基因表达研究中内参基因的选择与应用

管家基因是一类无组织特异性的,在物种的所有组织细胞中都表达的基因,被广泛用作内参基因来检测目标基因在不同的组织器官、一定的发育阶段或胁迫的环境条件下的表达规律变化。这些管家基因并不是在所有生理条件下都能作为理想内参基因稳定表达。在基因表达转录分析中,大多数普遍使用的内参基因已不能满足准确定量的要求。基于统计学分析软件,如geNorm、BestKeeper和NormFinder三种分析软件,可以筛选出稳定性较好的内参基因。本文综述了内参基因的选择条件、方法及应用。     

Molecular Factors Underlying the Deposition of Intramuscular Fat and Collagen in Skeletal Muscle of Nellore and Angus Cattle

Studies have shown that intramuscular adipogenesis and fibrogenesis may concomitantly occur in skeletal muscle of beef cattle. Thus, we hypothesized that the discrepancy of intramuscular fat content in beef from Nellore and Angus was associated with differences in intramuscular adipogenesis and fibrogenesis during the finishing phase. To test our hypothesis, longissimus muscle samples of Nellore (n = 6; BW = 372.5 ± 37.3 kg) and Angus (n = 6; BW = 382.8 ± 23.9 kg) cattle were collected for analysis of gene and protein expression, and quantification of intramuscular fat and collagen. Least-squares means were estimated for the effect of Breed and differences were considered at P ≤ 0.05. A greater intramuscular fat content was observed in skeletal muscle of Angus compared to Nellore cattle (P≤0.05). No differences were observed for mRNA expression of lipogenic and lipolytic markers ACC, FAS, FABP4, SERBP–1, CPT–2, LPL, and ACOX (P > 0.05) in skeletal muscle of Nellore and Angus cattle. Similarly, no differences were observed in mRNA expression of adipogenic markers Zfp423, PPARγ, and C/EBPα (P>0.05) However, a greater PPARγ protein content was observed in skeletal muscle of Angus compared to Nellore cattle (P≤0.05). A greater abundance of adipo/fibrogenic cells, evaluated by the PDGFRα content, was observed in skeletal muscle of Angus than Nellore cattle (P≤0.05). No differences in fibrogenesis were observed in skeletal muscle of Angus and Nellore cattle, which is in accordance with the lack of differences in intramuscular collagen content in beef from both breeds (P>0.05). These findings demonstrate that difference in intramuscular fat content is associated with a slightly enhanced adipogenesis in skeletal muscle of Angus compared to Nellore cattle, while no difference in fibrogenesis.     

Dietary Fat Influences the Expression of Contractile and Metabolic Genes in Rat Skeletal Muscle

Dietary fat plays a major role in obesity, lipid metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases. To determine whether the intake of different types of dietary fats affect the muscle fiber types that govern the metabolic and contractile properties of the skeletal muscle, we fed male Wistar rats with a 15% fat diet derived from different fat sources. Diets composed of soybean oil (n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)-rich), fish oil (n-3 PUFA-rich), or lard (low in PUFAs) were administered to the rats for 4 weeks. Myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms were used as biomarkers to delineate the skeletal muscle fiber types. Compared with soybean oil intake, fish oil intake showed significantly lower levels of the fast-type MyHC2B and higher levels of the intermediate-type MyHC2X composition in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle, which is a fast-type dominant muscle. Concomitantly, MyHC2X mRNA levels in fish oil-fed rats were significantly higher than those observed in the soybean oil-fed rats. The MyHC isoform composition in the lard-fed rats was an intermediate between that of the fish oil and soybean oil-fed rats. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 3, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4, and porin mRNA showed significantly upregulated levels in the EDL of fish oil-fed rats compared to those observed in soybean oil-fed and lard-fed rats, implying an activation of oxidative metabolism. In contrast, no changes in the composition of MyHC isoforms was observed in the soleus muscle, which is a slow-type dominant muscle. Fatty acid composition in the serum and the muscle was significantly influenced by the type of dietary fat consumed. In conclusion, dietary fat affects the expression of genes related to the contractile and metabolic properties in the fast-type dominant skeletal muscle, where the activation of oxidative metabolism is more pronounced after fish oil intake than that after soybean oil intake.     

猪背最长肌中肌肉生长和脂肪沉积相关基因的差异表达和主成分分析

骨骼肌细胞和脂肪细胞在分化生长速度上相对竞争的平衡点是猪肉质和胴体性状的决定因素.利用Oligo功能分类芯片检测了瘦肉型的长白猪和脂肪型的太湖猪在初生、1、2、3、4和5月龄间背最长肌中肌肉生长和脂肪沉积相关基因的动态表达变化.差异表达分析结果显示,在初生至5月龄的品种间分别有15、16、11、13、18和20个基因的表达差异倍数大于2倍.品种内的方差分析表明,长白猪分别有18和22个基因,太湖猪分别有3和7个基因在月龄间的表达差异达极显著(Ｐ<0.01)和显著水平(Ｐ<0.05).主成分分析结果显示,先降后升是两品种内最具代表性的基因表达模式,且长白猪和太湖猪分别有7和6个基因的表达模式明显偏离其他基因,提示其可能受到了重要的调控. 此外,5个差异表达基因的荧光定量RT-PCR验证结果均与芯片结果呈正相关趋势.以上结果筛选出了对于猪肉质和胴体性状可能具有重要影响,值得深入研究的一些候选基因,为深入研究生长发育过程中参与肌纤维生长和脂肪酸合成关键基因的表达变化规律和互作调控机制提供了基础数据.     

With Reference to Reference Genes: A Systematic Review of Endogenous Controls in Gene Expression Studies

The choice of reference genes that are stably expressed amongst treatment groups is a crucial step in real-time quantitative PCR gene expression studies. Recent guidelines have specified that a minimum of two validated reference genes should be used for normalisation. However, a quantitative review of the literature showed that the average number of reference genes used across all studies was 1.2. Thus, the vast majority of studies continue to use a single gene, with β-actin (ACTB) and/or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) being commonly selected in studies of vertebrate gene expression. Few studies (15%) tested a panel of potential reference genes for stability of expression before using them to normalise data. Amongst studies specifically testing reference gene stability, few found ACTB or GAPDH to be optimal, whereby these genes were significantly less likely to be chosen when larger panels of potential reference genes were screened. Fewer reference genes were tested for stability in non-model organisms, presumably owing to a dearth of available primers in less well characterised species. Furthermore, the experimental conditions under which real-time quantitative PCR analyses were conducted had a large influence on the choice of reference genes, whereby different studies of rat brain tissue showed different reference genes to be the most stable. These results highlight the importance of validating the choice of normalising reference genes before conducting gene expression studies.     

Reference Gene Selection for Gene Expression Studies Using Quantitative Real-Time PCR Normalization in Atropa belladonna

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a powerful tool for measuring gene expression levels. Accurate and reproducible results are dependent on the correct choice of reference genes for data normalization. Atropa belladonna is a commercial plant species from which pharmaceutical tropane alkaloids are extracted. In this study, eight candidate reference genes, namely 18S ribosomal RNA (18S), actin (ACT), cyclophilin (CYC), elongation factor 1α (EF-1α), β-fructosidase (FRU), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), and beta-tubulin (TUB), were selected and their expression stabilities studied to determine their suitability for normalizing gene expression in A. belladonna. The expression stabilities of these genes were analyzed in the root, stem, and leaf under cold, heat, NaCl, UV-B, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid treatments using geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. The statistical algorithms indicated that PGK was a reliable gene for normalizing gene expression under most of the experimental conditions. The pairwise value analysis showed that two genes were sufficient for proper expression normalization, except when analyzing gene expression in heat-treated roots. However, the choice of the second reference gene depended on specific conditions. Finally, the relative expression level of the PMT gene of A. belladonna was detected to validate the selection of PGK a reliable reference gene. In summary, our results should guide the selection of appropriate reference genes for gene expression studies in A. belladonna under different organs and abiotic stress conditions.     

肌内脂肪候选基因的研究

肌内脂肪含量是重要的肉质指标,而脂肪酸结合蛋白在动物体内代谢过程中的作用,已经被认为与肌间脂肪含量等肉 质性状呈显著相关,其中两个编码基因已被列为这些数量性状的候选基因,进行了重点研究。本文通过搜索NCBI Pulmed和 Gene Bank中的文献和有关数据,比较全面地综述了近年来肌内脂肪和两类脂肪酸结合蛋白基因的研究。     

小鼠骨骼肌纤维类型定量PCR内参基因的筛选

旨在筛选定量PCR检测不同骨骼肌纤维类型的稳定内参基因,为骨骼肌的能量和糖代谢等功能研究提供基础数据.试验选用6周龄小鼠,采集腓肠肌(Gastrocnemius muscle,GAS)、比目鱼肌(Soleus,SOL)、胫骨前肌(Tibialis anterior muscle,TA)和趾长伸肌(Extensor di...     

Assessment of Reference Genes for Real-Time Quantitative PCR Gene Expression Normalization During C2C12 and H9c2 Skeletal Muscle Differentiation

Skeletal muscle differentiation occurs during muscle development and regeneration. To initiate and maintain the differentiated state, a multitude of gene expression changes occur. Accurate assessment of these differentiation-related gene expression changes requires good quality template, but more specifically, appropriate internal controls for normalization. Two cell line-based models used for in vitro analyses of muscle differentiation incorporate mouse C2C12 and rat H9c2 cells. In this study, we set out to identify the most appropriate controls for mRNA expression normalization during C2C12 and H9c2 differentiation. We assessed the expression profiles of Actb, Gapdh, Hprt, Rps12 and Tbp during C2C12 differentiation and of Gapdh and Rps12 during H9c2 differentiation. Using NormFinder, we validated the stability of the genes individually and of the geometric mean generated from different gene combinations. We verified our results using Myogenin. Our study demonstrates that using the geometric mean of a combination of specific reference genes for normalization provides a platform for more precise test gene expression assessment during myoblast differentiation than using the absolute expression value of an individual gene and reinforces the necessity of reference gene validation.     

实时荧光定量PCR分析中毛果杨内参基因的筛选和验证

实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)技术具有高灵敏性、高保真性和高特异性, 被广泛应用于基因表达的分析。在数据处理过程中, 选用稳定表达的基因作为内参基因对准确分析实验结果非常关键。以毛果杨(Populus trichocarpa)的不同组织以及锌胁迫下的组培苗为材料, 使用荧光定量PCR方法分析了TUA8、TUB6、ubiquitin、GAPDH、actin、18S rRNA和EF1α 7个看家基因的表达情况。通过geNorm、NormFinder和BestKeeper 3个程序的综合分析, 发现actin、ubiquitin、EF1α和18S rRNA的稳定性较好, 可用作毛果杨基因表达研究的内参基因; 而TUB6在不同组织中稳定性最差; GAPDH在锌胁迫下的组织中稳定性最差, 因此不适宜作为内参基因。毛果杨NAC基因的表达分析, 进一步验证了上述结果。该研究对采用qRT-PCR方法分析毛果杨基因表达过程中内参基因的选择具有指导作用, 同时对揭示NAC基因的功能也有一定的意义。     

核受体LXRs与骨骼肌糖脂代谢相关基因的关系

肝X受体(liver X receptors,LXRs)属孤核受体家族,LXRs参与机体的多种生理活动的调节,包括胆固醇的代谢和转运,脂肪的形成,糖类的代谢和炎症等过程.LXRs除在肝脏中大量表达外,在占成人体重40%的骨骼肌也有表达,并在机体的糖类代谢和脂类氧化方面发挥重要作用.目前LXRs参与骨骼肌糖脂代谢的作用和与此相关的基因已成为研究的热点,本文将对LXRs对骨骼肌代谢相关基因的表达调控作一综述.     

The JAK2/STAT3 Signal Pathway Regulates the Expression of Genes Related to Skeletal Muscle Development and Energy Metabolism in Mice and Mouse Skeletal Muscle Cells

The gene encoding a β-galactosidase from Entevobacter cloacae GAO was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the insert of a positive clone had an open reading frame of 3084 bp that encoded a polypeptide of 1028 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 116,677 daltons. The amino acid sequence of β-galactosidase deduced from the nucleotide sequence, especially the sequence around the putative active site and of the fourteen regions, showed significant homology to β-galactosidases of other microorganisms, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Clostridium acetobutylicum.