Development of a GFP reporter gene for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast

Reporter genes have been successfully used in chloroplasts of higher plants, and high levels of recombinant protein expression have been reported. Reporter genes have also been used in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, but in most cases the amounts of protein produced appeared to be very low. We hypothesized that the inability to achieve high levels of recombinant protein expression in the C. reinhardtii chloroplast was due to the codon bias seen in the C. reinhardtii chloroplast genome. To test this hypothesis, we synthesized a gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) de novo, optimizing its codon usage to reflect that of major C. reinhardtii chloroplast-encoded proteins. We monitored the accumulation of GFP in C. reinhardtii chloroplasts transformed with the codon-optimized GFP cassette (GFPct), under the control of the C. reinhardtii rbcL 5'- and 3'-UTRs. We compared this expression with the accumulation of GFP in C. reinhardtii transformed with a non-optimized GFP cassette (GFPncb), also under the control of the rbcL 5'- and 3'-UTRs. We demonstrate that C. reinhardtii chloroplasts transformed with the GFPct cassette accumulate approximately 80-fold more GFP than GFPncb-transformed strains. We further demonstrate that expression from the GFPct cassette, under control of the rbcL 5'- and 3'-UTRs, is sufficiently robust to report differences in protein synthesis based on subtle changes in environmental conditions, showing the utility of the GFPct gene as a reporter of C. reinhardtii chloroplast gene expression.     

Expression of the gene of interest fused to the EGFP-expressing gene in transgenic mice derived from selected transgenic embryos

The present paper describes the expression of a target fusion gene, WAP/hGH fused to the EGFP-expressing gene in transgenic mice derived from the transfer of transgenic embryos selected because of their expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The 6.7-kb fusion gene was microinjected as a single cassette gene construct into the pronuclei of mouse zygotes. The surviving embryos were cultured and were classified according to the EGFP expression patterns at the morula or blastocyst stage. After the transfer of embryos with uniform-expression or mosaic-expression of EGFP, transgenesis occurred in 85.7% to 86% or 44.1% to 44% of the pups, respectively. No transgenic pups were derived from EGFP negative embryos. In the transgenic females, EGFP was ubiquitously expressed under the control of the CAG promoter, and hGH was expressed under the control of the WAP promoter in an appropriate fashion: hGH was secreted into the milk of lactating transgenic females. The presence or absence of the expression of EGFP coincided with that of the hGH gene in the transgenic mice. The present cassette gene construct is a useful example for circumventing the routine analyses of DNA and RNA required for the generation and maintenance of transgenic lines.     

Tat 蛋白的PTD区段促进GFP蛋白进入骨髓瘤细胞SP2/0

随着生物工程技术的迅速发展 ,多肽与蛋白质类药物的增长速度相当可观 ,可是这些药物常因受到各种因素的影响而疗效偏低 ,其中生物膜的屏障作用是主要因素之一。近年来发现一种来源于人类免疫缺陷病毒ＨＩＶ 1Ｔａｔ(Ｔｒａｎｓ ａｃｔｉｖａ ｔｏｒ)蛋白的蛋白功能区 ,称之为ＰＴＤ区段 (Ｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｔｒａｎｓｄｕｃｔｉｏｎｄｏｍａｉｎ ,ＹＧＲＫＫＲＲＱＲＲＲ)的〔1 ,2〕,能够有效引导肽段或者蛋白质进入细胞 ,具有蛋白传送的功能〔3〕。 1988年Ｍａｕｒｉｃｅ和Ｐａｕｌ发现Ｔａｔ蛋白能够穿过细胞膜〔4〕 ;1994年Ｓｔｅｐｈｅｎ…     

拟南芥磷酸酶基因亚细胞定位与组织表达

通过克隆拟南芥磷酸酶PP2C家族基因At3g51370,构建了绿色荧光蛋白融合表达载体,用基因枪将构建好的载体轰击洋葱表皮细胞进行瞬时表达分析,发现该At3g51370基因表达蛋白定位在细胞核中;用实时定量PCR方法分析At3g51370基因的组织表达特性,发现该基因在花器官中的表达量明显高于其它组织.进一步构建了含At3g51370基因的启动子和GUS报告基因的植物表达载体,经农杆菌介导转化拟南芥,对转基因拟南芥进行GUS组织化学染色,分析该启动子在不同生长时期与不同组织中的转录活性,结果发现,在幼苗期At3g51370基因主要集中在根尖分生组织和顶端分生组织表达,在成年植株中则集中在生殖器官如花和果荚柄等部位表达,在光照和黑暗条件下,At3g51370基因的表达特性没有明显差异.研究表明,At3g51370可能与其它核定位的PP2C磷酸酶一样参与了基因表达的调控,可能在拟南芥早期发育阶段的细胞增值分裂相关信号转导途径中发挥功能,并在花器官的发育过程中行使功能,且不参与光信号转导.     

Development of a luciferase reporter gene, luxCt, for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast

Luciferase reporter genes have been successfully used in a variety of organisms to examine gene expression in living cells, but are yet to be successfully developed for use in chloroplast. Green fluorescent protein (gfp) has been used as a reporter of chloroplast gene expression, but because of high auto-fluorescence, very high levels of GFP accumulation are required for visualization in vivo. We have developed a luciferase reporter for chloroplast by synthesizing the two-subunit bacterial luciferase (lux)AB, as a single fusion protein in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast codon bias. We expressed a chloroplast luciferase gene, luxCt, in C. reinhardtii chloroplasts under the control of the ATPase alpha subunit (atpA) or psbA promoter and 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) and the rubisco large subunit (rbcL) 3' UTR. We show that luxCt is a sensitive reporter of chloroplast gene expression, and that luciferase activity can be measured in vivo using a charge coupled device (CCD) camera or in vitro using a luminometer. We further demonstrate that luxCt protein accumulation, as measured by Western blot analysis, is proportional to luminescence, as determined both in vivo and in vitro, and that luxCt is capable of reporting changes in chloroplast gene expression during a dark to light shift. These data demonstrate the utility of the luxCt gene as a versatile and sensitive reporter of chloroplast gene expression in living cells.     

Cellular localisation of the clamp protein during DNA replication

The beta subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme was fused to the green fluorescent protein GFP. The gene fusion under the control of the heterologous lac promoter was used to replace the wild-type allele in the chromosome. The formation of GFP-beta fluorescent foci in GFP-beta expressing cells required DNA replication and their number per cell was dependent on cell growth. Examination of GFP-beta foci in a synchronous round of replication suggested that DNA replication was accompanied by the recruitment of GFP-beta foci near the midcell, followed by the rapid migration of the foci in opposite directions to the 1/4 and 3/4 positions during DNA replication.     

绿色荧光蛋白与 HCV 核心蛋白的融合及在大肠杆菌中的高效表达

利用基因工程重组技术获得了绿色荧光蛋白（ｇｆｐ）基因与ＨＣＶ核心蛋白基因的嵌合体,并在大肠杆菌中高效表达了４８ｋＤａ的融合蛋白,经Ｄｏｔ－ＥＬＩＳＡ和Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ ｂｌｏｔ免疫活性分析证实,融合蛋白仍具有ｃｏｒｅ抗原的三个免疫活性部位,同时用荧光显微镜观察并用荧光光度计测定了大肠直菌表达的融合蛋白的荧光光谱,结果证实,我们在大肠杆菌中表达的ＧＦＰ－ｃｏｒｅ融合蛋白既能发射易于检测的绿色荧光,又具     

Tandem organization of medaka fish soluble guanylyl cyclase alpha1 and beta1 subunit genes. Implications for coordinated transcription of two subunit genes.

We determined the complete nucleotide sequences of the alpha1 subunit gene (OlGCS-alpha1) and the beta1 subunit gene (OlGCS-beta1) of medaka fish soluble guanylyl cyclase. In the genome, OlGCS-alpha1 and OlGCS-beta1 are organized in tandem. The two genes are only 986 base pairs apart and span approximately 34 kilobase pairs in the order of OlGCS-alpha1 and OlGCS-beta1. The nucleotide sequence of a large part of the 5'-upstream region of OlGCS-alpha1 is complimentarily conserved in that of OlGCS-beta1. To analyze the promoter activity of each gene, a fusion gene construct in which the 5'-upstream region was fused with the green fluorescent protein gene was injected into medaka fish 2-cell embryos. When the fusion gene containing the OlGCS-alpha1 upstream region was injected, green fluorescent protein fluorescence was detected in the embryonic brain. The 5'-upstream region of OlGCS-beta1 alone was insufficient for the reporter gene expression in the embryos. When the OlGCS-alpha1 upstream region was located upstream of the OlGCS-beta1-green fluorescence protein fusion gene, the reporter gene was expressed in the brain and trunk region of the embryos. These results suggest that the 5'-upstream region of OlGCS-alpha1 can affect the expression of OlGCS-beta1. It is therefore possible that the expression of OlGCS-alpha1 and OlGCS-beta1 is coordinated.     

用细菌/杆状病毒系统在昆虫细胞中表达GFP与HCV抗原融合蛋白

用细菌／杆状病毒（Ｂａｃ－ｔｏ－Ｂａｃ）系统在昆虫细胞中高效表达了绿色荧光蛋白（ＧＦＰ）与ＨＣＶ抗原的双功能融合蛋白,经ＥＬＩＳＡ测定和荧光显微镜观查证实,表达产物既能发射易于检测的绿色荧光,又具有ＨＣＶ的抗原活性,实现了用绿色荧光蛋白等分子标记抗原,为免疫诊断新方法的建立打下了理论基础．     

RGD肽与尿激酶B链融合蛋白原核重组表达质粒的构建,表达和？…

将化学合成的ＲＧＤ肽（Ａｒｇ－Ｇｌｙ－Ａｓｐ）编码寡核苷酸与尿激酶Ｂ链ｃＤＮＡ相连成为融合基因后,克隆至原核表达质粒ｐＢＶ２２０中,在ＰＲＰＬ自动子的作用下,经４２℃热诱导,在大肠杆菌ＤＨ５α中获得了融合基因的表达,其表达量占菌体总蛋白的９．２％,表达产物以无活性的包含体形式存在。经变复性处理得到纯化的融合基因的表达产物,经Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ－ｂｌｏｔｔｉｎｇ分析表明产物具有与天然尿激酶相似的抗原性,     

The construction of bifunctional fusion proteins consisting of MutS and GFP

MutS as a mismatch binding protein is a promising tool for SNP detection. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is known as an excellent reporter domain. We constructed chimeric proteins consisting of MutS from Thermus thermophilus and GFPuv from Aequorea victoria by cloning the GFPuv gene into the plasmid vectors carrying the mutS gene. The GFPuv domain fused to the N-terminus of MutS (histag-GFP-MutS) exhibited the same level of green fluorescence as free GFPuv. To obtain the fluorescing histag-GFP-MutS protein the expression at 30 degrees C was required, while free GFPuv fluoresces when expressed both at 30 and 37 degrees C. The chimeric protein where the GFPuv domain was fused to the C-terminus of MutS exhibited much weaker green fluorescence (20-25% compared with those of histag-GFP-MutS or free GFPuv). The insertion of (ProGly)5 peptide linker between the MutS and GFP domains resulted in no significant improvement in GFP fluorescence. No shifts in the excitation and emission spectra have been observed for the GFP domain in the fusion proteins. The fusion proteins with GFP at the N- and C-terminus of MutS recognised DNA mismatches similarly like T. thermophilus MutS. The fluorescent proteins recognising DNA mismatches could be useful for SNP scanning or intracellular DNA analysis. The fusion proteins around 125 kDa were efficiently expressed in E. coli and purified in milligram amounts using metal chellate affinity chromatography.     

Expression of the cry11A gene of Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The complete cry11A region gene of Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis was fused in frame to the 3' end of the GST gene under the control of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae HXK1 promoter. The fusion protein GST-cry11A was expressed in S. cerevisiae strain AMW13C+. The fusion gene GST-cry11A was expressed when yeast cells were grown on galactose and a nonfermentable medium containing ethanol as carbon and energy source. When the cells were grown in glucose, mannose, fructose, or glycerol as carbon sources, the GST-cry11A gene was repressed. Thus, a regulated expression in accordance with the regulatory activity of the HXK1 gene promoter has been detected. The GST-cry11A fusion protein was detected in the transformed yeasts as a soluble protein. The fusion protein was purified by affinity chromatography using glutathione-Sepharose beads. Cell-free extracts from transformed yeasts grown in ethanol-containing culture media showed insecticidal activity against third-instar Aedes aegypti larvae. This insecticidal activity was increased about 4-fold when the purified fusion protein was assayed.     

利用荧光蛋白研究产甘油假丝酵母胞浆3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶基因CgGPD启动子

[目的]克隆产甘油假丝酵母(Candida glycerinogenes)胞浆3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶基因CgGPD的启动子(PCggpd),并通过报告基因gfp的差异表达来研究葡萄糖浓度对PCggpd在酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)中的诱导特性.[方法]采用PCR扩增的方法分别从产甘油假丝酵母基因组和pCAMBIA1302载体中克隆出CgGPD的启动序列PCggpd和绿色荧光蛋白基因gfp.将两个基因同时构建到酿酒酵母表达载体pYX212-zeocin中,构建时将绿色荧光蛋白基因gfp置于CgGPD的启动序列下游,获得重组质粒pYX212-zeocin-PCggpd-gfp.通过电击转化酿酒酵母W303-lA.将重组酿酒酵母S.cerevisiae W303-1A-GFP置于不同葡萄糖浓度培养基中进行培养,利用荧光显微技术对其进行荧光检测.[结果]重组酿酒酵母能产生稳定的荧光,当葡萄糖浓度为2%时,重组酿酒酵母在YEPD培养基中产生较弱的荧光,随着葡萄糖浓度的升高,荧光强度有明显的增强.[结论]PCggpd属于环境胁迫诱导型启动子,高浓度的葡萄糖能诱导PCggpd启动绿色荧光蛋白的高水平表达,这对完善产甘油假丝酵母的遗传背景研究,阐明其高产甘油的机理具有重要意义.     

Identification of a new chloroplast carbonic anhydrase in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Carbonic anhydrases (CA) are zinc-containing metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of CO2. The three evolutionarily unrelated families of CAs are designated alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CA. Aquatic photosynthetic organisms have evolved different forms of CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to aid Rubisco in capturing CO2 from the surrounding environment. One aspect of all CCMs is the critical roles played by various specially localized extracellular and intracellular CAs. Five CAs have previously been identified in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga with a well-studied CCM. Here we identify a sixth gene encoding a beta-type CA. This new beta-CA, designated Cah6, is distinct from the two mitochondrial beta-CAs in C. reinhardtii. Nucleotide sequence data show that the Cah6 cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 264 amino acids with a leader sequence likely targeting the protein to the chloroplast stroma. We have fused the Cah6 open reading frame to the coding sequence of maltose-binding protein in a pMal expression vector. The purified recombinant fusion protein is active and was used to partially characterize the Cah6 protein. The purified recombinant fusion protein was cleaved with protease Factor Xa to separate Cah6 from the maltose-binding protein and the purified Cah6 protein was used to raise an antibody. Western blots, immunolocalization studies, and northern blots collectively indicated that Cah6 is constitutively expressed in the stroma of chloroplasts. A possible role for Cah6 in the CCM of C. reinhardtii is proposed.     

Expression of a recombinant Cry1Ac crystal protein fused with a green fluorescent protein in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Cry-B

To investigate the co-expression and crystallization of a fusion gene between the Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein and a foreign protein in B. thuringiensis, the expression of the Cry1Ac fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) genes in a B. thuringiensis Cry(-)B strain was examined. The cry1Ac gene was cloned in the B. thuringiensis-E. coli shuttle vector, pHT3101, under the control of the native cry1Ac gene promoter, while the GFP gene was inserted into the XhoI site upstream of the proteolytic cleavage site, in the middle region of the cry1Ac gene (pProAc-GFP). The B. thuringiensis Cry(-)B strain carrying pProAc-GFP (ProAc-GFP/CB) did not produce any inclusion bodies. However, the transformed strain expressed fusion protein forms although the expression level was relatively low. Furthermore, an immunoblot analysis using GFP and Cry1Ac antibodies showed that the fusion protein was not a single species, but rather multiple forms. In addition, the N-terminal fragment of Cry1Ac and a non-fused GFP were also found in the B. thuringiensis Cry(-)B strain after autolysis. The sporulated cells before autolysis and the spore-crystal mixture after autolysis of ProAc-GFP/CB exhibited insecticidal activities against Plutella xylostella larvae. Accordingly, the current results suggest that a fusion crystal protein produced by the transfomant, ProAc-GFP/CB, can be functionally expressed but easily degraded in B. thuringiensis.     

绿色荧光蛋白融合人核糖核酸酶抑制因子表达载体pEGFP-C1-hri的构建及鉴定

目的构建表达绿色荧光蛋白融合人核糖核酸酶抑制因子的表达载体pEGFP—C1—hri,为探讨人核糖核酸酶抑制因子抗肿瘤作用的分子机制打下基础。方法用亚克隆法,将目的片段从表达载体pGEX-6p-1-hri克隆到pEGFP-C1上,用双酶切筛选得到阳性重组质粒pEGFP—C1—hri,用脂质体法将其瞬时转染到小鼠黑色素瘤细胞B16中,在荧光显微镜下检测其表达。结果pEGFP—C1—hri中插入了hri序列,绿色荧光高效表达于B16细胞浆中。结论pEGFP—C1—hri表达载体已成功构建。     

Expression of SLAM (CDw150) on Sf9 cell surface using recombinant baculovirus mediates measles virus infection in the nonpermissive cells

Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM; also known as CDw150) has been reported as the receptor of measles virus (MV) interacting with MV hemagglutinin (MVH). In this study, we developed a baculovirus-derived vector, the Bacmid-egfp, containing a reporter gene encoding the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the promoter of very late polyhedrin gene from Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), and employed the recombinant baculovirus to express SLAM in Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda) cells and investigate SLAM function. The result showed that the integration of the EGFP expression cassette in the Bac-to-Bac system facilitated research with the system without introducing compromises due to its use. SLAM protein fused to His-tag was expressed in Sf9 cells through the modified Bac-to-Bac system. The expressed SLAM was identified as approximately 46 kDa, and it presented on the cell surface, as revealed by fluorescent immunochemical staining and confocal microscopic analysis. The pull-down assay proved that SLAM protein expressed in this system could interact with MVH protein. After incubating with MV vaccine strain S191, cell fusion was only observed in the Sf9 cells expressing both EGFP and SLAM from recombinant baculovirus rather than those expressing EGFP only from the modified viral vector. Furthermore, MV replicated and induced apoptosis in the Sf9 cells with SLAM expression.     

High-level expression of human insulin-like growth factor II in Escherichia coli.

A gene encoding mature human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) was constructed from the modified IGF-II cDNA sequence and two double-stranded synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide linkers. It was fused to a truncated lacZ gene such that IGF-II was expressed as part of C-terminus of beta-galactosidase. This fused lacZ'-IGF-II gene was under the control of tac promoter and we overproduced the beta-galactosidase-IGF-II fusion protein in the Escherichia coli. The fusion protein formed inclusion bodies inside the cells. The fusion protein was purified from the isolated inclusion bodies and IGF-II protein was obtained from their fusion protein by CNBr cleavage. The released IGF-II was confirmed by its molecular weight as determined by SDS-PAGE and by its ability to bind anti-IGF antibody.     

ZNF230/荧光蛋白融合基因表达载体的构建及其在Cos细胞中的表达与定位

为了用绿色荧光蛋白标记观察人类无精症相关基因ZNF230在Cos7细胞中的蛋白质表达及定位,用PCR方法扩增得到突变的人和小鼠mt ZNF230和mt znf230基因,使其3′端的终止密码TGA突变为TGG,并装入T 载体,双酶切后通过定向克隆将其与真核表达载体pEGFP N1的绿色荧光蛋白(greenfluorescenceprotein,GFP)基因融合,构建了ZNF230—荧光蛋白融合基因表达载体。然后经真核表达质粒-脂质体介导,导入Cos7细胞系。荧光显微镜观察显示:在空白载体pEGFP N1转染的Cos细胞中荧光布满整个细胞,而在转染阳性载体pEGFP ZNF230和pEGFP znf230的Cos细胞中荧光主要聚集在细胞核中。表明转染的Cos细胞系能高效表达人ZNF230和小鼠znf230蛋白,ZNF230基因表达的蛋白定位于细胞核内。