24(S)‐hydroxycholesterol is actively eliminated from neuronal cells by ABCA1

High cholesterol turnover catalyzed by cholesterol 24‐hydroxylase is essential for neural functions, especially learning. Because 24(S)‐hydroxycholesterol (24‐OHC), produced by 24‐hydroxylase, induces apoptosis of neuronal cells, it is vital to eliminate it rapidly from cells. Here, using differentiated SH‐SY5Y neuron‐like cells as a model, we examined whether 24‐OHC is actively eliminated via transporters induced by its accumulation. The expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 was induced by 24‐OHC, as well as TO901317 and retinoic acid, which are ligands of the nuclear receptors liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor (LXR/RXR). When the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 was induced, 24‐OHC efflux was stimulated in the presence of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL), whereas apolipoprotein A‐I was not an efficient acceptor. The efflux was suppressed by the addition of siRNA against ABCA1, but not by ABCG1 siRNA. To confirm the role of each transporter, we analyzed human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing human ABCA1 or ABCG1; we clearly observed 24‐OHC efflux in the presence of HDL, whereas efflux in the presence of apolipoprotein A‐I was marginal. Furthermore, the treatment of primary cerebral neurons with LXR/RXR ligands suppressed the toxicity of 24‐OHC. These results suggest that ABCA1 actively eliminates 24‐OHC in the presence of HDL as a lipid acceptor and protects neuronal cells.     

ANTARCTIC DISTRIBUTION,PIGMENT AND LIPID COMPOSITION,AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF THE BRINE DINOFLAGELLATE POLARELLA GLACIALIS (DINOPHYCEAE)1

Polarella glacialis (Montresor et al.) was identified in Davis Station sea ice by morphological and DNA sequence comparison of cultures with those of the authentic strain P. glacialis CCMP 1383 isolated from McMurdo Sound. Cells and cysts of the Davis isolate (FL1B) were morphologically indistinguishable from P. glacialis, and comparison of the large subunit rDNA of both cultures demonstrated only 0.2% sequence divergence over 1366 base pairs. The photosynthetic pigments of P. glacialis (strains FL1B and CCMP 1383) were typical of dinoflagellates, with peridinin (contributing up to 31%) as the major accessory pigment. Extremely high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, up to 76.3%) were characteristic of P. glacialis isolate FL1B. The high PUFA concentration of this species is thought to be an adaptation to survive the cold temperatures of the upper fast ice. The sterol profile of FL1B was atypical of dinoflagellates, with 4‐desmethylsterols (up to 79%) in greater abundance than 4α‐methyl sterols (up to 24%). 27‐Nor‐24‐methylcholest‐5,22E‐dien‐3β‐ol was identified as the principle sterol in P. glacialis, contributing up to 64% of the total sterol composition.     

HIV—1核蛋白p24在昆虫细胞中的表达

将完整的ＨＩＶ－１ ｐ２４基因克隆到杆状病毒转移质粒中,使用重组转移质粒与野生型杆状病毒ＤＮＡ共转染Ｓｆ９昆虫细胞,经筛选获得带有编码ｐ２４基因的重组杆状病毒。重组杆状病毒感染Ｓｆ９细胞后在细胞中表达了ＨＩＶ核蛋白ｐ２４。其重组蛋白的分子量为２４ｋＤ。此重组糖蛋白在免疫荧光,免疫印染和酶联免疫实验中都能被人ＨＩＶ－１阳性血清和单克隆抗体所识别。     

核层蛋白A前体的法尼基化与衰老

编码核层蛋白A(lamin A)的LMNA基因突变导致法尼基化的核层蛋白A前体(prelamin A)不能被进一步加工成成熟的核层蛋白A,从而导致一种Hutchinson-Gilford早老症综合征(Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome,HGPS)。一种更严重的早老症——限制性皮肤病(restrictive dermopathy,RD),是由于缺失核层蛋白A前体加工过程中的剪切酶ZMPSTE24引起的。ZMPSTE24的缺失阻止了法尼基化的核层蛋白A前体不能正常加工成为成熟的核层蛋白A,同时导致法尼基化的核层蛋白A前体的堆积。在HGPS和RD病人的成纤维细胞中,发现法尼基化的核层蛋白A前体都定位在核膜,从而影响细胞核膜的完整性,并导致细胞核形的异常,进而导致衰老。最近研究表明经过法尼基酰转移酶抑制剂(farnesyltransferase inhibitor,FTI)处理后的细胞的核形异常减少。同时,FTI能够改善HGPS和RD小鼠的早老症状。本文就核层蛋白A前体的法尼基化对衰老的影响有关研究进展作一综述。     

铁皮石斛DoSMT2基因的克隆与表达分析

为了解SMT2基因在铁皮石斛（Dendrobium officinale）甾醇代谢过程中的作用,利用RACE技术克隆到1个DoSMT2基因,开放阅读框为1 089 bp,编码362个氨基酸,DoSMT2相对分子量为40.345 kD,理论等电点为8.13,属于稳定的亲水性蛋白。经BLAST P检索,DoSMT2蛋白属于AdoMet-MTases超级家族,含有4个S-腺苷蛋氨酸结合位点、1个甲基转移酶保守结构域和1个甾醇甲基转移酶C末端保守结构域。系统进化分析表明,DoSMT2与深圳拟兰（Apostasia shenzhenica）的SMT2亲缘关系最近,确定其属于SMT2家族。qRT-PCR分析结果表明,DoSMT2基因在茎和叶都能表达,10月份的表达量最高,叶片的表达量显著高于茎,推断叶片的甾醇代谢比茎活跃。构建了pET-29a-DoSMT2原核表达载体,并转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）,IPTG诱导表达出预期大小的蛋白。这为铁皮石斛DoSMT2的甲基化机制及甾醇化合物代谢研究奠定基础。     

Drosophila p24 homologues eclair and baiser are necessary for the activity of the maternally expressed Tkv receptor during early embryogenesis

p24 proteins are assumed to play an important role in the transport of secreted and transmembrane proteins into membranes. However, only few cargo proteins are known that partially, but in no case completely require p24 proteins for membrane transport. Here, we show that two p24 proteins are essential for dorsoventral patterning of Drosophila melanogaster embryo. Mutations in the genes, eclair (eca) and baiser (bai), encoding two p24 proteins reduce signalling by the TGF-beta homologue, Dpp, in early embryos. This effect is strictly maternal and specific to early embryogenesis, as Dpp signalling in other contexts is not notably affected. We provide genetic evidence that in the absence of eca or bai function in the oocyte, the maternally expressed type I TGF-beta receptor Tkv is not active. We propose that during early embryogenesis eca and bai are specifically required for the activity of the maternal Tkv, while the zygotic Tkv is not affected in the mutant embryos. Mutations in either eca or bai are sufficient for the depletion of Tkv activity and no enhancement of the phenotypes was observed in embryos derived from oocytes mutant for both genes. The dependence of maternal Tkv protein on the products of p24 genes may serve as an in vivo model for studying p24 proteins.     

24(S)-hydroxycholesterol induces neuronal cell death through necroptosis, a form of programmed necrosis

24(S)-Hydroxycholesterol (24S-OHC) produced by cholesterol 24-hydroxylase expressed mainly in neurons plays an important physiological role in the brain. Conversely, it has been reported that 24S-OHC possesses potent cytotoxicity. The molecular mechanisms of 24S-OHC-induced cell death have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, using human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and primary cortical neuronal cells derived from rat embryo, we characterized the form of cell death induced by 24S-OHC. SH-SY5Y cells treated with 24S-OHC exhibited neither fragmentation of the nucleus nor caspase activation, which are the typical characteristics of apoptosis. 24S-OHC-treated cells showed necrosis-like morphological changes but did not induce ATP depletion, one of the features of necrosis. When cells were treated with necrostatin-1, an inhibitor of receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase 1 (RIPK1) required for necroptosis, 24S-OHC-induced cell death was significantly suppressed. The knockdown of RIPK1 by transfection of small interfering RNA of RIPK1 effectively attenuated 24S-OHC-induced cell death. It was found that neither SH-SY5Y cells nor primary cortical neuronal cells expressed caspase-8, which was regulated for RIPK1-dependent apoptosis. Collectively, these results suggest that 24S-OHC induces neuronal cell death by necroptosis, a form of programmed necrosis.     

Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis pattern recognition receptor RLP23 increases broad‐spectrum resistance in poplar to fungal pathogens

The pattern recognition receptor AtRLP23 from Arabidopsis thaliana recognizes the epitopes (nlp24s) of necrosis and ethylene‐inducing peptide 1‐like proteins (NLPs) and triggers pattern‐triggered immunity (PTI). Here, we established methods for studying the early events of PTI in the hybrid poplar cultivar Shanxin (Populus davidiana × Populus bolleana) in response to the flagellin epitope. We confirmed that wild‐type Shanxin cannot generate PTI responses on nlp24 treatment. Four NLP homologues were characterized from two common fungal pathogens of Shanxin, namely Marssonina brunnea f. sp. monogermtubi (MbMo) and Elsinoë australis (Ea), which cause black leaf spot and anthracnose disease, respectively, and the nlp24s of three of them could be responded to by Nicotiana benthamiana leaves expressing AtRLP23. We then created AtRLP23 transgenic Shanxin lines and confirmed that the heterologous expression of AtRLP23 conferred on transgenic Shanxin the ability to respond to one nlp24 of each fungal pathogen. Consistently, infection assays with MbMo or Ea showed obviously lower levels of disease symptoms and significantly inhibited the growth of fungi on the transgenic poplar compared with that in wild‐type poplar. Overall, our results indicated that the heterologous expression of AtRLP23 allowed transgenic Shanxin to generate a PTI response to nlp24s, resulting in increased broad‐spectrum fungal disease resistance.     

江西省2010年柯萨奇病毒A组24型变异株的全基因组序列分析

急性出血性结膜炎(Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis,AHC)是目前人类最常见的眼病之一,柯萨奇病毒A组24型变异株(Coxsackievirus A24 variant,CV-A24v)是近年来报道引起该病的主要病原体。本研究选取10株来自江西省2010年AHC暴发疫情的CV-A24v,采用特异性引物扩增并测定其全基因组序列。对该10条CV-A24v的全基因组序列进行系统发育分析以及重组分析,计算本研究测定的江西10条以及GenBank中所有22条CV-A24v的全基因组序列的氨基酸置换熵值,并预测其正向选择位点。结果表明,在江西10条CV-A24v基因组序列中未检测到重组。基于全基因组序列构建的最大似然树表明江西10株CV-A24v属于GIV基因型,且分处于两条传播链。对上述32条CV-A24v序列的氨基酸置换熵值计算,共得到25个易突变位点(熵值>0.6),易突变概率最高的区段为2A区。基于Datamonkey中FUBAR和FEL模型分析,发现位于结构蛋白VP2区的234位氨基酸为两种模型共同获得的CV-A24v的正向选择位点。本研究分析了江西10株CV-A24v的全基因组序列特征,为CV-A24v引起的AHC防控工作提供了基础资料。