膜蛋白KCNN1在昆虫细胞Sf9中的表达与纯化

目的:利用昆虫细胞表达系统真核表达并纯化小电导钙激活钾离子通道蛋白1(KCNN1)。方法:以基因重组方法构建杆状病毒穿梭质粒reBacmid-KCNN1,将其转染至杆状病毒/Sf9细胞表达系统表达目的蛋白,并用Western印迹鉴定KCNN1的表达水平;用Ni-IDA-Sepharose CL-6B亲和层析柱纯化裂解细胞上清中的KCNN1,并用Western印迹鉴定纯化结果。结果:KCNN1在Sf9细胞中高效表达,通过亲和层析获得了纯化的KCNN1。结论:膜蛋白KCCN1在昆虫细胞Sf9中的表达与纯化,为深入研究其分子生物学功能提供了材料,也为全长膜蛋白的体外表达提供了一套可借鉴的实验方法。     

庚型肝炎病毒NS3蛋白在昆虫细胞中的表达

庚型肝炎病毒(HGV)/GB病毒C(GBV-C)疑似引起人类庚型肝炎[1～3].HGV和GBV-C为同一病毒的两个不同分离株,本文将其称为GBV-C/HGV.GBV-C/HGV属黄病毒科,为单股正链RNA病毒,全长约9.4kb.基因组中仅含有一个单一开放阅读框,编码E1、E2结构蛋白和NS2、NS3、NS4及NS5非结构蛋白.GBV-C/HGV的NS3蛋白具备丝氨酸蛋白酶活性和解旋酶活性[3],在NS3蛋白中还存在线性抗原表位[4],因此,NS3蛋白是GBV-C/HGV的重要功能蛋白.     

Overexpression and functional characterisation of the human melanocortin 4 receptor in Sf9 cells

The human melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4r) was successfully expressed in Sf9 cells using the baculovirus infection system. N- and C-terminally His-tagged receptors generated B(max) values of 14 and 23 pmol receptor/mg membrane protein, respectively. The highest expression level obtained with the C-terminally His-tagged MC4r corresponded to 0.25mg active receptor/litre culture volume. Addition of a viral signal peptide at the N-terminus of the His-tagged MC4r did not improve the expression level. Confocal laser microscopy studies revealed that both the N- and C-terminally tagged MC4r did not accumulate intracellularly and were mainly located in the plasma membrane. The recombinant receptors showed similar affinity for the agonist NDP-MSH (Kd = 11 nM) as to MC4r expressed in mammalian cells. Functional coupling of the highest expressed C-terminal tagged receptor to endogenous Galpha protein was demonstrated through GTPgammaS binding upon agonist stimulation of the receptor. Ki values for the ligands MTII, HS014, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-MSH are comparable to the values obtained for MC4r expressed in mammalian cells.     

AcMNPV肌动蛋白核定位基因的亚细胞定位

当前细胞核内肌动蛋白的功能是一个研究热点,核内存在肌动蛋白并参与细胞核内发生的许多生命活动。杆状病毒是迄今唯一报道的利用核内肌动蛋白进行复制增殖的病原微生物,为核内肌动蛋白的结构与功能的研究提供了独特的系统。有报道显示AcMNPV的ie-1,pe38,ac4,he65,ac102和ac152基因与肌动蛋白单体的核转运有关,然而关于这六个基因的亚细胞定位及其在肌动蛋白入核过程中的功能并没有深入的研究。本文首次揭示了这六个基因的亚细胞定位,IE1和AC152是全细胞分布,PE38和AC102也为核质分布,但主要分布在细胞核中,而AC4和HE65定位于细胞质。但AC102和IE1可以分别介导AC4和HE65入核。同时我们发现当使用外源强启动子OpIE2,在转染ie-1或pe38之后表达ac4和he65可以部分招募肌动蛋白单体入核,而时序性共转染这四个基因则可招募最多肌动蛋白单体入核。对肌动蛋白核定位基因在细胞中的定位分析为进一步了解杆状病毒介导肌动蛋白入核的分子机理提供支持。     

Temperature-Dependent Expression of a Squid Kv1 Channel in Sf9 Cells and Functional Comparison with the Native Delayed Rectifier

SqKv1A is a cDNA that encodes a Kv1 (Shaker-type) α-subunit expressed only in the giant axon and the parental giant fiber lobe (GFL) neurons of the squid stellate ganglion. We incorporated SqKv1A into a recombinant baculovirus for expression in the insect Sf9 cell line. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings reveal that very few cells display functional potassium current (I _K) if cultured at the standard postinfection temperature of 27°C. At 18°C, less SqKv1A protein is produced than at 27°C, but cells with I _K currents are much more numerous and can survive for at least 20 days postinfection (vs. ∼5 days at 27°C). Activation and deactivation kinetics of SqKv1A in Sf9 cells are slower (∼3- and 10-fold, respectively) than those of native channels in GFL neurons, but have similar voltage dependencies. The two cell types show only subtle differences in steady-state voltage-dependence of conductance and inactivation. Rates of I _K inactivation in 20 mm external K are identical in the two cell types, but the sensitivity of inactivation to external tetraethylammonium (TEA) and K ions differ: inactivation of SqKv1A in Sf9 cells is slowed by external TEA and K ions, whereas inactivation of GFL I _K is largely insensitive. Functional differences are discussed in terms of factors that may be specific to cell-type, including the presence of presently unidentified Kv1 subunits in GFL neurons that might form heteromultimers with SqKv1A.     

丙型肝炎病毒NS2-3蛋白酶基因在Sf9昆虫细胞中的表达

丙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis C virus,HCV)为单股正链RNA病毒,其基因组长约9.5kb,5'端和3'端各有一个长约345bp和60bp的非编码区,编码区含一个大开放读码框架,编码3 010aa～3 033aa残基的多蛋白前体.     

Functional Wild-Type and Carboxy-Terminal-Tagged Rat Substance P Receptors Expressed in Baculovirus-Infected Insect Sf9 Cells

Abstract: The rat substance P (SP) receptor (SPR) was expressed in insect Sf9 cells by infection with recombinant baculovirus. The receptor bound SP with high affinity ( K _D = 360 p M ) and had a rank order of affinity of SP > neurokinin A > neurokinin B. Ligand activation of the receptor resulted in an increase in both inositol lipid hydrolysis and intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i). However, high-level expression of the receptor, in the absence of ligand, was correlated with increased basal turnover of inositol lipids and an elevated rate of Ca²⁺ influx. These results demonstrate that the Sf9 cells provide a suitable environment for the high-level expression of a functionally active SPR. Two carboxy-terminal epitope-tagged receptors (SPR-KT3 = SPR-TPPPEPET, COOH; SPR-Glu = SPR-EEEEYMPME, COOH) were also expressed. The affinity of the KT3-tagged receptor for ligand was similar to that of the wild-type receptor ( K _D = 405 p M ), and that of the Glu-tagged receptor was slightly lower ( K _D = 1,082 p M ). The high-affinity SP binding site of all three receptors was sensitive to guanosine 5'- O -(3-thiotriphosphate) pretreatment. The maximal signal-transducing ability of the epitope-tagged receptors was comparable to that of the wild-type receptor ([Ca²⁺]_i rise as a percentage of wild-type: SPR-KT3, 80–100%; SPR-Glu, 88–100%). These data show that heterologous expression in the baculovirus system results in high expression of functional wild-type and tagged receptors.     

Truncation Releases Olfactory Receptors from the Endoplasmic Reticulum ofHeterologous Cells

Olfactory receptors are difficult to express functionally in heterologous cells. We found that olfactory receptors traffic poorly to the plasma membrane even in cells with neuronal phenotypes, including cell lines derived from the olfactory epithelium. Other than mature olfactory receptor neurons, few cells appear able to traffic olfactory receptors to the plasma membrane. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells and Xenopus fibroblasts, olfactory receptor immunoreactivity overlapped with a marker for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but not with markers for the Golgi apparatus or endosomes. Except for the ER, olfactory receptors were therefore absent from organelles normally involved in the plasma membrane trafficking of receptors. Olfactory receptors truncated prior to transmembrane domain VI were expressed in the plasma membrane, however. Co-expression of the missing C-terminal fragment with these truncated receptors prevented their expression in the plasma membrane. Intramolecular interactions between N- and C-terminal domains joined by the third cytoplasmic loop appear to be responsible for retention of olfactory receptors in the ER of heterologous cells. Our results are consistent with misfolding of the receptors but could also be explained by altered trafficking of the receptors.     

pcDNA3.1（＋）-LYVE-1真核表达质粒的构建及其在COS-7细胞中的表达

目的 构建人淋巴管内皮细胞特异标志物LYVE-1融合基因表达质粒,观察其在COS-7细胞中的表达,为进一步探讨该标志物在肿瘤淋巴转移中的作用提供工具.方法 从本院结肠癌根治术患者术所取组织中的淋巴结抽提总RNA,RT-PCR扩增LYVE-1基因片段,并将其插入pMD19-T Simple Vector进行测序,鉴定正确后构建pcDNA3.1（＋）-LYVE-1并转染COS-7细胞,RT-PCR、Western印迹检测目的 蛋白表达,间接免疫荧光检测该基因表达在COS-7细胞上.结果 成功获取了人淋巴管内皮细胞特异标志物LYVE-1全长cDNA,构建了其真核表达载体pcDNA3.1（＋）-LYVE-1,转染COS-7细胞后检测出目的 蛋白的表达,并且证明该基因表达在细胞上.结论 成功构建了pcDNA3.1（＋）-LYVE-1重组质粒,为进一步研究LYVE-1在肿瘤淋巴管转移中的功能提供了重要的实验材料.     

The trials and tribulations of membrane protein folding in vitro

Membrane proteins are hard to handle and consequently the purification of functional protein in milligram quantities is a major problem. One reason for this is that once integral membrane proteins are outside their native membrane, they are prone to aggregation, are unstable and are frequently only partially functional. Knowledge of membrane protein folding mechanisms in vitro can help to understand the causes of these problems and work toward strategies to disaggregate and fold proteins correctly. Kinetic and stability studies are emerging on membrane protein folding, mainly on bacterial proteins. Mutagenesis methods have also been used to probe specific structural features or bonds in proteins. In addition, manipulation of lipid properties can be used to improve the efficiency of folding as well as the stability and function of the protein.     

Opsin stability and folding: modulation by phospholipid bicelles

Integral membrane proteins do not fare well when extracted from biological membranes and are unstable or lose activity in detergents commonly used for structure and function investigations. We show that phospholipid bicelles provide a valuable means of preserving alpha-helical membrane proteins in vitro by supplying a soluble lipid bilayer fragment. Both 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/3-[(cholamidopropyl)dimethyl-ammonio]-1-propane sulfonate (Chaps) and DMPC/l-α-1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) bicelles dramatically increase the stability of the mammalian vision receptor rhodopsin as well as its apoprotein, opsin. Opsin is particularly unstable in detergent solution but can be directly purified into DMPC/Chaps. We show that opsin can also be directly purified in DMPC/DHPC bicelles to give correctly folded functional opsin, as shown by the ability to regenerate rhodopsin to  70% yield. These well-characterised DMPC/DHPC bicelles enable us to probe the influence of bicelle properties on opsin stability. These bicelles are thought to provide DMPC bilayer fragments with most DHPC capping the bilayer edge, giving a soluble bilayer disc. Opsin stability is shown to be modulated by the q value, the ratio of DMPC to DHPC, which reflects changes in the bicelle size and, thus, proportion of DMPC bilayer present. The observed changes in stability also correlate with loss of opsin secondary structure as determined by synchrotron far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy; the most stable bicelle results in the least helix loss. The inclusion of Chaps rather than DHPC in the DMPC/Chaps bicelles, however, imparts the greatest stability. This suggests that it is not just the DMPC bilayer fragment in the bicelles that stabilises the protein, but that Chaps provides additional stability either through direct interaction with the protein or by altering the DMPC/Chaps bilayer properties within the bicelle. The significant stability enhancements and preservation of secondary structure reported here in bicelles are pertinent to other membrane proteins, notably G-protein-coupled receptors, which are unstable in detergent solution.     

Expression of a nonpolymerizable actin mutant in Sf9 cells

We have succeeded in expressing actin in the baculovirus/Sf9 cell system in high yield. The wild-type (WT) actin is functionally indistinguishable from tissue-purified actin in its ability to activate ATPase activity and to support movement in an in vitro motility assay. Having achieved this feat, we used a mutational strategy to express a monomeric actin that is incapable of polymerization. Native actin requires actin binding proteins or chemical modification to maintain it in a monomeric state. The mutant actin sediments in the analytical ultracentrifuge as a homogeneous monomeric species of 3.2 S in 100 mM KCl and 2 mM MgCl(2), conditions that cause WT actin to polymerize. The two point mutations that render actin nonpolymerizable are in subdomain 4 (A204E/P243K; "AP-actin"), distant from the myosin binding site. AP-actin binds to skeletal myosin subfragment 1 (S1) and forms a homogeneous complex as demonstrated by analytical ultracentrifugation. The ATPase activity of a cross-linked AP-actin.S1 complex is higher than that of S1 alone, although less than that supported by filamentous actin (F-actin). AP-Actin is an excellent candidate for structural studies of complexes of actin with motor proteins and other actin-binding proteins.     

A Sericin-Derived Peptide Protects Sf9 Insect Cells from Death Caused by Acute Serum Deprivation

Sericin is the silk protein enveloping fibroin fibers in cocoons. Sericin hydrolysate protects cultured Sf9 insect cells from death caused by serum deprivation; the activity depends on the repeats of 38 amino acids. A partial peptide from the 38 residues, SGGSSTYGYS, inhibited serum-deprivation death as well. Cell viabilities in the presence of 10% (v/v) foetal calf serum, no additives and 1 mM SGGSSTYGYS were 96, 12 and 31% on the third day after inoculation, respectively. Aromatic residues seemed to be important because SGGSSTWGWS had the same activity as SGGSSTYGYS but SGGSSTAGAS had no activity.     

口蹄疫病毒NSP 3ABC基因在昆虫细胞中的分泌表达及其活性检测

用设计的特异引物,扩增得到了N-端带有6×His编码序列的口蹄疫病毒完整3ABC基因序列,并将其亚克隆入带有蜂毒溶血肽序列的穿梭质粒pMelBac-B中,构建了重组质粒pMel-3ABC。将该重组质粒与杆状病毒骨架DNABac-N-BlueTM共转染Sf9昆虫细胞,通过噬斑筛选和PCR鉴定,获得了含有目的基因的重组杆状病毒。重组病毒感染Sf9昆虫细胞,采用通过SDS-PAGE和Western blot检测,证明目的基因在昆虫细胞中得到了正确的表达,表达产物分泌至细胞培养上清中,并具有良好的生物活性。表达的目的蛋白经过镍柱亲和层析法纯化后,用间接ELISA方法检测与口蹄疫病毒感染动物血清的反应性,证明表达目的蛋白与感染动物血清有很好的反应性而与正常动物以及免疫动物血清不发生反应。该研究为建立一种更加敏感和特异的口蹄疫病毒感染动物与疫苗免疫动物的鉴别诊断方法奠定了基础。     

人TRAIL基因cDNA的克隆及其在COS—7细胞中的表达

ＴＲＡＩＬ(ＴＮＦｒｅｌａｔｅｄａｐｏｐｔｏｓｉｓｉｎｄｕｃｉｎｇｌｉｇａｎｄ)是最近克隆的肿瘤坏死因子(ＴＮＦ)家族的新成员,由于它的蛋白质结构和生物学效应类似于ＦＡＳ/ＡＰＯ1Ｌ,因此,也被称为ＡＰＯ2Ｌ。在低浓度下,ＴＲＡＩＬ能迅速地诱导多种肿瘤细胞系的?..     

Live-imaging of PKC Translocation in Sf9 Cells and in Aplysia Sensory Neurons

Protein kinase Cs (PKCs) are serine threonine kinases that play a central role in regulating a wide variety of cellular processes such as cell growth and learning and memory. There are four known families of PKC isoforms in vertebrates: classical PKCs (α, βI, βII and γ), novel type I PKCs (ε and η), novel type II PKCs (δ and θ), and atypical PKCs (ζ and ι). The classical PKCs are activated by Ca²⁺ and diacylclycerol (DAG), while the novel PKCs are activated by DAG, but are Ca²⁺-independent. The atypical PKCs are activated by neither Ca²⁺ nor DAG. In Aplysia californica, our model system to study memory formation, there are three nervous system specific PKC isoforms one from each major class, namely the conventional PKC Apl I, the novel type I PKC Apl II and the atypical PKC Apl III. PKCs are lipid-activated kinases and thus activation of classical and novel PKCs in response to extracellular signals has been frequently correlated with PKC translocation from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. Therefore, visualizing PKC translocation in real time in live cells has become an invaluable tool for elucidating the signal transduction pathways that lead to PKC activation. For instance, this technique has allowed for us to establish that different isoforms of PKC translocate under different conditions to mediate distinct types of synaptic plasticity and that serotonin (5HT) activation of PKC Apl II requires production of both DAG and phosphatidic acid (PA) for translocation ^1-2. Importantly, the ability to visualize the same neuron repeatedly has allowed us, for example, to measure desensitization of the PKC response in exquisite detail ³. In this video, we demonstrate each step of preparing Sf9 cell cultures, cultures of Aplysia sensory neurons have been described in another video article ⁴, expressing fluorescently tagged PKCs in Sf9 cells and in Aplysia sensory neurons and live-imaging of PKC translocation in response to different activators using laser-scanning microscopy.Download video file.^{(60M, mov)}     

Characterization of azadirachtin binding to Sf9 nuclei in vitro

[22,23-³H₂]dihydroazadirachtin was incorporated by Sf9 cells in culture and was bound specifically to the nuclear fraction. The observed association constant of the binding of the radioligand to a purified nuclear fraction was determined to be 0.037 ± 0.008 min ¹ using a one-phase exponential association equation, and binding appeared to be to a single population of sites. The binding was essentially irreversible, and the dissociation constant was estimated to be 0.00065 ± 0.00013 min ¹. An association rate constant of 7.3 × 10⁶ M ¹ min ¹ was calculated from these data. Binding was saturable, and the receptor number and affinity were determined as B_max = 23.87 ± 1.15 pmol/mg protein, K_d = 18.1 ± 2.1 nM. The order of potency of semisynthetic azadirachtin analogues for competition for the binding site was as follows (IC₃₀ in parentheses): azadirachtin (1.55 × 10⁻⁸ M) > dihydroazadirachtin (3.16 × 10⁻⁸ M) > dansyl dihydroazadirachtin (7.40 × 10⁻⁸ M) > DNP-azadirachtin (7.50 × 10⁻⁸ M) > biotin dihydroazadirachtin (1.27 × 10⁻⁷ M) ≫ 11-methoxy 22,23-dihydroazadirachtin (6.67 × 10⁻⁷ M). Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 34:461–473, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.