Interaction between the HIV-1 Vif protein and the cellular host APOBEC3G protein is a promising target for inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Considering that human cells are a very complicated environment for the study...Interaction between the HIV-1 Vif protein and the cellular host APOBEC3G protein is a promising target for inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Considering that human cells are a very complicated environment for the study of protein interactions, the goal of this study was to check whether fission yeast could be used as a model cell for studying the Vif-APOBEC3G interaction. Vif and APOBEC3G were expressed in fusion with GFP protein in the S. pombe SP223 strain. Subcellular localizations of Vif and APOBEC3G were observed with fluorescent microscopy. Codon optimization was used to over express the Vif protein in S. pombe cells. The degradation of APOBEC3G mediated by Vif was tested through expressing Vif and GFP-APOBEC3G proteins in the same cell. Western Blot analysis was used to measure the corresponding protein levels under different experimental conditions. The results showed that the Vif protein was predominantly localized in the nucleus of S. pombe cells, APOBEC3G was localized in the cytoplasm and concentrated at punctate bodies that were often in close proximity to the nucleus but were not necessarily restricted from other regions in the cytoplasm. Vif protein expression levels were increased significantly by using codon optimization and APOBEC3G was degraded when Vif was over-expressed in the same S. pombe cells. These results indicate that fission yeast is a good model for studying the interaction between the Vif and APOBEC3G proteins.展开更多
Mitochondria in many fungi are inherited uniparentally during meiosis. It has remained unclear whether parental mitochondria in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are inherited uniparentally or biparentally. ...Mitochondria in many fungi are inherited uniparentally during meiosis. It has remained unclear whether parental mitochondria in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are inherited uniparentally or biparentally. Here, we assessed the mixing of parental mitochondria carefully by live-cell microscopy and developed an algorithm to determine the degree of mitochondrial mixing in a quantitative manner. We found that parental mitochondria in fission yeast cells were mixed progressively as meiosis progressed. Moreover, we established that mitochondrial fission and the size of the conjugation neck are the limiting factors in restricting the mixing of parental mitochondria. We further employed a combination of quantitative polymerase chain reaction, fluorescent live-cell microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy approaches to examine the mitochondrial inheritance of progeny cells derived from a cross between wild-type and Rho0 (mitochondrial DNA absent) cells. The results show that all progeny cells of the cross carry mitochondrial DNA. Hence, our data support the model in which parental mitochondria in the fission yeast S. pombe are inherited biparentally during meiosis.展开更多
The GbKTN1 gene was isolated from 10 DPA fiber cells of Gossypium barbadense using 5′RACE/3′RACE.Full-length cDNA of this gene is 2006 bp, including a 113 bp of 5′untranslated region, a 1563 bp of an open reading f...The GbKTN1 gene was isolated from 10 DPA fiber cells of Gossypium barbadense using 5′RACE/3′RACE.Full-length cDNA of this gene is 2006 bp, including a 113 bp of 5′untranslated region, a 1563 bp of an open reading frame(ORF), and a 327 bp of 3′untranslated region (excluding the stop codon TAA). The ORF of GbKTN1 encodes a 521-amino acid protein with a predicted size of 55 kD. Near C-terminal of the deduced protein there is a putative ATP binding site between amino acid residues from 233 to 414. Southern blot analysis indicated that the GbKTN1 was a single copy gene in G barbadense. Combining semi-quantitative RT-PCR with Southern blot hybridization revealed that GbKTN1 expressed in all the organs detected such as roots, stems, leaves and fibers. However, the mRNA of GbKTN1 was the most abundant in fiber cells, while it was the lowest in leaves. The GbKTN1 cDNA was transformed into S. pombe to verify its function on cell elongation. Results showed that most yeast cells over expressing GbKTN1 gene were elongated dramatically with an average length increase of 2.18 times than that of the non-induced cells. Even the morphology of some yeast cells appeared irregularly. To the best of our knowledge this is the first evidence that KTN1 is correlated with cell elongation in vivo.展开更多
According to the recent investigation on cell cycle of fission yeast, a mathematical dynamic model is for-mulated. Four cyclins, e.g. Puc1, Cig1, Cig2 and Cdc13, are investigated here. The interacting networks between...According to the recent investigation on cell cycle of fission yeast, a mathematical dynamic model is for-mulated. Four cyclins, e.g. Puc1, Cig1, Cig2 and Cdc13, are investigated here. The interacting networks between the cy-clins and the process of cell cycle are mathematically de-scribed. The functions of these cyclins are particularly ana-lyzed. Comparison among different mutants indicates that the cyclins play an important role in cell cycle.展开更多
We have previously introduced the use of permeabilized fission yeast cells(enzyme bags)that recombinantly express full-length CYPs for drug metabolism studies.Such enzyme bags are cells with pores that function as enz...We have previously introduced the use of permeabilized fission yeast cells(enzyme bags)that recombinantly express full-length CYPs for drug metabolism studies.Such enzyme bags are cells with pores that function as enzymes in situ.They can easily be prepared without a need for ultracentrifugation and may be used in similar protocols as microsomes.In this study we report the preparation of enzyme bag cocktails that permit the testing of multiple CYPs in a single enzyme bag reaction.Moreover,we established a convenient testing scheme that permits a rapid screen of all human CYPs for activity towards any given candidate substrate.An important aspect of this approach is the reduction of individual CYP test assays.If a cocktail containing many CYPs tests negative,it follows that all CYPs included in that cocktail need not be tested individually,thus saving time and resources.The new protocol was validated using two probe substrates.展开更多
Gaining a full understanding of the mechanisms of action of natural products as therapeutic agents includes observing the effects of natural products on cellular morphology,because abnormal cellular morphology is an i...Gaining a full understanding of the mechanisms of action of natural products as therapeutic agents includes observing the effects of natural products on cellular morphology,because abnormal cellular morphology is an important aspect of cellular transformations that occur as part of disease states.In this study a set of natural products was examined in search of small molecules that influence the cylindrical morphology of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.Imaging flow cytometry of large populations of S.pombe exposed to natural products captured cell images and revealed changes in mean length and aspect ratio of cells.Several natural products were found to alter S.pombe’s morphology relative to control,in terms of elongating cells,shrinking them,or making them more round.These results may facilitate future investigations into methods by which cells establish and maintain specific shapes.展开更多
Based on a deterministic cell cycle model of fission yeast, the effects of the finite cell size on the cell cycle regulation in wee1- cdc25△ double mutant type are numerically studied by using of the chemical Langevi...Based on a deterministic cell cycle model of fission yeast, the effects of the finite cell size on the cell cycle regulation in wee1- cdc25△ double mutant type are numerically studied by using of the chemical Langevin equations. It is found that at a certain region of cell size, our numerical results from the chemical Langevin equations are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations. The two resettings to the G2 phase from early stages of mitosis can be induced under the moderate cell size. The quantized cycle times can be observed during such a cell size region. Therefore, a coarse estimation of cell size is obtained from the mesoscopic stochastic cell cycle model.展开更多
基金National Grand Fundamental Research 973 Program of China (2006CB504206).
文摘Interaction between the HIV-1 Vif protein and the cellular host APOBEC3G protein is a promising target for inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Considering that human cells are a very complicated environment for the study of protein interactions, the goal of this study was to check whether fission yeast could be used as a model cell for studying the Vif-APOBEC3G interaction. Vif and APOBEC3G were expressed in fusion with GFP protein in the S. pombe SP223 strain. Subcellular localizations of Vif and APOBEC3G were observed with fluorescent microscopy. Codon optimization was used to over express the Vif protein in S. pombe cells. The degradation of APOBEC3G mediated by Vif was tested through expressing Vif and GFP-APOBEC3G proteins in the same cell. Western Blot analysis was used to measure the corresponding protein levels under different experimental conditions. The results showed that the Vif protein was predominantly localized in the nucleus of S. pombe cells, APOBEC3G was localized in the cytoplasm and concentrated at punctate bodies that were often in close proximity to the nucleus but were not necessarily restricted from other regions in the cytoplasm. Vif protein expression levels were increased significantly by using codon optimization and APOBEC3G was degraded when Vif was over-expressed in the same S. pombe cells. These results indicate that fission yeast is a good model for studying the interaction between the Vif and APOBEC3G proteins.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91754106,31621002,31871350,and 32070707)the Natural Science Key Project of Anhui Institution of Higher Education(KJ2020A0441).
文摘Mitochondria in many fungi are inherited uniparentally during meiosis. It has remained unclear whether parental mitochondria in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are inherited uniparentally or biparentally. Here, we assessed the mixing of parental mitochondria carefully by live-cell microscopy and developed an algorithm to determine the degree of mitochondrial mixing in a quantitative manner. We found that parental mitochondria in fission yeast cells were mixed progressively as meiosis progressed. Moreover, we established that mitochondrial fission and the size of the conjugation neck are the limiting factors in restricting the mixing of parental mitochondria. We further employed a combination of quantitative polymerase chain reaction, fluorescent live-cell microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy approaches to examine the mitochondrial inheritance of progeny cells derived from a cross between wild-type and Rho0 (mitochondrial DNA absent) cells. The results show that all progeny cells of the cross carry mitochondrial DNA. Hence, our data support the model in which parental mitochondria in the fission yeast S. pombe are inherited biparentally during meiosis.
文摘The GbKTN1 gene was isolated from 10 DPA fiber cells of Gossypium barbadense using 5′RACE/3′RACE.Full-length cDNA of this gene is 2006 bp, including a 113 bp of 5′untranslated region, a 1563 bp of an open reading frame(ORF), and a 327 bp of 3′untranslated region (excluding the stop codon TAA). The ORF of GbKTN1 encodes a 521-amino acid protein with a predicted size of 55 kD. Near C-terminal of the deduced protein there is a putative ATP binding site between amino acid residues from 233 to 414. Southern blot analysis indicated that the GbKTN1 was a single copy gene in G barbadense. Combining semi-quantitative RT-PCR with Southern blot hybridization revealed that GbKTN1 expressed in all the organs detected such as roots, stems, leaves and fibers. However, the mRNA of GbKTN1 was the most abundant in fiber cells, while it was the lowest in leaves. The GbKTN1 cDNA was transformed into S. pombe to verify its function on cell elongation. Results showed that most yeast cells over expressing GbKTN1 gene were elongated dramatically with an average length increase of 2.18 times than that of the non-induced cells. Even the morphology of some yeast cells appeared irregularly. To the best of our knowledge this is the first evidence that KTN1 is correlated with cell elongation in vivo.
基金Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.20176005).
文摘According to the recent investigation on cell cycle of fission yeast, a mathematical dynamic model is for-mulated. Four cyclins, e.g. Puc1, Cig1, Cig2 and Cdc13, are investigated here. The interacting networks between the cy-clins and the process of cell cycle are mathematically de-scribed. The functions of these cyclins are particularly ana-lyzed. Comparison among different mutants indicates that the cyclins play an important role in cell cycle.
文摘We have previously introduced the use of permeabilized fission yeast cells(enzyme bags)that recombinantly express full-length CYPs for drug metabolism studies.Such enzyme bags are cells with pores that function as enzymes in situ.They can easily be prepared without a need for ultracentrifugation and may be used in similar protocols as microsomes.In this study we report the preparation of enzyme bag cocktails that permit the testing of multiple CYPs in a single enzyme bag reaction.Moreover,we established a convenient testing scheme that permits a rapid screen of all human CYPs for activity towards any given candidate substrate.An important aspect of this approach is the reduction of individual CYP test assays.If a cocktail containing many CYPs tests negative,it follows that all CYPs included in that cocktail need not be tested individually,thus saving time and resources.The new protocol was validated using two probe substrates.
基金financial support from the University of North Florida.
文摘Gaining a full understanding of the mechanisms of action of natural products as therapeutic agents includes observing the effects of natural products on cellular morphology,because abnormal cellular morphology is an important aspect of cellular transformations that occur as part of disease states.In this study a set of natural products was examined in search of small molecules that influence the cylindrical morphology of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.Imaging flow cytometry of large populations of S.pombe exposed to natural products captured cell images and revealed changes in mean length and aspect ratio of cells.Several natural products were found to alter S.pombe’s morphology relative to control,in terms of elongating cells,shrinking them,or making them more round.These results may facilitate future investigations into methods by which cells establish and maintain specific shapes.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 10575041.
文摘Based on a deterministic cell cycle model of fission yeast, the effects of the finite cell size on the cell cycle regulation in wee1- cdc25△ double mutant type are numerically studied by using of the chemical Langevin equations. It is found that at a certain region of cell size, our numerical results from the chemical Langevin equations are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations. The two resettings to the G2 phase from early stages of mitosis can be induced under the moderate cell size. The quantized cycle times can be observed during such a cell size region. Therefore, a coarse estimation of cell size is obtained from the mesoscopic stochastic cell cycle model.
