红光熊蜂卵黄原蛋白基因的cDNA全长序列克隆和表达分析

红光熊蜂Bombus ignitus Smith是许多经济作物和野生植物的重要授粉昆虫之一。卵黄原蛋白基因(vitellogenin,Vg)在昆虫的生殖调控中和行为方面起到重要的作用,本试验对Vg基因全长cDNA的克隆和测序及在蜂王、工蜂和雄性蜂三型蜂中的表达分析得出:Vg基因的全长cDNA为5 481 bp,GenBank中的登录号为FJ913883,有一个完整的开放阅读框(ORF),编码1 772个氨基酸,N-末端的前16个氨基酸为一个信号肽。接近C-末端区域存在保守的GL/ICG基元,其后含有9个半胱氨酸,而且DGXR位于GL/ICG基元上游18个氨基酸残基处。其氨基酸序列与韩国的熊蜂B.ignitus和B.hypocrita相似性高达95%,与西方蜜蜂Apis mellifera的相似性达到51%。Vg的mRNA首先在蜂王蛹期的白眼蛹(Pw)时期出现,其表达量在蜂王整个蛹期发育过程中呈上升趋势,且在黑眼蛹(Pbd)时期达到最高,在成年蜂的脂肪体中的表达量仍在升高,甚至更高。Vg也在工蜂蛹期的白眼蛹(Pw)时期被检测到,然后在整个蛹期发育过程中呈现上升趋势,在刚羽化出房时达到高峰,Vg的mRNA水平随着成年蜂日龄的增加而增加,到15日龄时达到最高,然后呈现下降趋势。对于雄性蜂,Vg的mRNA虽然卵黄原蛋白基因的mRNA水平几乎在整个蛹期发育阶段都表达,但是表达水平非常低,只有在刚羽化出房时期表达水平较高。     

大眼长蝽卵黄原蛋白基因克隆、序列分析及表达研究

旨在为研究大眼长蝽(Geoco ris pallidipennis)卵黄原蛋白(Vitellogenin,Vg)分子特性及其基因生理功能。利用RT-PCR、RACE及ELISA方法对大眼长蝽Vg基因进行克隆、序列分析和表达研究。该基因c DNA全长5 667 bp(Gen Bank登录号:KP688587),编码1 848个氨基酸残基,N-末端的前19个氨基酸为信号肽。氨基酸序列中有两个保守的多聚丝氨酸区域和RXXR酶切位点,接近C-末端有GLAG基序,其后有5个保守的半胱氨酸残基,DGYR基序位于GLAG上游18个氨基酸残基处。该基因编码氨基酸序列与其它半翅目昆虫Vg氨基酸序列相似度较高,氨基酸序列分析显示它有Vg的典型特征,表明克隆的c DNA序列是大眼长蝽的Vg基因序列。ELISA检测发现随着发育时间的延长,卵黄原蛋白表达量逐渐增加,羽化后22 d达到高峰,随后开始下降,结果表明大眼长蝽雌虫卵黄原蛋白的表达量与大眼长蝽产卵量紧密相关。     

牛催乳素基因组及其cDNA全长序列的分子克隆和分析

通过LongPCR等技术首次克隆得到全长9388bp的牛催乳素（bPRL)基因组序列（GenBank登录号AF426315）,其中包括bPRL基因全部5个外显子和4个内含子,5′端854bp的上游调控区以及3′端69bp的UTR,AF426315基因编码的蛋白质在GenBank中的序号为AAL28075,由229个氨基酸残基组成,1-30位氨基酸残基为信号肽序列,成熟的多肽含有199个氨基酸残基,将bPRL基因组DNA真核表达载体转染COS-7细胞后通过RT-PCR得到长度为804bp的bPRLcDNA序列,该序列涵盖了bPRL基因的全部ORF区,证明本研究所获得的bPRL基因组DNA具有转录的生物学功能,Blast搜索结果显示,GenBank数据库中收集有多条bPRL基因的mRNA和EST序列,各序列间存在多个SNP位点,主要分布于下游编码区和3′端的UTR,这些位点均未改变相应的氨基酸残基的性质,此外,5′端编码信号肽序列的区域呈现高度保守性。     

双峰驼口蹄疫病毒受体β6亚基基因的分子特征

病毒受体是病毒宿主范围和组织嗜性的一个决定因素。研究表明,四种整联蛋白αvβ1、αvβ3、αvβ6、αvβ8能够介导口蹄疫病毒感染偶蹄动物,且αvβ6是主要的口蹄疫病毒受体。本实验在首次从健康双峰驼肺组织中克隆到了β6亚基基因并进行了比较分析。结果显示,双峰驼β6基因的编码区含有2367个核苷酸,编码788个氨基酸残基,其中信号肽由26个氨基酸组成;胞外域由681个氨基酸组成,含有8个潜在的糖基化位点(NXT/NXS)和58个半胱氨酸（Cys）残基;跨膜区由29个氨基酸组成(708-736aa);胞浆域由52个氨基酸组成,含有一个NPLY核心基序和一个潜在的糖基化位点(NVT),该基因在GenBank中的登录号为EF613220。双峰驼β6基因与牛、猪、羊、人、小鼠、挪威大鼠β6基因的核苷酸序列同源性分别为91.1%、91.8%、90.6%、90.5%、83.7%、84.1%,推导的氨基酸序列同源性分别为94.3%、93.4%、93.4%、93.7%、88.7%、88.6%。偶蹄动物（双峰驼、牛、羊、猪）的β6基因同源性较高,在遗传进化树上同属于一个亚群,表明β6亚基可能与口蹄疫病毒的宿主范围有关。     

孔石莼(Ulva pertusa)质体蓝素基因的克隆及基因特征分析(英文)

采用cDNA末端快速扩增的办法,从孔石莼(Ulva pertusa)中克隆获得质体蓝素基因。该基因完整的cDNA为787bp,包括40 bp 5’端非编码区和327 bp的3’端非编码区,以及一个420 bp的开放阅读框架,编码139个氨基酸的蛋白质。该基因编码质体蓝素的前体肽,其N端41个氨基酸残基为信号肽,后面为98个氨基酸残基的成熟肽。从Genbank中选择了13个质体蓝素的前体肽基因进行序列比对分析和构建进化树。孔石莼质体蓝素基因与其它质体蓝素基因的同源性为48.2%至78.8%。该进化树将来源于6种藻类植物的7个质体蓝素基因聚类在一起,显示出它们较近的进化关系。同样,也表现出11种生物的分子进化关系。序列比对结果显示,在质体蓝素的基因序列中存在两个高度保守的基序,它编码质体蓝素蛋白的铜结合活性位点。     

稀有的黑檀体基因（ebony）5′UTR自发突变导致黑腹果蝇的黑条体突变

由于果蝇Drosophila群体中有很多自发突变其中包括多种体色突变, 因此它是一个研究自发突变的优秀的模式体系。本研究证实我们实验室发现的一个可以引起果蝇体色突变的自发突变（bsr）是一个黑檀体（e）的等位基因, 将其命名为e^bsr。序列分析显示e^bsr的5′端缺失了953个碱基, 其中包括外显子1后端的206个碱基及相连的内含子1的747个碱基。逆转录PCR结果显示5′端的缺失导致内含子1不能从mRNA中剪接掉, 由此导致该mRNA的翻译起始密码子AUG前端增加了一个3.2 kb的序列。该序列导致e^bsr的mRNA的5′UTR（5′-untranslated region）区较野生型基因增加近3 kb的长度。通过mRNA二级结构分析发现这个增加的3 kb的片段可以形成复杂的颈环结构（stem-loop）。免疫印迹结果显示该突变基因没有基因产物产生。本研究进一步证实了由于mRNA的5′UTR序列结构的改变可以影响到蛋白质的翻译。     

西方蜜蜂表皮蛋白基因apd-like转录起始位点的定位及cDNA序列的分析

Apidermin蛋白家族是根据蜜蜂表皮蛋白apidermin 1-3（APD 1-3）而命名的一个新型的昆虫结构性表皮蛋白家族。为了鉴定西方蜜蜂Apis mellifera基因组序列上毗邻基因簇apd 1-3的一个预测基因座LOC727145是否为一个新的apd基因,本研究在用5′LongSAGE标签定位该基因的转录起始位点（TSS）的基础上,利用其中的3条5′LongSAGE标签序列作为上游引物,通过RT-PCR方法克隆了该基因的cDNA序列（GenBank登录号： GU358197, GU358199, GU358198）。生物信息学分析发现,基因座LOC727145含有2个外显子和1个“GT-AG”型内含子,其cDNA序列富含GC（70％）,可编码一条长152 aa残基的高度疏水性多肽。此多肽序列的氨基酸组成与蜜蜂APD 1-3表皮蛋白类似, 富含Ala, Gly, Pro, Leu 和Val 5种氨基酸（占77％）, 其中Ala残基含量最高（29％）。该多肽序列与蜜蜂APD-1表皮蛋白序列的相似性为50％, 且其N末端的预测信号肽序列与APD 蛋白的信号肽序列类似。5′LongSAGE标签的基因组定位结果显示,基因座LOC727145在雄蜂头部中表达丰度很高,RNA PolⅡ可从6个不同的TSS上以不同效率起始转录,其中由一个优势TSS上起始了90％的转录。本研究为apidermin表皮蛋白家族增添了一个新成员, 命名为apidermin-like (apd-like)。     

棉铃虫核型多角体病毒Hind III-K片段的核苷酸序列及其分析

测定了棉铃虫（Ｈｅｌｉｃｏｖｅｒｐａａｒｍｉｇｅｒａ）核型多角体病毒（ＨａＳＮＰＶ）基因组ＤＮＡ的ＨｉｎｄＩＩＫ片段核苷酸序列。该片段全长３２５５ｂｐ,含可编码大于４０个氨基酸残基的多肽的开放阅读框（ＯＲＦ）１５个,包括多角体蛋白（ｐｈ）基因编码区３′端４８９ｂｐ和蛋白激酶ＨａｖＰＫ基因编码区８０１ｂｐ。在ｐｈ和ＨａｖＰＫ两基因之间鉴定出一个可编码４１２个氨基酸残基的ＯＲＦ１２３６,转录方向与ｐｈ和ＨａｖＰＫ基因相反。同源分析表明,ＯＲＦ１２３６与谷实夜蛾（Ｈｅｌｉｃｏｖｅｒｐａｚｅａ）核型多角体病毒（ＨｚＳＮＰＶ）的ＯＲＦ８推导的蛋白氨基酸序列有９５．９％同源性,与苜蓿丫纹夜蛾（Ａｕｔｏｇｒａｐｈａｃａｌｉｆｏｒｎｉａ）核型多角体病毒（ＡｃＭＮＰＶ）ＯＲＦ１６２９只有２４．８％同源性,但三者均含有二组由多个脯氨酸残基串联而成的特征基序。     

斯氏按蚊肽聚糖识别蛋白基因PGRP-LC1的克隆及功能分析

天生免疫系统是昆虫抵御外界病原入侵的主要方式。目前研究发现, Imd信号通路与按蚊感染柏氏疟原虫Plasmodium berghei的强度密切相关, 而PGRP-LC1是Imd信号通路最上游的受体之一。为了研究斯氏按蚊Anopheles stephensi肽聚糖识别蛋白PGRP-LC1, 采用RT-PCR并结合RACE技术克隆斯氏按蚊PGRP-LC1基因, 通过序列比较分析, 得到两条cDNA序列, 其开放阅读框分别为1 365 bp和1 290 bp, 3′非编码区为320 bp, 5′非编码区为240 bp。将两条cDNA分别命名为AsPGRP-LC1a（GenBank注册号 GU214232）和AsPGRP-LC1b（GenBank注册号GU214233）。AsPGRP-LC1a编码454个氨基酸, 分子量约为49.07 kDa;AsPGRP-LC1b编码429个氨基酸, 分子量约为46.3 kDa。AsPGRP-LC1b比AsPGRP-LC1a少一个长度为75 bp的外显子, 该外显子在冈比亚按蚊Anopheles gambiae PGRP-LC1基因的某些可变剪切形式中也有发现。分别将两个斯氏按蚊PGRP-LC1基因在冈比亚按蚊细胞系L3-5和斯氏按蚊细胞系MSQ43中过量表达, 通过双荧光素酶检测系统检测抗菌肽的表达情况, 结果显示克隆得到的PGRP-LC1基因在两种细胞系中均能够启动Imd信号通路, 为进一步研究斯氏按蚊的Imd信号通路提供了依据。     

卵黄蛋白原的产生及其非营养功能的研究现状

卵黄蛋白原(Vitellogenin,Vg)是卵黄蛋白的前体,为卵生动物胚胎发育提供必需的营养物质。作为卵内重要的营养蛋白,物种之间的Vg在蛋白结构及蛋白修饰上有高度的保守性,一般包括Vit N,DUF,v WD结构域及丝氨酸修饰区等。在卵黄发育期,在激素的诱导下,雌性成年个体内的Vg在脊椎动物的肝脏或昆虫脂肪体中大量表达,经过修饰及蛋白酶剪切后,形成Vg聚合体,分泌到血淋巴中并运输至卵巢,由卵巢上的Vg受体识别,通过内吞作用入卵,并在卵内进一步加工成为成熟的卵黄蛋白。除经典的营养运输外,Vg在入卵过程中发挥多重非营养功能。Vg与病毒的结构蛋白互作,可将病毒携带入卵实现其垂直传播过程;血淋巴中的Vg通过对病原微生物的识别,介导昆虫对微生物的免疫清除;Vg在非雌性个体中的表达对虫媒病毒的水平传播及社会型昆虫的行为调节发挥功能。综述了Vg的表达、修饰、运输及其在非营养功能方向的主要研究进展,以期为后续Vg的功能研究提供指导。     

A simple and rapid method for cloning insect vitellogenin cDNAs

We describe a simple and rapid method for cloning insect vitellogenin (Vg) cDNAs. The method relies on the facts that insect Vg amino acid sequences can be aligned confidently along their entire lengths and that a short, highly conserved GL/ICG motif and up to nine cysteine residues that follow at conserved locations are present near the C-termini. An adaptor-ligated double-strand cDNA library is constructed from poly(A)+ RNA prepared from vitellogenic female fat body tissues using a commercial kit, and subjected to PCR with each of the degenerate nucleotide sequences for the GL/ICG motif and the adaptor sequence as primers. The PCR products (0.7-0.9 kb, representing the 3' portion) are cloned, the nucleotide sequences are determined, and the deduced amino acid sequences are aligned with the known insect Vg sequences starting from the GL/ICG motif. Gene-specific primers corresponding to the sequences near the 5'-termini of the initial clones and the adaptor sequence are employed to obtain the remaining 5' portion of the Vg cDNAs. The method was successfully applied to the bean bug Plautia stali (Heteroptera), revealing three Vg genes.     

The vitellogenin of the honey bee,Apis mellifera: structural analysis of the cDNA and expression studies

The cDNA of Apis mellifera vitellogenin was cloned and sequenced. It is 5440 bp long and contains an ORF of 1770 amino acids (including a putative signal peptide of 16 residues). The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity with other hymenopteran vitellogenins (58% with Pimpla nipponica and 54% with Athalia rosae). The alignment with 19 insect vitellogenins shows a high number of conserved motifs; for example, close to the C-terminus there is a GL/ICG motif followed by nine cysteines, as occurs in all hymenopteran species, and, as in other insect vitellogenins, a DGXR motif is located 18 residues upstream the GL/ICG motif. Phylogenetic analysis of vitellogenin sequences available in insects gave a tree that is congruent with the currently accepted insect phylogenetic schemes. Using two fragments of the vitellogenin cDNA as probes, we analyzed by Northern blot the sex- and caste-specific patterns of vitellogenin expression in pupae and adults of A. mellifera. In queens, vitellogenin mRNA was first detected in mid-late pupal stage, whereas in workers it was first detected in late pupal stage. Vitellogenin mRNA was also observed in drones, although it was first detected not in pupae but in freshly molted adults.     

The vitellogenin of the bumblebee, Bombus hypocrita: studies on structural analysis of the cDNA and expression of the mRNA

In this present study, the cDNA of Bombus hypocrita vitellogenin (Vg) was cloned and sequenced. It is composed of 5,478 bp and contains an ORF of 1,772 amino acids within a putative signal peptide of 16 residues. The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity with Bombus ignitus (95%) and Apis mellifera (52%) and a high number of conserved motifs. Close to the C terminus there is a GL/ICG motif followed by nine cysteines, and a DGXR motif is located 18 residues upstream from the GL/ICG motif. Moreover, we predicted the 3D structure of B. hypocrita Vg. Furthermore, the Vg mRNA of B. hypocrita was spatio-temporally analyzed in different castes (such as queen, worker and drone) from pupae to adult. The Vg mRNA was found in the white-eyed pupal (Pw) stage in queens, and the expression increased during the entire pupal development and attained its peak in the dark brown pupal stage. It also had a high expression in the adult fat body. In workers, the Vg expression was detected in the Pw stage, and its levels increased with age with the highest in 15 days. Afterward, it decreased progressively. Vg mRNA was also observed in drones, with a higher level of expression shown in only freshly molted adult drones.     

Molecular evidence for two vitellogenin genes and processing of vitellogenins in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

The American cockroach, Periplaneta americana has two vitellins (Vn1 and Vn2) and corresponding vitellogenins (Vg1 and Vg2). Vns/Vgs were separated on the SDS-PAGE as three major polypeptide bands [170, 100 (multisubunits), and 50 kD] and a minor polypeptide band (150 kD) both in the egg (mature terminal oocyte) extract and in the female hemolymph. We previously cloned one Vg (Vg1) cDNA and showed that the 170-kD polypeptide originated from the C-terminus of the Vg1. In the present study, we cloned the other Vg (Vg2) cDNA. It is 5,826 bp long encoding 1,876 amino acid residues (including 16 residues for putative signal peptide) in a single ORF. The deduced amino acid sequences of both Vgs (Vg1 and Vg2) of P. americana showed 30% identity. The GL/ICG motif is followed by eight cysteine residues at conserved locations near the C-terminal and the DGXR motif starts 18 residues upstream of the GL/ICG motif. The chemically determined N-terminal amino acid sequences of the 150-kD and of the 50-kD polypeptides matched exactly with each other and with the deduced N-terminal amino acid sequence of the Vg2 cDNA. The pattern of processing in P. americana Vns/Vgs is discussed.     

Cloning of vitellogenin cDNA of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Dictyoptera), and its structural and expression analyses

A cDNA expression library constructed from poly (A)(+) RNA prepared from vitellogenic female fat body cells of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Dictyoptera) was screened using a polyclonal antiserum against the 100-kD polypeptide(s) from the egg extract. A partial Vg cDNA clone was obtained and sequenced. The 5' end portion of the cDNA was then obtained by the RACE method, cloned, and sequenced. The combined complete Vg cDNA was 5,854 bp long and contained a single ORF encoding 1,896 amino acids. The entire deduced amino acid sequence was aligned confidently with those of the known insect Vgs. A GL/ICG motif, a number of cysteines at conserved locations following this motif, and a DGXR motif upstream of the GL/ICG motif were present near the C-terminal. The chemically determined N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 170-kD polypeptide from the egg extract completely matched the deduced sequence starting from just after one of the consensus (RXXR) cleavage sites, indicating the occurrence of post-translational cleavage in the fat body cells. The Vg gene begins to be expressed in the 2-day-old adult female fat body cells but is never expressed in ovaries or in male fat body cells. Hemolymph Vg was first detected by immunoblotting in 4-day-old adult females, 2 days after the beginning of gene expression. Western blot analysis of major yolk polypeptides in nine cockroach species belonging to the two superfamilies, Blattoidea and Blaberoidea, using the antisera against P. americana major yolk polypeptides showed that the similarities in Vn antigenicity are basically limited to within a superfamily.     

Vitellogenin of the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae): gene organization and differential use by members of the genus

The vitellogenin (Vg) gene of the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), has been cloned and sequenced. The gene codes for a protein consisting of 1814 amino acids in seven exons. The position of the six introns in the E. formosa gene align with those inferred for the Vg gene of the honeybee, Apis mellifera. The position of two introns in the hymenopteran sequences are shared with every full-length insect Vg gene characterized to date. The deduced amino acid sequence of the E. formosa Vg gene most closely resembles that of the ichneumonid parasitoid, Pimpla nipponica (38% identity). The gene product, less the putative signal peptide, contains large quantities of serine (11.3% of total residues) but lacks the extensive polyserine tracts found in the Vgs of insects outside the apocritan Hymenoptera. The gene also codes for the highest level of lysine (9.5%), and lowest levels of phenylalanine (2.6%) and tyrosine (2.3%), observed in any insect Vg characterized to date. The mature gene product retains 12 cysteine residues in positions conserved in other insect Vgs. Ovary homogenates suggest that processed Vg is stored in the egg as an uncleaved molecule of approximately 200 kDa. Vg expression was examined in three additional Encarsia species. The protein was found in female E. sophia and E. luteola, but not in male E. luteola or female E. pergandiella. Despite extensive screening of a phage library prepared from E. pergandiella genomic DNA, a Vg gene was not detected in this species.     

Molecular characteristics of insect vitellogenins

Vitellogenins (Vgs) are precursors of the major egg storage protein, vitellin (Vn), in many oviparous animals. Insects Vgs are large molecules (∼200-kD) synthesized in the fat body in a process that involves substantial structural modifications (e.g., glycosylation, lipidation, phosphorylation, and proteolytic cleavage, etc.) of the nascent protein prior to its secretion and transport to the ovaries. However, the extent to which Vgs are processed in the fat body varies greatly among different insect groups. We provide evidence by cloning and peptide mapping of four Vg molecules from two cockroach species (Periplaneta americana and Leucophaea maderae) that, in hemimetabolous insects, the pro-Vg is cleaved into several polypeptides (ranging from 50-to 180-kD), unlike the holometabolans where the Vg precursor is cleaved into two polypeptides (one large and one small). An exception is the Vg of Apocrita (higher Hymenoptera) where the Vg gene product remains uncleaved. The yolk proteins (YPs) of higher Diptera (such as Drosophila) form a different family of proteins and are also not cleaved. So far, Vgs have been sequenced from 25 insect species; 9 of them belong to Hemimetabola and 16 to Holometabola. Alignment of the coding sequences revealed that some features, like the GL/ICG motif, cysteine residues, and a DGXR motif upstream of the GLI/CG motif, were highly conserved near the carboxy terminal of all insect Vgs. Moreover, a consensus RXXR cleavage sequence motif exists at the N-terminus of all sequences outside the Apocrita except for Lymantria dispar where it exists at the C-terminus. Phylogenetic analysis using 31 Vg sequences from 25 insect species reflects, in general, the current phylogenies of insects, suggesting that Vgs are still phylogenetically bound, although a divergence exists among them.