Identification of a critical control element directing expression of the muscle-specific transcription factor MRF4 in the mouse embryo

Skeletal muscle development in the vertebrate embryo critically depends on the myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) including MRF4 and Myf5. Both genes exhibit distinct expression patterns during mouse embryogenesis, although they are genetically closely linked with multiple regulatory elements dispersed throughout the common gene locus. MRF4 has a biphasic expression profile, first in somites and later in foetal skeletal muscles. Here, we demonstrate by transgenic analysis that elements within a 7.5-kb promoter fragment of the MRF4 gene are sufficient to drive the embryonic wave of expression very similar to the endogenous gene in somites of mouse embryos. In contrast, a 3-kb fragment of the proximal promoter fails to support expression in the myotome, suggesting that essential cis-acting elements are located between -7.5 and -3 kb upstream of MRF4. Further analysis of this sequence delimits an essential region between -6.6 and -5.6 kb that together with the 3-kb promoter fragment directs transgene expression in the epaxial myotome of all somites during the appropriate developmental period. These data provide evidence that the partly overlapping expression patterns of Mrf4 and Myf5 in somites are controlled by distinct regulatory elements. We also show that 11.4 kb sequence upstream of MRF4, including the promoter and the somitic control region identified in this study, is not sufficient to elicit target specificity towards the strong Myf5 (-58/-48 kb) enhancer, suggesting that additional yet unidentified elements are necessary to convey promoter selectivity and protect the MRF4 gene from this enhancer.     

香蕉果实特异性ACC合酶基因启动子区的克隆及其功能初探

根据本实验室所获得的香蕉果实特异性ACC合酶cDNA序列,以改进的接头连接PCR方法通过两次步行从香蕉基因组中分别扩增并克隆了其基因5′旁侧区近端1.2kb和远端1.6kb的片段。通过拼接,构建出含有2505bp启动子区和转录起始位点下游86bp的共2591bp的基因5′旁侧区片段;其启发性动子区中34至28为推测的TATA盒序列,158至146为推测的CCAAT盒,与其它植物基因启动子结构相类似。将2.5kb启动子片段与β-葡糖苷酸酶(GUS)基因编码序列融合,用基因枪法将构建的嵌合基因转入香蕉叶、根和果实的细胞后,只在果实细胞中观察到报告基因的瞬时表达,从功能上证明了此25kb的启动子片段具有指导报告基因在香蕉果实中特异性表达的作用。同时构建5个含不同5′端缺失启动子与GUS融合基因的表达载体。瞬时表达结果表明可能负责果实特异性表达的调控区存在于转录起始位点至-1111的启动子区中,而在-1111至-608区间可能存在一个正控制区。     

Characterization of the aldose reductase-encoding gene family in rat.

Although the enzyme aldose reductase (AR) is implicated in the development of tissue pathology in diabetes, the exact mechanism of this involvement remains unclear. To better understand the role that expression of the aldose reductase-encoding gene (ALR) may play in diabetic complications, we have begun to analyze the gene and its regulatory regions, and we present here the sequence of four ALR genes in the rat. The putative functional gene is 14.1 kb long, has ten exons which show perfect sequence identity to the rat lens AR RNA sequence, and nine introns with classical splice-site consensus sequences. Potential regulatory elements in the 5'-flanking region of this gene include a TATA box and two CCAAT boxes. Probing rat genomic Southern blots with a fragment from the first intron indicates that there is probably only one copy of this gene in the rat genome. The other three genes are processed pseudogenes which show approx. 90% identity to the rat lens AR RNA sequence, contain no introns, and have poly(A) regions at their 3' ends. Chromosomal localization studies show the presence of ALR genes on chromosomes 3, 4 and 6 in the rat with the putative functional gene mapped on chromosome 4.     

Structure and expression of the human cystatin C gene.

The structural organization of the gene for the human cysteine-proteinase inhibitor cystatin C was studied. Restriction-endonuclease digests of human genomic DNA hybridized with human cystatin C cDNA and genomic probes produced patterns consistent with a single cystatin C gene and, also, the presence of six closely related sequences in the human genome. A 30 kb restriction map covering the genomic region of the cystatin C gene was constructed. The positions of three polymorphic restriction sites, found at examination of digests of genomic DNA from 79 subjects, were localized in the flanking regions of the gene. The gene was cloned and the nucleotide sequence of a 7.3 kb genomic segment was determined, containing the three exons of the cystatin C structural gene as well as 1.0 kb of 5'-flanking and 2.0 kb of 3'-flanking sequences. Northern-blot experiments revealed that the cystatin C gene is expressed in every human tissue examined, including kidney, liver, pancreas, intestine, stomach, antrum, lung and placenta. The highest cystatin C expression was seen in seminal vesicles. The apparently non-tissue-specific expression of this cysteine-proteinase inhibitor gene is discussed with respect to the structure of its 5'-flanking region, which shares several features with those of housekeeping genes.     

香蕉果实成熟相关基因ACO1启动子区的克隆及其功能初探

根据已报道的香蕉课实表达ACC氧化酶基因（ACO1）的序列,用改进的接头连接PCR法从香蕉基因组中扩增并克隆了此基因5′旁侧区1526bp的片段,其中包含一个推测的TATA盒序列;与已公布的两个香蕉ACC氧化酶基因启动子序列（分别为934bp和1451bp）的相似性各为97．3％（Lopez-Gomez等）和88．8％（May和Kipp)。将4个含有不同大小启动子区的克隆片段与GUS基因编码区连接构建成嵌合成基因,通过基因枪轰击转入香蕉叶、根和果实的细胞后,瞬时表达结果表明不同大小的ACO1启动子区段都只在果实细胞中指导GUS基因表达,证明该启动子具有指导基因在果实中表达的功能,并推测负责果实特异性的顺式元件可能位于启动子近端0．7kb区段之内,在468至822的355bp区段内可能在与正控制有关的顺式元件。     

萝卜磷脂氢谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶基因结构及其调控序列分析

磷脂氢谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 (PHGPx) 是谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 (GPx) 家族的重要一员,是目前已知能直接保护生物膜免受过氧化损伤的唯一酶类 . 此前的研究表明,萝卜磷脂氢谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶基因 (RsPHGPx) 编码一个有生理功能的过氧化物酶 , 并且 RsPHGPx 基因的表达可能受发育和环境胁迫信号的复杂调控 . 要深入了解该基因的表达调控机制首先必须阐明 RsPHGPx 基因的结构及其上游调控序列 . DNA 印迹表明萝卜 RsPHGPx 基因以单拷贝的形式存在于基因组中 . 以基因组 DNA 为模板,通过常规 PCR 与染色体步行相结合的方法克隆到了一段 3.3 kb 长的 RsPHGPx 基因组序列 . 分析发现,该基因由 7 个外显子和 6 个内含子组成,所有内含子的剪切位点均符合真核生物 GT-AG 规则 . 另外还发现该基因的上游基因是生物素合成酶基因;位于 RsPHGPx 基因上游的调控序列只有不足 300 bp. 这些结构特征与拟南芥 AtGPX3 基因极其相似 . 顺式作用元件的数据库搜索发现 RsPHGPx 基因的上游调控序列含有多个响应激素 ( 如 E-Box 和 W-Box) 、胁迫 ( 如转录因子 MYB 和 MYC 的结合位点 ) 和光 ( 如 Box Ⅱ和Ⅰ -Box) 信号的元件 . RNA 印迹分析表明 RsPHGPx 基因的表达受到脱落酸 (ABA) 和连续光照 ( 在黄化苗中 ) 处理的负调控,受到冷胁迫 (4℃ ) 的正调控,这暗示了预测的顺式作用元件的调控作用 . 然而,除草剂 paraquat 对该基因表达的正调控作用,暗示了某些与氧化胁迫相关的未知元件的存在 . 这些结果进一步印证了 RsPHGPx 基因的表达受发育和环境胁迫信号复杂调控的推测 . 这是迄今为止首个关于植物 PHGPx 基因结构和上游调控序列的系统报道,为今后全面认识植物 PHGPx 基因的表达调控机制奠定了必要基础 .     

Identification of cis sequences controlling efficient position-independent tissue-specific expression of human major histocompatibility complex class I genes in transgenic mice.

We previously reported that genomic major histocompatibility complex class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B7 gene constructs with as little as 0.66 kb of 5'- and 2.0 kb of 3'-flanking DNA were expressed efficiently and appropriately in transgenic mice. To identify and characterize the relevant cis-acting regulatory elements in more detail, we have generated and analyzed a series of transgenic mice carrying native HLA-B7 genes with further 5' truncations or intronic deletions and hybrid constructs linking the 5'-flanking region of B7 to a reporter gene. We were unable to detect a specific requirement for sequence information within introns 2 to 7 for either appropriate constitutive or inducible class I expression in adult animals. The results revealed the presence of cis-acting regulatory sequences between -0.075 kb and -0.66 kb involved in driving efficient copy number-dependent constitutive and gamma interferon-enhanced tissue-specific expression. The region from -0.11 to -0.66 kb is also sufficient to prevent integration site-specific "position effects," because in its absence HLA-B7 expression is frequently detected at significant levels at inappropriate sites. Conserved sequence elements homologous to the H-2 class I regulatory element, or enhancer A, and the interferon response sequence are located between about -151 and -228 bp of the B7 gene. Our results also indicate the existence of sequences downstream of -0.11 kb which can influence the pattern of tissue-specific expression of the HLA-B7 gene and the ability of this gene to respond to gamma interferon.