Oct-4, Rex-1, and Gata-4 expression in human MSC increase the differentiation efficiency but not hTERT expression

Micro-environment seems to exert an important influence on human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation and proliferative capacity in bone marrow as well as in culture ex vivo. Oct-4, Rex-1, and TERT genes are well-known for the maintenance of pluripotentiality differentiation and the proliferative capacity of embryonic stem cells. Some previous data report expression of these embryonic factors in selected clones from bone marrow adult stem cells. Our goal was to study expression of Oct-4, Rex-1, and TERT in primary cultured human MSC according to the serum concentration. In addition, we have studied the expression of Gata-4 since this factor plays a key role in organogenesis. We hypothesized that low serum concentration with appropriate growth factors may induce an undifferentiated status with a re-expression of embryonic factors and extend differentiation capacity. Thus, using a defined culture medium, we report on the increased expression of Oct-4, Rex-1, and Gata-4 in human MSC. We have correlated this expression to an increase in differentiation efficiency towards osteogenic and adipogenic phenotypes. Our data suggest that the culture medium used permits the emergence of adult stem cells with a high differentiation capacity and expression of embryonic factors. These cells may have important implications for cell therapy.     

Expression profile of genes identified in human spermatogonial stem cell‐like cells using suppression subtractive hybridization

Spermatogenesis is the process by which testicular spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) self‐renew and differentiate into mature sperm in the testis. Maintaining healthy spermatogenesis requires proper proliferation of SSCs. In this study, we sought to identify factors that regulate the proliferation of SSCs. Human SSC (hSSC)‐like cells were isolated from azoospermic patients by a modified culture method and propagated in vitro. After four to five passages, the SSC‐like cells spontaneously ceased proliferating in vitro, so we collected proliferating (P)‐hSSC‐like cells at passage two and senescent (S)‐hSSC‐like cells at passage five. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify genes that were differentially expressed between the P‐hSSC‐like and S‐hSSC‐like cells. We selected positive clones up‐regulated in P‐hSSC‐like cells using SSH and functionally characterized them by reference to public databases using NCBI BLAST tools. Expression levels of genes corresponding to subtracted clones were analyzed using RT‐PCR. Finally, we confirmed the differential expression of 128 genes in positive clones of P‐hSSC‐like cells compared with S‐hSSC‐like cells and selected 23 known and 39 unknown clones for further study. Known genes were associated with diverse functions; 22% were related to metabolism. Fifteen of the known genes and two of the unknown genes were down‐regulated after senescence of hSSC‐like cells. A comparison with previous reports further suggests that known genes selected, SPP1, may be related to germ cell biogenesis and cellular proliferation. Our findings identify several potential novel candidate biomarkers of proliferating‐ and senescencet‐hSSCs, and they provide potentially important insights into the function and characteristics of human SSCs. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 752–762, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

转录因子Oct-4调控下游靶基因及其与胚胎发育全能/多能性的关系

作为一个和胚胎发育全能／多能性相关的转录因子,Oct-4通过多种多样的调控机制激活或抑制不同靶基因的转录,从而在细胞的全能／多能性及未分化状态的调控维持中发挥重要的作用。已知受Oct-4调控的靶基因中,不仅有一些重要的转录因子如Rex-I,而且有一些参与重要细胞活动的基因如Fgf-4,因此对Oct-4调控下游靶基因的研究将有助于对其在分化发育中所起作用的进一步了解,同时对全能／多能性这一发育学基本问题及其调控网络有一个新的认识。     

Analysis of gene expression in granulosa cells of ovine antral growing follicles using suppressive subtractive hybridization

Follicular growth, development and ovulation are highly ordered processes that involve the expression of many genes under precise temporal and spatial regulation. However, information on stage-specific gene expression during the antral follicle phase in sheep is not well understood. In the present study, suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was performed to screen genes that were differentially expressed in the granulosa cells between large follicles (LF, >5 mm) and small follicles (SF, 3–5 mm), and subtractive cDNA library was constructed. Furthermore, with dot-blot analysis, a total of 90 clones randomly selected from the library were proven to be differentially expressed in the granulosa cells. Among these, 38 exhibited high homology to known genes, 14 sequences were corresponding to novel expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Four ESTs, LAPTM4A, SERPINE2, GSTA1, and INHBA, were further examined the reproducibility of the SSH data by the real-time quantitative PCR. Results confirmed an increase expression of respective mRNA in granulosa cells of large follicles compared with that of small follicles. It is concluded that we have identified several genes (known or unknown) that may effect follicular growth, dominance or ovulation in ewes.     

人参植物皂苷生物合成相关新基因的筛选与鉴定

人参植物根进行的特定发育过程在药用次生物———人参皂苷生物合成和累积中发挥重要作用。为从人参根中分离出人参皂苷生物合成相关基因 ,采用抑制差减杂交技术 ,构建四年和一年生人参根组织mRNA群体间正向差减cDNA文库。对从差减文库中筛选的 4 0个阳性cDNA克隆进行酶切、PCR与逆向Northern斑点杂交鉴定、DNA测序以及核苷酸序列同源性比较。结果表明 ,获得的 6个差减克隆在GenBank/DDBJ/BMBL无对应的同源基因 ,代表新基因序列。与此同时 ,使用Northern印迹杂交验证及半定量RT PCR进一步确认 ,6个转录本为根发育阶段差异性表达基因。因而提示 ,它们可能在人参皂苷生物合成中发挥了重要作用。此外 ,在人参茎、叶与种子中亦能检测到上述基因转录本的表达。目前 ,6个新基因已被命名 ,在GenBank注册并获登录号 ,为克隆上述新基因cDNA全长序列及深入鉴定其在人参皂苷生物合成中的功能提供了重要实验依据。     

Spinal Cord Transcriptome Analysis Using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization and Mirror Orientation Selection

Comparison of cDNA libraries derived from the spinal cord with those derived from the visual cortex by means of forward and reverse subtractive hybridization resulted in the cataloguing of 60 genes differentially expressed in the spinal cord. 1. The differentially expressed genes represent a mixture of novel and known sequences with known and unknown protein products. 2. The possibility that the subtraction process was simply overwhelmed by background sequences was significantly reduced by several observations including comparisons between suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and mirror orientation selection (MOS). 3. Nearly half of all genes up-regulated in the spinal cord are of myelin origin. 4. Twenty-five percent of all up-regulated clones in the spinal cord versus the visual cortex are for proteolipid protein. 5. Ten percent of all up-regulated clones in spinal cord versus visual cortex are for ferretin heavy chain, which is known to be produced in oligodendroglial cells in the CNS. 6. Two of the up-regulated sequences, proteolipid protein and N-myc down-regulated gene 4, are identified with genes known to directly affect neuron survival. 7. Two of the up-regulated genes, ferritin and transferrin, are indirectly associated with apoptosis through their ability to sequester iron and reduce free radical formation.     

Identification of immunostimulatory DNA-induced genes by suppression subtractive hybridization

Bacterial DNA and related synthetic immunostimulatory oligodeoxyribo-nucleotides (ISS-ODN) have stimulatory effects on mammalian immune cells through a Toll-like receptor, TLR9. Genes upregulated in ISS-ODN-stimulated immune cells are obviously significant to delineate the mechanism of the induced innate immunity. Employing suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), we have generated a profile of genes induced by ISS-ODN in spleen cells. Sequencing of 87 clones isolated by the SSH showed 39 clones corresponding to known mouse genes in the public database. Eleven clones appeared to possess 80-90% homology with known mouse genes and the remaining 37 clones showed no significant homology with any known mouse genes. A series of known genes which have not previously been reported to be induced with ISS-ODN were confirmed to be induced in ISS-ODN-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages: NF-kappaB p105, IRF-1, PA28beta, IRG2, and MyD88. These genes were suggested to be involved in the molecular process of innate host defense mechanisms.     

Identification of differentially expressed genes in omental adipose tissues of obese patients by suppression subtractive hybridization

To identify differentially expressed genes between obese individuals and normal control, we have undertaken suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Omental adipose tissues were obtained via abdominal surgery for appendicitis in both 13 obese subjects [BMI (body mass index) >30 kg/m2] and 13 normal subjects (BMI >18 and <25 kg/m2). Following SSH, about one thousand clones were sequenced and found to derive from 426 different genes. These predominately expressed genes included genes involved in lipid metabolism, cytokines, signal transduction, GLUT4 translocation, cell cycle and growth, cytoskeleton, and others. Although more detailed analyses are necessary, it is anticipated that further study of genes identified will provide insights into their specific roles in the etiology of obesity.     

血管紧张素Ⅱ诱导心肌成纤维细胞表达上调基因的分离和鉴定

为了对成年大鼠心肌成纤维细胞（cardiac fibroblasts,CF）受血管紧张素Ⅱ（angiotensin Ⅱ,AngⅡ）刺激后上调基因表达谱进行筛选及分析,以受AngⅡ刺激CF为实验方,未刺激CF为驱动方,进行抑制消减杂交（suppression subtractive hybridization,SSH）,建立消减cDNA文库。经斑点杂交筛选文库后将表达变化显著的部分阳性克隆测序及同源性分析,共获得19个上调表达的基因,分别与细胞外基质、细胞周期、胞内信号转导、细胞骨架及细胞代谢等功能相关,并克隆到7个新的基因表达序列标签（expressed sequence tags,EST）。我们的数据证实了SSH可以有效地克隆成年大鼠CF受AngⅡ刺激后上调表达基因,对这些基因的研究将有助于阐明心肌重塑的分子机制。     

Identification of Botrytis cinerea genes up-regulated during infection and controlled by the Galpha subunit BCG1 using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH)

The Galpha subunit BCG1 plays an important role during the infection of host plants by Botrytis cinerea. Delta bcg1 mutants are able to conidiate, penetrate host leaves, and produce small primary lesions. However, in contrast to the wild type, the mutants completely stop invasion of plant tissue at this stage; secondary lesions have never been observed. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify fungal genes whose expression on the host plant is specifically affected in bcg1 mutants. Among the 22 differentially expressed genes, we found those which were predicted to encode proteases, enzymes involved in secondary metabolism, and others encoding cell wall-degrading enzymes. All these genes are highly expressed during infection in the wild type but not in the mutant. However, the genes are expressed in both the wild type and the mutant under certain conditions in vitro. Most of the BCG1-controlled genes are still expressed in adenylate cyclase (bac) mutants in planta, suggesting that BCG1 is involved in at least one additional signaling cascade in addition to the cAMP-depending pathway. In a second SSH approach, 1,500 clones were screened for those that are specifically induced by the wild type during the infection of bean leaves. Of the 22 BCG1-controlled genes, 11 also were found in the in planta SSH library. Therefore, SSH technology can be successfully applied to identify target genes of signaling pathways and differentially expressed genes in planta.     

Combining SSH and cDNA microarrays for rapid identification of differentially expressed genes

Comparing patterns of gene expression in cell lines and tissues has important applications in a variety of biological systems. In this study we have examined whether the emerging technology of cDNA microarrays will allow a high throughput analysis of expression of cDNA clones generated by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). A set of cDNA clones including 332 SSH inserts amplified by PCR was arrayed using robotic printing. The cDNA arrays were hybridized with fluorescent labeled probes prepared from RNA from ER-positive (MCF7 and T47D) and ER-negative (MDA-MB-231 and HBL-100) breast cancer cell lines. Ten clones were identified that were over-expressed by at least a factor of five in the ER-positive cell lines. Northern blot analysis confirmed over-expression of these 10 cDNAs. Sequence analysis identified four of these clones as cytokeratin 19, GATA-3, CD24 and glutathione-S-transferase mu-3. Of the remaining six cDNA clones, four clones matched EST sequences from two different genes and two clones were novel sequences. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence confirmed that CD24 protein was over-expressed in the ER-positive cell lines. We conclude that SSH and microarray technology can be successfully applied to identify differentially expressed genes. This approach allowed the identification of differentially expressed genes without the need to obtain previously cloned cDNAs.     

Human embryonic stem cell lines derived from the Chinese population

Six human embryonic stem cell lines were established from surplus blastocysts. The cell lines expressed alkaline phosphatase and molecules typical of primate embryonic stem cells, including Oct-4, Nanog, TDGF1, Sox2, EBAF, Thy-1, FGF4, Rex-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81. Five of the six lines formed embryoid bodies that expressed markers of a variety of cell types; four of them formed teratomas with tissue types representative of all three embryonic germ layers. These human embryonic stem cells are capable of producing clones of undifferentiated morphology, and one of them was propagated to become a subline. Human embryonic stem cell lines from the Chinese population should facilitate stem cell research and may be valuable in studies of population genetics and ecology.     

Suppression subtractive hybridization identifies differentially expressed genes in Brassica napus chlorophyll-reduced mutant

Suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) was used to identify differentially expressed genes caused by a chlorophyll-reduced mutation in B. napus. The cDNA fragments, derived from SSH positive subtractive library (tester: normal wild type, driver: mutant) were cloned into pMD18-T vector. Two hundred SSH cDNA clones were screened by dot blot array, and 151 clones were identified as differentially expressed cDNA fragments in Cr3529 line. Thirty-six positive clones which showed marked expression differences were selected and sequenced. After redundant cDNAs were removed, 33 differentially expressed unique cDNA section clones were obtained. Among the 33 clones, two clones possess different parts of the cDNA sequence of the same gene coding geranylgeranyl reductase, four clones belong to unknown proteins, and the rest share homology to genes of diverse class. Sequence analysis showed that at least 12 genes were discovered to be related to the photosynthesis, seven of them coded the proteins which belong to the subunit of photosystem 2. RNA gel blot analysis showed that compared with 3529, the gene expression of the chlorophyll a/b-binding protein Lhcb2 in photosystem 2 declined markedly in the cotyledons and seedling leaves of Cr3529, indicating that the reduced light-harvesting complex 2 accumulation in thylakoid membrane of Cr3529 was due to the decrease of the related gene mRNA level for translation.     

A profile of differentially expressed genes in primary colorectal cancer using suppression subtractive hybridization

As a step towards understanding the complex differences between normal cells and cancer cells, we have used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) to generate a profile of genes overexpressed in primary colorectal cancer (CRC). From a 35? omitted?000 clone SSH-cDNA repertoire, we have screened 400 random clones by reverse Northern blotting, of which 45 clones were scored as overexpressed in tumor compared to matched normal mucosa. Sequencing showed 37 different genes and of these, 16 genes corresponded to known genes in the public databases. Twelve genes, including Smad5 and Fls353, have previously been shown to be overexpressed in CRC. A series of known genes which have not previously been reported to be overexpressed in cancer were also recovered: Hsc70, PBEF, ribophorin II and Ese-3B. The remaining 21 genes have as yet no functional annotation. These results show that SSH in conjunction with high throughput screening provides a very efficient means to produce a broad profile of genes differentially expressed in cancer. Some of the genes identified may provide novel points of therapeutic intervention.     

利用抑制差减杂交技术分离受水稻抗性调控的褐飞虱基因

为分离受水稻抗性调控的褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens基因, 以取食感虫水稻台中1号和高抗水稻B5的2叶1芯秧苗24 h的褐飞虱4龄若虫为起始材料, 采用抑制差减杂交技术构建了两个群体间的正反向差减cDNA文库。通过斑点杂交从差减文库中筛选代表受水稻抗性调控的基因的cDNA克隆, 进行测序和功能分析, 挑选具功能的基因进行Northern杂交验证。结果表明, 通过斑点杂交筛选到的98个阳性克隆代表92个互不重复的单基因, 其中25个与动物的已知蛋白基因存在较高的同源性。Northern杂交表明, 这25个基因有11个表达上调, 8个表达下调, 提示它们可能在褐飞虱适应抗性水稻过程中发挥了重要作用。本研究结果为克隆上述新基因的全长cDNA序列及进一步研究其在褐飞虱与水稻互作中的功能奠定了基础。     

性逆转石斑鱼性腺差异表达基因的克隆和筛选

以 17α 甲基睾丸酮 (17α MT)饲喂 2～ 4龄赤点石斑鱼 (Epinephelusakaara) ,成功地促使其性转变为具有生殖功能的雄鱼 .应用抑制性差减杂交 (SSH)技术构建了石斑鱼性反转前后性腺组织的SMARTcDNA文库及其cDNA差减文库 ,从中随机挑取 12 0 0个克隆进行了PCR和斑点杂交筛选 ,得到 12 0个差异表达cDNA片段 .挑选 71个cDNA克隆测序 ,将所测序列经GenBank检索和生物信息学比较 ,发现有 5 1个cDNA片段序列无明显的同源性 ,2 0个片段与报道的基因有较高同源性 .在这 2 0个具同源性的片段中有 3个片段可能是与性别分化密切相关的重要功能基因 ,它们是钙调蛋白基因、活性蛋白激酶C受体基因和一氧化氮合酶蛋白抑制剂基因 .这 3个基因被分别命名为鱼钙调蛋白基因 (GenBankaccession :AY2 8136 3)、鱼活性蛋白激酶C受体基因 (GenBankaccession :AY2 8136 4)和鱼一氧化氮合酶蛋白抑制剂基因 (GenBankaccession :AY2 8136 5 ) .