Vax基因与视觉神经系统的早期发育

视觉神经系统的发育与形成是一个相当复杂的过程,其基因调控机理是神经发育生物学领域的研究热点.Vax基因家族是新近发现的一类与视觉神经系统发育密切相关的同源异型盒基因,调控前脑、眼原基、视泡、视柄以及视网膜的发育.Vax-1参与色素上皮和视柄的分化;Vax-2则在视网膜及视神经背腹轴建立方面起重要作用.Vax基因的研究将对阐明视觉神经系统发育调控机制提供新的认识.     

植物同源异型基因及同源异型盒基因的研究进展

植物同源异型基因及同源异型盒基因是涉及植物个体发育调节的两类重要转录因子编码基因.近10年来的研究表明,这两类基因及其产物的结构与功能具有明显的差异.深入研究这两类基因的结构与功能对揭示植物的发育机制具有重要意义.     

水稻基因组MADS盒DNA的克隆和分析

利用来自金鱼草Squamosa基因的MADS盒序列作为异源探针 ,从水稻基因组Cosmid文库中筛选获得了 1个含MADS盒保守序列的DNA片段(RgMADS1 ) ,对RgMADS1进行的结构及功能研究表明 :RgMADS1中含有与已报道的MADS盒基因高度同源的区段 ;水稻基因组中存在多拷贝的含MADS盒的基因族 ;将RgMADS1与 35S启动子构成嵌合基因 ,转化拟南芥 ,转基因植株表型异常 ,主要是花型结构改变、花数目减少和花着生部位异常 .由以上分析初步认为 ,RgMADS1可能是水稻MADS盒基因家族中的一员 ,它们可能参与了花形态建成和发育过程中的功能调控     

高等植物的同源异型基因

最近几年,对植物中同源异型基因的研究正日益引人注目,并且取得了很大进展。以一些模式植物（例如拟南芥和金鱼草）局部组织的形态发育过程为研究系统,将传统经典遗传学方法和现代分子遗传学技术相结合,已经分离了许多在植物器官发育中起重要作用的同源异型基因,并初步阐述了这类基因的功能和分子之间相互调控的概约作用框架。     

同源异型盒基因对血管平滑肌细胞的调控作用

同源异型盒基因是一类对生物体的生长、发育和分化从时间和空间上进行协调的调控基因。构成血管中膜的血管平滑肌细胞表型具有极大的可塑性。在一些病理性血管重构时,血管平滑肌细胞可发生表型调变,从分化型调变为去分化型,具备增殖和迁移能力。在此过程中,多种同源异型盒基因的表达发挥了重要的调控作用。现就同源异型盒基因与血管平滑肌细胞的表型调变、增殖和迁移的关系等方面的研究进展作一综述。     

同源异型基因对花器官发育的调控

以ABC模型为基础,阐述了花器官发育调控的分子机制,对一些相关基因在其中的作用和研究进展作了介绍.     

同源异型框基因与动物早期发育

同源异型框基因广泛存在于真核生物中,编码一类转录调节蛋白。同源异型框基因在动物早期发育的基因调控中起着非常重要的作用。在动物胚胎发育过程中,同源异型框基因的表达具有复杂的时空模式和调控系统。Antp族基因对于早期胚胎发育中的模式建成,器官分化等具有重要意义。     

麻竹同源异型盒基因DlKNOX的克隆及表达分析

为探讨同源异型盒(KNOX)基因在麻竹(Dendrocalamus latiflorus)茎秆发育中的作用,采用RT-PCR和RACE技术,从其幼茎中克隆了1个KNOX同源基因,命名为Dl KNOX,其c DNA序列全长为1511 bp,包含5′UTR 196 bp、3′UTR 238 bp和编码区1077 bp。该基因编码含358氨基酸的蛋白,具有KNOX1、KNOX2、ELK和Homeobox KN等4个保守结构域,符合KNOX家族的特征,属于I类蛋白。生物信息学分析表明,该基因编码的蛋白与水稻OSH1的一致性最高(86%)。组织表达特异性分析表明,Dl KNOX在节部的表达丰度最高,其次为幼茎,根中最低。Dl KNOX基因在大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)中经诱导表达,获得1条分子量约为82 k Da的重组蛋白,与预期的重组蛋白分子量一致(包含了MBP标签蛋白42.5 k Da和Dl KNOX蛋白39.5 k Da)。该基因在大肠杆菌中的最适表达条件为28℃,0.3 mmol L–1 IPTG诱导2 h。这为进一步研究Dl KNOX在麻竹茎秆发育中的功能奠定了基础。     

植物同源异型枢基因的研究进展

植物同源异型枢基因是涉及到植物个体发育的一类重要转录因子编码基因.这类基因及其编码蛋白的结构具有明显的保守性,在植物中广泛存在,研究这类基因,对于揭示植物的发育机制具有重要意义.     

同源异型基因在花发育和进化中的作用

该文对植物发育和进化中同源异型基因的调控作用进行了综述,并介绍了金鱼草和拟南芥菜中几个同源异型基因对花器官变异的调控。     

Rx-Cre, a tool for inactivation of gene expression in the developing retina

Rx is a homeobox-containing gene that is critical for vertebrate eye development. Its expression domain delineates a field of cells from which the retina and the ventral hypothalamus develop. The 5' upstream regulatory sequences of the medaka fish Rx gene are functionally conserved during evolution to a degree that they direct gene expression into the Rx-expressing field of cells in mice. Using these sequences, we made a Cre line that can be used for inactivation of gene expression in the developing retina.     

Regulation of vertebrate eye development by Rx genes

The paired-like homeobox-containing gene Rx has a critical role in the eye development of several vertebrate species including Xenopus, mouse, chicken, medaka, zebrafish and human. Rx is initially expressed in the anterior neural region of developing embryos, and later in the retina and ventral hypothalamus. Abnormal regulation or function of Rx results in severe abnormalities of eye formation. Overexpression of Rx in Xenopus and zebrafish embryos leads to overproliferation of retinal cells. A targeted elimination of Rx in mice results in a lack of eye formation. Mutations in Rx genes are the cause of the mouse mutation eyeless (ey1), the medaka temperature sensitive mutation eyeless (el) and the zebrafish mutation chokh. In humans, mutations in Rx lead to anophthalmia. All of these studies indicate that Rx genes are key factors in vertebrate eye formation. Because these results cannot be easily reconciled with the most popular dogmas of the field, we offer our interpretation of eye development and evolution.     

Agrobacterium transient expression system as a tool for the isolation of disease resistance genes: application to the Rx2 locus in potato

Rx2 confers resistance against potato virus X (PVX). To clone Rx2, we developed a system based on Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of candidate R genes in transgenic tobacco leaves expressing the PVX coat protein elicitor of Rx2-mediated resistance. Using this system, a potato gene eliciting HR specifically in the presence of the elicitor was identified. Based on genetical and functional analysis, it is concluded that the cloned gene is Rx2. The transient expression system is potentially adaptable to cloning of any other resistance gene. The Rx2 locus is on chromosome V of potato and the encoded protein is highly similar to the products of Rx1 and Rxh1 encoded on potato chromosome XII. Rxh1 has been shown elsewhere to encode a potato cyst nematode resistance gene Gpa2. All three proteins are in the leucine zipper-nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat class of resistance gene products. Rx1 and Rx2 are functionally identical and are almost identical in the C terminal region consistent with a role of the leucine rich repeats in recognition of the PVX coat protein. In the N terminal, half there are some regions where the Rx1 and Rx2 proteins are more similar to each other than to the Rxh1 protein. However, in other regions these proteins are more similar to Rxh1 than to each other. Based on this mosaic pattern of sequence similarity, we conclude that sequence exchange occurs repeatedly between genetically unlinked disease resistance genes through a process of gene conversion.     

The Retinal Homeobox (Rx) gene is necessary for retinal regeneration

The Retinal Homeobox (Rx) gene is essential for vertebrate eye development. Rx function is required for the specification and maintenance of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). Loss of Rx function leads to a lack of eye development in a variety of species. Here we show that Rx function is also necessary during retinal regeneration. We performed a thorough characterization of retinal regeneration after partial retinal resection in pre-metamorphic Xenopus laevis. We show that after injury the wound is repopulated with retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) that express Rx and other RPC marker genes. We used an shRNA-based approach to specifically silence Rx expression in vivo in tadpoles. We found that loss of Rx function results in impaired retinal regeneration, including defects in the cells that repopulate the wound and the RPE at the wound site. We show that the regeneration defects can be rescued by provision of exogenous Rx. These results demonstrate for the first time that Rx, in addition to being essential during retinal development, also functions during retinal regeneration.     

The eyeless mouse mutation (ey1) removes an alternative start codon from the Rx/rax homeobox gene

Summary: The eyeless inbred mouse strain ZRDCT has long served as a spontaneous model for human anophthalmia and the evolutionary reduction of eyes that has occurred in some naturally blind mammals. ZRDCT mice have orbits but lack eyes and optic tracts and have hypothalamic abnormalities. Segregation data suggest that a small number of interacting genes are responsible, including at least one major recessive locus, ey1. Although predicted since the 1940s, these loci were never identified. We mapped ey1 to chromosome 18 using an F2 genome scan and there found a Met10→Leu mutation in Rx/rax, a homeobox gene that is expressed in the anterior headfold, developing retina, pineal, and hypothalamus and is translated via a leaky scanning mechanism. The mutation affects a conserved AUG codon that functions as an alternative translation initiation site and consequently reduces the abundance of Rx protein. In contrast to a targeted Rx null allele, which causes anophthalmia, central nervous system defects, and neonatal death, the hypomorphic M10L allele is fully viable. genesis 31:43–53, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.