文昌鱼profilin同源基因的胚胎发育表达图式

本研究利用胚胎整体原位杂交技术结合系列组织学切片技术,以及Northern blot分析,对进化上处于特殊地位的模式动物文昌鱼profilin基因不同发育时期的表达图式进行了系统研究,揭示了该基因的动态表达图式与肌肉分化的过程一致,文昌鱼profilin基因可能与胚胎早期肌肉的发育相关。同时,通过Southern blot检测对青岛文昌鱼profilin基因可能存在的同源体进行了探讨,试图为弄清文昌鱼肌肉发育分化的分子机制提供资料。     

文昌鱼肌动蛋白基因家族的扩增(英文)

肌动蛋白是一种分布广泛而且在进化上十分保守的蛋白,是构成细胞骨架的关键组分.肌动蛋白通常被分成肌肉型和胞质型两种类型,各自行使着不同的功能.在此,作者对弗罗里达文昌鱼基因组中的肌动蛋白基因家族进行了系统分析,发现文昌鱼中该基因家族成员多达30多个,其中很多都是连锁分布的.基因结构趋于多样,分别包含2～7个外显子.进化分析的结果显示,文昌鱼的肌动蛋白基因家族可能通过串联重复而发生了扩增.作者还克隆了厦门文昌鱼两个不同的肌肉犁肌动蛋白基因,并比较了它们在文昌鱼早期胚胎中的表达图式.结果显示,这两个基因在表达上有着细微的差别,提示文昌鱼肌动蛋白基因家族成员在功能上的分化.上述结果将有助于阐明肌动蛋白基因家族及其功能在脊索动物中的演化.     

文昌鱼肌动蛋白基因家族扩增的研究(英文）

肌动蛋白是一种分布广泛而且在进化上十分保守的蛋白,它是构成细胞骨架的关键组分。肌动蛋白通常被分成肌肉型和胞质型两种类型,它们各自行使着不同的功能。在此,我们对H弗罗里达H文昌鱼基因组中的肌动蛋白基因家族进行了系统分析,发现文昌鱼中该基因家族成员多达30多个,其中很多都是连锁分布的。基因结构趋于多样, 分别包含2~7个外显子。进化分析的结果显示,文昌鱼的肌动蛋白基因家族可能通过串联重复而发生了扩增。我们还克隆了厦门文昌鱼两个不同的肌肉型肌动蛋白基因,并比较了它们在文昌鱼早期胚胎中的表达图式。结果显示,这两个基因在表达上有着细微的差别,提示文昌鱼肌动蛋白基因家族成员在功能上的分化。上述结果将有助于阐明肌动蛋白基因家族及其功能在脊索动物中的演化。     

文昌鱼左右体轴建立机制的研究进展

两侧对称动物左右体轴建立机制研究是发育生物学领域重要的基础科学问题之一。文昌鱼(amphioxus)由于其特殊的进化地位以及与脊椎动物相似的胚胎发育模式和身体构筑方式,是研究动物左右体轴建立机制的理想模式物种。近年来随着文昌鱼室内全人工繁育技术、高效显微注射技术和基因敲除技术的建立,国内外学者在左右体轴建立机制研究上取得了丰硕的成果。本文从文昌鱼胚胎左右不对称发育特点出发,总结了近期文昌鱼左右体轴建立方面取得的研究进展,并提出了文昌鱼左右体轴调控网络图:纤毛运动导致Hh蛋白在文昌鱼中不对称分布(L相似文献   

文昌鱼GFP基因的鉴定及表达分析

近年在隶属头索动物亚门的文昌鱼体内发现有内源性绿色荧光蛋白存在,并发现文昌鱼荧光蛋白的发光现象在不同发育时期以及个体间有较大的差异。为了进一步揭示GFP基因在文昌鱼中的进化模式,探索其可能执行的功能,该文首先对白氏文昌鱼(Branchiostoma belcheri)GFP基因作了全面鉴定,并对其不同发育阶段胚胎及成体不同区域中的荧光信号进行了实时观察记录,进而对GFP基因在绿色荧光表达强烈的两个特定时期做了绝对定量检测。研究结果表明,文昌鱼基因组中至少有12个内源性GFP基因,在个体发育的不同时期,内源性荧光出现的位置有所变化,而且在变态后的个体之间出现荧光的情况差异较大,荧光蛋白基因的表达由多个GFP同源基因共同参与,这些基因在不同的发育时期表达量有较大的差异,提示不同的GFP基因在特定发育阶段可能行使各自的功能。     

文昌鱼tropomyosin基因的克隆、进化分析及其胚胎发育与成体中的表达模式

Tropomyosin是一种分布广泛而且在进化上十分保守的蛋白,是肌肉形成和收缩过程中重要的调节蛋白质。通过RT-PCR和RACE技术得到文昌鱼tropomyosin基因全长,编码一个含284个氨基酸残基的蛋白质,将文昌鱼Tropomyosin和在其他物种中的同源物进行比对建树,发现其在功能域上高度保守并且只有一个拷贝,符合动物分类学中各物种的进化地位。胚胎整体原位杂交实验得知,tropomyosin在文昌鱼早期发育的表达,最早从原肠胚末期神经胚早期开始,定位于分化中的中内胚层。到神经胚期,tropomyosin的表达出现在发育中的体节和脊索中。随着发育的进行,tropomyosin的表达稳定地集中在体节、脊索处。到72h幼虫阶段,tropomyosin的表达仍然在肌节内。成体的切片原位杂交结果显示,tropomyosin在肌节中的表达大幅度下调,而在神经管细胞、脊索和腮区腮瓣处仍然可以检测到明显的表达,在外胚层和表皮内没有发现杂交信号。研究结果表明,tropomyosin的表达与文昌鱼肌节、肌肉以及神经索的发生相关,参与文昌鱼胚胎躯体模式的构建,而且在成体的生命活动中发挥重要作用。     

青岛文昌鱼LIM类同源框基因反义寡核苷酸对其胚胎发育的影响

研究了青岛文昌鱼LIM类同源框基因Bblim反义寡核苷酸对文昌鱼胚胎发育的影响。根据已克隆的Bblim基因序列 ,设计并合成了对应于该基因同源框区的两条反义寡核苷酸链 ,用电脉冲方法将其导入文昌鱼受精卵。结果表明 :反义寡核苷酸与随机序列寡核苷酸都不影响胚胎细胞分裂 ,而反义寡核苷酸能抑制胚胎细胞Bblim基因的表达。还发现只存在于导入反义寡核苷酸的幼体中的两种畸形———一是在幼体的腹侧近咽部有一圆形突起的结构 ;另一是在幼体色素与尾鳍之间约二分之一处的腹侧有一距状突起。这两种畸形均发生于文昌鱼幼体腹侧的近体表部位 ,因此文昌鱼Bblim基因可能与外胚层的发育有关     

基于COXI基因的太平洋西岸文昌鱼地理种群分析

文昌鱼是进化发育研究的重要模式动物,目前实验材料均采自野外.因此,对其进行正确的物种鉴定和地理种群的遗传分化分析十分必要.该研究扩增并测定了COX 1基因部分序列,结合NCBI数据库中的COX 1序列信息,对太平洋西岸文昌鱼的种类和地理种群分化情况进行了分析.结果表明,马来文昌鱼(Branchiostoma malayanum)、白氏文昌鱼(B.belcheri)和日本文昌鱼(B.japonicum)这3个种之间的遗传差异很大,再次证实3个物种的有效性,同时提出应当审慎对待NCBI数据库中文昌鱼的种名标注;太平洋西岸文昌鱼属Branchiostoma的3种文昌鱼群体遗传多样性均处于较高水平,同一物种的不同地理种群间没有出现明显的遗传分化,反映了海洋动物的基因交流较容易,不同海域隔离较弱.     

碱性磷酸酶在文昌鱼胚胎和幼体中表达图式的研究(英文)

研究组织特异性酶在胚胎发育中的表达图式对于研究细胞、组织和器官的分化具有重要意义。本文以 ＢＣＩＰ为底物研究了碱性磷酸酶在文昌鱼胚胎和幼体中的表达图式。在囊胚、原肠胚和神经胚早期（１２～１３小时）未检测到碱性磷酸酶的特异性表达;到神经胚中期（１５小时,约６个体节）,碱性磷酸酶在胚胎每一体节的中部开始表达,在胚胎中形成３～６个条纹（Ｆｉｇ．１）;在１８小时神经胚（９～１０体节）中,碱性磷酸酶在肌节中表达（Ｆｉｇ．２）;到２４小时在后部内胚层中也开始表达（Ｆｉｇ．３）;在３６～４８小时幼体中,碱性磷酸酶在消化道中强烈表达,但在咽鳃区不表达,同时在肌节中仍有弱的表达（Ｆｉｇ．４）。研究表明碱性磷酸酶可能在肌节的发育过程中具有一定作用。碱性磷酸酶在消化道中的表达可能与这一时期消化道开始行使功能有关。另外,Ｌ－苯丙氨酸只抑制３６、４８小时文昌鱼肠碱性磷酸酶活性,不抑制其体节肠碱性磷酸酶活性（Ｆｉｇ．５）、表明文昌鱼至少存在两种碱性磷酸酶：在消化道中表达的是一种肠型的,与脊椎动物碱性磷酸酶可能为同一类型;另一种主要在肌节中表达,可能是组织非特异性的破性磷酸酶。以上结果说明文昌鱼早期发育中碱性磷酸酶的表达与脊椎动物相似,具     

trp14基因在文昌鱼早期发育阶段的时空表达及免疫活性初步研究

探讨文昌鱼trp14 (thioredoxin-related protein of 14 kD)基因在文昌鱼早期发育阶段的时空表达模式及其免疫活性.利用整体原位杂交技术研究trp14基因在文昌鱼早期发育阶段的时空表达模式;通过半定量RT-PCR方法分析trp14基因在低温胁迫和免疫药物刺激下的mRNA表达变化.trp14基因在文昌鱼2 d幼虫的原始消化道表达,呈现时空特异的表达模式;低温可以增强trp14基因的表达,而免疫刺激药物LPS和LTA则降低trp14基因的表达量.文昌鱼trp14基因在胁迫条件下表达量发生变化,暗示其可能参与氧化压力变化引起的免疫反应.     

Downregulation of profilin with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides inhibits force development during stimulation of smooth muscle

The actin-regulatory protein profilin has been shown to regulate the actin cytoskeleton and the motility of nonmuscle cells. To test the hypothesis that profilin plays a role in regulating smooth muscle contraction, profilin antisense or sense oligodeoxynucleotides were introduced into the canine carotid smooth muscle by a method of reversible permeabilization, and these strips were incubated for 2 days for protein downregulation. The treatment of smooth muscle strips with profilin antisense oligodeoxynucleotides inhibited the expression of profilin; it did not influence the expression of actin, myosin heavy chain, and metavinculin/vinculin. Profilin sense did not affect the expression of these proteins in smooth muscle tissues. Force generation in response to stimulation with norepinephrine or KCl was significantly lower in profilin antisense-treated muscle strips than in profilin sense-treated strips or in muscle strips not treated with oligodeoxynucleotides. The depletion of profilin did not attenuate increases in phosphorylation of the 20-kDa regulatory light chain of myosin (MLC20) in response to stimulation with norepinephrine or KCl. The increase in F-actin/G-actin ratio during contractile stimulation was significantly inhibited in profilin-deficient smooth muscle strips. These results suggest that profilin is a necessary molecule of signaling cascades that regulate carotid smooth muscle contraction, but that it does not modulate MLC20 phosphorylation during contractile stimulation. Profilin may play a role in the regulation of actin polymerization or organization in response to contractile stimulation of smooth muscle.     

Sequence and developmental expression of amphioxus AmphiNk2–1: insights into the evolutionary origin of the vertebrate thyroid gland and forebrain

 We characterized an amphioxus NK-2 homeobox gene (AmphiNk2–1), a homologue of vertebrate Nkx2–1, which is involved in the development of the central nervous system and thyroid gland. At the early neurula stage of amphioxus, AmphiNk2–1 expression is first detected medially in the neural plate. By the mid-neurula stage, expression is localized ventrally in the nerve cord and also begins in the endoderm. During the late neurula stage, the ventral neural expression becomes transiently segmented posteriorly and is then down-regulated except in the cerebral vesicle at the anterior end of the central nervous system. Within the cerebral vesicle AmphiNk2–1 is expressed in a broad ventral domain, probably comprising both the floor plate and basal plate regions; this pattern is comparable to Nkx2–1 expression in the mouse diencephalon. In the anterior part of the gut, expression becomes intense in the endostyle (the right wall of the pharynx), which is the presumed homologue of the vertebrate thyroid gland. More posteriorly, there is transitory expression in the midgut and hindgut. In sum, the present results help to support homologies (1) between the amphioxus endostyle and the vertebrate thyroid gland and (2) between the amphioxus cerebral vesicle and the vertebrate diencephalic forebrain. Received: 4 September 1998 / Accepted: 24 October 1998     

Genomic organization and evolution of actin genes in the amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri and Branchiostoma floridae

We previously described the cDNA cloning and expression patterns of actin genes from amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae (Kusakabe, R., Kusakabe, T., Satoh, N., Holland, N.D., Holland, L.Z., 1997. Differential gene expression and intracellular mRNA localization of amphioxus actin isoforms throughout development: implications for conserved mechanisms of chordate development. Dev. Genes Evol. 207, 203–215). In the present paper, we report the characterization of cDNA clones for actin genes from a closely related species, Branchiostoma belcheri, and the exon–intron organization of B. floridae actin genes. Each of these two amphioxus species has two types of actin genes, muscle and cytoplasmic. The coding and non-coding regions of each type are well-conserved between the two species. A comparison of nucleotide sequences of muscle actin genes between the two species suggests that a gene conversion may have occurred between two B. floridae muscle actin genes BfMA1 and BfMA2. From the conserved positions of introns between actin genes of amphioxus and those of other deuterostomes, the evolution of deuterostome actin genes can be inferred. Thus, the presence of an intron at codon 328/329 in vertebrate muscle and cytoplasmic actin genes but not in any known actin gene in other deuterostomes suggests that a gene conversion may have occurred between muscle and cytoplasmic actin genes during the early evolution of the vertebrates after separation from other deuterostomes. A Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA revealed that the amphioxus genome contains multiple muscle and cytoplasmic actin genes. Some of these actin genes seem to have arisen from recent duplication and gene conversion. Our findings suggest that the multiple genes encoding muscle and cytoplasmic actin isoforms arose independently in each of the three chordate lineages and that gene duplications and gene conversions established the extant actin multigene family during the evolution of chordates.     

Human profilin. Molecular cloning, sequence comparison, and chromosomal analysis

Profilin is an ubiquitous 12-15-kDa actin monomer-binding protein, the amino acid sequence of which was previously reported for the cow and Acanthamoeba. In the latter species, two isoforms of profilin have been identified. We have isolated full-length profilin cDNA clones from a human HepG2 library. All clones have the same nucleotide sequence, and Northern blot and RNase protection analyses of human tissues indicate that all tissues have the same approximately 850 base message, and provide no evidence of alternative message splicing. This result strongly implies a single profilin isoform in human cells, although differential post-translational modifications have not been excluded. Northern blot analysis extends the tissue distribution of profilin to include epithelial, muscle, and renal tissues. Comparison of the predicted human profilin amino acid sequence with that of published bovine profilin indicates 90% identity with a single 3-residue deletion in the human sequence. Southern blot analysis of somatic cell hybrid DNA indicates at least four dispersed genetic loci in the human genome hybridize with the profilin cDNA as well as untranslated region fragments, suggesting several of these loci represent pseudogenes of recent evolutionary origin. In addition, 5' and 3' untranslated regions are conserved between humans and rodents, implying a functional role for these regions of the profilin gene.     

Colinear and segmental expression of amphioxus Hox genes.

The cephalochordate amphioxus has a single Hox gene cluster. Here we describe the genomic organization of four adjacent amphioxus genes, AmphiHox-1 to AmphiHox-4, together with analysis of their spatiotemporal expression patterns. We demonstrate that these genes obey temporal colinearity and that three of the genes also obey spatial colinearity in the developing neural tube. AmphiHox-1, AmphiHox-3, and AmphiHox-4 show segmental modulation of their expression levels, a two-segment phasing of spatial colinearity, and, at least for AmphiHox-4, asymmetrical expression. AmphiHox-2 is unlike other amphioxus Hox genes: it does not obey spatial colinearity and it has no positional expression in the neural tube. AmphiHox-2 is expressed in the preoral pit of larvae, from which the homologue of the anterior pituitary develops. We suggest that the ancestral role of chordate Hox genes was primarily in the neural tube and that chordate Hox genes can functionally diverge in a manner analogous to that of Drosophila ftz or zen.