INTRODUCTION, EXPRESSION AND REGENE-RATION OF THE TiT-DNA GENES IN CULTURED CELLS FROM Hyoscyamus muticus +Nicotiana tabacum SOMATIC HYBRIDS

After the cultured cells from Hyoscyamus muticus + Nicotiana tabacum somatic hybridswere cocultivated with different virulent strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboringoctopine- type Ti plasmid or nopaline- type Ti plasmid using the transformation procedurein vitro developed in the present investigation, the TiT- DNA genes were introducedinto the host cells. The onc genes and ocs or nos genes located on TiT- DNA were expres-sed in transformed colonies derived from the cocultivated cells. Although the platingefficiencies of recipient cells were reduced by the agrobacterial treatment, the frequenciesof phytohormone autotrophy ranged from 33.9 to 76 .8% in the cells infected with viru-lent strains in hormone- free conditions, and the frequencies of opine synthase activityamounted to 9.7- 47 .5%. Teratomatous shoots were regenerated from the transformed col-onies. During the course of culture the shoots were no longer to lengthen when theygrew up to 1 -3 cm in length, and they could not be rooted. Follo     

Genistein activates endothelial nitric oxide synthase in broiler pulmonary arterial endothelial cells by an Akt-dependent mechanism

Deregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays an important role in the development of multiple cardiovascular diseases. Our recent study demonstrated that genistein supplementation attenuates pulmonary arterial hypertension in broilers by restoration of endothelial function. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism by using broiler pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs). Our results showed that genistein stimulated a rapid phosphorylation of eNOS at Ser(1179) which was associated with activation of eNOS/NO axis. Further study indicated that the activation of eNOS was not mediated through estrogen receptors or tyrosine kinase inhibition, but via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt-dependent signaling pathway, as the eNOS activity and related NO release were largely abolished by pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K or Akt. Thus, our findings revealed a critical function of Akt in mediating genistein-stimulated eNOS activity in PAECs, partially accounting for the beneficial effects of genistein on the development of cardiovascular diseases observed in animal models.     

竹叶花椒TPS基因家族全基因组分析

为了探究香料植物TPS基因家族的潜在功能,本研究以香料植物竹叶花椒(Zanthoxylum armatum DC.)为材料,利用生物信息学方法对其萜类合成酶基因家族的理化性质、基因重复类型、亚细胞定位、进化关系、染色体定位与共线性、基因结构和基因表达进行了系统地分析.我们在竹叶花椒全基因组中共鉴定到53个TPS基因家族成员,它们编码蛋白氨基酸长度为173～859 aa,分子量为20.21～98.44 kDa,等电点范围在4.87～9.10,主要定位于细胞质和叶绿体当中.进化分析显示,ZaTPSs可以划分为6个亚家族,TPS-a和TPS-b亚家族的成员最多.其中48个成员都包含TPS家族的保守基序motif1.染色体定位与共线性分析显示,53个成员在11条染色体上不均匀分布,存在4处串联重复,共线性分析证明竹叶花椒与其同科物种甜橙[Citrus sinensis(L.) Osbeck]的TPS基因有更近的基因进化关系.基因表达差异分析显示,ZaTPSs有一定的组织表达特异性,在幼花中表达量最高,其次是果皮.这些研究结果表明TPS基因家族在竹叶花椒果皮挥发油的合成和防御等方面发挥了重要作用...     

Isolation of a Novel Polyketide from Neodidymelliopsis sp.

Fungi have become an invaluable source of bioactive natural products, with more than 5 million species of fungi spanning the globe. Fractionation of crude extract of Neodidymelliopsis sp., led to the isolation of a novel polyketide, (2Z)-cillifuranone (1) and five previously reported natural products, (2E)-cillifuranone (2), taiwapyrone (3), xylariolide D (4), pachybasin (5), and N-(5-hydroxypentyl)acetamide (6). It was discovered that (2Z)-cillifuranone (1) was particularly sensitive to ambient temperature and light resulting in isomerisation to (2E)-cillifuranone (2). Structure elucidation of all the natural products were conducted by NMR spectroscopic techniques. The antimicrobial activity of 2, 3, and 5 were evaluated against a variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens. A sodium [1-¹³C] acetate labelling study was conducted on Neodidymelliopsis sp. and confirmed that pachybasin is biosynthesised through the acetate polyketide pathway.     

ATP合成酶及其功能机制综述

在细胞能量转变过程中，F1F0-型ATP合成酶是一个关键酶。在ATP合成过程中，这个大的蛋白复合体利用质子梯度和相关的膜电势来合成ATP。这个酶结构的不同作用形式正在逐步阐明。一致的看法是这个酶由两个旋转发动机构成，一个在F1上，它将催化过程与内部的转子运动联系在一起，另一个在F0上，它将质子迁移与F0转子的运动联系在一起。虽然两个马达可以独立工作，但是它们必须结合在一起才能转换能量。从结构、基因和生化物理方面的研究中得出的关于这个旋转马达的功能的证据，在这里将作一个回顾，一些不确定的，关于酶机制尚留迷团的内容也将讨论如下。     

Macrodiolide Formation by the Thioesterase of a Modular Polyketide Synthase

Elaiophylin is an unusual C₂‐symmetric antibiotic macrodiolide produced on a bacterial modular polyketide synthase assembly line. To probe the mechanism and selectivity of diolide formation, we sought to reconstitute ring formation in vitro by using a non‐natural substrate. Incubation of recombinant elaiophylin thioesterase/cyclase with a synthetic pentaketide analogue of the presumed monomeric polyketide precursor of elaiophylin, specifically its N‐acetylcysteamine thioester, produced a novel 16‐membered C₂‐symmetric macrodiolide. A linear dimeric thioester is an intermediate in ring formation, which indicates iterative use of the thioesterase active site in ligation and subsequent cyclization. Furthermore, the elaiophylin thioesterase acts on a mixture of pentaketide and tetraketide thioesters to give both the symmetric decaketide diolide and the novel asymmetric hybrid nonaketide diolide. Such thioesterases have potential as tools for the in vitro construction of novel diolides.     

Enzymology of Pyran Ring A Formation in Salinomycin Biosynthesis

Tetrahydropyran rings are a common feature of complex polyketide natural products, but much remains to be learned about the enzymology of their formation. The enzyme SalBIII from the salinomycin biosynthetic pathway resembles other polyether epoxide hydrolases/cyclases of the MonB family, but SalBIII plays no role in the conventional cascade of ring opening/closing. Mutation in the salBIII gene gave a metabolite in which ring A is not formed. Using this metabolite in vitro as a substrate analogue, SalBIII has been shown to form pyran ring A. We have determined the X‐ray crystal structure of SalBIII, and structure‐guided mutagenesis of putative active‐site residues has identified Asp38 and Asp104 as an essential catalytic dyad. The demonstrated pyran synthase activity of SalBIII further extends the impressive catalytic versatility of α+β barrel fold proteins.     

Insights into the Pamamycin Biosynthesis

Pamamycins are macrodiolides of polyketide origin with antibacterial activities. Their biosynthesis has been proposed to utilize succinate as a building block. However, the mechanism of succinate incorporation into a polyketide was unclear. Here, we report identification of a pamamycin biosynthesis gene cluster by aligning genomes of two pamamycin‐producing strains. This unique cluster contains polyketide synthase (PKS) genes encoding seven discrete ketosynthase (KS) enzymes and one acyl‐carrier protein (ACP)‐encoding gene. A cosmid containing the entire set of genes required for pamamycin biosynthesis was successfully expressed in a heterologous host. Genetic and biochemical studies allowed complete delineation of pamamycin biosynthesis. The pathway proceeds through 3‐oxoadipyl‐CoA, a key intermediate in the primary metabolism of the degradation of aromatic compounds. 3‐Oxoadipyl‐CoA could be used as an extender unit in polyketide assembly to facilitate the incorporation of succinate.