Specific and global regulation of genes associated with the degradation of aromatic compounds in bacteria

A large number of bacteria are able to degrade aromatic carbon sources employing different strategies. All these pathways are objects of regulatory control at the level of gene expression. This includes specific control in response to the availability of the respective substrate and in many cases global control responding to other available carbon sources or to the metabolic status of the cell. Here, the regulatory proteins responsible for gene regulation are reviewed in particular in correlation to other proteins with a similar primary structure. Most common is the appearance of regulators of the LysR family; other abundant regulator types are NtrC/XyIR-type proteins, AraC/XyIS-type proteins and the IcIR-type proteins. Almost all of the regulators exert their effects as activators of gene expression with the exception of the GntR-type proteins, which are exclusively described as repressors. Factors involved in individual cases of global regulatory mechanisms are enterobacterial CAP, (p)ppGpp, Crc protein, and direct modification of a specific regulator. However, for most pathways of aromatic compound degradation, the molecular mechanisms causing global regulation are not understood.     

Dof基因家族调节植物生长发育功能的研究进展

Dof（DNA binding with one finger）蛋白是一类植物特异性转录因子,通常含有200～400个氨基酸和2个主要结构域。该家族成员的N 末端为高度保守的单锌指Dof结构域,具有与DNA和蛋白质相互作用的双重功能,其C末端的氨基酸序列则较为多变,是Dof蛋白重要的特异转录调控结构域。研究表明,Dof蛋白作为转录激活物或阻遏物参与了多方面的植物生长发育过程。随着基因组测序技术的发展,已有大量的Dof基因从植物基因组数据库中鉴定出来。该文对近年来国内外有关Dof基因家族的结构特点、全基因组鉴定、蛋白互作以及生物学功能等方面的研究进展进行综述,以期为Dof转录因子的深入研究提供参考。