氨酰-tRNA合成酶结构域的进化研究

氨酰-tRNA合成酶(Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, aaRS)是一类在蛋白质生物合成中具有重要作用的酶，它可以活化氨基酸，并与相应的tRNA相识别，使得基因序列能够被精确的翻译成蛋白质序列，保证了生命体的严谨性和多样性。通常，每一类aaRS都包含有一个催化核心结构域(Catalytic central domain, CCD)和一个结合反密码子的结构域(Anticodon-binding domain, ABD)。大量研究显示，细菌与真核生物中的许多aaRS在一些细菌与真核生物中的基因进化机制与模式、氨酰化途径、结构与功能的进化模式等方面往往有着明显的差异。通过对这些差异的深入研究，对于理解蛋白质的结构、功能的进化将是非常有帮助的。虽然，造成这些差异的本质，目前仍不清楚，但是，所有的这些差异似乎提示，在细菌与真核生物的一些基本生命活动过程中的某些方面，可能还存在着目前尚未被人们所认识到的较大差异。 甘氨酰-tRNA合成酶(Glycyl-tRNA synthetase，GlyRS)在基因组中存在着两种寡聚体形式，即α2β2四聚体和α2二聚体。本研究的结果显示，四聚体和二聚体GlyRS的ABD并不同源，而它们的CCD却具有共同的起源。在进化过程中，由于基因的融合，二聚体GlyRS的ABD融合到α亚基上CCD后的C-末端，而四聚体GlyRS的ABD则加在了β亚基的C-末端。通常，同一物种中只存在一种寡聚体形式的GlyRS，但是在Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum基因组中同时存在GlyRS的两种寡聚体形式，并有多个同源的结构域，而这些同源的结构域很可能来源于不同的基因组。二聚体GlyRS存在于细菌、古细菌和真核生物中，而四聚体GlyRS仅在大多数细菌中发现。在从细菌到真核生物的进化过程中，GlyRS可能经历了一个复杂的进化历程。频繁的基因丢失和获得事件导致了GlyRS分布的差异。水平基因转移是四聚体GlyRS进化的一个主要因素。大量的细菌基因水平转移导致四聚体GlyRS基因可在植物中表达，而在动物中形成假基因。 通常，由于aaRS-I和aaRS-II具有不同的结构和催化机制，它们被认为在进化上没有联系。虽然，苯丙氨酰-tRNA合成酶(phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase, PheRS)属于aaRS-II，但它的催化机制却类似于aaRS-I。结构域的进化分析表明，细菌、古细菌和真核生物的PheRS具有明显不同的结构，因而导致从细菌到真核生物的进化过程中，PheRS和 tRNAPhe间的识别机制发生了变化。序列分析表明，PheRS的结构域(包括CCD、ABD及其它结构域)与aaRS-I的某些结构域同源，因此，在进化上，PheRS是aaRS-II与aaRS-I之间联系的纽带。这些结果表明，在进化的过程中，aaRS-I和aaRS-II可能是由同一个共同的祖先CCD经过可变剪接和插入演化而来的，结构域间的不同组合导致aaRS-I和aaRS-II在结构和催化机制上的显著差异。

A chemiluminescence optical fiber glucose biosensor based on co-immobilizing glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase in a sol-gel film

An optical fiber bienzyme sensor based on the luminol chemiluminescent reaction was developed and demonstrated to be sensitive to glucose. Glucose oxidase (GOD) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were co-immobilized by microencapsulation in a sol-gel film derived from tetraethyl orthosilicate(TEOS). The calibration plots for glucose were established by the optical fiber glucose sensor fabricated by attaching the bienzyme silica gel onto the glass window of the fiber bundle. The linear range was 0.2-2 mmol/L and the detection limit was approximately 0.12 mmol/L. The relative standard deviation was 5.3% (n = 6). The proposed biosensor was applied to glucose assay in ofloxacin injection successfully.

Primary culture and characteristic morphologies of medulla terminalis neurons in the eyestalks of Chinese shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis

A method for culturing medulla terminalis (MT) neurons in the eyestalk of Chinese shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis, was first established. The neurons showed immediate outgrowth in the culture medium supplemented with glutamine, glucose and antibiotics. The cells grew for about 2-7 days and then sustained for a week or more. At least six types of neurons were distinguished on the basis of size and form of soma and outgrowth pattern of cells. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Formulation of a basal medium for primary cell culture of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve

Marine sponge cell culture is a potential route for the sustainable production of sponge-derived bioproducts. Development of a basal culture medium is a prerequisite for the attachment, spreading, and growth of sponge cells in vitro. With the limited knowledge available on nutrient requirements for sponge cells, a series of statistical experimental designs has been employed to screen and optimize the critical nutrient components including inorganic salts (ferric ion, zinc ion, silicate, and NaCl), amino acids (glycine, glutamine, and aspartic acid), sugars (glucose, sorbitol, and sodium pyruvate), vitamin C, and mammalian cell medium (DMEM and RPMI 1640) using MTT assay in 96-well plates. The marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve was used as a model system. Plackett-Burman design was used for the initial screening, which identified the significant factors of ferric ion, NaCl, and vitamin C. These three factors were selected for further optimization by Uniform Design and Response Surface Methodology (RSM), respectively. A basal medium was finally established, which supported an over 100% increase in viability of sponge cells.