Gene Targeting Study Reveals Unexpected Expression of Brain-expressed X-linked 2 in Endocrine and Tissue Stem/Progenitor Cells in Mice

Identification of genes specifically expressed in stem/progenitor cells is an important issue in developmental and stem cell biology. Genome-wide gene expression analyses in liver cells performed in this study have revealed a strong expression of X-linked genes that include members of the brain-expressed X-linked (Bex) gene family in stem/progenitor cells. Bex family genes are expressed abundantly in the neural cells and have been suggested to play important roles in the development of nervous tissues. However, the physiological role of its individual members and the precise expression pattern outside the nervous system remain largely unknown. Here, we focused on Bex2 and examined its role and expression pattern by generating knock-in mice; the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) was inserted into the Bex2 locus. Bex2-deficient mice were viable and fertile under laboratory growth conditions showing no obvious phenotypic abnormalities. Through an immunohistochemical analysis and flow cytometry-based approach, we observed unique EGFP reporter expression patterns in endocrine and stem/progenitor cells of the liver, pyloric stomach, and hematopoietic system. Although Bex2 seems to play redundant roles in vivo, these results suggest the significance and potential applications of Bex2 in studies of endocrine and stem/progenitor cells.     

印记基因PEG10 在葡萄胎组织中的表达以及意义

目的:通过免疫组化方法,探讨印记基因PEG10在葡萄胎组织中的表达及其在早期鉴别葡萄胎妊娠中的应用价值。方法:选取经病理组织学诊断为完全性葡萄胎、部分性葡萄胎、正常早孕、难免流产的标本共计156例,采用免疫组织化学技术检测PEG10在其中的表达,研究遗传印记基因PEG10在葡萄胎妊娠以及非葡萄胎妊娠中的表达。结果:PEG10在四组蜕膜组织中均有表达,在难免流产组呈弱阳性表达,在正常早孕组呈弱阳性和中度阳性表达,在部分性葡萄胎组中呈中度阳性和强阳性表达,在完全性葡萄胎组中呈强阳性表达。PEG10在葡萄胎妊娠组表达明显增多于非葡萄胎妊娠组,两组比较具有显著性差异(P0.01),部分性葡萄胎组表达增多于难免流产组,两组比较差异有显著性(P0.05)。结论:遗传印记基因PEG10在葡萄胎组织中的表达明显高于正常早期妊娠和难免流产组,PEG10基因表达上调与葡萄胎的发生可能有重要关系,是否可将其用于病理诊断鉴别困难时的辅助手段。     

Analysis of Interleukin-8 Gene Variants Reveals Their Relative Importance as Genetic Susceptibility Factors for Chronic Periodontitis in the Han Population

Interleukin (IL)-8, an important chemokine that regulates the inflammatory response, plays an important role in periodontitis. Previous studies indicate that certain IL-8 gene polymorphisms are associated with periodontitis susceptibility in some populations. However, the literature is somewhat contradictory, and not all IL-8 polymorphisms have been examined, particularly in Han Chinese individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of every IL-8 SNP with chronic periodontitis in Han Chinese individuals. We analyzed 23 SNPs with minor allele frequency (MAF)≥0.01, which were selected from 219 SNPs in the NCBI dbSNP and preliminary HapMap data analyses from a cohort of 400 cases and 750 controls from genetically independent Han Chinese individuals. Single SNP, haplotype and gender-specific associations were performed. We found that rs4073 and rs2227307 were significantly associated with chronic periodontitis. Further haplotype analysis indicated that a haplotype block (rs4073-rs2227307-rs2227306) that spans the promoter and exon1 of IL-8 was highly associated with chronic periodontitis. Additionally, the ATC haplotype in this block was increased 1.5-fold in these cases. However, when analyzing the samples by gender, no significant gender-specific associations in IL-8 were observed, similar to the results of haplotype association analyses in female and male subgroups. Our results provide further evidence that IL-8 is associated with chronic periodontitis in Han Chinese individuals. Furthermore, our results confirm previous reports suggesting the intriguing possibilities that IL-8 plays a role in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis and that this gene may be involved in the etiology of this condition.     

地黄RgMYB10基因的克隆与表达分析

MYB转录因子是植物最大的转录因子家族之一,广泛参与植物的生长发育、逆境胁迫和次生代谢产物积累。该研究通过同源比对和功能注释,在地黄(Rehmannia glutinosa)转录组中筛选出MYB的转录本,设计特异性引物对MYB基因的cDNA序列进行PCR扩增,用水杨酸(SA)、Ag⁺、茉莉酸甲酯(MeJA)和腐胺(Put)这4种诱导子处理地黄毛状根,并通过实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)检测候选MYB基因的表达。结果显示:(1)成功克隆到1个地黄MYB基因,命名为RgMYB10;该基因编码247个氨基酸残基,蛋白质相对分子质量28.48 kD,等电点为5.14,属于R2R3-MYB转录因子。(2)qRT-PCR结果显示,RgMYB10在须根中表达量最高,其次为茎,块根中的表达量最低。(3)RgMYB10在MeJA处理后的毛状根中显著上调表达,为特异响应MeJA诱导的基因,推测RgMYB10基因可能是响应MeJA参与地黄毛蕊花糖苷生物合成的关键转录因子。研究表明,地黄MYB10基因可能参与地黄毛蕊花糖苷的生物合成,为进一步研究MYB10基因在地黄毛蕊花糖苷合成中...     

丹参病程相关蛋白基因PR10的克隆与表达分析

病程相关蛋白(PR)的产生与积累是植物体应对生物或非生物胁迫的主要特征之一。该研究以人工培养的丹参幼苗为材料,通过分析丹参转录组数据,根据丹参病程相关蛋白基因PR10的序列设计特异性引物,采用逆转录聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)从丹参中获得PR10基因的开放阅读框(ORF),命名为SmPR10-1(GenBank注册号KF877034),并进行原核表达和纯化。结果表明:(1)SmPR10-1基因ORF为477bp,编码158个氨基酸,其蛋白质分子质量为17.38kD。(2)通过蛋白结构预测、序列多重比对和构建进化树等生物信息学分析,发现SmPR10-1基因具有保守序列(G-X-G-G-X-G)和(K-A-X-E-X-Y),其编码蛋白与葡萄等双子叶植物中的PR10蛋白同源性较高。(3)经异丙基β-D-硫代半乳糖苷(IPTG)诱导,含有表达载体pET32a-SmPR10-1的大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli BL21)可诱导表达融合蛋白;对影响蛋白表达的4个因素优化结果表明,SmPR10-1蛋白的最佳表达条件为:IPTG终浓度0.4mmol/L、起始宿主菌密度A600为0.8、诱导温度30℃、诱导时间8h,并得到纯化的SmPR10-1蛋白。该结果为进一步研究SmPR10-1基因在丹参抗病方面的生物学功能和培育丹参抗病品种奠定了基础。     

DAG Expression: High-Throughput Gene Expression Analysis of Real-Time PCR Data Using Standard Curves for Relative Quantification

Background

Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is still the gold-standard technique for gene-expression quantification. Recent technological advances of this method allow for the high-throughput gene-expression analysis, without the limitations of sample space and reagent used. However, non-commercial and user-friendly software for the management and analysis of these data is not available.

Results

The recently developed commercial microarrays allow for the drawing of standard curves of multiple assays using the same n-fold diluted samples. Data Analysis Gene (DAG) Expression software has been developed to perform high-throughput gene-expression data analysis using standard curves for relative quantification and one or multiple reference genes for sample normalization. We discuss the application of DAG Expression in the analysis of data from an experiment performed with Fluidigm technology, in which 48 genes and 115 samples were measured. Furthermore, the quality of our analysis was tested and compared with other available methods.

Conclusions

DAG Expression is a freely available software that permits the automated analysis and visualization of high-throughput qPCR. A detailed manual and a demo-experiment are provided within the DAG Expression software at http://www.dagexpression.com/dage.zip.     

Global Gene Expression Analysis Reveals a Link between NDRG1 and Vesicle Transport

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is induced by cellular stress such as hypoxia and DNA damage, and in humans, germ line mutations cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. However, the cellular roles of NDRG1 are not fully understood. Previously, NDRG1 was shown to mediate doxorubicin resistance under hypoxia, suggesting a role for NDRG1 in cell survival under these conditions. We found decreased apoptosis in doxorubicin-treated cells expressing NDRG1 shRNAs under normoxia, demonstrating a requirement for NDRG1 in apoptosis in breast epithelial cells under normal oxygen pressure. Also, different cellular stress regimens, such as hypoxia and doxorubicin treatment, induced NDRG1 through different stress signalling pathways. We further compared expression profiles in human breast epithelial cells ectopically over-expressing NDRG1 with cells expressing NDRG1 shRNAs in order to identify biological pathways where NDRG1 is involved. The results suggest that NDRG1 may have roles connected to vesicle transport.     

辣椒CaWRKY8基因克隆及胁迫下的表达分析

为了揭示辣椒WRKY基因功能,以辣椒PI201234为实验材料,克隆得到WRKY基因全长1 647bp的cDNA序列,命名为CaWRKY8。生物信息学分析表明,该基因含有一个1 647bp完整开放阅读框(ORF),编码548个氨基酸残基。氨基酸序列分析显示,CaWRKY8编码的蛋白含有2个WRKY结构域,属于Group I。氨基酸序列比对结果表明,CaWRKY8与辣椒WRKY25、马铃薯WRKY、番茄基因组中预测的WRKY26、烟草基因组中预测的WRKY33和猕猴桃WRKY的氨基酸序列之间均具有高度的保守性。实时荧光定量分析表明,CaWRKY8受盐、高温、干旱和辣椒疫霉菌诱导表达;其中CaWRKY8的表达量在盐和干旱处理下3h达到峰值,分别是对照的2.38倍和121.10倍,在高温和疫霉菌处理下12h达到峰值,分别是对照的6.12和6.81倍。以上研究结果表明,CaWRKY8基因在辣椒响应胁迫进程中发挥着重要作用。     

Phytochemical and Gene Expression Reveals the Antioxidant Responses to Copper Ions in Brassica rapa

The toxicity of increasing heavy metal ion in soil has been threatening the food security and environments. In this study, we used Brassica rapa variety Qinggen #1, a leafy and oil vegetable, to investigate the effects of coper ion (Cu²⁺) on adaptive defense to understand regulatory molecular mechanisms. The variety exhibited a high tolerance at high Cu²⁺ concentration (200 mg L⁻¹). More increases in superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and proline were observed at higher concentration than low concentrations. Enzyme activities of SOD, GR, CAT, and APX were significantly altered earlier than corresponding expression of coding genes was up-regulated, indicating two distinct regulations at enzyme and gene levels. The CAT activity and expression correlated with the reactive oxygen species levels, indicating a more important role than other enzymes. Taken together, the high tolerance to Cu²⁺ in B. rapa is resulting from changes in biochemistry, enzyme, and gene expression.

     

海岛棉GbRLCK10基因克隆及表达分析

该研究以拟南芥抗逆基因At1g67520为探针,利用海岛棉ESTs数据库,通过电子克隆获得海岛棉RLCK家族基因GbRLCK10,解析该基因组结构,并结合qRT-PCR技术分析该基因mRNA的组织表达特征以及在不同胁迫诱导下的表达模式,为揭示RLCK家族基因在海岛棉中的表达调控及作用机制提供理论依据。结果显示:(1)获得海岛棉类受体胞质激酶(RLCK)基因,其开放阅读框(ORF)为1 179bp,编码392个氨基酸,具有典型的Serine/Threonine结构域,属于RLCK家族,与GaRLCK10(XP_017604046.1)亲缘关系较近,命名为GbRLCK10(登录号2022184),且该基因由5个外显子和4个内含子组成。(2)实时荧光定量(qRT-PCR)检测显示,GbRLCK10基因在抗病品种‘新海21’和感病品种‘新海14’的根、茎、叶中均有表达;当黄萎病菌诱导后,GbRLCK10基因在抗病品种中对于病原菌的响应时间早于感病品种,且对黄萎病菌响应更强烈,推测该基因参与棉花对黄萎病的响应;盐(NaCl)、干旱(PEG-6000)处理‘新海21’后,GbRLCK10基因在NaCl处理下响应时间要早于PEG-6000处理,但对PEG-6000处理响应更强烈;分别用4种激素处理‘新海21’后,GbRLCK10均能被诱导表达,且在水杨酸(SA)处理后表现为先增加后下降再增加趋势,在乙烯(ET)处理后表达量为持续上升趋势,在茉莉酸甲酯(MeJA)处理后呈先升高然后下降的趋势,但GbRLCK10基因对赤霉素(GA3)响应不明显。研究表明,GbRLCK10基因具有RLCK基因家族典型特征,该基因随黄萎病菌、NaCl、干旱、激素处理时间推移而发生变化,推测GbRLCK10基因可能参与了棉花对黄萎病菌、NaCl、干旱、激素胁迫的应答反应,但其功能仍需进一步研究。