藏山羊KLF8基因克隆及组织表达分析

本试验旨在获得藏山羊KLF8基因序列,并分析其生物学特征,同时阐明该基因在不同组织中的表达情况。利用RT-PCR技术克隆藏山羊KLF8基因序列,利用实时荧光定量PCR (quantitative real-time PCR,qPCR)检测其在藏山羊各个组织中的表达丰度。结果表明,获得藏山羊KLF8基因序列1 069 bp,其中包含CDS区1 008 bp,5'UTR序列28 bp和3'UTR序列33 bp,共编码335个氨基酸,为不稳定亲水碱性蛋白。KLF8基因在藏山羊的肺脏组织中表达水平最高,极显著高于其他组织(p<0.01)。本研究为进一步阐明KLF8基因在藏山羊中的生物学功能提供了依据。     

藏山羊GEM基因克隆及组织表达分析

本研究旨在克隆获得藏山羊GEM基因序列,预测其生物学功能,并阐明其组织表达特征。利用TA法克隆获得藏山羊GEM基因序列,并利用qPCR技术检测该基因在不同组织中的表达丰度。结果显示,藏山羊GEM基因序列1 096 bp,CDS区为936 bp,共编码311个氨基酸;GEM蛋白具有磷酸化位点和糖基化位点共33个,为不稳定碱性疏水蛋白质,主要在细胞核发挥生物学作用;藏山羊GEM基因的核苷酸序列和氨基酸序列均与反刍动物的序列具有很高的同源性;GEM基因在藏山羊肺组织中高表达(p0.01),其次高表达于脾组织(p0.01),均极显著高于其他组织。本研究为进一步了解藏山羊GEM基因功能提供基础数据。     

藏山羊FGF1基因克隆、生物学特征及组织表达分析

本研究旨在克隆藏山羊FGF1基因的CDS序列,并获得其生物学特征,同时阐明其组织表达规律。选取2.5周岁健康公藏山羊6头,采集皮下脂肪、背最长肌、心脏、肝脏、脾脏、肺脏和肾脏组织样品,提取组织总RNA,利用RT-PCR方法克隆FGF1基因序列,同时利用实时定量PCR检测其m RNA在不同组织中的表达水平。结果表明,获得藏山羊FGF1基因序列1 165 bp(Gen Bank登陆号:KX509990),其中CDS为468 bp,5'UTR 255 bp和3'UTR 422 bp,编码155个氨基酸,藏山羊FGF1基因与山羊(KT899959)的核苷酸同源性为99.57%,氨基酸同源性为99.35%。FGF1 m RNA在藏山羊皮下脂肪组织中的表达水平较高,极显著高于其他组织(p0.01)。本研究将为进一步研究藏山羊FGF1基因的结构和功能提供参考资料。     

ZFP36L1通过下调细胞周期蛋白D1抑制舌癌细胞增殖

C3H1型的锌指蛋白36 (zinc finger protein 36,C3H type-like 1,ZFP36L1)是一种高度保守且具有CCCH型RNA结合结构域的蛋白质。近年来,ZFP36L1在多种肿瘤中的作用被报道,但是在舌癌中的表达型和作用机制尚不清楚。Western印记结合荧光定量PCR检测发现,ZFP36L1在舌癌细胞中的表达明显低于人永生化表皮细胞Hacat。在相对低表达ZFP36L1的舌癌细胞SCC15和SCC25中,稳定过表达ZFP36L1,细胞计数实验发现,SCC15细胞的数目由(4.768±0.09225)×10~3个降低到(3.089±0.09745)×10~3个,SCC25细胞的数目由(6.274±0.01311)×10~3个降低到(4.037±0.01173)×10~3个;平板克隆实验提示,SCC15和SCC25细胞克隆数目是对照组的0.67倍,0.68倍,0.7倍和0.59倍,0.57倍,0.59倍;过表达ZFP36L1组G_1期的SCC15和SCC25细胞分别由61.82±0.8933%增加到88.72%±0.8378,由56.31%±1.029增加到71.7%±0.9303;而S期的细胞由25.21%±0.9865减少到11.31%±0.6567,由28.58%±0.8182减少到18.61%±0.6798。过表达ZFP36L1能明显下调SCC15和SCC25细胞中细胞周期蛋白D1(cyclinD1)的蛋白质水平。过表达ZFP36L1组的SCC15和SCC25细胞中,细胞周期蛋白D1 mRNA的表达量分别是对照组的0.217倍和0.175倍。在舌癌细胞中,上调细胞周期蛋白D1的表达水平可消除由过表达ZFP36L1引起的细胞增殖能力降低。总之,ZFP36L1在舌癌中呈低表达;可通过下调细胞周期蛋白D1的表达,抑制舌癌细胞增殖。     

两株希木龙假丝酵母14α-去甲基化酶基因(ERG11)的克隆及其功能初步验证

为探讨希木龙假丝酵母(假丝酵母又称念珠菌)的耐药机制,首先克隆出两株希木龙念珠菌ERG11基因,初步验证其功能,从而为后续研究奠定基础。从美国国家生物技术信息中心(National Center of Biotechnology Information,NCBI)基因数据库中获取白念珠菌、热带念珠菌、近平滑念珠菌和光滑念珠菌Erg11蛋白的保守序列,设计简并引物,聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)扩增获得希木龙念珠菌ERG11cDNA部分片段;用快速cDNA末端扩增法(rapid amplification of cDNA ends,RACE)分别扩增其5′和3′端,获得完整的ERG11编码序列(coding sequence,CDS);将CDS克隆到pYES2表达载体中,在尿嘧啶营养缺陷型酿酒酵母中过表达ERG11;用微量液基稀释法检测转化后的酿酒酵母对氟康唑的敏感性,初步验证其功能。结果显示,简并PCR扩增获得预期708bp片段,5′RACE和3′RACE分别获得385bp和1 336bp片段,经纯化、克隆、测序、比对分析,获得两株菌的ERG11CDS;比对其编码的蛋白,与其他念珠菌的Erg11蛋白高度同源;分别检测克隆了这两株希木龙念珠菌ERG11CDS表达载体的酿酒酵母对氟康唑的敏感性,发现过表达ERG11明显降低其对氟康唑的敏感性。结果提示,简并PCR联合RACE能准确有效地克隆出希木龙念珠菌ERG11基因,用pYES2酿酒酵母表达系统能初步验证其功能。     

山羊Wnt10b基因生物学特征及组织细胞表达模式分析

为了获得山羊Wnt10b基因序列,并阐明其组织表达谱及在前体脂肪细胞和成肌细胞分化过程中的表达模式。本研究利用胶原酶消化法获得山羊皮下和肌内前体脂肪细胞,利用组织块法获得成肌细胞;采用RT-PCR方法克隆山羊Wnt10b基因序列,荧光定量PCR技术检测该基因在各组织、前体脂肪细胞与成肌细胞诱导分化过程中的表达情况。由分析可知,获得山羊Wnt10b基因序列1 232 bp(Gen Bank登陆号:KU950832),其中CDS为1 176 bp,5'UTR 44 bp和3'UTR 12 bp,编码391个氨基酸残基,山羊Wnt10b氨基酸序列与绵羊的氨基酸序列同源性达98%;Wnt10b m RNA在山羊脂肪组织中表达水平最高,极显著高于其他组织(p0.01);Wnt10b m RNA随着山羊肌内前体脂肪细胞和成肌细胞的分化表达呈上升趋势,但其在皮下前体脂肪细胞中的表达模式却相反。结果表明,山羊Wnt10b基因在脂肪组织中表达水平最高,可能在脂肪沉积和脂代谢中发挥重要的调控作用,但在皮下和肌内前体脂肪细胞成脂分化的表达模式不同,提示该基因在山羊不同部位脂肪沉积中可能发挥不同的调控作用。     

藏山羊KLF6基因克隆及组织表达分析

本试验旨在获得藏山羊KLF6基因序列,并分析其序列生物学特征,同时阐明该基因在不同组织中的表达情况。利用RT-PCR技术克隆藏山羊KLF6基因序列,利用实时荧光定量PCR检测其在藏山羊各个组织中的表达丰度。结果表明,获得藏山羊KLF6基因序列1012 bp(登录号:KY677697),其中包括5'UTR序列3 bp和3'UTR序列154 bp,CDS为855 bp,编码284个氨基酸,为无信号肽序列和跨膜结构域的稳定亲水酸性蛋白。KLF6基因在藏山羊的肺脏组织中表达水平最高,极显著高于其他组织(p0.01),在脾脏和脂肪组织中也存在较高水平的表达。本研究为进一步阐明KLF6基因在藏山羊中的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

Insulin increases tristetraprolin and decreases VEGF gene expression in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Objectives: Tristetraprolin (TTP) family proteins (TTP/ZFP36; ZFP36L1, ZFP36L2, ZFP36L3) destabilize adenylate uridylate‐rich element‐containing mRNAs encoding cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Little is known about the expression and insulin regulation of TTP and related genes in adipocytes. We analyzed the relative abundance of TTP family mRNAs in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes compared to RAW264.7 macrophages and investigated insulin effects on the expression of 43 genes in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. Methods and Procedures: Insulin was added to mouse 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. Relative abundance of mRNA levels was determined by quantitative real‐time PCR. TTP and ZFP36L1 proteins were detected by immunoblotting. Results: Zfp36l1 and Zfp36l2 genes were expressed at eight‐ to tenfold higher than Ttp in adipocytes. Zfp36l3 mRNA was detected at ～1% of Ttp mRNA levels in adipocytes and its low level expression was confirmed in RAW cells. Insulin at 10 and 100 nmol/l increased Ttp mRNA levels by five‐ to sevenfold, but decreased those of Zfp36l3 by 40% in adipocytes after a 30‐min treatment. Immunoblotting showed that insulin induced TTP but did not affect ZFP36L1 protein levels in adipocytes. Insulin decreased mRNA levels of Vegf and a number of other genes in adipocytes. Discussion: Insulin induced Ttp mRNA and protein expression and decreased Vegf mRNA levels in adipocytes. Zfp36l3 mRNA was detected, for the first time, in cells other than mouse placenta and extraembryonic tissues. This study established a basis for the investigation of TTP and VEGF genes in the regulation of obesity and suggested that Vegf mRNA may be a target of TTP in fat cells.     

Knockdown of KLF9 promotes the differentiation of both intramuscular and subcutaneous preadipocytes in goat

ABSTRACT

KLF9 is reported to promote adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells and pigs. However, the roles of KLF9 in adipocytes differentiation of goat remain unknown. In this study, the expression profiles of KLF9 were different between subcutaneous and intramuscular preadipocytes of goat during differentiation process. After silencing KLF9 gene, the lipid droplets were increased in both two types of adipocytes. In subcutaneous preadipocyte with silencing KLF9, the expressions of C/EBPβ, PPARγ, LPL, KLF1-2, KLF5, and KLF17 genes were up-regulated, while KLF12, KLF4, and KLF13 genes were down-regulated in expression level. In intramuscular preadipocyte, aP2, C/EBPα, KLF2-3, KLF5, and KLF7 gene were up-regulated, and Pref-1 gene was down-regulated. In addition, the binding sites of KLF9 existed in the promoters of aP2, C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, LPL and Pref-1. Taken together, KLF9 play a negative role in the differentiation of both intramuscular and subcutaneous preadipocytes in goats, but the functional mechanism may be different.     

Evidence for Introgressive Hybridization of Captive Markhor (Capra falconeri) with Domestic Goat: Cautions for Reintroduction

Markhors (Capra falconeri) are among the most endangered mammal species, and several conservation measures, including ex situ breeding, are implemented to prevent their extinction. We studied sequence diversity and differentiation of the first hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial DNA control region among C. f. heptneri and C. f. megaceros kept in four zoos in relationship to lineages of other wild and domestic goats, to assess for the first time the level of molecular distinctness and variability among those subspecies, and to check for possible introgression by related Capra taxa, such as domestic goats. Levels of differentiation between some Capra falconeri lineages and modern domestic goats were similar to levels between other wild goat species (i.e., Capra aegagrus, Capra ibex) and domestic goats. Among pure markhor lineages, paraphyly was observed for C. f. heptneri, suggesting occurrence of shared ancestral polymorphism among markhor subspecies and/or ancient or recent gene exchange between subspecies. Interestingly, 35.7% of all studied markhors from three zoos are introgressed by the domestic goat. Furthermore, despite relatively small breeding group sizes, markhors have maintained a relatively high proportion of mtDNA variation within zoo groups. In any case, the existence of markhors introgressed with domestic goat DNA in zoos should be considered when selecting markhors for ex situ breeding programs with the aim of building up a stock for later reintroduction into the wild.     

Polymorphisms of caprine <Emphasis Type="Italic">GDF</Emphasis>9 gene and their association with litter size in Jining Grey goats

The exons 1, 2 and flanking region of growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) gene in five randomly selected does of Jining Grey, Boer and Liaoning Cashmere goats were amplified and analyzed. Thirteen nucleotide differences were identified in GDF9 gene between sheep (AF078545) and goats. Four SNPs (G3288A in intron 1, G423A, A959C [Gln320Pro] and G1189A [Val397Ile] in exon 2) were detected in four goat breeds with different prolificacy, in which G3288A was a new SNP in goats. The results showed that loci 3288, 423 and 1189 in Boer goats, loci 3288 and 423 in Guizhou White goats, loci 423 and 1189 in Liaoning Cashmere goats were all in complete linkage disequilibrium (D′ = 1, r ² = 1), respectively. In moderate (Boer goat) and low prolificacy (Liaoning Cashmere goat) breeds, linkage analysis indicated that there were more fervent linkage disequilibrium among loci 3288, 423 and 1189 than high prolificacy (Jining Grey and Guizhou White goats) breeds. For the 959 locus, the genotype distribution showed obvious difference between high prolificacy breeds and moderate or low prolificacy breeds (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The Jining Grey goat does with genotype CC or AC had 0.81 (P < 0.01) or 0.63 (P < 0.01) kids more than those with genotype AA, respectively. The present study preliminarily showed an association between allele C at 959 locus of GDF9 gene and high litter size in Jining Grey goats. These results provide further evidence that the GDF9 gene may be significantly correlated with high prolificacy in goats.     

Differential expression and functional analysis of the tristetraprolin family during early differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

The tristetraprolin (TTP) family comprises zinc finger-containing AU-rich element (ARE)-binding proteins consisting of three major members: TTP, ZFP36L1, and ZFP36L2. The present study generated specific antibodies against each TTP member to evaluate its expression during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. In contrast to the inducible expression of TTP, results indicated constitutive expression of ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and their phosphorylation in response to differentiation signals. Physical RNA pull-down and functional luciferase assays revealed that ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 bound to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) mRNA and downregulated Mkp-1 3'UTR-mediated luciferase activity. Mkp-1 is an immediate early gene for which the mRNA is transiently expressed in response to differentiation signals. The half-life of Mkp-1 mRNA was longer at 30 min of induction than at 1 h and 2 h of induction. Knockdown of TTP or ZFP36L2 increased the Mkp-1 mRNA half-life at 1 h of induction. Knockdown of ZFP36L1, but not ZFP36L2, increased Mkp-1 mRNA basal levels via mRNA stabilization and downregulated ERK activation. Differentiation induced phosphorylation of ZFP36L1 through ERK and AKT signals. Phosphorylated ZFP36L1 then interacted with 14-3-3, which might decrease its mRNA destabilizing activity. Inhibition of adipogenesis also occurred in ZFP36L1 and TTP knockdown cells. The findings indicate that the differential expression of TTP family members regulates immediate early gene expression and modulates adipogenesis.     

Production and characterization of ZFP36L1 antiserum against recombinant protein from Escherichia coli

Tristetraprolin/zinc finger protein 36 (TTP/ZFP36) family proteins are anti-inflammatory. They bind and destabilize some AU-rich element-containing mRNAs such as tumor necrosis factor mRNA. In this study, recombinant ZFP36L1/TIS11B (a TTP homologue) was overexpressed in E. coli, purified, and used for polyclonal antibody production in rabbits. The antiserum recognized nanograms of the antigen on immunoblots. This antiserum and another antiserum developed against recombinant mouse TTP were used to detect ZFP36L1 and TTP in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes and RAW264.7 macrophages. Immunoblotting showed that ZFP36L1 was stably expressed with a size corresponding to the lower mass size of ZFP36L1 expressed in transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells, but TTP was induced by cinnamon extract and not by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in adipocytes. In contrast, ZFP36L1 was undetectable, but TTP was strongly induced in LPS-stimulated RAW cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed the higher levels of ZFP36L1 mRNA in adipocytes and TTP mRNA in RAW cells. Low levels of ZFP36L1 expression were also confirmed by Northern blotting in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. These results demonstrate that ZFP36L1 antiserum is useful in the detection of this protein and that TTP and ZFP36L1 are differentially expressed and regulated at the mRNA and protein levels in mouse adipocytes and macrophages.