Specific N‐demethylation of verapamil by cytochrome P450 from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 13273

Norverapamil, the N‐demethylated derivative of verapamil, is a novel promising leading compound for attenuating multidrug resistance with less side effects compared with verapamil. However, the efficient synthetic method for norverapamil is absent. In this study, an innovative biotechnological method based on enzymatic catalysis was presented for the high‐efficient production of norverapamil. CYP105D1, a cytochrome P450 from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 13273, was identified to carry out a one‐step specific N‐demethylation of verapamil along with putidaredoxin reductase (Pdr) and putidaredoxin (Pdx) as the redox partner. Docking calculations rationalized the specific N‐demethylation observed in experiment and identified important amino acid residues for verapamil binding. Furthermore, a CYP105D1‐based whole‐cell system in E. coli BL21(DE3) was established and optimized for highly efficient N‐demethylation of verapamil. The bioconversion rate of verapamil by the whole cell system came up to 60.16% within 24 hours under the optimized conditions. These results demonstrated the high potential of CYP105D1‐based biocatalytic system for norverapamil production.     

福寿螺的寄主植物及其对福寿螺体重的影响

为了明确福寿螺对寄主植物的选择性,进一步掌握其可能的危害及入侵暴发机制,对稻田水域及周边的24科43种植物进行了室外取食试验,分别在取食后3、5d对受试样品及成螺称重,比较其无选择条件下的取食偏好性及其对成螺增长率的影响。结果表明:福寿螺对受试的24科43种植物(样品)的根、茎、叶、果实以及块根(茎)均能取食,对水生(湿生)和陆生植物没有偏好性;在取食过程中,优先取食细嫩的植株和部分,硬老部分需经水浸泡软化后才能被取食;辣椒、苦瓜等果实的辣苦味对福寿螺无驱避作用;取食率与体重增长率呈显著正相关,取食越多生长越快;但体重与植物的总酚含量呈负相关。福寿螺的广食性、取食量、植物总酚含量、植物丰盛度等种群和生态系统特征是影响其快速扩散的重要原因,同时可以借助福寿螺对植物的不同利用类型防范其扩散和危害。     

Enzymatic reduction of oxysterols impairs LXR signaling in cultured cells and the livers of mice

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are nuclear receptors that play crucial roles in lipid metabolism in vivo and are activated by oxysterol ligands in vitro. The identity of the ligand that activates LXRs in vivo is uncertain. Here we provide two lines of evidence that oxysterols are LXR ligands in vitro and in vivo. First, overexpression of an oxysterol catabolic enzyme, cholesterol sulfotransferase, inactivates LXR signaling in several cultured mammalian cell lines but does not alter receptor response to the nonsterol agonist T0901317. Adenovirus-mediated expression of the enzyme in mice prevents dietary induction of hepatic LXR target genes by cholesterol but not by T0901317. Second, triple-knockout mice deficient in the biosynthesis of three oxysterol ligands of LXRs, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, and 27-hydroxycholesterol, respond to dietary T0901317 by inducing LXR target genes in liver but show impaired responses to dietary cholesterol. We conclude that oxysterols are in vivo ligands for LXR.     

Genomic signatures of strain selection and enhancement in Bacillus atrophaeus var. globigii, a historical biowarfare simulant

Background

Despite the decades-long use of Bacillus atrophaeus var. globigii (BG) as a simulant for biological warfare (BW) agents, knowledge of its genome composition is limited. Furthermore, the ability to differentiate signatures of deliberate adaptation and selection from natural variation is lacking for most bacterial agents. We characterized a lineage of BGwith a long history of use as a simulant for BW operations, focusing on classical bacteriological markers, metabolic profiling and whole-genome shotgun sequencing (WGS).

Results

Archival strains and two “present day” type strains were compared to simulant strains on different laboratory media. Several of the samples produced multiple colony morphotypes that differed from that of an archival isolate. To trace the microevolutionary history of these isolates, we obtained WGS data for several archival and present-day strains and morphotypes. Bacillus-wide phylogenetic analysis identified B. subtilis as the nearest neighbor to B. atrophaeus. The genome of B. atrophaeus is, on average, 86% identical to B. subtilis on the nucleotide level. WGS of variants revealed that several strains were mixed but highly related populations and uncovered a progressive accumulation of mutations among the “military” isolates. Metabolic profiling and microscopic examination of bacterial cultures revealed enhanced growth of “military” isolates on lactate-containing media, and showed that the “military” strains exhibited a hypersporulating phenotype.

Conclusions

Our analysis revealed the genomic and phenotypic signatures of strain adaptation and deliberate selection for traits that were desirable in a simulant organism. Together, these results demonstrate the power of whole-genome and modern systems-level approaches to characterize microbial lineages to develop and validate forensic markers for strain discrimination and reveal signatures of deliberate adaptation.     

后基因组研究中蛋白结构与功能的预测

阐述蛋白质结构建模和功能预测的基本方法以及最新研究进展,展望了蛋白质预测技术的前景。     

An alternative splice form of CMTM8 induces apoptosis

Previous studies have demonstrated that the chemokine-like factor (CKLF)-like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing 8 (CMTM8) protein accelerates the ligand-induced clearance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) from the cell surface. The absence of EGFR-mediated signaling induces cells to undergo apoptosis via caspase-dependent and -independent pathways. Here we report the cloning and sequencing of an alternative splice form of CMTM8, obtained from a human blood cDNA library, that utilizes apoptotic pathways distinct from CMTM8. The alternative splice variant arises from a deletion of exon 2 that prevents the expression of a full-length MARVEL domain, and cytosolic YXXPhi motifs. Nevertheless, CMTM8-v2 maintains the ability to induce apoptosis via caspase-dependent and -independent pathways to inhibit cell growth and colony formation. CMTM8 and CMTM8-v2 display different expression profiles and distinct subcellular localization patterns, while operating via different mechanisms to induce apoptosis. CMTM8-v2 did not affect EGFR internalization, implying that the MARVEL domain and/or the cytosolic YXXPhi motifs are necessary for CMTM8 to accelerate ligand-induced EGFR internalization.     

Proteomics-Based Identification and Analysis of Proteins Associated with Helicobacter pylori in Gastric Cancer

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacterium that causes the most common chronic infection in the human stomach. Approximately 1%-3% of infected individuals develop gastric cancer. However, the mechanisms by which H. pylori induces gastric cancer are not completely understood. The available evidence indicates a strong link between the virulence factor of H. pylori, cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), and gastric cancer. To further characterize H. pylori virulence, we established three cell lines by infecting the gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901 and AGS with cagA⁺H. pylori and transfecting SGC-7901 with a vector carrying the full-length cagA gene. We detected 135 differently expressed proteins from the three cell lines using proteome technology, and 10 differential proteins common to the three cell lines were selected and identified by LC-MS/MS as well as verified by western blot: β-actin, L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD), pre-mRNA-processing factor 19 homolog (PRPF19), ATP synthase, calmodulin (CaM), p64 CLCP, Ran-specific GTPase-activating protein (RanGAP), P43 and calreticulin. Detection of the expression of these proteins and genes encoding these proteins in human gastric cancer tissues by real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot revealed that the expression of β-ACTIN, LDH, DLD, PRPF19 and CaM genes were up-regulated and RanGAP was down-regulated in gastric cancer tissues and/or metastatic lymph nodes compared to peri-cancerous tissues. High gene expression was observed for H. pylori infection in gastric cancer tissues. Furthermore, the LDH, DLD and CaM genes were demethylated at the promoter -2325, -1885 and -276 sites, respectively, and the RanGAP gene was highly methylated at the promoter -570 and -170 sites in H. pylori-infected and cagA-overexpressing cells. These results provide new insights into the molecular pathogenesis and treatment targets for gastric cancer with H. pylori infection.     

Chemokine-like factor 1 is a functional ligand for CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4)

Chemokine-like factor 1 (CKLF1) exhibits chemotactic effects on leukocytes. Its amino acid sequence shares similarity with those of TARC/CCL17 and MDC/CCL22, the cognate ligands for CCR4. The chemotactic effects of CKLF1 for CCR4-transfected cells could be desensitized by TARC/CCL17 and markedly inhibited by PTX. CKLF1 induced a calcium flux in CCR4-transfected cells and fully desensitized a subsequent response to TARC/CCL17, and TARC/CCL17 could partly desensitize the response to CKLF1. CKLF1 caused significant receptor internalization in pCCR4-EGFP transfected cells. Taken together, CKLF1 is a novel functional ligand for CCR4.     

毛细管电泳芯片信号分析系统的UML建模研究

集成毛细管电泳芯片(Integrate Cpillary Electrophoresis Chip,ICEC)属于分析型生物芯片,近年来发展迅速。ICEC过程复杂,实现困难,有必要前期通过建模等方式,进行必要的系统设计。统一建模语言(Unified Modeling Language,UML)是一种用来描述系统、构造系统模型的面向对象建模语言,运用UML语言对ICEC信号分析系统进行建模研究,可使ICEC的设计逐步优化,从而最终实现混合物高效分析和分离的目的。本文系统描述UML语言和毛细管电泳芯片工作原理,并介绍运用UML语言对ICEC信号分析系统建模方法。