Functional analysis of human S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase isoforms SAHH-2 and SAHH-3

S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AdoHcyase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of AdoHcy to adenosine and homocysteine. Increased levels of AdoHcy may play a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and numerous other conditions associated with hyperhomocysteinemia. Several polymorphic isoforms named SAHH-1 to 4 may be resolved by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis from red blood cells. We have identified the genetic background of isoforms SAHH-2 and SAHH-3. SAHH-2 represents the previously described polymorphism in exon 2 of the AdoHcyase gene (112 C>T; p.R38W). Isoform SAHH-3 is based on a new polymorphism in exon 3 (377 G>A), leading to the conversion of glycine to arginine at amino-acid position 123. To shed light on the effects of these polymorphisms on the molecular and catalytic properties of AdoHcyase, we made recombinant wild-type and polymorphic R38W and G123R enzymes for a comparative analysis. The amino-acid exchanges did not bring about major changes to the catalytic rates of the recombinant proteins. However, circular dichroism analysis showed that both polymorphisms effect the thermal stability of the recombinant protein in vitro, reducing the unfolding temperature by approximately 2.6 degrees C (R38W) and 1.5 degrees C (G123R) compared to wild-type protein. In view of the altered thermal stability, and slightly decreased enzymatic activity of polymorphic proteins (< or =6%), one may consider the analyzed AdoHcyase isoforms as risk markers for diseases caused by irregular AdoHcyase metabolism.     

肠道病毒71型山东临沂分离株全基因组序列分析

目的 自1例死亡患儿的标本中分离EV71,并分析其全基因组序列特点,研究其基因序列的改变是否与其神经毒力有关.方法 咽拭子标本采自山东临沂市人民医院1例死亡患儿,在人横纹肌瘤细胞(RD)上分离EV71,分段扩增获得EV71的全序列,用BLAST、Bioedit和MEGA 4进行序列分析.结果 获得1株EV71分离株SDLY107,基因组全长7405 bp,全基因组核苷酸序列与2008年的阜阳株Fuyang.Anhui.P.R.C/17.08/2同源性最高,为98.6%,与原型株BrCr/70的同源性为80.0%,与神经毒型株MS/87的同源性为86.5%.系统进化分析表明,SDLY107与中国大陆的北京株、河南株、广西株、深圳株、兰州株、阜阳株、重庆株、浙江株的亲缘关系较近,按照传统的VP1基因分型方法,可归为C4亚型,是近年来我国大陆流行的主要基因亚型.氨基酸序列分析发现,SDLY107与其他毒株相比,有2个特有的突变(E947D,K1873R).结论 SDLY107分离株属于C4亚型,氨基酸突变E947D和K1873R可能与EV71的致病性有关.

Abstract：

Objective To isolate enterovirus 71 from a death children,and analyze whether the neurovirulence was related to the variation of nucleotide and amino acid. Methods Enterovirus 71 was isolated from throat swabs which were colleted from Shandong Linyi People's Hospital. The full length genome was sequenced by amplification with RT-PCR and sequencing of 9 overlapped gene fragments covering full length of the genomes. The nucleotide and amino acid sequenced was aligned by BLAST, Bioedit and MEGA 4. Results A strain of enterovirus 71 was isolated and named as SDLY107. The full length was 7405 bp. The results of homology analysis of overall nucleotide sequence showed that strain Fuyang. Anhui. P. R. C/17.08/2 had highest homology (98.6%)with strain SDLY107, and the homology was 80.0% between strain SDLY107 with prototype strain BrCr/70,and 86. 5% between strain SDLY107 with nerve strain MS/87. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the phylogeny was close between SDLY107 with some isolated strains from Chinese Mainland, such as Beijing, Henan, Guangxi, Sbenzhen, Lanzhou, Fuyang, Chongqing and Zhejiang strains, which was clustered for C4 subtype. The results of amino acid sequence analysis showed that there were 2 mutations, E947D and K1873R, for strain SDLY107. Conclusion SDLY107 belonged to C4 subtype, amino acid mutations E947D and K1873R of which may be relevant to the pathogenicity of EV71.     

2008至2009年北京地区分离的肠道病毒71型全基因组序列分析

目的了解2008至2009年从北京地区手足口病（HFMD）患儿分离到的肠道病毒71型（EV71）全基因组序列特点（未包括多聚腺苷尾）,以探讨基因序列的改变是否与病毒的致病性有关。方法选取首都儿科研究所病毒研究室2008年分离到的5株EV71毒株和2009年分离到的4株EV71毒株,其中4株来源于重症HFMD患儿（伴高热、持续抽搐及意识丧失等中枢神经系统症状）,5株来源于轻症HFMD患儿。设计覆盖病毒全基因组的10对特异性引物,对9株EV71毒株进行RT-PCR扩增、全基因组序列测定和分析。结果 9株EV71毒株的全基因组长度为7406bp或7405bp,部分毒株在5′UTR存在1处1个碱基的缺失。9株EV71毒株的全基因组核苷酸和氨基酸同源性分别为96.3%～99.4%和98.2%～99.6%,在VP1区核苷酸和氨基酸同源性分别为96.9%～99.9%和98.3%～100.0%。重症HFMD来源的4株毒株中有3株在VP2蛋白第144位及3D聚合酶（3Dpol）第140和263位同时出现相同的氨基酸变异（T144S、R140K和I263V）,并且在5′UTR区第208和254位同时出现相同的碱基变异（G208A和A254G）。9株EV71毒株的全基因组与C4亚型毒株具有最高的核苷酸同源性,在VP1区为94.3%～95.5%;在3D及3′UTR区与CV-A16/G10的同源性（84.3%～85.0%和89.0%～91.5%）高于与EV71-B型、A型及C型（C1～3、C5）的同源性。VP1和3D基因的遗传进化分析显示,9株EV71毒株与C4亚型毒株属同一分支。结论 VP2蛋白第144位氨基酸突变（T→S）、3Dpol第140和263位氨基酸突变（R→K和I→V）及5′UTR区第254位碱基突变（A→G）可能与EV71感染后引起的不同临床症状有关。根据VP1核苷酸序列,2008至2009年北京地区流行的EV71属于C4亚型;非结构蛋白基因在EV71进化中可能有一定的作用。     

汉坦病毒A9株全长L片段cDNA克隆和核苷酸序列测定

目的克隆我国分离的汉坦病毒A9株L片段全长cDNA,并测定其核苷酸序列.方法用逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)技术分段扩增汉坦病毒A9株全部L片段,用T-A克隆方法进行PCR产物克隆,测定PCR产物的核苷酸序列.通过亚克隆将分段的L片段连接成全长cDNA克隆.结果A9株的基因组L片段长度为6533个核苷酸,腺嘌呤核苷酸和尿嘧啶核苷酸丰富(%A+U=62.47).包含有一个单一的开放读码框架(ORF),编码一个标准的质量为2.46×105的蛋白,含有2151个氨基酸.A9株与76-118、C1-1和C1-2株的同源性最高,达到83.8%.与TULA病毒的关系较远,其核酸序列的同源性为65.8%.将推导的A9株编码的氨基酸序列与其他21种负链RNA病毒的依赖RNA的RNA聚合酶的氨基酸序列以及汉坦病毒几个代表株的L片段氨基酸序列进行比较,显示A9编码的RNA聚合酶也有6个比较保守的区域以及几个极端保守的氨基酸残基.结论汉坦病毒A9株L片段具有和其他汉坦病毒RNA聚合酶相似的核苷酸一级结构,通过对推导的氨基酸分析,该片段具有一些在RNA病毒聚合酶中都存在的保守区域.     

Effect of genetic variation in the human S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase gene on total homocysteine concentrations and risk of recurrent venous thrombosis

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent and graded risk factor for arterial vascular disease and venous thrombosis. It is still debated via which mechanism homocysteine (Hcy) causes vascular disease. S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY) catalyses the reversible hydrolysis of S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) to Hcy. As an increase in AdoHcy, a strong inhibitor of many methyltransferases, is observed in hyperhomocysteinemic individuals, AdoHcy may play a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases by inhibiting transmethylation reactions. We sequenced the entire coding region and parts of the untranslated regions (UTRs) of the AHCY gene of 20 patients with recurrent venous thrombosis in order to identify genetic variation within this gene. We identified three sequence variants in the AHCY gene: a C > T transition in the 5' UTR (-34 bp C > T), a missense mutation in exon 2, which mandates an amino-acid conversion at codon 38 (112 C > T; Arg38Trp) and a silent mutation in exon 4 (390 C > T; Asp130Asp). We studied the effect of the first two variants on total plasma Hcy and venous thrombosis risk in a case-control study on recurrent venous thrombosis. The two polymorphisms under study seem to have no evident effect on tHcy. The adjusted relative risk of venous thrombosis associated with the 112CT genotype compared with 112CC individuals was 1.27 (95% CI 0.55-2.94), whereas the -34CT genotype confers a risk of 1.25 (95% CI 0.44-3.52) compared with the wild-type genotype at this locus. However, the wide confidence intervals do not allow firm conclusions to be drawn.     

Immunogenicity of full length and truncated SIV envelope proteins.

We have compared the immunogenicity of the full-length (FL) SIV envelope (Env) protein and a truncated (T) form of the Env protein which has a short cytoplasmic tail. The Env(T) protein was previously shown to be more fusogenic than Env(FL), has a higher level of incorporation into virus-like particles (VLPs) and membrane vesicles, and expands the viral host range. We have found that mice immunized with VLPs which contained an equal amount of Env(FL) or Env(T) produced similar titres of neutralizing antibody. Comparison of immune responses between animals that received DNA vaccines encoding Env(T) vs. Env (FL) by epidermal delivery demonstrated that a higher level of specific antibody was elicited by Env(T) than Env(FL). This result correlated with a higher level of expression of pCMVEnv(T) than pCMVEnv(FL) observed in vitro. DNA immunization combined with VLP boosting elicited a similar level of neutralizing antibody with both forms of Env proteins. These data indicate that the immunogenicity of Env(FL) and Env(T) is similar, and that either form of Env protein appears to be potentially suitable for use in further development of vaccine preparations.     

Kinetic properties of the common electrophoretic variants of human S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY): the effect of four nucleoside analogue inhibitors

Red blood cell S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY) from individuals of 1, 2-1 and 3-1 phenotypes was partially purified and K _m and V _max determined in the absence and in the presence of the following inhibitors: 3-deaza-adenosine (DZA), 3-deaza-aristeromycin (DZAry), 2–chloro adenosine (2-Cl-ado) and purine riboside (or nebularine). The three phenotypes 1, 2-1, 3-1 showed similar K _m (32·58, 39·22 and 34·84 μ m respectively), but the ratio K _m/ V _max was statistically different. DZA and DZAry appeared to be strong competitive inhibitors. The AHCY 1 phenotype was more resistant to their action, while the 3-1 variant was more sensitive. 2-Cl-ado and purine riboside were weaker inhibitors; the type of inhibition varied among the three phenotypes, but, again, the AHCY 1 phenotype was less sensitive than the other two.     

A Computer Program for Aligning a cDNA Sequence with a Genomic DNA Sequence

We address the problem of efficiently aligning a transcribed and spliced DNA sequence with a genomic sequence containing that gene, allowing for introns in the genomic sequence and a relatively small number of sequencing errors. A freely available computer program, described herein, solves the problem for a 100-kb genomic sequence in a few seconds on a workstation.     

人淋巴毒素cDNA在大肠杆菌表达的研究

目的：在大肠杆菌表达人淋巴毒素ｃＤＮＡ。方法：将本室克隆的人淋巴毒素ｃＤＮＡ亚克隆于原核表达载体ｐＢＶ２２０,温控法诱导重组菌,ＳＤＳＰＡＧＥ和Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｂｌｏｔｉｎｇ检测和鉴定结果,ＭＴＴ比色法测定重组ＬＴ活性。结果：成功地表达了人淋巴毒素重组蛋白;重组蛋白占细菌总蛋白的１２％,并具有细胞毒活性,活性单位相当于２×１０５Ｕ／Ｌ菌液。结论：为重组ＬＴ的大量生产、临床应用,为进一步研究人ＬＴ的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

Mutational analyses of Plasmodium falciparum and human S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolases

S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase is a prospective target for developing new anti-malarial drugs. Inhibition of the hydrolase results in an anti-cellular effect due to the suppression of adenosylmethionine-dependent transmethylations. Based on the crystal structure of Plasmodium falciparum S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase which we have determined recently, we performed mutational analyses on P. falciparum and human enzymes. Cys59 and Ala84 of the parasite enzyme, and the equivalent residues on the human enzyme, Thr60 and Gln85, were examined. Mutations of Cys59 and Thr60 caused dramatic impact on inhibition by 2-fluoronoraristeromycin without significant effect both on its kinetic parameters and on inhibition constant against noraristeromycin. In addition, the impact was independent from the electronegativity of the side chain of the substituting residue. These results showed that steric hindrance between a functional group at the 2-position of an adenine nucleoside inhibitor and Thr60 of the human enzyme, not an electrostatic effect, contributed to inhibitor selectivity.     

Sequence of the bovine CD44 cDNA: comparison with human and mouse sequences

CD44 is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in leukocyte adherence, T-cell activation and lymphocyte homing. We have isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone which encodes for bovine CD44. The predicted amino acid sequence of bovine CD44 has an overall high similarity with that of human and mouse CD44, 79.5 and 73.2%, respectively. In all three species, CD44 has a similar transmembrane region and cytoplasmic tail. In addition, all of the cysteine residues and a majority of the putative N-linked glycosylation sites in the extracytoplasmic domain are conserved between bovine, human and mouse. All three species have an area of low interspecies similarity within the extracytoplasmic domain. This area has a similarity of 34% between bovine and human, 27% between bovine and mouse, and 35% between human and mouse. The location of this area of low similarity is conserved between species.     

Detection of anti-topoisomerase I antibodies using a full length human topoisomerase I recombinant protein purified from a baculovirus expression system.

Topoisomerase I (topo I) is a major systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated autoantigen. A cDNA construct encoding full length human topo I in a recombinant baculovirus transfer vector was used to infect insect cells in culture from which recombinant protein was purified. An ELISA using recombinant protein was evaluated in 340 sera including sera from 134 patients with SSc, of whom 33 had anti-topo I antibodies detected by immunodiffusion. A high yield of pure topo I of expected molecular mass and catalytic activity was obtained. The recombinant topo I ELISA was 92% sensitive and 98% specific in detecting anti-topo I antibodies which were present almost exclusively in patients with SSc. Therefore, the potential advantages of expressing human autoantigens in eukaryotic systems for diagnostic purposes were confirmed.