C 族GPCRs 寡聚体的激活机制

C族GPCRs是体内重要的受体亚家族,参与众多重要的生理和病理进程。该族受体的单体包含七螺旋跨膜结构(heptahelical transmembrane domain,HD)、捕蝇草模块(venus flytrap domain,VFT)和半胱氨酸富集区(cysteine-rich domain,CRD)、C末端等多个功能域,同时形成组成性的二聚体和寡聚体。这种多功能域寡聚体结构使该家族受体的激活机制非常复杂,本文回顾和介绍了多年以来对该家族受体在单体、二聚体、寡聚体等多个层面的激活机制研究的历程和进展,同时也展望了进一步的研究方向和这些研究成果对于开发新型药物的意义。     

GPCRs 组成性活性的研究进展及意义

GPCRs是体内最大的蛋白质亚家族,其活性涉及体内绝大部分重要的生理和病理进程。研究表明,GPCRs或其突变体能在无配体结合的情况下自发产生部分甚至完全活性程度的生理活性,称之为组成性活性。据此研究者提出了GPCRs激活过程中存在多个中间激活态的观点,从而丰富了配体受体相互作用的经典模型,并使组成性活性突变体(constitutive active mutant,CAM)成为研究GPCRs的新方法。本文系统介绍了组成性活性的研究历程,以及近年来利用CAM的方法研究GPCRs的结构、激活机制和活性调节的历程和进展,和体内组成性活性突变的成因和与疾病的关系,以及CAM在研究药物作用机理和新药研发中的意义。     

C族G蛋白偶联受体激活过程

C族G蛋白偶联受体(G protein coupled receptor,GPCR)具有七螺旋跨膜域(heptahelical transmembranedomain,HD)、捕蝇夹域(venusflytrapdomain,VFT)和半胱氨酸富集域(cysteine-rich domain,CRD)等功能域,并在体内组成性形成二聚体。该文介绍C族G蛋白偶联受体激活进程中各功能域的构象变化,以及由此产生的构象学效应。     

甜味机制的研究进展

甜味的感受细胞是味觉细胞,味觉细胞是个双极细胞,味觉受体是一类G蛋白偶联受体,根据甜味物质性质的不同,通过两种途径－－cAMP途径与IP3和DAG途径进行甜味转导。PKA,PKC,味素和转导素在甜味转导中发挥了不同的功能。     

胰岛素原C肽作用机制

Ｃ肽是胰岛素原中连接ＡＢ两条链的连接肽。在胰岛 β细胞分泌颗粒中 ,胰岛素原经蛋白酶裂解 ,形成等摩尔由ＡＢ链组成的胰岛素和Ｃ肽 ,然后分泌并进入血液。Ｃ肽的种族差异很大 ,其中人Ｃ肽含 31个氨基酸。在胰岛素原分子中Ｃ肽对胰岛素原分子的折叠、二硫键的正确配对等分子结构的形成起重要作用 ,而血液中游离Ｃ肽的生理功能却一直不清楚。近来的研究发现 ,给予Ｉ型糖尿病大鼠超生理剂量的人Ｃ肽配伍胰岛素治疗 ,能防止血管、神经机能障碍[1] ,长期 (3个月 )给予胰岛素配伍Ｃ肽 ,可使Ｉ型糖尿病病人减少尿白蛋白排泄率 ,改善肾功能和自主…     

β-Arrestins参与GPCRs信号通路的分子机制

β-抑制蛋白(β arrestins)是一类在β肾上腺素受体激酶（βARK)提纯过程中发现的重要支架蛋白和信号调控因子;G蛋白偶联受体（GPCRs）为7次跨膜受体,在细胞信号转导中发挥关键作用,是很多临床药物的作用靶点. β-抑制蛋白作为衔接蛋白,调控GPCRs相关的信号通路,介导GPCRs的脱敏、内化、循环、复敏等生理过程,影响多种疾病的进程. 本文总结了β-抑制蛋白参与GPCRs信号通路的研究进展,侧重阐明了其中的分子机制,以期为开发新一代调控GPCRs功能活性的相关药物提供理论基础.     

G蛋白偶联受体的研究进展

G蛋白偶联受体（GPCRs）,是体内最大的蛋白质超家族。GPCRs的基本结构巳清楚,但高分辨率的三维结构还未得到。根据结构的同源性,GPCRs主要分为A、B、C3族。GPCRs配体的多样性决定配体结合域的多样性。受体分子内相互作用力的破坏,质子化,构象变化,与G蛋白的偶联以及受体二聚化参与了GPCRs的活化过程。GPCRs的活化模式有3种;二态模式、多态模式和顺序结合的构象选择模式。     

与癌症相关的G 蛋白偶联受体及通路的研究进展

G蛋白偶联受体(G protein-coupled receptors,GPCRs)是一类重要的细胞膜表面跨膜蛋白受体超家族,具有7个跨膜螺旋结构。GPCRs的细胞内信号由G蛋白介导,可将激素、神经递质、药物、趋化因子等多种物理和化学的细胞外刺激穿过细胞膜转导到细胞内不同的效应分子,激活相应的信号级联系统进而影响恶性肿瘤的生长迁移过程。虽然目前药物市场上有很多治疗癌症的小分子药物属于G蛋白受体相关药物,但所作用的靶点集中于少数特定G蛋白偶联受体。因此,新的具有成药性的G蛋白偶联受体的开发具有很大的研究价值和市场潜力。本文主要以在癌症发生、发展中起重要作用的溶血磷脂酸(LPA),G蛋白偶联受体30(GPR30)、内皮素A受体(ETAR)等不同G蛋白偶联受体为分类依据,综述其与相关的信号通路在癌症进程中的作用,并对相应的小分子药物的临床应用和研究进展进行展望。     

植物病原丝状真菌G蛋白偶联受体的研究进展

通过对丝状真菌G蛋白偶联受体(GPCR)的结构、分类以及功能方面进行综述,以期明确丝状真菌与其他模式生物GPCR之间的关系。基于已报道的模式生物及丝状真菌等不同生物中的GPCR,通过SMART保守结构域分析,以及利用Clustal X、MEGA等软件对上述GPCR进行遗传关系分析。明确丝状真菌典型GPCR具有七跨膜结构域,新型GPCR则含有PIPK、RGS等保守结构域,明确不同学者对于GPCR的分类情况,以及新型GPCR所具有的特殊功能,明确模式生物GPCR、丝状真菌GPCR分别各自聚类。丝状真菌中GPCR的数量较模式生物少,不同分类单元中真菌之间GPCR的数量也不尽相同,同时,丝状真菌GPCR除具有典型的七跨膜结构域外,还含有一些其他保守的结构域,上述研究为进一步开展其功能研究提供重要的理论基础。     

鲜味受体研究进展

味觉对于生命具有重要作用,在一定程度上确定了人类对事物的选择。味觉由甜、咸、苦、酸和鲜等5种基本味道组成,味觉的感知是通过存在于舌上味觉表面的特异性受体来实现的,大多数味觉受体都属于G蛋白偶联受体家族。近几年的研究揭示了感知鲜味的2类这样的受体,鲜觉受体的阐明使人们对味觉的理解有了较为全面的认识。     

丙型肝炎病毒基因分型研究进展及临床意义

丙型肝炎是经血或血制品传播的急慢性肝炎类疾病,可转化为肝硬化或肝癌.其致病因子丙型肝炎病毒是一种高异质性RNA病毒,可根据其基因变程度的不同分为多个基因型与亚型,其基因分型与地理分布,病情进展及干扰素的治疗效果有关,近年来发展出了多种检测基因分型的方法.本文就近年来丙型肝炎基因分型的各种检测方法作一比较并综述了基因分型的临床意义,为临床对各种检测方法的选择提供一定的依据.     

Structural basis of activation of bitter taste receptor T2R1 and comparison with Class A G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)

The human bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) are non-Class A members of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, with very limited structural information. Amino acid sequence analysis reveals that most of the important motifs present in the transmembrane helices (TM1-TM7) of the well studied Class A GPCRs are absent in T2Rs, raising fundamental questions regarding the mechanisms of activation and how T2Rs recognize bitter ligands with diverse chemical structures. In this study, the bitter receptor T2R1 was used to systematically investigate the role of 15 transmembrane amino acids in T2Rs, including 13 highly conserved residues, by amino acid replacements guided by molecular modeling. Functional analysis of the mutants by calcium imaging analysis revealed that replacement of Asn-66(2.65) and the highly conserved Asn-24(1.50) resulted in greater than 90% loss of agonist-induced signaling. Our results show that Asn-24(1.50) plays a crucial role in receptor activation by mediating an hydrogen bond network connecting TM1-TM2-TM7, whereas Asn-66(2.65) is essential for binding to the agonist dextromethorphan. The interhelical hydrogen bond between Asn-24(1.50) and Arg-55(2.54) restrains T2R receptor activity because loss of this bond in I27A and R55A mutants results in hyperactive receptor. The conserved amino acids Leu-197(5.50), Ser-200(5.53), and Leu-201(5.54) form a putative LXXSL motif which performs predominantly a structural role by stabilizing the helical conformation of TM5 at the cytoplasmic end. This study provides for the first time mechanistic insights into the roles of the conserved transmembrane residues in T2Rs and allows comparison of the activation mechanisms of T2Rs with the Class A GPCRs.     

Quantitative effects of allosteric ligands and mutations on conformational equilibria in Salmonella typhimurium tryptophan synthase

Allosteric communications are important in coordination of the reactions in the tryptophan (Trp) synthase α₂β₂ multienzyme complex. We have measured the conformational equilibria of l-Ser and l-Trp complexes, using absorption and fluorescence spectrophotometry with hydrostatic pressure equilibrium perturbation. The effects of monovalent cations, disodium α-glycerophosphate (Na₂GP), indoleacetylglycine (IAG), and benzimidazole (BZI), as well as of βE109D and βD305A mutations, on K_eq for the conformational equilibria were determined. The l-Ser external aldimine-aminoacrylate equilibrium (K_eq = [external aldimine]/[aminoacrylate]) has the largest value with Na⁺ (0.12), followed by K⁺ (0.04), Li⁺ (7.6 × 10⁻⁴), Rb⁺ (4.3 × 10⁻⁴), NH₄⁺ (2.3 × 10⁻⁴), no cation (2.0 × 10⁻⁴) and Cs⁺ (1.6 × 10⁻⁵). α-Site ligands, Na₂GP and IAG, have modest 3- to 40-fold effects on K_eq in the direction of aminoacrylate, but BZI in the presence of Na⁺ gives a low value of K_eq comparable to that obtained with Cs⁺. There is no additivity of free energy for Na₂GP and BZI, suggesting a common pathway for allosteric communications for both ligands. The values of ΔV_o range from −126 mL/mol for the Na⁺ complex to −204 mL/mol for the Na⁺ complex with BZI. The βD305A mutation changes the K_eq by a factor of at least 10⁵ (26.7 kJ/mol) and nearly abolishes allosteric communications. There are also dramatic decreases in the magnitude of both ΔV_o and ΔS for the l-Ser external aldimine-aminoacrylate equilibrium for βD305A Trp synthase, consistent with a large decrease in solvation accompanying the conformational change in βD305A Trp synthase relative to wild-type Trp synthase. The βE109D mutation has more modest but significant effects on K_eq, which differ with the ligand, ranging from 40-fold for GP to 2200-fold for BZI, even though βGlu-109 is not directly involved in allosteric communications. The effect of GP on the external aldimine-quinonoid intermediate equilibrium of the Trp synthase-l-Trp complex is similar to that of GP on the Trp synthase-l-Ser external aldimine-aminoacrylate equilibrium. These results have allowed a quantitative comparison of the allosteric effects of ligand and mutations in Trp synthase. These allosteric effects are finely tuned to control the synthesis of l-Trp without resulting in substrate or product inhibition.     

The interaction of mammalian Class C Vps with nSec-1/Munc18-a and syntaxin 1A regulates pre-synaptic release

Membrane docking and fusion in neurons is a highly regulated process requiring the participation of a large number of SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptors) and SNARE-interacting proteins. We found that mammalian Class C Vps protein complex associated specifically with nSec-1/Munc18-a, and syntaxin 1A both in vivo and in vitro. In contrast, VAMP2 and SNAP-25, other neuronal core complex proteins, did not interact. When co-transfected with the human growth hormone (hGH) reporter gene, mammalian Class C Vps proteins enhanced Ca2+-dependent exocytosis, which was abolished by the Ca2+-channel blocker nifedipine. In hippocampal primary cultures, the lentivirus-mediated overexpression of hVps18 increased asynchronous spontaneous synaptic release without changing mEPSCs. These results indicate that mammalian Class C Vps proteins are involved in the regulation of membrane docking and fusion through an interaction with neuronal specific SNARE molecules, nSec-1/Munc18-a and syntaxin 1A.     

GFP-based evaluation system of recombinant expression through the secretory pathway in insect cells and its application to the extracellular domains of class C GPCRs

Applications of the GFP-fusion technique have greatly facilitated evaluations of the amounts and qualities of sample proteins used for structural analyses. In this study, we applied the GFP-based sample evaluation to secreted protein expression by insect cells. We verified that a GFP variant, GFPuv, retains proper folding and monodispersity within all expression spaces in Sf9 cells, such as the cytosol, organelles, and even the extracellular space after secretion, and thus can serve as a proper folding reporter for recombinant proteins. We then applied the GFPuv-based system to the extracellular domains of class C G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and examined their localization, folding, and oligomerization upon insect cell expression. The extracellular domain of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) exhibited good secreted expression by Sf9 cells, and the secreted proteins formed dimer with a monodisperse hydrodynamic state favorable for crystallization, consistent with the results from previous successful structural analyses. In contrast, the extracellular domains of sweet/umami taste receptors (T1R) almost completely remained in the cell. Notably, the T1R and mGluR1 subfractions that remained in the cellular space showed polydisperse hydrodynamic states with large aggregated fractions, without forming dimers. These results indicated that the proper folding and oligomerization of the extracellular domains of the class C GPCR are achieved through the secretory pathway.     

Zinc Modulates the Interaction of Protein C and Activated Protein C with Endothelial Cell Protein C Receptor

Zinc is an essential trace element for human nutrition and is critical to the structure, stability, and function of many proteins. Zinc ions were shown to enhance activation of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation but down-regulate the extrinsic pathway of coagulation. The protein C pathway plays a key role in blood coagulation and inflammation. At present there is no information on whether zinc modulates the protein C pathway. In the present study we found that Zn²⁺ enhanced the binding of protein C/activated protein C (APC) to endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) on endothelial cells. Binding kinetics revealed that Zn²⁺ increased the binding affinities of protein C/APC to EPCR. Equilibrium dialysis with ⁶⁵Zn²⁺ revealed that Zn²⁺ bound to the Gla domain as well as sites outside of the Gla domain of protein C/APC. Intrinsic fluorescence measurements suggested that Zn²⁺ binding induces conformational changes in protein C/APC. Zn²⁺ binding to APC inhibited the amidolytic activity of APC, but the inhibition was reversed by Ca²⁺. Zn²⁺ increased the rate of APC generation on endothelial cells in the presence of physiological concentrations of Ca²⁺ but did not further enhance increased APC generation obtained in the presence of physiological concentrations of Mg²⁺ with Ca²⁺. Zn²⁺ had no effect on the anticoagulant activity of APC. Zn²⁺ enhanced APC-mediated activation of protease activated receptor 1 and p44/42 MAPK. Overall, our data show that Zn²⁺ binds to protein C/APC, which results in conformational changes in protein C/APC that favor their binding to EPCR.     

Activation of conventional and novel protein kinase C isozymes by different diacylglycerol molecular species

A variety of diacylglycerol (DG) molecular species are produced in stimulated cells. Conventional (α, βII and γ) and novel (δ, ε, η and θ) protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms are known to be activated by DG. However, a comprehensive analysis has not been performed. In this study, we analyzed activation of the PKC isozymes in the presence of 2–2000 mmol% 16:0/16:0-, 16:0/18:1-, 18:1/18:1-, 18:0/20:4- or 18:0/22:6-DG species. PKCα activity was strongly increased by DG and exhibited less of a preference for 18:0/22:6-DG at 2 mmol%. PKCβII activity was moderately increased by DG and did not have significant preference for DG species. PKCγ activity was moderately increased by DG and exhibited a moderate preference for 18:0/22:6-DG at 2 mmol%. PKCδ activity was moderately increased by DG and exhibited a preference for 18:0/22:6-DG at 20 and 200 mmol%. PKCε activity moderately increased by DG and showed a moderate preference for 18:0/22:6-DG at 2000 mmol%. PKCη was not markedly activated by DG. PKCθ activity was the most strongly increased by DG and exhibited a preference for 18:0/22:6-DG at 2 and 20 mmol% DG. These results indicate that conventional and novel PKCs have different sensitivities and dependences on DG and a distinct preference for shorter and saturated fatty acid-containing and longer and polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing DG species, respectively. This differential regulation would be important for their physiological functions.     

拟南芥和作物中维生素C生物合成与代谢研究进展

维生素C（vitaminC,Vc）是动植物体内含量较为丰富且发挥着重要功能的小分子物质。该文综述了近年来以模式植物拟南芥为实验材料研究Vc生物合成和代谢取得的进展,并对作物中类似的研究进行了概述。总结的信息对于在作物中进一步开展Vc合成与代谢研究并通过分子育种提高作物的抗逆性和营养价值具有参考意义。