N-terminal of L protein of vesicular stomatitis virus contains a new signal sequence

The L protein (241kD) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is the most important snbnnit of the replication complex. The existence of specific localization signal in the L protein was investigated by making recombinant constructs expressing truncated mutants of the L protein fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) in transient transfection assays. The chimeric genes encoding varied N-terminal of L and GFP gene were put under the control of T7 promoter or CMV promoter. The fusion proteins were transiently expressed in BHK-21, COS-7, CHO or Hep G2 cells. When more than 120 residues were deleted or only 96 residues were kept on the N-terminal, the fusion proteins were shown to be distributed throughout the cells, cytoplasm and nucleus under the confocal microscope. However, other chimeric proteins with 120 or more amino acids were dotted and distributed in the perinuclear regions. And the fusion protein with 96—120 aa has the similar distribution. A thirteen-residue peptide QGYSFLHEVDKEA (108—120) was identified as localization signal, whose function would be absolutely distributed with the deficiency of D or V. Our results show that there is an independent localizing signal in N-terminal domain of L protein of VSV and this functional signal is conserved in different cell lines.     

The glycinergic inhibitory synapse

Glycine is one of the most important inhibitory neurotransmitters in the spinal cord and the brainstem, and glycinergic synapses have a well-established role in the regulation of locomotor behavior. Research over the last 15 years has yielded new insights on glycine neurotransmission. Glycinergic synapses are now known not to be restricted to the spinal cord and the brainstem. Presynaptic machinery for glycine release and uptake, the structure and function of postsynaptic receptors and the factors (both pre- and postsynaptic) which control the strength of glycinergic inhibition have been extensively studied. It is now established that glycinergic synapses can be excitatory in the immature brain and that some inhibitory synapses can corelease γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine. Moreover, the presence of glycine transporters on glial cells and the capacity of these cells to release glycine suggest that glycine may also act as a neuromodulator. Extensive molecular studies have revealed the presence of distinct subtypes of postsynaptic glycine receptors with different functional properties. Mechanisms of glycine receptors aggregation at postsynaptic sites during development are better understood and functional implications of variation in receptor number between postsynaptic sites are partly elucidated. Mutations of glycine receptor subunits have been shown to underly some human locomotor disorders, including the startle disease. Clearly, recent work on glycine receptor channels and the synapses at which they mediate inhibitory signalling in both young and adult animals necessitates an update of our vision of glycinergic inhibitory transmission. Received 8 September 2000; received after revision 1 December 2000; accepted 21 December 2000     

一个犬凝集素基因VIP36的人类同源基因cDNA的克隆、染色体定位和表达谱分析

从人的胎脑cDNA文库中克隆到一条犬凝集素基因VIP36的人类同源基因,此cDNA序列全长2430bp,拟编码一个382个氨基酸残基的蛋白,它编码的蛋白与犬VIP36有52％的同源性,因此将其命名为人类VIP36L基因,应用辐射杂交方法,钭该基因定位在人2号染色体的分子标记D2S388和D2S113之间,采用基因芯片杂交的方法研究其表达谱情况,发现该基因在胎皮和肝癌组织中表达量较高。     

混合菌根对蓝桉生长的影响

报道了在温室接种试验基础上 ,对蓝桉接种菌根后生长的研究。用显微镜观察根系表明 ,真菌组合在桉树根系上形成混合菌根 :Laccaria lateritia× Acaulospora laevis。统计分析了苗期菌根接种效应 ,证实了桉树接种菌根菌能显著促进苗木的生长和生物量的积累。蓝桉接种组合 LA,接种 1 6周时与对照苗相比 ,接种苗高生长量增加 2 0 .4 0 %。     

Infective viruses produced from full-length complementary DNA of swine vesicular disease viruses HK/70 strain

Swine vesicular disease (SVD) is a highly conta- gious viral disease of pigs. Symptoms are clinically indistinguishable from those caused by other vesiculardisease viruses, such as foot and mouth disease (FMD virus, vesicular stomatitis (VS) virus and ves…     

VA菌根真菌研究概况

综述了VA菌根、VA菌根真菌及其研究概况,VA菌根及VA菌根真菌的研究发展,将能丰富生命科学的内容,也将有利于提高农作物的产量和品质.     

细胞囊泡运输系统与人类健康——2013年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖简介

人类对健康的孜孜以求推动了生命科学领域的不断创新和发展,从20 世纪80 年代兰迪·W?谢克曼(Randy W. Schekman)和詹姆斯?E?罗斯曼(James E. Rothman)分别对酵母细胞进行研究,通过生物电镜观察到囊泡运输系统并给出定义,到托马斯?C?苏德霍夫(Thomas C. Südhof)在神经细胞突触传导中证实了囊泡运输系统的时空调控性,囊泡运输系统作为细胞的基本组成,受到了越来越深入的研究。囊泡运输系统经由精密的调控广泛地参与诸多生命活动过程,与多种生命现象相关,囊泡运输系统障碍可能导致多种人类疾病,深入透彻地理解这些生物学现象和作用机制,对于攻克人类疾病,保障人类健康具有十分深远的意义。     

Emerging roles of the oxysterol-binding protein family in metabolism, transport, and signaling

OSBP (oxysterol-binding protein) and ORPs (OSBP-related proteins) constitute an enigmatic eukaryotic protein family that is united by a signature domain that binds oxysterols, sterols, and possibly other hydrophobic ligands. The human genome contains 12 OSBP/ORP family members genes, while that of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes seven OSBP homologues (Osh). Of these, Osh4 (also referred to as Kes1) has been the most widely studied to date. Recently, three-dimensional crystal structures of Osh4 with and without sterols bound within the core of the protein were determined. The core consists of 19 anti-parallel β-sheets that form a near-complete β-barrel. Recent work has suggested that Osh proteins facilitate the non-vesicular transport of sterols in vivo and in vitro, while other evidence supports a role for Osh proteins in the regulation of vesicular transport and lipid metabolism.This article will review recent advances in the study of ORP/Osh proteins and will discuss future research issues regarding the ORP/Osh family. Received 17 July 2007; received after revision 14 August 2007; accepted 12 September 2007