利用cDNA微阵列-CGH筛选支气管上皮细胞恶性转化中的扩增基因

目的:基因组不稳定是导致肺癌发生与发展的重要分子机理之一。本研究旨在筛选支气管上皮细胞恶性转化过程中拷贝数扩增的基因。方法:利用业已建立的支气管上皮细胞体外恶性转化模型,通过cDNA微阵列-CGH技术对支气管上皮来源的永生化细胞和癌变细胞的基因拷贝数进行了检测,并对部分结果进行了实时PCR验证。结果:永生化BEP2D细胞染色体中的某些区域存在不同程度的扩增,包括5q31.3、9q32-33.1、14q22.2-23.1、19p13.12-13.13、20q13.12-13.31;恶性转化BERP35T2细胞染色体中的扩增区域集中在1p12-13.1、5q33.1、5q31.3、9q32、19p13.12-13.13;5q31.3、9q32、19q13.12-13.13是以上2种细胞系中的共同扩增区域。共检测到201个基因的拷贝数发生扩增,其中PCNA、TP53及GADD45A基因的异常扩增已经实时PCR进一步验证。结论:在支气管上皮细胞恶性转化过程中,病毒与低剂量辐射的双重作用使得某些重要基因的拷贝数发生扩增,因基因剂量增加而导致某些癌基因高表达可能是细胞恶性转化的重要机制之一。     

Fluctuating asymmetry and developmental instability in evolutionary biology: past, present and future

The role of developmental instability (DI), as measured by fluctuating asymmetry (FA), in evolutionary biology has been the focus of a wealth of research for more than half a century. In spite of this long period and many published papers, our current state of knowledge reviewed here only allows us to conclude that patterns are heterogeneous and that very little is known about the underlying causes of this heterogeneity. In addition, the statistical properties of FA as a measure of DI are only poorly grasped because of a general lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive DI. If we want to avoid that this area of research becomes abandoned, more efforts should be made to understand the observed heterogeneity, and attempts should be made to develop a unifying statistical protocol. More specifically, and perhaps most importantly, it is argued here that more attention should be paid to the usefulness of FA as a measure of DI since many factors might blur this relationship. Furthermore, the genetic architecture, associations with fitness and the importance of compensatory growth should be investigated under a variety of stress situations. In addition, more focus should be directed to the underlying mechanisms of DI as well as how these processes map to the observable phenotype. These insights could yield more efficient statistical models and a unified approach to the analysis of patterns in FA and DI. The study of both DI and canalization is indispensable to obtain better insights in their possible common origin, especially because both have been suggested to play a role in both micro- and macro-evolutionary processes.     

中心体异常扩增和染色体不稳定性

中心体作为主要微管组织中心在细胞周期事件中起着重要的作用。异常中心体可产生纺锤体异常,使染色体错误分离,引起染色体不稳定性和非整倍体的形成。中心体异常同染色体不稳定性一样是肿瘤细胞的一个普遍特征,并且可出现在肿瘤发生的早期阶段。中心体异常在肿瘤的发生发展演化过程中可能具有重要作用。现综述中心体的结构、功能、复制和调控,阐述肿瘤中中心体异常的表现和导致中心体扩增的可能机制及中心体扩增与染色体不稳定之间的相关性。     

Plasmid-encoded gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane degradation genes and insertion sequences in Sphingobium francense (ex-Sphingomonas paucimobilis Sp+)

The lin genes encode the gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH or lindane) catabolic pathway in lindane-degrading strains. The location and stability of these genes have been explored in the lindane-degrading Sphingobium francense strain Sp+, and in two non-lindane-degrading mutants (Sp1- and Sp2-). The lin genes, linA, linB, linE and linX were localized by hybridization on three of the six plasmids of the S. francense strain Sp+ showing dispersal within the genome. The linC gene was detected by PCR, but was not detected by hybridization on any of the plasmids. The hybridization of the linA and linX genes was negative with the two non-lindane-degrading mutants S. francense strains, Sp1- and Sp2-. The dynamic of this genome associated with gene loss and acquisition, and plasmid rearrangement was explored by a search for associated insertion sequences. A new insertion sequence, ISSppa4, belonging to the IS21 family was detected and compared with IS6100 and ISsp1. Insertion sequence localization was explored on different hybridization patterns (plasmid, total genome) with the lindane-degrading Sp+ strain and the two non-degrading derivatives (Sp1-, Sp2-). Insertion sequence movement and plasmid rearrangement could explain the emergence of the non-lindane-degrading mutants.     

Two new grape cultivars, bud sports of Cabernet Sauvignon bearing pale-coloured berries, are the result of deletion of two regulatory genes of the berry colour locus

Bud sports are infrequent changes in phenotype affecting shoots of woody perennials but the molecular basis of these mutations has rarely been identified. In this report, we show that the bronze-coloured berries of the Malian cultivar, a documented bud sport of the wine grape Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.), lack anthocyanins in the subepidermal cells compared to the red/black berried Cabernet Sauvignon in which both the epidermis and several subepidermal cell layers contain anthocyanin. The Malian phenotype is correlated with an alteration in the genome indicated by a reduction of hybridisation signal using a MYBA probe. In Shalistin, a white-berried bud sport of Malian, the red allele at the berry colour locus appears to have been deleted completely. These data suggest that Malian could be a L1/L2 periclinal chimera, which gave rise to Shalistin by an invasion of epidermal cells (L1) by the mutated subepidermal cells (L2). The red grape Pinot Noir has given rise to a number of pale coloured sports, although the provenance of the extant sports is not known. We show that a clone of Pinot Blanc (white-berried) does not have a deletion of the red allele of the same dimensions as that in Shalistin, though a small deletion is a likely explanation for the altered phenotype. However, the mechanism of deletion of the red allele of the berry colour locus is a possible means by which other red to white clonal mutations of grapevines have occurred.     

Unravelling phenotypic plasticity -- why should we bother?

The ability of a genotype to change its phenotype was once considered rather a nuisance -- making it difficult to define a genotype. This led to the idea that there was a problem called 'instability'. But quite early it was recognized that stability was under genetic control, and was a character like other attributes of an individual. From this realization came the idea that there were two sides to the character of 'instability', and that the ability to change could be important. This ability was thus given the title of 'plasticity'. Once recognized, it became clear from surveys of different species and populations that plasticity can (i) be a complex character, and (ii) be selected to fit species to the particular demands of different environments. For plants, which cannot meet variations in environment like animals by behavioural responses, phenotypic plasticity can be very important. Plants should therefore be valuable tools for unravelling the mechanisms of plasticity whilst also demonstrating its contribution to fitness experimentally. We ought also to be able to demonstrate that appropriate genetic variability is available through which complex responses can be built up by selection. Genes must exist not only to determine character means, but also to determine character response, which adds interesting complexity to our ideas about evolution.     

The Rothmund-Thomson gene product RECQL4 localizes to the nucleolus in response to oxidative stress

Mutations in the RECQL4 helicase gene have been linked to Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS), which is characterized by poikiloderma, growth deficiency, and a predisposition to cancer. Examination of RECQL4 subcellular localization in live cells demonstrated a nucleoplasmic pattern and, to a lesser degree, staining in nucleoli. Analysis of RECQL4-GFP deletion mutants revealed two nuclear localization regions in the N-terminal region of RECQL4 and a nucleolar localization signal at amino acids 376-386. RECQL4 localization did not change after treatment with the DNA-damaging agents bleomycin, etoposide, UV irradiation and gamma irradiation, in contrast to the Bloom and Werner syndrome helicases that relocate to distinct nuclear foci after damage. However, in a significant number of cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide or streptonigrin, RECQL4 accumulated in nucleoli. Using a T7 phage display screen, we determined that RECQL4 interacts with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a nuclear enzyme that promotes genomic integrity through its involvement in DNA repair and signaling pathways. The RECQL4 nucleolar localization was inhibited by pretreatment with a PARP-1 inhibitor. The C-terminal portion of RECQL4 was found to be an in vitro substrate for PARP-1. These results demonstrate changes in the intracellular localization of RECQL4 in response to oxidative stress and identify an interaction between RECQL4 and PARP-1.     

Identification of genes necessary for jinggangmycin biosynthesis from Streptomyces hygroscopicus 10-22

A series of large chromosomal deletions in Streptomyces hygroscopicus 10-22 were aligned on the physical map of the wild-type strain and the mutants were assessed for their ability to produce the aminocyclitol antibiotic 5102-I (jinggangmycin). Twenty-eight mutants were blocked for jinggangmycin production and all of them were found to lack a 300 kb AseI-F fragment of the wild-type chromosome. An ordered cosmid library of the 300 kb AseI-F fragment was made and one of the cosmids conferred jinggangmycin productivity to Streptomyces lividans ZX1. Three of the overlapping cosmids (18G7, 5H3 and 9A2) also hybridized to the valA gene of the validamycin pathway from S. hygroscopicus 5008 as a probe. This gene resembles acbC from Actinoplanes sp. 50/110, which encodes a C7-cyclitol synthase that catalyses the transformation of sedoheptulose 7-phosphate into 2-5-epi-valiolone for acarbose biosynthesis. The valA/acbC-homolog (orf1) of S. hygroscopicus 10-22 was shown to be essential for jinggangmycin biosynthesis as an engineered mutant with a specific in-frame deletion removing a 609 bp sequence internal to orf1 completely abolished jinggangmycin production and the corresponding knock-out mutant (JXH4) could be complemented for jinggangmycin production by the introduction of an orf1-containing construct. Concurrently, the identities of the genes common to S. hygroscopicus strains 10-22 and 5008 prompted a comparison of the chemical structures of jinggangmycin and validamycin, which led to a clear demonstration that they are identical.The first two authors contributed equally to this study.     

Is the number of possible QTL for asymmetry phenotypes dependent on thermal stress?

In bilateral organisms, fluctuating asymmetry (FA) was often used as an index of developmental instability but FA was not always found to be higher in stressful environments. An intercontinental set of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) was used to search for genetic variation in fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of both wing length (WL) and wing width (WW) in Drosophila melanogaster when reared at both benign (25 °C) and stressful (30 °C) temperatures. FA levels did not differ between benign and stressful temperatures. At benign temperature, no QTL was significant for FA. However, at stressful temperature, composite interval mapping revealed some QTL for FA in both WL and WW. QTL-based scans under stressful thermal environments may be an informative approach for either FA or developmental instability analyses, even when FA levels are similar between stressful and benign environments.     

Determination of Chinese hamster ovary cell line stability and recombinant antibody expression during long-term culture

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are frequently used as hosts for the production of recombinant therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies, due to their ability to perform correct post-translational modifications. A potential issue when utilizing CHO cells for therapeutic protein production is the selection of cell lines that do not retain stable protein expression during long-term culture (LTC). Instability of expression impairs process yields, effective usage of time and money, and regulatory approval for the desired therapeutic. In this study, we investigated a model unstable GS-CHO cell line over a continuous period of approximately 100 generations to determine markers of mechanisms that underlie instability. In this cell line, stability of expression was retained for 40-50 generations after which time a 40% loss in antibody production was detected. The instability observed within the cell line was not due to a loss in recombinant gene copy number or decreased expression of mRNA encoding for recombinant antibody H or L chain, but was associated with lower cumulative cell time values and an apparent increased sensitivity to cellular stress (exemplified by increased mRNA expression of the stress-inducible gene GADD153). Changes were also noted in cellular metabolism during LTC (alterations to extracellular alanine accumulation, and enhanced rates of glucose and lactate utilization, during the exponential and decline phase of batch culture, respectively). Our data indicates the breadth of changes that may occur to recombinant CHO cells during LTC ranging from instability of recombinant target production at a post-mRNA level to metabolic events. Definition of the mechanisms, regulatory events, and linkages underpinning cellular phenotype changes require further detailed analysis at a molecular level.