蛋白质空间结构的实验技术和理论方法

文章主要介绍几种蛋白质空间结构的实验测定方法，在现代生物学研究中，最常用的方法包括X射线晶体学、二维核磁共振（2D-NMR）和低温冷冻电镜，近几年发展起来的单分子技术在生物大分子动态结构的研究中应用越来越多，这些方法都有它们特定的时间和空间分辨率，所测定的结构及其动力学受环境热运动涨落的影响也非常不同，文章对这些问题作了较详细的分析，在蛋白质结构的理论方法方面，介绍了一个新的折叠理论及其与现有折叠模型的关系．讨论了模拟计算在研究蛋白质构象变化和动力学方面的应用，同时强调了分子动力学和蒙特卡罗方法．指出粗粒化模型是研究的热点之一，对生物学中经常遇到的多长度多时问尺度问题提供了一个可行的解决方案。     

Ultrasound exposure in the presence of hematoporphyrin induced loss of membrane integral proteins and inactivity of cell proliferation associated enzymes in sarcoma 180 cells in vitro

Ultrasonically induced effects of hematoporphyrin (HPD) on cell damage and membrane protein alteration of S180 isolated tumor cells in vitro were investigated, and the potential mechanisms of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) inhibiting tumor growth were discussed. Tumor cells suspended in air-saturated PBS (pH 7.2) were exposed to ultrasound at 1.8 MHz for up to 180 s in the presence and absence of HPD. The viability of cells was determined by a trypan blue exclusion test. To estimate the damage effects of SDT on plasma membrane of tumor cells primarily, membrane integral proteins (EGFR, Ras, Fas, FasL) and cell proliferation associated enzymes (adenylate cyclase and guanylate cyclase) were checked with immunochemical methods. The results indicated that the intensity threshold for ultrasonically induced cell damage at 1.8 MHz was 3 W/cm². At this condition, the expression of the integral proteins was obviously inhibited and the activity of the enzymes was decreased post ultrasound treatment in the presence of 20 μg/ml HPD. Loss of the membrane proteins and inactivity of AC and GC post SDT was time-dependent. This paper reveals SDT can cause the loss of tumor cell membrane integral proteins and inactivity of the enzymes associated with cell proliferation which might be attributed to a sonochemical activation mechanism. The mechanisms by that tumor growth is inhibited by SDT can be understood as that the growth signaling pathway is partially interdicted and the resistance of tumor cells to the specifically activated immune cells is weakened.     

蛋白质支链动力学快运动的核磁共振研究

蛋白质的功能不仅取决于其结构,而且受到其构像及其变化的影响. 许多生物化学过程就是由于蛋白质结构的一些动力学变化而完成,如蛋白质-蛋白质,蛋白质-药物配体之间的相互作用. 因此分析蛋白质的动力学变化,就能够对其参与的生化过程进行分析. 作为动力学研究的有力工具之一,核磁共振能够分辨到原子范围内的从千秒到皮秒时间范围的运动过程,因此在动力学研究中有着不可替代的作用. 本文仅就核磁共振在蛋白质支链快运动方法（ps-ns）研究方面的进展进行总结,以期阐明核磁共振的在支链动力学研究中的发展现状.     

Probing the Conformational Stability of Two Different Copper Proteins: A Dynamic Fluorescence Study on Azurin and Ascorbate Oxidase

Tryptophan fluorescence is extremely useful to monitor structural conformational transitions in proteins. Denaturant-induced unfolding of azurin and ascorbate oxidase has been studied by dynamic fluorescence measurements in the frequency domain and the results have been interpreted in terms of continuous distribution of lifetimes. The data add new information on the unfolding mechanism that was previously analyzed by steady-state emission spectroscopy. In particular, the existence of multiple, parallel unfolding pathways may be envisaged and correlated, in both cases, to the two protein structures. The effect of metal depletion has been also characterized by fluorescence lifetime measurements. In the case of azurin, a monomeric protein, the data demonstrate that copper removal yields a totally different unfolding pathways with respect to the holo protein, indicating that metal ion plays a fundamental structural role in the wild type, native protein. In the case of ascorbate oxidase a dimer of 140 kDa, only minor effects have been detected by copper removal. However, the analysis of the fluorescence decay in presence of different amounts of guanidinium hydrochloride gives new important insights on the unfolding intermediates. In particular the data support the hypothesis of a partial exposure of an outer layer of dimer at intermediate denaturant concentration. This ability of dynamic fluorescence to pinpoint the presence of structural micro-heterogeneity in the unfolding pathways of proteins demonstrates the greater power of this technique compared to the most commonly used steady-state measurements.     

酵母蛋白质网络的动力学性质

蛋白质-蛋白质、蛋白质-DNA相互作用网络决定了细胞中各种关键功能的执行．基于芽殖酵母(budding yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae)的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络数据和相关的实验文献，我们建立了调控细胞周期和生命周期(cell cycle and life cycle)的蛋白质网络，并利用离散模型研究了该网络的动力学性质，研究表明：细胞周期网络的动力学性质具有很强的稳定性，约94％的蛋白质初态将演化到对应于生物学G1基态的稳定态，使其成为惟一的全局吸引点；同时，绝大多数的初态的演化路径都通过由G1激发态到G1基态的细胞周期演化路径，使细胞周期路径成为全局性的“吸引”路径。     

视网膜皮层图像信号处理的传输机制与仿真

侧抑制是神经系统普遍存在的机理。从侧抑制模型出发进行了视网膜处理及传输机制的研究,提出了基于差分方程的循环侧抑制动态数学模型。通过剖析视网膜感应细胞对光刺激的反应特性,阐述了视网膜皮层电脉冲信号的发放机制,指出了视网膜输出信号是以物体边缘信息为主体的传输机制。结合循环侧抑制动态数学模型,并考虑视网膜感应细胞对光刺激的适应性,创新性地进行了图像信号传递及处理的仿真模拟。     

Inhibiting effects of some oxadiazole derivatives on the corrosion of mild steel in perchloric acid solution

The efficiency of 3,5-bis(n-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (n-POX, n = 1, 2, 3), as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in 1 M perchloric acid (HClO₄) have been determined by weight loss measurements and electrochemical studies. The results show that these inhibitors revealed a good corrosion inhibition even at very low concentrations. Comparison of results among those obtained by the studied oxadiazoles shows that 3-POX was the best inhibitor. Polarisation curves indicate that n-pyridyl substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazoles are mixed type inhibitors in 1 M HClO₄. The adsorption of these inhibitors follows a Langmuir isotherm model. The electronic properties of n-POX, obtained using the AM1 semi-empirical quantum chemical approach, were correlated with their experimental efficiencies using the linear resistance model (LR).     

Nanosecond-time-resolved infrared spectroscopic study of fast relaxation kinetics of protein folding by means of laser-induced temperature-jump

Elucidating the initial kinetics of folding pathways is critical to the understanding of the protein folding mechanism. Transient infrared spectroscopy has proved a powerful tool to probe the folding kinetics. Herein we report the construction of a nanosecond laser-induced temperature-jump （T-jump） technique coupled to a nanosecond timeresolved transient mid-infrared （mid-IR） spectrometer system capable of investigating the protein folding kinetics with a temporal resolution of 50 ns after deconvolution of the instrumental response function. The mid-IR source is a liquid N2 cooled CO laser covering a spectral range of 5.0μm （2000 cm^-1）-6.5μm （1540 cm^-1）. The heating pulse was generated by a high pressure H2 Raman shifter at wavelength of 1.9μm. The maximum temperature-jump could reach as high as 26±1℃. The fast folding/unfolding dynamics of cytochrome C was investigated by the constructed system, providing an example.     

蛋白质INSM1中的锌指结构域ZF (4-5)的表达、纯化与表征

胰岛素瘤相关蛋白1（INSM1）是一类转录调节蛋白,通过其C-端的锌指结构域（氨基酸250-510）来识别序列特异性的DNA分子.INSM1的C-端包含有5个串联的锌指结构域,然而这些结构域的结构及其如何识别DNA的分子机制目前仍不清楚.通过重组构建的质粒pET-32m-INSM1（424-497）表达的蛋白质（氨基酸424-497）包含了最后两个锌指结构域4和5,简称为ZF（4-5）.该文详细研究了蛋白质ZF（4-5）的诱导表达条件,得到了较高产率的纯化蛋白.核磁共振（NMR）谱和圆二色谱（CD）揭示了Zn²⁺对稳定锌指蛋白结构的必要性,以及C2H2-Zn²⁺结合的组氨酸呈现为δ-异构方式.     

乳清分离蛋白-葡聚糖接枝物性质的荧光光谱法分析

乳清分离蛋白与葡聚糖的混合物在干热处理条件下,发生了以褐变为特征的美拉德反应。当葡聚糖分子量由67kD增至150kD时,游离氨基含量分别下降了35.77%和30.53%,糖链越长,其接入到蛋白质肽链的难度越大。采用荧光光谱对乳清分离蛋白-葡聚糖接枝物的性质进行分析。内源荧光光谱图显示,接枝产物在405nm的最大荧光强度显著提高,且350～500nm范围内的荧光强度顺序为:G67>G150,这说明接枝物中有Maillard反应体系所特有的荧光物质生成;由外援荧光光谱图得出,接枝产物在470nm的最大荧光强度均有明显降低,各溶液体系中荧光强度高低顺序依次为:WPI>G150>G67。疏水性指数的测定进一步说明两种不同分子量的葡聚糖接入到蛋白质肽链中,对乳清分离蛋白的疏水性均有一定的屏蔽作用。