cAMP反应序列结合蛋白及其家族与转录调节

ｃＡＭＰ反应序列结合蛋白（ｃＡＭＰ－ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｉｖｅｅｌｅｍｅｎｔｂｉｎｄｉｎｇｐｒｏｔｅｉｎ,ＣＲＥＢ）经磷酸化激活后,可参与ｃＡＭＰ诱导的多种靶基因的转录调控。新近研究表明,ＣＲＥＢ的转录调节作用可能是通过ＣＲＥＢ结合蛋白（ＣＲＥＢ－ｂｉｎｄｉｎｇｐｒｏｔｅｉｎ,ＣＢＰ）实现的。在神经系统中,ＣＲＥＢ可能介导神经递质诱导的基因表达,并能通过放大神经营养因子的信号,参与神经细胞增殖、分化、存活等生物效应。     

核基质结合序列（MAR）与基因表达调控

核基质结合序列（MAR）是能在体外与核基质特异结合的DNA序列,广泛存在于染色质Loop结构的边界序列中。随着研究的深入,发现MAR序列不仅在染色质折叠中起到重要作用,影响邻近内源基因表达,而且将MAR序列构建到外源基因表达盒两侧转化动植物时,也影响外源基因的表达。因此,MAR序列是基因组中一种重要的基因间边界序列,为阐明非编码序列在基因表达中的作用和构建真核生物高效表达载体提供了新途径。     

多聚嘧啶区结合蛋白1通过调控基因的可变剪接促进胆管癌细胞的生长、迁移及侵袭能力

胆管癌是一种起病隐匿、侵袭性强、致死率高的原发性恶性肿瘤。多聚嘧啶区结合蛋白1(polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1, PTBP1)已被报道,在多种类型肿瘤组织中异常高表达并参与癌症进展,但其在胆管癌中的作用仍未见报道。该研究旨在探讨PTBP1在胆管癌中的生物学功能,并初步解析其分子机制。本文利用公开的癌症基因组图谱(the cancer genome atlas, TCGA)数据,分析了胆管癌及癌旁组织中的PTBP1 mRNA表达水平。结果显示,PTBP1在胆管癌组织中的表达水平显著高于癌旁组织(P < 0.05)。随后,在胆管癌细胞系RBE和HuH28中,通过CCK-8和细胞平板克隆实验,评价了PTBP1对胆管癌细胞生长能力的影响。结果显示,过表达PTBP1可显著促进胆管癌细胞的生长(P < 0.01),而敲低PTBP1显著抑制胆管癌细胞的生长(P < 0.001)。Transwell和Invasion实验结果显示,过表达PTBP1可显著促进胆管癌细胞的迁移和侵袭(P < 0.001),而敲低PTBP1显著抑制胆管癌细胞的迁移和侵袭(P < 0.001)。转录物组测序和通路富集分析结果显示,在胆管癌细胞中,敲低PTBP1后上调表达的基因显著富集于p53信号通路;而下调表达的基因显著富集于胆固醇代谢、Rho GTPase和TGF-β等信号通路。基于上述转录物组测序数据,本文还分析发现,敲低PTBP1可导致一系列基因发生异常的mRNA可变剪接事件,例如参与TGF-β调控的TGIF1及与p53活性相关的GNAS基因等。综上所述,PTBP1可能通过调控一系列基因的可变剪接而影响多个癌症相关的信号通路,从而促进胆管癌的进展。     

RNA-蛋白质印迹筛选HBsAg转录后调节因子表达克隆

RNA结合蛋白是基因表达的重要调节因子.RNA-蛋白质印迹（Northwestern blot）是近年来国外建立的筛选这类因子的重要方法之一.应用这一方法从肝细胞株HepG2 cDNA文库中成功筛选到乙型肝炎病毒表面抗原转录后调节片段互相作用蛋白表达克隆.结果显示：该蛋白与探针结合特异性强,经三轮筛选后,100%克隆为阳性克隆;PCR和EcoRⅠ酶切初步鉴定, 编码该蛋白的cDNA长约1 kb.     

固醇调节元件结合蛋白与炎症的关系研究进展

固醇调节元件结合蛋白(SREBPs)是重要的核转录因子,其主要作用是通过激活胆固醇、脂肪酸和甘油三脂(TG)合成及摄取的相关基因,维持体内脂质代谢的平衡.近年来有研究表明,SREBPs与炎症关系紧密,一方面,SREBPs可以促进炎症的发生和发展,另一方面,炎症可以影响SREBPs的表达,造成脂质代谢紊乱.深入研究SREBPs与炎症的关系,有助于为炎症与脂质代谢紊乱所致相关疾病的防治提供新的方向.     

HCV NS5A通过抑制p-AMPK并上调固醇调节元件结合蛋白2及HMG-CoA还原酶促进小鼠肝细胞胆固醇合成北大核心CSCD

已有研究证明,丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)非结构蛋白5A(NS5A)可诱导肝细胞脂肪变性。本文报告,HCV NS5A刺激肝细胞胆固醇合成,引起脂代谢失调,促进肝脂肪变性。首先,我们构建了由小鼠甲胎蛋白增强子和小鼠白蛋白启动子驱动的NS5A及NS5A domainⅠ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ的慢病毒表达载体,包装成病毒颗粒后通过尾静脉注射感染小鼠。小鼠血清总胆固醇测定及肝组织切片苏木精-伊红染色揭示,与模拟注射对照及增强绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)慢病毒颗粒处理小鼠比较,NS5A慢病毒颗粒处理小鼠血清总胆固醇水平明显升高;肝细胞内脂滴明显增多。免疫组化和RTq PCR分析显示,胆固醇合成的关键调节酶HMG-CoA还原酶(HMGCR)在NS5A慢病毒处理的小鼠肝内表达显著升高。蛋白质印迹结果证明,与模拟注射及EGFP慢病毒颗粒处理的小鼠比较,NS5A慢病毒颗粒处理的小鼠肝细胞磷酸化的腺苷一磷酸活化蛋白激酶(p-AMPK)水平明显降低,而固醇调节元件结合蛋白2(SREBP-2)及其靶基因HMGCR的水平显著升高。进一步研究发现,NS5A domainⅡ慢病毒颗粒处理的小鼠肝细胞p-AMPK、SREBP-2和HMGCR表达水平与全长NS5A慢病毒处理的小鼠相似。上述结果提示,HCV NS5A蛋白可通过抑制AMPK磷酸化激活,上调SREBP-2而促进胆固醇合成的限速酶HMGCR的表达,从而促进小鼠肝细胞胆固醇合成。上述结果还提示,NS5A domainⅡ可能是全长NS5A蛋白调节HMGCR基因表达的有效片段。总之,本研究证明,HCV NS5A可引起胆固醇代谢紊乱,这可能是慢性HCV感染引起肝脂肪变性的机制之一。很遗憾,在本研究中,尚未测定SREBP-1的靶基因乙酰CoA羧化酶(脂肪酸合成的限速酶)的表达,相关实验正在进行中。     

Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein Prevents Activity of an Intronic Regulatory Element That Promotes Usage of a Composite 3��-Terminal Exon

Alternative splicing of 3′-terminal exons plays a critical role in gene expression by producing mRNA with distinct 3′-untranslated regions that regulate their fate and their expression. The Xenopus α-tropomyosin pre-mRNA possesses a composite internal/3′-terminal exon (exon 9A9′) that is differentially processed depending on the embryonic tissue. Exon 9A9′ is repressed in non-muscle tissue by the polypyrimidine tract binding protein, whereas it is selected as a 3′-terminal or internal exon in myotomal cells and adult striated muscles, respectively. We report here the identification of an intronic regulatory element, designated the upstream terminal exon enhancer (UTE), that is required for the specific usage of exon 9A9′ as a 3′-terminal exon in the myotome. We demonstrate that polypyrimidine tract binding protein prevents the activity of UTE in non-muscle cells, whereas a subclass of serine/arginine rich (SR) proteins promotes the selection of exon 9A9′ in a UTE-dependent way. Morpholino-targeted blocking of UTE in the embryo strongly reduced the inclusion of exon 9A9′ as a 3′-terminal exon in the endogenous mRNA, demonstrating the function of UTE under physiological circumstances. This strategy allowed us to reveal a splicing pathway that generates a mRNA with no in frame stop codon and whose steady-state level is translation-dependent. This result suggests that a non-stop decay mechanism participates in the strict control of the 3′-end processing of the α-tropomyosin pre-mRNA.     

Role of Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein in Mediating Internal Initiation of Translation of Interferon Regulatory Factor 2 RNA

Background

Earlier we have reported translational control of interferon regulatory factor 2 (IRF2) by internal initiation (Dhar et al, Nucleic Acids Res, 2007). The results implied possible role of IRF2 in controlling the intricate balance of cellular gene expression under stress conditions in general. Here we have investigated the secondary structure of the Internal Ribosome Entry Site of IRF2 RNA and demonstrated the role of PTB protein in ribosome assembly to facilitate internal initiation.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We have probed the putative secondary structure of the IRF2 5′UTR RNA using various enzymatic and chemical modification agents to constrain the secondary structure predicted from RNA folding algorithm Mfold. The IRES activity was found to be influenced by the interaction of trans-acting factor, polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB). Deletion of 25 nts from the 3′terminus of the 5′untranslated region resulted in reduced binding with PTB protein and also showed significant decrease in IRES activity compared to the wild type. We have also demonstrated putative contact points of PTB on the IRF2–5′UTR using primer extension inhibition assay. Majority of the PTB toe-prints were found to be restricted to the 3′end of the IRES. Additionally, Circular Dichroism (CD) spectra analysis suggested change in the conformation of the RNA upon PTB binding. Further, binding studies using S10 extract from HeLa cells, partially silenced for PTB gene expression, resulted in reduced binding by other trans-acting factors. Finally, we have demonstrated that addition of recombinant PTB enhances ribosome assembly on IRF2 IRES suggesting possible role of PTB in mediating internal initiation of translation of IRF2 RNA.

Conclusion/Significance

It appears that PTB binding to multiple sites within IRF2 5′UTR leads to a conformational change in the RNA that facilitate binding of other trans-acting factors to mediate internal initiation of translation.     

Abscisic Acid Negatively Regulates Expression of Chlorophyll a/b Binding Protein Genes during Soybean Embryogeny

The levels of abscisic acid (ABA) during embryogenesis in the soybean (Glycine max) cultivar Dare were quantitated. An increase in the quantity of ABA per cotyledon was correlated with a decrease in the chlorophyll a/b binding (Cab) protein gene mRNA population. Soybean cotyledons were cultured in vitro in the presence or absence of ABA. Quantitation of cotyledonary ABA levels and Cab mRNA levels indicated that the application of 5 × 10⁻⁵ molar and 5 × 10⁻⁶ molar exogenous ABA decreased Cab mRNA prevalences. S1 nuclease protection experiments demonstrated that exogenous ABA modulated the level of Cab3 mRNA. These data strongly suggest that one of the developmental regulators of Cab gene expression during soybean embryogeny is the plant hormone, ABA; ABA negatively regulates Cab mRNA accumulation.     

Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein Functions as a Negative Regulator of Feline Calicivirus Translation

Background

Positive strand RNA viruses rely heavily on host cell RNA binding proteins for various aspects of their life cycle. Such proteins interact with sequences usually present at the 5′ or 3′ extremities of the viral RNA genome, to regulate viral translation and/or replication. We have previously reported that the well characterized host RNA binding protein polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB) interacts with the 5′end of the feline calicivirus (FCV) genomic and subgenomic RNAs, playing a role in the FCV life cycle.

Principal Findings

We have demonstrated that PTB interacts with at least two binding sites within the 5′end of the FCV genome. In vitro translation indicated that PTB may function as a negative regulator of FCV translation and this was subsequently confirmed as the translation of the viral subgenomic RNA in PTB siRNA treated cells was stimulated under conditions in which RNA replication could not occur. We also observed that PTB redistributes from the nucleus to the cytoplasm during FCV infection, partially localizing to viral replication complexes, suggesting that PTB binding may be involved in the switch from translation to replication. Reverse genetics studies demonstrated that synonymous mutations in the PTB binding sites result in a cell-type specific defect in FCV replication.

Conclusions

Our data indicates that PTB may function to negatively regulate FCV translation initiation. To reconcile this with efficient virus replication in cells, we propose a putative model for the function of PTB in the FCV life cycle. It is possible that during the early stages of infection, viral RNA is translated in the absence of PTB, however, as the levels of viral proteins increase, the nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of PTB is altered, increasing the cytoplasmic levels of PTB, inhibiting viral translation. Whether PTB acts directly to repress translation initiation or via the recruitment of other factors remains to be determined but this may contribute to the stimulation of viral RNA replication via clearance of ribosomes from viral RNA.     

乙肝病毒preS抗原决定簇与核心抗原的融合表达

将乙肝病毒表面抗原的ｐｒｅＳ抗原决定簇片段与核心抗原进行融合,分别构建了在核心抗原中间对应第７５～８３位氨基酸之间的融合及在核心抗原羧端对应第１５６位氨基酸处的融合,并在ｔａｃ启动子的控制下于大肠杆菌中表达。表达产物经ＥＬＩＳＡ检测和ＷｅｓｔｅｒｎＢｌｏｔｔｉｎｇ分析,表明融合蛋白均被表达,其单体分子量大小与推算值一致．电镜观察和ＣｓＣｌ密度梯度超离心测定都表明融合蛋白能形成颗粒,其密度略小于天然的ＨＢｃ颗粒。初步纯化的融合蛋白免疫Ｂａｌｂ／ｃ小鼠;能产生高滴度的抗－ｐｒｅＳ１抗体,表明ＰｒｅＳｌ（２１～４７）在核心抗原ｅｌｌｏｏｐ区的融合能大大提高其免疫原性．