Exploring transgene transfer from the transgenic chicken model to its offspring through a nonviral vector

There is much interest in using chickens as “bioreactors” to produce large quantities of biopharmaceuticals. However, transient expression of foreign genes have been known to cause low efficiency of obtaining transgenic offspring, especially when using nonviral vectors. In present study, a transgenic chicken model was investigated to determine whether an exogenous gene can be expressed stably and transferred to its offspring through a matrix attachment region (MAR)-mediated non-viral vector using the eGFP marker gene. The eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-N1-MAR, which contains the eGFP gene and MAR, was constructed and transfected into a chicken stage-X blastoderm to produce a G0 generation of transgenic chickens. The hatchabilities of different injection regions were tested; 18 of the 40 eggs injected with pEGFPN1- MAR in the area opaca hatched after 21 days of incubation, and had a hatchability rate of 45%. By contrast, eggs injected at the area pellucida did not hatch. Results from the fluorescence signal detection and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) verified that four hatched chicks from the G0 generation expressed the eGFP gene. Furthermore, fluorescence signal detection results indicated that 2 of the 65 chicks from the G1 generation expressed the eGFP gene. We conclude that MAR facilitates the production of transgenic chickens; pEGFP-N1-MAR application is a novel approach that can produce transgenic chicken offspring.     

牛乳铁蛋白肽转基因小鼠的构建

目的:探讨牛乳铁蛋白肽在转基因鼠乳汁中的表达及其抑菌活性。方法:将实验室构建并保存的包含山羊β-酪蛋白基因启动子和牛乳铁蛋白肽基因的乳腺特异表达载体PI-bcp-LfcinB,用Xho I和Nru I双酶切,得到含有全部表达盒的显微注射DNA片段,采用常规显微注射技术获得转基因小鼠。并通过对泌乳期转基因雌鼠乳腺组织的RT-PCR检测,确定了牛乳铁蛋白肽在mRNA水平的表达,同时利用琼脂板扩散法检测了转基因鼠乳汁中表达产物的抑菌活性。结果:获得了牛乳铁蛋白肽转基因小鼠,且转基因小鼠乳汁中能够表达具有抑菌活性的牛乳铁蛋白肽。结论:通过转基因动物乳腺可以获得具有生物活性的牛乳铁蛋白肽,为进一步研究抗菌肽转基因牛、培育抗乳房炎奶牛新品种以及通过建立转基因动物生物反应器进行抗菌肽的大量生产奠定了基础。     

人DAF基因在转基因小鼠中的遗传与表达

为研究人ＤＡＦ基因在小鼠体内遗传与表达的规律,从质粒ｐＳＦＦＶ－ＤＡＦ分离出一段包含人ＤＡＦ基因的ＤＮＡ片段。采用受精卵显微注射法建立转人ＤＡＦ基因小鼠。提取出生小鼠的染色体ＤＮＡ,经Ｄｏｔ－ｂｌｏｔ与Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ－ｂｌｏｔ杂交相结合确定首建转基因小鼠,并经Ｄｏｔ－ｂｌｏｔ杂交研究人ＤＡＦ基因在转基因小鼠体内的遗传特征,Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎ杂交确定其表达情况。小鼠受精卵经基因导入后,共生出２４只小鼠,其中４只被确定为首建转基因小鼠,整合率为１５％,在首建转基因小鼠两两交配生出的Ｆ１代小鼠中分别有７０％和７５％继续携带人ＤＡＦ基因。首建转基因小鼠中有１只小鼠在ＲＮＡ水平表达了人ＤＡＦ基因。可见,人ＤＡＦ基因整合入小鼠基因组中,并能够稳定遗传及表达。     

肝组织特异表达人核受体nr5a2转基因小鼠的构建

人乙肝病毒增强子ⅡB1结合因子（hB1F）系Ftz—F1（NR5A）亚家族的新成员。经基因重组法将人hb1 fcDNA置于小鼠白蛋白增慢子／启动子序列下游构建成肝特异重组载体,通过原核显微注射将该载体导入小鼠受精卵原核,经注射且状态良好的卯回输至假孕母鼠输卯管。产下仔鼠经PCR和Southern blotting鉴定,同时RT—PCR和Western blotting分析转基因的表达。阳性Founder鼠与正常C57鼠交配以建立转基因纯系小鼠,F1代以PCR法鉴定。结果共获得4只PCR鉴定转基因阳性Founder鼠,其中一只同时经Southern blotting鉴定为阳性。RT—PCR和Western blotting结果显示,外源基因在转基因小鼠的肝组织成功表达。遗传学分析表明,转基因已整合入小鼠基因组并可稳定溃传。     

Differential regulation of metallothionein-thymidine kinase fusion genes in transgenic mice and their offspring

A fusion plasmid, pMK, containing the mouse metallothionein-I promoter/regulatory region joined to the structural gene of herpesvirus thymidine kinase, was introduced into mice by microinjection into fertilized eggs followed by reinsertion of the eggs into foster mothers. Fifteen percent (10 of 69) of the mice developing from this procedure carried pMK sequences. Seven of these mice expressed high levels of viral thymidine kinase in the liver. This enzyme is inducible by heavy metals, as indicated by assay of thymidine kinase activity following sequential partial hepatectomies with or without cadmium treatment. However, glucocorticoid treatment has been ineffective in all transgenic mice tested. The pMK sequences are extensively methylated at a variety of restriction sites, indicating the existence of a de novo methylation enzyme. We have analyzed the inheritance of pMK sequences and their expression in several pedigrees. These fusion genes are inherited as though they were integrated into a single chromosome; however, their expression may be extinguished, diminished or enhanced in the offspring relative to that of the parent. In some animals there is a correlation between changes in DNA methylation and expression of these fusion genes.     

绿色荧光蛋白基因在转基因小鼠体内的表达

建立绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）转基因小鼠,继而传代建系。采用显微注射法,将GFP基因注入FVB／NJ小鼠受精卵原核内,获得子代鼠。分娩后3周剪取仔鼠尾,提取基因组DNA,应用PCR、Southern印迹技术进行整合检测。结共用雌性小鼠200只,注射受精卵1586枚,移植卵数386枚,受体鼠32只,怀孕鼠4只,子代鼠18只,有4只为阳性：取2只首建鼠的胚胎,在荧光显微镜下观察GFP表达明显,表明初步获得了转绿色荧光蛋白基因小鼠,     

嗜铬颗粒蛋白A基因的反义转基因小鼠模型的建立及该基因启动子的组织特异性

构建小鼠嗜铬颗粒蛋白A（Chromogranin,A,CGA)基因的反义DNA载体pGAS1C－lacZ。用电穿孔的方法将该载体转化大鼠肾上腺髓质细胞瘤细胞系PC－12,X－Gal染色后证明位于CGA基因启动子下游的报告基因lacX已经表达。用限制性内切酶除去载体的质粒骨架后,显微注射入供体昆明小鼠的受精卵中,随后将注射过DNA的受精卵移植入假母的输卵管中,完成正常的胚胎发育。用PCR的方法筛选假母产下的小鼠,得到CGA基因反义RNA基因首建鼠14只。将首建鼠分别与正常昆明鼠交配,产生后代。取首建鼠的肾上腺进行X－Gal染色,组织用于石蜡切片,根据各鼠肾上腺切片的蓝色深浅判定转入基因量的高低,筛选到两只表达量高的首建鼠,留下它们的后代。取转基因鼠的各种组织用于X－Gal染色,发现报告基因在肾上腺、胰腺的胰岛中有表达,而在肌肉、脂肪组织中无表达,说明CGA基因的启动子具有神经内分泌组织特异性。     

角质细胞特异性表达Cre重组酶转基因小鼠的建立

构建了含有角质细胞特异性角质素5启动子、Cre重组酶基因和人生长激素基因plyA的转基因载体pK5-Cre-hGH。以显微注射的方法将4．2kb的转基因片段K5-Cre-hGH引入小鼠基因组,共注射720枚受精卵,其中龄5枚移植至29只假孕母鼠的输卵管中发育,获得子代小鼠48只,经基因型鉴定有12只小鼠在其基因组上整合有Cre基因,整合率为25％。将带有cre重组酶基因的小鼠与基因组上携带loxP位点的smad4条件基因打靶小鼠杂交以检测Cre重组酶组织特异性表达情况以及介导重组的功能。结果表明,K5-Cre转基因小鼠只在皮肤组织中表达Cre重组酶并能在体内成功地介导loxP位点的重组。     

Tissue-specific expression of the rat pancreatic elastase I gene in transgenic mice

The gene for rat pancreatic elastase I is selectively expressed to high levels in the rat exocrine pancreas. When the cloned rat elastase I gene with 7 kb upstream and 5 kb downstream flanking sequences was introduced into mice by microinjection into fertilized eggs, the gene was expressed in a pancreas-specific manner. In four of five transgenic mice, the level of rat elastase I mRNA in the pancreas was equal to or greater than the normal rat level (10,000 mRNAs per cell) and correlated with the number of integrated gene copies. In nonpancreatic tissues the levels were at least 10³-fold lower, except for expression in the liver of one mouse. Thus transfer of a 23 kb genomic DNA segment containing the rat elastase I gene to a foreign chromosomal location in the mouse can give rise to qualitatively and quantitatively normal expression.     

Conditions permitting the homotopic expression of lens-specific crystallin genes

δ-Crystallin is a major soluble protein of the avian and reptilian lens, and its expression is highly tissue-specific in development. In order to understand regulatory mechanisms for tissue-specific expression of δ-crystallin gene, several experimental systems were established in a heterologous combination of the chicken gene and mouse cells. The expression was ectopic in various cell types differentiated in teratomas derived from mouse teratocarcinoma or embryonic stem cells which were transformed to carry the chicken δ-crystallin genes. Cells of the same transformed lines of embryonic stem cells expressed the chicken gene homotopically in chimeric embryos produced by injecting them into the blastocysts. The homotopic expression also occurred in experimental systems consisting of the heterologous introduction of the gene (1) into various mouse cells in primary cultures, and (2) into male pronuclei of mouse fertilized eggs.     

增强子驱动的Cre转基因小鼠的构建及Cre基因的表达鉴定

目的:探索将增强子应用于构建Cre转基因小鼠品系,为以条件基因敲除为基础的基因功能研究提供更多的工具。方法:通过PCR方法从小鼠的细菌人工染色体扩增UH增强子片段,构建含有Hsp68基础启动子、增强子UH、Cre重组酶基因和SV40 polyA的转基因载体pLW400,将3.3 kb的转基因片段通过显微注射导入小鼠受精卵;为了检测Cre在转基因小鼠中的表达,将转基因一代小鼠与纯合子ROSA26报告小鼠(R/R)交配,收集第14 d胚胎期(E14)的舌组织进行LacZ染色检测鉴定。结果:经鉴定,31只子代小鼠中有6只携带外源基因,整合率为19.4%;与R/+对照相比,E14期的双基因型Cre,R/+舌组织为阳性结果(蓝色)。这表明Cre基因在转基因小鼠舌组织内得到表达,并在体内介导ROSA26基因座loxP位点间的重组,且有效删除了2个loxP之间的片段,从而启动了LacZ基因的表达。结论:构建了UH增强子-Hsp68Cre的转基因小鼠,在舌肌中特异表达Cre基因,提示增强子可以被选择应用于Cre转基因小鼠的构建;为舌肌的发育和再生研究奠定了基础。     

人G-CSF转基因鼠的稳定遗传与表达

利用人粒细胞集落刺激因子（Ｇ－ＣＳＦ）基因组基因作为目的片段,将其受控于２．６ｋｂ的小鼠乳清酸蛋白（ＷＡＰ）基因的调控区下,通过显微注射法获得了两只整合有人Ｇ－ＣＳＦ转基因小鼠,通过繁殖建立了稳定的转基因系．一些表型参数测定表明转基因鼠与正常鼠无明显差别．通过ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ及Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ检测,在乳腺表达出人Ｇ－ＣＳＦ,为乳腺表达外源蛋白质及今后大动物研究奠定了基础．     

Human placental alkaline phosphatase as a histochemical marker of gene expression in transgenic mice

The human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) gene was analysed for its utility as a histochemically detectable reporter gene in transgenic mice. A reporter gene was made by linking the PLAP structural gene to an enhancerpromoter element from the human -actin gene. This gene was inserted into the mouse genome by transfection of embryonic stem cells, and by microinjection of fertilized eggs. Histochemical staining showed that the transgene was uniformly expressed in four of four stable ES cell lines, and in all ten tissues examined from adult animals from five lines of transgenic mice. Non-transgenic cells did not stain. These results suggest that the human PLAP gene will be of utility in studies requiring phenotypic marking of cells in tissues of mice.     

High-level expression of single-chain Fv-Fc fusion protein in serum and egg white of genetically manipulated chickens by using a retroviral vector

We report here the generation of transgenic chickens using a retroviral vector for the production of recombinant proteins. It was found that the transgene expression was suppressed when a Moloney murine leukemia virus-based retroviral vector was injected into chicken embryos at the blastodermal stage. When a concentrated viral solution was injected into the heart of developing embryos after 50 to 60 h of incubation, transgene expression was observed throughout the embryo, including the gonads. For practical production, a retroviral vector encoding an expression cassette of antiprion single-chain Fv fused with the Fc region of human immunoglobulin G1 (scFv-Fc) was injected into chicken embryos. The birds that hatched stably produced scFv-Fc in their serum and eggs at high levels (approximately 5.6 mg/ml). We obtained transgenic progeny from a transgenic chicken generated with this procedure. The transgene was stably integrated into the chromosomes of transgenic progeny. The transgenic progeny also expressed scFv-Fc in the serum and eggs.     

Specific expression of the chicken delta-crystallin gene in the lens and the pyramidal neurons of the piriform cortex in transgenic mice

Two transgenic mice, 5-8 and 7-5, carrying the chicken delta-crystallin gene were produced by microinjecting cloned genes into male pronuclei. The mice were analyzed at 8 weeks of age with respect to gene integration and expression by means of blotting techniques and immunohistochemistry. Southern blot analysis indicated that both mice carried, on average, 50 copies of intact delta-crystallin gene per cell. Histological analysis of the mice using DNA-DNA in situ hybridization indicated that mouse 5-8 carried the delta-crystallin gene in every cell while mouse 7-5 was mosaic, with 20-40% of the cells of various tissues carrying the gene. Western blot analysis indicated that in both mice delta-crystallin is expressed in the lens and the cerebrum, but not in any other tissue examined. Immunohistological analysis revealed that, in the cerebrum of the mice, delta-crystallin was expressed specifically in pyramidal neurons located in layer IIb of the anterior piriform cortex. Thus, our results with transgenic mice not only demonstrate the primary specificity of delta-crystallin gene expression in authentic lens tissue, but reveal the unexpected specificity of this chicken gene in the central nervous system of the mouse.     

Cytoplasmic β-actin promoter produces germ cell and preimplantation embryonic transgene expression

The cytoplasmic β-actin promoter, commonly used as strong promoter in many gene regulation studies, produces a pattern of male germ cell and preimplantation, embryonic gene expression in transgenic mice. In seven of ten expressing transgenic lines, a chicken β-actin-lacZ fusion gene was expressed in adult testes. In addition, five of the ten lines demonstrated transgene expression in the preimplantation mouse embryo. This is the first example of transgene expression at the stages of both gamete and early embryo. Overall, the site or transgene integration appeared to influence transgene expression in adult tissues. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Expression of a human chimeric transferrin gene in senescent transgenic mice reflects the decrease of transferrin levels in aging humans.

Transgenic mice provide a means to study human gene expression in vivo throughout the aging process. A DNA sequence containing 668 bp of the 5' regulatory region of the human transferrin gene was fused to the bacterial reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (TF-CAT) and introduced into the mouse genome. Expression of the human chimeric transferrin gene was similar to the tissue patterns of mouse and human transferrin. In aging transgenic mice, expression of the human chimeric transferrin gene was found to diminish 40% in livers between 18 and 26 months of age. Transferrin levels and serum iron levels in aging humans also diminish, as observed from measurements of total iron binding capacity and percent iron saturation in sera from 701 individuals ranging from 0 to 99 years of age. In contrast, in transgenic mice and nontransgenic mice, the mouse endogenous plasma transferrin and endogenous Tf mRNA increase significantly during aging. Neither the decrease of human TF-CAT nor the increase of mouse transferrin during aging appears to be part of a typical inflammatory reaction. Although the 5' regions of the human transferrin and mouse transferrin genes are homologous, sequence diversities exist which could account for the different responses to inflammation and aging observed.     

牛β-乳球蛋白基因调控序列指导组织型纤溶酶原激活剂在小鼠乳腺中的表达

用全长8.4kb的牛β－乳球蛋白基因（BLG）作为调控序列,用1.6kb的鸡溶菌酶MAR序列作为对抗转基因中位点效应的工龄,构建了组织型纤溶酶原激活剂（tPA）乳腺表达载体。对2300枚卵进行显微注射,以PCR和Southern-Blot检测,在170只出生小鼠中获得9只整合有牛BLG－tPA融合基因的转基因小鼠,并在转基因小鼠乳汗中检测到tPA r itd ntg ,tPA的表达水平最高达到12μg/mL。整合的小鼠基因组中的牛BLG－tPA融合基因能稳定地遗传给子代。