武汉地区丙型肝炎病毒包膜蛋白E1的生物信息学研究

使用生物信息学的方法,分析武汉地区不同基因型、亚型的丙肝病毒的包膜E1蛋白,预测其二级结构、核苷酸变异性、糖基化位点、亲水性、跨膜区、信号肽、蛋白修饰位点、B细胞抗原.结果显示各HCV的包膜E1蛋白二级结构差距不大;序列始末段有数个氨基酸残基的差距,序列上存在高变异位点,基因型2a的型内一致性最高;序列大量糖基化,有多个糖基化基化位点;序列分布着亲水性区域,基因型1b的分值很高;基因型1b、6a、3b、3a多数亚型有1个跨膜区,基因型2a多数亚型有两个跨膜区;基因型1b、6a、3b、3a无信号肽,基因型2a都有信号肽;蛋白序列上存在多个不同修饰位点和B细胞抗原,各基因型、亚型之间有明显差距,具有较大异质性.该研究为揭示病毒感染机制和研制地区性疫苗提供一定的科学依据.     

重组毕赤酵母植酸酶N-糖基化位点质谱鉴定

为系统评估重组毕赤酵母植酸酶的N-糖基化充分性,建立了一种通过联用高效液相色谱-串级质谱来分析植酸酶氨基酸序列及N-糖基化位点的技术.分别发酵了3株基因组已整合不同植酸酶基因的毕赤酵母.发酵液上清经离子交换与凝胶过滤后获得纯化的植酸酶.使用PNGase F或Endo H脱糖基化酶处理植酸酶后,用胰蛋白酶消化脱糖基化产物.通过纳升级高效液相色谱分离胰蛋白酶切产生的肽段混合物.并在联用的串级质谱上进行肽段测序与N-糖基化位点鉴定.结果显示3种植酸酶蛋白的可检测序列覆盖率均在69%以上,且与文献报道不同,均存在糖基化位点修饰不充分的现象.本实验结果证明了高效液相色谱-串级质谱联用法检测植酸酶N-糖基化位点的有效性,并为植酸酶的糖基化研究提供了新的基础.     

混合型BTT/STT大攻角导弹自动驾驶仪设计

为了尽可能提高导弹机动能力,提出了"大过载采用BTT(bank-to-turn)控制,小过载采用STT(skid-to-turn)控制"的设计原则,由BTT/STT决策模块和双回路控制器组成混合型BTT/STT大攻角导弹自动驾驶仪。采用攻角控制替代了传统的过载控制,推导出将过载指令转换为对应STT(或BTT)控制方法的攻角、侧滑角和滚转角指令的BTT/STT决策算法,由角度变化的长周期运动和转动角速度变化的短周期运动组成一个双回路控制器。针对Backstepping设计方法适合于级联系统稳定控制的特点,采用直接构造Backstepping法来设计双回路控制器。仿真结果表明:该大攻角自动驾驶仪能够满足近距格斗导弹的技术要求。     

Crystal structure of the tricorn protease reveals a protein disassembly line.

The degradation of cytosolic proteins is carried out predominantly by the proteasome, which generates peptides of 7-9 amino acids long. These products need further processing. Recently, a proteolytic system was identified in the model organism Thermoplasma acidophilum that performs this processing. The hexameric core protein of this modular system, referred to as tricorn protease, is a 720K protease that is able to assemble further into a giant icosahedral capsid, as determined by electron microscopy. Here, we present the crystal structure of the tricorn protease at 2.0 A resolution. The structure reveals a complex mosaic protein whereby five domains combine to form one of six subunits, which further assemble to form the 3-2-symmetric core protein. The structure shows how the individual domains coordinate the specific steps of substrate processing, including channelling of the substrate to, and the product from, the catalytic site. Moreover, the structure shows how accessory protein components might contribute to an even more complex protein machinery that efficiently collects the tricorn-released products.     

梅花鹿抗病毒蛋白的生物信息学分析

通过在线生物软件分析梅花鹿四种抗病毒蛋白A3Z2、BST-2A、BST-2B和SAMHD1蛋白的生物信息学特性。从转录组中获得四种蛋白的基因序列,应用Prot Param、Protscale、SOPMA、TMHMM、Target P、Signal P、Motif Scan、Interproscan以及BLAST等在线软件分析蛋白的理化性质、二级结构、穿膜域、结构域等等。首次获得了四种抗病毒因子的基因和蛋白序列,梅花鹿A3Z2基因编码393个氨基酸,相对分子质量为47.59 k Da,碱性,不稳定性亲水蛋白,无信号肽和跨膜结构域,胞内定位,具有糖基化和磷酸化位点,两个胞嘧啶脱氨酶结构域。梅花鹿BST-2A和2B基因编码159个氨基酸,相对分子质量为17.69 k Da和18.12 k Da,酸性,不稳定性亲水蛋白,无信号肽,BST-2A有两个跨膜结构域,BST-2B有一个跨膜结构域,膜定位,具有糖基化和磷酸化位点。梅花鹿SAMHD1基因编码613个氨基酸,相对分子质量为70.51 k Da,碱性,不稳定性亲水蛋白,无信号肽和跨膜结构域,胞内定位,具有磷酸化位点,d NTP磷酸水解酶活性结构域。梅花鹿A3Z2、BST-2A、BST-2B和SAMHD1蛋白具有潜在的抗病毒能力。     

Proteomics to study genes and genomes

Proteomics, the large-scale analysis of proteins, will contribute greatly to our understanding of gene function in the post-genomic era. Proteomics can be divided into three main areas: (1) protein micro-characterization for large-scale identification of proteins and their post-translational modifications; (2) 'differential display' proteomics for comparison of protein levels with potential application in a wide range of diseases; and (3) studies of protein-protein interactions using techniques such as mass spectrometry or the yeast two-hybrid system. Because it is often difficult to predict the function of a protein based on homology to other proteins or even their three-dimensional structure, determination of components of a protein complex or of a cellular structure is central in functional analysis. This aspect of proteomic studies is perhaps the area of greatest promise. After the revolution in molecular biology exemplified by the ease of cloning by DNA methods, proteomics will add to our understanding of the biochemistry of proteins, processes and pathways for years to come.     

Structure of a Ran-binding domain complexed with Ran bound to a GTP analogue: implications for nuclear transport

The protein Ran is a small GTP-binding protein that binds to two types of effector inside the cell: Ran-binding proteins, which have a role in terminating export processes from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and importin-beta-like molecules that bind cargo proteins during nuclear transport. The Ran-binding domain is a conserved sequence motif found in several proteins that participate in these transport processes. The Ran-binding protein RanBP2 contains four of these domains and constitutes a large part of the cytoplasmic fibrils that extend from the nuclear-pore complex. The structure of Ran bound to a non-hydrolysable GTP analogue (Ran x GppNHp) in complex with the first Ran-binding domain (RanBD1) of human RanBP2 reveals not only that RanBD1 has a pleckstrin-homology domain fold, but also that the switch-I region of Ran x GppNHp resembles the canonical Ras GppNHp structure and that the carboxy terminus of Ran is wrapped around RanBD1, contacting a basic patch on RanBD1 through its acidic end. This molecular 'embrace' enables RanBDs to sequester the Ran carboxy terminus, triggering the dissociation of Ran x GTP from importin-beta-related transport factors and facilitating GTP hydrolysis by the GTPase-activating protein ranGAP. Such a mechanism represents a new type of switch mechanism and regulatory protein-protein interaction for a Ras-related protein.     

BTB proteins are substrate-specific adaptors in an SCF-like modular ubiquitin ligase containing CUL-3

Programmed destruction of regulatory proteins through the ubiquitin-proteasome system is a widely used mechanism for controlling signalling pathways. Cullins are proteins that function as scaffolds for modular ubiquitin ligases typified by the SCF (Skp1-Cul1-F-box) complex. The substrate selectivity of these E3 ligases is dictated by a specificity module that binds cullins. In the SCF complex, this module is composed of Skp1, which binds directly to Cul1, and a member of the F-box family of proteins. F-box proteins bind Skp1 through the F-box motif, and substrates by means of carboxy-terminal protein interaction domains. Similarly, Cul2 and Cul5 interact with BC-box-containing specificity factors through the Skp1-like protein elongin C. Cul3 is required for embryonic development in mammals and Caenorhabditis elegans but its specificity module is unknown. Here we report the identification of a large family of BTB-domain proteins as substrate-specific adaptors for C. elegans CUL-3. Biochemical studies using the BTB protein MEL-26 and its genetic target MEI-1 (refs 12, 13) indicate that BTB proteins merge the functional properties of Skp1 and F-box proteins into a single polypeptide.     

新型冠状病毒膜蛋白的生物信息学分析

为了研究新型冠状病毒膜蛋白(SARS-CoV-2 M蛋白)结构及性质.基于生物信息学分析M蛋白质基因结构、二级结构和三级结构、翻译后的修饰和进化历程.结果表明,M蛋白为疏水性蛋白,其基因编码区长度为669bp,编码222个氨基酸;M蛋白启动子区内不存在甲基化位点,存在17潜在的转录因子结合位点;其二级结构以无规则卷曲和...     

Myxococcus xanthus spore coat protein S may have a similar structure to vertebrate lens beta gamma-crystallins

The Gram-negative bacterium Myxococcus xanthus has a complex life cycle during which large amounts of a protein of relative molecular mass (Mr) 19,000, known as protein S, are assembled into a spore surface coat by a process that specifically requires calcium ions. The gene for protein S has been cloned and the DNA sequence shows that the gene product is composed of four internally repeated homologous sequences, each 40 amino acids long. Although protein S resembles calmodulin both in its internally duplicated structure and its ability to bind calcium, it apparently has a beta-sheet secondary structure rather than the helix-loop-helix motifs that characterize the calmodulin family. We now show that protein S has a striking homology with the beta- and gamma-crystallins of the vertebrate eye lens which are beta-sheet proteins with internally duplicated structures. This implies that the beta- and gamma-crystallins evolved from already existing proteins, whose ancestors occurred in the prokaryotes. The biological function of protein S, as a closely packed, stable protein in a relatively dehydrated environment, has implications for the functions of crystallins, which are found closely packed in the lens fibre cells, where their stability is essential for maintenance of transparency.     

Cycling of O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine on nucleocytoplasmic proteins

All animals and plants dynamically attach and remove O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) at serine and threonine residues on myriad nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. O-GlcNAc cycling, which is tightly regulated by the concerted actions of two highly conserved enzymes, serves as a nutrient and stress sensor. On some proteins, O-GlcNAc competes directly with phosphate for serine/threonine residues. Glycosylation with O-GlcNAc modulates signalling, and influences protein expression, degradation and trafficking. Emerging data indicate that O-GlcNAc glycosylation has a role in the aetiology of diabetes and neurodegeneration.     

Photosystem II core phosphorylation and photosynthetic acclimation require two different protein kinases

Illumination changes elicit modifications of thylakoid proteins and reorganization of the photosynthetic machinery. This involves, in the short term, phosphorylation of photosystem II (PSII) and light-harvesting (LHCII) proteins. PSII phosphorylation is thought to be relevant for PSII turnover, whereas LHCII phosphorylation is associated with the relocation of LHCII and the redistribution of excitation energy (state transitions) between photosystems. In the long term, imbalances in energy distribution between photosystems are counteracted by adjusting photosystem stoichiometry. In the green alga Chlamydomonas and the plant Arabidopsis, state transitions require the orthologous protein kinases STT7 and STN7, respectively. Here we show that in Arabidopsis a second protein kinase, STN8, is required for the quantitative phosphorylation of PSII core proteins. However, PSII activity under high-intensity light is affected only slightly in stn8 mutants, and D1 turnover is indistinguishable from the wild type, implying that reversible protein phosphorylation is not essential for PSII repair. Acclimation to changes in light quality is defective in stn7 but not in stn8 mutants, indicating that short-term and long-term photosynthetic adaptations are coupled. Therefore the phosphorylation of LHCII, or of an unknown substrate of STN7, is also crucial for the control of photosynthetic gene expression.     

Conformational changes in the G protein Gs induced by the β2 adrenergic receptor

G protein-coupled receptors represent the largest family of membrane receptors that instigate signalling through nucleotide exchange on heterotrimeric G proteins. Nucleotide exchange, or more precisely, GDP dissociation from the G protein α-subunit, is the key step towards G protein activation and initiation of downstream signalling cascades. Despite a wealth of biochemical and biophysical studies on inactive and active conformations of several heterotrimeric G proteins, the molecular underpinnings of G protein activation remain elusive. To characterize this mechanism, we applied peptide amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to probe changes in the structure of the heterotrimeric bovine G protein, Gs (the stimulatory G protein for adenylyl cyclase) on formation of a complex with agonist-bound human β(2) adrenergic receptor (β(2)AR). Here we report structural links between the receptor-binding surface and the nucleotide-binding pocket of Gs that undergo higher levels of hydrogen-deuterium exchange than would be predicted from the crystal structure of the β(2)AR-Gs complex. Together with X-ray crystallographic and electron microscopic data of the β(2)AR-Gs complex (from refs 2, 3), we provide a rationale for a mechanism of nucleotide exchange, whereby the receptor perturbs the structure of the amino-terminal region of the α-subunit of Gs and consequently alters the 'P-loop' that binds the β-phosphate in GDP. As with the Ras family of small-molecular-weight G proteins, P-loop stabilization and β-phosphate coordination are key determinants of GDP (and GTP) binding affinity.     

Structure of the Cul1-Rbx1-Skp1-F boxSkp2 SCF ubiquitin ligase complex

SCF complexes are the largest family of E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases and mediate the ubiquitination of diverse regulatory and signalling proteins. Here we present the crystal structure of the Cul1-Rbx1-Skp1-F boxSkp2 SCF complex, which shows that Cul1 is an elongated protein that consists of a long stalk and a globular domain. The globular domain binds the RING finger protein Rbx1 through an intermolecular beta-sheet, forming a two-subunit catalytic core that recruits the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme. The long stalk, which consists of three repeats of a novel five-helix motif, binds the Skp1-F boxSkp2 protein substrate-recognition complex at its tip. Cul1 serves as a rigid scaffold that organizes the Skp1-F boxSkp2 and Rbx1 subunits, holding them over 100 A apart. The structure suggests that Cul1 may contribute to catalysis through the positioning of the substrate and the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, and this model is supported by Cul1 mutations designed to eliminate the rigidity of the scaffold.     

Structure of the small G protein Cdc42 bound to the GTPase-binding domain of ACK.

The proteins Cdc42 and Rac are members of the Rho family of small GTPases (G proteins), which control signal-transduction pathways that lead to rearrangements of the cell cytoskeleton, cell differentiation and cell proliferation. They do so by binding to downstream effector proteins. Some of these, known as CRIB (for Cdc42/Rac interactive-binding) proteins, bind to both Cdc42 and Rac, such as the PAK1-3 serine/threonine kinases, whereas others are specific for Cdc42, such as the ACK tyrosine kinases and the Wiscott-Aldrich-syndrome proteins (WASPs). The effector loop of Cdc42 and Rac (comprising residues 30-40, also called switch I), is one of two regions which change conformation on exchange of GDP for GTP. This region is almost identical in Cdc42 and Racs, indicating that it does not determine the specificity of these G proteins. Here we report the solution structure of the complex of Cdc42 with the GTPase-binding domain ofACK. Both proteins undergo significant conformational changes on binding, to form a new type of G-protein/effector complex. The interaction extends the beta-sheet in Cdc42 by binding an extended strand from ACK, as seen in Ras/effector interactions, but it also involves other regions of the G protein that are important for determining the specificity of effector binding.     

Translocation of lipid-linked oligosaccharides across the ER membrane requires Rft1 protein.

N-linked glycosylation of proteins in eukaryotic cells follows a highly conserved pathway. The tetradecasaccharide substrate (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2) is first assembled at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as a dolichylpyrophosphate (Dol-PP)-linked intermediate, and then transferred to nascent polypeptide chains in the lumen of the ER. The assembly of the oligosaccharide starts on the cytoplasmic side of the ER membrane with the synthesis of a Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol intermediate. This lipid-linked intermediate is then translocated across the membrane so that the oligosaccharides face the lumen of the ER, where the biosynthesis of Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-PP-Dol continues to completion. The fully assembled oligosaccharide is transferred to selected asparagine residues of target proteins. The transmembrane movement of lipid-linked Man5GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide is of fundamental importance in this biosynthetic pathway, and similar processes involving phospholipids and glycolipids are essential in all types of cells. The process is predicted to be catalysed by proteins, termed flippases, which to date have remained elusive. Here we provide evidence that yeast RFT1 encodes an evolutionarily conserved protein required for the translocation of Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol from the cytoplasmic to the lumenal leaflet of the ER membrane.     

A T3-like protein complex associated with the antigen receptor on murine T cells

Antigen recognition by human T lymphocytes and initiation of T-cell activation are mediated by a group of integral membrane proteins, the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) and the T3 complex. The polypeptides which comprise T3 (a gamma-chain of relative molecular mass (Mr) 25,000 (25K), and delta and epsilon chains of 20K each) are physically associated with the TCR chains. Surface expression of the complex requires the presence of all the component T3 and TCR proteins. In contrast to the human system, murine T3 has not been identified using antibodies. Here we describe a murine T3-like protein complex. It appears to be more complicated than human T3, containing three monomeric glycoproteins (21-28K), two of which have N-linked carbohydrate side chains and a novel family of TCR-associated homo- and heterodimers. The 28K protein is identified as the murine T3 delta-chain. The 21K protein is phosphorylated on cell activation with concanavalin A (Con A).     

依那西普抗体的活性结构保护

采用Gromacs软件,利用分子动力学模拟方法,研究了在真空干燥及水溶液环境下,抗体蛋白药物依那西普在不同保护剂体系中分子结构的稳定性。通过分析依那西普的结构变化以及抗体蛋白与保护剂之间的相互作用,采用单因素方差法,给出了不同保护体系与抗体蛋白之间的差异。结果表明,海藻糖–甘露醇复合保护体系和蔗糖–甘露醇复合保护体系对抗体蛋白的稳定效果明显优于海藻糖单一保护体系,其中海藻糖–甘露醇复合保护体系对依那西普抗体蛋白活性结构的保护效果最好。这说明不同的小分子保护剂可以协同保护蛋白药物的活性结构,溶剂化环境对于抗体蛋白的稳定性具有显著影响,而真空冷冻干燥可以提高其结构的稳定性。     

Basis for recognition of cisplatin-modified DNA by high-mobility-group proteins.

The anticancer activity of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin) arises from its ability to damage DNA, with the major adducts formed being intrastrand d(GpG) and d(ApG) crosslinks. These crosslinks bend and unwind the duplex, and the altered structure attracts high-mobility-group domain (HMG) and other proteins. This binding of HMG-domain proteins to cisplatin-modified DNA has been postulated to mediate the antitumour properties of the drug. Many HMG-domain proteins recognize altered DNA structures such as four-way junctions and cisplatin-modified DNA, but until now the molecular basis for this recognition was unknown. Here we describe mutagenesis, hydroxyl-radical footprinting and X-ray studies that elucidate the structure of a 1:1 cisplatin-modified DNA/HMG-domain complex. Domain A of the structure-specific HMG-domain protein HMG1 binds to the widened minor groove of a 16-base-pair DNA duplex containing a site-specific cis-[Pt(NH3)2[d(GpG)-N7(1),-N7(2)]] adduct. The DNA is strongly kinked at a hydrophobic notch created at the platinum-DNA crosslink and protein binding extends exclusively to the 3' side of the platinated strand. A phenylalanine residue at position 37 intercalates into a hydrophobic notch created at the platinum crosslinked d(GpG) site and binding of the domain is dramatically reduced in a mutant in which alanine is substituted for phenylalanine at this position.