青岛文昌鱼profilin样蛋白基因的克隆与同源性分析

对青岛文昌鱼神经胚cDNA进行序测，获得了6个profilin样蛋白基因的EST，经拼接得到编码文昌鱼profilin样蛋白基因的cDNA序列并据此演绎了文昌鱼profilin样蛋白的氨基酸序列。对演绎的文昌鱼profilin样蛋白的一级结构进行了分析，对其二级结构进行了预测，并将其与多种真核生物中的profilin进行同源性比较，为profilin分子进化的研究提供资料。     

Nucleotide sequence of the rat skeletal muscle actin gene

The actins constitute a family of highly conserved proteins found in all eukaryotic cells. Their conservation through a very wide range of taxonomic groups and the existence of tissue-specific isoforms make the actin genes very interesting for the study of the evolution of genes and their controlling elements. On the basis of amino acid sequence data, at least six different mammalian actins have been identified (skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, two smooth muscle actins and the cytoplasmic beta- and gamma-actins). Rat spleen DNA digested by the EcoRI restriction enzyme contains at least 12 different fragments with actin-like sequences but only one which hybridized, in very stringent conditions, with the skeletal muscle cloned cDNA probe. Here we describe the sequence of the actin gene in that fragment. The nucleotide sequence codes for two amino acids, Met-Cys, preceding the known N-terminal Asp of the mature protein. There are five small introns in the coding region and a large intron in the 5'-untranslated region. Comparison of the structure of the rat skeletal muscle actin gene with available data on actin genes from other organisms shows that while the sequenced actin genes from Drosophila and yeast have introns at different locations, introns located at codons specifying amino acids 41, 121, 204 and 267 have been preserved at least from the echinoderm to the vertebrates. A similar analysis has been done by Davidson. An intron at codon 150 is common to a plant actin gene and the skeletal muscle acting gene.     

青岛文昌鱼DAD1样蛋白基因的克隆和同源性分析

dud1基因为一种内源性细胞凋亡抑制子基因，在发育中可能执行着重要功能．我们通过对青岛文昌鱼18小时神经胚cDNA文库进行测序，获得文昌鱼dud1样基因的2个cDNA片断，经拼接首次得到含有完整读框的文昌鱼dud1样基因的cDNA序列，其演绎的氨基酸序列与人、鼠、鸡、非洲爪蟾、果蝇、线虫、扁豆、番茄的DAD1蛋白的同源性分别为73．5％、73．5％、67．5％、70．9％、67．5％、55．5％、41．9％、41．8％．结果证实青岛文昌鱼dud1样基因在进化上具有高度的保守性，并且在进化上更接近于脊椎动物．     

A common function for polyoma virus large-T and papillomavirus E1 proteins?

Nucleotide sequencing has revealed a common genetic organization for three papillomaviruses: BPV-1 (bovine papillomavirus type 1), HPV-1 (human papillomavirus type 1a) and HPV-6 (human papillomavirus type 6b). Several open reading frames, corresponding to as yet uncharacterized proteins, were observed in these genomes in the region that is required for oncogenic transformation by BPV-1 and for plasmidial maintenance of its genome. The longest of these frames, E1, is also the most conserved between the three viruses; we have compared the amino acid sequence of its putative product ('E1 protein') with those of the large-T proteins of three polyoma viruses and report here significant homologies in their carboxy-terminal halves, extending for over 200 amino acids. Moreover, similar secondary structures were predicted in this region, especially in two blocks of homologous residues, which correspond in the large-T proteins of polyoma and simian virus 40 (SV40) viruses to sites involved in the ATPase and nucleotide-binding activities. These observations suggest that the papillomavirus E1 proteins might have a function in common with the polyoma virus large-T proteins (which are required for the initiation of viral DNA replication). As it was suggested recently that the E1 gene product is involved in maintaining the BPV-1 genome as a plasmid in transformed cells, we speculate that the structural features conserved in these otherwise very different viruses are general characteristics of eukaryotic proteins involved in the control of DNA replication.     

Mimicking the alloantigenicity of proteins with chemically synthesized peptides differing in single amino acids

Recent studies have shown that short chemically synthesized peptides very often induce antibodies which react with the cognate sequence in the intact folded protein. Since such antibodies react with known regions of proteins, they are of predetermined specificity and offer a precision not previously possible with immunological probes. A basic concept emerging from the use of such antibodies in viral systems is that the differential immunogenicity of closely related proteins can be mimicked by short peptides which span the regions of sequence variation. To generalize this concept, we have studied the two Thy-1 proteins which vary by only a single amino acid. Chemically synthesized peptides differing in only one out of 19 amino acids were able to induce allospecific antisera. Thus, single amino acid changes have similar effects on the immunogenicity of proteins and small peptides, even though the latter are free from constraints provided by neighbouring structures in the tertiary configuration of the intact folded proteins.     

硫酯蛋白家族保守区域分析

硫酯蛋白家族(thioester-containing proteins,TEPs)广泛分布于动物界,在动物非特异性免疫反应中发挥了重要的作用,然而其家族成员多,分子进化关系复杂.本研究从基因数据库中挑取已收录TEPs家族各成员的氨基酸全序列,包括α2-巨球蛋白、补体3、补体4、murinoglobulins、卵巨球蛋白、妊娠区带蛋白,α-1-抑制因子等.多重序列比对分析TEPs家族各成员间功能位点和保守区域的变化,构建系统进化树分析TEPs家族分子进化.TEPs家族除保守的GC*EQ**硫酯键区域及两侧的脯氨酸残基,还有7个完全保守的氨基酸残基及G*****Q*T,FPETW,QTD,KPTVK等保守区域.上述分析结果可为深入研究TEPs家族分子进化及动物非特异性免疫进化提供参考.     

Analysis of the genome sequence of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana

The flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is an important model system for identifying genes and determining their functions. Here we report the analysis of the genomic sequence of Arabidopsis. The sequenced regions cover 115.4 megabases of the 125-megabase genome and extend into centromeric regions. The evolution of Arabidopsis involved a whole-genome duplication, followed by subsequent gene loss and extensive local gene duplications, giving rise to a dynamic genome enriched by lateral gene transfer from a cyanobacterial-like ancestor of the plastid. The genome contains 25,498 genes encoding proteins from 11,000 families, similar to the functional diversity of Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans--the other sequenced multicellular eukaryotes. Arabidopsis has many families of new proteins but also lacks several common protein families, indicating that the sets of common proteins have undergone differential expansion and contraction in the three multicellular eukaryotes. This is the first complete genome sequence of a plant and provides the foundations for more comprehensive comparison of conserved processes in all eukaryotes, identifying a wide range of plant-specific gene functions and establishing rapid systematic ways to identify genes for crop improvement.     

兔肌肉生长抑制素基因的cDNA克隆及初步分析

以兔骨胳肌为实验材料,构建了兔骨骼肌cDNA文库,根据该基因保守序列,设计简并引物,利用RT-PCR技术,克隆了兔MSTN基因EST片段,以EST片段为探针,应用Southern杂交技术筛选文库,克隆了兔肌肉生长抑制素基因全长cDNA并在GenBank注册(注册号:AY169410).用生物信息学方法对该基因进行了比较分析,表明从氨基酸序列及进化角度兔和其他哺乳类生物的肌肉生长抑制素基因之间关系密切.     

Mitochondrial protein phylogeny joins myriapods with chelicerates

The animal phylum Arthropoda is very useful for the study of body plan evolution given its abundance of morphologically diverse species and our profound understanding of Drosophila development. However, there is a lack of consistently resolved phylogenetic relationships between the four extant arthropod subphyla, Hexapoda, Myriapoda, Chelicerata and Crustacea. Recent molecular studies have strongly supported a sister group relationship between Hexapoda and Crustacea, but have not resolved the phylogenetic position of Chelicerata and Myriapoda. Here we sequence the mitochondrial genome of the centipede species Lithobius forficatus and investigate its phylogenetic information content. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of conserved regions from the arthropod mitochondrial proteome yields highly resolved and congruent trees. We also find that a sister group relationship between Myriapoda and Chelicerata is strongly supported. We propose a model to explain the apparently parallel evolution of similar head morphologies in insects and myriapods.     

Protein dispensability and rate of evolution.

If protein evolution is due in large part to slightly deleterious amino acid substitutions, then the rate of evolution should be greater in proteins that contribute less to individual fitness. The rationale for this prediction is that relatively dispensable proteins should be subject to weaker purifying selection, and should therefore accumulate mildly deleterious substitutions more rapidly. Although this argument was presented over twenty years ago, and is fundamental to many applications of evolutionary theory, the prediction has proved difficult to confirm. In fact, a recent study showed that essential mouse genes do not evolve more slowly than non-essential ones. Thus, although a variety of factors influencing the rate of protein evolution have been supported by extensive sequence analysis, the relationship between protein dispensability and evolutionary rate has remained unconfirmed. Here we use the results from a highly parallel growth assay of single gene deletions in yeast to assess protein dispensability, which we relate to evolutionary rate estimates that are based on comparisons of sequences drawn from twenty-one fully annotated genomes. Our analysis reveals a highly significant relationship between protein dispensability and evolutionary rate, and explains why this relationship is not detectable by categorical comparison of essential versus non-essential proteins. The relationship is highly conserved, so that protein dispensability in yeast is also predictive of evolutionary rate in a nematode worm.     

Isolation of cDNAs Enconding Two Distinct Transcription Factors Binding to DRE cis-acting Element Involved in Cold- and drought-induced Expression of Arabidopsis rd29A Gene

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三种蝙蝠线粒体解偶联蛋白2（UCP2）基因的克隆和进化分析

根据几种哺乳动物UCP2基因的保守区设计一对简并引物,扩增马铁菊头蝠（Rhinolophus ferrumequinum）、长翼蝠（Miniopterus fuliginosus）和犬蝠（Cynopterus sphinx）的UCP2基因的全部编码区序列.测序结果表明,三种蝙蝠UCP2编码区全长930 bp,编码309个氨基酸,推测的氨基酸序列包含线粒体内膜载体蛋白的3个特征结构及解偶联蛋白（UCPs）的特征序列.序列分析表明,蝙蝠与其它哺乳动物UCP2的氨基酸推导序列有很高的同源性,为90.6%~97.0%.进化分析表明,UCP2基因在哺乳动物中进化过程中非常保守,受到强烈的纯化选择压力作用（ω=0.063）.Branch-specific 模型分析表明,UCP2基因在蝙蝠支系与其它不能飞行的哺乳动物、冬眠蝙蝠与非冬眠蝙蝠的进化过程所受到的选择压力无明显差异（P>0.05）.这说明在整个哺乳动物进化过程中UCP2对其能量代谢的调控均起到了重要作用.然而,UCP2如何参与哺乳动物能量调控仍有待于进一步研究.     

柽柳 GF14基因的克隆与表达分析

生物体中普遍存在的14-3-3蛋白(也称GF14蛋白)能够参与植物的一系列应激响应过程。笔者以柽柳(Tamarix hispida)为材料,从6个柽柳cDNA文库中分离出5条GF14 基因,依次命名为ThGF14a—ThGF14e。对5条GF14 基因进行生物信息学研究,并利用qRT-PCR技术对胁迫处理后的基因表达模式进行分析。结果显示:ThGF14 蛋白除了N和C末端的氨基酸外均含有一个高度保守的14-3-3 结构域,这些ThGF14蛋白分属于ε-like 和 non-ε 两种类型; 大多数 ThGF14基因在NaCl、PEG、4 ℃、CdCl₂处理不同时间(6,24,48 和 72 h)的叶和根中能够被诱导表达(表达量>2倍),且不同基因间对非生物胁迫应答表现出差异,其中ThGF14c 基因在叶和根中不同胁迫条件下的表达水平均最高。研究表明,柽柳 ThGF14 基因能够参与植物的非生物胁迫应答响应过程。     

Modeling of kiwifruit metallothionein kiwi503

Kiwifruit metallothionein, kiwi503, is a typical plant metallothionein protein. It has 63 amino acid residues in two cysteine-rich regions and one spacer region of about 32 residues. In this note, the two cysteine-rich regions and the spacer region have been modeted separatety by the distance geometry and the homology method. The three parts are then connected to generate a three-dimensional structural modet of kiwifruit metallothionein kiwi503. The result shows that there is no structural or energy barrier preventing either cysteine rich domain from independently forming a metal-sulfur chetating cluster. The method can also be applied to predicting the structures of the same type of other proteins. The first two authors contributed equally to this work     

A new way of enhancing the thermostability of proteases

Thermostability of enzyme can be enhanced by single amino acid substitutions. Recent advances in genetic engineering have made it possible to create novel proteins in a predictable manner where structural information for the protein is available. This 'protein engineering' has already been used to enhance enzyme thermostability, but it is usually not clear which amino acid substitutions should be made. We consider that the following approach should be helpful in engineering proteins with enhanced thermostability: highly conserved residues should be left unchanged; the sequences of known mesophilic and thermophilic proteins should be used to suggest the kinds of changes likely to increase thermostability; and substitutions should be made that increase internal hydrophobicity and that stabilize helices for strong internal packing. We describe here the use of this approach to alter the thermostability of the thermostable neutral protease of Bacillus stearothermophilus, the sequence of which is known. Surprisingly we find that a single mutation that decreases thermostability can require two mutations that increase stability to compensate for it. The effects on stability are not additive, suggesting cooperativity.     

Subcloning and Sequencing of the Form II Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase from Rhodopseudomonas palustris

0　IntroductionRibulose 1,5 bisphosphate (RuBP)carboxylase/oxygenase(RubisCO)isoneofkeyenzymesofthere ductive pentose phosphate pathway ,orCalvin Bassham Bensoncycle .RubisCOisabifunctionalen zymethatcatalyzesthefirststepinthecarbondioxideassimilatorypathwayandphotorespiratorypathwayinallphotosyntheticorganisms ,includingplants ,algae ,cyanobacteria ,andmostphotosyntheticbacteria[16 ] .Thus ,itispositionedtoregulatetheflowofcellcar bonthroughtwocompetingmetabolicpathways .Itisreportedtha…