昆虫遗传转化品系的常用标记

遗传转化标记是将遗传修饰昆虫从野生型种群中分辨出来的根据,遗传转化昆虫的鉴定、转化品系的维持及其遗传稳定性的监测都依赖于可靠的标记系统,发展易于应用和监测的转化标记能够极大地促进害虫遗传防治的相关研究。用于遗传修饰昆虫的转化标记主要有昆虫眼睛颜色标记基因、抗药性标记基因和荧光蛋白标记基因等。非果蝇类昆虫首个遗传转化品系的鉴定是通过眼睛颜色突变而实现,但大多数昆虫物种没有可用的突变体或缺少相应基因的信息,从而限制了眼睛颜色标记的应用。抗药性基因标记虽然能够通过对转化昆虫进行集体选择而大幅度提高筛选转化体的效率,但由于其鉴定的准确性不高且存在安全性问题,未得到广泛应用。荧光蛋白标记基因的发展则显著拓宽了能够转化的昆虫种类。从水母分离的绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)经突变方法获得了多种不同荧光性质的突变体,经人为修饰后与适宜的强启动子构成转化标记载体,能够有效鉴定更多昆虫物种的遗传转化个体,其中应用较多的是增强型绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)。此外,从珊瑚属海葵中分离得到的红色DsRed标记基因提供了多样化的红色荧光蛋白选择,在某些生物中DsRed与GFP联合应用的表现明显优于GFP突变体,所以其应用前景也非常广泛。本文着重从眼睛颜色、抗药性和荧光蛋白等3个方面阐述了标记基因的发展历史与现状,并对其今后的发展方向进行了展望。     

灰葡萄孢菌过氧化物酶体及细胞核的荧光蛋白标记

【目的】对灰葡萄孢菌(Botrytis cinerea)的细胞核和过氧化物酶体进行荧光蛋白标记,为研究其生长发育和侵染过程中细胞结构和细胞器动态提供基础。【方法】以绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)和红色荧光蛋白(DsRED、mCherry)为报告基因,利用根癌农杆菌介导转化(Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation,AtMT)将3种荧光蛋白标记载体分别导入灰葡萄孢菌标准菌株B05.10;通过PCR检测及荧光观察筛选和验证转化子,并进行单孢纯化;利用共聚焦显微镜记录细胞器荧光定位情况。【结果】获得了过氧化物酶体或细胞核稳定表达红、绿色荧光的重组单孢菌株,PCR验证表明标记基因成功整合入转化子基因组。在标记细胞核的菌株中,菌丝和孢子中可见多个明亮、圆形的荧光点,与DAPI染色共定位。标记过氧化物酶体的菌株中,菌丝和孢子中可见小点状绿色或红色荧光,在脂类物质诱导下荧光点数量明显增加,符合过氧化物酶体分布及动态特征。细胞壁染色结果显示,细胞壁染色产生的蓝色荧光与红、绿荧光蛋白的荧光互不干扰,标记效果良好。【结论】获得了理想的过氧化物酶体或细胞核荧...     

利用荧光蛋白标记西瓜枯萎病菌的过氧化物酶体及细胞核

西瓜枯萎病是一种世界范围的西瓜毁灭性病害,其病原菌为尖孢镰刀菌西瓜专化型(Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum,FON)。研究病原菌生长发育和侵染的机制是解决病害的根本途径。利用荧光蛋白对细胞或细胞器进行标记,是病原菌研究中的重要方法。该研究利用绿色荧光蛋白和红色荧光蛋白对FON的细胞核和过氧化物酶体进行了荧光标记。通过农杆菌介导转化(Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation,AtMT),该文将3种不同的荧光定位载体分别导入FON,获得了细胞核红色荧光标记的转化子(潮霉素抗性,含mCherry-H2B融合蛋白),以及过氧化物酶体绿色(潮霉素抗性,含GFP-PTS1融合蛋白)和红色(潮霉素抗性,含DsRED-PTS1融合蛋白)荧光标记的转化子各1种。在标记细胞核的菌株中,菌丝、孢子都可见明亮、圆形的红色荧光点,荧光点与DAPI染色标记的细胞核区域完全重合。在过氧化物酶体标记的菌株中,菌丝、孢子中可见明亮的红色或绿色荧光成小点状分布,符合过氧化物酶体的分布特征,而且在脂类物质诱导的条件下,荧光点的数量明显增加。此外,该文还利用细胞壁荧光染色剂卡氏白对3种荧光蛋白标记菌株进行染色。结果显示,卡氏白染色产生的蓝色荧光与红、绿荧光蛋白的荧光在FON中互不干扰。转化子继代培养和初步分析表明,其表型与野生型无差异,菌株继代后荧光表达稳定、定位明显。该结果为进一步研究FON细胞器动态、生长发育与致病分子机制提供了方法和工具。     

Strategy for In Situ Detection of Natural Transformation-Based Horizontal Gene Transfer Events

A strategy is described that enables the in situ detection of natural transformation in Acinetobacter baylyi BD413 by the expression of a green fluorescent protein. Microscale detection of bacterial transformants growing on plant tissues was shown by fluorescence microscopy and indicated that cultivation-based selection of transformants on antibiotic-containing agar plates underestimates transformation frequencies.     

T vector bearing KillerRed protein marker for red/white cloning screening

As a novel selection marker for DNA cloning, the genetically encoded photosensitizer KillerRed was used to achieve red/white cloning screening within the pZK18T T-vector system. KillerRed functioned without cofactors, inducers, or substrates. KillerRed-based red/white cloning screening was reliable in that bacteria containing DNA inserts that disrupt functional KillerRed expression form white colonies or red colonies as backgrounds. KillerRed simplifies assembly of customized vector and recombinant screening procedures. No special host or culture medium is required to amplify and prepare the vector in larger quantities. It makes high-throughput general-purpose cloning screening simpler, less expensive, and more effective.     

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation in Colletotrichum falcatum and C. acutatum

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) is becoming an effective system as an insertional mutagenesis tool in filamentous fungi. We developed and optimized ATMT for two Colletotrichum species, C. falcatum and C. acutatum, which are the causal agents of sugarcane red rot and pepper anthracnose, respectively. A. tumefaciens strain SK1044, carrying a hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hph) and a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, was used to transform the conidia of these two Colletotrichum species. Transformation efficiency was correlated with cocultivation time and bacterial cell concentration and was higher in C. falcatum than in C. acutatum. Southern blot analysis indicated that about 65% of the transformants had a single copy of the T-DNA in both C. falcatum and C. acutatum and that T-DNA integrated randomly in both fungal genomes. T-DNA insertions were identified in transformants through thermal asymmetrical interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR) followed by sequencing. Our results suggested that ATMT can be used as a molecular tool to identify and characterize pathogenicity-related genes in these two economically important Colletotrichum species.     

Quantitative screening of insect cell transformants stably expressing GFPuv-ß 1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 2 fusion protein

Insect cell transformants, stably expressing human ß1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 2 (ß3GnT2) as the green fluorescent protein (GFP_uv)-fused protein, were efficiently isolated on Western blot by the quantification of the densitometric intensity of the fusion protein. From almost 150 transformants containing the fusion gene linked to three different types of signal sequence, two transformants, Tn-pXme4a and-pX28a, were successfully selected, showing 8.3 and 8.6 mU/mL ß3GnT activity, respectively. This method requires a screening time almost one-half that required in the isolation of stably transformed cells with high expression levels, and at the same time allows the handling a large number of transformants.     

人canstatin基因转化新型生物反应器－杜氏盐藻(Dunaliella salina)的初步研究

本文采用RT-PCR技术从人的胎盘组织中克隆canstatin基因,定向连接到表达载体pUΩ上,然后与筛选标记bar盒连接得到真核表达载体pUΩ-Can-Bar。采用玻璃珠转化法将该表达载体转化杜氏盐藻（以下简称盐藻）,通过草丁膦固体平板筛选得到转化株,进而对转化株进行阳性鉴定。PCR结果显示,在盐藻转化株中均能够扩增出约700 bp特异的条带,而在阴性对照中没有扩增出该条带。Southern blot结果进一步证明人canstatin基因已经整合到盐藻细胞的基因组中。此外,本文对盐藻转化株的遗传稳定行进行了分析,结果表明canstatin基因能够在转化藻株中稳定遗传。人canstatin转基因盐藻株的成功制备为利用盐藻反应器大规模生产人canstatin蛋白提供了实验依据,为及早实现canstatin蛋白在治疗肿瘤上的临床应用提供了前期工作基础。     

Easy selection of recombinant clones

We have developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based procedure to facilitate the selection of recombinant clones. The insert to be cloned is ligated to an antibiotic resistance marker. The ligation product is amplified by PCR, followed by standard cloning procedure into a bacterial vector. The selection for the antibiotic resistance coded by the PCR product ensures 100% insertion frequency, eliminating the screening of the transformants.     

Optimisation of expression and purification of the feline and primate foamy virus transmembrane envelope proteins using a 96 deep well screen

The production of recombinant transmembrane proteins is due to their biochemical properties often troublesome and time consuming. Here the prokaryotic expression and purification of the transmembrane envelope proteins of the feline and primate foamy viruses using a screening assay for optimisation of expression in 96 deep well plates is described. Testing simultaneously various bacterial strains, media, temperatures, inducer concentrations and different transformants, conditions for an about twentyfold increased production were quickly determined. These small scale test conditions could be easily scaled up, allowing purification of milligram amounts of recombinant protein. Proteins with a purity of about 95% were produced using a new purification protocol, they were characterised by gel filtration and circular dichroism and successfully applied in immunological assays screening for foamy virus infection and in immunisation studies. Compared to the previously described protocol (M. Mühle, A. Bleiholder, S. Kolb, J. Hübner, M. Löchelt, J. Denner, Immunological properties of the transmembrane envelope protein of the feline foamy virus and its use for serological screening, Virology 412 (2011) 333–340), proteins with similar characteristics but about thirtyfold increased yields were obtained. The screening and production method presented here can also be applied for the production of transmembrane envelope proteins of other retroviruses, including HIV-1.     

Transformation of Metarhizium anisopliae with benomyl resistance and green fluorescent protein genes provides a tag for genetically engineered strains

A plasmid, pBGFP, carrying green fluorescent protein (gfp) and benomyl-resistance genes was constructed and transformed into Metarhizium anisopliae. The transformants grew normally and GFP fluorescence was detected. No change was found in virulence for the transformants. Fluorescence was detected in hyphae from the haemolymph of the infected locust, and the benomyl-resistance was maintained. Results suggested that the two markers provided a useful tool for screening and monitoring the engineered strains even after infection.     

人源溶菌酶基因LYZL4在毕赤酵母中的重组表达及活性测定

LYZL4是本实验室克隆的一种c型人溶菌酶基因,根据毕赤酵母密码子偏爱性对LYZL4基因进行优化设计,优化后的基因克隆至具有乙醇氧化酶启动子(AOX1)的pPIC9K载体中。通过电转化方法整合到甲醇营养型毕赤酵母表达菌株GS115基因组上,再利用不同浓度梯度的G418抗性YPD固体培养基筛选高拷贝转化子,经摇瓶发酵后,其上清液在SDS-PAGE胶上14.4 kDa处出现明显的蛋白条带,该蛋白条带经质谱鉴定证实是人LYZL4蛋白。以人溶菌酶(164 071U/mg)作为标准品,使用艳红微球菌作为底物,通过比色法测定重组LYZL4溶菌酶蛋白的活性,结果显示重组人溶菌酶LYZL4蛋白具有明显的溶菌活性,其酶活力可达38893U/ml。     

Coupled analysis of bacterial transformants and ligation mixture by duplex PCR enables detection of fatal instability of a nascent recombinant plasmid

When a DNA cloning experiment fails, it is often difficult to distinguish between an inadequate cloning protocol and instability of the new recombinant plasmid. The identification of plasmid instability is particularly challenging when the instability is fatal and no DNA of the expected construct can be isolated. We have effectively addressed this problem by employment of duplex PCR (insert-insert, vector-insert) to analyse both the ligation mixture and the resultant bacterial transformants. Using this approach we found a fatal maintenance instability of one of the plasmids generated during subcloning of the cDNA for human LDLR in Escherichia coli STBL2. The described duplex PCR screening method allows monitoring of the fate of nascent recombinant plasmid from ligation, through the initial bacterial colony and the subsequent overnight culture.     

Ornamental Expression of Red Fluorescent Protein in Transgenic Founders of White Skirt Tetra (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gymnocorymbus ternetzi</Emphasis>)

Although the transgenic technology has been successfully used to generate fluorescent zebrafish and medaka for ornamental purposes, the practicability of the technology has not been demonstrated in other ornamental fish species. In the present study, we have tested the transgenic technology in a bona fide ornamental fish species, the white skirt tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi). First, its embryonic development was briefly described. Second, we successfully introduced an rfp (red fluorescent protein) gene construct driven by a strong muscle-specific mylz2 promoter from the zebrafish into the white skirt tetra and demonstrated muscle-specific expression of the RFP reporter protein. Importantly, the vivid red fluorescent color was prominently visible in adult transgenic founders under the normal daylight, like the currently marketed red fluorescent transgenic zebrafish. Thus, our current study demonstrated the feasibility of using the well-characterized zebrafish mylz2 promoters to produce useful fluorescent ornamental fish in other fish species by the transgenic technology.     

Both the stroma and thylakoid lumen of tobacco chloroplasts are competent for the formation of disulphide bonds in recombinant proteins

Plant chloroplasts are promising vehicles for recombinant protein production, but the process of protein folding in these organelles is not well understood in comparison with that in prokaryotic systems, such as Escherichia coli . This is particularly true for disulphide bond formation which is crucial for the biological activity of many therapeutic proteins. We have investigated the capacity of tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum ) chloroplasts to efficiently form disulphide bonds in proteins by expressing in this plant cell organelle a well-known bacterial enzyme, alkaline phosphatase, whose activity and stability strictly depend on the correct formation of two intramolecular disulphide bonds. Plastid transformants have been generated that express either the mature enzyme, localized in the stroma, or the full-length coding region, including its signal peptide. The latter has the potential to direct the recombinant alkaline phosphatase into the lumen of thylakoids, giving access to this even less well-characterized organellar compartment. We show that the chloroplast stroma supports the formation of an active enzyme, unlike a normal bacterial cytosol. Sorting of alkaline phosphatase to the thylakoid lumen occurs in the plastid transformants translating the full-length coding region, and leads to larger amounts and more active enzyme. These results are compared with those obtained in bacteria. The implications of these findings on protein folding properties and competency of chloroplasts for disulphide bond formation are discussed.     

The white gene as a marker in a new P-element vector for gene transfer in Drosophila.

We describe new vectors suitable for P-element mediated germ line transformation of Drosophila melanogaster using passenger genes whose expression does not result in a readily detectable phenotypic change of the transformed flies. The P-element vectors contain the white gene fused to the heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) gene promoter. Expression of the white gene rescues the white phenotype of recipient flies partly or completely even without heat treatment. Transformed descendents of most founder animals (GO) fall into two classes which are distinguishable by their orange and red eye colours. The different levels of white expression are presumably due to position effects associated with different chromosomal sites of insertion. Doubling of the gene dose in orange eyed fly stocks results in an easily visible darkening of the eye colour. Consequently, the generation of homozygous transformants is easily possible by simple inbreeding due to the phenotypic distinction of homo- and heterozygous transformants. Cloning into these P-element vectors is facilitated by the presence of polylinkers with 8 and 12 unique restriction sites.     

The fluorescence theatre: a cost-effective device using theatre gels for fluorescent protein and dye screening

Here we report a simple cost-effective device for screening colonies on plates for expression of the monomeric red fluorescent protein mRFP1 and the fluorescent dye Nile red. This device can be built from any simple light source, in our case a Quebec Colony Counter, and cost-effective theatre gels. The device can be assembled in as little as 20 min, and it produces excellent results when screening a large number of colonies.     

Usefulness of heterologous promoters in the Pseudozyma flocculosa gene expression system

The basidiomycetous fungus Pseudozyma flocculosa represents a promising new host for the expression of complex recombinant proteins. Two novel heterologous promoter sequences, the Ustilago maydis glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) and Pseudozyma tsukubaensis alpha-glucosidase promoters, were tested for their ability to provide expression in P. flocculosa. In liquid medium, these two promoters produced lower levels of intracellular green fluorescent protein (GFP) as compared to the U. maydis hsp70 promoter. However, GPD and alpha-glucosidase sequences behaved as constitutive promoters whereas the hsp70 promoter appeared to be morphology-dependent. When using the hsp70 promoter, the expression of GFP increased proportionally to the concentration of hygromycin in the culture medium, indicating possible induction of the promoter by the antibiotic. Optimal solid-state culture conditions were designed for high throughput screening of hygromycin-resistant transformants with the hsp70 promoter in P. flocculosa.     

携带红色荧光蛋白报告基因的重组腺病毒载体的构建

目的采用体外连接技术构建含红色荧光蛋白(RFP)报告基因的重组腺病毒载体,为基因治疗与基因疫苗研究提供重要工具。方法将pTurbo RFP-N上的含红色荧光蛋白基因片段,经酶切连接定向克隆至转移载体pShuttle上,构成重组质粒pShuttle-TurboRFP-N。用I-CeuI/PI-SceI双酶切重组质粒pShuttle-TurboRFP-N和骨架质粒pH5′040 pkGFP-II,回收目的片段,连接,获得重组腺病毒载体pH5.′040.CMV.RFP-N。将其线性化后,经脂质体介导转染至AD293细胞内包装出重组腺病毒颗粒。通过荧光显微镜观察其在AD293细胞内的包装效率和RFP表达情况。扩增并再次感染AD293细胞检测病毒颗粒感染能力,并测定其生物活性及滴度。结果经酶切鉴定,证明已正确构建重组腺病毒载体AdH5.′040.CMV.RFP-N;经AD293细胞包装成具有感染性的病毒颗粒,并能在真核细胞中高效表达目的基因;扩增纯化后获得重组腺病毒颗粒数为3.6×1012vp/mL,滴度达1×1010pfu/mL。结论成功构建了携带红色荧光蛋白报告基因的重组腺病毒载体,并能够在AD293细胞中高效地表达,为基因治疗与基因疫苗研究提供重要工具。