耐热碱性磷酸酶突变体耐热性变化机理研究

从耐热碱性磷酸酶（TAP）200多个随机突变体的克隆库中选出耐热性明显下降的4株突变体,进行全序列及表达产物的最高耐受温度和最适反应温度测定和酶分子高级结构的模拟,分析突变位点、高级结构和耐热性表现三者的关系,探讨引起耐热性变化的机理。结构模拟显示所有突变位点都仅能引起细微的、局部的结构变化,除T320→I外都未直接触及酶的活性中心;结构上的细微改变虽然对最适反应温度影响不明显,但却使最高耐受温度降低了10℃左右;T320→I靠近酶的活性中心,尽管未能引起结构的较大变化,但却使最高耐受温度和最适反应温度同时显著降低。可见,多数点突变对高级结构的影响都不剧烈,但对耐热性尤其是最高耐受温度的影响却比较明显,一般地,在非活性区的突变通常只能引起最高耐受温度的降低,靠近活性区的突变则能同时引起最适反应温度和最高耐受温度的降低。     

Functional characteristics of green alga Scenedesmus obliquus (Chlorophyceae): 276–6 wild type and its two photosystems deficient mutants cultured under photoautotrophic,mixotrophic and heterotrophic conditions

Functional features of Scenedesmus obliquus: wild type 276–6 strain (WT) and its two mutants reported as photosystem I‐deficient (mutant 56.80) and photosystem II‐deficient (mutant 57.80) were characterized. Algae were cultured aseptically under continuous light or in darkness on mineral bold basal medium (BBM), yeast extract‐enriched BBM and yeast extract to evaluate the physiology of algal cells under photoautotrophic, mixotrophic and heterotrophic conditions. Growth, superoxide dismutase activity and photosynthetic parameters, including polyphasic fluorescence rise during the first seconds of chlorophyll a illumination (OJIP), were analyzed to find relationships between the photosynthetic/respiratory activity of the cells, occurrence of oxidative stress and trophic conditions applied to PSs‐deficient algae. Despite the highest superoxide dismutase activity, indicating the presence of oxidative stress, mixotrophic conditions appeared to be optimal for S. obliquus WT and mutant strains kept in non‐aerated cultures. OJIP analysis indicated that in mutant 56.80 part of photosystem (PS) I was functional and in mutant 57.80 residual PS II activity was found.     

Photoaffinity labeling identifies the substrate-binding site of mammalian squalene epoxidase

Squalene epoxidase (SE) catalyzes the conversion of squalene to (3S)-2,3-oxidosqualene. Photolabeling and site-directed mutagenesis were performed on recombinant rat SE (rrSE) in order to identify the location of the substrate-binding site and the roles of key residues in catalysis. Truncated 50-kDa rrSE was purified and photoaffinity labeled by competitive SE inhibitor (Ki=18.4 microM), [(3)H]TNSA-Dza. An 8-kDa CNBr/BNPS-skatole peptide was purified and the first 24 amino acids were sequenced by Edman degradation. The sequence PASFLPPSSVNKRGVLLLGDAYNL corresponded to residues 388-411 of the full-length rat SE. Three nucleophilic residues (Lys-399, Arg-400, and Asp-407) were labeled by [(3)H]TNSA-Dza. Triple mutants were prepared in which bulky groups were used to replace the labeled charged residues. Purified mutant enzymes showed lower enzymatic activity and reduced photoaffinity labeling by [(3)H]TNSA-Dza. This constitutes the first evidence as to the identity of the substrate-binding site of SE.     

Molecular modeling of the human multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1)

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1) is a 190 kDa member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of transmembrane transporters that is clinically relevant for its ability to confer multidrug resistance by actively effluxing anticancer drugs. Knowledge of the atomic structure of MRP1 is needed to elucidate its transport mechanism, but only low resolution structural data are currently available. Consequently, comparative modeling has been used to generate models of human MRP1 based on the crystal structure of the ABC transporter Sav1866 from Staphylococcus aureus. In these Sav1866-based models, the arrangement of transmembrane helices differs strikingly from earlier models of MRP1 based on the structure of the bacterial lipid transporter MsbA, both with respect to packing of the twelve helices and their interactions with the nucleotide binding domains. The functional importance of Tyr³²⁴ in transmembrane helix 6 predicted to project into the substrate translocation pathway was investigated.     

Sterile host yeasts (SHY): a eukaryotic system of biological containment for recombinant DNA experiments.

A system of biological containment for recombinant DNA experiments in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Brewer's/Baker's yeast) is described. The principle of containment is sterility: the haploid host strains all contain a mating-type-non-specific sterile mutation. The hosts also contain four auxotrophic mutations suitable for selection for the various kinds of vectors used. All vectors are derivatives of pBR322 which can be selected and maintained in both yeast and Escherichia coli. The system has recently been certified at the HV2 level by the National Institutes of Health.     

玉蜀黍赤霉(Gibberella zeae)对多菌灵的室内抗药突变体的诱导及其抗药性遗传分析

通过紫外线照射和药剂驯化的方法均获得了玉蜀黍赤霉野生敏感菌株对多菌灵(carbendazim,MBC)的室内抗药突变体。这些抗药突变体一部分表现低抗(low resistance．LR),即能在临界致死剂量1．4μg／mL多菌灵浓度下生长,但不能在10μg／mL浓度以上生长,且对二氯苯胺甲酸甲酯(N-3,5-dichlorophenyl carbamate,MDPC)不表现负交互抗药性;另一部分表现高抗(high resistance．HR)．即能在100μg／mL多菌灵浓度下生长,并与田间高抗菌株一样,对MDPC表现负交互抗药性;没有获得类似田间的中抗(moderate resistance,MR)菌株,即能在10μg／mL多菌灵浓度下快速生长,在100μg／mL浓度以上被完全抑制的突变体。通过药剂驯化的方法还获得了田间中抗(MR)菌株的高抗(HR)突变体,但这些突变体与MR一样对MDPC仍然不表现负交互抗药性。抗药性遗传研究表明。在所研究的抗药突变体中,抗药性在自交和无性繁殖后代中能稳定遗传;室内抗药突变体和田间抗药菌株对多菌灵的抗药性由同一个主效基因控制,但它们发生突变的位点不同或者同一碱基位点发生了不同的突变;对MDPC的敏感性也是由单个基因控制的,该基因与控制多菌灵抗性的基因是等位基因,当该基因发生对MDPC的敏感性增加的突变时会使病菌对多菌灵产生高水平抗性。     

Survivin as a target for new anticancer interventions

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, that has been implicated in both control of cell division and inhibition of apoptosis. Specifically, its anti-apoptotic function seems to be related to the ability to directly or indirectly inhibit caspases. Survivin is selectively expressed in the most common human neoplasms and appears to be involved in tumor cell resistance to some anticancer agents and ionizing radiation. On the basis of these findings survivin has been proposed as an attractive target for new anticancer interventions. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that down-regulation of survivin expression/function, accomplished through the use of antisense oligonucleotides, dominant negative mutants, ribozymes, small interfering RNAs and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, increased the apoptotic rate, reduced tumor-growth potential and sensitized tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs with different action mechanisms and gamma-irradiation in in vitro and in vivo models of different human tumor types.     

HIV-1膜抗原部分位点的改造对假病毒形成及感染能力的影响

研究HIV-1膜抗原部分位点的改造对假病毒形成及病毒感染能力的影响。本实验采用环形诱变和DpnΙ筛选的方法对env进行定点突变。用获得的克隆和骨架质粒pSG3△env共转染293FT细胞,收获假病毒后用TZM-bl细胞进行单周期感染试验,检测特定位点改造对功能性假病毒形成能力的影响。改造之前样品S12-42-1的免疫印记的实验结果显示弥散的条带,蛋白大小约160kD,但单周期感染试验中其S/CO(样品信号值与临界值的比值)小于1,即不能形成假病毒。将该样品第457位氨基酸由丙氨酸变成天冬氨酸后,用突变体S12-42M进行单周感染试验,其S/CO值为6.65,表示突变体能够形成假病毒。结果表明HIV-1膜抗原部分位点的改变影响假病毒的形成或假病毒感染细胞的能力。     

绿色荧光蛋白

来源于水母Aequorea victoria的绿色荧光蛋白(green fluorescent protein, GFP)现已成为在生物化学和细胞生物学中研究和开发应用得最广泛的蛋白质之一. 其内源荧光基团在受到紫外光或蓝光激发时（λ_max=395 nm, 小峰在479 nm）可高效发射清晰可见的绿光. GFP的高分辨率晶体结构为了解和研究蛋白质结构和光谱学功能关系提供了一个极好的机会. GFP已成为一个监测在完整细胞和组织内基因表达和蛋白质定位的理想标记. 通过突变和蛋白质工程构建的GFP嵌合蛋白在生理指示剂、生物传感器、光化学领域以及生产发光纤维等方面展示了广阔前景.