SHBG基因敲除小鼠模型的建立及其表型分析

目的:建立性激素结合球蛋白(SHBG)基因条件敲除小鼠模型,为探讨胎盘组织中SHBG在体内的生理功能及其与妊娠期糖尿病发病关系提供实验手段。方法:首先运用生物信息学手段确定小鼠SHBG基因组序列,构建SHBG打靶载体,以电穿孔方法将其导入小鼠ES细胞,筛选培养阳性ES细胞并行PCR鉴定,并将正确同源重组的ES细胞注射进小鼠囊胚,移入受体小鼠子宫;将获得的嵌合体小鼠与C57BL/6J小鼠交配,筛选后获得Flox小鼠,该小鼠与EIIa-Cre转基因小鼠杂交,子代多次自交获得SHBG全身基因敲除(SHBG~(-/-))的小鼠。结果:运用同源重组及ES细胞技术建立了SHBG基因的Flox小鼠,并利用Cre/Loxp重组酶系统建立了SHBG基因全身敲除小鼠模型,PCR方法从基因水平证明了SHBG基因Flox小鼠及SHBG基因全身敲除小鼠模型建立成功。对基因敲除鼠进行初步表型分析发现:SHBG基因全身敲除小鼠的生长发育与野生型小鼠相比无明显肉眼所见异常,SHBG基因全身敲除雌雄小鼠均具有生殖能力。结论:成功建立SHBG基因全身敲除小鼠模型,通过对基因敲除鼠进行初步表型分析,发现SHBG基因全身敲除小鼠外观上发育正常,为进一步研究SHBG在妊娠期糖尿病中的作用奠定了基础。     

The Prion Protein Knockout Mouse

The key pathogenic event in prion disease involves misfolding and aggregation of the cellular prion protein (PrP). Beyond this fundamental observation, the mechanism by which PrP misfolding in neurons leads to injury and death remains enigmatic. Prion toxicity may come about by perverting the normal function of PrP. If so, understanding the normal function of PrP may help to elucidate the molecular mechansim of prion disease. Ablation of the Prnp gene, which encodes PrP, was instrumental for determining that the continuous production of PrP is essential for replicating prion infectivity. Since the structure of PrP has not provided any hints to its possible function, and there is no obvious phenotype in PrP KO mice, studies of PrP function have often relied on intuition and serendipity. Here, we enumerate the multitude of phenotypes described in PrP deficient mice, many of which manifest themselves only upon physiological challenge. We discuss the pleiotropic phenotypes of PrP deficient mice in relation to the possible normal function of PrP. The critical question remains open: which of these phenotypes are primary effects of PrP deletion and what do they tell us about the function of PrP?     

凝血因子IX基因剔除小鼠的遗传及血液学指标检测

目的　鉴定凝血因子IX基因剔除小鼠。方法　采用PCR扩增检测小鼠的DNA样品以及采用一期法检定小鼠血浆FIX活性和血浆凝血酶原时间 (plasmaprothrombintime ,PT)、白陶土部分凝血活酶时间 (Kaolinpartialthromboplastintime ,KPTT)值。结果　小鼠PCR检测为阳性 ,FIX活性 <5 %。结论　凝血因子IX基因剔除小鼠能稳定遗传 ,鉴定结果提示该小鼠符合人血友病B相应临床症状。     

Impact of Temporal Variation on Design and Analysis of Mouse Knockout Phenotyping Studies

A significant challenge facing high-throughput phenotyping of in-vivo knockout mice is ensuring phenotype calls are robust and reliable. Central to this problem is selecting an appropriate statistical analysis that models both the experimental design (the workflow and the way control mice are selected for comparison with knockout animals) and the sources of variation. Recently we proposed a mixed model suitable for small batch-oriented studies, where controls are not phenotyped concurrently with mutants. Here we evaluate this method both for its sensitivity to detect phenotypic effects and to control false positives, across a range of workflows used at mouse phenotyping centers. We found the sensitivity and control of false positives depend on the workflow. We show that the phenotypes in control mice fluctuate unexpectedly between batches and this can cause the false positive rate of phenotype calls to be inflated when only a small number of batches are tested, when the effect of knockout becomes confounded with temporal fluctuations in control mice. This effect was observed in both behavioural and physiological assays. Based on this analysis, we recommend two approaches (workflow and accompanying control strategy) and associated analyses, which would be robust, for use in high-throughput phenotyping pipelines. Our results show the importance in modelling all sources of variability in high-throughput phenotyping studies.     

The First Knockout Mouse Model of Retinoblastoma

The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (RB1) was the first tumor suppressor gene identified in humans (Friend, et al., 1986) and the first tumor suppressor gene knocked out by targeted deletion in mice (Jacks, et al., Clarke, et al., Lee, et al., 1992). Children with a germline mutation in one of their RB1 alleles are likely to experience bilateral multifocal retinoblastoma; however, mice with a similar disruption of Rb1 do not develop retinoblastoma. The absence of a knock-out mouse model of retinoblastoma has slowed the progress toward developing new therapies and identifying secondary genetic lesions that occur after disruption of the Rb signaling pathway. Several advances have been made, over the past several years, in our understanding of the regulation of proliferation during retinal development (Zhang, et al., 2004; Dyer J, 2004; Dyer, Cepko, 2001) and we have built upon these earlier studies to generate the first nonchimeric knock-out mouse model of retinoblastoma. These mice are being used as a preclinical model to test new therapies for retinoblastoma and to elucidate the downstream genetic events that occur after inactivation of Rb1 or its related family members.     

黏蛋白1基因敲除小鼠模型的构建

黏蛋白1(MUC1)属黏蛋白家族成员,分布于上皮细胞膜表面,由于在免疫炎症反应以及肿瘤发生中的重要作用而日益受到重视.为了进一步深入研究MUC1的生物学功能,构建了Muc1基因敲除小鼠模型.首先,根据小鼠Muc1基因组序列设计基因剔除策略,将2个loxP位点分别插在外显子2和3两侧,构建基因剔除载体Muc1-ABRLFn-pBR322.以电穿孔方法将载体导入胚胎干细胞(ES细胞),用G418和更昔洛韦进行正负筛选获得4个同源重组的ES细胞克隆.挑选其中一个阳性ES克隆行囊胚显微注射,获得16只嵌合率大于50%的雄鼠;其次,利用嵌合雄鼠与C57BL/6J野生型雌鼠交配后获得11只floxP杂合子小鼠(10雄1雌),通过杂合子小鼠回交,并进一步与EⅡa-Cre小鼠交配,最终成功得到Muc1全身敲除小鼠,其中纯合子小鼠未出现胚胎致死现象.初步表型观察未发现Muc1基因敲除相关器官组织结构的异常改变.本研究为MUC1的生物学功能的挖掘,尤其是MUC1在肿瘤发生转移中的作用机制的揭示提供了实验平台.     

Evaluation of Planar-Cell-Polarity Phenotypes in Ciliopathy Mouse Mutant Cochlea

In recent years, primary cilia have emerged as key regulators in development and disease by influencing numerous signaling pathways. One of the earliest signaling pathways shown to be associated with ciliary function was the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway, also referred to as planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling. One of the best places in which to study the effects of planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling during vertebrate development is the mammalian cochlea. PCP signaling disruption in the mouse cochlea disrupts cochlear outgrowth, cellular patterning and hair cell orientation, all of which are affected by cilia dysfunction. The goal of this protocol is to describe the analysis of PCP signaling in the developing mammalian cochlea via phenotypic analysis, immunohistochemistry and scanning electron microscopy. Defects in convergence and extension are manifested as a shortening of the cochlear duct and/or changes in cellular patterning, which can be quantified following dissection from developing mouse mutants. Changes in stereociliary bundle orientation and kinocilia length or positioning can be observed and quantitated using either immunofluorescence or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A deeper insight into the role of ciliary proteins in cellular signaling pathways and other biological phenomena is crucial for our understanding of cellular and developmental biology, as well as for the development of targeted treatment strategies.     

APP695^K595N／M596L突变转基因小鼠的建立和病理表型动态分析

目的建立APP695^K595N／M596L（Swedish突变）转基因小鼠和评价痴呆表型的发生和发展过程。方法将APP695^K595N／M596L突变基因插入到小鼠朊蛋白（mouse prion protein）启动子下游,构建转基因表达载体,通过显微注射法建立APP695^K595N／M596L突变转基因C57BL／6J小鼠。PCR鉴定转基因小鼠的基因表型,Western blotting检测APP突变基因表达。Thioflavin-S染色检测不同年龄转基因小鼠大脑病理改变。Morris水迷宫动态观察小鼠行为学改变。结果建立了人APP695^K595N／M596L转基因小鼠,Thioflavin-S染色显示转基因小鼠9月龄时在脑海马区可检测到老年斑形成,并且在11、12月龄时明显增多。Morris水迷宫结果发现与同月龄野生型小鼠相比,该转基因小鼠5月龄开始出现学习记忆能力缺陷,7、9、11月行为学结果证实转基因小鼠的学习记忆能力缺陷随年龄增加而日趋严重（P＜0．05）。结论建立了人APP695^K595N／M596L转基因小鼠,并能再现人类阿尔茨海默症的行为学及神经病理学特征,为阿尔茨海默病发病机制研究和药物研发提供了有价值的动物模型。     

热休克因子1基因剔除对小鼠生长繁殖的影响

目的观察HSF1基因剔除对小鼠生长、繁殖的影响。方法用HSF1基因剔除纯合子、杂合子和野生型小鼠建立交配对,HSF1基因正常繁殖组（简称HSF1正常组）30对、HSF1基因缺陷繁殖组（简称HSF1缺陷组）72对。观察母鼠产仔数、生产胎数、每胎产仔数、成年鼠体重。结果HSF1缺陷组母鼠平均产仔数（13.00±11.50）较少,与HSF1正常组（26.46±16.02）比较差异有显著性（P〈0.01）。HSF1缺陷组母鼠每胎产仔数（4.65±2.33）亦较少,与HSF1正常组（7.56±3.08）比较差异有显著性（P〈0.01）。HSF1缺陷组母鼠平均生产胎数（2.79±2.64）与HSF1正常组（3.50±2.19）比较差异无显著性（P〉0.05）。HSF1缺陷组成年小鼠平均体重（20.53±4.62）较轻,与HSF1正常组（23.06±3.39）比较差异有显著性（P〈0.01）。结论HSF1基因剔除小鼠被广泛应用于研究HSF1功能,但HSF1基因剔除对生殖、生长和健康状态的影响不容忽视。     

Altered Neurocircuitry in the Dopamine Transporter Knockout Mouse Brain

The plasma membrane transporters for the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine modulate the dynamics of these monoamine neurotransmitters. Thus, activity of these transporters has significant consequences for monoamine activity throughout the brain and for a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Gene knockout (KO) mice that reduce or eliminate expression of each of these monoamine transporters have provided a wealth of new information about the function of these proteins at molecular, physiological and behavioral levels. In the present work we use the unique properties of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to probe the effects of altered dopaminergic dynamics on meso-scale neuronal circuitry and overall brain morphology, since changes at these levels of organization might help to account for some of the extensive pharmacological and behavioral differences observed in dopamine transporter (DAT) KO mice. Despite the smaller size of these animals, voxel-wise statistical comparison of high resolution structural MR images indicated little morphological change as a consequence of DAT KO. Likewise, proton magnetic resonance spectra recorded in the striatum indicated no significant changes in detectable metabolite concentrations between DAT KO and wild-type (WT) mice. In contrast, alterations in the circuitry from the prefrontal cortex to the mesocortical limbic system, an important brain component intimately tied to function of mesolimbic/mesocortical dopamine reward pathways, were revealed by manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI). Analysis of co-registered MEMRI images taken over the 26 hours after introduction of Mn²⁺ into the prefrontal cortex indicated that DAT KO mice have a truncated Mn²⁺ distribution within this circuitry with little accumulation beyond the thalamus or contralateral to the injection site. By contrast, WT littermates exhibit Mn²⁺ transport into more posterior midbrain nuclei and contralateral mesolimbic structures at 26 hr post-injection. Thus, DAT KO mice appear, at this level of anatomic resolution, to have preserved cortico-striatal-thalamic connectivity but diminished robustness of reward-modulating circuitry distal to the thalamus. This is in contradistinction to the state of this circuitry in serotonin transporter KO mice where we observed more robust connectivity in more posterior brain regions using methods identical to those employed here.     

Altered Reward Circuitry in the Norepinephrine Transporter Knockout Mouse

Synaptic levels of the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine are modulated by their respective plasma membrane transporters, albeit with a few exceptions. Monoamine transporters remove monoamines from the synaptic cleft and thus influence the degree and duration of signaling. Abnormal concentrations of these neuronal transmitters are implicated in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including addiction, depression, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This work concentrates on the norepinephrine transporter (NET), using a battery of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging techniques and histological correlates to probe the effects of genetic deletion of the norepinephrine transporter on brain metabolism, anatomy and functional connectivity. MRS recorded in the striatum of NET knockout mice indicated a lower concentration of NAA that correlates with histological observations of subtle dysmorphisms in the striatum and internal capsule. As with DAT and SERT knockout mice, we detected minimal structural alterations in NET knockout mice by tensor-based morphometric analysis. In contrast, longitudinal imaging after stereotaxic prefrontal cortical injection of manganese, an established neuronal circuitry tracer, revealed that the reward circuit in the NET knockout mouse is biased toward anterior portions of the brain. This is similar to previous results observed for the dopamine transporter (DAT) knockout mouse, but dissimilar from work with serotonin transporter (SERT) knockout mice where Mn²⁺ tracings extended to more posterior structures than in wildtype animals. These observations correlate with behavioral studies indicating that SERT knockout mice display anxiety-like phenotypes, while NET knockouts and to a lesser extent DAT knockout mice display antidepressant-like phenotypic features. Thus, the mainly anterior activity detected with manganese-enhanced MRI in the DAT and NET knockout mice is likely indicative of more robust connectivity in the frontal portion of the reward circuit of the DAT and NET knockout mice compared to the SERT knockout mice.     

Paw-Dragging: a Novel,Sensitive Analysis of the Mouse Cylinder Test

The cylinder test is routinely used to predict focal ischemic damage to the forelimb motor cortex in rodents. When placed in the cylinder, rodents explore by rearing and touching the walls of the cylinder with their forelimb paws for postural support. Following ischemic injury to the forelimb sensorimotor cortex, rats rely more heavily on their unaffected forelimb paw for postural support resulting in fewer touches with their affected paw which is termed forelimb asymmetry. In contrast, focal ischemic damage in the mouse brain fails to result in comparable consistent deficits in forelimb asymmetry. While forelimb asymmetry deficits are infrequently observed, mice do demonstrate a novel behaviour post stroke termed “paw-dragging”. Paw-dragging is the tendency for a mouse to drag its affected paw along the cylinder wall rather than directly push off from the wall when dismounting from a rear to a four-legged stance. We have previously demonstrated that paw-dragging behaviour is highly sensitive to small cortical ischemic injuries to the forelimb motor cortex. Here we provide a detailed protocol for paw-dragging analysis. We define what a paw-drag is and demonstrate how to quantify paw-dragging behaviour. The cylinder test is a simple and inexpensive test to administer and does not require pre-training or food deprivation strategies. In using paw-dragging analysis with the cylinder test, it fills a niche for predicting cortical ischemic injuries such as photothrombosis and Endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced ischemia – two models that are ever-increasing in popularity and produce smaller focal injuries than middle cerebral artery occlusion. Finally, measuring paw-dragging behaviour in the cylinder test will allow studies of functional recovery after cortical injury using a wide cohort of transgenic mouse strains where previous forelimb asymmetry analysis has failed to detect consistent deficits.     

Weak Epistasis Generally Stabilizes Phenotypes in a Mouse Intercross

The extent and strength of epistasis is commonly unresolved in genetic studies, and observed epistasis is often difficult to interpret in terms of biological consequences or overall genetic architecture. We investigated the prevalence and consequences of epistasis by analyzing four body composition phenotypes—body weight, body fat percentage, femoral density, and femoral circumference—in a large F2 intercross of B6-lit/lit and C3.B6-lit/lit mice. We used Combined Analysis of Pleiotropy and Epistasis (CAPE) to examine interactions for the four phenotypes simultaneously, which revealed an extensive directed network of genetic loci interacting with each other, circulating IGF1, and sex to influence these phenotypes. The majority of epistatic interactions had small effects relative to additive effects of individual loci, and tended to stabilize phenotypes towards the mean of the population rather than extremes. Interactive effects of two alleles inherited from one parental strain commonly resulted in phenotypes closer to the population mean than the additive effects from the two loci, and often much closer to the mean than either single-locus model. Alternatively, combinations of alleles inherited from different parent strains contribute to more extreme phenotypes not observed in either parental strain. This class of phenotype-stabilizing interactions has effects that are close to additive and are thus difficult to detect except in very large intercrosses. Nevertheless, we found these interactions to be useful in generating hypotheses for functional relationships between genetic loci. Our findings suggest that while epistasis is often weak and unlikely to account for a large proportion of heritable variance, even small-effect genetic interactions can facilitate hypotheses of underlying biology in well-powered studies.     

Graded Maximal Exercise Testing to Assess Mouse Cardio-Metabolic Phenotypes

Functional assessments of cardiovascular fitness (CVF) are needed to establish animal models of dysfunction, test the effects of novel therapeutics, and establish the cardio-metabolic phenotype of mice. In humans, the graded maximal exercise test (GXT) is a standardized diagnostic for assessing CVF and mortality risk. These tests, which consist of concurrent staged increases in running speed and inclination, provide diagnostic cardio-metabolic parameters, such as, VO_2max, anaerobic threshold, and metabolic crossover. Unlike the human-GXT, published mouse treadmill tests have set, not staged, increases in inclination as speed progress until exhaustion (PXT). Additionally, they often lack multiple cardio-metabolic parameters. Here, we developed a mouse-GXT with the intent of improving mouse-exercise testing sensitivity and developing translatable parameters to assess CVF in healthy and dysfunctional mice. The mouse-GXT, like the human-GXT, incorporated staged increases in inclination, speed, and intensity; and, was designed by considering imitations of the PXT and differences between human and mouse physiology. The mouse-GXT and PXTs were both tested in healthy mice (C57BL/6J, FVBN/J) to determine their ability to identify cardio-metabolic parameters (anaerobic threshold, VO_2max, metabolic crossover) observed in human-GXTs. Next, theses assays were tested on established diet-induced (obese-C57BL/6J) and genetic (cardiac isoform Casq2^-/-) models of cardiovascular dysfunction. Results showed that both tests reported VO_2max and provided reproducible data about performance. Only the mouse-GXT reproducibly identified anaerobic threshold, metabolic crossover, and detected impaired CVF in dysfunctional models. Our findings demonstrated that the mouse-GXT is a sensitive, non-invasive, and cost-effective method for assessing CVF in mice. This new test can be used as a functional assessment to determine the cardio-metabolic phenotype of various animal models or the effects of novel therapeutics.     

Predicting the Proportion of Essential Genes in Mouse Duplicates Based on Biased Mouse Knockout Genes

In the yeast or nematode, the proportion of essential genes in duplicates is lower than in singletons (single-copy genes), due to the functional redundancy. One may expect that it should be the same in the mouse genome. However, based on the publicly available mouse knockout data, it was observed that the proportion of essential genes in duplicates is similar to that in singletons. The most straightforward interpretation, as claimed in a recent study, is that duplicate genes may have a negligible role in the mouse genetic robustness. Here we show that in the current mouse knockout dataset, recently duplicated genes have been highly underrepresented, leading to an overestimation of the proportion of essential genes in duplicates. After estimating the duplication time of mouse duplication events, we have developed a simple bias-correcting procedure and shown that the bias-corrected proportion of essential genes in mouse duplicates is significantly lower than that in singletons.     

The Prion Protein Knockout Mouse: A Phenotype Under Challenge

The key pathogenic event in prion disease involves misfolding and aggregation of the cellular prion protein (PrP). Beyond this fundamental observation, the mechanism by which PrP misfolding in neurons leads to injury and death remains enigmatic. Prion toxicity may come about by perverting the normal function of PrP. If so, understanding the normal function of PrP may help to elucidate the molecular mechansim of prion disease. Ablation of the Prnp gene, which encodes PrP, was instrumental for determining that the continuous production of PrP is essential for replicating prion infectivity. Since the structure of PrP has not provided any hints to its possible function, and there is no obvious phenotype in PrP KO mice, studies of PrP function have often relied on intuition and serendipity. Here, we enumerate the multitude of phenotypes described in PrP deficient mice, many of which manifest themselves only upon physiological challenge. We discuss the pleiotropic phenotypes of PrP deficient mice in relation to the possible normal function of PrP. The critical question remains open: which of these phenotypes are primary effects of PrP deletion and what do they tell us about the function of PrP?Key Words: transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, amyloid, PrP     

小鼠膜联蛋白Ⅱ基因剔除重组子的构建及小鼠无膜联蛋白Ⅱ细胞系的建立

为了便于对膜联蛋白II(annexinII)的进一步研究以及今后进一步发展膜联蛋白II-/-动物模型,构建了膜联蛋白II基因封闭重组子(pPNT/annexinII/LacZ),筛选了细胞(L5178Y)克隆,并获得了膜联蛋白II-/-稳定细胞克隆(D4,E2)。所获膜联蛋白II-/-L5178Y克隆有待于以PCR做进一步鉴定。