DNA instability at chromosomal fragile sites in cancer

Human chromosomal fragile sites are specific genomic regions which exhibit gaps or breaks on metaphase chromosomes following conditions of partial replication stress. Fragile sites often coincide with genes that are frequently rearranged or deleted in human cancers, with over half of cancer-specific translocations containing breakpoints within fragile sites. But until recently, little direct evidence existed linking fragile site breakage to the formation of cancer-causing chromosomal aberrations. Studies have revealed that DNA breakage at fragile sites can induce formation of RET/PTC rearrangements, and deletions within the FHIT gene, resembling those observed in human tumors. These findings demonstrate the important role of fragile sites in cancer development, suggesting that a better understanding of the molecular basis of fragile site instability is crucial to insights in carcinogenesis. It is hypothesized that under conditions of replication stress, stable secondary structures form at fragile sites and stall replication fork progress, ultimately resulting in DNA breaks. A recent study examining an FRA16B fragment confirmed the formation of secondary structure and DNA polymerase stalling within this sequence in vitro, as well as reduced replication efficiency and increased instability in human cells. Polymerase stalling during synthesis of FRA16D has also been demonstrated. The ATR DNA damage checkpoint pathway plays a critical role in maintaining stability at fragile sites. Recent findings have confirmed binding of the ATR protein to three regions of FRA3B under conditions of mild replication stress. This review will discuss recent advances made in understanding the role and mechanism of fragile sites in cancer development.     

Characterization of the putative tryptophan synthase β-subunit from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The increasing emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis （TB） poses a serious threat to the control of this disease. It is in urgent need to develop new TB drugs. Tryptophan biosynthetic pathway plays an important role in the growth and replication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis （Mtb）. The β-subunit of tryptophan synthase （TrpB） catalyzes the last step of the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway, and it might be a potential target for TB drug design. In this study, we overexpressed, purified, and characterized the putative TrpB-encoding gene Rv1612 in Mtb H37Rv. Results showed that Mtb His-TrpB optimal enzymatic activity is at pH 7.8 with 0.15 M Na^＋ or 0.18 M Mg^2＋ at 37℃. Structure analysis indicated that Mtb TrpB exhibited a typical β/α barrel structure. The amino acid residues believed to interact with the enzyme cofactor pyridoxal-5＇-phosphate were predicted by homology modeling and structure alignment. The role of these residues in catalytic activity of the Mtb His-TrpB was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. These results provided reassuring structural information for drug design based on TrpB.     

Identification of the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 receptor binding site in botulinum neurotoxin A

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) inhibit neurotransmitter release by hydrolysing SNARE proteins. The most important serotype BoNT/A employs the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 (SV2) isoforms A-C as neuronal receptors. Here, we identified their binding site by blocking SV2 interaction using monoclonal antibodies with characterised epitopes within the cell binding domain (H_C). The site is located on the backside of the conserved ganglioside binding pocket at the interface of the H_CC and H_CN subdomains. The dimension of the binding pocket was characterised in detail by site directed mutagenesis allowing the development of potent inhibitors as well as modifying receptor binding properties.     

Coding and decoding with dendrites

Since the discovery of complex, voltage dependent mechanisms in the dendrites of multiple neuron types, great effort has been devoted in search of a direct link between dendritic properties and specific neuronal functions. Over the last few years, new experimental techniques have allowed the visualization and probing of dendritic anatomy, plasticity and integrative schemes with unprecedented detail. This vast amount of information has caused a paradigm shift in the study of memory, one of the most important pursuits in Neuroscience, and calls for the development of novel theories and models that will unify the available data according to some basic principles. Traditional models of memory considered neural cells as the fundamental processing units in the brain. Recent studies however are proposing new theories in which memory is not only formed by modifying the synaptic connections between neurons, but also by modifications of intrinsic and anatomical dendritic properties as well as fine tuning of the wiring diagram. In this review paper we present previous studies along with recent findings from our group that support a key role of dendrites in information processing, including the encoding and decoding of new memories, both at the single cell and the network level.     

贵州清水苑大洞遗址发掘简报

清水苑大洞位于贵州省惠水县摆金镇,遗址发现于1998年9月,因发现丰富石制品、骨制品、灰烬层和哺乳动物化石等遗物而为学术界所关注。2013年9至11月,中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所和贵州省文物考古研究所联合对清水苑大洞进行考古发掘,发掘区分A、B两区,揭露面积分别为4 m~2和6 m~2。A区揭露地层厚度约90cm,堆积物为灰白-灰黄色-灰黑色砂质黏土,共出土石制品2398件、动物化石及碎骨2000余件。石制品组合以小型石片工业为体,类型包括石核、石器、各类废片、石锤、磨石等,此外还有5件砸击品。石制品原料大多取自围岩内的燧石,剥片以硬锤锤击法为主,石制品以小型居多;刮削器为石器的主要类型,另有少量凹缺器;石器修理多以锤击法向片状毛坯的背面修理为主。~(14)C测年显示遗址形成于距今约11-14 ka BP,为旧-新石器时代过渡期。该遗址的发掘和研究对于探讨更新世末期古人类在贵州中部低海拔地区的适应生存方式具有重要意义。     

果胶甲酯酶的结构与功能研究进展

果胶甲酯酶(PME)是一种重要的果胶酶,其水解果胶中的甲酯基从而释放甲醇并降低果胶的甲酯化程度。目前在食品加工、茶饮料、造纸等生产工艺中有着广泛的应用前景。随着对PME的深入研究,已报道了几种不同来源的酶晶体结构,对这些已获得的晶体结构进行分析发现,PME属于右手平行β-螺旋结构,其催化残基为2个保守的天冬氨酸和1个谷氨酰胺残基,并且在催化过程中分别起到了一般酸碱、亲核试剂以及稳定中间体的作用。同时对其底物特异性进行分析,初步了解其底物与活性位点的识别机制。文中针对这几个相关方面进行了系统的综述。     

一株人抗人A—血型物质单克隆抗体特异性的研究

本文对一株人抗人A-血型物质单克隆抗体,用定量免疫沉淀法以及ELISA研究其与多种单糖、双糖及寡糖的反应性,从而确定了其结合部位的结构特异性。实验发现其结合部位互补于含有双分子岩藻糖残基的A-t糖:这一研究进一步强调了含有双分子岩藻糖残基的A血型抗原决定簇的重要性。     

不同宿主来源的重组酿酒酵母混合糖代谢比较

【目的】研究不同工业酿酒酵母宿主背景对重组酵母木糖利用效率的影响。【方法】将木糖利用途径的木糖还原酶(XR)、木糖醇脱氢酶(XDH)和木酮糖激酶(XK)编码基因串联后分别转入3株不同的工业酿酒酵母中,得到重组酵母ZQ1、ZQ5和ZQ7。分别对3个木糖途径代谢基因的表达水平、酶活和重组菌株的木糖发酵效率进行比较。【结果】重组菌株在木糖代谢基因转录、酶活性和木糖利用性能方面有很大差异,其中ZQ5木糖代谢能力最强,ZQ7其次,ZQ1木糖利用能力最弱。ZQ7在初始木糖浓度为20 g/L时木糖利用速率快于ZQ5,表明木糖浓度对重组菌发酵性能评价具有影响。【结论】不同菌株的遗传背景和木糖浓度对重组菌木糖利用的影响很大,评价重组酵母的木糖利用需考虑宿主的遗传背景和底物浓度的影响。