Structure of eEF3 and the mechanism of transfer RNA release from the E-site

Elongation factor eEF3 is an ATPase that, in addition to the two canonical factors eEF1A and eEF2, serves an essential function in the translation cycle of fungi. eEF3 is required for the binding of the aminoacyl-tRNA-eEF1A-GTP ternary complex to the ribosomal A-site and has been suggested to facilitate the clearance of deacyl-tRNA from the E-site. Here we present the crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae eEF3, showing that it consists of an amino-terminal HEAT repeat domain, followed by a four-helix bundle and two ABC-type ATPase domains, with a chromodomain inserted in ABC2. Moreover, we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the ATP-bound form of eEF3 in complex with the post-translocational-state 80S ribosome from yeast. eEF3 uses an entirely new factor binding site near the ribosomal E-site, with the chromodomain likely to stabilize the ribosomal L1 stalk in an open conformation, thus allowing tRNA release.     

盐生杜氏藻和衣藻双结构域NAD+-GPD基因的生物信息学分析

盐生杜氏藻（Dunaliella salina）是极端耐盐的单细胞真核绿藻,依赖于NAD的3－磷酸甘油脱氢酶（NAD+-GPD）是盐生杜氏藻调渗物质——甘油合成的关键酶.盐生杜氏藻NAD+-GPD基因是第一个被发现含双结构域（SerB和GPD）的GPD基因.而双结构域可能是盐生杜氏藻具有极强耐盐性和快速合成甘油的关键.通过与莱茵衣藻基因组数据库比对,发现莱茵衣藻（Chlamydomonas reinhardtii）中也存在具有SerB和GPD结构域的NAD+-GPD基因序列.在对两个物种NAD+-GPD基因的基因结构、mRNA组成成分、编码蛋白及其理化性质和编码蛋白结构的分析中,发现二者具有较高的相似性.针对目前仅在盐藻和衣藻中发现含SerB和GPD结构域的NAD+-GPD基因这一现象,分别对SerB和GPD结构域同源基因的系统进化进行了分析.     

NMDA receptor blockade at rest triggers rapid behavioural antidepressant responses

Clinical studies consistently demonstrate that a single sub-psychomimetic dose of ketamine, an ionotropic glutamatergic NMDAR (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) antagonist, produces fast-acting antidepressant responses in patients suffering from major depressive disorder, although the underlying mechanism is unclear. Depressed patients report the alleviation of major depressive disorder symptoms within two hours of a single, low-dose intravenous infusion of ketamine, with effects lasting up to two weeks, unlike traditional antidepressants (serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), which take weeks to reach efficacy. This delay is a major drawback to current therapies for major depressive disorder and faster-acting antidepressants are needed, particularly for suicide-risk patients. The ability of ketamine to produce rapidly acting, long-lasting antidepressant responses in depressed patients provides a unique opportunity to investigate underlying cellular mechanisms. Here we show that ketamine and other NMDAR antagonists produce fast-acting behavioural antidepressant-like effects in mouse models, and that these effects depend on the rapid synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. We find that the ketamine-mediated blockade of NMDAR at rest deactivates eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) kinase (also called CaMKIII), resulting in reduced eEF2 phosphorylation and de-suppression of translation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Furthermore, we find that inhibitors of eEF2 kinase induce fast-acting behavioural antidepressant-like effects. Our findings indicate that the regulation of protein synthesis by spontaneous neurotransmission may serve as a viable therapeutic target for the development of fast-acting antidepressants.     

X-ray study of the lithium complex of NAD.

The Li+-NAD+ complex exists as a 'dimer' of two molecules arranged head-to-tail with Li+ coordinated tetrahedrally to adenine N(7) and three pyrophosphate oxygens. Adenine is stacked intermolecularly on nicotinamide. The conformation of NAD+ is 'extended' and similar to that found in holoenzyme complexes. This is in contrast to the 'folded' structure proposed from spectroscopic studies.     

Activation of Ca2+ entry into acinar cells by a non-phosphorylatable inositol trisphosphate.

In many cell types, receptor activation of phosphoinositidase C results in an initial release of intracellular Ca2+ stores followed by sustained Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is the mediator of the initial Ca2+ release, although its role in the mechanism underlying Ca2+ entry remains controversial. We have now used two techniques to introduce inositol phosphates into mouse lacrimal acinar cells and measure their effects on Ca2+ entry: microinjection into cells loaded with Fura-2, a fluorescent dye which allows the measurement of intracellular free calcium concentration by microspectrofluorimetry, and perfusion of patch clamp pipettes in the whole-cell configuration while monitoring the activity of Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels as an indicator of intracellular Ca2+. We report here that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate serves as a signal that is both necessary and sufficient for receptor activation of Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane in these cells.     

核酸的分子静电势（Ⅱ）──阳离子屏蔽对B－DNA静电势的影响

本文讨论了Ｂ－ＤＮＡ双螺旋中磷酸根受Ｎａ、ＣＨ３ＮＨ３、Ｍｇ２＋等阳离子屏蔽时，对其分子防电势所产生的影响．将这些因离于屏蔽Ｂ－ＤＮＡ而引起的嘧啶、嘌呤碱基的亲电位置上势极小值的影响进行了比较．通过与未受屏蔽的情况的对比，发现阳离子的屏蔽可影响势极小值．     

The voltage dependence of NADPH oxidase reveals why phagocytes need proton channels

The enzyme NADPH oxidase in phagocytes is important in the body's defence against microbes: it produces superoxide anions (O2-, precursors to bactericidal reactive oxygen species). Electrons move from intracellular NADPH, across a chain comprising FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) and two haems, to reduce extracellular O2 to O2-. NADPH oxidase is electrogenic, generating electron current (I(e)) that is measurable under voltage-clamp conditions. Here we report the complete current-voltage relationship of NADPH oxidase, the first such measurement of a plasma membrane electron transporter. We find that I(e) is voltage-independent from -100 mV to >0 mV, but is steeply inhibited by further depolarization, and is abolished at about +190 mV. It was proposed that H+ efflux mediated by voltage-gated proton channels compensates I(e), because Zn2+ and Cd2+ inhibit both H+ currents and O2- production. Here we show that COS-7 cells transfected with four NADPH oxidase components, but lacking H+ channels, produce O2- in the presence of Zn2+ concentrations that inhibit O2- production in neutrophils and eosinophils. Zn2+ does not inhibit NADPH oxidase directly, but through effects on H+ channels. H+ channels optimize NADPH oxidase function by preventing membrane depolarization to inhibitory voltages.     

Activation of two signal-transduction systems in hepatocytes by glucagon

The ability of glucagon to stimulate glycogen breakdown in liver played a key part in the classic identification of cyclic AMP and hormonally stimulated adenylate cyclase. But several observations indicate that glucagon can exert effects independent of elevating intracellular cAMP concentrations. These effects are probably mediated by an elevation of the intracellular concentration of free Ca2+ although the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. We show here that glucagon, at the low concentrations found physiologically, causes both a breakdown of inositol phospholipids and the production of inositol phosphates. Indeed, we show that the glucagon analogue, (1-N-alpha-trinitrophenylhistidine,12-homoarginine)glucagon (TH-glucagon), which does not activate adenylate cyclase or cause any increase in cAMP in hepatocytes yet can fully stimulate glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis and urea synthesis, stimulates the production of inositol phosphates. This stimulation of inositol phospholipid metabolism by low concentrations of glucagon provides a mechanism whereby glucagon can exert cAMP-independent actions on target cells. We suggest that hepatocytes possess two distinct receptors for glucagon, a GR-1 receptor coupled to stimulate inositol phospholipid breakdown and a GR-2 receptor coupled to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity.     

Compartmentalization of sickle-cell calcium in endocytic inside-out vesicles

Much recent interest in the mechanism of dehydration of the dense subpopulation of sickle-cell anaemia (SS) red cells, including the 'irreversibly sickled cells' (ISCs), stems from the view that these relatively rigid cells have a major role in the two main clinical features of the disease, namely haemolytic anaemia and microvascular occlusion. The discovery that SS red cells have an elevated calcium content and accumulate Ca2+ during deoxygenation-induced sickling suggested a working hypothesis of wide appeal for the mechanism of cell dehydration: retained calcium would activate the red cell Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels, causing progressive net loss of KCl and water. However, retained calcium, which seemed as weakly bound to cytoplasmic buffers as in normal red cells, failed to show any measurable activation of K+ channels or Ca2+ pumps in metabolically normal SS cells, despite the apparent functional normality or near-normality of these transport systems. We now offer a possible explanation for this failure. We show that, contrary to the traditional views, SS cells, and to a lesser extent normal human red cells, possess intracellular vesicles with ATP-dependent Ca2+-accumulating capacity, and that nearly all the measurable calcium of fresh SS cells is contained within such vesicles, probably in the form of precipitates with inorganic or organic phosphates.     

A candidate NAD+ transporter in an intracellular bacterial symbiont related to Chlamydiae

Bacteria living within eukaryotic cells can be essential for the survival or reproduction of the host but in other cases are among the most successful pathogens. Environmental Chlamydiae, including strain UWE25, thrive as obligate intracellular symbionts within protozoa; are recently discovered relatives of major bacterial pathogens of humans; and also infect human cells. Genome analysis of UWE25 predicted that this symbiont is unable to synthesize the universal electron carrier nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Compensation of limited biosynthetic capacity in intracellular bacteria is usually achieved by import of primary metabolites. Here, we report the identification of a candidate transporter protein from UWE25 that is highly specific for import of NAD+ when synthesized heterologously in Escherichia coli. The discovery of this candidate NAD+/ADP exchanger demonstrates that intact NAD+ molecules can be transported through cytoplasmic membranes. This protein acts together with a newly discovered nucleotide transporter and an ATP/ADP translocase, and allows UWE25 to exploit its host cell by means of a sophisticated metabolic parasitism.     

Alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes linked to different mechanisms for increasing intracellular Ca2+ in smooth muscle

Receptor-mediated increases in intracellular Ca2+ levels can be caused by release from intracellular organelles and/or influx from the extracellular fluid. Noradrenaline (NA) released from sympathetic nerves acts on alpha 1-adrenoceptors to increase cytosolic Ca2+ and promote smooth muscle contraction. In many cells activation of alpha 1-adrenoceptors causes formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate which promotes Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. The mechanism by which receptor activation opens cell surface Ca2+ channels is not known, although in some cases it may be secondary to formation of inositol phosphates or release of stored intracellular Ca2+ (ref. 3). However, alpha 1-adrenoceptors have recently been shown to have different pharmacological properties in different tissues, and it has been proposed that different alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes may control mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and gating of extracellular Ca2+ influx. We here report evidence for two subtypes of alpha 1-adrenoceptors which cause contractile responses through different molecular mechanisms. One subtype stimulates inositol phosphate (InsP) formation and causes contractions which are independent of extracellular Ca2+, and the other does not stimulate inositol phosphate formation and causes contractions which require the influx of extracellular Ca2+ through dihydropyridine-sensitive channels. These results suggest that neurotransmitters and hormones may control Ca2+ release from intracellular stores and influx through voltage-gated membrane channels through distinct receptor subtypes.     

Hydrogen isotope geochemistry of lherzolitic shergottite in Martian meteorite GRV99027 from the Grove Mountains in Antarctica

Whether life vestige existed in Martian meteorites or not has provoked a hot tide toward Mars exploration. Among the other things, whether water existed in Marsor not again becomes a hot point of contemporary sci- entific exploration. Analyzing the hydrog…     

A saturable receptor for 32P-inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate in hepatocytes and neutrophils

Several receptors for neurotransmitters, hormones and growth factors cause accelerated phosphodiesteratic breakdown of polyphosphoinositides when activated. One of the soluble products of this reaction, inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3) is thought to act as a second messenger signalling the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. In support of this hypothesis, several studies have shown that Ins(1,4,5)P3 releases sequestered Ca2+ from permeable cells and microsomes. On the basis of certain structural requirements for Ca2+-releasing activity by inositol phosphates, it has been postulated that Ins(1,4,5)P3 acts by binding to a specific intracellular receptor, probably on a component of the endoplasmic reticulum. Here we report that 32P-Ins(1,4,5)P3 binds to a specific saturable site in permeabilized guinea pig hepatocytes and rabbit neutrophils, and that the properties of this binding site suggest that it is the physiological receptor for Ins(1,4,5)P3.     

An electrochemical and Raman spectroscopic study on involvement of La3+ ions in lactate dehydrogenase catalysis

The influence of La 3+ on lactate dehydrogenase catalysis was investigated by electrochemical and FT-Raman techniques. The results showed that La 3+ ions bind preferably with phosphate moiety and ribose group (3′-OH) connected to nicotinamide in coenzyme NAD +/NADH, destabilize the enzyme-coenzyme complex and inhibit LDH activity.     

1,3-丙二醇脱氢酶三级结构的模建

利用生物大分子数据库及生物信息学技术,对来源于Klebsiella pneumoniae的1,3-丙二醇脱氢酶分子进行二级结构预测、多序列联配．实验发现,其具有较保守的铁离子结合位点,而未发现常见的NAD(H)结合位点．在此基础上,利用同源建模法和穿线法模建该酶的三级结构,进一步发现铁离子结合位点在空间上形成一口袋状结构．探讨对其作用机制,同时发现该序列中存在2个含铁元素的乙醇脱氢酶信号．     

NADH氧化酶的研究进展

NADH氧化酶是一类催化NADH氧化为NAD+并消耗氧气的氧化还原酶,因其能够再生NAD+而成为人工调控微生物代谢流向的重要调控酶.文中综述了NADH氧化酶的分类、理化性质、反应机制,并分析NADH氧化酶清除细胞内氧毒性、介入细胞代谢过程,以及调节细胞生理和代谢等重要的生理功能.     

基于事件树法的高校学生宿舍电器火灾分析

本文以高校学生在宿舍使用电器作为初始事件,运用事件树构建的原理及分枝概率的计算方法对高校学生宿舍火灾问题进行探讨,并提出相关对策。本文利用事件树方法按照事件的发展顺序来分析问题,简单直观,结果与实际相符,具有较强实用性。     

TOP mRNA及其5＇TOP序列的基因表达调控作用

TOP mRNA是以胞嘧啶为起始,紧接5～15个聚嘧啶序列的一类mRNA。它在脊椎动物细胞mRNA中占很大比重,是一类与编码核糖体蛋白、翻译延伸因子和起始因子等翻译元件相关的mRNA,其5＇TOP序列对细胞生长、分化、发育具有重要作用。目前的研究发现此类mRNA的表达受到mTOR信号转导路径的调控。并且它们可能通过与La或CNBP等反式作用因子的作用调控基因表达。     

拉西地平防治SD大鼠慢性常压缺氧性肺动脉高压

目的：探讨拉西地平（Lacidipine,La)防治慢性缺氧性肺动脉高压（CHPH）的效果和机制，方法：（1）建立SD大鼠CHPH模型，分单纯缺氧（H）组9只，缺氧中拉西增平（H＋La)组7只，另设正常对照（N）组9只及（N＋La)组5只，（2）于3周末对比观测各组大鼠的肺动脉平均压（mPAP)及肺组织病理；用原位杂交法检测肺血管平滑肌细胞（PVSMC）内内皮素A受体信使核糖核酸（ETA－R mRNA)表达水平，结果：拉西地平能有效阻抑缺氧所致mPAP升高及相应病理解剖变化，能抑制缺氧大鼠PVSMC内ETA－R mRNA的表达，结论：拉西地平能有效防治SD大鼠CHPH，La抑制H大鼠PVSMC内ETA－R mRNA的表达是其防治CHPH的重要机制。