X染色体的剂量补偿机制

剂量补偿机制(Dosage compensation mechanism)是雌性和雄性X染色体表达平衡的关键,保证两性间由X染色体编码的蛋白质或其他酶类物质在数量上达到平衡。不同生物的剂量补偿机制各不相同,迄今研究表明剂量补偿机制主要有以下3种模式:通过雄性的单个X染色体表达加倍;通过雌性的一条X染色体失活;通过雌性的两个X染色体的表达减半来达到平衡。对剂量补偿的研究有助于揭示X连锁基因的调控机理、性染色体的进化和分化过程,以及解释性染色体畸变的机理,因此,文章将对这种重要的调控机制研究现状及进展进行简要论述。     

Nonrandom Representation of Sex-Biased Genes on Chicken Z Chromosome

Several lines of evidence suggest that the X chromosome of various animal species has an unusual complement of genes with sex-biased or sex-specific expression. However, the study of the X chromosome gene content in different organisms provided conflicting results. The most striking contrast concerns the male-biased genes, which were reported to be almost depleted from the X chromosome in Drosophila but overrepresented on the X chromosome in mammals. To elucidate the reason for these discrepancies, we analysed the gene content of the Z chromosome in chicken. Our analysis of the publicly available expressed sequence tags (EST) data and genome draft sequence revealed a significant underrepresentation of ovary-specific genes on the chicken Z chromosome. For the brain-expressed genes, we found a significant enrichment of male-biased genes but an indication of underrepresentation of female-biased genes on the Z chromosome. This is the first report on the nonrandom gene content in a homogametic sex chromosome of a species with heterogametic female individuals. Further comparison of gene contents of the independently evolved X and Z sex chromosomes may offer new insight into the evolutionary processes leading to the nonrandom genomic distribution of sex-biased and sex-specific genes. Electronic Supplementary Material Electronic Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Manyuan Long]     

人X染色体含有一个黑色素瘤抗原基因亚家族

肿瘤相关基因的研究是肿瘤基因形成学说的核心内容。肿瘤相关基因家族的研究则是其中的重点和难点,从4－6月孕龄人胎肝cDNA文库中克隆到一个黑色素瘤抗原基因亚家族,称为MAGE－D亚家族,其成员包括3个直系同源体（人MAGE－D1、大鼠SNERG－1和小鼠DLXIN－1）和2个旁系同源体（人MAGE－D和人KIAA1114）。该家族的3个人类成员均定位于染色体Xp11.21-p11.23,同时具有独特的基因组结构。分子进化树分析表明,该家族与已知MAGE－A、－B和－C3个亚家族之间具有明显的进化上分歧。该亚家族的发现为研究肿瘤相关基因新功能提供了重要线索。     

Mammalian X Chromosome Dosage Compensation: Perspectives From the Germ Line

Sex chromosomes are advantageous to mammals, allowing them to adopt a genetic rather than environmental sex determination system. However, sex chromosome evolution also carries a burden, because it results in an imbalance in gene dosage between females (XX) and males (XY). This imbalance is resolved by X dosage compensation, which comprises both X chromosome inactivation and X chromosome upregulation. X dosage compensation has been well characterized in the soma, but not in the germ line. Germ cells face a special challenge, because genome wide reprogramming erases epigenetic marks responsible for maintaining the X dosage compensated state. Here we explain how evolution has influenced the gene content and germ line specialization of the mammalian sex chromosomes. We discuss new research uncovering unusual X dosage compensation states in germ cells, which we postulate influence sexual dimorphisms in germ line development and cause infertility in individuals with sex chromosome aneuploidy.     

乙型肝炎病毒X基因真核表达载体的构建及表达

目的:构建含有天然完整的乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)X基因序列的真核表达载体,观察其在肝癌细胞株中的表达。方法:设计并合成HBV X基因的引物,用PCR方法从含完整HBV全基因的HepG2细胞中扩增X基因序列,并将其连接到真核表达载体pVAX-1上,酶切、PCR鉴定;用Triton X-114去除质粒内毒素后,采用电穿孔法将重组质粒pVAX-HBV X和空质粒pVAX-1分别转染SMMC-7721细胞,RT-PCR法检测HBV X基因mRNA的表达,Western印迹鉴定HBV X蛋白(HBx)的表达。结果:酶切和PCR鉴定证实pVAX-HBV X载体中包含完整的HBVX基因片段,该重组质粒转染的SMMC-7721细胞中HBV X基因mRNA及HBx蛋白的表达稳定。结论:构建了HBV X基因的真核表达载体,为X基因及其编码蛋白的生物学功能的研究提供了可靠的基因材料。     

植物异源多倍体进化中基因表达的变化

多倍化是植物物种进化的主要动力,异源多倍体植物在形成早期发生着快速的基因表达变化。本文概述了异源多倍体植物中基因表达变化的特点,包括基因的沉默、激活和部分同源基因表达水平的变化,探讨了基因表达变化的分子机制和生物学意义,并对研究中的问题进行了分析和展望。     

哺乳动物X染色体失活机制

哺乳动物X染色体连锁基因的剂量平衡,是通过雌性胚胎发育早期随机或印记失活一条X染色体来实现的,这是一个复杂的过程,包括：启动、计数、选择、维持等一系列的步骤。X染色体失活中心是X染色体失活的主控开关座位,调节X失活的早期事件,失活发生后,X染色体的失活状态可稳定地存在并传递给后代,这一过程涉及基因组印记的形成。此外,在雄性动物,精原细胞减数分裂早期也存在着短暂的X染色体失活现象。现对哺乳动物X染色体失活机制的最新进展进行综述。     

Conservation of Regional Variation in Sex-Specific Sex Chromosome Regulation

Regional variation in sex-specific gene regulation has been observed across sex chromosomes in a range of animals and is often a function of sex chromosome age. The avian Z chromosome exhibits substantial regional variation in sex-specific regulation, where older regions show elevated levels of male-biased expression. Distinct sex-specific regulation also has been observed across the male hypermethylated (MHM) region, which has been suggested to be a region of nascent dosage compensation. Intriguingly, MHM region regulatory features have not been observed in distantly related avian species despite the hypothesis that it is situated within the oldest region of the avian Z chromosome and is therefore orthologous across most birds. This situation contrasts with the conservation of other aspects of regional variation in gene expression observed on the avian sex chromosomes but could be the result of sampling bias. We sampled taxa across the Galloanserae, an avian clade spanning 90 million years, to test whether regional variation in sex-specific gene regulation across the Z chromosome is conserved. We show that the MHM region is conserved across a large portion of the avian phylogeny, together with other sex-specific regulatory features of the avian Z chromosome. Our results from multiple lines of evidence suggest that the sex-specific expression pattern of the MHM region is not consistent with nascent dosage compensation.     

孤雌胚胎干细胞基因印迹及X染色体失活状态初步研究

目的:研究孤雌胚胎干细胞(phESC)与受精卵来源胚胎干细胞(hESC)在印迹基因表达、X染色体失活等方面的异同。方法:运用实时荧光相对定量PCR、甲基化特异性PCR和免疫荧光染色等方法检测phESC与hESC在父系印迹基因IGF2R,母系印迹基因SNRPN,IGF2相对表达量及X染色体失活状态。结果:①母系印迹基因SNRPN,IGF2在phESC细胞中不表达,而父系印迹基因IGF2R表达量则相对于hESC有近2倍的上调;②XIST基因在第35代phESC细胞中没有表达,意味着早期的phESC没有进行X染色体失活,而到了第55代,XIST基因开始表达并随着分化时间的延长表达量逐渐上调;③XIST启动子甲基化状态及组蛋白H3赖氨酸27三甲基化免疫荧光染色阳性证实phESC在长期培养后启动了X染色体失活。结论:phESC的X染色体失活状态在培养过程中存在不稳定的情况,建议对phESC进行更深入的表观遗传稳定性研究,以确保这种细胞未来安全、高效的应用。     

HBV－NC1株X基因在真核细胞中表达，基因调控与致癌作用的初探

报道了ＨＢＶ－ＮＣ１株的Ｘ基因进入真核细胞表达载体ｐＸＴ１质粒的ＴＫ启动子之后,转染细胞及表达Ｘ基因成功。即发现包装病毒感染ＮＩＨ／３Ｔ３细胞后有Ｘ基因表达,用斑点杂交又证明此Ｘ基因已整合到细胞的基因组中,当与有ｐＭＳＨ报告基因的质粒共同感染真核细胞后确有激活转录调控现象出现。应用反义的ＸＲＮＡ表达载体感染肝癌细胞发现有接触抑制作用出现。     

Dichotomy of Dosage Compensation along the Neo Z Chromosome of the Monarch Butterfly

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Human Artificial Chromosome with a Conditional Centromere for Gene Delivery and Gene Expression

Human artificial chromosomes (HACs), which carry a fully functional centromere and are maintained as a single-copy episome, are not associated with random mutagenesis and offer greater control over expression of ectopic genes on the HAC. Recently, we generated a HAC with a conditional centromere, which includes the tetracycline operator (tet-O) sequence embedded in the alphoid DNA array. This conditional centromere can be inactivated, loss of the alphoid^tet-O (tet-O HAC) by expression of tet-repressor fusion proteins. In this report, we describe adaptation of the tet-O HAC vector for gene delivery and gene expression in human cells. A loxP cassette was inserted into the tet-O HAC by homologous recombination in chicken DT40 cells following a microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT). The tet-O HAC with the loxP cassette was then transferred into Chinese hamster ovary cells, and EGFP transgene was efficiently and accurately incorporated into the tet-O HAC vector. The EGFP transgene was stably expressed in human cells after transfer via MMCT. Because the transgenes inserted on the tet-O HAC can be eliminated from cells by HAC loss due to centromere inactivation, this HAC vector system provides important novel features and has potential applications for gene expression studies and gene therapy.     

乙型肝炎病毒X基因的分析与在大肠杆菌中的表达

以ＨＢＶ－ＮＣｌＤＮＡ为材料研究了其中的Ｘ基因,首先确定了此Ｘ基因的顺序,即用ＡＢＩ自动萤光测序议测序证明了此Ｘ基因的３８５位核苷酸后缺失１９个核苷酸,从而引起移码突变,使此Ｘ基因共有５１９个核苷酸,编码１７２个氨基酸,比另一种ａｄｒ型Ｘ蛋白多１８个氨基酸。在其第五位氨基酸上有一ＡＴＧ起始密码,也与另一Ｘ基因不同。经重组后获得在大肠杆菌中的热诱导表达,用Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ方法证明确为Ｘ蛋白,并有多态性。