Sodium Solute Symporter and Cadherin Proteins Act as Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Ba Toxin Functional Receptors in Tribolium castaneum

Understanding how Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins interact with proteins in the midgut of susceptible coleopteran insects is crucial to fully explain the molecular bases of Bt specificity and insecticidal action. In this work, aminopeptidase N (TcAPN-I), E-cadherin (TcCad1), and sodium solute symporter (TcSSS) have been identified by ligand blot as putative Cry3Ba toxin-binding proteins in Tribolium castaneum (Tc) larvae. RNA interference knockdown of TcCad1 or TcSSS proteins resulted in decreased susceptibility to Cry3Ba toxin, demonstrating the Cry toxin receptor functionality for these proteins. In contrast, TcAPN-I silencing had no effect on Cry3Ba larval toxicity, suggesting that this protein is not relevant in the Cry3Ba toxin mode of action in Tc. Remarkable features of TcSSS protein were the presence of cadherin repeats in its amino acid sequence and that a TcSSS peptide fragment containing a sequence homologous to a binding epitope found in Manduca sexta and Tenebrio molitor Bt cadherin functional receptors enhanced Cry3Ba toxicity. This is the first time that the involvement of a sodium solute symporter protein as a Bt functional receptor has been demonstrated. The role of this novel receptor in Bt toxicity against coleopteran insects together with the lack of receptor functionality of aminopeptidase N proteins might account for some of the differences in toxin specificity between Lepidoptera and Coleoptera insect orders.     

MicroRNA-binding is required for recruitment of human Argonaute 2 to stress granules and P-bodies

Argonaute proteins are the core components of the RNA-induced silencing complex, the central effector of the mammalian RNA interference pathway. In the cytoplasm, they associate with at least two types of cytoplasmic RNA granules; processing bodies and stress granules, which function in mRNA degradation and translational repression, respectively. The significance of Argonaute association with these RNA granules is not entirely clear but it is likely related to their activities within the RNAi pathway. Understanding what regulates targeting of Argonautes to RNA granules may provide clues as to their functions at these organelles. To this end, there are a number of conflicting reports that describe the role of small RNAs in targeting Argonaute proteins in mammalian cells. We employed quantitative microscopic analyses of human Argonaute 2 (hAgo2) mutants to study factors that govern localization of this RNA-binding protein to cytoplasmic RNA granules. We report, for the first time, that hAgo2 is recruited to stress granules as a consequence of its interaction with miRNAs. Moreover, loading of small RNAs onto hAgo2 is not required for its stability, suggesting that a pool of unloaded hAgo2 may exist for extended periods of time in the cytoplasm.     

Development and ultrastructure of the rigid dorsal and flexible ventral cuticles of the elytron of the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum

Insect exoskeletons are composed of the cuticle, a biomaterial primarily formed from the linear and relatively rigid polysaccharide, chitin, and structural proteins. This extracellular material serves both as a skin and skeleton, protecting insects from environmental stresses and mechanical damage. Despite its rather limited compositional palette, cuticles in different anatomical regions or developmental stages exhibit remarkably diverse physicochemical and mechanical properties because of differences in chemical composition, molecular interactions and morphological architecture of the various layers and sublayers throughout the cuticle including the envelope, epicuticle and procuticle (exocuticle and endocuticle). Even though the ultrastructure of the arthropod cuticle has been studied rather extensively, its temporal developmental pattern, in particular, the synchronous development of the functional layers in different cuticles during a molt, is not well understood. The beetle elytron, which is a highly modified and sclerotized forewing, offers excellent advantages for such a study because it can be easily isolated at precise time points during development. In this study, we describe the morphogenesis of the dorsal and ventral cuticles of the elytron of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, during the period from the 0 d-old pupa to the 9 d-old adult. The deposition of exocuticle and mesocuticle is substantially different in the two cuticles. The dorsal cuticle is four-fold thicker than the ventral. Unlike the ventral cuticle, the dorsal contains a thicker exocuticle consisting of a large number of horizontal laminae and vertical pore canals with pore canal fibers and rib-like veins and bristles as well as a mesocuticle, lying right above the enodcuticle. The degree of sclerotization appears to be much greater in the dorsal cuticle. All of these differences result in a relatively thick and tanned rigid dorsal cuticle and a much thinner and less pigmented membrane-like ventral cuticle.     

Nucleophosmin is required for chromosome congression, proper mitotic spindle formation, and kinetochore-microtubule attachment in HeLa cells

Nucleophosmin (NPM) is an abundantly expressed multifunctional nucleolar phosphoprotein. Here we show that depletion of NPM by RNA interference causes defects in cell division, followed by an arrest of DNA synthesis due to activation of a p53-dependent checkpoint response in HeLa cells. Depletion of NPM leads to mitotic arrest due to spindle checkpoint activation. The mitotic cells arrested by NPM depletion have defects in chromosome congression, proper mitotic spindle and centrosome formation, as well as defects in kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Loss of NPM thus causes severe mitotic defects and delayed mitotic progression. These findings indicate that NPM is essential for mitotic progression and cell proliferation.     

Novel genetic selection system for quantitative trait loci of quality protein maize

Quality protein maize combines a high-lysine trait with kernel hardness, for which a new, simpler genetic selection was designed.     

Rigid nanoparticle-based delivery of anti-cancer siRNA: Challenges and opportunities

Gene therapy is a promising strategy to treat various genetic and acquired diseases. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a revolutionary tool for gene therapy and the analysis of gene function. However, the development of a safe, efficient, and targetable non-viral siRNA delivery system remains a major challenge in gene therapy. An ideal delivery system should be able to encapsulate and protect the siRNA cargo from serum proteins, exhibit target tissue and cell specificity, penetrate the cell membrane, and release its cargo in the desired intracellular compartment. Nanomedicine has the potential to deal with these challenges faced by siRNA delivery. The unique characteristics of rigid nanoparticles mostly inorganic nanoparticles and allotropes of carbon nanomaterials, including high surface area, facile surface modification, controllable size, and excellent magnetic/optical/electrical properties, make them promising candidates for targeted siRNA delivery. In this review, recent progresses on rigid nanoparticle-based siRNA delivery systems will be summarized.     

小鼠Dppa2基因shRNA载体的构建及干扰效果的检测

目的:构建有效的针对小鼠Dppa2基因的shRNA(short hairpin RNA)干扰载体。方法:设计合成2对针对小鼠Dppa2基因的shRNA序列以及1对与哺乳动物基因组无同源性的shRNA序列作为对照,构建pSUPER.Retro.puro干扰载体并进行PCR,酶切和测序验证。进一步将各干扰载体分别转染小鼠胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cells,ESCs),RT-PCR检测干扰效率。结果:PCR,酶切和测序验证均表明各shRNA载体构建成功。将空载体及各重组载体分别转染小鼠ESCs发现,干扰组Dppa2基因表达水平相对于空载体对照组和阴性shRNA载体对照组明显下调。结论:成功构建了有效的针对小鼠Dppa2基因的shRNA干扰载体,为进一步研究Dppa2基因在维持小鼠ESCs不分化过程中的作用提供了基础。     

Group 1 LEA proteins contribute to the desiccation and freeze tolerance of Artemia franciscana embryos during diapause

Water loss either by desiccation or freezing causes multiple forms of cellular damage. The encysted embryos (cysts) of the crustacean Artemia franciscana have several molecular mechanisms to enable anhydrobiosis—life without water—during diapause. To better understand how cysts survive reduced hydration, group 1 late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, hydrophilic unstructured proteins that accumulate in the stress-tolerant cysts of A. franciscana, were knocked down using RNA interference (RNAi). Embryos lacking group 1 LEA proteins showed significantly lower survival than control embryos after desiccation and freezing, or freezing alone, demonstrating a role for group 1 LEA proteins in A. franciscana tolerance of low water conditions. In contrast, regardless of group 1 LEA protein presence, cysts responded similarly to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) exposure, indicating little to no function for these proteins in diapause termination. This is the first in vivo study of group 1 LEA proteins in an animal and it contributes to the fundamental understanding of these proteins. Knowing how LEA proteins protect A. franciscana cysts from desiccation and freezing may have applied significance in aquaculture, where Artemia is an important feed source, and in the cryopreservation of cells for therapeutic applications.     

Cloning,characterization, and RNAi effect of the chitin synthase B gene in Cnaphalocrocis medinalis

The rice leaf folder (RLF), Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, is one of the major pests of rice, and chitin synthase is a key enzyme for the chitin synthesis pathway in insects. In this study, the chitin synthase B gene from C. medinalis (CmCHSB) was cloned and characterized. The cDNA of CmCHSB is 4824 bp in length, containing an open reading frame of 4578 nucleotides that encodes 1525 amino acids. The CmCHSB zymoprotein consists of 10 transmembrane domains (TMDs) in the N-terminus, a middle conserved catalytic domain, and 7 TMDs in the C-terminus. Homology and phylogenetic analyses revealed that CmCHSB possesses the closest relationship with its homolog in Ostrinia furnacalis. CmCHSB was expressed throughout development and in all of the adult tissues tested, with the highest expression level in the adult and in the midgut. Silencing of CmCHSB through RNA interference (RNAi) severely affected RLF larval growth and caused larval lethality. Our results revealed that CmCHSB is essential for RLF growth and development, which sheds new light on the characteristics and functions of this gene. These findings will be helpful for green control of RLF, by targeting the CmCHSB gene using RNAi technology.     

多靶向RNA干扰技术在基因治疗中的应用与前景

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)通过转录后基因沉默效应特异性抑制靶基因的表达,其沉默机制的高效性、特异性及稳定性使这项技术成为生物医学领域研究基因治疗的重要工具。阐述RNAi技术的特点和RNAi疗法的现状,特别是多靶小干扰RNA(small interference RNA,siRNA)目前的发展态势及其各种结构性修饰,通过使用这些结构修饰的siRNA提高基因沉默的效率,将有助于提高疗效。但该技术在广泛应用于临床之前,仍存在一些亟待解决的问题与面临的挑战,需进一步研究。     

The roles of wingless and decapentaplegic in axis and appendage development in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

Axis patterning and appendage development have been well studied in Drosophila melanogaster, a species in which both limb and segment morphogenesis are derived. In Drosophila, positional information from genes important in anteroposterior and dorsoventral axis formation, including wingless (wg) and decapentaplegic (dpp), is required for allocating and patterning the appendage primordia. We used RNA interference to characterize the functions of wg and dpp in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, which retains more ancestral modes of limb and segment morphogenesis. We also characterized the expression of potential targets of the WG and DPP signaling pathways in these embryos. Tribolium embryos in which dpp had been downregulated had defects in the dorsalmost body wall, but did not appear to have been globally repatterned and had normal appendages. Downregulation of wg led to the loss of segment boundaries, gnathal and thoracic appendages, and lateral head lobes, and to changes in the expression of dpp, Distal-less, and Engrailed. The functions of wg varied along both the anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes of the embryo. Phylogenetic comparisons indicate that the role of WNT signaling in segment boundary formation is evolutionarily old, but that its role in appendage allocation originated in the common ancestor of holometabolous insects.     

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are required for wound closure and healing during larval leg regeneration in the flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum

Regenerative abilities are found ubiquitously among many metazoan taxa. To compare mechanisms underlying the initial stages of limb regeneration between insects and vertebrates, the roles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling were investigated in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of MMP2 expression delayed wound healing and subsequent leg regeneration. Additionally, pairwise knockdown of MMP1/2 and MMP2/3, but not MMP1/3, resulted in inhibition of wound closure. Wound healing on the dorsal epidermis after injury was also delayed when MMPs were silenced. Our findings show that functionally redundant MMPs play key roles during limb regeneration and wound healing in Tribolium. This MMP-mediated wound healing is necessary for the subsequent formation of a blastema. In contrast, silencing of FGF receptor did not interfere with the initial stages of leg regeneration despite the alterations in tanning of the cuticle. Thus, insects and vertebrates appear to employ similar developmental processes for the initial stages of wound closure during limb regeneration, while the role of FGF in limb regeneration appears to be unique to vertebrates.     

慢病毒GV115-AIF siRNA 重组表达系统的构建及鉴定

目的:构建高效的慢病毒GV115-AIF si RNA重组表达系统。方法:根据目的基因AIF以及RNA干扰序列设计原则,利用设计软件设计了3个可能的AIF si RNA序列。应用全基因合成技术和亚克隆技术构建GV115-AIF si RNA重组质粒,并采用聚合酶链反应技术(PCR技术)和基因测序技术对GV115-AIF si RNA重组质粒鉴定。利用GV115病毒包装辅助p Helper 1.0质粒和p Helper 2.0质粒进行病毒包装。病毒包装后转染人胚肾293T细胞,通过应用逆转录定量PCR技术(RT-PCR技术)检测转染后对人胚肾293T细胞中AIF基因的敲减效率,筛选最高效的AIF si RNA基因序列。结果:GV115-AIF si RNA质粒PCR鉴定显示位于341bp附近的条带。测序结果与设计的基因序列完全吻合。3个可能的AIF si RNA序列中基因敲减效率最高的可达到88.3%。结论:成功构建高效的慢病毒GV115-AIF si RNA重组表达系统。