CRISPR/Cas9介导靶向敲除拟南芥GGB基因突变体的鉴定

GGB是抗旱负调控基因。为了获得拟南芥ggb突变体材料,构建了以拟南芥U6启动子驱动GGB sgRNA的CRISPR/Cas9基因组编辑载体。将构建好的编辑载体利用农杆菌介导的浸花法转化野生型拟南芥。对转基因后代GGB基因的测序结果分析发现,在靶位点处有缺失4个碱基和增加1个T碱基的2种突变体产生。分别对野生型拟南芥和上述2种ggb突变体进行半定量RT PCR分析结果显示,突变体材料中几乎检测不到GGB基因表达,说明获得了GGB基因敲除突变体。对野生型和ggb突变体叶片失水率、耐旱表型及单株种子量的测定结果表明,与野生型相比,拟南芥GGB基因突变后,叶片失水率显著减少,抗旱性明显增强,而单株种子量却并没有改变。研究表明,GGB是一种理想的作物分子育种的候选靶基因,获得的突变体为今后从农作物中克隆的GGB同源基因进行功能互补验证提供了有用的遗传材料。     

Construction of Lactococcus lactis thyA-null using the Red recombination system

Lactococcus lactis—a food-grade nonpathogenic lactic acid bacterium—is used widely in the food industry. In this report, we describe an approach to construct deficient strains in L. lactis utilizing the λ-Red recombination system. Three kinds of recombinant proteins, λ exonuclease, β protein and γ protein, were induced by l-arabinose in L. lactis MG1363 harboring the plasmid pKD46. A chloramphenicol-resistant cassette was amplified from pGj103 containing homology arms of 50 nt to the thyA gene. The PCR-generated DNA fragment was then electroporated into L. lactis MG1363, which expressed the recombination proteins. ThyA-null strains resistant to chloramphenicol were obtained and their growth characteristics were analyzed in relation to thymidine requirement. The results revealed that the thyA gene in L. lactis MG1363 was successfully knocked out. This is the first time that the Red system has been used in a Gram-positive bacterium, and use of the techniques presented here should prompt rapid and efficient mutagenesis or modification of L. Lactis chromosomal genes.     

组蛋白精氨酸甲基化与斑马鱼早期发育

发育是由基因的特定时空表达模式来调控的,其表观遗传机制已越来越受到关注。组蛋白精氨酸甲基化是一种重要的翻译后修饰,由蛋白质精氨酸甲基化酶催化产生,对染色体的结构与功能具有重要调控作用。不同位点的精氨酸甲基化与其相邻位点的翻译后修饰具有复杂的对话机制,并可招募或阻碍相关效应分子的结合,进而导致转录激活或抑制。斑马鱼作为一种重要的发育生物学研究模式动物,已为蛋白质精氨酸甲基化酶在早期发育过程中的生理功能的研究提供了大量资料。该文对组蛋白精氨酸甲基化的产生、对话调控机制及其对斑马鱼早期发育调控功能的研究进行综述。     

不同启动子调控转GhCDPK1基因烟草的抗逆性研究

为探究不同启动子对陆地棉GhCDPK1基因抗逆功能的影响,该研究克隆了长度为824bp和1 524bp的2个拟南芥RD29A的启动子序列,分别构建了35S启动子和2个RD29A启动子驱动的GhCDPK1融合表达载体,并利用农杆菌介导法转化烟草,分析了其驱动的转GhCDPK1基因烟草,在逆境胁迫处理后的表型变化,叶绿素、丙二醛(MDA)和脯氨酸含量,过氧化物酶(POD)和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性以及细胞膜透性的生理变化。结果显示:RD29A启动子驱动的转GhCDPK1基因烟草,比35S启动子驱动表现出更强的耐逆性,其叶绿素含量、脯氨酸含量以及POD、SOD活性都高于35S启动子,而MDA含量与细胞膜的通透性低于35S启动子,且1 524bp的RD29A2启动子片段驱动转GhCDPK1基因烟草的耐胁迫能力比824bp启动子片段更强。     

Development of an antibiotic-free plasmid selection system based on thymine auxotrophy in Lactococcus lactis

Lactococcus lactis has become the best studied species of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) clade and an ideal cell factory for heterogenous proteins. We have constructed an antibiotic-free expression vector, pMG-thyA, using thymidine synthase gene thyA as the selection marker. The thyA gene was cloned from the food industry strain Streptococcus thermophilus St-JY and was used to replace the erythromycin resistance genes on L. lactis expression vector pMG36e in order to construct pMG-thyA. The construction of the new vector and thyA-null host L. lactis MG1363-TT yielded an antibiotic-free expression system. The α-amylase gene (amy) was cloned onto the multiple cloning site of the vector pMG-thyA as a reporter gene, yielding the recombinant plasmid pMGthyA-amy. This plasmid was electroporated into L. lactis MG1363-TT, and the recombinant strain grown on SA plates containing 0.5 % (w/v) soluble starch formed distinct bacterial colonies and clear zones (halo) around the colonies following the addition of iodine solution. These research findings lay the foundation for food-grade expression in L. lactis.     

冬凌草甲素对拟南芥种子萌发和幼苗生长的化感作用

以拟南芥为供试材料,研究了二萜化合物冬凌草甲素(oridonin)对拟南芥种子萌发、幼苗生长及生理特性的化感作用。结果表明:(1)各浓度冬凌草甲素处理均降低了拟南芥种子的发芽率、发芽势、发芽指数和种子活力指数;至最终萌发时间,120μmol/L冬凌草甲素处理的种子发芽率、发芽势和发芽指数、种子活力指数分别为对照的87.76%、70.37%、83.19%、27.72%,说明高浓度的冬凌草甲素对拟南芥种子发芽率、发芽势、发芽指数和种子活力指数均有显著抑制作用,且对种子活力指数的影响最为显著。(2)冬凌草甲素处理后培养拟南芥幼苗2周,60μmol/L冬凌草甲素处理的拟南芥根甚至出现侧根不生长的现象;120μmol/L冬凌草甲素处理的幼苗主根长度比对照组降低了79.05%,其鲜重、干重和相对含水量分别降为对照的58.41%、63.33%和93.91%。(3)不同浓度和时间的冬凌草甲素处理整体上显著促进了拟南芥幼苗体内渗透调节物质可溶性蛋白和脯氨酸的积累。研究发现,冬凌草甲素对拟南芥种子萌发及生长表现出不同程度的化感抑制作用,该抑制作用与冬凌草甲素的处理浓度及处理时间均密切相关;拟南芥幼苗能通过增加自身渗透调节物质积累在一定程度上缓解这种抑制作用。