In Silico Insights into Protein-Protein Interactions and Folding Dynamics of the Saposin-Like Domain of Solanum tuberosum Aspartic Protease

The plant-specific insert is an approximately 100-residue domain found exclusively within the C-terminal lobe of some plant aspartic proteases. Structurally, this domain is a member of the saposin-like protein family, and is involved in plant pathogen defense as well as vacuolar targeting of the parent protease molecule. Similar to other members of the saposin-like protein family, most notably saposins A and C, the recently resolved crystal structure of potato (Solanum tuberosum) plant-specific insert has been shown to exist in a substrate-bound open conformation in which the plant-specific insert oligomerizes to form homodimers. In addition to the open structure, a closed conformation also exists having the classic saposin fold of the saposin-like protein family as observed in the crystal structure of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plant-specific insert. In the present study, the mechanisms of tertiary and quaternary conformation changes of potato plant-specific insert were investigated in silico as a function of pH. Umbrella sampling and determination of the free energy change of dissociation of the plant-specific insert homodimer revealed that increasing the pH of the system to near physiological levels reduced the free energy barrier to dissociation. Furthermore, principal component analysis was used to characterize conformational changes at both acidic and neutral pH. The results indicated that the plant-specific insert may adopt a tertiary structure similar to the characteristic saposin fold and suggest a potential new structural motif among saposin-like proteins. To our knowledge, this acidified PSI structure presents the first example of an alternative saposin-fold motif for any member of the large and diverse SAPLIP family.     

酸敏感离子通道与脑梗死

急性脑梗死约占全部脑卒中的70%,病死率和致残率高,且极易复发。但目前针对急性脑梗死在时间窗内溶栓、抗凝等治疗手段不能从根本上切实有效地修复受损脑组织,且伴有出血等风险。寻找脑梗死形成发展的原因并予以治疗迫在眉睫。酸中毒是引起缺血性脑损伤的重要机制。大量实验研究表明,酸中毒能加重神经元的缺血性损伤,且其梗死面积与酸中毒的程度直接相关。但缺血产生的酸中毒如何引起神经元损伤的确切机制尚不明确。最近研究发现酸中毒能激活一种在中枢及周围神经中广泛存在的膜通道,即酸敏感离子通道,它对Ca2+通透,能引起细胞内Ca2+超载,同时能激活胞内酶引起细胞内蛋白质、脂类及核酸的降解,加重缺血后脑损伤。本文就酸敏感离子通道1a与脑梗死做一综述。     

Arterial effects of aldosterone and antimineralocorticoid compounds mechanism of action

The aim of our work was to study the mechanism of action of aldosterone and antialdosterone compounds on Na+ and K+ fluxes in vascular smooth muscle. In the long term, regulation of salt metabolism depends on aldosterone effects on Na+, K+, H+ and H2O transport by the renal tubules. Furthermore, it has been shown that aldosterone modifies several epithelial transports, inducing a positive sodium balance. The chronic in vivo administration of aldosterone modifies transmembrane ionic fluxes in vascular smooth muscle. Garwitz and Jones suggested that aldosterone may enhance net Na+ transport through the stimulation of the sodium pump. The results obtained in our laboratory indicate that aldosterone has a direct stimulatory action on ouabain-dependent and on ouabain-independent Na efflux. Furthermore, the mineralocorticoid enhances passive K permeability, as well as the Na pump dependent K influx. Both effects are blocked by antimineralocorticoid compounds. Recent experiments have shown that vasopressin potentiates some of the in vivo effects of aldosterone.     

黑龙江省三江平原丹顶鹤的数量分布

在地面调查的基础上,我们使用Y-11轻型飞机对黑龙江省三江平原地区的丹顶鹤的数量分布近行了调查,调查时飞行高度80米,航速140公里/小时,续航里程共3748公里。调查结果表明,丹顶鹤在三江平原主要分布在8个地区,其中嘟噜河下游、洪河自然保护区、七星河流域和兴凯湖低地是主要繁殖地,总数量共309只。     

青海省长刺双蚤一新亚种

在整理青海省蚤类标本中,发现长刺双蚤 Amphipsylla longispina Scalon, 1950一新亚种,记述如下。 长刺双蚤共和亚种 Amphipsylla longis pina gongheensis新亚种 鉴别特征 新亚种可动突前缘较直,不动突较细长,阳茎钩突端部似鸟头状;     

Structural relatedness of lysis proteins from colicinogenic plasmids and icosahedral coliphages

The host-lysis-inducing functions of phi X174 protein E and MS2 protein L were recently shown to reside on the N-terminal and C-terminal halves of the two respective lysis proteins. In the present study it is shown that the small lysis proteins encoded in various colicinogenic plasmids share local sequence similarities and certain structural characteristics with the essential peptides of their coliphage-coded counterparts. Despite their dissimilar sizes and origins, it is suggested that the colicinogenic lysis proteins are functionally analogous and evolutionarily related to those of icosahedral single- stranded DNA and RNA phages.      

氟碳乳剂与右旋糖酐对犬缺血心肌侧支循环供氧的影响

本实验在14只麻醉开胸狗心脏上观察了氟碳乳剂与右旋糖酐稀释血液对心肌耗氧量与供应缺血心肌氧量关系的影响。以左室压力-时间指数(SPTI)作为心肌耗氧量的指标,根据冠脉有效侧支血流量(ECF)、PaO_2和 Hb 浓度计算供应缺血心肌的氧量。实验结果表明,低分子右旋糖酐稀释血液后,SPTI 暂时性轻度增加(稀释后30min 时较对照增加7.1±2.7%,P<0.05,稀释后60min 时增加2.8±1.2%,P>0.05),ECF 明显增多(稀释后30min 时较对照增加58.5±6.1%,P<0.01),缺血区边缘心肌氧供需关系未发生明显变化。氟碳乳剂稀释血液后,SPTI 的变化规律与右旋糖酐稀释后相同(稀释后30min 和60min 时分别较对照增加2.5±0.7%和1.9±0.8%)ECF 和 PaO_2升高(稀释后30min 时分别较对照增加53.9±6.7%和93±8.9%),供应缺血心肌的氧量显著增加,缺血区边缘心肌氧供需矛盾明显改善。     

The three classes of hydrogenases from sulfate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfovibrio

Three types of hydrogenases have been isolated from the sulfate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfovibrio. They differ in their subunit and metal compositions, physico-chemical characteristics, amino acid sequences, immunological reactivities, gene structures and their catalytic properties. Broadly, the hydrogenases can be considered as 'iron only' hydrogenases and nickel-containing hydrogenases. The iron-sulfur-containing hydrogenase ([Fe] hydrogenase) contains two ferredoxin-type (4Fe-4S) clusters and an atypical iron-sulfur center believed to be involved in the activation of H2. The [Fe] hydrogenase has the highest specific activity in the evolution and consumption of hydrogen and in the proton-deuterium exchange reaction and this enzyme is the most sensitive to CO and NO2-. It is not present in all species of Desulfovibrio. The nickel-(iron-sulfur)-containing hydrogenases [( NiFe] hydrogenases) possess two (4Fe-4S) centers and one (3Fe-xS) cluster in addition to nickel and have been found in all species of Desulfovibrio so far investigated. The redox active nickel is ligated by at least two cysteinyl thiolate residues and the [NiFe] hydrogenases are particularly resistant to inhibitors such as CO and NO2-. The genes encoding the large and small subunits of a periplasmic and a membrane-bound species of the [NiFe] hydrogenase have been cloned in Escherichia (E.) coli and sequenced. Their derived amino acid sequences exhibit a high degree of homology (70%); however, they show no obvious metal-binding sites or homology with the derived amino acid sequence of the [Fe] hydrogenase. The third class is represented by the nickel-(iron-sulfur)-selenium-containing hydrogenases [( NiFe-Se] hydrogenases) which contain nickel and selenium in equimolecular amounts plus (4Fe-4S) centers and are only found in some species of Desulfovibrio. The genes encoding the large and small subunits of the periplasmic hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio (D.) baculatus (DSM 1743) have been cloned in E. coli and sequenced. The derived amino acid sequence exhibits homology (40%) with the sequence of the [NiFe] hydrogenase and the carboxy-terminus of the gene for the large subunit contains a codon (TGA) for selenocysteine in a position homologous to a codon (TGC) for cysteine in the large subunit of the [NiFe] hydrogenase. EXAFS and EPR studies with the 77Se-enriched D. baculatus hydrogenase indicate that selenium is a ligand to nickel and suggest that the redox active nickel is ligated by at least two cysteinyl thiolate and one selenocysteine selenolate residues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)