罗非鱼TRAF3基因的表达及功能研究

肿瘤坏死因子受体(TNFR)相关因子3(TRAF3)是多种免疫途径中的关键调控因子。从尼罗罗非鱼(Oreochromis niloticus)中克隆获得了TRAF3基因, 命名为OnTRAF3(GeneBank No. MN258118), 该基因包含1个环指结构域、1个锌指结构域、1个卷曲螺旋和MATH结构域。多序列比对表明, OnTRAF3与其他已知的TRAF3蛋白具有高度的相似性, 尤其是MATH结构域。实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)分析显示, OnTRAF3在各组织中广泛分布, 且在脑、皮肤、肠和鳃中表达量较高。在无乳链球菌诱导后, 多个组织中的OnTRAF3表达量出现了不同程度的上调, 说明OnTRAF3参与了罗非鱼的抗菌免疫应答。亚细胞定位实验显示, OnTRAF3分布在HEK293的细胞质和细胞核中。此外, 荧光素酶报告基因实验结果显示, 野生型(WT)OnTRAF3可显著激活NF-κB信号, 而coiled-coil和MATH 结构域缺失后, 依然能够显著激活NF-κB 活性, 而RING 和Zinc缺失后, 该激活作用则明显减弱, 表明RING 和Zinc 结构域是OnTRAF3在免疫信号通路中行使功能的关键结构域。研究为探索TRAF3在罗非鱼免疫应答中的功能提供了重要的基础。     

三种壁虎染色体核仁组织者的银染色观察与蹼壁虎的核型

本文以骨髓细胞为材料, 采用常规制片法和一步银染色技术,首次报道了无蹼壁虎、铅山壁虎和多疣壁虑的NORs,并用α-巯基乙醇短期培养无蹼壁虎的骨髓细胞,分析其核型。结果表明,3种壁虎都仅显示一对NORs,也未见有融合现象。其中无蹼壁虎的NORs位于第18对染色体的次缢痕区,而铅山壁虎和多疣壁虎分别位于第19对和第14对上。另外,我们从C带分析中发现,铅山壁虎和多疣壁虎的NORs位点均为结构异染色质区。经α-巯基乙醇培养的无蹼壁虎的染色体明显“拉长”。具次缢痕的染色体可从以往报道的第 19 对调整为第18对,其次缢痕区也比直接制作的标本大而清晰。     

Cell fusions in mammals

Cell fusions are important to fertilization, placentation, development of skeletal muscle and bone, calcium homeostasis and the immune defense system. Additionally, cell fusions participate in tissue repair and may be important to cancer development and progression. A large number of factors appear to regulate cell fusions, including receptors and ligands, membrane domain organizing proteins, proteases, signaling molecules and fusogenic proteins forming alpha-helical bundles that bring membranes close together. The syncytin family of proteins represent true fusogens and the founding member, syncytin-1, has been documented to be involved in fusions between placental trophoblasts, between cancer cells and between cancer cells and host cells. We review the literature with emphasis on the syncytin family and propose that syncytins may represent universal fusogens in primates and rodents, which work together with a number of other proteins to regulate the cell fusion machinery.     

Rab11b regulates the trafficking and recycling of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)

Expression of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) at the apical membrane of cortical collecting duct (CCD) principal cells is modulated by regulated trafficking mediated by vesicle insertion and retrieval. Small GTPases are known to facilitate vesicle trafficking, recycling, and membrane fusion events; however, little is known about the specific Rab family members that modify ENaC surface density. Using a mouse CCD cell line that endogenously expresses ENaC (mpkCCD), the channel was localized to both Rab11a- and Rab11b-positive endosomes by immunoisolation and confocal fluorescent microscopy. Expression of a dominant negative (DN) form of Rab11a or Rab11b significantly reduced the basal and cAMP-stimulated ENaC-dependent sodium (Na(+)) transport. The greatest reduction in Na(+) transport was observed with the expression of DN-Rab11b. Furthermore, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of each Rab11 isoform demonstrated the requirement for Rab11b in ENaC surface expression. These data indicate that Rab11b, and to a lesser extent Rab11a, is involved in establishing the constitutive and cAMP-stimulated Na(+) transport in mpkCCD cells.     

A Stable Upstream Stem-loop Structure Enhances Selection of the First 5'-ORF-AUG as a Main Start Codon for Translation Initiation of Human ACAT1 mRNA

Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT)is an integral membrane protein, which is mainly locatedin rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and is responsiblefor catalyzing the intracellular formation of cholesterylester from cholesterol and long-chain fatty acyl-coenzymeA [1,2]. Human ACAT1 cDNA K1 was firstly cloned andfunctionally expressed in 1993 [3]. Further studies withspecific anti-ACAT1 antibody (DM10) illustrated that onemajor 50 kD ACAT1 protein was expressed in various…