转位肽和转位蛋白在非病毒基因转移中的应用

利用非病毒载体转运目的基因时,转位肽和转位蛋白能够促进外源DNA通过内吞体膜屏障,实现高效的基因转移。转位结构域存在于一些病毒蛋白、毒素蛋白和合成肤中。     

核转录因子TR3的转位与细胞凋亡

在诸多凋亡路径中 ,线粒体膜的渗透性改变是导致多种凋亡关键分子从线粒体膜内腔释放出来的主要原因。这些分子包括胱天蛋白酶原 (ｐｒｏ ｃａｓｐａｓｅ)、细胞色素ｃ(胱天蛋白酶的激活剂 )、Ｓｍａｃ/Ｄｉａｂｌｏ(胱天蛋白酶的协同激活剂 ) [1] 等。Ｌｉ等[2 ] 新近发现了一种凋亡前期转录因子ＴＲ3,又称作Ｎｕｒ77或ＮＧ ＦＩＢ ,通常它存在于细胞核中 ,某种情况下也能转移到线粒体中 ,并引起线粒体膜的渗透性变化 ,最终导致细胞凋亡。ＴＲ3是一种类固醇 甲状腺激素 类维生素Ａ类转录因子 ,它有一个中央锌指状ＤＮＡ结合结构域 ,在其两…     

紫云英根瘤菌基因组中存在有类似IS因子的DNA重复顺序

在紫云英根瘤菌(Rhizobium astragali)的基因组中存在有DNA重复顺序(RSRa)。它在Ra159的基因组中重复4～5次,其中一个拷贝位于nifH基因的上游。以1.25kbPvul片段作探针,在其他紫云英根瘤菌菌株及豌豆根瘤菌RI PRE中也都检测到与RSRa同源的DNA片段。序列测定的结果表明RSRa其结构类似于IS因子,具有原核插入顺序的一些特点。RSRa全长1468bp,在RSRa的两个末端具有反向重复顺序,RSRa中有一个大的开放阅读框架(ORF)。由ORF推定的蛋白与大肠杆菌插入顺序IS903推定的转座酶有较高的同源性。     

芳香烃受体核转位蛋白的结构及相关功能

芳香烃受体核转位蛋白（aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator,ARNT）是碱性螺旋-环．螺旋转录因子超家族中新发现的PAS亚家族的成员之一。它是体内许多bHLH-PAS蛋白共同的专性配偶体,可以与芳香烃受体、低氧诱导因子、果蝇SIM蛋白等形成异二聚体并介导许多信号转导过程,从而使个体对环境污染物（如二恶英）、低氧状态等外界因素的改变产生相应的生物学效应,本文就ARNT的基本结构及其在体内的主要生理功能等方面作一综述。     

BMcCIintock的控制因子:目前在分子水平上的研究

在玉米中发现转位遗传因子是三十年前的事(McClintock,1951 a)。当时,B.McClintock证明:转位因子插入基因或从基因中切除能引起不稳定的突变。这些突变型中,有一些突变型基因表达的水平不同,这取决于基因组的其它地点转位因子存在与否,根据这些观察,McClintock不仅提出了转位遗传因子的见解,而且还提出了基因表达是可以调节的概念(控制因子,controlling elements)。     

一些水稻的重复DNA顺序在稻属和其它禾本科植物中的多态性

重复DNA顺序是真核生物基因组的特征,很多重复DNA顺序已从小麦、拟南芥菜、燕麦、水稻、玉米等植物的基因组中克隆出来,还发现有一些重复DNA顺序具有基因组特异性,用它们作探针可以分析同属或同科物种的起源和亲缘关系,并建立系统进化树。小卫星DNA或微小卫星DNA所产生的指纹图谱可作为一种遗传学标志来研究系统进化、染色体的精细结构和物种的鉴定。一些中度重复DNA序列还可以作为组织培养株系和细胞杂交筛选的分子标志。稻属已发现并定名的有22个种,根据杂交亲和性、细胞遗传学和生理生化等将它分为6个二倍体组型(AA、BB、CC、DD、EE和FF)和2个四倍体组型(BBCC和CCDD)。现多把禾本科分作5个亚科:竹亚科、稻亚科、早熟禾亚科、画眉草亚科和     

慢性低氧所致肺动脉高压对大鼠肺血管平滑肌细胞及成纤维细胞中蛋白激酶CβI的膜转位和蛋白表达量的影响

目的通过观察慢性低氧所致肺动脉高压对大鼠肺血管平滑肌细胞及成纤维细胞中蛋白激酶CBI（PKCβI）的膜转位和蛋白表达量的影响,初步探讨PKCpI在慢性低氧诱导大鼠肺动脉高压的发生、发展过程中所起的作用。方法建立慢性常压低氧肺动脉高压大鼠模型,将雄性SD大鼠随机分为正常对照组、低氧1d、3d、7d、14d和21d组,应用蛋白免疫印迹和免疫组化技术检测肺动脉高压形成过程中大鼠肺血管平滑肌细胞及成纤维细胞中PKCβI的膜转位和蛋白表达水平。结果（1）RVSP和RV／（LV＋S）比值较正常对照组明显增加（P〈0．05）,低氧后3d、7d、14d和21d后大鼠肺血管明显增厚;（2）大鼠肺血管平滑肌细胞和成纤维细胞均有PKCβI的表达,且低氧14d后PKCβI的蛋白表达量较正常对照组相比降低（P〈0．05）。结论PKCβI蛋白表达量的下调可能参与了慢性低氧诱导的大鼠肺动脉高压肺血管重塑的发生、发展过程。     

LPS和PMA诱导小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞的PKC-α和PKC-ε的激活与转位

利用免疫印迹技术及内源性底物磷酸化方法,我们研究了在巨噬细胞的信号传递中起重要作用的PKC同功酶的分布及其在免疫调变剂LPS的刺激下产生的激活和转位。在未激活的巨噬细胞中,PKC-β的含量高于PKC-α和ε,它和PKC-α的分布均是胞质中大于胞膜。以PMA为阳性对照,结果提示LPS介导的抑制性巨噬细胞兔疫调变机制中涉及到了PKC-α和PKC-ε从胞质到膜组份的转让而不是PKC-β(PKC-βⅠ或βⅡ)的转位。应用PKC-依赖的内源性底物磷酸化的分析,结果说明胞质中55 kDa和74 kDa蛋白质磷酸化条带的减弱和膜组份中的类似蛋白质(PMA与LPS的刺激有不同的反应)磷酸化强度的增加,与PKC的转位有着相同的时间梯度。这结果提示在LPS介导的免疫调变信号传递通路中,PKC-α和PKC-ε可能介导了信号的传导及放大。     

蛋白激酶C的激活转位和它介导的信号通路

蛋白激酶Ｃ是一系列丝氨酸／苏氨酸蛋白激酶家族,已发现了至少十二种同功酶。在静止细胞中,它主要以非活化形式存在于胞浆中,由受体－Ｇ蛋白耦联的ＰＬＣβ激活便裂细胞膜上的磷脂而释放ＤＡＧ;与ＰＫＣ的结合引起了ＰＫＣ的别构激活;而通过其它信号途径激活的ＰＬＤ水解胞膜的磷脂酰胆碱（ＰＣ）产生的磷脂酸经磷脂酸酯酶产生的ＤＡＧ可能是ＰＫＣ持续激活的必要条件。在体外实验中,ＰＫＣ的持续激活是一些细胞分化所必须的。蛋白激酶Ｃ的激活首先引起了它转位到膜,有时转位到核,并在转位后继续保持磷酸化活性,同时对它的下游底物进行磷酸化导致它们的活化。ＰＫＣ可活化ＲａｆＳｅｒ／Ｔｈｒ蛋白激酶及ＮＦ－ｋＢ,介导细胞对外界的反应,包括对核基因表达的调节,引起细胞生长或分化等。由于Ｒａｆ可与活化的Ｒａｓ—ＧＴＰ结合从而定位到胞膜,说明蛋白激酶Ｃ与Ｒａｓ介导的Ｒａｆ－１／ＭＥＫ／ＭＡＰＫ信号通路间存在着“对话”。     

Widespread occurence of mariner transposons in coastal crabs

Mariner-like elements (MLEs) are ubiquitous DNA mobile elements found in almost all eukaryote genomes. Nevertheless most of the known copies are inactive and the question of the genome invasion by MLEs remains largely hypothetical. We have previously reported the presence of highly homologous copies of MLEs in the genome of phylogenetically distant crustacea living in the same hydrothermal environment suggesting the possibility of horizontal transfer. In order to further support the hypothesis that horizontal transmission of MLEs might occur between crustacean sympatric species, we described here 85 MLE sequences found in the genome of a large spectrum of coastal crab species. The number of the MLEs copies in genomes was variable. Half of these MLEs fit with the irritans subfamily of MLEs whereas the second half grouped in a new subfamily called marmoratus. In addition, a molecular phylogeny of crabs was established by using the 16S information. The comparison between 16S and MLEs based trees reveals their incongruence, and suggests either the existence of horizontal transfer events between phylogenetically distant species, or an ancestral MLE polymorphism followed by different evolution and stochastic loss.     

High genetic variability of the Streptococcus thermophilus cse central part, a repeat rich region required for full cell segregation activity

The cse gene of Streptococcus thermophilus encodes an extracytoplasmic protein involved in cell segregation. The Cse protein consists of two putative domains: a cell wall attachment LysM domain and a catalytic CHAP domain. These two domains are spaced by an interdomain linker, known as Var-Cse, previously reported to be highly divergent between two S. thermophilus strains. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of this intraspecific variability and the functional involvement of the var-cse region in cell segregation. Analysis of the var-cse sequence of 19 different strains allowed detection of 11 different alleles, varying from 390 bp to 543 bp, all containing interspersed and tandem nucleotides repeats. Overall, 11 different repeat units were identified and some series of these small repeats, named supermotifs, form large repeats. Results suggested that var-cse evolved by deletion of all or part of the repeats and by duplication of repeats or supermotifs. Moreover, sequence analysis of the whole cse locus revealed that the cse ORF is mosaic suggesting that var-cse polymorphism resulted from horizontal transfer. The partial deletion of the var-cse region of the S. thermophilus strain CNRZ368 led to the lengthening of the number of cells per streptococcal chain, indicating that this region is required for full cell segregation in S. thermophilus strain CNRZ368.     

Anomalous phylogenies based on bacterial catalase gene sequences

Phylogenies based on nine prokaryotic catalase sequences demonstrate no relationship to phylogenies based on rDNA sequences or other known criteria. When this observation is considered together with the monophyletic relationship observed for eukaryotic catalase sequences, it seems likely that the catalase gene sequence has migrated repeatedly from eukaryotes to prokaryotes.     

IPB7 transposase behavior in Drosophila melanogaster and Aedes aegypti

Transposons are used in insect science as genetic tools that enable the transformation of insects and the identification and isolation of genes though their ability to insert in or near to them. Four transposons, piggyBac, Mos1, Hermes and Minos are commonly used in insects beyond Drosophila melanogaster with piggyBac, due to its wide host range and frequency of transposition, being the most commonly chosen. The utility of these transposons as genetic tools is directly proportional to their activity since higher transposition rates would be expected to lead to higher transformation frequencies and higher frequencies of insertion throughout the genome. As a consequence there is an ongoing need for hyperactive transposases for use in insect genetics, however these have proven difficult to obtain. IPB7 is a hyperactive mutant of the piggyBac transposase that was identified by a genetic screen performed in yeast, a mammalian codon optimized version of which was then found to be highly active in rodent embryonic stem cells with no apparent deleterious effects. Here we report the activity of IPB7 in D. melanogaster and the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Somatic transposition assays revealed an increase in IPB7's transposition rate from wild-type piggyBac transposase in D. melanogaster but not Ae. aegypti. However the use of IPB7 in D. melanogaster genetic transformations produced a high rate of sterility and a low transformation rate compared to wild-type transposase. This high rate of sterility was accompanied by significant gonadal atrophy that was also observed in the absence of the piggyBac vector transposon. We conclude that IPB7 has increased activity in the D. melanogaster germ-line but that a component of the sterility associated with its activity is independent of the presence of the piggyBac transposon.     

嗜热脂肪芽孢杆菌中转座因子IS5376的转座行为研究

ＩＳ５３７６和ＩＳ５３７７是在嗜热脂肪芽孢杆菌（Ｂａｃｉｌｕｓｓｔｅａｒｏｔｈｅｒｍｏｐｈｉｌｕｓ）中发现的两个转座因子。随机取样分析的结果说明,ＩＳ５３７６由ＣＵ２１染色体向质粒ｐＦＤＣ５和ｐＦＤＣ１２的转座受温度的影响,而ＩＳ５３７７则不。温度影响的原因还不清楚,从现有证据看来,这由ＩＳ５３７６本身的性质所决定。另外,测得ＩＳ５３７６的转座作用有一定程度的专一性,还测得转座后所造成的目标序列的顺向重复为４或５ｂｐ。     

植物染色体显微切割技术的研究现状与展望

植物染色体显微切割技术的研究现状与展望马有志徐琼芳辛志勇（中国农业科学院作物育种栽培研究所,北京１０００８１）ＴｈｅＡｄｖａｎｃｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＴｅｃｈｎｉｑｕｅｏｆＰｌａｎｔＣｈｒｏｍｏｓｏｍｅＭｉｃｒｏｄｉｓｅｃｔｉｏｎＭａＹｏｕｚｈｉＸｕＱｉｏｎ...     

The Frequency of Eubacterium-to-Eukaryote Lateral Gene Transfers Shows Significant Cross-Taxa Variation Within Amoebozoa

Single-celled bacterivorous eukaryotes offer excellent test cases for evaluation of the frequency of prey-to-predator lateral gene transfer (LGT). Here we use analysis of expressed sequence tag (EST) data sets to quantify the extent of LGT from eubacteria to two amoebae, Acanthamoeba castellanii and Hartmannella vermiformis. Stringent screening for LGT proceeded in several steps intended to enrich for authentic events while at the same time minimizing the incidence of false positives due to factors such as limitations in database coverage and ancient paralogy. The results were compared with data obtained when the same methodology was applied to EST libraries from a number of other eukaryotic taxa. Significant differences in the extent of apparent eubacterium-to-eukaryote LGT were found between taxa. Our results indicate that there may be substantial inter-taxon variation in the number of LGT events that become fixed even between amoebozoan species that have similar feeding modalities. Electronic Supplementary Material Electronic Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users. [Reviewing Editor: Martin Kreitman]     

Whole genome comparative analysis of transposable elements provides new insight into mechanisms of their inactivation in fungal genomes

Background

Transposable Elements (TEs) are key components that shape the organization and evolution of genomes. Fungi have developed defense mechanisms against TE invasion such as RIP (Repeat-Induced Point mutation), MIP (Methylation Induced Premeiotically) and Quelling (RNA interference). RIP inactivates repeated sequences by promoting Cytosine to Thymine mutations, whereas MIP only methylates TEs at C residues. Both mechanisms require specific cytosine DNA Methyltransferases (RID1/Masc1) of the Dnmt1 superfamily.

Results

We annotated TE sequences from 10 fungal genomes with different TE content (1-70%). We then used these TE sequences to carry out a genome-wide analysis of C to T mutations biases. Genomes from either Ascomycota or Basidiomycota that were massively invaded by TEs (Blumeria, Melampsora, Puccinia) were characterized by a low frequency of C to T mutation bias (10-20%), whereas other genomes displayed intermediate to high frequencies (25-75%). We identified several dinucleotide signatures at these C to T mutation sites (CpA, CpT, and CpG). Phylogenomic analysis of fungal Dnmt1 MTases revealed a previously unreported association between these dinucleotide signatures and the presence/absence of sub-classes of Dnmt1.

Conclusions

We identified fungal genomes containing large numbers of TEs with many C to T mutations associated with species-specific dinucleotide signatures. This bias suggests that a basic defense mechanism against TE invasion similar to RIP is widespread in fungi, although the efficiency and specificity of this mechanism differs between species. Our analysis revealed that dinucleotide signatures are associated with the presence/absence of specific Dnmt1 subfamilies. In particular, an RID1-dependent RIP mechanism was found only in Ascomycota.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1347-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.