DNA聚合酶高保真机理的新发现及其在SNP分析中的应用

高保真DNA聚合酶在遗传与进化等生命活动中具有十分重要的生理与病理意义。高保真聚合酶除具有广为人知的校正功能外,最近的实验进一步表明, 由不能及时校正或难于纠正的错配碱基引发的“关”闭DNA聚合反应的效应, 同样保证了DNA聚合反应终产物的纯度。高保真聚合酶这一“关”闭DNA聚合反应的能力, 促成了其与耐外切酶消化的3´末端碱基特异性引物共同构成一个SNP敏感性纳米级复合分子“开/关”,高保真聚合酶分子中相距三纳米的聚合中心和3´→5´外切酶酶解中心则既合作又独立地起到了复合分子开关中“开”和“关”的效能:对于配对的引物,则直接在该酶的聚合中心进行聚合反应,即“开”的效应;而对于3´末端错配的引物,则从该酶的聚合中心转移至3´→5´外切酶的酶解中心,由于引物修饰了的3´末端耐外切酶的特点,继而出现了一种长时间无酶解产物的酶解过程,最后因酶的聚合中心空转而“关”闭DNA聚合反应,即“关”的效应。这一新的复合分子“开/关”在很大程度上满足了后基因时代对SNP分析的要求。该SNP分子开关的应用, 使基因诊断提高到单碱基水平。同时, 利用该方法通过SNP对基因组扫描, 在单基因遗传病病因研究及法医学鉴定上具有很强的理论和实用价值。     

Biochemical basis of sulphenomics: how protein sulphenic acids may be stabilized by the protein microenvironment

Among protein residues, cysteines are one of the prominent candidates to ROS‐mediated and RNS‐mediated post‐translational modifications, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is the main ROS candidate for inducing cysteine oxidation. The reaction with H₂O₂ is not common to all cysteine residues, being their reactivity an utmost prerequisite for the sensitivity towards H₂O₂. Indeed, only deprotonated Cys (i.e. thiolate form, ? S^?) can react with H₂O₂ leading to sulphenic acid formation (? SOH), which is considered as a major/central player of ROS sensing pathways. However, cysteine sulphenic acids are generally unstable because they can be further oxidized to irreversible forms (sulphinic and sulphonic acids, ? SO₂H and ? SO₃H, respectively), or alternatively, they can proceed towards further modifications including disulphide bond formation (? SS? ), S‐glutathionylation (? SSG) and sulphenamide formation (? SN?). To understand why and how cysteine residues undergo primary oxidation to sulphenic acid, and to explore the stability of cysteine sulphenic acids, a combination of biochemical, structural and computational studies are required. Here, we will discuss the current knowledge of the structural determinants for cysteine reactivity and sulphenic acid stability within protein microenvironments.     

Leukemia stem cells: the root of chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder characterized by a chromosome translocation that generates the Bcr-Abl oncogene encoding a constitutive kinase activity. Despite remarkable success in controlling CML at chronic phase by Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), a significant proportion of CML patients treated with TKIs develop drug resistance due to the inability of TKIs to kill leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that are responsible for initiation, drug resistance, and relapse of CML. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more potent and safer therapies against leukemia stem cells for curing CML. A number of LSCassociated targets and corresponding signaling pathways, including CaMKII-γ, a critical molecular switch for co-activating multiple LSC-associated signaling pathways, have been identified over the past decades and various small inhibitors targeting LSC are also under development. Increasing evidence shows that leukemia stem cells are the root of CML and targeting LSC may offer a curable treatment option for CML patients. This review summarizes the molecular biology of LSC and itsassociated targets, and the potential clinical application in chronic myeloid leukemia.     

An Advanced Separator for Li–O2 Batteries: Maximizing the Effect of Redox Mediators

Although Li–O₂ batteries are promising next‐generation energy storage systems with superior theoretical capacities, they have a serious limitation regarding the large overpotential upon charging that results from the low conductivity of the discharge product. Thus, various redox mediators (RMs) have been widely studied to reduce the overpotential in the charging process, which should promote the oxidation of Li₂O₂. However, RMs degrade the Li metal anode through a parasitic reaction between the RM and the Li metal, and a solution for this phenomenon is necessary. In this study, an effective method is proposed to prevent the migration of the RM toward the anode side of the lithium using a separator that is modified with a negatively charged polymer. When DMPZ (5,10‐dihydro‐5,10‐dimethylphenazine) is used as an RM, it is found that the modified separator suppresses the migration of DMPZ toward the counter electrode of the Li metal anode. This is investigated by a visual redox couple diffusion test, a morphological investigation, and an X‐ray diffraction study. This advanced separator effectively maximizes the catalytic activity of the redox mediator. Li–O₂ batteries using both a highly concentrated DMPZ and the modified separator exhibit improved performance and maintained 90% round‐trip efficiency up to the 20th cycle.     

Loss of SIRT2 leads to axonal degeneration and locomotor disability associated with redox and energy imbalance

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a member of a family of NAD⁺‐dependent histone deacetylases (HDAC) that play diverse roles in cellular metabolism and especially for aging process. SIRT2 is located in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and mitochondria, is highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), and has been reported to regulate a variety of processes including oxidative stress, genome integrity, and myelination. However, little is known about the role of SIRT2 in the nervous system specifically during aging. Here, we show that middle‐aged, 13‐month‐old mice lacking SIRT2 exhibit locomotor dysfunction due to axonal degeneration, which was not present in young SIRT2 mice. In addition, these Sirt2^?/? mice exhibit mitochondrial depletion resulting in energy failure, and redox dyshomeostasis. Our results provide a novel link between SIRT2 and physiological aging impacting the axonal compartment of the central nervous system, while supporting a major role for SIRT2 in orchestrating its metabolic regulation. This underscores the value of SIRT2 as a therapeutic target in the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases that undergo with axonal degeneration associated with redox and energetic dyshomeostasis.     

氧化还原对铁结合的大肠杆菌拓扑异构酶Ⅰ活性的调控

大肠杆菌拓扑异构酶 I（E. coli TopA）属于 I 型拓扑异构酶,在DNA复制、转录、重组和基因表达调控等过程中发挥关键作用。E. coli TopA 不仅能结合锌,还可以结合铁。细胞内过量铁可与锌竞争,通过与锌指结构域结合减弱其 DNA 结合能力和改变蛋白质空间构象,从而抑制TopA拓扑异构酶活性。然而,铁结合形式TopA的氧化还原特性以及氧化还原条件对其活性的影响仍不清楚。本研究通过紫外分光光谱和体外DNA拓扑异构酶活性分析,发现体外纯化得到的铁结合形式的 TopA 呈氧化状态,能够被二硫苏糖醇和连二亚硫酸钠还原,原本氧化状态下无活性的TopA在还原条件下,可恢复其拓扑异构酶活性。当还原剂被去除后,铁结合的TopA在空气中能够重新被氧化,且其活性重新受到抑制。这说明,氧化还原条件对铁结合的 TopA 功能具有可逆调节作用。通过金属 蛋白体外结合实验进一步发现,无金属结合的TopA蛋白(apo-TopA)在无氧条件下,与 Fe²⁺ 和 Fe³⁺ 均能结合,但与Fe²⁺ 结合能力较弱,并且TopA结合的Fe³⁺ 被还原成Fe²⁺ 后,结合力显著下降,能够被铁螯合指示剂菲咯嗪快速捕获。此外,蛋白质内源性荧光光谱分析实验表明,铁结合的TopA在氧化还原的不同状态时,其在330 nm左右的荧光值有显著差异。这提示,氧化还原条件可能通过影响铁离子与TopA的结合状态,引起蛋白质空间构象改变,从而对TopA的拓扑异构酶活性进行调节。此研究表明,铁结合TopA的拓扑异构酶活性会受到细胞内氧化还原信号的可逆调控,也提示I型拓扑异构酶可能是细胞铁超载通过氧化损伤引起细胞功能障碍（或铁死亡）的靶点之一。     

A new sub‐pathway of long‐patch base excision repair involving 5′ gap formation

Base excision repair (BER) is one of the most frequently used cellular DNA repair mechanisms and modulates many human pathophysiological conditions related to DNA damage. Through live cell and in vitro reconstitution experiments, we have discovered a major sub‐pathway of conventional long‐patch BER that involves formation of a 9‐nucleotide gap 5′ to the lesion. This new sub‐pathway is mediated by RECQ1 DNA helicase and ERCC1‐XPF endonuclease in cooperation with PARP1 poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase and RPA. The novel gap formation step is employed during repair of a variety of DNA lesions, including oxidative and alkylation damage. Moreover, RECQ1 regulates PARP1 auto‐(ADP‐ribosyl)ation and the choice between long‐patch and single‐nucleotide BER, thereby modulating cellular sensitivity to DNA damage. Based on these results, we propose a revised model of long‐patch BER and a new key regulation point for pathway choice in BER.