共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
2.
Victoria L Alonso Carla Ritagliati Pamela Cribb Esteban C Serra 《Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz》2014,109(8):1081-1085
We present here three expression plasmids for Trypanosoma cruzi
adapted to the Gateway® recombination cloning system. Two of
these plasmids were designed to express trypanosomal proteins fused to a double tag
for tandem affinity purification (TAPtag). The TAPtag and Gateway®
cassette were introduced into an episomal (pTEX) and an integrative (pTREX) plasmid.
Both plasmids were assayed by introducing green fluorescent protein (GFP) by
recombination and the integrity of the double-tagged protein was determined by
western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy. The third Gateway adapted vector
assayed was the inducible pTcINDEX. When tested with GFP,
pTcINDEX-GW showed a good response to tetracycline, being less
leaky than its precursor (pTcINDEX). 相似文献
3.
Orwah Saleh Bertolt Gust Bj?rn Boll Hans-Peter Fiedler Lutz Heide 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2009,284(21):14439-14447
The bacterium Streptomyces anulatus 9663, isolated from the
intestine of different arthropods, produces prenylated derivatives of
phenazine 1-carboxylic acid. From this organism, we have identified the
prenyltransferase gene ppzP. ppzP resides in a gene cluster
containing orthologs of all genes known to be involved in phenazine
1-carboxylic acid biosynthesis in Pseudomonas strains as well as
genes for the six enzymes required to generate dimethylallyl diphosphate via
the mevalonate pathway. This is the first complete gene cluster of a phenazine
natural compound from streptomycetes. Heterologous expression of this cluster
in Streptomyces coelicolor M512 resulted in the formation of
prenylated derivatives of phenazine 1-carboxylic acid. After inactivation of
ppzP, only nonprenylated phenazine 1-carboxylic acid was formed.
Cloning, overexpression, and purification of PpzP resulted in a 37-kDa soluble
protein, which was identified as a 5,10-dihydrophenazine 1-carboxylate
dimethylallyltransferase, forming a C–C bond between C-1 of the
isoprenoid substrate and C-9 of the aromatic substrate. In contrast to many
other prenyltransferases, the reaction of PpzP is independent of the presence
of magnesium or other divalent cations. The Km value for
dimethylallyl diphosphate was determined as 116 μm. For
dihydro-PCA, half-maximal velocity was observed at 35 μm.
Kcat was calculated as 0.435 s-1. PpzP shows
obvious sequence similarity to a recently discovered family of
prenyltransferases with aromatic substrates, the ABBA prenyltransferases. The
present finding extends the substrate range of this family, previously limited
to phenolic compounds, to include also phenazine derivatives.The transfer of isoprenyl moieties to aromatic acceptor molecules gives
rise to an astounding diversity of secondary metabolites in bacteria, fungi,
and plants, including many compounds that are important in pharmacotherapy.
However, surprisingly little biochemical and genetic data are available on the
enzymes catalyzing the C-prenylation of aromatic substrates. Recently, a new
family of aromatic prenyltransferases was discovered in streptomycetes
(1), Gram-positive soil
bacteria that are prolific producers of antibiotics and other biologically
active compounds (2). The
members of this enzyme family show a new type of protein fold with a unique
α-β-β-α architecture
(3) and were therefore termed
ABBA prenyltransferases (1).
Only 13 members of this family can be identified by sequence similarity
searches in the data base at present, and only four of them have been
investigated biochemically
(3–6).
Up to now, only phenolic compounds have been identified as aromatic substrates
of ABBA prenyltransferases. We now report the discovery of a new member of the
ABBA prenyltransferase family, catalyzing the transfer of a dimethylallyl
moiety to C-9 of 5,10-dihydrophenazine 1-carboxylate
(dihydro-PCA).2
Streptomyces strains produce many of prenylated phenazines as natural
products. For the first time, the present paper reports the identification of
a prenyltransferase involved in their biosynthesis.Streptomyces anulatus 9663, isolated from the intestine of
different arthropods, produces several prenylated phenazines, among them
endophenazine A and B (Fig.
1A) (7).
We wanted to investigate which type of prenyltransferase might catalyze the
prenylation reaction in endophenazine biosynthesis. In streptomycetes and
other microorganisms, genes involved in the biosynthesis of a secondary
metabolite are nearly always clustered in a contiguous DNA region. Therefore,
the prenyltransferase of endophenazine biosynthesis was expected to be
localized in the vicinity of the genes for the biosynthesis of the phenazine
core (i.e. of PCA).Open in a separate windowFIGURE 1.A, prenylated phenazines from S. anulatus 9663.
B, biosynthetic gene cluster of endophenazine A.In Pseudomonas, an operon of seven genes named phzABCDEFG
is responsible for the biosynthesis of PCA
(8). The enzyme PhzC catalyzes
the condensation of phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose-4-phosphate
(i.e. the first step of the shikimate pathway), and further enzymes
of this pathway lead to the intermediate chorismate. PhzD and PhzE catalyze
the conversion of chorismate to 2-amino-2-deoxyisochorismate and the
subsequent conversion to 2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, respectively.
These reactions are well established biochemically. Fewer data are available
about the following steps (i.e. dimerization of
2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, several oxidation reactions, and a
decarboxylation, ultimately leading to PCA via several instable
intermediates). From Pseudomonas, experimental data on the role of
PhzF and PhzA/B have been published
(8,
9), whereas the role of PhzG is
yet unclear. Surprisingly, the only gene cluster for phenazine biosynthesis
described so far from streptomycetes
(10) was found not to contain
a phzF orthologue, raising the question of whether there may be
differences in the biosynthesis of phenazines between Pseudomonas and
Streptomyces.Screening of a genomic library of the endophenazine producer strain S.
anulatus now allowed the identification of the first complete gene
cluster of a prenylated phenazine, including the structural gene of
dihydro-PCA dimethylallyltransferase. 相似文献
4.
Zhang L Kinkelaar D Huang Y Li Y Li X Wang HH 《Applied and environmental microbiology》2011,77(20):7134-7141
The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance (AR) is a major public health concern. Recent findings on the prevalence of food-borne antibiotic-resistant (ART) commensal bacteria in ready-to-consume food products suggested that daily food consumption likely serves as a major avenue for dissemination of ART bacteria from the food chain to human hosts. To properly assess the impact of various factors, including the food chain, on AR development in hosts, it is important to determine the baseline of ART bacteria in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. We thus examined the gut microbiota of 16 infant subjects, from the newborn stage to 1 year of age, who fed on breast milk and/or infant formula during the early stages of development and had no prior exposure to antibiotics. Predominant bacterial populations resistant to several antibiotics and multiple resistance genes were found in the infant GI tracts within the first week of age. Several ART population transitions were also observed in the absence of antibiotic exposure and dietary changes. Representative AR gene pools including tet(M), ermB, sul2, and bla(TEM) were detected in infant subjects. Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Streptococcus spp., and Escherichia coli/Shigella spp. were among the identified AR gene carriers. ART bacteria were not detected in the infant formula and infant foods examined, but small numbers of skin-associated ART bacteria were found in certain breast milk samples. The data suggest that the early development of AR in the human gut microbiota is independent of infants' exposure to antibiotics but is likely impacted by exposure to maternal and environmental microbes during and after delivery and that the ART population is significantly amplified within the host even in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure. 相似文献
5.
The genera Odontacolus Kieffer and Cyphacolus Priesner are among the most distinctive platygastroid wasps because of their laterally compressed metasomal horn; however, their generic status has remained unclear. We present a morphological phylogenetic analysis comprising all 38 Old World and four Neotropical Odontacolus species and 13 Cyphacolus species, which demonstrates that the latter is monophyletic but nested within a somewhat poorly resolved Odontacolus. Based on these results Cyphacolus
syn. n. is placed as a junior synonym of Odontacolus which is here redefined. The taxonomy of Old World Odontacolus
s.str. is revised; the previously known species Odontacolus longiceps Kieffer (Seychelles), Odontacolus markadicus Veenakumari (India), Odontacolus spinosus (Dodd) (Australia) and Odontacolus hackeri (Dodd) (Australia) are re-described, and 32 new species are described: Odontacolus africanus Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe), Odontacolus aldrovandii Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Nepal), Odontacolus anningae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Cameroon), Odontacolus australiensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), Odontacolus baeri Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), Odontacolus berryae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island), Odontacolus bosei Valerio & Austin sp. n. (India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka), Odontacolus cardaleae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), Odontacolus darwini Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Thailand), Odontacolus dayi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Indonesia), Odontacolus gallowayi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), Odontacolus gentingensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Malaysia), Odontacolus guineensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Guinea), Odontacolus harveyi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), Odontacolus heratyi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), Odontacolus heydoni Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Malaysia, Thailand), Odontacolus irwini Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), Odontacolus jacksonae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Cameroon, Guinea, Madagascar), Odontacolus kiau Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Papua New Guinea), Odontacolus lamarcki Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Thailand), Odontacolus madagascarensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Madagascar), Odontacolus mayri Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Indonesia, Thailand), Odontacolus mot Valerio & Austin sp. n. (India), Odontacolus noyesi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (India, Indonesia), Odontacolus pintoi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island), Odontacolus schlingeri Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), Odontacolus sharkeyi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Thailand), Odontacolus veroae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), Odontacolus wallacei Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia, Indonesia, Malawi, Papua New Guinea), Odontacolus whitfieldi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (China, India, Indonesia, Sulawesi, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam), Odontacolus zborowskii Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), and Odontacolus zimi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Madagascar). In addition, all species of Cyphacolus are here transferred to Odontacolus: Odontacolus asheri (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Sri Lanka), Odontacolus axfordi (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), Odontacolus bhowaliensis (Mani & Mukerjee) comb. n. (India), Odontacolus bouceki (Austin & Iqbal) comb. n. (Australia), Odontacolus copelandi (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Thailand), Odontacolus diazae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Kenya), Odontacolus harteni (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Yemen, Ivory Coast, Paskistan), Odontacolus jenningsi (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), Odontacolus leblanci (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Guinea), Odontacolus lucianae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Ivory Coast, Madagascar, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe), Odontacolus normani (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (India, United Arab Emirates), Odontacolus sallyae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), Odontacolus tessae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), Odontacolus tullyae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), Odontacolus veniprivus (Priesner) comb. n. (Egypt), and Odontacolus watshami (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Africa, Madagascar). Two species of Odontacolus are transferred to the genus Idris Förster: Idris longispinosus (Girault) comb. n. and Idris amoenus (Kononova) comb. n., and Odontacolus doddi Austin syn. n. is placed as a junior synonym of Odontacolus spinosus (Dodd). Odontacolus markadicus, previously only known from India, is here recorded from Brunei, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The relationships, distribution and biology of Odontacolus are discussed, and a key is provided to identify all species. 相似文献
6.
Giselle Aparecida Fagundes-Silva Gustavo Adolfo Sierra Romero Elisa Cupolillo Ellen Priscila Gadelha Yamashita Adriano Gomes-Silva Jorge Augusto de Oliveira Guerra Alda Maria Da-Cruz 《Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz》2015,110(6):797-800
In the Brazilian Amazon, American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) is endemic and
presents a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations due, in part, to the circulation
of at least seven Leishmania species. Few reports of
Leishmania (Viannia) naiffi infection suggest that its occurrence
is uncommon and the reported cases present a benign clinical course and a good
response to treatment. This study aimed to strengthen the clinical and
epidemiological importance of L. (V.) naiffi in the Amazon Region
(Manaus, state of Amazonas) and to report therapeutic failure in patients infected
with this species. Thirty Leishmania spp samples isolated from
cutaneous lesions were characterised by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. As
expected, the most common species was Leishmania (V.) guyanensis (20
cases). However, a relevant number ofL. (V.) naiffi patients (8
cases) was observed, thus demonstrating that this species is not uncommon in the
region. No patient infected withL. (V.) naiffi evolved to
spontaneous cure until the start of treatment, which indicated that this species may
not have a self-limiting nature. In addition, two of the patients experienced a poor
response to antimonial or pentamidine therapy. Thus, either ATL cases due to
L. (V.) naiffi cannot be as uncommon as previously thought or
this species is currently expanding in this region. 相似文献
7.
Six species of Gastrocopta have been identified from the Pilbara region, Western Australia, by means of comparative analyses of shell and mtDNA variation. Three of these species, Gastrocopta hedleyi, Gastrocopta larapinta and Gastrocopta servilis, have been recorded in the Pilbara for the first time. Gastrocopta sp. CW1 is probably new to science and might be endemic to the region. By contrast, Gastrocopta hedleyi, Gastrocopta larapinta and Gastrocopta mussoni are shown to be widespread. 相似文献
8.
Antiviral drugs dispensed during the 2009 influenza pandemic generally failed to contain transmission. This poses the question of whether preparedness for a future pandemic should include plans to use antiviral drugs to mitigate transmission.Simulations using a standard transmission model that allows for infected arrivals and delayed vaccination show that attempts to contain transmission require relatively few antiviral doses. In contrast, persistent use of antiviral drugs when the reproduction number remains above 1 use very many doses and are unlikely to reduce the eventual attack rate appreciably unless the stockpile is very large. A second model, in which the community has a household structure, shows that the effectiveness of a strategy of dispensing antiviral drugs to infected households decreases rapidly with time delays in dispensing the antivirals. Using characteristics of past pandemics it is estimated that at least 80% of primary household cases must present upon show of symptoms to have a chance of containing transmission by dispensing antiviral drugs to households. To determine data needs, household outbreaks were simulated with 50% receiving antiviral drugs early and 50% receiving antiviral drugs late. A test to compare the size of household outbreaks indicates that at least 100-200 household outbreaks need to be monitored to find evidence that antiviral drugs can mitigate transmission of the newly emerged virus.Use of antiviral drugs in an early attempt to contain transmission should be part of preparedness plans for a future influenza pandemic. Data on the incidence of the first 350 cases and the eventual attack rates of the first 200 hundred household outbreaks should be used to estimate the initial reproduction number R and the effectiveness of antiviral drugs to mitigate transmission. Use of antiviral drugs to mitigate general transmission should cease if these estimates indicate that containment of transmission is unlikely. 相似文献
9.
Cell death can be divided into the anti-inflammatory process of apoptosis and the
pro-inflammatory process of necrosis. Necrosis, as apoptosis, is a regulated form of cell
death, and Poly-(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and Receptor-Interacting Protein (RIP)
1/3 are major mediators. We previously showed that absence or inhibition of PARP-1
protects mice from nephritis, however only the male mice. We therefore hypothesized that
there is an inherent difference in the cell death program between the sexes. We show here
that in an immune-mediated nephritis model, female mice show increased apoptosis compared
to male mice. Treatment of the male mice with estrogens induced apoptosis to levels
similar to that in female mice and inhibited necrosis. Although PARP-1 was activated in
both male and female mice, PARP-1 inhibition reduced necrosis only in the male mice. We
also show that deletion of RIP-3 did not have a sex bias. We demonstrate here that male
and female mice are prone to different types of cell death. Our data also suggest that
estrogens and PARP-1 are two of the mediators of the sex-bias in cell death. We therefore
propose that targeting cell death based on sex will lead to tailored and better treatments
for each gender. 相似文献
10.
11.
Fernando Fonseca Val Vanderson Souza Sampaio Maria Belén Cassera Raquel Tapajós Andrade Pedro Luiz Tauil Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro Marcus Vinícius Guimar?es Lacerda 《Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz》2014,109(5):522-524
In the 1950s, the strategy of adding chloroquine to food salt as a prophylaxis
against malaria was considered to be a successful tool. However, with the development
of Plasmodium resistance in the Brazilian Amazon, this control
strategy was abandoned. More than 50 years later, asexual stage resistance can be
avoided by screening for antimalarial drugs that have a selective action against
gametocytes, thus old prophylactic measures can be revisited. The efficacy of the old
methods should be tested as complementary tools for the elimination of malaria. 相似文献
12.
Martin J. Sergeant Jian-Jun Li Christine Fox Nicola Brookbank Dean Rea Timothy D. H. Bugg Andrew J. Thompson 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2009,284(8):5257-5264
Members of the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase family catalyze the
oxidative cleavage of carotenoids at various chain positions, leading to the
formation of a wide range of apocarotenoid signaling molecules. To explore the
functions of this diverse enzyme family, we have used a chemical genetic
approach to design selective inhibitors for different classes of carotenoid
cleavage dioxygenase. A set of 18 arylalkyl-hydroxamic acids was synthesized
in which the distance between an iron-chelating hydroxamic acid and an
aromatic ring was varied; these compounds were screened as inhibitors of four
different enzyme classes, either in vitro or in vivo. Potent
inhibitors were found that selectively inhibited enzymes that cleave
carotenoids at the 9,10 position; 50% inhibition was achieved at submicromolar
concentrations. Application of certain inhibitors at 100 μm to
Arabidopsis node explants or whole plants led to increased shoot
branching, consistent with inhibition of 9,10-cleavage.Carotenoids are synthesized in plants and micro-organisms as
photoprotective molecules and are key components in animal diets, an example
being β-carotene (pro-vitamin A). The oxidative cleavage of carotenoids
occurs in plants, animals, and micro-organisms and leads to the release of a
range of apocarotenoids that function as signaling molecules with a diverse
range of functions (1). The
first gene identified as encoding a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase
(CCD)2 was the maize
Vp14 gene that is required for the formation of abscisic acid (ABA),
an important hormone that mediates responses to drought stress and aspects of
plant development such as seed and bud dormancy
(2). The VP14 enzyme cleaves at
the 11,12 position (Fig. 1) of
the epoxycarotenoids 9′-cis-neoxanthin and/or
9-cis-violaxanthin and is now classified as a
9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED)
(3), a subclass of the larger
CCD family.Open in a separate windowFIGURE 1.Reactions catalyzed by the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases.
a, 11,12-oxidative cleavage of 9′-cis-neoxanthin by
NCED; b, oxidative cleavage reactions on β-carotene and
zeaxanthin.Since the discovery of Vp14, many other CCDs have been shown to be
involved in the production of a variety of apocarotenoids
(Fig. 1). In insects, the
visual pigment retinal is formed by oxidative cleavage of β-carotene by
β-carotene-15,15′-dioxygenase
(4). Retinal is produced by an
orthologous enzyme in vertebrates, where it is also converted to retinoic
acid, a regulator of differentiation during embryogenesis
(5). A distinct mammalian CCD
is believed to cleave carotenoids asymmetrically at the 9,10 position
(6) and, although its function
is unclear, recent evidence suggests a role in the metabolism of dietary
lycopene (7). The plant
volatiles β-ionone and geranylacetone are produced from an enzyme that
cleaves at the 9,10 position
(8) and the pigment
α-crocin found in the spice saffron results from an 7,8-cleavage enzyme
(9).Other CCDs have been identified where biological function is unknown, for
example, in cyanobacteria where a variety of cleavage specificities have been
described
(10-12).
In other cases, there are apocarotenoids with known functions, but the
identity or involvement of CCDs have not yet been described: grasshopper
ketone is a defensive secretion of the flightless grasshopper Romalea
microptera (13),
mycorradicin is produced by plant roots during symbiosis with arbuscular
mycorrhyza (14), and
strigolactones (15) are plant
metabolites that act as germination signals to parasitic weeds such as
Striga and Orobanche
(16).Recently it was discovered that strigolactones also function as a branching
hormone in plants (17,
18). The existence of such a
branching hormone has been known for some time, but its identity proved
elusive. However, it was known that the hormone was derived from the action of
at least two CCDs, max3 and max4 (more axillary growth)
(19), because deletion of
either of these genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, leads to a bushy
phenotype (20,
21). In Escherichia
coli assays, AtCCD7 (max3) cleaves β-carotene at the 9,10 position
and the apocarotenoid product (10-apo-β-carotene) is reported to be
further cleaved at 13,14 by AtCCD8 (max4) to produce 13-apo-β-carotene
(22). Also recent evidence
suggests that AtCCD8 is highly specific, cleaving only 10-apo-β-carotene
(23). How the production of
13-apo-β-carotene leads to the synthesis of the complex strigolactone is
unknown. The possibility remains that the enzymes may have different
specificities and cleavage activities in planta. In addition, a
cytochrome P450 enzyme (24) is
believed to be involved in strigolactone synthesis and acts in the pathway
downstream of the CCD genes. Strigolactone is thought to effect branching by
regulating auxin transport
(25). Because of the
involvement of CCDs in strigolactone synthesis, the possibility arises that
plant architecture and interaction with parasitic weeds and mycorrhyza could
be controlled by the manipulation of CCD activity.Although considerable success has been obtained using genetic approaches to
probe function and substrate specificity of CCDs in their native biological
contexts, particularly in plant species with simple genetic systems or that
are amenable to transgenesis, there are many systems where genetic approaches
are difficult or impossible. Also, when recombinant CCDs are studied either
in vitro or in heterologous in vivo assays, such as in
E. coli strains engineered to accumulate carotenoids
(26), they are often active
against a broad range of substrates
(5,
21,
27), and in many cases the
true in vivo substrate of a particular CCD remains unknown. Therefore
additional experimental tools are needed to investigate both apocarotenoid and
CCD functions in their native cellular environments.In the reverse chemical genetics approach, small molecules are identified
that are active against known target proteins; they are then applied to a
biological system to investigate protein function in vivo
(28,
29). This approach is
complementary to conventional genetics since the small molecules can be
applied easily to a broad range of species, their application can be
controlled in dose, time, and space to provide detailed studies of biological
functions, and individual proteins or whole protein classes may be targeted by
varying the specificity of the small molecules. Notably, functions of the
plant hormones gibberellin, brassinosteroid, and abscisic acid have been
successfully probed using this approach by adapting triazoles to inhibit
specific cytochrome P450 monooxygenases involved in the metabolism of these
hormones (30).In the case of the CCD family, the tertiary amines abamine
(31) and the more active
abamineSG (32) were reported
as specific inhibitors of NCED, and abamine was used to show new functions of
abscisic acid in legume nodulation
(33). However, no selective
inhibitors for other types of CCD are known. Here we have designed a novel
class of CCD inhibitor based on hydroxamic acids, where variable chain length
was used to direct inhibition of CCD enzymes that cleave carotenoids at
specific positions. We demonstrate the use of such novel inhibitors to control
shoot branching in a model plant. 相似文献
13.
Crystal Structure of Monomeric Photosystem II from
Thermosynechococcus elongatus at 3.6-?
Resolution
Matthias Broser Azat Gabdulkhakov Jan Kern Albert Guskov Frank Müh Wolfram Saenger Athina Zouni 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2010,285(34):26255-26262
The membrane-embedded photosystem II core complex (PSIIcc) uses light energy to
oxidize water in photosynthesis. Information about the spatial structure of
PSIIcc obtained from x-ray crystallography was so far derived from homodimeric
PSIIcc of thermophilic cyanobacteria. Here, we report the first crystallization
and structural analysis of the monomeric form of PSIIcc with high oxygen
evolution capacity, isolated from Thermosynechococcus
elongatus. The crystals belong to the space group C2221,
contain one monomer per asymmetric unit, and diffract to a resolution of 3.6
Å. The x-ray diffraction pattern of the PSIIcc-monomer crystals
exhibit less anisotropy (dependence of resolution on crystal orientation)
compared with crystals of dimeric PSIIcc, and the packing of the molecules
within the unit cell is different. In the monomer, 19 protein subunits, 35
chlorophylls, two pheophytins, the non-heme iron, the primary plastoquinone
QA, two heme groups, 11 β-carotenes, 22 lipids, seven
detergent molecules, and the Mn4Ca cluster of the water oxidizing
complex could be assigned analogous to the dimer. Based on the new structural
information, the roles of lipids and protein subunits in dimer formation of
PSIIcc are discussed. Due to the lack of non-crystallographic symmetry and the
orientation of the membrane normal of PSIIcc perpendicular
(∼87°) to the crystallographic b-axis,
further information about the structure of the Mn4Ca cluster is
expected to become available from orientation-dependent spectroscopy on this new
crystal form. 相似文献
14.
Adrien W. Schmid Diego Chiappe V��r��ne Pignat Valerie Grimminger Ivan Hang Marc Moniatte Hilal A. Lashuel 《The Journal of biological chemistry》2009,284(19):13128-13142
Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of
Parkinson disease (PD). However, exactly how tTG modulates the structural and
functional properties of α-synuclein (α-syn) and contributes to
the pathogenesis of PD remains unknown. Using site-directed mutagenesis
combined with detailed biophysical and mass spectrometry analyses, we sought
to identify the exact residues involved in tTG-catalyzed cross-linking of
wild-type α-syn and α-syn mutants associated with PD. To better
understand the structural consequences of each cross-linking reaction, we
determined the effect of tTG-catalyzed cross-linking on the oligomerization,
fibrillization, and membrane binding of α-syn in vitro. Our
findings show that tTG-catalyzed cross-linking of monomeric α-syn
involves multiple cross-links (specifically 2-3). We subjected tTG-catalyzed
cross-linked monomeric α-syn composed of either wild-type or Gln →
Asn mutants to sequential proteolysis by multiple enzymes and peptide mapping
by mass spectrometry. Using this approach, we identified the glutamine and
lysine residues involved in tTG-catalyzed intramolecular cross-linking of
α-syn. These studies demonstrate for the first time that
Gln79 and Gln109 serve as the primary tTG reactive
sites. Mutating both residues to asparagine abolishes tTG-catalyzed
cross-linking of α-syn and tTG-induced inhibition of α-syn
fibrillization in vitro. To further elucidate the sequence and
structural basis underlying these effects, we identified the lysine residues
that form isopeptide bonds with Gln79 and Gln109. This
study provides mechanistic insight into the sequence and structural basis of
the inhibitory effects of tTG on α-syn fibrillogenesis in vivo,
and it sheds light on the potential role of tTG cross-linking on modulating
the physiological and pathogenic properties of α-syn.Parkinson disease
(PD)2 is a progressive
movement disorder that is caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the
substantia nigra, the part of the brain responsible for controlling movement.
Clinically, PD is manifested in symptoms that include tremors, rigidity, and
difficulty in initiating movement (bradykinesia). Pathologically, PD is
characterized by the presence of intraneuronal, cytoplasmic inclusions known
as Lewy bodies (LB), which are composed primarily of the protein
“α-synuclein” (α-syn)
(1) and are seen in the
post-mortem brains of PD patients with the sporadic or familial forms of the
disease (2). α-Syn is a
presynaptic protein of 140 residues with a “natively” unfolded
structure (3). Three missense
point mutations in α-syn (A30P, E46K, and A53T) are associated with the
early-onset, dominant, inherited form of PD
(4,
5). Moreover, duplication or
triplication of the α-syn gene has been linked to the familial
form of PD, suggesting that an increase in α-syn expression is
sufficient to cause PD. Together, these findings suggest that α-syn
plays a central role in the pathogenesis of PD.The molecular and cellular determinants that govern α-syn
oligomerization and fibrillogenesis in vivo remain poorly understood.
In vitro aggregation studies have shown that the mutations associated
with PD (A30P, E46K, and A53T) accelerate α-syn oligomerization, but
only E46K and A53T α-syn show higher propensity to fibrillize than
wild-type (WT) α-syn
(6-8).
This suggests that oligomerization, rather than fibrillization, is linked to
early-onset familial PD (9).
Our understanding of the molecular composition and biochemical state of
α-syn in LBs has provided important clues about protein-protein
interactions and post-translational modifications that may play a role in
modulating oligomerization, fibrillogenesis, and LB formation of the protein.
In addition to ubiquitination
(10), phosphorylation
(11,
12), nitration
(13,
14), and C-terminal truncation
(15,
16), analysis of post-mortem
brain tissues from PD and Lewy bodies in dementia patients has confirmed the
colocalization of tissue transglutaminase (tTG)-catalyzed cross-linked
α-syn monomers and higher molecular aggregates in LBs within
dopaminergic neurons (17,
18). Tissue transglutaminase
catalyzes a calcium-dependent transamidating reaction involving glutamine and
lysine residues, which results in the formation of a covalent cross-link via
ε-(γ-glutamyl) lysine bonds
(Fig. 2F). To date,
seven different isoforms of tTGs have been reported, of which only tTG2 seems
to be expressed in the human brain
(19), whereas tTG1 and tTG3
are more abundantly found in stratified squamous epithelia
(20). Subsequent
immuno-histochemical, colocalization, and immunoprecipitation studies have
shown that the levels of tTG and cross-linked α-syn species are
increased in the substantia nigra of PD brains
(17). These findings, combined
with the known role of tTG in cross-linking and stabilizing bimolecular
assemblies, led to the hypothesis that tTG plays an important role in the
initiation and propagation of α-syn fibril formation and that it
contributes to fibril stability in LBs. This hypothesis was initially
supported by in vitro studies demonstrating that tTG catalyzes the
polymerization of the α-syn-derived non-amyloid component (NAC) peptide
via intermolecular covalent cross-linking of residues Gln79 and
Lys80 (21) and by
other studies suggesting that tTG promotes the fibrillization of amyloidogenic
proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of other neurodegenerative diseases
such as Alzheimer disease, supranuclear palsy, Huntington disease, and other
polyglutamine diseases
(22-24).
However, recent in vitro studies with full-length α-syn have
shown that tTG catalyzes intramolecular cross-linking of monomeric α-syn
and inhibits, rather than promotes, its fibrillization in vitro
(25,
26). The structural basis of
this inhibitory effect and the exact residues involved in tTG-mediated
cross-linking of α-syn, as well as structural and functional
consequences of these modifications, remain poorly understood.Open in a separate windowFIGURE 2.tTG-catalyzed cross-linking of α-syn involves one to three
intramolecular cross-links. A-C, MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis of native
(—) and cross-linked (- - -) α-syn, showing that most
tTG-catalyzed cross-linking products of WT or disease-associated mutant forms
of α-syn are intramolecularly linked (predominant peak with two
cross-links), and up to three intramolecular cross-links can occur (left
shoulder). The abbreviations M and m/cl are
used to designate native and cross-linked α-synuclein, respectively.
D and E, kinetic analysis of α-syn (A30P)
cross-linking monitored by MALDI-TOF and SDS-PAGE. F, schematic
depiction of the tTG-catalyzed chemical reaction (isodipeptide formation)
between glutamine and lysine residues.In this study, we have identified the primary glutamine and lysine residues
involved in tTG-catalyzed, intramolecularly cross-linked monomeric α-syn
and investigated how cross-linking these residues affects the oligomerization,
fibrillization, and membrane binding of α-syn in vitro. Using
single-site mutagenesis and mass spectrometry applied to exhaustive
proteolytic digests of native and cross-linked monomeric α-syn, we
identified Gln109 and Gln79 as the major tTG substrates.
We demonstrate that the altered electrophoretic mobility of the
intramolecularly cross-linked α-syn in SDS-PAGE occurs as a result of
tTG-catalyzed cross-linking of Gln109 to lysine residues in the N
terminus of α-syn, which leads to the formation of more compact
monomers. Consistent with previous studies, we show that intramolecularly
cross-linked α-syn forms off-pathway oligomers that are distinct from
those formed by the wild-type protein and that do not convert to fibrils
within the time scale of our experiments (3-5 days). We also show that
membrane-bound α-syn is a substrate of tTG and that intramolecular
cross-linking does not interfere with the ability of monomeric α-syn to
adopt an α-helical conformation upon binding to synthetic membranes.
These studies provide novel mechanistic insight into the sequence and
structural basis of events that allow tTG to inhibit α-syn
fibrillogenesis, and they shed light on the potential role of tTG-catalyzed
cross-linking in modulating the physiological and pathogenic properties of
α-syn. 相似文献
15.
Marcelo Carvalho de Resende Ivoneide Maria Silva Brett R Ellis álvaro Eduardo Eiras 《Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz》2013,108(8):1024-1030
In Brazil, the entomological surveillance of Aedes (Stegomyia)
aegypti is performed by government-mandated larval surveys. In this
study, the sensitivities of an adult sticky trap and traditional surveillance
methodologies were compared. The study was performed over a 12-week period in a
residential neighbourhood of the municipality of Pedro Leopoldo, state of Minas
Gerais, Brazil. An ovitrap and a MosquiTRAP were placed at opposite ends of each
neighbourhood block (60 traps in total) and inspections were performed weekly. The
study revealed significant correlations of moderate strength between the larval
survey, ovitrap and MosquiTRAP measurements. A positive relationship was observed
between temperature, adult capture measurements and egg collections, whereas
precipitation and frequency of rainy days exhibited a negative relationship. 相似文献
16.
Ana Paula S. Dornellas 《ZooKeys》2012,(224):89-106
Calliostoma tupinamba isa new species from Southeastern Brazil, ranging from southern Rio de Janeiro to northern São Paulo, and found only on coastal islands, on rocks and sessile invertebrates at 3 to 5 meters of depth. Shell and soft part morphology is described here in detail. Calliostoma tupinamba is mainly characterized by a depressed trochoid shell; eight slightly convex whorls; a sharply suprasutural carina starting on the third whorl and forming a peripheral rounded keel; and a whitish, funnel-shaped and deep umbilicus, measuring about 5%–10% of maximum shell width. Calliostoma tupinamba resembles Calliostoma bullisi Clench & Turner, 1960 in shape, but differs from it in being taller and wider, having a smaller umbilicus and lacking a strong and large innermost spiral cord at its base. Finally, an identification key of Brazilian Calliostoma species is presented. 相似文献
17.
18.
Ana Carolina Monteiro Ana Carolina Leal Triciana Gon?alves-Silva Ana Carolina T. Mercadante Fabiola Kestelman Sacha Braun Chaves Ricardo Bentes Azevedo Jo?o P. Monteiro Adriana Bonomo 《PloS one》2013,8(7)
Bone metastases, present in 70% of patients with metastatic breast cancer, lead
to skeletal disease, fractures and intense pain, which are all believed to be
mediated by tumor cells. Engraftment of tumor cells is supposed to be preceded
by changes in the target tissue to create a permissive microenvironment, the
pre-metastatic niche, for the establishment of the metastatic foci. In bone
metastatic niche, metastatic cells stimulate bone consumption resulting in the
release of growth factors that feed the tumor, establishing a vicious cycle
between the bone remodeling system and the tumor itself. Yet, how the
pre-metastatic niches arise in the bone tissue remains unclear. Here we show
that tumor-specific T cells induce osteolytic bone disease before bone
colonization. T cells pro-metastatic activity correlate with a
pro-osteoclastogenic cytokine profile, including RANKL, a master regulator of
osteoclastogenesis. In vivo inhibition of RANKL from tumor-specific T cells
completely blocks bone loss and metastasis. Our results unveil an unexpected
role for RANKL-derived from T cells in setting the pre-metastatic niche and
promoting tumor spread. We believe this information can bring new possibilities
for the development of prognostic and therapeutic tools based on modulation of T
cell activity for prevention and treatment of bone metastasis. 相似文献
19.
Duvalius (sg. Neoduvalius) gejzadunayi
sp. n. from Pećina u Dubokom potoku cave ( Donje Biševo village near Rožaje, Montenegro), the first known representative of this subgenus from the territory of Montenegro is described, illustrated and compared with the related species of the subgenus Neoduvalius Müller, 1913. This new species is characterised by depigmented, medium sized body, totally reduced eyes, deep and complete frontal furrows, 3–4 pairs of discal setae in third elytral stria, as well as by the shape of aedeagus. Data on the distribution and the ecology of this remarkable species, as well as a check-list of the subgenus Neoduvalius are also provided. Recently described genera Serboduvalius Ćurčić, S. B. Pavićević & Ćurčić, B.P.M., 2001, Rascioduvalius Ćurčić, S. B. Brajković, Mitić & Ćurčić, B.P.M., 2003, Javorella Ćurčić, S. B. Brajković, Ćurčić, B.P.M. & Mitić, 2003 and Curcicia Ćurčić, S. B. & Brajković, 2003 are regarded as junior synonyms of the genus Duvalius Delarouzée. 相似文献
20.