结核分枝杆菌espK基因G-四链体核酸序列多态性与表达调控功能研究

DNA的G-四链体(G-quadruplex,G4)是由富含串联重复的鸟嘌呤(guanine,G)的核酸序列折叠形成的四链体螺旋结构,目前认为其与基因表达调控和基因组稳定性有关。已有研究表明,结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)的espK(Rv3879c)是构成ESX-1分泌系统的一个重要元件,其蛋白序列具有串联重复的GTPITP氨基酸序列多态性。本研究经核酸序列比对分析,确定该氨基酸序列多态性区域对应的模板链上存在G4序列,且该G4序列仅存在于结核分枝杆菌复合群。通过比对结核分枝杆菌临床分离株espK基因的核酸序列,发现espK基因的高频率G1573C突变位于G4序列。为研究该G4结构及基因表达调控功能,首先利用圆二色谱检测其核酸片段在钾离子存在条件下的光谱学特征,证实其可在体外形成具有顺式平行结构特征的G4,同义点突变G4会使其结构稳定性下降。采用重叠聚合酶链反应(overlapping polymerase chain reaction,overlapping PCR)构建含有G4突变的espK表达质粒,获得重组表达菌株。通过实时定量PCR测定espK重组表达菌株中基因转录水平变化,发现同义点突变G4后,其基因转录水平比野生型espK重组菌株提升 1.5 倍(P＜0.05)。此外,临床分离株中espK出现的高频率G1573C突变会破坏G4结构,但蛋白免疫印迹检测结果显示espK G1573C突变导致EspK蛋白表达水平上升。以上结果提示,espK的G4结构具有表达调控功能,该G4区域的序列多态性可能通过影响EspK表达水平来调节ESX-1分泌系统的活性。     

利用ctxb的自身启动子表达CTB

霍乱毒素B亚单位（CTB）在大肠杆菌表达体系中不能实现良好的分泌性表达。本文拟利用ctxb的自身启动子来实现CTB的高效分泌性表达。PCR方法扩增ctxb的调控序列和结构基因,克隆至pGEM－T载体,并在其下游链上肠杆菌核糖体基因的转录终止信号rmBT1T2,构建的表达质粒pGEM－T48和霍乱弧菌IEM101都实现了CTB的分泌性表达。但在pGEM－T48＊TEM101）中CTB的分泌性表达量明显高于pGEM－T48（JM109）中的量,两者比较为50：1。因此,pGEM-T48(IEM101)表达体系较为理想的CTB分泌性表达体系。     

Specific stabilization of DNA G-quadruplex structures with a chemically modified complementary probe

The DNA G-quadruplex is an important higher-order structure formed from guanine-rich DNA sequences. There are many molecules which can stabilize this structure. However, the selectivity of these ligands to different G-quadruplexes was not satisfactory. Herein, we designed and synthesized a chemically modified G-quadruplex probe, Razo-DNA, for the unique stabilization of the G-quadruplex. Razo-DNA consists of two fragments: The first is an organic molecular moiety which can stabilize G-quadruplex structures, and the second is a DNA molecule that is complementary with a sequence adjacent to the guanine-rich sequence of targeted DNA. Further studies showed that Razo-DNA could precisely stabilize the targeted DNA G-quadruplex structures in vitro.     

Structure of the mouse glutamate decarboxylase 65 gene and its promoter: preferential expression of its promoter in the GABAergic neurons of transgenic mice

GABA is synthesized by glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), which has two forms, GAD65 and GAD67. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of mouse GAD65 (mGAD65) gene expression, we isolated and characterized the mGAD65 gene. The mGAD65 gene was found to be divided into 16 exons and spread over 75 kb. The sequence of the first exon and the 5'-flanking region indicated the presence of potential neuron-specific cis-regulatory elements. We used transgenic mice to examine the expression pattern conferred by a 9.2-kb promoter-proximal DNA fragment of the mGAD65 gene fused to the bacterial lacZ reporter gene. Transgenic mice showed high beta-galactosidase activity specifically in brain and testis. They also showed characteristic patterns of transgene expression in olfactory bulb, cerebellar cortex, and spinal cord, a similar expression pattern to that of endogenous mGAD65. However, no transgene expression was observed in the ventral thalamus or hypothalamus, in which high mGAD65 gene expression levels have been observed. These results suggest that the 9.2-kb DNA fragment of the mGAD65 gene is associated with its tissue-specific expression and its targeted expression in GABAergic neurons of specific brain regions but that additional regulatory elements are necessary to obtain fully correct expression.     

High pressure conditions stimulate expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase regulated by the lac promoter in Escherichia coli

Abstract Recombinant plasmids with the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) structural gene behind several kinds of promoters were tested for expression in Escherichia coli during growth at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) and at high pressure (30 MPa). Expression of the CAT gene from the lac promoter was remarkably activated (approx. 78-fold) by high pressure in the absence of the inducer isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The stimulation of the CAT activity by the lac promoter at high pressure did not simply result from an increased plasmid copy number, because the CAT activities from the other promoters and β-lactamase activities were unaffected at high pressure.     

Cauliflower mosaic virus 35 S promoter directs S phase specific expression in plant cells

Summary An experimental system to study cell cycle specific gene expression in plant cells was developed using protoplasts from tobacco cells synchronized by aphidicolin treatment. Chimeric plasmids consisting either of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene downstream of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35 S promoter or the nopaline synthase (nos) promoter were introduced into synchronized protoplasts of four cell cycle stages by electroporation. In the case of the CaMV 35 S promoter cyclic oscillation of CAT activity was observed which paralleled the cell cycle of the recipient cells. The peak of CAT activity was found in the S phase, while no such cyclic change was observed in the case of the nos promoter. This system clearly shows that it is feasible to search for a cell cycle specific promoter. The significance of these observations is discussed in relation to the study of plant cells.     

Differential expression of galectins in normal, benign and malignant prostate epithelial cells: silencing of galectin-3 expression in prostate cancer by its promoter methylation

Galectins (gal), a family of soluble beta-galactoside-binding proteins present at the cell surface, are involved in cancer progression and metastasis. Here we investigated the expression of several galectins in normal (PrEC), benign (BPH-1), and malignant (LNCaP) prostate epithelial cells and found that all galectins, except gal1 are differentially expressed. The gal3, 7, and 9 are highly expressed in PrEC, but not in LNCaP cells. Out of seven isoforms of gal8, the proto isoform gal8e and our newly discovered proto isoform gal8g were upregulated in LNCaP cells compared to PrEC, whereas the two tandem-repeat isoforms gal8a and gal8b were equally expressed in these cells. To determine if the silencing of gal3 in LNCaP cells was due to promoter methylation, LNCaP cells were treated with azacytidine. Azacytidine treatment induced the expression of gal3 in LNCaP cells, indicating that the gal3 gene was silenced by methylation of its promoter. To examine further, we evaluated cytosine methylation in gal3 promoter in LNCaP, normal prostate and placenta DNA and observed that it is highly methylated in LNCaP but not in normal cells and azacytidine completely abolished this methylation in LNCaP cells. Similar to prostate cancer cells, gal3 promoter was highly methylated in human prostate cancer tissue but not in normal tissue. To our knowledge, this is the first report indicating that gal3 expression is regulated by promoter methylation in LNCaP cells and prostate tumors. The methylation of gal3 promoter may constitute a powerful tool for early diagnosis of prostate cancer.     

Construction of a reporter plasmid for screening in vivo promoter activity in Francisella tularensis

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium that survives and multiplies inside macrophages. Here we constructed a new promoter probe plasmid denoted pKK214 by introduction of a promoter-less chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene into the shuttle vector pKK202. A promoter library was created in F. tularensis strain LVS by cloning random chromosomal DNA fragments into pKK214. Approximately 15% of the recombinant bacteria showed chloramphenicol resistance in vitro. The promoter library was also used to infect macrophages in the presence of chloramphenicol and after two cycles of infection the library contained essentially only chloramphenicol resistance clones which shows that pKK214 can be used to monitor F. tularensis genes that are expressed during infection.