Alkylresorcylic acid synthesis by type III polyketide synthases from rice Oryza sativa

Alkylresorcinols, produced by various plants, bacteria, and fungi, are bioactive compounds possessing beneficial activities for human health, such as anti-cancer activity. In rice, they accumulate in seedlings, contributing to protection against fungi. Alkylresorcylic acids, which are carboxylated forms of alkylresorcinols, are unstable compounds and decarboxylate readily to yield alkylresorcinols. Genome mining of the rice Oryza sativa identified two type III polyketide synthases, named ARAS1 (alkylresorcylic acid synthase) and ARAS2, that catalyze the formation of alkylresorcylic acids. Both enzymes condensed fatty acyl-CoAs with three C₂ units from malonyl-CoA and cyclized the resulting tetraketide intermediates via intramolecular C-2 to C-7 aldol condensation. The alkylresorcylic acids thus produced were released from the enzyme and decarboxylated non-enzymatically to yield alkylresorcinols. This is the first report on a plant type III polyketide synthase that produces tetraketide alkylresorcylic acids as major products.     

Seasonal occurrence and population structure of the broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus in coastal habitats of south-east Tasmania

Research longline sampling was conducted seasonally from December 2006 to February 2009 to investigate the occurrence and population structure of the broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus in coastal areas of south-east Tasmania. Notorynchus cepedianus showed a consistent temporal trend in seasonal occurrence in Norfolk Bay characterized by high abundances in summer to near absence in winter. This pattern was less pronounced in the Derwent Estuary, where fish were still caught during winter. The absence of smaller total length (L(T) ) classes (<80 cm) from the catches suggests that N. cepedianus are not using these coastal habitats as nursery areas. Of the 457 individuals tagged, 68 (15%) were recaptured. Time at liberty ranged from 6 days to almost 4 years and all but one of the recaptures were caught in its original tagging location, suggesting site fidelity. The large number of N. cepedianus in these coastal systems over summer indicates that these areas are important habitats for this species and that N. cepedianus may have a significant influence on community dynamics through both direct and indirect predator-prey interactions.     

铝胁迫下柱花草SSH文库构建及表达序列标签分析

柱花草栽培种热研2号（Stylosanthes guianensis‘Reyan2’）对铝毒有较强的耐受性。为了鉴定其在铝胁迫下的诱导基因,利用抑制消减杂交（SSH）技术构建在300μmol·L-1铝胁迫下正向cDNA文库。挑选插入片段大于300bp的600个克隆进行测序,共获得504条表达序列标签（EST）。序列重复性分析表明,其中12.1%的EST只有1次重复,61.4%的EST有2-16次重复,重复出现次数较高的EST是细胞色素P450（53次,占10.5%）、病原诱导型胰蛋白酶抑制剂（44次,占8.7%）和衰老相关蛋白（37次,占7.3%）。BLASTX分析显示,504条EST中有97种非冗余基因,其中包括46条功能已知基因和51条功能未知序列。46条功能已知EST中有30个为已报道铝胁迫相关基因,16个是新发现的铝胁迫相关基因。SSHcDNA文库提供的信息为阐明柱花草耐铝毒的分子机制提供了重要线索。     

高效原核表达载体pBV220的改造与应用

以高效原核表达载体 pBV220为骨架载体,应用单链寡核苷酸引物插入法在pBV220多克隆位点的下游插入了六聚组氨酸融合标签编码序列(6×His-Tag)、羟胺和凝血酶蛋白切割位点, 并增加了Xho I和Kpn I酶切位点和强终止密码子TAA, 将此新质粒命名为 pBV223。以此载体表达的目的蛋白在羧基端(C端)带有六聚组氨酸尾以利于通过固定化金属亲和层析快速纯化目的蛋白, 酶切及核苷酸序列分析验证了我们的设计。将终止密码缺失突变的nm23-H1 cDNA克隆入pBV223载体中, 在大肠杆菌DH5a中成功地表达了Nm23-H1蛋白, 通过镍(Ni)亲和层析一步即简单、快速地得到了纯化蛋白。我们所应用的单链寡核苷酸引物插入直接进行定向克隆的方法是目前为止最简便的方法。     

A double epitope tag for quantification of recombinant protein using fluorescence resonance energy transfer

The expression of recombinant proteins is a well-accepted technology, but their detection and purification often require time-consuming and complicated processes. This paper describes the development of a novel double epitope tag (GEPGDDGPSGAEGPPGPQG) for rapid and accurate quantification of recombinant protein by a homogeneous immunoassay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer. In our double epitope tagging system, recombinant proteins can be simply measured on a microtiter plate by addition of a pair of fluorophore-labeled monoclonal antibodies (their epitopes; GEPGDDGPS and GPPGPQG). The sensitivity of the immunoassay with an incubation time of only 5 min is almost equal to that of labor-intensive Western blotting. In addition, culture media and extracts of host cells generally used for protein expression have little effect on this immunoassay. To investigate the utility of our proposed tag for protein production, several different proteins containing this tag were practically expressed and purified. The data presented demonstrate that the double epitope tag is a reliable tool that can alleviate the laborious and troublesome processes of protein production.     

Characterization of lysine-tagged Bacillus stearothermophilus leucine aminopeptidase II immobilized onto carboxylated gold nanoparticles

Bacillus stearothermophilus leucine aminopeptidase II tagged C-terminally with either tri- or nona-lysine (BsLAPII-Lys_3/9) was constructed and over-expressed in Escherichia coli M15 (pRep4). The recombinant enzymes were purified to homogeneity by nickel-chelate chromatography and their molecular masses were determined to be approximately 45 kDa by SDS/PAGE. Surface modification of colloidal gold with 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid was employed to generate the carboxylated nanoparticles. BsLAPII-Lys₉ was efficiently immobilized onto the carboxylated gold nanoparticles (AuNP-COOH) and the obtained bioconjugate showed excellent biocatalytic activity in the immobilized form. Additionally, the bioconjugate material exhibited a significant enhancement in temperature stability and could be reused over 5 successive cycles.     

Structure determination of a Galectin-3-carbohydrate complex using paramagnetism-based NMR constraints

The determination of the location and conformation of a natural ligand bound to a protein receptor is often a first step in the rational design of molecules that can modulate receptor function. NMR observables, including NOEs, often provide the basis for these determinations. However, when ligands are carbohydrates, interactions mediated by extensive hydrogen-bonding networks often reduce or eliminate NOEs between ligand and protein protons. In these cases, it is useful to look to other distance- and orientation-dependent observables that can constrain the geometry of ligand-protein complexes. Here we illustrate the use of paramagnetism-based NMR constraints, including pseudo-contact shifts (PCS) and field-induced residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). When a paramagnetic center can be attached to the protein, field-induced RDCs and PCS reflect only bound-state properties of the ligand, even when averages over small fractions of bound states and large fractions of free states are observed. The effects can also be observed over a long range, making it possible to attach a paramagnetic center to a remote part of the protein. The system studied here is a Galectin-3-lactose complex. A lanthanide-binding peptide showing minimal flexibility with respect to the protein was integrated into the C terminus of an expression construct for the Galectin-3-carbohydrate-binding domain. Dysprosium ion, which has a large magnetic susceptibility anisotropy, was complexed to the peptide, making it possible to observe both PCSs and field-induced RDCs for the protein and the ligand. The structure determined from these constraints shows agreement with a crystal structure of a Galectin-3-N-acetyllactosamine complex.     

Identification and characterization of EST-SSRs and cpSSRs in endangered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cycas hainanensis</Emphasis>

We report on the identification and characterization of six EST-linked simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) and chloroplast SSRs (cpSSRs) in endangered Cycas hainanensis. The number of alleles ranged from two to eight for EST-SSRs, two to three for cpSSRs. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.042 to 0.417 and 0.042 to 0.811 for EST-SSRs, respectively. Expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.156 to 0.457 for cpSSRs. All these markers gave successful cross-species amplification in C. fairylakea. These markers will allow analyses of the baseline genetic variability and population structure of C. hainanensis to provide strategies for effective conservation and management. The experiments were carried out in South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, P.R. China.