哺乳动物性别决定和性反转

目前已知SRY仅是涉及性别决定过程的基因之一.近年来又发现和克隆了许多可能参与性腺分化与发育的基因,如副中肾抑制基因MIS,也称抗副中肾激素基因AMH;SRY相关基因SOX9;编码甾类因子的基因SFI;X-连锁的DAX基因;Wilm′s肿瘤抑制基因WTI;以及X-连锁的剂量敏感基因DSS等,并新建立了性别决定的Z-基因模型,DSS-基因模型和Jimenez等的模型,较合理地解释了哺乳动物性别决定的分子机理和以前难以解释的各种奇特的性反转现象,使性别决定的研究取得了长足的进展,但仍有一些悬而未决的问题有待于进一步探索.     

hpc2研究进展

生物个体的胚胎发育以及细胞的增殖、分化,都同时受到多种基因的严格调控,PcG基因家族就是一类重要的发育相关基因.而hPc2基因是人PcG基因家族中的一个重要成员,其编码的HPC2蛋白,不仅可以和HPH、BMI-1以及RING1等其他人类PcG蛋白结合形成HPC/HPH PcG复合体,以蛋白复合体的形式参与对homeotic基因的表达抑制,以维持机体的正常发育以及细胞的增殖和定向分化,还发现它能与其他多种蛋白质相结合,提示HPC2可能具有多种功能.因此,对hPc2的深入研究不仅有助于进一步阐明PcG基因家族的作用机理,扩展人们对基因表达调控的认识,还有助于发现PcG基因家族与其他信号转导通路的联系,更好地理解细胞信号网络系统.     

生物钟基因与哺乳动物生殖

近日节律是生物节律中最重要的一种。它是一种以近似24 h为周期的自主振荡器,普遍存在于生物界中。近日节律主要受生物钟基因的调控,在哺乳动物中已发现时钟基因(Clock)、周期基因(Period,Per)家族、隐花色素基因(Cryptochrome1,Cry)家族、Bmal1(Brain and muscle ARNT-like 1)在内的多种重要的生物钟基因。这些基因及其蛋白质产物构成的反馈调节环是生物钟运行的分子基础。研究表明,生物钟基因不仅仅在近日节律的中枢系统中存在表达,在外周组织中也存在表达。而且生物钟基因与哺乳动物生殖密切相关,提示可能在生殖领域中具有重要的调控作用。主要从几个关键生物钟基因的发现、在近日节律和非近日节律中的调节作用、以及与哺乳动物生殖的关系做一综述。     

同源异型盒(homeo box)和哺乳动物发育

哺乳动物发育中更为发人深思的问题就是一个胚胎细胞怎样遵循一条特定的分化途径。了解这一个过程的一个主要障碍在于无法识别有关基因和控制分化的基因产物。这和果蝇[黑腹果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster)]的情况相反,果蝇的系统遗传分析已经可以鉴别控制发育的许多关键遗传座位(例Lewis,Nature 276,565—570,1978)。     

Neuronatin基因研究进展

Neuronatin(Nnat)是最近克隆的脑特异表达的新基因,在大脑发育过程中被选择性地剪接.人Nnat基因全长3 973 bp,含有3个外显子和2个内含子.Nnat mRNA有α和β两种剪接形式,分别编码81个和54个氨基酸,两者具有同一相位的开放阅读框架,差别在于β形式中间的外显子被剪切掉.人Nnat是单拷贝基因,定位于染色体20q11.2～12.小鼠Nnat基因定位于2号染色体末端.该基因是印记基因(imprinted gene),仅在父本来源的等位基因表达,而母本来源的等位基因则被甲基化不能表达.该基因在胚胎期及出生后早期大量表达,而在成年和衰老动物大脑中表达明显降低,因此推测该基因与大脑的发育和分化密切相关.成年动物中垂体前叶是Nnat mRNA唯一强表达的地方.推测其蛋白质产物具有疏水N端和亲水C端,是跨膜蛋白,其确切功能尚属未知.     

表皮生长因子与哺乳动物生殖的关系

表皮生长因子与哺乳动物生殖的关系岳占碰杨增明（东北农业大学生物工程系哈尔滨１５００３０）关键词表皮生长因子哺乳动物生殖表皮生长因子（ｅｐｉｄｅｒｍａｌｇｒｏｗｔｈｆａｃｔｏｒ,ＥＧＦ）是一种多肽类生长因子,该因子在人和动物各种组织器官生长发育过程中是...     

细胞凋亡与哺乳动物生殖

许多与细胞凋亡有关的基因产物与哺乳动物的生殖过程紧密相关,细胞凋亡在雄性缪勒氏管的正常退化,精子发生过程中正常精子的产生,卵泡闭锁,黄体退化,着床前胚胎发育,着床过程中滋养层侵入子宫内膜上皮,子宫内膜蜕膜退化及母体-胎儿免疫耐受等过程中起着至关重要的作用。     

木奈WRKY同源基因的分离与表达分析

以木奈（Prunus salicina Lindli.var cordata J.Y.Zhang et al.）为试验材料,采用稀释池PCR法,筛选木奈叶片全长均一化cDNA文库,获得了木奈WRKY同源基因的12个全长cDNA分别命名为PsWRKY7、PsWRKY14、PsWRKY20、PsWRKY21、PsWRKY22、PsWRKY29、PsWRKY31、PsWRKY32、PsWRKY33、PsWRKY40、PsWRKY46和PsWRKY75,长度分别为1 517、1 798、2 098、1 177、1 242、1 396、2 135、1 760、2 113、1 047、1 258和700 bp,ORF长度分别为1 095、1 572、1 764、1 068、1 071、1 002、1 944、1 602、1 770、963、1 077和672 bp,分别编码364、523、587、355、357、333、647、533、589、320、358、223个氨基酸。荧光定量结果显示,12个WRKY同源基因在1.0 mmol/L水杨酸处理后,所获得的PsWRKY表达量均显著上调,表明木奈WRKY基因可能是水杨酸诱导防御反应的重要调控因子。     

催产素及其受体与哺乳动物的生殖

催产素（OT）是一种9肽激素,主要由哺乳动物下丘脑产生,以神经内分泌,旁分泌或自分泌形成,在哺乳动物生殖过程中发挥重要作用,催产素受体（OTR）是与G－蛋白相耦联的膜蛋白,通过激活磷脂酶C发挥其生理作用,OT在交配,分娩,哺池时由神经垂体（垂体后叶）脉冲式释放,促进子宫平滑肌和乳腺肌上皮细胞收缩,利用精子运行,胎儿娩出和射出乳汁,OT在中枢神经系统中参与调节母性行为,在性腺中促进某些物种的黄体形成,OT与PGF2a共同作用使有蹄动物黄体退化,以上过程都依赖于OT和OTR基因的时空特异性表达,多种激素参与它们的表达调控,但OT的生理作用有时也可被其它途径所替代。     

PPARs信号通路与哺乳动物生殖

过氧化物酶体增殖因子活化受体(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors,PPARs)在动物体内有着广泛的生物学作用,可调节脂类代谢、能量收支平衡以及细胞分裂分化等重要生理过程。已经发现,PPARs信号通路与糖尿病和癌症等许多重大疾病的发生有关。随着基因剔除技术的应用以及PPARs人工配体的开发利用,人们对PPARs的认识不断深入。现对PPARs通路在卵巢周期、黄体形成、胚胎着床、胎盘发育和雄性生殖等哺乳动物生殖系统中的表达、功能及作用机制进行综述。     

Wnt信号通路与哺乳动物生殖

Wnt蛋白及其受体、调节蛋白等一起组成了复杂的信号通路,调控细胞的分化,参与发育的多个重要过程.近来的研究表明：Wnt信号通路也是调节哺乳动物生殖系统正常发育所必需.它主要参与了缪勒氏管及其派生器官的形成,调控卵泡的发育、排卵及黄体化,另外与正常妊娠的建立以及妊娠过程中乳腺的变化也有关.     

Hox genes in the echiuroid Urechis unicinctus

An echiuroid species, Urechis unicinctus, was surveyed for Hox genes using polymerase chain reaction with homeobox-specific degenerate primers. We identified nine distinct homeodomain-containing gene fragments. These nine fragments were classified by comparative analysis. This analysis revealed that this echiuroid possessed at least three Hox genes from the anterior group, five from the central group, and one from the posterior group.     

红曲霉繁殖相关wetM基因的克隆与生物信息学分析

红曲霉(Monascus spp.)是一类次级代谢产物极为丰富的食药用丝状真菌,其繁殖能力是大规模工业化生产的前提.以实验室保藏紫色红曲霉(Monascus purpureus)Mp-21为研究对象,通过高通量转录组(RNA-Seq)测序获得菌株转录本数据后进行注释分析,首次克隆出红曲霉繁殖相关wetM基因并进行生物信...     

Seven Hox gene sequences from the asterinid starfish Patiriella exigua (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

Partial homeobox gene fragments were amplified from Patiriella exigua genomic DNA by PCR using degenerate primers. The primers spanned a region of 82 nucleotides within the homeobox, encompassing amino acids 21–47 of the homeodomain. The deduced amino acid sequences of the seven Hox gene sequences plus one Xlox-type gene sequence from P. exigua are presented and compared with similar sequences from other organisms. This work is a preliminary step in the analysis of the evolution of development in the Patiriella species group and the roles of Hox gene expression therein.     

Evolution of Hox Clusters in Salmonidae: A Comparative Analysis Between Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

We studied the genomic organization of Hox genes in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and made comparisons to that in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), another member of the family Salmonidae. We used these two species to test the hypothesis that the Hox genes would provide evidence for a fourth round of duplication (4R) of this gene family given the recent polyploid ancestry of the salmonid fish. Thirteen putative Hox clusters were identified and 10 of these complexes were localized to the current Atlantic salmon genetic map. Syntenic regions with the rainbow trout linkage map were detected and further homologies and homeologies are suggested. We propose that the common ancestor of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout possessed at least 14 clusters of Hox genes, and additional clusters cannot be ruled out. Salmonid Hox cluster complements seem to be more similar to those of zebrafish (Danio rerio) than medaka (Oryzias latipes) or pufferfish (Sphoeroides nephelus and Takifugu rubripes), as both Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout have retained HoxCb ortholog, which has been lost in medaka and pufferfish but not in zebrafish. However, our data suggest that phylogenetically, the homologous genes within each cluster express mosaic relationships among the teleosts tested and, thus, leave unresolved the interfamilial relationships among these taxa. Sequence data from this article have been deposited within the EMBL/GenBank Data Libraries under the following accession numbers: AY677341, AY677342, AY677343, AY677344, AY677345, AY677346, AY677347, AY677348, AY677349, AY677350, AY677351, AY677352, AY677353, AY677354, AY677355, AY677356, AY677357, AY677358, AY677359, AY677360, AY677361, AY677362, AY677363, AY677364 and AY677365. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Axel Meyer]     

Evidence for Hox Gene Duplication in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): A Tetraploid Model Species

We examined the genomic organization of Hox genes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a tetraploid teleost derivative species, in order to test models of presumptive genomic duplications during vertebrate evolution. Thirteen putative clusters were localized in the current rainbow trout genetic map; however, analysis of the sequence data suggests the presence of at least 14 Hox clusters. Many duplicated genes appear to have been retained in the genome and share a high percentage of amino acid similarity with one another. We characterized two Hox genes located within the HoxCb cluster that may have been lost independently in other teleost species studied to date. Finally, we identified conserved syntenic blocks between salmonids and human, and provide data supporting two new linkage group homeologies (i.e., RT-3/16, RT-12/29) and three previously described homeologies (RT-2/9, RT-17/22, and RT-27/31) in rainbow trout. Electronic Supplementary Material Electronic Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users. The sequence data for this study have been submitted to GenBank under the following accession numbers: AY567792, AY567793, AY567794, AY567795, AY567796, AY567797, AY567798, AY567799, AY567800, AY567801, AY567802, AY567803, AY567804, AY567805, AY567806, AY567807, AY567808, AY567809, AY567810, AY567812, AY567813, AY567814, AY567815, AY567816, and AY567817. [Reviewing Editor : Dr. Axel Meyer]     

Isolation of Hox and Parahox genes in the hemichordate Ptychodera flava and the evolution of deuterostome Hox genes

Because of their importance for proper development of the bilaterian embryo, Hox genes have taken center stage for investigations into the evolution of bilaterian metazoans. Taxonomic surveys of major protostome taxa have shown that Hox genes are also excellent phylogenetic markers, as specific Hox genes are restricted to one of the two great protostome clades, the Lophotrochozoa or the Ecdysozoa, and thus support the phylogenetic relationships as originally deduced by 18S rDNA studies. Deuterostomes are the third major group of bilaterians and consist of three major phyla, the echinoderms, the hemichordates, and the chordates. Most morphological studies have supported Hemichordata+Chordata, whereas molecular studies support Echinodermata+Hemichordata, a clade known as Ambulacraria. To test these competing hypotheses, complete or near complete cDNAs of eight Hox genes and four Parahox genes were isolated from the enteropneust hemichordate Ptychodera flava. Only one copy of each Hox gene was isolated suggesting that the Hox genes of P. flava are arranged in a single cluster. Of particular importance is the isolation of three posterior or Abd-B Hox genes; these genes are only shared with echinoderms, and thus support the monophyly of Ambulacraria.     

Reproduction of Pratylenchus penetrans (Nematoda:Tylenchida)

Pratylenchus penetrans did not reproduce without males. Cytological examination indicated that cross-fertilization occurred. Females had a chromosome number of 2n = 12. Virgin females reared in isolation laid eggs, but these failed to undergo cleavage. Males reared in isolation produced sperms.     

Hox Genes from the Tapeworm Taenia asiatica (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda)

Hox genes are important in forming the anterior-posterior body axis pattern in the early developmental stage of animals. The conserved nature of the genomic organization of Hox genes is well known in diverse metazoans. To understand the Hox gene architecture in human-infecting Taenia tapeworms, we conducted a genomic survey of the Hox gene using degenerative polymerase chain reaction primers in Taenia asiatica. Six Hox gene orthologs from 276 clones were identified. Comparative analysis revealed that T. asiatica has six Hox orthologs, including two lab/Hox1, two Hox3, one Dfd/Hox4, and one Lox2/Lox4. The results suggest that Taenia Hox genes may have undergone independent gene duplication in two Hox paralogs. The failure to detect Post1/2 orthologs in T. asiatica may suggest that sequence divergence or the secondary loss of the posterior genes has occurred in the lineage leading to the cestode and trematode.