Limitation in use of heterologous reporter genes for gene promoter analysis. Silencer activity associated with the cloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene

Various heterologous reporter genes have been widely used for the functional characterization of gene promoters. Many such studies often found weak to very strong silencer activities to be associated with specific parts of the basal promoter or further upstream regions. In this study, we carried out a systematic study on human blood coagulation factor IX (hFIX) and anti-coagulant protein C (hPC) genes, previously shown to have silencer activities associated with their 5'-flanking regions containing promoter sequences. With newly constructed chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter vectors carrying hFIX or hPC gene promoter sequences, we confirmed the strong silencer activities associated with the regions nt -1895 through nt -416 of the hFIX gene or with the region nt -802 through nt -82 of the hPC gene. However, no such silencer activities associated with the specific regions were found when autologous hFIX cDNA, hFIX minigenes, or hPC minigenes were used as reporters in the expression vector system. Relative levels of CAT, hFIX, and hPC proteins produced in the transient assays correlated well with their mRNA levels. Human FIX minigene constructs containing a simian virus 40 (SV40) 3'-untranslated region (UTR) taken from the CAT reporter gene showed no silencer activity, indicating that SV40 3'-UTR sequence of the CAT reporter gene does not contribute to the silencer activity. Expression vectors constructed with the beta-galactosidase gene under the control of hFIX gene promoter sequences also showed no silencer activity associated with the region nt -1895 through nt -416. These findings indicate that silencer activities associated with specific regions of promoter sequences as analyzed with CAT reporter genes may represent artifacts specific to the CAT reporter genes. Our findings strongly suggest a need for re-examination of promoter characterizations of many eukaryotic genes, which have been studied to date with CAT reporter genes.     

PD-1核心启动子的获得及活性鉴定

目的:构建PD-1(programmed death receptor 1)全长启动子及不同截短体的报告基因,并对其转录活性进行检测。方法:通过PCR及双酶切方法,从人全血基因组DNA中获得PD-1基因编码序列,包含不同长度碱基的PD-1启动子序列,分别克隆到报告基因pGL3-Basic载体上,构建8个不同长度PD-1启动子的报告基因;用脂质体转染法将8个报告基因分别转染至Jurkat细胞系;采用双萤光素酶报告基因系统评估PD-1启动子的活性。结果:经PCR方法扩增出大小分别为1650、1450、1250、1128、874、674、474和274 bp的不同长度的PD-1启动子序列,测序正确(与GenBank报道一致),酶切鉴定正确;瞬时转染Jurkat细胞系后经报告基因检测,8个启动子均具有转录活性。结论:构建了PD-1启动子的报告基因,并证实均有转录活性,且以pGL3-1128活性最高,为PD-1的核心启动子,为进一步研究PD-1的转录调控奠定了实验基础。     

Novel plasmid-based genetic tools for the study of promoters and terminators in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis

Promoter-probe and terminator-probe plasmid vectors make possible to rapidly examine whether particular sequences function as promoter or terminator signals in various genetic backgrounds and under diverse environmental stimuli. At present, such plasmid-based genetic tools are very scarce in the Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis. Hence, we developed novel promoter-probe and terminator-probe vectors based on the Streptococcus agalactiae pMV158 plasmid, which replicates autonomously in numerous Gram-positive bacteria. As reporter gene, a gfp allele encoding a variant of the green fluorescent protein was used. These genetic tools were shown to be suitable to assess the activity of promoters and terminators (both homologous and heterologous) in S. pneumoniae and E. faecalis. In addition, the promoter-probe vector was shown to be a valuable tool for the analysis of regulated promoters in vivo, such as the promoter of the pneumococcal fuculose kinase gene. These new plasmid vectors will be very useful for the experimental verification of predicted promoter and terminator sequences, as well as for the construction of new inducible-expression vectors. Given the promiscuity exhibited by the pMV158 replicon, these vectors could be used in a variety of Gram-positive bacteria.