The role of the cell cycle in determining gene expression and productivity in CHO cells

Understanding the relationships between cell cycle and protein expression is critical to the optimisation of media and environmental conditions for successful commercial operation of animal cell culture processes. Using flow cytometry for the analysis of the early phases of synchronised batch cultures, the dependency of product expression on cell cycle related events has been evaluated in a recombinant CHO cell line. Although the production of recombinant protein is initially found to be cell cycle related, the maximum specific protein productivity is only achieved at a later stage of the exponential phase which also sees a maximum in the intracellular protein concentration. Subsequent work suggests that it is the batch phase/medium composition of cultures which is the major determinant of maximum specific productivity in this cell line. Furthermore the effect of the positive association between S phase and specific productivity is subordinate to the effect of batch phase/medium composition on the specific productivity of batch cultures. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A population analysis of VEGF transgene expression and secretion

The induction of therapeutic angiogenesis with gene therapy approaches has received considerable interest and some limited clinical success. A major drawback to this approach is a lack of understanding of the pharmacokinetics of therapeutic protein delivery. This has become increasingly more relevant as recent studies have illustrated a defined therapeutic window for angiogenic protein secretion into the local microenvironment. For cell based gene therapies, with cells widely distributed throughout the tissue, this implies that any individual cell must attain a specific secretion rate to produce a local angiogenic response. Here we report a reproducible technique enabling the study of growth factor secretion from individual cells following transient plasmid transfection. We demonstrate significant variability in single cell vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion with the majority of total protein secretion arising from a small subpopulation of transfected cells. We demonstrate that VEGF secretion is linearly correlated to intracellular plasmid copy number and protein secretion does not appear to reach saturation within the cell population. The selection of gene therapy approaches that optimize individual cell secretion profiles may be essential for the development of effective gene therapies.     

Transient gene expression in CHO cells monitored with automated flow cytometry

Transient gene expression is frequently used in industry to rapidly generate usable quantities of a protein from cultured cells. In gene therapy applications it is used to express a therapeutic protein in vivo. A quantitative assessment of the expression kinetics is important because it enables optimization and control of culture conditions for higher productivity. Previous experimental studies show a characteristic peak in average protein expression per cell after transfection followed by an exponential decrease of the expressed protein. Here, we show that the exponential decrease in single cell expression of enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (eGfp) occurs in discrete steps. We attribute this to the absence of plasmid replication and to symmetric partitioning of plasmid and eGfp between dividing cells. This is reflected in the total eGfp in the bioreactor, which increased at a constant rate throughout the experiment. Additionally, the data provide a detailed time course of cell physiology during recovery from electroporation. The time course of cell physiology precisely indicates when the culture shifts growth phases. Furthermore, the data indicate two unique stationary phases. One type of stationary phase occurs when proliferation ceases while cells decrease their cell size, maintain granularity, and mean eGfp content decreases. The second type occurs when proliferation ceases while cells increase their cell size, increase granularity, and surprisingly maintain eGfp content. The collected data demonstrate the utility of automated flow cytometry for unique bioreactor monitoring and control capabilities in accordance with the US Food and Drug Administration’s Process Analytical Technology initiative.     

基因表达数据聚类分析技术及其软件工具

随着DNA芯片技术的广泛应用,基因表达数据分析已成为生命科学的研究热点之一。概述基因表达聚类技术类型、算法分类与特点、结果可视化与注释;阐述一些流行的和新型的算法;介绍17个最新相关软件包和在线web服务工具;并说明软件工具的研究趋向。     

Measurement of G protein-coupled receptor surface expression

Abstract

The quantity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed on the cell surface is an important factor regulating receptor signaling. Maturation, internalization, recycling and degradation together determine the net amount of receptor surface expression. Understanding every aspect of the receptor lifecycle will facilitate the development of therapeutic applications. A number of assays for measuring the surface expression of GPCRs are currently available. This minireview summarizes the currently available assays and their suitability and usage for measuring GPCR surface expression.     

真核基因的快速克隆及表达

以细胞间隙连接蛋白基因Cx26作为目的基因,通过T-A载体介导,构建真核表达重组载体pcDNA3.1( ) /Cx26,重组表达载体转染人鼻咽癌细胞株HNE1,表达Cx26间隙连接蛋白。     

Monoclonal anti-androgen receptor antibodies: Production,characterization, and potential diagnostic applications

Several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and novel mAb-based assays for the androgen receptors (AR) have been developed. Large amounts of the recombinant human AR protein produced by a baculovirus expression system were used as an antigen to produce mAbs. Twenty-nine AR-specific mAbs were first confirmed by Western blot analysis and were then characterized for their immunoglobulin isotypes, epitopes, and epitope localization in AR. Novel assays using flow cytometry and sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were established to detect AR-expressing cells and to quantify soluble AR protein, respectively. Using immunostaining, we identified several anti-AR mAbs exclusively recognizing AR within the nuclei of the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP and of prostate tissues in both frozen and paraffin-embedded sections, whereas other mAbs could detect AR in both nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. Interestingly, certain mAbs, such as G122-25 and G122-77, could distinguish the androgen-bound AR from the unoccupied AR. In sum, many purified AR protein and anti-AR mAbs, together with the assays developed, could be powerful tools for the study of functional AR and for the diagnosis of prostatic cancers.     

Analysis of gene expressions of embryonic stem‐derived Pdx1‐expressing cells: Implications of genes involved in pancreas differentiation

We have recently reported the method by which embryonic stem (ES) cells were induced into Pdx1‐expressing cells. To gain insights into the ES cell‐derived Pdx1‐expressing cells, we examined gene expression profiles of the cells by microarray experiments. Microarray analyses followed by a comparison with the data of the cells in developing pancreatic and adult islet suggested that the ES cell‐derived Pdx1‐positive cells were immature pancreatic progenitor cells with endodermal characteristics. The analyses of the genes upregulated in the ES cell‐derived Pdx1‐positive cells would give us knowledge on early pancreatic development. Here, we first listed the genes and found that these contained not only those known to be expressed in the endoderm or pancreatic progenitor cells, but also those known to be involved in left–right axis formation. Second, we examined the gene expression patterns and found that several genes were expressed in the ventral foregut lip at the anterior intestinal portal in E8.5 embryo. Given that the Pdx1/GFP‐expressing cells are first observed in the same region at the anterior intestinal portal, these results suggest that the pancreatic progenitor cells first give rise at the ventral endoderm prior to the formation of dorsal and ventral pancreatic buds.     

猪sall4b基因的克隆及表达分析

sall4基因是sall基因家族的一个成员,在胚胎发育、器官形成和干细胞多能性的维持以及重建中都起到重要作用,有sall4a和sall4b两种剪切突变体类型。目前猪的sall4基因序列尚未获得。鉴于其在多能性细胞调控中的作用,对猪的sall4基因进行了克隆测序,并对其在各组织及胚胎中的表达进行了初步研究。通过5和3 RACE克隆得到猪sall4基因cDNA全长序列(2 372 bp),序列分析证明此基因编码的蛋白结构更接近于小鼠和人Sall4B亚型,同源性可达70%～80%,而与其他物种的Sall4A相比则缺少一段含锌指结构域的片段,同源性降至30%～55%。Real-time PCR证明猪sall4b基因广泛表达于猪的各种器官,其中除卵巢组织呈高量表达之外,脾、肺、心和睾丸表达量也相对较高;在早期胚胎发育过程中除4-细胞阶段相对表达量较低,其他阶段呈高量表达。免疫荧光跟踪Sall4在猪早期胚胎中的表达情况发现Sall4在着床前胚胎中全程表达并定位于细胞核中,在囊胚阶段基因表达趋向于定位在内细胞团中。表达分析证明sall4b基因与多能性紧密相关,预示着猪sall4b基因将可能作为新的重编程因子用于诱导猪多能干细胞的体系中。     

The relationship between gene dosage,gene expression,and sex in Drosophila

In Drosophila, the ratio of the number of X chromosomes to sets of other chromosomes initiates a series of events which result in sexual differentiation. In addition, this ratio establishes dosage compensation, a mechanism which equalizes the products of X-linked genes in males and females. The present review discusses possible genetic entities responsible for the interpretation of chromosomal sex and subsequent sex-mediated regulation during development.     

Detection of molecular alterations in methamphetamine‐activated Fos‐expressing neurons from a single rat dorsal striatum using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS)

Methamphetamine and other drugs activate a small proportion of all neurons in the brain. We previously developed a fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS)‐based method to characterize molecular alterations induced selectively in activated neurons that express the neural activity marker Fos. However, this method requires pooling samples from many rats. We now describe a modified FACS‐based method to characterize molecular alterations in Fos‐expressing dorsal striatal neurons from a single rat using a multiplex pre‐amplification strategy. Fos and NeuN (a neuronal marker) immunohistochemistry indicate that 5–6% of dorsal striatum neurons were activated 90 min after acute methamphetamine injections (5 mg/kg, i.p.) while less than 0.5% of neurons were activated by saline injections. We used FACS to separate NeuN‐labeled neurons into Fos‐positive and Fos‐negative neurons and assessed mRNA expression using RT‐qPCR from as little as five Fos‐positive neurons. Methamphetamine induced 3–20‐fold increases of immediate early genes arc, homer‐2, c‐fos, fosB, and its isoforms (ΔfosB and a novel isoform ΔfosB‐2) in Fos‐positive but not Fos‐negative neurons. Immediate early gene mRNA induction was 10‐fold lower or absent when assessed in unsorted samples from single dorsal striatum homogenates. Our modified method makes it feasible to study unique molecular alterations in neurons activated by drugs or drug‐associated cues in complex addiction models.

     

Structure and expression of a root-specific rice gene

Two rice cDNA clones (COS6 and COS9) were isolated, corresponding to genes that were highly expressed in roots from seedlings and mature plants. A genomic clone (GOS9) corresponding to cDNA clone COS9 was isolated and the intron/exon structure was determined by comparing the nucleotide sequences of the mRNA and the genomic clone. 5 ends and 3 ends of the mRNA were determined by primer extension and S1-nuclease mapping respectively. The open reading frame present in GOS9 potentially encodes a protein (14kDa) that does not show any significant homology to other proteins in databases.