人类PIF1蛋白质N-末端多肽的表达纯化和生物学活性研究

解螺旋酶参与几乎体内所有的DNA代谢,具有重要的生理功能。为了从分子水平阐述人类PIF1解螺旋酶的生理功能,我们以HeLa细胞的cDNA文库为模版,PCR扩增得到PIF1基因5’端含有1～534核苷酸的cDNA序列一PIFAC。在PIF△C的5’端引入六组氨酸标签后插入pET15b表达载体,得到重组质粒pET15-PIF△C。以此重组质粒转化Rosetta TM2（DE3）感受态细胞,使PIFAC蛋白质在大肠杆菌中得到表达。在4℃通过快速液相色谱纯化系统,通过一系列色谱层析柱纯化了PIFAC蛋白质。以纯化的PIFAC蛋白质免疫家兔制备了抗血清,并检测了纯化的PIFAC的生物化学活性。结果显示不含解旋酶模序的人类PIF1蛋白质的N-末端,具有使单链DNA复性的特性。PIF1解螺旋酶具有解开DNA双链和使双链DNA复性这一矛盾的特性,暗示了人类PIF1解螺旋酶可能参与损伤DNA的修复,包括断裂的双链DNA的修复。     

人RNA解旋酶基因家族新成员DVH的克隆与初步功能研究

一条长3446bp 的人类新基因cDNA已从胎脑cDNA文库中被克隆,该cDNA克隆包长2583bp的开放读框,推测编码一条长860个氨基酸残基的蛋白质,预测分子质量为96．8ku,通过同源性比较及profile搜索,预测氨基酸序列显示出DExH-BOX RNA解旋酶基因家族特有的7保守基序及已知RNA解旋酶氨基酸序列的较高同源性,进一步通过蛋白质结构模型同已知RNA解旋酶结构的比较,可以认定其为一条人类RNA解旋酶基因家族新成员,通过基因编码的氨基酸序列中基序II D－E－V－H残基将其命名为DVH（DEVHbox Helicase),生物信息学手段结合DVH基因表达谱分析结果可推定DVH可能在胎儿发育过程中起作用,由于解旋基因家族同人类遗传疾病关系密切,以上结果可指导DVH基因的进一步功能研究并提示该,基因作为疾病侯选基因的可能性。     

正链RNA病毒复制蛋白的分子生物学研究进展

综述了复制蛋白的几个关键的结构域（解螺旋酶的功能区，依赖RNA的RNA聚合酶（RdRp)的核心区域，类似糜蛋白酶的蛋白酶区域，转甲基酶结构域）的结构特点、功能和基因表达方式，以及复制酶基因在抗病毒工程中的应用。     

Welcome the Family of FANCJ-like Helicases to the Block of Genome Stability Maintenance Proteins

The FANCJ family of DNA helicases is emerging as an important group of proteins for the prevention of human disease, cancer, and chromosomal instability. FANCJ was identified by its association with breast cancer, and is implicated in Fanconi Anemia. Proteins with sequence similarity to FANCJ are important for maintenance of genomic stability. Mutations in genes encoding proteins related to FANCJ, designated ChlR1 in human and Chl1p in yeast, result in sister chromatid cohesion defects. Nematodes mutated in dog-1 show germline as well as somatic deletions in genes containing guanine-rich DNA. Rtel knockout mice are embryonic lethal, and embryonic stem cells show telomere loss and chromosomal instability. FANCJ also shares sequence similarity with human XPD and yeast RAD3 helicases required for nucleotide excision repair. The recently solved structure of XPD has provided new insight to the helicase core and accessory domains of sequence related Superfamily 2 helicases. The functions and roles of members of the FANCJ-like helicase family will be discussed. Received 17 September 2008; received after revision 24 October 2008; accepted 28 October 2008     

In vitro reconstitution of homologous recombination reactions

The proteins essential to homologous recombination inE. coli have been purified and their individual activities have been identified, permitting biochemical reconstitution of steps that comprise the cellular recombination process. This review focuses on the biochemical events responsible for the initiation and homologous pairing steps of genetic recombination. The properties of an in vitro recombination reaction that requires the concerted action of recA, recBCD, and SSB proteins and that is stimulated by the recombination hotspot, Chi(), are described. The recBCD enzyme serves as the initiator of this reaction; its DNA helicase activity produces single-stranded DNA that is used by the recA protein to promote homologous pairing and DNA strand invasion of supercoiled (recipient) DNA. The SSB protein acts to trap the single-stranded DNA produced by recBCD enzyme and to facilitate pairing by the recA protein. The regulatory sequence acts incis by attenuating the nuclease, but not the helicase, activity of recBCD enzyme. This attenuation assures the preservation of ssDNA produced by the DNA helicase activity and is responsible for the simulation in vitro and, presumably, in vivo. The attenuation of nuclease activity by results in the loss or functional inactivation of the recD subunit.     

高等植物中的DNA解旋酶

综述了在离体实验条件下高等植物DNA解旋酶在以下多方面具有重要的生物学功能：包括DNA重组、DNA复制、翻译启始、rDNA转录及在prerRNA加工过程早期阶段,双链断裂修复、端粒长度维持、核苷酸切除修复、花发育中的细胞分裂/增殖、基因组甲基化方式保持、植物细胞周期和细胞基本生命活动的维持。最近玉米基因组中发现的解旋子（helitron)插入说明高等植物DNA解旋酶可能在植物生长与发育中有重要调控作用。因而有着重要的生物技术应用价值。     

酵母螺旋酶(YRF)基因的结构域及其基因家族的演化

以基因序列内所含较小的 ORF作为探测基因结构的亚单元 ,研究酵母螺旋酶蛋白(YRF)的主要结构域分布以及 YRF家族基因的演化特征 .研究表明 ,YRF基因有 2个较保守的主结构域 .此外 ,在酵母染色体 5′和 3′端有一些与 YRF基因同源性很高的已知 ORF,与YRF基因对比发现 ,这些 ORF是 YRF基因 2个主结构域分离或第 1主结构域内部分离的结果 ,分离位点均在各个亚单元之间发生 ,说明得到的亚单元序列在 YRF基因家族进化中具有很高的保守性     

高等植物中的DNA解旋酶

综述了在离体实验条件下高等植物DNA解旋酶在以下多方面具有重要的生物学功能：包括DNA重组、DNA复制、翻译启始、rDNA转录及在pre-rRNA加工过程早期阶段，双链断裂修复、端粒长度维持、核苷酸切除修复、花发育中的细胞分裂／增殖、基因组甲基化方式保持、植物细胞周期和细胞基本生命活动的维持。最近玉米基因组中发现的解旋子(helitron)插入说明高等植物DNA解旋酶可能在植物生长与发育中有重要调控作用。因而有着重要的生物技术应用价值。     

Kinetic study of the DNA annealing properties of RECQ5β helicase

RecQ family helicases are critical for maintaining genomic integrity. Many RecQ family helicases not only unwind duplex, and other more complicated DNA structures, but also possess, interestingly, DNA annealing (strand pairing) activity. Here, we systematically investigated the DNA annealing properties of RECQ5β by measuring DNA annealing kinetics, equilibrium DNA binding, and kinetics of dissociation from ssDNA. RECQ5β catalyzed DNA annealing most efficiently when the enzyme molecules covered approximately 40%-50% of the DNA strand, in the absence or presence of different nucleotide cofactors (AMPPNP, ATPγS, or ADP) under our buffer conditions. A comparative study with RECQ5β1-662 confirmed that the C-terminal region of RECQ5β was essential for its high DNA annealing activity. These results contribute to our understanding of the mechanism of DNA annealing catalyzed by RecQ family helicases.