人补体调节蛋白DAF、MCP在哺乳动物细胞中的共表达及协同作用研究

利用双启动子构建含人补体调节蛋白DAF和MCP cDNA的双顺反子重组表达载体pcDNA3-DAFMCP-DP, 以磷酸钙沉淀法转染NIH3T3细胞, 用G418筛选获得NIH3T3 pcDNA3-DAFMCP-DP转化细胞。PCR实验结果显示人补体调节蛋白基因DAF和MCP整合在转化的异源细胞的染色体上。RT-PCR和Western blot印迹实验分别从RNA水平和蛋白质水平证实了人补体调节蛋白分子DAF和MCP在细胞系中皆获得同步表达。检测连续传代30次的NIH3T3 pcDNA3-DAFMCP-DP结果表明人DAF和MCP基因仍稳定整合在细胞基因组中, 并未随着传代而丢失, 为稳定的转双基因细胞系。补体依赖的细胞毒反应表明, pcDNA3-DAFMCP-DP转染细胞系由于DAF和MCP的共表达获得较DAF或MCP单一表达时更强的保护能力, 能更好地抑制人补体依赖的细胞毒作用的发生, 保护宿主细胞免受人补体的攻击。以上结果表明, DAF和MCP双基因重组表达载体实现了人补体调节蛋白基因高效转移和高水平共表达, 为获得表达多种人补体调节蛋白的理想供体提供了有效策略。而且共表达的DAF和MCP具有协同效应, 能更有效地阻止补体激活造成的细胞损伤, 在克服超急性排斥反应的基因治疗中具有潜在的临床应用价值。     

Role of 5′‐ and 3′‐untranslated regions of mRNAs in human diseases

Protein synthesis is often regulated at the level of initiation of translation, making it a critical step. This regulation occurs by both the cis‐regulatory elements, which are located in the 5′‐ and 3′‐UTRs (untranslated regions), and trans‐acting factors. A breakdown in this regulation machinery can perturb cellular metabolism, leading to various physiological abnormalities. The highly structured UTRs, along with features such as GC‐richness, upstream open reading frames and internal ribosome entry sites, significantly influence the rate of translation of mRNAs. In this review, we discuss how changes in the cis‐regulatory sequences of the UTRs, for example, point mutations and truncations, influence expression of specific genes at the level of translation. Such modifications may tilt the physiological balance from healthy to diseased states, resulting in conditions such as hereditary thrombocythaemia, breast cancer, fragile X syndrome, bipolar affective disorder and Alzheimer's disease. This information tends to establish the crucial role of UTRs, perhaps as much as that of coding sequences, in health and disease.     

口蹄疫病毒基因组内部核糖体进入位点一级和二级结构分析

以口蹄疫病毒(foot-and-mouth disease virus,FMDV)强毒China/99株牛舌水泡皮为材料,用RT-PCR法提取RNA及扩增目的cDNA,然后与pGEM-T Easy载体连接并转化JM109菌株,再经重组质粒电泳、PCR和EcoRI酶切鉴定.用DNAstar软件比较了内部核糖体进入位点(IRES)的序列差异,并用RNAdraw软件绘制和分析了该区段的二级结构.8株FMDV IRES核苷酸序列比较表明该区段较为保守,并对非保守区域进行了分析.二级结构分析表明,FMDV IRES至少有3种二级结构图形:第一型有5个结构域,与Pilipenko等报道的一致;第二和三型分别有6和11个结构域,与Pilipenko等报道的结果不同.无论FMDV IRES二级结构如何不同,但单链区大部分核苷酸序列或基序相同,如AACUCC、GAAA、CUUU、AGG、AACC、GUAA等.茎环柄部核苷酸对维持二级结构的空间构像具有十分重要的作用,环中或单链区序列(基序)在维持其功能方面具有很重要的作用,如GAAA和CUUU基序分别是三级结构的组件和嘧啶区结合蛋白的结合位点.     

Ecdysone and retinoid-X receptors of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus: Cloning and their expression patterns in eyestalks and Y-organs during the molt cycle

Crustacean molting is known to be regulated largely by ecdysteroids and crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) neuropeptide family including molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) and CHH. The surge of 20-OH ecdysone and/or ponasterone A initiates the molting process through binding to its conserved heterodimeric nuclear receptor: Ecdysone Receptor (EcR) and Ultraspiracle (USP)/Retinoid-X Receptor (RXR). To better understand the role of ecdysteroids in the molt regulation, the full-length cDNAs of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus EcR1 and RXR1 were isolated from the Y-organs and their expression levels were determined in both Y-organs and eyestalks at various molt stages. Y-organs show the expression of four putative isoforms of CasEcRs and CasRXRs which differ in the length of the open reading frame but share the same domain structures as in typical nuclear receptors: AF1, DBD, HR, LBD, and AF2. The putative CasEcR isoforms are derived from a 27-aa insert in the HR and a 49-aa residue substitution in the LBD. In contrast, an insertion of a 5-aa and/or a 45-aa in the DBD and LBD gives rise to CasRXR isoforms. The eyestalks and Y-organs show the co-expression of CasEcRs and CasRXRs but at the different levels. In the eyestalks, the expression levels of CasRXRs are 3–5 times higher than those of CasEcRs, while in Y-organs, CasRXRs are 2.5–4 times higher than CasEcRs. A tissue-specific response to the changes in the levels of hemolymphatic ecdysteroids indicates that these tissues may have differences in the sensitivity or responsiveness to ecdysteroids. The presence of upstream open reading frame and internal ribosome entry site in 5′ UTR sequences of C. sapidus and other arthropod EcR/RXR/USP analyzed by in silico indicates a plausible, strong control(s) of the translation of these receptors.