线粒体钾通道Kcna3基因敲除小鼠初步制备

目的 为观察线粒体钾通道在缺血再灌注(I/R)心肌损伤中的作用,探讨其和心衰的关系,制备基因敲除小鼠模型以探讨钾通道单分子作用.方法 用BAC载体制备同源重组载体,对129小鼠胚胎干细胞(ES)打靶筛选后,显微注射至C57 BL/6J小鼠囊胚获得嵌合小鼠.经尾基因组DNA PCR鉴定和测序,鉴别杂合子小鼠.结果 在40只灰色小鼠中初步鉴定出Kcna3+/-基因型F1小鼠8只.结论 在国内首先用ES同源重组基因打靶方法,成功育成Kcna3基因敲除鼠杂合子,为下一步获得纯合子鼠奠定了基础.对进一步用钾离子通道病模型研究心肌保护病理生理机制和药物筛选具重要意义.     

BPOZ基因剔除小鼠模型的建立

BPOZ是在卵巢癌等肿瘤组织中表达下调的细胞生长抑制基因,建立BPOZ基因剔除小鼠模型,可以为在体研究BPOZ基因的生物学功能及其与肿瘤发生的关系创造条件.运用生物信息学手段确定小鼠BPOZ基因组序列,设计基因剔除策略,构建完成了基因剔除载体XpPNT-BPOZ.以电穿孔方法将基因剔除载体导入ES细胞,用G418和Ganciclovoir进行正负筛选,获得抵抗克隆,PCR和DNA印迹鉴定出正确同源重组的ES细胞克隆.将同源重组的ES细胞注入小鼠囊胚,获得嵌合体小鼠.嵌合体小鼠与C57BL/6J小鼠交配后获得Aguoti毛色的小鼠30只,其中15只为BPOZ基因剔除杂合子小鼠,阳性率为50%.在雌雄杂合子交配的后代中获得纯合子小鼠.初步的表型观察发现BPOZ基因剔除小鼠发育正常,有繁殖能力,进一步的表型分析工作正在进行之中.     

肝脏特异性CD36基因敲除小鼠的制备及鉴定

目的:运用Cre/Loxp重组酶系统构建肝脏特异性CD36基因敲除小鼠并进行鉴定和验证,为研究CD36的生物学功能奠定基础。方法:构建CD36打靶载体,电转转染胚胎干细胞,通过长链PCR筛选出正确同源重组的阳性克隆,阳性胚胎干细胞克隆经扩增后,注射入C57BL/6J小鼠的囊胚中,获得嵌合小鼠,再与Flp小鼠交配筛选获得Flox杂合子小鼠,该小鼠与引进的Alb-Cre小鼠交配,在F3代获得CD36fl/fl:Alb-Cre+基因型小鼠,即为肝脏特异性CD36敲除小鼠。采用PCR鉴定小鼠基因型,PCR、实时荧光定量PCR和Western blot验证小鼠肝脏CD36敲除效果,Western blot检测小鼠肾脏、脂肪和心肌组织CD36表达情况,HE染色观察小鼠肝脏形态学改变。结果:建立了CD36基因的Flox杂合子小鼠,与Alb-Cre小鼠交配后,在F3代筛选出CD36fl/fl:AlbCre-和CD36fl/fl:Alb-Cre+基因型小鼠,DNA水平证实CD36fl/fl:Alb-Cre+基因型小鼠肝脏CD36基因通过Cre/Loxp重组酶系统被敲除。与CD36fl/fl:Alb-Cre-基因型小鼠相比,CD36fl/fl:Alb-Cre+基因型小鼠肝脏CD36mRNA和蛋白表达水平显著降低,肾脏、脂肪和心肌组织CD36蛋白表达无差别,肝脏形态学特征无明显差异。结论:通过Cre/Loxp重组酶系统成功构建了肝脏特异性CD36基因敲除小鼠,为研究CD36在肝脏代谢和肝脏疾病中的功能提供了动物模型。     

黏蛋白1基因敲除小鼠模型的构建

黏蛋白1(MUC1)属黏蛋白家族成员,分布于上皮细胞膜表面,由于在免疫炎症反应以及肿瘤发生中的重要作用而日益受到重视.为了进一步深入研究MUC1的生物学功能,构建了Muc1基因敲除小鼠模型.首先,根据小鼠Muc1基因组序列设计基因剔除策略,将2个loxP位点分别插在外显子2和3两侧,构建基因剔除载体Muc1-ABRLFn-pBR322.以电穿孔方法将载体导入胚胎干细胞(ES细胞),用G418和更昔洛韦进行正负筛选获得4个同源重组的ES细胞克隆.挑选其中一个阳性ES克隆行囊胚显微注射,获得16只嵌合率大于50%的雄鼠;其次,利用嵌合雄鼠与C57BL/6J野生型雌鼠交配后获得11只floxP杂合子小鼠(10雄1雌),通过杂合子小鼠回交,并进一步与EⅡa-Cre小鼠交配,最终成功得到Muc1全身敲除小鼠,其中纯合子小鼠未出现胚胎致死现象.初步表型观察未发现Muc1基因敲除相关器官组织结构的异常改变.本研究为MUC1的生物学功能的挖掘,尤其是MUC1在肿瘤发生转移中的作用机制的揭示提供了实验平台.     

基于Loxp-Cre系统的FBXL15基因敲除小鼠模型的建立

建立FBXL15基因条件型敲除小鼠模型,为研究该基因所发挥的重要生理功能提供材料和思路。采用KO first策略,构建打靶载体,将1st loxP插入1~2号内含子,在3~4号内含子之间插入FRT-SAIRES-lacZ-loxP-neo-loxP元件,通过Long Range PCR及Southern blot筛选出中靶克隆,随后进行囊胚注射,并将发生同源重组的ES细胞注射进C57BL/6J小鼠囊胚,移入受体小鼠子宫,最后将得到的嵌合体雄鼠与C57BL/6J雌鼠交配获得FBXL15-LoxP小鼠。PCR结果显示FBXL15的Loxp小鼠模型构建成功,该模型可为进一步研究FBXL15在胚胎发育和骨代谢中的调控作用提供工具。     

小鼠MPI基因的打靶载体的构建和筛选

目的　构建小鼠MPI基因的基因打靶载体转染ES细胞 ,构建用于同源重组筛选的对照载体。方法根据计算机分析小鼠MPI基因的基因组序列 ,构建用于同源重组载体的长臂和短臂并且转染小鼠ES细胞 ,经抗性筛选后得到阳性克隆 ,抽提基因组DNA后用PCR的方法进行重组子的初步筛选。结果　成功构建了MPI基因的基因打靶载体并且摸索了用PCR的方法进行重组细胞初步筛选的方法。结论　这个载体的构建为MPI基因功能的研究打下了基础 ,同时用PCR方法进行初步筛选大大减少了Southern杂交的工作量 ;利用实验小鼠来研究印迹基因是非常有效的方法 ,它不仅能了解印迹基因在小鼠生长发育过程中的功能 ,而且进而有助于研究人的相应印迹区。     

几丁质酶结构域内含蛋白1(Chid1)基因剔除小鼠的建立

建立几丁质酶结构域内含蛋白1(chitinase domain containing 1,Chid1)基因剔除小鼠,观察小鼠表型和发育差异。设计了合适的基因剔除策略,成功构建了基因剔除打靶载体。以电穿孔方法将打靶载体导入ES细胞(embryonic stem cell),用G418和Ganciclovoir进行正负筛选,挑选抗药的阳性克隆,提取ES细胞基因组DNA,用长臂PCR鉴定出阳性ES细胞。将阳性ES细胞复苏培养后注入小鼠囊胚,获得嵌合体小鼠。嵌合体小鼠与C57BL/6J小鼠交配后获得Aguoti毛色的杂合子小鼠。在雌雄杂合子交配的后代中获得纯合子小鼠。从脑、脾脏、肝、肺的RNA水平鉴定来看,基因剔除小鼠的Chid1基因未表达,而杂合子、野生型小鼠有明显的该基因条带。经过初步的表型观察发现,Chid1基因剔除小鼠发育正常,未出现胚胎致死,交配繁殖能力无异常。几丁质酶结构域内含蛋白1(Chid1)基因剔除小鼠模型建立成功。Child1基因对于小鼠发育、生殖方面无明显作用。     

利用细菌人工染色体同源重组对小鼠基因进行条件型敲除

目的:探索通过细菌人工染色体(BAC)同源重组系统构建条件基因敲除载体的高效率方法,提高条件基因敲除小鼠(Flox小鼠)的构建效率。方法:利用作者自己构建的噬菌体重组酶系统,通过BAC同源重组进行条件型基因敲除载体构建工作。首先通过亚克隆构建了一系列载体含有同源臂的靶向质粒,线性化后,打靶片段经电穿孔法转入大肠杆菌内,与相应的BAC同源重组,再经过三步同源重组和一步位点特异性重组,构建小鼠条件型基因敲除载体。结果:高效率构建了小鼠基因的最终条件基因敲除载体。结论:通过BAC同源重组高效构建条件基因敲除载体,为条件基因敲除载体的构建提供了全新思路,并为FLox小鼠的建立,及相应基因在发育、生理、致病机制等方面的功能研究奠定了基础。     

少突胶质细胞条件性敲除FGF9基因小鼠模型的建立、鉴定及初步表型

目的建立少突胶质细胞特异性敲除成纤维生长因子9(FGF9)小鼠模型,进一步研究FGF9在神经发育中的作用。方法将Olig1-Cre转基因小鼠与FGF9转基因小鼠(FGF9~(flox/flox))杂交,选取雌性FGF9~(flox/wt)/Olig1-Cre~+与雄性FGF9~(flox/flox)合笼交配,F3代获得少突胶质细胞特异性敲除FGF9基因小鼠(FGF9~(flox/flox)/Olig1-Cre~+)。为了证实条件性基因敲除的特异性及有效性,提取鼠尾组织基因组DNA,通过PCR技术鉴定其基因型,利用蛋白电泳以及激光共聚焦验证FGF9蛋白的表达,并对其表型进行观察。结果从基因水平和蛋白水平证实了成功构建了FGF9~(flox/flox)/Olig1-Cre~+小鼠。初步表型分析显示,敲除组小鼠可活可育,生存期与对照组相同,但发育缓慢体重显著减轻。结论成功获得少突胶质细胞中特异性敲除FGF9基因小鼠,FGF9基因条件性敲除后引起小鼠发育缓慢。     

Recent advances in the study of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication and pathogenesis

It has now been over twenty years since a novel herpesviral genome was identified in Kaposi's sarcoma biopsies. Since then, the cumulative research effort by molecular biologists, virologists, clinicians, and epidemiologists alike has led to the extensive characterization of this tumor virus, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus(KSHV; also known as human herpesvirus 8(HHV-8)), and its associated diseases. Here we review the current knowledge of KSHV biology and pathogenesis, with a particular emphasis on new and exciting advances in the field of epigenetics. We also discuss the development and practicality of various cell culture and animal model systems to study KSHV replication and pathogenesis.     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

The structure, reproduction and taxonomy of Vidalia and Osmundaria (Rhodophyta, Rhodomelaceae)

Comprises species occurring mostly in subtidal habitats in tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate areas of the world. An analysis of the type species, V. spiralis (Sonder) Lamouroux ex J. Agardh, a species from Australia, establishes basic characters for distinguishing species in the genus. These characters are (1) branching patterns of thalli, (2) flat blades that may be spiralled on their axis, (3) width of the blade, (4) primary or secondary derivation of sterile and fertile branchlets and (5) position of sterile and fertile branchlets on the thalli. Application of the latter two characters provides an important basic method for separation of species into three major groups. Osmundaria , a genus known only in southern Australia, was studied in relation to Vidalia , and its separation from the Vidalia assemblage is not accepted. Species of Vidalia therefore are transferred to the older genus name, Osmundaria. Two new species, Osmundaria papenfussii and Osmundaria oliveae are described from Natal. Confusion in the usage of the epithet, Vidalia fimbriala Brown ex Turner has been clarified, and Vidalia gregaria Falkenberg, described as an epiphyte on Osmundaria pro/ifera Lamouroux, is revealed to be young branches of the host, Osmundaria prolifera.     

New or rare chromosome counts in Artemisia L. (Asteraceae, Anthemideae) and related genera from Kazakhstan

Fifteen chromosome counts of six Artemisia taxa and one species of each of the genera Brachanthemum, Hippolytia, Kaschgaria, Lepidolopsis and Turaniphytum are reported from Kazakhstan. Three of them are new reports, two are not consistent with previous counts and the remainder are confirmations of very scarce (one to four) earlier records. All the populations studied have the same basic chromosome number, x = 9, with ploidy levels ranging from 2x to 6x. Some correlations between ploidy level, morphological characters and distribution are noted.