泛素-蛋白酶体途径的组成及其生物功能

泛素-蛋白酶体途径(UPP)是20世纪70年代末期新发现的一种细胞内蛋白降解途径,在多种蛋白质降解中发挥重要作用,具有高度特异性。UPP介导的细胞蛋白降解是一个复杂、缜密的调控过程。UPP可识别、标记、进而降解那些被泛素化的蛋白质。它在抗原提呈、细胞周期、NF-kB代谢等方面发挥重要调控作用,而且UPP的异常与许多疾病如肿瘤、脓毒症、骨骼肌损伤等的致病机制有关。就UPP的组成、作用机制及其功能进行综述。     

2004年10月国内外重要科技新闻

●清华大学发育生物学实验室和分子细胞生物学实验室的科学家们在对斑马鱼的研究中发现了诱导脊椎动物胚胎中胚层生长的转化生长因子的新调控机制,其研究成果发表在10月1日出版的Science上。●2004年诺贝尔奖10月揭晓,美国科学家戴维·格罗斯、戴维·波利策和弗兰克·维尔切克3人因发现粒子物理的强相互作用理论中的“渐近自由”现象而获诺贝尔物理学奖,以色列科学家阿龙·西查诺瓦、阿弗拉姆·赫尔什科和美国科学家伊尔温·罗斯3人因发现泛素调节的蛋白质降解而获诺贝尔化学奖,美国科学家理查德·阿克塞尔和琳达·巴克2人因在人体气味受体…     

棉铃虫泛素基因的克隆及序列分析

泛素介导的泛素-蛋白酶体通路(Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway,UPP)是真核细胞内依赖ATP的非溶酶体蛋白质降解途径,该途径对细胞内蛋白的选择性降解起着重要作用.设计一对简并引物,从棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera卵巢细胞Ha831中克隆了泛素基因的编码区,GenBank登录号AY456195.序列分析表明,该编码区的长度为228bp,编码76个氨基酸、其编码蛋白的相对分子质量为8 560,等电点为6.56.同源性比较发现,棉铃虫泛素基因与其他真核生物泛素基因在氨基酸水平上具有96%以上的相似性,而与棉铃虫核多角体病毒泛素的相似性为76%,所有已知的泛素关键功能位点在该泛素蛋白中均保守存在.     

逆向思维结硕果

2004年诺贝尔化学奖授予以色列科学家阿龙·切哈诺沃(Aaron Ciechanover,1947-)、阿夫拉姆·赫什科(Avram Hershko,1937-)和美国科学家欧文·罗斯(Irwin Rose,1926-),以表彰他们发现了泛素调节的蛋白质降解.3位科学家的成功之道是逆向思维结出的丰硕成果.     

β-arrestin1/2抑制SphK1蛋白质表达研究

神经鞘氨醇激酶1(SphK1)在鞘脂类代谢中起关键作用.研究表明,SphK1在肝癌等多种肿瘤细胞中过度表达,促进肿瘤细胞生长与转移,而阻断SphK1促进肿瘤细胞凋亡.因此,SphK1可以作为肝癌治疗的潜在靶点,但到目前为止,SphK1蛋白质降解调控机制并不清楚.采用Western blot、RT-PCR和siRNA干扰等方法研究SphK1蛋白质降解机制,发现β-arrestin1/2可能通过泛素化途径促进SphK1蛋白质降解.蛋白酶体抑制剂MG132能明显上调外源性和内源性SphK1蛋白水平,过表达β-arrestin1/2显著下调人源胚胎肾细胞HEK293T细胞和人肝癌细胞HepG2细胞中SphK1蛋白水平,且呈剂量依赖性,MG132可以缓解β-arrestin1/2对SphK1的降解作用;β-arrestin1/2干扰片段处理后,HEK293与HepG2细胞内内源性SphK1蛋白表达显著升高.证明β-arrestin1/2可以通过蛋白质泛素化方式促进SphK1降解,这为设计SphK1特异性抑制剂提供理论依据.     

番茄SlSL1重组蛋白的表达、纯化及体外泛素化活性检测

泛素化作为真核生物细胞内普遍存在且极为关键的蛋白质翻译后修饰,可以使被修饰的蛋白质发生降解,在植物生长发育、胁迫应答等方面发挥着重要作用。泛素化降解需要通过E3泛素连接酶特异性识别靶蛋白并对其进行修饰,因此E3连接酶在泛素化途径中起着决定性的作用。文章通过克隆番茄SlSL1基因编码序列、构建原核重组表达质粒,并利用诱导表达、亲和吸附纯化SlSL1重组蛋白,以此进行SlSL1的体外泛素化活性检测。SDS-PAGE电泳和考马斯亮蓝染色结果显示,由所构建番茄SlSL1基因重组质粒纯化获得SlSL1蛋白;体外泛素化检测显示,SlSL1蛋白形成多聚化泛素条带,具有E3泛素连接酶活性,表明SlSL1可能在番茄的泛素化调控途径中发挥功能。     

D-box附近泛素化位点突变对Cdc20介导的Sp100蛋白降解的影响

前期的研究发现Cdc20介导Sp100通过泛素-蛋白酶体途径降解,Sp100中的D-box在底物识别过程中具有重要作用.尽管在PML和DAXX中都存在典型的D-box序列,但是这两种蛋白都不能被Cdc20所识别.本研究中,我们构建了一系列含D-box的Sp100截断体来探讨Cdc20底物识别的必要序列.研究发现GFP-Sp100(152-182)截断体包含D-box但是不能被APC/C-Cdc20降解.GFP-Sp100(151K→G)突变潜在泛素结合位点后,Sp100降解显著受到抑制.远离D-box的潜在泛素化位点(217K,219K,225K)破坏后对Sp100降解没有影响.我们的结果表明,Sp100蛋白中D-box附近泛素化位点(151K)在Cdc20介导的蛋白降解中是必要的.     

E3泛素连接酶Pellino蛋白的研究进展

Pellino蛋白是近年来新发现的一类E3泛素连接酶,通过靶蛋白泛素化介导蛋白降解、蛋白与蛋白的相互作用、蛋白质细胞定位以及信号传导.目前研究表明Pellino蛋白在固有免疫细胞和获得性免疫细胞中具有重要调控作用,与炎症和自身免疫密切相关.本文总结了近年来Pellino蛋白的表达与活性调控、介导的信号转导途径以及在免疫...     

利用酵母双杂交系统筛选油菜ATP6的相互作用因子

甘蓝型油菜波利马(Brassica napus pol.)细胞质雄性不育系是一种很有实用价值的油菜不育类型.目前关于其分子机制的研究已证实,线粒体ATP合成酶的一个亚基ATP6与其雄性不育相关.本实验以ATP6作为诱饵蛋白,应用酵母双杂交共转化的方法筛选与ATP6相互作用的蛋白质.在获得的阳性克隆中,发现了一个与拟南芥中未知基因AT3G47550所编码的蛋白质具有较高同源性的蛋白质.它含有RING HC的结构,可能在泛素-蛋白质降解途径与细胞质雄性不育间建立起了某种联系.     

Slimb通过泛素化降解hippo信号通路的辅转录因子Yki

Yki是hippo信号通路中主要的基因转录辅助因子,调节下游靶基因的表达。它在细胞生长分化、组织器官形成以及成体干细胞维持等方面都起着重要的作用。在果蝇中,Slimb是SCF E3泛素连接复合物中的亚基,具有底物专一性,特异性地降解蛋白质。本研究中发现,在体外Slimb能够通过泛素化降解Yki。进一步利用免疫共沉淀的方法,发现Slimb与Yki能够相互作用。果蝇中过表达yki产生的表型能够被同时过表达Slimb所恢复,被Slimb沉默所加剧。这些研究结果提示Slimb作为E3连接酶的一个亚基,可以调节Yki的稳定性,在研究hippo信号通路调节组织生长发育中具有重要的意义。     

Role of arginine-tRNA in protein degradation by the ubiquitin pathway

Degradation of intracellular proteins through the ubiquitin and ATP-dependent proteolysis pathway involves several steps. Initially, ubiquitin is covalently linked to the proteolytic substrate in an ATP-requiring reaction. Proteins marked by ubiquitin may then be selectively lysed in a reaction that also requires ATP (for reviews see refs 1-3). A major question concerns the structural features of a protein that make it a specific substrate for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. It was shown that a free alpha-NH2 group is one important feature of the protein structure recognized by the ubiquitin ligation system, and that the half-life in vivo of a protein with an exposed amino terminus depends on its amino terminal residue. We have previously demonstrated that transfer RNA (tRNA) is essential for conjugation of ubiquitin and for the subsequent degradation of proteins with acidic amino termini (aspartate or glutamate). We now show that tRNA is required for post-translational conjugation of arginine to acidic amino termini of proteins, a modification that is essential for their degradation by the ubiquitin pathway.     

F-box proteins in flowering plants

In eukaryotes, the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway has been shown to control several key biological processes such as cell division, development, metabolism and immune response. F-box proteins, as a part of SCF (Skp1-Cullin (or Cdc53)-F-box) complex, functioned by interacting with substrate proteins, leading to their subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. To date, several F-box proteins identified in Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum have been shown to play important roles in auxin signal transduction, floral organ formation, flowering and leaf senescence. Arabidopsis genome sequence analysis revealed that it encodes over 1000 predicted F-box proteins accounting for about 5% of total predicted proteins. These results indicate that the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation involving the F-box proteins is an important mechanism controlling plant gene expression. Here, we review the known F-box proteins and their functionsin flowering plants.     

Functional proteomic identification of DNA replication proteins by induced proteolysis in vivo

Evolutionarily diverse eukaryotic cells share many conserved proteins of unknown function. Some are essential for cell viability, emphasising their importance for fundamental processes of cell biology but complicating their analysis. We have developed an approach to the large-scale characterization of such proteins, based on conditional and rapid degradation of the target protein in vivo, so that the immediate consequences of bulk protein depletion can be examined. Budding yeast strains have been constructed in which essential proteins of unknown function have been fused to a 'heat-inducible-degron' cassette that targets the protein for proteolysis at 37 degrees C (ref. 4). By screening the collection for defects in cell-cycle progression, here we identify three DNA replication factors that interact with each other and that have uncharacterized homologues in human cells. We have used the degron strains to show that these proteins are required for the establishment and normal progression of DNA replication forks. The degron collection could also be used to identify other, essential, proteins with roles in many other processes of eukaryotic cell biology.     

Archipelago regulates Cyclin E levels in Drosophila and is mutated in human cancer cell lines

During Drosophila development and mammalian embryogenesis, exit from the cell cycle is contingent on tightly controlled downregulation of the activity of Cyclin E-Cdk2 complexes that normally promote the transition from G1 to S phase. Although protein degradation has a crucial role in downregulating levels of Cyclin E, many of the proteins that function in degradation of Cyclin E have not been identified. In a screen for Drosophila mutants that display increased cell proliferation, we identified archipelago, a gene encoding a protein with an F-box and seven tandem WD (tryptophan-aspartic acid) repeats. Here we show that archipelago mutant cells have persistently elevated levels of Cyclin E protein without increased levels of cyclin E RNA. They are under-represented in G1 fractions and continue to proliferate when their wild-type neighbours become quiescent. The Archipelago protein binds directly to Cyclin E and probably targets it for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. A highly conserved human homologue is present and is mutated in four cancer cell lines including three of ten derived from ovarian carcinomas. These findings implicate archipelago in developmentally regulated degradation of Cyclin E and potentially in the pathogenesis of human cancers.     

A membrane protein required for dislocation of misfolded proteins from the ER

After insertion into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), proteins that fail to fold there are destroyed. Through a process termed dislocation such misfolded proteins arrive in the cytosol, where ubiquitination, deglycosylation and finally proteasomal proteolysis dispense with the unwanted polypeptides. The machinery involved in the extraction of misfolded proteins from the ER is poorly defined. The human cytomegalovirus-encoded glycoproteins US2 and US11 catalyse the dislocation of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products, resulting in their rapid degradation. Here we show that US11 uses its transmembrane domain to recruit class I MHC products to a human homologue of yeast Der1p, a protein essential for the degradation of a subset of misfolded ER proteins. We show that this protein, Derlin-1, is essential for the degradation of class I MHC molecules catalysed by US11, but not by US2. We conclude that Derlin-1 is an important factor for the extraction of certain aberrantly folded proteins from the mammalian ER.     

Degradation of Cdc25A by beta-TrCP during S phase and in response to DNA damage

The Cdc25A phosphatase is essential for cell-cycle progression because of its function in dephosphorylating cyclin-dependent kinases. In response to DNA damage or stalled replication, the ATM and ATR protein kinases activate the checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Chk2, which leads to hyperphosphorylation of Cdc25A. These events stimulate the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of Cdc25A and contribute to delaying cell-cycle progression, thereby preventing genomic instability. Here we report that beta-TrCP is the F-box protein that targets phosphorylated Cdc25A for degradation by the Skp1/Cul1/F-box protein complex. Downregulation of beta-TrCP1 and beta-TrCP2 expression by short interfering RNAs causes an accumulation of Cdc25A in cells progressing through S phase and prevents the degradation of Cdc25A induced by ionizing radiation, indicating that beta-TrCP may function in the intra-S-phase checkpoint. Consistent with this hypothesis, suppression of beta-TrCP expression results in radioresistant DNA synthesis in response to DNA damage--a phenotype indicative of a defect in the intra-S-phase checkpoint that is associated with an inability to regulate Cdc25A properly. Our results show that beta-TrCP has a crucial role in mediating the response to DNA damage through Cdc25A degradation.     

Copper metallothionein, a copper-binding protein from Neurospora crassa

Copper is an essential constituent of many proteins which participate in biologically important reactions. In contrast to iron, where different metal storage and transport proteins have been extensively characterised, the existence of copper proteins serving such functions is still a matter of controversy. Studies on the biosynthesis of tyrosinase from Neurospora crassa with respect to the copper status of this fungus have shown that this organism accumulates copper with the concomitant synthesis of a small molecular weight copper-binding protein. This protein is now shown to have a striking sequence homology to the zinc- and cadmium-containing metallothioneins from vertebrates. Growth experiments suggest that this molecule fulfills several important physiological functions in this organism such as copper storage, copper detoxification and provision of copper for tyrosinase.     

癌症相关促凋亡蛋白Par-4的信号转导途径预测研究

利用支持向量机(SVM)技术构建Par-4关联的蛋白质相互作用网络,预测出与Par-4有相互作用的蛋白质82个;这些蛋白质按照功能划分为8大类,主要包括:蛋白激酶、泛素化蛋白酶、死亡受体相关因子、与细胞周期或DNA复制相关蛋白质、调节蛋白质、与疾病相关蛋白质、具有特定结构域结合蛋白质和其他蛋白质等。结合文献挖掘和数据库检索信息,推断出了Par-4的2条可能新的信号转导途径。首次预测到Par-4与一大类泛素化蛋白有密切的关系。研究发现,Par-4与多种蛋白质具有复杂的相互作用,并且,在多个细胞凋亡途径中扮演了重要角色。