Cloning, Expression, and Mapping of GDP-D-mannose Pyrophosphorylase cDNA from Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)

GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP, EC 2.7.7.22) catalyzes the synthesis of GDP-D-mannose and represents the first committed step in plant ascorbic acid biosynthesis. Using potato GMP cDNA sequence as a querying probe, 65 highly homologous tomato ESTs were obtained from dbEST of GenBank and the putative cDNA sequence of tomato GMP was assembled. The full-length GMP cDNA of tomato was cloned by RACE-PCR with primers designed according to the assembled cDNA sequence. The full-length cDNA sequence contained a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1 086 bp, which encoded 361 amino acid residues. This gene was designated as LeGMP (GenBank accession No. AY605668). Homology analysis of LeGMP showed a 96% identity with potato GMP and the deduced amino acid showed 99%, 97%, 91% and 89% homology with GMP from potato, tobacco, alfalfa and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. Northern blot analysis showed that LeGMP was constitutively expressed in roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of tomato; but the expression levels varied.LeGMP was mapped to 3-D using 75 tomato introgression lines (ILs), each containing a single homozygous RFLP-defined chromosome segment from the green-fruited species Lycopersicon pennellii.     

小鼠睾丸特异表达基因TSEG-1的克隆及序列分析

从表达序列标签(expressed sequence tags, ESTs)数据库ZooDDD中获得小鼠正常睾丸表达的EST, 通过dbEST数据库检索出与其高度同源的EST序列, 构建EST叠加群(contigs), Biolign软件拼接, GeneScan软件预测contigs对应的基因组序列中的外显子、内含子; 针对开放阅读框设计引物序列, 采用RT-PCR从小鼠睾丸组织中克隆新基因的cDNA, 分析该基因在小鼠各脏器中的mRNA表达, 并对测序结果进行生物信息学分析。结果表明: 在小鼠X染色体的1 668~2 011 kb间克隆出一新基因TSEG-1, 全长为510 bp, 开放阅读框为336 bp, 编码111氨基酸, 分子量12.84258 kDa, 等电点11.4000。RT-PCR证实该基因开放阅读框正确, 在小鼠睾丸组织中特异性表达, 且与小鼠其他cDNA 无同源性, 获得GenBank 登录号EU079024。功能区分析发现TSEG-1蛋白可能为一种跨膜蛋白, 跨膜区位于第41~61氨基酸残基。TSEG-1基因与人类睾丸特异性组蛋白2a变异体基因有较高同源性, 在TSEG-1基因5′-端非编码侧翼预测发现存在1个启动子区域, 范围为680 bp。 TSEG-1蛋白可能有4个抗原性位点, 2个特异性蛋白激酶的磷酸化位点, 其亚细胞定位可能位于线粒体。小鼠睾丸特异性基因TSEG-1的克隆为进一步研究其生物学功能和表达调控奠定了基础。     

猪肌肉素基因的cDNA克隆与表达

从人肌肉素基因出发, 在dbEST数据库中进行同源性搜索, 找到七个有较高同源性的Expressed Sequence Tag(DY426490, CF787546, AJ660979, AJ664670, AJ663820, AJ680159, DN106254)。通过拼接和进一步RT-PCR实验验证, 获得猪肌肉素基因全长cDNA序列, 其全长651 bp, 开放阅读框为54~452 bp, 编码有132个氨基酸。同源性分析结果表明, 与人、小鼠和大鼠的肌肉素基因cDNA编码区(CDS)同源性分别为87.2%、77.6%和77.9%。利用克隆出的猪肌肉素cDNA, 构建表达载体pGEX-4T-1-musclin, 并在BL21大肠杆菌中成功表达和纯化了分子量为38.59 kD的融合蛋白GST-Musclin, 并运用蛋白印迹技术进行鉴定。     

Molecular Cloning and Expression of cDNA for Murine Galactocerebrosidase and Mutation Analysis of the Twitcher Mouse,a Model of Krabbe's Disease

Abstract: The cDNA for a murine galactocerebrosidase was isolated from a murine testis cDNA library on the basis of its homology with the cDNA for human galactocerebrosidase and a PCR method was used to clone the 5′ end. It has a 2,278-nucleotide sequence including a 2,004-nucleotide open reading frame, which encodes 668 amino acid residues. The identity between the human and murine amino acid sequences was very high, being calculated to be 84%. Sequencing of cDNA from liver of the twitcher mouse revealed a nonsense mutation at codon 339 (TGG → TGA). The most abundant mRNA of the murine galactocerebrosidase gave a 3.6-kb band, which was not detected in twitcher mice. This suggests that the cDNA (2,278 bp) we characterized represents a minor species generated by an alternate poly(A) signal and that most of the mRNA has a much longer 3′-untranslated region. Genome analysis revealed that this mutation was homozygous in the twitcher and heterozygous in the carrier but was not present in normal mice. The normal mouse cDNA but not the mutant cDNA of the galactocerebrosidase transfected into COS1 cells gave rise to an increase in enzymatic activity. We concluded that this mutation results in the deficiency of galactocerebrosidase in the twitcher mouse.     

cDNA cloning of human oxysterol-binding protein and localization of the gene to human chromosome 11 and mouse chromosome 19

Cellular cholesterol metabolism is regulated primarily through sterol-mediated feedback suppression of the activity of the low-density lipoprotein receptor and several enzymes of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. We previously described the cloning of a rabbit cDNA for the oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP), a cytosolic protein of 809 amino acids that may participate in these regulatory events. We now use the rabbit OSBP cDNA to clone the human OSBP cDNA and 5' genomic region. Comparison of the human and rabbit OSBP sequences revealed a remarkably high degree of conservation. The cDNA sequence in the coding region showed 94% identity between the two species, and the predicted amino acid sequence showed 98% identity. The human cDNA was used to determine the chromosomal localization of the OSBP gene by Southern blot hybridization to panels of somatic cell hybrid clones containing subsets of human or mouse chromosomes and by RFLP analysis of recombinant inbred mouse strains. The OSBP locus mapped to the long arm of human chromosome 11 and the proximal end of mouse chromosome 19. Along with previously mapped genes including Ly-1 and CD20, OSBP defines a new conserved syntenic group on the long arm of chromosome 11 in the human and the proximal end of chromosome 19 in the mouse.     

Identification and characterisation of a homolog of an activation gene for the recombination activating gene 1 (RAG 1) in amphioxus

Expression of recombination activating genes (RAG) involved in the V (D) J recombination is regulated by the RAG1 gene activator (RGA) in mammals. The sequence of a cDNA clone from an amphioxus cDNA library was found to be homologous to that of RGA from mouse stromal cells with 45% identity. The full-length cDNA sequence comprises 1119 bp and encodes a putative protein of 210 amino acid residues. Characterisation of the amino acid sequence revealed that two MtN3 domains and seven transmembrane spans are present in this protein, indicating a potential role as a plasma membrane protein. This gene is expressed in many tissues and at differential developmental stages. A high expression level of RGA is detected in gonad tissues, and gastrula embryo and adult stages. The presence of the RGA gene in amphioxus suggests that the signal pathway required for the expression of RAG could exist in this primitive protochordate. It also implies that in the related molecules, primitive adaptive immunity may have existed in cephalochordate although the complete machinery of VDJ rearrangement may not be formed.     

Mouse liver NAD(P)H:quinone acceptor oxidoreductase: protein sequence analysis by tandem mass spectrometry, cDNA cloning, expression in Escherichia coli, and enzyme activity analysis.

The amino acid sequence of mouse liver NAD(P)H:quinone acceptor oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.99.2) has been determined by tandem mass spectrometry and deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA encoding for the enzyme. The electrospray mass spectral analyses revealed, as previously reported (Prochaska HJ, Talalay P, 1986, J Biol Chem 261:1372-1378), that the 2 forms--the hydrophilic and hydrophobic forms--of the mouse liver quinone reductase have the same molecular weight. No amino acid sequence differences were found by tandem mass spectral analyses of tryptic peptides of the 2 forms. Moreover, the amino-termini of the mouse enzymes are acetylated as determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Further, only 1 cDNA species encoding for the quinone reductase was found. These results suggest that the 2 forms of the mouse quinone reductase have the same primary sequences, and that any difference between the 2 forms may be attributed to a labile posttranslational modification. Analysis of the mouse quinone reductase cDNA revealed that the enzyme is 273 amino acids long and has a sequence homologous to those of rat and human quinone reductases. In this study, the mouse quinone reductase cDNA was also ligated into a prokaryotic expression plasmid pKK233.2, and the constructed plasmid was used to transform Escherichia coli strain JM109. The E. coli-expressed mouse quinone reductase was purified and characterized. Although mouse quinone reductase has an amino acid sequence similar to those of the rat and human enzymes, the mouse enzyme has a higher NAD(P)H-menadione reductase activity and is less sensitive to flavones and dicoumarol, 2 known inhibitors of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)