Nonenzymatic chromophore attachment in biliproteins: conformational control by the detergent Triton X-100

While chromophore attachment to alpha-subunits of cyanobacterial biliproteins has been studied in some detail, little is known about this process in beta-subunits. The ones of phycoerythrocyanin and C-phycocyanin each carry two phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophores covalently attached to cysteins beta84 and beta155. The differential nonenzymatic reconstitution of PCB to the apoproteins, PecA, PecB, CpcA and CpcB, as well as to mutant proteins of the beta-subunits lacking either one of the two binding cysteins, was studied using overexpression of the respective genes. PCB adds selectively to Cys-84 of CpcA, CpcB, PecA, and PecB, but the bound chromophore has a nonnative configuration, and in the case of CpcA, is partly oxidized to mesobiliverdin (MBV). The oxidation is independent of thiols but can be suppressed by ascorbate. The addition to Cys-beta84 is suppressed in the presence of detergents like Triton X-100, in favor of an addition to Cys-beta155 yielding the correctly bound chromophore. Triton X-100 also inhibits oxidation of the chromophore during addition to CpcA. The effect of Triton X-100 was studied on the isolated components of the reconstitution system. Absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra indicate a major conformational change of the chromophore upon addition of the detergent, which probably controls the site selectivity of the addition reaction, and inhibits the oxidation of PCB to MBV.     

Short-tandem repeat analysis in seven Chinese regional populations

In the present study, we investigated the application of 13 short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D13S317, D7S820, TH01, D16S539, CSFIPO, VWA, D8S1179, TPOX, FGA, D3S1358, D21S11, D18S51 and D5S818) routinely used in forensic analysis, for delineating population relationships among seven human populations representing the two major geographic groups, namely the southern and northern Chinese. The resulting single topology revealed pronounced geographic and population partitioning, consistent with the differences in geographic location, languages and eating habits. These findings suggest that forensic STR loci might be particularly powerful tools in providing the necessary fine resolution for reconstructing recent human evolutionary history.     

A new Vibrio cholerae sRNA modulates colonization and affects release of outer membrane vesicles

We discovered a new small non-coding RNA (sRNA) gene, vrrA of Vibrio cholerae O1 strain A1552. A vrrA mutant overproduces OmpA porin, and we demonstrate that the 140 nt VrrA RNA represses ompA translation by base-pairing with the 5' region of the mRNA. The RNA chaperone Hfq is not stringently required for VrrA action, but expression of the vrrA gene requires the membrane stress sigma factor, sigma(E), suggesting that VrrA acts on ompA in response to periplasmic protein folding stress. We also observed that OmpA levels inversely correlated with the number of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), and that VrrA increased OMV production comparable to loss of OmpA. VrrA is the first sRNA known to control OMV formation. Moreover, a vrrA mutant showed a fivefold increased ability to colonize the intestines of infant mice as compared with the wild type. There was increased expression of the main colonization factor of V. cholerae, the toxin co-regulated pili, in the vrrA mutant as monitored by immunoblot detection of the TcpA protein. VrrA overproduction caused a distinct reduction in the TcpA protein level. Our findings suggest that VrrA contributes to bacterial fitness in certain stressful environments, and modulates infection of the host intestinal tract.     

安徽省赤链蛇的资源现状及种群分布特征

2009年5月～2010年5月采用样带法对安徽省的赤链蛇种群资源现状和生态特征分布进行了调查.结果 表明:赤链蛇在安徽全省分布较广,水平分布具有随机性和间断性,垂直分布的海拔下限为15 m,上限1300 m;赤链蛇种群密度为皖南山区＞江淮丘陵＞沿江平原＞淮北平原＞大别山区,最高3.00条/hm2,最低1.55条/hm2;全省赤链蛇总体数量估算值在22.46～44.58万条.对小地形和小生境的分布情况分析表明,赤链蛇喜分布在平地和山底,山脊和上坡绝少分布;各类生境均有分布,但以农田和灌丛为主.对皇甫山(江淮丘陵)和鹞落坪(皖西大别山)赤链蛇种群的年龄和性比分析表明,两地赤链蛇年龄结构特点及种群结构比较稳定,种群总体处于增长状态;性别比例基本平衡,种群处于健康发展之中.     

Molecular cloning and expression of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase D, which acts on the core structure of complex type asparagine-linked oligosaccharides

Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase D (Endo D) produced by Streptococcus pneumoniae cleaves the di-N-acetylchitobiose structure in asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. The enzyme generally acts on complex type oligosaccharides after removal of external sugars by neuraminidase, beta-galactosidase, and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. We cloned the gene encoding the enzyme and expressed it as a periplasm enzyme in Escherichia coli. The first 37 amino acids in the predicted sequence are removed in the mature enzyme, yielding a protein with a molecular mass of 178 kDa. The substrate specificity of the recombinant enzyme is indistinguishable from the enzyme produced by S. pneumoniae. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase A (Endo A) from Arthrobacter protophormiae, the molecular mass of which is 72 kDa, had 32% sequence identity to Endo D, starting from the N-terminal sides of both enzymes, although Endo A hydrolyzes high-mannose-type oligosaccharides and does not hydrolyze complex type ones. Endo D is not related to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases H, F(1), F(2), or F(3), which share common structural motifs. Therefore, there are two distinct groups of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases acting on asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. The C-terminal region of Endo D shows homology to beta-galactosidase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from S. pneumoniae and has an LPXTG motif typical of surface-associated proteins of Gram-positive bacteria. It is possible that Endo D is located on the surface of the bacterium and, together with other glycosidases, is involved in virulence.     

The Role of Autophagy in Lamellar Body Formation and Surfactant Production in Type 2 Alveolar Epithelial Cells

The lamellar body (LB), a concentric structure loaded with surfactant proteins and phospholipids, is an organelle specific to type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2). However, the origin of LBs has not been fully elucidated. We have previously reported that autophagy regulates Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) formation, and here we demonstrated that autophagy is involved in LB maturation, another lysosome-related organelle. We found that during development, LBs were transformed from autophagic vacuoles containing cytoplasmic contents such as glycogen. Fusion between LBs and autophagosomes was observed in wild-type neonate mice. Moreover, the markers of autophagic activity, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B), largely co-localized on the limiting membrane of the LB. Both autophagy-related gene 7 (Atg7) global knockout and conditional Atg7 knockdown in AT2 cells in mice led to defects in LB maturation and surfactant protein B production. Additionally, changes in autophagic activity altered LB formation and surfactant protein B production. Taken together, these results suggest that autophagy plays a critical role in the regulation of LB formation during development and the maintenance of LB homeostasis during adulthood.     

功能区胶质瘤患者初级运动皮层激活的偏侧化及运动网络功能连接研究

无运动障碍的功能区胶质瘤患者,其手术风险较高,结合手运动任务态功能磁共振(fMRI)及运动网络功能连接能否更准确的评估手术风险需要进一步探索.本研究收集24例运动功能区胶质瘤且无明显肢体运动功能障碍的患者,非运动功能区胶质瘤患者8例,术前进行fMRI手运动任务态及静息态检查,术后3个月对患者进行随访.计算初级运动皮质(M1)激活的偏侧化指数(lateralization indices,LI).选取运动网络感兴趣区域(ROI),计算双侧M1与各ROI间功能连接系数(FC).运用受试者工作特性曲线(receiver operating characteristic curve,ROC)评估M1激活的LI对术后偏瘫的预测效能.同非运动功能区胶质瘤患者相比,运动功能区胶质瘤患者M1激活LI显著升高(P=0.001).同术后未偏瘫功能区胶质瘤患者相比,术后偏瘫患者M1激活LI值显著升高(P=0.011).ROC曲线下面积(AUC)=0.867,临界点LI=0.31,LI≥0.31对术后偏瘫预测灵敏性为87.5%,特异性为87.5%.以M1激活LI≥0.31将病人分为手术高风险组及低风险组,手术高风险组患者双侧M1与运动网络多个ROI间FC出现显著改变.本研究中功能区胶质瘤患者虽无肢体运动功能障碍,但肿瘤对功能区皮层激活及运动网络FC已有不同程度的破坏;结合任务态及静息态fMRI可以更好地评估手术风险并了解机体功能受损及代偿机制.     

In vitro fusion catalyzed by the sporulation-specific t-SNARE light-chain Spo20p is stimulated by phosphatidic acid

Sec9p and Spo20p are two SNAP25 family SNARE proteins specialized for different developmental stages in yeast. Sec9p interacts with Sso1/2p and Snc1/2p to mediate intracellular trafficking between post-Golgi vesicles and the plasma membrane during vegetative growth. Spo20p replaces Sec9p in the generation of prospore membranes during sporulation. The function of Spo20p requires enzymatically active Spo14p, which is a phosphatidylcholine (PC)-specific phospholipase D that hydrolyzes PC to generate phosphatidic acid (PA). Phosphatidic acid is required to localize Spo20p properly during sporulation; however, it seems to have additional roles that are not fully understood. Here we compared the fusion mediated by all combinations of the Sec9p or Spo20p C-terminal domains with Sso1p/Sso2p and Snc1p/Snc2p. Our results show that Spo20p forms a less efficient SNARE complex than Sec9p. The combination of Sso2p/Spo20c is the least fusogenic t-SNARE complex. Incorporation of PA in the lipid bilayer stimulates SNARE-mediated membrane fusion by all t-SNARE complexes, likely by decreasing the energetic barrier during membrane merger. This effect may allow the weak SNARE complex containing Spo20p to function during sporulation. In addition, PA can directly interact with the juxtamembrane region of Sso1p, which contributes to the stimulatory effects of PA on membrane fusion. Our results suggest that the fusion strength of SNAREs, the composition of organelle lipids and lipid-SNARE interactions may be coordinately regulated to control the rate and specificity of membrane fusion.