Phycobilisomes from the mutant cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 missing chromophore domain of ApcE

Phycobilisome (PBS) is a giant photosynthetic antenna associated with the thylakoid membranes of cyanobacteria and red algae. PBS consists of two domains: central core and peripheral rods assembled of disc-shaped phycobiliprotein aggregates and linker polypeptides. The study of the PBS architecture is hindered due to the lack of the data on the structure of the large ApcE-linker also called L_CM. ApcE participates in the PBS core stabilization, PBS anchoring to the photosynthetic membrane, transfer of the light energy to chlorophyll, and, very probably, the interaction with the orange carotenoid protein (OCP) during the non-photochemical PBS quenching. We have constructed the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 mutant lacking 235 N-terminal amino acids of the chromophorylated PBL_CM domain of ApcE. The altered fluorescence characteristics of the mutant PBSs indicate that the energy transfer to the terminal emitters within the mutant PBS is largely disturbed. The PBSs of the mutant become unable to attach to the thylakoid membrane, which correlates with the identified absence of the energy transfer from the PBSs to the photosystem II. At the same time, the energy transfer from the PBS to the photosystem I was registered in the mutant cells and seems to occur due to the small cylindrical CpcG2-PBSs formation in addition to the conventional PBSs. In contrast to the wild type Synechocystis, the OCP-mediated non-photochemical PBS quenching was not registered in the mutant cells. Thus, the PBL_CM domain takes part in formation of the OCP binding site in the PBS.     

Predicting oligomerization states of coiled coils.

An algorithm based on the profile method was developed that faithfully distinguishes between the amino acid sequences of dimeric and trimeric coiled coils. Normalized sequence profiles derived from nonhomologous, two- and three-stranded, coiled-coil sequences with unambiguous registers were used to assign dimer and trimer propensities to test sequences. The difference between the dimer and trimer profile scores accurately reflected the preferred oligomerization state. The method relied on two strategies that may be generally applicable to profile calculations--profile values of solvent-exposed residues and of amino acids that were underrepresented in the data-base were given zero weight. Differences between the dimer and trimer profiles revealed sequence patterns that match and extend experimental studies of oligomer specification.     

云南汉族群体FIBRA、DHFRP2、ACTBP2基因座多态性及其法医学应用

采用Amp-FLP分型方法,调查云南汉族群体FIBRA、DHFRP2、ACTBP2基因座的遗传多态性,并将其应用于法医学实践。200份EDTA抗凝血采自昆明地区无血缘关系汉族个体,采用酚—氯仿法提取DNA;法医物证实际检案及亲子鉴定检材取自昆明医学院法医系物证教研室检案,各种动物血痕取自动物中心,采用酚—氯仿法或Chelex法提取DNA,PCR扩增,非变 性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶垂直板电泳,硝酸银染色分型。结果表明,FIBRA、DHFRP2、ACTBP2基因座分别观察到15、7、13个等位基因,基因型数分别是57、25、61。3个STR基因座的杂合度（H）分别为：0.8940、0.8174、0.9130;多态信息容量（PIC）分别是:0.8908、0.8045、0.9117;个人识别力（Dp）分别是：0.9733、0.9416、0.9772;非父排除率（Epp）分别是：0.7994、0.6542、0.8348,基因型频率分布均符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡。20个家系调查结果表明,3个基因组均符合孟德尔遗传规律。 Genetic Polymorphism of FIBRA,DHFRP2 and ACTBP2 and Their Forensic Application in Yunnan Han Population JING Qiang,NIE Sheng-jie Department of Forensic Medicine,Kunming Medical College,Yunnan Province 650031,China Abstract:To investigate the genetic polymorphism of FIBRA,DHFRP2 and ACTBP2 in Yunnan Han population as well as their application in forensic science,EDTA-blood specimens were collected from 200 healthy individuals.The DNA were extracted either by the Chloro form,phenol method or by the Chelex-100 method.The PCR products were analyzed by PAG vertical electrophoresis,following by silver staining.All gene frequencies,discrimination power (DP),exclusion of paternity probability (EPP),heterozygosity (H),polymorphisms information content (PIC),matching probability (PM) as well as the Hardy-Weinberg test were calculated.The obtained data are beneficial in the understanding of population genetics of the three STR loci in Yunnan Han population and the results suggest that these loci are valuable genetic markers for paternity testing and personal identification in forensic science practice. Key words：short tandem repeat; Amp-FLP; genetic polymorphism     

Telomere shortening in women resident close to waste landfill sites

Several studies demonstrate links between environmental stress and index of reduced health, including risk factors for cardiovascular disease, reduced immune function and cancer risks. We investigated the hypothesis that pollution, as an environmental stress, impacts health by modulating the rate of cellular aging in healthy pregnant women. Our research looked at the effects that illegal waste sites have on the localized population of pregnant women in Campania, Italy. As is often the case in illegal dumping, the effects on the population are often seen well before knowing what specific agents in the soil and water are responsible. Here we provide evidence that the pollution in this region is significantly associated with higher oxidative stress, shorter telomere length and lower telomerase activity, which are known determinants of cell senescence and aging-related meiotic dysfunction in women, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy pregnant women, subjected to therapeutic abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy. These findings may have implications for understanding how, at the cellular level, environmental stress may promote earlier onset of age-related diseases.     

检测人结肠癌组织端粒酶活性的TRAP方法研究

对检测人结肠癌组织端粒酶活性的端粒酶重复序列扩增法(TRAP)进行了研究.当Mg^2＋浓度为1.8 mmol/L、退火温度为55℃时,能得到可靠的检测结果.影响检测结果可靠性的另两个因素是抽提物的反应用量和阳性片段的污染.     

Conservation of telomere protein complexes: shuffling through evolution

The rapid evolution of telomere proteins has hindered identification of orthologs from diverse species and created the impression that certain groups of eukaryotes have largely non-overlapping sets of telomere proteins. However, the recent identification of additional telomere proteins from various model organisms has dispelled this notion by expanding our understanding of the composition, architecture and range of telomere protein complexes present in individual species. It is now apparent that versions of the budding yeast CST complex and mammalian shelterin are present in multiple phyla. While the precise subunit composition and architecture of these complexes vary between species, the general function is often conserved. Despite the overall conservation of telomere protein complexes, there is still considerable species-specific variation, with some organisms having lost a particular subunit or even an entire complex. In some cases, complex components appear to have migrated between the telomere and the telomerase RNP. Finally, gene duplication has created telomere protein paralogs with novel functions. While one paralog may be part of a conserved telomere protein complex and have the expected function, the other paralog may serve in a completely different aspect of telomere biology.     

Cancer-Derived Mutations in the Fibronectin III Repeats of PTPRT/PTPρ Inhibit Cell-Cell Aggregation

Abstract

The receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase T PTPρ is the most frequently mutated tyrosine phosphatase in human cancer. PTPρ mediates homophilic cell-cell aggregation. In its extracellular region, PTPρ has cell adhesion molecule–like motifs, including a MAM domain, an immunoglobulin domain, and four fibronectin type III (FNIII) repeats. Tumor-derived mutations have been identified in all of these extracellular domains. Previously, the authors determined that tumor-derived mutations in the MAM and immunoglobulin domains of PTPρ reduce homophilic cell-cell aggregation. In this paper, the authors describe experiments in which the contribution of the FNIII repeats to PTPρ-mediated cell-cell adhesion was evaluated. The results demonstrate that deletion of the FNIII repeats of PTPρ result in defective cell-cell aggregation. Furthermore, all of the tumor-derived mutations in the FNIII repeats of PTPρ also disrupt cell-cell aggregation. These results further support the hypothesis that mutational inactivation of PTPρ may lead to cancer progression by disrupting cell-cell adhesion.