进行性肌营养不良患者Myostatin基因的表达分析

进行性肌营养不良是一组以进行性骨骼肌萎缩和无力为特征的肌源性肌病。肌肉抑制素（Myostatin）是最近发现的骨骼肌生长发育抑制因子。为探讨Myostatin基因与进行性肌营养不良病理发生的相关性,采用RTPCR方法克隆了患者的Myostatin基因并测序、分析肌营养不良患者是否存在Myostatin基因突变;然后采用半定量RT-PCR方法检测患者中Myostatin基因的表达水平是否发生改变,同时用Western blot方法分析了肌营养不良患者中Myostatin蛋白的表达情况。结果发现,所研究的肌营养不良患者中没有携带Myostatin基因突变,但一些患者的Myostatin基因转录水平降低,部分患者Myostatin蛋白加工障碍。结果提示,一些类型（亚型）的进行性肌营养不良可能与肌肉抑制素Myostatin基因表达异常、蛋白加工障碍有关。     

进行性肌营养不良患者Myo

进行性肌营养不良是一组以进行性骨骼肌萎缩和无力为特征的肌源性肌病.肌肉抑制素(Myostatin)是最近发现的骨骼肌生长发育抑制因子.为探讨Myostatin基因与进行性肌营养不良病理发生的相关性,采用RT-PCR方法克隆了患者的Myostatin基因并测序、分析肌营养不良患者是否存在Myostatin基因突变;然后采用半定量RT-PCR方法检测患者中Myostatin基因的表达水平是否发生改变,同时用Western blot方法分析了肌营养不良患者中Myostatin蛋白的表达情况.结果发现,所研究的肌营养不良患者中没有携带Myostatin基因突变,但一些患者的Myostatin基因转录水平降低,部分患者Myostatin蛋白加工障碍.结果提示,一些类型(亚型)的进行性肌营养不良可能与肌肉抑制素Myostatin基因表达异常、蛋白加工障碍有关.     

绵羊Myostatin基因启动子的功能分析

相比于Myostatin基因的作用机制而言, 对Myostatin基因转录和表达的调控机制了解很少. 为了更好地了解Myostatin基因5’调控区的结构和功能, 深入研究Myostatin基因的转录调控机制, 在最近的研究中克隆了绵羊Myostatin基因的启动子(Pro)序列(GenBank 登录号为AY918121). 进一步以EGFP为报告基因, 构建了各种长度的野生型MSTNPro^W-EGFP载体和E-box元件突变型MSTNPro^EM-EGFP载体, 通过转染C2C12小鼠骨骼肌成肌细胞系或绵羊成纤维细胞后, 对各种情况下EGFP的瞬时或稳定表达进行荧光定量分析而比较不同条件下绵羊Myostatin基因启动子的转录调控活性. 结果表明, 0.3~1.2 kb的绵羊Myostatin基因启动子都能不同程度地驱动EGFP在C2C12细胞中的转录和表达, 其中1.2 kb片段的转录调控活性最高. 然 而, 将绵羊1.2 kb MSTNPro^W-EGFP载体转染绵羊成纤维细胞后并未观察到EGFP的表达, 说明Myostatin基因表达的肌肉特异性源于启动子的转录特异性. 对稳定转染绵羊1.2 kb MSTNPro^W-EGFP载体的C2C12细胞进行荧光分析, 结果表明细胞生长密度的增加可以反馈性抑制Myostatin基因的转录和表达. 在C2C12分化状态下, 1.2 kb野生型绵羊Myostatin基因启动子的活性比成肌状态时显著升高, 而1.2 kb E(3+5+7)突变型Myostatin基因启动子的活性在C2C12分化前后并未表现出差别. 这一结果暗示肌肉调控因子MyoD可能是通过与E-box结合而引起Myostatin基因在C2C12分化和生长状态时转录和表达差异的一个原因.     

抑癌基因OVCA1 A34D突变对其生物半衰期的影响

目的为探索抑癌基因OVCA1结构与功能的关系,阐明其在肿瘤发生发展中的作用机制,本研究构建OVCA1A34D突变体并探讨该位点突变对其生物半衰期的影响。方法以本实验室制备并保存的含有人OVCA1基因全长序列的质粒为模板,采用分子克隆方法构建了GFP-tagged-OVCA1A34D突变体重组质粒,并经测序证实。应用脂质体法将突变体质粒转染入体外培养细胞,观察OVCA1A34D突变体蛋白在细胞中的表达。采用蛋白合成抑制剂放线菌酮抑制蛋白合成后检测OVCA1A34D基因突变对其蛋白生物半衰期的影响。结果成功构建了GFP-tagged-OVCA1A34D突变体重组质粒,并在细胞中成功表达。OVCA1A34D突变体蛋白的半衰期与野生体相比明显延长。结论 OVCA1A34D位点突变可导致其生物半衰期延长。     

Myostatin通过Smad3下调MyoD的表达来抑制骨骼肌卫星细胞的分化

Myostatin基因,是肌肉生长的负调控因子,通过下调MyoD的表达抑制骨骼肌细胞的分化,但具体机制目前尚未完全清楚。本研究以体外培养的猪骨骼肌卫星细胞为实验材料,利用RNAi 技术,以Smad3为靶基因进行干扰研究,研究干扰前后猪骨骼肌卫星细胞增殖情况的变化以及MyoD、Myostatin基因的表达规律,进一步阐述三个基因间的调控关系。结果表明,Myostatin通过下调MyoD的表达,抑制骨骼肌卫星细胞的分化,但这种抑制作用是受Smad3调节的。     

转基因高表达卵泡抑素1对斑马鱼肌肉生长促进作用研究

抑肌素是转化生长因子β超家族成员,其主要功能是对肌肉的生长发育起负调控作用.在哺乳动物中,抑肌素信号是通过其特异性的与激活素受体ⅡB亚基结合而发挥作用.因此,其信号传递作用可以被其结合蛋白以及ActR ⅡB的结合蛋白卵泡抑素所抑制.在小鼠肌肉组织中,高表达卵泡抑素可以导致肌肉组织肌纤维的增生和肥大.为了研究鱼类卵泡抑素...     

CRISPR/Cas9介导的同源重组技术构建猪肌抑素基因敲除细胞系

肌抑素是肌肉增生的负调控因子,为改良家畜产肉性状的重要候选基因。本研究设计了Cas9/sgRNA表达载体与供体DNA,通过电转染方法将其导入猪PK15细胞,经G418抗性筛选和荧光蛋白标记甄别,筛选到带阳性标记的细胞克隆。通过跨界PCR、长距离PCR、Western印迹、Southern印迹及PCR产物测序,证明了猪肌抑素的第3外显子序列特异性同源重组事件的发生。在猪肌抑素的第3外显子区域找到了1个有效的CRISPR/Cas9打靶位点,带阳性标记的细胞克隆经过多次筛选分离,获得了肌抑素单等位基因失活的稳定细胞系,为深入研究肌抑素的功能提供了重要的实验材料。     

FABP5基因重组突变体蛋白抗前列腺癌细胞活性分析

为构建脂肪酸结合蛋白5 (FABP5)突变体的原核表达体系,评价突变体蛋白质体外抗前列腺癌细胞的活性.利用定点突变技术,突变FABP5蛋白脂肪酸结合的3个关键位点,并构建原核表达体系,对重组蛋白质进行原核表达、分离纯化.通过细胞毒性、细胞划痕和细胞侵袭试验,评价重组FABP5突变体蛋白质对前列腺癌细胞22RV1和PC3增殖、迁移和侵袭的影响.结果 显示定点突变后的DNA与表达载体pQE32连接并转入大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli) BL21(DE3),经序列测定正确,构建了重组表达工程菌,并诱导表达的重组蛋白经亲和层析纯化获得纯度较高的重组蛋白;三突变体对细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭抑制作用比3个单突变体和3个双突变体抑制效果明显;单突变体和双突变体组内对细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭抑制作用差异较小;而野生型重组蛋白质对两株细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭具有促进作用.本研究从所有突变体中筛选出FABP5的三突变体重组蛋白质对前列腺癌细胞抑制作用较好,为后续开发去势抵抗性前列腺癌(CRPC)蛋白质药物提供参考.     

运用重叠延伸PCR技术构建SGK3激酶PX结构域突变体

目的:构建SGK3激酶PX结构域突变体载体,观察其在人肾胚细胞293T中的表达与定位。方法:利用重叠延伸PCR原则设计引物,合成具有点突变的SGK3突变体,将其连接到p EGFP载体上,测序验证;将所获突变载体瞬时转染人肾胚细胞293T,利用荧光倒置显微镜检验突变体在细胞中的表达及功能实现。结果:测序结果表明合成了具有点突变的SGK3序列;荧光倒置显微镜下SGK3突变体相较野生型SGK3在293T细胞内的不均匀分布表明转染成功,突变体载体在人肾胚细胞293T中获得表达且有所定位。结论:通过改变PX结构域序列上第90位氨基酸可以使SGK3激酶失去定位的功能,从而为研究SGK3在细胞中的功能提供基础。     

C/EBPβ mRNA 3'非翻译区肿瘤抑制功能的分子机制——同时缺失3段短序列降低其肿瘤抑制活性

CCAAT/增强子结合蛋白β(C/EBPβ)mRNA的3'非翻译区(3'UTR),是先前工作发现的一个具有肿瘤抑制功能的RNA调控元件.应用基因定点突变技术将该3'UTR cDNA上的三段核苷酸同时缺失掉,将缺失突变体稳定转染人肝癌细胞系SMMC-7721,并检测了该缺失突变体对SMMC-7721细胞系表型的影响,包括测定稳转细胞系的生长曲线、软琼脂集落形成能力、细胞集落形成能力及裸小鼠成瘤性.研究发现,C/EBPβ 3'UTR中这三段短序列的同时缺失明显降低了3'UTR的肿瘤抑制活性,使受其稳定转染的细胞系恶性显著增强.人全基因组基因芯片分析和实时荧光RT-PCR分析结果表明,与回复对照细胞相比,缺失突变3'UTR稳定转染细胞中,一些癌基因的表达量有所增加,而一些抑癌基因的表达量有所下降,这提示上述三段短序列是C/EBPIB 3'UTR的肿瘤抑制功能所同时需要的.     

Myostatin short interfering hairpin RNA gene transfer increases skeletal muscle mass

BACKGROUND: Myostatin negatively regulates skeletal muscle growth. Myostatin knockout mice exhibit muscle hypertrophy and decreased interstitial fibrosis. We investigated whether a plasmid expressing a short hairpin interfering RNA (shRNA) against myostatin and transduced using electroporation would increase local skeletal muscle mass. METHODS: Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting myostatin were co-transfected with a myostatin-expressing plasmid into HEK293 cells and identified for myostatin silencing by Western blot. Corresponding shRNAs were cloned into plasmid shRNA expression vectors. Myostatin or a randomer negative control shRNA plasmid was injected and electroporated into the tibialis anterior or its contralateral muscle, respectively, of nine rats that were sacrificed after 2 weeks. Six other rats received a beta-galactosidase reporter plasmid and were sacrificed at 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Uptake of plasmid was examined by beta-galactosidase expression, whereas myostatin expression was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting. Muscle fiber size was determined by histochemistry. Satellite cell proliferation was determined by PAX7 immunohistochemistry. Myosin heavy chain type II (MHCII) expression was determined by Western blot. RESULTS: beta-Galactosidase reporter plasmid was expressed at 1 and 2 weeks but diminished by 4 weeks in tibialis anterior skeletal muscle. Myostatin shRNA reduced myostatin mRNA and protein expression by 27 and 48%, respectively. Tibialis anterior weight, fiber size, and MHCII increased by 10, 34, and 38%, respectively. Satellite cell number was increased by over 2-fold. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first demonstration that myostatin shRNA gene transfer is a potential strategy to increase muscle mass.     

A missense mutant myostatin causes hyperplasia without hypertrophy in the mouse muscle

Myostatin, which is a member of the TGF-beta superfamily, is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle formation. Double-muscled Piedmontese cattle have a C313Y mutation in myostatin and show increased skeletal muscle mass which resulted from an increase of myofiber number (hyperplasia) without that of myofiber size (hypertrophy). To examine whether this mutation in myostatin gene affects muscle development in a dominant negative manner, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing the mutated gene. The transgenic mice exhibited dramatic increases in the skeletal muscle mass resulting from hyperplasia without hypertrophy. In contrast, it has been reported that a myostatin mutated at its cleavage site produces hypertrophy without hyperplasia in the muscle. Thus, these results suggest that (1) the myostatin containing the missense mutation exhibits a dominant negative activity and that (2) there are two types in the dominant negative form of myostatin, causing either hypertrophy or hyperplasia.     

Regulation of myostatin expression is associated with growth and muscle development in commercial broiler and DMC muscle

Myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. Muscle tissue is the largest tissue in the body and influences body growth. Commercial Avian broiler chickens are selected for high growth rate and muscularity. Daweishan mini chickens are a slow growing small-sized chicken breed. We investigated the relations between muscle (breast and leg) myostatin mRNA expression and body and muscle growth. Twenty chickens per breed were slaughtered at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 days of age. Body and muscle weights were higher at all times in Avian chickens. Breast muscle myostatin expression was higher in Avian chickens than in Daweishan mini chickens at day 30. Myostatin expression peaked at day 60 in Daweishan mini chickens and expression remained higher in breast muscle. Daweishan mini chickens myostatin expression correlated positively with carcass weight, breast and leg muscle weight from day 0 to 60, and correlated negatively with body weight from day 90 to 150, while myostatin expression in Avian chickens was negatively correlated with carcass and muscle weight from day 90 to 150. The results suggest that myostatin expression is related to regulation of body growth and muscle development, with two different regulatory mechanisms that switch between days 30 and 60.     

Preliminary Investigation into a Potential Role for Myostatin and Its Receptor (ActRIIB) in Lean and Obese Horses and Ponies

Obesity is a widespread problem across the leisure population of horses and ponies in industrialised nations. Skeletal muscle is a major contributor to whole body resting energy requirements and communicates with other tissues through the secretion of myokines into the circulation. Myostatin, a myokine and negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass, has been implicated in obesity development in other species. This study evaluated gene and protein expression of myostatin and its receptor, ActRIIB in adipose tissues and skeletal muscles and serum myostatin concentrations in six lean and six obese animals to explore putative associations between these factors and obesity in horses and ponies. Myostatin mRNA expression was increased while ActRIIB mRNA was decreased in skeletal muscles of obese animals but these differences were absent at the protein level. Myostatin mRNA was increased in crest fat of obese animals but neither myostatin nor ActRIIB proteins were detected in this tissue. Mean circulating myostatin concentrations were significantly higher in obese than in lean groups; 4.98 ng/ml (±2.71) and 9.00 ng/ml (±2.04) for the lean and obese groups, respectively. In addition, there was a significant positive association between these levels and myostatin gene expression in skeletal muscles (average R² = 0.58; p<0.05). Together, these results provide further basis for the speculation that myostatin and its receptor may play a role in obesity in horses and ponies.     

Myostatin: a novel insight into its role in metabolism, signal pathways, and expression regulation

Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, is a critical autocrine/paracrine inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth. Since the first observed double-muscling phenotype was reported in myostatin-null animals, a functional role of myostatin has been demonstrated in the control of skeletal muscle development. However, beyond the confines of its traditional role in muscle growth inhibition, myostatin has recently been shown to play an important role in metabolism. During the past several years, it has been well established that Smads are canonical mediators of signals for myostatin from the receptors to the nucleus. However, growing evidence supports the notion that Non-Smad signal pathways also participate in myostatin signaling. Myostatin expression is increased in muscle atrophy and metabolic disorders, suggesting that changes in endogenous expression of myostatin may provide therapeutic benefit for these diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression and recent evidence has accumulated supporting a role for miRNAs in the regulation of myostatin expression. This review highlights some of these areas in myostatin research: a novel role in metabolism, signal pathways, and miRNA-mediated expression regulation.     

Sleeping Beauty-mediated knockdown of sheep myostatin by RNA interference

Myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. Myostatin dysfunction therefore offers a strategy for promoting animal muscle growth in livestock production. Knockdown of myostatin was achieved by combining RNA interference and the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system in sheep cells. Four targeting sites of sheep myostatin were designed and measured for myostatin silencing in sheep fetal fibroblasts by real-time PCR. The sh3 construct induced significant decrease of myostatin gene expression by 90% (P < 0.05). Myostatin silencing induced by SB-mediated sh3 was further tested in stably transfected cells. SB transposition increased the integration frequency of genes into sheep genomes and mediated a more efficient myostatin knockdown than random integration of sh3. We suggest that SB-mediated shRNA provides a novel potential tool for gene knockdown in the donor cells of animal cloning.     

Genetic analysis of the role of proteolysis in the activation of latent myostatin

Myostatin is a secreted protein that normally acts to limit skeletal muscle growth. As a result, there is considerable interest in developing agents capable of blocking myostatin activity, as such agents could have widespread applications for the treatment of muscle degenerative and wasting conditions. Myostatin normally exists in an inactive state in which the mature C-terminal portion of the molecule is bound non-covalently to its N-terminal propeptide. We previously showed that this latent complex can be activated in vitro by cleavage of the propeptide with members of the bone morphogenetic protein-1/tolloid (BMP-1/TLD) family of metalloproteases. Here, I show that mice engineered to carry a germline point mutation rendering the propeptide protease-resistant exhibit increases in muscle mass approaching those seen in mice completely lacking myostatin. Mice homozygous for the point mutation have increased muscling even though their circulating levels of myostatin protein are dramatically increased, consistent with an inability of myostatin to be activated from its latent state. Furthermore, I show that a loss-of-function mutation in Tll2, which encodes one member of this protease family, has a small, but significant, effect on muscle mass, implying that its function is likely redundant with those of other family members. These findings provide genetic support for the hypothesis that proteolytic cleavage of the propeptide by BMP-1/TLD proteases plays a critical role in the activation of latent myostatin in vivo and suggest that targeting the activities of these proteases may be an effective therapeutic strategy for enhancing muscle growth in clinical settings of muscle loss and degeneration.     

Myostatin from the heart: local and systemic actions in cardiac failure and muscle wasting

A significant proportion of heart failure patients develop skeletal muscle wasting and cardiac cachexia, which is associated with a very poor prognosis. Recently, myostatin, a cytokine from the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family and a known strong inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth, has been identified as a direct mediator of skeletal muscle atrophy in mice with heart failure. Myostatin is mainly expressed in skeletal muscle, although basal expression is also detectable in heart and adipose tissue. During pathological loading of the heart, the myocardium produces and secretes myostatin into the circulation where it inhibits skeletal muscle growth. Thus, genetic elimination of myostatin from the heart reduces skeletal muscle atrophy in mice with heart failure, whereas transgenic overexpression of myostatin in the heart is capable of inducing muscle wasting. In addition to its endocrine action on skeletal muscle, cardiac myostatin production also modestly inhibits cardiomyocyte growth under certain circumstances, as well as induces cardiac fibrosis and alterations in ventricular function. Interestingly, heart failure patients show elevated myostatin levels in their serum. To therapeutically influence skeletal muscle wasting, direct inhibition of myostatin was shown to positively impact skeletal muscle mass in heart failure, suggesting a promising strategy for the treatment of cardiac cachexia in the future.     

Effect of myostatin depletion on weight gain, hyperglycemia, and hepatic steatosis during five months of high-fat feeding in mice

The marked hypermuscularity in mice with constitutive myostatin deficiency reduces fat accumulation and hyperglycemia induced by high-fat feeding, but it is unclear whether the smaller increase in muscle mass caused by postdevelopmental loss of myostatin activity has beneficial metabolic effects during high-fat feeding. We therefore examined how postdevelopmental myostatin knockout influenced effects of high-fat feeding. Male mice with ubiquitous expression of tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase were fed tamoxifen for 2 weeks at 4 months of age. This depleted myostatin in mice with floxed myostatin genes, but not in control mice with normal myostatin genes. Some mice were fed a high-fat diet (60% of energy) for 22 weeks, starting 2 weeks after cessation of tamoxifen feeding. Myostatin depletion increased skeletal muscle mass ～30%. Hypermuscular mice had ～50% less weight gain than control mice over the first 8 weeks of high-fat feeding. During the subsequent 3 months of high-fat feeding, additional weight gain was similar in control and myostatin-deficient mice. After 5 months of high-fat feeding, the mass of epididymal and retroperitoneal fat pads was similar in control and myostatin-deficient mice even though myostatin depletion reduced the weight gain attributable to the high-fat diet (mean weight with high-fat diet minus mean weight with low-fat diet: 19.9 g in control mice, 14.1 g in myostatin-deficient mice). Myostatin depletion did not alter fasting blood glucose levels after 3 or 5 months of high-fat feeding, but reduced glucose levels measured 90 min after intraperitoneal glucose injection. Myostatin depletion also attenuated hepatic steatosis and accumulation of fat in muscle tissue. We conclude that blocking myostatin signaling after maturity can attenuate some of the adverse effects of a high-fat diet.     

Myostatin Is Upregulated Following Stress in an Erk-Dependent Manner and Negatively Regulates Cardiomyocyte Growth in Culture and in a Mouse Model

Myostatin is well established as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth, but its role in the heart is controversial. Our goal in this study was to characterize myostatin regulation following cardiomyocyte stress and to examine the role of myostatin in the regulation of cardiomyocyte size. Neonatal cardiomyocytes were cultured and stressed with phenylephrine. Adenovirus was used to overexpress myostatin or dominant negative myostatin in culture. Adeno-associated virus was used to overexpress myostatin or dominant negative myostatin in mice. Myostatin is upregulated following cardiomyocyte stress in an Erk-dependent manner that is associated with increased nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity of MEF-2. Myostatin overexpression leads to decreased and myostatin inhibition to increased cardiac growth both in vitro and in vivo due to modulation of Akt and NFAT3 pathways. Myostatin is a negative regulator of cardiac growth, and further studies are warranted to investigate the role of myostatin in the healthy and failing heart.