A RING-type ubiquitin ligase family member required to repress follicular helper T cells and autoimmunity

Despite the sequencing of the human and mouse genomes, few genetic mechanisms for protecting against autoimmune disease are currently known. Here we systematically screen the mouse genome for autoimmune regulators to isolate a mouse strain, sanroque, with severe autoimmune disease resulting from a single recessive defect in a previously unknown mechanism for repressing antibody responses to self. The sanroque mutation acts within mature T cells to cause formation of excessive numbers of follicular helper T cells and germinal centres. The mutation disrupts a repressor of ICOS, an essential co-stimulatory receptor for follicular T cells, and results in excessive production of the cytokine interleukin-21. sanroque mice fail to repress diabetes-causing T cells, and develop high titres of autoantibodies and a pattern of pathology consistent with lupus. The causative mutation is in a gene of previously unknown function, roquin (Rc3h1), which encodes a highly conserved member of the RING-type ubiquitin ligase protein family. The Roquin protein is distinguished by the presence of a CCCH zinc-finger found in RNA-binding proteins, and localization to cytosolic RNA granules implicated in regulating messenger RNA translation and stability.     

同源模建法建立和检验人类新基因ZNF191锌指基序的三维构象

以实验室自行克隆的新基因ＺＮＦ１９１顺序为材料，按三联体密友转换出锌指基因编码的４个锌指结构域ＮＦ１９１ａ，ｂ，ｃ和ｄ的蛋白质一级顺序，并将它们与已用晶体衍射法确证了空间构象的７个Ｃｙｓ２Ｈｉｓ２（Ｃ２Ｈ２）型锌指进行同源比较，从中发现锌指７ＺＮＦ和１ＺＮＦ的一级结构与待检验的锌指顺序同源高且间隙较小。     

虎纹蛙病毒的ATP酶基因克隆和序列分析

利用对应于蛙病毒—3型(FV3）ATP酶基因(ATPase)的162—178nt和1186—1174ntt碱基序列作为引物，采用PCR方法扩增得到虎纹蛙病毒(RTV)的ATP酶基因，并对该基因进行克隆、测序和分析。基因读码框大小为945hp，预计可编码一相对分子质量为35500的蛋白质。氨基酸序列比较结果，RTV的ATPase基因与虹彩病毒科蛙病毒属的代表种FV3的一致性最高，为87．9％，与该科其它脊椎动物病毒的一致性在50％-52％之间。ATP酶蛋白质结构域分析可知该基因编码的ATP酶含有Walker型ATP酶AAA族蛋白质的全部结构域，其中既具有Walker型ATP酶所具有的Walker a和Walker b保守区，还含有AAA族蛋白质基因所具有的SRH高度保守区，因此，该基因是一完整的活性蛋白编码基因。     

Drosophila genes Posterior Sex Combs and Suppressor two of zeste encode proteins with homology to the murine bmi-1 oncogene.

The Polycomb group (Pc-G) genes are needed to maintain expression patterns of the homeotic selector genes of the Antennapedia (Antp-C) and bithorax (bx-C) complexes, and hence for the maintenance of segmental determination. We report the predicted protein sequence of the Pc-G gene Posterior Sex Combs (Psc), and of the neighbouring and related gene Suppressor two of zeste (Su(z)2). Both genes encode large proteins that contain a 200 amino-acid domain identical over 37.4% that is also conserved in the murine oncogene bmi-1. At the amino terminus of this domain is a cysteine-rich sequence that has been proposed as a novel type of zinc finger.     

Cloning and functional analysis of the sequences flanking mini-Tn5 in the magnetosome-deleted mutant NM21 of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1

A magnetosome-deleted mutant NM21 of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 was generated by mini-Tn5 lacZ2 transposon mutagenesis, and a 3073-bp fragment flanking mini-Tn5 lacZ2 in NM21 was cloned by Anchored PCR. Sequencing analysis showed that this fragment involved three putative ORFs; the mini-Tn5 lacZ2 was inserted into ORF1. Functional complementary test indicated that the 3073-bp fragment was required for biosynthesis of magnetosomes in M. gryphiswaldense MSR-1. The majority of proteins, which had homology with the protein encoded by ORF1, were the cation transporter. Transmembrane domain analysis showed that the protein encoded by ORF1 contained four transmembrane domains. It may be a transmembrane protein. The protein encoded by ORF1 contained two putative conserved domains: COG0053 and PRK09509. The MMT1 and FieF, containing conserved domains COG0053 and PRK09509 too, were Fe²⁺ transporter (cation diffusion facilitator superfamily). It was suggested that the protein encoded by ORF1 might take part in the magnetosomes biosynthesis as Fe²⁺ transporter. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30570023) and Scientific Research Project of Huaibei City, Anhui Province (Grant No. 070114)     

New yeast actin-like gene required late in the cell cycle.

Actin, a major cytoskeletal component of all eukaryotic cells, is one of the most highly conserved proteins. It is involved in various cellular processes such as motility, cytoplasmic streaming, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. The actin from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, encoded by the essential ACT1 gene, is 89% identical to mouse cytoplasmic actin and is involved in the organization and polarized growth of the cell surface. We report here the characterization of ACT2, a previously undescribed yeast split gene encoding a putative protein (391 amino acids, relative molecular mass (Mr) 44,073) that is 47% identical to yeast actin. The requirement of the ACT2 gene for vegetative growth of yeast cells and the existence of related genes in other eukaryotes indicate an important and conserved role for these actin-like proteins. Superimposition of the Act2 polypeptide onto the three-dimensional structure of known actins reveals that most of the divergence occurred in loops involved in actin polymerization, DNase I and myosin binding, leaving the core domain mainly unaffected. To our knowledge, the Act2 protein from S. cerevisiae is the first highly divergent actin molecule described. Structural and physiological data suggest that the Act2 protein might have an important role in cytoskeletal reorganization during the cell cycle.     

Structure and conserved RNA binding of the PAZ domain

The discovery of RNA-mediated gene-silencing pathways, including RNA interference, highlights a fundamental role of short RNAs in eukaryotic gene regulation and antiviral defence. Members of the Dicer and Argonaute protein families are essential components of these RNA-silencing pathways. Notably, these two families possess an evolutionarily conserved PAZ (Piwi/Argonaute/Zwille) domain whose biochemical function is unknown. Here we report the nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure of the PAZ domain from Drosophila melanogaster Argonaute 1 (Ago1). The structure consists of a left-handed, six-stranded beta-barrel capped at one end by two alpha-helices and wrapped on one side by a distinctive appendage, which comprises a long beta-hairpin and a short alpha-helix. Using structural and biochemical analyses, we demonstrate that the PAZ domain binds a 5-nucleotide RNA with 1:1 stoichiometry. We map the RNA-binding surface to the open face of the beta-barrel, which contains amino acids conserved within the PAZ domain family, and we define the 5'-to-3' orientation of single-stranded RNA bound within that site. Furthermore, we show that PAZ domains from different human Argonaute proteins also bind RNA, establishing a conserved function for this domain.     

Integrative genomics identifies MCU as an essential component of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter

Mitochondria from diverse organisms are capable of transporting large amounts of Ca(2+) via a ruthenium-red-sensitive, membrane-potential-dependent mechanism called the uniporter. Although the uniporter's biophysical properties have been studied extensively, its molecular composition remains elusive. We recently used comparative proteomics to identify MICU1 (also known as CBARA1), an EF-hand-containing protein that serves as a putative regulator of the uniporter. Here, we use whole-genome phylogenetic profiling, genome-wide RNA co-expression analysis and organelle-wide protein coexpression analysis to predict proteins functionally related to MICU1. All three methods converge on a novel predicted transmembrane protein, CCDC109A, that we now call 'mitochondrial calcium uniporter' (MCU). MCU forms oligomers in the mitochondrial inner membrane, physically interacts with MICU1, and resides within a large molecular weight complex. Silencing MCU in cultured cells or in vivo in mouse liver severely abrogates mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake, whereas mitochondrial respiration and membrane potential remain fully intact. MCU has two predicted transmembrane helices, which are separated by a highly conserved linker facing the intermembrane space. Acidic residues in this linker are required for its full activity. However, an S259A point mutation retains function but confers resistance to Ru360, the most potent inhibitor of the uniporter. Our genomic, physiological, biochemical and pharmacological data firmly establish MCU as an essential component of the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter.     

锌指结构基因HKR1在脑胶质瘤中的表达分析

从人胎脑cDNA文库中筛选到2612nt的锌指蛋白HKR1克隆,C端含有10个C2H2锌指结构,N端含有2个KRAB区域,基因芯片的原位杂交检测显示,HKR1基因表达在脑胶质瘤中明显升高,提示该基因可能是一条潜在的肿瘤相关基因。     

平颏海蛇CRVP基因全长cDNA片段的克隆和序列分析

通过对平颏海蛇毒腺cDNA文库的随机测序和PCR筛选,克隆得到两种分别长为1309和1307bp的编码半胱氨酸丰富毒蛋白（cysteine-rich venom protein,CRVP）的全长cDNA序列。这两种crvp基因同源性为97％,分别编码238和199个氨基酸残基,其中包括一段相同的由19个氨基酸残基组成的信号肽。氨基酸序列分析表明,这两种CRVP蛋白与蜥蜴helothermine毒素蛋白以及台湾饭铲倩CRVP毒蛋白高度同源,而且具有半胱氨酸丰富分泌蛋白（cysteine-rich secretory protein,CRISP)家族的典型结构特征。     

菠菜SoSWEET蛋白家族基因鉴定与表达分析

以现有菠菜基因组信息为基础,通过生物信息学方法筛选鉴定16个菠菜SoSWEET蛋白家族成员,命名为SoSWEET1~SoSWEET16.氨基酸残基数量在648~1 140之间,分子质量在54 070.32~95 868.64 u之间,理论等电点（pI）在5.06~5.19之间.亚细胞定位预测有6个SoSWEET蛋白定位于细胞膜,5个SoSWEET蛋白定位于内质网,5个SoSWEET蛋白定位于细胞膜、内质网.系统进化分析将菠菜SoSWEET蛋白家族分成4个亚族,在此基础上对基因结构、保守基序、顺式作用调控元件等进行分析.共鉴定了10个高度保守基序,其中所有菠菜SoSWEET蛋白都包含基序1,2和4,是构成菠菜SoSWEET蛋白中最高度保守的部分.所有菠菜SoSWEET蛋白家族成员都含MtN3_slv和PQ-loop superfamily结构域.大多数SoSWEET蛋白家族的基因含有5个内含子.顺式作用元件预测结果表明,菠菜SoSWEET基因启动子上包含光响应、生长发育、植物激素响应和逆境胁迫响应等顺式作用元件.组织表达分析表明,所有SoSWEET基因在根、茎、叶和叶柄中都有表达,霜霉病胁迫处理后16个基因表现出不同响应变化.本研究为后续深入研究菠菜SoSWEET蛋白家族成员的功能提供了重要参考.     

干扰素诱导的IFI-200蛋白家族研究进展

IFI-200蛋白家族是一组高度保守的干扰素诱导蛋白,家族中的每个成员其C-末端含有一个或几个特征性200氨基酸结构域.到目前为止,已发现有10个IFI-200蛋白家族成员,其中6个成员来源于小鼠,包括p202a、p202b、p203、p204、p205和p206,另外4个成员来源于人体,分别是IFI16、MNDA、AI M2和IFIX.IFI-200蛋白家族成员已知参与细胞生长、细胞衰老、细胞分化及细胞死亡的调控.但是,最近愈来愈多的证据显示IFI-200家族成员在人类肿瘤及自身免疫疾病中起作用.