New constructions of one- and two-stage pooling designs.

The study of gene functions requires a DNA library of high quality, such a library is obtained from a large mount of testing and screening. Pooling design is a very helpful tool for reducing the number of tests for DNA library screening. In this paper, we present new one- and two-stage pooling designs, together with new probabilistic pooling designs. The approach in this paper works for both error-free and error-tolerance scenarios.     

Efficient constructions of disjunct matrices with applications to DNA library screening.

The study of gene functions requires a DNA library of high quality, such a library is obtained from a large mount of testing and screening. Pooling design is a very helpful tool for reducing the number of tests for DNA library screening. In this paper, we present two Las Vegas algorithms for efficient constructions of d-disjunct and (d ; z)-disjunct matrices respectively. These new constructions can be directly applied to construct error-free and error-tolerant pooling designs.     

开发SSR引物方法之研究动态

SSR标记是一种基于DNA长度多态性的分子标记技术,是进行群体遗传结构分析、构建遗传连锁图谱非常有效的工具。由于SSR标记是特异引物标记,必须在知道某个物种DNA序列的前提下,才能设计引物进行PCR扩增,故而存在一个引物开发的问题。从SSR标记的发展历程来看,开发SSR引物的方法有经典的构建与筛选基因组文库的方法、微卫星富集法、省略筛库法和数据库搜索法等四种。本文综述了这四种方法的操作流程及其在实际应用中的优缺点,并对近年来SSR引物在相近的物种间转移使用的情况作了介绍. Abstract: SSRs is one of molecular markers technology based on DNA length polymorphism and an efficient tool for population genetic studies and primary genetic linkage maps construction. Because of a special primer marker, It’s necessary to know a species DNA sequence in order to design primers for PCR testing. That is to say, there is a problem of SSR primer development. For the progress of SSR marker technology, the methods of developing SSR primer could be divided into four kinds: traditional constructing and screening genome library procedure, the SSR richment procedure, avoiding screening genome library procedure and database search procedure. This paper reviewed these four methods’operation processes and their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, transferability of SSR primers in closely related species were introduced in recent years.     

Small-scale isolation of high molecular weight DNA from Leishmania braziliensis

In this paper, we report a method for isolation of high molecular weight DNA from Leishmania promastigotes. This technique is especially indicated for small-scale purification of DNA suitable for the construction of highly representative genomic libraries. In our protocol, lysis buffer is compatible with RNase treatment, avoiding an additional precipitation step and consequent shearing of DNA. In order to prove the quality of the DNA isolated by this method, a Leishmania braziliensis genomic library was constructed, and an L. braziliensis KMP-11 gene was cloned after screening the library with a heterologous probe.     

A randomized lentivirus shRNA library construction

Vector based shRNA (short hairpin RNA) expression library has been widely used to screen functional genes. For two main methods that have been used to generate short hairpin RNA libraries, chemical synthesis is too expensive to be widely used and the low efficiency of enzymatic approach makes it difficult to construct. We have developed a protocol to construct a new kind of shRNA library called randomized shRNA library. Within three steps chemically synthesized randomized 19-mers DNA were efficiently converted to double-stranded DNA fragments containing shRNA templates. This kind of shRNA library permits simple and economic construction, providing another choice for whole-genome phenotypic screening of genes.     

The isolation of structural genes from libraries of eucaryotic DNA

We present a procedure for eucaryotic structural gene isolation which involves the construction and screening of cloned libraries of genomic DNA. Large random DNA fragments are joined to phage lambda vectors by using synthetic DNA linkers. The recombinant molecules are packaged into viable phage particles in vitro and amplified to establish a permanent library. We isolated structural genes together with their associated sequences from three libraries constructed from Drosophila, silkmoth and rabbit genomic DNA. In particular, we obtained a large number of phage recombinants bearing the chorion gene sequence from the silkmoth library and several independent clones of β-globin genes from the rabbit library. Restriction mapping and hybridization studies reveal the presence of closely linked β-globin genes.     

Algorithmic co-optimization of genetic constructs and growth conditions: application to 6-ACA,a potential nylon-6 precursor

Optimizing bio-production involves strain and process improvements performed as discrete steps. However, environment impacts genotype and a strain that is optimal under one set of conditions may not be under different conditions. We present a methodology to simultaneously vary genetic and process factors, so that both can be guided by design of experiments (DOE). Advances in DNA assembly and gene insulation facilitate this approach by accelerating multi-gene pathway construction and the statistical interpretation of screening data. This is applied to a 6-aminocaproic acid (6-ACA) pathway in Escherichia coli consisting of six heterologous enzymes. A 32-member fraction factorial library is designed that simultaneously perturbs expression and media composition. This is compared to a 64-member full factorial library just varying expression (0.64 Mb of DNA assembly). Statistical analysis of the screening data from these libraries leads to different predictions as to whether the expression of enzymes needs to increase or decrease. Therefore, if genotype and media were varied separately this would lead to a suboptimal combination. This is applied to the design of a strain and media composition that increases 6-ACA from 9 to 48 mg/l in a single optimization step. This work introduces a generalizable platform to co-optimize genetic and non-genetic factors.     

A semi-rational design strategy of directed evolution combined with chemical synthesis of DNA sequences

Directed evolution in vitro is a powerful molecular tool for the creation of new biological phenotypes. It is unclear whether it is more efficient to mutate an enzyme randomly or to mutate just the active sites or key sites. In this study, the strategy of a semi-rational design of directed evolution combined with whole sequence and sites was developed. The 1553 bp gene encoding the thermostable beta-galactosidase of Pyrococcus woesei was chemically synthesized and optimized for G+C content and mRNA secondary structures. The synthesized gene product was used as a template or as a wild-type control. On the basis of the first round of DNA shuffling, library construction and screening, one mutant of YH6754 was isolated with higher activity. Eight potential key sites were deduced from the sequence of the shuffled gene, and 16 degenerate oligonucleotides were designed according to those eight amino acids. Two variants of YG6765 and YG8252 were screened in the second part of DNA shuffling, library construction and screening. For comparison, one mutant of YH8757 was screened through the same routine rounds of directed evolution with YH6754 as template. The purified beta-galactosidase from YH8757 exhibited a lower specific activity at 25 degrees C than those purified from mutated YG6755 and YG8252.     

山羊瘤胃微生物宏基因组BAC文库的构建与分析

从山羊瘤胃液中提取混合微生物DNA,经BamHI部分酶切得到50kb～800kb的DNA片段后,将其连接到pCCIBAC载体上,转化E．coliEPI300,建立山羊瘤胃微生物BAC文库。经RFLP鉴定分析,该文库12672个克隆,平均插入片段为6lkb。该文库的构建为后续新型基因的筛选提供了材料,为进一步研究山羊瘤胃微生物奠定了基础。     

Structure of mouse interferon-beta cDNA clones: sequence rearrangements in a cloned cDNA

A fraction enriched in interferon (IFN) mRNA was prepared from mouse C243-3 induced cells and was used for the construction of a cDNA library. Two plasmids were obtained after screening by differential colony hybridization and IFN mRNA hybridization-selection and translation. The nucleotide sequences of the cDNA inserts revealed that both were partial copies of IFN-beta mRNA. The cDNA 861 corresponds to the entire 3' nontranslated region of the mRNA while the cDNA 2939 consists of rearranged translated regions of IFN mRNA. A mechanism for the rearrangement events during cDNA synthesis is proposed. A chromosomal DNA fragment hybridizing to cDNA 2939 was identified by screening a mouse genomic library.     

Construction of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library for citrus and identification of BAC contigs containing resistance gene candidates

A BAC library was constructed from the genomic DNA of an intergeneric Citrus and Poncirus hybrid. The library consists of 24,576 clones with an average insert size of 115 kb, representing approximately seven haploid genome equivalents and is able to give a greater than 99% probability of isolating single-copy citrus DNA sequences from this library. High-density colony hybridization-based library screening was performed using DNA markers linked to the citrus tristeza virus (CTV) resistance gene and citrus disease resistance gene candidate (RGC) sequences. Between four and eight clones were isolated with each of the CTV resistance gene-linked markers, which agrees with the library’s predicted genome coverage. Three hundred and twenty-two clones were identified using 13 previously cloned citrus RGC sequences as probes in library screening. One to four fragments in each BAC were shown to hybridize with RGC sequences. One hundred and nine of the RGC BAC clones were fingerprinted using a sequencing gel-based procedure. From the fingerprints, 25 contigs were assembled, each having a size of 120–250 kb and consisting of 2–11 clones. These results indicate that the library is a useful resource for BAC contig construction and molecular isolation of disease resistance genes. Received: 22 May 2000 / Accepted: 25 September 2000     

噬菌体cDNA文库筛选方法的改良

cDNA文库的构建和简便、快速的筛选是获得全长基因的重要途径,基于PCR的筛库方法具有快捷、灵敏的特点。研究改进了基于PCR的噬菌体cDNA文库筛选方法,用液体分装的方法,替代了文库筛选的关键步骤——涂板分区,省去了噬菌体文库铺平板、浸染、培养、划块洗脱的操作过程,使筛库的工作量减少,进一步提高了筛选速度和获得阳性克隆的效率。     

宏基因组学在新型生物催化剂开发中的研究进展

宏基因组学是基因工程发展的新方向,它为寻找和发现新的功能基因及生物催化剂提供了新的研究策略。着重论述了宏基因组学的研究方法,包括DNA的提取、文库的构建以及筛选策略的选择。同时介绍了近年来宏基因组学应用于新型生物催化剂开发中所取得的一些成果。     

大片段DNA插入文库的研究进展

基因组DNA大片段插入文库作为基因组学和基因克隆的技术平台,它的发展主要经历了Cosmid文加,YACs文库,BACs文库三个阶段,文中对几种文库作了简单的比较和评价,对大片段文库的应用人了比较详实的介绍。作者根据自己的建库经验,重点介绍了BAC文库的构建。     

Whole genome amplification from filamentous fungi using Phi29-mediated multiple displacement amplification

The availability of genomic DNA of sufficient quality and quantity is fundamental to molecular genetic analysis. Many filamentous fungi are slow growing or even unculturable and current DNA isolation methods are often unsatisfactory. We have used multiple displacement amplification (MDA) to amplify whole genomes for two fungal species, Penicillium paxilli and the slow growing endophyte of grasses Epichloe festucae. Up to 10 microg of high molecular weight DNA was routinely amplified from less than 10 ng of template DNA obtained using glass bead-mediated disruption of fungal spores or alkaline lysis of mycelium. PCR was possible from MDA-generated DNA and amplicons up to 10 kb were successfully amplified. RFLP analysis was successful, with bands of up to 5 kb routinely detected. Hybridization of MDA-amplified DNA to a cosmid library illustrated that the MDA product amplified from E. festucae is representative of the genome. MDA is a reliable method that could be applied to applications ranging from high-throughput screening of deletion mutants to genomic library construction.     

Construction of a fully synthetic human scFv antibody library with CDR3 regions randomized by a split-mix-split method and its application

The randomization scheme of hypervariable region takes crucial role in construction of a synthetic antibody library. The codon bias and inevitable 'stop' codon of conventional 'NNK' and 'NNS' codons limit their applications. Here we report a split-mix-split DNA synthesis method that can control over the amino acid composition and distribution of randomized sequences effectually. A fully synthetic human antibody library with a diversity of 1.56 x 10(9) was successfully generated with complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) randomized by this strategy. Sequencing analysis indicated that >60% of colonies had completely correct scFv genes and the amino acid composition and distribution were designed well in accordance. The utility was demonstrated by screening of scFv clones against BHL (anti-CD3 x anti-ovarian carcinoma bispecific antibody). These results proved the feasibility of the split-mix-split DNA randomization strategy in library construction and site-directed mutagenesis.