植物锚蛋白研究进展

锚蛋白重复序列模体是生物体内最普遍的蛋白质序列模体之一,在多种细胞活动中主要介导蛋白质-蛋白质的相互作用。综述了近年来有关锚蛋白参与植物信号传导的研究进展。     

Phosphoproteome Profiling of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase MuSK Identifies Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Rab GTPases

Muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK) agonist antibodies were developed 2 decades ago to explore the benefits of receptor activation at the neuromuscular junction. Unlike agrin, the endogenous agonist of MuSK, agonist antibodies function independently of its coreceptor low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein 4 to delay the onset of muscle denervation in mouse models of ALS. Here, we performed dose–response and time-course experiments on myotubes to systematically compare site-specific phosphorylation downstream of each agonist. Remarkably, both agonists elicited similar intracellular responses at known and newly identified MuSK signaling components. Among these was inducible tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple Rab GTPases that was blocked by MuSK inhibition. Importantly, mutation of this site in Rab10 disrupts association with its effector proteins, molecule interacting with CasL 1/3. Together, these data provide in-depth characterization of MuSK signaling, describe two novel MuSK inhibitors, and expose phosphorylation of Rab GTPases downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase activation in myotubes.     

褐飞虱EST资源的微卫星信息分析

表达序列标签（expressed sequence tags,ESTs）是开发微卫星标记的一个重要的资源。褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens （Stål） EST序列的公布为开发EST-SSRs提供了宝贵的数据资源,本研究利用生物信息学对NCBI公共数据库中的37 398条褐飞虱ESTs序列进行EST-SSRs特征分析,得到全长为7 619 324 kb的无冗余EST 9 852条。按照3个不同的查找标准在这些序列中搜索SSR。查找结果显示：褐飞虱EST-SSRs主要重复基元以1～3碱基为主,占总EST-SSR的95％以上。在单碱基重复基元中,A/T是占优势的重复基元,在二相重复类型中,AG/CT重复基元出现的频率最多,而AAG/CTT是三相重复中占绝对优势的重复基元。在褐飞虱EST-SSRs中未查找到GC重复基元。以100 bp为参照,在3种查找标准下含有SSR的EST序列中两端侧翼序列均≥100 bp的序列分别为738,89和42个。通过分析褐飞虱EST-SSRs标记可以为褐飞虱和近缘种的SSR标记的开发提供信息,同时通过分析褐飞虱EST-SSRs的分布频率和分布特征可以为昆虫EST-SSRs的研究提供借鉴和参考。     

极端嗜盐古菌中CRISPR结构的生物信息学分析

摘要：【目的】利用生物信息学方法了解目前拥有全基因组序列的极端嗜盐古菌中CRISPR结构的特征。【方法】通过比对,保守性分析,GC含量分析,RNA结构预测等方法对已有全基因组序列的嗜盐古菌基因组进行研究。【结果】在5株嗜盐古菌基因组中发现CRISPR结构,在leader序列内得到具有回文性质的保守motif。发现在大CRISPR结构内repeat序列具有很强的保守性。同时根据第四位碱基的不同,repeat序列可形成两类不同的RNA二级结构。【结论】leader序列中回文结构的发现对其可能为蛋白结合位点的假     

狼疮La蛋白的分子生物学研究进展

狼疮La蛋白,又叫La核糖核蛋白、La自身抗原或干燥综合征B型抗原,是原发性干燥综合征的特异性自身抗原之一。La蛋白拥有多种结构和运输元件,可定位于不同的亚细胞部位与RNA相互作用。通常I丑蛋白主要存在于细胞核内,作为RNA聚合酶Ⅲ的转录因子,与RNA聚合酶Ⅲ转录新生产物结合,调节其转录终止,在转录后发挥分子伴侣作用,稳定RNA前体并促进其正确折叠,帮助其进行加工处理。La蛋白还可以与一类拥有内部核糖体进入位点的细胞内mRNA和病毒RNA结合,调节这类RNA的表达翻译;也可在细胞凋亡时被颗粒酶B酶解,产生特异性酶解片段,诱导特异性抗La自身抗体和干燥综合征的生成。我们就I丑蛋白的分子生物学方面的近期研究进展进行综述。     

Computational analysis of riboswitch-based regulation

Advances in computational analysis of riboswitches in the last decade have contributed greatly to our understanding of riboswitch regulatory roles and mechanisms. Riboswitches were originally discovered as part of the sequence analysis of the 5′-untranslated region of mRNAs in the hope of finding novel gene regulatory sites, and the existence of structural RNAs appeared to be a spurious phenomenon. As more riboswitches were discovered, they illustrated the diversity and adaptability of these RNA regulatory sequences. The fact that a chemically monotonous molecule like RNA can discern a wide range of substrates and exert a variety of regulatory mechanisms was subsequently demonstrated in diverse genomes and has hastened the development of sophisticated algorithms for their analysis and prediction. In this review, we focus on some of the computational tools for riboswitch detection and secondary structure prediction. The study of this simple yet efficient form of gene regulation promises to provide a more complete picture of a world that RNA once dominated and allows rational design of artificial riboswitches. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Riboswitches.     

免疫磁珠纯化小鼠精原干细胞的研究

精原干细胞（spermatogonial stem cells,SSCs）富集纯化是利用SSCs进行基因修饰新方法等研究的前提基础。采用免疫磁珠分选法,使用干细胞抗体CD90.2进行小鼠SSCs的纯化富集,并采用流式细胞分析法和定量PCR验证了磁珠分选效率。流式细胞分析结果：免疫磁珠分选后SSCs纯度为50.11%。荧光定量PCR检测结果：磁珠分选后支持细胞特异表达基因 GATA4 显著下调（6倍）、SSCs表达基因 GFRα-1 上调（6.5倍）、生殖干细胞特异表达基因 OCT4 极显著上调（5.9倍）,3个基因相对表达量的变化说明,免疫磁珠分选效率为6倍。流式细胞分析法所产生的偏差可能是受到了未解离磁珠及SSCs本身转基因荧光的影响。     

Lineage sorting in multihost parasites: Eidmanniella albescens and Fregatiella aurifasciata on seabirds from the Galapagos Islands

Parasites comprise a significant percentage of the biodiversity of the planet and are useful systems to test evolutionary and ecological hypotheses. In this study, we analyze the effect of host species identity and the immediate local species assemblage within mixed species colonies of nesting seabirds on patterns of genetic clustering within two species of multihost ectoparasitic lice. We use three genetic markers (one mitochondrial, COI, and two nuclear, EF1‐α and wingless) and maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees to test whether (1) parasites show lineage sorting based on their host species; and (2) switching of lineages to the alternate host species depends on the immediate local species assemblage of individual hosts within a colony. Specifically, we examine the genetic structure of two louse species: Eidmanniella albescens, infecting both Nazca (Sula granti) and blue‐footed boobies (Sula nebouxii), and Fregatiella aurifasciata, infecting both great (Fregata minor) and magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens). We found that host species identity was the only factor explaining the patterns of genetic structure in both parasites. In both cases, there is evident genetic differentiation depending on the host species. Thus, a revision of the taxonomy of these louse species is needed. One possible explanation of this pattern is extremely low louse migration rates between host species, perhaps influenced by fine‐scale spatial separation of host species within mixed colonies, and low parasite infrapopulation numbers.     

植物转录抑制子的结构特征及其作用机理

转录因子依转录调控能力可分为激活子和抑制子。植物转录抑制蛋白的分类依据很多,从作用方式上可分为主动抑制子和被动抑制子两大类：根据与DNA结合的方式则可分为锌指类、MYB类、AP2／EREBP类、bHLH类和bZlP类等。植物主动抑制子通过其含有的抑制域对转录直接起抑制作用。抑制域又可分很多类,但多数为含有类似EAR基序的保守性基序,其上具有几个保守性亮氨酸残基。植物转录抑制子主要通过对激活子或基本转录复合物产生作用及改变染色体结构3种方式来抑制目标基因的转录。有关植物转录抑制子的研究虽很欠缺,但以拟南芥SUPERMAN等抑制子的EAR基序为代表的研究表明,抑制域是阐明植物转录抑制子功能和下游基因表达调控机理的核心对象,而融合抑制子沉默技术（CRES-T）也为人为调控基因沉默带来了新的技术手段。