A molecular dynamics study of the interaction of D-peptide amyloid inhibitors with their target sequence reveals a potential inhibitory pharmacophore conformation

The self-assembly of soluble proteins and peptides into β-sheet-rich oligomeric structures and insoluble fibrils is a hallmark of a large number of human diseases known as amyloid diseases. Drugs that are able to interfere with these processes may be able to prevent and/or cure these diseases. Experimental difficulties in the characterization of the intermediates involved in the amyloid formation process have seriously hampered the application of rational drug design approaches to the inhibition of amyloid formation and growth. Recently, short model peptide systems have proved useful in understanding the relationship between amino acid sequence and amyloid formation using both experimental and theoretical approaches. Moreover, short d-peptide sequences have been shown to specifically interfere with those short amyloid stretches in proteins, blocking oligomer formation or disassembling mature fibrils. With the aim of rationalizing which interactions drive the binding of inhibitors to nascent β-sheet oligomers, in this study, we have carried out extensive molecular dynamics simulations of the interaction of selected d-peptide sequences with oligomers of the target model sequence STVIIE. Structural analysis of the simulations helped to identify the molecular determinants of an inhibitory core whose conformational and physicochemical properties are actually shared by nonpeptidic small-molecule inhibitors of amyloidogenesis. Selection of one of these small molecules and experimental validation against our model system proved that it was indeed an effective inhibitor of fibril formation by the STVIIE sequence, supporting theoretical predictions. We propose that the inhibitory determinants derived from this work be used as structural templates in the development of pharmacophore models for the identification of novel nonpeptidic inhibitors of aggregation.     

Rapid incorporation of functional rhodopsin into nanoscale apolipoprotein bound bilayer (NABB) particles

Human apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) and its engineered constructs form discoidal lipid bilayers upon interaction with lipids in vitro. We now report the cloning, expression, and purification of apo A-I derived from zebrafish (Danio rerio), which combines with phospholipids to form similar discoidal bilayers and may prove to be superior to human apo A-I constructs for rapid reconstitution of seven-transmembrane helix receptors into nanoscale apolipoprotein bound bilayers (NABBs). We characterized NABBs by gel-filtration chromatography, native polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis, UV-visible photobleaching difference spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. We used electron microscopy to determine the stoichiometry and orientation of rhodopsin (rho)-containing NABBs prepared under various conditions and correlated stability and signaling efficiency of rho in NABBs with either one or two receptors. We discovered that the specific activity of G protein coupling for single rhos sequestered in individual NABBs was nearly identical with that of two rhos per NABB under conditions where stoichiometry and orientation could be inferred by electron microscopy imaging. Thermal stability of rho in NABBs was superior to that of rho in various commonly used detergents. We conclude that the NABB system using engineered zebrafish apo A-I is a native-like membrane mimetic system for G-protein-coupled receptors and discuss strategies for rapid incorporation of expressed membrane proteins into NABBs.     

Mutations enhance the aggregation propensity of the Alzheimer's A beta peptide

Aggregation of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide plays a key role in the molecular etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Despite the importance of this process, the relationship between the sequence of Aβ and the propensity of the peptide to aggregate has not been fully elucidated. The sequence determinants of aggregation can be revealed by probing the ability of amino acid substitutions (mutations) to increase or decrease aggregation. Numerous mutations that decrease aggregation have been isolated by laboratory-based studies. In contrast, very few mutations that increase aggregation have been reported, and most of these were isolated from rare individuals with early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease. To augment the limited data set of clinically derived mutations, we developed an artificial genetic screen to isolate novel mutations that increase aggregation propensity. The screen relies on the expression of Aβ-green fluorescent protein fusion in Escherichia coli. In this fusion, the ability of the green fluorescent protein reporter to fold and fluoresce is inversely correlated with the aggregation propensity of the Aβ sequence. Implementation of this screen enabled the isolation of 20 mutant versions of Aβ with amino acid substitutions at 17 positions in the 42-residue sequence of Aβ. Biophysical studies of synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences isolated by the screen confirm the increased aggregation propensity and amyloidogenic behavior of the mutants. The mutations were isolated using an unbiased screen that makes no assumptions about the sequence determinants of aggregation. Nonetheless, all 16 of the most aggregating mutants contain substitutions that reduce charge and/or increase hydrophobicity. These findings provide compelling evidence supporting the hypothesis that sequence hydrophobicity is a major determinant of Aβ aggregation.     

Compensatory and long-range changes in picosecond-nanosecond main-chain dynamics upon complex formation: 15N relaxation analysis of the free and bound states of the ubiquitin-like domain of human plexin-B1 and the small GTPase Rac1

The formation of a complex between Rac1 and the cytoplasmic domain of plexin-B1 is one of the first documented cases of a direct interaction between a small guanosine 5′-triphosphatase (GTPase) and a transmembrane receptor. Structural studies have begun to elucidate the role of this interaction for the signal transduction mechanism of plexins. Mapping of the Rac1 GTPase surface that contacts the Rho GTPase binding domain of plexin-B1 by solution NMR spectroscopy confirms the plexin domain as a GTPase effector protein. Regions neighboring the GTPase switch I and II regions are also involved in the interaction and there is considerable interest to examine the changes in protein dynamics that take place upon complex formation. Here we present main-chain nitrogen-15 relaxation measurements for the unbound proteins as well as for the Rho GTPase binding domain and Rac1 proteins in their complexed state. Derived order parameters, S², show that considerable motions are maintained in the bound state of plexin. In fact, some of the changes in S² on binding appear compensatory, exhibiting decreased as well as increased dynamics. Fluctuations in Rac1, already a largely rigid protein on the picosecond-nanosecond timescale, are overall diminished, but isomerization dynamics in the switch I and II regions of the GTPase are retained in the complex and appear to be propagated to the bound plexin domain. Remarkably, fluctuations in the GTPase are attenuated at sites, including helices α6 (the Rho-specific insert helix), α7 and α8, that are spatially distant from the interaction region with plexin. This effect of binding on long-range dynamics appears to be communicated by hinge sites and by subtle conformational changes in the protein. Similar to recent studies on other systems, we suggest that dynamical protein features are affected by allosteric mechanisms. Altered protein fluctuations are likely to prime the Rho GTPase-plexin complex for interactions with additional binding partners.     

蜂胶黄酮对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤后IL-1β、IL-6和TNF-α含量的影响

目的探讨蜂胶黄酮对脑缺血再灌注损伤的保护作用。方法采用大鼠大脑中动脉栓塞模型（MCAO）,研究蜂胶黄酮对脑缺血再灌注脑梗死体积和行为学评分的影响,对脑组织内IL-1β、IL-6和TNF-α含量的影响。结果蜂胶黄酮能够减少MCAO脑梗死体积和行为学评分,降低脑组织中IL-1β、IL-6和TNF-α的含量（P〈0．05）。结论蜂胶黄酮对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤有一定保护作用,其作用机制与降低脑组织中IL-1β、IL-6和TNF-α含量有关。     

PPARβ在中枢神经系统中的作用研究进展

PPARβ是配体活化的核转录因子,属核受体超家族成员。PPARβ在哺乳动物体内表达十分丰富,日前对PPARβ的研究比较少,但现有的研究表明PPARβ可能参与了机体多种生理和病理过程。本文将对PPARβ的生物学特征及其在中枢神经系统中的意义作一综述。     

KLF4在内毒素血症小鼠中的表达模式及其意义

目的探讨Kruppel样因子4（Kruppel-like factor 4,KLF4）在内毒素血症小鼠中的表达模式及意义。方法运用实时荧光PCR技术和Western blot技术,分别从mRNA水平和蛋白水平探讨内毒素血症小鼠肝脏和肺脏中KLF4的表达;运用生物信息学技术,对启动子区含有KLF4的结合位点的炎症介质基因进行了预测;运用RT-PCR技术,从mRNA水平探讨内毒素血症小鼠肝脏和肺脏中IL1β的表达模式。结果内毒素血症小鼠肝脏和肺脏中KLF4 mRNA的表达下凋,KLF4蛋白的表达先下凋后升高;IL-18、IL-15、IL-12、IL-18、IL-10等炎症介质基因的启动子区均含有KLF4的结合元件,这些炎症基因的表达可能直接受到KLF4的调控;内毒素血症小鼠肝脏和肺脏中IL-IB的表达模式与KLF4的表达模式呈相反趋势。结论内毒素血症小鼠肝脏和肺脏中KLF4表达下调,KLF4在炎症介质基因表达调控中可能具有重要作用。     

L-肌肽的合成研究

阐述了以β-丙氨酸及L-组氨酸为起始原料合成L-肌肽的合成工艺,并提出改进的工艺路线。该路线总收率在90%以上,质量分数高达99.5%以上,是低成本,高收率的合成方法,满足人们医疗保健要求。     

9种Na+通道mRNA在5个不同发育阶段大鼠16种组织中表达及变化趋势

电压-门控Na⁺通道由1个可单独发挥作用的α亚单位和2～4个起辅助作用的β亚单位构成,在可兴奋细胞动作电位的产生及传导等过程中起重要作用.采用RT-PCR法对5个不同发育阶段(P1、P9、P40、P80、P120)Wistar大鼠16种不同组织的9种Na⁺通道α亚单位及1种β亚单位的mRNA进行检测发现：同种类型Na⁺通道mRNA在大鼠不同组织中的表达不同,不同类型Na⁺通道mRNA在大鼠同一组织中的表达不同.其中,神经系统和心肌组织中Na⁺通道mRNA的表达最高,随着日龄的增加,Na⁺通道mRNA在不同组织中表达的变化趋势不同.Na⁺通道在全身组织中的广泛分布及随发育周期的不同变化趋势,为离子通道病的研究及治疗提供了理论基础.     

PTEN和β-cat在尖锐湿疣、Bowen＇s病和皮肤鳞癌中的表达及意义

目的：探讨PTEN和β-cat在尖锐湿疣、Bowen＇s病和皮肤鳞癌中的表达及意义。方法：采用免疫组化法检测蛋白PTEN和β-cat在正常皮肤、尖锐湿疣、Bowen＇s病、皮肤鳞状细胞癌（Scc）中的表达。结果：在正常皮肤、尖锐湿疣、Bowen＇s病、皮肤鳞状细胞癌（Scc）中PTEN蛋白的高表达率分别为100%,80.95%,46.67%,36.67%;β-cat蛋白的异常表达率分别为16.67%,30.16%,53.33%,70.00%,与正常皮肤组织相比,Bowen＇s病及Scc中PTEN蛋白的高表达率表达下降（P〈0.05,P〈0.01）;β-cat蛋白的异常表达率明显升高（P〈0.05,P〈0.01）。在Scc中两者的表达呈负相关（r=-0.416,P〈0.05）。结论：蛋白PTEN、β-cat在Scc的发生、发展中有重要的意义。