人白细胞介素2受体(IL-2R)cDNA在哺乳类细胞中表达的初步研究

按DNA-磷酸钙共沉淀法将人白细胞介素2受体(IL-2R)cDNA转染小鼠成纤维细胞L929,经RNA点渍杂交分析、荧光标记IL-2染色和抗Tac(人IL-2受体α链)特异性玫瑰花环试验,均证明转入的IL-2R cDNA在L929细胞中表达,其产物具有结合IL-2和抗Tac抗体的能力。本文还报道了T细胞白血病Jukat细胞和Molt-4等细胞系异常表达IL-2R的结果,并对此作了分析和讨论。     

重组人粒细胞集落刺激因子Cdna在哺乳动物细胞中高效表达的研究

利用PCR反应、DNA测序、基因重组等技术,构建了两个表达人粒细胞集落刺激因子cDNA的重组质粒pED－GCSF和pEF－GCSF,两质粒分别转染COS7细胞作瞬时表达,转染CHO－dhfr－细胞作稳定表达。结果两质粒在COS7细胞和CHO细胞均获得了表达,pED－GCSF转染COS7细胞48h、72h的表达量分别为5.2×10⁴pg/ml和2.3×10⁵pg/ml,pEF－GCSF转染COS7细胞后48h、72h的表达量分别为2.8×10⁵pg/ml和1.4×10⁵pg/ml。转染CHO－dhfr－细胞,随着加入的氨甲喋呤(MTX)浓度升高,CHO－dhfr+克隆数减少,但平均每个克隆的rhG－CSF表达量升高,在0.5μmol/L MTX下最高表达rhG－CSF细胞株的量是4.46μg/ml/3d。且表达的rhG－CSF注射小鼠腹腔可提高小鼠外周血白细胞的数量。     

cDNA Cloning of the Cry1Aa Receptor Variants from Bombyx mori and Their Expression in Mammalian Cells

We cloned cDNA of three variants of BtR175, a putative Bombyx mori receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa δ-endotoxin by PCR. These variants were likely to be allelic to BtR175. cDNA of BtR175b, the most distant variant from BtR175, was introduced into mammalian cells. BtR175b protein was expressed in the plasma membrane of the cells and showed binding activity to Cry1Aa.     

An Effective Method for Selecting siRNA Target Sequences in Mammalian Cells

RNA interference is a gene-silencing phenomenon triggered by dsRNA (double-stranded RNA) and has been widely used for studying gene functions. The short interfering RNA (siRNA) responsible for RNA interference, however, varies markedly in its gene-silencing efficacy. Because this efficacy depends on the selected target sequences, we developed an effective selection method based on the gene degradation measure (priority score) defined by positional features of individual nucleotides. We tested this method experimentally by using it to select new siRNA target sequences in the homo sapiens cyclin B1 gene (CCNB1) and confirmed that it selected highly effective gene-silencing sequences. The proposed method will therefore be useful for selecting new siRNA target sequences in mammalian cells.     

Comparative Studies of Various Artificial microRNA Expression Vectors for RNAi in Mammalian Cells

Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) has recently become an important RNA interference (RNAi) technology for gene therapy and gene function studies. Here nine expression strategies were employed to construct plasmid vectors expressing amiRNA (amiR-Fluc) against firefly luciferase (Fluc). Our results indicate that all nine vectors can successfully produce mature amiR-Fluc and specifically suppress the expression of Fluc, although the RNAi efficiency in different mammalian cells displays obvious differences. Among these nine vectors, three can efficiently co-express DsRed reporter gene linked with amiR-Fluc cassette. Moreover, the recommended number of concatenated amiRNAs in a multi-amiRNA expression vector should not be more than four, and the relative position of an amiRNA in the multi-amiRNA expression vector has no apparent influence on its RNAi activity. In summary, all these results described here provide valuable information for the rational design and application of amiRNA expression vector.     

Baculovirus IE2 Stimulates the Expression of Heat Shock Proteins in Insect and Mammalian Cells to Facilitate Its Proper Functioning

Baculoviruses have gained popularity as pest control agents and for protein production in insect systems. These viruses are also becoming popular for gene expression, tissue engineering and gene therapy in mammalian systems. Baculovirus infection triggers a heat shock response, and this response is crucial for its successful infection of host insect cells. However, the viral protein(s) or factor(s) that trigger this response are not yet clear. Previously, we revealed that IE2-an early gene product of the baculovirus-could form unique nuclear bodies for the strong trans-activation of various promoters in mammalian cells. Here, we purified IE2 nuclear bodies from Vero E6 cells and investigated the associated proteins by using mass spectrometry. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) were found to be one of the major IE2-associated proteins. Our experiments show that HSPs are greatly induced by IE2 and are crucial for the trans-activation function of IE2. Interestingly, blocking both heat shock protein expression and the proteasome pathway preserved the IE2 protein and its nuclear body structure, and revived its function. These observations reveal that HSPs do not function directly to assist the formation of the nuclear body structure, but may rather protect IE2 from proteasome degradation. Aside from functional studies in mammalian cells, we also show that HSPs were stimulated and required to determine IE2 protein levels, in insect cells infected with baculovirus. Upon inhibiting the expression of heat shock proteins, baculovirus IE2 was substantially suppressed, resulting in a significantly suppressed viral titer. Thus, we demonstrate a unique feature in that IE2 can function in both insect and non-host mammalian cells to stimulate HSPs, which may be associated with IE2 stabilization and lead to the protection of the its strong gene activation function in mammalian cells. On the other hand, during viral infection in insect cells, IE2 could also strongly stimulate HSPs and ultimately affect viral replication.     

An Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) Mutant Library for Tuning Expression Level of Multiple Genes in Mammalian Cells

A set of mutated Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements with varying strengths is generated by mutating the translation initiation codons of 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th AUG to non-AUG triplets. They are able to control the relative expression of multiple genes over a wide range in mammalian cells in both transient and stable transfections. The relative strength of each IRES mutant remains similar in different mammalian cell lines and is not gene specific. The expressed proteins have correct molecular weights. Optimization of light chain over heavy chain expression by these IRES mutants enhances monoclonal antibody expression level and quality in stable transfections. Uses of this set of IRES mutants can be extended to other applications such as synthetic biology, investigating interactions between proteins and its complexes, cell engineering, multi-subunit protein production, gene therapy, and reprogramming of somatic cells into stem cells.     

人牛精浆蛋白相关新基因的cDNA克隆、定位和表达

为了研究牛精浆 (bovineseminalplasma ,BSP)蛋白及其相关蛋白在受精及受精卵发育中的重要作用 ,寻找BSP蛋白相关新基因 .采用cDNA末端快速扩增 (RACE)技术 ,克隆了一个BSP蛋白相关基因的cDNA序列 .应用辐射杂种细胞系 (RH)技术进行了基因染色体定位 .通过RT PCR检测了该基因在人体各组织中的表达情况 .并将该基因编码的蛋白进行了原核表达 .新基因的cDNA长度为 10 5 2bp ,其开放阅读框架 (ORF)编码了一个含 2 2 3个氨基酸残基的蛋白质 ,氨基酸序列中含有 4个纤连蛋白Ⅱ结构域 ,与BSP蛋白在结构上具有一定的相似性 ,称其为人BSP相关蛋白 (humanBSP relatedproteins ,HBRP) .该基因定位于染色体 19q13,在大肠杆菌中表达为 5 2kD的融合蛋白 .研究结果提示 ,应用RACE方法克隆了一种新的人类与BSP蛋白相关的基因 ,推测其编码蛋白是与BSP蛋白功能相关的结合蛋白 ,通过基因重组技术大量获得表达蛋白 ,对进一步研究新蛋白的生物学功能具有重要的意义 .     

Molecular Cloning of a Rat Brain cDNA,with Homology to a Tyrosine Kinase Substrate,that Induces Galactosylceramide Expression in COS-7 Cells

Abstract: A rat brain cDNA clone has been isolated, using a eukaryotic cell transient expression system in conjunction with an anti-galactosylceramide (anti-GalCer) monoclonal antibody that induces GalCer expression in COS-7 cells. The protein was designated as GalCer expression factor-1 (GEF-1). A good correlation between GalCer expression and the level of the enzyme activity of UDP-galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase (CGT) was demonstrated. The cDNA insert encoded a polypeptide of 771 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 85,787 Da. The cDNA hybridized to a single mRNA of 3.1 kb in all rat organs examined, including brain, testis, and skeletal muscle. The cDNA product was determined to be a tyrosine-phosphorylated protein with a molecular mass of 110 kDa in transfected COS-7 cells and adult rat brain. COS-7 cells transfected with the cDNA clone showed dramatic morphological changes: The transfected cells appeared to be fibroblast-like cells, whereas the parent COS-7 cells were typical epithelial-like cells. The deduced amino acid sequences revealed a strikingly high homology to a mouse hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate but no homology to CGT. Taking these results together, it is suggested that GEF-1 may play an important role in regulating GalCer expression in the brain.     

An Efficient Method of Selectable Marker Gene Excision by Xer Recombination for Gene Replacement in Bacterial Chromosomes

A simple, effective method of unlabeled, stable gene insertion into bacterial chromosomes has been developed. This utilizes an insertion cassette consisting of an antibiotic resistance gene flanked by dif sites and regions homologous to the chromosomal target locus. dif is the recognition sequence for the native Xer site-specific recombinases responsible for chromosome and plasmid dimer resolution: XerC/XerD in Escherichia coli and RipX/CodV in Bacillus subtilis. Following integration of the insertion cassette into the chromosomal target locus by homologous recombination, these recombinases act to resolve the two directly repeated dif sites to a single site, thus excising the antibiotic resistance gene. Previous approaches have required the inclusion of exogenous site-specific recombinases or transposases in trans; our strategy demonstrates that this is unnecessary, since an effective recombination system is already present in bacteria. The high recombination frequency makes the inclusion of a counter-selectable marker gene unnecessary.     

Studies on Rabies Virus RNA Polymerase: 1. cDNA Cloning of the Catalytic Subunit (L Protein) of Avirulent HEP-Flury Strain and Its Expression in Animal Cells

To investigate the RNA polymerase of rabies virus, we cloned a cDNA of the catalytic subunit (called L protein because of its large molecular size) of the HEP-Flury strain, an avirulent strain obtained by high frequencies of serial embryonated hen egg passages. Nucleotide sequencing showed that the cDNA encodes a long polypeptide of 2,127 amino acids (Mr. 242,938). A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with that of other strains (PV and SAD B19) indicated that the sequence was highly conserved, except for several amino acid substitutions which were accumulated in some limited regions. A fragment of the cDNA was used for expression in Escherichia coli (E. coli) to prepare the L antigen for raising the antibodies in rabbits. Immunoprecipitation studies with the rabbit antiserum showed that the polypeptides produced in the L cDNA-transfected COS-7 cells displayed almost the same electrophoretic mobility as that of authentic L protein. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that both L and P (another subunit of RNA polymerase) proteins displayed colocalized distribution with the nucleocapsid antigen (N) in the cytoplasmic inclusion bodies, where envelope proteins (G and M) were absent. On the other hand, expression of the L protein alone did not cause inclusion body-like granular distribution, suggesting that the inclusion body-like accumulation depends on certain interaction(s) with other viral gene products, probably with the ribonucleoproteins comprising the inclusion bodies.     

An Alternative Method for Evaluating Soybean Tolerance to Heterodera glycines in Field Plots

Alternate planting dates and periodic destruction of the previous year''s soybean crop as well as 1-year bare fallow were used to establish a range of population densities ofHeterodera glycines for the subsequent year. Soybean cultivar Coker 156 (susceptible, moderately tolerant) was compared to cultivars Essex (susceptible, intolerant) and Bedford (resistant) to evaluate tolerance at different H. glycines population densities established through the previous year''s treatments. Yield of Coker 156 was consistently intermediate between yields of Bedford and Essex in 1986 and 1987. Yield of Essex was negatively correlated (P = 0.05) with preplant egg numbers of H. glycines in 1987, whereas yield of Bedford and Coker 156 were not related to nematode density. Reproduction of H. glycines was greater (P = 0.05) on the moderately tolerant Coker 156 than on either of the other cultivars.     

Selection of Reference Genes for Gene Expression Studies Related to Intramuscular Fat Deposition in Capra hircus Skeletal Muscle

The identification of suitable reference genes is critical for obtaining reliable results from gene expression studies using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) because the expression of reference genes may vary considerably under different experimental conditions. In most cases, however, commonly used reference genes are employed in data normalization without proper validation, which may lead to incorrect data interpretation. Here, we aim to select a set of optimal reference genes for the accurate normalization of gene expression associated with intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition during development. In the present study, eight reference genes (PPIB, HMBS, RPLP0, B2M, YWHAZ, 18S, GAPDH and ACTB) were evaluated by three different algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper) in two types of muscle tissues (longissimus dorsi muscle and biceps femoris muscle) across different developmental stages. All three algorithms gave similar results. PPIB and HMBS were identified as the most stable reference genes, while the commonly used reference genes 18S and GAPDH were the most variably expressed, with expression varying dramatically across different developmental stages. Furthermore, to reveal the crucial role of appropriate reference genes in obtaining a reliable result, analysis of PPARG expression was performed by normalization to the most and the least stable reference genes. The relative expression levels of PPARG normalized to the most stable reference genes greatly differed from those normalized to the least stable one. Therefore, evaluation of reference genes must be performed for a given experimental condition before the reference genes are used. PPIB and HMBS are the optimal reference genes for analysis of gene expression associated with IMF deposition in skeletal muscle during development.     

荧光定量RT-PCR检测血管内皮细胞PAI-1 mRNA方法的建立

为了建立用荧光定量PCR检测人微血管内皮细胞纤溶酶原激活剂抑制物-1（PAI-1）mRNA表达的方法。提取人微血管内皮细总RNA,经RT-PCR获得靶基因（PAI-1）及管家基因（β-actin）的PCR产物。纯化后,作为标准品梯度稀释,采用SYBR Green I定量PCR检测,建立标准曲线。方法学考核参数为特异性、线性范围、灵敏性和重复性。分析全反式维甲酸对内皮细胞表达PAI-1 mRNA的干预效果。这种定量方法特异性好,检测的灵敏度达10^3拷贝,线性范围为10^4-10^10拷贝,循环阈值与PCR体系中起始模板量的对数值之间有着良好的线性关系（r^2〉0.990）,批内变异≤4.93%,批间变异≤9.12%。全反式维甲酸能上调内皮细胞PAI-1 mRNA的表达,且呈剂量依赖性。因此,荧光定量RT-PCR检测血管内皮细胞PAI-1基因表达的方法有助于溶栓药物药理学的研究和新药筛选。     

Perfusion Method for Assaying Microbial Activities in Sediments: Applicability to Studies of N2 Fixation by C2H2 Reduction

A perfusion method for assaying nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) in marine sediments was developed. The method was used to assay sediment cores from Spartina alterniflora (salt marsh), Zostera marina (sea grass), and Thalassia testudinum (sea grass) communities, and the results were compared with those of conventional sealed-flask assays. Rates of ethylene production increased progressively with time in the perfusion assays, reaching plateau values of 2 to 3 nmol · g of dry sediment⁻¹ · h⁻¹ by 10 to 20 h. Depletion of interstitial NH₄⁺ was implicated in this stimulation of nitrogenase activity. Initial acetylene reduction rates determined by the perfusion assay of cores from the Spartina community ranged from 0.15 to 0.60 nmol of C₂H₄ · g of dry sediment⁻¹ · h⁻¹. These rates were similar to those for sediments assayed in sealed flasks without seawater when determined over linear periods of C₂H₄ production. Initial values obtained by using the perfusion method were 0.66 nmol of C₂H₄ · g of dry sediment⁻¹ · h⁻¹ for sediments from Zostera communities and 0.70 nmol of C₂H₄ · g of dry sediment⁻¹ · h⁻¹ for sediments from Thalassia communities. In all cases, rates determined by simultaneous slurry assays were lower than those determined by the perfusion method.