Amino-acid Sequence of Thermolysin

The following three articles describe how chemical and X-ray analyses have been combined to elucidate the structure of thermolysin. This first article describes the determination of the amino-acid sequence of this metalloendopeptidase.     

Amino-acid Sequence of Substance P

IN 1931 von Euler and Gaddum¹, studying the tissue distribution of acetylcholine, found that brain and intestine contained a substance that stimulated contraction of the isolated rabbit jejunum and caused transient hypotension when injected intravenously into anaesthetized rabbits. These effects could not be ascribed to acetylcholine, for they were not prevented by the previous administration of atropine. The initial studies were made on crude acid alcohol extracts of equine brain and intestine, dried in powder form. The active principle in the preparation was later referred to as substance P (P for powder) and this non-committal term subsequently achieved widespread acceptance in the literature, in the absence of any clearly definable biological role for the compound (or compounds) involved.     

Amino-acid Sequence of Human Placental Lactogen

AN earlier report from this laboratory¹ described striking homologies in the amino-acid composition of the peptides obtained from trypsin cleavage of human placental lactogen (HPL) and human growth hormone (HGH) and established a firm biochemical basis for the similarities in biological and immunological activity of the two hormones. The intrachain disulphide bonds were placed in similar locations and the carboxyl-terminal amino-acid sequences were shown to be identical except for one out of fourteen residues². In other studies^3,4, the amino-terminal sequence was determined and noted to be homologous for eleven of the first seventeen residues. We now report the complete amino-acid sequence of HPL and a comparison with the revised structure for HGH recently reported⁴. These two protein hormones are strikingly similar in structure, being identical in 85% of the corresponding positions. Of twenty-eight amino-acid substitutions, twenty-five are favoured changes and all but two of the twenty-five can be explained in terms of a single base change in the triplet codon⁵.     

Functional Characteristics of Hemoglobins of Some Species of Sturgeons

The results of study of the Bohr effect value for hemoglobins of Russian and Siberian sturgeons, depending on the buffer system molarity are presented. It has been shown that the Bohr effect in the Siberian sturgeon hemoglobin is stable at changes of the buffer molarity, whereas in the Russian surgeon, differences in the Bohr effect values have been revealed at two buffer molarities, depending on its habitat.     

5种养殖鲟鱼怀卵差异及周年繁殖

2007年11月至2009年11月通过对12批次(共计5 207尾个体)解剖观察,统计了5种性成熟鲟鱼[西伯利亚鲟(Acipenser baeri)、俄罗斯鲟(A.gueldenstaedti)、施氏鲟(A.schrencki)、黑龙江杂交鲟(Huso dauricus ♀×A.schrencki ♂)和欧洲杂交鲟(H...     

Sequence Homology between Chloroplast DNAs from Several Higher Plants

An estimate has been made of the amount of sequence homology present in the chloroplast DNA (ctDNA) of several higher plants by the technique of DNA-DNA hybridization. Approximately 85% of tomato, 60% of spinach, 45% of kale, and 15% of barley ctDNA sequences were found to hybridize with tobacco ctDNA under conditions in which maximum hybridization in homologous reactions reached 85%. All heteroduplexes contained significant amounts of sequence mismatch as indicated by a 3 to 9 C decrease in melting temperature as compared to homoduplex.     

Homology and the Optimization of DNA Sequence Data

Three methods of nucleotide character analysis are discussed. Their implications for molecular sequence homology and phylogenetic analysis are compared. The criterion of inter-data set congruence, both character based and topological, are applied to two data sets to elucidate and potentially discriminate among these parsimony-based ideas.     

不同居群栽培牡丹rDNAITS区序列分析及鉴别

对我国四个地区牡丹主要栽培品种rDNA ITS区序列进行测定,研究各居群rDNA ITS序列特征及差异,建立不同地区主要牡丹栽培品种的区域性分子标记,参照GeneBank信息(登录号:U27692)利用Clustal X、MEGA 3.1分子进化遗传分析软件对测序结果排序.牡丹ITS全序列长度为652 bp,相对于GenBank中牡丹rDNA ITS全序列在448位少一个C碱基,其中ITS1为267 bp,5.8 S为163 bp,ITS2为222 bp,GC含量为55.7%～56.9%,共有30个变异位点,主要发生在ITS1、ITS2区,5.8S区也存在多个位点的变异.牡丹rDNA ITS区序列特征(SNPs)可用于不同地区主要牡丹栽培品种的鉴别.     

Sequence Analysis of Bitter Taste Receptor Gene Repertoires in Different Ruminant Species

Bitter taste has been extensively studied in mammalian species and is associated with sensitivity to toxins and with food choices that avoid dangerous substances in the diet. At the molecular level, bitter compounds are sensed by bitter taste receptor proteins (T2R) present at the surface of taste receptor cells in the gustatory papillae. Our work aims at exploring the phylogenetic relationships of T2R gene sequences within different ruminant species. To accomplish this goal, we gathered a collection of ruminant species with different feeding behaviors and for which no genome data is available: American bison, chamois, elk, European bison, fallow deer, goat, moose, mouflon, muskox, red deer, reindeer and white tailed deer. The herbivores chosen for this study belong to different taxonomic families and habitats, and hence, exhibit distinct foraging behaviors and diet preferences. We describe the first partial repertoires of T2R gene sequences for these species obtained by direct sequencing. We then consider the homology and evolutionary history of these receptors within this ruminant group, and whether it relates to feeding type classification, using MEGA software. Our results suggest that phylogenetic proximity of T2R genes corresponds more to the traditional taxonomic groups of the species rather than reflecting a categorization by feeding strategy.     

传染性法氏囊病病毒不同分离株vp2基因部分核酸序列分析

根据已报告的传染性法氏囊病病毒(Infectious bursal disease virus,IBDV)cDNA序列,设计引物,用RT-PCR扩增CH(鸡)、DU(鸭)、GE(鹅)和SP(麻雀)四种不同源IBDV分离株的vp2基因高变区.核酸序列测定分析表明,四种不同源IBDV分离株vp2基因高变区的同源性为97%,推导编码蛋白氨基酸序列的同源性98%,两个亲水区和七肽区的氨基酸序列完全一致.本研究结果提示,自然感染IBDV的鸭、鹅和麻雀不仅可成为病毒携带者或传染源,而且在病毒变异中起一定作用.     

传染性法氏囊病病毒不同分离株vp2基因部分核酸序列分析

根据已报告的传染性法氏囊病病毒（Infectious bursd disease virus,IBDV)cDNA序列,设计引物,用RTPCR扩增CH（鸡）,DU（鸭）,GE（鹅）和SP（麻雀）四种不同源IBDV分离株的vp2基因高变区。核酸序列测定分析表明,四种不同源IBDV分离株vp2基因高变区的同源性为97％,推导编码蛋白氨基酸序列的同源性98％,两个亲水区和七肽区的氨基酸序列完全一致。本研究结果提示,自然感染IBDV的鸭,鹅和麻雀不仅可成为病毒携带者或传染源,而且在病毒变异中起一定作用。     

云南野生稻中Xa21基因外显子II的分离及序列分析

Xa21是已经分离克隆的一个具有广谱抗性的水稻白叶枯病抗性基因,根据已克隆的白叶枯病抗性基因Xa21外显子II序列设计特异性引物对云南三种野生稻及其它稻种进行PCR扩增。结果表明只有普通野生稻（景洪普通野生稻和元江普通野生稻）及长雄野生稻中扩增到了长400 bp的目的片段,而疣粒野生稻和药用野生稻及栽培稻中均没有扩增到目的片段。通过序列比较发现所克隆的序列同长雄野生稻的氨基酸序列变化是随机的。     

小麦NBS类抗病基因同源cDNA序列的克隆与特征分析

根据已克隆植物抗病(R)基因NBS保守结构域设计简并引物,采用RT-PCR和cDNA末端快速扩增技术(RACE),在小麦抗叶锈病近等基因系材料TcLr19中进行抗病同源基因cDNA全长的扩增。获得了1个通读的NBS类抗病同源基因S11A11cDNA序列,该序列全长2923bp,编码878个氨基酸序列。生物信息学分析结果表明,该片段含有NB-ARC保守结构域和多个LRR结构域。聚类分析表明,S11A11编码的蛋白与小麦抗叶锈病基因Lr1编码的蛋白亲缘关系较近,而与Lr10亲缘关系较远。半定量RT-PCR分析表明,该基因在小麦叶片中为低丰度组成型表达。本研究在TcLr19小麦中成功获得了抗病基因同源序列,为最终克隆小麦抗叶锈病目的基因奠定了基础。     

Isolation and Sequence Analysis of the Xa21 Gene Wxon II Homologus from Different Species of Wild Rice in Yunnan.]

The Xa21 gene previously cloned from the wild rice species Oryzae longistaminata confers broad-spectrum resistance to rice leaf blight caused by different strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Here we attempted to determine the existence of Xa21 homologs in other wild rice species and rice cultivars and the sequence differences between the homologs. We synthesized specific primers based on the reported Xa21 sequence to amplify homologs of the gene exon II from several rice cultivars and three wild rice species in Yunnan Province, China. The fragments cloned from various types of O. rufipogon Griff from Jinghong and Yuanjiang, Yunnan Province, were highly homologous to the reported Xa21 gene exon II. However, the fragment was not found in O. officinalis Wall. and O. meyeriana Baill. Sequence analysis suggested that differences in nucleotides were located randomly in the fragments we cloned.     

Aldolases of the lactic acid bacteria

Reciprocal qualitative and quantitative immunological experiments employing an anti-Pediococcus cerevisiae aldolase serum confirmed many of the interspecific relationships demonstrated previously among lactic acid bacteria with antisera prepared against the Streptococcus faecalis fructose diphosphate aldolase. The extent of immunological relatedness observed between the Lactobacillus and Pediococcus aldolases was markedly greater than that noted between Pediococcus and Streptococcus aldolases indicating that the pediococci share closer phylogenetic ties with the rod-shaped lactobacilli than with their spherical counterparts in the streptococci. In addition to confirming the existence of definitive, but distant, relationships between the lactic acid bacteria and certain gram positive nonsporeforming anaerobes, immunological cross-reactivity was also demonstrated between the pediococcal aldolases and those of Aerococcus viridans.This paper is dedicated with deepest appreciation to Prof. Roger Y. Stanier on the occasion of his 60th birthday in token of what his friendship and guidance have meant to me. — J. L.     

Immunochemical Assay for Quality and Immunological Homology of Storage Proteins in Different Closely Related Genera and Species of Wheat

An immunochemical assay using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) in Triticum aestivum L. was carried out to determine the quality of wheat and to investigate the immunological homology of the storage proteins in cereal endosperms in different closely related wheat genera and species. The results showed that correlation between the antigen-antibody reaction and the wheat quality varied with the type of antibodies used and the quality. The correlation coeffecient was slightly higher when the polyclonal antibodies were used than monoclonal antibodies were used. The correlation coeffecient was high between the antibody binding and the protein content, and wet/dry gluten coment, with Zeleny sedimentation value, while that between antibody binding and bread characters was lower. The highest correlation coeffecient between the polyclonal antibody binding and the protein content in grains, wet and dry gluten contents, bread volume and bread ratio volume was 0. 762 0, 0. 894 2, 0. 887 3, 0.610 3, 0.459 8 and 0.474 4 respectively, while the highest correlation coeffecient between the monoclonal antibody binding and the above parameters was 0. 783 7, 0. 774 5, 0.782 2, 0. 684 1, 0. 687 3 and 0. 598 2 respectively. The immunological homologies between I-IMW-GS 1Dyl0 in common wheat and endosperm storage protein in wheat grains of different genera and species were noticed. The cross-reac-tion among Triticum aestivum L., Secale cereale, T. spelta L., Aegilops squearrosa L. and T. Turgidtan L. was stronger than that among other cereals.