体外趋化和小鼠定植能力的改变

空肠弯曲菌( Campylobacter jejuni) 是人类细菌性胃肠炎的病原体。趋化是细菌向合适的寄生部位定向运动, 也是空肠弯曲菌在宿主空肠黏膜表面实现定植的关键起始步骤, 该趋化运动由趋化相关二元信号系统( che-TCS) 以MCPs→Ches→Flis/Mots 方式调控。FliG是Fli 蛋白家族成员, 一些病原菌的FliG被证明是鞭毛马达蛋白, 也是细菌鞭毛马达中开关复合体的必需组分, 但空肠弯曲菌FliG在细菌趋化中的作用未明。本研究中, 我们根据同源重组原理, 构建空肠弯曲菌NCTC11168 株fliG基因敲除( fliG^- ) 突变株, 然后对fliG^- 突变株的动力、趋化和定植能力进行测定。动力实验和体外趋化实验结果证实, fliG^- 突变株在半固体琼脂平板上的菌落直径、在硬琼脂平板上对0. 2 mol/L 脱氧胆酸钠( SDC) 的趋化聚集环直径均明显小于野生株( P <0. 05) 。与野生株比较, 黏附于BALB/c-ByJ小鼠空肠黏膜表面以及空肠内容物中的fliG^- 突变株数量也明显减少( P <0. 05) 。实验结果表明, fliG是空肠弯曲菌鞭毛动力以及细菌感染时向空肠黏膜趋化运动的必需基因。     

空肠弯曲菌cheA基因插入突变及其对小鼠空肠定植能力的影响

摘要：【目的】构建空肠弯曲菌（Campylobacter jejuni）cheA基因插入突变株,了解CheA与空肠弯曲菌小鼠体内定植的相关性。【方法】运用同源重组的原理构建空肠弯曲菌cheA基因突变株,采用PCR技术检测cheA突变株的构建情况。通过基因回补试验构建cheA基因回补株。空肠弯曲菌感染小鼠,运用小鼠空肠内容物涂板计数的方法检测cheA突变株、cheA基因回补株和野生株定植小鼠能力的差异。【结果】PCR检测显示成功构建cheA基因突变株。空肠弯曲菌cheA基因突变株定植小鼠空肠的数量明显减少（P<0.05）;cheA基因回补株定植小鼠空肠的数量跟野生株相比无明显差异（P>0.05）。【结论】本研究成功构建cheA基因突变株及其回补株。cheA基因可能参与空肠弯曲菌在小鼠体内定植的过程。     

伤寒沙门菌bcfD基因敲除突变株的构建

目的:构建伤寒沙门菌Ty2菌株菌毛亚单位bcfD基因敲除突变株.方法:利用交错PCR得到bcfD基因缺失且含其两侧翼序列的片段,将该片段与pMD 18-T连接,亚克隆到pYG4,电转入大肠埃希菌S17-1/λpir菌株,阳性菌株与受体菌伤寒沙门氏菌Ty2进行固相杂交后筛选.结果:成功获得敲除bcfD基因序列954bp的敲除突变株.结论:交错PCR有利于细菌基因精确敲除突变株的构建,bcfD基因敲除株的构建将为进一步研究该基因在伤寒沙门菌中的功能奠定了基础.     

转基因小鼠和基因敲除小鼠

能够把基因功能作为生物体表现来观察的改变了基因的小鼠。即使在基因组信息泛滥的今天,这也是最重要的工具之一,基本原理的研究虽然很早,但目前仍在进行改良法的开发工作。本文由基因控制株式会社的三谷匡董事予以阐述。[编者按]     

稻瘟菌MgORP1基因敲除突变株的构建及其表型分析

[目的]了解稻瘟病菌中氧固醇结合蛋白(oxysterol-binding proteins related proteins,缩写为ORPs)家族成员组成情况,构建MgORP1基因缺失突变株和互补株,对MgORP1基因功能进行初步研究.[方法]以ORPs家族的典型结构域"ORD"为靶标,对稻瘟病菌基因组数据库进行BlastP搜索.通过同源重组的策略,构建MgORP1基因缺失突变体,再通过重新导入该基因全长片段获得互补株.然后对野生型、突变体和互补株进行菌落、分生孢子和附着胞形态或形成情况、以及致病力进行比较分析.[结果]稻瘟病菌基因组中含有6个可能的ORPs族蛋白,其中MgORP1基因的破坏降低了稻瘟菌在完全培养基上的菌落生长速率和产孢量.但对菌丝、分生孢子和附着胞的形态,以及在水稻上的致病力没有明显影响.[结论]MgORP1基因可能与稻瘟病菌的菌落生长和产孢量相关.     

溶藻弧菌kdpD基因敲除突变株的构建及其表型特征

【目的】探究kdpD基因对溶藻弧菌生物学特性的影响。【方法】采用Overlap PCR和同源重组技术,结合正负向筛选,构建kdpD基因无标记基因框内敲除突变株,比较kdpD突变株和野生株HY9901在生长速率、胞外蛋白酶活性以及毒力等方面的差异。【结果】成功构建溶藻弧菌kdpD基因敲除突变株。体外实验表明,kdpD的缺失对溶藻弧菌的生长曲线和胞外蛋白酶活性的影响不明显,但是突变株的泳动能力和生物被膜形成能力出现下降。斑马鱼致病性试验结果显示,突变株毒力下降了8.84倍。【结论】kdpD基因参与调控溶藻弧菌的泳动能力、被膜形成和毒力,但不影响生长速率和胞外蛋白酶活性。     

文昌鱼Hedgehog基因敲除和突变体表型分析

文昌鱼隶属脊索动物门头索动物亚门,是无脊椎动物到脊椎动物的过渡类群,其躯体结构简单,是研究胚胎发育的理想材料。本文以文昌鱼为实验对象,利用TALEN敲除技术对Hedgehog(Hh)基因在胚胎发育中的功能进行了研究。在文昌鱼Hh基因翻译起始位点下游附近选取TALEN目标位点,根据此序列组装相应TALEN重组质粒,体外合成mRNA,向未受精卵注射mRNA后,经体外受精获得F₀代胚胎。效率分析显示,靶向该基因的TALEN mRNA可导致F₀代胚胎在相应基因组区域发生突变的比例为34%。对部分F₀个体所产配子筛查发现,TALEN引起的突变可进入配子,将其中1尾突变类型为8 bp缺失的雄性个体与野生型雌性配对获得F₁群体,对F₁群体逐尾筛查,从中获得多尾携带8 bp缺失的杂合子;这些杂合子相互配对所产的F₂代胚胎,其中约有1/4个体在幼体早期出现躯体前端和尾向下弯曲、脊索前端腹侧的中胚层组织发育不全,不能开口等;随着幼体生长发育,躯体前端和尾部进一步卷曲,口部仍未形成,左右各形成一个口前窝,内柱和鳃裂位于躯体腹侧,最终因无口摄食而死亡。基因型分析发现,上述畸形胚胎均为Hh纯合突变体,其与杂合子及野生型比例分布符合孟德尔遗传定律,表明这些发育畸型的特征与Hh基因功能缺失有关。     

基因敲除小鼠技术的研究进展

基因敲除小鼠技术的建立和发展使得人们为研究基因的功能和寻找新的治疗人类疾病的靶点提供了强有力的支持。基因打靶和基因捕获是两种通过胚胎干细胞(Embryonicstemcell,ESC)构建基因敲除小鼠的技术。基因打靶通过同源重组替换内源基因从而敲除目的基因,而基因捕获则有启动子捕获和polyA捕获两种方法对目的基因进行敲除。近年来,有许多新的基因敲除技术不断被开发出来,包括Cre/loxP系统、CRISP/Cas9系统以及最新的ZFN技术和TAILEN技术,都有望取代传统基因敲除手段。文中简要阐述了如今新出现的几种基因敲除小鼠技术。     

猪链球菌2型srtF基因敲除突变株的构建及其毒力

利用同源重组基因敲除方法构建猪链球菌2型强毒株05ZYH33 srtF同源突变体。组合PCR、交叉酶切、RT-PCR结果均显示srtF突变体构建成功。突变株与强毒株的菌落形态、生长速率以及对小鼠的致病力均无显著性差异。小鼠竞争实验结果提示,突变株在心脏的定殖及感染能力显著减弱。成功构建的srtF突变株为进一步研究srtF的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

The role of chemotaxis during Campylobacter jejuni colonisation and pathogenesis

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Efficient and specific generation of knockout mice using Campylobacter jejuni CRISPR/Cas9 system

The Streptococcus pyogenes CRISPR/Cas9 (SpCas9) system is now widely utilized to generate genome engineered mice; however, some studies raised issues related to off-target mutations with this system. Herein, we utilized the Campylobacter jejuni Cas9 (CjCas9) system to generate knockout mice. We designed sgRNAs targeting mouse Tyr or Foxn1 and microinjected into zygotes along with CjCas9 mRNA. We obtained newborn mice from the microinjected embryos and confirmed that 50% (Tyr) and 38.5% (Foxn1) of the newborn mice have biallelic mutation on the intended target sequences, indicating efficient genome targeting by CjCas9. In addition, we analyzed off-target mutations in founder mutant mice by targeted deep sequencing and whole genome sequencing. Both analyses revealed no off-target mutations at potential off-target sites predicted in silico and no unexpected random mutations in analyzed founder animals. In conclusion, the CjCas9 system can be utilized to generate genome edited mice in a precise manner.     

Metabolic diversity in Campylobacter jejuni enhances specific tissue colonization

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne illness in industrialized countries. This pathogen exhibits significant strain-to-strain variability, which results in differences in virulence potential and clinical presentations. Here, we report that acquisition of the capacity to utilize specific nutrients enhanced the ability of a highly pathogenic strain of C. jejuni to colonize specific tissues. The acquisition of a gene encoding a gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase enabled this strain to utilize glutamine and glutathione and enhanced its ability to colonize the intestine. Furthermore, the acquisition of a DNA segment, which added a sec-dependent secretion signal to an otherwise cytoplasmic asparaginase, allowed this pathogen to utilize asparagine and to more efficiently colonize the liver. Our results reveal that subtle genetic changes in a bacterial pathogen result in significant changes in its ability to colonize specific tissues. In addition, these studies revealed remarkably specific nutritional requirements for a pathogen to effectively colonize different tissues.     

Campylobacter jejuni strains compete for colonization in broiler chicks

Campylobacter jejuni isolates possess multiple adhesive proteins termed adhesins, which promote the organism's attachment to epithelial cells. Based on the proposal that one or more adhesins are shared among C. jejuni isolates, we hypothesized that C. jejuni strains would compete for intestinal and cecal colonization in broiler chicks. To test this hypothesis, we selected two C. jejuni strains with unique SmaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis macrorestriction profiles and generated one nalidixic acid-resistant strain (the F38011 Nal(r) strain) and one streptomycin-resistant strain (the 02-833L Str(r) strain). In vitro binding assays revealed that the C. jejuni F38011 Nal(r) and 02-833L Str(r) strains adhered to LMH chicken hepatocellular carcinoma epithelial cells and that neither strain influenced the binding potential of the other strain at low inoculation doses. However, an increase in the dose of the C. jejuni 02-833L Str(r) strain relative to that of the C. jejuni F38011 Nal(r) strain competitively inhibited the binding of the C. jejuni F38011 Nal(r) strain to LMH cells in a dose-dependent fashion. Similarly, the C. jejuni 02-833L Str(r) strain was found to significantly reduce the efficiency of intestinal and cecal colonization by the C. jejuni F38011 Nal(r) strain in broiler chickens. Based on the number of bacteria recovered from the ceca, the maximum number of bacteria that can colonize the digestive tracts of chickens may be limited by host constraints. Collectively, these data support the hypothesis that C. jejuni strains compete for colonization in chicks and suggest that it may be possible to design novel intervention strategies for reducing the level at which C. jejuni colonizes the cecum.     

Cj0596 is a periplasmic peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase involved in Campylobacter jejuni motility, invasion, and colonization

Background  

Campylobacter jejuni is a gastrointestinal pathogen of humans, but part of the normal flora of poultry, and therefore grows well at the respective body temperatures of 37°C and 42°C. Proteomic studies on temperature regulation in C. jejuni strain 81–176 revealed the upregulation at 37°C of Cj0596, a predicted periplasmic chaperone that is similar to proteins involved in outer membrane protein folding and virulence in other bacteria.     

L‐fucose influences chemotaxis and biofilm formation in Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are zoonotic pathogens once considered asaccharolytic, but are now known to encode pathways for glucose and fucose uptake/metabolism. For C. jejuni, strains with the fuc locus possess a competitive advantage in animal colonization models. We demonstrate that this locus is present in > 50% of genome‐sequenced strains and is prevalent in livestock‐associated isolates of both species. To better understand how these campylobacters sense nutrient availability, we examined biofilm formation and chemotaxis to fucose. C. jejuni NCTC11168 forms less biofilms in the presence of fucose, although its fucose permease mutant (fucP) shows no change. In a newly developed chemotaxis assay, both wild‐type and the fucP mutant are chemotactic towards fucose. C. jejuni 81‐176 naturally lacks the fuc locus and is unable to swim towards fucose. Transfer of the NCTC11168 locus into 81‐176 activated fucose uptake and chemotaxis. Fucose chemotaxis also correlated with possession of the pathway for C. jejuni RM1221 (fuc+) and 81116 (fuc‐). Systematic mutation of the NCTC11168 locus revealed that Cj0485 is necessary for fucose metabolism and chemotaxis. This study suggests that components for fucose chemotaxis are encoded within the fuc locus, but downstream signals only in fuc + strains, are involved in coordinating fucose availability with biofilm development.     

Bacteriophage therapy to reduce Campylobacter jejuni colonization of broiler chickens

Colonization of broiler chickens by the enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is widespread and difficult to prevent. Bacteriophage therapy is one possible means by which this colonization could be controlled, thus limiting the entry of campylobacters into the human food chain. Prior to evaluating the efficacy of phage therapy, experimental models of Campylobacter colonization of broiler chickens were established by using low-passage C. jejuni isolates HPC5 and GIIC8 from United Kingdom broiler flocks. The screening of 53 lytic bacteriophage isolates against a panel of 50 Campylobacter isolates from broiler chickens and 80 strains isolated after human infection identified two phage candidates with broad host lysis. These phages, CP8 and CP34, were orally administered in antacid suspension, at different dosages, to 25-day-old broiler chickens experimentally colonized with the C. jejuni broiler isolates. Phage treatment of C. jejuni-colonized birds resulted in Campylobacter counts falling between 0.5 and 5 log10 CFU/g of cecal contents compared to untreated controls over a 5-day period postadministration. These reductions were dependent on the phage-Campylobacter combination, the dose of phage applied, and the time elapsed after administration. Campylobacters resistant to bacteriophage infection were recovered from phage-treated chickens at a frequency of <4%. These resistant types were compromised in their ability to colonize experimental chickens and rapidly reverted to a phage-sensitive phenotype in vivo. The selection of appropriate phage and their dose optimization are key elements for the success of phage therapy to reduce campylobacters in broiler chickens.