Mapping quantitative trait loci associated with southern leaf blight resistance in maize (Zea mays L.)

Southern leaf blight (SLB) caused by the fungus Cochliobolus heterostrophus (Drechs.) Drechs. is a major foliar disease of maize worldwide. Our objectives were to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to SLB and flowering traits in recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross of inbred lines LM5 (resistant) and CM140 (susceptible). A set of 207 RILs were phenotyped for resistance to SLB at three time intervals for two consecutive years. Four putative QTL for SLB resistance were detected on chromosomes 3, 8 and 9 that accounted for 54% of the total phenotypic variation. Days to silking and anthesis–silking interval (ASI) QTL were located on chromosomes 6, 7 and 9. A comparison of the obtained results with the published SLB resistance QTL studies suggested that the detected bins 9.03/02 and 8.03/8.02 are the hot spots for SLB resistance whereas novel QTL were identified in bins 3.08 and 8.01/8.04. The linked markers are being utilized for marker‐assisted mobilization of QTL conferring resistance to SLB in elite maize backgrounds. Fine mapping of identified QTL will facilitate identification of candidate genes underlying SLB resistance.     

Natural genetic variation as a tool for discovery in Caenorhabditis nematodes

Over the last 20 years, studies of Caenorhabditis elegans natural diversity have demonstrated the power of quantitative genetic approaches to reveal the evolutionary, ecological, and genetic factors that shape traits. These studies complement the use of the laboratory-adapted strain N2 and enable additional discoveries not possible using only one genetic background. In this chapter, we describe how to perform quantitative genetic studies in Caenorhabditis, with an emphasis on C. elegans. These approaches use correlations between genotype and phenotype across populations of genetically diverse individuals to discover the genetic causes of phenotypic variation. We present methods that use linkage, near-isogenic lines, association, and bulk-segregant mapping, and we describe the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The power of C. elegans quantitative genetic mapping is best shown in the ability to connect phenotypic differences to specific genes and variants. We will present methods to narrow genomic regions to candidate genes and then tests to identify the gene or variant involved in a quantitative trait. The same features that make C. elegans a preeminent experimental model animal contribute to its exceptional value as a tool to understand natural phenotypic variation.     

Functional expression of recombinant tumstatin in stably transformed Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells

Recombinant tumstatin was expressed in stably transformed Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells and secreted into the medium with a molecular size of 29 kDa. Recombinant endostatin was also purified to homogeneity using a simple one-step Ni²⁺ affinity fractionation. Purified recombinant tumstatin inhibited endothelial cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration at half-maximum inhibition for recombinant tumstatin was approx. 0.7 g ml^–1. A maximum production of 4.6 g recombinant tumstatin (10⁷ cells)^–1 was obtained in a T-flask culture of S2 cells, 7 d after induction with 0.5 mM CuSO₄.     

Tracking the acetate threshold using DO-transient control during medium and high cell density cultivation of recombinant Escherichia coli in complex media

DO-transient nutrient controllers use the dissolved oxygen signal to attempt acetate threshold tracking during fed-batch cultivation of recombinant E. coli. Here we apply DO-transient control to the production of Jembrana disease virus protein in complex Super Luria medium and compare performance against a high-limit pH-stat controller. For induction at medium cell density (harvest between 31 and 32.5 g dcw L) a total productivity of 0.27 g L h was achieved as compared to 0.24 g L h with the high-limit pH-stat. For induction at high cell density (harvest at 60 g dcw L), decreased productivity (0.12 g L h) was attributed to the effect of acetate accumulation on recombinant protein formation and a concomitant lowering of the critical growth rate. Our results suggest that complex media provides a difficult environment for the application of acetate threshold tracking DO-transient control because of difficulties in re-oxidizing acetate, and apparent localized production of acetate below the production threshold (as detected by the DO-transient controller as SPOUR(crit)). Configuring the DO-transient controller to avoid aggressive threshold probing is suggested as a means to improve performance and reduce acetate accumulation in complex media.     

Impact of cell culture process changes on endogenous retrovirus expression

Cell culture process changes (e.g., changes in scale, medium formulation, operational conditions) and cell line changes are common during the development life cycle of a therapeutic protein. To ensure that the impact of such process changes on product quality and safety is minimal, it is standard practice to compare critical product quality and safety attributes before and after the changes. One potential concern introduced by cell culture process improvements is the possibility of increased endogenous retrovirus expression to a level above the clearance capability of the subsequent purification process. To address this, retrovirus expression was measured in scaled down and full production scaled Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures of four monoclonal antibodies and one recombinant protein before and after process changes. Two highly sensitive, quantitative (Q)-PCR-based assays were used to measure endogenous retroviruses. It is shown that cell culture process changes that primarily alter media components, nutrient feed volume, seed density, cell bank source (i.e., master cell bank vs. working cell bank), and vial size, or culture scale, singly or in combination, do not impact the rate of retrovirus expression to an extent greater than the variability of the Q-PCR assays (0.2-0.5 log(10)). Cell culture changes that significantly alter the metabolic state of the cells and/or rates of protein expression (e.g., pH and temperature shifts, NaButyrate addition) measurably impact the rate of retrovirus synthesis (up to 2 log(10)). The greatest degree of variation in endogenous retrovirus expression was observed between individual cell lines (up to 3 log(10)). These data support the practice of measuring endogenous retrovirus output for each new cell line introduced into manufacturing or after process changes that significantly increase product-specific productivity or alter the metabolic state, but suggest that reassessment of retrovirus expression after other process changes may be unnecessary.     

Generation,Purification, and Characterization of Cell-invasive DISC1 Protein Species

Protein aggregation is seen as a general hallmark of chronic, degenerative brain conditions like, for example, in the neurodegenerative diseases Alzheimer''s disease (Aβ, tau), Parkinson''s Disease (α-synuclein), Huntington''s disease (polyglutamine, huntingtin), and others. Protein aggregation is thought to occur due to disturbed proteostasis, i.e. the imbalance between the arising and degradation of misfolded proteins. Of note, the same proteins are found aggregated in sporadic forms of these diseases that are mutant in rare variants of familial forms.Schizophrenia is a chronic progressive brain condition that in many cases goes along with a permanent and irreversible cognitive deficit. In a candidate gene approach, we investigated whether Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), a gene cloned in a Scottish family with linkage to chronic mental disease^{1, 2}, could be found as insoluble aggregates in the brain of sporadic cases of schizophrenia³. Using the SMRI CC, we identified in approximately 20 % of cases with CMD but not normal controls or patients with neurodegenerative diseases sarkosyl-insoluble DISC1 immunoreactivity after biochemical fractionation. Subsequent studies in vitro revealed that the aggregation propensity of DISC1 was influenced by disease-associated polymorphism S704C⁴, and that DISC1 aggresomes generated in vitro were cell-invasive⁵, similar to what had been shown for Aβ⁶, tau^7-9, α-synuclein¹⁰, polyglutamine¹¹, or SOD1 aggregates¹². These findings prompted us to propose that at least a subset of cases with CMD, those with aggregated DISC1 might be protein conformational disorders. Here we describe how we generate DISC1 aggresomes in mammalian cells, purify them on a sucrose gradient and use them for cell-invasiveness studies. Similarly, we describe how we generate an exclusively multimeric C-terminal DISC1 fragment, label and purify it for cell invasiveness studies. Using the recombinant multimers of DISC1 we achieve similar cell invasiveness as for a similarly labeled synthetic α-synuclein fragment. We also show that this fragment is taken up in vivo when stereotactically injected into the brain of recipient animals.     

内皮抑素-血管内皮细胞抑制因子重组腺病毒对新生血管的抑制效应

内皮抑素与血管内皮细胞抑制因子均为内源性新生血管抑制分子。为了探讨两分子融合后的生物学功能,以重组腺病毒为载体介导融合基因在体内外表达。体外实验表明重组腺病毒Ad-hENDO-VEGI151能够在ECV304、HepG2、L929等细胞中表达41000大小的融合蛋白,对血管内皮细胞增殖有明显的特异性抑制作用,对HepG2和L929细胞无抑制作用(F=13112.13,P=0.0001)。体内实验表明Ad-hENDO-VEGI151重组腺病毒表达的融合蛋白可以显著抑制鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜血管的生成;与AdLacZ对照组相比,Ad-hENDO-VEGI151对兔炎症性角膜新生血管的抑制明显(F=1413.11P=0.0001),免疫组化结果显示,融合蛋白主要在角膜上皮层表达;治疗荷肝癌裸鼠,注射Ad-hENDO-VEGI151的肿瘤体积(487.7±241.2mm3)与AdLacZ对照组(4075.9±1849.9mm3)差异显著(F=14.80P=0.0085),抑瘤率达到88.03%,免疫组化结果显示,胞膜染色阳性,Ad-hENDO-VEGI151组肿瘤的微血管密度30.75±3.31%与AdLacZ组50.25±8.65%差异明显F=17.72P=0.0056抑制率为39%。结果提示:重组腺病毒Ad-hENDO-VEGI151能够表达有生物学活性的融合蛋白,并发挥特异性的新生血管抑制作用。     

植物生物反应器生产药物蛋白的前景

转基因植物作为生物反应器生产重要的药用蛋白,如抗体、血液替代品和疫苗,为健康保健和科学研究提供充足的生物药物,满足人们日益增长的需要。本文综述了这一领域的研究进展以及商业化前景。     

树脂载体固定S-腺苷甲硫氨酸合成酶的研究

目的:筛选一种适合S-腺苷甲硫氨酸合成酶固定化的树脂载体,进行固定化工艺优化及固定化酶性质研究。方法:以固定化率和表观酶活回收率为指标,筛选固定化效果最佳的一种树脂,采用单因素实验对固定化条件进行优化。结果:阴离子交换树脂载体ESR-2表现出最优的固定化率(94.03%)和酶活回收率(47.45%);最佳固定化条件为加酶量4U/g、pH 8.0、15℃吸附10h,最佳条件下固定化酶表观酶活为2.1U/g,表观酶活回收率达51.6%。固定化酶的最适pH为8.5,最适温度为35℃,连续反应10批次后酶活剩余77.92%。结论:树脂载体ESR-2固定化S-腺苷甲硫氨酸合成酶酶活及稳定性较好,能够用于S-腺苷甲硫氨酸的工业化大规模生产。     

A novel and highly efficient production system for recombinant adeno-associated virus vector

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) has proven to be a promising gene delivery vector for human gene therapy. However, its application has been limited by difficulty in obtaining enough quantities of high-titer vector stocks. In this paper, a novel and highly efficient production system for rAAV is described. A recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (rHSV-1) designated HSV1-rc/AUL2, which expressed adeno-associated virus type2 (AAV-2) Rep and Cap proteins, was constructed previously. The data confirmed that its functions were to support rAAV replication and packaging, and the generated rAAV was infectious. Meanwhile, an rAAV proviral cell line designated BHK/SG2, which carried the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene expression cassette, was established by transfecting BHK-21 cells with rAAV vector plasmid pSNAV-2-GFP. Infecting BHK/SG2 with HSV1-rc/AUL2 at an MOI of 0.1 resulted in the optimal yields of rAAV, reaching 250 transducing unit (TU) or 4.28×104 particles per cell. Therefore, compared