Disruption of the Arabidopsis RAD50 gene leads to plant sterility and MMS sensitivity

The Rad50 protein is involved in the cellular response to DNA-double strand breaks (DSBs), including the detection of damage, activation of cell-cycle checkpoints, and DSB repair via recombination. It is essential for meiosis in yeast, is involved in telomere maintenance, and is essential for cellular viability in mice. Here we present the isolation, sequence and characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana RAD50 homologue (AtRAD50) and an Arabidopsis mutant of this gene. A single copy of this gene is present in the Arabidopsis genome, located on chromosome II. Northern analysis shows a single 4.3 Kb mRNA species in all plant tissues tested, which is strongly enriched in flowers and other tissues with many dividing cells. The predicted protein presents strong conservation with the other known Rad50 homologues of the amino- and carboxy-terminal regions. Mutant plants present a sterility phenotype which co-segregates with the T-DNA insertion. Molecular analysis of the mutant plants shows that the sterility phenotype is present only in the plants homozygous for the T-DNA insertion. An in vitro mutant cell line, derived from the mutant plant, shows a clear hypersensitivity to the DNA-damaging agent methylmethane sulphonate, suggesting a role of RAD50 in double-strand break repair in plant cells. This is the first report of a plant mutated in a protein of the Rad50-Mre11-Xrs2 complex, as well as the first data suggesting the involvement of the Rad50 homologue protein in meiosis and DNA repair in plants.     

利用苏云金芽胞杆菌转座子Tn4430构建含cry1Ac10基因的解离载体

将cry1Ac10基因和苏云金芽胞杆菌的复制起始区连 接在一起,并在其两侧按相同方向各连接一个来自苏云金芽胞杆菌转座子Tn4430的解离位点,构成转移单位。再将革兰氏阳性细菌的抗性标记基因和大肠杆菌克隆载体pUC19与之连接,获得含cry1Ac10基因的解离载体pBMB801。将其转化苏云金芽胞杆菌无晶体突变体,再导入含解离酶基因的辅助质粒pBMB1200。在解离酶作用下,两个解离位点间发生重组,消除基在操作中的抗性标记基因等非必需基因片段,获得仅保留有完整cry1Ac10基因和来 自苏云金芽胞杆菌质粒复制起始区,在无抗生素选择压力下能稳定遗传的重组质粒pBMB801B 。     

应用基因敲除快速构建大肠杆菌突变体改造脂肪酸代谢途径

【目的】基因敲除技术是研究基因功能的重要手段。我们试图建立一种快速、高效的大肠杆菌基因敲除方法。【方法】利用大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)BW25113单基因缺失体Keio文库,将经典的Red同源重组技术与P1噬菌体转导技术相结合,对E.coli MG1655脂肪酸代谢基因进行快速敲除。【结果】获得了大肠杆菌β-氧化途径的缺失菌株△fadD、△fadE和△fadD-△fadE;脂肪酸合成途径缺失菌株△fabH、△fabF和△fabH-△fabF。敲除fadD和fadE对生长情况没有影响;敲除fabH后,生长速度明显减慢;敲除fabF对生长几乎没有影响。FadD、FadE及双敲缺失体的脂肪酸含量18.2 mg/L、20.0mg/L和19.2 mg/L,略高于野生型17.5 mg/L;FabH、FabF及双敲缺失体的含量分别为12.6 mg/L、15.2 mg/L和11.2 mg/L,明显低于野生型。【结论】在单基因突变体文库基础上,利用P1噬菌体转导、Red同源重组和抗性基因消除进行基因敲除,简化了构建大肠杆菌单基因和多重突变体的方法。     

人重组白蛋白基因在巴斯德毕赤酵母中的高效表达

The yeast Pichia pastoris was transformed by the multi\|copy Pichia expression vector that can express secreted human albumin.The high level expression of cell line was selected after screening.The expression of human recombinant albumin in Pichia pastoris induced by different methods were compared.The retio of secreted human albumin is 80% in total secreted proteins and the expression level reaches as high as is 10g/L.     

Transgenic Melon and Squash Expressing Coat Protein Genes of Aphid-borne Viruses do not Assist the Spread of an Aphid Non- transmissible Strain of Cucumber Mosaic Virus in the Field

Transgenic melon and squash containing the coat protein (CP) gene of the aphid transmissible strain WL of cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) were grown under field conditions to determine if they would assist the spread of the aphid non-transmissible strain C of CMV, possibly through heterologous encapsidation and recombination. Transgenic melon were susceptible to CMV strain C whereas transgenic squash were resistant although the latter occasionally developed chlorotic blotches on lower leaves. Transgenic squash line ZW-20, one of the parents of commercialized cultivar Freedom II, which expresses the CP genes of the aphid transmissible strains FL of zucchini yellow mosaic (ZYMV) and watermelon mosaic virus 2 (WMV 2) potyviruses was also tested. Line ZW-20 is resistant to ZYMV and WMV 2 but is susceptible to CMV. Field experiments conducted over two consecutive years showed that aphid-vectored spread of CMV strain C did not occur from any of the CMV strain C-challenge inoculated transgenic plants to any of the uninoculated CMV-susceptible non- transgenic plants. Although CMV was detected in 3% (22/764) of the uninoculated plants, several assays including ELISA, RT- PCR-RFLP, identification of CP amino acid at position 168, and aphid transmission tests demonstrated that these CMV isolates were distinct from strain C. Instead, they were non-targeted CMV isolates that came from outside the field plots. This is the first report on field experiments designed to determine the potential of transgenic plants expressing CP genes for triggering changes in virus-vector specificity. Our results indicate that transgenic plants expressing CP genes of aphid transmissible strains of CMV, ZYMV, and WMV 2 are unlikely to mediate the spread of aphid non-transmissible strains of CMV. This finding is of practical relevance because transgenic crops expressing the three CP genes are targeted for commercial release, and because CMV is economically important, has a wide host range, and is widespread worldwide.     

人类Y染色体的演化

人类Y染色体由于其性别决定的特殊功能和独有的进化史一直以来都备受关注。Y染色体起源于常染色体,经历了严重的退化过程。由于其缺乏重组,蛋白编码基因少,重复序列多所以研究进展缓慢。近年来,随着比较基因组及测序技术的快速发展,对人类Y染色体最终命运的争论不断加剧,Y染色体的研究正逐步成为热点。文章综述了人类Y染色体的结构、遗传特点、起源及进化过程,并根据目前的研究进展对Y染色体的最终命运进行了讨论,提出了作者的一些看法,以期为从事遗传及性染色体进化的研究者提供参考。     

大肠杆菌甘油激酶基因(glpK)和甘油脱氢酶基因(gldA)的敲除及其对甘油产量的影响

利用Red重组系统构建了大肠杆菌JM109甘油激酶基因(glpK)和甘油脱氢酶基因(gldA)缺失的双突变菌株JM109B,然后将表达酿酒酵母3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶基因(GPD1)和3-磷酸甘油酯酶基因(HOR2)的质粒pSE-gpd1-hor2转化到JM109B突变菌株中,在含1%葡萄糖的摇瓶发酵培养基中37℃发酵24 h,甘油的最高产量为5.61 g/L,是原始菌株JM109/pSE-gpd1-hor2甘油产量的1.59倍;在30 L发酵罐中发酵28 h,甘油的最高产量为103.12 g/L,是原始菌株JM109/pSE-gpd1-hor2甘油产量的1.59倍,是原始菌株BL21/pSE-gpd1-hor2甘油产量的1.41倍,葡萄糖转化率为50.39%。     

中国1995～1999年鸡传染性支气管炎病毒地方分离株核蛋白基因的遗传变异分析

应用RT-PCR方法扩增到了我国1995~1999年10株IBV现地分离株的核蛋白基因片段,并将其进行了克隆、序列测定及分析。结果发现,10株IBV分离株核蛋白基因均含有一个长1 230bp的ORF,编码由409个氨基酸残基组成的多肽,未发现碱基的插入和缺失。与GenBank中的20个IBV参考毒株核蛋白基因序列进行比较和分析,发现本研究分离的毒株主要分布于3个群中,该3群病毒主要包括我国IBV现地分离株。对n基因及其局部功能区序列比较发现,我国分离株与H120疫苗株N蛋白存在广泛的氨基酸变异。通过与s1基因系统发育进化树比较发现,我国IBV分离株存在基因重组现象。以上结果表明我国1995~1999年IBV毒株存在基因突变和基因重组现象。     

基因敲除提高大肠杆菌工程菌生产异丁醇产量的研究

探究pflB、frdAB、fnr和AdhE四基因缺失突变株对大肠杆菌工程菌发酵生产异丁醇的影响。运用Red重组系统敲除大肠杆菌BW25113的pflB、frdAB、fnr和AdhE基因,构建pflB、frdAB、fnr和AdhE四基因缺失突变株E.coliBW25113H,结合本实验室已经构建的表达质粒pSTV29-alsS-ilvC-ilvD-kdcA,并检测该工程菌在1L发酵罐的发酵过程中的生物量、突变菌株的稳定性、异丁醇产量及有机酸含量的变化情况。成功获得pflB、frdAB、fnr和AdhE四基因缺失突变株BW25113H。发酵结果表明,该工程菌能以较长时间,较高比生长速率保持对数生长期,其稳定性较好,异丁醇产量增加了40%。成功构建pflB、frdAB、fnr和AdhE四基因缺失突变株BW25113H,结合非自身发酵途径使异丁醇的产量由3 g/L提升至4.2 g/L。     

乳腺癌易感蛋白2的结构和功能

乳腺癌易感蛋白2是由乳腺癌易感基因2编码的一种在维持哺乳动物细胞染色体的稳定及DNA损伤生物应答中发挥重要作用的蛋白质。文章通过介绍近几年来对乳腺癌易感蛋白2的结构研究,阐述其在双链DNA损伤修复中的作用模型及其在肿瘤抑制中的功能。