Expression of Core Domain of Porcine Zona Pellucida 3β in E.coli

To obtain the recombinant core domain of porcine zone pellucida 3β （cZP3β） for the further research on its functions Methods The nucleotide sequence region from 44 to 306 codons of pZP3β entire eDNA was obtained by PCR and then was cloned into pET-3c vector. After being identified, recon was transformed into E.coli BL21 （DE3） pLysS and then induced by IPTG. Results The recombinant cZP3β was expressed in E. coli up to 15% of total cellular proteins, and was made sure by Western blot analysis. Conclusion The research on expression of core domain of pZP3β could benefit to further investigation of its immunogenicity and the development of antigen preparation.

Crystal structures of catalytic core domain of BIV integrase: implications for the interaction between integrase and target DNA

Integrase plays a critical role in the recombination of viral DNA into the host genome.Therefore,over the past decade,it has been a hot target of drug design in the fight against type 1 human immunodeficiency virus(HIV-1).Bovine immunodeficiency virus(BIV)integrase has the same function as HIV-1 integrase.We have determined crystal structures of the BIV integrase catalytic core domain(CCD)in two different crystal forms at a resolution of 2.45Åand 2.2Å,respectively.In crystal form I,BIV integrase CCD forms a back-to-back dimer,in which the two active sites are on opposite sides.This has also been seen in many of the CCD structures of HIV-1 integrase that were determined previously.However,in crystal form II,BIV integrase CCD forms a novel face-toface dimer in which the two active sites are close to each other.Strikingly,the distance separating the two active sites is approximately 20Å,a distance that perfectly matches a 5-base pair interval.Based on these data,we propose a model for the interaction of integrase with its target DNA,which is also supported by many published biochemical data.Our results provide important clues for designing new inhibitors against HIV-1.

The SNW Domain of SKIP Is Required for Its Integration into the Spliceosome and Its Interaction with the Pall Complex in Arabidopsis

SKIP is a conserved protein from yeasts to plants and humans. In plant cells, SKIP is a bifunctional regulator that works in the nucleus as a splicing factor by integrating into the spliceosome and as a transcriptional activator by interacting with the Pall complex. In this study, we identified two nuclear localization signals in SKIP and confirmed that each is sufficient to target SKIP to the nucleus. The SNW domain of SKIP is required for both its function as a splicing factor by promoting integration into the spliceosome in response to stress, and its function as a transcriptional activator by controlling its interaction with the Pall complex to participate in flowering. Truncated proteins that included the SNW domain and the N- or C-terminus of SKIP were still able to carry out the functions of the full-length protein in gene splicing and transcriptional activation in Arabidopsis. In addition, we found that SKIP undergoes 26S proteasome-mediated degrada- tion, and that the C-terminus of SKIP is required to maintain the stability of the protein in plant cells. Together, our findings demonstrate the structural domain organization of SKIP and reveal the core domains and motifs underlying SKIP function in plants.