家蚕核型多角体病毒水平转移基因分析

为了探讨杆状病毒基因组的遗传进化模式,文章利用家蚕核型多角体病毒(BmNPV)和其宿主家蚕全基因组数据,进行了全基因组的同源性搜索和系统进化分析,结果显示,BmNPV的几丁质酶(Chi)基因、凋亡抑制蛋白3(IAP3)基因和尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖转移酶(UGT)基因为水平转移基因。这3个基因都来源于其宿主昆虫。通过核苷酸组成、密码子偏好性、选择压力等基因特征分析,发现BmNPV水平转移基因与其基因组序列存在明显差异,进一步验证水平转移基因的外源性。对3个水平转移基因的功能分析发现它们有利于杆状病毒在宿主昆虫中的侵染与繁殖,并提高杆状病毒在昆虫中的生存能力。     

昆虫几丁质酶基因的分子特性概述

昆虫几丁质酶是分解昆虫体壁和中肠围食膜几丁质的重要酶类。已从烟草天蛾、家蚕等多种昆虫中分离到几丁质酶的cDNA和DNA序列。昆虫几丁质酶基因有着相似的分子特性,这些特性可为构建杀虫工程菌及转几丁质酶基因植物奠定基础。作者结合自己在该领域的工作,着重就昆虫几丁质酶基因结构特点,基因的拷贝数,基因在体内的时空表达以及异源表达及活性测定等多个方面的研究方法和研究进展进行了较为全面地介绍。     

The BmChi-h gene, a bacterial-type chitinase gene of Bombyx mori, encodes a functional exochitinase that plays a role in the chitin degradation during the molting process

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, has been recently demonstrated to contain a bacterial-type chitinase gene (BmChi-h) in addition to a well-characterized endochitinase gene (BmChitinase). The deduced amino acid sequence of BmChi-h showed extensive structural similarities with chitinases from bacteria such as Serratia marcescens chiA and baculoviruses (v-CHIA). Bacterial-type chitinase genes have not been found from any eukaryotes and viruses except for lepidopteran insects and lepidopteran baculoviruses. Thus, it was suggested that BmChi-h may be derived from a bacterial or baculovirus chitinase gene via horizontal gene transfer. In this report, we investigated the biological function of BmChi-h. Our enzymological study indicated that a chitinase encoded by BmChi-h has exo-type substrate preference, which is the same as S. marcescens chiA and v-CHIA, and different from BmChitinase, which has endo-type substrate preference. An immunohistochemical study revealed that BmChi-h localizes in the chitin-containing tissues during the molting stages, indicating that it plays a role in chitin degradation during molting. These results suggest that BmChi-h (exochitinase) and BmChitinase (endochitinase) may catalyze a native chitin by a concerted mechanism. Cloning and comparison of BmChi-h orthologues revealed that bacterial-type chitinase genes are highly conserved among lepidopteran insects, suggesting that the utilization of a bacterial-type chitinase during the molting process may be a general feature of lepidopteran insects.     

The chitinase gene of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, contains a novel Tc-like transposable element

We have determined the cDNA sequence and the genomic organization of the chitinase gene of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The cDNA encodes 544 amino acids having 83% amino acid homology to the chitinase of the tobacoo hornworm, Manduca sexta. The total length of the gene is larger than 25 kilobase pairs, and it is separated into 11 exons. The intron-exon boundaries are all in accordance with the GT-AG rule. Also, the TATA box sequence was found in the 5' upstream region of the gene, and the gene is mapped on the seventh chromosome. A novel DNA type transposon that shows similarity to the Tc-like element was found in the third intron in some strains of B. mori; other strains, however, lack this element in the same intron. This element has long terminal inverted repeats, presumably encodes a transposase of about 340 amino acids with a DDE motif, and has an amino-terminal domain with a strong nuclear localization function. Seven other transposable elements with homologous but distinct sequences were isolated from the B. mori genome. Together with plaque hybridization results, our findings suggest that these novel elements exist in multiple copies constituting a new Tc-like transposable element family in the silkworm genome.     

昆虫杆状病毒几丁质酶及其应用研究进展

杆状病毒几丁质酶基因（chitinase,,ChiA）是晚期表达的非必需基因,高度保守。表达产物几丁质酶分为3个区：N-端信号肽区,中部酶活性区和C-末端酶内质网结合区。该酶同时具有内切和外切几丁质酶活性,主要功能是水解昆虫体内的几丁质,促进虫体液化;作为组织蛋白酶原（pro-V-Cath）的分子伴侣,参与其加工和运输过程; 影响多角体的形成,并与细胞的裂解有关;还与病毒侵染机制相关联。杆状病毒ChiA与细菌ChiA源于共同的祖先,而昆虫ChiA则可能直接来自杆状病毒。在害虫生物防治中,杆状病毒ChiA可直接作为杀虫剂,或作为苏云金杆菌和杆状病毒等微生物杀虫剂的增效剂使用;杆状病毒ChiA可转入植物,获得具有持续杀虫及抗病活性的转基因植物;将杆状病毒ChiA的内质网定位序列删除、突变,或在病毒基因组中插入外源ChiA,重组病毒的杀虫活性增强。通过基因工程手段,删除病毒基因组ChiA或V-Cath,可改善杆状病毒表达系统对分泌蛋白和膜结合蛋白的表达。     

Increased insect virulence in Beauveria bassiana strains overexpressing an engineered chitinase

Entomopathogenic fungi are currently being used for the control of several insect pests as alternatives or supplements to chemical insecticides. Improvements in virulence and speed of kill can be achieved by understanding the mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis and genetically modifying targeted genes, thus improving the commercial efficacy of these biocontrol agents. Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, penetrate the insect cuticle utilizing a plethora of hydrolytic enzymes, including chitinases, which are important virulence factors. Two chitinases (Bbchit1 and Bbchit2) have previously been characterized in B. bassiana, neither of which possesses chitin-binding domains. Here we report the construction and characterization of several B. bassiana hybrid chitinases where the chitinase Bbchit1 was fused to chitin-binding domains derived from plant, bacterial, or insect sources. A hybrid chitinase containing the chitin-binding domain (BmChBD) from the silkworm Bombyx mori chitinase fused to Bbchit1 showed the greatest ability to bind to chitin compared to other hybrid chitinases. This hybrid chitinase gene (Bbchit1-BmChBD) was then placed under the control of a fungal constitutive promoter (gpd-Bbchit1-BmChBD) and transformed into B. bassiana. Insect bioassays showed a 23% reduction in time to death in the transformant compared to the wild-type fungus. This transformant also showed greater virulence than another construct (gpd-Bbchit1) with the same constitutive promoter but lacking the chitin-binding domain. We utilized a strategy where genetic components of the host insect can be incorporated into the fungal pathogen in order to increase host cuticle penetration ability.     

A genome-wide analysis of genes and gene families involved in innate immunity of Bombyx mori

A genome-wide analysis of innate immunity-related genes and gene families was conducted using the silkworm, Bombyx mori. We identified orthologs for a large number of genes involved in insect immunity that have been reported from Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera), Anopheles gambiae (Diptera), Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera) and Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera). B. mori has a unique recognition gene and antimicrobial peptide genes that are not present in the Drosophila, Anopheles, Apis and Tribolium genomes, suggesting a lineage-specific gene evolution for lepidopteran insects. The comparative analysis of the insect immune repertoires indicated a dynamic and flexible gene expansion in recognition, modulation and effector mechanisms due to different selection pressures. Differential gene regulation by different bacterial species was found in PGRP and Serpin genes, suggesting that Bombyx has a highly selective gene regulation system depending on bacterial species.     

HaSNPV几丁质酶基因在大肠杆菌和昆虫细胞中的表达及其产物对Bt杀虫剂的增效作用

为了探索杆状病毒几丁质酶对微生物杀虫剂的增效作用及其利用途径 ,分别在大肠杆菌和昆虫细胞中表达棉铃虫单粒包埋型核型多角体病毒 (HaSNPV)几丁质酶 .用PCR方法扩增出不含N端信号肽编码序列的几丁质酶基因片段 ,并分别克隆至原核表达载体pET2 8a和重组到杆状病毒BactoBac表达系统 ,在大肠杆菌 (E .coli)BL2 1和粉纹夜蛾 (Trichoplusiani)细胞系Tn 5B1 4中分别进行了表达 .在大肠杆菌中表达量约占细菌总蛋白 15 % ,在昆虫细胞中表达量约占细胞总蛋白10 % .将含有几丁质酶的大肠杆菌和昆虫细胞表达产物添加到苏云金杆菌 (Bt)菌液中一起喂食 2龄家蚕 .结果显示 ,HaSNPV几丁质酶基因的 2种表达产物和Bt杀虫剂的混合物使处理的家蚕的致死时间较对照处理均明显缩短 .昆虫细胞和大肠杆菌表达产物与Bt混合物处理的LT50 分别从 93 5h和 95 1h缩短到 5 6 2h及 6 7 2h ,并且供试家蚕的生长速度明显缓慢 .研究结果表明 ,重组的HaSNPV几丁质酶有望作为Bt杀虫剂的增效剂     

Assay and Inhibitors of Spinach Superoxide Dismutase

Allosamidin, a product of Streptomyces sp. No 1713, inhibited Bombyx mori chitinase specifically in a competitive way with a Ki o f about 0.1 μm. The effect of allosamidin on chitinases from r Streptomyces griseus and Serratia marcescens was weaker, about 1/500 that on B. mori chitinase. Allosamidin did not inhibit yam chitinase, lysozymes of hen egg-white or human urine, or B. mori α-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminidase. The results suggest that allosamidin is a specific inhibitor of the insect chitinase.     

Insect iron binding proteins: insights from the genomes

Sequencing of the genomes of Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Apis mellifera, and Bombyx mori provided an opportunity to examine the diversity and organization of genes encoding insect transferrins (Tsf) and ferritins. Information obtained from the genomes significantly advances our knowledge of these major players in insect iron metabolism and complements the results of molecular studies on their temporal, spatial, and inducible expression pattern and regulatory mechanisms conducted in diverse insect species. Analysis of genes encoding new members of the Tsf family and non-secreted ferritin subunits allows making preliminary hypotheses about their possible functions and opens possibilities to study lesser-known aspects of insect iron homeostasis. Proteomic and gene expression studies that followed the whole genome sequencing quickly contribute to defining or better understanding of the important and diverse biological roles of Tsf and ferritin, particularly their involvement in insect's defenses against oxidative stress and infection.     

Internal structure of the silk fibroin gene of Bombyx mori. II. Remarkable polymorphism of the organization of crystalline and amorphous coding sequences

Alleles of the silk fibroin locus from 22 inbred stocks of Bombyx mori were compared. Nineteen alleles differing from one another in length and internal sequence organization were distinguished. Individuals from a single stock generaly are homozygous for a particular allele, as judged by their gene restriction pattern and the length of the fibroin protein produced. Restriction with endonucleases having four base recognition sequences revealed no variation with respect to these particular coding sequences among the alleles tested. Furthermore, digestion with endonucleases specific for amorphous coding sequences indicated that all the alleles tested had amorphous coding sequence domains alternating regularly with crystalline domains just as was found for the L allele. The stocks differed considerably in their fibroin length, and in the total length of the fibroin coding regions of their genes. These differences were accounted for by variation in the lengths of crystalline coding domains when compared to the ends of the genes. Several characteristics of the alleles indicates that this variation results from recombination between the highly repetitive coding sequences of misaligned genes (homologous unequal crossing-over). Polymorphism of the fibroin gene in B, mori appears to be greater than for any other gene for which data are available.     

Comparison of Bombyx mori and Helicoverpa armigera cytoplasmic actin genes provides clues to the evolution of actin genes in insects

The cytoplasmic actin genes BmA3 and BmA4 of Bombyx mori were found clustered in a single genomic clone in the same orientation. As a similar clustering of the two cytoplasmic actin genes Ha3a and Ha3b also occurs in another lepidopteran, Helicoverpa armigera, we analyzed the sequence of the pair of genes from each species. Due to the high conservation of cytoplasmic actins, the coding sequence of the four genes was easily aligned, allowing the detection of similarities in noncoding exon and intron sequences as well as in flanking sequences. All four genes exhibited a conserved intron inserted in codon 117, an original position not encountered in other species. It can thus be postulated that all of these genes derived from a common ancestral gene carrying this intron after a single event of insertion. The comparison of the four genes revealed that the genes of B. mori and H. armigera are related in two different ways: the coding sequence and the intron that interrupts it are more similar between paralogous genes within each species than between orthologous genes of the two species. In contrast, the other (noncoding) regions exhibited the greatest similarity between a gene of one species and a gene of the other species, defining two pairs of orthologous genes, BmA3 and HaA3a on one hand and BmA4 and HaA3b on the other. However, in each species, the very high similarities of the coding sequence and of the single intron that interrupts it strongly suggest that gene conversion events have homogenized this part of the sequence. As the divergence of the B. mori genes was higher than that of the H. armigera genes, we postulated that the gene conversion occurred earlier in the B. mori lineage. This leads us to hypothesize that gene conversion could also be responsible for the original transfer of the common intron to the second gene copy before the divergence of the B. mori and H. armigera lineages.     

与宿主昆虫液化相关的杆状病毒基因及其蛋白

昆虫被杆状病毒感染后会发生液化现象,这有利于病毒向周围环境扩散。目前在杆状病毒苜蓿银纹夜蛾核型多角体病毒NPV和GV中,发现与昆虫宿主液化相关的基因有组织蛋白酶基因V-cath基因和几丁质酶基因。V-cath基因表达产物在苜蓿银纹夜蛾多角体病毒(AcMNPV)中能特异性降解昆虫细胞内的肌动蛋白。几丁质酶不仅参与了虫体体表面几丁质的降解,同时还参与V-CATH蛋白前体的加工过程,起分子伴侣的作用。对家蚕核型多角体病毒(BmNPV)的研究表明其FP25K基因表达产物通过影响组织蛋白酶的释放与分泌而参与虫体液化。简要综述了此3种基因及其表达产物的结构、功能与特性,并讨论了它们在生产上的应用前景。     

BmNPV chitinase gene deletion enhances foreign gene expression in a BmN cell system

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is extensively being studied as an expression vector for heterologous gene expression in silkworm-derived cells as well as in the host larvae or pupae. BmNPV chitinase is necessary for liquefaction of the virus-infected host insect. The influence of chitinase on the efficiency of foreign gene expression was studied to provide a scientific basis for improving the BmNPV expression system. The BmNPV chitinase gene ( chiA ) was deleted and the expression level of the polyhedrin promoter controlling the lac Z gene in BmN cells was determined. Sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed that β-galactosidase accounted for approximately 6.9 and 7.7% of the total protein in BmN cells infected with the chiA deficient Bm lac Z⁺ chiA ⁻ at 3 and 4 days post infection, while the total protein was 3.2 and 4.2% in cells infected with Bm lac Z⁺. The relative β-galactosidase activities in Bm lac Z⁺ chiA ⁻-infected cells improved 2.33- and 1.56-fold compared to those of Bm lac Z⁺-infected cells at 3 and 4 days post infection. The results of the present study suggest that chitinase deletion could improve the lacZ expression level in the BmNPV-BmN cell expression system.     

昆虫几丁质酶基因家族功能研究进展

昆虫几丁质酶的研究历史很长,研究内容也非常广泛;但仅局限于传统的方法研究某个昆虫单个基因的功能及应用。近年来,随着生物信息学和RNAi技术在生命科学研究工作中的广泛应用,在昆虫几丁质酶的研究方面也取得了较大进展。本文主要以生物信息学在几丁质酶家族基因鉴定和分类研究过程中的应用,以及利用RNAi技术分析几丁质酶不同家族成员在赤拟谷盗和褐飞虱两种昆虫生长发育中的功能比较分析,对全面认识昆虫几丁质酶基因家族功能和作用机理,并利用几丁质酶基因防治害虫奠定良好的基础。     

Alternative splicing of the primary transcript generates heterogeneity within the products of the gene for Bombyx mori chitinase

The gene of chitinase in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, generates four mRNA products by alternative splicing. Nucleotide sequences of the entire gene for chitinase and respective cDNAs demonstrate that the pre-mRNA undergoes alternative splicing at both the 5' and 3' regions. At the 5' region, the pre-mRNA experienced differential splicing through two alternative 5'-intron consensus splicing sites. These products differ in the last amino acid of the signal peptide and the first amino acid of the mature N-terminal sequences: one with Cys(20)-Ala(21) and the other with Ser(20)-Asp(21). The product with Cys(20)-Ala(21) residues is one amino acid larger than the other with Ser(20)-Asp(21). At the 3' region the pre-mRNA of the chitinase gene undergoes alternative splicing in three different fashions. It is spliced either through retaining or excluding the upstream 121-bp direct repeat found at the 3' region of the coding sequences or through retaining or excluding of an insertion of 9 bp in a combinatorial manner. Retention or exclusion of the upstream 121-bp direct repeat results in a protein with a deduced amino acid sequence similar in size to the one retaining both direct repeats. However, exclusion of the insert of the 9 bp from the mRNA results in a protein with 22 extra amino acids. All of the mRNA products appear to be generated from a single gene as demonstrated by testing the 3' region of the genomic DNA and variant chitinase mRNA products. B. mori chitinase expression in the fifth instar larvae epidermal tissues appears to be developmentally regulated, but the phenomenon of alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA is not stage-dependent. Furthermore, the four mRNA products showed chitinase activity when expressed in Escherichia coli, which demonstrates the role of the alternative splicing process in generating multiple isoforms of the silkworm's chitinase.     

Sequence variation, differential expression and chromosomal location of rice chitinase genes

Rice chitinases are encoded by a small multigene family. To clarify the overall organization of rice chitinase genes, we have isolated and characterized the genes Cht-1, Cht-2 and Cht-3. Although all the three genes encode class I chitinase, the nucleotide sequences of the coding regions of Cht-1 and Cht-3 are very similar (90%), while that of Cht-2 is clearly more divergent (78%). Only Cht-2 has a 130 by intron and encodes a C-terminal peptide sequence similar to that known to function as a vacuolar targeting signal. In 5 flanking regions of Cht-1 and Cht-3, but not of Cht-2, conserved sequences (GGCCGGCYGCCCYAG) were found. Related sequences were found also in the 5 flanking regions of another chitinase gene and a -glucanase gene which has also been reported to be stress-induced in rice. RNA blot hybridization analysis demonstrated that the stress-induced expression patterns of the Cht-1 and Cht-3 genes are similar, but quite different from that of Cht-2. However, all three genes are active in unstressed roots. By restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) linkage analysis, Cht-1 and Cht-3 were mapped onto chromosome 6 and shown to be closely linked (0.8 cM). Cht-2 was mapped onto chromosome 5. All these features suggest that the expression patterns of rice class I chitinase genes may be correlated with their levels of sequence divergence and their chromosomal location.     

Sequence Identity in an Early Chorion Multigene Family Is the Result of Localized Gene Conversion

The multigene families that encode the chorion (eggshell) of the silk moth, Bombyx mori, are closely linked on one chromosome. We report here the isolation and characterization of two segments, totaling 102 kb of genomic DNA, containing the genes expressed during the early period of choriogenesis. Most of these early genes can be divided into two multigene families, ErA and ErB, organized into five divergently transcribed ErA/ErB gene pairs. Nucleotide sequence identity in the major coding regions of the ErA genes was 96%, while nucleotide sequence identity for the ErB major coding regions was only 63%. Selection pressure on the encoded proteins cannot explain this difference in the level of sequence conservation between the ErA and ErB gene families, since when only fourfold redundant codon positions are considered, the divergence within the ErA genes is 8%, while the divergence within the ErB genes (corrected for multiple substitutions at the same site) is 110%. The high sequence identity of the ErA major exons can be explained by sequence exchange events similar to gene conversion localized to the major exon of the ErA genes. These gene conversions are correlated with the presence of clustered copies of the nucleotide sequence GGXGGX, encoding paired glycine residues. This sequence has previously been correlated with gradients of gene conversion that extend throughout the coding and noncoding regions of the High-cysteine (Hc) chorion genes of B. mori. We suggest that the difference in the extent of the conversion tracts in these gene families reflects a tendency for these recombination events to become localized over time to the protein encoding regions of the major exons.