Isolation of non-globin genes expressed preferentially in mouse erythroid cells.

Genomic DNA recombinants were isolated from a library of Balb-C mouse genomic DNA fragments cloned in lambda Ch4A by screening with cDNA derived from 13d foetal liver cell or adult reticulocyte poly A+ RNA. Subsequent screening enabled us to identify non-globin genomic sequences whose expression appeared exclusive to or elevated in erythroid cells. Further analysis of the structure and expression of these sequences was performed using Southern blot and DNA or RNA dot hybridisation analysis. In one recombinant part of the cloned genomic sequence corresponded to an erythroblast specific mRNA identified previously by Affara et al, (5).     

IN SITU LOCALIZATION OF GLOBIN MESSENGER RNA FORMATION : I. During Mouse Fetal Liver Development

Globin mRNA levels in 11–15-day mouse fetal liver cells have been estimated by in situ hybridization of a highly labeled DNA copy (cDNA) of adult globin messenger RNAs (mRNAs) (globin cDNA) to fixed preparations of cells. Under the conditions employed, no significant in situ hybridization occurred to lymphoma cells (L 51787), mouse L cells, or hepatocytes; whereas reticulocytes from phenyl hydrazine-treated mice showed extensive in situ hybridization. The proportion of fetal liver cells showing predominantly cytoplasmic in situ hybridization increased from about 30% at the 11th day of development to 80–85% by days 13–15. Unlike more mature cells, proerythroblasts did not show in situ hybridization, except to a slight extent at later stages of development. These studies therefore indicate that globin mRNAs begin to accumulate during or shortly after the proerythroblastbasophilic erythroblast transition. The fact that certain immature erythroid cells from 14-day fetal liver contain substantial amounts of globin mRNAs has been confirmed by comparing the hybridization in solution of globin cDNA to cytoplasmic RNA extracted from total fetal liver cells or from immature erythroid cells obtained by treatment of fetal liver cells with an antiserum raised against erythrocytes.     

Preimplantation mouse embryos and liver express the same type I keratin gene product

The cytoskeletal B protein isolated from extraembryonic endodermal cells (Endo B) is a 50-kDa subunit of intermediate filaments that is expressed in trophoblast and extraembryonic endoderm of early mouse embryos. Endo B was compared to cytokeratin D of adult mouse liver by immunoprecipitation, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and peptide mapping. The two proteins were indistinguishable. A cDNA probe for Endo B mRNA identified mRNA species of similar size in liver and endoderm, and primer extension analysis indicates that the Endo B mRNAs from the two cell types have similar 5' ends. An internal fragment of the Endo B cDNA was found to cross-hybridize with a conservative domain of a human type I keratin cDNA under low stringency conditions, demonstrating that Endo B is related to type I keratins. However, under stringent conditions necessary for genomic Southern analysis, mouse and human genomic fragments homologous to the Endo B cDNA were distinct from those defined by hybridization with the type I keratin cDNA. These results indicate that Endo B is related to the type I keratin family and expands the number of type I keratin genes identified in both the mouse and human genomes. It is likely that extraembryonic endoderm, one of the first differentiated cell types of the mammalian embryo, and adult liver express the same Endo B gene.     

Gene expression in rat brain

191 randomly selected cDNA clones prepared from rat brain cytoplasmic poly (A)+ RNA were screened by Northern blot hybridization to rat brain, liver and kidney RNA to determine the tissue distribution, abundance and size of the corresponding brain mRNA. 18% hybridized to mRNAs each present equally in the three tissues, 26% to mRNAs differentially expressed in the tissues, and 30% to mRNAs present only in the brain. An additional 26% of the clones failed to detect mRNA in the three tissues at an abundance level of about 0.01%, but did contain rat cDNA as demonstrated by Southern blotting; this class probably represents rare mRNAs expressed in only some brain cells. Therefore, most mRNA expressed in brain is either specific to brain or otherwise displays regulation. Rarer mRNA species tend to be larger than the more abundant species, and tend to be brain specific; the rarest, specific mRNAs average 5000 nucleotides in length. Ten percent of the clones hybridize to multiple mRNAs, some of which are expressed from small multigenic families. From these data we estimate that there are probably at most 30,000 distinct mRNA species expressed in the rat brain, the majority of which are uniquely expressed in the brain.     

Half-life and rate of synthesis of globin messenger ribonucleic acid. Determination of half-life of messenger ribonucleic acid and its relative synthetic rate in erythroid cells

The specific radioactivity of mouse globin mRNA in blood reticulocytes was measured after injection of [(3)H]uridine into anaemic mice up to 60h before collection of reticulocytes. From these data, the decay of the acid-soluble nucleotide pool in the marrow and the relative marrow-cell composition it is possible to build models that allow the cell life-times and half-life of mRNA in the erythroid cells of the marrow to be calculated. Best fit of models to these data favour a model with either one or two cell divisions from the onset of mRNA synthesis. The single-cell-division model has cell times of 20, 13 and 7h respectively for the basophilic erythroblast, polychromatophilic erythroblast and reticulocyte. The two-cell-division model has cell times of 12, 12, 12 and 7h for the basophilic erythroblast 1 and 2, polychromatophilic erythroblast and reticulocyte respectively. Both models have an mRNA half-life of 17h and a constant rate of mRNA synthesis until enucleation at the reticulocyte stage, when synthesis stops. A declining rate of mRNA synthesis can be accommodated in a two-cell-division model, when synthesis halves at each cell division and cell times are essentially the same as above, but mRNA half-life is either 9h in the basophilic and polychromatophilic erythroblasts and 17h in the later cells, or 10h in the basophilic erythroblasts and polychromatophilic erythroblasts and 14.5h in later cells. In all cases it is clear that mRNA synthesis occurs over a time-period of only 30-36h and that mRNA cannot be pre-synthesized in precursor erythroid cells.     

A unique gene for 5-aminolevulinate synthase in chickens. Evidence for expression of an identical messenger RNA in hepatic and erythroid tissues

Reports to date have led to the conclusion that there are isozymes for 5-aminolevulinate synthase in the liver and erythroid tissue of chicken. Indeed, the existence of a multigene family for chicken 5-aminolevulinate synthase has been proposed. We find no evidence to support these proposals. In this work we show that 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA from chicken liver and reticulocytes is identical as determined by RNase mapping and primer extension studies and that the 5-aminolevulinate synthase protein from these tissues is the same size as judged by immunoblot analysis. We also show that a single mRNA species for 5-aminolevulinate synthase is present in chicken liver, reticulocytes, brain, and heart and an avian erythroblastosis virus-transformed chicken erythroblast cell line. Southern analysis shows the presence of only one gene copy for 5-aminolevulinate synthase in the chicken haploid genome. Overall, these results lead to the conclusion that in chickens 5-aminolevulinate synthase is encoded by a unique gene and is expressed as a single mRNA species in all tissues.     

Tissue- and cell type-specific expression of mRNAs for four types of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C

The mRNA levels for four types of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) in various tissues and cell cultures have been studied by Northern analysis using cDNA probes for PLC isozyme I, II, and III [Sue, P.-G., Ryu, S.H., Moon, K.H., Sue, H.W., and Rhee, S.G. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 5419-5423 and Cell 54, 161-169], and the recently identified isozyme IV. All four types are ubiquitously expressed in rat tissues, but the levels of the mRNAs vary among tissues and cell lines. PLC-I mRNA levels are extremely high in brain and rat C6 glioma cells with lower levels in other tissues tested. PLC-II and -III have a more widespread distribution, with relatively high levels in brain, lung, spleen, thymus, and testis in the case of PLC-II, and in skeletal muscle, spleen, and testis for PLC-III. PLC-II and -III mRNAs were also detected in all cell lines examined except human promyelocytic HL60 cells. PLC-IV mRNA levels are extraordinarily high in spleen and HL60 cells. These results indicate that rat C6 glioma cells, together with most rat tissues, contain all four PLC isozymes. Other cultured cell types examined also contain two or three PLC isozymes except for HL60 cells, which contain only PLC-IV. The concomitant expression of PLC isozymes in cultured cells suggests a diverse function for PLC isozymes in single cells.     

利用K562红细胞分化模型和cDNA芯片技术筛选参与红细胞分化的新基因(英文)

以氯高铁血红素 (hemin)诱导K5 6 2分化作为体外红细胞分化模型 ,结合cDNA大规模测序、生物信息学分析、基因芯片杂交和NorthernBlot分析等技术 ,筛选红细胞分化相关的新基因 .首先利用大规模测序技术从人胚肾cDNA文库中随机挑选克隆测得 192个EST(expressedsequencetags)片段 ,经在线生物信息学分析 ,得到 79个代表新基因的未知EST片段 ,并在NCBI(NationalCenterofBiotechnologyInformation)dbEST库中登录 .利用 79个ESTcDNA片段制备了基因芯片 .提取分化前后的K5 6 2细胞的mRNA作为荧光标记反转录的模板 ,反转录后的探针用于DNA芯片杂交 .分析杂交后的结果 ,得到了 2个差异表达较明显的基因 ,GenBank登录号分别为AF147772 (187bp)和AF4 776 2(6 30bp) ,并分别命名为EDRG1和EDRG2 (erythroiddifferentiationrelatedgene 1and 2 ) ,相似性检索表明它们属全新基因 ,基因组草图测序数据库检索表明了两个基因的染色体定位 .随后的Northern印迹用于验证了在分化前后的K5 6 2细胞中差异表达 .提示这两个基因参与了红细胞分化过程 .RT PCR检测了EDRG1和EDRG2在人胚胎多组织中的表达 .结果提示 ,EDRG1可能与多种胚组织的正常发育相关 ,尤其在胚脑中高丰度表达 ,而EDRG2则可能参与了胚心和胚肾的组织生成 .生物     

Unique Pattern of Gene Expression in the Erythroid Precursor Cells

Erythroid cells were fractionated by preformed Percoll density gradient from livers of 12.5 day old mouse fetuses. With combination of lysing of mature erythroid cells, the CFU-E (colony forming unit of erythroid) was enriched as high as 30% pure. The mRNA levels of the rt-genes previously cloned as genes expressed in the reticulocytes are estimated in the fractionated erythroid cells. These rt-genes show a drastic change in expression during erythroid differentiation; Their expression was not detectable at the CFU-E cell stage. But it reached to maximum at the polychromatic erythroblast (stage I) and then decreases with maturation. The result suggests that mRNA synthesis of these rt-genes may be induced after the stimulation of erythropoietin.     

The ontogeny of expression of murine metallothionein: comparison with the alpha-fetoprotein gene

The ontogeny of expression of mouse metallothionein was studied by RNA dot and Northern blot hybridization using a cloned cDNA probe. In some instances the synthesis of metallothionein was analyzed by cell-free translation of RNA as well as pulse-labeling of proteins in short-term organ cultures followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Interesting parallels between metallothionein and alpha-fetoprotein gene expression during development were noted. Like alpha-fetoprotein mRNA ( Dziadek and Andrews, 1983), metallothionein mRNA was found to be abundant in developing liver as well as in visceral yolk sac endoderm. In addition, metallothionein mRNA was abundant in parietal yolk sac. During liver development metallothionein and alpha-fetoprotein mRNAs were abundant by Day 12 of gestation, increasing to maximal levels on Day 16 and decreasing during late fetal and neonatal life to basal levels in adult. Metallothionein mRNA increased in maternal liver and was also abundant in certain hepatomas. Synthesis of metallothionein and levels of metallothionein mRNA in visceral yolk sac increased from Day 9 of gestation to maximal levels on Days 11-12 and then decreased abruptly after Day 15. RNA from differentiated teratocarcinoma cells with primitive, parietal or visceral endoderm characteristics each contained high levels of metallothionein mRNA, whereas, levels of this mRNA varied widely among embryonal carcinoma stem cell lines. alpha-Fetoprotein mRNA was not detected in embryonal carcinoma cells but was expressed in visceral endoderm-like differentiated cells. These results indicate that parietal and visceral endoderm cells actively express the metallothionein gene and further suggest that expression may be initiated at the earlier stage of primitive endoderm.