Different evolutionary fates of recently integrated human and chimpanzee LINE-1 retrotransposons

The long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) is a highly successful retrotransposon in mammals. L1 elements have continued to actively propagate subsequent to the human–chimpanzee divergence,  6 million years ago, resulting in species-specific inserts. Here, we report a detailed characterization of chimpanzee-specific L1 subfamily diversity and a comparison with their human-specific counterparts. Our results indicate that L1 elements have experienced different evolutionary fates in humans and chimpanzees within the past  6 million years. Although the species-specific L1 copy numbers are on the same order in both species (1200–2000 copies), the number of retrotransposition-competent elements appears to be much higher in the human genome than in the chimpanzee genome. Also, while human L1 subfamilies belong to the same lineage, we identified two lineages of recently integrated L1 subfamilies in the chimpanzee genome. The two lineages seem to have coexisted for several million years, but only one shows evidence of expansion within the past three million years. These differential evolutionary paths may be the result of random variation, or the product of competition between L1 subfamily lineages. Our results suggest that the coexistence of several L1 subfamily lineages within a species may be resolved in a very short evolutionary period of time, perhaps in just a few million years. Therefore, the chimpanzee genome constitutes an excellent model in which to analyze the evolutionary dynamics of L1 retrotransposons.     

用国产微孔玻璃珠初步纯化人u-PA

用国产微孔玻璃珠从ＣＤ－１工程细胞株培养上清中纯化ｕ－ＰＡ,摸索了微孔玻璃珠结合ｕ－ＰＡ的条件和洗脱方法,比较了硫酸铵线性梯度洗脱或２５％乙二醇洗脱ｕ－ＰＡ活性的结果,最后确定洗脱的条件为０．２５ｍｏｌ／ＬＴｒｉｓ、１～２ｍｏｌ／Ｌ（ＮＨ４）２ＳＯ４、ｐＨ９．３。经此一步纯化,ｕ－ＰＡ比活性达到１５３２９ＩＵ／ｍｇ,回收率７８％,还原条件下ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ分子量为５２×１０３的单链ｕ－ＰＡ占７４％。     

Expression of recombinant and mosaic Cry1Ac receptors from Helicoverpa armigera and their influences on the cytotoxicity of activated Cry1Ac to Spodoptera litura Sl-HP cells

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin receptors play important roles in the killing of pests, and investigation on characterization of the receptors is essential for utilization of Bt and management of insect resistance. Here, recombinant and mosaic receptors of Bt Cry1Ac toxin from Helicoverpa armigera were expressed in Spodoptera litura Sl-HP cells and their influences on cytotoxicity of activated Cry1Ac toxin were investigated. When H. armigera aminopeptidase N1 (APN1), alkaline phosphatase 2 (ALP2) and cadherin fused with or without GFP tag were, respectively, expressed in Sl-HP cells, live cell-immunofluorescence staining detection revealed that the quantity of the toxin binding to cadherin or cadherin-GFP was much more than that binding to ALP2 and APN1 or their fusion proteins with GFP, and only the cadherin- or cadherin-GFP-expressing cells showed aberrant cell morphology after the treatment of the toxin at low concentrations. ALP2 and APN1 fused with or without GFP tag did not significantly enhance the cadherin-mediated cytotoxicity of the toxin. The mosaic ALP-TBR-GFP-GPI was located on cell membrane, but did not bind to the toxin. The mosaic truncated cadherin-GFP-GPI was not located on cell membrane even if the signal peptide was sustained. The concentrations of the toxin resulting in swelling of 50 % cells for noncadherin-expressing Sl-HP cells and cadherin-expressing Hi5 cells were 5.08 and 9.50 µg/ml within 1 h, respectively. Taken together, our data have indicated that the binding affinity of ALP2 and APN1 to activated Cry1Ac toxin is much weaker than that of cadherin and both ALP2 and APN1 do not enhance the cytotoxicity of the toxin even though cadherin is co-expressed, and the mosaic receptor of ALP2 inserted with cadherin toxin binding domain does not mediate cytotoxicity of the toxin. In addition, the noncadherin-expressing Sl-HP cells are more susceptible to activated Cry1Ac than the cadherin-expressing Hi5 cells.     

遮光对臭牡丹生长和光合特性的影响

对全光照(遮光率0％,对照)以及遮光率25％ 、50％和75％条件下臭牡丹(Clerodendrum bungei Steud.)生长和光合特性的变化进行了研究.结果表明:随遮光率的提高臭牡丹枝长生长量和比叶面积逐渐增加、枝条直径生长量和比叶质量逐渐减小,叶面积呈波动变化,其中在遮光率25％条件下叶面积最小.在遮光条件下叶片以及栅栏组织和海绵组织厚度差异不显著,但均显著小于对照.在遮光条件下叶片叶绿素a和总叶绿素含量以及叶绿素a/b值总体上随遮光率提高逐渐增加且均高于对照,仅在遮光率25％条件下叶绿素b以及总叶绿素含量低于对照.在遮光率25％和75％条件下叶片净光合速率(Pn)有明显“午休”现象,Pn日变化曲线近似于“双峰型”;而在对照和遮光率50％条件下Pn无“午休”现象,日变化曲线近似于“单峰型”;4个处理组Pn峰值的大小以及峰值出现时间有差异.在上午9:00,在遮光率25％和50％条件下叶片气孔导度(Gs)略有降低,而在对照和遮光率75％条件下Gs明显升高;此后随时间的延长各处理的Gs总体上呈逐渐下降的趋势.各处理组叶片胞间CO2浓度(Ci)的日变化曲线基本一致,均呈早晚略高、中午略低的趋势,谷值均出现在13:00.在对照及遮光率25％和75％条件下,叶片蒸腾速率(Tr)的日变化曲线均呈“双峰型”;而在遮光率50％的条件下Tr呈逐渐降低的趋势,日变化曲线近似于“单峰型”.总体上看,4个处理组叶片的Pn、Gs、Ci和Tr日平均值均无显著差异;且在遮光率25％、50％和75％条件下臭牡丹叶片的Pn与Tr间有显著或极显著相关性.综合分析结果表明:臭牡丹是偏阴生植物,在栽培中适度遮光有利于臭牡丹的生长发育.     

Transgenic expression of the von Willebrand A domain of the BONZAI 1/COPINE 1 protein triggers a lesion-mimic phenotype in<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

The copines are a newly identified, widely distributed class of Ca²⁺-dependent, phospholipid-binding proteins that may be involved in cellular signaling. The copines have a characteristic domain structure: two C2 domains in the N-terminal region and a von Willebrand A (VWA) domain in the C-terminal region. Studies suggest that copines interact with target protein(s) via their VWA domain and recruit the proteins to a membrane location through the activity of the C2 domains. Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. plants with loss-of-function mutations in the BONZAI 1/COPINE 1 (BON1/CPN1) gene display aberrant regulation of defense responses, including development of a lesion-mimic phenotype, an accelerated hypersensitive response, and increased resistance to a bacterial and an oomycetous pathogen. The phenotype of mutants in BON1/CPN1 is both humidity- and temperature-sensitive. In this study, we generated transgenic plants expressing either the VWA or the C2 portions of BON1/CPN1 in the wild-type Columbia-0 (Col-0) genetic background. Transgenic plants expressing the BON1/CPN1 C2 domain portion appeared like wild-type plants. However, transgenic plants expressing the BON1/CPN1 VWA domain exhibited a lesion-mimic phenotype that partially phenocopied bon1/cpn1 mutant plants. Our data suggest that BON1/CPN1 VWA domain fragments may interfere with the function of the full-length endogenous BON1/CPN1 protein, possibly by competing with the full-length BON1/CPN1 protein for association with target proteins normally bound to the full-length BON1/CPN1 protein.     

Overexpression of small glutamine-rich TPR-containing protein promotes apoptosis in 7721 cells

It is known that small glutamine-rich TPR-containing protein (SGT) is the member of TPR motif family. However, the biological functions of SGT remain unclear. In this paper, we report that SGT plays a role in apoptotic signaling. Ectopic expression of SGT enhances DNA fragment and nucleus breakage after the induction of apoptosis. Increasing mRNA level of SGT is also observed in 7721 cells undergoing apoptosis, knockdown the expression of endogenous SGT contributes to the decrease of apoptosis of 7721 cells. Deletion analysis reveals that TPR domain is critical to pro-apoptotic function of SGT. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the PARP cleavage and cytochrome c release are enhanced when SGT is overexpressed in 7721 cells during apoptosis. Collectively, our results indicate that SGT is a new pro-apoptotic factor.     

Identification of dynein light chain 2 as an interaction partner of p21-activated kinase 1

p21-Activated kinase 1 (PAK1), a member of the evolutionarily conserved PAK family of serine/threonine kinases, is essential for a variety of cellular functions. Our previous studies showed that PAK1 participated in the apoptotic pathway mediated by p110C. To further investigate its functions, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a human fetal brain cDNA library and identified dynein light chain 2 (DLC2)/myosin light chain (MLC) as an interacting partner of PAK1. The association of PAK1 with DLC2 was further confirmed by in vitro binding assay. With the stimulation of EGF, PAK1 interacted with HA-DLC2 in vivo and relocalized in cytoplasm near the perinuclear location in confocal microscope analysis. The deletion analysis showed that the interaction of DLC2 with PAK1 occurred within the residues 210-332 of PAK1. For that studies showed that DLC2 was a subunit of myosin complex, so it is possible that PAK1 binds to DLC2 and transports by myosin complex.