HIV感染中的细胞凋亡

CD4^ T细胞的丢失在HIV感染引起免疫缺陷过程中起着重要作用。但造成CD4^ T细胞丢失的具体机制还不清楚,细胞凋亡可能是CD4^ T细胞丢失的一个重要因素,HIV感染以后,病毒蛋白的持续性产出导致免疫系统的持续性激活,引起Th1细胞的丢失,Th1细胞通过合成Ⅰ型细胞因子,抑制淋巴细胞的自发凋亡,另外,病毒蛋白或其他因素能够使CD4^ ,CD8^ T细胞和APC转化为凋亡的效应细胞,通过Fas/FasL或其他途径引起细胞凋亡,HIV感染人体后凋亡细胞不仅有CD4^ T细胞,还包括B细胞,NK细胞,粒细胞,神经细胞和单细胞,凋亡作为机体的自我防护措施,在清除感染细胞的同时,并没有抑制HIV在单细胞/巨噬细胞内的复制,反而造成大量未感染细胞的凋亡,导致对HIV复制的失控,发展为严重的免疫缺陷,引起AIDS相关的机会性感染。     

HIV介导的细胞凋亡

细胞凋亡是多细胞生物的一种生理性细胞死亡 ,它和坏死性细胞死亡是两种不同的细胞死亡形式 ,细胞凋亡是细胞内在的有规律的机制引起的 ,它可由细胞内部因素和外部刺激所诱导 ,细胞凋亡有其固有的形态特点 ,这种“自杀”行动对机体的正常发育和新陈代谢都是必要的 ,有助于维持组织稳态 ,对于机体是有利的。如细胞凋亡异常将会给机体带来各种病理后果。另外由于细胞凋亡的可诱导性 ,就为疾病的治疗提供了一条新思路。近年来发现 ,ＨＩＶ病毒也参与了细胞凋亡的诱导和抑制 ,在这些过程中相关的病毒基因的表达和相应蛋白质的合成起着关键性的作…     

凋亡诱导因子的研究进展

凋亡诱导因子(apoptosis-inducing factor,AIF)是一类存在于线粒体内外膜间隙的保守的黄素蛋白,具有双重功能。在细胞正常的生理状态下,作为线粒体氧化还原酶,能催化细胞色素c(Cytc)和NAD之间的电子传递,当细胞受到凋亡刺激后,就从膜间隙释放到细胞质中,并通过其核定位信号序列(nuclear localization sequence,NLS)进入细胞核内,引起染色体核周边凝集和DNA呈大片段断裂(约50kb),进而引发不依赖于caspase的细胞凋亡。AIF的释放受Bcl-2家族蛋白的调控,同时也受Hsp70的抑制,它还是多聚(ADP核糖)聚合酶1[poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase1,PARP1]介导的细胞凋亡途径的下游效应物。     

细胞凋亡的线粒体调控蛋白的研究进展

凋亡早期近科固定不变的标志之一就是线粒体膜通透性（MMP）的变化,这提示线粒体在凋亡过程中执行双重作用。一方面,将多种促细胞凋亡级联转导信号合于一条由MMP激活的通路;另一方面,通过释放存在于膜间隙的可溶性蛋白参与凋亡后期的分解代谢反应,最近研究发现,核转录因子能易位到线粒体膜引起MMP改变;线粒体膜间隙存在一种蛋白质Smac/DIABLO,释放后可特异性阻抑细胞凋亡蛋白抑制剂（IAPs）,进而促进胱冬肽酶活化,引发细胞凋亡,这些发现进一步阐明了MMP与细胞死亡机制的关系。     

HIV-1初始传播病毒Vpr基因遗传变异对诱导G2期阻滞及细胞凋亡的影响

人免疫缺陷病毒(HIV-1)急性感染过程中,病毒的遗传多样性显著减少,往往只有一株或几株病毒可以建立有效感染,这种病毒被称为初始传播病毒(Transmitted/Founder virus)。病毒蛋白R(Vpr)是HIV-1的辅助蛋白之一,在病毒复制过程中起重要作用。研究初始传播病毒Vpr基因遗传变异与生物学特征对于阐明病毒建立感染的关键环节具有重要意义。文章利用流式细胞术分析了C亚型HIV-1初始传播病毒株与慢性感染株MJ4的 Vpr蛋白诱导细胞G₂期阻滞和细胞凋亡的能力。结果显示,初始传播病毒ZM246和ZM247的Vpr诱导细胞G₂期阻滞和细胞凋亡的能力显著高于慢性感染株MJ4 Vpr。氨基酸序列分析表明,初始传播病毒Vpr在第77、85和94位上存在高频突变。研究结果提示初始传播病毒可能在病毒感染早期,通过Vpr基因的遗传突变,提升病毒诱导细胞停滞G₂期和细胞凋亡的能力,进而促进病毒在宿主体内的复制和传播。     

线粒体膜间隙蛋白在细胞凋亡中的作用

线粒体除了作为细胞内的“能量工厂”外,在控制细胞凋亡中起主导作用。细胞凋亡时,线粒体膜通透性增加,释放可溶性线粒体膜间隙蛋白质,进一步破坏细胞结构。在这些致死性蛋白质中,有些(cytc、Smac／DIABLO、Omi／HtrA2等)能够激活caspases,另一些(endo G、AIF、Omi/HtrA2等)则以非caspase依赖的方式发挥作用。多种线粒体因子参与细胞凋亡,强化了细胞器在凋亡控制中的核心作用。     

细小病毒非结构蛋白诱导细胞凋亡研究进展

迄今,据最新报道可感染哺乳动物和禽类的细小病毒有17余种。被感染细胞常出现不同程度的凋亡和坏死,呈现典型以细胞折光性增强、圆缩直至溶解脱落等为特征的细胞病变。NS1蛋白是细小病毒主要的非结构蛋白,其结构和功能保守,在病毒生命周期与感染宿主中扮演重要角色。它不仅影响病毒复制,还参与诱导宿主细胞凋亡。细小病毒NS1蛋白主要经由线粒体途径诱导被感染宿主细胞发生凋亡,本文全面归纳与总结细小病毒NS1蛋白诱导细胞凋亡的分子机制的最新研究进展。     

线粒体与细胞凋亡机制

细胞凋亡是生理性的细胞死亡过程,受到多种基因的精确调节,一类被统称为ｃａｓｐａｓｅ的半胱氨酸蛋白酶是细胞凋亡程序的执行者,综们被激活后作用于细胞内的一些蛋白质,经起细胞凋亡。线粒体中含有许多凋亡相关因子,在凋亡信号转导中起着重要作用。细胞受到凋亡刺激后,细胞色素ｃ、ＡＩＦ、ｃａｓｐａｓｅ－９等凋亡相关因子从线粒体中释放出来。细胞色素ｃ通过和Ａｐａｆ－１、ｃａｓｐａｓｅ－９相互作用,激活ｃａｓｐａｓ     

镉诱导HEK293细胞凋亡及其线粒体凋亡途径

本课题研究了氯化镉(CdCl_2)诱导HEK293细胞(人胚胎肾细胞系)的凋亡,初步探讨了凋亡过程中Caspase-3、Bcl-2的变化和凋亡诱导因子(AIF)的转移以及它们的意义。MTT法检测CdCl_2对HEK293细胞增殖的抑制作用;通过倒置显微镜、电镜、琼脂糖凝胶电泳、流式细胞术、激光共聚焦观察细胞凋亡;应用Western blot法和荧光免疫法测定Caspase-3酶原、Bcl-2蛋白的变化以及检测AIF蛋白在细胞中的定位。结果显示:CdCl_2对HEK293细胞具有显著的生长抑制作用,并呈明显的剂量和时间依赖性。在琼脂糖凝胶电泳中,显示有凋亡细胞特有的DNA梯状条带,其中30μmol/L作用6-9h梯状条带最为清晰,时间过长或浓度过高则梯状条带逐渐模糊,表明镉浓度过高或处理时间过长,细胞有坏死。流式细胞仪检测也印证了这一结果。形态学观察可见明显的细胞凋亡特征。同时线粒体膜电位明显下降,发现Caspase-3酶原蛋白、Bcl-2蛋白含量减少,并具有时间依赖性;另外检测到线粒体AIF向细胞核转移。而Bcl-2转染后有一定的抑制凋亡作用。实验结果提示,CdCl_2能够诱导HEK293细胞凋亡,线粒体损伤导致AIF转移与细胞色素c释放,从而引发的非Caspases与Caspases凋亡途径可能在镉引发的细胞凋亡过程中起重要作用,而Caspase-3, Bcl-2起着重要的调控作用。     

三氧化二砷诱导细胞凋亡对线粒体的影响

线粒体作为细胞能量的“动力工厂”,在细胞的生理过程中起着重要的作用,本文采用三氧化二砷（Ａｓ２ Ｏ３） 诱导ＭＧＣ－ ８０３ 细胞凋亡,通过罗丹明１２３ 和Ｈｏｅｃｈｅｓｔ３３２５８ 对细胞进行荧光标记,利用具有光子计数成像能力的超高灵敏度荧光显微镜观察凋亡细胞与未加入Ａｓ２ Ｏ３ 的对照组细胞的区别,发现Ａｓ２ Ｏ３ 在诱导细胞凋亡时可引起线粒体内膜电位差减小     

Differential apoptosis effects of primate lentiviral Vpr and Vpx in mammalian cells

The growth inhibitory effects of Vpr and Vpx are species- and cell type-dependent. HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV Vpr are primarily cytostatic in mammalian cells and HIV-1 Vpr has been reported to induce apoptosis in human cells. Our previous studies have shown that HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV Vpr and Vpx have differential cytostatic and cytotoxic effects in the yeast cells [Zhang et al.: Virology, 230:103-112; 1997]. Here, we further examined the apoptosis function of HIV-1 Vpr in different species of mammalian cells and investigated if other primate lentiviral Vpr and Vpx exert similar functions. Our results show that none of the primate lentiviral Vpr or Vpx we tested induces apoptosis in nonhuman species of mammalian cells. However, HIV-1 Vpr, but not HIV-2 or SIV Vpr and/or Vpx, induced apoptosis in different types of human cell lines. Further, the apoptotic effect of HIV-1 Vpr can be distinguished from that of the human interferon-gamma, a known proapoptotic protein, that HIV-1 Vpr shows little to no paracrine and/or bystander effect. When coexpressed with Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L), the apoptotic effect of HIV-1 Vpr became markedly attenuated. These results indicate that the apoptotic effect of HIV-1 Vpr is species-dependent and is intracellularly modulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Our study also suggests that the proapoptotic function of HIV-1 Vpr is developmentally associated with human but not nonhuman primate species.     

Analysis of Apoptosis Induced by HIV-1 Vpr and Examination of the Possible Role of the hHR23A Protein

The HIV-1 Vpr protein induces apoptosis of cells, the mechanism of which is unknown. To clarify how this function may be related to other Vpr functions, we simultaneously assessed the effects of multiple point mutations upon various Vpr properties. Our data suggest that induction of arrest by Vpr may be unnecessary for induction of apoptosis. This is exemplified by a C-terminal mutant, R80A, that does not arrest cells, yet induces low but significant levels of apoptosis. We also show that mutation of Vpr at both of its nuclear localization sequences (within its alpha-helices and the overlapping leucine zipper-like domain) does not affect induction of either apoptosis or cell cycle arrest. This indicates that neither sequence is essential for these two functions of Vpr. It further suggests that multimerization of Vpr, which maps to residues 60 and 67 within the leucine-rich region, is unnecessary for initiation of apoptosis and arrest. We previously found that the Vpr-binding protein, hHR23A, can partially alleviate induction of arrest. We now show that overexpression of hHR23A itself causes apoptosis of cells. Mutation of its C-terminal UBA( 2 ) domain that is responsible for binding Vpr disrupts the apoptotic effect. This suggests that Vpr may induce apoptosis through a pathway involving hHR23A.     

Characterization of the mechanisms of HIV-1 Vpr(52-96) internalization in cells

Addition of Vpr C-terminus to various cell types provokes cell apoptosis. This property was recently shown useful to develop inhibitors of cell proliferation. In that context, we investigated the cellular uptake of rhodamine- and fluorescein-labeled Vpr(52–96) peptides to understand the mechanism of Vpr C-terminus entry into cells. Dynamic light scattering data indicated that this peptide spontaneously formed polydispersed aggregates in cell culture medium. The fluorescently labeled Vpr(52–96) peptide was efficiently internalized, appearing either as large fluorescent patches in the cytoplasm or in a more diffuse form throughout the cell. Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we demonstrated that Vpr(52–96) can tightly associate with heparin, a glycosaminoglycan analog of heparan sulphate, suggesting a central role of the ubiquitous cell surface-associated heparan sulphate proteoglycans for the internalization of Vpr C-terminus. Fluorescently-labeled transferrin and methyl-β-cyclodextrin showed that the Vpr C-terminus was mediated through clathrin- and caveolae/raft-dependent endocytosis. We found that Vpr C-terminus uptake was partly blocked at 4 °C suggesting the importance of membrane fluidity for Vpr C-terminus entry. In fact, atomic force microscopy and liposome leakage further indicated that the Vpr peptide can destabilize and disrupt model membrane bilayers, suggesting that this mechanism may contribute to the passive entry of the peptide. Finally, using fluorescence lifetime imaging, we found that the Vpr(52–96) peptide was stable in cells for at least 48 h, probably as a consequence of the poor accessibility of the peptide to proteolytic enzymes in aggregates.     

Upregulation of survivin by HIV-1 Vpr

The human survivin gene belongs to the family of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) and is involved in apoptosis inhibition and regulation of cell division. The survivin gene is the only member of the IAP family whose expression is known to be regulated through the cell cycle. Survivin expression reaches the highest levels during the G₂/M transition and then is rapidly degraded during the G₁ phase. Here we report that the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) upregulates Survivin expression via survivin promoter transactivation. Vpr, an HIV-1 accessory protein that induces cell cycle arrest in G₂/M, is necessary and sufficient for this effect. Blocking Vpr-induced G₂/M arrest leads to elimination of the survivin promoter transactivation by Vpr. Our results suggest that Survivin may be actively involved in regulating cell viability during HIV-1 infection.     

Cellular distribution and karyophilic properties of matrix, integrase, and Vpr proteins from the human and simian immunodeficiency viruses

Infections by human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) are independent of host cell division since the preintegration complex (PIC), containing the viral DNA, is able to undergo active nuclear import after viral entry. In order to clarify the mechanisms responsible for nuclear import of the PIC, we have analyzed the subcellular distribution and the karyophilic properties of its viral components, matrix protein (MA), integrase (IN), Vpr, and Vpx. Although MA has been reported to contain a nuclear localization signal, the MA/GFP fusions are excluded from the nucleus and associated with cellular membranes. In contrast, both HIV-1 and SIV IN and Vpr localize in the nucleus of transfected cells. Interestingly, only Vpx from SIVsm virus accumulate in the nucleus while SIVsm Vpr is uniformly distributed throughout nucleus and cytoplasm. Coexpression of MA, Vpr, and IN does not induce any change in their respective intracellular localizations. Finally, we confirm the karyophilic properties of HIV-1 IN and Vpr using an in vitro nuclear import assay. These results indicate that the viral proteins IN and Vpr, which are strongly associated with the viral DNA within PIC, may participate in the nuclear import of the HIV PIC.     

细胞凋亡机制的研究进展

以线虫和哺乳动物为实验材料,综述近年来对细胞凋亡机制的研究进展。     

顺铂诱导非洲绿猴肾细胞凋亡模型的建立

目的：建立常见凋亡诱导剂顺铂（Cisplatin）诱导非洲绿猴肾细胞（Vero）凋亡的模型,为进一步研究抗凋亡基因在细胞凋亡中的分子机理打下基础。方法：分别以不同浓度的顺铂处理Veto细胞48h,用噻唑蓝（MTT）比色法、Gimesa染色、流式细胞术检测,观察处理后细胞的生长活力和凋亡情况。结果：以未处理的细胞作为对照组,1、2、3、4,5μg／mL的顺铂处理的Vero细胞生存率分别为（79．02±6．10）％、（68．84±4．42）％、（56．66±4．07）％、（46．83±3．76）％、（29．04±5．93）％（P〈0．01）;经顺铂诱导后细胞形态学发生明显改变,出现膜小泡和凋亡小体形成等凋亡细胞特征;流式细胞仪检测,0、1、2、3、4、5μg／mL的顺铂处理的Vero细胞后凋亡率分别为1．66％±0．19％、16．65％±1．26％、24．82％±1．03％、36．22％±1．04％、48．49％±1．24％、43．34％±1．17％（P〈0．01）。结论：本实验成功建立顺铂诱导非洲绿猴肾细胞凋亡模型,将有助于进一步探讨目的基因在Vero细胞凋亡作用的的分子机制。     

顺铂诱导非洲绿猴肾细胞凋亡模型的建立

目的:建立常见凋亡诱导剂顺铂(Cisplatin)诱导非洲绿猴肾细胞(Vero)凋亡的模型,为进一步研究抗凋亡基因在细胞凋亡中的分子机理打下基础。方法:分别以不同浓度的顺铂处理Vero细胞48h,用噻唑蓝(MTT)比色法、Gimesa染色、流式细胞术检测,观察处理后细胞的生长活力和凋亡情况。结果:以未处理的细胞作为对照组,1、2、3、4、5μg/mL的顺铂处理的Vero细胞生存率分别为(79.02±6.10)%、(68.84±4.42)%、(56.66±4.07)%、(46.83±3.76)%、(29.04±5.93)%(P<0.01);经顺铂诱导后细胞形态学发生明显改变,出现膜小泡和凋亡小体形成等凋亡细胞特征;流式细胞仪检测,0、1、2、3、4、5μg/mL的顺铂处理的Vero细胞后凋亡率分别为1.66%±0.19%、16.65%±1.26%、24.82%±1.03%、36.22%±1.04%、48.49%±1.24%、43.34%±1.17%(P<0.01)。结论:本实验成功建立顺铂诱导非洲绿猴肾细胞凋亡模型,将有助于进一步探讨目的基因在Vero细胞凋亡作用的的分子机制。