果实特异性RNAi介导的Lcy基因沉默来增加番茄中番茄红素的含量

根据GenBank中番茄的番茄红素β-环化酶（Lcy）基因序列和八氢番茄红素去饱和酶基因（Pds）启动子序列设计特异引物从番茄基因组DNA中分别扩增出了Lcy基因的高度保守的长302bp的DNA片段和长1790的Pds启动子片段。根据RNAi的原理,将Lcy基因的DNA片段以正反两个方向通过一段内含子序列连接在一起形成RNAi片段,将该片段与Pds启动子一起插入到pVCT2020的表达载体中,通过农杆菌介导的方法转化番茄,获得转基因植株5棵,PCR检测证实外源片段已成功导入番茄基因组中。收获转色期后20d左右的完全成熟的番茄果实提取番茄红素进行含量分析,结果显示：转基因番茄果实中番茄红素的含量极大的增加了。上述结果表明：通过RNAi果实特异性的抑制类胡萝卜素代谢途径中生物合成酶基因的表达能够极大的增加番茄果实中番茄红素的含量。这为通过基因工程手段提高番茄果实中的营养价值提供了参考     

果实特异性RNAi介导的Lcy基因沉默来增加番茄中番茄红素的含量

根据GenBank中番茄的番茄红素β-环化酶（Lcy）基因序列和八氢番茄红素去饱和酶基因（Pds）启动子序列设计特异引物从番茄基因组DNA中分别扩增出了Lcy基因的高度保守的长302bp的DNA片段和长1790的Pds启动子片段。根据RNAi的原理,将Lcy基因的DNA片段以正反两个方向通过一段内含子序列连接在一起形成RNAi片段,将该片段与Pds启动子一起插入到pVCT2020的表达载体中,通过农杆菌介导的方法转化番茄,获得转基因植株5棵,PCR检测证实外源片段已成功导入番茄基因组中。收获转色期后20d左右的完全成熟的番茄果实提取番茄红素进行含量分析,结果显示：转基因番茄果实中番茄红素的含量极大的增加了。上述结果表明：通过RNAi果实特异性的抑制类胡萝卜素代谢途径中生物合成酶基因的表达能够极大的增加番茄果实中番茄红素的含量。这为通过基因工程手段提高番茄果实中的营养价值提供了参考     

枸杞LbMYB103基因克隆及转化拟南芥的研究

以枸杞品种‘宁杞1号’花药为材料,采用 RT-PCR技术,分离了R2R3类MYB基因LbMYB103包含完整开放阅读框（ORF）的cDNA片段,碱基序列与已知基因HQ415755完全一致。运用Gateway技术构建LbMYB103基因植物过表达载体pMDC83-LbMYB103,利用基因枪法将融合有绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）的过表达载体转入洋葱表皮细胞,将LbMYB103基因定位在细胞核。实时荧光定量PCR分析发现,LbMYB103基因在花药中优势表达,果实中表达量较低,在根、茎和叶中均未检测到其转录本,推测LbMYB103基因可能在花药发育过程中起重要作用。通过根癌农杆菌介导法将pMDC83-LbMYB103转入拟南芥（Col-0）,经筛选获得T₁代抗性再生植株52棵,PCR鉴定有41棵阳性植株,收获T₁代种子,经抗性筛选获得T₂代抗性植株29棵,PCR鉴定有23棵阳性植株。实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,LbMYB103在拟南芥植株的基因组中正常表达。表型观察发现T₁和T₂代拟南芥花药发育异常,花发育迟缓,果荚短小无种子,进一步表明LbMYB103可能与植物的育性有关。该结果为进一步开展枸杞遗传转化,深入研究LbMYB103基因在枸杞花药发育过程中可能发挥的调控功能奠定了基础。     

通过构建三段T-DNA载体高频率获得无标记转基因大豆植株的研究

高频率获得无选择标记转基因植株有利于转基因植物的环境释放和安全性生产,农杆菌介导的共转化法是获得无标记转基因植株的方法之一。含二段T-DNA载体的共转化法已被人们成功应用,而二段以上T-DNA载体的共转化法还未见报道。基于这一目的,通过几个中间质粒构建了含有三段T-DNA的双元表达载体pNB35SVIP1,其中包含1个拷贝bar基因选择标记基因表达盒和2个拷贝VIP1目的基因表达盒。利用EHA101农杆菌菌系介导法转化大豆子叶节,经过在含3～5mg/L glufosinate培养基上多次筛选,获得了一定数量抗性再生植株,然后对抗性再生植株进行叶片涂抹除草剂、Southern blot和Northern blot检测,共鉴定出51棵T₀代转基因植株,转化频率0.83%～3.16%,二个基因的共转化频率为86.4%。在对T₁代群体进行叶片涂抹除草剂检测的基础上,不抗除草剂植株进行PCR、Southern blot和Northern blot检测,共鉴定出41棵无选择标记转基因植株,无标记植株获得率为7.6%。检测结果还表明,T₁代群体中22.7%的株系发生了基因丢失现象,27.3%的株系发生了bar基因沉默现象,目的基因在37.1%的无标记植株中发生了沉默现象。三段T-DNA的双元表达载体是获得无标记转基因植株的理想途径     

中国番茄黄化曲叶病毒利用根吸收法诱导基因沉默(VIGS)的初步研究

以含硫黄素酶Su基因的中国番茄黄化曲叶病毒卫星DNA作为载体,通过冻融法将其转化到农杆菌中,利用根部吸收法进行农杆菌侵染,对农杆菌介导的病毒诱导基因沉默体系进行了优化,探讨对病毒诱导基因沉默效率的影响。结果显示以OD600值为1.5的含质粒pBinPLUS-2mβ-Su,pBinPLUS-1.7A的农杆菌菌液1∶1混合进行根部吸收法侵染22-25 d的番茄幼苗,目的基因Su沉默导致番茄幼苗出现光漂白现象,半定量RT-PCR检测目的基因Su mRNA被显著降解,该体系的建立有利于对植物基因进行高通量功能分析。     

用卫星DNA沉默载体研究植物矿质营养相关的基因：以沉默番茄的高铁还原酶基因FR01为例

病毒诱导的基因沉默（VIGS）是近年来发展的一种研究植物基因功能的新技术．至今尚不明确这种新技术是否能够有效地沉默植物根系中与矿质营养相关的基因．本研究中,以根系高铁还原酶基因FR01为例,探讨了一种改进的卫星DNA沉默载体（DNAmβ）在研究与根系矿质营养相关的基因功能中的适用性．将番茄的铁还原酶基因FRO1的cDNA片段插入到DNAmβ载体中,构建了FRO1基因的沉默载体,并利用农杆菌介导法和辅助病毒中国番茄黄化曲叶病毒一起接种番茄．结果表明,缺铁番茄根系的FROImRNA水平显著降低,同时,铁还原酶活性也明显降低,上述结果证明了VIGS技术可以用来研究植物根系中与矿质营养相关的基因功能。     

病毒诱导的基因沉默及其在植物基因功能研究中的应用

RNA介导的基因沉默是近年来在生物体中发现的一种基于核酸水平高度保守的特异性降解机制.病毒诱导的基因沉默（virus induced gene silencing, VIGS）是指携带植物功能基因cDNA的病毒在侵染植物体后,可诱导植物发生基因沉默而出现表型突变,进而可以研究该目的基因功能.至今,已经建立了以RNA病毒、DNA病毒、卫星病毒和DNA卫星分子为载体的VIGS体系,这些病毒载体能在多种寄主植物（包括拟南芥、番茄和大麦）上有效抑制功能基因的表达.VIGS已开始应用于N基因和Pto基因介导的抗性信号途径中关键基因的功能研究、抗病毒相关的寄主因子研究以及植物代谢和发育调控研究.在当前植物基因组或EST序列大量测定的情况下,VIGS为植物基因功能鉴定提供了有效的技术平台.     

VIGS介导的番茄转录因子SIDREB2基因的耐旱特征

SlDREB2基因是利用rd29A基因启动子的DRE元件通过酵母单杂交技术从番茄幼苗(丽春)cDNA文库中筛选得到的属于EREBP家族的一个转录因子基因.利用构建病毒VIGS载体,分别用含pBINTRB6、pTV00::SlDREB2-1和pTV00::SlDREB2-2重组载体的农杆菌GV3101菌液灌根与叶片注射法侵染番茄植株,转化7d后进行病毒DNA检测与验证.测定了干旱胁迫下侵染成功的番茄植株与野生型株系的生理指标,并通过Real-time qPCR分析了VIGS介导的SlDREB2转录因子基因的表达特征.番茄植株干旱3周胁迫处理后测定结果表明,野生番茄中脯氨酸和可溶性糖水平要高于被VIGS病毒侵染的番茄植株,而丙二醛水平要低于被侵染植株,并且指标显示被pTV00::SlDREB2-2重组载体的农杆菌GV3101菌液侵染的番茄植株抗旱性明显降低;复水1周后,受VIGS浸染株系丙二醛含量明显高于野生型,而可溶性糖与脯氨酸累积却低于野生型.Real-time qPCR结果表明,经VIGS病毒侵染过的番茄植株在胁迫处理时期SlDREB2基因的相对表达量都明显低于野生型株系,表明番茄SlDREB2基因保守域末端459 bp的特异片段具有较显著的沉默效果,说明VIGS介导的SlDREB2基因的表达受干旱诱导,该基因可以作为抗旱型作物品种改良的有价值基因.     

人食管癌cDNA酵母杂交文库的构建与鉴定及其应用

以往在研究由促癌物12-o-十四烷酰佛波醇-13-乙酯（12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 -acetate,TPA）诱导的人永生化食管上皮细胞恶性变中基因的差异表达情况时,曾获得中性粒细胞明胶酶相关lipocalin（neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin,NGAL）等新的食管癌癌变相关基因.为深入研究这些癌变相关基因在食管癌中以蛋白质-蛋白质或蛋白质-DNA相互作用为基础的功能网络调控关系,建立了一个食管癌cDNA酵母杂交文库.采用Trizol试剂从一种新的人食管癌细胞（SHEEC,由人永生化食管上皮细胞转化而来）中提取细胞总RNA,采用Oligotex mRNA Kit从细胞总RNA中制备PolyA⁺ mRNA,采用SuperScript^TM Choice System For cDNA Synthesis Kit合成cDNA,以PolyA⁺ mRNA为探针,化学发光法监测cDNA合成的质量,以pGADT₇为载体构建了SHEEC细胞的cDNA酵母杂交文库.文库的滴度为1.19×10⁹ cfu/ml,重组片段大小主要集中在0.5～6.0 kb,重组率为50％.在此基础上,应用酵母单杂交技术手段对该文库中的NF-κB元件结合因子进行了筛选,在SD/-his/-leu/［＋15 mmol/L 3-AT］缺陷培养基平板上共获得了约360个单克隆.按照平板上酵母单克隆直径的大小,选择直径大于2 mm者91个,提取质粒进行酶切鉴定和一对一酵母单杂交验证实验,结果获得了30个阳性重组子,并随机取其中的9个阳性重组子进行测序和GenBank/BLAST同源分析,发现某些基因编码的蛋白质产物在关键氨基酸残基位点上与p65和p50的NF-κB元件结合域公共序列具有高度一致性.这些实验结果表明,所构建的人食管癌cDNA酵母杂交文库是成功的.     

Gene expression in nematode-infected plant roots

Summary A major pathogen of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum) is the potato cyst nematode (Globodera spp.), which induces localized redifferentiation of a limited number of host cells to form a specialized feeding-site termed the syncytium. A novel strategy utilizing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to construct a cDNA library from dissected potato roots highly enriched in syncytial material. The library was differentially screened with cDNA probes derived from the infected root tissue from a compatible interaction and from healthy root tissue. Characterization of one gene identified by the library screen indicated an expression pattern that correlated with events in the immediate vicinity of the pathogen after syncytial establishment. The strategy for library construction and screening could be applicable to the study of gene expression in any plant-pathogen interaction in which the limited supply of cells at the interface of the two organisms precludes a more traditional approach.     

Nucleotide sequence of a flower-specific MADS box cDNA clone from orchid

An orchid (Aranda deborah) mature flower cDNA library was screened with an agamous cDNA probe from Arabidopsis. One positive clone for agamous gene was isolated, cloned and sequenced. This cDNA clone (om1) has a full length open reading frame of 750 bp corresponding to 250 amino acid residues. Comparison of om1 MADS box with that of its counterparts in tomato and Arabidopisis reveals significantly high homology (>95%). Northern analysis indicated this gene is expressed in mature flowers and not in young developing inflorescences or young floral buds. In the mature flowers, it is only expressed in petals and weakly in sepals but not in the column (gynostemium).     

Cloning of phytoene desaturase and expression analysis of carotenogenic genes in persimmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Diospyros kaki</Emphasis> L.) fruits

Persimmon is a commercially important fruit crop, and the fruit is rich in different kinds of bioactive compounds, among which carotenoids contribute significantly to its color and nutritional value. In this study, the cDNA of phytoene desaturase gene (PDS) was isolated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique. Sequence analysis indicated that the full-length cDNA of PDS was 2064 bp, encoding 586 amino acids and containing one open reading frame (ORF) of 1761 bp. Homology analysis showed that DkPDS, which had been submitted in GenBank with accession number GU112527, shared high similarities of 80–86% with PDS cloned from other plants. Prediction of deduced proteins showed that there was no signal peptide and transmembrane topological structure in DkPDS. It was a hydrophilic and stable protein, and located in chloroplast. To examine the specific expression patterns of carotenogenic genes we had cloned from persimmon, including phytoene synthase (DkPSY), DkPDS, ζ-carotene desaturase (DkZDS), lycopene β-cyclase (DkLCYB) and β-carotene hydroxylase (DkBCH), real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) was performed in flesh at five different developmental stages. The results revealed that the expression levels of DkPSY, DkPDS and DkZDS gradually increased. Nevertheless, the expression level of DkLCYB was very low and maintained relatively stable. The expression level of DkBCH was also at a low level from stage 1 to 4, and then reached the maximum at stage 5. In addition, the expression level of DkZDS was higher than that of other genes. Carotenoid detection demonstrated that both β-cryptoxanthin and total carotenoids increased with fruit development, and zeaxanthin had little change, but with a sudden increase in final stage.     

Generation of Arabidopsis Mutants by Heterologous Expression of a Full-Length cDNA Library from Tomato Fruits

Heterologous expression of cDNA library in Arabidopsis and other plants has been used for gene identifications. To identify functions of tomato genes, we expressed a tomato full-length cDNA library in Arabidopsis thaliana and generated over 7,000 mutants. We constructed a tomato cDNA library with a plant transformation-ready binary vector that contained a higher percentage of full-length cDNAs since synthesized double-stranded cDNA was size-selected using gel electrophoresis, with cDNA sizes of 2–5 kb being gel-purified for ligation onto the binary vector. Sequencing of 81 cDNA clones indicates that 75% (61) are full-length genes, which is similar to sequencing of inserted cDNA in Arabidopsis. The library was used to transform Arabidopsis plants. Among the 7,000 mutants, one was found to be a dwarf due to the expression of an ATP synthase, and another vegetative mutant did not produce flowers even after 7 months. The technique was validated by reintroducing the tomato ribosomal protein L9 gene and can be used in any other plant species as a gene discovery tool.     

An Optimized Protocol to Increase Virus-Induced Gene Silencing Efficiency and Minimize Viral Symptoms in Petunia

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is used to down-regulate endogenous plant genes. VIGS efficiency depends on viral proliferation and systemic movement throughout the plant. Although tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-based VIGS has been successfully used in petunia (Petunia?×?hybrida), the protocol has not been thoroughly optimized for efficient and uniform gene down-regulation in this species. Therefore, we evaluated six parameters that improved VIGS in petunia. Inoculation of mechanically wounded shoot apical meristems induced the most effective and consistent silencing compared to other methods of inoculation. From an evaluation of ten cultivars, a compact petunia variety, 'Picobella Blue', exhibited a 1.8-fold higher CHS silencing efficiency in corollas. We determined that 20 °C day/18 °C night temperatures induced stronger gene silencing than 23 °C/18 °C or 26 °C/18 °C. The development of silencing was more pronounced in plants that were inoculated at 3–4 versus 5 weeks after sowing. While petunias inoculated with pTRV2-NbPDS or pTRV2-PhCHS showed very minimal viral symptoms, plants inoculated with the pTRV2 empty vector (often used as a control) were stunted and developed severe necrosis, which often led to plant death. Viral symptoms were eliminated by developing a control construct containing a fragment of the green fluorescent protein (pTRV2-sGFP). These optimization steps increased the area of chalcone synthase (CHS) silencing by 69 % and phytoene desaturase (PDS) silencing by 28 %. This improved VIGS protocol, including the use of the pTRV2-sGFP control plants, provides stronger down-regulation for high-throughput analyses of gene function in petunia.     

Isolation and characterization of acid invertase cDNA clone in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruits

An acid invertase (EC 3.2.1.26.) cDNA clone,CaAIV-18, was isolated from the red pericarp cDNA library of the hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruit. TheCaAIV-18 clone has 2223 nucleotides and one open reading frame encoding 641 amino acid residues. Analysis of deduced amino acid sequences reveals thatCaAIV-18 has a 24-amino acid transmembrane anchor region in its N-terminal, implying acid invertase in hot pepper may be localized in the membrane and not in the cytosol. This clone showed high homology to tomato acid invertase,Aiv1, in nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences. In the Southern blot analysis, this clone proved to exist as single or low copy numbers on the genome of hot pepper. The clones had two well-conserved regions which appears in acid invertase of other plant species (eg. tomato,Arabidopsis, etc.) and yeasts. During fruit development,CaAIV-18 was expressed preferentially in the ripe red stage.     

An ethylene-related cDNA from ripening apples

We report the isolation of a ripening-related apple cDNA which is complementary to a mRNA which may be involved in ethylene production. Poly(A)⁺ RNA was extracted from cortical tissue of ripe apple fruit (Malus domestica Borkh cv. Golden Delicious) and a cDNA library constructed in the plasmid vector pSPORT. The library was screened with pTOM13, a tomato cDNA clone thought to code for ACC oxidase in that fruit. An apple cDNA clone (pAP4) was isolated and sequenced. The 1182 bp cDNA insert includes an open reading frame of 942 bp, and shows strong homology with reported tomato and avocado sequences, both at the nucleic acid and amino acid levels. The polypeptide has a calculated molecular mass of 35.4 kDa and a calculated pI of 5.15. In apple cortical tissue, expression of pAP4-complementary RNA increased with ethylene production by the fruit during ripening. Expression was also enhanced in both ethylene-treated and wounded fruit.