2-甲基-6-硝基苯胺的合成及表征

以邻硝基苯胺为原料,经乙酰化、甲基化、水解三步反应合成得到了目标产物2-甲基-6-硝基苯胺,并采用IR、1H NMR和13C NMR对产物结构进行了表征。探讨了乙酰化反应时催化剂AlCl3用量、反应温度、反应时间和乙酸酐的滴加速率对邻硝基乙酰苯胺产率的影响,以及甲基化反应中催化剂AlCl3用量、反应温度、反应时间和硫酸二甲酯的滴加速率对产物产率的影响。在最佳合成条件下,2-甲基-6-硝基苯胺的产率可达93.9%。     

结、直肠癌患者抑癌基因的甲基化检测

目的：评价特异性甲基化PCR（MSP）分析法检测抑癌基因高甲基化对结、直肠癌的诊疗价值。方法：应用MSP法检测36例结、直肠癌患者血清、术中癌旁组织及癌组织中的抑癌基因hMIM1、p15、p16甲基化的发生率。另选择36例健康体检者血清样品作正常对照。结果：36例结、直肠癌患者术前血清及术中癌组织的hMIM1、p15、p16甲基化发生率为59％-97％,癌旁组织略低;术后1周血清中hMIM1、p15、p16与术前比较明显下降（P〈0．01）,而正常对照组抑癌基因甲基化发生率均为0。结论：MSP法的建立,直接检测结、直肠癌患者的抑癌基因的高甲基化状态,有助于临床判断和动态观察治疗的效果。     

Role of Tip60 tumor suppressor in DNA repair pathway

To prevent the damage caused by DNA strand breaks, eukaryotic cells have evolved a series of highly conserved DNA repair mechanisms. The ubiquitously expressed acetyltransferase, Tip60, plays a central role in ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) activation which is involved in DNA repair. Recent work uncovered a new mechanism of ATM activation mediated by Tip60 and demonstrated that histone methylation, specifically, trimethylation of histone H3, is a key factor in the process. Here, we review the current understanding of how Tip60 is activated and how it activates ATM in response to DNA damage.     

亚硝胺类化合物诱导小鼠食管病变与基因组甲基化的关系研究

研究亚硝胺类化合物诱导小鼠食管发生病变与基因甲基化的关系,在亚硝酸钠（NaNO2）和N,N-二甲基苄胺（N,N-Dimethylbenzylamine）混合物诱导小鼠食管病变过程中,定期取小鼠食管,一部分做病理切片观察组织学变化;另一部分提取组织DNA做变性高效液相色谱（Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography,DHPLC）,检测基因组甲基化修饰的改变。结果在亚苄混合物诱导的小鼠食管癌变过程中,全基因组甲基化修饰是逐渐降低的,在达到一定程度后即保持一种稳态。此时组织病理学才发生光镜下可见的改变。说明全基因组甲基化修饰的逐渐降低可能是亚硝胺类化合物诱导食管发生病变的途径之一．这种基因修饰的变化有助于进一步研究食管鳞癌发生的分子机制。     

Histone methylation and ubiquitination with their cross-talk and roles in gene expression and stability

Methylation of lysine residues of histones is associated with functionally distinct regions of chromatin, and, therefore, is an important epigenetic mark. Over the past few years, several enzymes that catalyze this covalent modification on different lysine residues of histones have been discovered. Intriguingly, histone lysine methylation has also been shown to be cross-regulated by histone ubiquitination or the enzymes that catalyze this modification. These covalent modifications and their cross-talks play important roles in regulation of gene expression, heterochromatin formation, genome stability, and cancer. Thus, there has been a very rapid progress within past several years towards elucidating the molecular basis of histone lysine methylation and ubiquitination, and their aberrations in human diseases. Here, we discuss these covalent modifications with their cross-regulation and roles in controlling gene expression and stability. Received 24 September 2008; received after revision 21 November 2008; accepted 28 November 2008     

DNA methylation of fly genes and transposons

The use of anti-5-methylcytosine antibodies in affinity columns allowed the identification of methylated sequences in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster adults. In view of the presence of transposable elements amongst the identified sequences, it has been suggested that DNA methylation is involved in transposon control in the fly genome. On the contrary, a reanalysis of these data furnishes several intriguing elements that could raise new questions about the role that DNA methylation plays in the fly genome. The aim of the present paper is to discuss some features that emerge from the analysis of the identified methylated sequences. Received 26 January 2006; received after revision 8 May 2006; accepted 2 June 2006     

SET domain protein lysine methyltransferases: Structure, specificity and catalysis

Site- and state-specific lysine methylation of histones is catalyzed by a family of proteins that contain the evolutionarily conserved SET domain and plays a fundamental role in epigenetic regulation of gene activation and silencing in all eukaryotes. The recently determined three-dimensional structures of the SET domains from chromosomal proteins reveal that the core SET domain structure contains a two-domain architecture, consisting of a conserved anti-parallel β-barrel and a structurally variable insert that surround a unusual knot-like structure that comprises the enzyme active site. These structures of the SET domains, either in the free state or when bound to cofactor S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine and/or histone peptide, mimicking an enzyme/cofactor/substrate complex, further yield the structural insights into the molecular basis of the substrate specificity, methylation multiplicity and the catalytic mechanism of histone lysine methylation. Received 10 June 2006; accepted 22 August 2006