拟南芥耐盐突变体stg2的筛选

采取在高盐平板上萌发的方法,对一个雌激素诱导激活型拟南芥突变体库进行了耐盐突变体的筛选,最终得到了2株稳定的耐盐突变体。本文中对其中的一株耐盐突变体,命名为stg2(salt tolerance during germination 2),进行了研究。遗传实验表明它的耐盐特性是受雌激素诱导的,是功能获得型的耐盐突变体。本实验中还探讨了stg2突变体的筛选过程及耐盐生理特点。     

乏氧诱导因子-1α基因沉默对肺癌细胞乏氧应答相关基因表达的影响

乏氧诱导因子-1α (HIF-1α)是肿瘤细胞适应乏氧微环境的关键调控因子,具有作为治疗靶基因的潜力,以克服乏氧诱导的治疗抗拒等效应.下调其表达可能影响肿瘤细胞内一系列乏氧应答相关基因的表达.本研究采用已构建的HIF-1α RNAi慢病毒载体转导肺腺癌A549细胞,经杀稻瘟素（blasticidin）筛选建立HIF-1α基因稳定沉默的A549细胞株.应用cDNA微阵列技术检测并比较HIF-1α基因沉默A549细胞株和其亲本细胞株在常氧和乏氧状态下的基因表达谱改变. 应用定量RT PCR方法验证部分cDNA芯片差异表达基因的表达改变.HIF-1α基因稳定沉默细胞株A549/HIF-1α,在常氧和乏氧条件下HIF-1αmRNA水平分别较A549细胞下降89.2％和88.1％,HIF-1α蛋白水平分别下降97.2％和88.4％. 在乏氧条件下,cDNA微阵列检测的1 280个基因中,52个基因表达上调,15个基因表达下调. HIF-1α基因沉默显著影响其中27个基因的乏氧诱导效应.定量RT-PCR验证其中ENO2、BCL-2、CXCR4和MMP11的表达水平,与cDNA芯片结果相符合.结果提示,HIF-1α基因沉默能够在一定程度上阻断肺癌细胞的乏氧应答,在克服乏氧导致的肺癌治疗抗拒方面具有潜力.     

Mechanism of a plastic phenotypic response: predator-induced shell thickening in the intertidal gastropod Littorina obtusata

Phenotypic plasticity has been the object of considerable interest over the past several decades, but in few cases are mechanisms underlying plastic responses well understood. For example, it is unclear whether predator-induced changes in gastropod shell morphology represent an active physiological response or a by-product of reduced feeding. We address this question by manipulating feeding and growth of intertidal snails, Littorina obtusata, using two approaches: (i) exposure to predation cues from green crabs Carcinus maenas and (ii) reduced food availability, and quantifying growth in shell length, shell mass, and body mass, as well as production of faecal material and shell micro-structural characteristics (mineralogy and organic fraction) after 96 days. We demonstrate that L. obtusata actively increases calcification rate in response to predation threat, and that this response entails energetic and developmental costs. That this induced response is not strictly tied to the animal's behaviour should enhance its evolutionary potential.     

Double-inducible gene activation system for caspase 3 and 9 in epidermis

Expression of genes with tight and precise temporal and spatial control is desired in a wide variety of applications ranging from cultured cells and transgenic animals to gene therapy. While current inducible systems, such as RU486 and chemical inducers of dimerization (CID), have improved earlier inducible models (Gossen et al., 1995, Science. 268:1766-1769; Wang et al., 1994, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:8180-8184), no single system is perfect at present. One potential drawback of these systems is leakage of transgene expression, causing limitations of each system. We have developed an inducible model containing both RU486 and CID systems, which in addition to inducing caspase activation, has potential applicability specifically to other genes encoding proteins that require a dimerization event for activation. This Double-Inducible Gene Activation System generates two barriers for the target gene expression and protein activation thereby minimizing leakage.     

Inducible gene expression with the Tet-on system in CD4+ T cells and thymocytes of mice

CD4+ T cells with their growing list of effector and regulatory subpopulations have vital functions within the immunohematopoietic system. We report here on the first mouse lines that allow temporally and quantitatively controlled expression of transgenes specifically in CD4+ thymocytes and T cells. These were constructed using the Tet-on system. The rtTA2(S)-M2 version of the reverse tetracycline-dependent transactivator was placed under control of all known CD4 regulatory elements. Reporter transgene expression in mice expressing these constructs is highly specific for CD4+ cells, is strictly dependent on the tetracycline derivative doxycycline, and can be regulated by up to five logs depending on the doxycycline concentration. Moreover, we demonstrate that these mice can be used for noninvasive in vivo imaging of a coexpressed luciferase reporter. These new mouse lines should be highly valuable for studying and manipulating numerous aspects of CD4+ T cell development, biology, and function.     

麦芽糖诱导梯度强度启动子的定向进化改造

不同灵敏度与响应强度的启动子在基因表达调控与代谢工程改造中应用广泛。为筛选不同诱导表达强度的启动子元件,本研究以麦芽糖诱导启动子Pglvc为对象,通过易错PCR方法对麦芽糖诱导型启动子进行突变获得启动子突变体库,然后基于四环素筛选的细胞生长偶联方法对突变体进行高效筛选,获得了不同响应范围和强度的启动子突变体,最终得到的诱导型启动子突变体(MT2、MT3、MT4、MT6)对麦芽糖诱导剂的响应范围从0–3 g/L扩展至0–15 g/L,其中最高诱导表达强度菌株(MT8)较原始启动子菌株的绿色荧光蛋白表达水平提高约3.15倍,有利于进一步拓展梯度强度启动子在枯草芽孢杆菌代谢工程和合成生物学中的应用。