稀有鮈鲫HSP70基因启动子的克隆及功能分析

热休克蛋白70(HSP70)作为一种分子伴侣,在环境毒理学中受到广泛研究。前期研究表明稀有鮈鲫HSP70基因(GrHSP70)表达量与五氯酚(pentachlorophenol, PCP)处理的浓度和时间在肝脏中呈现剂量/时间-依赖效应。为探究启动子在热休克蛋白70表达调控中的作用,根据已知的GrHSP70 cDNA序列,采用染色体步移技术克隆了GrHSP70的5'侧翼区的核苷酸序列。生物信息学分析从预测的转录起始位点(C)起的5'侧翼区域共1 487bp,潜在的转录因子结合位点包括雌激素响应元件(ERE)、Sp1结合位点(Sp1)、糖皮质激素响应元件(GRE)、TATA结合蛋白(TBP)、CCAAT/增强子蛋白结合位点(C/EBP)、Oct-1结合位点(Oct-1)、GATA转录因子结合位点(GATA-1)等。实验构建了含有启动子缺失片段的萤火虫萤光素酶(firefly luciferase)和海肾萤光素酶(renilla luciferase)报告基因表达载体,瞬时转染HeLa细胞后,利用双荧光活性检测确定获得的GrHSP70启动子具有启动活性,其核心启动位点位于转录起始点上游-1 487~-1 093bp。同时,用不同浓度PCP暴露成功转染了重组质粒(pGL-HSP70 promoter-Luc+)的HeLa细胞,培养24h后检测双荧光活性,与对照相比,随PCP浓度的增加,荧光活性均显著增加。说明在稀有鮈鲫肝脏中PCP会通过激活GrHSP70启动子来诱导GrHSP70表达,但PCP在稀有鮈鲫体内通过何种机制来调节HSP70的合成,仍然需要进一步研究。     

Nucleotide sequence of DNA controlling expression of genes for maltosaccharide utilization in Streptococcus pneumoniae

An analysis of previous data indicated that four structural genes concerned with maltosaccharide utilization in Streptococcus pneumoniae are organized in two operons that are transcribed in opposite directions from a central control region. This region contains two strong promoters subject to repression by a regulatory gene product in the absence of maltose. The nucleotide sequence of the 554-bp control region DNA and adjacent portions of the malX and malM structural genes was determined. Unique reading frames and initiation codons allowed identification of the oppositely oriented structural genes. Putative ribosome binding sites and −10 and −35 RNA-polymerase-binding sites, as well as AT-rich regions farther upstream, were observed proximal to both the X and M genes. The similarity of these sequences to sites found in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis indicated the conservation of control signals in bacteria, both Gram-negative and Gram-positive. A pair of 17-bp hyphenated repeat sequences in the control region may represent repressor binding sites. Two down promoter mutations, V11 and 69, were shown to be deletions in the control region. The V11 mutation, which affected only the MP operon, deleted the promoter adjacent to the M gene. Mutation 69, which reduced both X and M gene functions, deleted the entire segment between the promoters so that they now overlap at their −35 binding sites. As a consequence of this deletion, the AT-rich regions proximal to the promoters were lost. This suggests that the AT-rich regions are important for promoter strength.     

Spatial regulation of SpMTA metallothionein gene expression in sea urchin embryos by a regulatory cassette in intron 1

The SpMTA metallothionein (MT) gene of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is restricted in its expression to the aboral ectoderm in gastrulae and pluteus larvae. The proximal 1.6 kb of the 5′-flanking region together with the 1.12-kb first intron of the SpMTA gene are sufficient for its correct cell-type specific expression in transgenic embryos. This restricted spatial expression is largely eliminated by deletion of an interior 405-bp region in the intron. Within this region is a 295-bp, genomically repetitive, transposon-like segment (Nemer et al., 1993), containing several sequence motifs highly homologous to posited regulatory elements in the promoters of other genes (Thiebaud et al., 1990). The P3A and P5 sites in this apparent regulatory cassette were shown through competition to bind with relatively high affinities the same nuclear factors, bound by their counterpart sites in the CyIIIa actin promoter.