Lipase Maturation Factor LMF1, Membrane Topology and Interaction with Lipase Proteins in the Endoplasmic Reticulum

Lipase maturation factor 1 (LMF1) is predicted to be a polytopic protein localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. It functions in the post-translational attainment of enzyme activity for both lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase. By using transmembrane prediction methods in mouse and human orthologs, models of LMF1 topology were constructed and tested experimentally. Employing a tagging strategy that used insertion of ectopic glycan attachment sites and terminal fusions of green fluorescent protein, we established a five-transmembrane model, thus dividing LMF1 into six domains. Three domains were found to face the cytoplasm (the amino-terminal domain and loops B and D), and the other half was oriented to the ER lumen (loops A and C and the carboxyl-terminal domain). This representative model shows the arrangement of an evolutionarily conserved domain within LMF1 (DUF1222) that is essential to lipase maturation. DUF1222 comprises four of the six domains, with the two largest ones facing the ER lumen. We showed for the first time, using several naturally occurring variants featuring DUF1222 truncations, that Lmf1 interacts physically with lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase and localizes the lipase interaction site to loop C within DUF1222. We discuss the implication of our results with regard to lipase maturation and DUF1222 domain structure.     

Involvement of insulin in early development of mouse one-cell stage embryos

Recent studies have suggested that growth factors and hormones play important roles in cell prolif-eration and differentiation during early embryonic development. In the present study, we examined the expression and localization of insulin in the mouse oocytes and one-cell stage embryos by quantitative ELISA, RT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence. In the mouse oocytes and one-cell stage em-bryos, expression of insulin was uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm. We also examined the expres-sion, activity and localization of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) and p70S6K. The expression of mTOR and p70S6K was not significantly different at the cell cycle of mouse one-cell stage embryos. mTOR and S6K were distributed evenly in the cytoplasm at G1, G2 and M phase phase, but at S phase, the distribution of mTOR and S6K was around the pronucleus. At different phases, the activity of mTOR fluctuated. We also used the PI3K specific inhibitor-Wortmannin to investigate the cleavage rate of eggs. The result showed that the rate obviously decreased. When the mTOR specific inhibitor Rapa-mycin was used, the first mitotic division of the mouse one-cell stage embryo was delayed. These re-sults suggested that insulin was expressed both in mouse oocytes and one-cell stage embryos, and may play functional roles in regulation of mouse early embryogenesis by activating the signal pathway of PI3K/PKB/mTOR/S6K.     

Dissimilarity in the folding of human cytosolic creatine kinase isoenzymes

Creatine kinase (CK, EC 2.7.3.2) plays a key role in the energy homeostasis of excitable cells. The cytosolic human CK isoenzymes exist as homodimers (HMCK and HBCK) or a heterodimer (MBCK) formed by the muscle CK subunit (M) and/or brain CK subunit (B) with highly conserved three-dimensional structures composed of a small N-terminal domain (NTD) and a large C-terminal domain (CTD). The isoforms of CK provide a novel system to investigate the sequence/structural determinants of multimeric/multidomain protein folding. In this research, the role of NTD and CTD as well as the domain interactions in CK folding was investigated by comparing the equilibrium and kinetic folding parameters of HMCK, HBCK, MBCK and two domain-swapped chimeric forms (BnMc and MnBc). Spectroscopic results indicated that the five proteins had distinct structural features depending on the domain organizations. MBCK BnMc had the smallest CD signals and the lowest stability against guanidine chloride-induced denaturation. During the biphasic kinetic refolding, three proteins (HMCK, BnMc and MnBc), which contained either the NTD or CTD of the M subunit and similar microenvironments of the Trp fluorophores, refolded about 10-fold faster than HBCK for both the fast and slow phase. The fast folding of these three proteins led to an accumulation of the aggregation-prone intermediate and slowed down the reactivation rate thereby during the kinetic refolding. Our results suggested that the intra- and inter-subunit domain interactions modified the behavior of kinetic refolding. The alternation of domain interactions based on isoenzymes also provides a valuable strategy to improve the properties of multidomain enzymes in biotechnology.     

猴D型反转录病毒巢式PCR检测方法的建立

目的建立SRV-1巢式PCR检测方法并进行初步应用。方法针对SRV-1env基因的保守区序列,设计特异性引物,以感染SRV-1 Raji细胞提取出的含有前病毒DNA的基因组DNA为模板,进行巢式PCR反应。扩增产物测序后与GenBank报道的序列进行同源比对。将DNA样本进行10倍梯度稀释,以检测巢式PCR反应的灵敏度。使用该方法对正常Raji细胞以及感染SIV、STLV的外周血淋巴细胞DNA样本进行扩增,检测该方法的特异性。用建立的巢式PCR方法检测40份储存猴血标本。结果使用巢式PCR扩增出的特异片段经测序分析,结果证实与GenBank报道的序列一致。所建立的巢式PCR检测法检测限度可达1.5×10-3ng/μL,而且方法特异。用此方法检测40份猴血标本,未检测到阳性标本。结论初步建立SRV-1的巢式PCR检测方法,该方法灵敏、特异,为SRV-1的检测提供了一个快速、有效的手段。     

Chloroplast phylogeographic patterns of Calligonum sect. Pterococcus (Polygonaceae) in arid Northwest China

To understand the impacts of past climatic change and geological events on the evolutionary history of Calligonum sect. Pterococcus, including C. aphyllum, C. rubicundum and C. leucocladum, a total of 128 individuals from 14 populations, mainly from arid Northwest China, were sampled. Two cpDNA intergenic spacer regions (rpl32‐trnL and ycf6‐psbM) were sequenced and 11 haplotypes were identified. Levels of genetic differentiation between populations was low in C. rubicundum (F_ST = 0.54317, p < 0.001) and C. aphyllum (F_ST = 0.55795), while much higher in C. leucocladum (F_ST = 0.95800, p < 0.001), possibly as an effct of differences in geographic distributions and habitats. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that most of the total genetic variations occurred among species (72.97%). Among eleven identified haplotypes, only H1 and H2 were shared between C. aphyllum and C. rubicundum, while nine were private for one of the three species. The eleven identified haplotypes were divided into two major clades, but they did not yield three species‐specific lineages. Calligonum sect. Pterococcus therefore not appeared reciprocally monophyletic, more likely due to incomplete lineage sorting than hybridization. Mismatch distribution analysis suggested that only C. aphyllum has experienced recent demographic expansion. Divergence time among the 11 haplotypes was estimated at between 2.84 Ma and 0.06 Ma. Within the two clades, haplotype divergence began in early Pleistocene and mainly occurred during the middle to late Pleistocene and was most likely triggered by Quaternary climatic oscillations and increasing aridity of the region.     

林肯链霉菌丙氨酸脱氢酶的纯化和性质

采用硫酸铵分级沉淀、DEAE-纤维素52柱层析、亲和蓝柱层析和琼脂糖凝胶Sepharose6B柱层析的方法,分离纯化了林肯链霉菌丙氨酸脱氢酶,用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳鉴定为单一组分。以凝胶过滤和聚丙烯酰胺梯度凝胶电泳测得该酶的分子量为170000,SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳测得其亚基分子量为42500,表明林肯链霉菌丙氨酸脱氢酶由四个相同的亚基组成。该酶加氨反应最适pH为9．0,脱氨反应最适pH为9．5,加氨反应和脱氨反应的最适温度均为50℃。加氨反应丙氨酸脱氢酶的表现米氏常数km值为：丙酮酸2．08×10－4mol／L,NH4+2．00×10-2mol／L,NADH2．38×10-5mol／L;脱氨反应的Km为：L-Ala1．43×10-2mol／L;NAD+6．67×10-5mol／L。     

乳酸乳球菌fabZ1和fabZ2基因功能的鉴定

大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)是Ⅱ型脂肪酸合成系统的模式生物,3-羟基脂酰ACP脱水异构酶(FabA)是不饱和脂肪酸合成中的关键酶.生物信息学分析表明,乳酸乳球菌(Lactococcus lactis)的基因组中没有标注为3-羟基脂酰ACP脱水异构酶的基因,但有两个标注为3-羟基脂酰ACP脱水酶基因LlfabZ1和LlfabZ2,其编码的蛋白质与EcFabZ的相似性分别为41%和45.1%,且都具有3-羟基脂酰ACP脱水酶两个保守的α螺旋结构.用携带LlfabZ1和LlfabZ2的质粒载体遗传互补大肠杆菌fabA温度敏感突变株CY57,在42℃下不能恢复生长,但无细胞抽提物的结果显示LlFabZ1能够使反-2-癸烯酰ACP异构成顺-3-癸烯酰ACP,而LlFabZ2则不能.互补大肠杆菌fabZ突变株HW7显示,在诱导的条件下,含有LlfabZ2的转化子能够恢复生长,而LlfabZ1则不能.体外重建脂肪酸合成反应及蛋白质活性测定表明,LlFabZ1具有3-羟基脂酰ACP脱水异构酶功能,而LlFabZ2只具有3-羟基脂酰ACP脱水酶功能.另外,未得到LlfabZ1和LlfabZ2的突变株,表明LlFabZ1和LlFabZ2可能是乳酸乳球菌脂肪酸合成酶系中的必不可少的关键蛋白.上述结果证实了乳酸乳球菌fabZ1和fabZ2两个基因在脂肪酸合成中的功能.     

蚂蚁筑巢对不同恢复阶段热带森林土壤易氧化有机碳时空动态的影响

为探明热带森林恢复过程中蚂蚁筑巢对土壤易氧化有机碳(readily oxidizable carbon, ROC)时空动态的影响及机制, 本研究以西双版纳白背桐(Mallotus paniculatus)群落、野芭蕉(Musa acuminata)群落和崖豆藤(Mellettia leptobotrya)群落3种恢复阶段热带森林为研究对象, 设置“蚂蚁筑巢地”与“非巢地”2种处理进行野外控制实验, 对比分析蚁巢和非蚁巢土壤ROC含量的时空变化特征, 并揭示这些变化与土壤微生物生物量碳及理化性质之间的相互关系。结果表明: (1)蚂蚁筑巢显著影响热带森林土壤ROC含量(P < 0.05), 蚁巢土壤ROC含量较非蚁巢提高了14.2%。不同恢复阶段蚁巢与非蚁巢土壤ROC含量大小顺序为: 野芭蕉群落 > 崖豆藤群落 > 白背桐群落。(2)不同恢复阶段热带森林蚁巢与非蚁巢土壤ROC含量均呈单峰型的时间变化趋势(P < 0.05), 最大值出现在6月, 且各月份蚁巢土壤ROC含量均高于非蚁巢。(3)不同恢复阶段热带森林蚁巢和非蚁巢土壤ROC含量均随土层深度增加呈显著递减的垂直变化趋势(P < 0.05), 且蚁巢土壤ROC含量均大于非蚁巢(P < 0.05)。(4)蚂蚁筑巢引起的土壤理化性质变化对土壤ROC含量产生了一定的影响。土壤ROC含量与土壤pH和容重呈显著负相关(P < 0.05), 与土壤有机碳、微生物生物量碳、全氮、铵态氮及硝态氮呈显著正相关(P < 0.05)。土壤微生物生物量碳与总有机碳是蚁巢土壤ROC时空变化的主要贡献者, 而铵态氮、全氮和总有机碳是非蚁巢ROC时空变化的主控因子。因此, 蚂蚁筑巢改变热带森林土壤微生物量(如微生物生物量碳)及土壤理化性质(如总有机碳、铵态氮与全氮等), 进而显著影响土壤ROC的时空动态。