植物低温诱导蛋白和低温诱导基因的表达调控

对于温带作物而言,耐冷是一种重要的农艺性状,它对作物的安全越冬和生存起决定作用。阐明冷驯化的形成机理无疑对提高作物的耐冻性使之免遭冰冻伤害具重要意义。自从1906年Wiegand提出研究冻害机制的重要性以来,已经发表了数以千计的文章来探讨低温胁迫对植物形态结构和生理     

siRNA表达载体的构建及其表达

本研究用限制性内切酶消化质粒pCMV-tag-2B,除去巨细胞病毒(Cytomegalovirus,CMV)启动子核苷酸序列,剩下的核苷酸序列作为构建表达siRNA(Small interfering RNA,siRNA)载体的前体。依据文献提供的扩增H1RNA启动子核苷酸序列的引物序列合成一对引物,以带有H1RNA启动子序列的质粒DNA为模板扩增HIRNA启动子序列,插入前体,构建SiRNA的表达载体pCH1。另外将H1RNA启动子插入pGEM．1lfz相应位点,构建瞬时表达载体pGHl。依据EGFP的有效SiRNA抑制位点,合成两条分别为64bp的核苷酸链,通过体外退火,形成双链,然后插入已构建的两个表达载体。将这两个载体分别与表达EGFP蛋白的质粒pEGFP．N3共转染Bel．7402细胞,观察siRNA对EGFP的抑制效应。研究结果表明构建的载体有效表达了siRNA,这些载体可以用于与siRNA相关抗病毒治疗性试验研究。     

一种低温表达型T载体及其应用

在现代生物学和生物技术研究中,通过基因重组表达获得目标蛋白已成为常规技术。因其培养简单、操作方便、遗传背景清楚、克隆表达技术成熟,大肠杆菌表达系统通常是人们表达重组蛋白的首选。但是在常规温度下进行基因的重组表达,动、植物和常温微生物的基因产物多数在数小时内变性沉淀;还有一些重组蛋白对宿主具有细胞毒性,难以得到重组表达。因此,我们构建了1种新型T载体——pEXC-T;它结合TA克隆技术和低温诱导表达功能,具有表达水平高、操作方便、目标蛋白得到分子伴侣保护和低温保存等特点。采用构建和优化的pEXC载体,P1抗原蛋白、溶血素PLO两种不稳定性蛋白在pEXC中都实现了高效的可溶性表达。低温表达系统p EXC的建立和发展为蛋白质的结构与功能的研究,以及抗原和药用蛋白的制备提供了便利的途径。     

siRNA表达载体的构建及其表达

本研究用限制性内切酶消化质粒pCMV-tag-2B,除去巨细胞病毒(Cytomegalovirus,CMV)启动子核苷酸序列,剩下的核苷酸序列作为构建表达siRNA(Smallinterfering RNA,siRNA)载体的前体.依据文献提供的扩增H1 RNA启动子核苷酸序列的引物序列合成一对引物,以带有H1 RNA启动子序列的质粒DNA为模板扩增H1RNA启动子序列,插入前体,构建SiRNA的表达载体pCH1.另外将H1 RNA启动子插入pGEM-11fz相应位点,构建瞬时表达载体pGH1.依据EGFP的有效SiRNA抑制位点,合成两条分别为64bp的核苷酸链,通过体外退火,形成双链,然后插入已构建的两个表达载体.将这两个载体分别与表达EGFP蛋白的质粒pEGFP-N3共转染Bel-7402细胞,观察siRNA对EGFP的抑制效应.研究结果表明构建的载体有效表达了siRNA,这些载体可以用于与siRNA相关抗病毒治疗性试验研究.     

通用型转铁蛋白融合表达载体的构建及应用价值

构建通用型转铁蛋白融合表达载体,利用PCR方法扩增编码人转铁蛋白N端半分子的基因片段,通过酶切、连接、转化等分子克隆方法构建通用型转铁蛋白融合表达载体。PCR扩增了一个长约1.1 kb的包含ScaI酶切位点的基因片段,插入pPICZα的PmlI和XbaI酶切位点,转化后进行菌液PCR鉴定,成功获得重组子pPICZα-TfN,测序结果表明载体构建成功,重组质粒pPICZα-TfN能被ScaI酶切。本研究成功构建通用型转铁蛋白融合表达载体,构建的载体可以用于转铁蛋白融合表达载体的构建。     

一个热诱导穿梭表达载体的构建及其在链霉菌中的应用

为探索大肠杆菌λ噬菌体表达调控元件在链霉菌中的应用,构建了一个链霉菌大肠杆菌穿梭表达载体pHZ1080,并将来自链霉菌FR-008的聚酮合酶(PKS)基因置于其中的λ噬菌体启动子P_R下游,得到表达PKS的穿梭质粒pHZ1067。与在大肠杆菌中一样,该质粒在变铅青链霉菌中也受热诱导表达100kD的PKS蛋白;表达的PKS蛋白可由SDSPAGE和Western-blot实验检测到。PKS在链霉菌中的热诱导表达表明,构建的载体也能用于链霉菌诱导表达外源基因。       

几丁质酶基因表达载体pET-chiB的构建及其在大肠杆菌中的诱导表达

几丁质酶在降解几丁质的过程中起着重要作用,目前人们已从不同微生物体中分离并克隆出了多种几丁质酶基因。实验以pET-22b( )为载体,利用从粘质沙雷氏菌(Serratia marcescens)克隆出的chiB基因,构建出原核生物表达载体pET-chiB。通过表达载体pET-chiB的诱导表达,实验结果显示该基因表达的蛋白为可溶性蛋白,其分子量约为52 kD。利用不同参数包括时间、IPTG浓度和温度诱导表达载体pET-chiB表达并对表达产物进行SDS-PAGE分析,结果显示其诱导表达的最佳参数分别为4 h,0.5 mmol/L和25℃。这些结果为几丁质酶基因的进一步研究和几丁质酶工程菌生产奠定了良好的工作基础。     

中国人肥胖基因克隆及其原核表达载体的构建

为了探讨人肥胖基因的生理和病理意义,利用逆转录－聚合酶链式反应（ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ）方法,从中国汉族成人腹膜后脂肪组织总ＲＮＡ中扩增出肥胖基因编码区序列（ＣＤＮＡ）,定向亚克隆至ＰＵＣ１９质粒,克隆的ＯＢＣＤＮＡ不含信号肽序列并加入了亲折起始密友子ＡＴＧ〈序列分析表明,与日本报道的人ＯＢＣＤＮＡ相比,多出一个谷氨酸密码子ＣＡＧ,将ＯＢＣＤＮＡ定向克隆至原功体ＰＢＶ２２０,构建了重组ＯＢ基因表达质粒ＰＢＶ     

pGEX-L系列表达载体的构建

对ｐＧＥＸ系列表达载体的多克隆位点（ＭＣＳ）进行了改造,改造前ＭＣＳ上仅有ＢａｍＨＩ、ＳｍａＩ和ＥｃｏＲＩ三个酶切位点。改造后的ＭＣＳ上含有８个酶切位点,它们分别是ＢａｍＨＩ、ＳａｃＩ、ＡｖａＩ、ＸｈｏＩ、ＢｇｌⅡ、ｐｓｔⅠ、ＫｐｎＩ和ＥｃｏＲＩ,改造后构建形成的ｐＧＥＸ－Ｌ系列载体对目的基因的插入有更强的适应性。     

新型大肠杆菌高效表达载体pHsh的构建与应用

在现代生物学和生物技术研究中,通过基因的重组表达获得目标蛋白是一种应用最广泛的方法。因其培养简单、操作方便、遗传背景清楚、克隆表达系统成熟完善,大肠杆菌表达系统通常是人们表达重组蛋白的首选,而表达载体在重组蛋白的生产中起决定作用。pHsh及其衍生质粒是近年发展起来的新型大肠杆菌表达载体,其调控外源基因表达的原理不同于所有其他表达系统,并且具有表达水平高、成本低廉等特点。介绍大肠杆菌表达系统的组成和常用表达载体,并对由pHsh系列载体组成的Hsh表达体系的构建策略、表达调控机制及其使用方法进行综述。Hsh表达体系的建立和发展有望从一个不同的角度帮助解决基因的重组表达中常见的表达水平低、诱导剂成本高、包涵体形成等问题。     

Two functional domains of the epsilon subunit of DNA polymerase III

The epsilon subunit is the 3'-->5' proofreading exonuclease that associates with the alpha and theta subunits in the E. coli DNA polymerase III. Two fragments of the epsilon protein were prepared, and binding of these epsilon fragments with alpha and theta was investigated using gel filtration chromatography and exonuclease stimulation assays. The N-terminal fragment of epsilon, containing amino acids 2-186 (epsilon186), is a relatively protease-resistant core domain of the exonuclease. The purified recombinant epsilon186 protein catalyzes the cleavage of 3' terminal nucleotides, demonstrating that the exonuclease domain of epsilon is present in the N-terminal region of the protein. The absence of the C-terminal 57 amino acids of epsilon in the epsilon186 protein reduces the binding affinity of epsilon186 for alpha by at least 400-fold relative to the binding affinity of epsilon for alpha. In addition, stimulation of the epsilon186 exonuclease by alpha using a partial duplex DNA is about 50-fold lower than stimulation of the epsilon exonuclease by alpha. These results indicate that the C-terminal region of epsilon is required in the epsilonalpha association. To directly demonstrate that the C-terminal region of epsilon contains the alpha-association domain fusion protein, constructs containing the maltose-binding protein (MBP) and fragments of the C-terminal region of epsilon were prepared. Gel filtration analysis demonstrates that the alpha-association domain of epsilon is contained within the C-terminal 40 amino acids of epsilon. Also, the epsilon186 protein forms a tight complex with theta, demonstrating that the association of theta with epsilon is localized to the N-terminal region of epsilon. Association of epsilon186 and theta is further supported by the stimulation of the epsilon186 exonuclease in the presence of theta. These data support the concept that epsilon contains a catalytic domain located within the N-terminal region and an alpha-association domain located within the C-terminal region of the protein.     

Structure of the theta subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III in complex with the epsilon subunit

The catalytic core of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III contains three tightly associated subunits, the alpha, epsilon, and theta subunits. The theta subunit is the smallest and least understood subunit. The three-dimensional structure of theta in a complex with the unlabeled N-terminal domain of the epsilon subunit, epsilon186, was determined by multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The structure was refined using pseudocontact shifts that resulted from inserting a lanthanide ion (Dy3+, Er3+, or Ho3+) at the active site of epsilon186. The structure determination revealed a three-helix bundle fold that is similar to the solution structures of theta in a methanol-water buffer and of the bacteriophage P1 homolog, HOT, in aqueous buffer. Conserved nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) patterns obtained for free and complexed theta show that most of the structure changes little upon complex formation. Discrepancies with respect to a previously published structure of free theta (Keniry et al., Protein Sci. 9:721-733, 2000) were attributed to errors in the latter structure. The present structure satisfies the pseudocontact shifts better than either the structure of theta in methanol-water buffer or the structure of HOT. satisfies these shifts. The epitope of epsilon186 on theta was mapped by NOE difference spectroscopy and was found to involve helix 1 and the C-terminal part of helix 3. The pseudocontact shifts indicated that the helices of theta are located about 15 A or farther from the lanthanide ion in the active site of epsilon186, in agreement with the extensive biochemical data for the theta-epsilon system.     

The theta subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III: a role in stabilizing the epsilon proofreading subunit

The function of the theta subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is not well established. theta is a tightly bound component of the DNA polymerase III core, which contains the alpha subunit (polymerase), the epsilon subunit (3'-->5' exonuclease), and the theta subunit, in the linear order alpha-epsilon-theta. Previous studies have shown that the theta subunit is not essential, as strains carrying a deletion of the holE gene (which encodes theta) proved fully viable. No significant phenotypic effects of the holE deletion could be detected, as the strain displayed normal cell health, morphology, and mutation rates. On the other hand, in vitro experiments have indicated the efficiency of the 3'-exonuclease activity of epsilon to be modestly enhanced by the presence of theta. Here, we report a series of genetic experiments that suggest that theta has a stabilizing role for the epsilon proofreading subunit. The observations include (i) defined DeltaholE mutator effects in mismatch-repair-defective mutL backgrounds, (ii) strong DeltaholE mutator effects in certain proofreading-impaired dnaQ strains, and (iii) yeast two- and three-hybrid experiments demonstrating enhancement of alpha-epsilon interactions by the presence of theta. theta appears conserved among gram-negative organisms which have an exonuclease subunit that exists as a separate protein (i.e., not part of the polymerase polypeptide), and the presence of theta might be uniquely beneficial in those instances where the proofreading 3'-exonuclease is not part of the polymerase polypeptide.     

The proofreading exonuclease subunit epsilon of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III is tethered to the polymerase subunit alpha via a flexible linker

Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is composed of 10 different subunits linked by noncovalent interactions. The polymerase activity resides in the α-subunit. The ε-subunit, which contains the proofreading exonuclease site within its N-terminal 185 residues, binds to α via a segment of 57 additional C-terminal residues, and also to θ, whose function is less well defined. The present study shows that θ greatly enhances the solubility of ε during cell-free synthesis. In addition, synthesis of ε in the presence of θ and α resulted in a soluble ternary complex that could readily be purified and analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. Cell-free synthesis of ε from PCR-amplified DNA coupled with site-directed mutagenesis and selective ¹⁵N-labeling provided site-specific assignments of NMR resonances of ε that were confirmed by lanthanide-induced pseudocontact shifts. The data show that the proofreading domain of ε is connected to α via a flexible linker peptide comprising over 20 residues. This distinguishes the α : ε complex from other proofreading polymerases, which have a more rigid multidomain structure.     

DNA replication defect in Salmonella typhimurium mutants lacking the editing (epsilon) subunit of DNA polymerase III.

In Salmonella typhimurium, dnaQ null mutants (encoding the epsilon editing subunit of DNA polymerase III [Pol III]) exhibit a severe growth defect when the genetic background is otherwise wild type. Suppression of the growth defect requires both a mutation affecting the alpha (polymerase) subunit of DNA polymerase III and adequate levels of DNA polymerase I. In the present paper, we report on studies that clarify the nature of the physiological defect imposed by the loss of epsilon and the mechanism of its suppression. Unsuppressed dnaQ mutants exhibited chronic SOS induction, indicating exposure of single-stranded DNA in vivo, most likely as gaps in double-stranded DNA. Suppression of the growth defect was associated with suppression of SOS induction. Thus, Pol I and the mutant Pol III combined to reduce the formation of single-stranded DNA or accelerate its maturation to double-stranded DNA. Studies with mutants in major DNA repair pathways supported the view that the defect in DNA metabolism in dnaQ mutants was at the level of DNA replication rather than of repair. The requirement for Pol I was satisfied by alleles of the gene for Pol I encoding polymerase activity or by rat DNA polymerase beta (which exhibits polymerase activity only). Consequently, normal growth is restored to dnaQ mutants when sufficient polymerase activity is provided and this compensatory polymerase activity can function independently of Pol III. The high level of Pol I polymerase activity may be required to satisfy the increased demand for residual DNA synthesis at regions of single-stranded DNA generated by epsilon-minus pol III. The emphasis on adequate polymerase activity in dnaQ mutants is also observed in the purified alpha subunit containing the suppressor mutation, which exhibits a modestly elevated intrinsic polymerase activity relative to that of wild-type alpha.     

The epsilon subunit of DNA polymerase III Is involved in the nalidixic acid-induced SOS response in Escherichia coli

Quinolone antibacterial drugs such as nalidixic acid target DNA gyrase in Escherichia coli. These inhibitors bind to and stabilize a normally transient covalent protein-DNA intermediate in the gyrase reaction cycle, referred to as the cleavage complex. Stabilization of the cleavage complex is necessary but not sufficient for cell killing--cytotoxicity apparently results from the conversion of cleavage complexes into overt DNA breaks by an as-yet-unknown mechanism(s). Quinolone treatment induces the bacterial SOS response in a RecBC-dependent manner, arguing that cleavage complexes are somehow converted into double-stranded breaks. However, the only proteins known to be required for SOS induction by nalidixic acid are RecA and RecBC. In hopes of identifying additional proteins involved in the cytotoxic response to nalidixic acid, we screened for E. coli mutants specifically deficient in SOS induction upon nalidixic acid treatment by using a dinD::lacZ reporter construct. From a collection of SOS partially constitutive mutants with disruptions of 47 different genes, we found that dnaQ insertion mutants are specifically deficient in the SOS response to nalidixic acid. dnaQ encodes DNA polymerase III epsilon subunit, the proofreading subunit of the replicative polymerase. The deficient response to nalidixic acid was rescued by the presence of the wild-type dnaQ gene, confirming involvement of the epsilon subunit. To further characterize the SOS deficiency of dnaQ mutants, we analyzed the expression of several additional SOS genes in response to nalidixic acid using real-time PCR. A subset of SOS genes lost their response to nalidixic acid in the dnaQ mutant strain, while two tested SOS genes (recA and recN) continued to exhibit induction. These results argue that the replication complex plays a role in modulating the SOS response to nalidixic acid and that the response is more complex than a simple on/off switch.     

Molecular cloning and expression during development of the Drosophila gene for the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase epsilon

We have cloned the genomic DNA and cDNA of Drosophila DNA polymerase epsilon (pol-epsilon) catalytic subunit (GenBank No. AB035512). The gene is separated into four exons by three short introns, and the open reading frame consists of 6660 base pairs (bp) capable of encoding a polypeptide of 2220 amino acid residues. The calculated molecular mass is 255018, similar to that of mammalian and yeast homologues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the pol-epsilon catalytic subunit shares approximately 41% identity with human and mouse homologues as well as significant homology those of C. elegans, S. cerevisiae and S. pombe. Similar to the pol-epsilon catalytic subunits from other species, the pol-epsilon catalytic subunit contains domains for DNA polymerization and 3'-5' exonuclease in the N-terminal region, and two potential zinc-finger domains in the C-terminal regions. Interestingly, a 38 amino acid sequence in the C-terminal region from amino acid positions 1823 to 1861 is similar to the site for Mycoplasma ATP binding and/or ATPase domain (GenBank No. P47365). Northern hybridization analysis indicated that the gene is expressed at the highest levels in unfertilized eggs, followed by zero to 4h embryos and adult females, and then embryos at other embryonic stages, instar larva stages and adult males. Low levels of the mRNA were also detected at the pupa stage. This pattern of expression is similar to those of DNA replication-related enzymes such as DNA polymerase alpha and delta except for the high level of expression in adult males.     

Preliminary X-ray crystallographic and NMR studies on the exonuclease domain of the epsilon subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III

The structured core of the N-terminal 3'-5' exonuclease domain of epsilon, the proofreading subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III, was defined by multidimensional NMR experiments with uniformly (15)N-labeled protein: it comprises residues between Ile-4 and Gln-181. A 185-residue fragment, termed epsilon(1-185), was crystallized by the hanging drop vapor diffusion method in the presence of thymidine-5'-monophosphate, a product inhibitor, and Mn(2+) at pH 5.8. The crystals are tetragonal, with typical dimensions 0.2 mm x 0.2 mm x 1.0 mm, grow over about 2 weeks at 4 degrees C, and diffract X-rays to 2.0 A. The space group was determined to be P4(n)2(1)2 (n = 0, 1, 2, 3), with unit cell dimensions a = 60.8 A, c = 111.4 A.     

The small subunits of human and mouse DNA polymerase epsilon are homologous to the second largest subunit of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase epsilon.

Human DNA polymerase epsilon is composed of a 261 kDa catalytic polypeptide and a 55 kDa small subunit of unknown function. cDNAs encoding the small subunit of human and mouse DNA polymerase epsilon were cloned. The predicted polypeptides have molecular masses of 59.469 and 59.319 kDa respectively and they are 90% identical. The human and mouse polypeptides show 22% identity with the 80 kDa subunit of the five subunit DNA polymerase epsilon from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The high degree of conservation suggests that the 55 kDa subunit shares an essential function with the yeast 80 kDa subunit, which was earlier suggested to be involved in S phase cell cycle control in a pathway that is able to sense and signal incomplete replication. The small subunits of human and mouse DNA polymerase epsilon also show homology to the C-terminal domain of the second largest subunit of DNA polymerase alpha. The gene for the small subunit of human DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE2) was localized to chromosome 14q21-q22 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.