单链抗体靶向递送系统在RNA干扰中的应用

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是一种由干扰小RNA(small interfering RNA,siRNA)介导的转录后基因沉默.随着医学的发展,通过RNAi来抑制靶基因的表达已经成为一种强有力的研究基因功能、验证药物靶标和治疗多种疾病的方法.然而,RNAi在哺乳动物中的治疗应用却受到基因递送系统的限制,即siRNA在体内递送的靶向性.目前,各种配体,如糖基化分子、肽类、蛋白质、抗体和基因工程抗体片段对于靶向递送siRNA具有巨大的应用潜力.它们改善了基因递送系统的有效性、特异性和安全性.本文主要就单链抗体-鱼精蛋白截短体融合蛋白在 RNAi中的应用进行综述.     

薄荷GPPS基因原核表达及RNA干扰载体构建

利用薄荷挥发油合成途径关键酶之一的薄荷牻牛儿基焦磷酸合酶(GPPS)基因特异引物,扩增得到GPPS基因开放式阅读框(1 131 bp),并将其插入到原核表达载体pET-28a中,经酶切测序验证的重组质粒pET-28a-GPPS转入Rosetta(DE3),利用IPTG诱导表达融合蛋白。结果显示,终浓度为1 mmol/L的IPTG进行诱导后6 h,SDS-PAGE显示薄荷GPPS基因在Rosetta(DE3)中获得高效表达。目前利用RNA干扰技术研究基因功能的方法已日趋成熟,以GPPS大亚基基因为靶目标,成功构建了薄荷GPPS大亚基基因的pBI121-RNAi-GPPS干扰载体。     

RNA干扰技术应用的研究进展

RNA干扰指双链RNA介导的、序列特异的转录后基因沉寂的过程。它作为一项最新的分子生物学研究技术,自1998年发现以来已有了重大进展。RNA干扰技术在哺乳动物中的应用研究自2001年取得突破以后又获得了重大进展,在构建稳定表达小干扰RNA的载体和有效筛选小干扰RNA靶序列技术方面取得突破,并在胞内抗病毒免疫、基因功能应用研究、机体水平应用研究等方面也取得了重大进步。     

RNAi技术及其在真菌基因功能研究中的应用

RNA干扰是指在进化过程中由高度保守的外源或内源双链RNA(ds RNA)引发的转录后水平基因沉默的现象。RNAi技术作为一种高效、特异的基因阻断技术,已被广泛用于探索基因功能和传染性疾病及恶性肿瘤的治疗领域,成为2l世纪的研究热点之一。简要综述了RNAi的发现过程,作用机制,作用特点及其在真菌基因功能研究中的应用前景,为相关研究奠定理论基础。     

高效siRNA设计的研究进展

RNA干扰(RNA interference, RNAi) 是生物界普遍存在的一种抵御外来基因和病毒感染的保守进化机制, 其本质是siRNA与靶向mRNA特异结合、并由RISC介导其降解, 从而阻止mRNA的翻译, 导致基因沉默。因此, RNAi可以作为基因功能研究、基因治疗等的新工具。但是, 随机设计的siRNA之间沉默效应差别很大。如何针对靶基因设计特异、高效的siRNA就成了一个关键的问题。文章对siRNA设计原则的研究进展进行了总结论述。     

利用细菌表达dsRNA介导黄粉虫抗冻蛋白基因的RNA干扰

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是研究基因功能的一种重要工具。为了利用RNAi技术对黄粉虫抗冻蛋白(Antifreeze protein,AFP)基因的非抗冻功能进行验证,将黄粉虫抗冻蛋白基因Tmafp433的相应干扰片段构建至L4440干扰载体并转化大肠杆菌HT115(DE3)菌株,利用IPTG诱导表达特异的afp基因相应dsRNA,纯化后注射黄粉虫幼虫,通过实时荧光定量PCR检测afp基因在mRNA水平的变化。结果显示含有L4440-Tmafp重组质粒的HT115菌株可以表达干扰afp基因的dsRNA,命名为Tmafp-dsRNA。用Tmafp-dsRNA注射黄粉虫24 h后,Tmafps的表达受到显著抑制,相比对照下降了60.8%。本研究表明通过注射dsRNA可有效抑制黄粉虫afp基因的表达。     

RNA干扰技术在病原性真菌研究中的应用进展

RNA干扰技术是双链RNA介导基因转录后的沉默过程,依其可以特异性作用于靶序列介导基因沉默,目前被广泛用于基因功能、疾病治疗、药物作用靶点筛选等的研究中。本文就这一技术在病原性真菌研究中的应用情况及最新进展作一简略的综述。     

RNA干扰及其在果树上的应用

RNA干扰是广泛存在于生物中的一种现象,它是由小干扰RNA诱导的特异基因沉默.它是生物体抵抗异常的一种防御机制,同时在生物生长发育过程中调控基因的表达,为植物基因功能的研究开辟了新途径.综述了RNA干扰的作用机制、RNA干扰的特点,以及近年来RNA干扰在果树生长发育、抗病性、果实品质改良等方面的应用,以期为RNA干扰技术在果实品种品质改良中的应用提供指导.     

条件性RNA干扰技术研究进展

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是一种由与靶基因同源的双链RNA引起的,具有序列特异性的转录后基因沉默技术。目前,RNAi已被广泛应用于基因功能的研究中。为了使基因沉默具有时空特异性,可以通过构建基于Cre重组酶的Cre/lox P系统、可被小分子药物诱导的Tet诱导系统以及两者组合形成的高级诱导RNAi系统来条件性的控制小发夹状RNA(sh RNA)的表达,使其靶基因的表达可受外界调控,在特定组织细胞中或者特定的生长发育时期被抑制,从而更好地进行基因功能研究。目前,条件性RNAi基因沉默策略具有多样化,精确性和组合式的特点。本文就条件性RNAi基因沉默技术的多元策略做一综述。     

RNAi递送系统在害虫防治中的研究进展

RNAi是由dsRNA引发的,靶向目的 基因的高效与特异的基因沉默技术.由于其高效性、特异性和便捷性,RNAi技术广泛应用于基因功能研究、高通量目的 基因筛选、基因治疗、药物靶标预测和农业病虫害防治等领域.考虑到RNAi效率、安全性和预期靶基因下调的潜在障碍,RNAi提供高效防治应用的前提是以合适的方式递送效应RNA.本文对近期农业重要性害虫和病媒害虫防治应用中开发的RNAi递送系统进行综述,对这些RNAi递送系统的干扰效率和多重进入位点作了比较,并展望了RNAi递送系统在害虫防治中的应用,以期更好地完善RNAi技术在昆虫学研究和害虫防治中的应用.     

Circular L-RNA aptamer promotes target recognition and controls gene activity

Rational design of aptamers to incorporate unnatural nucleotides and special chemical moieties can expand their functional complexity and diversity. Spiegelmer (L-RNA aptamer) is a unique class of aptamer that is composed of unnatural L-RNA nucleotides, and so far there are limited L-RNA aptamer candidates and applications being reported. Moreover, the target binding properties of current L-RNA aptamers require significant improvement. Here, using L-Apt.4-1c as an example, we develop a simple and robust strategy to generate the first circular L-RNA aptamer, cycL-Apt.4-1c, quantitatively, demonstrate substantial enhancement in binding affinity and selectivity toward its target, and notably report novel applications of circular L-RNA aptamer in controlling RNA–protein interaction, and gene activity including telomerase activity and gene expression. Our approach and findings will be applicable to any L-RNA aptamers and open up a new avenue for diverse applications.     

RNA适配体作为类抗性基因的可行性

【背景】抗性基因(ResistanceGene)在分子生物学研究中具有重要作用,但其基因片段较大,限制了载体中插入目的序列的长度。【目的】探究分子量较小的RNA适配体的类抗性基因作用,用于优化载体载量和扩展目的基因片段。【方法】基于tRNA支架在体内富集表达RNA适配体,筛选验证氨基糖苷类抗生素新霉素B的RNA适配体的抗性作用。【结果】构建tRNA支架重组RNA表达载体并进行体内筛选,得到A Site和Avirus这2个RNA适配体分子,能够耐受新霉素B浓度为19μg/mL(固体培养基)和30μg/mL(液体培养基)。【结论】RNA适配体可发挥类抗性基因的功能,本文策略有望用于抗性基因的优化,缩小质粒载体载量,为分子克隆技术提供新的手段。     

Self-assemble gene delivery system for molecular targeting using nucleic acid aptamer

We have developed a novel vector constructed with pDNA, polyethylenimine (PEI), and mucin 1 (MUC1) aptamer for tumor-targeted gene delivery. The MUC1 aptamer and non-specific aptamer were employed to coat the pDNA/PEI complexes electrostatically and stable nanoparticles were formed. The addition of a non-specific aptamer to the pDNA/PEI complex decreased gene expression in the human lung cancer cell line, A549 cells expressing MUC1 regularly. At the same time, the pDNA/PEI/MUC1 aptamer complex showed higher gene expression than pDNA/PEI/non-specific aptamer complex. Furthermore, the pDNA/PEI/MUC1 aptamer complex showed markedly high gene expression in tumor-bearing mice; thus, pDNA/PEI/MUC1 aptamer complexes are useful as a tumor-targeted gene delivery system with high transfection efficiency.     

Rational construction of eukaryotic OFF-riboswitches that downregulate internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation in response to their ligands

A strategy for rationally constructing a novel type of eukaryotic OFF-riboswitch, which ligand-dependently turns off translation mediated by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), has been established. The theophylline-dependent IRES-based OFF-riboswitch obtained through the proposed strategy functioned well in wheat germ extract, independently from the downstream gene, indicating that it can regulate any gene. Despite the fact that it has one theophylline aptamer, its switching efficiency was as high as that of a previously reported theophylline-dependent OFF-riboswitch that was constructed by inserting three continuous theophylline aptamers into a 5' untranslated region in mRNA to downregulate the normal 5'-terminus-mediated translation. In addition, because the riboswitch part that was optimized in the theophylline-dependent IRES-based OFF-riboswitch, except for the aptamer domain, can be used as-is for other aptamer-ligand pairs, an arbitrary ligand-dependent IRES-based OFF-riboswitch is easy to construct with the corresponding well-minimized aptamer.     

Conformational changes in the expression domain of the Escherichia coli thiM riboswitch

The thiM riboswitch contains an aptamer domain that adaptively binds the coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). The binding of TPP to the aptamer domain induces structural rearrangements that are relayed to a second domain, the so-called expression domain, thereby interfering with gene expression. The recently solved crystal structures of the aptamer domains of the thiM riboswitches in complex with TPP revealed how TPP stabilizes secondary and tertiary structures in the RNA ligand complex. To understand the global modes of reorganization between the two domains upon metabolite binding the structure of the entire riboswitch in presence and absence of TPP needs to be determined. Here we report the secondary structure of the entire thiM riboswitch from Escherichia coli in its TPP-free form and its transition into the TPP-bound variant, thereby depicting domains of the riboswitch that serve as communication links between the aptamer and the expression domain. Furthermore, structural probing provides an explanation for the lack of genetic control exerted by a riboswitch variant with mutations in the expression domain that still binds TPP.     

Development of aptamer-based inhibitors for CRISPR/Cas system

The occurrence of accidental mutations or deletions caused by genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 system remains a critical unsolved problem of the technology. Blocking excess or prolonged Cas9 activity in cells is considered as one means of solving this problem. Here, we report the development of an inhibitory DNA aptamer against Cas9 by means of in vitro selection (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) and subsequent screening with an in vitro cleavage assay. The inhibitory aptamer could bind to Cas9 at low nanomolar affinity and partially form a duplex with CRISPR RNA, contributing to its inhibitory activity. We also demonstrated that improving the inhibitory aptamer with locked nucleic acids efficiently suppressed Cas9-directed genome editing in cells and reduced off-target genome editing. The findings presented here might enable the development of safer and controllable genome editing for biomedical research and gene therapy.     

Tetracycline aptamer-controlled regulation of pre-mRNA splicing in yeast

Splicing of pre-mRNA is a critical step in mRNA maturation and disturbances cause several genetic disorders. We apply the synthetic tetracycline (tc)-binding riboswitch to establish a gene expression system for conditional tc-dependent control of pre-mRNA splicing in yeast. Efficient regulation is obtained when the aptamer is inserted close to the 5′splice site (SS) with the consensus sequence of the SS located within the aptamer stem. Structural probing indicates limited spontaneous cleavage within this stem in the absence of the ligand. Addition of tc leads to tightening of the stem and the whole aptamer structure which probably prevents recognition of the 5′SS. Combination of more then one aptamer-regulated intron increases the extent of regulation leading to highly efficient conditional gene expression systems. Our findings highlight the potential of direct RNA–ligand interaction for regulation of gene expression.