Biotin-ubiquitin tagging of mammalian proteins in Escherichia coli

Ubiquitin has been used in protein expression for enhancing yields and biological activities of recombinant proteins. Biotin binds tightly and specifically to avidin and has been widely utilized as a tag for protein purification and monitoring. Here, we report a versatile system that takes the advantages of both biotin and ubiquitin for protein expression, purification, and monitoring. The tripartite system contained coding sequences for a leader biotinylation peptide, ubiquitin, and biotin holoenzyme synthetase in two reading frames under the control of T7 promoter. The expression and purification of several large mammalian enzymes as biotin-ubiquitin fusions were accomplished including human ubiquitin activating enzyme, SUMO activating enzymes, and aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. Expressed proteins were purified by one-step affinity column chromatography on monomeric avidin columns and purified proteins exhibited active function. Additionally, the ubiquitin protein hydrolase UBP41, expressed and purified as biotin-UBP41, efficiently and specifically cleaved off the biotin-ubiquitin tag from biotin-ubiquitin fusions to produce unmodified proteins. The present expression system should be useful for the expression, purification, and functional characterization of mammalian proteins and the construction of protein microarrays.     

Discovery of new thienopyrimidine derivatives as potent and orally efficacious phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors

A series of new thienopyrimidine derivatives has been discovered as potent PI3K inhibitors. The systematic SAR studies for these analogues are described. Among them, 8a and 9a exhibit nanomolar enzymatic potencies and sub-micromolar cellular anti-proliferative activities. 8a displays favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, while 9a easily undergoes deacetylation to yield a major metabolite 8a. Furthermore, 8a and 9a potently inhibit tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner in the NCI-H460 xenograft model with an acceptable safety profile.     

Tomato stigma exsertion induced by high temperature is associated with the jasmonate signalling pathway

High temperature (HT) is becoming an increasingly serious factor in limiting crop production with global climate change. During hot seasons, owing to prevailing HT, cultivated tomatoes are prone to exhibiting stigma exsertion, which hampers pollination and causes fruit set failure. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms of the HT‐induced stigma exsertion remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that stigma exsertion induced by HT in cultivated tomato is caused by more seriously shortened stamens than pistils, which is different from the stigma exsertion observed in wild tomato species. Under the HT condition, the different responses of pectin, sugar, expansin, and cyclin cause cell wall remodelling and differentially localized cell division and selective cell enlargement, which further determine the lengths of stamens and pistils. In addition, auxin and jasmonate (JA) are implicated in regulating cell division and cell expansion in stamens and pistils, and exogenous JA instead of auxin treatment can effectively rescue tomato stigma exsertion through regulating the JA/COI1 signalling pathway. Our findings provide a better understanding of stigma exsertions under the HT condition in tomato and uncover a new function of JA in improving plant abiotic stress tolerance.     

大鼠骨骼肌多催化功能蛋白酶的提取、鉴定及其抗血清的制备

为了研究多催化功能蛋白酶（ｍｕｌｔｉｃａｔａｌｙｔｉｃａｌｐｒｏｔｅｉｎａｓｅ,ＭＣＰ）在负氮平衡形成中的作用,以大鼠骨骼肌为原料,提取此酶并制备其抗血清．将大鼠骨骼肌粗提物经４５％～６５％饱和度硫酸铵分级盐析、阴离子交换层析和凝胶过滤,最后从Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ４Ｂ层析柱上获得单一活性洗脱峰．酶活性用Ｃａｒｂｏｂｅｎｚｏｘｙ－Ｖａｌ－Ｇｌｙ－Ａｒｇ－４－ｎｉｔｒｉｎｉｌｉｄｅａｃｅｔａｔｅ作底物检测．非变性ＰＡＧＥ银盐染色显示单一区带的骨骼肌多催化功能蛋白酶,ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ银盐染色显示１０条亚基电泳区带,分子量在２５～３２ｋＤ之间．纯化的酶免疫兔８周后,抗血清效价达１３２,用分级盐析和离子交换层析纯化抗血清,显示单一电泳区带的ＩｇＧ．Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ－ｂｌｏｔ分析显示只在２５～３２ｋＤ之间出现多条亚基区带．这些结果提示已获得电泳纯ＭＣＰ及其较高特异性的多克隆抗体．     

人类指掌皮肤嵴纹与智力发育的相关性研究

本工作对120例遗传型智残者和60例非遗传型智残者的指、掌皮肤嵴纹数进行分析,并分别与相同例数的对照组同类资料进行比较,找出与智力发育相关的指端、指间区、指基部皮纹参数,据此将遗传型智残组按智商值的不同分为6个组,将不同智商组对应的各区嵴纹数进行分析处理。结果表明,指端皮肤嵴纹数与智商呈正相关,相关系数r＝0.8319,各指间区和指基部嵴纹数与智商值呈负相关,相关系数r＝-0.7392。 Abstract　Digital and palmar of 120 cases of hereditary mental deficiency and 60 cases of non-hereditary mental deficiency were analysed, and compared with the control group using the same cases and identical data, and then skin vein parameter interrelated with intelligence development for digital end, interdigital area, digital root were found. In the light of this we divided the hereditary mental deficiency group into 6 accorcding to IQ value, and analysed statistically every area ridge count corresponding to different IQ group. The result showed that ridge count of digital end was positively correlated with IQ value correlative coefficientr=0.8319; Whereas ridge count of interdigital area and digital root were negatively correlated with IQ value correlative cofficientr=0.7392.     

韧皮部运输和防御作用的分子机理

韧皮部是维管系统的重要组成部分,在物质运输、信息传递、机械支持以及防御作用中发挥重要作用。近年来,在建立了一系列研究方法的基础上,对韧皮部运输和防御功能特别是碳水化合物装载和卸出机理进行了大量研究,克隆出一些特异基因,初步阐明了韧皮部装载的分子机制,取得可喜进展。本文综述了一些相关研究结果,并提出几个有待解决的问题     

GoNe encoding a class VIIIb AP2/ERF is required for both extrafloral and floral nectary development in Gossypium

The floral nectary, first recognized and described by Carl Linnaeus, is a remarkable organ that serves to provide carbohydrate-rich nectar to visiting pollinators in return for gamete transfer between flowers. Therefore, the nectary has indispensable biological significance in plant reproduction and even in evolution. Only two genes, CRC and STY, have been reported to regulate floral nectary development. However, it is still unknown what genes contribute to extrafloral nectary development. Here, we report that a nectary development gene in Gossypium (GoNe), annotated as an APETALA 2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF), is responsible for the formation of both floral and extrafloral nectaries. GoNe plants that are silenced via virus-induced gene silencing technology and/or knocked out by Cas9 produce a nectariless phenotype. Point mutation and gene truncation simultaneously in duplicated genes Ne₁Ne₂ lead to impaired nectary development in tetraploid cotton. There is no difference in the expression of the CRC and STY genes between the nectary TM-1 and the nectariless MD90ne in cotton. Therefore, the GoNe gene responsible for the formation of floral and extrafloral nectaries may be independent of CRC and STY. A complex mechanism might exist that restricts the nectary to a specific position with different genetic factors. Characterization of these target genes regulating nectary production has provided insights into the development, evolution, and function of nectaries and insect-resistant breeding.