植物转基因沉默与消除

植物基因工程研究是希望获得高稳定表达的转基因植株,而转基因沉默现象却限制了转基因植物的应用前景,基因沉默的机制是多方面的,包括转基因多拷贝之间的异位配对,转基因序列的甲基化,插入位点在染色体结构上的改变及转录后的衰退调控等,研究外源基因的失活原因及寻找相应的策略控制失活,对于植物基因工程的发展有着重要的意义。     

植物生理与分子生物学

主要从病毒诱导的基因沉默体系中植物与病毒的相互作用、VIGS涉及的信号分子和移动方式以及靶基因的沉默和病毒载体的复制关系介绍和分析植物病毒诱导的基因沉默效应的分子机制,并进一步分析此种体系在植物基因功能研究中应用的研究进展。     

植物病毒诱导的基因沉默效应的分子机制

主要从病毒诱导的基因沉默体系中植物与病毒的相互作用、VIGS涉及的信号分子和移动方式以及靶基因的沉默和病毒载体的复制关系介绍和分析植物病毒诱导的基因沉默效应的分子机制,并进一步分析此种体系在植物基因功能研究中应用的研究进展。     

转基因植物中RNA介导的病毒抗性机制

介绍了近年来转基因植物中RNA介导的抗性特征和解释这种抗性机制的两种模型,一种是阈值模型,一种是质量模型,并对这两种模型的优缺点进行了讨论.     

Accumulation of Barley Stripe Mosaic Virus is Significantly Reduced in Transgenic Wheat Plants Expressing a Bacterial Ribonuclease

An rnc70 gene encoding a mutant bacterial ribonuclease III (RNase III) was introduced into wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Bobwhite) by microprojectile bombardment. T1, T2, and T3 plants regenerated from three transgenic callus lines were challenged with barley stripe mosaic virus. Plants expressing RNase III exhibited a high level of resistance to the virus infection. This resistance was evidenced by the absence of virus symptoms and reduced accumulation of virions in these plants. The result demonstrates that this pathogen-targeted resistance strategy can be effectively employed in conferring resistance to viral diseases of cereal crops.     

两种凝集素基因在转基因烟草中表达的研究

构建了含尾穗苋凝集素基因(ACA)的cDNA序列和改造后的雪花莲凝集素基因(GNA)的植物表达载体pBACG。在此表达载体中,ACA和GNA基因的表达分别由35S启动子和CoYMV启动子控制。通过农杆菌介导,将ACA和GNA基因转化到烟草中,经卡那霉素筛选获得60株转化再生植株。对PCR检测呈阳性的50株植株进行接蚜虫实验,结果表明,其平均抑虫率达83．9％。Southern blotting分析表明,ACA和GNA基因都已整合到烟草基因组中。Western blotting结果显示这两个基因在不同植株中都可表达其相应的蛋白质,但表达水平不同。部分Western blotting分析呈阳性植株的抗蚜性与T0代相近,达85．3％,说明这两个基因的抗蚜功能可以稳定遗传。     

影响苏云金芽孢杆菌基因在转基因植物中表达的因素

苏云金芽孢杆菌（Bacillus thuringiensis,Bt）杀虫晶体蛋白基因是植物抗虫基因工程中应用最广泛的基因资源。影响Bt基因在转基因植物中表达的因素繁多,阐明这些因素的效应对于获得Bt基因在受体植物中的稳定高效表达具有重要意义。现对Bt基因表达的主要影响因子,如Bt基因表达单元、植物发育、外部环境条件、受体植物遗传背景、整合位点及Bt基因沉默现象等进行了综述。     

Transgenic Tobacco Plants Expressing Bacterial Genes for Thermostable Glucanases

It is shown that bacterial genes for thermostable -glucanases are expressed retaining their activity and substrate specificity. The leader peptide of the carrot extensin exerts effective secretion of the bacterial enzymes into the intercellular space of the plant tissue. Expression of the bacterial gene for -1,3-glucanase in plant tissues alters their morphogenetic potential. Regeneration of shoots from the calli of these plant lines requires a six- to eightfold increase in cytokinin (6-BAP) concentration in comparison with the control lines and the transgenic lines expressing -1,3-1,4-glucanase. Rooting of transgenic plants expressing the bacterial gene for -1,3-glucanase occurs much faster. The transgenic plants obtained in the study are proposed as model objects for investigating the role of glucanases in plants.     

Expression of Pokeweed Antiviral Protein in Transgenic Plants Induces Virus Resistance in Grafted Wild-Type Plants Independently of Salicylic Acid Accumulation and Pathogenesis-Related Protein Synthesis

Pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), a 29-kD protein isolated from Phytolacca americana, inhibits translation by catalytically removing a specific adenine residue from the large rRNA of the 60S subunit of eukaryotic ribosomes. Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants expressing PAP or a variant (PAP-v) were shown to be resistant to a broad spectrum of plant viruses. Expression of PAP-v in transgenic plants induces synthesis of pathogenesis-related proteins and a very weak (<2-fold) increase in salicylic acid levels. Using reciprocal grafting experiments, we demonstrate here that transgenic tobacco rootstocks expressing PAP-v induce resistance to tobacco mosaic virus infection in both N. tabacum NN and nn scions. Increased resistance to potato virus X was also observed in N. tabacum nn scions grafted on transgenic rootstocks. PAP expression was not detected in the wild-type scions or rootstocks that showed virus resistance, nor was there any increase in salicylic acid levels or pathogenesis-related protein synthesis. Grafting experiments with transgenic plants expressing an inactive PAP mutant demonstrated that an intact active site of PAP is necessary for induction of virus resistance in wild-type scions. These results indicate that enzymatic activity of PAP is responsible for generating a signal that renders wild-type scions resistant to virus infection in the absence of increased salicylic acid levels and pathogenesis-related protein synthesis.     

转基因植物中标记基因去除方法的研究进展

随着越来越多的转基因植物品种的出现,转基因植物的环境安全及食用安全越来越受到人们的广泛关注。目前存在的问题之一是转基因植物中抗生素或除草剂抗性的选择标记基因的存留。为了提高转基因植物的安全性,将转基因植物中选择性标记基因去除,不仅利于同一转基因植物的多次操作,而且更容易被人们所接受。就目前转基因植物中选择性标记基因去除的方法及其优缺点进行了横纵向的比较,希望对相关研究领域方法的选择方向具有指导意义。     

转基因植物中外源基因的沉默及应对策略

随着转基因技术在作物育种领域的应用,转基因植物中外源基因表达量低的现象较为普遍。导致外源基因表达量低的主要原因是基因沉默。外源基因沉默可分为转录水平的基因沉默和转录后水平的基因沉默。如何应对基因沉默,提高外源基因的表达量,是转基因技术发展亟待解决的问题。     

植物抗旱耐盐基因的研究进展

近几年许多与植物抗旱耐盐相关基因被克隆和分析,同时通过转基因技术将这些基因转到植物中异源表达,能显著提高转基因植物的抗旱耐盐能力。这些基因主要包括渗透调节基因、蛋白类基因(如信号传导中的蛋白激酶基因)及转录因子等。在逆境条件下,渗透调节基因通过合成脯氨酸、甜菜碱、糖类和多胺类等渗透调节物质维持植物中的渗透平衡;蛋白激酶基因产物是细胞信号传导中的组分,这些基因能促进植物对干旱失水反应和逆境信号的传递,启动抗逆基因的表达;转录因子通过与相关基因的特异性结合来调控其表达,进而产生相关调控蛋白等物质增强植物在逆境中的生存能力。本文主要综述了这三类抗逆基因的研究现状及其生物学机理,讨论并分析这些基因在应用中尚待解决的问题,为发掘更多的抗逆性的基因资源和进一步开展分子育种工作提供参考。     

Enhanced Accumulation of BiP in Transgenic Plants Confers Tolerance to Water Stress

The binding protein (BiP) is an important component of endoplasmic reticulum stress response of cells. Despite extensive studies in cultured cells, a protective function of BiP against stress has not yet been demonstrated in whole multicellular organisms. Here, we have obtained transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Havana) plants constitutively expressing elevated levels of BiP or its antisense cDNA to analyze the protective role of this endoplasmic reticulum lumenal stress protein at the whole plant level. Elevated levels of BiP in transgenic sense lines conferred tolerance to the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin during germination and tolerance to water deficit during plant growth. Under progressive drought, the leaf BiP levels correlated with the maintenance of the shoot turgidity and water content. The protective effect of BiP overexpression against water stress was disrupted by expression of an antisense BiP cDNA construct. Although overexpression of BiP prevented cellular dehydration, the stomatal conductance and transpiration rate in droughted sense leaves were higher than in control and antisense leaves. The rate of photosynthesis under water deficit might have caused a degree of greater osmotic adjustment in sense leaves because it remained unaffected during water deprivation, which was in marked contrast with the severe drought-induced decrease in the CO(2) assimilation in control and antisense leaves. In antisense plants, the water stress stimulation of the antioxidative defenses was higher than in control plants, whereas in droughted sense leaves an induction of superoxide dismutase activity was not observed. These results suggest that overexpression of BiP in plants may prevent endogenous oxidative stress.     

cry3A和vhb基因在转基因马铃薯中的表达

分别构建了含cry3A和cry3A+vhb基因的植物表达载体pBCry3A和pBC3Vhb,并通过根癌农杆菌介导转化了马铃薯.对转化再生植株进行PCR和DNA印迹分析表明,外源基因已整合到马铃薯基因组中,且连续三代无性繁殖后转基因仍存在.ELISA分析表明cry3A基因在转基因植株中得到了高效表达,在单转cry3A植株中最高表达量达0.1%,转cry3A与vhb双基因株系中为0.065%.水涝试验显示,转双基因且vhb mRNA的RT-PCR呈阳性的马铃薯植株,对低氧胁迫有较好的耐受性,表明获得的上述转双基因马铃薯株系可能会具有很好的抗虫和耐涝性能.     

转基因植物环境安全性研究进展

随着转基因植物在全球范围内的广泛种植,其环境安全性问题也日益受到重视。对转基因植物的环境安全性问题进行了综述,主要从转基因植物的杂草化、基因漂移、对非靶标和靶标生物的影响等方面阐述了转基因植物对生态环境的影响。     

转化双价防卫基因获得抗纹枯病水稻

将水稻几丁质酶基因(RCHIO)和苜蓿β-1,3-葡聚糖酶基因(AGLU)串联构建于一个表达质粒pZ100,经农杆茵介导法转化粳稻台北309,获得15个阳性独立转化子。T1代植株经Southern检测,表明外源基因已整合到了水稻基因组;经Northern检测,表明外源基因在RNA水平表达,在株系间有差异,2个酶基因的表达水平类似。T1代植株经纹枯病病茵接种鉴定,表明各株系对纹枯病具有不同的抗性,且抗病能力与2个外源基因的RNA表达水平有剂量关系,并获得了2个酶基因高表达且对纹枯病具有较高抗性的T1株系,可作为进一步进行分子育种的材料。     

Transformation and Characterization of Transgenic Plants of Solanum dulcamara L.--Incidence of Transgene Silencing

A transformation system is described for Solanum dulcamara usingthe supervirulentAgrobacterium tumefaciens strain 1065, carryingboth the ß-glucuronidase (gus) and neomycin phosphotransferaseII (npt II) genes adjacent to the right and left T-DNA borders,respectively. Leaf explants were more efficient for the productionof transformed plants compared to stem explants on medium containing50 mg l^-1of kanamycin sulphate. A 1:10 (v:v) dilution of anovernight culture ofAgrobacterium gave optimal transformationin terms of transgenic plant regeneration. From a total of 174kanamycin-resistant plants selected by their antibiotic resistance,16 failed to exhibit GUS activity. Southern analysis revealedthat these GUS-negative transformants originated from threeindependently transformed cell lines. Restriction enzyme analysesshowed that the GUS-negative plants had both the gus and nptII genes integrated into their genome (one plant had a singlecopy of each gene; the other two plants had multiple copies),with major rearrangement of the gus gene occurring in plantswith several copies of the transgene. GUS-negative plants showedleaf malformations, delayed flowering and a reduction in flower,fruit and seed production compared to GUS-positive and non-transformed(control) plants. Although gene silencing of the gus gene occurred,albeit at a low frequency (9.2%), the transformation systemdescribed generates large numbers of phenotypically normal,stably transformed plants. Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Agrobacterium -mediated transformation, gene silencing, Solanum dulcamara L. (Bittersweet, Woody Nightshade), T-DNA truncation, transgene expression