茉莉酸信号受体COI蛋白家族的分子进化与基因表达分析

茉莉酸(Jasmonic acid,JA)存在于所有高等植物中,是植物对病原微生物和虫害防御反应的关键激素。在茉莉酸信号转导中,COI1(COR-insensitive 1)作为茉莉酸信号受体蛋白在其中发挥关键作用。本研究采用生物信息学方法,从藻类、苔藓类、蕨类、裸子及单、双子叶植物多谱系对COI蛋白家族进行比较基因组学研究,并取得以下结果:(1)同源基因鉴定结果发现,在所选的7种陆生植物中一共鉴定了55个COIs同源基因,然而,在低等的水生植物包括绿藻类(Chlorophytes)、红藻类(Rhodophytes)、硅藻类(Bacillariophytes)、灰胞藻类(Glaucophytes)及褐藻类(Phaeophytes)等基因组中均未发现其同源基因;(2)系统进化树分析表明,植物COI蛋白家族可以分为4个保守的亚家族,且在陆生植物扩增的同时可能已发生功能分化;(3)基因结构分析显示,植物COI家族基因结构表现多样性,主要体现在内含子的数目和长度上;(4)基因表达数据提示,COI基因家族成员参与植物生长发育的多个时期,且在不同组织器官以及不同的胁迫应答反应中发挥不同的作用。以上结果将为植物COI基因家族的深入研究提供参考。     

冠突散囊菌转录因子stf1基因的克隆及其表达分析

利用RACE技术获得了冠突散囊菌stf1基因的全长DNA序列。该序列全长3 029bp,开放阅读框长度为2 664bp,从114–2 908bp,在253bp处含有一个131bp的内含子,预测编码887个氨基酸。同源分析结果表明该基因与Snd1/p100转录因子同源。应用相对定量SYBR Green I荧光定量PCR技术对stf1基因在不同发育时期的表达量的差异进行了检测。结果表明,这个基因在子囊孢子时期的表达量最高,在分生孢子时期的表达量最低,相比子囊孢子时期下降了1倍。为深入研究冠突散囊菌的产孢调控机制奠定了一定的基础。     

The POU transcription factor Oct-1 represses virus-induced interferon A gene expression

Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) and IFN-beta are able to interfere with viral infection. They exert a vast array of biologic functions, including growth arrest, cell differentiation, and immune system regulation. This regulation extends from innate immunity to cellular and humoral adaptive immune responses. A strict control of expression is needed to prevent detrimental effects of unregulated IFN. Multiple IFN-A subtypes are coordinately induced in human and mouse cells infected by virus and exhibit differences in expression of their individual mRNAs. We demonstrated that the weakly expressed IFN-A11 gene is negatively regulated after viral infection, due to a distal negative regulatory element, binding homeoprotein pituitary homeobox 1 (Pitx1). Here we show that the POU protein Oct-1 binds in vitro and in vivo to the IFN-A11 promoter and represses IFN-A expression upon interferon regulatory factor overexpression. Furthermore, we show that Oct-1-deficient MEFs exhibit increased in vivo IFN-A gene expression and increased antiviral activity. Finally, the IFN-A expression pattern is modified in Oct-1-deficient MEFs. The broad representation of effective and potent octamer-like sequences within IFN-A promoters suggests an important role for Oct-1 in IFN-A regulation.