重组马g-干扰素抗病毒活性测定及单克隆抗体抑制活性鉴定

为了测定大肠杆菌和杆状病毒表达的重组马g-干扰素是否具有抗病毒活性, 利用这两种干扰素处理马胎肾细胞(EFK-78), 然后接种表达绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)的重组水泡性口炎病毒(VSV*GFP), 观察干扰素对病毒表达GFP的抑制, 测出其抗病毒活性单位分别为1×103 AU/mL、1×105 AU/mL。评价了制备的九株抗重组马g-干扰素单克隆抗体是否可抑制重组马g-干扰素抗病毒活性, 证实其中一株可中和重组马g-干扰素的抗病毒活性。结果表明: 杆状病毒表达的马g-干扰素具有较高的抗病毒活性, 其活性可被一株制备的抗重组马g-干扰素单克隆抗体抑制; 首次获得原核表达的具有抗病毒活性的马g-干扰素。     

Tuning of Pectin Methylesterification: PECTIN METHYLESTERASE INHIBITOR 7 MODULATES THE PROCESSIVE ACTIVITY OF CO-EXPRESSED PECTIN METHYLESTERASE 3 IN A pH-DEPENDENT MANNER*

Pectin methylesterases (PMEs) catalyze the demethylesterification of homogalacturonan domains of pectin in plant cell walls and are regulated by endogenous pectin methylesterase inhibitors (PMEIs). In Arabidopsis dark-grown hypocotyls, one PME (AtPME3) and one PMEI (AtPMEI7) were identified as potential interacting proteins. Using RT-quantitative PCR analysis and gene promoter::GUS fusions, we first showed that AtPME3 and AtPMEI7 genes had overlapping patterns of expression in etiolated hypocotyls. The two proteins were identified in hypocotyl cell wall extracts by proteomics. To investigate the potential interaction between AtPME3 and AtPMEI7, both proteins were expressed in a heterologous system and purified by affinity chromatography. The activity of recombinant AtPME3 was characterized on homogalacturonans (HGs) with distinct degrees/patterns of methylesterification. AtPME3 showed the highest activity at pH 7.5 on HG substrates with a degree of methylesterification between 60 and 80% and a random distribution of methyl esters. On the best HG substrate, AtPME3 generates long non-methylesterified stretches and leaves short highly methylesterified zones, indicating that it acts as a processive enzyme. The recombinant AtPMEI7 and AtPME3 interaction reduces the level of demethylesterification of the HG substrate but does not inhibit the processivity of the enzyme. These data suggest that the AtPME3·AtPMEI7 complex is not covalently linked and could, depending on the pH, be alternately formed and dissociated. Docking analysis indicated that the inhibition of AtPME3 could occur via the interaction of AtPMEI7 with a PME ligand-binding cleft structure. All of these data indicate that AtPME3 and AtPMEI7 could be partners involved in the fine tuning of HG methylesterification during plant development.     

人胱硫醚β-合酶及其截短型片段的表达、纯化和活性测定

将人胱硫醚β-合酶(CBS)基因克隆至质粒pGEX-4T-1中,获得的重组质粒pGEX-4T-1-CBS转入大肠杆菌E.coli Rosetta (DE3)菌株,构建了高效表达CBS的重组菌E.coli Rosetta (pGEX4T-1-CBS)。重组菌在0.1mmol/L的IPTG于30℃诱导16h,可溶性CBS表达量达到28mg/L培养基。将重组菌破碎后上清液经GSTrap Fast Flow亲和层析一步纯化得到CBS融合蛋白,在凝血酶柱上切割缓冲液中加入3%甘油和0.1%CHAPS可以有效抑制酶切后CBS聚沉,酶活性回收率为54.8%,蛋白质产率为15.2mg/L培养基,纯度达到95%,单位酶活为143U/mg,终浓度为1mmol/L的S-腺苷甲硫氨酸(AdoMet)可使CBS单位酶活提高5.1倍,达到735U/mg。同时构建了表达CBS_1-413(删除了CBS羧基端调控域138个氨基酸残基)的重组菌E.coli Rosetta (pETDuet-1-CBS_1-413),经过一步HisTrap Fast Flow亲和层析,酶活性回收率为74.3%,蛋白质产率为12.8mg/L培养基,纯度达到95%,单位酶活为965U/mg; 还表达和纯化了胱硫醚β-裂解酶(CBL),并在此基础上建立了一种新的CBL偶联的CBS酶活性测定方法。     

Toxoplasma gondii: isolation and preliminary characterization of temperature-sensitive mutants.

Toxoplasma gondii, strain RH, produced plaques in human fibroblast tissue cultures over the temperatures 30–41 C. Muta?enesis with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine yielded seven temperature-sensitive mutants that had lost the ability to form plaques at 40 C but still grew well at 33 C. No spontaneous mutants were detected. The temperature-sensitive mutants were not markedly thermolabile and adsorbed normally to tissue culture cells at 40 C. Three mutants differed from one another in their temperatures for optimal growth, and in their ability to remain infectious within cells incubated at 40 C. Both mutants that were tested were found to be markedly less virulent for mice than was the wild type RH strain.     

不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种胆固醇氧化酶基因的克隆与序列分析

克隆不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种胆固醇氧化酶基因.以不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种基因组DNA作为模板,根据已知的胆固醇氧化酶基因的保守序列设计简并引物进行PCR扩增,PCR产物与载体连接、转化,构建重组质粒.获得了不吸水链霉菌梧州新亚种胆固醇氧化酶基因重组质粒,序列测定并分析.     

Opioid receptor-like 1 (ORL1) receptor binding and the biological properties of Ac-Arg-Tyr-Tyr-Arg-Ile-Arg-NH2 and its analogs.

Hexapeptides such as Ac-Arg-Tyr-Tyr-Arg-Ile-Lys-NH(2) and Ac-Arg-Tyr-Tyr-Arg-Trp-Arg-NH(2) have been isolated from a combinatorial peptide library as small peptide ligands for the opioid peptide-like 1 (ORL1) receptor. To investigate the detailed structural requirements of hexapeptides, 25 analogs of these hexapeptides, based on the novel analog Ac-Arg-Tyr-Tyr-Arg-Ile-Arg-NH(2) (1), were synthesized and tested for their ORL1 receptor affinity and agonist/antagonist activity on mouse vas deferens (MVD) tissues. Analog 1 and its Cit(6)-analog (10) were found to possess high affinity to the ORL1 receptor, comparable to that of nociceptin/orphanin FQ, and exhibited potent antagonist activity (pA(2) values of 7.77 for 1 and 7.51 for 10, which are higher than that of [NPhe(1)]nociceptin(1-13)-NH(2) (6.90) on MVD assay. It was also found that the amino acid residue in position 5 plays a key role in agonist/antagonist activity, i.e. an L-configuration aliphatic amino acid is required for potent antagonist activity, while a nonchiral or D-configuration residue produces potent agonist activity. These lines of evidence may provide insight into the mechanisms controlling agonist/antagonist switching in the ORL1 receptor, and may also serve to help developing more potent ORL1 agonists and antagonists.     

Alpha repeat proteins (αRep) as expression and crystallization helpers

We have previously described a highly diverse library of artificial repeat proteins based on thermostable HEAT-like repeats, named αRep. αReps binding specifically to proteins difficult to crystallize have been selected and in several examples, they made possible the crystallization of these proteins. To further simplify the production and crystallization experiments we have explored the production of chimeric proteins corresponding to covalent association between the targets and their specific binders strengthened by a linker. Although chimeric proteins with expression partners are classically used to enhance expression, these fusions cannot usually be used for crystallization. With specific expression partners like a cognate αRep this is no longer true, and chimeric proteins can be expressed purified and crystallized. αRep selection by phage display suppose that at least a small amount of the target protein should be produced to be used as a bait for selection and this might, in some cases, be difficult. We have therefore transferred the αRep library in a new construction adapted to selection by protein complementation assay (PCA). This new procedure allows to select specific binders by direct interaction with the target in the cytoplasm of the bacteria and consequently does not require preliminary purification of target protein. αRep binders selected by PCA or by phage display can be used to enhance expression, stability, solubility and crystallogenesis of proteins that are otherwise difficult to express, purify and/or crystallize.     

Increased oxidazability of plasma low density lipoprotein from patients with coronary artery disease

Oxidative modification of lipoproteins may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study was designed to examine whether increased lipid peroxides and/or oxidative susceptibility of plasma lipoproteins occur in patients with coronary artery disease. The levels of lipid peroxides, estimated as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), were significantly greater in the plasma and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) of symptomatic patients with coronary artery disease than in those of healthy persons, but the TBARS levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) showed insignificant difference between patients and normals. To evaluate the oxidative susceptibility of lipoproteins, we employed in vitro Cu²⁺ oxidation of lipoproteins monitored by changes in fluorescenece, TBARS level, trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) reactivity, apolipoprotein immunoreactivity and agarose gel electrophoretic mobility. While VLDL and LDL of normal controls were oxidazed at 5–10 μM Cu²⁺, pooled VLDL and LDL of patients with coronary artery disease were oxidized at 1–2.5 μM Cu²⁺, i.e., at relatively lowver oxidative stress. At 5 μM Cu²⁺, VLDL and LDL of patients with coronary artery disease still showed at faster oxidation rate, judged by the rate of fluorescence increase, higher TBARS level, less TNBS reactivity, greater change in apo B immunoreactivity and higher electrophoretic mobility than those of normal controls. However, the difference on the oxidizability of HDL was insignificant for patients vs. normals. In conclusion, we have shown that plasm VLDL and LDL of patients with coronary artery disease are more susceptible to in vitro oxidative modification than those of health persons. The data suggest that enhanced oxidizability of plasma lipoproteins may be important factor influencing the development of coronary artery disease.     

苦瓜MAP30蛋白基因克隆、表达及其抗肿瘤活性研究

通过PCR技术,从苦瓜总DNA中扩增出编码MAP30成熟蛋白的基因,经测序鉴定后亚克隆到原核表达载体pET30a中,构建成带有N端6Histag的融合表达载体。表达载体用CaCl2介导的化学转化法转化E.coliBL21(DE3),然后利用PCR筛选阳性克隆。工程菌经1mmol/LIPTG诱导4h实现高效表达,而且在30℃时融合蛋白表达量最高,约占菌体总蛋白56%。可溶性分析表明,该融合蛋白在大肠杆菌中主要以可溶的形式存在。重组蛋白通过Ni2+鏊合亲和层析进行纯化,纯化蛋白占上清总蛋白37.2%,发酵液产率为250mg/L。Westernblot分析表明,重组蛋白可与兔抗histag多克隆抗体发生特异性反应。利用MTT法分析重组MAP30的细胞毒性,结果表明其对小鼠3T3和S180肿瘤细胞株具有明显的抑制作用,ID50分别约为50μg/ml和30mg/ml,而对人正常胚肺二倍体WI38细胞株的毒性极小。     

Analysis of protein phosphorylation: methods and strategies for studying kinases and substrates

Protein phosphorylation is a highly conserved mechanism for regulating protein function, being found in all prokaryotes and eukaryotes examined. Phosphorylation can alter protein activity or subcellular localization, target proteins for degradation and effect dynamic changes in protein complexes. In many cases, different kinases may be involved in each of these processes for a single protein, allowing a large degree of combinatorial regulation at the post-translational level. Therefore, knowing which kinases are activated during a response and which proteins are substrates is integral to understanding the mechanistic regulation of a wide range of biological processes. In this paper, I will describe methods for monitoring kinase activity, investigating kinase-substrate specificity, examining phosphorylation in planta and the determination of phosphorylation sites in a protein. In addition, strategic considerations for experimental design and variables will be discussed.