用绿色荧光蛋白监测转基因植物中选择标记基因的消除

绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)可直接进行活体观察,它的这个优点可被用于监测转基因植物中选择标记基因的消除。为此,构建了植物表达载体pGNG,将绿色荧光蛋白基因(gfp)和卡那霉素抗性基因表达盒(NosP-nptll-NosT)一起克隆在两个同向的lox位点间,在第一个lox位点上游置有CaMV 35S启动子以驱动GFP表达,第二个lox位点下游置有不含启动子的大肠杆菌β-葡萄糖醛酸酶(GUS)基因。首先在含卡那霉素(Kan)的培养基上筛选出转pGNG的烟草,借助绿色荧光可容易地检出表达GFP的转化体。然后用另一转化载体pCambia1300Cre二次转化表达GFP的转基因植物,利用另一选择标记基因潮霉素抗性基因(hpt)进行筛选,在获得的再生植株中,Cre重组酶的表达消除了转化体中两lox位点间的gfp和nptll。实验结果表明可借助GFP荧光的消失,快速选出nptII被消除的二次转化体,同时GUS(作为目的蛋白) 在CaMV 35S启动子驱动下获得表达。最后利用后代的分离将hpt和cre除去。     

Transgenic Over-Expression of a Motor Protein at High Levels Results in Severe Cardiac Pathology

Transgenesis has become a useful tool in effecting a complete or partial remodeling of the cardiac contractile apparatus. Although gene dosage effects were initially a concern, recent data showed that the heart is able to accommodate varying levels of transgenic over-expression without detectable ill effects. The present study was designed to test the limits of the transgenic paradigm in terms of the production of a cardiac phenotype due simply to the over-expression of a contractile protein. To this end, eight lines of mice which express an isoform of the essential myosin light chain 1 that is normally found in the adult ventricle (ELC1v) were generated. Overt phenotype was correlated both with the level of expression/protein replacement and copy number of the transgene. Two of the lines showed essentially complete replacement of the atrial isoform (ELC1a) with ELC1v. However, the phenotypes of the two lines differed dramatically. The line with the lower copy number (37 copies), and moderate over-expression (16 fold) showed no overt pathology while a line with very high copy number (94 copies) and extremely high levels of over-expression (27–50 fold) developed a significant atrial hypertrophy, dilation and cardiomyopathy. These data indicate that very high expression levels of a contractile protein can cause a cardiac pathology that is unrelated to its degree of replacement in the sarcomere and the unique role(s) it may assume in motor protein function.     

Green Fluorescent Protein As a Cell-Labeling Tool and a Reporter of Gene Expression in Transgenic Rainbow Trout

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has been used as an indicator of transgene expression in living cells and organisms. For testing the utility of GFP in rainbow trout, we microinjected fertilized eggs with four types of supercoiled constructs containing two variants of GFP complementary DNA (S65T and EGFP), driven by two ubiquitous regulatory elements, human cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer-promoter (CMV) and Xenopus laevis elongation factor 1α enhancer-promoter (EF1). Green fluorescence was first observed at 3 days postfertilization, when the embryo was in the mid-blastula stage. Fluorescence could be detected mosaically in various types of embryonic cells and tissues of swim-up fry. Both the percentage of fluorescent cells and the fluorescence intensity of GFP-expressing cells on blastoderms, measured with a microscopic photometry system, were highest in CMV-EGFP-microinjected embryos. We conclude that GFP is capable of producing detectable fluorescence in rainbow trout, and can be a powerful tool as a cell marker and reporter gene for cold-water fish, and that analysis of GFP expression in living cells is useful for characterizing the activity of cis-elements in vivo. Received December 21, 1998; accepted March 31, 1999.     

应用绿色荧光蛋白研究外源基因在造血细胞的表达调控

以增强型绿色荧光蛋白为报道分子,研究双基因逆转录病毒载体介导小鼠骨髓细胞的基因转移中,SV(simianvirus)40启动子和内部核糖体进入位点(internalribosomeentrysite,IRES)对双基因共表达的影响。构建双基因中间序列分别为SV40启动子和IRES的载体pLESN和pLEIN。经包装获得较高滴度的病毒上清,以共培养的方式感染5-氟尿嘧啶预刺激的小鼠骨髓细胞。流式细胞仪检测表明转染效率约25%,PCR证明EGFP基因整合至骨髓细胞基因组。半固体培养转基因细胞7d,LEIN组获得具有G418抗性的集落中98%表达绿色荧光,而LESN组54%。结果表明:在双基因逆转录病毒载体介导的小鼠骨髓细胞的基因转导中,IRES与内部SV40启动子相比,更能保证双基因的共同表达。     

表达绿色荧光蛋白的重组鸡传染性支气管炎病毒的构建

为探讨鸡传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV)作为载体表达外源基因的可行性,本研究根据IBV H120疫苗株的全基因组序列设计引物,采用RT-PCR方法分10个片段对其基因组进行扩增,并克隆至pMD19-T载体中;同时构建IBV基因组5a基因编码区被增强型绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)基因替换的重组质粒。采用体外拼接策略,将BsaI酶切处理的10个基因片段顺序连接,构建5a基因编码区被EGFP基因替换的基因组全长cDNA,其5’端具有完整的T7 RNA聚合酶启动子核心序列,3’端具有polyA尾巴结构。然后通过T7 RNA聚合酶体外转录系统合成病毒基因组RNA,脂质体转染BHK-21细胞进行病毒拯救。结果表明成功的从基因组全长cDNA拯救出重组病毒H120-5a/EGFP株,其在鸡胚中能有效的复制和传代,并表达绿色荧光蛋白;5a基因的缺失并不影响病毒对鸡胚的致病性。本研究为进一步开展IBV的分子致病机理、载体疫苗等研究奠定了基础。     

Protein kinase network in the regulation of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin light chain

The contraction of smooth muscle is regulated primarily by intracellular Ca²⁺ signal. It is well established that the elevation of the cytosolic Ca²⁺ level activates myosin light chain kinase, which phosphorylates 20 kDa regulatory myosin light chain and activates myosin ATPase. The simultaneous measurement of cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration and force development revealed that the alteration of the Ca²⁺-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus as well as the Ca²⁺ signal plays a critical role in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. The fluctuation of an extent of myosin phosphorylation for a given change in Ca²⁺ concentration is considered to contribute to the major mechanisms regulating the Ca²⁺-sensitivity. The level of myosin phosphorylation is determined by the balance between phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. The phosphorylation level for a given Ca²⁺ elevation is increased either by Ca²⁺-independent activation of phosphorylation process or inhibition of dephosphorylation. In the last decade, the isolation and cloning of myosin phosphatase facilitated the understanding of regulatory mechanism of dephosphorylation process at the molecular level. The inhibition of myosin phosphatase can be achieved by (1) alteration of hetrotrimeric structure, (2) phosphorylation of 110 kDa regulatory subunit MYPT1 at the specific site and (3) inhibitory protein CPI-17 upon its phosphorylation. Rho-kinase was first identified to phosphorylate MYPT1, and later many kinases were found to phosphorylate MYPT1 and inhibit dephosphorylation of myosin. Similarly, the phosphorylation of CPI-17 can be catalysed by multiple kinases. Moreover, the myosin light chain can be phosphorylated by not only authentic myosin light chain kinase in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner but also by multiple kinases in a Ca²⁺-independent manner, thus adding a novel mechanism to the regulation of the Ca²⁺-sensitivity by regulating the phosphorylation process. It is now clarified that the protein kinase network is involved in the regulation of myosin phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. However, the physiological role of each component remains to be determined. One approach to accomplish this purpose is to investigate the effects of the dominant negative mutants of the signalling molecule on the smooth muscle contraction. In this regards, a protein transduction technique utilizing the cell-penetrating peptides would provide a useful tool. In the preliminary study, we succeeded in introducing a fragment of MYPT1 into the arterial strips, and found enhancement of contraction.     

Gene-Gun-Mediated Transfer of Reporter Genes to Somatic Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Tissues

We describe the use of gene-gun-mediated transfer of luciferase and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Optimization of DNA transfer parameters indicated highest overall luciferase expression in epidermis and dermis using 1-μm microcarriers and 1 μg of pCMVL plasmid DNA at a delivery pressure of 200 psi. Time course studies revealed luciferase activity peaking at 18 hours and decreasing to 30% of the maximum at day 8 after DNA transfer. Onset of reporter gene (GFP) expression was detected at 13 minutes after DNA delivery, and by 65 minutes approximately 100% of the cells in the target area exhibited GFP expression. No germline association or integration events were detected in a screen of approximately 250,000 zebrafish sperm cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization at 15 or 30 days after delivery of 1 μg of pCMVL DNA, suggesting incidental male germline integration should not be considered as a risk factor when using the biolistic DNA delivery parameters and target tissues described. Received August 20, 1999; accepted January 6, 2000.     

Structure and function of the essential light chain of myosin

The review summarizes the recent data on the structure and function of the essential light chain of myosin. It is known that the essential light chain of myosin stabilizes the lever arm. Consistent with the model of the shift of the dynamic population of conformations, the conformational flexibility of the essential light chain is emphasized, which opens the way to determining its new functions. It is proposed that the interaction between the C-terminal domain of the essential light chain and the N-terminal subdomain of the heavy chain of myosin may be involved in the coupling of ATP hydrolysis and rotation of the lever arm. The recent data indicate that the isoforms of the essential light chain with the additional N-terminal peptide are capable of interacting with actin and src-homologous domain 3 of myosin. The structural aspects of these interactions and the modulatory role of the isoforms of the essential light chain of myosin are discussed.     

转基因大麦中gfp基因的染色体位置及其表达

通过对大麦小孢子进行基因枪轰击获得4株转绿色荧光蛋白基因(gfp)的植株(A、C、D、E),以gfp基因为探针进行荧光原位杂交(FISH)研究转化植株中转基因插入位置和基因表达。4个株系在染色体7L(5HL)的不同位置都有一个插入点,而E株系在染色体5S(7HS)还有第2个插入点。所有的转基因T0代植株都是半合子并在T1、T2代发生分离。D株系GFP未表达,但FISH和PCR分析表明gfp基因已成功插入其染色体。各株系在根尖和花粉中的GFP表达水平不同：C株系在花粉表达强而在根尖表达中等;A株系在花粉中等表达而在根尖表达较淡;E株系则在根尖高表达,花粉中等表达。A和C株系在根尖和花粉的GFP分离都表现单位点特性,而E株系的根尖分离表现重叠作用(15：1)特征,但在花粉中表达GFP的频率低。PCR结果和3个分离株系的根尖表达结果一致。D和E株系的GFP表达不正常可能和加基因插入位置或基因的结构有关。     

增强型绿色荧光蛋白的真核表达和纯化

根据编码增强型绿色荧光蛋白(enhanced green fluorescent protein,EGFP)的开放读码框(open reading frame,ORF)设计引物,PCR方法扩增出5'端带His标签的EGF PORF,利用杆状病毒表达系统构建表达EGFP基因的重组杆状病毒DNA分子,转染sf9细胞.取细胞...     

Transgenic Christmas Trees Regenerated from Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated Transformation of Zygotic Embryos Using the Green Fluorescence Protein as a Reporter

Mature zygotic embryos of recalcitrant Christmas tree species Fraser fir [Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir], and Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana L.k.), and Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) were used as explants for Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3850-mediated transformation using the gfp (green fluorescent protein) gene as a reporter. Factors including media used for inoculation and co-cultivation, concentrations of acetosyringone, and antibiotics in tissue culture media have been evaluated. A high transformation frequency was obtained on TE medium containing 50μM acetosyringone and using 500 mg/l timentin to eliminate bacteria. Transient gene expression was observed in all three Christmas tree species, but transgenic plants were only produced from Virginia pine. Stable integration and expression of transgenes in the plant genome of Virginia pine was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern and northern blot analyses. These results demonstrated that a stable transformation system has been established in Virginia pine and this system would provide an opportunity to transfer economically important genes into Christmas tree species.     

Transfection of Eimeria mitis with Yellow Fluorescent Protein as Reporter and the Endogenous Development of the Transgenic Parasite

Background

Advancements have been made in the genetic manipulation of apicomplexan parasites. Both the in vitro transient and in vivo stable transfection of Eimeria tenella have been developed successfully. Herein, we report the transient and stable transfection of Eimeria mitis.

Methods and Findings

Sporozoites of E. mitis transfected with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) expression plasmid were inoculated into chickens via the cloacal route. The recovered fluorescent oocysts were sorted by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and then passaged 6 generations successively in chickens. The resulting population was analyzed by genome walking and Western blot. The endogenous development of the transgenic E. mitis was observed and its reproduction potential was tested. The stable transfection of E. mitis was developed. Genome walking confirmed the random integration of plasmid DNA into the genome; while Western blot analysis demonstrated the expression of foreign proteins. Constitutive expression of EYFP was observed in all stages of merogony, gametogony and sporogony. The peak of the transgenic oocyst output was delayed by 24 h and the total oocyst reproduction was reduced by 7-fold when compared to the parental strain.

Conclusion

Stable transfection of E. mitis was successfully developed. The expression of foreign antigens in the transgenic parasites will facilitate the development of transgenic E. mitis as a vaccine vector.     

Connexin 32 Fused to the Green Fluorescent Protein Retains its Ability to Control the Proliferation of Thyroid Cells

Cell-to-cell exchanges of signaling molecules are thought to be involved in the control of cell proliferation. Connexins, which are encoded by a family of genes expressed in a cell type-specific manner, are considered as tumor suppressors. Thyroid epithelial cells co-express connexin 32 (Cx32) and connexin 43 (Cx43) that form distinct and delocalized gap junctions in vivo. The communication-deficient rat thyroid-derived cell lines, FRTL-5 and FRT, stably transfected with the Cx32 cDNA, have a reduced proliferation rate related to a prolonged G1 cell cycle phase. To determine whether Cx32-gap junctions exert the same regulatory role in vivo, we have undertaken a program of production of transgenic mice over-expressing Cx32 specifically in thyrocytes. To this purpose, we designed a vector in which the Cx32 cDNA was fused to the gene encoding the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and placed under the control of a strong and thyroid-specific promoter, the thyroglobulin gene promoter (pTg). In stably transfected FRTL-5 cells, the Cx32/EGFP chimeric protein forms functional gap junction channels and induces the same proliferation slowdown as native Cx32. The pTg-Cx32/EGFP construct should thus allow us to obtain the thyroid-targeted over-expression of Cx32 in the mouse to investigate the involvement of Cx32-gap junctions in thyroid growth, functional activity and propensity to form tumors.     

Monitoring of Ubiquitin-proteasome Activity in Living Cells Using a Degron (dgn)-destabilized Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-based Reporter Protein

Proteasome is the main intracellular organelle involved in the proteolytic degradation of abnormal, misfolded, damaged or oxidized proteins ^{1, 2}. Maintenance of proteasome activity was implicated in many key cellular processes, like cell''s stress response ³, cell cycle regulation and cellular differentiation ⁴ or in immune system response ⁵. The dysfunction of the ubiquitin-proteasome system has been related to the development of tumors and neurodegenerative diseases ^{4, 6}. Additionally, a decrease in proteasome activity was found as a feature of cellular senescence and organismal aging ^{7, 8, 9, 10}. Here, we present a method to measure ubiquitin-proteasome activity in living cells using a GFP-dgn fusion protein. To be able to monitor ubiquitin-proteasome activity in living primary cells, complementary DNA constructs coding for a green fluorescent protein (GFP)–dgn fusion protein (GFP–dgn, unstable) and a variant carrying a frameshift mutation (GFP–dgnFS, stable ¹¹) are inserted in lentiviral expression vectors. We prefer this technique over traditional transfection techniques because it guarantees a very high transfection efficiency independent of the cell type or the age of the donor. The difference between fluorescence displayed by the GFP–dgnFS (stable) protein and the destabilized protein (GFP-dgn) in the absence or presence of proteasome inhibitor can be used to estimate ubiquitin-proteasome activity in each particular cell strain. These differences can be monitored by epifluorescence microscopy or can be measured by flow cytometry.     

鱼类肌球蛋白重链基因研究进展及展望

肌球蛋白是构成鱼类肌肉的主要蛋白之一。肌球蛋白由2条相对分子质量为220×10^3的重链和4条相对分子质量为16×10^3～20×10^3的轻链组成。以往对于肌球蛋白基因的研究大多数集中在高等脊椎动物,而有关鱼类的研究相对薄弱。对鱼类肌球蛋白和肌球蛋白重链基因结构、功能及其表达调节机制等研究进展做了综述分析;同时结合作者的研究实践,探讨了对名贵鱼类肌肉发生和肌球蛋白的进一步研究。     

In Vitro Infectivity Assessment by Drug Susceptibility Comparison of Recombinant Leishmania major Expressing Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein or EGFP-Luciferase Fused Genes with Wild-Type Parasite

Leishmaniasis is a worldwide uncontrolled parasitic disease due to the lack of effective drug and vaccine. To speed up effective drug development, we need powerful methods to rapidly assess drug effectiveness against the intracellular form of Leishmania in high throughput assays. Reporter gene technology has proven to be an excellent tool for drug screening in vitro. The effects of reporter proteins on parasite infectivity should be identified both in vitro and in vivo. In this research, we initially compared the infectivity rate of recombinant Leishmania major expressing stably enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) alone or EGFP-luciferase (EGFP-LUC) with the wild-type strain. Next, we evaluated the sensitivity of these parasites to amphotericin B (AmB) as a standard drug in 2 parasitic phases, promastigote and amastigote. This comparison was made by MTT and nitric oxide (NO) assay and by quantifying the specific signals derived from reporter genes like EGFP intensity and luciferase activity. To study the amastigote form, both B10R and THP-1 macrophage cell lines were infected in the stationary phase and were exposed to AmB at different time points. Our results clearly revealed that the 3 parasite lines had similar in vitro infectivity rates with comparable parasite-induced levels of NO following interferon-γ/lipopolysaccharide induction. Based on our results we proposed the more reporter gene, the faster and more sensitive evaluation of the drug efficiency.     

转红色荧光蛋白基因唐鱼外源基因拷贝数的测定

目的:测定转红色荧光蛋白基因唐鱼的外源基因拷贝数。方法:以杂合F5代和杂合F6代转红色荧光蛋白基因唐鱼为材料,以其外源插入片段(pDsRed-mylz2)与基因组插入位点5′侧翼区之间的边界序列作为特异性内参片段,同时以外源整合的红色荧光表达载体序列(pDsRed-mylz2)作为目的基因,采用实时荧光定量PCR技术测定外源基因整合的拷贝数。结果:运用外源基因与特异内参在同批次实时荧光定量PCR中的初始拷贝数比值,得到杂合F5代和杂合F6代转红色荧光蛋白基因唐鱼中插入的外源红色荧光表达载体序列pDsRed-mylz2的拷贝数均值均为3。结论:转红色荧光蛋白基因唐鱼的外源基因拷贝数为3。     

A Rapid and Sensitive Fluorimetric Protocol for the Quantification of Green Fluorescent Protein in Soluble Protein Extracts from Transgenic Arabidopsis

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a popular qualitative reporter protein used to study different aspects of plant biology. However, to be used as a reliable quantitative reporter in expression studies using fluorescence based assays, methods to eliminate interfering endogenous molecules must be considered. Therefore, a standard curve based solid phase fluorescent immunoassay that eliminates the effects of interfering endogenous molecules was developed to quantify the GFP levels in soluble green extracts prepared from plants. Microtiter plates coated with anti-GFP were used to capture GFP from soluble plant extracts, interfering endogenous molecules was eliminated by washing without disturbing the anti-GFP binding of GFP, and then the fluorescence intensity of bound GFP was measured using a spectrofluorometer. We report in this study the use of this method to quantify the expression levels of soluble modified GFP in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.