RNAi介导的GdHsp60和GdHsp70基因沉默对沙葱萤叶甲幼虫抗寒性的影响

【目的】本研究旨在比较不同RNAi方法对沙葱萤叶甲Galeruca daurica幼虫热激蛋白基因(GdHsp60和GdHsp70)的沉默效率,以选择一种可高效降低靶基因表达水平的研究方法,明确这两个热激蛋白在沙葱萤叶甲幼虫抗寒性中的作用。【方法】分别通过饲喂法和显微注射法进行RNAi沉默沙葱萤叶甲1和2龄幼虫的GdHsp60和GdHsp70,采用qPCR检测GdHsp60和GdHsp70的沉默效率;通过显微注射法分别 对GdHsp60和GdHsp70进行RNAi后24 h,用热电偶法测定沙葱萤叶甲2龄幼虫过冷却点和结冰点,生物测定沙葱萤叶甲2龄幼虫暴露于不同低温条件下(-6~-14℃) 2 h的半致死温度(Ltemp₅₀)以及在-5℃低温条件下处理不同时间后的半致死时间(Ltime₅₀)。【结果】用饲喂法和显微注射法进行RNAi均可以降低GdHsp60和GdHsp70的表达水平,但显微注射法的沉默效率更高。与对照组(显微注射dsGFP)相比,沙葱萤叶甲2龄幼虫分别显微注射dsGdHsp60和dsGdHsp70 24 h后,GdHsp60和GdHsp70的表达水平均降至最低,分别降低了84.15%和92.38%。在沙葱萤叶甲2龄幼虫中,显微注射dsGdHsp60 24 h后其过冷却点、结冰点、Ltemp₅₀及Ltime₅₀值分别-10.56±0.42℃,-7.66±0.56℃,-8.33℃和49.25 h,显微注射dsGdHsp70 24 h后其过冷却点、结冰点、Ltemp₅₀及Ltime₅₀值分别为-9.08±0.23℃,-6.09±0.28℃, -8.20℃和52.21 h,而对照组的分别为-14.71±0.11℃,-13.94±0.09℃,-10.63℃和87.13 h。与对 照组(显微注射dsGFP)相比,在沙葱萤叶甲2龄幼虫分别显微注射dsGdHsp60和dsGdHsp70 24 h后过冷却点 、结冰点和Ltemp₅₀显著上升,而Ltime50值显著缩短。【结论】显微注射法可作为沙葱萤叶甲Hsp相关基 因RNAi的主要干扰方法;沉默GdHsp60和GdHsp70基因均会显著降低了沙葱萤叶甲幼虫的抗寒能力。     

A new approach to the induction and recovery of Synechococcus leopoliensis CPD-photolyase for cosmetic applications

Journal of Applied Phycology - Ultraviolet (UV) radiation generates cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) photoproducts in the DNA of skin cells, causing photoaging and non-melanoma skin cancer....     

A species-specific qPCR assay provides novel insight into range expansion of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) by means of eDNA analysis

Biodiversity and Conservation - The monk seal is the most endangered pinniped worldwide and the only one found in the Mediterranean, where its distribution and abundance have suffered a drastic...     

The C2 Domain and Altered ATP-Binding Loop Phosphorylation at Ser359 Mediate the Redox-Dependent Increase in Protein Kinase C-δ Activity

The diverse roles of protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) in cellular growth, survival, and injury have been attributed to stimulus-specific differences in PKCδ signaling responses. PKCδ exerts membrane-delimited actions in cells activated by agonists that stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis. PKCδ is released from membranes as a Tyr³¹³-phosphorylated enzyme that displays a high level of lipid-independent activity and altered substrate specificity during oxidative stress. This study identifies an interaction between PKCδ''s Tyr³¹³-phosphorylated hinge region and its phosphotyrosine-binding C2 domain that controls PKCδ''s enzymology indirectly by decreasing phosphorylation in the kinase domain ATP-positioning loop at Ser³⁵⁹. We show that wild-type (WT) PKCδ displays a strong preference for substrates with serine as the phosphoacceptor residue at the active site when it harbors phosphomimetic or bulky substitutions at Ser^359. In contrast, PKCδ-S359A displays lipid-independent activity toward substrates with either a serine or threonine as the phosphoacceptor residue. Additional studies in cardiomyocytes show that oxidative stress decreases Ser³⁵⁹ phosphorylation on native PKCδ and that PKCδ-S359A overexpression increases basal levels of phosphorylation on substrates with both phosphoacceptor site serine and threonine residues. Collectively, these studies identify a C2 domain-pTyr³¹³ docking interaction that controls ATP-positioning loop phosphorylation as a novel, dynamically regulated, and physiologically relevant structural determinant of PKCδ catalytic activity.     

DNA lesion identity drives choice of damage tolerance pathway in murine cell chromosomes

DNA-damage tolerance (DDT) via translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) or homology-dependent repair (HDR) functions to bypass DNA lesions encountered during replication, and is critical for maintaining genome stability. Here, we present piggyBlock, a new chromosomal assay that, using piggyBac transposition of DNA containing a known lesion, measures the division of labor between the two DDT pathways. We show that in the absence of DNA damage response, tolerance of the most common sunlight-induced DNA lesion, TT-CPD, is achieved by TLS in mouse embryo fibroblasts. Meanwhile, BP-G, a major smoke-induced DNA lesion, is bypassed primarily by HDR, providing the first evidence for this mechanism being the main tolerance pathway for a biologically important lesion in a mammalian genome. We also show that, far from being a last-resort strategy as it is sometimes portrayed, TLS operates alongside nucleotide excision repair, handling 40% of TT-CPDs in repair-proficient cells. Finally, DDT acts in mouse embryonic stem cells, exhibiting the same pattern—mutagenic TLS included—despite the risk of propagating mutations along all cell lineages. The new method highlights the importance of HDR, and provides an effective tool for studying DDT in mammalian cells.     

Stabilization of eukaryotic ribosomal termination complexes by deacylated tRNA

Stabilization of the ribosomal complexes plays an important role in translational control. Mechanisms of ribosome stabilization have been studied in detail for initiation and elongation of eukaryotic translation, but almost nothing is known about stabilization of eukaryotic termination ribosomal complexes. Here, we present one of the mechanisms of fine-tuning of the translation termination process in eukaryotes. We show that certain deacylated tRNAs, remaining in the E site of the ribosome at the end of the elongation cycle, increase the stability of the termination and posttermination complexes. Moreover, only the part of eRF1 recognizing the stop codon is stabilized in the A site of the ribosome, and the stabilization is not dependent on the hydrolysis of peptidyl-tRNA. The determinants, defining this property of the tRNA, reside in the acceptor stem. It was demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis of tRNA^Val and construction of a mini-helix structure identical to the acceptor stem of tRNA. The mechanism of this stabilization is different from the fixation of the unrotated state of the ribosome by CCA end of tRNA or by cycloheximide in the E site. Our data allow to reveal the possible functions of the isodecoder tRNAs in eukaryotes.     

Evolutionary Expansion of the Amidohydrolase Superfamily in Bacteria in Response to the Synthetic Compounds Molinate and Diuron

The amidohydrolase superfamily has remarkable functional diversity, with considerable structural and functional annotation of known sequences. In microbes, the recent evolution of several members of this family to catalyze the breakdown of environmental xenobiotics is not well understood. An evolutionary transition from binuclear to mononuclear metal ion coordination at the active sites of these enzymes could produce large functional changes such as those observed in nature, but there are few clear examples available to support this hypothesis. To investigate the role of binuclear-mononuclear active-site transitions in the evolution of new function in this superfamily, we have characterized two recently evolved enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of the synthetic herbicides molinate (MolA) and phenylurea (PuhB). In this work, the crystal structures, mutagenesis, metal ion analysis, and enzyme kinetics of both MolA and PuhB establish that these enzymes utilize a mononuclear active site. However, bioinformatics and structural comparisons reveal that the closest putative ancestor of these enzymes had a binuclear active site, indicating that a binuclear-mononuclear transition has occurred. These proteins may represent examples of evolution modifying the characteristics of existing catalysts to satisfy new requirements, specifically, metal ion rearrangement leading to large leaps in activity that would not otherwise be possible.     

Peculiarities of polyphenolic profile of fruits of Siberian crab apple and its hybrids with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Malus</Emphasis> × <Emphasis Type="Italic">Domestica</Emphasis> Borkh

For the first time, we have studied the polyphenolic profile of fruits of Siberian crabapple and its hybrids (F1, F2, and F3) with domestic apple cultivated in East Siberia. It is shown that the chemical composition of polyphenolics of Siberian crabapple fruits is overwhelmingly characteristic of the genus Malus; on the other hand, it has clearly identifiable features: low content of flavan-3-ols and derivatives of cinnamic acid; high content of procyanidin B1, phloridzin, anthocyanes, and quercetin glycosides. Procyanidin B2 was not found in both peel and flesh of Siberian crabapple. In the case of hybridization with domestic apple, the fruits of resulting cultivars show a substantial change in the flavan-3-ol content ratio because of the synthesizing of procyanidin B2 in tissues and an increase in (?)-epicatechin content.