRPS基因簇克隆提供了参考。     

短短芽孢杆菌GZDF3中PilZ结构域基因的挖掘和糖基转移酶的原核表达

【背景】PilZ结构域是最早发现的环二鸟苷酸(Cyclic diguanylate,c-di-GMP)受体信号分子,与c-di-GMP结合后可以调控目标基因或者蛋白的活性,在细菌的生长过程中发挥着至关重要的作用,而短短芽孢杆菌中PilZ结构域的研究相对缺乏。【目的】挖掘短短芽孢杆菌GZDF3菌株中的PilZ结构域蛋白基因,并进行重组表达,为研究其功能奠定基础。【方法】从Pfam数据库中下载PilZ结构域模型,HMMScan软件扫描GZDF3全基因组序列,在保守结构域数据库(Conserved domain database,CDD)中分析蛋白保守结构域,Protein BLAST比对分析;采用ExPASy在线软件预测蛋白的基本理化性质;构建重组表达载体进行蛋白重组表达。【结果】GZDF3基因中存在5个含有PilZ结构域的蛋白编码基因,其中命名为Gene4836的基因经Protein BLAST比对分析显示其编码糖基转移酶,Gene1423为YcgR超家族蛋白编码基因,Gene1723编码透明质酸合成酶,属于糖基转移酶超家族2,其余Gene2571、Gene2956编码假定蛋白;Gene4836的编码产物分子量为24.08 kD,等电点为6.39,为酸性亲水性蛋白;C端有一个PilZ结构域;0.5 mmol/L乳糖诱导、30°C培养20 h,表达出一大小约为25kD的重组蛋白,与生物信息学预测结果相符。【结论】首次对短短芽孢杆菌含有PilZ结构域蛋白编码基因进行原核表达,并成功纯化出重组蛋白,为后续研究其功能奠定了基础。     

木质素生物合成酶CCR基因的生物信息学分析

肉桂酰辅酶A还原酶(Cinnamoyl-CoA reductase,CCR)是催化木质素特异途径的第一个关键酶,是调节碳素流向木质素潜在的控制关节点,对木质素单体的生物合成起着重要作用。通过NCBI数据库收集来自裸子植物、单子叶植物及双子叶植物的35条CCR基因的完整信息,对35条CCR基因的cDNA及其编码的氨基酸序列的进化规律、理化性质、结构域、导肽、信号肽、跨膜结构域、亲/疏水性以及蛋白质结构等性状进行了生物信息学分析与预测,构建了CCR基因的系统发育树。分析结果表明,单子叶植物CCR基因中GC的含量明显高于双子叶植物;CCR基因编码的氨基酸序列存在9个保守区域;所编码氨基酸的理化性质基本一致,但单子叶、双子叶及裸子植物的CCR基因编码主要氨基酸的种类和含量存在着差异;CCR蛋白的N-端存在一个脱氢酶/差向异构酶/辅酶Ⅰ结合蛋白的结构域,无导肽、信号肽及跨膜结构域,属亲水性蛋白;进化树绘制以及同源建模结果表明,CCR基因的进化和植物的进化基本一致,CCR蛋白三级结构模型的空间结构稳定,建模结果可靠。分析结果对于深入研究CCR蛋白在木质素合成中的作用具有一定的理论指导意义。     

赭曲霉G蛋白偶联受体的鉴定及生物信息学分析

【目的】预测并分析赭曲霉(Aspergillus ochraceus)中存在的G蛋白偶联受体(G-protein- coupled receptors,GPCRs)的结构特征和理化性质,探究赭曲霉GPCR超家族蛋白的结构及所接收配体的聚类情况以及与其他同源蛋白的进化关系,为深入开展赭曲霉中GPCRs的定位、功能研究提供理论基础,也有望从G蛋白信号途径角度抑制赭曲霉毒素的产生,进一步控制粮食的真菌毒素污染。【方法】基于已经报道的曲霉属典型GPCRs序列,在赭曲霉全基因组中进行BLASTp比对以获取候选GPCRs蛋白。通过SMART及多种软件进行保守结构域,特别是跨膜结构的分析,进一步分析候选序列的理化性质、信号肽、二级结构及亚细胞定位等特征。最后,利用MEGA构建赭曲霉中GPCRs与同源蛋白的系统发育树进行遗传关系的比较。【结果】明确赭曲霉存在 15个具有典型7次跨膜结构的GPCRs蛋白,不存在信号肽及转运肽,均含有较高比例的α螺旋结构,15个蛋白质中有7个定位在细胞膜。赭曲霉中的GPCRs与黄曲霉等曲霉属中相应的同源序列具有较近的亲缘关系。【结论】本研究首次对赭曲霉的GPCR超蛋白家族进行了预测,分析其结构及理化性质,探讨了其与同源蛋白的聚类情况,为深入开展赭曲霉GPCRs的功能研究提供理论基础。     

解淀粉芽胞杆菌分离鉴定及培养优化的研究进展

解淀粉芽胞杆菌(Bacillus amyloliquefaciens)是芽胞杆菌属的一个种,广泛存在于自然界,具有丰富的生境多样性,其芽胞具有抗逆性,可抵抗不良环境,同时能产生多种抗菌物质,如脂肽、抗菌蛋白和多种酶类,能抗植物病原真菌和有害细菌,该菌能形成生物膜,定植于植物根系,促进植物生长,因此对该菌进行分离鉴定以及培养优化具有重要意义。截至目前,已经从各种生境中分离、鉴定了多种有应用价值的解淀粉芽胞杆菌,通过不同策略对该菌的培养基和培养条件进行优化,使该菌相关功能得以提高。本文综述了近年来对解淀粉芽胞杆菌的生境多样性、分离鉴定及培养基和培养条件优化的策略,简要归纳了国内外关于解淀粉芽胞杆菌重要的工业和商业产品,为更好地研究和应用解淀粉芽胞杆菌提供必要的参考和借鉴。     

Dissecting the catalytic and substrate binding activity of a class II lanthipeptide synthetase BovM

LanM proteins are the synthetases of the class II lanthipeptides, which are responsible for lanthionine or methyllanthionine formation in lanthipeptides. LanMs are bifunctional enzymes with N-terminal dehydratase and C-terminal cyclase domains. However, the catalytic and especially the substrate binding function of LanM are not fully investigated. In this study, we analyzed the function of conserved residues of BovM, which is the synthetase of lanthipeptide bovicin HJ50, with alanine substitution method. Mass spectrometry (MS) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analyses showed six hydrophilic residues (e.g. Asp247) were involved in the dehydration activity of BovM and four hydrophobic residues (e.g. Ile254) were responsible for the substrate binding of BovM. In addition, a conserved Asp155 was proposed to be general base in the elimination of phosphates during the dehydration reactions. This research of BovM shed a light on the catalytic and substrate binding mechanism of LanM proteins.     

Cloning and characterization of a novel gene,WS-3, in human chromosome 8p11-p12

A novel human gene referred to as the WS-3 gene, in the short arm of human chromosome 8, was cloned by a combination of exon trapping, thermal asymmetric interlaced-PCR (TAIL-PCR) and the Marathon-Ready cDNA amplification method. The gene consists of 7 exons separated by 6 introns, and is at the telomere side of the STS marker, D8S1055. The full-length WS-3 gene contains 1052 nucleotides and codes for a protein of 190 amino acids with a calculated mol. wt. of 20 747. Southern blot experiments showed that the WS-3 gene exists as a single copy in the human genome. A protein encoded by the WS-3 gene has an R-G-D (Arg-Gly-Asp) motif in the N-terminal region, which seems to confer adhesive properties to macromolecular proteins like fibronectin. Although WS-3 is a small gene with unknown biological function, its ubiquitous expression in various tissues and organs suggests that the encoded protein is one of the essential components of all organs and tissues.     

喜盐鸢尾Na~+/H~+逆转运蛋白基因IhNHX1的克隆及序列分析

采用同源克隆和RACE法克隆获得喜盐鸢尾(Iris halophila Pall.)Na+/H+逆转运蛋白基因IhNHX1的全长序列,该基因序列的全长为1 946 bp,包含1个长度为1 611 bp的开放阅读框(ORF),编码537个氨基酸。序列对比及系统树分析结果表明:IhNHX1基因编码的氨基酸序列与另外11种植物NHX1基因编码的氨基酸序列的一致性高达96.2%,相同序列占61.7%,表明该氨基酸序列保守性较高;在系统树上喜盐鸢尾与其他植物的分支长均大于1.2,表明它们的亲缘关系均较远;IhNHX1基因编码的氨基酸序列含有2个保守结构域,即氨氯吡嗪结合位点和CaM结合结构域,分别是NHX1蛋白的标志性结合位点和重要调节区域。该蛋白质的二级结构和跨膜结构域分析结果表明:在IhNHX1基因编码的蛋白质的二级结构中,α螺旋占48.60%、不规则卷曲占32.03%、延伸链占14.71%、氢键转角占4.66%;该蛋白质含有10个跨膜结构域。此外,对5’RACE方法中5’端正向引物的优化设计步骤进行了归纳,以提高PCR扩增的特异性。     

Further Identification of Novel Lantibiotic Operons Using LanM-Based Genome Mining

Lantibiotics are gene-encoded antimicrobial peptides that are distinguished by the presence of the unusual structures, lanthionine and β-methyllanthionine, which are introduced through enzyme-catalysed post-translational modification. Lantibiotics can be subdivided on the basis of the nature of the enzyme(s) which catalyse this reaction. Lantibiotic synthetases, generically designated LanM, which catalyse the dehydration of serines (and threonines) followed by the formation lanthionine (and β-methyllanthioine), are responsible for the synthesis of the largest subdivision, type 2. One can take advantage of the conserved nature of LanM proteins to screen for and bioinformatically characterize novel lantibiotic-encoding operons in genome-sequenced microorganisms. Having employed this strategy with success previously, here we update the investigation to reveal the existence of 124 LanM homologs encoded within genome-sequenced microbes. Further analysis focussed specifically on 9 novel lantibiotic gene clusters in Anaerocellum thermophilum DSM 6725, Anaerococcus tetradius ATCC 35098, Corynebacterium matruchotti ATCC 33806, Streptococcus suis 98HAH33, Geobacillus sp. G11MC16, Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 (× 2; one on plasmid and one on the chromosome) and Streptococcus pneumoniae CDC 0288-04 and TIGR4. Furthermore, screening of metagenomic datasets revealed 11 additional LanM-encoding genes from a variety of environments. The alignment of these LanM proteins facilitated a detailed investigation of conserved domains and led to the design of an improved set of degenerate primers which can be employed in the laboratory to identify strains containing type 2 lantibiotic gene clusters.     

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases Including Leucine-Specific Subtypes

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases catalyze a fundamental reaction for the flow of genetic information from RNA to protein. Their presence in all organisms known today highlights their important role in the early evolution of life. We investigated the evolutionary history of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases on the basis of sequence data from more than 200 Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota. Phylogenetic profiles are in agreement with previous observations that many genes for aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases were transferred horizontally between species from all domains of life. We extended these findings by a detailed analysis of the history of leucyl-tRNA synthetases. Thereby, we identified a previously undetected case of horizontal gene transfer from Bacteria to Archaea based on phylogenetic profiles, trees, and networks. This means that, finally, the last subfamily of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases has lost its exceptional position as the sole subfamily that is devoid of horizontal gene transfer. Furthermore, the leucyl-tRNA synthetase phylogenetic tree suggests a dichotomy of the archaeal/eukaryotic-cytosolic and bacterial/eukaryotic-mitochondrial proteins. We argue that the traditional division of life into Prokaryota (non-chimeric) and Eukaryota (chimeric) is favorable compared to Woese’s trichotomy into Archaea/Bacteria/Eukaryota. Electronic Supplementary Material Electronic Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Yves Van de Peer]     

小立碗藓WRKY基因家族生物信息学分析

WRKY作为最先在植物中发现的转录因子,在植物生长发育等过程中发挥重要作用。为了更好地研究小立碗藓WRKY蛋白的结构与功能,该文以Pfam数据库中WRKY基因家族数据(登录号为PF03106)为材料,分析了小立碗藓(Physcomitrella patens)WRKY基因家族成员的理化性质、蛋白质的二级结构预测、染色体定位、内外显子分布及系统进化关系。结果表明:(1)小立碗藓WRKY基因家族成员共有38个基因,根据WRKY保守结构域个数和锌指结构类型分成Ⅰ、Ⅱ两大类,不含第Ⅲ类(锌指结构为C2HC型),其中部分基因WRKY保守结构域发生变异。(2)WRKY蛋白氨基酸长度在216~775 aa之间、相对分子质量在24.5~82.8 kDa之间,亚细胞定位显示WRKY家族成员蛋白质定位于细胞核中。(3)WRKY蛋白的二级结构以α-螺旋、延伸链、β-转角、无规卷曲四种构成元件构成,除PpWRKY11(α-螺旋为主)外,其余无规卷曲占比高达70%。(4)与拟南芥的系统进化关系表明,植物在进化过程中WRKY家族成员的数目与进化方式发生改变,WRKY基因家族成员外显子的个数为3~7个。(5)小立碗藓WRKY基因家族成员无规则分散于21条染色体上,并未形成基因簇。该研究通过分析WRKY基因家族的基本结构与性质,能为后续深入研究WRKY转录因子的功能奠定基础。     

Structural Phylogenomics Retrodicts the Origin of the Genetic Code and Uncovers the Evolutionary Impact of Protein Flexibility

The genetic code shapes the genetic repository. Its origin has puzzled molecular scientists for over half a century and remains a long-standing mystery. Here we show that the origin of the genetic code is tightly coupled to the history of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase enzymes and their interactions with tRNA. A timeline of evolutionary appearance of protein domain families derived from a structural census in hundreds of genomes reveals the early emergence of the ‘operational’ RNA code and the late implementation of the standard genetic code. The emergence of codon specificities and amino acid charging involved tight coevolution of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and tRNA structures as well as episodes of structural recruitment. Remarkably, amino acid and dipeptide compositions of single-domain proteins appearing before the standard code suggest archaic synthetases with structures homologous to catalytic domains of tyrosyl-tRNA and seryl-tRNA synthetases were capable of peptide bond formation and aminoacylation. Results reveal that genetics arose through coevolutionary interactions between polypeptides and nucleic acid cofactors as an exacting mechanism that favored flexibility and folding of the emergent proteins. These enhancements of phenotypic robustness were likely internalized into the emerging genetic system with the early rise of modern protein structure.     

Lantibiotic biosynthesis: interactions between prelacticin 481 and its putative modification enzyme, LctM

Class AII and AIII lantibiotics and mersacidin are antibacterial peptides containing unusual residues obtained by posttranslational modifications of prepeptides, presumably catalyzed by LanM. LctM, the LanM for lacticin 481, is essential for the production of this class AII lantibiotic. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we showed direct contact between the prelacticin 481 and LctM, supporting the proposed LctM function. Sixteen domains are conserved between the 10 known LanM proteins, whereas three additional domains were found only in class AII LanM proteins and in MrsM, the LanM for mersacidin. All the truncated LctM proteins that we tested presented impaired LctA-binding activity.     

Virus-encoded aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases: structural and functional characterization of mimivirus TyrRS and MetRS

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are pivotal in determining how the genetic code is translated in amino acids and in providing the substrate for protein synthesis. As such, they fulfill a key role in a process universally conserved in all cellular organisms from their most complex to their most reduced parasitic forms. In contrast, even complex viruses were not found to encode much translation machinery, with the exception of isolated components such as tRNAs. In this context, the discovery of four aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases encoded in the genome of mimivirus together with a full set of translation initiation, elongation, and termination factors appeared to blur what was once a clear frontier between the cellular and viral world. Functional studies of two mimivirus tRNA synthetases confirmed the MetRS specificity for methionine and the TyrRS specificity for tyrosine and conformity with the identity rules for tRNA(Tyr) for archea/eukarya. The atomic structure of the mimivirus tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase in complex with tyrosinol exhibits the typical fold and active-site organization of archaeal-type TyrRS. However, the viral enzyme presents a unique dimeric conformation and significant differences in its anticodon binding site. The present work suggests that mimivirus aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases function as regular translation enzymes in infected amoebas. Their phylogenetic classification does not suggest that they have been acquired recently by horizontal gene transfer from a cellular host but rather militates in favor of an intricate evolutionary relationship between large DNA viruses and ancestral eukaryotes.