小鼠BTB/锌指结构新基因Bsg6的克隆及表达谱分析

Bsg6 (brain specific gene 6) 是用消减差异筛选的方法克隆的小鼠头部特异表达 新基因. Bsg6基因cDNA长3 871 bp,编码一个670个氨基酸残基的蛋白,GenBank 登录号AY635051,位于小鼠第4号染色体,由2个外显子构成. Bsg6蛋白含有一个N端BTB（Broad complex, Tramtrack, and Bric a brac）结构域和两个C端C２Ｈ２型锌指结构域. 小鼠Bsg6蛋白与其在人类和鸡中同源蛋白的同源性分别为86.2%和79.1%. Bsg6在小鼠胚胎中的表达具有一定动态性,在E8.5的小鼠胚胎中,Bsg6主要在前脑和神经管表达. 在E9.5的小鼠胚胎中,Bsg6的表达明显增强并主要集中在前脑的端脑部. Bsg6在E10.5小鼠胚胎端脑的表达出现了下降,但是在中脑和后脑的表达增加,此外,Bsg6 mRNA的表达还出现在肢芽和尾部. 在HH10期的鸡胚中,Bsg6主要在头部和神经管前端表达. Northern杂交结果显示,Bsg6在很多小鼠成体组织中没有表达,但是在破骨细胞瘤中高表达. Bsg6的表达谱提示,Bsg6可能是在器官形成期对脑的发育起到重要作用的转录因子,而且其表达受到严格的调控,此外Bsg6还能与肿瘤的发生有关.     

Alu Exonization Events Reveal Features Required for Precise Recognition of Exons by the Splicing Machinery

Despite decades of research, the question of how the mRNA splicing machinery precisely identifies short exonic islands within the vast intronic oceans remains to a large extent obscure. In this study, we analyzed Alu exonization events, aiming to understand the requirements for correct selection of exons. Comparison of exonizing Alus to their non-exonizing counterparts is informative because Alus in these two groups have retained high sequence similarity but are perceived differently by the splicing machinery. We identified and characterized numerous features used by the splicing machinery to discriminate between Alu exons and their non-exonizing counterparts. Of these, the most novel is secondary structure: Alu exons in general and their 5′ splice sites (5′ss) in particular are characterized by decreased stability of local secondary structures with respect to their non-exonizing counterparts. We detected numerous further differences between Alu exons and their non-exonizing counterparts, among others in terms of exon–intron architecture and strength of splicing signals, enhancers, and silencers. Support vector machine analysis revealed that these features allow a high level of discrimination (AUC=0.91) between exonizing and non-exonizing Alus. Moreover, the computationally derived probabilities of exonization significantly correlated with the biological inclusion level of the Alu exons, and the model could also be extended to general datasets of constitutive and alternative exons. This indicates that the features detected and explored in this study provide the basis not only for precise exon selection but also for the fine-tuned regulation thereof, manifested in cases of alternative splicing.     

Evolution of the X-linked Zinc Finger Gene and the Y-linked Zinc Finger Gene in Primates

We have sequenced the partial exon of the zinc finger genes (ZFX and ZFY) in 5 hominoids, 2 Old World monkeys, 1 New World monkey, and 1 prosimian. Among these primate species, the percentage similarities of the nucleotide sequence of the ZFX gene were 96-100% and 91.2-99.7% for the ZFY gene. Of 397 sites in the ZFX and ZFY gene sequences, 20 for ZFX gene and 42 for ZFY gene were found to be variable. Substitution causes 1 amino acid change in ZFX, and 5 in ZFY, among 132 amino acids. The numbers of synonymous substitutions per site (Ks) between human and the chimpanzee, gorilla and orangutan for ZFY gene were 0.026, 0.033, and 0.085, respectively. In contrast, the Ks value between human and hominoid primates for the ZFX gene was 0.008 for each comparison. Comparison of the ZFX and ZFY genes revealed that the synonymous substitution levels were higher in hominoids than in other primates. The rates of synonymous substitution per site per year were higher in the ZFY exon than in the SRY exon, and higher in the ZFY exon than in the ZFY intron, in hominoid primates.     

一种新型锌指蛋白基因——人ZNF313的克隆、定位及表达(英文 )

运用正常可育男性和无精症病人睾丸组织的mRNA差异显示和cDNA末端快速扩增 (RACE)等方法 ,从人睾丸组织中分离了一个同时含有指环结构和C2 H2 结构域的新型锌指蛋白基因———人ZNF3 13。运用荧光原位杂交 (FISH)方法 ,将该基因定位到人染色体 2 0q13。该基因含 6个外显子 ,编码 2 2 8个氨基酸。基因组结构分析显示 ,外显子 6含有的 2个加尾信号 ,产生 2种不同的 3′端非翻译区。Northern杂交及多组织RT PCR的结果显示该基因含有 0 .75kb和 2 .4kb两种转录本 ,其中0 .75kb转录本在正常睾丸中高表达 ,而其他组织、无精症患者及胎儿睾丸组织中该基因低表达。结果提示 :人ZNF3 13基因对精子发生和男性可育性可能起重要作用     

包含BTB锌指结构的新基因Bsg2结构特性及其在发育阶段的组织表达特异性

通过消减差异筛选法寻找小鼠胚胎发育过程中在脑中特异表达的基因 .克隆得到的脑特异表达新基因 2 (brainspecificgene 2 ,简称Bsg2 )长 36 91bp ,通过生物信息学方法预测其编码一个含713个氨基酸的锌指蛋白 .此蛋白N端有一个BTB(BR C ,ttkandbab)结构域 ,C端有 9个连续的C2H2锌指结构 .该基因定位在小鼠 12号染色体上 ,包含 1个内含子和 2个外显子 .应用生物信息学和RT PCR方法分别检验该基因在小鼠各组织中的表达 .结果表明 ,Bsg2基因在小鼠胚胎及成体的各组织中普遍表达 ,在脾、肾、睾丸、肠、子宫和脑的表达水平较强 .利用整体 (wholemount)原位杂交研究其时空表达模式 .结果显示 ,Bsg2在早期的小鼠胚胎和不同时期鸡胚的头部均特异表达 ,在11d鼠胚的肢芽里也有较强的表达 .Bsg2基因的结构和表达特征预示它编码 1个具有DNA结合功能的转录调控因子 ,同时揭示它在脑的发育和器官形成过程中发挥着重要作用     

人锌指蛋白ZNF256基因克隆、表达谱分析及其功能研究

人ZNF256 基因属于C2H2 型锌指蛋白家族.该家族里面的基因大部分为转录因子,它们能够促进细胞分化、参与胚胎及心脏的发育,与精子的形成有关,并且与肿瘤相关.本文采用实时定量 PCR 方法分析了ZNF256 基因在各个组织和不同细胞系中的表达情况,亚细胞定位发现 ZNF256 定位于细胞核,萤光素酶实验分析确定 ZNF256 可以抑制 AP1 的转录活性.这些研究结果为进一步研究 ZNF256 基因在疾病发生中的作用奠定了一定的基础.     

SRp38基因在小鼠视网膜细胞中的表达以及对GluR-B小基因可变剪接的调控

SR蛋白在前体mRNA可变剪接调控中发挥重要作用.SRp38作为一种新近发现的具有神经及生殖组织特异性的SR蛋白,能够调控一些在神经组织中起重要作用的基因(如GluR-B,Trk-C,NCAML1等)的前体mRNA可变剪接,同时还可以在有丝分裂M期及热休克时抑制前体mRNA剪接的发生.利用Western blot以及免疫组织化学方法研究了SRp38蛋白在小鼠视网膜中的表达以及分布情况,结果显示,SRp38蛋白在视网膜中的表达具有区域特异性,在外网层、内核层、内网层以及节细胞层中均有表达,而在外核层无表达.对分离培养的小鼠视网膜细胞进行免疫双标记分析的结果表明,SRp38蛋白在视杆-双极细胞的胞体、轴突、树突中表达.通过瞬时共转染以及RT_PCR分析,发现在R28细胞中,SRp38过表达可以促进GluR-B小基囚Flip亚型的剪接.结果提示SRp38蛋白可能通过调控小鼠视网膜内前体mRNA可变剪接、进而在小鼠视网膜功能中发挥重要作用.     

一个新的人类锌指蛋白基因ZNF474的cDNA克隆和表达分析

数据库消减杂交就是利用NCBI中的Unigene数据库中大量的数据资源,收集各种细胞或组织的基因表达谱进行两两比较或多重比较,获得两组文库间有统计学意义的差异表达基因。运用NCBI中的数据库消减杂交分析方法,从人睾丸组织中分离了一个含有C2H2结构的新型锌指蛋白基因-ZNF474(GenBank登录号：AY461732)．通过推导和进一步的RT—PCR实验证实：该基因含2个外显子,gDNA在染色体上跨度30065bp,定位于人染色体5q23．1-q23。2．cDNA编码一个含364个氨基酸的新蛋白,分子质量是40．3kDa,等电点为9．59。Northem杂交结果显示：该基因含有2．37kb大小的唯一转录本,主要在睾丸中很强表达,卵巢中有弱表达,而其他组织中该基因无表达．结果提示：ZNF474基因对精子发生和卵母细胞的发育可能起重要作用、     

人受精促进肽受体基因（TCP11b）的剪接、克隆和差别表达

运用同源比较和PCR法 ,从人睾丸组织中分离了人受精促进肽受体TCP11基因的一个新的剪切体TCP11b ,它编码 5 0 3个氨基酸的蛋白质 ,与TCP11a相比 ,在基因组的 5′端存在复杂的外显子剪接现象。运用荧光原位杂交 (FISH)方法 ,显示该基因定位到人染色体 6p2 1。Northern杂交及多组织RT PCR的结果显示该转录本在正常睾丸中表达 ,而其他组织、无精症患者及胎儿睾丸组织中未见该基因的表达。该结果结合mTcp 11功能的提示 ,TCP11b这种转录本对精子发生和人受精过程可能起重要作用。     

Conserved Alternative Splicing Patterns and Splicing Signals in the Drosophila Sodium Channel Gene Para

We cloned genomic DNA corresponding to the Drosophila virilis homologue of para, a gene encoding a sodium channel α-subunit, and obtained many partial cDNA clones from embryos and adults. Para protein has been well conserved, and the optional elements at six different sites of alternative splicing in D. melanogaster are present in D. virilis, in addition to one new optional exon. Among 31 different splice-types observed in D. virilis, the stage-specific pattern of alternative splicing seen in D. melanogaster is also conserved. Comparison of genomic DNA sequence revealed three aspects that vary between alternatively and constitutively used exon sequences. Sixteen short blocks (10-75 bp), the only recognizably conserved intron sequence, were disproportionately associated with alternatively used splice sites. Silent site substitutions were found much less frequently in alternative than constitutive exon elements, and the degree of match to the Drosophila splice site consensus tended to be lower at less frequently selected alternative splice junctions. This study shows that the developmentally regulated variability of para products is highly conserved and therefore likely to be of functional significance and suggests that a variety of different sequence-dependent mechanisms may regulate this pattern of alternative splicing.     

Divergent Functions Through Alternative Splicing: The Drosophila CRMP Gene in Pyrimidine Metabolism, Brain, and Behavior

DHP and CRMP proteins comprise a family of structurally similar proteins that perform divergent functions, DHP in pyrimidine catabolism in most organisms and CRMP in neuronal dynamics in animals. In vertebrates, one DHP and five CRMP proteins are products of six genes; however, Drosophila melanogaster has a single CRMP gene that encodes one DHP and one CRMP protein through tissue-specific, alternative splicing of a pair of paralogous exons. The proteins derived from the fly gene are identical over 90% of their lengths, suggesting that unique, novel functions of these proteins derive from the segment corresponding to the paralogous exons. Functional homologies of the Drosophila and mammalian CRMP proteins are revealed by several types of evidence. Loss-of-function CRMP mutation modifies both Ras and Rac misexpression phenotypes during fly eye development in a manner that is consistent with the roles of CRMP in Ras and Rac signaling pathways in mammalian neurons. In both mice and flies, CRMP mutation impairs learning and memory. CRMP mutant flies are defective in circadian activity rhythm. Thus, DHP and CRMP proteins are derived by different processes in flies (tissue-specific, alternative splicing of paralogous exons of a single gene) and vertebrates (tissue-specific expression of different genes), indicating that diverse genetic mechanisms have mediated the evolution of this protein family in animals.     

运用数字差异展示方法克隆一个人类新的锌指蛋白基因ZNF474

运用数字差异展示方法,克隆一个与生精相关的睾丸高表达基因。借助公共ESTs数据库,利用DDD软件比较分析各种睾丸文库与其他组织或细胞系文库有差异表达的ESTs,成功克隆到一个在人类睾丸中高表达的新基因。结合实验获得新基因cDNA全长,该基因被国际人类基因命名委员会命名为ZNF474(GeneBank登陆号AY461732)。ZNF474的cDNA全长为1 972 bp,定位在5 q23.2。通过RT-PCR及测序验证,其开放阅读框的位置在377 bp~1 471 bp处,编码364个氨基酸,在氨基酸水平与小鼠同源基因有66%的一致性,而与其他已知蛋白质无明显同源性。Northern杂交分析显示ZNF474在成体睾丸组织特异高表达,卵巢组织弱表达,在多种其他组织中不表达,为单一转录本。原位杂交显示ZNF474基因在正常成人睾丸组织各级生精细胞、隐睾组织以及精原细胞癌组织中均有较高表达。综上考虑,推测ZNF474作为生殖细胞中特异的转录因子,对人类的精子发生和卵母细胞的发育可能起重要作用。     

利用人工锌指蛋白核酸酶进行植物基因定点突变和置换

基因定点突变技术在基因组原位改变基因特定序列,避免常规转基因过程中位置效应和插入失活。定点突变生物体不含转基因或标记基因,降低风险性。高等植物基因定点突变研究初见端倪,将可能为基因原位功能研究、作物遗传改良和分子设计提供有效策略。利用锌指蛋白核酸酶（Zinc Finger Nucleases, ZFN）引入DNA定点断裂（Double-Strand Breaks, DSBs）可以高效介导基因定点突变,使得ZFN在基因定点突变中倍受关注。文章综述了植物基因定点突变的一般策略,重点介绍了锌指蛋白的结构、原理、应用,特别是ZFN介导的植物基因定点突变与置换研究进展,并对ZFN介导的植物基因定点突变与置换应用前景进行了讨论。     

编码锌指蛋白的人类新基因TFL76的电子克隆

目的：根据基因同源同功原理电子克隆人类新基因。方法：利用基于基因识别软件Genescan和EST拼接的同源基因克隆法得到人类新基因序列TFL76,再利用生物信息学数据库和软件对其进行功能的预测和分析。结果：TFL76的cDNA序列长2268bp,开放阅读框编码677个氨基酸残基,含12个连续的C2H2型锌指基序,其分子量为76kDa。编码区序列被4个内含子分割。染色体定位于19q13．4。此位点存在很多与胃癌、膀胱癌、乳腺癌等癌症相关的基因。TFL76的N末端含有多种蛋白激酶的磷酸化位点和核定位信号。结论：TFL76可能是一个和癌症相关的核转录因子。