qa-3稀有密码子和mRNA结构改造及其在大肠杆菌中的高效表达

奎尼酸脱氢酶的高表达是奎尼酸生物合成的代谢工程研究的关键和基础。粗糙脉孢菌基因组中编码奎尼酸脱氢酶的基因qa-3在大肠杆菌中不表达,根据大肠杆菌密码子使用频率分析qa-3基因,发现有27个稀有密码子,其中编码Arg?的有8个,编码Gly(G)的有9个。编码精氨酸的AGG(AGA) 两个稀有密码子紧密相连（R区）,另外还有个相对比较集中的GGG密集区G区。进一步通过计算机分析其qa-3基因mRNA二级结构,发现改变5′和3′末端个别碱基对其二级结构的影响很大,可以使mRNA的自由能由野生型的-374.3 kJ/mol降低到最小-80.5 kJ/mol,从而大大减少mRNA两端二级结构的产生,而仅仅改变R区和G区的稀有密码子自由能变化很小。通过对该基因密码子改造和优化5′和3′末端对其mRNA二级结构的影响,在大肠杆菌中表达真菌的基因qa-3,并测到了奎尼酸脱氢酶活性,为构建产奎尼酸工程菌株奠定基础。     

玉米黑粉菌CYP51稀有密码子和mRNA二级结构分析及与杀菌剂戊唑醇分子对接

通过截短玉米黑粉菌CYP51(P450-14DM,UmCYP51)基因(去除编码跨膜区部分)和选取不同的表达载体,构建了9种重组表达质粒,在大肠杆菌中进行UmCYP51基因的表达,发现只有BL21(DE3)/pET32-Um-35重组表达工程菌获得了表达.对稀有密码子和mRNA翻译起始区二级结构进行分析,结果表明稀有密码子和mRNA翻译起始区二级结构对UmCYP51蛋白的表达都有影响.适用于稀有密码子表达的菌株Rosetta(DE3)不利于UmCYP51蛋白的表达;同时只有翻译起始区二级结构自由能值最低的重组载体pET32-Um-35可以表达.为了设计以UmCYP51为靶标的新型抗真菌抑制剂,基于最新解析的真核生物人类的CYP51晶体结构,利用同源模建的方法构建了UmCYP51的三维结构并进行了分子动力学模拟优化.通过与商品化杀菌剂戊唑醇进行分子对接获得了此类抑制剂与UmCYP51的理论结合方式,阐述了戊唑醇分子的杀菌机理,为开发新型的抗真菌抑制剂奠定了基础.     

Mx基因稀有密码子和mRNA结构及大肠杆菌表达 优化

通过对稀有密码子和mRNA翻译起始区二级结构的分析, 构建了4种重组表达菌株BL21(DE3)/pET-Mx, Rosseta(DE3)/pET-Mx, BL21(DE3)/pGEX-Mx和Rosseta(DE3)/pGEX-Mx, 在大肠杆菌中进行Mx基因的表达, Rosseta(DE3)/pET-Mx和Rosseta(DE3)/pGEX-Mx重组表达菌中都获得了表达, Western blotting检测到了特异的75 kDa表达产物。实验结果证明稀有密码子和mRNA翻译起始区二级结构对Mx 蛋白表达都有影响, 选择适用于稀有密码子表达的菌株Rosetta(DE3)有利于Mx蛋白的表达, 同时翻译起始区二级结构能值较低的表达载体pGEX-Mx获得的表达量明显增高。实验中首次获得了重组表达鸡全长Mx蛋白的大肠杆菌重组菌。     

大肠杆菌mRNA编码区长度、形成二级结构倾向与密码子偏好性的关系

从GenBank获得大肠杆菌K-12MG1655株的全基因组序列,计算了与基因密码子偏好性相关的多个参数(Nc、CAI、GC、GC3s),对其mRNA编码区长度、形成二级结构倾向与密码子偏好性之间的关系进行了统计学分析,发现虽然翻译效率(包括翻译速度和翻译精度)是制约大肠杆菌高表达基因的密码子偏好性的主要因素,同时,mRNA编码区长度及其形成二级结构的倾向也是形成这种偏好性的不可忽略的原因,而且对偏好性有一定程度的削弱。另外对mRNA编码区形成二级结构倾向的生物学意义进行了讨论分析。     

mRNA翻译起始区二级结构改变对干扰素基因在大肠杆菌中翻译的影响

为研究mRNA翻译起始区结构与基因表达的关系,利用密码子的简并性,在不改变表达产物氨基酸序列的前提下定点突变α8干扰素及αA干扰素衍生物基因的5′端若干位点,使其与表达载体重组后转录形成的mRNA翻译起始区结构发生改变。SDS-PAGE及活性测定证实这些改变提高了外源基因的表达水平。RNA斑点印迹表明突变前后基因转录水平差别不大,表达水平的提高主要由于翻译效率的提高。mRNA翻译起始区二级结构预测提示其生成自由能(ΔG)的变化可能与表达水平的提高有关。     

降低mRNA翻译起始区的稳定性原核非融合表达HAb18GEF

为在大肠杆菌中非融合表达肝癌相关抗原HAb18G胞外区片段（HAb18GEF）,将HAb18GEF基因的cDNA插入原核表达载体pET21a+。通过计算机辅助设计,对重组的HAb18GEF/pET21a+的mRNA翻译起始区（TIR）的二级结构和密码子偏性同时进行预测。结果发现其存在稳定的茎环结构和许多稀有密码子。通过优化二级结构和优化密码子偏性二种策略分别来降低HAb18GEF/pET21a+的mRNA翻译起始区（TIR）的稳定性。在不改变氨基酸序列的前提下,利用密码子的简并性,通过非连续定点突变实现这两种优化。将突变前后的重组子经酶切鉴定和测序验证后,转化感受态JM109DE3宿主菌后,随机挑菌37℃下用IPTG诱导表达。SDSPAGE、间接ELISA、Western blot 和细胞分级分离法分析这些重组子的诱导表达情况。RNA dot blot对比分析优化前后目的基因mRNA的量。结果证明,成功地构建了HAb18GEF/pET21a+及其二种优化突变体。仅优化TIR区二级结构或仅优化TIR区密码子偏性均能实现HAb18GEF蛋白的非融合表达,而未优化的重组子不表达任何HAb18GEF。非融合表达产物在大肠杆菌中主要以包涵体形式存在,高达293%。由于过表达和细胞渗漏,培养基和周质腔中也可检测到少许的HAb18GEF。优化二级结构和优化密码子偏性二种策略的HAb18GEF的非融合表达量基本相同。优化前后HAb18GEF转录的mRNA量没有差别。这些结果表明,降低mRNA翻译起始区的稳定性可实现肝癌相关抗原HAb18G胞外区片段在大肠杆菌中的非融合表达。     

人β神经生长因子基因稀有密码子及mRNA二级结构对其在大肠杆菌中表达的影响

目的:研究人β神经生长因子(β-NGF)基因中稀有密码子及其mRNA二级结构对其在大肠杆菌中表达量的影响。方法:根据对人β-ngf中稀有密码子及其mRNA二级结构的研究,同义突变人β-ngf基因,通过PCR得到人β-ngf的5’端同义突变基因rh-β-ngfp32和全同义突变基因rh-β-ngfmu,将这2个序列克隆入载体pET3a中,得到重组质粒pET3a-ngfp32和pET3a-ngfmu,分别转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)感受态,IPTG诱导表达,收集菌体,SDS-PAGE检测其表达量的改变。结果:构建的pET3a-ngfp32和pET3a-ngfmu表达载体酶切和测序结果正确,SDS-PAGE结果显示,与在重组菌pET3a-NGF总蛋白中的表达量相比,目的蛋白rh-β-NGF在重组菌pET3a-NGFP32和pET3a-NGFmu中的表达量均明显增高,并且在重组菌pET3a-NGFmu中的表达量高于重组菌pET3a-NGFP32。结论:目的蛋白rh-β-NGF在重组菌pET3a-NGFP32和pET3a-NGFmu中表达量的增高,说明人β-ngf基因中稀有密码子和mRNA的二级结构对其在大肠杆菌中的表达有较为明显的影响,结果为构建rh-β-NGF的大肠杆菌工程菌株奠定了基础。     

猪α1-干扰素的基因改造与高效原核表达

poIFNα1基因中含有大量的大肠杆菌稀有密码子,为了获得高表达,使用了大肠杆菌的偏爱密码子,人工合成了poIFN|α1成熟蛋白编码基因。在保留编码蛋白序列的同时,使其5′端A+T的含量增加到最大限度,并将其终止密码子改为TAA。将合成的poIFNα1成熟蛋白编码基因插入原核单纯表达载体pRLC中,转化大肠杆菌DH5α。实现了poIFNα1在大肠杆菌中的高效表达,表达产物以包涵体形式存在。纯化的包涵体经含DTT的6 mol/L盐酸胍的变性液溶解及含GSHGSSG的复性液复性处理,复性后的表达产物浓缩后经凝胶层析纯化,细胞病变抑制法测定表明,重组poIFNα1具有较高的抗病毒活性,约为6.4x10⁶u/mg。      

构巢曲霉奎尼酸脱氢酶基因qutB在大肠杆菌中的克隆与表达

从莽草酸途径合成奎尼酸（QA）,奎尼酸脱氢酶（QDHase)是必须的,大肠杆菌基因组不含有该酶的编码基因,在构巢曲霉（Aspergillus nidulans)中存在qutB基因编码此酶。以构巢曲染色体DNA为模板,采用PCR扩增得到qutB基因,在大肠杆菌中进行了克隆表达。结果表明,该基因在λ噬菌体的PRPL串联启动子驱动下实现了QDHase的表达。SDS－PAGE显示,重组菌热诱导后出大小约36000的特异蛋白,表达量占菌体总蛋白的19．81％。经酶活性测定,表达产物具有生物学活性,与对照菌株相比,其酶活性提高了27．8倍,为进一步奎尼酸生物合成研究了奠定了基础。     

稀有密码子对hIL-5 cDNA在大肠杆菌中表达及细菌生长影响的研究

我们通过重组PCR技术将hIL-5 cDNA中部及3′端的稀有密码子改为大肠杆菌偏性密码子,包括编码88位Gly的GGA、91～93位3个Arg的AGACGGAGA和113～114位2个Ile的(ATA)。将测序后的hIL-5片段插入pBV220,转化大肠杆菌DH5α获得重组菌株pBVhIL5-H/DH5α。经热诱导在大肠杆菌获得高效表达,表达量占菌体总蛋白的16.5％,达到国外全合成基因在大肠杆菌表达的高限水平,表达的hIL-5重组蛋白在菌体中以包含体形式     

Cloning the quinic acid (aq) gene cluster from Neurospora crassa: identification of recombinant plasmids containing both qa-2+ and qa-3+

A 22.2-kb insert of Neurospora crassa DNA containing at least two of the genes from the inducible catabolic quinic acid pathway has been cloned into the cosmid vehicle pHC79 resulting in a recombinant plasmid, pMSK308. The qa-2+ locus (which encodes catabolic dehydroquinase) is functionally expressed in both Escherichia coli and qa-2 mutants of N. crassa transformed with pMSK308 plasmid DNA. Expression of the qa-3 gene (which encodes quinate dehydrogenase) is only detected upon reintroduction into N. crassa. Results were also obtained which suggested that the qa-4 gene, which maps between qa-2 and qa-3, may also be present on both pMSK308 and the previously described plasmid pVK88. Certain anomalies in the types of N. crassa transformants obtained with pMSK308 plasmid DNA were noted.     

Suppression of the negative effect of minor arginine codons on gene expression; preferential usage of minor codons within the first 25 codons of the Escherichia coli genes.

AGA and AGG codons for arginine are the least used codons in Escherichia coli, which are encoded by a rare tRNA, the product of the dnaY gene. We examined the positions of arginine residues encoded by AGA/AGG codons in 678 E. coli proteins. It was found that AGA/AGG codons appear much more frequently within the first 25 codons. This tendency becomes more significant in those proteins containing only one AGA or AGG codon. Other minor codons such as CUA, UCA, AGU, ACA, GGA, CCC and AUA are also found to be preferentially used within the first 25 codons. The effects of the AGG codon on gene expression were examined by inserting one to five AGG codons after the 10th codon from the initiation codon of the lacZ gene. The production of beta-galactosidase decreased as more AGG codons were inserted. With five AGG codons, the production of beta-galactosidase (Gal-AGG5) completely ceased after a mid-log phase of cell growth. After 22 hr induction of the lacZ gene, the overall production of Gal-AGG5 was 11% of the control production (no insertion of arginine codons). When five CGU codons, the major arginine codon were inserted instead of AGG, the production of beta-galactosidase (Gal-CGU5) continued even after stationary phase and the overall production was 66% of the control. The negative effect of the AGG codons on the Gal-AGG5 production was found to be dependent upon the distance between the site of the AGG codons and the initiation codon. As the distance was increased by inserting extra sequences between the two codons, the production of Gal-AGG5 increased almost linearly up to 8 fold. From these results, we propose that the position of the minor codons in an mRNA plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression possibly by modulating the stability of the initiation complex for protein synthesis.     

The pair of arginine codons AGA AGG close to the initiation codon of the lambda int gene inhibits cell growth and protein synthesis by accumulating peptidyl-tRNAArg4

To analyse the mechanism by which rare codons near the initiation codon inhibit cell growth and protein synthesis, we used the bacteriophage lambda int gene or early codon substitution derivatives. The lambda int gene has a high frequency of rare ATA, AGA and AGG codons; two of them (AGA AGG) located at positions 3 and 4 of the int open reading frame (ORF). Escherichia coli pth (rap) cells, which are defective in peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase (Pth) activity, are more susceptible to the inhibitory effects of int expression as compared with wild-type cells. Cell growth and Int protein synthesis were enhanced by overexpression of Pth and tRNAArg4 cognate to AGG and AGA but not of tRNAIle2a specific for ATA. The increase of Int protein synthesis also takes place when the rare arginine codons AGA and AGG at positions 3 and 4 are changed to common arginine CGT or lysine AAA codons but not to rare isoleucine ATA codons. In addition, overexpression of int in Pth defective cells provokes accumulation of peptidyl-tRNAArg4 in the soluble fraction. Therefore, cell growth and Int synthesis inhibition may be due to ribosome stalling and premature release of peptidyl-tRNAArg4 from the ribosome at the rare arginine codons of the first tandem, which leads to cell starvation for the specific tRNA.     

Abortive translation caused by peptidyl-tRNA drop-off at NGG codons in the early coding region of mRNA

In Escherichia coli the codons CGG, AGG, UGG or GGG (NGG codons) but not GGN or GNG (where N is non-G) are associated with low expression of a reporter gene, if located at positions +2 to +5. Induction of a lacZ reporter gene with any one of the NGG codons at position +2 to +5 does not influence growth of a normal strain, but growth of a strain with a defective peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase (Pth) enzyme is inhibited. The same codons, if placed at position +7, did not give this effect. Other codons, such as CGU and AGA, at location +2 to +5, did not give any growth inhibition of either the wild-type or the mutant strain. The inhibitory effect on the pth mutant strain by NGG codons at location +5 was suppressed by overexpression of the Pth enzyme from a plasmid. However, the overexpression of cognate tRNAs for AGG or GGG did not rescue from the growth inhibition associated with these codons early in the induced model gene. The data suggest that the NGG codons trigger peptidyl-tRNA drop-off if located at early coding positions in mRNA, thereby strongly reducing gene expression. This does not happen if these codons are located further down in the mRNA at position +7, or later.     

Novel in-frame two codon translational hop during synthesis of bovine placental lactogen in a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli.

A recombinant Escherichia coli strain was constructed for the overexpression of bovine placental lactogen (bPL), using a bPL structural gene containing 9 of the rare arginine codons AGA and AGG. When high level bPL synthesis was induced in this strain, cell growth was inhibited and bPL accumulated to less than 10% of total cell protein. In addition, about 2% of the recombinant bPL produced from this strain exhibited an altered trypsin digestion pattern. Amino acid residues 74 through 109 normally produce 2 tryptic peptides, but the altered form of bPL lacked these two peptides and instead had a new peptide which was missing arginine residue 86 and one of the two flanking leucine residues. The codon for arginine residue 86 was AGG and the codons for the flanking leucine residues 85 and 87 were TTG. When 5 of the 9 AGA and AGG codons in the bPL structural gene were changed to more preferred arginine codons, cell growth was not inhibited and bPL accumulated to about 30% of total cell protein. When bPL was purified from this modified strain, which included changing the arginine codon at position 86 from AGG to CGT, none of the altered form of bPL was produced. These observations are consistent with a model in which translational pausing occurs at the arginine residue 86 AGG codon because the corresponding arginyl-tRNA species is reduced by the high level of bPL synthesis, and a translational hop occurs from the leucine residue 85 TTG codon to the leucine residue 87 TTG codon. This observation represents the first report of an error in protein synthesis due to an in-frame translational hop within an open reading frame.     

Expression of the Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum hpt gene, encoding hypoxanthine (Guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase, in Escherichia coli

The hpt gene from the archaeon Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, encoding hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase, was cloned by functional complementation into Escherichia coli. The hpt-encoded amino acid sequence is most similar to adenine phosphoribosyltransferases, but the encoded enzyme has activity only with hypoxanthine and guanine. The synthesis of the recombinant enzyme is apparently limited by the presence of the rare arginine codons AGA and AGG and the rare isoleucine AUA codon on the hpt gene. The recombinant enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity.     

Frameshift suppression at tandem AGA and AGG codons by cloned tRNA genes: assigning a codon to argU tRNA and T4 tRNA(Arg).

Arginine is coded for by CGN (N = G, A, U, C), AGA and AGG. In Escherichia coli there is little tRNA for AGA and AGG and the use of these codons is strongly avoided in virtually all genes. Recently, we demonstrated that the presence of tandem AGA or AGG codons in mRNA causes frameshifts with high frequency. Here, we show that phaseshifts can be suppressed when cells are transformed with the gene for tRNA(T4Arg) or E. coli tRNA(argU,Arg) demonstrating that such errors are the result of tRNA depletion. Bacteriophage T4 encoded tRNA(Arg) (anticodon UCU) corrects shifts at AGA-AGA but not at AGG-AGG, suggesting that this tRNA can only read AGA. Similarly, comparison of the translational efficiencies in an argU (Ts) mutant and in its isogenic wild type parent indicates that argU tRNA (anticodon UCU) reads AGA but not AGG. An argU (Ts) mutant barely reads through AGA-AGA at 42 degrees C but translation of AGG-AGG is hardly, if at all, affected. Overexpression of argU+ relaxes the codon specificity. The thermosensitive mutant in argU, previously called dnaY because it is defective in DNA replication, can be complemented for growth by the gene for tRNA(T4Arg). This implies that the sole function of the argU gene product is to sustain protein synthesis and that its role in replication is probably indirect.