皮肤组织特异性表达hCTLA4-Ig转基因小鼠品系的建立

为研究皮肤特异性高效表达hCTLA4-Ig分子对移植皮肤存活及受体免疫功能的影响,充分实现hCTLA4-Ig分子在皮肤移植中的免疫调控功能,利用K14（角蛋白14）基因启动子,构建了hCTLA4-Ig分子皮肤组织特异性表达载体,并通过受精卵原核显微注射技术制备了K14／hCTLA4-Ig转基因小鼠并建立了品系。通过RT-PCR和Northern blot分析表明,hCTLA4-Ig在转基因小鼠体内呈皮肤组织特异性高效表达;以GAPDH基因的表达量为内部参照分析表明,hCTLA4-Ig的表达水平在不同世代之间以及转基因个体的不同生命时相点之间保持相对恒定,说明皮肤组织特异性稳定表达hCTLA4-Ig的转基因小鼠品系已被建立。     

A Transgenic Mouse Line Expressing the Red Fluorescent Protein tdTomato in GABAergic Neurons

GABAergic inhibitory neurons are a large population of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals and crucially contribute to the function of the circuitry of the brain. To identify specific cell types and investigate their functions labelling of cell populations by transgenic expression of fluorescent proteins is a powerful approach. While a number of mouse lines expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in different subpopulations of GABAergic cells are available, GFP expressing mouse lines are not suitable for either crossbreeding to other mouse lines expressing GFP in other cell types or for Ca²⁺-imaging using the superior green Ca²⁺-indicator dyes. Therefore, we have generated a novel transgenic mouse line expressing the red fluorescent protein tdTomato in GABAergic neurons using a bacterial artificial chromosome based strategy and inserting the tdTomato open reading frame at the start codon within exon 1 of the GAD2 gene encoding glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65). TdTomato expression was observed in all expected brain regions; however, the fluorescence intensity was highest in the olfactory bulb and the striatum. Robust expression was also observed in cortical and hippocampal neurons, Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, amacrine cells in the retina as well as in cells migrating along the rostral migratory stream. In cortex, hippocampus, olfactory bulb and brainstem, 80% to 90% of neurons expressing endogenous GAD65 also expressed the fluorescent protein. Moreover, almost all tdTomato-expressing cells coexpressed GAD65, indicating that indeed only GABAergic neurons are labelled by tdTomato expression. This mouse line with its unique spectral properties for labelling GABAergic neurons will therefore be a valuable new tool for research addressing this fascinating cell type.     

Dicer1转基因小鼠模型的建立

目的建立Dicer1转基因小鼠模型。方法构建pcDNA3.1-Dicer1转基因构件,经酶切、纯化后通过显微注射方法导入BDF1小鼠受精卵原核并移植到同期受孕的ICR受体母鼠输卵管内。出生后仔鼠用PCR和Southern方法检测鼠尾DNA鉴定基因型,通过免疫组化检测Dicer1基因表达。结果显微注射172枚卵,移植119枚卵于3只受体输卵管中,2只怀孕,共产仔15只,经PCR检测获得6只阳性鼠,Southern检测6只均为阳性。对Southern检测阳性转基因小鼠子代进行RT-PCR检测和免疫组化分析证明Dicer1基因在肝脏、肾脏、肺内均有表达。对腹腔肿胀的转基因阳性1号鼠解剖发现肝脏、脾脏明显增大,胚胎发育异常。结论成功建立Dicer1基因表达的转基因小鼠模型,该模型为进一步研究DICER1基因功能及miRNA的表达及功能等奠定基础。     

APPSWE转基因小鼠发育过程中海马CA1区神经细胞凋亡研究

目的探讨APPSWE转基因小鼠发育过程中海马CA1区神经细胞凋亡规律。方法取不同发育时间（P0、P7、P14、P30、P00、P180）APPSWE转基因模型鼠与同时问点对照鼠,Nissl染色观察海马结构和锥体细胞形态,免疫组织化学方法观察海马细胞内Caspase-3表达变化,RT—PCR检测Caspase-3 mRNA表达变化。结果随着小鼠的生长发育,P14时间点以后,模型组CA1区神经元Caspase-3阳性细胞密度比对照组高,RT—PCR检测结果与Caspase-3免疫组织化学结果基本一致。结论APPSWE转基因小鼠发育中的海马神经细胞过度凋亡可能与阿茨海默病的发生、发展具有联系。     

Daily Variation in Global and Local DNA Methylation in Mouse Livers

DNA methylation is one of the best-characterized epigenetic modifications and has an important biological relevance. Here we showed that global DNA methylation level in mouse livers displayed a daily variation where the peak phases occurred during the end of the day and the lowest level at the beginning of the day in the light-dark or dark-dark cycles. Typical repeat sequence long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) had a similar methylation rhythm to global DNA. DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) and ratio of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) brought a relative forward daily variation to global DNA methylation, and the temporary change in ratio of SAM to SAH had no influence on the DNA methylation level. The rhythm of global DNA methylation was lost and DNA methylation level was increased in Per1^-/-Per2^-/- double knockout mice, which were in accordance with changes of Dnmt3a mRNA levels and its rhythm. Our results suggest that the daily variation in global DNA methylation was associated with the change of Dnmt3a expression rather than ratio of SAM to SAH.     

Transgenic Mouse Line with Green-fluorescent Protein-labeled Centrin 2 allows Visualization of the Centrosome in Living Cells

The centrosome plays diverse roles throughout the cellular mitotic cycle and in post-mitotic cells. Analysis of centrosome position and dynamics in living murine cells has been limited due to a lack of adequate reporters and currently requires either cell fixation/immunostaining or transfection with centrosome reporters. Here we describe the generation and characterization of a transgenic mouse line that constitutively expresses green fluorescent protein-labeled Centrin-2 (GFP-CETN2). The phenotype of the mouse is indistinguishable from wild-type and it displays a single pair of fluorescent centrioles in cells of every organ and time point examined. This model will be helpful for visualizing the centrosome in multiple experimental conditions.     

潮霉素抗性转基因BDF1小鼠模型的建立

目的建立具有潮霉素（hygromycin）抗性转基因BDF1小鼠,用于制备携有hygromycin抗性筛选标志ES阳性细胞克隆的饲养层。方法通过显微注射的方法,将含有潮霉素B磷酸转移酶基因片段（5.1kb）导入BDF1受精卵雄原核中,共注射169枚受精卵,然后将129枚受精卵细胞植入同期受孕的受体母鼠输卵管内。结果共产生37只转基因小鼠,经PCR和Southern检测获得9只阳性小鼠,对一只子代鼠进行RT-PCR检测证明hyg基因已经在肾、肌肉、脾内表达。结论成功的建立具有潮霉素抗性的BDF1转基因鼠,该模型动物可以为基因敲除研究提供良好的基础条件。     

稳定表达乙型肝炎病毒G145R变异表面抗原细胞系的建立

构建可以在真核细胞表达G145R HBsAg的重组质粒PCI-HBs145。用此质粒转染Hela细胞,经克隆化培养 以及G418筛选,建立稳定表达G145R HBsAg的细胞系。ELISA检测表明表达G145R HBsAg与野生型HBsAg 在免疫反应性上有较大的差异。生物学性状研究结果表明稳定表达G145R HBsAg的2A8细胞纯度好,遗传性状 稳定。     

稳定表达乙型肝炎病毒G145R变异表面抗原细胞系的建立

构建可以在真核细胞表达G145R HBsAg的重组质粒PCI-HBs145.用此质粒转染Hela细胞,经克隆化培养以及G418筛选,建立稳定表达G145R HBsAg的细胞系.ELISA检测表明表达G145R HBsAg与野生型HBsAg在免疫反应性上有较大的差异.生物学性状研究结果表明稳定表达G145R HBsAg的2A8细胞纯度好,遗传性状稳定.     

Conditional Over-Expression of Estrogen Receptor Alpha in a Transgenic Mouse Model

Attempts to delineate the mechanisms of estrogen action have promoted the creation of several estrogen receptor alpha (ER) mouse models in the past decade. These traditional models are limited by the fact that the receptors are either absent or present throughout all stages of development. The purpose of this work was to develop a conditional transgenic model that would provide an in vivo method of controlling the spatial and temporal regulation of ER expression. The tetracycline responsive system was utilized. Three lines of transgenic mice carrying a transgene composed of the coding sequence for murine ER placed under the regulatory control of a tet operator promoter (tet-op) were generated. These three lines of tet-op-mER mice were each mated to an established line of transgenic mice expressing a tetracycline-dependent transactivator protein (tTA) from the mouse mammary tumor virus-long terminal repeat (MMTV-LTR). Double transgenic MMTV-tTA/tet-op-mER mice were produced. All three lines demonstrated dominant gain of ER shown by RT-PCR, immunoprecipitation, and immunohistochemistry. Transgene-specific ER was expressed in numerous tissues including the mammary gland, salivary gland, testis, seminal vesicle, and epididymis. Expression was silenced by administration of doxycycline in the drinking water. This model can be utilized to evaluate the consequences of ER dominant gain in targeted tissues at specific times during development. In this study dominant gain of ER was associated with a reduction in epididymal/vas deferens and seminal vesicle weights consistent with the proposed action of ER on fluid transport in the male reproductive tract. Combining this model with other dominant gain and gene knockout mouse models will be useful for testing effects of ER action in combination with specific gene products and to evaluate if developmental and stage-specific expression of ER can rescue identified phenotypes in gene knockout mice.     

Enhancement of Interferon Production in a Mouse Cell Line, a High-Yielding Source of Mouse Interferon

Priming with interferon prior to poly(I).poly(C) treatment of a mouse cell line, MO 57/2, followed by sequential administration of metabolic inhibitors, resulted in the production of high yields of mouse interferon.     

A Novel Transgenic Mouse Line for Tracing MicroRNA-155-5p Activity In Vivo

MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) plays significant role in various physiological processes involving both innate and adaptive immunity. miR-155 expression level changes dynamically during various immune responses. However, current approaches for miR-155 detection at the RNA level do not precisely reflect the real-time activity. Herein, we generated a transgenic mouse line (R26-DTR-155T) for determination of miR-155-5p activity in vivo by inserting miR-155-5p target sequence downstream of a reporter transgene comprising Diphtheria Toxin Receptor and TagBlue fluorescence protein. Using this approach, R26-DTR-155T mice were able to measure variation in levels of miR-155-5p activity in specific cell types of interest. The DTR expression levels were inversely correlated with the endogenous miR-155 expression pattern as detected by quantitative RT-PCR. Our data demonstrate a novel transgenic mouse line which could be useful for tracing miR-155-5p activity in specific cell types through measurement of miR-155-5p activity at single cell level.     

TCreERT2, a Transgenic Mouse Line for Temporal Control of Cre-Mediated Recombination in Lineages Emerging from the Primitive Streak or Tail Bud

The study of axis extension and somitogenesis has been greatly advanced through the use of genetic tools such as the TCre mouse line. In this line, Cre is controlled by a fragment of the T (Brachyury) promoter that is active in progenitor cells that reside within the primitive streak and tail bud and which give rise to lineages emerging from these tissues as the embryonic axis extends. However, because TCre-mediated recombination occurs early in development, gene inactivation can result in an axis truncation that precludes the study of gene function in later or more posterior tissues. To address this limitation, we have generated an inducible TCre transgenic mouse line, called TCreERT2, that provides temporal control, through tamoxifen administration, in all cells emerging from the primitive streak or tail bud throughout development. TCreERT2 activity is mostly silent in the absence of tamoxifen and, in its presence, results in near complete recombination of emerging mesoderm from E7.5 through E13.5. We demonstrate the utility of the TCreERT2 line for determining rate of posterior axis extension and somite formation, thus providing the first in vivo tool for such measurements. To test the usefulness of TCreERT2 for genetic manipulation, we demonstrate that an early deletion of ß-Catenin via TCreERT2 induction phenocopies the TCre-mediated deletion of ß-Catenin defect, whereas a later induction bypasses this early phenotype and produces a similar defect in more caudal tissues. TCreERT2 provides a useful and novel tool for the control of gene expression of emerging embryonic lineages throughout development.     

Strain-Dependent Differences in the Efficiency of Transgenic Mouse Production

Transgenic mouse production via pronuclear microinjection is a complex process consisting of a number of sequential steps. Many different factors contribute to the effectiveness of each step and thus influence the overall efficiency of transgenic mouse production. The response of egg donor females to superovulation, the fertilization rate, egg survival after injection, ability of manipulated embryos to implant and develop to term, and concentration and purity of the injected DNA all contribute to transgenic production efficiency. We evaluated and compared the efficiency of transgenic mouse production using four different egg donor mouse strains: B6D2/F1 hybrids, Swiss Webster (SW) outbred, and inbred FVB/N and C57BL/6. The data included experiments involving 350 DNA transgene constructs performed by a high capacity core transgenic mouse facility. Significant influences of particular genetic backgrounds on the efficiency of different steps of the production process were found. Except for egg production, FVB/N mice consistently produced the highest efficiency of transgenic mouse production at each step of the process. B6D2/F2 hybrid eggs are also quite efficient, but lyze more frequently than FVB/N eggs after DNA microinjection. SW eggs on the other hand block at the 1-cell stage more often than eggs from the other strains. Finally, using C57BL/6 eggs the main limiting factor is that the fetuses derived from injected eggs do not develop to term as often as the other strains. Based on our studies, the procedure for transgenic mouse production can be modified for each egg donor strain in order to overcome any deficiencies, and thus to increase the overall efficiency of transgenic mouse production.     

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。     

Analysis of Cellular Mosaicism in a Transgenic Mouse by Histological In Situ Hybridization

One of the transgenic mice carrying a chicken δ-crystallin gene was found to be mosaic with regard to the distribution of the exogenous gene. Taking advantage of the exogenous DNA sequences as a cell lineage marker detectable by histological in situ hybridization technique, we studied cellular mosaicism in mouse 7–5. This mouse carried the exogenous gene in 20–40% of its cells, probably reflecting chromosomal integration of the exogenous DNA which occurred in a blastomere of around the 4-cell stage. The cells carrying the gene contributed to virtually any kind of tissue and their distribution varied from one tissue to another. For instance, in the neural retina, gene-positive cells formed columns several cells wide, indicating that migration of the cells derived from the founder cells is mainly along the radial axis. However, in other tissues we examined, clusters of the marked cells were less obvious, indicating the occurrence of extensive cell mixing during histogenesis. Thus, mosaic analysis of cell lineage in mouse ontogeny appears meaningful in early developmental stages or when clonal outgrowth takes place in a tissue.     

Detection of Mutant Uromodulin in Transgenic Mouse Harboring a Mutant Human UMOD Gene

Uromodulin is the most abundant protein secreted in urine, and the mutated form of the uromodulin gene is associated with uromodulin-associated kidney disease (UAKD). Although uromodulin accumulates in the kidney of UAKD patients, it is unclear whether this is the wildtype or mutant form. In this study, we established a liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based method for the detection of uromodulin mutants, using the C148W mutant as a target molecule. Membrane and cytosolic fractions of kidney samples from transgenic (Tg) mice expressing the C148W uromodulin mutant were shown to contain human uromodulin by western blotting, and mutant uromodulin with the C148W mutant sequence was observed by proteomic and selected reaction monitoring analyses. Our LC-MS/MS-based method is therefore useful for detection of mutant uromodulin that is undetectable by western blotting alone.