水稻基腐病细菌毒素的遗传特性和产毒相关的分子标记

[目的]水稻基腐病(Erwinia chrysanthemi pv.zeae)是水稻上重要的细菌病害之一,本论文对该病菌的毒素遗传特性和产毒相关的分子标记进行了研究.[方法]通过化学诱变方法,筛选基腐细菌去质粒的突变体Ech7-mu1;应用RAPD技术,筛选产毒素相关的分子标记.[结果]毒素活性测定结果表明,野生菌Ech7和去质粒菌株Ech7-mu1都能产生毒素.从260条随机引物中,筛选出引物K10,该引物能从不产生毒素的突变株Ech7-4中扩增出大小为2139bp的DNA特异片段,但不能扩增野生菌Ech7,将该片段克隆,测序分析,设计特异引物,在突变体Ech7-4中获得了与毒素产生相关的SCAR分子标记(标记符合率为100%).该基因片段有5个ORFs,其中2个ORFs分别编码NADH-黄素还原酶和N-乙酰转移酶,另外2个不完整的ORFs编码的蛋白分别与Pseudomonas aerginosa(ZP00136947)和Yersinia Pestis(ZP01177873)的抗菌素代谢转运蛋白通透酶(DMT)具有66%和46%的同源率.[结论]水稻基腐细菌毒素的生物合成是由染色体基因编码,与质粒无关.不产生毒素的突变菌株基因突变的位点位于SCAR标记DNA的3'末端.     

金沙江干热河谷区田菁根瘤菌多样性与系统发育

[目的]揭示金沙江干热河谷区这一特殊地理环境下田菁根瘤菌的多样性和系统发育地位. [方法]采用了数值分类、16S rDNA PCR-RFLP、16S rDNA和GSⅡ序列分析方法.[结果]数值分类结果表明:在93%的水平上,待测菌株分布于6个群,其中4个群分别与R.tropici、 R.etli、 S.saheli、A.rubi的参比菌株聚在一起,两个群没有参比菌株与之聚群.16S rDNA PCR-RFLP结果与数值分类基本一致,只有两个独立群有所差异.16S rDNA序列分析表明:两独立群中心菌株SCAU176 和SCAU144与R.huautlense聚在一起,与该种同源性分别为100%和98.9%.GSⅡ序列分析中SCAU176 和SCAU144单独聚在一起,与最近的参比菌株R.tropici的同源性系数在90%以下.[结论]金沙江干热河谷区田菁根瘤菌具有较为丰富的多样性,在系统发育地位上分布于Sinorhizobium、Agrobacterium和Rhizobium三个属.     

Kinetic studies on the reversible ring opening-closure reaction of the triazine ligand and structural properties of palladium(II) complexes

A Pd(II) complex containing didentate triazine ligand L¹ (2-(2-methylphenyl)-3-(2-pyridyl)-2,3-dihydronaphtho[2,1-e][1,2,4]triazine) [PdCl₂(L¹)] (1) was prepared, and the structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. The absorption spectrum of complex 1 in dichloromethane changed gradually with isosbestic points when methanol was added to the solution, and [PdCl(L²)] (2) (L² = N-[methoxy(2-pyridyl)methyl]-1-(2-methylphenylazo)-2-naphthylamide) was obtained from the resulting solution after the reaction was completed. Addition of hydrogen chloride to the solution of complex 2 led to the recovery of complex 1. Thus, a reversible ring opening and closure reaction of the triazine ligand was observed. The progress of the ring opening reaction was monitored by observing the absorbance changes at several wavelengths of the visible spectra as a function of the concentration of methanol. The absorbance plots were fitted successfully with a mechanism that includes the consumption of two methanol molecules and the release of HCl, whose concentration is equivalent to that of the produced Pd complex . In dichloromethane with a low dielectric constant, the polar HCl molecule will be stabilized by forming an adduct with methanol. The equilibrium constant was determined as at T = 25.0 °C. The kinetics of the reaction of [PdCl₂(L¹)] with methanol was investigated by monitoring the absorbance change of the reacting solution with time. We obtained rate constant values of k₁ = (2.40 ± 0.07) × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ and k₂ = (5.8 ± 0.1) × 10⁻³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ at T = 25.0 °C on the observed pseudo-first-order rate constant of the forward reaction, k_f = k₁ + k₂ [CH₃OH].     

Phosphatidylinositol ether lipid analogues that inhibit AKT also independently activate the stress kinase, p38alpha, through MKK3/6-independent and -dependent mechanisms

Previously, we identified five active phosphatidylinositol ether lipid analogues (PIAs) that target the pleckstrin homology domain of Akt and selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells with high levels of Akt activity. To examine specificity, PIAs were screened against a panel of 29 purified kinases. No kinase was inhibited, but one isoform of p38, p38alpha, was uniformly activated 2-fold. Molecular modeling of p38alpha revealed the presence of two regions that could interact with PIAs, one in the activation loop and a heretofore unappreciated region in the upper lobe that resembles a pleckstrin homology domain. In cells, two phases of activation were observed, an early phase that was independent of the upstream kinase MKK3/6 and inhibited by the p38 inhibitor SB203580 and a latter phase that was coincident with MKK3/6 activation. In short term xenograft experiments that employed immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting, PIA administration increased phosphorylation of p38 but not MKK3/6 in tumors in a statistically significant manner. Although PIAs rapidly activated p38 with similar time and dose dependence as Akt inhibition, p38 activation and Akt inhibition were independent events induced by PIAs. Using SB203580 or p38alpha(-/-) cells, we showed that p38alpha is not required for PIA-induced apoptosis but is required for H(2)O(2)- and anisomycin-induced apoptosis. Nonetheless, activation of p38a contributes to PIA-induced apoptosis, because reconstitution of p38a into p38alpha(-/-) cells increased apoptosis. These studies indicate that p38alpha is activated by PIAs through a novel mechanism and show that p38alpha activation contributes to PIA-induced cell death. Independent modulation of Akt and p38alpha could account for the profound cytotoxicity of PIAs.     

Univalent binding of the Cry1Ab toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis to a conserved structural motif in the cadherin receptor BT-R1

The Cry1Ab toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) exerts insecticidal action upon binding to BT-R1, a cadherin receptor localized in the midgut epithelium of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta [Dorsch, J. A., Candas, M., Griko, N. B., Maaty, W. S., Midboe, E. G., Vadlamudi, R. K., and Bulla, L. A., Jr. (2002) Cry1A toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis bind specifically to a region adjacent to the membrane-proximal extracellular domain of BT-R1 in Manduca sexta: involvement of a cadherin in the entomopathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis, Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 32, 1025-1036]. BT-R1 represents a family of invertebrate cadherins whose ectodomains (ECs) are composed of multiple cadherin repeats (EC1 through EC12). In the present work, we determined the Cry1Ab toxin binding site in BT-R1 in the context of cadherin structural determinants. Our studies revealed a conserved structural motif for toxin binding that includes two distinct regions within the N- and C-termini of EC12. These regions are characterized by unique sequence signatures that mark the toxin-binding function in BT-R1 as well as in homologous lepidopteran cadherins. Structure modeling of EC12 discloses the conserved motif as a single broad interface that holds the N- and C-termini in close proximity. Binding of toxin to BT-R1, which is univalent, and the subsequent downstream molecular events responsible for cell death depend on the conserved motif in EC12.     

pH对毕赤酵母表达重组人复合a干扰素的降解影响

使用Pichia pastoris表达重组人复合a干扰素(cIFN)会发生降解、聚合等不均一表达的现象。在5 L发酵罐中考察了不同诱导pH对cIFN表达产生降解的影响, 结果发现在适合酵母生长的pH 3.0~7.0范围内, 当诱导pH为4.0~5.0时, cIFN不均一表达现象最少, 生物活性达到2.5×108 IU/mL。通过测定发酵液中总蛋白酶活和细胞活性寻找了cIFN降解出现的原因：发现低诱导pH下细胞死亡率升高释放更多酶系, 高诱导pH下蛋白酶活性明显增大, 两者都使蛋白酶作用加强, 加剧cIFN的降解; 特别是诱导pH为7.0时, 适宜的pH使蛋白酶酶活陡升, 将cIFN完全降解。     

Up-regulation of kin17 is essential for proliferation of breast cancer

Background

Kin17 is ubiquitously expressed at low levels in human tissue and participates in DNA replication, DNA repair and cell cycle control. Breast cancer cells are characterized by enabling replicative immortality and accumulated DNA damage. However, whether kin17 contributes to breast carcinogenesis remains unknown.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this study, we show for the first time that kin17 is an important molecule related to breast cancer. Our results show that kin17 expression was markedly increased in clinical breast tumors and was associated with tumor grade, Ki-67 expression, p53 mutation status and progesterone receptor expression, which were assessed in a clinicopathologic characteristics review. Knockdown of kin17 inhibited DNA replication and repair, blocked cell cycle progression and inhibited anchorage-independent growth, while increasing sensitivity to chemotherapy in breast cancer cells. Moreover, kin17 silencing decreased EGF-stimulated cell growth. Furthermore, overexpression of kin17 promoted DNA replication and cell proliferation in MCF-10A.

Conclusions/Significance

Our findings indicate that up-regulation of kin17 is strongly associated with cellular proliferation, DNA replication, DNA damage response and breast cancer development. The increased level of kin17 was not only a consequence of immortalization but also associated with tumorigenesis. Therefore, kin17 could be a novel therapeutic target for inhibiting cell growth in breast cancer.     

Is Mitochondrial tRNAphe Variant m.593T>C a Synergistically Pathogenic Mutation in Chinese LHON Families with m.11778G>A?

Mitochondrial transfer RNA (mt-tRNA) mutations have been reported to be associated with a variety of diseases. In a previous paper that studied the mtDNA background effect on clinical expression of Leber''s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in 182 Chinese families with m.11778G>A, we found a strikingly high frequency (7/182) of m.593T>C in the mitochondrially encoded tRNA phenylalanine (MT-TF) gene in unrelated LHON patients. To determine the potential role of m.593T>C in LHON, we compared the frequency of this variant in 479 LHON patients with m.11778G>A, 843 patients with clinical features of LHON but without the three known primary mutations, and 2374 Han Chinese from the general populations. The frequency of m.593T>C was higher in LHON patients (14/479) than in suspected LHON subjects (12/843) or in general controls (49/2374), but the difference was not statistically significant. The overall penetrance of LHON in families with both m.11778G>A and m.593T>C (44.6%) was also substantially higher than that of families with only m.11778G>A (32.9%) (P = 0.083). Secondary structure prediction of the MT-TF gene with the wild type or m.593T>C showed that this nucleotide change decreases the free energy. Electrophoretic mobility of the MT-TF genes with the wild type or m.593T>C transcribed in vitro further confirmed the change of secondary structure in the presence of this variant. Although our results could suggest a modest synergistic effect of variant m.593T>C on the LHON causing mutation m.11778G>A, the lack of statistical significance probably due to the relatively small sample size analyzed, makes necessary more studies to confirm this effect.     

镜鲤体长性状的QTL定位分析

以镜鲤良种后代为祖父母本所培育的杂交F2群体的68个个体为材料,利用553个分子标记(217个SSR和336个SNP标记)对其进行基因型检测,运用JoinMap4.0软件包对遗传连锁图谱进行构建。利用MapQTL5.0区间作图法(Interval mapping)进行QTL检测,通过置换实验(1 000次重复)确定连锁群显著性水平阈值。在对体长的区间定位中共检测到12个与体长性状相关的QTLs区间,分布在BL-1-1(SNP0137-SNP1481)、BL-4-1(SNP0092-HLJ797)、BL-5-1(SNP1268-HLJ423)、BL-7-1(HLJ870-SNP0702)、BL-12-1(SNP0922-HLJ639)、BL-16-1(HLJE351-SNP0674)、BL-25-1(SNP0394-SNP0862)、BL-35-1(HLJ668-SNP0832)、BL-43-1(SNP0389-SNP1425)、BL-47-1(HLJ057-HLJ1113)、BL-47-2(HLJ1439-HLJ1418)等11个连锁群上,解释表型变异范围是13.8%~64.9%,其中贡献率大于20%的主效QTLs有8个,是体长性状的主效QTLs区间。