"睡美人"转座子的研究进展

“睡美人( Sleeping Beauty, SB) ”转座系统是Tc1/mariner 转座子超家族中的一员,已经失活了一千多万年。1997年,Ivics 等根据积累的系统发生数据,利用生物信息学的方法, 对其进行分子重建, 终于唤醒了其转座活性。近年来对“睡美人”转座系统的转座效率和转座机理进行的研究,已证明SB转座子在基因筛选,转基因及基因治疗等领域具有广阔的应用前景。文章重点论述了SB转座子在结构及其优化、转座机制和应用等方面的进展,同时对其研究中出现的各种问题进行了总结并提出了一些解决方案。     

"睡美人"转座子系统研究进展

转座子在脊椎动物中的应用远落后于在其他生物系统中的应用。“睡美人”转座子(sleeping beauty transposon)是Tc1/mariner转座因子超家族中的一员,是存在于鲑鱼基因组中的1个已经失活的转座子。1997年,Ivics等将这个转座子进行重建并恢复了它的活性。短短几年内的有关研究表明,“睡美人”转座子是目前在脊椎动物中转座活性最高的转座子。结合该转座子系统逐步显示出的广阔应用前景,本文重点论述了其结构、转座机制及应用,并提出了应用“睡美人”转座子系统须注意的问题。     

中国遗传学会第三次代表大会各专业组学术会一览

1.外宾学术报告及讨论。 2.与医学、人类遗传专业组联合,组织“基因定位”、“基因诊断”、“基因治疗”等专题报告。 3.与动物遗传专业组联合,组织“基因组组织结构和重复顺序”、“分子进化”、“转座因子”等专题报告。 4.基因工程及蛋白质工程方面,将组织“酵母分泌型表达系统”、“大肠杆菌分泌型表达系统”、“蛋白质工程”等专题报告。     

综述: 高等植物转座元件功能研究进展

转座元件是指在基因组中能够移动、复制并重新整合到基因组新位点的DNA片段．转座元件一度被视为基因组内的“垃圾”或“自私DNA”,长期以来,转座元件的研究主要集中于阐释转座元件在宿主中的复制或表观沉默机制,而转座元件的调控功能并未得到全面探讨．已有研究表明,转座元件的比例与物种基因组大小存在正相关性,从而为C值悖论的解释提供了依据．近年来,越来越多的证据表明转座元件可以作为宿主基因组的“控制元件”发挥重要的调控作用．在作物中研究发现,转座元件既可以通过顺式或反式作用方式调控基因表达,也可以诱导表观等位基因的产生,从而促使固着生长的植物更好地适应外界环境的变化．本文拟就高等植物转座元件的作用及其对未来作物育种的意义进行总结．     

根瘤菌共生固氮的遗传学研究(二)

2.在根瘤菌研究中成功地运用了转座子诱变技术。转座子(Transposon)是一种特殊的DNA短片段,它带有抗药性基因,并具有在DNA复制子之间转座插入的能力,转座的发生并不需要recA基因产物,一些转座子象Tn 5的转座插入位点的分布是相当随机的,但另一些象Tn 10,它的转座插入似乎具有“热点”(Hot spot),转座子插入到一个新位点时,被插入位点原基因的连续性受到阻断,因而该基因的功     

睡美人转座子在草鱼CIK细胞中介导的高效基因整合

为研究睡美人(Sleeping Beauty, SB)转座子系统在草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idellus)肾脏细胞(CIK)中介导的整合特性, 构建了SB转座子和转座酶在两个质粒的二元反式(trans)转座子系统, 以及转座子和转座酶元件在同一个质粒的一元顺式(cis)转座子系统; 通过转染CIK细胞, 用荧光显微镜、流式细胞仪和荧光定量PCR分析了转染2d后及嘌呤霉素筛选4周后的细胞, 测定DsRed转染效率和整合效率, 并结合高效热不对称交互式PCR扩增获得SB转座子整合位点的序列。结果表明, SB二元转座子系统的整合效率远高于一元系统; SB转座子与转座酶比例为1﹕2时, 外源基因DsRed的整合效率最高; SB转座子偏向于插入草鱼基因组TA序列处。研究表明优化SB转座子和转座酶的比例能提高外源基因在草鱼细胞中的整合效率并快速获得突变细胞, 同时为在鱼类细胞中采用SB转座子建立突变体文库提供理论基础。     

转座子Sleeping Beauty和PiggyBac

近10年来,得益于转座子Sleeping Beauty(SB)和PiggyBac(PB)的发现和完善,转座子作为一种遗传工程工具在脊椎动物的基因遗传研究中得到广泛应用.SB和PB宿主范围极其广泛,从单细胞生物到哺乳动物都能够发挥作用.转座过程需要转座序列和转座酶的存在,类似于"剪切"、"粘贴"的方式.转座子载体系统转座时可携带一段外源DNA序列,利用这一特性可以用于实现目的基因的转移,现已广泛用于转基因动物、基因功能研究、基因治疗等领域.当转座系统与基因捕获技术相结合,不仅可研究插入突变基因的功能,还能通过所携带的报告基因获得捕获基因的表达图谱.作为非病毒载体的SB和PB转座系统,由于具有高容量、高效率和高安全性等优势,并且PB在转座后不留任何足迹,不会造成遗传物质的不可预测改变,在动物基因工程以及基因治疗方面具有诱人的前景.     

零背景转座技术高效构建重组家蚕杆状病毒表达系统

摘要：【目的】获得零转座背景的基于家蚕核型多角体病毒(Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus, BmNPV) Bac-to-Bac 系统,为高效经济构建重组BmNPV在家蚕体内表达目标蛋白提供新系统。【方法】利用R6Kγ作为复制子构建新的条件复制型杆状病毒转移载体pRADM,同时封闭BmNPV-Bacmid（BmBacmid）宿主菌（Escherichia coli BmDH10Bac）的Tn7转座受体位点attTn7,获得新的封闭型宿主菌E.coli BmDH10Bac△Tn7。【结果】由于pRADM无法在宿主菌E.coli BmDH10Bac中复制,封闭了attTn7位点的宿主菌也不能再和BmBacmid竞争与转移载体的重组,显著提高了转座效率。封闭宿主菌的attTn7位点,能使转座效率提高近4倍,使用条件复制型转座载体pRADM时,转座效率提高近10倍。而用pRADM转座E.coli BmDH10Bac△Tn7时,转座阳性率为100％。避免了获得重组病毒DNA的鉴定程序,缩短了获得重组蛋白所需时间。用携带红色荧光蛋白基因DsRed的重组质粒pRADM-Red转座E.coli BmDH10Bac△Tn7,获得重组BmBacmid转染BmN细胞,红色荧光蛋白在细胞中得到高效表达。【结论】结果表明pRADM和E.coli BmDH10Bac△Tn7是一种零背景高效构建重组BmNPV的新系统。     

植物转座因子

转座因子 (ｔｒａｎｓｐｏｓａｂｌｅｅｌｅｍｅｎｔ ,ＴＥｓ)是指在生物细胞中能从同一条染色体的一个位点转移到另一个位点或者从一条染色体转移到另一条染色体上的ＤＮＡ序列。 1 947年美国冷泉港实验室的“玉米夫人”ＭｃＣｌｉｎｔｏｃｋ首先在玉米中发现并描述了转座因子。转座因子的发现 ,打破了传统遗传学上关于基因在染色体上固定排列及同源染色体交换的观念 ,揭示了基因的流动性 ,具有重要的意义。1 .转座因子的结构特点和分类到目前报道为止 ,至少在 32种植物上有转座因子存在 ,其中研究最多的是玉米、金鱼草、拟南芥等[1] 。其…     

piggyBac转座系统在哺乳动物及其细胞中的研究进展

piggyBac（PB）转座系统来源于昆虫鳞翅目,属于真核生物的第二类转座系统,主要采取＂剪切粘帖＂机制发生转座。PB系统转座效率高,宿主范围广,广泛应用于昆虫等低等生物的基因转移及突变筛选。近年来,研究发现PB系统在哺乳动物及其细胞中也具有高效的转座活性,已在动物基因组功能研究、基因转移及诱导多能干细胞等领域得到了广泛应用。本文就PB系统近年来在哺乳动物及其细胞中的研究进展、应用前景及存在问题进行了综述。     

Functional zinc finger/sleeping beauty transposase chimeras exhibit attenuated overproduction inhibition

The sleeping beauty (SB) transposon system has potential utility in gene transfer applications but lacks specificity for genomic integration and exhibits overproduction inhibition which limits in vivo activity. Targeting transposition may be possible by coupling a specific DNA binding domain to the SB transposase, but it is not known if this strategy will preserve or disrupt activity of the system. We engineered and tested chimeric SB transposases with two different human zinc finger DNA binding domain elements, Sp1 and zinc finger 202 (ZNF202). Addition of Sp1 to the C-terminus abolished transposase activity whereas N-terminal addition of either Sp1 or ZNF202 did not. Transposition activity exhibited by N-terminal chimeras was increased to levels similar to native SB through the use of a hyperactive transposase (SB12) and activating transposon mutations. Importantly, addition of DNA binding domains to the transposase N-terminus resulted in attenuation of overproduction inhibition, a major limitation of this system. These findings suggest that SB transposase chimeras may have specific advantages over the native enzyme.     

Application of the Sleeping Beauty system in Saanen goat fibroblast cells for establishing persistent transgene expression

The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system is a promising new method for establishing persistent transgene expression in vivo. We applied the SB system for enhancing transgenesis in Saanen dairy goat fibroblast cells. We constructed a pKT2/CMV-EGFP-IRES-PURO vector and investigated the influence of transposon and transposase vector ratios on transfection efficiency in the Saanen goat fibroblast cells. To enhance the SB system performance, we developed a new transfection technique (double-transfection method) for the SB system. The cultured cells were transfected with transposase and transposon vectors successively, with a 42-h interval. Consequently, the transposase and DNA donor (transposon vector) can interact, both at the highest level. Compared with the traditional transfection method, this new double-transfection method approximately doubled integration efficiency.     

铝胁迫对黑大豆膜脂过氧化及抗氧化酶活性的影响

以耐酸型黑大豆(丹波黑大豆,简称RB)和酸敏感型黑大豆(简称SB)为材料,在水培条件下分析不同浓度的铝胁迫对这两种黑大豆叶和根膜脂过氧化和抗氧化酶活性的影响。结果显示:RB的铝耐受能力比SB强;在不同浓度铝胁迫下RB叶和根中的H2O2和MDA上升幅度低于SB,SB的叶和根中膜脂过氧化程度大于RB。在不同浓度铝胁迫下,RB叶和根中的SOD活性与SB差异不大,而CAT活性在RB和SB的叶和根中均被诱导显著升高,POD活性在RB叶和根中有下降趋势但仍然显著高于SB。因此,与酸敏感型的黑大豆相比,耐酸型黑大豆在铝胁迫下具有较强的保护酶活性,使其膜脂受氧化损伤的程度较低,从而表现出更强的耐铝胁迫能力。     

Going non-viral: the Sleeping Beauty transposon system breaks on through to the clinical side

Molecular medicine has entered a high-tech age that provides curative treatments of complex genetic diseases through genetically engineered cellular medicinal products. Their clinical implementation requires the ability to stably integrate genetic information through gene transfer vectors in a safe, effective and economically viable manner. The latest generation of Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon vectors fulfills these requirements, and may overcome limitations associated with viral gene transfer vectors and transient non-viral gene delivery approaches that are prevalent in ongoing pre-clinical and translational research. The SB system enables high-level stable gene transfer and sustained transgene expression in multiple primary human somatic cell types, thereby representing a highly attractive gene transfer strategy for clinical use. Here we review several recent refinements of the system, including the development of optimized transposons and hyperactive SB variants, the vectorization of transposase and transposon as mRNA and DNA minicircles (MCs) to enhance performance and facilitate vector production, as well as a detailed understanding of SB’s genomic integration and biosafety features. This review also provides a perspective on the regulatory framework for clinical trials of gene delivery with SB, and illustrates the path to successful clinical implementation by using, as examples, gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the engineering of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells in cancer immunotherapy.     

Characterization of Sleeping Beauty transposition and its application to genetic screening in mice

The use of mutant mice plays a pivotal role in determining the function of genes, and the recently reported germ line transposition of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon would provide a novel system to facilitate this approach. In this study, we characterized SB transposition in the mouse germ line and assessed its potential for generating mutant mice. Transposition sites not only were clustered within 3 Mb near the donor site but also were widely distributed outside this cluster, indicating that the SB transposon can be utilized for both region-specific and genome-wide mutagenesis. The complexity of transposition sites in the germ line was high enough for large-scale generation of mutant mice. Based on these initial results, we conducted germ line mutagenesis by using a gene trap scheme, and the use of a green fluorescent protein reporter made it possible to select for mutant mice rapidly and noninvasively. Interestingly, mice with mutations in the same gene, each with a different insertion site, were obtained by local transposition events, demonstrating the feasibility of the SB transposon system for region-specific mutagenesis. Our results indicate that the SB transposon system has unique features that complement other mutagenesis approaches.     

Excision of Sleeping Beauty transposons: parameters and applications to gene therapy

A major problem in gene therapy is the determination of the rates at which gene transfer has occurred. Our work has focused on applications of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system as a non-viral vector for gene therapy. Excision of a transposon from a donor molecule and its integration into a cellular chromosome are catalyzed by SB transposase. In this study, we used a plasmid-based excision assay to study the excision step of transposition. We used the excision assay to evaluate the importance of various sequences that border the sites of excision inside and outside the transposon in order to determine the most active sequences for transposition from a donor plasmid. These findings together with our previous results in transposase binding to the terminal repeats suggest that the sequences in the transposon-junction of SB are involved in steps subsequent to DNA binding but before excision, and that they may have a role in transposase-transposon interaction. We found that SB transposons leave characteristically different footprints at excision sites in different cell types, suggesting that alternative repair machineries operate in concert with transposition. Most importantly, we found that the rates of excision correlate with the rates of transposition. We used this finding to assess transposition in livers of mice that were injected with the SB transposon and transposase. The excision assay appears to be a relatively quick and easy method to optimize protocols for delivery of genes in SB transposons to mammalian chromosomes in living animals.     

Retargeting transposon insertions by the adeno-associated virus Rep protein

The Sleeping Beauty (SB), piggyBac (PB) and Tol2 transposons are promising instruments for genome engineering. Integration site profiling of SB, PB and Tol2 in human cells showed that PB and Tol2 insertions were enriched in genes, whereas SB insertions were randomly distributed. We aimed to introduce a bias into the target site selection properties of the transposon systems by taking advantage of the locus-specific integration system of adeno-associated virus (AAV). The AAV Rep protein binds to Rep recognition sequences (RRSs) in the human genome, and mediates viral integration into nearby sites. A series of fusion constructs consisting of the N-terminal DNA-binding domain of Rep and the transposases or the N57 domain of SB were generated. A plasmid-based transposition assay showed that Rep/SB yielded a 15-fold enrichment of transposition at a particular site near a targeted RRS. Genome-wide insertion site analysis indicated that an approach based on interactions between the SB transposase and Rep/N57 enriched transgene insertions at RRSs. We also provide evidence of biased insertion of the PB and Tol2 transposons. This study provides a comparative insight into target site selection properties of transposons, as well as proof-of-principle for targeted chromosomal transposition by composite protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions.