Cre重组酶结构与功能的研究进展

Cre/loxP定位重组系统来源于噬菌体P₁,由Cre重组酶和loxP位点两部分组成。在Cre重组酶的介导下,设定的DNA片段可以被切除,可以发生倒位,亦可造成定点的整合。由于其作用方式高效简单,Cre/loxP定位重组系统已在特定基因的删除、基因功能的鉴定、外源基因的整合、基因捕获及染色体工程等方面得到了有效的利用,在转基因的酵母、植物、昆虫、哺乳动物的体内外DNA重组方面成为一个有力的工具。这里就Cre重组酶的结构、功能及该定位重组系统的应用等方面的研究进行了综述。     

Tamoxifen‐inducible Cre‐mediated recombination in adipocytes

To generate a mouse line which allows inducible, Cre/loxP‐dependent recombination in adipocytes, we used RedE/RedT‐mediated recombineering to insert the CreER^T2‐transgene, which encodes a fusion protein of Cre and a mutated tamoxifen‐responsive estrogen receptor, into the start codon of the adipocyte‐specific Adipoq gene. Adipoq encodes adiponectin, an adipokine specifically expressed in differentiated adipocytes. Tamoxifen treatment induced almost complete recombination in white adipose tissue of the AdipoqCreER^T2 mouse line (97%–99%), while no recombination was seen in vehicle‐treated animals. Recombination in brown adipose tissue was about 15%, whereas other organs and tissues did not undergo recombination. In addition, mice expressing CreER^T2 in adipocytes did not show any alterations of metabolic functions like glucose tolerance, lipolysis, or energy expenditure compared to control mice. Therefore the AdipoqCreER^T2 mouse line will be a valuable tool for studying the consequences of a temporally controlled deletion of floxed genes in white adipose tissue. genesis 48:618–625, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Cre recombinase‐mediated site‐specific modification of a cellular genome using an integrase‐defective retroviral vector

Retroviral integrase is an enzyme responsible for the integration of retroviruses. A single mutation in the integrase core domain can severely compromise its integration ability, leading to the accumulation of circular retroviral cDNA in the nuclei of infected cells. We therefore attempted to use those cDNA as substrates for Cre recombinase to perform a recombinase‐mediated cassette exchange (RMCE), thereby targeting retroviral vectors to a predetermined site. An expression unit containing a promoter, an ATG codon and marker genes (hygromycin resistance gene and red fluorescent protein gene) flanked by wild‐type and mutant loxP sites was first introduced into cellular chromosome to build founder cell lines. We then constructed another plasmid for the production of integrase‐defective retroviral vectors (IDRV), which contains an ATG‐deficient neomycin resistance gene and green fluorescent protein gene, flanked by a compatible pair of loxPs. After providing founder cells with Cre and infecting with IDRV later, effective RMCE occurred, resulting in the appearance of G418‐resistant colonies and a change in the color of fluorescence from red to green. Southern blot and PCR analyses on selected clones further confirmed site‐specific recombination. The successful substitution of the original viral integration machinery with a non‐viral mechanism could expand the application of retroviral vectors. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107:717–729. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cre/lox位点特异重组系统在转基因植物中的应用

位点特异重组系统由重组酶和相应的重组酶识别位点组成,通过两者间的相互作用,实现外源基因精确整合与切除等一系列遗传操作.主要可分为Cre/lox系统、FLP/frt系统、R/RS系统和Gin/gix系统.目前,研究最充分应用最广泛的位点特异重组系统为Cre/lox系统.此系统为位点特异重组系统家族中的一员,由38.5kDCre重组酶和34bplox位点组成,最早被应用于动物转基因研究,包括基因敲除、基因激活、基因易位等.近年来,随着研究的深入,Cre/lox系统被逐步应用到植物研究中,并在诸多领域取得重大进展.本文总结归纳了Cre/lox系统在定点整合、定点切除以及叶绿体转化等方面的最新研究成果,旨在为利用Cre/lox系统构建环境安全和高效表达的植物遗传转化体系提供参考.     

An accumulative site‐specific gene integration system using cre recombinase‐mediated cassette exchange

The Cre‐loxP system is frequently used for site‐specific recombination in animal cells. The equilibrium and specificity of the recombination reaction can be controlled using mutated loxPs. In the present study, we designed an accumulative site‐specific gene integration system using Cre recombinase and mutated loxPs in which the Cre‐mediated cassette exchange reaction is infinitely repeatable for target gene integration into loxP target sites. To evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of this system, a series of integration reactions were repeated and confirmed in vitro using Cre recombinase protein and plasmids. Accumulative gene integration was also performed on the genome of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The results indicated that the system was applicable for repeated gene integration of multiple genes to the target sites on both plasmids and CHO cell genomes. This gene integration system provides a novel strategy for gene amplification and for biological analyses of gene function through the genetic modification of cells and organisms. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;105: 1106–1114. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

FKBP38肝脏特异敲除小鼠模型的构建

目的:构建FKBP38(FK506 Binding Protein 38)基因肝脏特异敲除小鼠。方法:利用胚胎注射法构建在FKBP38上携带lox P位点的转基因小鼠。在FKBP38基因位置携带lox P位点的小鼠的基础上,以肝脏实质细胞特异性表达的Alb-Cre介导FKBP38条件性敲除,以获得FKBP38基因肝脏特异敲除小鼠模型Alb-Cre:FKBP38~(fl/fl)。同时对FKBP38特异性敲除鼠进行鉴定。结果:(1)FKBP38肝脏特异敲除小鼠FKBP38~(-/-)肝脏中FKBP38基因的m RNA水平相对于同年龄同窝野生型小鼠具有统计学差异(P0.001)。(2)FKBP38肝脏特异敲除小鼠FKBP38~(-/-)肝脏中FKBP38基因的蛋白表达水平相对于同年龄同窝野生型小鼠具有统计学差异(P0.001)。(3)FKBP38肝脏特异敲除小鼠FKBP38~(-/-)肝脏中,转录和翻译相关蛋白水平未见显著差异,p70 S6K的磷酸化水平轻微上调,4EBP-1的磷酸化水平有轻微下调。(4)FKBP38肝脏特异敲除小鼠FKBP38~(-/-)肝脏中,凋亡相关蛋白Bcl-2未见差异化表达。结论:FKBP38肝脏特异敲除小鼠FKBP38~(-/-)肝脏中,FKBP38基因的m RNA和蛋白基本不表达,提示成功构建FKBP38基因肝脏特异敲除小鼠。     

插入单个loxP位点的伪狂犬病病毒上海株TK基因缺失株的构建

根据GenBank已发表的pEGFP－C1序列,设计并合成两对引物,PCR扩增出两端各含一loxP位点的GFP表达盒GFP-loxP。克隆于转移载体pSKLR获得pSKLR-GFP-loxP。基于同源重组原理, pSKLR-GFP-loxP与 PRV SH株基因组DNA共转染293T细胞,在BrdU 的筛选压力下,利用蚀斑法在TK-143细胞上筛选出表达GFP的TK基因缺失的重组毒株rPRV1。将表达Cre酶的质粒载体pPOG231与rPRV1基因组DNA共转染293T细胞,在Cre酶的作用下去除GFP表达盒以及一个loxP位点,筛选得到含单个loxP位点的重组病毒株rPRV2。PCR 扩增证实所获得的重组病毒TK缺失270bp,只有一个34bp的loxP位点,并且能在RK-13细胞上稳定传代。LD50试验表明rPrV2的毒力下降。     

BMP ligands act redundantly to pattern the dorsal telencephalic midline

The embryonic telencephalon is patterned into several areas that give rise to functionally distinct structures in the adult forebrain. Previous studies have shown that BMP4 and BMP2 can induce features characteristic of the telencephalic midline in cultured explants, suggesting that the normal role of BMP4 in the forebrain is to pattern the medial lateral axis of the telencephalon by promoting midline cell fates. To test this hypothesis directly in vivo, the Bmp4 gene was efficiently disrupted in the telencephalon using a CRE/loxP approach. Analysis of Bmp4-deficient telencephalons fails to reveal a defect in patterning, cell proliferation, differentiation, or apoptosis. The absence of a phenotype in the Bmp4-deficient telencephalon along with recent genetic studies establishing a role for a BMP4 receptor, BMPRIA, in telencephalic midline development, demonstrate that loss of Bmp4 function in the telencephalon can be compensated for by at least one other Bmp gene, the identity of which has not yet been determined.