含铬或锰的新型固氮酶的纯化, 特性和结晶—棕色固氮菌突变种UW3中CrFe蛋白和MnFe蛋白的研究

以含MnSO4或Na2CrO4的无钼无氨的修改Burk’s培养基， 培养不能合成含钼固氮酶体系的棕色固氮菌 (Azotobacter vinelandii Lipmann) 突变种UW3， 发现在一定浓度范围内， MnSO4或Na2CrO4的加入有助于促进其生长。 菌体生长和C2H2还原活性曲线测定结果表明， 这种促进作用很可能是通过Mn或Cr取代Mo， 参与组装固氮酶中心原子簇， 从而影响固氮活性而实现的。 利用阴离子交换 (DEAE-52和Q-Sepharose FF) 和凝胶过滤 (Sephacryl S-200) 柱层析从两种菌体中纯化得到固氮酶组分Ⅰ蛋白 (分别命名为MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白)， 并对其进行了特性研究。 厌氧天然聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳 (PAGE) 和SDS-PAGE结果显示， 两种蛋白均为两种亚基组成的四聚体。 亚基可以与OP MoFe蛋白抗体发生免疫反应， 分子量分别略小于野生种OP MoFe蛋白的α和β亚基。 CrFe蛋白的C2H2还原活性， Ar下放氢活性和固氮活性分别相当于OP MoFe蛋白的36%， 38%和43%， 而MnFe蛋白活性相当于OP MoFe蛋白的50%左右， 并且两种蛋白与OP MoFe蛋白具有相似的固氮电子利用率。 对两种蛋白金属含量的测定证实其中分别含有Mn和Cr， 但仍存在少量Mo污染。 与OP MoFe蛋白相比，这两种蛋白圆二色谱的摩尔椭圆率 ([θ]) 除在450nm较接近外，在可见光区的其它波长处均显著降低。 与DT还原OP MoFe蛋白相似， CrFe蛋白和MnFe蛋白具有g≈4。3、3。7和2。0的特征EPR信号， 但各处信号强度比例不同。 在对污染Mo可能引起的信号进行校正后，CrFe蛋白的三个信号强度分别相当于DT还原OP MoFe蛋白的20%， 0%和10%， 而MnFe蛋白则分别相当于112%， 49%和65%。 上述结果表明， CrFe蛋白和MnFe蛋白与OP MoFe蛋白金属原子簇的主要差异很可能在于FeMco (M=Cr， Mn或Mo)的M种类， 而P-cluster结构和组成均未见大的差异。 利用气相扩散悬滴法对MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白结晶条件进行了筛选和初步优化， 确定了以Tris/Hepes， NaCl， MgCl2和PEG 8000为主要变量的沉淀剂体系， 寻找各组分对于晶体生长的最适浓度。 以此为基础探讨了应用气相扩散坐滴法和液-液扩散法对两种蛋白结晶条件的优化。 在一定条件下， 两种蛋白分别通过液-液扩散法获得了优质大单晶。 对从CrFe蛋白和MnFe蛋白制备物中培养出的蛋白质晶体的SDS-PAGE鉴定显示， 晶体由与OP MoFe蛋白相似的两种亚基组成。 通过 “神舟三号” 飞船搭载实验探讨了空间微重力对于厌氧蛋白质结晶的影响， 结果表明， 微重力有助于避免孪晶形成， 并具有长期培养后获得适于进行X-射线衍射分析的优质大单晶的潜在前景。 结合空间科学使固氮酶结构与功能研究得以发展， 这项工作是有意义并且可行的。

棕色固氮菌突变种(UW45、DJ54和DJ35)的缺失FeMoco钼铁蛋白的纯化、特性鉴定及结晶研究

一．棕色固氮菌突变种UW45、缺失nifH（DJ54）和缺失nifE(DJ35)突变种的钼铁蛋白的纯化、特性鉴定及结晶研究 棕色固氮菌突变种UW45的菌体破碎后，所得粗提物经两次DEAE 52柱层析后得到部分纯的nifB- MoFe蛋白和Fe蛋白。再经Sephacryl S-300和 DEAE柱的进一步纯化，便使nifB- MoFe蛋白基本达到SDS凝胶电泳纯。SDS-PAGE结果表明，nifB- MoFe蛋白具有与野生型棕色固氮菌（OP）MoFe蛋白相同的亚基种类和组成。此粗提物可为用NMF抽提的 OP MoFe蛋白的FeMoco激活，所得Fe蛋白具有与OP Fe蛋白相似的互补活性，可使OP MoFe的比活性达到2192 nmol C2H2/min/mg蛋白。FeMoco可使无互补活性的 nifB- MoFe蛋白与nifB- Fe蛋白组成具有可观放氢活性的固氮酶，使FeMoco显出的比活性接近文献报道的还原乙炔的最高值。对nifB- MoFe蛋白的结晶及晶体生长进行了的研究，初步探讨了结晶溶液各组分的种类和浓度、结晶方法和实验操作等与能否出现晶体及晶体的数目、大小、质量、形状和出晶时间等的相互关系。在结晶实验时，一次就得到了国内外尚未报道的该蛋白的短斜四棱柱的棕色晶体。目前所得的最大的晶体的二维边长都为0.1mm。初步结果表明，这种晶体可能就是nifB- MoFe蛋白的晶体。 从棕色固氮菌突变种DJ54中得到了ΔnifH MoFe蛋白;并参与了棕色固氮菌突变种DJ35的ΔnifE MoFe蛋白的分离纯化，所用方法与nifB- MoFe蛋白的分离纯化相似。对这两种突变种蛋白的特性和结晶进行了初步研究。在结晶实验时，也是一次就得到了国内外尚未报道的ΔnifH MoFe蛋白和ΔnifEMoFe蛋白的晶体。 二．新型固氮酶MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白的特性与结晶研究 在已有的工作基础上，分离纯化了几批MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白，并用部分纯的nifB- Fe蛋白进行活性互补，分别测定了MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白的底物还原活性。不断优化MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白晶体生长条件，获得了晶质良好的MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白的较大晶体。 在2001年的“神舟2号”飞船搭载实验中，MnFe蛋白的出晶率达到100%，所获得的晶体也比地面对照略厚些。继续进行MnFe蛋白和CrFe蛋白的空间计划的地面匹配实验，以满足对蛋白质样品的要求，以保证宇宙飞船“神舟3号”的蛋白质搭载实验获得更好的结果。

An Amino Acid Substitution Matrix for Protein Conformation Identification

Amino acid substitution matrices play an essential role in protein sequence alignment, a fundamental task in bioinformatics. Most widely used matrices, such as PAM matrices derived from homologous sequences and BLOSUM matrices derived from aligned segments of PROSITE, did not integrate conformation information in their construction. There are a few structure-based matrices, which are derived from limited data of structure alignment. Using databases PDB_SELECT and DSSP, we create a database of sequence-conformation blocks which explicitly represent sequence-structure relationship. Members in a block are identical in conformation and are highly similar in sequence. From this block database, we derive a conformation-specific amino acid substitution matrix CBSM60. The matrix shows an improved performance in conformational segment search and homolog detection.

Feasibility of Protein a for the Oriented Immobilization of Immunoglobulin on Silicon Surface for a Biosensor with Imaging Ellipsometry

The feasibility of using protein A to immobilize antibody on silicon surface for a biosensor with imaging ellipsometry was presented in this study. The amount of human IgG bound with anti-IgG immobilized by the protein A on silicon surface was much more than that bound with anti-IgG immobilized by physical adsorption. The result indicated that the protein A could be used to immobilize antibody molecules in a highly oriented manner and maintain antibody molecular functional configuration on the silicon surface. High reproducibility of the amount of antibody immobilization and homogenous antibody adsorption layer on surfaces could be obtained by this immobilization method. Imaging ellipsometry has been proven to be a fast and reliable detection method and sensitive enough to detect small changes in a molecular monolayer level. The combination of imaging ellipsometry and surface modification with protein A has the potential to be further developed into an efficient immunoassay protein chip.

Application of Optical Protein-chip in Detecting Phage M13KO7

Abstract: Avidin layer was bound on the substrate surface of Silicon wafer modified with aldehyde. The interaction between avidin and biotin was adopted for the immobilization of mouse monoclonal biotin-anti-M13 (antibody GP3)-labeled biotin. The surface was incubated in a solution containing phage M13KO7, which was trapped by the antibody GP3 with the interaction between phage M13KO7 and antibody GP3, resulting in a variation of layer thickness that was detected by imaging ellipsometry. The results showed a saturated layer of antibody GP3 with a thickness about 6.9 nm on the surface of the silicon wafer. The specific interaction between phage M13KO7 and antibody GP3 resulted in a variation of layer thickness. The layer of phage M13KO7 bound with antibody GP3 was 17.5 nm in the concentration of 1.1×1010 pfu/mL. Each variation of the layer thickness corresponded to a concentration of phage M13KO7 in the range of 0.1×1010–2.5×1010 pfu/mL, with the sensitivity of 109 pfu/mL. Compared with other methods, the optical protein-chip, requiring only short measurement time, label free, is a quantitative test, and can be visualized. This study could be significant on the interactions between the antibody and the virus, showing potential in the early diagnosis of virosis.

Competitive protein adsorption studied with atomic force microscopy and imaging ellipsometry

The adsorption and competitive adsorption of collagen and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were directly visualized and quantified using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and imaging ellipsometry. Chemically modified silicon surfaces were used as hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates. The results showed that collagen and BSA in single component solution adsorbed onto a hydrophobic surface two times more than that onto a hydrophilic surface. The competitive adsorption between collagen and BSA showed that serum albumin preferentially adsorbed onto a hydrophobic surface, while collagen on a hydrophilic surface. In the binary solution of BSA (1 mg/ml BSA) and collagen (0.1 mg/ml), nearly 100% of the protein adsorbed onto the hydrophobic surface was BSA, but on the hydrophilic surface only about 6% was BSA. Surface affinity was the main factor controlling the competitive adsorption.

A Label-Free Protein Microfluidic Array for Parallel Immunoassays

A label-free protein microfluidic array for immunoassays based on the combination of imaging ellipsometry and an integrated microfluidic system is presented. Proteins can be patterned homogeneously on substrate in array format by the microfluidic system simultaneously. After preparation, the protein array can be packed in the microfluidic system which is full of buffer so that proteins are not exposed to denaturing conditions. With simple microfluidic channel junction, the protein microfluidic array can be used in serial or parallel format to analyze single or multiple samples simultaneously. Imaging ellipsometry is used for the protein array reading with a label-free format. The biological and medical applications of the label-free protein microfluidic array are demonstrated by screening for antibody–antigen interactions, measuring the concentration of the protein solution and detecting five markers of hepatitis B.

Micro-systems for Optical Protein-Chip

Protein-Chip as micro-assays for the determination of protein interaction, the analysis, the identification and the purification of proteins has large potential applications. The Optical Protein-Chip is able to detect the multi-interaction of proteins and multi-bio-activities of molecules directly and simultaneously with no labeling. The chip is a small matrix on solid substrate containing multi-micro-area prepared by microfabrication with photolithography or soft lithography for surface patterning, and processed with surface modification which includes the physical, chemical, and bio-chemical modifications, etc. The ligand immobilization, such as protein immobilization, especially the oriented immobilization with low steric hindrance and high bio-specific binding activity between ligand and receptor is used to form a sensing surface. Each area of the pattern is corresponding to only one bioactivity. The interval between the areas is non-bioactive and optically extinctive. The affinity between proteins is used to realize non-labeling microassays for the determination of protein identification and protein interaction. The sampling of the chip is non-disturbing, performed with imaging ellipsometry and image processing on a database of proteins.

Observation Of Diffusion Process Of A Water Droplet Immersed In Protein Solution In Microgravity

Pure liquid - liquid diffusion driven by concentration gradients is hard to study in a normal gravity environment since convection and sedimentation also contribute to the mass transfer process. We employ a Mach - Zehnder interferometer to monitor the mass transfer process of a water droplet in EAFP protein solution under microgravity condition provided by the Satellite Shi Jian No 8. A series of the evolution charts of mass distribution during the diffusion process of the liquid droplet are presented and the relevant diffusion coefficient is determined.

The Fluid Phenomena In the Crystallization Of the Protein Crystal

This paper reports that an optical diagnostic system consisting of Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a phase shift device and image processor has been used for study of the kinetics of protein crystal growing process. The crystallization process of protein crystal by vapour diffusion is investigated. The interference fringes are observed in real time. The present experiment demonstrates that the diffusion and the sedimentation influence the crystallization of protein crystal which grows in solution, and the concentration capillary convection associated with surface tension occurs at the vicinity of free surface of the protein mother liquor, and directly affects on the outcome of protein crystallization. So far the detailed analysis and the important role of the fluid phenomena in protein crystallization have been discussed a little in both space- and ground-based crystal growth experiments. It is also found that these fluid phenomena affect the outcome of protein crystallization, regular growth, and crystal quality. This may explain the fact that many results of space-based investigation do not show overall improvement.

Clemaps: Multiple Alignment Of Protein Structures Based On Conformational Letters

CLEMAPS is a tool for multiple alignment of protein structures. It distinguishes itself from other existing algorithms for multiple structure alignment by the use of conformational letters, which are discretized states of 3D segmental structural states. A letter corresponds to a cluster of combinations of three angles formed by C-alpha pseudobonds of four contiguous residues. A substitution matrix called CLESUM is available to measure the similarity between any two such letters. The input 3D structures are first converted to sequences of conformational letters. Each string of a fixed length is then taken as the center seed to search other sequences for neighbors of the seed, which are strings similar to the seed. A seed and its neighbors form a center-star, which corresponds to a fragment set of local structural similarity shared by many proteins. The detection of center-stars using CLESUM is extremely efficient. Local similarity is a necessary, but insufficient, condition for structural alignment. Once center-stars are found, the spatial consistency between any two stars are examined to find consistent star duads using atomic coordinates. Consistent duads are later joined to create a core for multiple alignment, which is further polished to produce the final alignment. The utility of CLEMAPS is tested on various protein structure ensembles.

Investigation of Interactions between Two Monoclonal Antibodies and SARS Virus with a Label-Free Protein Array

The investigation of interactions between two kinds of monoclonal antibodies and SARS virus with a label-free protein array technique were presented in this paper. The performance consists of three parts: a surface modification for ligand immobilization/surface, a protein array fabrication with an integrated microfluidic system for patterning, packaging and liquid handling, and a protein array reader of imaging ellipsometer. This revealed the technique could be used as an immunoassay for qualitative and quantitative detection as wen as kinetic analysis of biomolecule interaction.

Generating artificial homologous proteins according to the representative family character in molecular mechanics properties - an attempt in validating an underlying rule of protein evolution

The molecular mechanics property is the foundation of many characters of proteins. Based on intramolecular hydrophobic force network, the representative family character underlying a protein’s mechanics property is described by a simple two-letter scheme. The tendency of a sequence to become a member of a protein family is scored according to this mathematical representation. Remote homologs of the WW-domain family could be easily designed using such a mechanistic signature of protein homology. Experimental validation showed that nearly all artificial homologs have the representative folding and bioactivity of their assigned family. Since the molecular mechanics property is the only consideration in this study, the results indicate its possible role in the generation of new members of a protein family during evolution.