利用Red同源重组系统进行牛β酪蛋白基因敲除

利用EL350基因工程菌进行同源重组, 成功进行基因敲除已有报道, 但利用该系统进行乳腺生物反应器质粒构建的研究却未见报道。实验采用含有完整的牛b 酪蛋白基因的CSN2质粒作为基因打靶的载体, 设计不同的同源臂, 成功地敲除了b 酪蛋白基因的编码区。并且同时利用同源重组技术对敲除不同大小的DNA片段的效率进行了研究。为进一步利用CSN2质粒两端的调控序列, 插入新的基因, 研究其表达功能, 或者进行乳腺生物反应器的研究奠定了基础。     

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。     

Myostatin基因打靶载体的构建及猪胎儿成纤维细胞Myostatin基因的敲除

目的:用缺口修复等技术构建Myostatin(肌肉生长抑制素,MSTN)基因打靶载体,并对大白猪胎儿成纤维体细胞进行转染,获得基因敲除细胞。方法与结果:首先构建用于MSTN基因同源长臂(LA)的抓捕载体,然后在大肠杆菌内利用Red同源重组系统介导的缺口修复,从含大白猪MSTN基因座的细菌人工染色体上亚克隆9.9 kb的LA到抓捕载体上,经过部分序列测定,同源性为100%;通过PCR获得1.4 kb的同源短臂(SA);将LA和SA连入载体pLOXP,构建含有neo和tk正负筛选标记基因的MSTN基因打靶载体pLOXP-MSTN-KO;将线性化的pLOXP-MSTN-KO通过电转染整合到大白猪胎儿成纤维细胞基因组中,利用G418和丙氧鸟苷进行药物筛选,获得抗性细胞克隆890个,通过PCR和DNA测序鉴定获得基因敲除的细胞克隆4个。结论:构建了有效的MSTN基因打靶载体,通过转染获得基因敲除细胞,为利用体细胞核移植制备MSTN基因敲除猪奠定了基础。     

Red/ET重组在基因打靶载体快速构建中的应用

通过合理应用Red/ET重组技术实现基因打靶载体的快速构建。在Red/ET重组介导下,首先从基因组DNA中将靶基因片段亚克隆至打靶质粒载体中,随后将两端带有50 bp同源臂的抗性筛选基因插入并替换靶基因上的目标序列,如此两步操作即可完成一个传统型基因敲除打靶载体的构建;结合Cre-loxP系统,在传统型基因敲除打靶载体的基础上,经过再一轮的Red/ET重组就能够成功实现条件性基因敲除打靶载体的构建。整个实验过程不需要PCR扩增长、短臂序列,也不涉及酶切、连接反应,因此,不仅省时、省力,而且所构建的基因打靶载体序列准确,无突变。此实验方法的建立为加速后基因组时代的基因功能研究提供了一条捷径。     

鼠伤寒沙门菌spvBC基因编辑株的构建

利用λRed重组系统和pBAD原核表达载体构建鼠伤寒沙门菌spvBC质粒毒力基因修饰菌株,为深入探究沙门菌毒力基因spv的功能和致病机制及宿主抗感染免疫提供工具菌。以pKD4为模板,PCR扩增含spvBC同源臂的卡那霉素抗性基因以构建同源打靶片段,再将其电转入含有质粒pKD46的鼠伤寒沙门菌中进行同源重组,随后将质粒pCP20电转导入阳性转化子,消除卡那霉素抗性基因,PCR鉴定敲除株的构建。PCR扩增含酶切位点的spvBC基因片段,扩增产物与原核表达载体pBAD/gⅢ分别双酶切后连接构建pBAD-spvBC重组质粒,PCR筛选阳性菌落并测序鉴定。将构建成功的pBAD-spvBC重组质粒电转导入spvBC敲除株中,Western blot测定不同浓度L-阿拉伯糖诱导SpvB和SpvC蛋白表达情况。PCR结果表明鼠伤寒沙门菌spvBC基因敲除成功;PCR及测序结果表明pBAD-spvBC重组质粒构建成功,Western blot结果表明13 mmol/L L-阿拉伯糖可诱导SpvB和SpvC蛋白正常表达。λRed重组系统可用于沙门菌质粒上大片段基因的敲除,pBAD原核表达载体可用于沙门菌质粒上大片段基因的回补,丰富了细菌质粒的基因修饰和编辑策略。     

卡介苗阿拉伯糖苷转移酶embC基因敲除株的构建和初步鉴定

目的采用基因敲除技术构建了卡介苗embC基因缺失株。方法从卡介苗基因组中扩增出embC基因,定向插入自杀质粒p2NIL中,切除embC基因中约1000bp片段使其失活,再定向插入标记片段,筛选鉴定阳性克隆,电穿孔转入卡介苗,筛选重组菌株。结果PCR和酶切鉴定证明构建成功用于基因打靶的置换型自杀质粒,并筛选成功获得重组卡介苗。结论获得了卡介苗embC基因敲除株,为进一步研究对卡介苗免疫活性的影响奠定了基础。     

兽疫链球菌透明质酸分解酶基因的敲除

以透明质酸分解酶基因（Hyl）为改造目标, 利用同源重组技术获得 Hyl基因敲除的重组菌。首先以兽疫链球菌的基因组DNA为模板扩增出部分透明质酸分解酶基因（Hyl-1）,然后将其克隆到载体pMD19-T上,再以质粒pUC19为模板, PCR扩增得到氨苄青霉素抗性基因,通过反向PCR将其插入Hyl-1基因的中部,得到基因敲除载体pMD19T-SA。该载体与质粒pBR322分别用EcoRⅠ、PstⅠ双酶切后进行连接,得到基因敲除的重组载体pBR322 SA,PCR 及限制性酶切分析,构建的敲除载体与设计结果相符。最后,利用这两种敲除载体通过同源重组技术得到一株重组菌,经PCR 及酶活鉴定,这株菌的Hyl 基因已缺失。     

炭疽芽胞杆菌A16D2株BA2380基因缺失突变株的构建

本课题组早期研究结果表明,炭疽芽胞杆菌BA2380蛋白可能与炭疽芽胞杆菌毒力有关,因而有必要对其功能进行深入研究。选取炭疽芽胞杆菌A16D2株为出发菌株,以其BA2380基因为目的缺失基因,参照A16D2株基因组序列及质粒pSET4s序列,利用软件设计上下游同源臂及抗性基因引物,用本实验室改造的“Golden Gate”克隆方法将3个片段同时连入温敏型穿梭载体pKMBK中(本实验室构建的受体质粒),从而构建基因打靶质粒。将该基因打靶质粒导入炭疽芽胞杆菌A16D2感受态细胞中,利用同源重组原理,筛选获得炭疽芽胞杆菌A16D2 BA2380基因缺失突变株,并对其进行验证。结果验证了本课题组构建的“Golden Gate”克隆体系进行多片段克隆的高效性,也为后续探索其基因功能奠定了基础。     

利用Red重组系统快速构建基因打靶载体

基因敲除小鼠模型是在哺乳动物体内研究基因功能最可靠的方法之一。利用常规的分子克隆的方法构建基因打靶载体往往工作周期长,对于难度特别大的基因有时甚至无法完成打靶载体的构建。通过合理应用Red重组系统和低拷贝中间载体,利用50bp的同源重组序列直接从BAC载体中克隆了长片段的小鼠基因组序列;将得到的基因组序列再次通过重组和改造,构建了Gpr56等基因的完全敲除并带有报告基因的打靶载体,实现了打靶载体的快速构建。     

Uracil incorporation into a gene targeting construct reduces the frequency of homologous and nonhomologous recombinants in human cells

Gene targeting allows the introduction of specific modifications into the eukaryotic genome by homologous recombination, but its efficiency is low in many mammalian systems. We are exploring different ways to increase the efficiency of gene targeting and we report here the effect of uracil incorporation in the targeting construct. Plasmids containing uracil substituting for a fraction of thymine residues are hyperrecombinogenic in some bacterial systems. To test whether a similar stimulation of recombination occurs in mammalian cells, we have prepared a uracil-rich HPRT targeting construct and quantified its homologous and nonhomologous recombination frequencies compared to the same plasmid lacking uracil. The uracil-rich plasmid led to reductions in both homologous and nonhomologous recombination in human cells.     

Germ line transmission and expression of a corrected HPRT gene produced by gene targeting in embryonic stem cells

The deletion mutation in the HPRT-deficient mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line E14TG2a has been corrected by gene targeting. The presence of plasmid sequences in the correcting vector DNA did not affect the frequency of correction. We have characterized three different HPRT gene structures in correctants. Cells from one corrected clone have been introduced into mouse blastocysts, and germ line transmission of the ES cell-derived corrected gene has been achieved. The corrected gene has the same pattern of expression as the wild-type gene, with the characteristic elevated level of expression in brain tissue. Hence, we have demonstrated the feasibility of introducing targeted modifications into the mouse germ line by homologous recombination in ES cells.     

Double-strand gap repair in a mammalian gene targeting reaction.

To better understand the mechanism of homologous recombination in mammalian cells that facilitates gene targeting, we have analyzed the recombination reaction that inserts a plasmid into a homologous chromosomal locus in mouse embryonic stem cells. A partially deleted HPRT gene was targeted with various plasmids capable of correcting the mutation at this locus, and HPRT+ recombinants were directly selected in HAT medium. The structures of the recombinant loci were then determined by genomic Southern blot hybridizations. We demonstrate that plasmid gaps of 200, 600, and 2,500 bp are efficiently repaired during the integrative recombination reaction. Targeting plasmids that carry a double-strand break or gap in the region of DNA homologous to the target locus produce 33- to 140-fold more hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine-resistant recombinants than did these same plasmids introduced in their uncut (supercoiled) forms. Our data suggest that double-strand gaps and breaks may be enlarged prior to the repair reaction since sequence heterologies carried by the incoming plasmids located close to them are often lost. These results extend the known similarities between mammalian and yeast recombination mechanisms and suggest several features of the insertional (O-type) gene targeting reaction that should be considered when one is designing mammalian gene targeting experiments.     

Site-directed mutagenesis by gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem cells

We mutated, by gene targeting, the endogenous hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) gene in mouse embryo-derived stem (ES) cells. A specialized construct of the neomycin resistance (neor) gene was introduced into an exon of a cloned fragment of the Hprt gene and used to transfect ES cells. Among the G418r colonies, 1/1000 were also resistant to the base analog 6-thioguanine (6-TG). The G418r, 6-TGr cells were all shown to be Hprt- as the result of homologous recombination with the exogenous, neor-containing, Hprt sequences. We have compared the gene-targeting efficiencies of two classes of neor-Hprt recombinant vectors: those that replace the endogenous sequence with the exogenous sequence and those that insert the exogenous sequence into the endogenous sequence. The targeting efficiencies of both classes of vectors are strongly dependent upon the extent of homology between exogenous and endogenous sequences. The protocol described herein should be useful for targeting mutations into any gene.     

Effect of endonuclease G depletion on plasmid DNA uptake and levels of homologous recombination in hela cells

Endonuclease G (EndoG) is a mitochondrial apoptosis regulator that also has roles outside of programmed cell death. It has been implicated as a defence DNase involved in the degradation of exogenous DNA after transfection of mammalian cells and in homologous recombination of viral and endogenous DNA. In this study, we looked at the effect of EndoG depletion on plasmid DNA uptake and the levels of homologous recombination in HeLa cells. We show that the proposed defence role of EndoG against uptake of non-viral DNA vectors does not extend to the cervical carcinoma HeLa cells, as targeting of EndoG expression by RNA interference failed to increase intracellular plasmid DNA levels. However, reducing EndoG levels in HeLa cells resulted in a statistically significant reduction of homologous recombination between two plasmid DNA substrates. These findings suggest that non-viral DNA vectors are also substrates for EndoG in its role in homologous recombination.     

High-Fidelity Correction of Mutations at Multiple Chromosomal Positions by Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors

The gene targeting techniques used to modify chromosomes in mouse embryonic stem cells have had limited success with many other cell types, especially normal primary cells with restricted growth capacity outside the organism. This is due in large part to the technical problems and/or inefficiency of conventional DNA transfer methods, as well as the low rates of homologous recombination obtained in unselected cell populations. We recently described an alternative approach in which adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors were used to modify homologous chromosomal sequences, and targeting rates close to 1% were observed at the single copy hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) locus in normal human cells (D. W. Russell and R. K. Hirata, Nat. Genet. 18:325-330, 1998). Here we report experiments in which we used a retroviral shuttle vector system to introduce and characterize target loci in human chromosomes, and demonstrate that AAV vectors can correct several types of mutations with high fidelity, independent of chromosomal position. The gene targeting rates varied depending on the type of mutation being corrected, implicating cellular mismatch recognition functions in the reaction. Since AAV vectors can efficiently deliver DNA to many cell types both in vivo and ex vivo, our results suggest that AAV-mediated gene targeting will have wide applicability, including therapeutic gene correction.     

Integration of a plasmid into the Pseudomonas aeruginosa chromosome mediated by homologous DNA sequences

The integrative vectors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells were constructed on the basis of the plasmid pSUP202. To construct the integrative vectors the fragments of chromosomal DNA mediating the homologous recombination were cloned in the plasmid. The possibility of cloning of different genes in the chromosomes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells was illustrated by KmR gene cloning.     

New plasmid vectors for specific gene targeting in Spiroplasma citri

In Spiroplasma citri gene inactivation through homologous recombination has been achieved by using the replicative, oriC plasmid pBOT1 as the disruption vector. However, plasmid recombination required extensive passaging of the transformants and, in most cases, recombination occurred at oriC rather than at the target gene. In the current study, we describe a new vector, in which the oriC fragment was reduced to the minimal sequences able to promote plasmid replication. Using this vector to inactivate the motility gene scm1 showed that size reduction of the oriC fragment did increase the frequency of recombination at the target gene. Furthermore, to avoid extensive passaging of the transformants, we developed a strategy in which the selective, tetracycline resistance phenotype can only be expressed once the plasmid has integrated into the chromosome by one single crossover recombination at the target gene. As an example, targeting of the spiralin gene is described.     

Gene targeting in human pluripotent stem cells with adeno-associated virus vectors

Human pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), have the ability to differentiate into various cell types, and will become a potential source of cellular materials for regenerative medicine. To make full use of hESCs or hiPSCs for both basic and clinical research, genetic modification, especially gene targeting via homologous recombination (HR), would be an essential technique. This report describes the successful gene targeting of the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase 1 (HPRT1) and the NANOG loci in human pluripotent stem cells with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. At the HPRT1 locus, up to 1% of stable transformants were targeted via HR with an AAV-HPRT1 targeting vector, without loss of pluripotency. On the other hand, 20-87% of stable transformants were targeted using an AAV-NANOG-targeting vector designed for the promoter-trap strategy. In the KhES-3 cell line, which shows particularly high fragility to experimental manipulation, gene targeting was successful only by using an AAV vector but not by electroporation. In addition to hESC, gene targeting was achieved in hiPSC lines at similar frequencies. These data indicate that AAV vectors may therefore be a useful tool to introduce genetic modifications in hESCs and hiPSCs.     

Target frequency and integration pattern for insertion and replacement vectors in embryonic stem cells.

Gene targeting has been used to direct mutations into specific chromosomal loci in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells. The altered locus can be studied in vivo with chimeras and, if the mutated cells contribute to the germ line, in their offspring. Although homologous recombination is the basis for the widely used gene targeting techniques, to date, the mechanism of homologous recombination between a vector and the chromosomal target in mammalian cells is essentially unknown. Here we look at the nature of gene targeting in ES cells by comparing an insertion vector with replacement vectors that target hprt. We found that the insertion vector targeted up to ninefold more frequently than a replacement vector with the same length of homologous sequence. We also observed that the majority of clones targeted with replacement vectors did not recombine as predicted. Analysis of the recombinant structures showed that the external heterologous sequences were often incorporated into the target locus. This observation can be explained by either single reciprocal recombination (vector insertion) of a recircularized vector or double reciprocal recombination/gene conversion (gene replacement) of a vector concatemer. Thus, single reciprocal recombination of an insertion vector occurs 92-fold more frequently than double reciprocal recombination of a replacement vector with crossover junctions on both the long and short arms.