苹果柠檬酸合酶3基因家族成员鉴定及表达分析

柠檬酸合酶(citrate synthase 3, CS3)是细胞代谢途径中的关键酶之一,其活性调节着生物体的物质和能量代谢过程。本研究旨在从苹果全基因组中鉴定CS3基因家族成员,并进行生物信息学和表达模式分析,为研究苹果CS3基因的潜在功能提供理论基础。利用BLASTp基于GDR数据库鉴定苹果CS3家族成员,通过Pfam、SMART、MEGA5.0、clustalx.exe、ExPASy Proteomics Server、MEGAX、SOPMA、MEME和WoLF PSORT等软件分析CS3蛋白序列基本信息、亚细胞定位情况、结构域组成、系统进化关系以及染色体定位情况。利用酸含量的测定和实时荧光定量PCR (real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, qRT-PCR)技术检测苹果6个CS3的组织表达和诱导表达特性。苹果CS3基因家族包含6个成员,这些CS3蛋白包括473−608个不等的氨基酸残基,等电点分布在7.21−8.82。亚细胞定位结果显示CS3蛋白分别定位在线粒体和叶绿体。系统进化分析可将其分为3类,各亚家族基因数量分别为2个。染色体定位结果显示,CS3基因分布在苹果不同的染色体上。蛋白二级结构以a-螺旋为主,其次是无规则卷曲,b-转角所占比例最小。筛选的6个家族成员在不同苹果组织中均有表达,整体表达趋势从高到低依次为MdCS3.4相对表达含量最高,MdCS3.6次之,其他家族成员相对表达量依次为MdCS3.3>MdCS3.2>MdCS3.1>MdCS3.5。qRT-PCR结果显示,MdCS3.1和MdCS3.3基因在酸含量较低的‘成纪1号’果肉中相对表达量最高,酸含量较高的‘艾斯达’果肉中MdCS3.2和MdCS3.3基因相对表达量最高。因此,本研究对不同苹果品种中CS3基因相对表达量进行了检测,并分析了其在苹果果实酸合成过程中的作用。结果表明,CS3基因在不同苹果品种中的相对表达量存在差异,为后续研究苹果品质形成机制提供了参考。     

Identification and characterization of the retinoic acid response elements in the human RIG1 gene promoter

The expression of retinoic acid-induced gene 1 (RIG1), a class II tumor suppressor gene, is induced in cells treated with retinoids. RIG1 has been shown to express ubiquitously and the increased expression of this gene appears to suppress cell proliferation. Recent studies also demonstrated that this gene may play an important role in cell differentiation and the progression of cancer. In spite of the remarkable regulatory role of this protein, the molecular mechanism of RIG1 expression induced by retinoids remains to be clarified. The present study was designed to study the molecular mechanism underlying the all-trans retinoic acid (atRA)-mediated induction of RIG1 gene expression. Polymerase chain reaction was used to generate a total of 10 luciferase constructs that contain various fragments of the RIG1 5'-genomic region. These constructs were then transfected into human gastric cancer SC-M1 and breast cancer T47D cells for transactivation analysis. atRA exhibited a significant induction in luciferase activity only through the -4910/-5509 fragment of the 5'-genomic region of RIG1 gene relative to the translation initiation site. Further analysis of this promoter fragment indicated that the primary atRA response region is located in between -5048 and -5403 of the RIG1 gene. Within this region, a direct repeat sequence with five nucleotide spacing, 5'-TGACCTctattTGCCCT-3' (DR5, -5243/-5259), and an inverted repeat sequence with six nucleotide spacing, 5'-AGGCCAtggtaaTGGCCT-3' (IR6, -5323/-5340), were identified. Deletion and mutation of the DR5, but not the IR6 element, abolished the atRA-mediated activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with nuclear extract from atRA-treated cells indicated the binding of retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) heterodimers specifically to this response element. In addition to the functional DR5, the region contains many other potential sequence elements that are required to maximize the atRA-mediated induction. Taken together, we have identified and characterized the functional atRA response element that is responsible for the atRA-mediated induction of RIG1 gene.     

Analysis of ribosomal DNA restriction patterns in the genusKluyveromyces

Riboprinting was used to determine the relationships among strains belonging to 15 species of the genusKluyveromyces. The small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) was amplified using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and subjected to a battery of nine restriction enzymes. Similarity coefficients between strains were calculated based on shared and unique restriction fragments. Cluster analysis revealed three major groups that generally correlated with previously reported relationships based on other molecular data. Variations in SSU rDNA restriction fragments may be used for differentiation of theKluyveromyces strains included in this study.The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Transient and permanent gene transfer into the brain of the teleost fish medaka (Oryzias latipes) using human adenovirus and the Cre-loxP system

In this study, we demonstrated that human type-5 adenovirus infected the brain of the teleost fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), in vivo. Injection of adenoviral vector into the mesencephalic ventricle of medaka larvae induced the expression of reporter genes in some parts of the telencephalon, the periventricular area of the mesencephalon and diencephalon, and the cerebellum. Additionally, the Cre-loxP system works in medaka brains using transgenic medaka carrying a vector containing DsRed2, flanked by loxP sites under control of the β-actin promoter and downstream promoterless enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). We demonstrated that the presence of green fluorescence depended on injection of adenoviral vector expressing the Cre gene and confirmed that EGFP mRNA was transcribed in the virus-injected larvae.     

A novel homozygous 10 nucleotide deletion in BBS10 causes Bardet–Biedl syndrome in a Pakistani family

Bardet–Biedl Syndrome is a multisystem autosomal recessive disorder characterized by central obesity, polydactyly, hypogonadism, learning difficulties, rod-cone dystrophy and renal dysplasia. Bardet–Biedl Syndrome has a prevalence rate ranging from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 160,000 births although there are communities where Bardet–Biedl Syndrome is found at a higher frequency due to consanguinity. We report here a Pakistani consanguineous family with two affected sons with typical clinical features of Bardet–Biedl Syndrome, in addition to abnormal liver functioning and bilateral basal ganglia calcification, the latter feature being typical of Fahr's disease. Homozygous regions obtained from SNP array depicted three known genes BBS10, BBS14 and BBS2. Bidirectional sequencing of all coding exons by traditional sequencing of all these three genes showed a homozygous deletion of 10 nucleotides (c.1958_1967del), in BBS10 in both affected brothers. The segregation analysis revealed that the parents, paternal grandfather, maternal grandmother and an unaffected sister were heterozygous for the deletion. Such a large deletion in BBS10 has not been reported previously in any population and is likely to be contributing to the phenotype of Bardet–Biedl Syndrome in this family.