用AFM观察小白鼠心肌核DNA片段的基因体外转录和垃圾DNA的相互作用

用AFM直接观察、体外转录等实验技术组合,发现小白鼠(Balb/C)心肌体外转录状态的核DNA片段上的各种基因,处于垃圾DNA的特定的“转录平台”上。“转录平台”上的各种核活性基因的两端的调控序列,分别与特定开关蛋白质复合体结合(即可解离的开关蛋白质),中间的编码序列分别以非共价键特异结合可完全解离的转录活性因子等多种蛋白质;这些与核基因转录相关的蛋白质均由垃圾DNA的专一性蛋白质通路分别进行特异性正负反馈调控。     

Selectivity determinants of the aldose and aldehyde reductase inhibitor-binding sites

Aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase belong to the aldo-keto reductase superfamily of enzymes whose members are responsible for a wide variety of biological functions. Aldose reductase has been identified as the first enzyme involved in the polyol pathway of glucose metabolism which converts glucose into sorbitol. Glucose over-utilization through the polyol pathway has been linked to tissue-based pathologies associated with diabetes complications, which make the development of a potent aldose reductase inhibitor an obvious and attractive strategy to prevent or delay the onset and progression of the complications. Structural studies of aldose reductase and the homologous aldehyde reductase in complex with inhibitor were carried out to explain the difference in the potency of enzyme inhibition. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of previous studies to aid the development of aldose reductase inhibitors that may have less toxicity problems than the currently available ones. Received 4 December 2006; received after revision 12 February 2007; accepted 20 April 2007     

Regulation of insulin receptor function

Resistance to the biological actions of insulin contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes and risk of cardiovascular disease. A reduced biological response to insulin by tissues results from an impairment in the cascade of phosphorylation events within cells that regulate the activity of enzymes comprising the insulin signaling pathway. In most models of insulin resistance, there is evidence that this decrement in insulin signaling begins with either the activation or substrate kinase activity of the insulin receptor (IR), which is the only component of the pathway that is unique to insulin action. Activation of the IR can be impaired by post-translational modifications of the protein involving serine phosphorylation, or by binding to inhibiting proteins such as PC-1 or members of the SOCS or Grb protein families. The impact of these processes on the conformational changes and phosphorylation events required for full signaling activity, as well as the role of these mechanisms in human disease, is reviewed in this article. Received 3 August 2006; received after revision 1 December 2006; accepted 8 January 2007     

Curcumin通过Wnt信号通路抑制乳腺癌细胞MCF-7增殖的研究

目的 观察姜黄素(Curcumin)对乳腺癌细胞MCF-7增殖的影响,以及对细胞内Wnt信号通路的影响,探索Curcumin可能存在的抑制乳腺癌细胞增殖的分子机制.方法 体外培养人乳腺癌细胞MCF-7,并用不同浓度的Curcumin作用不同的时间.用MTT检测Curcumin对MCF-7细胞生长情况的影响;流式细胞仪观察经Curcumin作用后细胞周期的改变;RT-PCR和Westernblot分别检测细胞内β -catenin和下游靶基因CyclinD1的mRNA和蛋白水平的表达.结果 MTT结果显示Curcumin可以抑制MCF-7的增殖,并具有剂量-时间依赖性.在浓度为20 μmol·L-1时,对细胞生长的抑制作用最为明显.流式细胞仪观察细胞周期的结果提示,Curcumin能够阻止MCF-7细胞由G1期进入S期,提高Go/G1期细胞的百分比.RT-PCR和Western blot结果显示,Curcumin显著降低了细胞内β-catenin和CyclinD1的mRNA和蛋白水平的表达,且呈剂量-时间依赖性.结论 Curcumin能够抑制MCF-7细胞胞浆内β -catenin蛋白进入胞核,阻断Wnt信号转导通路.进而抑制下游靶基因CyclinD1的表达,阻止MCF-7由G1期进入S期,有效抑制了MCF-7细胞的增殖.     

Vaults and the major vault protein: Novel roles in signal pathway regulation and immunity

The unique and evolutionary highly conserved major vault protein (MVP) is the main component of ubiquitous, large cellular ribonucleoparticles termed vaults. The 100 kDa MVP represents more than 70% of the vault mass which contains two additional proteins, the vault poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (vPARP) and the telomerase-associated protein 1 (TEP1), as well as several short untranslated RNAs (vRNA). Vaults are almost ubiquitously expressed and, besides chemotherapy resistance, have been implicated in the regulation of several cellular processes including transport mechanisms, signal transmissions and immune responses. Despite a growing amount of data from diverse species and systems, the definition of precise vault functions is still highly complex and challenging. Here we review the current knowledge on MVP and vaults with focus on regulatory functions in intracellular signal transduction and immune defence. Received 27 June 2008; received after revision 25 July 2008; accepted 30 July 2008     

Activation and inactivation of thyroid hormone by deiodinases: Local action with general consequences

The thyroid hormone plays a fundamental role in the development, growth, and metabolic homeostasis in all vertebrates by affecting the expression of different sets of genes. A group of thioredoxin fold-containing selenoproteins known as deiodinases control thyroid hormone action by activating or inactivating the precursor molecule thyroxine that is secreted by the thyroid gland. These pathways ensure regulation of the availability of the biologically active molecule T3, which occurs in a time-and tissue-specific fashion. In addition, because cells and plasma are in equilibrium and deiodination affects central thyroid hormone regulation, these local deiodinase-mediated events can also affect systemic thyroid hormone economy, such as in the case of non-thyroidal illness. Heightened interest in the field has been generated following the discovery that the deiodinases can be a component in both the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway and the TGR-5 signaling cascade, a G-protein-coupled receptor for bile acids. These new mechanisms involved in deiodinase regulation indicate that local thyroid hormone activation and inactivation play a much broader role than previously thought. Received 29 August 2007; received after revision 11 October 2007; accepted 16 October 2007     

Isoprenylated proteins

Isoprenoids are synthesized in all living organisms and are incorporated into diverse classes of end-products that participate in a multitude of cellular processes relating to cell growth, differentiation, cytoskeletal function and vesicle trafficking. In humans, the non-sterol isoprenoids, farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranylgeranyl-pyrophosphate, are synthesized via the mevalonate pathway and are covalently added to members of the small G protein superfamily. Isoprenylated proteins have key roles in membrane attachment and protein functionality, have been shown to have a central role in some cancers and are likely also to be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer disease. This review details current knowledge on the biosynthesis of isoprenoids, their incorporation into proteins by the process known as prenylation and the complex regulatory network that controls these proteins. An improved understanding of these processe is likely to lead to the development of novel therapies that will have important implications for human health and disease. Received 5 July 2005; received after revision 17 October 2005; accepted 22 October 2005     

Optimization of the cellular import of functionally active SH2-domain-interacting phosphopeptides

Phosphopeptides interacting with src homology 2 (SH2) domains can activate essential signaling enzymes in vitro. When delivered to cells, they may disrupt protein-protein interactions, thereby influencing intracellular signaling. We showed earlier that phosphopeptides corresponding to the inhibitory motif of Fcγ receptor IIb and a motif of the Grb2-associated binder 1 adaptor protein activate SH2-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 in vitro. To study the ex vivo effects of these peptides, we have now compared different methods for peptide delivery: (i) permeabilization of the target cells and (ii) the use of cell-permeable vectors, which are potentially able to transport biologically active compounds into B cells. We found octanoyl-Arg₈ to be an optimal carrier for the delivery of phosphopeptides to the cells. With this strategy, the function of cell-permeable SHP-2-binding phosphopeptides was analyzed. These peptides modulated the protein phosphorylation in B cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Received 27 July 2006; received after revision 4 September 2006; accepted 18 September 2006