Corrected sequence of the mannitol (mtl) operon in Escherichia coli

The previously published sequences of the operator-promoter region of the mannitol operon of Escherichia coli and of the mtlD gene have been found to contain a number of errors. The major conclusions reported previously were correct, but additionally it is now clear that a C-terminal portion of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (the mtlD gene product) exhibits significant sequence identity with an amino-terminal region of human liver fructose-6-phosphate-2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase.     

Structure and function of the CBL–CIPK Ca2+-decoding system in plant calcium signaling

Calcium is a crucial messenger in many growth and developmental processes in plants. The central mechanism governing how plant cells perceive and respond to environmental stimuli is calcium signal transduction, a process through which cellular calcium signals are recognized, decoded, and transmitted to elicit downstream responses. In the initial decoding of calcium signals, Ca²⁺ sensor proteins that bind Ca²⁺ and activate downstream signaling components are implicated, thereby regulating specific physiological and biochemical processes. After calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) sense these Ca²⁺ signatures, these proteins interact selectively with CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs), thereby forming CBL/CIPK complexes, which are involved in decoding calcium signals. Therefore, specificity, diversity, and complexity are the main characteristics of the CBL-CIPK signaling system. However, additional CBLs, CIPKs, and CBL/CIPK complexes remain to be identified in plants, and the specific functions of their abiotic and biotic stress signaling will need to be further dissected. Therefore, a much-needed synthesis of recent findings is important to further the study of CBL-CIPK signaling systems. Here, we review the structure of CBLs and CIPKs, discuss the current knowledge of CBL–CIPK pathways that decode calcium signals in Arabidopsis, and link plant responses to a variety of environmental stresses with specific CBL/CIPK complexes. This will provide a foundation for future research on genetically engineered resistant plants with enhanced tolerance to various environmental stresses.     

烟酸转磷酸核糖激酶和丙酮酸羧化酶共表达对大肠杆菌BA002产丁二酸的影响

大肠杆菌BA002是敲除了乳酸脱氢酶的编码基因 (ldhA) 和丙酮酸-甲酸裂解酶的编码基因 (pflB) 的工程菌。厌氧条件下NADH不能及时再生为NAD+,引起胞内辅酶NAD(H)的不平衡,最终导致厌氧条件下菌株不能利用葡萄糖生长代谢。pncB是烟酸转磷酸核糖激酶 (NAPRTase) 的编码基因,通过过量表达pncB基因能够提高NAD(H)总量与维持合适的NADH/NAD+,从而恢复了厌氧条件下重组菌E. coli BA014 (BA002/pTrc99a-pncB) 的生长和产丁二酸的性能。然而,BA014在厌氧发酵过程中有大量丙酮酸积累,为进一步提高菌株的丁二酸生产能力,减少副产物丙酮酸的生成,共表达NAPRTase和来自于乳酸乳球菌 NZ9000中丙酮酸羧化酶 (PYC) 的编码基因pyc,构建了重组菌E. coli BA016 (BA002/pTrc99a-pncB-pyc)。3 L发酵罐结果表明,BA016发酵112 h后,共消耗了35.00 g/L的葡萄糖。发酵结束时,菌体OD600为4.64,产生了25.09 g/L丁二酸。通过共表达pncB和pyc基因,使BA016的丙酮酸积累进一步降低,丁二酸产量进一步提高。     

人源EFA6A蛋白Sec7结构域的克隆表达与纯化

作为小GTP酶Arf6的鸟甘酸交换因子(GEF),人EFA6A蛋白主要包含PH和Sec7两个结构域,Sec7是行使GEF功能的核心区域。通过分析Jpred、Uniprot等生物信息学软件的预测结果,从全长1 024 aa中选取的重组Sec7结构域的边界为506-719,共214 aa。以人脑cDNA文库为模板,通过优化PCR程序成功扩增出Sec7基因,经NdeI和XhoI双酶切后亚克隆至原核表达载体p28a中,成功构建p28-Sec7重组子,测序结果与NCBI中公布的序列100%吻合。将重组质粒p28-Sec7转化至BL21-Gold(DE3)宿主菌中,终浓度0.3 mmol/L IPTG、16℃、24 h诱导表达,重组蛋白经过Ni柱和分子筛两步纯化。试验结果显示,重组Sec7成功表达,性质均一,纯度高于95%,表达量为70 mg/L。     

Substrate binding to a GH131 β-glucanase catalytic domain from Podospora anserina

β-Glucanases have been utilized widely in industry to treat various carbohydrate-containing materials. Recently, the Podospora anserina β-glucanase 131A (PaGluc131A) was identified and classified to a new glycoside hydrolases GH131 family. It shows exo-β-1,3/exo-β-1,6 and endo-β-1,4 glucanase activities with a broad substrate specificity for laminarin, curdlan, pachyman, lichenan, pustulan, and cellulosic derivatives. Here we report the crystal structures of the PaGluc131A catalytic domain with or without ligand (cellotriose) at 1.8 Å resolution. The cellotriose was clearly observed to occupy the +1 to +3 subsites in substrate binding cleft. The broadened substrate binding groove may explain the diverse substrate specificity. Based on our crystal structures, the GH131 family enzyme is likely to carry out the hydrolysis through an inverting catalytic mechanism, in which E99 and E139 are supposed to serve as the general base and general acid.     

Migration-stimulating factor (MSF) is over-expressed in non-small cell lung cancer and promotes cell migration and invasion in A549 cells over-expressing MSF

Migration-stimulating factor (MSF), an oncofetal truncated isoform of fibronectin, is a potent stimulator of cell invasion. However, its distribution and motogenic role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have never been identified. In this study, real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining (IHC) were performed to detect MSF mRNA and protein levels in tumor tissues and matched adjacent tumor-free tissues. Furthermore, to examine the effect of MSF on invasiveness, MSF was upregulated in A549 cells. The invasiveness and viability of A549 cells were then determined using a transwell migration assay and the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) viability assays, respectively. The expression level of MSF in NSCLC tissue was markedly higher than in matched adjacent tumor-free tissue. Additionally, the level of MSF protein expression in stage III and IV NSCLC samples was higher than in stage I and II NSCLC samples. More importantly, we also demonstrated that migration and invasion of A549 cells increased substantially after upregulating MSF, although proliferation remained unchanged. Meanwhile, we found no correlation between increasing motility and invasiveness of MSF-overexpressing cells and expression levels and activities of matrix metalloprotease MMP-2 and MMP-9. Our current study shows that MSF plays a role in migration and invasion of A549 cells and suggests that MSF may be a potential biomarker of NSCLC progression.     

A functional polymorphism in interleukin-1α (IL1A) gene is associated with risk of alopecia areata in Chinese populations

Alopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory hair loss disorder with a major genetic component, which may cause great psychosocial distress for those affected. Studies have shown that interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a very potent inducer of hair loss and a significant human hair growth inhibitor. The 4-bp insertion/deletion (Indel) polymorphism (rs3783553) within the 3′ untranslated regions of IL1A gene has been suggested to be associated with risk of various types of cancers, possibly through regulating expression of IL-1α levels. In the current study, we estimated the susceptibility to AA associated with rs3783553 in two independent case–control panels of Eastern and Southern Chinese populations, totally containing 313 AA cases and 626 healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis showed that the heterozygote and the homozygote 4-bp ins/ins confer a significantly lower risk of AA in both panels and total subjects [odds ratio (OR) = 0.55, 95% confidence interval (C.I.) = 0.41–0.75, P = 6.24 × 10^− 5; OR = 0.47, 95% C.I. = 0.28–0.76, P = 0.001, respectively]. Stratification analysis based on age onset showed that the protective roles of ins/del and ins/ins genotype against developing AA was more obvious in AA patients with early age onset (< 30 years) under dominant model (OR = 0.48, 95% C.I. = 0.29–0.77, P = 0.001). The results of luciferase assay showed that rs3783553 could influence expression of IL-1α in a miR-122 dependant manner. Taken together, our results suggested that the IL1A 4-bp indel polymorphism may be a marker for genetic susceptibility to patchy (mild) AA in Chinese populations, likely through miR-122 mediated regulation.     

The AKR1B1 inhibitor epalrestat suppresses the progression of cervical cancer

Molecular Biology Reports - Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Identifying an effective treatment with fewer side effects is imperative, because all...     

Activation of the bitter taste sensor TRPM5 prevents high salt-induced cardiovascular dysfunction

Science China Life Sciences - High salt intake is a known risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Our recent study demonstrated that long-term high salt intake impairs transient receptor potential...     

Identification of SRY‐box 30 as an age‐related essential gatekeeper for male germ‐cell meiosis and differentiation

Although important factors governing the meiosis have been reported in the embryonic ovary, meiosis in postnatal testis remains poorly understood. Herein, we first report that SRY‐box 30 (Sox30) is an age‐related and essential regulator of meiosis in the postnatal testis. Sox30‐null mice exhibited uniquely impaired testis, presenting the abnormal arrest of germ‐cell differentiation and irregular Leydig cell proliferation. In aged Sox30‐null mice, the observed testicular impairments were more severe. Furthermore, the germ‐cell arrest occurred at the stage of meiotic zygotene spermatocytes, which is strongly associated with critical regulators of meiosis (such as Cyp26b1, Stra8 and Rec8) and sex differentiation (such as Rspo1, Foxl2, Sox9, Wnt4 and Ctnnb1). Mechanistically, Sox30 can activate Stra8 and Rec8, and inhibit Cyp26b1 and Ctnnb1 by direct binding to their promoters. A different Sox30 domain required for regulating the activity of these gene promoters, providing a “fail‐safe” mechanism for Sox30 to facilitate germ‐cell differentiation. Indeed, retinoic acid levels were reduced owing to increased degradation following the elevation of Cyp26b1 in Sox30‐null testes. Re‐expression of Sox30 in Sox30‐null mice successfully restored germ‐cell meiosis, differentiation and Leydig cell proliferation. Moreover, the restoration of actual fertility appeared to improve over time. Consistently, Rec8 and Stra8 were reactivated, and Cyp26b1 and Ctnnb1 were reinhibited in the restored testes. In summary, Sox30 is necessary, sufficient and age‐associated for germ‐cell meiosis and differentiation in testes by direct regulating critical regulators. This study advances our understanding of the regulation of germ‐cell meiosis and differentiation in the postnatal testis.