遗传重组的几个问题及其数学处理

遗传重组的几个问题及其数学处理查向东（安徽大学生物系,２３００３９合肥）曹淑华（安徽家科院情报所,２３００３１合肥）重组分析方法是遗传学特有的分析方法,在遗传学教学和研究中有重要的地位。为准确理解交换率、重组率、遗传图距三者之间的关系,正确计算交换率...     

光控诱导重组系统的开发与应用

位点特异性重组系统由重组酶和特异性识别位点两部分组成,是一种强大的基因操作工具,被广泛运用于生命科学研究。已开发的诱导型重组系统以时空方式精准调控细胞和动物的基因表达,被用于基因功能研究、细胞谱系示踪和疾病治疗等领域。根据诱导重组酶时空表达方式的不同,诱导型重组系统可分为化学诱导和光控诱导两种方式。光控诱导重组系统是利用光作为诱导剂,根据光控方式和对象的不同,可进一步分为光笼和光遗传学两类。光笼诱导重组系统是利用光敏基团来控制化学诱导剂或重组酶,光诱导前它们的活性被光敏基团抑制;在特定光照射后,它们的活性被恢复,进而实现光控诱导基因重组。光遗传学诱导重组系统是通过光遗传学开关介导分割型重组酶的重新激活来诱导基因重组。其中光遗传学开关由一系列基因编码的光敏蛋白组成,包括隐花色素、VIVID蛋白、光敏色素等。这些类型丰富的光控诱导重组系统为从高时空分辨率的维度解析基因的表达和功能提供了更多的工具,以满足日益复杂的生命科学研究需求。本文主要对不同类型光控诱导重组系统的开发原理及应用进行综述,比较其优缺点,最后对未来开发更多光控重组系统进行展望,旨在为系统优化升级提供理论基础和指导。     

对遗传学教学中有关减数分裂前期Ⅰ发生的配对、联会和重组事件关系的思考

减数分裂时期染色体行为作为遗传学三大遗传规律（基因分离规律、基因自由组合定律及连锁遗传规律）的细胞学基础,是遗传学教学中的重点,也是生命科学前沿研究的焦点。快速发展的分子生物学为减数分裂的分子机制提供了更深的认识和理解,并出现一些与教科书内容不一致的情况。本文对减数分裂研究前沿进行简单综述,重点阐述对减数分裂时期配对、联会和重组关系的新认识,以期将前沿研究融入遗传学教学之中,从而激发学生的学习兴趣,提高授课效果。     

交换值、重组值的概念及其相互关系

交换值和重组值是经典遗传学的两个概念。纵观中外遗传学教科书,大部分是将这两个概念混为一谈,少数教科书指出了它们的区别,但只是一笔带过〔７〕,刘祖洞先生论述过这个问题〔３,４〕,可总觉得没有把它说清楚。考虑到连锁和交换是遗传学教学的重点之一,在此,笔者...     

基因融合实验(手册)

本书为美国冷泉港实验室高级细菌遗传学课程所采用的实验性手册,书中较为详细介绍了有关基因融合、转座子及重组DNA实验方法、技术操作及其在大肠杆菌遗传学分析中的应用。从三个方面介绍了本书的大概内容:第一部分描述了在多拷贝质粒上克隆LacZ的基因融合,14个具有普遍意义的分子遗传学实验原理、操作及其评论;     

简讯

为了适应高中生物课实验教学的需要和提高中学生物学教师的实验技能,北京遗传学、北京教育学院于今年2月10日至14日联合举办了高中生物学教师遗传学实验进修班。开班的第一天中国遗传学会副秘书长吴鹤龄副教授做了报告,介绍了遗传学的近况与展望。实验班的内容包括:细胞的有丝分裂和染色体制片技术、花粉母细胞减数分裂的观察与制片技术、遗传学     

微生物代谢工程原理与应用

代谢工程是利用分子生物学原理系统分析细胞代谢网络,并通过DNA重组技术和应用分析生物学相关的遗传学手段对细胞进行有精确目标的基因操作,改变微生物原有的代谢或调节系统,实现目的产物代谢活性的提高。代谢工程综合了生物化学、化学工程、数学分析等多学科内容,是当前国内外学者研究热点之一。论述了微生物代谢工程的理论基础及其应用进展和前景。     

利用荧光标记高通量鉴定减数分裂重组抑制突变体

正向遗传学突变体筛选被广泛用于揭示减数分裂中涉及的遗传基因, 如调控减数分裂II型交叉形成途径的重组抑制基因。该研究利用拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)花粉荧光标记系进行EMS突变体的正向遗传学筛选, 鉴定拟南芥野生型Col遗传背景下的重组抑制突变体, 共获得18个重组率显著提高3倍以上的重组抑制突变体, 其中包括显性和隐性遗传突变。研究表明, 基于荧光标记高通量鉴定重组抑制突变体是可行的, 可为植物减数分裂重组调控分子机制研究提供新方法和突变材料。     

分枝杆菌噬菌体重组系统及其应用

噬菌体是微生物遗传学研究的有力工具及源泉.分枝杆菌噬菌体也是构建分枝杆菌,尤其是结核分枝杆菌遗传研究工具的基础.目前,基于分枝杆菌噬菌体重组酶的重组系统是国际热点.总结了近年来基于分枝杆菌噬菌体Che9c重组酶gp60、gp61所构建的分枝杆菌重组工程体系及其在分枝杆菌基因组研究方面的应用,并结合实验室工作展望了其研究前景.该体系不依赖细菌自身的RecA系统,不需要限制性内切核酸酶和DNA连接酶,不需要复杂的体外操作,只需表达分枝杆菌噬菌体重组酶,从而使结核分枝杆菌基因敲除、基因敲入及点突变和构建分枝杆菌噬菌体突变株更方便.这为分枝杆菌及其噬菌体基因诱变及基因功能研究提供了迅捷的新途径.     

利用荧光标记高通量鉴定减数分裂重组抑制突变体

正向遗传学突变体筛选被广泛用于揭示减数分裂中涉及的遗传基因, 如调控减数分裂II型交叉形成途径的重组抑制基因。该研究利用拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)花粉荧光标记系进行EMS突变体的正向遗传学筛选, 鉴定拟南芥野生型Col遗传背景下的重组抑制突变体, 共获得18个重组率显著提高3倍以上的重组抑制突变体, 其中包括显性和隐性遗传突变。研究表明, 基于荧光标记高通量鉴定重组抑制突变体是可行的, 可为植物减数分裂重组调控分子机制研究提供新方法和突变材料。     

Meiotic versus mitotic recombination: two different routes for double-strand break repair: the different functions of meiotic versus mitotic DSB repair are reflected in different pathway usage and different outcomes

Studies in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have validated the major features of the double-strand break repair (DSBR) model as an accurate representation of the pathway through which meiotic crossovers (COs) are produced. This success has led to this model being invoked to explain double-strand break (DSB) repair in other contexts. However, most non-crossover (NCO) recombinants generated during S. cerevisiae meiosis do not arise via a DSBR pathway. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that DSBR is a minor pathway for recombinational repair of DSBs that occur in mitotically-proliferating cells and that the synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) model appears to describe mitotic DSB repair more accurately. Fundamental dissimilarities between meiotic and mitotic recombination are not unexpected, since meiotic recombination serves a very different purpose (accurate chromosome segregation, which requires COs) than mitotic recombination (repair of DNA damage, which typically generates NCOs).     

The influence of solvent stress on MMS-induced genetic change in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

MMS induced mitotic recombination but not mitotic chromosome loss when tested in pure form in strain D61.M of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, confirming previous results of Albertini (1991), whereas in Aspergillus nidulans it also induced chromosomal malsegregation in addition to mitotic recombination (Käfer, 1988). However, induction of mitotic chromosome loss was observed in combination with strong inducers of chromosome loss such as the aprotic polar solvents ethyl acetate and to a lesser extent methyl ethyl ketone but not with γ-valerolactone and propionitrile. In addition to this, 4 solvents, dimethyl formamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, dioxane and pyridine, enhanced the MMS-induced mitotic recombination in strain D61.M. An enhancement of MMS-induced mitotic recombination and reverse mutation could be demonstrated for ethyl acetate and γ-valerolactone in yeast strain D7.     

The influence of solvent stress on MMS-induced genetic change in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

MMS induced mitotic recombination but not mitotic chromosome loss when tested in pure form in strain D61.M of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, confirming previous results of Albertini (1991), whereas in Aspergillus nidulans it also induced chromosomal malsegregation in addition to mitotic recombination (Käfer, 1988). However, induction of mitotic chromosome loss was observed in combination with strong inducers of chromosome loss such as the aprotic polar solvents ethyl acetate and to a lesser extent methyl ethyl ketone but not with γ-valerolactone and propionitrile. In addition to this, 4 solvents, dimethyl formamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, dioxane and pyridine, enhanced the MMS-induced mitotic recombination in strain D61.M. An enhancement of MMS-induced mitotic recombination and reverse mutation could be demonstrated for ethyl acetate and γ-valerolactone in yeast strain D7.     

mei-2, a mutagen-sensitive mutant of Neurospora defective in chromosome pairing and meiotic recombination

Summary A Neurospora crassa mutation, mei-2, affecting meiosis and mutagen sensitivity, was characterized for its effect on meiotic recombination and chromosome pairing. Results from homozygous mei-2 crosses involving distant markers on the same chromosome demonstrated a drastic reduction in meiotic recombination. However, mitotic recombination continued to occur. Cytological observations indicated that pairing of homologous chromosomes in zygotene was greatly reduced or absent, resulting in aberrant segregation at anaphase I and often at subsequent divisions as well. The few mature ascospores produced were frequently disomic for one or more chromosomes.     

Regulation of Hed1 and Rad54 binding during maturation of the meiosis‐specific presynaptic complex

Most eukaryotes have two Rad51/RecA family recombinases, Rad51, which promotes recombination during mitotic double‐strand break (DSB) repair, and the meiosis‐specific recombinase Dmc1. During meiosis, the strand exchange activity of Rad51 is downregulated through interactions with the meiosis‐specific protein Hed1, which helps ensure that strand exchange is driven by Dmc1 instead of Rad51. Hed1 acts by preventing Rad51 from interacting with Rad54, a cofactor required for promoting strand exchange during homologous recombination. However, we have a poor quantitative understanding of the regulatory interplay between these proteins. Here, we use real‐time single‐molecule imaging to probe how the Hed1‐ and Rad54‐mediated regulatory network contributes to the identity of mitotic and meiotic presynaptic complexes. Based on our findings, we define a model in which kinetic competition between Hed1 and Rad54 helps define the functional identity of the presynaptic complex as cells undergo the transition from mitotic to meiotic repair.     

Roles of the AtErcc1 protein in recombination

Atercc1, the recently characterized Arabidopsis homologue of the Ercc1 (Rad10) protein, is a key component of nucleotide excision repair as part of a structure-specific endonuclease which cleaves 5' to UV photoproducts in DNA. This endonuclease also acts in removing overhanging non-homologous DNA 'tails' in synapsed recombination intermediates. We have previously demonstrated this recombination function of the Arabidopsis thaliana Xpf homologue, AtRad1p, and show here that recombination between plasmid DNA substrates containing non-homologous tails is specifically reduced 12-fold in atercc1 mutant plants compared with the wild type. Furthermore, using chromosomal tandem-repeat recombination substrates, we show that AtErcc1p is required for bleomycin induction of mitotic recombination in the chromosomal context. This work thus confirms both the specific and general recombination roles of the Atercc1 protein in recombination in Arabidopsis .     

A new hyperrecombinogenic mutant of Nicotiana tabacum

We have isolated a hyperrecombinogenic Nicotiana tabacum mutant. The mutation, Hyrec, is dominant and segregates in a Mendelian fashion. In the mutant, the level of mitotic recombination between homologous chromosomes is increased by more than three orders of magnitude. Recombination between extrachromosomal substrates is increased six- to ninefold, and intrachromosomal recombination is not affected. Hyrec plants were found to perform non-homologous end joining as efficiently as the wild type, ruling out the possibility that the increase in homologous recombination is due to a defect in end joining. In addition, Hyrec plants show significant resistance to gamma-irradiation, whereas UV resistance is not different from the wild type. This suggests that homologous recombination can be strongly up-regulated in plants. Moreover, Hyrec constitutes a novel type of mutation: no similar mutant was reported in plants and hyperrecombinogenic mutants from other organisms usually show sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. We discuss the insight that this mutant provides into understanding the mechanisms of recombination plus the potential application for gene targeting in plants.     

Elevated Mutagenicity in Meiosis and Its Mechanism

Diploid germ cells produce haploid gametes through meiosis, a unique type of cell division. Independent reassortment of parental chromosomes and their recombination leads to ample genetic variability among the gametes. Importantly, new mutations also occur during meiosis, at frequencies much higher than during the mitotic cell cycles. These meiotic mutations are associated with genetic recombination and depend on double‐strand breaks (DSBs) that initiate crossing over. Indeed, sequence variation among related strains is greater around recombination hotspots than elsewhere in the genome, presumably resulting from recombination‐associated mutations. Significantly, enhanced mutagenicity in meiosis may lead to faster divergence during evolution, as germ‐line mutations are the ones that are transmitted to the progeny and thus have an evolutionary impact. The molecular basis for mutagenicity in meiosis may be related to the repair of meiotic DSBs by polymerases, or to the exposure of single‐strand DNA to mutagenic agents during its repair.     

Somatic recombination in adult tissues: What is there to learn?

Somatic recombination is essential to protect genomes of somatic cells from DNA damage but it also has important clinical implications, as it is a driving force of tumorigenesis leading to inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Despite this importance, our knowledge about somatic recombination in adult tissues remains very limited. Our recent work, using the Drosophila adult midgut has demonstrated that spontaneous events of mitotic recombination accumulate in aging adult intestinal stem cells and result in frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH). In this Extra View article, we provide further data supporting long-track chromosome LOH and discuss potential mechanisms involved in the process. In addition, we further discuss relevant questions surrounding somatic recombination and how the mechanisms and factors influencing somatic recombination in adult tissues can be explored using the Drosophila midgut model.