棉花GhCCR1基因结构及表达分析

根据棉花GhCCR1基因的cDNA序列设计引物,采用PCR技术从棉花中克隆了GhCCR1基因的DNA序列,并采用半定量RT-PCR方法分析了GhCCR1基因在不同发育阶段棉纤维中的表达情况.结果表明:GhCCR1编码区DNA序列长度为1 161 bp,包含4个外显子和3个内含子,内含子富含AT,所有外显子/内含子交接点都遵从gt/ag剪接规则.半定量RT-PCR检测表明,GhCCR1基因在不同发育阶段的棉纤维中均有表达,在开花后20 d的棉纤维中表达量最高,说明该基因可能参与调控棉纤维细胞的伸长和次生壁的增厚过程.     

棉花GhAQP1基因克隆及其在胚珠发育中的特异表达

从棉花cDNA文库中筛选分离了1个编码PIP1类水孔蛋白的CDNA序列,编码287个氨基酸,命名为GhAQP1。该基因全长2096bp,编码区内含有2个内含子,分别位于编码第五和第六跨膜螺旋的碱基序列内。Northern杂交结果显示,GhAQP1基因主要在胚珠中表达,在开花后9d的胚珠中表达量最高,表明其表达不仅具有组织特异性,而且是受胚珠发育调节的。     

在转基因水稻植株中蜡质基因第1内含子对基因表达影响的分析

为阐明水稻Wx基因第1内含子在整体植株的胚乳发育阶段是否确有增强基因表达的功能,以及弄清高和中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种Wx基因第1内含子126个碱基之间有差异的16个碱基中哪几个碱基了该内含子的正常剪接从而降低了基因的表达水平,我们分别用高直链淀粉含量品种的Wx基因翻译起始密码子ATG上游3．1和2．1kb片段与GUS基因编码区融合构建成嵌合质粒,并在此基础上（1）去除嵌合质粒中Wx基因的第1内含子;（2）将嵌合质粒Wx基因的第1内含子中（3．1kb)与中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种Wx基因第1内含子有差异的6个碱基以中,低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种的碱基替换。将上述改造过的几种质粒分别转化粳稻品种中花11,测定转化植株未成熟种子胚乳中的GUS活性。结果表明第1内含子的缺失或此内含子的5′端剪接点上的碱基G以T替换均造成GUS活性的急剧下降,说明第1内含子在植株体内的确有增强基因表达的功能,而且在中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种中Wx基因第1内含子5′端剪接点上自然存在的G→T突变是造成这些品种中该内含子剪接不正常,从而使Wx基因表达水平和直链淀粉含量下降的主要原因。     

甘蓝型油菜赤霉素受体基因的克隆与表达

采用同源克隆技术从甘蓝型油菜中克隆到1个赤霉素受体基因,命名为BnGID1B(GenBank登录号为HQ589349).该基因含有1个内含子和2个外显子,其cDNA序列全长1 077 bp,编码358个氨基酸,推测蛋白质的相对分子量是40 203.4 Da,理论等电点为6.26.序列比对结果显示,BnGID1B基因与拟南芥GID1B基因核苷酸序列的相似性为86.3%,氨基酸序列的相似性为91.64%.实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,BnGID1B基因在苗期不同组织以及不同激素处理下的表达量有所不同,主要在根中表达,下胚轴中的表达量明显低于根,可见该基因具有一定程度的组织表达特异性.     

在转基因水稻植株中蜡质基因第1内含子对-基因表达影响的分析

为阐明水稻Wx基因第1内含子在整体植株的胚乳发育阶段是否确有增强基因表达的功能,以及弄清高和中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种Wx基因第1内含子1 126个碱基之间有差异的16个碱基中哪几个碱基影响了该内含子的正常剪接从而降低了基因的表达水平,我们分别用高直链淀粉含量品种的Wx基因翻译起始密码子ATG上游3.1和2.1 kb片段与GUS基因编码区融合构建成嵌合质粒,并在此基础上,(1)去除嵌合质粒中Wx基因的第1内含子;(2)将嵌合质粒Wx基因的第1内含子中(3.1 kb)与中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种Wx基因第1内含子有差异的6个碱基以中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种的碱基替换.将上述改造过的几种质粒分别转化粳稻品种中花11,测定转化植株未成熟种子胚乳中的GUS活性.结果表明第1内含子的缺失或此内含子的5′端剪接点上的碱基G以T替换均造成GUS活性的急剧下降,说明第l内含子在植株体内的确有增强基因表达的功能,而且在中、低直链淀粉含量的水稻品种中Wx基因第1内含子5′端剪接点上自然存在的G→T突变是造成这些品种中该内含子剪接不正常、从而使Wx基因表达水平和直链淀粉含量下降的主要原因.     

鲫鱼生长激素Ⅰ基因内含子2的多态性分析

利用变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(Denaturing-Polyacrylamid Gel Electrophoresis,DPAGE)和单链构象多态性(Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism,SSCP)分析技术,在普通鲫鱼种群(7个野生鲫鱼群体和2个金鱼群体)和银鲫种群(1个方正银鲫群体)共162个个体生长激素Ⅰ(Growth HormoneⅠ,GHⅠ)基因的内含子2中检测到丰富的长度和序列多态性。在所有群体中,GHⅠ基因内含子2的长度存在7种类型,分别为A、B、c、D、E、F和G型,变异频率为4．32％;其序列存在15种单倍型,分别为Al、A2、A3、B、c1、C2、Dl、D2、D3、D4、D5、E1、E2、F和G型,变异频率为9．26%。对这15种单倍型的DNA序列进行分析,结果表明：1)鲫鱼GHⅠ基因内含子2的扩增DNA片段长为243～263bp,其中包括部分外显子2(3’端,33bp)、内含子2和部分外显子3(5’端,2lbp)。15种单倍型A、T、G、C碱基平均百分比组成分别为34．13％、37．36％、15．130A,、13．38％,其中G C(28．5l％)含量明显小于A T(71．49%)含量。内含子2与外显子2、3的接头区存在GT-AG保守序列,此为真核基因中mRNA剪接的识别信号。内含子2的5’端存在有一序列为GTAAGAT的保守区域,在其近3’端分布有一高丰度嘧啶区;2)内含子2的7种长度类型A、B、C、D、E、F和G型分别为189、196、204、205、206、207和209bp,其差异主要由单碱基T重复次数N不同(Ⅳ：0、8、9、10、11和13)和3种序列(TGAAAAC、TT和GAGTG)中1种或2种序列的缺失所引起;3)内含子2的15种单倍型的核苷酸序列中共有17个突变位点,包括2个碱基颠换突变位点和15个碱基转换突变位点,碱基转换突变频率为88．24％,明显高于颠换突变频率(11．76％)。普通鲫鱼种群中金鱼群体D11b、Dhr的GHⅠ基因内含子2均为长度类型A,含有两种序列单倍型(以下简称单倍型)即A1和A2;野生鲫鱼群体的内含子长度和序列变异较大,检测到A、B、C、D、E、F、G7种长度类型和14种单倍型(A1、A2、A3、B、C1、C2、D1、D2、D3、D4、E1、E2、F和G型)。在银鲫种群CaG中检测到c和D两种长度类型和4种序列单倍型(C1、C2、D2和D5),其中D5仅在此种群中检测到。     

甘蓝型油菜BnDGAT1基因表达的特异性分析

该研究从甘蓝型油菜中克隆获得了二酰甘油酰基转移酶基因（DGAT）,命名为BnDGAT1,并对该基因编码的氨基酸序列、蛋白结构域和系统进化树进行分析。结果表明:该基因编码的氨基酸序列包含二酰甘油酰基转移酶等多个功能结构域,并具有8个疏水跨膜结构区。系统进化分析表明,BnDGAT1与芥菜、拟南芥、旱金莲中DGAT1系统进化关系相对较近。利用定量PCR对BnDGAT1基因的RNA转录表达分析表明,在不同组织和角果的不同发育阶段,BnDGAT1基因的表达具有组织特异性,且在角果不同发育阶段,其RNA转录水平随着角果发育的成熟表达明显下调。     

黑腹果蝇黑条体突变体突变位点的鉴定

根据果蝇ebony基因的序列设计了一系列特异性引物,对1991年发现的一种黑腹果蝇的新的体色突变（Qian＆Zhang,1994）——黑条体突变型的ebony基因进行克隆和序列测定。与野生型W91910的ebony基因相比,黑条体突变型的ebony基因的编码区无明显的大片段变异,变异仅存在于数个氨基酸位点,且均不位于该基因产物的关键序列。在黑条体的ebony基因的5’端序列的克隆和序列测定中发现,与野生型w^91910及黑檀体e。的ebony基因相比,黑条体突变型的ebony基因有一个大片段的缺失,该缺失包括外显子1的206个碱基和内含子1的747个碱基,由此确定了黑条体突变体的突变类型和突变位点。     

沙冬青AmCIP基因结构及其内含子生物信息学分析

旨在分析沙冬青Am CIP基因DNA序列结构特性及功能。以沙冬青Am CIP基因的c DNA序列设计引物,采用PCR扩增其DNA序列,并利用生物信息学方法分析基因的结构。序列分析表明,沙冬青Am CIP基因DNA序列长1 548 bp,包含2个外显子和1个内含子,Gen Bank登录号KU744005。在该基因的ORF内存在一个78 bp的内含子序列,同时内含子序列中含有参与厌氧诱导的类增强子元件(GC-motif)和光响应元件(TCCC-motif),3'-UTR区域含有多个参与光响应、胁迫响应和激素响应等相关的顺式作用元件,而5'-UTR区域只含有赤霉素响应元件(GARE-motif),这些元件可能对Am CIP基因转录表达起调控作用。此外,该基因具有较高的A+T碱基含量(64.7%),Am CIP的内含子不具有GT-AG规则的保守序列,即内含子5'碱基是GT,3'碱基是TG,推测Am CIP的m RNA具有独特的剪切机制。     

MicroRNA的结构、生物合成及功能

MicroRNA是真核生物中一类长度约为22个核苷酸的参与基因转录后水平调控的非编码小分子RNA。成熟的microRNA是由较长的可折叠形成发夹结构的前体转录物经过Dicer酶或类似Dicer酶的内切核酸酶加工而来。MicroRNA基因存在于基因组的基因间隔区或者内含子当中。这些小分子RNA通过碱基配对与靶mRNA序列的3′非翻译区或编码区结合以调控基因的表达。它们呈现出组织特异性或发育阶段特异性表达特征。MicroRNA具有调节细胞增殖、死亡、神经细胞分化、个体发育等生物学功能。     

Molecular variation of the shuttle craft and Lim3 genes, controlling the development of the nervous system, in a natural Drosophila melanogaster population

Comparative polymorphism of the first exon and first intron of the shuttle craft (stc) and Lim3 genes and their putative regulatory 5'-flanking sequences was analyzed using 20 sequenced natural alleles. A comparison of the stc and Lim3 genes showed that the extent of polymorphism was similar in their introns and corresponded to the variation level characteristic of Drosophila melanogaster, while the putative regulatory region and first intron of the stc gene proved to be more variable than the corresponding regions of the Lim3 gene. Since the genes under study occurred on the same chromosomes isolated from one population and were close together in a region having a high recombination rate, the difference in the extent of polymorphism between the regulatory and coding regions was explained by individual characteristics of each gene. The results made it possible to assume that the extent of polymorphism of the coding gene regions is maintained by balancing selection.     

Distinct roles of the first introns on the expression of Arabidopsis profilin gene family members

Profilin is a small actin-binding protein that regulates cellular dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), five profilins were identified. The vegetative class profilins, PRF1, PRF2, and PRF3, are expressed in vegetative organs. The reproductive class profilins, PRF4 and PRF5, are mainly expressed in pollen. In this study, we examined the role of the first intron in the expression of the Arabidopsis profilin gene family using transgenic plants and a transient expression system. In transgenic plants, we examined PRF2 and PRF5, which represent vegetative and reproductive profilins. The expression of the PRF2 promoter fused with the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene was observed in the vascular bundles, but transgenic plants carrying the PRF2 promoter-GUS with its first intron showed constitutive expression throughout the vegetative tissues. However, the first intron of PRF5 had little effect on the reporter gene expression pattern. Transgenic plants containing PRF5 promoter-GUS fusion with or without its first intron showed reproductive tissue-specific expression. To further investigate the different roles of the first two introns on gene expression, the first introns were exchanged between PRF2 and PRF5. The first intron of PRF5 had no apparent effect on the expression pattern of the PRF2 promoter. But, unlike the intron of PRF5, the first intron of PRF2 greatly affected the reproductive tissue-specific expression of the PRF5 promoter, confirming a different role for these introns. The results of a transient expression assay indicated that the first intron of PRF1 and PRF2 enhances gene expression, whereas PRF4 and PRF5 do not. These results suggest that the first introns of profilin genes are functionally distinctive and the first introns are required for the strong and constitutive gene expression of PRF1 and PRF2 in vegetative tissues.     

Intron evolution in a phylogenetic perspective: Divergent trends in the two copies of the duplicated def gene in Impatiens L. (Balsaminaceae)

The history of MADS box genes is well-known in angiosperms. While duplication events and gene losses occur frequently, gene structure and intron positions are very conserved. We investigated all six introns in a duplicated MADS box gene (deficiens, def) in selected Impatiens taxa, thereby assessing intron features. For the first time, our study provides a comparison of molecular changes in all introns of a gene from a phylogenetic perspective. Interestingly, a uniform pattern of molecular evolution in the introns of each copy was not observed, but intron length increases, decreases, and size retention can be found in each copy. A tendency to accumulate long autapomorphic indels is also present, thus, a longer intron length does not reflect a higher number of parsimony-informative characters. Substitution rates vary between introns of each gene copy. While four of the six introns of def1 exhibit a change in their substitution rate, five of the six def2 introns maintain their rates throughout the genus albeit at different levels. In MADS box genes several regulatory sequences are found residing in introns. Thus, presence of putative regulatory motifs was investigated. Most of them are not conserved in position and usually present in only one of the gene copies. In addition, the potential for phylogenetic reconstruction of introns in both def copies is shortly discussed.