Biological and chemical diversity of cytotoxin-producing symbiotic marine fungi in intertidal zone of Dalian

In this study, the biological and chemical diversity of 8 symbiotic marine fungal strains, with strong cytotoxicity against brine shrimp larvae, were investigated by nucleotide sequencing, morphology and cluster analysis of HPTLC fingerprint. These strains were identified by ITS rDNA sequencing, phylogenic analysis, and morphology to be Hypocrea lixii, Chaetomium globosum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Asp. clavatus and Alternaria sp. Their differences in secondary metabolites were shown by cluster analysis of digitalized colors of HPTLC spots, a newly developed method, which produced a similar dendrogram with that of ITS cluster analysis. Furthermore, this method can fully display intraspecific differences and even the remarkable difference in Aspergillus strains which goes beyond the boundary between genera. Their biological-chemical diversity may be the basis of their potent cytotoxicity and implies their potential in producing diversified antitumor or pesticidal constituents.     

Characterization of a PDR type ABC transporter gene from wheat （Triticum aestivum L.）

DON, as a virulence factor, plays an important role in the infection of Fusarium graminearum in wheat. The infection ability of F. graminearum depends on its capacity of producing DON. The production of DON by F. graminearum is significantly decreased in the wheat varieties with scab resistance. In this study, GeneChip analysis indicated that an EST encoding an ATP-binding cassette （ABC） transporter was up-regulated by 45 times in a wheat landrace Wangshuibai, which is resistant to DON accumulation. A pair of EST-derived primers were designed based on the EST sequence, and a clone was then isolated from a wheat genomic DNA TAC library. The TAC clone was sequenced using chromosome walking and gene prediction was conducted using Softberry. A cDNA clone of this gene was subsequently isolated from Wangshuibai induced by DON using gene-specific primers designed according to the untranslated sequence of the gene. The genome size of the gene is 7377 bp, consisting of 19 exons with coding sequences of 4308 bp. It encodes a protein with 1435 amino acid residues and the calculated molecular weight is about 161 kD. BLAST analysis indicated that the gene may belong to pleiotropic drug resistance （PDR） sub-family, and hence designated as TaPDR1 （Triticum aestivum pleiotropic drug resistance）. TaPDR1 was located on chromosome 5A of wheat using nullisomic-tetrasomic lines of Chinese Spring. TaPDR1 was up-regulated by induction of both DON and F. graminearum. Expression patterns of TaPDR1 were different in wild-type Wangshuibai and the fast-neutron induced Wangshuibai mutant lacking FHB1, a major QTL of FHB resistance and DON resistance in chromosome arm 3BS. These results suggested that TaPDR1 might be a candidate gene responsible for DON accumulation resistance. The expression profile showed that TaPDR1 expression was neither induced by hormones typically involved in biotic stress, such as JA and SA, nor by abiotic stresses, such as heat, cold, wounding and NaCI. However, TaPDR1 expression was regulated by Al^3＋ and [Ca^2＋], indicating that [Ca^2＋]1 might mediate the signal of TaPDR1 expression.     

Structure of a glutamate transporter homologue from Pyrococcus horikoshii

Glutamate transporters are integral membrane proteins that catalyse the concentrative uptake of glutamate from the synapse to intracellular spaces by harnessing pre-existing ion gradients. In the central nervous system glutamate transporters are essential for normal development and function, and are implicated in stroke, epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases. Here we present the crystal structure of a eukaryotic glutamate transporter homologue from Pyrococcus horikoshii. The transporter is a bowl-shaped trimer with a solvent-filled extracellular basin extending halfway across the membrane bilayer. At the bottom of the basin are three independent binding sites, each cradled by two helical hairpins, reaching from opposite sides of the membrane. We propose that transport of glutamate is achieved by movements of the hairpins that allow alternating access to either side of the membrane.     

Herpesvirus latency confers symbiotic protection from bacterial infection

All humans become infected with multiple herpesviruses during childhood. After clearance of acute infection, herpesviruses enter a dormant state known as latency. Latency persists for the life of the host and is presumed to be parasitic, as it leaves the individual at risk for subsequent viral reactivation and disease. Here we show that herpesvirus latency also confers a surprising benefit to the host. Mice latently infected with either murine gammaherpesvirus 68 or murine cytomegalovirus, which are genetically highly similar to the human pathogens Epstein-Barr virus and human cytomegalovirus, respectively, are resistant to infection with the bacterial pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia pestis. Latency-induced protection is not antigen specific but involves prolonged production of the antiviral cytokine interferon-gamma and systemic activation of macrophages. Latency thereby upregulates the basal activation state of innate immunity against subsequent infections. We speculate that herpesvirus latency may also sculpt the immune response to self and environmental antigens through establishment of a polarized cytokine environment. Thus, whereas the immune evasion capabilities and lifelong persistence of herpesviruses are commonly viewed as solely pathogenic, our data suggest that latency is a symbiotic relationship with immune benefits for the host.     

Cloning and expression of a functional serotonin transporter from rat brain

Selective antagonism of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) and noradrenaline transport by antidepressants is a key element in the 'amine' hypothesis of affective disorders. Uptake and/or transport sites of 5HT have been reported to be reduced in platelets of patients suffering from depression and in post-mortem brain samples of depressed patients and suicide victims. To date there has been little molecular information available on the structure and regulation of 5HT transporters. Using the polymerase chain reaction with degenerate oligonucleotides derived from two highly conserved regions of the transporters for noradrenaline and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), we have identified a large family of related gene products expressed in rodent brain. One of these products hybridizes to a single 3.7-kilobase RNA restricted to rat midbrain and brainstem, where it is highly enriched within the serotonergic raphe complex. Transfection with a single 2.3-kilobase brainstem complementary DNA clone is sufficient to confer expression of a Na(+)-dependent 5HT transporter upon nonneural cells, with transport selectively and potently antagonized by 5HT uptake-specific antidepressants, including paroxetine, citalopram and fluoxetine.     

嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌产生的几丁质酶的特性

从土壤中筛选出一株产几丁质酶的革兰氏阴性细菌,通过16S rDNA法对酶活力最高的菌株C进行鉴定,确定为嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌(S.maltophilia)菌株.通过单因素优化法和均匀设计法确定S.maltophilia产几丁质酶的最佳条件:在pH值为7.0的基础培养基中添加质量分数为1.0%的酵母膏、质量分数为0.5%的胶体几丁质,于180 r·min-1,30 ℃的摇床中培养60 h.对硫酸铵沉淀获得的粗酶进行酶学性质研究,结果表明,该几丁质酶的最适反应温度为50 ℃,最适反应pH值为7.2,在55 ℃以上的温度条件下容易失活.通过聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析,确定S.maltophilia几丁质酶的相对分子质量为6.8×103;以筛选的S.maltophilia菌株的总DNA为模板,利用聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增出几丁质酶DNA测序;应用生物信息学手段推导S.maltophilia几丁质酶为分泌型蛋白酶,预测其等电点pI值为5.42,相对分子质量为6.8×103(与实验纯化的酶蛋白电泳结果一致).预测该酶氨基酸序列具有信号肽区(氨基酸残基1～41)、Ⅲ型几丁质结合区(残基47～92)、多囊肾病域(107～194)、类纤维连接蛋白Ⅲ型区(Fn3,201～278)和18家族糖基水解域等5个结构功能区,5个区域被富含Ala,Gly,Pro,Ser和Thr的短序列连接起来;在第400～500个氨基酸残基间有一个螺旋结构.     

营造和谐共生的现代村落

西递2000年11月被联合国教科文组织列入世界文化遗产名录,为缓解世界文化遗产保护与村镇建设的矛盾,当地政府决定另择地建设西递新村.西递新村的规划不仅要面对新农村建设中的普遍问题,又要延续徽州古村落历史沉淀的淳朴美,力求将新村营造成一个既有传统聚落影子,又有全新理念的现代村落,实现新旧村落的和谐共生.     

Major fungal lineages are derived from lichen symbiotic ancestors.

About one-fifth of all known extant fungal species form obligate symbiotic associations with green algae, cyanobacteria or with both photobionts. These symbioses, known as lichens, are one way for fungi to meet their requirement for carbohydrates. Lichens are widely believed to have arisen independently on several occasions, accounting for the high diversity and mixed occurrence of lichenized and non-lichenized (42 and 58%, respectively) fungal species within the Ascomycota. Depending on the taxonomic classification chosen, 15-18 orders of the Ascomycota include lichen-forming taxa, and 8-11 of these orders (representing about 60% of the Ascomycota species) contain both lichenized and non-lichenized species. Here we report a phylogenetic comparative analysis of the Ascomycota, a phylum that includes greater than 98% of known lichenized fungal species. Using a Bayesian phylogenetic tree sampling methodology combined with a statistical model of trait evolution, we take into account uncertainty about the phylogenetic tree and ancestral state reconstructions. Our results show that lichens evolved earlier than believed, and that gains of lichenization have been infrequent during Ascomycota evolution, but have been followed by multiple independent losses of the lichen symbiosis. As a consequence, major Ascomycota lineages of exclusively non-lichen-forming species are derived from lichen-forming ancestors. These species include taxa with important benefits and detriments to humans, such as Penicillium and Aspergillus.     

交链孢菌中一种酸性糖蛋白的鉴定及功能分析

采用液氮研磨、离心、阴离子交换柱HitrapTMDEAE FF、分子筛柱Hitrap Superdex75/300等一系列分离纯化方法对细极链格胞(Aternaria tenuissima)水溶性酸性糖蛋白激发子进行了纯化。经SDS-PAGE、Native-PAGE检测,蛋白分子量约为66KDa;经全蛋白银染和糖蛋白染色试剂盒对其鉴定为糖蛋白。经蒽酮-硫酸法测定,糖与蛋白比例为1.75。经β-消去反应判定糖蛋白的连接类型为O-连接。生物活性测定表明,该蛋白可促进小麦种子的萌发和幼苗的生长。     

Crystal structure of a phosphorylation-coupled saccharide transporter

Saccharides have a central role in the nutrition of all living organisms. Whereas several saccharide uptake systems are shared between the different phylogenetic kingdoms, the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system exists almost exclusively in bacteria. This multi-component system includes an integral membrane protein EIIC that transports saccharides and assists in their phosphorylation. Here we present the crystal structure of an EIIC from Bacillus cereus that transports diacetylchitobiose. The EIIC is a homodimer, with an expansive interface formed between the amino-terminal halves of the two protomers. The carboxy-terminal half of each protomer has a large binding pocket that contains a diacetylchitobiose, which is occluded from both sides of the membrane with its site of phosphorylation near the conserved His250 and Glu334 residues. The structure shows the architecture of this important class of transporters, identifies the determinants of substrate binding and phosphorylation, and provides a framework for understanding the mechanism of sugar translocation.     

Identification of a mammalian mitochondrial porphyrin transporter

The movement of anionic porphyrins (for example, haem) across intracellular membranes is crucial to many biological processes, but their mitochondrial translocation and coordination with haem biosynthesis is not understood. Transport of porphyrins into isolated mitochondria is energy-dependent, as expected for the movement of anions into a negatively charged environment. ATP-binding cassette transporters actively facilitate the transmembrane movement of substances. We found that the mitochondrial ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCB6 is upregulated (messenger RNA and protein in human and mouse cells) by elevation of cellular porphyrins and postulated that ABCB6 has a function in porphyrin transport. We also predicted that ABCB6 is functionally linked to haem biosynthesis, because its mRNA is found in both human bone marrow and CD71+ early erythroid cells (by database searching), and because our results show that ABCB6 is highly expressed in human fetal liver, and Abcb6 in mouse embryonic liver. Here we demonstrate that ABCB6 is uniquely located in the outer mitochondrial membrane and is required for mitochondrial porphyrin uptake. After ABCB6 is upregulated in response to increased intracellular porphyrin, mitochondrial porphyrin uptake activates de novo porphyrin biosynthesis. This process is blocked when the Abcb6 gene is silenced. Our results challenge previous assumptions about the intracellular movement of porphyrins and the factors controlling haem biosynthesis.     

Structure of a bacterial multidrug ABC transporter

Multidrug transporters of the ABC family facilitate the export of diverse cytotoxic drugs across cell membranes. This is clinically relevant, as tumour cells may become resistant to agents used in chemotherapy. To understand the molecular basis of this process, we have determined the 3.0 A crystal structure of a bacterial ABC transporter (Sav1866) from Staphylococcus aureus. The homodimeric protein consists of 12 transmembrane helices in an arrangement that is consistent with cross-linking studies and electron microscopic imaging of the human multidrug resistance protein MDR1, but critically different from that reported for the bacterial lipid flippase MsbA. The observed, outward-facing conformation reflects the ATP-bound state, with the two nucleotide-binding domains in close contact and the two transmembrane domains forming a central cavity--presumably the drug translocation pathway--that is shielded from the inner leaflet of the lipid bilayer and from the cytoplasm, but exposed to the outer leaflet and the extracellular space.     

云南西部地区的捕食线虫真菌

 用诱饵平板法从云南西部海拔740～4200m地区的707份土样中共检测到捕食线虫真菌4个属,42种,其中未描述种1个(中甸隔指孢Dactylella zhongdianensis),新记录种2个:异形梗虫霉(Stylopage anomala)、原生单顶孢(Monacrosporium inquisitor).对土样的地理位置、海拔、生境类型的分析结果表明:少孢节丛孢(Arthrobotrys oligospora)是云南西部地区的优势种;在海拔1600～2500m的低山地带和亚热带低山长绿阔叶林中的捕食线虫真菌最为丰富.