Recent results on hydrogen and hydration in biology studied by neutron macromolecular crystallography

Neutron diffraction provides an experimental method of directly locating hydrogen atoms in proteins, a technique complimentary to ultra-high-resolution [1, 2] X-ray diffraction. Three different types of neutron diffractometers for biological macromolecules have been constructed in Japan, France and the United States, and they have been used to determine the crystal structures of proteins up to resolution limits of 1.5-2.5 A. Results relating to hydrogen positions and hydration patterns in proteins have been obtained from these studies. Examples include the geometrical details of hydrogen bonds, H/D exchange in proteins and oligonucleotides, the role of hydrogen atoms in enzymatic activity and thermostability, and the dynamical behavior of hydration structures, all of which have been extracted from these structural results and reviewed. Other techniques, such as the growth of large single crystals, the preparation of fully deuterated proteins, the use of cryogenic techniques, and a data base of hydrogen and hydration in proteins, will be described.     

Family I.3 lipase: bacterial lipases secreted by the type I secretion system

Based on the classification of bacterial lipolytic enzymes, family I.3 lipase is a member of the large group of Gram-negative bacterial true lipases. This lipase family is distinguished from other families not only by the amino acid sequence, but also by the secretion mechanism. Lipases of family I.3 are secreted via the well-known type I secretion system. Like most of proteins secreted via this system, family I.3 lipases are composed of two domains with distinct yet related functions. Recent years have seen an increasing amount of research on this lipase family, in terms of isolation, secretion mechanism, as well as biochemical and biophysical studies. This review describes our current knowledge on the structure-function relationships of family I.3 lipase, with an emphasis on its secretion mechanism. Received 18 April 2006; received after revision 3 July 2006; accepted 24 August 2006     

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β and Alzheimer’s disease: pathophysiological and therapeutic significance

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with cognitive and behavioral dysfunction and is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Several studies have implicated molecular and cellular signaling cascades involving the serine-threonine kinase, glycogen synthase kinase β(GSK-3β) in the pathogenesis of AD. GSK-3β may play an important role in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques, the two classical pathological hallmarks of AD. In this review, we discuss the interaction between GSK-3β and several key molecules involved in AD, including the presenilins, amyloid precursor protein, tau, and β-amyloid. We identify the signal transduction pathways involved in the pathogenesis of AD, including Wnt, Notch, and the PI3 kinase/Akt pathway. These may be potential therapeutic targets in AD. Received 19 December 2005; received after revision 24 January 2006; accepted 6 February 2006     

脱脂鲢肉酶解工艺技术研究

采用蒸煮法、脂肪酶法、乙醚法对鲢肉进行脱脂．并比较不同酶制剂对脱脂鲢肉的水解效果．试验结果表明。脂肪酶法的脱脂效果最好,其脱脂率为98．11％．根据水解度及感官品尝指标,从5种酶中优选出复合蛋白酶为脱脂鱼肉的最佳水解酶．并通过正交实验确定该酶的最佳水解工艺条件：pH6．5,温度55℃,酶最3000U／g．蛋白质,底物浓度（鱼肉：水）1：3．     

植物分离蛋白功能特性研究综述

综述了植物分离蛋白主要功能特性的影响因素,包括蛋白质浓度、温度、离子强度、pH值和多糖等对植物分离蛋白的吸水性、起泡性、溶解性、乳化及乳化稳定性等的影响,为植物蛋白的相关研究提供一定的参考价值。     

新型T+1断裂蛋白质内含子的构建

首次从天然C端外显子为苏氨酸(Thr)的标准蛋白质内含子(TerSnf2)构建出两类T+1型断裂蛋白质内含子:Snf-S0和Snf-S1,通过蛋白印迹法测定Snf-S0和Snf-S1介导的蛋白质反式剪接效率分别达到53.5%和33.3%;当这两类断裂蛋白质内含子C端外显子分别为半胱氨酸(Cys)和丝氨酸(Ser)时均具有剪接活性.所获的两类具有剪接活性的T+1型断裂蛋白质内含子具备一定的插入位点通用性,这一特点为蛋白质反式剪接技术在蛋白质工程领域广泛应用提供了新的契机.     

蛋黄水凝胶中可冻结水的同步热分析结果及其讨论

为了研究蛋白质水凝胶中水的状态,利用同步热分析仪,研究了鸡蛋中蛋黄和蒸馏水的热流量、质量随温度的变化.实验结果表明：1）在-50℃~50℃温度范围内,以10K/min的升温过程中,蛋黄和蒸馏水样品均出现了熔化现象,在测量温度范围内样品的热性质与热历史无关.2）蛋黄样品和蒸馏水的熔化峰形在测量的温度区间内,低温区重合得不是很好,但在高温区有很好的重合,说明蛋黄和蒸馏水样品的吸热行为在初始熔化时不同,在峰值以上温区内,基本一致.3）蛋黄蛋白质水凝胶中可冻结水晶粒尺寸与蒸馏水中的晶粒尺寸不同,导致了蛋黄中可冻结水与等质量的蒸馏水在熔化过程中吸收的热量不同,且蛋黄的熔化峰出现在比蒸馏水熔化峰低的温区内.4）实验经过多次反复测量,实验结果具有很好的可靠性和可重复性,表明利用DSC方法通过熔化峰的吸热量计算蛋白质水凝胶中可冻结水含量的方法存在系统误差,但偶然误差小.     

提取淀粉工业废渣液中蛋白质的试验研究

研究采用一种物理化学聚沉法,快速提取淀粉工业废渣液中蛋白质等营养物质;探讨了提高蛋白质提取速度和蛋白质回收率的条件与影响因素.     

一种新型免疫毒素交联剂研究

“免疫毒素”即抗体与毒素的复合物，是“导向药物”的一种类型，当前各国正在竞相研究，是一个新兴的研究领域，免疫毒素通常由双功能试剂将抗体与毒蛋白交联而成，为了提高免疫毒素杀伤靶细胞的能力，对双功能交联剂的研究已变得日趋重要和紧迫，本文介绍了一种新型免疫毒素交联剂的制备方法。