Evolutionary genetics: Ambiguous role of CCR5 in Y. pestis infection

Mecsas and colleagues suggest that a deficiency in the chemokine receptor CCR5 in humans is unlikely to confer protection against plague, based on their study of Yersinia pestis infection in Ccr5-deficient mice. They were testing the hypothesis that a mutation in the CCR5 gene, frequently found in Caucasians, may have been selected for in the past because it provided protection against (bubonic) plague; the mutation, called CCR5Delta32, is characterized by a 32-base-pair deletion. We have also tested this hypothesis by using Y. pestis infection in mice and, in addition, we have done phagocytosis experiments with macrophages from wild-type and Ccr5-deficient mice. Although, like Mecsas et al., we did not see any difference in the survival of the two groups of mice, we did find that there was a significantly reduced uptake of Y. pestis by Ccr5-deficient macrophages in vitro. Our results indicate that the role of Ccr5 in Y. pestis infection may therefore be more complex than previously thought.     

里氏木霉产酶菌株的选育研究

采用紫外线和亚硝酸联合诱变技术,得到产纤维素酶、木聚糖酶、β-葡聚糖酶的高产的菌株里氏木霉Y07.试验表明,诱变后菌株的木聚糖酶活由325 U/g,提高到28 500 U/g,相对于出发菌株提高了88倍;纤维素酶活由560 U/g,提高到2600 U/g,相对于出发菌株提高了4.6倍;β-葡聚糖酶活由480 U/g,提高到5500 U/g,相对于出发菌株提高了11.5倍.     

Thymidine kinase gene mutation leads to reduced virulence of pseudorabies virus

To explore correlation between the tk gene structure of pseudorabies virus (PRV) and its virulence, to study the effect of the gene mutation on PRV biological properties, and to investigate mechinism of reduced virulence, thymidine kinase (TK)-deficient mutant of pseudorabies virus strain Hubei (PRV HB) was isolated by selection for resistance to 5-bromodeoxyuridine. The tk genes of PRV HB and its TK^― mutant were cloned and sequenced. 1587 base pairs of the tk gene and flanking regions of wild-type (wt) virus were sequenced, which included an open reading frame (ORF) of 1098 bp encoding a protein of 366 amino acids. The ORF contained two 137-bp repeated sequences, which were connected by an adenosine. 1458 bp of the tk and flanking regions of TK^― mutant were sequenced. Analysis of the tk gene sequence of TK^― mutant indicated that one of 137 bp repeated sequence and the connecting adenosine in the tk gene of the wt virus was deleted and a repeated sequence of 8 nucleotides (GCGCGCC) was inserted. All other nucleotides of TK^―mutant were identical to that of wt virus. Deletion and insertion of the nucleotide sequence resulted in a frameshift and a premature chain termination, and the resultant TK protein was not active. Analysis of the amino acid sequence revealed that TK protein of PRV HB contained the conserved consensus sequence of herpesviral TKs and an additional conserved-DHR-motif. The results of this work also indicated that TK^― mutant was genetically stable. Compared to PRV HB, virulence of TK^― mutant was greatly decreased. Mice vaccinated with TK^― mutant were completely protected against a lethal challenge with virulent PRV (HB).     

高致病性猪链球菌双组分系统Ihk/Irr双基因缺失突变株的构建

目的构建Ⅱ型猪链球菌05ZYH33菌株双组分系统Ihk/Irr的双基因缺失突变株.方法首先对双组分系统Ihk/Irr基因进行序列分析;选取Ihk/Irr基因的相关片段克隆至p ET30a表达载体,进行可溶表达并注射家兔制备抗体;分别将ihk基因上游irr基因下游各1 kb的片段扩增,将两个片段连接起来;克隆至温敏型p JRS233的穿梭质粒中;利用两步同源重组法获得突变体;分别提取突变株的基因组DNA,RNA及菌体总蛋白,利用PCR,RT-PCR,Western-blot方法验证突变体.结果成功制备了双组分系统Ihk/Irr可溶性表达的蛋白,成功构建了重组的温敏型ikr-p JRS233重组质粒,成功将重组质粒转入猪链球菌05ZYH33中并获得突变株,基因组PCR,RTPCR及Western-blot分别证实了双组分系统Ihk/Irr双基因被成功敲除.结论成功构建重组温敏型的穿梭质粒,导入到猪链球菌05ZYH33菌株中经两步同源重组获得突变株,在基因组DNA,RNA及蛋白水平上验证了双组分系统Ihk/Irr双基因缺失株的成功构建.     

酸性蛋白酶高产菌株选育及酶学性质的研究

采用紫外线和亚硝基胍联合诱变,得到酸性蛋白酶高产的黑曲霉菌株Y06,提高了其产酸性蛋白酶能力.结果表明,诱变后菌株的酶活由768 U/g提高到36 134 U/g,相对于出发菌株提高了46倍.为优化高产酸性蛋白酶的固体培养条件,检测了培养菌株最适pH值、温度、含水量、营养物质添加量及发酵时间等,并对所产酸性蛋白酶在各种条件下的酶活力和稳定性进行测定,为生产和利用酸性蛋白酶提供重要的实验基础.     

屎肠球菌hyl基因突变株的构建

目的：构建屎肠球菌类透明质酸酶（hyaluronidase,hyl）基因突变株,研究hyl基因的功能。方法：用pETX4577质粒构建屎肠球菌hyl基因重组自杀质粒,通过体内同源重组,筛选获得hyl基因的突变株,体外研究hyl基因缺失对突变株生长能力的影响。结果：经同源重组,利用卡那霉素抗性筛选,PCR、脉冲场电泳和southern blot进行鉴定获得基因突变株＊hyl。突变株在体外的生长能力低于野生株。结论：hyl基因突变株构建成功,hyl基因在生长中起着重要的作用,可能是屎肠球菌的毒力因子之一。     

A histone H3 methyltransferase controls DNA methylation in Neurospora crassa.

DNA methylation is involved in epigenetic processes such as X-chromosome inactivation, imprinting and silencing of transposons. We have demonstrated previously that dim-2 encodes a DNA methyltransferase that is responsible for all known cytosine methylation in Neurospora crassa. Here we report that another Neurospora gene, dim-5, is required for DNA methylation, as well as for normal growth and full fertility. We mapped dim-5 and identified it by transformation with a candidate gene. The mutant has a nonsense mutation in a SET domain of a gene related to histone methyltransferases that are involved in heterochromatin formation in other organisms. Transformation of a wild-type strain with a segment of dim-5 reactivated a silenced hph gene, apparently by 'quelling' of dim-5. We demonstrate that recombinant DIM-5 protein specifically methylates histone H3 and that replacement of lysine 9 in histone H3 with either a leucine or an arginine phenocopies the dim-5 mutation. We conclude that DNA methylation depends on histone methylation.     

Function of A-Rich region in DNAβ associated with Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus

A novel type of circular single-stranded satellite DNA, known as DNAβ, was recently characterized and demonstrated to be associated with monopartite begomoviruses. DNAβ was essential for induction of characteristic symptoms in plants. DNAβ has three structural features: an 115 bp highly conserved region, tiC/gene and A-Rich region. The in-frame ATG mutation of βC1 gene of Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus isolate Y10 (TYLCCNV-TY10) DNAβ demonstrated that βC1 gene is required for leaf curl symptom. Here, the function of A-Rich region in TYLCCNV-Y10 DNAβ was identified. When A-Rich region was deleted, the A-Rich deleted mutant was still capable of replication and systemic infection in plant, indicating that A-Rich region is not required for trans-replication of DNAβ. The immunotrapping-PCR demonstrated that A-Rich deleted mutant could be encapsidated in the coat protein encoded by TYLCCNV-Y10 DNA-A, suggesting that A-Rich region is not related with DNAβ encapsidation. However, the A-Rich region deleted mutant caused milder symptom.     

A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348-1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the ancient organism is ancestral to most extant strains and sits very close to the ancestral node of all Y. pestis commonly associated with human infection. Temporal estimates suggest that the Black Death of 1347-1351 was the main historical event responsible for the introduction and widespread dissemination of the ancestor to all currently circulating Y. pestis strains pathogenic to humans, and further indicates that contemporary Y. pestis epidemics have their origins in the medieval era. Comparisons against modern genomes reveal no unique derived positions in the medieval organism, indicating that the perceived increased virulence of the disease during the Black Death may not have been due to bacterial phenotype. These findings support the notion that factors other than microbial genetics, such as environment, vector dynamics and host susceptibility, should be at the forefront of epidemiological discussions regarding emerging Y. pestis infections.     

定点突变内皮抑素Zn2+的结合位点及突变基因的克隆表达

从人胚肝组织中提取总RNA, 以逆转录聚合酶链式反应（RT-PCR）法获得人内皮抑素编码序列, 采用定点突变技术将His2和His4双突变为Leu2和Val4. 将突变基因cDNA插入含有T7启动子的质粒pET-28b中构建表达质粒pMendo, 转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3), 筛选表达菌株BL21-Mute, 表达菌株经IPTG诱导后以包涵体方式产生大量内皮抑素突变蛋白. SDS-PAGE分析表明, 表达的重组蛋白占菌株可溶性蛋白质的30%. 复性、 纯化的内皮抑素突变蛋白纯度达到98%, 失去抑制人脐静脉内皮细胞增殖的活性.     

Mutational effect of the “- 35” element of sorghumpsbA gene promoter

Mutations of the first position T and the third position G in TTGACA, the " - 35" element of sorghum psbA gene promoter, were induced using chemically synthesized 20 nt oligonucleotide primer. Three mutants were produced: ATTACA, GTGACA, and ATGACA. Then the protein binding affinity of the mutants and the wild type sorghum psbA gene promoter was tested in a spinach chloroplast protein extract system. Gel retardation assay of the wild type showed a strong protein-binding band. On the other hand, the protein-binding band of the mutant resulting from single base mutation, ATGACA or GTGACA, showed reduced intensity, while that of the mutant resulting from double base mutation, ATTACA, showed increased intensity. It is thus shown that the " - 35" element plays an important role in controlling the binding between psbA gene promoter and the specific chloroplast proteins; mutation of a single base may exert a substantial influence on the binding affinity.     

Functional analysis of hydrogenases and their effects on cell growth and magnetosome synthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense</Emphasis>

This study addressed the effect of hydrogen metabolism on cell growth and magnetosome synthesis in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1. Two deletion mutants were generated: L206, with single deletion of the hupL gene encoding H2-uptake [NiFe] hydrogenase; and B206, with double deletion of the hyaB gene encoding H2-producing [NiFe] hydrogenase and the hupL gene. The wild-type and mutant strains were compared in terms of hydrogen uptake capability, hydrogen yield, growth rate, and iron uptake, and o...     

Dynamin-like protein encoded by the Drosophila shibire gene associated with vesicular traffic.

Temperature-sensitive paralysis is the most striking defect of adult Drosophila carrying the shibire mutation. This is believed to be due to a reversible block of endocytosis, which prevents membrane cycling and thus depletes synaptic vesicles. The shibire mutation also affects many tissues outside the nervous system. We have now mapped and characterized the shibire gene. A 275-kilobase yeast artificial chromosome was subcloned into cosmids, among which the gene was then located by analysing with restriction-fragment length polymorphisms. A 15-kilobase fragment of wild-type DNA rescues the mutant phenotype and the sequence of two mutant alleles show differences with wild type, demonstrating that we have isolated the shibire gene. The gene encodes a protein that is highly similar to rat dynamin, 69% of the amino-acid sequence is identical. Dynamin is a GTP-driven mechanochemical enzyme related to mammalian mx-proteins and to the yeast vps 1 gene product. Because the shibire gene product and dynamin have extensive similarity, we propose that they are cognate homologues. Dynamin causes microtubules to slide along each other in vitro and in extracts it is associated with a distinct, but so far uncharacterized, membrane fraction. In light of the shibire phenotype, we suggest that these proteins provide the motor for vesicular transport during endocytosis.     

Preparation of a gene-engineering mutant of bacteriorhodopsin BR-D96V and corresponding poly(vinyl alcohol)-based functional composite films

Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) exhibits, as a membrane protein in Halobacterium salinarum, unique photoresponsive behaviors, and shows promise as a functional information material. A new mutant of BR with the 96th aspartic acid replaced by valine (BR-D96V) was obtained and then a composite film of BR-D96V in a synthetic polymer matrix was prepared in this research. The mutant BR-D96V was expressed in a bacterio-opsin deficient halobacterial strain (L33) by gene engineering. Although valine is very hydrophobic, this point mutant keeps the basic biological activities, namely, photoelectric and photochromic responses. Nevertheless, the lifetime of M intermediate in the BR mutant is nearly two orders of magnitude longer than that of wild-type BR in neutral aqueous solution, which benefits its potential application as an information material. The M lifetime is further significantly prolonged after embedding BR-D96V into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). It was also found that BR-D96V is very sensitive to water content in comparison with wild-type BR and another BR mutant.     

Genome sequence of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague

The Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of the systemic invasive infectious disease classically referred to as plague, and has been responsible for three human pandemics: the Justinian plague (sixth to eighth centuries), the Black Death (fourteenth to nineteenth centuries) and modern plague (nineteenth century to the present day). The recent identification of strains resistant to multiple drugs and the potential use of Y. pestis as an agent of biological warfare mean that plague still poses a threat to human health. Here we report the complete genome sequence of Y. pestis strain CO92, consisting of a 4.65-megabase (Mb) chromosome and three plasmids of 96.2 kilobases (kb), 70.3 kb and 9.6 kb. The genome is unusually rich in insertion sequences and displays anomalies in GC base-composition bias, indicating frequent intragenomic recombination. Many genes seem to have been acquired from other bacteria and viruses (including adhesins, secretion systems and insecticidal toxins). The genome contains around 150 pseudogenes, many of which are remnants of a redundant enteropathogenic lifestyle. The evidence of ongoing genome fluidity, expansion and decay suggests Y. pestis is a pathogen that has undergone large-scale genetic flux and provides a unique insight into the ways in which new and highly virulent pathogens evolve.     

A human XY female with a frame shift mutation in the candidate testis-determining gene SRY

The primary decision about male or female sexual development of the human embryo depends on the presence of the Y chromosome, more specifically on a gene on the Y chromosome encoding a testis-determining factor, TDF. The human sex-determining region has been delimited to a 35-kilobase interval near the Y pseudoautosomal boundary. In this region there is a candidate gene for TDF, termed SRY, which is conserved and specific to the Y chromosome in all mammals tested. The corresponding gene from the mouse Y chromosome is deleted in a line of XY female mutant mice, and is expressed at the expected stage during male gonadal development. We have now identified a mutation in SRY in one out of 12 sex-inversed XY females with gonadal dysgenesis who do not lack large segments of the short arm of the Y chromosome. The four-nucleotide deletion occurs in a sequence of SRY encoding a conserved DNA-binding motif and results in a frame shift presumably leading to a non-functional protein. The mutation occurred de novo, because the father of the sporadic XY female that bears it has the normal sequence at the corresponding position. These results provide strong evidence for SRY being TDF.     

A novel element (NIRS) participates in the regulation of interleukin 2 receptor α gene expression

A novel element at −153/−143 bp in the interleukin 2 receptor α (IL-2Rα) gene has been coined as NRE-inverse repeat sequence (NIRS) due to its inversely repeated to the known negative regulatory element (NRE) further upstream of the gene. In order to explore the role of NIRS in the expression of IL-2Rα gene, luciferase reporter plasmids driven by 4 individually deleted IL-2Rα genes promoter regions were constructed. Transfection of the reporter plasmids into Jurkat cells and HeLa cells respectively, we found that both NIRS and NRE were critical for repressing the constitutive expression of IL-2Rα gene and were also necessary for promoter activity induced by PHA. EMSA results showed that double-stranded NRE-and NIRS-binding proteins existed in both HeLa cells and Jurkat cells. However, single-stranded NIRS-and NRE-binding protein was only found in HeLa cells. Interestingly, the supershift band showed up in EMSA system with Jurkat cells (no matter whether activated or not) adding to the cell lysate of HeLa cells. UV-crosslinking showed a double stranded NRE-and NIRS-binding protein p83 in both Jurkat cells and HeLa cells. Our results suggest that trans-acting factors play a key role in regulating promoter activity of IL-2Rα gene by interacting with double or single stranded NRE and/or NIRS selectively in different cells.     

HCO3 - 高亲和转运蛋白操纵子基因在聚球藻7942 CO2浓缩机制中功能的研究

蓝藻 Synechococcus sp.PCC7942 HCO3 - 高亲和转运蛋白操纵子基因 cmpABCD 是其CO2浓缩机制中的调控基因之一.本研究用携带潮霉素B磷酸转移酶基因(hygromycin B pho transferase, hpt) 筛选标记的同源双臂整合载体pUC-HATH转化蓝藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7942,以潮霉素B作为筛选试剂筛选出具潮霉素B抗性的转化藻,运用引物PCR方法证实潮霉素B磷酸转移酶基因表达盒通过质粒pUC-HATH的介导已定点插入蓝藻 Synechococcus sp.PCC7942 基因组中,成功地构建了具有潮霉素B抗性的cmpBCD 基因插入失活突变藻株.并最终通过比较野生藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7942 和突变藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7942 在不同 Na2CO3浓度的改良BG-11培养基中生长特性,探讨了HCO3 -高亲和转运蛋白操纵子 cmpABCD 基因失活对藻体生长的影响.     

Mutant alpha subunits of Gi2 inhibit cyclic AMP accumulation

One or more of three Gi proteins, Gi1-3, mediates hormonal inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Whether this inhibition is mediated by the alpha or by the beta gamma subunits of Gi proteins is unclear. Mutations inhibiting the intrinsic GTPase activity of another G protein, the stimulatory regulator of adenylyl cyclase (Gs), constitutively activate it by replacing either of two conserved amino acids in its alpha subunit (alpha s). These mutations create the gsp oncogene which is found in human pituitary and thyroid tumours. In a second group of human endocrine tumours, somatic mutations in the alpha subunit of Gi2 replace a residue cognate to one of those affected by gsp mutations. This implies that the mutations convert the alpha i2 gene into a dominantly acting oncogene, called gip2, and that the mutant alpha i2 subunits are constitutively active. We have therefore assessed cyclic AMP accumulation in cultured cells which stably or transiently express exogenous wild-type alpha i2 complementary DNA or either of two mutant alpha i2 cDNAs. The results show that putatively oncogenic mutations in alpha i2 constitutively activate the protein's ability to inhibit cAMP accumulation.