Top-down mass spectrometry of intact membrane protein complexes reveals oligomeric state and sequence information in a single experiment

Here we study the intact stoichiometry and top-down fragmentation behavior of three integral membrane proteins which were natively reconstituted into detergent micelles: the mechano-sensitive ion channel of large conductance (MscL), the Kirbac potassium channel and the p7 viroporin from the hepatitis C virus. By releasing the proteins under nondenaturing conditions inside the mass spectrometer, we obtained their oligomeric sizes. Increasing the ion activation (collision energy) causes unfolding and subsequent ejection of a highly charged monomer from the membrane protein complexes. Further increase of the ion activation then causes collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the ejected monomers, with fragments observed which were predominantly found to stem from membrane-embedded regions. These experiments show how in a single experiment, we can probe the relation between higher-order structure and protein sequence, by combining the native MS data with fragmentation obtained from top-down MS.     

An integrative approach combining ion mobility mass spectrometry,X-ray crystallography,and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the conformational dynamics of α1-antitrypsin upon ligand binding

Native mass spectrometry (MS) methods permit the study of multiple protein species within solution equilibria, whereas ion mobility (IM)-MS can report on conformational behavior of specific states. We used IM-MS to study a conformationally labile protein (α₁-antitrypsin) that undergoes pathological polymerization in the context of point mutations. The folded, native state of the Z-variant remains highly polymerogenic in physiological conditions despite only minor thermodynamic destabilization relative to the wild-type variant. Various data implicate kinetic instability (conformational lability within a native state ensemble) as the basis of Z α₁-antitrypsin polymerogenicity. We show the ability of IM-MS to track such disease-relevant conformational behavior in detail by studying the effects of peptide binding on α₁-antitrypsin conformation and dynamics. IM-MS is, therefore, an ideal platform for the screening of compounds that result in therapeutically beneficial kinetic stabilization of native α₁-antitrypsin. Our findings are confirmed with high-resolution X-ray crystallographic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies of the same event, which together dissect structural changes from dynamic effects caused by peptide binding at a residue-specific level. IM-MS methods, therefore, have great potential for further study of biologically relevant thermodynamic and kinetic instability of proteins and provide rapid and multidimensional characterization of ligand interactions of therapeutic interest.PDB Code(s): 4PYW     

嫁接对盐胁迫下西瓜幼苗体内离子和内源激素含量与分布的影响

以小型西瓜‘秀丽’为接穗、耐盐砧木瓠瓜‘超丰抗生王’为砧木,以自根嫁接苗为参照,分析了砧木嫁接对NaCl胁迫下西瓜幼苗根、茎、叶中离子和内源激素含量的影响。结果表明:(1)盐胁迫下,自根嫁接苗Na+主要积累在地上部,K+含量和K+/Na+比下降幅度大;砧木嫁接苗大部分Na+积累在根系中,K+含量和K+/Na+比下降幅度小且在不同部位皆高于自根嫁接苗。(2)盐胁迫下,自根嫁接苗吲哚-3-乙酸(IAA)以及玉米素和玉米核苷的总量(Z+ZR)在根系和接穗茎中显著增加,在叶片中明显下降,赤霉素(GA3)含量在不同部位保持不变或明显增加;而砧木嫁接苗不同部位IAA和(Z+ZR)的含量均显著增加,GA3含量在不同部位保持不变或明显下降。(3)盐胁迫下,两种嫁接组合根系和茎中脱落酸(ABA)含量均明显下降,叶片中ABA含量则显著增加。(4)盐胁迫下,自根嫁接苗和砧木嫁接苗根系和接穗茎中IAA/(Z+ZR)的比值均明显上升,叶片中明显下降,但砧木嫁接苗上升和下降幅度均远大于自根嫁接苗。研究表明,瓠瓜根系对进入根系的Na+具有截留作用;采用瓠瓜砧木嫁接可有效防止Na+在西瓜接穗地上部尤其是在叶片中的大量累积,从而防止离子毒害的发生;瓠瓜砧木嫁接植株体内具有较高的K+含量和K+/Na+比,可有效维持盐胁迫下西瓜嫁接植株体内的离子稳态;瓠瓜砧木嫁接植株体内具有较高的IAA和(Z+ZR)含量,IAA/(Z+ZR)比值较高,对提高西瓜嫁接植株盐胁迫耐性起到了积极的作用。     

北京地区黄檗种群数量结构及空间分布特征

黄檗(Phellodendron amurense)为我国二级国家重点保护野生植物,在北京地区黄檗多散生于阔叶林中,数量稀少,为了解北京地区黄檗种群的年龄结构和空间分布特征,促进种群扩繁,在北京百花山、松山和雾灵山自然保护区共设置了12个20 m×20 m的样地,从种群的径级结构、静态生命表、空间分布格局等3个方面分析了黄檗种群的数量特征与空间分布格局。结果表明:1)黄檗幼龄期个体数较多,中龄期个体数相对稳定,老龄期个体数量稀少,倒"J"的径级结构表明黄檗种群总体属于增长型种群;但局部小种群的径级结构组成比例差异很大。2)在整个黄檗种群的静态生命表中有3个死亡率高峰,第一个是从幼树阶段至小树阶段,第二个是从小树阶段至大树阶段,第二阶段死亡率最高,第三个是大树阶段的末期;3)黄檗空间分布格局总体为集群分布,在不同发育阶段的分布格局受其生物学、生态学特性以及种群发展过程中种内、种间关系的影响呈现出不同的分布格局。因此,调整局部种群的径级结构,采取促进黄檗小树集群分布的措施是促进其种群扩大的重要环节。     

碳离子辐照对菘蓝药性品质和分子水平的诱变效应

以野生菘蓝种子为材料,以不同剂量的碳离子(12 C6+)进行辐照处理(辐照剂量分别为30Gy、60Gy、90Gy、120Gy),分析12 C6+辐照对菘蓝种子萌发、幼苗生长、主要药用成分含量及其基因和蛋白质多态性变化的影响,为菘蓝品质育种、分子生物学研究和重离子辐照诱变的应用提供依据。结果显示:(1)12 C6+辐照处理后菘蓝的成苗率和根鲜重均随辐照剂量增加而逐步显著降低,其中30Gy处理对菘蓝生长抑制程度最小,但处理后菘蓝根中的主要药效成分4(3H)喹唑酮和靛玉红的含量增加幅度最大且最高,分别为野生型的2.2倍和2.3倍。(2)SRAP分子标记分析表明,菘蓝基因组的变异度随着辐照强度的增强而增大,其中30Gy处理的突变体与野生型相比有33.59%的多态性变异。(3)SDS-PAGE考马斯亮蓝染色和磷酸化染色分析表明,菘蓝的总蛋白和磷酸化蛋白表达水平均随辐照剂量变化出现了不同程度的改变,但并不与辐照强度呈正相关,说明植物在防御重离子辐照伤害时存在补偿机制。研究发现,30Gy的12 C6+辐照是菘蓝诱变的最佳剂量,能够显著提高其有效成分的含量,为优质菘蓝诱变育种奠定了基础。     

利用线性混合效应模型模拟杉木人工林枝条生物量

基于福建省将乐林场45株人工杉木解析木的572组枝条生物量数据,采用线性混合效应模型方法,建立杉木人工林枝条总生物量和枝、叶生物量的预测模型,并利用独立样本数据对模型进行检验.结果表明： 线性混合效应模型比传统多元线性回归模型的拟合精度高.不同随机效应参数的组合,其混合模型的精度不同.考虑异方差结构的混合模型能够消除数据间的异方差性,其精度更高,其中,对于枝条总生物量和叶生物量模型,以指数函数作为异方差结构时的模型精度最高;对于枝生物量模型,以常数加幂函数作为异方差结构时的模型精度最高.模型检验结果表明：对于杉木人工林枝条生物量预测模型,考虑随机效应和异方差结构的线性混合模型的检验精度比传统多元线性回归模型的精度有明显提高.     

Reduced‐risk insecticides in Neotropical stingless bee species: impact on survival and activity

As honeybees are the main pollinator subject to an intense research regarding effects of pesticides, other ecologically important native bee pollinators have received little attention in ecotoxicology and risk assessment of pesticides in general, and insecticides in particular, some of which are perceived as reduced‐risk compounds. Here, the impact of three reduced‐risk insecticides – azadirachtin, spinosad and chlorantraniliprole – was assessed in two species of stingless bees, Partamona helleri and Scaptotrigona xanthotrica, which are important native pollinators in Neotropical America. The neonicotinoid imidacloprid was used as a positive control. Spinosad exhibited high oral and contact toxicities in adult workers of both species at the recommended label rates, with median survival times (LT₅₀s) ranging from 1 to 4 h, whereas these estimates were below 15 min for imidacloprid. Azadirachtin and chlorantraniliprole exhibited low toxicity at the recommended label rates, with negligible mortality that did not allow LT₅₀ estimation. Sublethal behavioural assessments of these two insecticides indicated that neither one of them affected the overall group activity of workers of the two species. However, both azadirachtin and chlorantraniliprole impaired individual flight take‐off of P. helleri and S. xanthotrica worker bees, which may compromise foraging activity, potentially leading to reduced colony survival. These findings challenge the common perception of non‐target safety of reduced‐risk insecticides and bioinsecticides, particularly regarding native pollinator species.     

The M4 Transmembrane α-Helix Contributes Differently to Both the Maturation and Function of Two Prokaryotic Pentameric Ligand-gated Ion Channels

The role of the outermost transmembrane α-helix in both the maturation and function of the prokaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, GLIC and ELIC, was examined by Ala scanning mutagenesis, deletion mutations, and mutant cycle analyses. Ala mutations at the M4-M1/M3 interface lead to loss-of-function phenotypes in GLIC, with the largest negative effects occurring near the M4 C terminus. In particular, two aromatic residues at the M4 C terminus form a network of π-π and/or cation-π interactions with residues on M3 and the β6-β7 loop that is essential for both maturation and function. M4-M1/M3 interactions appear to be optimized in GLIC with even subtle structural changes at this interface leading to detrimental effects. In contrast, mutations along the M4-M1/M3 interface of ELIC typically lead to gain-of-function phenotypes, suggesting that these interactions in ELIC are not optimized for channel function. In addition, no cluster of interacting residues involving the M4 C terminus, M3, and the β6-β7 loop was found, suggesting that the M4 C terminus plays little role in ELIC maturation or function. This study shows that M4 makes distinct contributions to the maturation and gating of these two closely related homologs, suggesting that GLIC and ELIC exhibit divergent features of channel function.