Ghrelin/motilin-related peptide is a potent prokinetic to reverse gastric postoperative ileus in rat

A novel peptide called ghrelin or motilin-related-peptide (MTLRP) was found in the stomach of various mammals. We studied its effect on the motor function of the rat gastrointestinal tract. In normal, conscious unoperated animals, ghrelin/MTLRP (5 or 20 microg/kg iv) significantly accelerated the gastric emptying of a methylcellulose liquid solution (gastric residue after 15 min: 57 +/- 7, 42 +/- 11, 17 +/- 4, and 9 +/- 3% of the ingested meal with doses of 0, 1, 5, and 20 microg/kg iv, respectively) Transit of the methylcellulose liquid solution was also accelerated by ghrelin/MTLRP in the small intestine but not in the colon. Des-[Gln(14)]ghrelin, also found in the mammalian stomach, was as potent as ghrelin in emptying the stomach (gastric residue after 15 min: 12 +/- 3% at a dose of 20 microg/kg iv). In rats in which postoperative gastrointestinal ileus had been experimentally induced, ghrelin/MTLRP (20 microg/kg iv) reversed the delayed gastric evacuation (gastric residue after 15 min: 28 +/- 7% of the ingested meal vs. 82 +/- 9% with saline). In comparison, the gastric ileus was not modified by high doses of motilin (77 +/- 7%) or erythromycin (82 +/- 6%) and was only partially improved by calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) 8-37 antagonist (59 +/- 7%). Ghrelin/MTLRP, therefore, accelerates the gastric emptying and small intestinal transit of a liquid meal and is a strong prokinetic agent capable of reversing the postoperative gastric ileus in rat.     

大鼠FMR1同源基因cDNA的克隆、测序与选择剪接的初步分析

应用ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ方法,从新生大鼠脑组织总ＲＮＡ扩增大鼠ＦＭＲ１同源基因的ｃＤＮＡ片段,克降至ｐＵＣ１８质粒中进行序列分析．获得从终止密码子起共１６８１ｂｐ的编码序列,尚缺少约２００ｂｐ的５′序列．所克隆的这部分大鼠ＦＭＲ１ｃＤＮＡ,不含有对应于人ＦＭＲ１基因的外显子１２及外显子１７第一和第三剪接受点之间的序列,提示大鼠ＦＭＲ１基因也有选择剪接表达．同源性分析显示,大鼠ＦＭＲ１与小鼠ＦＭＲ１基因的同源性为９７．７％,与人ＦＭＲ１基因的同源性为９４．９％;与小鼠ＦＭＲＰ（ＦＭＲ１蛋白）的氨基酸序列同源性为９８．４％,与人ＦＭＲＰ的氨基酸序列同源性为９７．９％．以大鼠ＦＭＲ１ｃＤＮＡ片段为探针检测到大鼠不同组织中ＦＭＲ１基因的选择剪接表达．上述结果为以大鼠为动物模型深入研究ＦＭＲ１基因功能奠定了基础．     

白毛黑眼兔眼部虹膜Trp1、Trp2基因克隆与分析

目的 克隆日本大耳白兔白毛黑眼系(白毛黑眼兔)眼部虹膜Trp1、Trp2基因,获取其完整的外显子序列.进一步推测这两个基因编码的蛋白,并分析其特征.方法 从白毛黑眼兔的黑色虹膜组织中提取RNA,并反转录成cDNA.利用来自小鼠、大鼠和人的同源引物,扩增获得白毛黑眼兔Trp1、Trp2基因外显子片段.然后对已知片段进行3' RACE和5'RACE,从而获得白毛黑眼兔Trp1、Trp2基因外显子完整序列.利用相关软件对获得序列进行翻译和分析.结果 首次获得了白毛黑眼兔Trp1、Trp2基因外显子全序列.该实验兔Trp1基因的编码序列全长1604个碱基,其核苷酸序列与人的相似度为87.9％,与小鼠的相似度为82.7％.TRP1成熟蛋白包含513氨基酸,氨基酸序列与人的相似度为89.8％,与小鼠的相似度为86.6％.该实验兔Trp2基因序列全长1554个碱基,其核苷酸序列与人的相似度为83.2％,与小鼠的相似度为81.9％.TRP2成熟蛋白包含494个氨基酸,其序列与人的一致度为84.2％,与小鼠的一致度为84.4％.结论 本研究获得的TRP1、TRP2的序列与已知的家兔酪氨酸相关蛋白家族成员TYR的序列进行比对,结果显示这三种蛋白之间有较高的相似度,并且TRP1和TRP2蛋白序列表现出了酪氨酸酶家族结构上的保守性和特有的结构特征.     

Cloning of rat p47phox and comparison with human p47phox.

A cDNA encoding rat p47phox was cloned from rat spleen cDNA library, utilizing rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The open reading frame corresponded to 389 amino acids: It contained the phagocyte oxidase homology domain, two Src homology 3 domains and a proline rich region, all of which are conserved in mammalian p47phox sequences. Rat p47phox displayed the highest degree of identity to mouse p47phox (94%). We expressed and purified rat p47phox as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein, and found that the rat protein could replace human p47phox in a cell-free activation system for human NADPH oxidase, giving about half activity. Although rat 12-lipoxygenase interacted with human p47phox in a yeast two-hybrid system, this was not the case for rat p47phox.     

Characterisation of gastric ghrelin cells in man and other mammals: studies in adult and fetal tissues

Ghrelin is a new gastric peptide involved in food intake control and growth hormone release. We aimed to assess its cell localisation in man during adult and fetal life and to clarify present interspecies inconsistencies of gastric endocrine cell types. A specific serum generated against amino acids 13-28 of ghrelin was tested on fetal and adult gastric mucosa and compared with ghrelin in situ hybridisation. Immunogold electron microscopy was performed on normal human, rat and dog adult stomach. Ghrelin cells were detected in developing gut, pancreas and lung from gestational week 10 and in adult human, rat and dog gastric mucosa. By immunogold electron microscopy, gastric ghrelin cells showed distinctive morphology and hormone reactivity in respect to histamine enterochromaffin-like, somatostatin D, glucagon A or serotonin enterochromaffin cells. Ghrelin cells were characterised by round, compact, electron-dense secretory granules of P/D(1) type in man (mean diameter 147+/-30 nm), A-like type in the rat (183+/-37 nm) and X type in the dog (273+/-49 nm). It is concluded that, ghrelin is produced by well-defined cell types, which in the past had been labelled differently in various mammals mostly because of the different size of their secretory granule. In man ghrelin cells develop during early fetal life.     

Cloning and expression of human cDNA encoding human homologue of pituitary tumor transforming gene.

Recently, a potent transforming gene which was exclusively expressed in rat pituitary tumor but not in normal pituitary had been isolated and named as pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG). A cDNA clone encoding human homologue of rat PTTG was isolated from human fetal liver cDNA library. It contained an open reading frame of 603 base pairs predicting a protein composed of 201 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 26 kDa. The deduced protein showed about 85% homology (78% identity, 7% favored substitution) with the rat PTTG. Northern blot analysis showed that the cDNA hybridized to 1.0 kb mRNA species which was expressed in fetal liver and several cancer cell lines. These results suggest that the presence of the human homologue of rat PTTG gene may not be restricted to pituitary tumor.     

Molecular cloning of the human gene STK10 encoding lymphocyte-oriented kinase, and comparative chromosomal mapping of the human, mouse, and rat homologues

 LOK is a new and unique member of the STE20 family with serine/threonine kinase activity, and its expression is restricted mostly to lymphoid cells in mice. We cloned the cDNA encoding the human homologue of LOK. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA shows a high similarity to that of mouse LOK, with 88% identity as a whole. The kinase domains at the N-terminus and the coiled-coil regions at the C-terminus are particularly conserved, showing 98% and 93% identity, respectively. Western blot analysis with mouse LOK-specific antibody detected 130 000 M _r LOK proteins in human and rat lymphoid cell lines and tissues. The gene encoding the LOK (STK10/Stk10) gene was mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization to chromosome 5q35.1 in human, chromosome 11A4 in mouse, and chromosome 10q12.3 in rat. By virtue of polymorphic CA repeats found in the 3' untranslated region of the mouse Stk10 gene, the Stk10 locus was further pinpointed to chromosome 11 between D11Mit53 and D11Mit84, using the intersubspecific backcross mapping panel. These results established STK10 as a new marker of human chromosome 5 to define the syntenic boundary of human chromosomes 5 and 16 on mouse chromosome 11. Received: 28 September 1998 / Revised: 2 November 1998     

小鼠canstatin及其N端片段在大肠杆菌BL21 中的表达

以小鼠肝脏组织总RNA为模板,通过RT-PCR扩增小鼠canstatin及其N端片段基因,克隆到pMD18-T载体中并进行序列分析。将小鼠canstatin及其N端片段基因定向克隆于原核表达载体pET30a(+)中,分别构建表达质粒pET/Can和pET/Can-N, 转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3), IPTG诱导表达。结果表明: 小鼠canstatin的cDNA长度为684bp,编码227个氨基酸,与已知的人canstatin cDNA同源性为89%,氨基酸的同源性为96%。小鼠canstatin N端片段(1-95aa)与人的同源性为100%。 IPTG诱导原核表达载体pET/Can和pET/Can-N在大肠杆菌 BL21(DE3)中的表达量约占菌体总蛋白量的35% 和 18%, 重组蛋白主要以包涵体形式存在。文中报道的小鼠canstatin 及其N端片段核苷酸序列已收入GenBank, 接受号分别为: AY375463和AY502946。Abstract:The mouse canstatin and its N-domain cDNA were amplified from total RNA of mouse liver by RT- PCR and cloned into vector pMD18-T for sequencing. Prokaryotic expression vectors pET/Can and pET/Can-N were constructed and expressed in E.coli BL21(DE3) with induction of IPTG.. Mouse canstatin cDNA is 684bp in length encoding 227 amino acids. The sequences of both cDNA and amino acids share high homology with human canstatin, with cDNA identity at 89% and amino acids identity at 96% to human canstatin. N-domain of mouse canstatin is the same amino acid sequence as that of human canstatin. In the present study, prokaryotic expression vector pET/Can and pET/Can-N were expressed in E.coli BL21 with amount of 35% and 18% of the total bacterial proteins after being induced by IPTG for 4h. The expressed products existed mainly as inclusion bodies. This work has laid down the basis for further study of its angiogenic activity and potential application for tumor dormancy therapy.     

Molecular characterization of a novel gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase homologue found in rat brain

A cDNA clone for a novel homologue to gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP), termed GTPH, was isolated from a rat brain expression cDNA library using antisera against total brain synaptosomal fractions. The cloned GTPH consists of 641 amino acid residues (78 kDa) and exhibits structural similarity with a conventional type of gamma-GTP that is predominantly expressed in the liver: They share significant amino acid homology (33% identity, 73% similarity) spanning over the entire sequence. RNA analyses revealed that GTPH mRNA expression is found only in the nervous system, including all brain regions, eyes and peripheral ganglia, and increases during development. Endogenous GTPH protein is a membrane-bound glycoenzyme and migrates as 90-100 kDa in polyacrylamide gels. Taken together, GTPH is a novel form of a gamma-GTP-like molecule expressed exclusively in the nervous system.     

人和大鼠自噬相关新基因WIPI- 3 的电子克隆和序列分析

目的：人和大鼠WIPI-3基因的电子克隆和序列分析。方法：综合运用基因电子拼接和比较基因组分析等生物信息学手段进行新基因的电子克隆和注释。通过拼接CR593190、NM 019613和BC00097 cDNA序列获得人WIPI-3 cDNA全长序列,通过拼接EST序列CB727439、CB737031、BF557312、BG663387和预测的CDS获得大鼠WIPI3基因的cDNA序列。结果：成功克隆了人和大鼠自噬相关新基因WIPI-3的cDNA,上述两个新基因序列均得到了人类基因组序列和EST序列的双重支持,另外经RT-PCR验证电子克隆的基因序列也是正确的,而且序列均已被GenBank收录,其编号分别为：AM182326和NM-001039587。其中,人WIPI-3基因修正了目前基因库中注释的WIPI-3序列,而大鼠基因则是国际上首次克隆,井被确定为参考序列。结论：基因电子拼接结合种属同源基因比较分析,可大大提高电子克隆的精确性,这种方法可有效用于新基因的克隆和注释。     

Identification and Characterization of the Human Ortholog of Rat STXBP1, a Protein Implicated in Vesicle Trafficking and Neurotransmitter Release

In a screen designed to identify genes expressed preferentially in retina, we identified a cDNA encoding the human ortholog of rat STXBP1 (n-Sec1, Munc-18-1, rbSec1), a protein implicated in vesicle trafficking and neurotransmitter release. This protein also has similarity toDrosophilaRop (64% aa identity) andCaenorhabditis elegansUNC-18 (58% aa identity). The major human cDNA encodes a protein of 594 amino acids which has 100% amino acid identity with its rat and murine counterparts. Additionally, there is an alternative splice form in humans, arising from the inclusion of an additional exon, which encodes a protein of 603 amino acids and is also 100% identical to the corresponding rat isoform. We found expression of the shorter cDNA in all tissues and cell lines we examined with highest levels in retina and cerebellum. By RT-PCR analysis, we found expression of the longer cDNA in neural tissues only. We mapped the structural gene to 9q34.1, a region without obvious candidate phenotypes. However, due to its evolutionary conservation and abundant expression in retina and brain, STXBP1 should be considered a candidate gene for retinal and/or neural disorders mapping to 9q34.1.     

Molecular identification and characterization of the dog motilin receptor

Motilin, a 22-amino acid peptide hormone secreted by endocrine cells of the intestinal mucosa, plays an important role in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility. The actions of motilin agonists have been extensively investigated in dogs due to physiological similarities between the dog and human alimentary tracts. The amino acid sequence of the dog motilin receptor, however, was previously unknown. We have cloned a cDNA from dog stomach corresponding to the motilin receptor. The deduced protein shared 71% and 72% sequence identity with the human and rabbit motilin receptors, respectively. Expression of the dog motilin receptor in CHO cells promoted the typical cellular responses to the agonists, motilin and erythromycin. The rank order of potency determined for these agonists was similar to that found for the human motilin receptor, with motilin being more potent than erythromycin. Immunohistochemistry of the dog stomach revealed that the motilin receptor was localized in neuronal cell bodies and fibers. This is the first study detailing the cloning, expression, and functional characterization of the dog motilin receptor. Determination of the full sequence and functional properties of the dog motilin receptor will provide useful information enabling us to interpret previous and future studies of motilin agonists in dogs.     

Molecular cloning and functional expression analysis of a cDNA for human hepassocin, a liver-specific protein with hepatocyte mitogenic activity

By means of differential cDNA expression cloning, we earlier isolated a novel rat cDNA and its protein, named hepassocin, which is upregulated during liver regeneration. Using the rat cDNA as a probe, we have now isolated human hepassocin cDNA encoding a protein of 312 amino acids, which has 81.4% and 83.8% identity, respectively, to rat hepassocin before and after elimination of its signal peptide. Dot blot analysis revealed that hepassocin mRNA was strongly expressed in adult liver, fairly strongly in fetal liver, and weakly in pancreas, but not in other tissues. Recombinant human hepassocin produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by the dihydrofolate reductase-methotrexate (DHFR--MTX) gene amplification method is a homodimer (68 kDa) and has mitogenic activities in hepatocytes of various animal species including rat, mouse, rabbit and dog, and the activity was lost with 2-mercaptoethanol treatment. These results suggest that hepassocin is a potent regulator in liver cell growth not only in rats but also in humans. Computer searches revealed that human hepassocin as well as rat hepassocin has a characteristic disulfide structure close to that of fibrinogen-gamma. We assume that this newly identified growth factor exerts functions in association with an extracellular matrix such as fibrinogen.