The Synthesis of Cholesterol-Containing Cationic Amphiphils with Heterocyclic Bases

A number of cationic derivatives of cholesterol containing polar residues of N-methylimidazole, pyridine, N-methylmorpholine, and 4-N,N-dimethyaminopyridine were synthesized by the interaction of the corresponding heterocyclic bases with cholesterol 5-bromopentanoate followed by the treatment with methyl iodide in the case of tertiary amines. In addition, N-(4-cholesteryloxycarbonylbutyl)piperazine was obtained for the preparation of pH-sensitive liposomes.     

肝癌中高表达基因fup1的克隆及其功能

原发性肝细胞癌是我国高发的恶性肿瘤之一，开展肝癌相关基因的研究具有重要的意义。从已经获得的在肝癌和正常肝对照中表达量有明显差异的EST片段入手，克隆了一个功能未报道的而可能与肝癌相关的基因。暂命名为fup1，该基因编码区全长1233bp，其产物的分子量约为46kD，等电点为5.48,可能是一个核蛋白。Northern 迹结果表明该基因在人类除心脏以外的多种正常组织中表达量很小，说明其分布具有一定的组织特异性，将整合有该基因的真核表达载体转染NIH3T3细胞后，MTT检测结果证明该基因的产物可能对细胞的增殖具有促进作用。     

A new Chinese hamster ovary cell line expressing α2,6-sialyltransferase used as universal host for the production of human-like sialylated recombinant glycoproteins

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely employed to produce glycosylated recombinant proteins. Our group as well as others have demonstrated that the sialylation defect of CHO cells can be corrected by transfecting the α2,6-sialyltransferase (α2,6-ST) cDNA. Glycoproteins produced by such CHO cells display both α2,6- and α2,3-linked terminal sialic acid residues, similar to human glycoproteins. Here, we have established a CHO cell line stably expressing α2,6-ST, providing a universal host for further transfections of human genes. Several relevant parameters of the universal host cell line were studied, demonstrating that the α2,6-ST transgene was stably integrated into the CHO cell genome, that transgene expression was stable in the absence of selective pressure, that the recombinant sialyltransferase was correctly localized in the Golgi and, finally, that the bioreactor growth parameters of the universal host were comparable to those of the parental cell line. A second step consisted in the stable transfection into the universal host of cDNAs for human glycoproteins of therapeutic interest, i.e. interferon-γ and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1. Interferon-γ purified from the universal host carried 40.4% α2,6- and 59.6% α2,3-sialic acid residues and showed improved pharmacokinetics in clearance studies when compared to interferon-γ produced by normal CHO cells.     

Use of an epitope-tagged cDNA library to isolate cDNAs encoding proteins with nuclear localization potential

We have combined epitope tagging with an expression cDNA library in order to isolate cDNAs encoding nuclear proteins. This system allows us to detect proteins expressed from the cDNA library by using antibodies against the epitope tag. As a tag, we used the 85-aa N-terminal peptide of the SV40 T antigen which lacks the nuclear localization signal (NLS). A strong expression vector, pEF204 [Kim et al., Gene 91 (1990) 217–223], was modified into an epitope-tagging vector, pTkim, by putting the tag-coding region and a cDNA cloning site immediately after its promoter. From cDNA libraries constructed using pTkim, we isolated eight cDNA clones whose tagged proteins were localized within the nuclei. From partial sequence analysis, two cDNAs were shown to code for the ribosomal (r-) proteins, simian L44 and human L21, and the others were shown to be new. Furthermore, six cDNAs including those encoding the r-proteins could direct a non-karyophilic T antigen [Fischer-Fantuzzi et al. Virology 153 (1986) 87–95] into nuclei, showing that they have NLSs. These results indicate that this system is useful for isolating new cDNAs which code for nuclear proteins.     

Restricted infectivity of ecotropic type C retroviruses in mouse teratocarcinoma cells: Studies on viral DNA intermediates

Replication of Gross strain N-tropic type C retrovirus was markedly restricted in a pluripotential undifferentiated embryonal cell line (PCC₄) of murine teratocarcinoma, whereas the same virus could cause productive infection in a myoblast-derived differentiated line (PCD₁) of the same tumor origin. To investigate the restriction mechanism, we compared the initial viral DNA formation in these two cell lines. Analyses by means of a modified Hirt extraction procedure and a modified Southern gel transfer method indicated that PCC₄ and PCD₁ cells supported the synthesis of viral DNA intermediates after inoculation of the Gross virus. In both cells, a linear DNA duplex (form III viral DNA) appeared at 4 hr, reached a maximal level at 8–9 hr, and declined rapidly thereafter, while two closed-circular supercoiled DNA duplexes (form I viral DNA) showed their appearance, increase and decline in the 8–24 hr period. During the period from 34 to 78 hr after virus inoculation, another burst of viral DNA synthesis occurred in PCD₁ cells, presumably due to secondary virus infection, while at this period both form III and form I viral DNAs became undetectable in PCC₄ cells. The Hirt supernatant DNAs prepared from PCD₁ and PCC₄ cells 10 hr after virus inoculation were equally infectious for NIH3T3 cells in a DNA transfection assay. Both PCD₁ and PCC₄ cells were very poor recipients for DNA transfection, although one positive result with PCD₁ cells might suggest a difference between the two cell types in this aspect. These results indicate that restriction of type C retrovirus in undifferentated embryonl carcinoma cells occurs at a step subsequent to formation and maturation of viral DNA intermediates.     

Stable luciferase transfected cells for studying steroid receptor biological activity

In the course of steroid hormone research, firefly luciferase was used as a reporter gene to construct chimeric cellular models in which the firefly luciferase expression mimics natural hormonal response. Cells containing the endogenous receptor of interest were stably transfected with a reporter gene whose expression is controlled by this endogenous receptor. Based on the detection of luciferase activity in Intact cells using a photon-counting camera, various stable transfected cell lines were established. We present potential experimental uses of these cellular models such as for screening new (anti)hormonal molecules. We also show that the hormonal responses can be modulated at any step, suggesting that these stable cell lines may be helpful in studying hormonal interactions. For example, we have detected the antiestrogen activity of molecules able to mediate their effect via a pathway other than the estrogen receptor. Lastly, we show that the detection of luciferase activity in intact living cells is particularly helpful in investigating the variation of the hormonal responses with time. Since chimeric response faithfully reflects hormone (or effector) actions in the cell, we conclude that stable transfected cells can be used in both pharmacological and fundamental studies to investigate different aspects of the endocrine research.     

High Performance DNA Purification using a Novel Ion Exchange Matrix

Ion exchange chromatography has emerged as a reliable alternative to classic CsCl-ethidium bromide gradients for isolating nucleic acids of the highest purity. A plasmid purification method based on a unique anion exchange membrane (IEXM) was developed for the production of superior quality plasmids. This method was simpler and more efficient than conventional bead-based methods. Plasmids were extracted from bacterial cells through alkaline lysis. The crude lysate was clarified by a sequential filtration device that not only removed cell debris but micellar aggregates as well. The clarified lysate was mixed with an extraction solution and loaded into a spin column containing IEXM. Binding, washing, and elution conditions were optimized to achieve efficient isolation of plasmids from the impurities. IEXM had an exceedingly high dynamic binding capacity, excellent selectivity, and a near 100% recovery for plasmids. The binding capacity for pUC19 was 2.93 mg/cm³ of IEXM, which is several times greater than the values for conventional ion exchange beads. The superior selectivity of the method was reflected in the extremely low levels of endotoxin, and thus it is well-suited for critical applications in eukaryotic systems.