gamma-Syntrophin scaffolding is spatially and functionally distinct from that of the alpha/beta syntrophins

The syntrophins are a family of scaffolding proteins with multiple protein interaction domains that link signaling proteins to dystrophin family members. Each of the three most characterized syntrophins (alpha, beta1, beta2) contains a PDZ domain that binds a unique set of signaling proteins including kinases, ion and water channels, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). The PDZ domains of the gamma-syntrophins do not bind nNOS. In vitro pull-down assays show that the gamma-syntrophins can bind dystrophin but have unique preferences for the syntrophin binding sites of dystrophin family members. Despite their ability to bind dystrophin in vitro, neither gamma-syntrophin isoform co-localizes with dystrophin in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, gamma-syntrophins do not co-purify with dystrophin isolated from mouse tissue. These data suggest that the interaction of gamma-syntrophin with dystrophin is transient and potentially subject to regulatory mechanisms. gamma1-Syntrophin is highly expressed in brain and is specifically localized in hippocampal pyramidal neurons, Purkinje neurons in cerebellum, and cortical neurons. gamma2-Syntrophin is expressed in many tissues including skeletal muscle where it is found only in the subsynaptic space beneath the neuromuscular junction. In both neurons and muscle, gamma-syntrophin isoforms localize to the endoplasmic reticulum where they may form a scaffold for signaling and trafficking.     

cDNA Clone, fusion expression and purification of the novel gene related to ascorbate peroxidase from Chinese wild Vitis pseudoreticulata in E. coli

Powdery mildew, caused by Uncinula necator Burr, is one of the most seriously damaging diseases of grapevine all over the world. To gain the novel gene and investigate the resistance mechanism in Chinese Wild Vitis pseudoreticulata clone Baihe-35-1, mRNA differential display was employed to study the differential expression of the resistant gene to the disease of it when inoculated by Uncinula necator under natural field conditions, 5′ RACE and 3′ RACE have been used to clone the whole cDNA sequences of VpAPX, the novel gene related to Ascorbate Peroxidase which involved in resistant to the disease, is composed of specific sequence 1077 bp and has an open reading frame of 750 bp coding for 250 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 27.566 kDa. The VpAPX gene was obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the special primers synthesized according to the sequences of cDNA, and further cloned it into the pGEM-T easy vector. The cloned VpAPX gene was cut out again with two restriction enzymes and was inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-1, then transferred into E. coli BL21. As result, GST-VpAPX fusion protein was successfully expressed by induction of IPTG and purified by GST affinity resin. After injecting rabbit, the polyclonal antibodies were produced. Western blot analyses showed that the antibody reacted specifically to GST-VpAPX fusion protein and the titer for this antibody is 10⁵. This research made the foundation to transform the VpAPX gene into grape plants for follow research in processing. Ling Lin, Xiping Wang: These two authors contributed equally to this work.     

Direct in Vivo Intracellular Selection of Conformation-sensitive Antibody Domains Targeting Alzheimer's Amyloid-β Oligomers

The development of conformation-sensitive antibody domains targeting the misfolding beta amyloid (Aβ) peptide is of great interest for research into Alzheimer's disease (AD).We describe the direct selection, by the Intracellular Antibody Capture Technology (IACT), of a panel of anti-Aβ single chain Fv antibody fragments (scFvs), targeting pathologically relevant conformations of Aβ. A LexA-Aβ1-42 fusion protein was expressed in yeast cells, as the “intracellular antigen”. Two different scFv antibody libraries (Single Pot Libraries of Intracellular Antibodies, SPLINT) were used for the intracellular selections: (i) a naïve library, derived from a natural, non-immune, source of mouse antibody variable region (V) genes; and (ii) an immune library constructed from the repertoire of antibody V genes of Aβ-immunized mice. This led to the isolation of 18 different anti-Aβ scFvs, which bind Aβ both in the yeast cell, as well as in vitro, if used as purified recombinant proteins. Surprisingly, all the anti-Aβ scFvs isolated are conformation-sensitive, showing a high degree of specificity towards Aβ oligomers with respect to monomeric Aβ, while also displaying some degree of sequence-specificity, recognizing either the N-terminal or the C-terminal part of Aβ1-42; in particular, the scFvs selected from Aβ-immune SPLINT library show a relevant N-terminal epitope bias. Representative candidates from this panel of the anti-Aβ scFvs were shown to recognize in vivo-produced Aβ “deposits” in histological sections from human AD brains and to display good neutralization properties, significantly inhibiting Aβ oligomer-induced toxicity and synaptic binding of Aβ oligomers in neuronal cultured cells. The properties of these anti-Aβ antibody domains, as well as their direct availability for intra- or extra-cellular “genetic delivery” make them ideally suited for new experimental approaches to study and image the intracellular processing and trafficking of Aβ oligomers.     

Synemin interacts with the LIM domain protein zyxin and is essential for cell adhesion and migration

Synemin is a unique cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein for which there is limited understanding of its exact cellular functions. The single human synemin gene encodes at least two splice variants named α-synemin and β-synemin, with the larger α-synemin containing an additional 312 amino acid insert within the C-terminal tail domain. We report herein that, by using the entire tail domain of the smaller β-synemin as the bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen of a human skeletal muscle cDNA library, the LIM domain protein zyxin was identified as an interaction partner for human synemin. The synemin binding site in human zyxin was subsequently mapped to the C-terminal three tandem LIM-domain repeats, whereas the binding site for zyxin within β-synemin is within the C-terminal 332 amino acid region (SNβTII) at the end of the long tail domain. Transient expression of SNβTII within mammalian cells markedly reduced zyxin protein level, blocked localization of zyxin at focal adhesion sites and resulted in decreased cell adhesion and increased motility. Knockdown of synemin expression with siRNAs within mammalian cells resulted in significantly compromised cell adhesion and cell motility. Our results suggest that synemin participates in focal adhesion dynamics and is essential for cell adhesion and migration.     

重组酶Exo的纯化及多克隆抗体制备

目的:纯化Exo重组酶融合蛋白并制备相应抗体。方法:用阴离子交换柱对蛋白进行初步纯化,然后用Ni-NTA介质填充的层析柱分离纯化含His标签的融合蛋白,用谷胱甘肽琼脂糖4B介质填充的层析柱分离纯化GST融合蛋白;二次纯化的蛋白利用硝酸纤维素膜结合法制备抗原蛋白并免疫实验动物。结果:ELISA结果显示血清抗体效价可达到1∶12 800,说明通过Western免疫印迹自制的多克隆抗体能特异地与Exo重组蛋白相互作用。结论:该蛋白纯化方法操作简单,制备的抗原纯度高,多克隆抗体特异性好。     

D1蛋白酶的克隆表达、纯化、生物活性测定及多克隆抗体的制备

为了开发以D1蛋白酶作为靶标的新型除草剂,需要对先导化合物的生物活性进行检测和筛选。从菠菜中提取总RNA,逆转录合成cDNA,采用PCR扩增了CtpA的基因,连接至表达载体pET-28a中,构建了重组表达质粒,并在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中进行高效表达,通过降低IPTG和诱导温度获得了可溶性表达的重组蛋白酶。采用Ni-NTA亲和层析和凝胶过滤柱层析对重组蛋白进行了纯化,SDS-PAGE和Western blotting结果证实目的蛋白为含有His-tag的融合蛋白。以合成的D1前体蛋白羧基端24肽作为模拟底物,采用高效液相色谱法测定了其水解活性,结果表明活性可达1.10nmol/(mg·min),为文献报道数据的15倍。纯化后的CtpA蛋白免疫日本的长耳大白兔制备多克隆抗体,ELISA法测定其血清抗体的效价高达1:100000。该结果为抑制剂先导化合物的筛选和酶蛋白与化合物的作用机理研究提供了必要的基础。     

Rapamycin decreases tau phosphorylation at Ser214 through regulation of cAMP-dependent kinase

Preventing or reducing tau hyperphosphorylation is considered to be a therapeutic strategy in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Rapamycin may be a potential therapeutic agent for AD, because the rapamycin-induced autophagy may enhance the clearance of the hyperphosphorylated tau. However, recent rodent studies show that the protective effect of rapamycin may not be limited in the autophagic clearance of the hyperphosphorylated tau. Because some tau-related kinases are targets of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), we assume that rapamycin may regulate tau phosphorylation by regulating these kinases. Our results showed that in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, treatment with rapamycin induced phosphorylation of the type IIα regulatory (RIIα) subunit of cAMP-dependent kinase (PKA). Rapamycin also induced nuclear translocation of the catalytic subunits (Cat) of PKA and decreases in tau phosphorylation at Ser214 (pS214). The above effects of rapamycin were prevented by pretreatment with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor U0126. In addition, these effects of rapamycin might not depend on the level of tau expression, because similar results were obtained in both the non-tau-expressing wild type human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells and HEK293 cells stably transfected with the longest isoform of recombinant human tau (tau441; HEK293/tau441). These findings suggest that rapamycin decreases pS214 via regulation of PKA. Because tau phosphorylation at Ser214 may prime tau for further phosphorylation by other kinases, our findings provide a novel possible mechanism by which rapamycin reduces or prevents tau hyperphosphorylation.     

Expression of Coat Protein of an Ordinary Strain of Potato virus Y in Escherichia coli and Production of Polyclonal Antibodies for Diagnosis

The coat protein gene (CP) of an ordinary strain of Potato virus Y (PVY^O) was cloned into the expression vector, pET‐28a(+). The insert was sequenced and analysis showed that the CP gene was in frame with intact N‐terminal 6X histidine tags. An approximately 35 kDa recombinant fusion protein was observed in inclusion bodies of induced Escherichia coli BL21 cells. This fusion protein was purified and used as antigen to raise polyclonal antibodies in rabbits. In Western blot and dot blot immuno‐binding assay (DIBA), both PVY^O‐CP IgG and PVY^O IgG strongly reacted with the recombinant CP. The PVY^O‐CP IgG could detect PVY^O in infected samples up to 1 : 3200 dilutions. A PVY^O‐CP ELISA kit was prepared and compared with conventional ELISA kit based on purified virus particles (PVY^O ELISA kit). The PVY^O‐CP ELISA kit consistently detected the PVY^O in DAS‐ELISA of field samples and was as effective as PVY^O ELISA kit.     

New Method for Preparing 3-Ketobutylidene 2-Chloro-4-nitrophenyl β-Maltopentaoside

Polyclonal antibodies against P-l, a pectic polysaccharide fraction extracted with 0.5m NaOH from the kernels of Prunus mume and consisted of arabino-galacturonan, and 1–3, the partial acid (0.1 m trifluoroacetic acid) hydrolysate of P-l, were prepared in Japanese white rabbits. Competitive elisa experiments strongly suggested that anti P-l and anti 1–3 antibodies were different but P–l and 1–3 cross-reacted with each other to recognize a partly similar epitope structure. The reactivities of polysaccharide fractions from the raw flesh of P. mume, and the kernels of apricot and peach extracted with either water or sodium hydroxide were examined using both antisera by the indirect competitive elisa method. The polysaccharide fractions extracted with sodium hydroxide solutions had the reactivities but not those extracted with cold and hot water. These facts suggested that the similar structure of polysaccharides to P-l was present in the flesh of P. mume and the kernels of apricot and peach. However, neither pectin of apple nor citrus had reactivity with each antiserum. P-l would be different in chemical structure from a commercially available pectin, a water-soluble polysaccharide from apple and citrus.