盘基网柄菌早衰蛋白结构与功能生物信息学分析

早衰蛋白(presenilin, PS)是γ分泌酶的组成成分,其突变可造成阿尔兹海默病(Alzheimer disease,AD)的形成。因PS所造成AD的发病机理较复杂,因而我们想探究一下模式生物盘基网柄菌(Dictyostelium discoideum)是否能够作为研究早衰蛋白的模型。从NCBI网站中得到盘基网柄菌早衰蛋白DdPsenA和DdPsenB氨基酸序列,随后利用ProtScale、ProtParam理化性分析工具、保守结构域、TMHMM2跨膜区分析网站、进化树软件MEGA6.0、二级结构PredictProtein以及三级结构SWISS-Model服务器对上述蛋白进行生物信息学分析。DdPsenA的氨基酸长度为622,是亲水性蛋白,其相对分子质量为69 502.79,等电点为4.53。DdPsenB的氨基酸长度为473,属于疏水性蛋白,其相对分子质量为52 558.74,等电点为4.49,与DdPsenA同属于Peptidase_A22B超家族。跨膜分析出DdPsenA和DdPsenB均有8个跨膜区。DdPsenA与人类presenilin-2序列相似性为67%,Dd PsenB与人类presenilin-1序列相似性分别为60%。盘基网柄菌可以作为研究早衰蛋白功能和作用机制的模型。     

盘基网柄菌肌动蛋白的生物信息学分析

盘基网柄菌Dictyostelium discoideum是目前黏菌中研究最清楚的模式生物,其捕食过程与肌动蛋白的多聚化密切相关。为探讨盘基网柄菌肌动蛋白的序列特征,本研究利用生物信息学方法分析了盘基网柄菌32条肌动蛋白的蛋白-蛋白相互作用(protein-protein interaction)和可能含有的保守基序。结果表明:盘基网柄菌32条肌动蛋白与其他蛋白存在一组复杂相互作用关系和5组比较简单的相互作用关系;利用MEME SUITE分别分析盘基网柄菌32条肌动蛋白序列的保守基序和与actin17呈最佳匹配的21种生物肌动蛋白的保守基序,结果共获得6个保守基序,即motif1,motif2,motif3,Motif1,Motif2,Motif3。其中motif1,Motif1,Motif3为本研究新发现的保守基序,这3个保守基序可定位于Profilin-actin-VASP202–244(PDB ID:3CHW)三维结构的重要位置。以上结果表明actin3,actin10,actin14,actin15,actin17,actin31可能为盘基网柄菌比较重要的肌动蛋白;motif1,Motif1,Motif3可能是盘基网柄菌肌动蛋白在进化中重要的保守基序。     

肺炎克雷伯菌Hfq蛋白特性及对耐药的影响

Hfq(host factor for RNA phage QB replicase)蛋白是一个全局性调节因子,广泛参与细菌生长、趋化、毒力、耐药及应对外界选择压力等方面的调节,但在肺炎克雷伯菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae,KP)中的功能尚不清楚。本研究从临床病例中分离到59株KP,将其hfq基因与11例常见临床感染菌株hfq基因〔从美国国立生物技术信息中心(National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI)数据库下载〕进行了比较。所有hfq基因经EMBOSS Transeq翻译成氨基酸序列,用MAFFT软件进行多序列比对,并通过NCBI数据库中的保守结构域预测Hfq蛋白结构域。分别采用ESPript3.0、Phyre2分析Hfq蛋白的二、三级结构。59株KP中仅3株hfq基因的5个密码子位点存在差异,而其蛋白质氨基酸序列完全一致。KP与大肠埃希菌、阴沟肠杆菌、痢疾志贺菌之间,Hfq蛋白的氨基酸序列相似度较高,主要区别在C末端上;与金黄色葡萄球菌、产单核细胞李斯特菌相比,KP Hfq蛋白在N末端和C末端上差别较大;所有菌株C末端均呈酸性。三级结构预测提示68(66.67%)个氨基酸与模板序列一致, 较为保守的功能结构为54-VYKHAI-59序列。采用CRISPR/Cas9同源重组技术敲除KP的hfq基因,并对其进行药物敏感性测试,结果显示,基因敲除菌株对抗生素的耐药性较野生株有显著下降(P<0.05),差异有统计学意义,提示KP的Hfq蛋白氨基酸序列非常保守,可能参与了KP的耐药调节。     

盘基网柄菌DJ-1蛋白的亚细胞定位研究

DJ-1基因的突变或缺失导致帕金森病相关症状,但其在帕金森病中的作用以及其亚细胞位置尚存在争议。盘基网柄菌是研究神经退化性疾病的模式生物,通过绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)标记DJ-1蛋白,利用荧光蛋白技术及DJ-1与GFP共定位技术在正常和氧化情况下研究其在盘基网柄菌的亚细胞定位,可以为探索DJ-1蛋白亚细胞位置与致病机制之间的联系奠定基础。研究结果表明,正常情况下盘基网柄菌DJ-1蛋白位于细胞质内,一旦受到氧化应激, DJ-1蛋白则转移至线粒体,这个亚细胞位置转移与DJ-1蛋白C117位点的氧化相关。该研究为探索DJ-1蛋白如何在氧化应激条件下完成对细胞的保护提供了实验依据。     

绵羊Wnt2蛋白生物信息学分析

Wnt2蛋白是Wnts蛋白家族的重要成员,参与卵巢的发育。本研究以NCBI蛋白质数据库中发布的Wnt2蛋白氨基酸序列为研究对象,采用生物信息学软件对Wnt2蛋白的理化性质、信号肽及跨膜结构域、糖基化和磷酸化位点、二级结构和功能结构域、亚细胞定位和功能结构分类、序列相似比对及聚类、三级结构进行预测分析。结果发现,绵羊Wnt2由360个氨基酸组成,其等电点为9.21,有糖基化位点和磷酸化位点,是一个有信号肽的稳定的蛋白;二级结构与三级结构一致,均显示Wnt2由α-螺旋、延伸链、无规则卷曲构成;绵羊Wnt2蛋白是细胞外蛋白,主要参与信号转导和转录调控。研究结果为深入探讨Wnt2基因及其编码蛋白的结构和功能提供相关依据。     

油棕WRKY转录因子的全基因组鉴定与分析

该研究从NCBI网站下载油棕全基因组序列信息,从The Arabidopsis Information Resource(TAIR)数据库中下载得到拟南芥WRKY转录因子序列,并在油棕基因组数据库中进行BLAST同源序列比对分析,通过NCBI在线工具CDD和PFAM数据库进行蛋白结构与分析,剔除无WRKY结构域的系列,利用生物信息学方法对油棕WRKY转录因子进行分析及功能预测。结果表明:(1)从油棕基因组数据库中发掘WRKY转录因子95个,该WRKY转录因子蛋白质所编码氨基酸大小为116～1 303 bp,95个均为亲水性蛋白,总体为不稳定蛋白(EgWRKY25和EgWRKY56除外),60个蛋白以α-螺旋为主要二级结构元件,35个以无规卷曲为主要二级结构元件。(2)保守结构域系统进化树结果表明,油棕WRKY转录因子家族蛋白主要分为三大类,即I、Ⅱ和Ⅲ类,其中I类分为I C、I N亚类,Ⅱ类分为Ⅱa、Ⅱb、Ⅱc和Ⅱd亚类。(3)内含子和外显子结构显示,EgWRKY基因结构进化高度保守。以上结果为油棕WRKY转录因子的挖掘、功能分析及分子生物学研究奠定了基础,同时为分子育种和遗传改良提供了参考。     

非生物逆境胁迫相关NAC转录因子的生物信息学分析

通过生物信息学手段,对22种NAC蛋白(14种非生物逆境胁迫相关NAC蛋白、8种涉及不同生物学功能的NAC蛋白)进行氨基酸序列比对和系统发生树构建,对14种非生物逆境胁迫相关NAC蛋白氨基酸组成、理化性质、亲/疏水性、保守结构域、亚细胞定位、二级结构及三级结构等进行了分析、预测。结果显示,22个NAC蛋白中,非生物逆境相关的NAC蛋白聚成一类,其余NAC蛋白聚为另一类;非生物逆境胁迫相关的NAC蛋白序列分析显示,N-端具有A、B、C、D、E 5个保守的亚结构域,共同组成NAC结构域,C-端含有多个保守的酸性氨基酸位点,具有转录激活功能,同时蛋白中含有多个丝氨酸(S)、苏氨酸(T)和酪氨酸(Y)磷酸化位点;非生物逆境胁迫相关NAC蛋白主要亲水区域位于A、C、D亚域,大多定位于细胞核,个别定位于细胞质或线粒体,二级结构则以α-螺旋和β-折叠片为主;拟南芥RD26和ANAC三级结构上的一致性暗示了功能上的相似。     

盘基网柄菌(Dictyostelium discoideum)用于本科"细胞膜功能蛋白"探究性实验教学研究

该研究对细胞生物学经典教学实验"细胞膜渗透性实验"进行重新设计.通过比较兔红细胞和盘基网柄菌细胞的"细胞膜渗透性"实验结果,配合细胞生物学"细胞质膜结构与功能"一章的教学,引导学生初步探究盘基网柄菌水孔蛋白(aquaporins,AQPs)在细胞抗低渗环境中的作用,加深理解细胞质膜中的功能蛋白对于细胞生存的重要意义.     

黑腹果蝇CG18853基因编码蛋白的生物信息学分析

目的:利用生物信息学方法分析黑腹果蝇CG18853基因编码蛋白的结构和功能。方法:基于NCBI数据库中黑腹果蝇CG18853基因编码蛋白的氨基酸序列,从蛋白质的理化性质、跨膜区、信号肽、亚细胞定位、结构域、三维结构及不同物种间同源蛋白进化关系等方面进行分析。结果:果蝇CG18853蛋白的理论分子量约38.5 kDa,理论等电点为8.80。CG18853蛋白为不稳定亲水性蛋白,无跨膜区和信号肽,具有DNA光修复酶FAD结合结构域。果蝇CG18853蛋白与模板3umv.1.A有60.87%的氨基酸序列一致;CG18853蛋白与长鼻袋鼠、金鱼、拟南芥、粳稻的编码产物高度同源。结论:黑腹果蝇CG18853蛋白具有DNA光修复酶家族的典型结构,可能在细胞核中参与DNA损伤修复过程。     

嗜酸氧化亚铁硫杆菌中铁氧还蛋白的生物信息学分析

从NCBI数据库中下载了3种铁氧还蛋白(ACK79261.1,ACK79281.1和ACK80954.1)序列,利用网站在线预测结合软件分析,对其基本理化性质、蛋白修饰、保守结构域、亚细胞定位、二级和三级结构预测和蛋白相互作用网络等方面进行分析和预测。所得数据表明,3种蛋白质均为不稳定的亲水性蛋白质,等电点偏酸性,不含信号肽,均在细胞质中发挥作用;蛋白相互作用分析预测ACK79261.1在核酸代谢过程中发挥重要作用,ACK79281.1主要参与了细胞内的2Fe-2S簇的组装,ACK80954.1对于能量和电子传递必不可少。本研究利用生物信息学预测了铁氧还蛋白结构和功能,为后续研究嗜酸氧化亚铁硫杆菌中的电子传递过程以及菌株改良、应用推广提供理论上的依据。     

Dictyostelium LIS1 is a centrosomal protein required for microtubule/cell cortex interactions, nucleus/centrosome linkage, and actin dynamics

The widespread LIS1-proteins were originally identified as the target for sporadic mutations causing lissencephaly in humans. Dictyostelium LIS1 (DdLIS1) is a microtubule-associated protein exhibiting 53% identity to human LIS1. It colocalizes with dynein at isolated, microtubule-free centrosomes, suggesting that both are integral centrosomal components. Replacement of the DdLIS1 gene by the hypomorphic D327H allele or overexpression of an MBP-DdLIS1 fusion disrupted various dynein-associated functions. Microtubules lost contact with the cell cortex and were dragged behind an unusually motile centrosome. Previously, this phenotype was observed in cells overexpressing fragments of dynein or the XMAP215-homologue DdCP224. DdLIS1 was coprecipitated with DdCP224, suggesting that both act together in dynein-mediated cortical attachment of microtubules. Furthermore, DdLIS1-D327H mutants showed Golgi dispersal and reduced centrosome/nucleus association. Defects in DdLIS1 function also altered actin dynamics characterized by traveling waves of actin polymerization correlated with a reduced F-actin content. DdLIS1 could be involved in actin dynamics through Rho-GTPases, because DdLIS1 interacted directly with Rac1A in vitro. Our results show that DdLIS1 is required for maintenance of the microtubule cytoskeleton, Golgi apparatus and nucleus/centrosome association, and they suggest that LIS1-dependent alterations of actin dynamics could also contribute to defects in neuronal migration in lissencephaly patients.     

Functional analyses of lissencephaly-related proteins in Dictyostelium

Lissencephaly is a severe brain developmental disease in human infants, which is usually caused by mutations in either of two genes, LIS1 and DCX. These genes encode proteins interacting with both the microtubule and the actin systems. Here, we review the implications of data on Dictyostelium LIS1 for the elucidation of LIS1 function in higher cells and emphasize the role of LIS1 and nuclear envelope proteins in nuclear positioning, which is also important for coordinated cell migration during neocortical development. Furthermore, for the first time we characterize Dictyostelium DCX, the only bona fide orthologue of human DCX outside the animal kingdom. We show that DCX functionally interacts with LIS1 and that both proteins have a cytoskeleton-independent function in chemotactic signaling during development. Dictyostelium LIS1 is also required for proper attachment of the centrosome to the nucleus and, thus, nuclear positioning, where the association of these two organelles has turned out to be crucial. It involves not only dynein and dynein-associated proteins such as LIS1 but also SUN proteins of the nuclear envelope. Analyses of Dictyostelium SUN1 mutants have underscored the importance of these proteins for the linkage of centrosomes and nuclei and for the maintenance of chromatin integrity. Taken together, we show that Dictyostelium amoebae, which provide a well-established model to study the basic aspects of chemotaxis, cell migration and development, are well suited for the investigation of the molecular and cell biological basis of developmental diseases such as lissencephaly.     

The LIS1-related NUDF protein of Aspergillus nidulans interacts with the coiled-coil domain of the NUDE/RO11 protein

The nudF gene of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans acts in the cytoplasmic dynein/dynactin pathway and is required for distribution of nuclei. NUDF protein, the product of the nudF gene, displays 42% sequence identity with the human protein LIS1 required for neuronal migration. Haploinsufficiency of the LIS1 gene causes a malformation of the human brain known as lissencephaly. We screened for multicopy suppressors of a mutation in the nudF gene. The product of the nudE gene isolated in the screen, NUDE, is a homologue of the nuclear distribution protein RO11 of Neurospora crassa. The highly conserved NH(2)-terminal coiled-coil domain of the NUDE protein suffices for protein function when overexpressed. A similar coiled-coil domain is present in several putative human proteins and in the mitotic phosphoprotein 43 (MP43) of X. laevis. NUDF protein interacts with the Aspergillus NUDE coiled-coil in a yeast two-hybrid system, while human LIS1 interacts with the human homologue of the NUDE/RO11 coiled-coil and also the Xenopus MP43 coiled-coil. In addition, NUDF coprecipitates with an epitope-tagged NUDE. The fact that NUDF and LIS1 interact with the same protein domain strengthens the notion that these two proteins are functionally related.     

Towards a molecular understanding of human diseases using Dictyostelium discoideum

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is increasingly being used as a simple model for the investigation of problems that are relevant to human health. This article focuses on several recent examples of Dictyostelium-based biomedical research, including the analysis of immune-cell disease and chemotaxis, centrosomal abnormalities and lissencephaly, bacterial intracellular pathogenesis, and mechanisms of neuroprotective and anti-cancer drug action. The combination of cellular, genetic and molecular biology techniques that are available in Dictyostelium often makes the analysis of these problems more amenable to study in this system than in mammalian cell culture. Findings that have been made in these areas using Dictyostelium have driven research in mammalian systems and have established Dictyostelium as a powerful model for human-disease analysis.     

The structure of the N-terminal domain of the product of the lissencephaly gene Lis1 and its functional implications

Mutations in the Lis1 gene result in lissencephaly (smooth brain), a debilitating developmental syndrome caused by the impaired ability of postmitotic neurons to migrate to their correct destination in the cerebral cortex. Sequence similarities suggest that the LIS1 protein contains a C-terminal seven-blade beta-propeller domain, while the structure of the N-terminal fragment includes the LisH (Lis-homology) motif, a pattern found in over 100 eukaryotic proteins with a hitherto unknown function. We present the 1.75 A resolution crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of mouse LIS1, and we show that the LisH motif is a novel, thermodynamically very stable dimerization domain. The structure explains the molecular basis of a low severity form of lissencephaly.     

Coupling PAF signaling to dynein regulation: structure of LIS1 in complex with PAF-acetylhydrolase

Mutations in the LIS1 gene cause lissencephaly, a human neuronal migration disorder. LIS1 binds dynein and the dynein-associated proteins Nde1 (formerly known as NudE), Ndel1 (formerly known as NUDEL), and CLIP-170, as well as the catalytic alpha dimers of brain cytosolic platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH). The mechanism coupling the two diverse regulatory pathways remains unknown. We report the structure of LIS1 in complex with the alpha2/alpha2 PAF-AH homodimer. One LIS1 homodimer binds symmetrically to one alpha2/alpha2 homodimer via the highly conserved top faces of the LIS1 beta propellers. The same surface of LIS1 contains sites of mutations causing lissencephaly and overlaps with a putative dynein binding surface. Ndel1 competes with the alpha2/alpha2 homodimer for LIS1, but the interaction is complex and requires both the N- and C-terminal domains of LIS1. Our data suggest that the LIS1 molecule undergoes major conformational rearrangement when switching from a complex with the acetylhydrolase to the one with Ndel1.     

Reduction of microtubule catastrophe events by LIS1, platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase subunit.

Forming the structure of the human brain involves extensive neuronal migration, a process dependent on cytoskeletal rearrangement. Neuronal migration is believed to be disrupted in patients exhibiting the developmental brain malformation lissencephaly. Previous studies have shown that LIS1, the defective gene found in patients with lissencephaly, is a subunit of the platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase. Our results indicated that LIS1 has an additional function. By interacting with tubulin it suppresses microtubule dynamics. We detected LIS1 interaction with microtubules by immunostaining and co-assembly. LIS1-tubulin interactions were assayed by co-immunoprecipitation and by surface plasmon resonance changes. Microtubule dynamic measurements in vitro indicated that physiological concentrations of LIS1 indeed reduced microtubule catastrophe events, thereby resulting in a net increase in the maximum length of the microtubules. Furthermore, the LIS1 protein concentration in the brain, measured by quantitative Western blots, is high and is approximately one-fifth of the concentration of brain tubulin. Our new findings show that LIS1 is a protein exhibiting several cellular interactions, and the interaction with the cytoskeleton may prove to be the mode of transducing a signal generated by platelet-activating factor. We postulate that the LIS1-cytoskeletal interaction is important for neuronal migration, a process that is defective in lissencephaly patients.     

The human LIS1 is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma and plays a tumor suppressor function

The human lissencephaly-1 gene (LIS1) is a disease gene responsible for Miller–Dieker lissencephaly syndrome (MDL). LIS1 gene is located in the region of chromosome 17p13.3 that is frequency deleted in MDL patients and in human liver cancer cells. However, the expression and significance of LIS1 in liver cancer remain unknown. Here, we investigated the expression of LIS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues by real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The results indicated that the mRNA and protein levels of LIS1 were downregulated in about 70% of HCC tissues, and this downregulation was significantly associated with tumor progression. Functional studies showed that the reduction of LIS1 expression in the normal human liver cell line QSG7701 or the mouse fibroblast cell line NIH3T3 by shRNA resulted in colony formation in soft agar and xenograft tumor formation in nude mice, demonstrating that a decrease in the LIS1 level can promote the oncogenic transformation of cells. We also observed that the phenotypes of LIS1-knockdown cells displayed various defective mitotic structures, suggesting that the mechanism by which reduced LIS1 levels results in tumorigenesis is associated with its role in mitosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ectopic expression of LIS1 could significantly inhibit HCC cell proliferation and colony formation. Our results suggest that LIS1 plays a potential tumor suppressor role in the development and progression of HCC.     

Nucleomorphin. A novel, acidic, nuclear calmodulin-binding protein from dictyostelium that regulates nuclear number

Probing of Dictyostelium discoideum cell extracts after SDS-PAGE using (35)S-recombinant calmodulin (CaM) as a probe has revealed approximately three-dozen Ca(2+)-dependent calmodulin binding proteins. Here, we report the molecular cloning, expression, and subcellular localization of a gene encoding a novel calmodulin-binding protein (CaMBP); we have called nucleomorphin, from D. discoideum. A lambdaZAP cDNA expression library of cells from multicellular development was screened using a recombinant calmodulin probe ((35)S-VU1-CaM). The open reading frame of 1119 nucleotides encodes a polypeptide of 340 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 38.7 kDa and is constitutively expressed throughout the Dictyostelium life cycle. Nucleomorphin contains a highly acidic glutamic/aspartic acid inverted repeat (DEED) with significant similarity to the conserved nucleoplasmin domain and a putative transmembrane domain in the carboxyl-terminal region. Southern blotting reveals that nucleomorphin exists as a single copy gene. Using gel overlay assays and CaM-agarose we show that bacterially expressed nucleomorphin binds to bovine CaM in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Amino-terminal fusion to the green fluorescence protein (GFP) showed that GFP-NumA localized to the nucleus as distinct arc-like patterns similar to heterochromatin regions. GFP-NumA lacking the acidic DEED repeat still showed arc-like accumulations at the nuclear periphery, but the number of nuclei in these cells was increased markedly compared with control cells. Cells expressing GFP-NumA lacking the transmembrane domain localized to the nuclear periphery but did not affect nuclear number or gross morphology. Nucleomorphin is the first nuclear CaMBP to be identified in Dictyostelium. Furthermore, these data present the first identification of a member of the nucleoplasmin family as a calmodulin-binding protein and suggest nucleomorphin has a role in nuclear structure in Dictyostelium.     

Purification and properties of the Dictyostelium calpain-like protein,Cpl

Calpains are intracellular, cysteine proteases found in plants, animals, and fungi. There is emerging evidence that they are important mediators of cell adhesion and motility in animal cells. Because the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum, is a genetically tractable model for cell adhesion and motility, we have investigated whether a calpain-like protein is expressed in this organism. Contig 13130 (Sanger Institute Dictyostelium sequencing project) was identified as a three-exon gene that encodes a calpain-like protein. Using a custom peptide antibody to assay for the presence of this putative protein, we identified Dictyostelium calpain-like protein (Cpl) and purified it to near homogeneity. Cpl is a 72278 Da cytosolic protein. Weak caseinolytic activity inhibitable by cysteine protease inhibitors was copurified with Cpl immunoreactivity, and purified Cpl appeared to undergo autoproteolysis upon transfer to inhibitor-free buffer. The major cleavage, generating a 51291 Da form, occurred after Pro 189. The Cpl domain structure resembles mammalian calpain 10, comprising an N-terminal catalytic domain followed by tandem calpain D-III domains. The putative catalytic domain appears to possess His and Gln active site residues, instead of the canonical His and Asn residues in calpains. The active site Cys has not yet been identified, and definitive proof of a proteolytic function awaits further study. Its phylogenetic distribution in D. discoideum and several protists suggests that the calpain D-III domain evolved early in eukaryotic cells.