ASAP1和ARF1通过调节mTOR重激活调控自噬性溶酶体再生

自噬是一种在进化上保守的溶酶体依赖的降解途径.在缺乏营养的条件下,细胞会产生自噬体与溶酶体融合形成自噬溶酶体,并会通过自噬来降解自身物质.之后溶酶体会从自噬溶酶体再生,这个进化上保守的过程称为自噬性溶酶体再生(ALR),该过程由长时程饥饿中mTOR重激活引起.我们课题组在之前的研究工作中筛选出ARF1的GAP蛋白ASAP1参与调解ALR.本文在之前工作的基础上,发现ARF1会在ALR过程中转位到自噬溶酶体上.敲低ASAP1或者过表达连有GFP标签的ARF1的GTP形式,会抑制mTOR的重激活以及ALR.因此,ARF1以及ASAP1是通过调节mTOR的重激活而调控ALR发生.     

Biochemical and Immunological Characterization of Truncated Fragments of the Receptor-Binding Domains of C. difficile Toxin A

Clostridium difficile is an emerging pathogen responsible for opportunistic infections in hospitals worldwide and is the main cause of antibiotic-associated pseudo-membranous colitis and diarrhea in humans. Clostridial toxins A and B (TcdA and TcdB) specifically bind to unknown glycoprotein(s) on the surface of epithelial cells in the host intestine, disrupting the intestinal barrier and ultimately leading to acute inflammation and diarrhea. The C-terminal receptor-binding domain (RBD) of TcdA, which is responsible for the initial binding of the toxin to host glycoproteins, has been predicted to contain 7 potential oligosaccharide-binding sites. To study the specific roles and functions of these 7 putative lectin-like binding regions, a consensus sequence of TcdA RBD derived from different C. difficile strains deposited in the NCBI protein database and three truncated fragments corresponding to the N-terminal (residues 1–411), middle (residues 296–701), and C-terminal portions (residues 524–911) of the RBD (F1, F2 and F3, respectively) were designed and expressed in Escherichia coli. In this study, the recombinant RBD (rRBD) and its truncated fragments were purified, characterized biologically and found to have the following similar properties: (a) are capable of binding to the cell surface of both Vero and Caco-2 cells; (b) possess Toll-like receptor agonist-like adjuvant activities that can activate dendritic cell maturation and increase the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines; and (c) function as potent adjuvants in the intramuscular immunization route to enhance immune responses against weak immunogens. Although F1, F2 and F3 have similar repetitive amino acid sequences and putative oligosaccharide-binding domains, they do not possess the same biological and immunological properties: (i) TcdA rRBD and its fragments bind to the cell surface, but only TcdA rRBD and F3 internalize into Vero cells within 15 min; (ii) the fragments exhibit various levels of hemagglutinin (HA) activity, with the exception of the F1 fragment, which demonstrates no HA activity; and (iii) in the presence of alum, all fragments elicit various levels of anti-toxin A-neutralizing antibody responses, but those neutralizing antibodies elicited by F2 did not protect mice against a TcdA challenge. Because TcdA rRBD, F1 and F3 formulated with alum can elicit immune protective responses against the cytotoxicity of TcdA, they represent potential components of future candidate vaccines against C. difficile-associated diseases.     

基于16S rDNA基因的谷斑皮蠹PCR检测技术

【目的】谷斑皮蠹是一种重要的检疫性害虫,在新疆周边多个国家分布,口岸检疫人员多次从进境货物中截获谷斑皮蠹,该虫对新疆的农业生产极具威胁。【方法】以谷斑皮蠹的16S rDNA基因为靶序列,用昆虫通用引物对4种供试皮蠹进行PCR扩增,将扩增产物进行克隆和测序,用生物软件设计检测谷斑皮蠹的特异性引物与探针。【结果】设计的特异性引物(TG-SNP-F/TG-SNP-R)及所建立的常规PCR方法能有效检测出谷斑皮蠹,其扩增产物的片段大小为250 bp,灵敏度为3 ng·μL~(-1)。设计的特异性引物(TG-F/TG-R)和探针(TG-probe),以及所建立的实时荧光PCR方法,对谷斑皮蠹的检测特异性强,灵敏度达0.8 fg·μL~(-1)。【结论】建立的常规PCR方法和实时荧光PCR检测方法能够对谷斑皮蠹进行准确鉴定,为口岸检疫人员检测进境货物中携带的谷斑皮蠹提供技术支持。     

PML coiled-coil结构域与RAN结合蛋白9相互作用的验证

目的验证前髓细胞性白血病的卷曲螺旋结构域（PML—C）和RAN结合蛋白9（RANBP9）之间的相互作用。方法构建分别表达诱饵蛋白PML—C和靶蛋白RANBP9的载体pGBKT7-PML-C和pACT2-RANBP9,然后转人酵母AH109,培养3～5d后对其是否有胞内相互作用进行检测。将目的片断PML-C和RANBP9再次构建于真核生物表达载体pCMV—HA和pCMV—myc里,然后共转染人胚肾293细胞里（HEK293）,最后对其是否有体外相互作用通过免疫共沉淀和免疫印迹进行分析。结果在共转化了质粒pGBKT7-PML—C和pACT2-RANBP9的AH109酵母平板里观察到蓝色菌落生长。用抗HA多克隆抗体对共转染过重组质粒的HEK293细胞的蛋白提取物进行免疫共沉淀,再用抗myc单克隆抗体作为一抗进行免疫印迹,最终检测出融合蛋白myc—RANBP9条带。结论酵母双杂交实验验证了PML—C和RANBP9之间存在胞内相互作用,同时免疫共沉淀实验也从体外验证了它们之间的相互作用。