组蛋白去甲基化酶JHDM1的晶体结构研究

组蛋白甲基化是表观遗传修饰方式中的一种,参与异染色质形成、基因印记、X染色体失活和基因转录调控。组蛋白甲基化过程的异常参与多种肿瘤的发生。既往认为组蛋白甲基化是稳定的表观遗传标记,然而最近许多组蛋白特异性去甲基化酶的发现对这一观点提出了挑战。JHDM1是第一个被发现含有JmjC结构域的组蛋白去甲基化酶,它能够特异性地除去H3赖氨酸36位二甲基化和一甲基化修饰,但是不能去除H3赖氨酸36位三甲基化修饰。为了从分子水平上揭示JHDM1的去甲基化催化机理,我们解析了hJHDM1A及其与α-酮戊二酸复合的晶体结构。结构比较揭示α-酮戊二酸的结合能够稳定围绕活性中心的柔性环,这一构像变化对于hJHDM1A发挥去甲基化活性是非常重要的。结合突变试验结果,我们提出了底物的潜在结合位点,结构分析也揭示高度保守的S145对于区分不同的赖氨酸甲基化程度起重要作用。     

组蛋白H2A与染色质的动态结合

在真核细胞中,核小体的核心结构组蛋白被DNA紧密缠绕,但是这种紧密的结合有时也可能变得松散,以利于其他蛋白与DNA的结合。将组蛋白H2A与绿色荧光蛋白的融合表达载体和核仁纤维蛋白(fibrillarin)与红色荧光蛋白的融合表达载体共转染COS7细胞,利用荧光漂白恢复(FRAP)技术研究了H2A在细胞核内的动态变化。结果显示,在少数间期细胞的核仁区有组蛋白聚集现象,且此区域内H2A的运动速度显著地高于非核仁区的H2A,推测该现象仅出现于细胞周期的某个时期。     

CLEC5A is critical for dengue-virus-induced lethal disease

Dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, the most severe responses to dengue virus (DV) infection, are characterized by plasma leakage (due to increased vascular permeability) and low platelet counts. CLEC5A (C-type lectin domain family 5, member A; also known as myeloid DAP12-associating lectin (MDL-1)) contains a C-type lectin-like fold similar to the natural-killer T-cell C-type lectin domains and associates with a 12-kDa DNAX-activating protein (DAP12) on myeloid cells. Here we show that CLEC5A interacts with the dengue virion directly and thereby brings about DAP12 phosphorylation. The CLEC5A-DV interaction does not result in viral entry but stimulates the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Blockade of CLEC5A-DV interaction suppresses the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines without affecting the release of interferon-alpha, supporting the notion that CLEC5A acts as a signalling receptor for proinflammatory cytokine release. Moreover, anti-CLEC5A monoclonal antibodies inhibit DV-induced plasma leakage, as well as subcutaneous and vital-organ haemorrhaging, and reduce the mortality of DV infection by about 50% in STAT1-deficient mice. Our observation that blockade of CLEC5A-mediated signalling attenuates the production of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages infected with DV (either alone or complexed with an enhancing antibody) offers a promising strategy for alleviating tissue damage and increasing the survival of patients suffering from dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, and possibly even other virus-induced inflammatory diseases.     

Ca2+/calmodulin is critical for brassinosteroid biosynthesis and plant growth

Brassinosteroids are plant-specific steroid hormones that have an important role in coupling environmental factors, especially light, with plant growth and development. How the endogenous brassinosteroids change in response to environmental stimuli is largely unknown. Ca2+/calmodulin has an essential role in sensing and transducing environmental stimuli. Arabidopsis DWARF1 (DWF1) is responsible for an early step in brassinosteroid biosynthesis that converts 24-methylenecholesterol to campesterol. Here we show that DWF1 is a Ca2+/calmodulin-binding protein and this binding is critical for its function. Molecular genetic analysis using site-directed and deletion mutants revealed that loss of calmodulin binding completely abolished the function of DWF1 in planta, whereas partial loss of calmodulin binding resulted in a partial dwarf phenotype in complementation studies. These results provide direct proof that Ca2+/calmodulin-mediated signalling has a critical role in controlling the function of DWF1. Furthermore, we observed that DWF1 orthologues from other plants have a similar Ca2+/calmodulin-binding domain, implying that Ca2+/calmodulin regulation of DWF1 and its homologues is common in plants. These results raise the possibility of producing size-engineered crops by altering the Ca2+/calmodulin-binding property of their DWF1 orthologues.     

A candidate spermatogenesis gene on the mouse Y chromosome is homologous to ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1.

The human X-linked gene A1S9 complements a temperature-sensitive cell-cycle mutation in mouse L cells, and encodes the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1. The gene has been reported to escape X-chromosome inactivation, but there is some conflicting evidence. We have isolated part of the mouse A1s9 gene, mapped it to the proximal portion of the X chromosome and shown that it undergoes normal X-inactivation. We also detected two copies of the gene on the short arm of the mouse Y chromosome (A1s9Y-1 and A1s9Y-2). The functional A1s9Y gene (A1s9Y-1) is expressed in testis and is lost in the deletion mutant Sxrb. Therefore A1s9Y-1 is a candidate for the spermatogenesis gene, Spy, which maps to this region. A1s9X is similar to the Zfx gene in undergoing X-inactivation, yet having homologous sequences on the short arm of the Y chromosome, which are expressed in the testis. These Y-linked genes may form part of a coregulated group of genes which function during spermatogenesis.     

BRI1 is a critical component of a plasma-membrane receptor for plant steroids

Most multicellular organisms use steroids as signalling molecules for physiological and developmental regulation. Two different modes of steroid action have been described in animal systems: the well-studied gene regulation response mediated by nuclear receptors, and the rapid non-genomic responses mediated by proposed membrane-bound receptors. Plant genomes do not seem to encode members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. However, a transmembrane receptor kinase, brassinosteroid-insensitive1 (BRI1), has been implicated in brassinosteroid responses. Here we show that BRI1 functions as a receptor of brassinolide, the most active brassinosteroid. The number of brassinolide-binding sites and the degree of response to brassinolide depend on the level of BRI1 protein. The brassinolide-binding activity co-immunoprecipitates with BRI1, and requires a functional BRI1 extracellular domain. Moreover, treatment of Arabidopsis seedlings with brassinolide induces autophosphorylation of BRI1, which, together with our binding studies, shows that BRI1 is a receptor kinase that transduces steroid signals across the plasma membrane.     

拟南芥bHLH家族转录因子DYT1在花药发育过程中调控胼胝质降解(英文)

胼胝质的合成和降解是雄配子体减数分裂过程中的一个重要特征,对后期花粉成熟有重要作用.在此研究中,分离到了一个雄性不育突变体msl57,该突变体的绒毡层分化及胼胝质降解过程出现异常,导致花粉败育.图位克隆和遗传分析表明:MSl57基因与bHLI-I家族转录因子DYTI(At4g21330)是同一基因.因此,将ms157突变体改名为dyt1-2.反式激活作用实验揭示了DYTI的激活功能域位于基因的250 ～504bp之间.通过酵母双杂交实验发现DYT1蛋白在体内可以形成同源二聚体来执行其功能.RT-PCR及定量PCR分析表明胼胝质酶相关基因A6的表达在突变体背景下严重下调.因此,DVF1通过调控胼胝质的降解来影响花药发育过程.     

2n-1次Hamilton系统的临界周期分岔

作者研究了一类只含有奇数次项的Hamilton系统的临界周期分岔.作者首先确定了细中心的阶数,然后证明了至多产生m-1个局部临界周期,并且最大个数m-1可达.     

DNA ligase III is critical for mtDNA integrity but not Xrcc1-mediated nuclear DNA repair

DNA replication and repair in mammalian cells involves three distinct DNA ligases: ligase I (Lig1), ligase III (Lig3) and ligase IV (Lig4). Lig3 is considered a key ligase during base excision repair because its stability depends upon its nuclear binding partner Xrcc1, a critical factor for this DNA repair pathway. Lig3 is also present in the mitochondria, where its role in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance is independent of Xrcc1 (ref. 4). However, the biological role of Lig3 is unclear as inactivation of murine Lig3 results in early embryonic lethality. Here we report that Lig3 is essential for mtDNA integrity but dispensable for nuclear DNA repair. Inactivation of Lig3 in the mouse nervous system resulted in mtDNA loss leading to profound mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption of cellular homeostasis and incapacitating ataxia. Similarly, inactivation of Lig3 in cardiac muscle resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction and defective heart-pump function leading to heart failure. However, Lig3 inactivation did not result in nuclear DNA repair deficiency, indicating essential DNA repair functions of Xrcc1 can occur in the absence of Lig3. Instead, we found that Lig1 was critical for DNA repair, but acted in a cooperative manner with Lig3. Additionally, Lig3 deficiency did not recapitulate the hallmark features of neural Xrcc1 inactivation such as DNA damage-induced cerebellar interneuron loss, further underscoring functional separation of these DNA repair factors. Therefore, our data reveal that the critical biological role of Lig3 is to maintain mtDNA integrity and not Xrcc1-dependent DNA repair.