环境激素对纹沼螺RXR基因表达的影响

维甲酸X受体(RXR)基因在调控软体动物内分泌行为过程中起着关键作用.为揭示环境激素对软体动物RXR基因表达的调控作用,在前期构建纹沼螺转录组基础上,利用RACE技术扩增获得纹沼螺RXR基因cDNA全序列,并采用实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)对环境激素暴露后纹沼螺RXR基因表达水平进行定量分析.研究结果显示,纹沼螺RXR基因与其他软体动物RXR具有较高的同源性,雌激素处理后RXR基因的表达先被抑制后被促进,雄激素处理后RXR基因的表达先被诱导后被抑制,并且不同暴露浓度组RXR基因表达差异不显著.研究结果表明,环境激素可能对纹沼螺有一定的毒理效应,为从分子水平上深入探究环境激素对软体动物危害机制提供了数据支持及理论基础.     

脂质过氧化物体增殖物激活受体研究概况

脂质过氧化物体增殖物激活受体(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors,PPARs)家族由PPARα、PPARβ／δ和PPARγ三种核受体组成。PPARs是配体调节的转录因子,与另外一种核受体视黄醛衍生物X受体(RXR)形成异二聚体,结合到靶基因启动子区的特异反应元件(PPRE)上,从而发挥重要的调节基因表达的作用。现在已知有多种天然及合成的PPARs配体,其中,合成药物fibrates(PPARα配体)及thiazolidinediones(PPARγ配体)分别能有效地治疗血脂异常及2型糖尿病。利用这些配体对PPARs进行研究,揭示了PPARs在脂肪形成、脂质代谢、糖稳态、胰岛素敏感性、细胞生长及分化、动脉粥样硬化、炎症及肿瘤等多种生理及病理生理过程中的重要作用。本文对PPARs的结构、组织分布、主要配体,以及它们在健康和疾病状态下的作用进行综述。     

法尼酯X受体在脂质代谢过程中的调控作用

法尼酯X受体(Farnesoid X Receptor,FXR)属于配体依赖的核转录因子,可被内源性配体胆汁酸激活,通过调节胆汁酸、胆固醇、脂蛋白及脂肪酸代谢维持血浆中脂质的稳态,从而达到调节脂质代谢的目的。最近研究发现FXR在脉管系统中也有表达活性,开辟了FXR调节脂质代谢的新途径。随着新配体及靶基因的发现,研究FXR的作用机制以及寻找对脂质代谢具有调控作用的FXR的配体,对于脂代谢异常和动脉粥样硬化的防治具有重要意义。本文综述了该领域的最新进展。     

视黄酸相关孤儿核受体RORα在脂质代谢调控中的作用

核受体是一类配体依赖的转录因子超家族。视黄酸相关孤儿核受体(retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptors,RORs)由于在基因序列上与视黄酸受体(retinoic acid receptor,RAR)和类维甲酸X受体(retinoid X receptor,RXR)相似而得名。近年来研究陆续发现,核受体RORα不仅在一些代谢组织中表达,而且在脂质代谢,以及动脉粥样硬化的发生发展中扮演关键角色。因此,深入了解RORα与脂质代谢的关系,将为肥胖、2型糖尿病和动脉粥样硬化等疾病提供新的治疗靶点。     

灵长类苦味受体基因研究进展

在鲜味、甜味、苦味、咸味和酸味5种味觉形式中,苦味能避免动物摄入有毒有害物质,在动物的生存中发挥着特别重要的作用。苦味味觉的产生依赖于苦味物质与苦味受体的相互作用。苦味受体由苦味受体基因Tas2rs编码,此类基因在不同物种中数量变化较大以适应不同的需求。目前的研究在灵长类中鉴别出了若干苦味受体的配体,并发现有的苦味受体基因所经受的选择压在类群之间、基因之间甚至同一基因不同功能区之间都存在着变化。本文从苦味受体作用的多样性特点,受体与配体的对应关系、受体基因进化模式与食性之间的关系、苦味受体基因的适应性进化方面对灵长类苦味受体基因进行了综述,以期为苦味受体基因在灵长类中的深入研究提供参考。     

肿瘤鞘脂代谢异常与肿瘤细胞对维甲酸类药物耐药性

维甲酸类药物对多种癌症有效,其作用包括诱导凋亡、抑制生长、促进分化等,这主要通过调节维甲酸受体包括维甲酸受体(retinoic acid receptor,RAR)和维甲酸X受体(rexinoid X receptor,RXR)的表达实现。目前发现,一些患者癌细胞的RAR、RXR或RAR/RXR表达缺乏,可能导致癌细胞对维甲酸产生耐药性。鞘脂代谢异常和维甲酸类受体表达缺失密切相关,在癌细胞对维甲酸产生耐药性中发挥着重要作用。本文就鞘脂代谢异常与维甲酸受体表达异常及维甲酸类药物耐药的相关性做一简要综述。     

西尼罗病毒易感性研究现状

西尼罗病毒可引起鼠、人类及其他动物严重脑炎,近年来再度流行。基因研究分析表明近年来西尼罗病毒突变的速度逐渐加快,突变主要发生在基因编码区,这些突变可导致病毒蛋白E区、NS1区、NS2区及NS5区氨基酸序列的改变。西尼罗病毒感染主要发生于老龄及免疫缺陷动物或人群。西尼罗病毒的易感染性除与突变有重要关系外,与CCR5、OAS及CXCL10等受体及因子也有一定的关系。     

香猪雌激素受体α、β基因cDNA的克隆及分析

本文采用RT-PCR技术,分别从香猪的子宫和卵巢总RNA中扩增了雌激素受体α和β(Erα、Erβ)两种cDNA,分别长1788 bp和1581 bp,包括起始密码子和终止密码子,碱基序列与大白猪的Erα、Erβ基因的相似性为99.3%和99.6%.Erα、Erβ两个基因编码595、526个氨基酸,N-末端的20、24个氨基酸残基为信号肽,成熟肽序列与大白猪之间均有4个氨基酸不同.三维结构分析发现,与大白猪相比,香猪Erα成熟肽第192、231位氨基酸由Ser、Met变为Gly、Thr,位于DNA结合结构域,成熟肽438位氨基酸由Val变为Gly,位于Erα的配体结合结构域;Erβ成熟肽中,167位和360位氨基酸由Asp和Phe变为Glu和Pro,位于受体的DNA结合域和配体结合域,这五个位点的氨基酸替代可能影响Ers蛋白与雌激素受体应答元件、雌激素等配体的结合,改变相关基因的转录效率,并可能影响香猪的卵巢、子宫等繁殖系统的发育,与香猪的低繁殖力有关     

极低密度脂蛋白受体研究进展

极低密度脂蛋白受体 (VLDL R)属于低密度脂蛋白受体 (LDL R)超家族 ,结构上与LDL R极为相似 ,而在结合特性、组织分布及生理功能上存在较大的差异 .近年来的研究表明 ,VLDL R配体结合域中的重复序列参与配体的结合 ,并已初步确定受体N端的 4个重复序列中含有与配体结合的重要位点 ;在哺乳动物体内 ,VLDL R主要分布于脂代谢活跃的组织细胞 ,如 :心肌、骨骼肌和脂肪组织等 ,表明其与脂质尤其是甘油三酯的代谢密切相关 ;动脉粥样硬化 (AS)的病变斑块组织中该受体的表达量很高 ,推测VLDL R参与了AS的病变过程 ;在不同的细胞内 ,VLDL R及其亚型的表达并不一致 ,并发现与各种生理、病理变化相关 ,已经发现多种转录因子参与VLDL R表达的调控 ;基因敲除研究也不断揭示VLDL R新的功能意义 ,特别是发现了VLDL R在脑的发育过程中的重要信号作用 ,这些研究已使人们对VLDL R有了新的更全面的认识     

视黄类受体与视黄酸致畸作用关系

视黄酸（维甲酸）可引起包括人在内的多种动物胚胎畸形,其生物活性是由一系列视黄酸受体及其配体介导的。其中视黄类受体RAR起主要作用,RAR的配体为强致畸物,相对致畸活性由强至弱依次为配体α、配体β和配体γ。视黄酸受体RXR的配体无致畸活性,但是可加强RAR激动剂的某些致畸郊应。视黄酸受体还可通过其它基因的表达而影响胚胎发育。对视黄类受体基因突变和不同视黄类受体及其配体与致畸作用的关系,以及此类受体对其它基因表达的调节作简要综述。 Abstract: Retinoic acid can induce teratogenesis of the fetus of many animals including human, and its biological activities are induced by a serious of different retinoic acid accepters and their ligands. The retinoic acid acceptor RAR plays key roles in the teratogenesis, and the legands of RAR are strong teratogens. The intensity sequence of the relative teratogenesis is ligandα、ligandβ and ligandγ. The ligands of the retinoic acid acceptor RXR cannot induce teratogenesis, but they can enhance the teratogenesis of the RAR stimulus. The retinoic acid acceptors can also affect the development of the fetus by adjusting the expression of the other genes. The relations between the gene mutation of the retinoic acid acceptor, various retinoic acid acceptors and their ligands and teratogenesis of retinoic acid are summarized in this article. In addition, the regulations of the retinoic acid acceptors to the other genes are also discussed.     

Evolutionary Conservation in Retinoid Signalling and Metabolism

In accord with the notion that retinoid signalling is of centralimportance in vertebrate evolution, a number of its componentsare evolutionarily conserved. Retinoid X nuclear receptors (RXRs),which interact directly with a number of signalling pathways,are highly conserved among mammals, Xenopus, and chick. We havestudied RXRs in zebrafish and find that they are also very wellconserved with respect to amino acid sequence and function,compared to mammalian RXRs. However, zebrafish has additionalsubtypes (RXR and RXR) which are altered in structure and function.New information which has come to light since these were firstdescribed suggests ways in which these unique subtypes couldfine-tune retinoid signalling in zebrafish. We have performedphylogenetic analysis with the zebrafish RXRs and RXRs fromother species to try to understand the evolutionary relationshipsamong them. In addition, we have found a retinoic acid (RA)-inducible,RA-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (P450RAI/CYP26) which is evolutionarilyconserved among vertebrates and has an important role in controllingretinoid signalling by regulating the level of biologicallyavailable RA.     

Tissue-specific and embryonic expression of the retinoid X receptors in Sebastiscus marmoratus

Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are highly conserved members of the nuclear receptor family and mediate various physiological processes in vertebrates. Most studies on RXRs have concentrated on their structure and function in mammals and their characterization and developmental expression in Danio rerio. However, there is little information concerning the distribution of RXRs in teleost tissues. In the present study, we cloned partial sequences of three RXR subtypes (RXRa, -b, -g) from Sebastiscus marmoratus by RACE PCR and analyzed the phylogeny of the teleost and the tetrapod RXR genes, and identified some inconsistencies with previous studies. The tissue-specific and embryonic expression profiles of each RXR gene were explored using real time quantitative PCR. This analysis demonstrated that these RXRs were expressed in all test tissues indicating their participation in many physiological processes. However, we found a great difference in the distribution of RXRg between teleosts and mammals. Furthermore, we followed expression of the three subtypes through various embryo developmental stages and found that the RXRa orthologues of teleosts might be involved in the development of the anterior hindbrain, tailbud and neural crest and in the formation of the pharynx and fin, that RXRb played ubiquitous roles in fish early development, and that RXRg probably played a role in brain and nervous system development and function.     

RXR-2, a member of the retinoid x receptor family in Schistosoma mansoni.

A cDNA encoding a second full-length member of the Schistosoma mansoni RXR family (SmRXR-2) was identified. The nucleotide sequence of SmRXR-2 translates into a protein of 784 amino acids with a pI of 7.63 and an approximate mass of 78kDa making it the largest reported RXR to date. Phylogenetic tree analysis provides evidence that SmRXR-2 is the most ancient full-length RXR identified. SmRXR-2 exhibits unique sequence features compared with other RXRs. RT-PCR results demonstrate that the SmRXR-2 gene is constitutively expressed and thus must play multiple roles throughout schistosome development in the vertebrate host.