High-throughput assessment of transgene copy number in sugarcane using real-time quantitative PCR

Accurate and timely detection of transgene copy number in sugarcane is currently hampered by the requirement to use Southern blotting, needing relatively large amounts of genomic DNA and, therefore, the continued growth and maintenance of bulky plants in containment glasshouses. In addition, the sugarcane genome is both polyploid and aneuploid, complicating the identification of appropriate genes for use as references in the development of a high-throughput method. Using bioinformatic techniques followed by in vitro testing, two genes that appear to occur once per base genome of sugarcane were identified. Using these genes as reference genes, a high-throughput assay employing RT-qPCR was developed and tested using a group of sugarcane plants that contained unknown numbers of copies of the nptII gene encoding kanamycin resistance. Using this assay, transgene copy numbers from 3 to more than 50 were identified. In comparison, Southern blotting accurately identified the number of transgene copies for one line and by inference for another, but was not able to provide an accurate estimation for transgenic lines containing numerous copies of the nptII gene. Using the reference genes identified in this study, a high-throughput assay for the determination of transgene copy number was developed and tested for sugarcane. This method requires much less input DNA, can be performed much earlier in the production of transgenic sugarcane plants and allows much more efficient assessment of numerous potentially transgenic lines than Southern blotting.     

兰州百合精细胞特异蛋白的研究

通过低渗冲击及Percoll密度梯度离心的方法,成功地分离并纯化了兰州百合(Lilium davidiiDuch.)生活的生殖细胞及精细胞。从精细胞、生殖细胞及叶片中提取了全蛋白,并通过双向电泳技术对它们进行了比较。在双向电泳图谱上精细胞比生殖细胞显示更多的蛋白斑点,特别是在碱性端。通过混合酶解及离心,分离了生活的叶肉原生质体。用生物素的琥珀酰胺酯衍生物(NHS-biotin)对精细胞、生殖细胞及完整的叶肉原生质体质膜蛋白进行标记,然后进行Western blot分析,用辣根过氧化物酶酶标链霉抗生物素蛋白及其底物4-氯-1-萘酚反应显色,比较了3种质膜蛋白。发现分子量为46kD及50kD的两种蛋白是精细胞质膜特异的。在双向电泳图谱上也可找到与这两种蛋白相对应的斑点,它们很可能与受精过程中精卵的识别有关。     

香蕉束顶病毒的纯化及理化特性

从具有典型香蕉束顶病(BBTD)症状的香蕉病组织中提纯了香蕉束顶病毒(Banana bunchy top virus,BBTV)。电镜下可观察到直径为18nm的球形病毒颗粒。最高紫外吸收在255nm,最低紫外吸收在240nm,A_(260)/A_(280)为1.30。用标准BBTV抗体通过ECL-Western转印法测定其外壳蛋白分子量为21kDa。其核酸经DNaseI、RNaseA和Mung Bean Nuclease分析,表明是约1kb的ssDNA。结果与国外文献报道一致。     

表达尾穗苋凝集素基因的转基因烟草对桃蚜(Myzus persicae)繁殖的影响(英文)

To investigate the possible function of the agglutinin from Amaranthus caudatus L. (ACA) in plant defending against insect pests, ACA cDNA was cloned by RT-PCR and the 5‘ and 3‘ sequences were confirmed by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The phloem-specific expression vector of ACA gene, pBCACAc, was constructed based on the plant binary vector pBC438 and transfered into tobacco plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. Results from PCR and Southern blotting analysis showed that AOA gene was integrated into the genomes of transformed plants and the transgene integration varied from one to four estimated copies per genome. Western blotting analysis indicated that ACA gene was transcribed and translated in the transgenic plants. The bioassay of Myzus persicae Sulzer on detached leaves demonstrated that the 78% transgenic tobacco plants displayed an average aphid-resistant rate of more than 75%. Some apterous progeny of M. persicae were found dead on the resistant plants. These results indicate that ACA gene should be an effective aphid-resistant gene and could be valuable for application in crop breeding for aphid resistance.     

不同分化程度的鼻咽癌细胞系质膜差异蛋白质组分析

本研究以CNE1和CNE2为材料,采用亚细胞蛋白质组研究方法研究不同分化程度鼻咽癌细胞系的差异蛋白质．首先用Percoll密度梯度离心法获得高纯度质膜,通过双向凝胶电泳分离、PDQuest软件分析后找出在肿瘤细胞中表达变化的蛋白质点,再用基质辅助激光解析电离飞行时间串联质谱（MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS）进行鉴定,共鉴定到9个具有2倍或2倍以上差异的蛋白质.这些表达差异的蛋白质参与了细胞分化、代谢及细胞信号传导过程．我们对其中5个蛋白质进行了实时定量PCR分析,对其中4个蛋白质的表达进行了免疫印迹验证．本试验为研究不同分化程度的鼻咽癌提供了一种蛋白质组研究方法,并且找到了galectin-1、annexin Ⅱ等一些可能与分化相关的蛋白质.这些数据对于研究鼻咽癌的生物学特性具有非常重要的意义．     

表达尾穗苋凝集素基因的转基因烟草对桃蚜(Myzus persicae)繁殖的影响

为研究尾穗苋凝集素(ACA)在植物中可能的抗虫作用,通过RH-PCR克隆了ACA cDNA并通过RACE分析证实了cDNA序列的正确性.构建了ACA基因的韧皮部特异表达载体pBCACAc并通过根癌杜菌介导转化了烟草(Nicotiana tabacum L.).PCR和Southern blot分析结果证明,ACA基因已经整合到转化再生植物的基因组中,其插入插贝数1~4个不等.对转基因烟草叶片蛋白时行行免疫反应的结果表明,ACA基因已被转录和翻译.用桃蚜(Myzuspersicae Sulzer)对转基因烟草离体叶片进行了的接虫试验结果表明,测试过的78%的烟草对桃蚜口密度增长的平均抑制率在75%以上,在抗性植株上观察到有桃蚜若虫死亡的现象.以上结果表明,ACA基因是一个有效的抗蚜基因,在作物抗蚜分子育种具有应具应用价值.     

Transformation of Arabidopsis with the codA gene for choline oxidase enhances freezing tolerance of plants

Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed with the codA gene from Arthrobacter globiformis, which encodes choline oxidase, the enzyme that synthesizes glycinebetaine from choline. The transformation enabled the plants to accumulate glycinebetaine in chloroplasts, and significantly enhanced the freezing tolerance of plants. Furthermore, the photosynthetic machinery of transformed plants was more tolerant to freezing stress than that of wild-type plants. Exogenous application of glycinebetaine also increased the freezing tolerance of wild-type plants, suggesting that the presence of glycinebetaine in transformed plants had enhanced their ability to tolerate freezing stress. Northern blotting analysis revealed that the enhancement of freezing tolerance was not related to the expression of four cold-regulated genes. These results suggest that engineering of the biosynthesis of glycinebetaine by transformation with the codA gene might be an effective method for enhancing the freezing tolerance of plants.     

Bacterial heavy metal transporter MerC increases mercury accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana

This study evaluated the feasibility of transgenic Arabidopsis engineered to express the bacterial heavy metal transporter MerC for the phytoremediation of mercury pollution. MerC, MerC–SYP121, or MerC–AtVAM3 proteins were found to be expressed in leaf segments of transgenic plants using an anti-MerC antibody immunostaining method. By sucrose density gradient centrifugation and immunoblotting analyses, MerC, MerC–SYP121, and MerC–AtVAM3 were found to localized in the Golgi apparatus, plasma membrane, and vacuole membrane, respectively. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants that expressed merC–SYP121 were more resistant to mercury and accumulated significantly more of this metal than wild-type Arabidopsis. These results demonstrated that expression of the bacterial heavy metal transporter MerC promoted the transport and accumulation of mercury in transgenic Arabidopsis, which may be a useful method for improving plants for the phytoremediation of mercury pollution.     

Evaluation of strategy for analyzing mouse liver plasma membrane proteome

Plasma membrane (PM) proteome is one of the major subproteomes present in the cell,and is very important in liver function. In the present work, C57 mouse liver PM was purified by density-gradient centrifugation. The purified PM was verified by electron microscope analysis and Western blotting. The results showed that the PM was enriched by more than 20-fold and the contamination of mitochondria was reduced by 2-fold compared with the homogenization fraction. Proteins were separated by 2DE and 1DE, trypsin-digested and submitted to ESI-Q-TOF and MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry or directly digested in solution and analyzed by LC-ESI ion trap mass spectrometry. In all, 547 non-redundant mouse liver PM proteins were identified, of which 34% contributed to plasma membrane or plasma membrane-related proteins. This study optimized and evaluated the HLPP plasma membrane proteome analysis method and made a systematic analysis on PM proteome.     

Evaluation of strategy for analyzing mouse liver plasma membrane proteome

Plasma membrane (PM) proteome is one of the major subproteomes present in the cell,and is very important in liver function. In the present work, C57 mouse liver PM was purified by density-gradient centrifugation. The purified PM was verified by electron microscope analysis and Western blotting. The results showed that the PM was enriched by more than 20-fold and the contamination of mitochondria was reduced by 2-fold compared with the homogenization fraction. Proteins were separated by 2DE and 1DE, trypsin-digested and submitted to ESI-Q-TOF and MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry or directly digested in solution and analyzed by LC-ESI ion trap mass spectrometry. In all, 547 non-redundant mouse liver PM proteins were identified, of which 34% contributed to plasma membrane or plasma membrane-related proteins. This study optimized and evaluated the HLPP plasma membrane proteome analysis method and made a systematic analysis on PM proteome.     

A tyrosine hydroxylase assay in microwells using coupled nonenzymatic decarboxylation of dopa.

A radiometric assay for tyrosine hydroxylase employing a coupled nonenzymatic decarboxylation of L-[14C]Dopa formed from L-[14C]tyrosine has been adapted for performance in a 96 microwell culture plate. The method uses an easily manufactured plate holder to compress blotting paper impregnated with methylbenzethonium hydroxide against the top rim of each well. This forms isolated, airtight compartments in which 14CO2 is evolved and quantitatively absorbed into the blotting paper. The method is sensitive enough to detect the production of less than 5 pmol of 14CO2. A major advantage of this system is that cells can be grown in tissue culture and subsequently assayed for tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the same well. The method is more facile than previously devised procedures, allowing for the simultaneous assay of up to 96 samples totally contained in a single, compact, portable unit.     

离心法分离毕赤酵母活细胞和死细胞

本文以毕赤酵母为研究对象,探索出一种分离活酵母细胞的新方法。研究发现,通过改变淋巴细胞分离液和50%聚蔗糖溶液的比例,获得不同密度的酵母细胞分离液,进而通过离心分层的方法可使毕赤酵母活细胞主要存留于离心液的上层。当酵母细胞分离液的密度为1.1467 g/mL (27.5%淋巴细胞分离液+72.5%聚蔗糖溶液),分离液上下层中酵母活细胞的分配比例差别达到最大,分别为94.67%(分离液上层)和5.33%(分离液下层)。毕赤酵母细胞浓度为4.35×108~1.13×109/mL时,活细胞在分离液上下两层的分配比例约为95%和5%。低毕赤酵母细胞存活率有利于离心分离。本方法可用于有效分离培养液中的毕赤酵母活细胞。     

AtNHX1基因对荞麦的遗传转化及抗盐再生植株的获得

通过农杆菌介导法将拟南芥液泡膜Na /H 反向转运蛋白基因AtNHX1转入荞麦中,在2·0mg/L6-BA、0·1mg/LIAA、1mg/LKT、50mg/L卡那霉素和500mg/L头孢霉素的MS培养基上进行选择培养,从来源于864块外植体的36块抗性愈伤组织中共获得426棵再生植株(转化频率为4·17%)。经PCR、Southern印迹分析、RT-PCR和Northern检测,初步证实AtNHX1基因已整合至荞麦基因组中。用200mmol/L的盐水对转基因植株和对照植株进行胁迫处理6周,转基因植株能够生存,而对照植株死亡。用不同浓度的NaCl溶液处理转基因植株和对照植株,发现Na 及脯氨酸含量在转基因植株中的积累水平显著高于对照植株,而K 的含量在转基因植株中的积累水平低于对照植株。次生代谢产物黄酮类化合物芦丁在转基因植株根、茎和叶片中的含量也比对照植株明显要高。这些结果表明利用基因工程手段提高作物的耐盐性是可行的。     

Plant virus location in leaf tissue by press blotting

A method, termed press blotting, is described which allows localization of plant virus in infected leaf tissue. Press blotting should have broad applicability to identifiying the distribution and location of proteins expressed in plants.     

Rapid purification of photosystem I chlorophyll-binding proteins by differential centrifugation and vertical rotor

Photosystem I (PSI), which consists of a core complex and light-harvesting complex I (LHCI), is an important multisubunit pigment-protein complex located in the photosynthetic membranes of cyanobacteria, algae and plants. In the present study, we described a rapid method for isolation and purification of PSI and its subfractions. For purification of PSI, crude PSI was first prepared by differential centrifugation, which was applicable on a large scale at low cost. Then PSI was purified by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation in a vertical rotor to reduce the centrifugation time from more than 20 h when using a swinging bucket rotor to only 3 h. Similarly, for subfractionation of PSI into the core complex and light-harvesting complex I, sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation in a vertical rotor was also used and it took only 4 h to obtain the PSI core, LHCI-680, and LHCI-730 at the same time. The resulting preparations were characterized by sodium dodecyl-sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), absorption spectroscopy, and 77 K fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition, their pigment composition was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and the results showed that each Lhca could bind 1.5-1.6 luteins, 1.0 Violaxanthins, and 0.8-1.1 beta-carotenes on average, demonstrating that fewer carotenoids were released than with the slower traditional centrifugation. These results showed that the rapid isolation procedure, based on differential centrifugation and sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation in a vertical rotor, was efficient, and it should significantly facilitate preparation and studies of plant PSI. Moreover, the vertical rotor, rather than the swinging bucket rotor, may be a good choice for isolation of some other proteins.     

Positive selection: a plant selection principle based on xylose isomerase, an enzyme used in the food industry

A new method for the selection of transgenic plants has been developed. It is based upon selection of transgenic plant cells expressing the xylA gene from Streptomyces rubiginosus, which encodes xylose isomerase, on medium containing xylose. The xylose isomerase selection system was tested in potato and the transformation frequency was found to be approximately ten fold higher than with kanamycin selection. The level of enzyme activity in the transgenic plants selected on xylose was 5- to 25-fold higher than the enzyme activity in control plants. Potato transformants were stable over two generations in Southern blotting analysis. This novel selection system is more efficient than the traditionally used kanamycin-based selection systems. In addition, the xylose isomerase system is independent of antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes, but depends on an enzyme that is generally recognized as safe for use in the starch industry and which is already being widely utilized in specific food processes. Received: 13 August 1997 / Revision received: 26 November 1997 / Accepted: 15 December 1997     

Artificial leaf aids analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence and P700 absorbance in studies involving microalgae

Measuring chlorophyll fluorescence and P700 absorbance has been widely used to study photosynthesis in both terrestrial plants and algae. However, in order to apply these measurement techniques to study microalgae, a concentrated suspension of algae, which is usually prepared by centrifugation, is required. In this study, instead of using centrifugation, we concentrated microalgae on a nitrocellulose membrane using filtration to create an ‘artificial leaf’ before analysis. Overall, we were able to generate values of the appropriate photosynthetic parameters that were comparable to those obtained when chlorophyll fluorescence and P700 absorbance were measured following centrifugation. There were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) between the artificial leaf method and the traditional cuvette method for determining chlorophyll fluorescence or P700 absorbance at appropriate chlorophyll concentrations. We were also able to reduce background noise by using a filter membrane as a carrier. Therefore, an artificial leaf has the potential to be a valuable tool for phycologists interested in studying microalgal photosynthesis by enabling them to eliminate tedious centrifugation steps. In addition, fluorometers commonly used for studying the leaves of higher plants will also be suitable for studying microalgae.     

A small-scale five-hour procedure for isolating multiple samples of CsCl-purified DNA: application to isolations from mammalian, insect, higher plant, algal, yeast, and bacterial sources

A rapid and simple procedure is described for obtaining CsCl-purified DNA from multiple small samples of cells or tissue. The DNA is recovered in a high-molecular-weight form (greater than or equal to 50 kb) that is readily cleaved with restriction enzymes. Sufficient quantities of DNA (10-50 micrograms) are recovered to allow multiple analyses by Southern blotting and most cloning procedures. The isolation procedure involves addition of intact cells or powders of frozen tissues directly to a simple lysis buffer containing detergent (sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium sarcosinate) and high concentrations of EDTA. Ultra-high-speed centrifugation of CsCl gradients allows the isolation of DNA from 10 different samples in as little as 5 h. Applications are described for mammalian cells (HeLa cells), insect tissues (Drosophila melanogaster adults and pupa, Manduca sexta pupa, and Musca domestica pupa), higher plant tissues (Vicia faba leaves and meristems), algal cells (walled and wall-less Chlamydomonas reinhardi), yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and bacterial cells (Escherichia coli spheroplasts for preparation of both chromosomal and plasmid DNA). The procedure can be scaled up with larger sample sizes and longer centrifugation times to provide bulk quantities of DNA.     

Transgenic wheat progeny resistant to powdery mildew generated by Agrobacterium inoculum to the basal portion of wheat seedling

To improve the transformation efficiency of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, we explored the possibility of employing the basal portion of wheat seedling (shoot apical meristem) as the explants. Three genotypes of wheat were transformed by A. tumefaciens carrying β-1, 3-glucanase gene. After vernalization, the seeds to be transformed were germinated. When these seedlings grew up to 2∼5 cm, their coleoptile and half of the cotyledon were cut out, and the basal portions were infected by A. tumefaciens. A total 27 T₀ transgenic plants were obtained, and the average transformation efficiency was as high as 9.82%. Evident segregation occurred in some of the T₁ plants, as was indicated by PCR and Southern blotting analysis. Investigation of the T₂ plants revealed that some transformed plants had higher resistance to powdery mildew than the controls. Northern blotting revealed that β-1, 3-glucanase gene was normally expressed in the T₂ plants, which showed an increased resistance to powdery mildew. The results above indicate that the exogenous gene has been successfully integrated into the genome of wheat, transmitted and expressed in the transgenic progeny. From all the results above, it can be concluded that Agrobacterium inoculum to the basal portion of wheat seedling is a highly efficient and dependable transformation method. It can be developed into a practicable method for transfer of target gene into wheat.Tong-Jin Zhao and Shuang-Yi Zhao contributed equally to this paper.     

The low molecular mass PsbW protein is involved in the stabilization of the dimeric photosystem II complex in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana plants have been transformed with an antisense gene to the psbW of photosystem II (PSII). Eight transgenic lines containing low levels of psbW mRNA have been obtained. Transgenic seedlings with low contents of PsbW protein (more than 96% reduced) were selected by Western blotting and used for photosynthetic functional studies. There were no distinct differences in phenotype between the antisense and wild type plants during vegetative period under normal growth light intensities. However, a sucrose gradient separation of briefly solubilized thylakoid membranes revealed that no dimeric PSII supracomplex could be detected in the transgenic plants lacking the PsbW protein. Furthermore, analysis of isolated thylakoids demonstrated that the oxygen-evolving rate in antisense plants decreased by 50% compared with the wild type. This was found to be due to up to 40% of D1 and D2 reaction center proteins of PSII disappearing in the transgenic plants. The absence of the PsbW protein also altered the contents of other PSII proteins to differing extents. These results show that in the absence of the PsbW protein, the stability of the dimeric PSII is diminished and consequently the total number of PSII complexes is greatly reduced. Thus the nuclear encoded PsbW protein may play a crucial role in the biogenesis and regulation of the photosynthetic apparatus.