Analysis of control elements for position‐independent expression of human α‐lactalbumin YAC

A major problem in the production of transgenic animal bioreactors using microinjections is the low production rate of high‐expressing transgenic animals due to the position effect. We previously reported that transgenic rats carrying the 210 kb yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) including the human α‐lactalbumin gene express the transgene in a position‐independent manner. The 210 kb YAC was thought to have all the elements necessary for position‐independent expression. In this paper, we constructed fragmented YAC clones and a cosmid clone, and produced transgenic rats to analyze these elements. Transgenic rats with both the 50 kb upstream and downstream regions of the α‐lactalbumin gene had position‐independent expression. Transgenic rats with the 20 kb upstream and downstream regions, however, had position‐dependent expression. Therefore, all the elements necessary for position‐independent expression are thought to be located in the 50 kb upstream to 50 kb downstream region of the α‐lactalbumin gene. Furthermore, we replaced the human α‐lactalbumin promoter with the bovine αS1‐casein promoter in the 210 kb YAC and produced transgenic rats. Position‐dependent expression was observed. The elements required for position‐independent expression of the bovine αS1‐casein gene are different from those required for the human α‐lactalbumin gene, despite the fact that the two genes have the same tissue and developmental specificity. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 54:17–23, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

乳腺生物反应器制备中表达载体的发展

腺生物反应器拥有巨大的开发价值,但开发成功的例子却寥寥可数,主要的原因是外源基因的表达量较低,达不到开发生产的要求。提高外源基因表达量的关键在于乳腺生物反应器表达载体的构建。近年来,这方面的新思路、新方法不断出现,本文对此进行了综述。     

Boundaries that demarcate structural and functional domains of chromatin

Understanding of how the eukaryotic genome is packaged into chromatin and what the functional consequences of this organization are has begun to emerge recently. The concept of ‘chromatin domains’ — the topologically independent structural unit — is the basis of higher order chromatin organization. The idea that this structural unit may also coincide with the functional unit, offers a useful framework in dissecting the structure-function relationship. Boundaries that define these domains have been identified and several assays have been developed to test themin vivo. We have used genetic means to identify and analyse such boundary elements in the bithorax complex ofDrosophila melanogaster. In this review we discuss chromatin domain boundaries identified in several systems using different means. Although there is no significant sequence conservation among various chromatin domain boundaries, these elements show functional conservation across the species. Finally, we discuss mechanistic aspects of how chromatin domain boundaries may function in organizing and regulating eukaryotic genome.     

tPA cDNA在兔乳腺中的表达(英文)

组织型纤维原激活剂（tPA）的作用是激活血纤维蛋白酶原,从而溶解血栓。生物体内tPA的含量很低,远远不能满足临床需要。为了利用转基因动物生产tPA,需要对所用tPA乳腺表达载体pSVL－WAP－tPA2（Fig．1）进行予证。将三种待研究载体分别用脂质体包埋,注入中后期怀孕母兔乳腺。对乳汁、乳腺组织的mRNA和DNA分别进行检测。实验兔分娩后,每4天取乳汁冻存,ELISA检测其中tPA含量（Fig．2）,泌乳期第4天最高可达600ng／ml。又,于乳腺注射第3天,手术切取部分乳腺组织,制备总RNA,以β－Casein启动子下游序列（TACTAG…）为引物Ⅰ,tPA上游序列（TTCCCA…）为引物Ⅱ,做RT－PCR检测,表明：此时已有tPAmRNA转录（Fig．3）。再,于停乳后30天左右,切取部分乳腺制备DNA,以tPAcDNA为探针,做Southern杂交检测,表明：无tPA整合,仅是以附合体形式存在（Fig．4）。上述质粒直接注射技术是予证转基因用载体表达水平的快捷、简便方法。     

表达人尿激酶原突变体的重组山羊乳腺特异性表达慢病毒载体的构建

目的：构建山羊乳腺特异性表达尿激酶原突变体的重组慢病毒载体,证明其表达的有效性。方法：将劳氏肉瘤病毒增强子／启动子、复制缺陷型人免疫缺陷病毒（HIV-1）的5′端长重复序列（LTR）、HIV-1ψ包装信号、HIVRev反应元件、山羊β-酪蛋白调控序列、尿激酶原M13cDNA、AU3／3′LTR、牛生长激素（BGH）基因poly（A）依次连接,构建乳腺特异性表达的慢病毒载体,通过体外转染人乳腺癌细胞系MCF-7、中国仓鼠卵巢细胞及泌乳山羊乳腺注射证明其表达有效性。结果：酶切鉴定证实山羊乳腺特异性表达载体构建正确;将该载体转染细胞,采用溶圈法和Western印迹检测证实了其表达的有效性;慢病毒载体注射到泌乳山羊的乳腺,在乳汁中也检测到了尿激酶原的表达。结论：为在转基因动物乳腺中表达尿激酶原突变体奠定了基础。     

乳腺生物反应器的研究现状和产业化前景

转基因动物乳腺生物反应器是伴随转基因动物技术而发展起来的一项高新生物技术。利用这项技术,我们可以从动物乳汁中源源不断地获取用于医疗或保健目的的有生物活性的基因产物。这是一种全新的蛋白质生产模式,它将成为许多国家的重要支柱产业之一。本文介绍了乳腺生物反应器的基本概念和基本原理;概述了制备过程中的目的基因选择、载体构建、转基因等技术环节的研究现状;分析了乳腺生物反应器的优势及存在的问题,并就其产业化前景进行了展望。     

Long-term organ culture of mouse mammary gland

Summary A method for maintaining mouse mammary gland in organ culture for periods of at least 30 days is described. Strips of the number four mammary glands were cultured in individual tubes while fully submerged in Medium 199 supplemented with insulin, aldosterone, ovine prolactin and bovine growth hormone. Exchange processes were aided by slowly rotating the tubes during culture. Mammary tissue from midpregnant BALB/c and virgin GR/A mice was induced to undergo lobulo-alveolar development, secrete and remain differentiated and metabolically active for the period of culture. Cells of both the ductal and alveolar epithelium continued to synthesize DNA and divide. The submerged roller-tube culture allows the use of larger pieces of tissue than can be accommodated in static culture, and the technique may prove applicable to the culture of a variety of tissues.     

β乳球蛋白基因（βlg）的表达调控及其应用

β乳球蛋白（BLG）是反刍动物乳汁中的主要乳清蛋白,BLG表达受到βlg核心启动子,LCR,MAR等顺式作用元件和激素,转录因子等反式作用因子的调控,利用βlg启动子已在乳腺成功表达外源基因,但乳腺组织特异性表达外源基因时尚存在异位表达,差异表达,表达水平低和表达受位置效应影响等问题,构建表达载体时充分考虑βlg启动子和远端调控元件,有可能使上源基因获得,高效,特异的表达。     

Transplantation of a Mammary Stromal Cell Line into a Mammary Fat Pad: Development of the Site-Specific in Vivo Analysis System for Mammary Stromal Cells

The interaction between mammary epithelial and stromal tissue is considered to be important in breast tissue development. In this study, we developed a transplantation procedure for the mammary stromal fibroblastic cell line (MSF) to examine its life in vivo. First we established MSF cells which stably expressed lacZ (lacZ/MSF) and had characteristics of mammary stromal cells. The lacZ/MSF cells were then transplanted into a cleared mammary fat pad of syngenic mice with and without mammary primary epithelial organoids. Whole mount X-gal and carmine staining of the transplants revealed that a number of undifferentiated lacZ/MSF cells survived around the mammary epithelial tissue when transplanted with organoids. These results indicate that transplantation of MSF cells into mammary fat pad was accomplished by co-transplantation with primary mammary organoids. Finally, we discuss the application of transplantation procedure for in vivo studies of the mammary stromal tissue development and stromal-epithelial interactions.     

Inappropriate P-cadherin expression in the mouse mammary epithelium is compatible with normal mammary gland function

Cadherins comprise a family of cell-cell adhesion proteins critical to the architecture and function of tissues. Expression of family members E-, N-, and P-cadherin is regulated in a spatial and temporal fashion in the developing and adult organism. Using in vivo and in vitro experimental systems, perturbation of cadherin expression by genetic deletion, overexpression, mutant dominant-negative constructs, and, to a lesser degree, expression of an inappropriate cadherin have all been shown to alter embryogenesis, tissue architecture, and cell behavior. Here we studied how expression of an inappropriate cadherin affects the adult mouse mammary gland. Human P-cadherin was expressed in mammary epithelial cells under control of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter, and the effect on mammary gland behavior was studied. Typically, E-cadherin is expressed by mammary epithelial cells, whereas P-cadherin is found in myoepithelial cells and cap cells of the ductal terminal end bud. However, breast cancers frequently express P-cadherin, even though they are thought to arise from epithelial cells, and it is a marker of poor prognosis. We developed two independent transgenic mouse lines that exhibited high levels of P-cadherin protein expression in the mammary epithelium. P-cadherin was detected in most, but not all, luminal epithelial cells, and was appropriately localized to cell-cell borders. It was detected in the mammary glands of virgin, pregnant, lactating, post-lactation, and aged parous female mice. Despite the robust and widespread expression of an inappropriate cadherin, no effect was observed on mammary gland morphogenesis, architecture, lactation, or involution in transgenic mice compared to wild-type mice. No mammary tumors formed spontaneously in either wild-type or transgenic mice. Moreover, mammary tumors induced by the neu oncogene, which was introduced by a breeding strategy, showed no differences between mice with or without hP-cadherin. Surprisingly, however, none of the tumors expressed hP-cadherin protein. Together, our studies show no apparent effect on adult mammary gland or tumor behavior by inappropriate expression of P-cadherin in normal mammary epithelial cells.     

Synthesis and secretion of caseins by the mouse mammary gland: Production and characterization of new polyclonal antibodies

Polyclonal antibodies to mouse - and /-caseins were raised in rabbits. These antibodies display tissue- and species specificity as shown by immunoblotting. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrate that both - and /-caseins were synthesized and secreted from virtually all lactating mammary epithelial cells, in a pattern very similar to that of the mouse -lactalbumin. Residual amounts of caseins were located also in the apical surface of epithelial cells surrounding the ducal lumen of virgin mammary gland sections. In contrast to the significant level of -casein in the milk, the amount of this protein compared to - or -caseins was extremely low in medium conditioned for 24 h by mammary explants of mid-pregnant mice immediately after explantation or after 4 days.     

乳腺上皮细胞微量元素转运机制研究进展

新生儿生长发育所需的微量元素主要从母乳中获得,微量元素参与了机体的许多生命活动,如酶的活性、细胞增殖及分化等。乳腺上皮细胞含有多种微量元素转运体系,如锌离子转运体系（Zip／ZnT）、铁离子转运体系（DMTl／FPN）和铜离子转运体系（Ctrl／ATP7）。在分泌乳汁的同时,这些转运蛋白对锌、铁、铜等微量元素的吸收、转运和分泌起着重要的作用。同时这些微量元素的转运及代谢受到多种因素的调控,使母乳中微量元素含量达到动态稳定,以满足新生儿生长发育各阶段对微量元素的需求。对近年来锌、铁、铜三种微量元素在乳腺上皮细胞内转运机制的研究进展进行综述。     

Glutathione metabolism under the influence of hydroperoxides in the lactating mammary gland of the rat. Effect of glucose and extracellular ATP

Tert-butyl hydroperoxide decreases GSH and total free glutathione (GSH+2GSSG) contents of acini from lactating mammary glands. The decrease in total free glutathione can be explained by an increase in mixed disulfide formation and by excretion of GSS G to the extracellular medium, and subsequent degradation catalyzed by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Low concentrations of glucose prevented the changes in glutathione levels induced by the peroxide. In the presence of extracellular ATP, glucose did not prevent these changes. However, incubations with the peroxide, did not alter the rate of other metabolic pathways by acini.Abbreviations used GSH Reduced glutathione - GSSG Glutathione disulfide - GSSR Glutathione mixed disulfide - GGT Gamma-glutamyl transpaptidase - tbOOH Tert-butyl hydroperoxide