De novo methylation of CpG island sequences in human fibroblasts overexpressing DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase.

Recent studies showing a correlation between the levels of DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase (DNA MTase) enzyme activity and tumorigenicity have implicated this enzyme in the carcinogenic process. Moreover, hypermethylation of CpG island-containing promoters is associated with the inactivation of genes important to tumor initiation and progression. One proposed role for DNA MTase in tumorigenesis is therefore a direct role in the de novo methylation of these otherwise unmethylated CpG islands. In this study, we sought to determine whether increased levels of DNA MTase could directly affect CpG island methylation. A full-length cDNA for human DNA MTase driven by the cytomegalovirus promoter was constitutively expressed in human fibroblasts. Individual clones derived from cells transfected with DNA MTase (HMT) expressed 1- to 50-fold the level of DNA MTase protein and enzyme activity of the parental cell line or clones transfected with the control vector alone (Neo). To determine the effects of DNA MTase overexpression on CpG island methylation, we examined 12 endogenous CpG island loci in the HMT clones. HMT clones expressing > or = 9-fold the parental levels of DNA MTase activity were significantly hypermethylated relative to at least 11 Neo clones at five CpG island loci. In the HMT clones, methylation reached nearly 100% at susceptible CpG island loci with time in culture. In contrast, there was little change in the methylation status in the Neo clones over the same time frame. Taken together, the data indicate that overexpression of DNA MTase can drive the de novo methylation of susceptible CpG island loci, thus providing support for the idea that DNA MTase can contribute to tumor progression through CpG island methylation-mediated gene inactivation.     

hMAM启动子／增强子调控表达载体构建和调控作用

目的构建人乳腺珠蛋白（human mammaglobin,hMAM）启动子／增强子调控报告基因表达载体,探讨hMAM启动子／增强子序列在乳腺癌细胞中的特异性调控作用。方法应用PCR技术,从基因组DNA中扩增出hMAM启动子／增强子DNA序列,构建于PGL3报告基因上游,分别转染体外培养的乳腺癌细胞MDA—MB-415、T47D及胃癌细胞7901,分析启动子和增强子序列对乳腺癌细胞的基因表达调控作用。结果酶切图谱分析、DNA序列测定表明成功构建hMAM启动子／增强子调控的表达载体;荧光素酶报告基因检测结果分析表明,hMAM启动子／增强子能够调控报告基因的表达。结论hMAM启动子／增强子,在MDA—MB-415乳腺癌细胞具有调控基因表达的作用;     

小鼠白细胞介素33真核表达质粒的构建及表达

克隆小鼠IL-33基因构建其真核表达质粒,并转染COS-7细胞检测其表达。提取C57BL/6小鼠肺组织总RNA,经反转录聚合酶链式反应（RT-PCR）扩增小鼠IL-33基因,酶切后插入pcDNA^TM3.1/myc HisA构建其真核表达质粒pcDNA-3.1-IL-33,重组质粒转染COS-7细胞,RT-PCR和免疫印迹法（western blotting）检测目的基因表达。结果显示,pcDNA3.1-IL-33中插入的片段序列测定结果与小鼠IL-33cDNA序列一致,重组质粒转染COS-7细胞后检测到相应mRNA及蛋白表达。成功克隆了小鼠IL-33基因cDNA,并构建其真核表达质粒。     

Expression of enzymatically active enkephalinase (neutral endopeptidase) in mammalian cells

A cDNA encoding the rat enkephalinase protein (neutral endopeptidase; EC 3.4.24.11) has been constructed from overlapping lambda gt10 cDNA clones. This cDNA was inserted into an expression plasmid containing the cytomegalovirus enhancer and promoter. When transfected with this plasmid, Cos 7 cells transiently expressed the enkephalinase protein in a membrane-bound state. Recombinant enkephalinase recovered in solubilized extracts from transfected Cos 7 cells was enzymatically active and displayed properties similar to those of the native enzyme with respect to sensitivity to classical enkephalinase inhibitors.     

Hybrid expression cassettes consisting of a milk protein promoter and a cytomegalovirus enhancer significantly increase mammary-specific expression of human lactoferrin in transgenic mice

It is very important to develop an effective, specific, and robust expression cassette that ensures a high level of expression in the mammary glands. In this study, we designed and constructed a series of mammary gland‐specific vectors containing a complex hybrid promoter/enhancer by utilizing promoter sequences from milk proteins (i.e., goat β‐casein, bovine αs1‐casein, or goat β‐lactoglobulin) and cytomegalovirus enhancer sequences; vectors containing a single milk protein promoter served as controls. Chicken β‐globin insulator sequences were also included in some of these vectors. The expression of constructs was analyzed through the generation of transgenic mice. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis revealed that the hybrid promoter/enhancer could drive the expression of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) cDNA at high levels (1.17–8.10 mg/ml) in the milk of transgenic mice, whereas control promoters achieved a very low rhLF expression (7–40 ng/ml). Moreover, the expression of rhLF was not detected in the serum or saliva of any transgenic animal. This result shows that all constructs, driven by the hybrid promoter/enhancer, had high mammary gland‐specific expression pattern. Together, our results suggest that the use of a hybrid promoter/enhancer is a valuable alternative approach for increasing mammary‐specific expression of recombinant hLF in a transgenic mouse model.Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 573‐585, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

小鼠ALB启动子/增强子驱动HSV-tk 对肝脏细胞的杀伤效应

利用小鼠白蛋白(ALB)启动子／增强子及单纯疱疹病毒胸苷嘧啶激酶(HSV-tk)DNA构建了载体pLLTK,以研究该载体对肝脏细胞的特异性杀伤效应。首先,为了比较载体的肝脏细胞特异转录活性,以绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)基因为报告基因构建了载体pLE(仅含小鼠ALB启动子)、pLLE(含小鼠ALB启动子和上游增强子)和pLEL(含小鼠ALB启动子和下游增强子),分别转染到人肝细胞株Hep—G2与小鼠乳腺上皮细胞株HC-11,荧光显微镜与流式细胞术分析GFP的表达。然后将载体pLLTK转染到Hep-G2研究对细胞的杀伤效应。结果发现：小鼠ALB启动子／增强子能驱动GFP肝脏特异表达;HSV-tk在Hep-G2表达使细胞具有更昔洛韦(GCV)敏感性,在GCV作用7d后,MTT分析细胞的生存率,pLLTK转染细胞表现明显的细胞死亡(53％),而阴性对照组pcDNA3．1转染细胞没有明显变化(仅2％细胞死亡)。以上结果表明所有的载体具有肝脏细胞特异性,为利用该载体产生肝脏损伤的转基因小鼠提供了细胞水平的实验依据。