Mechanisms of sensory transduction in the skin

Sensory neurons innervating the skin encode the familiar sensations of temperature, touch and pain. An explosion of progress has revealed unanticipated cellular and molecular complexity in these senses. It is now clear that perception of a single stimulus, such as heat, requires several transduction mechanisms. Conversely, a given protein may contribute to multiple senses, such as heat and touch. Recent studies have also led to the surprising insight that skin cells might transduce temperature and touch. To break the code underlying somatosensation, we must therefore understand how the skin's sensory functions are divided among signalling molecules and cell types.     

LDL-receptor-related proteins in Wnt signal transduction

The Wnt family of secreted signalling molecules are essential in embryo development and tumour formation. The Frizzled (Fz) family of serpentine receptors function as Wnt receptors, but how Fz proteins transduce signalling is not understood. In Drosophila, arrow phenocopies the wingless (DWnt-1) phenotype, and encodes a transmembrane protein that is homologous to two members of the mammalian low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-related protein (LRP) family, LRP5 and LRP6 (refs 12-15). Here we report that LRP6 functions as a co-receptor for Wnt signal transduction. In Xenopus embryos, LRP6 activated Wnt-Fz signalling, and induced Wnt responsive genes, dorsal axis duplication and neural crest formation. An LRP6 mutant lacking the carboxyl intracellular domain blocked signalling by Wnt or Wnt-Fz, but not by Dishevelled or beta-catenin, and inhibited neural crest development. The extracellular domain of LRP6 bound Wnt-1 and associated with Fz in a Wnt-dependent manner. Our results indicate that LRP6 may be a component of the Wnt receptor complex.     

Cell cycle and cell signal transduction in marine phytoplankton

tAs unicellular phytoplankton, the growth of a marine phytoplankton population results directly from the completion of a cell cycle, therefore, cell-environment communication is an important way which involves signal transduction pathways to regulate cell cycle progression and contribute to growth, metabolism and primary production and respond to their surrounding environment in marine phytoplankton. Cyclin-CDK and CaM/Ca²⁺ are essentially key regulators in control of cell cycle and signal transduction pathway, which has important values on both basic research and applied biotechnology. This paper reviews progress made in this research field, which involves the identification and characterization of cyclins and cell signal transduction system, cell cycle-control mechanisms in marine phytoplankton cells, cell cycle proteins as a marker of a terminal event to estimate the growth rate of phytoplankton at the species level, cell cycle-dependent toxin production of toxic algae and cell cycle progression regulated by environmental factors.     

Regulation between nitric oxide and MAPK signal transduction in mammals

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important biological messenger in the regulation of tissue homeostasis. It exhibits a wide range of effects during physiological and pathophysiological processes. Typical beneficial properties of NO include the regulation of vascular tone,the protection of cells against apoptosis, the modulation of immune responses, and the killing of microbial pathogens. On the other hand,NO may cause severe vasodilation and myocardial depression during bacterial sepsis or act as a cytotoxic and tissue-damaging molecule in autoimmune diseases. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that are widely distributed in mammalian cells. MAPK cascade plays pivotal roles in gene expression, cell proliferation, differentiation, neuronal survival and programmed cell death under a variety of experimental conditions. MAPKs transduce the signal for the cellular response to extracellular stresses or stimuli. The relation between them, however, has never been reviewed. Based on our researches and other reports in the field, we review their reciprocal regulatory functions.     

蓝藻真核型蛋白质激酶与信号传导

对最近10年在蓝藻中找到大量编码Ser／Thr基因的研究结果进行了综述,并对这些蛋白质激酶在信号传导中的作用模式做了讨论．     

Protein methylation in behavioural control mechanisms and in signal transduction.

In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes methyl groups can be added to and removed from the carboxyl groups of proteins. Recent work has revealed that these reactions have a role in several behavioural phenomena. The nature of this role has been uncovered in one case--that of bacterial chemotaxis.     

Cytokinin signal transduction： Known simplicity and unknown complexity

Cytokinin plays a critical role in plant growth and development by regulating cell divisions and cell differentiation. Recent studies suggest that cytokinin signaling is presumably mediated by a two-component system analogous to those found in bacteria and fungi, which transduces an external signal via a phosphorelay from the plasma membrane-anchored receptors to downstream effectors and regulators. Moreover, cytokinin signaling is highly interactive with other pathways, and many components of the pathway appear to be functionally redundant. Proper address of these questions will be crucial for our further understanding on this important network.     

植物抗病性的分子机制和信号传导

植物抗病性的分子机制一直是植物病理学关注的焦点.近年来,国内外不少学者和实验室正在大量分离和培养与抗病有关的突变体,并且寻找和研究与抗病有关的基因和抗病机制.研究表明,在病原物与植物的相互作用、病原信号的传导和抗病性激发的过程中存在着一系列的调节因子和基因,并形成复杂的调控网络.综述了近年来国内外植物抗病性的分子研究进展,阐述了植物抗病性分子机制和信号传导.     

误差反向传播算法与信噪分离

研究了误差反向传播算法的基本原理及其在信号识别与噪声消除中的应用。通过与经典谱估计的信号处理效果进行比较 ,阐明了BP网络具有良好的信噪分离特性。     

信号的多分辨率分析在消噪中的应用

介绍了小波变换的多分辨分析理论及其在消噪方而的应用.通过分析可知,小波多分辨率分析能够将信号在不同的尺度上展开,具有对信号按频带进行处理的能力.在信号小波分解后,抽取有关频带进行重建,以达到降低噪声、提高信噪比的目的.文中给出了信号多分辨率分析在信号消噪方面的具体应用实例.     

语音信号中噪音干扰的数字滤波技术

分析了几种语音处理技术特征，针对语音信号处理过程中随机噪音干扰信号的特点，应用自适应干扰对消原理消除噪音，可使带有噪音的原始语言信号得到明显改善。理论分析及实验结果表明，数字滤波技术可方便地通过软件控制品质因数与带宽，因而可在通信、语言声学等领域广泛应用。     

植物在渗透胁迫下信号转导的级联机制

研究植物在渗透胁迫下信号转导的级联机制,对于有效调控植物在逆境中的生长发育,提高其抗逆性和生存能力具有重要的指导意义．根据近年来国内外的研究成果和报道,综述了植物细胞在渗透胁迫下感受到信号后,相继产生许多信号分子,这些信号分子通过细胞壁-质膜-细胞骨架连续体,引起细胞骨架蛋白变构而传递信息,并与细胞膜蛋白、第二信使系统以及调节因子构成了信号传递网,最终有条不紊地引起特定的基因表达和应答．     

Isoprenylation in regulation of signal transduction by G-protein-coupled receptor kinases.

Rhodopsin kinase and beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (beta ARK) are related members of a serine/threonine kinase family that specifically initiate deactivation of G-protein-coupled receptors. After stimulus-mediated receptor activation, these cytoplasmic kinases translocate to the plasma membrane. Here we show that the molecular basis for this event involves a class of unsaturated lipids called isoprenoids. Covalent modification in vivo of rhodopsin kinase by a 15-C (farnesyl) isoprenoid enables the kinase to anchor to photon-activated rhodopsin. Mutations that alter or eliminate the isoprenoid, fully disable light-specific Rhodopsin kinase translocation. Other receptor kinases (such as beta ARK), which lack an intrinsic lipid, are activated on exposure to brain beta gamma subunits of the signal-transducing G proteins, the gamma subunit of which bears a 20-C (geranylgeranyl) isoprenoid. Using chimaeric beta ARKs that undergo isoprenylation in vitro, we demonstrate that membrane association and activation of these kinases can occur in the absence of beta gamma. These results indicate that rhodopsin kinase (by means of an integral isoprenoid) and beta ARK (through its association with beta gamma) both rely on the function of isoprenyl moieties for their translocation and activity, illustrating distinct, though related, modes of biological regulation of receptor function.     

ATM acts in DNA damage signal transduction by catalyzing protein phosphorylation

In order to investigate ATM in mediating DNA damage signal to p53 in the cellular response to IR, kinase activities of ATM and c-AbI immunoprecipitates and its activation by IR and damaged DNA have been analyzed. Results demonstrate that deficient ATM caused failure to activate phosphorylation of many proteins in response to radiation. ATM coimmunoprecipitates with c-AbI and can catalyze phosphorylation of many proteins including p53 in response to radiation. Kinase activity of ATM / c-AbI immunoprecipitate stimulated by damaged DNAin vitro phosphorylation demonstrates that ATM can detect damaged DNA and initiate DNA damage signals. ATM can be phosphorylatedin vitro and inhibited by wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of PI3K family. These results confirm that ATM acts in DNA damage detection and signal transduction.