法國(guó)國(guó)家科研中心日前表示，它與意大利和德國(guó)的科研機(jī)構(gòu)合作,，發(fā)現(xiàn)了細(xì)菌能夠在低溫環(huán)境下存活的秘密。
細(xì)菌具有強(qiáng)大的環(huán)境適應(yīng)能力,，能夠在低溫條件下存活,。此前有研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，一種名為“冷休克蛋白”的蛋白質(zhì)是細(xì)菌低溫存活的關(guān)鍵,，但它發(fā)揮作用的機(jī)制一直是個(gè)謎,。
法國(guó)國(guó)家科研中心、意大利卡梅里諾大學(xué)和德國(guó)杜塞爾多夫大學(xué)組成的聯(lián)合研究小組發(fā)現(xiàn),，“冷休克蛋白”的信使核糖核酸具有感知冷暖的特殊能力,，這是科學(xué)界首次發(fā)現(xiàn)信使核糖核酸具有這種能力,。
信使核糖核酸的主要功能是復(fù)制生物的遺傳信息。感知溫度的特殊功能使“冷休克蛋白”的信使核糖核酸只有在低溫的情況下才會(huì)表現(xiàn)穩(wěn)定,。也就是說,，在低溫下，信使核糖核酸反而能夠更有效地復(fù)制細(xì)菌的遺傳信息,，幫助細(xì)菌生存繁衍,。
研究人員表示，該研究成果將為抑制細(xì)菌生長(zhǎng)提供新思路,。有關(guān)成果刊登在最新一期的美國(guó)《分子細(xì)胞》雜志上,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Molecular Cell, Volume 37, Issue 1, 21-33, 15 January 2010
The cspA mRNA Is a Thermosensor that Modulates Translation of the Cold-Shock Protein CspA
Anna Maria Giuliodori, Fabio Di Pietro, Stefano Marzi, Benoit Masquida, Rolf Wagner, Pascale Romby, Claudio O. Gualerzi, Cynthia L. Pon
Cold induction of cspA, the paradigm Escherichia coli cold-shock gene, is mainly subject to posttranscriptional control, partly promoted by cis-acting elements of its transcript, whose secondary structure at 37°C and at cold-shock temperature has been elucidated here by enzymatic and chemical probing. The structures, which were also validated by mutagenesis, demonstrate that cspA mRNA undergoes a temperature-dependent structural rearrangement, likely resulting from stabilization in the cold of an otherwise thermodynamically unstable folding intermediate. At low temperature, the “cold-shock” structure is more efficiently translated and somewhat less susceptible to degradation than the 37°C structure. Overall, our data shed light on a molecular mechanism at the basis of the cold-shock response, indicating that cspA mRNA is able to sense temperature downshifts, adopting functionally distinct structures at different temperatures, even without the aid of trans-acting factors. Unlike with other previously studied RNA thermometers, these structural rearrangements do not result from melting of hairpin structures.
