果蝇体细胞的性别决定

对两性生物体而言,一个基本的发育分化是对性别的决定,或成为雌性,或成为雄性。这不仅是个体正常发育、生存不可缺少的一环,也是种族繁衍得以延续的物质基础。雌性和雄性在形态、生理和行为的许多特征及基因产物上都有很大的差异,然而它们的遗传信息的绝大部分却是一致的。因此性别发育是一个有关分化的基因调控事件,是对两套可轮换的遗传程序之一的精确决定和执行。近年来,随着不同的果蝇性别决定基因相继被发现,果蝇性别分化的调控机制也逐渐被揭示。 本世纪初,一系列遗传学实验的结果导致了“果蝇的性别由X染色体和常染色体套数的     

果蝇生殖细胞的性别决定

体细胞将随着个体生命的结束而消亡,生殖细胞却随着物种的繁衍而永生,所以,了解生殖细胞的性别决定有着更深刻的意义。但目前对果蝇生殖细胞性别决定机制的认识还远不如体细胞的那么清晰,就已获得的资料看,两者是迴然不同的。与体细胞相比,生殖细胞的性别分化机制要更为复杂一些。     

Transformer基因与果蝇和线虫的性别决定

黑腹果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster)和秀丽隐杆线虫（Caeborhabditis elegans）的性别决定的问题已研究得比较详细,且transformer基因是这两种生物性别决定中最重要的基因之一,其有关的性别决定研究在近几年取得了很大的进展。本文就线虫和果蝇的transformer基因及其相关基因的特性与功能进行了特别介绍,并在此基础上对其性别决定的分子机制进行初步的比较和分析。Abstract : Sex determination of Drosophila melanogaster and Caeborhabditis elegans has been known in detail. Great progress, is achieved in recent years, is the research of transformer genes, which are those of most important genes in sex determination in both species. In this paper, molecular character, genetic function and the relative genes of transformer genes are particularly described. On the basis,a primary compariso and analysis between the molecular mechanism of sex determination in C.elegans and D. melanogaster are presented.     

果蝇卵母细胞决定分子机制的研究

生殖细胞的发生是连接亲子两代发育的桥梁,在生物体发育进程中占有极其重要的地位。其中,动物雄性生殖细胞的主要作用是提供单倍体基因组;而雌性生殖细胞除此之外,还提供了几乎全部的细胞质,其中包含胚胎发育所需的营养物质和胚胎构建所需的位置信息。因此,研究生殖细胞的发生,特别是雌性生殖细胞的发生,具有极其重要的意义。 生殖细胞的发生大致包括以下两个阶段:     

玉米性别决定的激素调控

玉米(Zea mays)属典型的雌雄异花植物, 单性花的形成经历了复杂的性别决定过程。通过雄穗小花和雌穗下位花的雌蕊原基以及雌穗小花雄蕊原基的选择性败育(或退化), 玉米最终形成正常的雌雄同株单性花。相关突变体的研究揭示, 玉米性别决定涉及选择性细胞死亡、细胞保护及信号转导等复杂的过程。其中, 植物激素信号的调控在玉米性别决定过程中处于核心地位。最近的研究表明, 赤霉素、细胞分裂素和茉莉酸类物质参与调控玉米性别决定过程。该文结合最新研究成果, 综述了植物激素在玉米性别决定中的作用及其调控途径, 同时提出了研究中存在的问题, 并对该领域未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

性别决定基因

在个体发育过程中,动物的种类不同,性别决定的方式亦有差异。这取决于胚胎早期不同的性别初级信号对性别决定基因的启动和活化,活化的性别决定基因启动性别分化基因的表达,使个体的性别表现出来。本文略述与线虫、果蝇等的性别决定有关的基因。线虫(Caenorhabditis elegans)体长约1mm,雌雄同体,自体受精。有两条 X 染色体(XX);XO型线虫为雄性。线虫(C.elegans)性别决定的初级信号是 X 染色体与常染色体的比率(X∶     

黑腹果蝇的性别控制

性别的形成包括两个过程,即性别决定和性别分化。果蝇的性别控制研究包括性别决定、性别分化、性别鉴定、性别诱导和性别控制5个方面。性别决定是在两种不同发育途径之间的选择,它提供了一个研究基因调控的模式系统。果蝇的性别决定问题已经研究得相当详细［1］。性别分化是使胚胎向着雌性或雄性发育的过程,决定了性别表型。果蝇的性别分化也取得了不少研究成果。近年来,许多重要的性别调控基因已被克隆和鉴定。随着果蝇基因组全序列测定的完成,果蝇的性别控制研究将会更为深入而完善。本文对与黑腹果蝇性别决定和性别分化相关的一些问题进行综述。     

性别决定和性染色体交换模型

人的性别究竟是由什么来决定?过去人们常认为:人的性别由性染色体决定,且主要由Y染色体所决定,即在人体的体细胞内,除了含有成对的常染色体以外,凡含有x和Y染色体的为男性,凡含有两个x染色体的为女性。但是也有性染色体组成为XX的男性。据估计,具有XX性染色体的男性约在两万个男性中就有一个。为什么体细胞含有XX染色体的个体是男     

核不均一性核糖核蛋白在RNA加工过程中的作用

在真核细胞中,初始转录产物（前体mRNA）经过一系列复杂的转录后加工过程形成成熟的mRNA.在这一过程中,大量蛋白质和加工因子有序汇集在核糖核蛋白复合体中并参与对前体RNA的加工过程. 该复合体中的蛋白质部分主要由一类约20种称为核不均一性核糖核蛋白的多肽分子构成.除了早期了解的一些结构性功能外,近来已有许多证据显示这些蛋白质在细胞中RNA的代谢及其他活动方面具有更加广泛和积极的作用.     

Viral RNA recognition by the Drosophila small interfering RNA pathway

Viral RNA is a common activator of antiviral responses. In this review, we dissect the mechanism of viral RNA recognition by the small interfering RNA pathway in Drosophila melanogaster. This antiviral response in fruit flies can help understand general principles of nucleic acid recognition.     

表观遗传因素在RNA剪接过程中的作用

RNA剪接是真核生物基因表达过程中的重要环节,增加了蛋白质的多样性和基因表达的可调节性. 日益增多的研究表明,RNA剪接并不是独立的生物过程.RNA Ⅱ型聚合酶(RNA polymerase-Ⅱ, RNA Pol Ⅱ)、核小体定位和组蛋白修饰等因素都与RNA剪接过程密切相关.阐明RNA Pol Ⅱ、核小体定位和组蛋白修饰等因素在RNA剪接过程中的作用,将为剪接位点的准确识别和剪接调控机制的研究提供新思路.本文综述了RNA Pol Ⅱ、核小体定位和组蛋白修饰等因素对RNA剪接的影响以及它们在RNA剪接过程中的调控作用.     

Role of tautomerism in RNA biochemistry

Heterocyclic nucleic acid bases and their analogs can adopt multiple tautomeric forms due to the presence of multiple solvent-exchangeable protons. In DNA, spontaneous formation of minor tautomers has been speculated to contribute to mutagenic mispairings during DNA replication, whereas in RNA, minor tautomeric forms have been proposed to enhance the structural and functional diversity of RNA enzymes and aptamers. This review summarizes the role of tautomerism in RNA biochemistry, specifically focusing on the role of tautomerism in catalysis of small self-cleaving ribozymes and recognition of ligand analogs by riboswitches. Considering that the presence of multiple tautomers of nucleic acid bases is a rare occurrence, and that tautomers typically interconvert on a fast time scale, methods for studying rapid tautomerism in the context of nucleic acids under biologically relevant aqueous conditions are also discussed.     

Phenotypic inheritance induced by hairpin RNA in Drosophila

Phenotypic inheritance induced by RNA has been documented in mouse and Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we report a similar inheritance in Drosophila. Mutant phenotypes of eye defects and antenna duplication generated from the crossing of one RNA interference （RNAi） transgenic line harboring one hairpin RNA transgene with a GAL4 driver line were inherited independently of the GAL4 driver. Hairpin RNA injection experiments demonstrated that the hairpin RNA could induce heritable mutant-like phenotypes on the eye and antenna. The penetrance of mutant phenotypes was reduced when the mutants were crossed to agol and piwi mutants. Our data suggest that hairpin RNA can induce phenotypic inheritance in Drosophila.     

Evolution of Sex Determination and Sex Chromosomes: A Novel Alternative Paradigm

Sex chromosomes can differ between species as a result of evolutionary turnover, a process that can be driven by evolution of the sex determination pathway. Canonical models of sex chromosome turnover hypothesize that a new master sex determining gene causes an autosome to become a sex chromosome or an XY chromosome pair to switch to a ZW pair (or vice versa). Here, a novel paradigm for the evolution of sex determination and sex chromosomes is presented, in which there is an evolutionary transition in the master sex determiner, but the X chromosome remains unchanged. There are three documented examples of the novel paradigm, and it is hypothesized that a similar process could happen in a ZW sex chromosome system. Three other taxa are also identified where the novel paradigm may have occurred, and how it could be distinguished from canonical trajectories in these and additional taxa is also described.