人博卡病毒HBoV1非结构蛋白NP1对细胞转录因子的调控

研究人博卡病毒非结构蛋白NPl对细胞转录因子的调控作用及对炎症细胞因子TNF-α和IL-6表达的影响,从而为进一步探究病毒非结构蛋白在HBoV1引起机体炎症反应中的潜在作用及其可能分子机制提供依据。通过双荧光素酶报告基因系统分析NP1对转录因子的调控作用,通过ELISA和荧光定量PCR分别从蛋白质和RNA水平检测NP1是否影响TNF-α、IL-6的表达,最后利用哺乳动物双杂交系统分析NP1是否通过寡聚化发挥功能。在293T细胞中,NP1可分别提高AP-1、STAT3和GAS转录因子报告载体荧光素酶活性3.69倍、2.45倍和3.03倍,但对NF-κB转录因子报告载体荧光素酶活性无明显影响(P0.05)。转染24h和48h后,NP1表达细胞和对照细胞培养基中IL-6和TNF-α蛋白浓度没有显著性差异(P0.05),但TNF-αmRNA的表达水平上调。哺乳动物双杂交实验表明NP1蛋白自身没有相互作用。NP1可以调节转录因子AP-1、STAT3和STAT1的活性,但对NF-κB激活没有影响;NP1对IL-6和TNF-α的细胞外分泌水平没有明显的影响,但在mRNA水平上对TNF-α的表达有一定的调节作用;NP1蛋白发挥其调节作用的功能不通过自身的二聚化来实现。     

非洲猪瘟病毒C717R蛋白诱导小鼠炎症应答

【目的】通过炎症应答系统筛选,发现非洲猪瘟病毒(African swine fever virus, ASFV) C717R蛋白可诱导炎症反应,本研究旨在首次鉴定C717R蛋白功能,通过构建C717R重组慢病毒并感染BALB/c小鼠,探究其对炎症应答产生的影响。【方法】通过炎症小体表达系统筛选出诱导炎症应答的C717R蛋白,并构建C717R重组慢病毒。利用C717R重组慢病毒感染小鼠,使C717R在小鼠组织中表达。经实时荧光定量、蛋白质免疫印迹等方法检测C717R慢病毒包装、蛋白表达以及促炎细胞因子TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6、IFN-β的变化。【结果】C717R蛋白在小鼠组织中正常表达。酶联免疫吸附测定(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA)检测发现,表达C717R蛋白的小鼠,血清中促炎细胞因子TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6、IFN-β及IFN-γ分泌水平显著升高。实时荧光定量检测表达C717R蛋白的小鼠组织证实,C717R、TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6的mRNA转录水平显著上调;蛋白质免疫印迹证实,C717R可诱导小鼠不同组织caspase-1和IL-1β的成熟。组织病理切片结果显示,表达C717R蛋白的BALB/c小鼠和对照组和相比,肝脏、心脏、肺脏等器官炎性细胞浸润程度较对照组更严重。【结论】ASFV的C717R蛋白表达诱导BALB/c小鼠产生炎症应答,为鉴定和阐明C717R蛋白介导的促炎新机制提供了重要依据。     

可调控表达人博卡病毒1型非结构蛋白NS1稳定细胞系的建立及其反式转录激活作用初探

人博卡病毒1型(Human bocavirus 1,HBoV1)非结构蛋白NS1是多功能蛋白,对病毒复制有重要作用,同时可诱导宿主细胞凋亡。在研究NS1蛋白功能时,降低NS1蛋白对宿主细胞的毒性作用是急需解决的问题。基于此,文中建立了可调控表达HBoV1非结构蛋白NS1的稳定细胞系。构建NS1重组慢病毒质粒(含可调控启动子),应用转染试剂将NS1重组慢病毒质粒转染至HEK293T细胞。通过嘌呤霉素筛选抗性细胞、多西环素诱导NS1表达,建立可稳定表达NS1-100、NS1-70蛋白的HEK 293T细胞系,利用荧光标记蛋白和Western blotting检测,确定NS1蛋白的表达。并在稳定表达NS1细胞系中转染HBoV1启动子-荧光素酶基因的质粒,分析NS1的反式转录激活活性。结果表明NS1蛋白可在建立的细胞系中稳定表达,且稳定表达NS1蛋白对HBoV1启动子有较强的激活活性,为进一步研究非结构蛋白NS1的功能及人博卡病毒致病机理奠定了良好的基础。     

热休克转录因子1的抗炎症作用

热休克转录因子1(heat shock factor 1, HSF1)是调节细胞保护性应激蛋白--热休克蛋白表达的主要转录因子,可被热应激、氧化应激等多种理化因素激活.近年研究表明,HSF1具有抗炎症作用:HSF1可抑制TNFα、IL-1β、M-CSF等致炎因子表达,促进IL-10等抗炎因子表达,并降低NF-κB、AP-1等致炎转录因子的活性.HSF1上调热休克蛋白和抑制炎症的双重活性,提示其很可能是联系应激反应和炎症反应的重要因子.     

丙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白通过FOXO1/PGC-1α途径上调磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧基酶的转录

【目的】分析丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)核心蛋白(CORE)稳定表达对磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧基酶(PCK1)转录水平的影响,并分析HCV CORE调控PCK1转录的分子机制,为进一步阐明HCV感染致2型糖尿病机理的探讨提供新的思路。【方法】利用反转录病毒表达系统构建稳定表达HCV CORE的Huh7-lunet-core细胞系。采用Real-time PCR和萤光素酶报告基因技术检测Huh7-lunet-core细胞系中PCK1、FOXO1以及PGC-1α转录水平变化,并结合Western blot分析FOXO1的活性变化。【结果】HCV CORE的稳定表达显著增强PCK1的转录水平,HCV CORE不影响FOXO1的转录和表达水平,但降低FOXO1的磷酸化水平,激活了FOXO1的转录活性,并增强PGC-1α的mRNA表达水平。【结论】HCV CORE在Huh7-lunet细胞中的稳定表达激活FOXO1的转录活性,并与PGC-1α协同作用,上调PCK1的转录,从而导致肝糖异生过度发生,对HCV CORE调控PCK1转录的分子机制的揭示可能为HCV感染相关的糖尿病的治疗提供新的靶点。     

α7nAChR调控STAT3磷酸化在星形胶质细胞机械性损伤后炎症反应中的作用

目的:通过建立星形胶质细胞机械性损伤模型,研究烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体α7亚单位(α7nAChR)在创伤性脑损伤后星形胶质细胞炎症反应中的作用及调控机制。方法:建立星形胶质细胞机械性损伤模型,通过ELISA检测炎症因子IL-1β、TNF-α、IL-10和TGF-β的表达;利用α7n ACh R抑制剂α-BGT和激动剂PHA-543613处理星形胶质细胞,检测相关炎症因子表达,并通过Western blot检测信号传导及转录活化因子3(STAT3)和磷酸化STAT3(p-STAT3)的表达;利用α-BGT和STAT3抑制剂Stattic处理星形胶质细胞,检测相关炎症因子表达。结果:①星形胶质细胞机械性损伤后,促炎因子IL-1β、TNF-α表达增加,抗炎因子IL-10、TGF-β表达降低(P0.05)。②利用α-BGT抑制α7nAChR可增加损伤后IL-1β、TNF-α的表达,减少IL-10、TGF-β的表达(P0.05);而利用PHA-543613激活α7nAChR功能,则发挥相反作用(P0.05)。③α-BGT可促进STAT3磷酸化,而PHA-543613抑制STAT3磷酸化(P0.05)。④STAT3抑制剂Stattic可减少IL-1β和TNF-α的表达,增加IL-10和TGF-β的表达,并部分阻断α-BGT对IL-1β、TNF-α、IL-10及TGF-β表达的影响(P0.05)。结论:机械性损伤后,激活α7nAChR可减轻星形胶质细胞炎症反应,而抑制STAT3磷酸化是其重要的下游机制。     

XBP-1转录激活系统的构建

人X盒结合蛋白1(XBP-1)是CREB／ATF(cAMP应答元件结合蛋白／激活转录因子)转录因子家族中的一员,在很多癌细胞中高水平表达。将XBP-1两种剪切形式的编码序列分别克隆在pRC-lac真核载体上,构建成pRC-lac-XBP-1S和pRC-lac-XBP-1U重组质粒。Westem印迹分析表明,这两种XBP-1形式在哺乳动物细胞中都得到了表达。瞬时转染人胚胎肾细胞293T,用荧光素酶报告基因检测这两种剪切形式的转录活性。结果显示,pRC-lac-XBP-1S和pRC-lac-XBP-1U在293T细胞中均有活性,pRC-lac-XBP-1U的活性约是空载体的65倍,pRC-lac-XBP-IS的活性约是空载体的3倍。成功构建了xBP-1的转录激活系统,为进一步了解XBp-1在各种疾病中的作用奠定了基础。     

霍乱弧菌ToxS蛋白间的互作增强ToxR蛋白诱导毒力基因的表达

【目的】阐明霍乱弧菌ToxR蛋白功能调控的分子机制。【方法】利用巯基捕获(thiol-trapping)的方法分析DsbA蛋白对ToxR周质空间结构域半胱氨酸残基的氧化作用;采用定点突变的方法构建ToxR半胱氨酸突变株(ToxR_(C236/293S));利用荧光素酶基因作为报告基因分析ToxR野生型(ToxR_(wt))和半胱氨酸突变体(ToxR_(C236/293S))诱导下游基因表达的活性;通过细菌双杂交系统分析ToxR_(wt)和ToxR_(C236/293S)蛋白之间、ToxR与ToxS之间以及ToxS之间的相互作用。【结果】ToxR周质空间结构域半胱氨酸残基确实可以被DsbA蛋白氧化,且当ToxR与ToxS共表达时,ToxR诱导ctxAB转录表达的活性显著增强,且在dsbA基因缺失突变株中ToxR诱导ctxAB转录表达的活性更高;成功构建株霍乱弧菌ToxR半胱氨酸突变株(ToxR_(C236/293S)),在没有ToxS存在的条件下,ToxR_(C236/293S)诱导毒力基因表达的活性与ToxRwt相当;细菌双杂交系统分析发现当ToxR与ToxS共转录表达时,ToxS极大增强ToxR蛋白之间的互作;在dsbA基因缺失突变株中,ToxS之间的相互作用显著增强。【结论】ToxR蛋白本身的氧还状态对其诱导毒力基因表达的活性没有影响;ToxS通过增强ToxR形成二聚体的能力从而增强其诱导毒力基因的表达,而DsbA对ToxS蛋白之间的相互作用具有抑制作用,DsbA通过影响ToxS的蛋白互作从而影响ToxR蛋白的功能。本文为进一步阐明霍乱弧菌毒力基因表达调控的分子机制提供重要的理论依据。     

猪胸膜肺炎放线杆菌感染小鼠所致炎症中TLR-4信号通路涉及细胞焦亡

摘要:【目的】探讨革兰氏阴性菌胸膜肺炎放线杆菌(Actinobacillus Pleuropneumoniae,APP)感染小鼠致肺病变的分子细胞机制,以改善猪传染性胸膜肺炎的防治。【方法】滴鼻法感染小鼠,观察肺部眼观病变,石蜡切片HE染色观察肺组织病变。RT-PCR和qPCR方法检测小鼠肺部的Caspase-1、Caspase-3、TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6、IL-18、TLＲ-4表达量的变化。【结果】小鼠在感染后48h内死亡,解剖后观察小鼠肺部有严重出血和炎症。实验组小鼠肺组织IL-1β、IL-6、IL-18 和TNF-α的表达水平显著增加;TLR-4的表达量显著上调;肺部组织Caspase-1的表达水平明显升高,而Caspase-3的表达水平未见明显变化。【结论】TLR-4信号通路可能参与APP感染引起的肺部炎症的发生,APP感染后激活TLR-4信号通路使有关细胞释放炎症因子,引起的肺部炎症。炎症可能涉及Caspase-1参与的细胞焦亡。     

细胞色素P450 1A1和1B1靶向抗肿瘤前药研究进展

细胞色素P450（CYP）能催化各种内源性及外源性化合物的代谢,与多种肿瘤发生有关。其中CYP1A1参与多种前致癌物和致突变物的代谢活化,CYP1B1被认为在许多人癌细胞中特异性表达,参与药物的氧化代谢和前药的活化。CYP1A1和181已成为靶向抗肿瘤前药研究的新靶点。相继有大量相关研究报道,本文就近年来文献报道的CYP1A1和1B1靶向抗肿瘤前药研究进展。     

Association of SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 polymorphisms with breast cancer risk and phenotypes in Russian women

Estrogens are critical for breast cancer initiation and development. Sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) conjugate and inactivate both estrogens and their metabolites, thus preventing estrogen-mediated mitosis and mutagenesis. SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 are both polymorphic, and different alleles encode functionally different allozymes. We hypothesize that low-activity alleles SULT1A1*2 and UGT1A1*28 are associated with higher risk for breast cancer and more severe breast tumor phenotypes. We performed a case-control study, which included 119 women of Russian ancestry with breast cancer and 121 age-matched Russian female controls. We used PCR followed by pyrosequencing to determine the SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 genotypes. Allele UGT1A1*28 was present at a higher frequency than the wild-type UGT1A1*1 allele in breast cancer patients as compared to controls (P = 0.002, OR = 1.79, CI 1.23–2.63). Consistently, the frequency of genotypes that contain allele UGT1A1*28 in the homozygous or the heterozygous state was greater in breast cancer patients as compared with the frequency of the wild-type UGT1A1*1/*1 genotype (P = 0.003, OR = 4.00, CI 1.49–11.11 and P = 0.014, OR = 2.04, CI 1.14–3.57, respectively). Individuals carrying allele UGT1A1*28 in the homo-or heterozygous state had larger breast tumors (>2 cm) as compared to the group with high-activity genotypes (P = 0.011, IR = 3.44, CI 1.42–8.36). No association was observed between any of the SULT1A1 genotypes and breast cancer risk or phenotypes. Our data suggest that UGT1A1, but not SULT1A1, genotypes are important for breast cancer risk and phenotype in Russian women. Published in Russian in Molekulyarnaya Biologiya, 2006, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 263–270. The article was translated by the authors.     

NPC1L1:固醇脂质吸收的关键蛋白质

NPC1L1是最近发现的一种与NPC1同源的蛋白质。在体内的分布有物种差异性,其亚细胞定位存在很大争议。近些年发现NPC1L1在固醇类脂质代谢途径中起着重要作用,是肠道吸收固醇类脂质尤其是胆固醇的关键蛋白质,这项新发现使得人们对固醇类脂质的吸收机制有了了解。高胆固醇血症是心血管系统疾病的一个高危因子,因此,对NPC1L1的研究具有重大的实际意义,正逐渐成为研究的热点。     

Isolation and Characterization of Ubiquitin-activating Enzyme E1-domain Containing 1, UBE1DC1

Ubiquitin and other ubiquitin-like proteins play important roles in post-translational modification. They are phylogenetically well-conserved in eukaryotes. Activated by other proteins, ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins can covalently modify target proteins. The enzymes responsible for the activation of this modification have been known to include UBA1, SAE2, UBA3, SAE1 and ULA1. Here we report a new ubiquitin activating enzyme like cDNA, named ubiquitin activating enzyme E1-domain containing 1 (UBE1DC1), whose cDNA is 2654 base pairs in length and contains an open reading frame encoding 404 amino acids. The UBE1DC1 gene consists of 12 exons and is located at human chromosome 3q22. The result of RT-PCR showed that UBE1DC1 is expressed in most of human tissues. These two authors contributed equally to this paper. The nucleotide sequence reported in this paper has been submitted to GenBank under accession number AY253672.     

Upregulation of MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 lncRNAs in non-functioning pituitary adenoma

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to be dysregulated in a variety of malignant and non-malignant lesions including non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). In the current experimental study, we have selected six lncRNAs, namely MAPKAPK5-AS1, NUTM2B-AS1, ST7-AS1, LIFR-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 to assess their expression in a cohort of Iranian patients with NFPA. MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 were shown to be over-expressed in NFPA tissues compared with control samples (Expression ratios (95% CI) = 10 (3.94–25.36), 11.22 (4.3–28.8) and 9.33 (4.12–21.12); p values < 0.0001, respectively). The depicted ROC curves showed the AUC values of 0.73, 0.80 and 0.73 for MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1, respectively. Relative expression level of PXN-AS1 was associated with tumour subtype (p value = 0.49). Besides, relative expression levels of MAPKAPK5-AS1 and LIFR-AS1 were associated with gender of patients (p values = 0.043 and 0.01, respectively). Cumulatively, the current study indicates the possible role of MAPKAPK5-AS1, PXN-AS1 and URB1-AS1 lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of NFPAs.     

Bmi1 cooperates with Dnmt1-associated protein 1 in gene silencing

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are involved in gene silencing through chromatin modifications. Among polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs), PRC1 exhibits H2A-K119 ubiquitin E3 ligase activity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PRC1-mediated gene silencing remain largely obscure. In this study, we found that Bmi1 directly interacts with Dnmt-associated protein 1 (Dmap1), which has been characterized to associate with the maintenance DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt1. Bmi1 was demonstrated to form a ternary complex with Dmap1 and Dnmt1 with Dmap1 in the central position. Chromatin immunoprecipitations confirmed the ternary complex formation within the context of the PRC1 at the Bmi1 target loci. Loss of Dmap1 binding to the Bmi1 target loci was tightly associated with derepressed gene expression in Bmi1-/- cells. Dmap1 knockdown exhibited the same impact as Bmi1 knockout did on the expression of Bmi1 targets, including Hox genes. Collectively, our findings suggest that Bmi1 incorporates Dmap1 in polycomb gene silencing.     

Acid-dependent Interleukin-1 (IL-1) Cleavage Limits Available Pro-IL-1β for Caspase-1 Cleavage

Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (stroke and heart attack), cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and are worsened by inflammation. IL-1 is a driver of inflammation and implicated in many noncommunicable diseases. Acidosis is also a key feature of the inflammatory microenvironment; therefore it is vital to explore IL-1 signaling under acidic conditions. A HEK-IL-1 reporter assay and brain endothelial cell line were used to explore activity of mature IL-1α and IL-1β at pH 7.4 and pH 6.2, an acidic pH that can be reached under inflammatory or ischemic conditions, alongside cathepsin D-cleaved 20-kDa IL-1β produced under acidic conditions. We report that mature IL-1 signaling at IL-1 receptor type 1 (IL-1R1) is maintained at pH 6.2, but the activity of the decoy receptor, IL-1R2, is reduced. Additionally, cathepsin D-cleaved 20-kDa IL-1β was minimally active at IL-1R1 and was not further cleaved to highly active 17-kDa IL-1β. Therefore formation of the 20-kDa form of IL-1β may prevent the generation of mature bioactive IL-1β and thus may limit inflammation.