Generation of full-length cDNA libraries enriched for differentially expressed genes for functional genomics

Here, we describe the application of a RecA-based cloning technology to generate full-length cDNA libraries enriched for genes that are differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissue samples. First, we show that the RecA-based method can be used to enrich cDNA libraries for several target genes in a single reaction. Then, we demonstrate that this method can be extended to enrich a cDNA library for many full-length cDNA clones using fragments derived from a subtracted cDNA population. The results of these studies show that this RecA-mediated cloning technology can be used to convert subtracted cDNAs or a mixture of several cDNA fragments corresponding to differentially expressed genes into a full-length library in a single reaction. This procedure yields a population of expression-ready clones that can be used for further high-throughput functional screening.     

快速老化模型小鼠海马正反向抑制消减cDNA文库的构建

目的:构建快速老化模型小鼠(SAM)海马正反向抑制消减cDNA文库,以揭示SAMP8学习记忆脑老化的机制,同时为研究阿尔茨海默病(AD)的发病机制提供线索。方法:以快速老化模型小鼠SAMP8和SAMR1海马的总RNA为材料,采用抑制消减杂交方法和蓝白斑筛选克隆构建文库,并用PCR鉴定了文库的质量。结果:成功构建了12月龄雄性SAMP8和SAMR1海马的正反向抑制消减cDNA文库,其中正向文库包含864个克隆,反向文库包含960个克隆,阳性克隆率为96.16%,插入片段范围为250～2000bp。结论:SAMP8和SAMR1海马的正反向抑制消减cDNA文库的构建,为进一步筛选鉴定SAMR1和SAMP8海马差异表达基因提供了丰富的实验材料。     

Efficient cloning of full-length cDNAs based on cDNA size fractionation

The ability to generate and obtain full-length (FL) cDNAs is of critical importance to the field of genomics. Most cDNAs in a traditional cDNA library lack the initiating 5' ATG, making it difficult to obtain a FL clone. We report here on an improved protocol for the preparation of FL enriched cDNA libraries. We demonstrate that if good quality RNA is used in the cDNA synthesis, high-quality, FL cDNA can be generated for messages upward of 7 kb. In addition, we demonstrate the utility of size fractionation as a means to produce libraries containing a high percentage of initiating 5' ATG containing clones with insert sizes greater than 4 kb. The method is simple, cost efficient, and can be performed in most laboratories equipped to perform molecular biology. Lastly, the novel methodologies used in the analysis of the cDNA and library should prove useful to others working to create high-quality cDNA libraries.     

青杄均一化cDNA文库构建及EST序列分析

以青杄花粉和针叶为材料,将青杄全长cDNA与Gateway供体载体pDONR222重组,构建了其非剪切型全长cDNA原始文库,利用基因组DNA饱和杂交技术对原始cDNA文库进行均一化处理,构建青杄的均一化全长cDNA文库。文库的总库容量为1.1×106CFU/mL,平均插入片段长度大于1.0 kb,重组率大于95%。定量RT-PCR检测表明,青杄高丰度表达基因EF1-α在均一化cDNA文库中的表达量下降了约41倍。接着对文库中随机的5 144个克隆进行了测序,获得高质量的有效EST(expressedsequence tag)序列为5 144条,经拼接共获得单一基因(unigene)为2 717个,其中包括片段重叠群(contig)628个和单一EST序列(singlet)2 089个。NCBI同源比对分析表明,其中1 887个序列unigenes获得分子功能注释,这些EST涉及细胞生长、信号转导、转录、抗逆、能量代谢等功能。这些数据有助于对青杄的相关功能蛋白及分子机制开展进一步的研究。     

A simple, effective method for the construction of subtracted cDNA libraries

A simple method is described for the construction of subtracted cDNA libraries. The technique was used to create a human pancreatic tumor cDNA library that was screened using either hybridization with cDNA probes or antibodies. cDNA from a well-differentiated tumor cell line (CD-11) was subtracted against RNA from an undifferentiated tumor cell line (Panc-1). The subtracted cDNA was purified from RNA-cDNA hybrids by oligo-dA cellulose affinity chromatography. Single-stranded subtracted cDNA was used as a template for random primed second-strand synthesis using the Klenow's fragment of DNA polymerase. After ligation with Eco R1 adapters, cDNA was inserted into lambda gt11. A library of 140,000 primary pfu was obtained that contained 92% recombinants. A small portion of this library (40,000 pfu) was subjected to probe screening with a mucin cDNA probe known to be differentially expressed by CD-11 cells. The ratio of mucin cDNA clones to actin cDNA clones was increased by greater than 300-fold in the subtracted cDNA library compared to a standard cDNA library from the same cell line. The absolute number of mucin cDNA clones per 40,000 pfu was also increased 32-fold in the subtracted library. Pancreatic tumor mucin cDNAs were also identified in the subtracted library by antibody screening. The subtraction procedure yielded a 50-fold enrichment in differentially expressed cDNA detected by antibodies, compared to a nonsubtracted library from the same cell line.     

Cloning and Mapping of the cDNA for Human Sarcosine Dehydrogenase, a Flavoenzyme Defective in Patients with Sarcosinemia

Sarcosine dehydrogenase is a liver mitochondrial matrix flavoenzyme that is defective in patients with sarcosinemia, a rare autosomal metabolic defect characterized by elevated levels of sarcosine in blood and urine. Some patients also exhibit mental retardation and growth failure. A full-length cDNA for human sarcosine dehydrogenase was isolated from an adult liver cDNA library. The first 22 residues in the deduced amino acid sequence exhibit features expected for a mitochondrial targeting sequence. The predicted mass of the mature human liver sarcosine dehydrogenase (99,505 Da) is in good agreement with that observed for rat liver sarcosine dehydrogenase ( approximately 100,000 Da). Human sarcosine dehydrogenase exhibits 89% identity with rat liver sarcosine dehydrogenase and strong homology ( approximately 35% identity) with rat liver dimethylglycine dehydrogenase, a sarcosine dehydrogenase-related protein from Rhodobacter capsulatus, and the regulatory subunit from bovine pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase. The human sarcosine dehydrogenase gene is at least 75.3 kb long and located on chromosome 9q34. The adult human liver clone is assembled from 21 exons (1-6, 7a, 8a, 9-21). Two smaller cDNA clones, isolated from adult liver and infant brain libraries, were assembled from the same sarcosine dehydrogenase gene by the use of alternate polyadenylation and splice sites. This is the first report of the genomic structure of the sarcosine dehydrogenase gene in any species. The observed chromosomal location is consistent with genetic studies with a mouse model for sarcosinemia that map the mouse gene to a region of mouse chromosome 2 syntenic with human 9q33-q34. The availability of the SDH gene sequence will enable characterization of the genotypes of sarcosinemia patients with different phenotypes.     

Construction and characterization of a normalized yeast two-hybrid library derived from a human protein-coding clone collection

The nuclear yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) system is the most widely used technology for detecting interactions between proteins. A common approach is to screen specific test proteins (baits) against large compilations of randomly cloned proteins (prey libraries). For eukaryotic organisms, libraries have traditionally been generated using messenger RNA (mRNA) extracted from various tissues and cells. Here we present a library construction strategy made possible by ongoing public efforts to establish collections of full-length protein encoding clones. Our approach generates libraries that are essentially normalized and contain both randomly fragmented as well as full-length inserts. We refer to this type of protein-coding clone-derived library as random and full-length (RAFL) Y2H library. The library described here is based on clones from the Mammalian Gene Collection, but our strategy is compatible with the use of any protein-coding clone collection from any organism in any vector and does not require inserts to be devoid of untranslated regions. We tested our prototype human RAFL library against a set of baits that had previously been searched against multiple cDNA libraries. These Y2H searches yielded a combination of novel as well as expected interactions, indicating that the RAFL library constitutes a valuable complement to Y2H cDNA libraries.     

Differential screening of a cDNA library with cDNA probes amplified in a heterologous host: isolation of murine GRP78 (BiP) and other serum-regulated low-abundance mRNAs

A novel method was used to screen differentially a cDNA library for clones representing serum-regulated mRNA species of low abundance. To increase the amount of probe available for screening, the cDNA probe was cloned and amplified. Two separate cDNA 'probe' libraries were constructed in the Escherichia coli plasmid vector pDE613, using poly(A)+mRNA from murine cells at 0 and 16 h after stimulation of a G0 population. Radiolabelled plasmid DNA from each library was hybridized sequentially to colony blots of the third 'target' library, constructed with mRNA from serum-stimulated cells in the Bacillus subtilis vector pBD214. Differential screening of the target cDNA library with the two probe libraries identified novel murine cDNA clones, some representing cytoplasmic poly(A)+RNA species of low (0.01%) abundance, accumulating after serum stimulation of a quiescent mouse embryo fibroblast population. One cDNA clone was found to correspond to mitochondrial 16S rRNA and a second was identified as the murine equivalent of previously described cDNA clones for the hamster 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) and the rat immunoglobulin heavy-chain-binding protein. GRP78 mRNA has not previously been recognized as a serum-inducible message.     

Subtraction of cap-trapped full-length cDNA libraries to select rare transcripts

The normalization and subtraction of highly expressed cDNAs from relatively large tissues before cloning dramatically enhanced the gene discovery by sequencing for the mouse full-length cDNA encyclopedia, but these methods have not been suitable for limited RNA materials. To normalize and subtract full-length cDNA libraries derived from limited quantities of total RNA, here we report a method to subtract plasmid libraries excised from size-unbiased amplified lambda phage cDNA libraries that avoids heavily biasing steps such as PCR and plasmid library amplification. The proportion of full-length cDNAs and the gene discovery rate are high, and library diversity can be validated by in silico randomization.     

A simple method for obtaining cell-specific cDNA from small numbers of growing root-hair cells in Arabidopsis thaliana

A simple and rapid method for cloning specific cDNAs from mRNA populations derived solely from small numbers of root-hair cells is described here. To identify genes expressed during the earliest visible stage of root-hair cell development, cell contents were aspirated from small numbers of Arabidopsis root-hair cells at or just before this stage. This material was used to make reusable solid-phase oligo-dT-primed cDNA libraries. To demonstrate that the libraries contained high quality longer cDNAs, a fragment located 2.7 kb from the 3' end of the cDNA of the single copy root-hair expressed gene RHD3 was cloned using a nested PCR strategy. This technique was also used to obtain novel gene expression information by cloning the full-length 0.85 kb cDNA of the Rop2 GTPase from this library. This approach offers a means of cloning larger cDNAs directly from small numbers of growing root-hair cells and, potentially, other epidermal cell types.     

Construction of differentially expressed genes library of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) exposed to microcystin-lr using ssh and expression profile of related genes

Microcystins (MCs) are hepatotoxic cyclic heptapeptides produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). There are more than 70 MCs variants of which the most common and widely studied is MC-LR. We screened the hepatocellular differentially expressed genes against MC-LR in the bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis). Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to construct the forward subtracted and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries, and one hundred and thirty two positive clones (seventy one in forward library and sixty one in reverse library) were randomly selected and sequenced. Finally, fifty five reliable sequences from the forward subtracted library were used in a homology search by BLASTn and BLASTx, as were 57 reliable sequences from the reverse subtracted library. Furthermore, eight analyzed sequences from the forward subtracted cDNA library and seven from the reverse subtracted library were found to be non-homologous sequences. The screening identified genes induced by MC-LR in both libraries that are involved in various processes, such as energy metabolism, immunity, and apoptosis. Some are cytoskeleton- and transportation-related genes, while signal transduction-related genes were also found. Significant genes, such as the apoptosis-related gene p53 and the proto-oncogene c-myc, are involved in inhibition of the MC-LR response in the reverse subtracted library. In addition, several immune-related genes, which play an important role in antioxidation and detoxification of MC-LR, were characterized and identified in both of the subtracted libraries. The study provides the basic data to further identify the genes and molecular mechanism of detoxification of microcystins.     

Cloning of the human cDNA for the U1 RNA-associated 70K protein.

Anti-RNP sera were used to isolate a cDNA clone for the largest polypeptide of the U1 snRNP, a protein of mol. wt 70 kd designated 70K, from a human liver cDNA library constructed in the expression vector pEX1. The cro-beta-galactosidase-70K fusion protein reacted with various anti-RNP patient sera, a rabbit anti-70K antiserum, as well as with a monoclonal antibody specific for this protein. The sequences of four 70K peptides were determined and they match parts of the deduced amino acid sequence of the 1.3 kb insert of p70.1 indicating that it is a genuine 70K cDNA. Screening of a new cDNA library constructed from polysomal mRNA of HeLa cells with the p70.1 clone yielded an overlapping clone, FL70K, which was 2.7 kb long and covered the complete coding and 3'-untranslated sequence of the 70K protein in addition to 680 nucleotides upstream of the putative initiation codon, The predicted mol. wt of the encoded protein is approximately 70 kd. Amino acid analysis of the purified HeLa 70K protein yielded values close or identical to those deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the full-length cDNA. The 70K protein is rich in arginine (20%) and acidic amino acids (18%). Extremely hydrophilic regions containing mixed-charge amino acid clusters have been identified at the carboxyl-terminal half of the protein, which may function in RNA binding. A sequence comparison with two recently cloned RNA binding proteins revealed homology with one region in the U1 RNP 70K protein. This domain may also be responsible for RNA binding.