In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the essential gene CDC13 encodes a telomeric single-stranded DNA-binding protein that interacts with Stnlp and Tenlp genetically and physically, and is required for telomere end protection...In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the essential gene CDC13 encodes a telomeric single-stranded DNA-binding protein that interacts with Stnlp and Tenlp genetically and physically, and is required for telomere end protection and telomere length control. The molecular mechanism by which Tenl participates in telomere length regulation and chromosome end protection remains elusive. In this work, we observed a weak interaction of Cdc13p and Tenlp in a gelfiltration analysis using purified recombinant Cdc13p and Tenlp. Tenlp itself exhibits a weak DNA-binding activity, but enhances the telomeric TG1-3 DNA-binding ability of Cdc13p. Cdc13p is communoprecipitated with Tenlp. In the mutant ten1-55 or ten1-66 cells, the impaired interaction between Tenlp and Cdc13p results in much longer telomeres, as well as a decreased association of Cdc13p with telomeric DNA. Consistently, the Ten1-55 and Ten1-66 mutant proteins fail to stimulate the telomeric DNA-binding activity of Cdc13p in vitro. These results suggest that Tenlp enhances the telomeric DNA-binding activity of Cdc13p to negatively regulate telomere length.展开更多
Dear Editor, Both the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are popular model organisms, and studies using these models have provided many informative clues for solvin...Dear Editor, Both the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are popular model organisms, and studies using these models have provided many informative clues for solving fundamental biological questions [1], such as DNA replication, cell cycle regulation and gene transcription. Since the completion of genome sequencing of these fungi [2, 3],展开更多
In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin structure is found at three chromosome regions, which are homothallic mating-type loci, rDNA regions and telomeres. To address how telomere heterochromati...In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin structure is found at three chromosome regions, which are homothallic mating-type loci, rDNA regions and telomeres. To address how telomere heterochromatin is assembled under physiological conditions, we employed a de novo telomere addition system, and analyzed the dynamic chromatin changes of the TRPI reporter gene during telomere elongation. We found that integrating a 255-bp, but not an 81-bp telomeric sequence near the TRP1 promoter could trigger Sir2 recruitment, active chromatin mark（s）＇ removal, chromatin compaction and TRP1 gene silencing, indicating that the length of the telomeric sequence inserted in the internal region of a chromosome is critical for determining the chromatin state at the proximal region. Interestingly, Rill but not Rif2 or yKu is indispensable for the formation of intra-chromosomal silent chromatin initiated by telomeric sequence. When an internal short telomeric sequence （e.g., 81 bp） gets exposed to become a de novo telomere, the herterochromatin features, such as Sir recruitment, active chromatin mark（s）＇ removal and chromatin compaction, are detected within a few hours before the de novo telomere reaches a stable length. Our results recapitulate the molecular dynamics and reveal a coherent picture of telomere het- erochromatin formation.展开更多
CD8^＋ natural killer T （NKT） cells from EBV-associated tumour patients are quantitatively and functionally impaired. EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells drive syngeneic T cells into a Thl-bias response to suppress EBV-ass...CD8^＋ natural killer T （NKT） cells from EBV-associated tumour patients are quantitatively and functionally impaired. EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells drive syngeneic T cells into a Thl-bias response to suppress EBV-associated malignancies. IL-4-biased CD4^＋ NKT cells do not affect either syngeneic T cell cytotoxicity or Th cytokine secretion. Circulating mDC1 cells from patients with EBV-associated malignancies impair the production of IFN-T by CD8^＋ NKT cells. In this study, we have established a human-thymus-SCID chimaera model to further investigate the underlying mechanism of EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells in suppressing EBV-associated malignancies. In the human-thymus-SCID chimera, EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells suppress EBV-associated malignancies in a manner dependent on the Thl-bias response and syngeneic CD3^＋ T cells. However, adoptive transfer with CD4^＋ NKT cells alone inhibits T cell immunity. Interestingly, CD4^＋ NKT cells themselves secrete high levels of IL-2, enhancing the persistence of adoptively transferred CD8^＋ NKT cells and T cells, thereby leading to a more pronounced T cell anti-tumour response in chimaeras co-transferred with CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ NKT cells. Thus, immune reconstitution with EBV-induced CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ NKT cells synergistically enhances T cell tumour immunity, providing a potential prophylactic and therapeutic treatment for EBV-associated malignancies.展开更多
基金Acknowledgments We thank Ms Lu-Xia Xu for the help in antibody preparation, and other members in the Zhou lab. This work is supported by a Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max Planck Society Professorship, and grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （NSFC 30630018） and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China （2007CB914502）.
文摘In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the essential gene CDC13 encodes a telomeric single-stranded DNA-binding protein that interacts with Stnlp and Tenlp genetically and physically, and is required for telomere end protection and telomere length control. The molecular mechanism by which Tenl participates in telomere length regulation and chromosome end protection remains elusive. In this work, we observed a weak interaction of Cdc13p and Tenlp in a gelfiltration analysis using purified recombinant Cdc13p and Tenlp. Tenlp itself exhibits a weak DNA-binding activity, but enhances the telomeric TG1-3 DNA-binding ability of Cdc13p. Cdc13p is communoprecipitated with Tenlp. In the mutant ten1-55 or ten1-66 cells, the impaired interaction between Tenlp and Cdc13p results in much longer telomeres, as well as a decreased association of Cdc13p with telomeric DNA. Consistently, the Ten1-55 and Ten1-66 mutant proteins fail to stimulate the telomeric DNA-binding activity of Cdc13p in vitro. These results suggest that Tenlp enhances the telomeric DNA-binding activity of Cdc13p to negatively regulate telomere length.
文摘Dear Editor, Both the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are popular model organisms, and studies using these models have provided many informative clues for solving fundamental biological questions [1], such as DNA replication, cell cycle regulation and gene transcription. Since the completion of genome sequencing of these fungi [2, 3],
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.31230040,31461143003 and 31521061 to J.Q.Z.)Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China(No. 2013CB910403 toJ.Q.Z.)
文摘In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin structure is found at three chromosome regions, which are homothallic mating-type loci, rDNA regions and telomeres. To address how telomere heterochromatin is assembled under physiological conditions, we employed a de novo telomere addition system, and analyzed the dynamic chromatin changes of the TRPI reporter gene during telomere elongation. We found that integrating a 255-bp, but not an 81-bp telomeric sequence near the TRP1 promoter could trigger Sir2 recruitment, active chromatin mark（s）＇ removal, chromatin compaction and TRP1 gene silencing, indicating that the length of the telomeric sequence inserted in the internal region of a chromosome is critical for determining the chromatin state at the proximal region. Interestingly, Rill but not Rif2 or yKu is indispensable for the formation of intra-chromosomal silent chromatin initiated by telomeric sequence. When an internal short telomeric sequence （e.g., 81 bp） gets exposed to become a de novo telomere, the herterochromatin features, such as Sir recruitment, active chromatin mark（s）＇ removal and chromatin compaction, are detected within a few hours before the de novo telomere reaches a stable length. Our results recapitulate the molecular dynamics and reveal a coherent picture of telomere het- erochromatin formation.
基金Acknowledgements This work was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （30730054, 30572119, 30670937, 30971279, 30901363）, the Hi-tech Research and Development Program of China from Ministry of Science and Technology （2007AA02Z120）, the Ministry of Education （20060486008）, National Innovation Experiment Program for College Students （WU2007061）, Provincial Departrnent of Science and Technology of Hubei （2007ABC010）, China, and Chang Jiang Scholars Program from Ministry of Education, China and Li Ka Shing Foundation, Hong Kong, China （Chang Jiang Scholar T.J.）.
文摘CD8^＋ natural killer T （NKT） cells from EBV-associated tumour patients are quantitatively and functionally impaired. EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells drive syngeneic T cells into a Thl-bias response to suppress EBV-associated malignancies. IL-4-biased CD4^＋ NKT cells do not affect either syngeneic T cell cytotoxicity or Th cytokine secretion. Circulating mDC1 cells from patients with EBV-associated malignancies impair the production of IFN-T by CD8^＋ NKT cells. In this study, we have established a human-thymus-SCID chimaera model to further investigate the underlying mechanism of EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells in suppressing EBV-associated malignancies. In the human-thymus-SCID chimera, EBV-induced CD8^＋ NKT cells suppress EBV-associated malignancies in a manner dependent on the Thl-bias response and syngeneic CD3^＋ T cells. However, adoptive transfer with CD4^＋ NKT cells alone inhibits T cell immunity. Interestingly, CD4^＋ NKT cells themselves secrete high levels of IL-2, enhancing the persistence of adoptively transferred CD8^＋ NKT cells and T cells, thereby leading to a more pronounced T cell anti-tumour response in chimaeras co-transferred with CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ NKT cells. Thus, immune reconstitution with EBV-induced CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ NKT cells synergistically enhances T cell tumour immunity, providing a potential prophylactic and therapeutic treatment for EBV-associated malignancies.
