香花槐各组织总RNA提取方法的改良和优化

为探索香花槐各组织总RNA提取的最佳方法,以实验苗圃中的香花槐为实验材料,在比较了Trizol试剂法和常规CTAB法的基础上,建立了香花槐不同组织的最适提取方法.改良CTAB法利用高质量浓度的β-巯基乙醇和合适质量浓度的聚乙烯基吡咯烷酮(PVP)来防止RNA提取过程中多酚的氧化,然后增加苯酚/氯仿抽提次数来去除香花槐叶片和茎皮过多蛋白质.改良Trizol试剂法在根皮中加PVP研磨成白色粉末,可以有效地防止反应液褐化.各组织优化方法经琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测,所提取的总RNA的28S、18S条带清晰明亮,无降解;其A260nm/A280nm值为2.0,表明提取的总RNA质量较好.     

Human and yeast ζ-crystallins bind AU-rich elements in RNA

ζ-crystallins constitute a family of proteins with NADPH:quinone reductase activity found initially in mammalian lenses but now known to be present in many other organisms and tissues. Few proteins from this family have been characterized, and their function remains unclear. In the present work, ζ-crystallins from human and yeast (Zta1p) were expressed, purified and characterized. Both enzymes are able to reduce ortho-quinones in the presence of NADPH but are not active with 2-alkenals. Deletion of the ZTA1 gene makes yeast more sensitive to menadione and hydrogen peroxide, suggesting a role in the oxidative stress response. The human and yeast enzymes specifically bind to adenine-uracil rich elements (ARE) in RNA, indicating that both enzymes are ARE-binding proteins and that this property has been conserved in ζ-crystallins throughout evolution. This supports a role for ζ-crystallins as trans-acting factors that could regulate the turnover of certain mRNAs. Received 21 February 2007; received after revision 16 April 2007; accepted 23 April 2007 M. R. Fernández, S. Porté: These authors contributed equally to this work.     

RNA干扰:双链RNA引起的基因沉默机制——2006年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖成果简介

RNA干扰现象是指一种由双链RNA分子引起的基因沉默现象,在动植物中普遍存在。RNA干扰不仅在生物的抗病毒反应、抑制转座子活性以及其他许多重要生理活动的调节方面发挥至关重要的作用,而且在基因功能研究和疾病治疗方面也具有广阔的应用前景。鉴于上述原因,2名美国科学家——AndrewZ.Fire和CraigC.Mello,因发现RNA干扰现象而获得了2006年的诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。     

抗禽流感iRNA提取及其部分免疫活性的研究

为了比较不同方法抽提抗禽流感iRNA的含量、纯度,以及了解iRNA对小鼠的免疫活性,本研究就抗禽流感iRNA提取及其部分免疫活性进行了研究。结果表明:酚-氯仿抽提与Trizol reagent试剂盒抽提的效果差异不显著,所得到的iRNA含量和纯度较高,而冷热酚法抽提的效果则明显不及酚-氯仿法与Trizol reagent试剂盒;小白鼠腹腔注射提取的iRNA制剂,小白鼠生长良好,10 d内未见小白鼠有死亡,由此说明iRNA对小白鼠是安全的;禽流感HI试验及ELISA试剂盒检测iRNA免疫小白鼠血清抗体,结果为阴性,由此说明抽提的iRNA不能诱导机体产生体液免疫。     

2’-5’ Oligoadenylate synthetase shares active site architecture with the archaeal CCA-adding enzyme

The 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetases (OAS) are interferon-induced antiviral enzymes that recognise virally produced dsRNA and initiate an RNA destabilisation within the infected cell. We compared the structure of OAS to that of poly adenosine polymerase (PAP) and the class I CCA-adding enzyme from Archeoglobus fulgidus (AfCCA). This comparison revealed a strong structural homology between the three enzyme families. In particular, the active sites of OAS and CCA class I enzymes are highly conserved. We conducted an extensive mutagenesis of amino acid residues within the putative active site in OAS, thereby identifying enzymatically important residues and confirming the common active site architecture for OAS and the AfCCA. Our findings also have profound implications for our understanding of the evolutionary origin of the OAS enzymes and suggest that the OAS proteins diverged from a common 3'-specific ancestor at the beginning of metazoan evolution.