Single-nucleotide polymorphisms and activity analysis of the promoter and enhancer of the pig lactase gene

Lactose intolerance in northern Europeans is strongly associated with a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located 14 kb upstream of the human lactase gene: − 13,910*C/T. We examined whether SNPs in the 5′ flanking region of the pig lactase gene are similar to those in the human gene and whether these polymorphisms play a functional role in regulating pig lactase gene expression. The 5′ flanking region of the lactase gene from several different breeds of pigs was cloned and analyzed for gene regulatory activity of a luciferase reporter gene. One SNP was found in the enhancer region (− 797*G/A) and two were found in the promoter region (− 308*G/C and − 301*A/G). The promoter C_− 308,G_− 301(Pro-CG) strongly promotes the expression of the lactase gene, but the promoter G_− 308,A_− 301(Pro-GA) does not. The enhancer A_− 797(Enh-A) genotype for Pro-GA can significantly enhance promoter activity, but has an inhibitory effect on Pro-CG. The Enhancer G_− 797(Enh-G) has a significant inhibitory effect on both promoters. In conclusion, the order of effectiveness on the pig lactase gene is Enh-A + Pro-GA > Enh-A/G + Pro-CG > Enh-G + Pro-GA.     

乳糖酶活性检测方法研究进展

乳糖酶是人类肠道分解利用乳糖必需的一种双糖酶,乳糖酶在食品医药、分析、环保及遗传学等相关学科都具有重要应用,引起了国内外的广泛关注,其活性的检测方法对乳糖酶制剂的研究及乳糖酶缺乏症的诊疗具有重要的作用。乳糖酶活性定量检测方法主要有:小肠黏膜活检法、ONPG试验法、稳定同位素法、高效液相色谱法及粪便还原糖测定法;定性检测方法主要有呼氢试验法、乳糖耐受试验法及尿半乳糖比色法等。本研究通过对乳糖酶活性检测方法的研究进展进行综述,为乳糖酶检测方法的改进及新方法的建立提供参考。     

Human lactase and the molecular basis of lactase persistence

Human lactase purified from detergent extracts of the total membrane fraction of postmortem jejunum by means of monoclonal immunoadsorbent chromatography appears to be a dimer of subunits identical in M_r (160K). Trypsin or papain removes a small hydrophobic anchoring peptide from each subunit to give a hydrophilic enzyme which no longer interacts with detergent micelles. Lactase hydrolyzes, besides lactose, cellobiose and the synthetic substrates, 4-methylumbelliferyl--galactoside and -glucoside, as well as phlorizin; but it does not hydrolyze glucocerebroside. Phlorizin hydrolase is associated with lactase under all conditions investigated; coincident staining on immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis, coincident elution on immunoadsorbent chromatography and on gel filtration in a dissociating buffer, and correlated reduction in activity in lactase-nonpersistent individuals. Adult and infant lactases are indistinguishable by titration or immunodiffusion against polyclonal rabbit antibodies. Adult individuals low in lactase activity also show a corresponding reduction in cross-reacting material. These observations suggest that lactase persistence is due to the continued synthesis of the infant enzyme.Financial support was provided by the Nuffield Foundation, the Medical Research Council, and the Open University Research Committee Fund.     

产核酸和乳糖酶的热带假丝酵母QZN0209培养条件研究

经筛选得到一株具有一定核酸含量和乳糖酶活力的热带假丝酵母（Candida tropicalis)QZN0209,以综合利用酵母为目的,通过着重优化该菌株产核酸的培养条件。将其摇瓶产核酸水平从4.16%提高至13.94%;同时改变乳糖诱导方法将其乳糖酶活力提高约4倍,达到10.56ONPG单位/g湿菌体。     

一株近玫色锁掷酵母的分离鉴定及其产胞外乳糖酶性质的研究

从广州徐闻农垦丰收农场土壤样品中分离到一株产乳糖酶菌株,结合菌株形态特征和ITS基因序列同源性分析结果,表明该菌株为Saccharomycetes sp.的未定种,其系统分类学关系与近玫色锁掷酵母Sporidiobolus pararoseus strain AUMC 7791(JQ425362.1)最近,故命名为:近玫色锁掷酵母XWSP1(Sporidiobolus pararoseus XWSP1),该菌种保藏号为CCTCC NO:M2019119。该菌发酵液能水解邻硝基酚-β-D-半乳糖苷生成黄色的邻硝基酚,具有产乳糖酶性能。优化了该菌株发酵培养条件,结果表明:该菌株在蛋白胨15 g/L、酵母粉20 g/L、半乳糖20 g/L和初始pH 7.0的培养基中,以1×106 CFU/mL接种浓度、4%接种比例,28℃180 r/min恒温振荡培养54 h时,菌株分泌的胞外乳糖酶具有最高的活力。酶学性质初步研究结果表明,该胞外乳糖酶在pH 7.0的反应条件下酶活力最高,Ca^2+、Mn^2+、Mg^2+和Cu^2+对酶活有不同程度抑制作用,其中Cu^2+对酶活抑制作用最强。     

来源于Aspergillus candidus的乳糖酶基因的克隆及序列分析

从一株产乳糖酶的亮白曲霉（Aspergillus candidus)中克隆到了乳糖酶基因组DNA及cDNA序列（EMBL AC－CESSION No.AJ431643),序列分析表明,乳糖酶基因组DNA序列长3458bp,其中含有8个内含子,cDNA编码区长3015bp,共编码1005个氨基酸,前19个氨基酸为信号肽序列,氨基酸序列中共含有11个潜在的糖基化位点。将此基因在不同来源的乳糖酶基因序列进行比较发现,该基因与绝大多数乳糖酶基因同源性较低。虽与米曲霉ATCC20423的乳糖酶序列同源性较高,但其在酶学性质上更优于后者,亮白曲霉的乳糖酶基因可能是一个具有更广阔的生产应用前景的新基因。     

警惕新生儿先天性乳糖酶缺乏

先天性乳糖酶缺乏(congenital lactase deficiency,CLD)是一种非常罕见终身性疾病属于常染色体隐性遗传病,始发于新生儿期,以第一次接触母乳后发生严重腹泻并伴有生长缓慢为主要特征,给婴幼儿生长发育带来严重的不良影响。经过国内外学者多年的研究发现其流行病率远比想象中的要高。因此,在临床工作中应警惕CLD的发生。CLD与原发性乳糖酶缺乏即成人型乳糖酶缺乏(adult-type hypolactasia,ATH)一样均属于常染色体隐性遗传,决定乳糖酶(lactase,LCT)的基因位于2q21染色体上,但它们的分子生物学机制却不同。CLD主要通过介导无意义的LCT基因的m RNA降解完成,ATH主要通过增强子多态性在LCT基因转录水平调节肠道细胞的乳糖酶合成。乳糖酶缺乏的实验室检测方法有很多,但目前对于新生儿CLD的检测方法较为实用的有基因检测及尿半乳糖酶试剂盒检测。目前较好的治疗方法是乳糖酶治疗。虽然目前为止我国未报道过一例CLD,但2012年日本已发现的2个CLD案例。因此我们应对该隐性遗传病提高应有的警惕性,并重视对其分子生物学机制进一步研究,以防患于未然,同时也有助于指导CLD患者的基因治疗。     

Evolution of lactase persistence: an example of human niche construction

Niche construction is the process by which organisms construct important components of their local environment in ways that introduce novel selection pressures. Lactase persistence is one of the clearest examples of niche construction in humans. Lactase is the enzyme responsible for the digestion of the milk sugar lactose and its production decreases after the weaning phase in most mammals, including most humans. Some humans, however, continue to produce lactase throughout adulthood, a trait known as lactase persistence. In European populations, a single mutation (-13910*T) explains the distribution of the phenotype, whereas several mutations are associated with it in Africa and the Middle East. Current estimates for the age of lactase persistence-associated alleles bracket those for the origins of animal domestication and the culturally transmitted practice of dairying. We report new data on the distribution of -13910*T and summarize genetic studies on the diversity of lactase persistence worldwide. We review relevant archaeological data and describe three simulation studies that have shed light on the evolution of this trait in Europe. These studies illustrate how genetic and archaeological information can be integrated to bring new insights to the origins and spread of lactase persistence. Finally, we discuss possible improvements to these models.     

The Grb2/PLD2 interaction is essential for lipase activity, intracellular localization and signaling in response to EGF

The adaptor protein Grb2 associates with phospholipase D2 (PLD2), but it is not known if this interaction is necessary for the functionality of the lipase in vivo. We demonstrate that stable short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-based silencing of Grb2, a critical signal transducer of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and linker to the Ras/Erk pathway, resulted in the reduction of PLD2 activity in COS7 cells. Transfection of a Grb2 construct refractory to shGrb2 silencing (XGrb2(SiL)) into the Grb2-knockdown cells (COS7(shGrb2)), resulted in the nearly full rescue of PLD2 activity. However, Grb2-R86K, an SH2-deficient mutant of Grb2 that is incapable of binding to PLD2, failed to induce an enhancement of the impaired PLD2 activity in COS7(shGrb2) cells. Grb2 and PLD2 are directly associated and Grb2 is brought down with anti-myc antibodies irrespective of the presence or absence of EGFR activation. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that co-transfected PLD2 and Grb2 re-localize to Golgi-like structures after EGF stimulation. Since this was not observed in cotransfection experiments with Grb2 and PLD2-Y169/179F, a lipase mutant that does not bind to Grb2, we inferred that Grb2 serves to hijack PLD2 to the perinuclear Golgi region through its SH2 domain. Supporting this is the finding that the primary cell line HUVEC expresses PLD2 diffusely in the cytoplasm and in the perinuclear Golgi region, where PLD2 and Grb2 colocalize. Such colocalization in primary cells increased after stimulation with EGF. These results demonstrate for the first time that the presence of Grb2 and its interaction with localized intracellular structures is essential for PLD2 activity and signaling in vivo.     

Molecular diagnosis and frequencies of primary hypolactasia in populations of Russia and neighboring countries

Normally, the ability to digest milk sugar (lactose) is present in every child, but not in every adult. The decrease in lactase synthesis (hypolactasia) results in the inability to digest whole milk. Recent studies of the Finnish population have associated lactase persistence in adults with allele T of the C/T_?13910 polymorphism located upstream of the lactase gene; a 100% correlation of primary hypolactasia with genotype C/C has been proved. In this study, the allele and genotype frequencies of C/T_?13910 were determined in populations of Russia. The frequencies of genotype C/C, varying from 36.6% in Russians to 88.2% in Chukchi, were close to the published medical and epidemiological data on the hypolactasia frequencies in these populations. Genotyping was carried out by three different methods to determine the optimal one. Genotype C/C proved to be the key determinant of primary hypolactasia. It was assumed that DNA diagnosis of genotype C/C provides a predictive test to detect primary hypolactasia long before its clinical manifestation.     

乳糖酶研究进展

乳糖酶作为乳品添加剂,应用相当广泛,通过来源及其性质、基础研究和应用等方面对乳糖酶进行综述,重点介绍乳糖酶研究上的新进展和应用的新领域,由于近年来低温乳糖酶成为研究热点,特别对低温乳糖酶的研究进行介绍.     

Association of the LCT-13910C>T polymorphism with obesity and its modulation by dairy products in a Mediterranean population

The ?13910C>T polymorphism (rs4988235) upstream from the lactase (LCT) gene, strongly associated with lactase persistence (LP) in Europeans, is emerging as a new candidate for obesity. We aimed to analyze the association of this polymorphism with obesity‐related variables and its modulation by dairy product intake in an elderly population. We studied 940 high‐cardiovascular risk Spanish subjects (aged 67 ± 7 years). Dairy product consumption was assessed by a validated questionnaire. Anthropometric variables were directly measured, and metabolic syndrome‐related variables were obtained. Prevalence of genotypes was: 38.0% CC (lactase nonpersistent (LNP)), 45.7% CT, and 16.3% TT. The CC genotype was not associated with lower milk or dairy product consumption in the whole population. Only in women was dairy intake significantly lower in CC subjects. The most important association was obtained with anthropometric measurements. CC individuals had lower weight (P = 0.032), lower BMI (29.7 ± 4.2 vs. 30.6 ± 4.2 kg/m²; P = 0.003) and lower waist circumference (101.1 ± 11.8 vs. 103.5 ± 11.5 cm; P = 0.005) than T‐allele carriers. Obesity risk was also significantly higher in T‐allele carriers than in CC individuals (odds ratio (OR): 1.38; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05–1.81; P = 0.01), and remained significant even after adjustment for sex, age, diabetes, physical activity, and energy intake. However, in subgroup analysis, these associations were found to be significant only among those consuming moderate or high lactose intakes (>8 g/day). No significant associations with lipids, glucose, or blood pressure were obtained after adjustment for BMI. In conclusion, despite not finding marked differences in dairy product consumption, this polymorphism was strongly associated with BMI and obesity and modulated by lactose intake in this Mediterranean population.     

Improvement of intracellular β-galactosidase production in fed-batch culture of Kluyveromyces fragilis

Four fed-batch control strategies were evaluated to improve the specific lactase activity of Kluyveromyces fragilis. Control strategies tested included DO-stat control, exponential feeding, exponential feeding with manual feedback control and corrected feed-forward control. Each was implemented with standard sensors (i.e., temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH sensors) commonly installed in fermenters. The highest specific activity was obtained using the corrected feed-forward control strategy, a strategy incorporating a novel method for on-line estimation of specific growth rate. The control strategy was able to operate effectively to a final cell density of 69 g dry wt l^–1 with a specific lactase activity of 2 U mg^–1 cell dry wt.     

Effect of modulation of enzyme inactivation on temperature optimization for reactor operation with chitin-immobilized lactase

Temperature is a critical variable to be optimized in any enzymatic process, producing opposite effects on enzyme activity and inactivation rate. Temperature functions for all kinetic and inactivation parameters were validated for chitin-immobilized yeast lactase (CIL). Enzyme inactivation was described by a two-stage series mechanism. The effect of galactose and lactose on inactivation was determined in terms of modulation factors that were positive for galactose and negative for lactose. Modulation factors were mild functions of temperature in the first stage and strong functions in the second stage of enzyme inactivation, where galactose positive modulation factors increase while lactose negative modulation factors decrease with temperature. Temperature-explicit functions for kinetic and inactivation parameters were incorporated into a scheme to optimize temperature in the simulation of a continuous packed-bed reactor operation with chitin-immobilized lactase, based on an annual cost objective function. Optimum temperature was 20°C at enzyme replacement of 25% residual activity, and increased only slightly at higher replacement frequencies. The effect of modulation factors on reactor design and temperature optimization is presented and discussed. Software for temperature optimization that allows the introduction of variations in all parameters and operational criteria to perform sensitivity analysis was developed.     

Lactase Production from Lactobacillus acidophilus

Summary A lactobacillus strain isolated from fermented Ragi (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.) was characterized as Lactobacillus acidophilus. The isolate was found to be homofermentative, slime-forming and a lactase (β-galactosidase) producer. Production, recovery, characterization and performance of lactase were studied at laboratory scale from 100 ml to 5 l under stationary and stirred conditions. 1.5% lactose was found to be the best carbon source for lactase production. The lactose content could be reduced to 0.75% by supplementing with 1% ragi, thus making the media economically more attractive. A 6.5-fold increase (5400 U ml⁻¹) was achieved on scale-up. Performance of the lactase obtained from this strain was found to be slightly better than the commercial lactase produced by Kluyveromyces lactis.     

"Drink Milk for Fitness": The Cultural Politics of Human Biological Variation and Milk Consumption in the United States

Cow's milk is accorded a high cultural value in the contemporary United States. Its white color, association with the maternal and the pastoral, and repeated mention in the Bible add positive symbolic weight to this major national agricultural commodity. Thus, it comes as no surprise that influential policy-making institutions in the United States recommend milk consumption for all U.S. groups. This is despite variation in adult populations' abilities to digest milk, which has been documented by biological anthropologists. This article assesses various U.S. "stories" about milk consumption and its relationship to biological variation against the biological anthropological explanation of variation in lactase activity/lactose tolerance. Many of these serve as normalizing discourses that ultimately pathologize biological difference and may undermine the dietary traditions of some ethnic groups. In particular, the close relationship between government and the dairy industry leads to policies that fail to seriously consider variation in digestive physiology among the diverse U.S. populations.     

Phospholipase D protects ECV304 cells against TNFalpha-induced apoptosis

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), a pleiotropic cytokine, activates both apoptotic and pro-survival signals depending on the cell model. Using ECV304 cells, which can be made TNFalpha-sensitive by cycloheximide (CHX) co-treatment, we evaluated the potential roles of ceramide and phospholipase D (PLD) in TNFalpha-induced apoptosis. TNFalpha/CHX induced a robust increase in ceramide levels after 16 h of treatment when cell death was maximal. PLD activity was increased at early time point (1h) whereas both PLD activity and PLD1 protein were strongly decreased after 24h. TNFalpha/CHX-induced cell death was significantly lowered by exogenous bacterial PLD and phoshatidic acid, and in cells overexpressing PLD1. Conversely, cells depleted in PLD proteins by small interference RNA (siRNA) treatment exhibited higher susceptibility to apoptosis. These results show that PLD exerts a protective role against TNFalpha-induced cell death.     

Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals Lactase Persistence Adaptation in European Dogs

Coexistence and cooperation between dogs and humans over thousands of years have supported convergent evolutionary processes in the two species. Previous studies found that Eurasian dogs evolved into a distinct geographic cluster. In this study, we used the genomes of 242 European dogs, 38 Southeast Asian indigenous (SEAI) dogs, and 41 gray wolves to identify adaptation of European dogs . We report 86 unique positively selected genes in European dogs, among which is LCT (lactase). LCT encodes lactase, which is fundamental for the digestion of lactose. We found that an A-to-G mutation (chr19:38,609,592) is almost fixed in Middle Eastern and European dogs. The results of two-dimensional site frequency spectrum (2D SFS) support that the mutation is under soft sweep . We inferred that the onset of positive selection of the mutation is shorter than 6,535 years and behind the well-developed dairy economy in central Europe. It increases the expression of LCT by reducing its binding with ZEB1, which would enhance dog’s ability to digest milk-based diets. Our study uncovers the genetic basis of convergent evolution between humans and dogs with respect to diet, emphasizing the import of the dog as a biomedical model for studying mechanisms of the digestive system.     

Simultaneous production of inulase and lactase in batch and continuous cultures of Kluyveromyces fragilis

Under different induction conditions, the industrial yeast Kluyveromyces fragilis is an excellent producer of the enzymes inulase (β-d-fructofuranoside fructohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.26) and lactase (β-d-galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.23), producing 27 and 1.6 U mg^?1dry cell weight, respectively. In order to improve overall enzyme yields, conditions for the simultaneous production of both enzymes in a one-stage fermentation have been examined. Techniques employed include carbon-limited batch and continuous culture, single and mixed carbon substrates, and the use of a mutant semi-constitutive for inulase production. Synthesis of both enzymes suffered strongly from carbon catabolite repression in batch cultures grown on single and mixed inducing substrates. Only glycerol and dl-malate did not repress either enzyme. The non-metabolizable analogues of lactose, isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactoside and methyl-β-d-thiogalactoside induced lactase in glycerol grown batch cultures, but were ineffective in sucrose grown continuous cultures. They also depressed the normally high levels of inulase in such continuous cultures. The highest simultaneous inulase and lactase activities in the wild-type yeast were obtained in continuous culture on an equal mixture of d-fructose and d-galactose; 25 and 0.78 U mg^?1dry cell weight, respectively. In this fermentation the combined yield per unit carbon substrate of the two enzymes was 141%, compared to a reference value of 100% for the highest yield of each enzyme in separate fermentations. On the same mixture of d-fructose and d-galactose, the mutant produced ～60 and 0.70 U mg^?1dry cell weight, respectively. The combined enzyme yield per unit of carbon substrate was 172%.