代谢工程改造酿酒酵母生产β-胡萝卜素

β-胡萝卜素在食品、药品和化妆品领域有广泛用途。为获得生产β-胡萝卜素的微生物细胞工厂,本研究首先在酿酒酵母BY4742中过表达甲羟戊酸(MVA)途径的限速酶3-羟基-3-甲基戊二酰辅酶A还原酶(HMGR)基因及二萜化合物合成的关键酶牻牛儿基牻牛儿基焦磷酸合酶(GGPS)基因,来提高牻牛儿基牻牛儿基焦磷酸(GGPP)的供给。在酿酒酵母底盘菌BY4742-T2的基础上整合来源于成团泛菌和红法夫酵母的β-胡萝卜素合成基因,比较酿酒酵母工程菌生产β-胡萝卜素的差别。结果表明提高酿酒酵母中HMGR和GGPS酶基因的表达能将工程菌中β-胡萝卜素的产量提高26.0倍。另外,来源于真核生物红法夫酵母的合成基因相比成团泛菌,更有利于酿酒酵母生产β-胡萝卜素。最终获得的酿酒酵母工程菌BW02能生产1.56 mg/g细胞干重的β-胡萝卜素,为进一步获得高产β-胡萝卜素细胞工厂提供基础。     

不同红叶性状桃叶片花色素苷种类鉴定及呈色规律研究

以早熟桃(Prunus persica,‘早美’、‘春蕾’)和红叶桃(Prunus persica f.atropur purea,‘筑波5号’、‘洛格红叶’)两种不同叶片呈色类型桃品种为试材,在5~9月份对其呈色过程中叶片色泽、花色素组成进行了测定,并对其叶片色差值与色素组成间的相关性进行了分析,探讨早熟桃和红叶桃叶片呈色差异的生理机制。结果表明:(1)红叶桃叶片5月下旬叶片出现"返青"现象,叶片a*值由正值变为负值;相反早熟桃叶片6月份果实采收后叶片由鲜艳绿色逐渐变为红紫色,叶片a*值逐渐增大。(2)在试验所选的4个品种中共发现5类花色素苷,早熟桃含有3类,红叶桃含有4类,矢车菊素-3-葡萄糖苷和矢车菊素-3-芸香糖苷为两种类型桃叶片所共有的且含量相对较高的花色素苷;呈色过程中叶片花色素苷种类基本不变,但各色素含量发生了明显的变化。(3)多元回归分析显示:红叶桃叶片与早熟桃叶片的a*值分别与矢车菊素-3-葡萄糖苷、矢车菊素-3-芸香糖苷含量呈正相关关系,且均与Ant/Chl呈负相关关系。研究表明,矢车菊素为桃叶片呈现红色的物质基础,两种类型桃叶片呈色差异并非所含花色素苷种类不同所致,而与不同种类花色素苷含量有关。     

Increased expression of NAD(P)H oxidase subunit p67(phox) in the renal medulla contributes to excess oxidative stress and salt-sensitive hypertension

NAD(P)H oxidase has been shown to be important in?the development of salt-sensitive hypertension. Here, we show that the expression of a subunit of NAD(P)H oxidase, p67(phox), was increased in response to a high-salt diet in the outer renal medulla of the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rat, an animal model for human salt-sensitive hypertension. The higher expression of p67(phox), not the other subunits observed, was associated with higher NAD(P)H oxidase activity and salt sensitivity in SS rats compared with a salt-resistant strain. Genetic mutations of the SS allele of p67(phox) were found in the promoter region and contributed to higher promoter activity than that of the salt-resistant strain. To verify the importance of p67(phox), we disrupted p67(phox) in SS rats using zinc-finger nucleases. These rats exhibited a significant reduction of salt-sensitive hypertension and renal medullary oxidative stress and injury. p67(phox) could represent a target for salt-sensitive hypertension therapy.     

UNC-41/stonin functions with AP2 to recycle synaptic vesicles in Caenorhabditis elegans

The recycling of synaptic vesicles requires the recovery of vesicle proteins and membrane. Members of the stonin protein family (Drosophila Stoned B, mammalian stonin 2) have been shown to link the synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin to the endocytic machinery. Here we characterize the unc-41 gene, which encodes the stonin ortholog in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Transgenic expression of Drosophila stonedB rescues unc-41 mutant phenotypes, demonstrating that UNC-41 is a bona fide member of the stonin family. In unc-41 mutants, synaptotagmin is present in axons, but is mislocalized and diffuse. In contrast, UNC-41 is localized normally in synaptotagmin mutants, demonstrating a unidirectional relationship for localization. The phenotype of snt-1 unc-41 double mutants is stronger than snt-1 mutants, suggesting that UNC-41 may have additional, synaptotagmin-independent functions. We also show that unc-41 mutants have defects in synaptic vesicle membrane endocytosis, including a ～50% reduction of vesicles in both acetylcholine and GABA motor neurons. These endocytic defects are similar to those observed in apm-2 mutants, which lack the μ2 subunit of the AP2 adaptor complex. However, no further reduction in synaptic vesicles was observed in unc-41 apm-2 double mutants, suggesting that UNC-41 acts in the same endocytic pathway as μ2 adaptin.     

肌肉特异性基因启动子的上游转录调控元件研究进展

真核生物启动子位于基因5’端上游转录起始位点附近,是包含核心启动子以及上游转录调控元件的一段DNA序列,这些转录调控元件控制着基因表达的强度和特异性。肌肉特异性启动子的上游调控元件种类、数量和排列顺序决定着基因在肌肉中的特异性表达。深入研究肌肉启动子的上游调控元件,可以进一步了解肌肉基因表达机制,从而为肌肉性状的改良、增殖分化的机理和疾病的基因治疗等研究提供重要依据。该文回顾了近年来肌肉特异性启动子研究领域中的新发现,包括肌肉特异性启动子转录调控元件的分子机制、建立人工合成肌肉启动子的方法及应用,并探讨该领域中急需解决的问题和发展前景。     

The Legionella pneumophila EnhC Protein Interferes with Immunostimulatory Muramyl Peptide Production to Evade Innate Immunity

Successful pathogens have evolved to evade innate immune recognition of microbial molecules by pattern recognition receptors (PRR), which control microbial growth in host tissues. Upon Legionella pneumophila infection of macrophages, the cytosolic PRR Nod1 recognizes anhydro-disaccharide-tetrapeptide (anhDSTP) generated by soluble lytic transglycosylase (SltL), the predominant bacterial peptidoglycan degrading enzyme, to activate NF-κB-dependent innate immune responses. We show that L.?pneumophila periplasmic protein EnhC, which is uniquely required for bacterial replication within macrophages, interferes with SltL to lower anhDSTP production. L.?pneumophila mutant strains lacking EnhC (ΔenhC) increase Nod1-dependent NF-κB activation in host cells, while reducing SltL activity in?a ΔenhC strain restores intracellular bacterial growth. Further, L.?pneumophila ΔenhC is specifically rescued in Nod1- but not Nod2-deficient macrophages, arguing that EnhC facilitates evasion from Nod1 recognition. These results indicate that?a bacterial pathogen regulates peptidoglycan degradation to control the production of PRR ligands and evade innate immune recognition.     

Was improvement of spinach growth by nano-TiO2 treatment related to the changes of Rubisco activase?

Characterized by a photo—catalysis property, nano-anatase TiO₂ is closely related to photosynthesis of spinach. It could not only improve light absorbance, transformation from light energy to electron energy and active chemical energy, but also promote the activity of Rubiso activase of spinach. However, the relation between the activity of Rubiso activase and the growth of spinach promoted by nano-anatase TiO₂ treatment remains largely unclear. In this study, we find that the amount and the activity of Rubiso activase are obviously increased by nano-anatase TiO₂ treatment, which led to the great promotion of Rubsico carboxylation and the high rate of photosynthesis, thus improving of spinach growth. The significant enhancement of Rubiso activase activity of nano-anatase TiO₂ treated spinach is also accompanied by conformational changes as determined by spectroscopic analysis. But bulk TiO₂ effect is not as significant as nano-anatase TiO₂, as the grain size of nano-anatase TiO₂ (5 nm) is much smaller than that of bulk TiO₂, which entered spinach cell more easily.     

Water-mediated responses of ecosystem carbon fluxes to climatic change in a temperate steppe

Global warming and a changing precipitation regime could have a profound impact on ecosystem carbon fluxes, especially in arid and semiarid grasslands where water is limited. A field experiment manipulating temperature and precipitation has been conducted in a temperate steppe in northern China since 2005. A paired, nested experimental design was used, with increased precipitation as the primary factor and warming simulated by infrared radiators as the secondary factor. The results for the first 2 yr showed that gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) was higher than ecosystem respiration, leading to net C sink (measured by net ecosystem CO(2) exchange, NEE) over the growing season in the study site. The interannual variation of NEE resulted from the difference in mean annual precipitation. Experimental warming reduced GEP and NEE, whereas increased precipitation stimulated ecosystem C and water fluxes in both years. Increased precipitation also alleviated the negative effect of experimental warming on NEE. The results demonstrate that water availability plays a dominant role in regulating ecosystem C and water fluxes and their responses to climatic change in the temperate steppe of northern China.     

Nano-Anatase Relieves the Inhibition of Electron Transport Caused by Linolenic Acid in Chloroplasts of Spinach

Linolenic acid is an inhibitor of electron transport in chloroplasts of higher plants. It has obvious effects on the structure and function of chloroplasts. In the present paper, we investigated the nano-anatase relieving the inhibition of photoreduction activity and oxygen evolution caused by linolenic acid in spinach chloroplasts. The results showed that linolenic acid in various concentrations could obviously reduce the whole chain electron transport and the photoreduction activity of two photosystems, especially on the oxidative reside and reduce reside of photosystem II (PS II). After adding nano-anatase to chloroplasts treated by linolenic acid, the whole chain electron transport rate, the photoreduction activity of two photosystems, and the oxygen evolution rate were increased significantly, indicating that nano-anatase could obviously decrease the inhibition of linolenic acid on the electron transport, photoreduction activity, and oxygen evolution of spinach chloroplasts.