shRNA靶向干扰COX-2抑制人肝癌裸鼠皮下移植瘤及其血管生成

目的:探讨重组干扰质粒pshRNA-COX-2对人肝癌细胞Hep3B裸鼠皮下移植瘤生长和肿瘤血管生成的抑制作用。方法:重组干扰质粒pshRNA-COX-2转染Hep3B细胞并筛选后,RT-PCR和Western blot检测COX-2mRNA和蛋白表达,RT-PCR检测VEGFmRNA表达。将被成功转染的Hep3B细胞种植于裸鼠皮下,测量肿瘤大小,4周后处死裸鼠,免疫组织化学法检测肿瘤组织中COX-2蛋白表达和肿瘤微血管密度(MVD)。结果:与未转染细胞相比,干扰组COX-2mRNA和蛋白表达抑制率分别为65.3%和52.8%(P<0.05),干扰组VEGFmRNA表达抑制率为56.5%(P<0.05)。干扰组瘤体大小明显小于阴性组和空白组(P<0.01)。干扰组COX-2得分和MVD均明显低于阴性组和空白组(P<0.01)。结论:pshRNA-COX-2通过抑制COX-2表达明显抑制人肝癌细胞Hep3B裸鼠皮下移植瘤生长和肿瘤血管生成。     

脂联素siRNA对3T3-L1细胞基础葡萄糖转运的影响

目的：构建携带小鼠脂联素（Acrp30）siRNA腺病毒载体,并检测其对小鼠脂肪细胞Acrp30表达以及对3T3-L1脂肪细胞基础葡萄糖转运的影响。方法：设计并化学合成小鼠脂肪细胞Acrp30 siRNA片断,将其亚克隆入AdEaxy XL腺病毒载体系统,在293细胞内包装扩增为重组腺病毒。用此重组腺病毒感染3T3-L1脂肪细胞,用RT-PCR和ELISA检测其Acrp30 mRNA和蛋白表达。采用2Deoxy-[3H]D—glucose掺入法测定脂肪细胞葡萄糖转运。结果：设计并构建了小鼠Acrp30基因特异性siRNA腺病毒载体,该载体感染脂肪细胞后,能显著抑制Acrp30 mRNA和蛋白表达,影响3T3-L1脂肪细胞基础葡萄糖的转运,与对照组相比,差异有显著性意5C（P〈0．05）。结论：构建的Acrp30基因特异性siRNA腺病毒载体能有效的抑制脂联素在3T3-L1脂肪细胞中的表达,从而影响3T3-L1脂肪细胞基础葡萄糖转运。     

绿僵菌微循环产孢基因Pyk的克隆及RNA干扰分析

微循环产孢是真菌遭遇逆境时发生的一种产孢机制,具有繁殖快速及抗逆性强等诸多优点。研究绿僵菌的微循环产孢机制并加以利用,对增强该菌在生物防治中的应用效果具有重要的意义。采用绿僵菌基因组数据库与NCBI数据库中同源蛋白比对获得Pyk基因DNA序列;分析Pyk基因结构并设计引物,通过RT-PCR扩增克隆Pyk全长cDNA序列。序列分析显示该基因cDNA全长1 934 bp,开放阅读框长为1 752 bp(GenBank登录号:HQ153828),编码产物为583个氨基酸的丙酮酸激酶,该酶与子囊菌门中其他真菌具有较高的相似性(57%-77%)。构建Pyk基因的RNAi载体,基因枪转化野生型绿僵菌获得3个突变菌株,RT-PCR证实3个干扰突变菌株中Pyk基因的干扰效率分别为:51%、56%、33%。对突变菌株的微循环产孢模式做了进一步分析,结果显示:与野生菌株相比,突变菌株产生更多的孢子形态类型,菌落周边的白色菌丝也相对较少。     

Interference elimination of an amperometric glucose biosensor using poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) membrane

A permselective membrane fabricated from photo‐cross‐linked poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) was studied as a potential selective membrane that can eliminate electrochemical interferences commonly faced by a hydrogen peroxide‐based biosensor. The quantitative selection of the permselective membrane was based on the permeabilities of hydrogen peroxide and acetaminophen (AC). AC was used as a model of the interfering substance due to its neutral nature. pHEMA membrane with the cross‐linking ratio of 0.043 was found to achieve a selectivity of hydrogen peroxide over AC of 10, while maintaining an acceptable degree of hydrogen peroxide response. A two‐layer glucose biosensor model consisting of glucose oxidase entrapped within a freeze‐thawed poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix and the cross‐linked pHEMA membrane was challenged with AC, ascorbic acid and uric acid. 0.2 mM AC and 0.2 mM ascorbic acid were completely eliminated. However, 0.2 mM uric acid could not be completely eliminated and still gave a bias of approximately 6.6% relative to 5 mM glucose. The results showed that cross‐linked pHEMA was quite promising as an interference eliminating inner membrane.     

Bergmann's Rule – what's in a name?

Despite the great interest it generates, the definition of Bergmann's Rule is vague and often contested. Debate focuses on whether the rule should be described in terms of pattern or process, what taxa it should apply to and what taxonomic level it should be associated with. Here I review the historical development of studies of Bergmann's Rule. I suggest that Bergmann thought that his rule should be strongest at the intra‐specific level, rather than between closely related species as is usually thought. I argue that the rule is a pattern that can be studied regardless of mechanism in any taxon and at any taxonomic level.     

桃蚜MpAChE基因RNAi表达载体构建及转化

通过害虫取食植物表达害虫发育关键基因dsRNA的转基因植株,分析能否通过抑制害虫特定基因的表达来防控害虫。本研究利用RT-PCR技术从桃蚜中克隆乙酰胆碱酯酶基因383 bp cDNA片段,命名为MpAChE。进一步利用该MpAChE基因片段构建植物RNAi表达载体RNAi-MpAChE,并通过浸花法转化野生型拟南芥,通过卡那霉素抗性筛选转化植株,PCR及Southern杂交进一步鉴定转基因植株。结果表明:克隆的cDNA片段与桃蚜中已克隆的乙酰胆碱酯酶(GenBank登录号AY147797)cDNA序列核苷酸一致性为99%。卡那霉素抗性初步筛选和PCR进一步鉴定,获得25株阳性转基因植株。从25株中随机选择的5株阳性植株,Southern杂交均为阳性。经接种桃蚜初步鉴定,转基因植株对蚜虫的抗性效果不显著。     

AKT2 基因短发夹结构RNA 慢病毒载体的构建及鉴定

目的:构建丝/苏氨酸蛋白激酶2(AKT2)基因RNA干扰(RNAi)慢病毒载体。方法:利用公用网站按照RNAi序列设计原则,设计RNAi靶点序列并合成靶序列的Oligo DNA,退火形成双链DNA,与经MluI和ClaI进行酶切后的PLVTHM载体连接产生shRNA慢病毒载体。应用shRNA慢病毒载体转染293T细胞及U87细胞,测定病毒滴度,流式细胞仪测定U87细胞的转染效率,PCR及Western blot鉴定AKT2基因在U87细胞中的下调作用。结果:成功构建了shRNA-AKT2慢病毒载体,经测序与设计合成的靶向链完全一致。荧光显微镜下观察293T细胞感染效率大于90%,病毒滴度为3.59×107TU/ml;流式细胞仪测定对AKT2细胞的转染效率为86.93%。PCR测定shRNA载体感染U87细胞后AKT2的干扰效率为68%。Western Blot结果显示该慢病毒载体对AKT2的表达有较为显著的敲减作用。结论:成功构建了人胶质瘤细胞株AKT2基因RNAi慢病毒载体,为后续的体内外功能学试验创造了条件。     

Tetranychus evansi spider mite populations suppress tomato defenses to varying degrees

Plant defense suppression is an offensive strategy of herbivores, in which they manipulate plant physiological processes to increase their performance. Paradoxically, defense suppression does not always benefit the defense‐suppressing herbivores, because lowered plant defenses can also enhance the performance of competing herbivores and can expose herbivores to increased predation. Suppression of plant defense may therefore entail considerable ecological costs depending on the presence of competitors and natural enemies in a community. Hence, we hypothesize that the optimal magnitude of suppression differs among locations. To investigate this, we studied defense suppression across populations of Tetranychus evansi spider mites, a herbivore from South America that is an invasive pest of solanaceous plants including cultivated tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, in other parts of the world. We measured the level of expression of defense marker genes in tomato plants after infestation with mites from eleven different T. evansi populations. These populations were chosen across a range of native (South American) and non‐native (other continents) environments and from different host plant species. We found significant variation at three out of four defense marker genes, demonstrating that T. evansi populations suppress jasmonic acid‐ and salicylic acid‐dependent plant signaling pathways to varying degrees. While we found no indication that this variation in defense suppression was explained by differences in host plant species, invasive populations tended to suppress plant defense to a smaller extent than native populations. This may reflect either the genetic lineage of T. evansi—as all invasive populations we studied belong to one linage and both native populations to another—or the absence of specialized natural enemies in invasive T. evansi populations.     

马铃薯甲虫结节性硬化复合物基因LdTSC1和LdTSC2基因的克隆及功能分析

【目的】通过RNAi技术明确马铃薯甲虫TOR上游的关键信号集成节点及类胰岛素信号通道下游基因结节性硬化复合物TSC1和TSC2的功能。旨在为探明马铃薯甲虫类胰岛素信号转导提供更多理论支持。【方法】在NCBI(美国国家生物技术信息中心)获取马铃薯甲虫LdTSC1/2序列,分别利用多重序列比对和系统发育分析确定该基因的完整性和系统发育关系;采用喂食幼虫dsRNA的方法,观察该基因的调低对马铃薯甲虫幼虫生长发育、糖脂代谢的影响。【结果】克隆得到马铃薯甲虫TSC1编码蛋白的氨基酸序列与鞘翅目白蜡窄吉丁直系同源蛋白的氨基酸序列的自展一致度为100%,聚为一支;TSC2编码蛋白的氨基酸序列与鞘翅目白蜡窄吉丁和赤拟谷盗的同源蛋白氨基酸序列的自展一致度为100%,聚为一支。通过分别喂食2龄幼虫LdTSC1/2的dsRNA能有效降低靶标基因的表达量,幼虫出现体重减轻,化蛹率和羽化率显著下降,葡萄糖的吸收转化效率降低,海藻糖含量升高和甘油三酯均减少。【结论】下调2龄幼虫LdTSC1/2的表达量,导致试虫出现抑制了糖脂代谢、脂肪体减少、体重减轻以及发育延迟;结果表明LdTSC1/2调控了马铃薯甲虫幼虫的糖脂代谢过程,显著影响幼虫化蛹和蜕皮过程。