RNA interference induced by siRNAs modified with 4'-thioribonucleosides in cultured mammalian cells

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) variously modified with 4'-thioribonucleosides against the Photinus luciferase gene were tested for their induction of the RNA interference (RNAi) activity in cultured NIH/3T3 cells. Results indicated that modifications at the sense-strand were well tolerated for RNAi activity except for full modification with 4'-thioribonucleosides. However, the activity of siRNAs modified at the antisense-strand was dependent on the position and the number of modifications with 4'-thioribonucleosides. Since modifications of siRNAs with 4'-thioribonucleosides were well tolerated in RNAi activity compared with that of 2'-O-methyl nucleosides, 4'-thioribonucleosides might be potentially useful in the development of novel and effective chemically modified siRNAs.     

敲低GATA1慢病毒表达载体的构建及敲低效果检测

目的：为了探讨与人血细胞相关的GATA1转录因子在实体肿瘤发生发展中的功能,构建GATA1的慢病毒干扰载体,并验证其敲低效果。方法：根据人GATA1的cDNA序列,设计含有小发卡结构的寡核苷酸序列,将其克隆到慢病毒表达载体上;将重组质粒转染人胚肾293T细胞,通过实时定量RT-PCR及Western印迹检测GATA1的表达水平。结果和结论：构建了具有明显干扰效果的GATA1基因的小干扰RNA（siRNA）慢病毒表达载体,能够有效抑制GATA1 mRNA和蛋白水平,为后续的GATA1生物学作用研究奠定了基础。     

敲低CTCF腺病毒表达载体的构建及效果检测

目的:获得敲低效果较好的CCCTC结合因子(CTCF)的RNA干扰腺病毒载体,以便于研究其在肿瘤发生发展中的作用。方法:从已发表文献中获得CTCF敲低靶序列,合成2对含有小发卡结构的寡核苷酸序列,将其进行退火磷酸化后,分别克隆到腺病毒包装载体上;将重组质粒转染人胚肾293A细胞,收获腺病毒;将收获的腺病毒分别感染人胚肾HEK293细胞和靶细胞人肺腺癌细胞A549,通过RT-PCR和Western印迹鉴定相关基因的表达变化。结果与结论:RT-PCR和Western印迹鉴定显示构建的表达CTCF短发夹RNA(shRNA)的腺病毒载体能够有效抑制CTCF转录和蛋白水平,为后续CTCF的生物学功能和机制研究奠定了基础。     

结缔组织生长因子基因RNA干扰复制缺陷型腺病毒载体的构建及鉴定

目的：构建能介导结缔组织生长因子（CTGF）基因RNA干扰的复制缺陷型腺病毒表达载体。方法：以大鼠CTGF基因为靶序列,设计并合成含编码短发夹RNA序列的寡核苷酸,构建腺病毒穿梭质粒P-shuttle-CTGF,酶切及测序分析正确后,与腺病毒骨架质粒pAdEasy-1共转染AD-293细胞,进行病毒包装,得到腺病毒载体Ad．H1-CTGF,用该载体感染HSC-T6细胞,观察其对CTGF基因表达抑制的效果。结果：构建的腺病毒穿梭质粒p-shuttle-CTGF经酶切、测序分析证实正确;包装的病毒载体滴度为4×1010PFU／mL,感染HSC-T6细胞后,Western印迹证实CTGF表达显著减少。结论：构建的腺病毒载体Ad．H1-CTGF可有效抑制HSC-T6中CTGF的表达,为抗纤维化研究提供了有力的工具。     

Gene silencing with RNA interference in the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus which causes fatal invasive aspergillosis among immunocompromised patients. To obtain a better understanding of the key elements involved in A. fumigatus virulence and to identify possible drug targets, it is necessary to be able to generate gene-deletion strains. Unfortunately, the molecular techniques available do not include a rapid method to disrupt and identify essential genes. RNA interference, a process in which the presence of double-stranded RNA homologous to a gene of interest results in specific degradation of the corresponding message, has been successfully tested on A. fumigatus. We have shown that expression of double stranded RNA corresponding to portions of the ALB1/PKSP and FKS1 genes results in reduced mRNA levels for those genes, with phenotypic consequences similar to that of gene disruption. The two genes could also be subjected to simultaneous interference through expression of chimeric double-stranded RNA. Use of RNA interference in Aspergillus will allow easier examination of the phenotypic consequences of reducing expression of a gene of interest, especially for essential genes.     

RNA促进小鼠重组染色质白蛋白基因DNaseⅠ消化敏感性

同样的基因在不同的分化细胞中表达不同,基因的选择性表达问题涉及分化和衰老的本质。转录基因对DNaseⅠ(DNA酶Ⅰ)消化敏感,本文研究了RNA对小鼠重组染色质白蛋白基因DNaseⅠ消化敏感性的影响。分离BALB/c小鼠脑细胞核,加入终浓度为2mol/L的NaCl破坏核小体结构,加入不同量、不同来源的RNA,装透析袋,逐渐降低离子强度进行染色质重组。重组染色质中加入DNaseⅠ消化DNA,PCR扩增白蛋白基因的外显子1到外显子2约1200bp区段,PAGE电泳后,用银染色观察不同来源RNA促进DNaseⅠ对白蛋白基因的消化作用。不同组织来源（肝、肺、肾、脑）RNA对小鼠重组染色质中白蛋白基因DNaseⅠ消化敏感性均有促进作用,其中肝和肺RNA促进消化作用较强;酵母tRNA无显著促进消化作用;消化促进作用与RNA剂量有关。RNA能增加DNaseⅠ对白蛋白基因的消化敏感性且有组织（细胞）来源特异性。又委托丹麦Chemical R D 实验室合成2条与白蛋白基因互补的各23核苷酸的RNA,用其进行重组试验。结果表明,重组混合物中含有低至0.2μg/mL的RNA,即可以发挥显著的DNase I消化促进作用。     

Interaction with capsid protein alters RNA structure and the pathway for in vitro assembly of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus

Viruses use sophisticated mechanisms to allow the specific packaging of their genome over that of host nucleic acids. We examined the in vitro assembly of the Cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) and observed that assembly with viral RNA follows two different mechanisms. Initially, CCMV capsid protein (CP) dimers bind RNA with low cooperativity and form virus-like particles of 90 CP dimers and one copy of RNA. Longer incubation reveals a different assembly path. At a stoichiometry of about ten CP dimers per RNA, the CP slowly folds the RNA into a compact structure that can be bound with high cooperativity by additional CP dimers. This folding process is exclusively a function of CP quaternary structure and is independent of RNA sequence. CP-induced folding is distinct from RNA folding that depends on base-pairing to stabilize tertiary structure. We hypothesize that specific encapsidation of viral RNA is a three-step process: specific binding by a few copies of CP, RNA folding, and then cooperative binding of CP to the "labeled" nucleoprotein complex. This mechanism, observed in a plant virus, may be applicable to other viruses that do not halt synthesis of host nucleic acid, including HIV.     

An RNA foldability metric; implications for the design of rapidly foldable RNA sequences

Evidence is presented suggesting, for the first time, that the protein foldability metric σ = (T_θ − T_f) / T_θ, where T_θ and T_f are, respectively, the collapse and folding transition temperatures, could be used also to measure the foldability of RNA sequences. These results provide further evidence of similarities between the folding energy landscapes of proteins and RNA. The importance of σ is discussed in the context of the in silico design of rapidly foldable RNA sequences.     

表达登革病毒prM基因小干扰RNA的Vero细胞系的建立

prM蛋白是登革病毒膜蛋白M的前体,膜蛋白M对病毒的组装与成熟有重要作用,针对prM基因设计的小干扰RNA（siRNA）可短期抑制登革病毒复制.为了达到长期抑制登革病毒的效果,本研究构建了插入prM siRNA序列的重组慢病毒,利用流式细胞术分选以及杀稻瘟霉素抗性,筛选出稳定表达prM siRNA的非洲绿猴肾细胞（Vero细胞）系.经逆转录PCR及测序验证siRNA序列表达正确. Vero细胞中prM siRNA的表达率约为976%.当受到登革病毒攻击时,表达prM siRNA的Vero细胞能够明显抑制登革病毒prM基因的表达,并抑制登革病毒在Vero细胞中的复制.建立的Vero细胞系可用于RNA干扰防治登革病毒感染的进一步应用研究.