φC31整合酶与转基因动物研制

链霉菌噬菌体φC31整合酶是一种位点性特异重组酶.它以单向整合方式进行重组,无须其他辅助因子,且整合效率高、表达稳定,所以近年来越来越多地被用来介导外源基因与宿主基因组的特异性整合,并被应用于哺乳动物的转基因整合技术中,它为攻克转基因动物研制过程中的随机整合、整合效率低、表达水平不高等技术瓶颈提供了新思路.对链霉菌噬茵体φC31整合酶的作用机制和特点优势作了简要的阐述,并对其广阔的应用前景作一展望.     

φC31整合酶系统介导的位点特异性整合研究进展

来源于链霉菌(Streptomyces)噬菌体φC31的整合酶可介导链霉菌附着位点(attB)和噬菌体附着位点(attP)之间的同源重组,这种重组亦可在多种动植物细胞内进行;而且,该整合酶还可介导含attB位点的载体以位点特异性方式整合于多种真核生物基因组内的假attP位点,并使转基因持续高效表达。因此,φC31整合酶在基因修饰、基因治疗及转基因动物研制等方面得到了广泛的应用。文章就近年来φC31整合酶整合规律、提高效率方面的改进及安全性等相关领域的研究进展进行了综述。     

卵母细胞特异表达ФC31整合酶载体pZP3－INT的构建及其在小鼠卵母细胞中的表达

链霉菌噬菌体ФC31整合酶是一种位点特异性重组酶（Site—specific recombinase,SSR）,可介导链霉菌噬菌体attP位点（Phage attachment site）和链霉菌基因组attB位点（Bacterial attachment site）闻的单向重组。为探讨它能否应用于卵母细胞特定基因的重组,文章采用卵巢针刺取卵法呆集生发泡（GV）期小鼠卵母细胞,将卵透明带糖蛋白3（ZP3）启动子驱动的ФC31整合酶表达载体pZP3－INT和检测qbC31整合酶位点特异性重组功能的重组质粒载体pBCPB^＋,通过显微注射导入到小鼠卵母细胞中。培养48h后,RT-PCR检测ФC31整合酶mRNA表达以及PCR检测pBCPB^＋载体发生重组的情况。结果表明：载体pZP3-INT在卵母细胞中表达ФC31整合酶mRNA;并且pBCPB^＋载体发生了位点特异性重组,提示ФC31整合酶在卵母细胞中可以介导位点特异性重组反应。     

卵母细胞特异表达φC31整合酶载体pZP3-INT的构建及其在小鼠卵母细胞中的表达

链霉菌噬菌体φC31整合酶是一种位点特异性重组酶(Site-specific recombinase,SSR),可介导链霉菌噬菌体attP位点(Phage attachment site)和链霉菌基因组attB位点(Bacterial attachment site)间的单向重组.为探讨它能否应用于卵母细胞特定基因的重组,文章采用卵巢针刺取卵法采集生发泡(GV)期小鼠卵母细胞,将卵透明带糖蛋白3(ZP3)启动子驱动φC31整合酶表达载体pZP3-INT和检测φC31整合酶位点特异性重组功能的重组质粒载体pBCPB+,通过显微注射导入到小鼠卵母细胞中.培养48 h后,RT-PCR检测φC31整合酶mRNA表达以及PCR检测pBCPB+载体发生重组的情况.结果表明:载体pzP3-INT在卵母细胞中表达φC31整合酶mRNA;并且pBCPB+载体发生了位点特异性重组,提示φC31整合酶在卵母细胞中可以介导位点特异性重组反应.     

φC31整合酶与生物医学

来源于链霉菌噬菌体φC31的整合酶可通过介导链霉菌attB序列与多种生物内源性特异性序列产生重组反应,将外源基因定点整合到生物基因组中。在基因治疗研究中应用φC31整合酶,可使外源基因长期高水平表达,从而达到较好的治疗效果;且由于外源基因定点整合,故安全隐患较小。此外,φC31整合酶还可以用来生产外源基因定点整合的转基因动物,在基础研究和应用研究领域都有很高的潜在应用价值。     

高效位点特异性链霉菌φC31噬菌体整合酶的研究进展

链霉菌φC31噬菌体整合酶（φC31-int）属于位点特异性重组酶的解离酶／转化酶系,该家族催化机制由丝氨酸介导,能识别噬菌体附着位点（attP）和宿主基因组上的细菌附着位点（attB）,介导同源序列之间的位点特异性重组。实验证实,φC31-int是一种高效位点特异性整合工具酶,与其他整合策略相比,具有集高效和安全于一体的优点,通过介导位点特异性整合,将外源基因特异地整合到宿主基因组,使目的基因得以持续、高效的表达,并且具有DNA容量方面的优势。随着研究的深入,人们对φC31-int介导整合作用机制和影响因素有了进一步的认识。通过一系列成功应用φC31-int进行的基因治疗的动物学实验,为今后如何利用非病毒载体系统进行基因治疗及转基因动物模型的建立提供了一种新的选择。     

高效位点特异性链霉菌ψC31噬菌体整合酶的研究进展

链霉菌ψC31噬菌体整合酶(ψC31-int)属于位点特异性重组酶的解离酶/转化酶系,该家族催化机制由丝氨酸介导,能识别噬菌体附着位点(attP)和宿主基因组上的细菌附着位点(attB),介导同源序列之间的位点特异性重组.实验证实,ψC31-int是一种高效位点特异性整合工具酶,与其他整合策略相比,具有集高效和安全于一体的优点,通过介导位点特异性整合,将外源基因特异地整合到宿主基因组,使目的基因得以持续、高效的表达,并且具有DNA容量方面的优势.随着研究的深入,人们对ψC31-int介导整合作用机制和影响因素有了进一步的认识.通过一系列成功应用ψC31-int进行的基因治疗的动物学实验,为今后如何利用非病毒载体系统进行基因治疗及转基因动物模型的建立提供了一种新的选择.     

卵母细胞特异表达fC31整合酶载体pZP3-INT的构建及其在小鼠卵母细胞中的表达

链霉菌噬菌体fC31整合酶是一种位点特异性重组酶(Site-specific recombinase, SSR), 可介导链霉菌噬菌体attP位点(Phage attachment site)和链霉菌基因组attB位点(Bacterial attachment site)间的单向重组。为探讨它能否应用于卵母细胞特定基因的重组, 文章采用卵巢针刺取卵法采集生发泡(GV)期小鼠卵母细胞, 将卵透明带糖蛋白3(ZP3)启动子驱动的fC31整合酶表达载体pZP3-INT和检测fC31整合酶位点特异性重组功能的重组质粒载体pBCPB⁺, 通过显微注射导入到小鼠卵母细胞中。培养48 h后, RT-PCR检测fC31整合酶mRNA表达以及PCR检测pBCPB⁺载体发生重组的情况。结果表明: 载体pZP3-INT在卵母细胞中表达fC31 整合酶mRNA; 并且pBCPB⁺载体发生了位点特异性重组, 提示fC31整合酶在卵母细胞中可以介导位点特异性重组反应。     

位点特异整合微环DNA的体内制备

目的:应用诱导表达的LR克隆酶系统,建立一种在细菌体内获得基于链霉菌噬菌体ФC31整合酶系统的位点特异整合型微环DNA的方法,为实现无细菌骨架等冗余序列的转基因奠定基础。方法:构建包含阿拉伯糖启动子的LR克隆酶系统和ФC31整合酶系统的亲本质粒,在L-阿拉伯糖的诱导下重组产生表达ФC31整合酶的微质粒和包含有目的基因和attB位点等元件的微环DNA。以限制性内切核酸酶酶切电泳定性其重组效率,qPCR定量分析微环、微质粒及亲本质粒的比例,定量计算重组效率。观察随着诱导时间的推进微环/微质粒值的变化。结果:细菌体内LR克隆酶系统可有效催化亲本质粒的重组,重组率达85%以上。相比商品化LR克隆酶体外反应具有更高的稳定性而且更经济。结论:获得了一种高效、稳定的细菌体内产生位点特异性整合型微环DNA的亲本质粒。     

一种快捷可靠评价链霉菌噬菌体ФC31整合酶功能的双荧光报告系统

在NIH3T3细胞中构建了一种链霉菌噬菌体ФC31整合酶报告系统．该报告载体同时编码红色荧光蛋白和绿色荧光蛋白,与编码ФC31整合酶的载体共转染可以反映ФC31整合酶的活性．细胞中从红色荧光到绿色荧光的变化和百分比的变化可经流式细胞仪检出．随着转染中ФC31整合酶表达载体的比例升高,表达绿色荧光的细胞比例上升．ФC31整合酶表达载体和报告系统载体比例在10∶1时,可达最高约90%的红绿荧光转变率．这表明该ФC31整合酶报告系统提供了一种在细胞中快捷可靠的评价ФC31整合酶功能的方法．     

ΦC31 integrase interacts with TTRAP and inhibits NFκB activation

Phage ΦC31 integrase-mediated gene delivery is believed to be safer than using retroviral vectors since the protein confines its insertion of the target gene to a limited number of sites in mammalian genomes. To evaluate its safety in human cells, it is important to understand the interactions between this integrase and cellular proteins. Here we show that ΦC31 integrase interacts with TTRAP as presented by yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Reducing the expression of endogenous TTRAP can increase the efficiency of ΦC31 integrase-mediated integration. A possible effect of interaction between ΦC31 integrase and TTRAP was highlighted by the fact that ΦC31 integrase inhibited the NFκB activation mediated by IL-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Because low dose of ΦC31 integrase can mediate considerable recombination events, we suggest that low dose of ΦC31 integrase be used when this integrase is applied in human cells.     

ΦC31位点特异性整合酶DNA结合功能域的鉴定

DNA结合功能域的确定是阐明位点特异性重组酶整合机制的关键,而对酶DNA结合功能域进行突变研究是提高酶整合效率和整合特异性的重要方法.为了鉴定ΦC31位点特异性整合酶的DNA结合功能域,依据对ΦC31整合酶序列的生物信息学分析结果,利用PCR和克隆技术在pET22b原核表达载体上构建ΦC31整合酶重组截短突变体表达质粒,将获得的表达质粒转化入大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)菌株扩大培养并用IPTG诱导融合蛋白的表达,经镍柱纯化获得了纯度达90%以上的重组蛋白,分子量也与预期大小一致,Western印迹确定了重组蛋白的特异性.凝胶迁移滞后实验显示野生型以及截短突变体蛋白ΦC311-528、ΦC311-472、ΦC311-413能与细菌附着位点DNAattB和噬菌体附着位点DNAattP结合的条带,而截短突变体ΦC311-353、ΦC311-279、ΦC311-120观察不到相应的结合条带.6个截短突变体质粒在体内重组活性蓝白斑实验中均表现为蓝斑,显示出皆丧失体内重组活性.研究证实,ΦC31整合酶半胱氨酸富集域(第353～413位氨基酸)具有DNA结合的功能,而C末端缬氨酸富集区(第528～613位氨基酸)也与其重组活性相关.这为进一步了解ΦC31整合酶的结构与功能,最终引导其结构进化,提高其特异性和整合效率奠定了基础.     

ΦC31整合酶介导猪基因组定点修饰的探讨

高效与特异的基因组定点修饰是基因工程动物研究的前沿与难点.链霉菌噬菌体ΦC31整合酶能介导含attB位点的外源基因定点整合于多种真核生物基因组的假attP位点,可维持外源基因的正常结构及高效表达.本文探讨ΦC31整合酶介导外源基因在猪基因组内定点整合的分子基础.构建含attB位点的报告载体pEGFP-N1-attB,与ΦC31整合酶表达载体pCMV-INT共转染猪肾PK15细胞,G418筛选获得单克隆细胞系.实时荧光定量PCR筛选出单拷贝整合的转基因细胞系.TAIL-PCR鉴定出1个猪基因组假attP位点,位于猪1号染色体,watson链,坐标114220087-114220126,命名为pig-attP-1.测序结果显示,pEGFP-N1-attB在attB位点处断开插入到pig-attP-1.用荧光计测定细胞培养基上清EGFP含量发现,该转基因细胞系EGFP的表达水平是本底的50倍(13500 AU vs.280 AU),表明pig-attP-1是利于外源基因高效表达的"友好位点".该研究不仅为实现外源基因在猪基因组内的定点整合提供了新策略,也为创制基因工程猪、建立动物生物反应器等研究注入了新思路.     

Cell type differences in activity of the Streptomyces bacteriophage phiC31 integrase

Genomic integration by the Streptomyces bacteriophage ϕC31 integrase is a promising tool for non-viral gene therapy of various genetic disorders. We investigated the ϕC31 integrase recombination activity in T cell derived cell lines, primary T lymphocytes and CD34⁺ haematopoietic stem cells in comparison to mesenchymal stem cells and cell lines derived from lung-, liver- and cervix-tissue. In T cell lines, enhanced long-term expression above control was observed only with high amounts of integrase mRNA. Transfections of ϕC31 integrase plasmids were not capable of mediating enhanced long-term transgene expression in T cell lines. In contrast, moderate to high efficiency could be detected in human mesenchymal stem cells, human lung, liver and cervix carcinoma cell lines. Up to 100-fold higher levels of recombination product was found in ϕC31 integrase transfected A549 lung than Jurkat T cells. When the ϕC31 integrase activity was normalized to the intracellular integrase mRNA levels, a 16-fold difference was found. As one possible inhibitor of the ϕC31 integrase, we found 3- to 5-fold higher DAXX levels in Jurkat than in A549 cells, which could in addition to other yet unknown factors explain the observed discrepancy of ϕC31 integrase activity.     

φC31 integrase and liver-specific regulatory elements confer high-level,long-term expression of firefly luciferase in mouse liver

To improve the efficiency of expression of reporter transgenes delivered by hydrodynamic injection, we generated expression cassettes carrying different liver-specific regulatory elements using the firefly luciferase gene as a reporter. From our studies the human alpha-antitrypsin promoter together with the apolipoprotein E/C-I and albumin enhancer was the combination of choice for prolonged transgene expression, but reporter gene expression in vivo lasted for no more than 7 weeks. Subsequently, phage φC31 integrase was introduced as a potential tool to improve further the efficiency of expression of the delivered transgene. Long-term transgene expression in vivo was achieved by specific integration of the target gene into mouse livers. This study demonstrates the use of a combination of phage φC31 integrase and liver-specific regulatory elements for generation of transgenic mice.     

Site-specific gene integration in cultured silkworm cells mediated by φC31 integrase

The integrase from the Streptomyces bacteriophage φC31 carries out efficient recombination between an attP site in the phage genome and an attB site in the host chromosome. In the present study, we have used the φC31 integrase system to mediate site-specific recombination in the cultured silkworm cell line BmN4. A plasmid containing a cDNA encoding DsRed flanked by two φC31 attP sites was co-transfected together with a helper plasmid encoding the φC31 integrase into a cell line in which φC31 attB sites inserted between a baculovirus IE2 promoter, and a polyadenylation signal are present in one chromosome. Seven days after transfection, expression of DsRed was observed in transformed cells. Nucleotide sequence analysis demonstrated that the expected recombination between the attB and attP sites had been precisely carried out by the φC31 integrase. These results indicate that the φC31 site-specific recombination system should be widely applicable for efficient site-specific gene integration into silkworm chromosomes.     

PhiC31 integrase mediates integration in cultured synovial cells and enhances gene expression in rabbit joints

BACKGROUND: Gene transfer to synovium in joints has been shown to be an effective approach for treating pathologies associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and related joint disorders. However, the efficiency and duration of gene delivery has been limiting for successful gene therapy for arthritis. The transient gene expression that often accompanies non-viral gene delivery can be prolonged by integration of vector DNA into the host genome. We report a novel approach for non-viral gene therapy to joints that utilizes phage phiC31 integrase to bring about unidirectional genomic integration. METHODS: Rabbit and human synovial cells were co-transfected with a plasmid expressing phiC31 integrase and a plasmid containing the transgene and an attB site. Cells were cultured with or without G418 selection and the number of neo-resistant colonies or eGFP cells determined, respectively. Plasmid rescue, PCR query, and DNA sequence analysis were performed to reveal integration sites in the rabbit and human genomes. For in vivo studies, attB-reporter gene plasmids and a plasmid expressing phiC31 integrase were intra-articularly injected into rabbit knees. Joint sections were used for histological analysis of beta-gal expression, and synovial cells were isolated to measure luciferase expression. RESULTS: We demonstrated that co-transfection of a plasmid expressing phiC31 integrase with a plasmid containing the transgene and attB increased the frequency of transgene expression in rabbit synovial fibroblasts and primary human RA synoviocytes. Plasmid rescue and DNA sequence analysis of plasmid-chromosome junctions revealed integration at endogenous pseudo attP sequences in the rabbit genome, and PCR query detected integration at previously characterized integration sites in the human genome. Significantly higher levels of transgene expression were detected in vivo in rabbit knees after intra-articular injection of attB-reporter gene plasmids and a plasmid expressing phiC31 integrase. CONCLUSION: The ability of phiC31 integrase to facilitate genomic integration in synovial cells and increase transgene expression in the rabbit synovium suggests that, in combination with more efficient DNA delivery methods, this integrase system could be beneficial for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other joint disorders.     

Fluorescent protein-based detection of φC31 integrase activity in mammalian cells

The enzyme φC31 integrase from Streptomyces phage has been documented as functional in mammalian cells and, therefore, has the potential to be a powerful gene manipulation tool. However, the activity of this enzyme is cell-type dependent. The more active mutant forms of φC31 integrase are required. Therefore, a rapid and effective method should be developed to detect the intracellular activity of φC31 integrase. We devised in this study an integrase-inversion cassette that contains the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene and the reverse complementary DsRed gene, which are flanked by attB and reverse complementary attP. This cassette can be inverted by φC31 integrase, thereby altering the fluorescent protein expression. Thus, φC31 integrase activity can be qualitatively or quantitatively evaluated based on the detected fluorescence. Furthermore, this cassette-based method was applied to several cell types, demonstrating that it is an efficient and reliable tool for measuring φC31 integrase activity in mammalian cells.     

Adjusting the attB site in donor plasmid improves the efficiency of ΦC31 integrase system

ΦC31 integrase, a site-specific recombinase, can catalyze integration of circular DNA bearing attB site into pseudo attP sites in mammalian genomes. However, the integration efficiency mediated by integrase is relatively low. Our study centered on the investigation of the impact of the position, orientation, and number of attBs in the donor plasmid on the efficiency of ΦC31 integrase system. Donor plasmids bearing various types of attBs (including forward and reverse directions, tandem, and intersperse) and reporter enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were constructed. The plasmids plus helper plasmid encoding integrase were co-transfected into HeLa cells. After G418 selection, the resistant cell colonies were counted for calculating chromosomal integration frequency. EGFP expression was detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorter and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis. The results showed that efficiency of integration mediated by integrase accounted for 70% ± 7.1% of total integration events in the transfected HeLa cells. Compared with a forward orientation of attB in donor plasmid, a reverse direction of attB or interspersed attBs showed 1.5- or 2.8-fold increase in integration efficiency, respectively, while tandem attBs in donor plasmids caused a decreased efficiency of integration. We conclude that the adjustment of attB sites in donor plasmids may be of value for gene therapy and routine genetic engineering by using ΦC31 integrase system.     

Impact of Hydrodynamic Injection and phiC31 Integrase on Tumor Latency in a Mouse Model of MYC-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Hydrodynamic injection is an effective method for DNA delivery in mouse liver and is being translated to larger animals for possible clinical use. Similarly, ϕC31 integrase has proven effective in mediating long-term gene therapy in mice when delivered by hydrodynamic injection and is being considered for clinical gene therapy applications. However, chromosomal aberrations have been associated with ϕC31 integrase expression in tissue culture, leading to questions about safety.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To study whether hydrodynamic delivery alone, or in conjunction with delivery of ϕC31 integrase for long-term transgene expression, could facilitate tumor formation, we used a transgenic mouse model in which sustained induction of the human C-MYC oncogene in the liver was followed by hydrodynamic injection. Without injection, mice had a median tumor latency of 154 days. With hydrodynamic injection of saline alone, the median tumor latency was significantly reduced, to 105 days. The median tumor latency was similar, 106 days, when a luciferase donor plasmid and backbone plasmid without integrase were administered. In contrast, when active or inactive ϕC31 integrase and donor plasmid were supplied to the mouse liver, the median tumor latency was 153 days, similar to mice receiving no injection.

Conclusions/Significance

Our data suggest that ϕC31 integrase does not facilitate tumor formation in this C-MYC transgenic mouse model. However, in groups lacking ϕC31 integrase, hydrodynamic injection appeared to contribute to C-MYC-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in adult mice. Although it remains to be seen to what extent these findings may be extrapolated to catheter-mediated hydrodynamic delivery in larger species, they suggest that caution should be used during translation of hydrodynamic injection to clinical applications.