Intergeneric transfer of a partial genome and direct production of monosomic addition plants by microprotoplast fusion

Results are reported on the transfer of single, specific chromosomes carrying kanamycin resistance (Kan^R) and -glucuronidase (GUS) traits from a transformed donor line of potato (Solanum tuberosum) to a recipient line of the tomato species Lycopersicon peruvianum through microprotoplast fusion. Polyethylene glycol-induced mass fusion between donor potato microprotoplasts containing one or a few chromosomes and normal recipient diploid L. peruvianum protoplasts gave several Kan^R calli. A high frequency of plants regenerated from Kan^R calli expressed both Kan^R and GUS, and contained one or two copies of npt-II and a single copy of gus. Genomic in situ hybridization showed that several microprotoplast hybrid plants had one single potato donor chromosome carrying npt-II and gus genes and the complete chromosome complement of the recipient L. peruvianum (monosomic additions). Several monosomic-addition hybrid plants could be regenerated within the short time of 3 months and they were phenotypically normal, resembling the recipient line. These results suggest that the transfer of single chromosomes is tolerated better than is the transfer of the whole donor genome. The unique advantages of microprotoplast fusion are discussed: these include the direct production of monosomic addition lines for the transfer and introgression of economically important traits in sexually-incongruent species, the construction of chromosome-specific DNA libaries, high-resolution physical mapping and the identification of alien chromosome domains related to gene expression.     

绵羊胎儿成纤维细胞体外培养及转基因研究

目的用增强型绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)基因转染体外培养绵羊胎儿成纤维细胞,探讨绿色荧光蛋白对绵羊胎儿成纤维细胞生物学特性的影响.方法体外分离培养绵羊胎儿成纤维细胞,经脂质体介导EGFP基因转染第一代成纤维细胞,G418筛选10～12*!d,挑选转基因单克隆细胞,传代培养,进行细胞形态观察、生长曲线以及染色体核型分析,并进行了培养细胞性别鉴定.结果整合有EGFP基因的绵羊胎儿成纤维细胞生物学行为与未转染外源基因的细胞无明显差别,根据荧光强度可直接反应外源基因的表达量.结论 EGFP基因作为体内报告基因可用于转基因细胞的研究,并将整合有EGFP基因的转基因细胞为克隆动物提供核供体奠定了基础.     

转基因插入对水稻花粉活力和杂交结实的影响

以花粉活力和杂交结实率评价转基因插入对水稻品种异交潜力的影响.选用含bar、crylAb、BADH和Xa21等4种基因的5份转基因水稻品系研究转基因插入对转基因受体品种花粉离体萌发率的影响.结果表明,不同受体品种花粉离体萌发率差异显著;转基因水稻花粉离体萌发率在0.416～0.584间,与受体品种(0.004～0.574)相近;转基因品种与相应受体品种间花粉离体萌发率差异不显著.对所选配的26个人工杂交组合杂种结实调查表明,bar、crylAb基因的插入对受体品种杂交结实率影响显著,而Xa21基因的插入对受体品种杂交结实率影响较小;转基因水稻品种(花粉供体)与非转基因水稻品种的杂交结实率变幅为0.056～0.13,在受体品种(花粉供体)与非转基因水稻品种的杂交结实率范围(0.052～0.417)之内.本研究花粉离体萌发和杂交结实结果表明转基因的插入对水稻品种异交潜力的影响甚微.     

Myocardium at the base of the aorta and pulmonary trunk is prefigured in the outflow tract of the heart and in subdomains of the second heart field

Outflow tract myocardium in the mouse heart is derived from the anterior heart field, a subdomain of the second heart field. We have recently characterized a transgene (y96-Myf5-nlacZ-16), which is expressed in the inferior wall of the outflow tract and then predominantly in myocardium at the base of the pulmonary trunk. Transgene A17-Myf5-nlacZ-T55 is expressed in the developing heart in a complementary pattern to y96-Myf5-nlacZ-16, in the superior wall of the outflow tract at E10.5 and in myocardium at the base of the aorta at E14.5. At E9.5, the two transgenes are transcribed in different subdomains of the anterior heart field. A clonal analysis of cardiomyocytes in the outflow tract, at E10.5 and E14.5, provides insight into the behaviour of myocardial cells and their progenitors. At E14.5, most clones are located at the base of either the pulmonary trunk or the aorta, indicating that these derive from distinct myocardial domains. At E10.5, clones are observed in subdomains of the outflow tract. The distribution of small clones indicates proliferative differences, whereas regionalisation of large clones, that derive from an early myocardial progenitor cell, reflect coherent cell growth in the heart field as well as in the myocardium. Our results suggest that myocardial differences at the base of the great arteries are prefigured in distinct progenitor cell populations in the anterior heart field, with important implications for understanding the etiology of congenital heart defects affecting the arterial pole of the heart.     

Leishmania spp.: delta-aminolevulinate-inducible neogenesis of porphyria by genetic complementation of incomplete heme biosynthesis pathway

To further develop the Leishmania model for porphyria based on their deficiencies in heme biosynthesis, three Old World species were doubly transfected as before for Leishmania amazonensis with cDNAs, encoding the 2nd and 3rd enzymes in the pathway. Expression of the transgenes was verified immunologically at the protein level and functionally by uroporphyrin neogenesis that occurs only after exposure of the double-transfectants to delta-aminolevulinate. All species examined were equally deficient in heme biosynthesis, as indicated by the accumulation of uroporphyrin as the sole porphyrin and the production of coproporphyrin upon further transfection of one representative species with the downstream gene. The results obtained thus demonstrate that at least the first five enzymes for heme biosynthesis are absent in all species examined, rendering their transfectants inducible with aminolevulinate to accumulate porphyrins and thus useful as cellular models for human porphyrias.     

Gene flow between cultivated and wild sunflowers

With the development of transgenic crops, concern has been expressed regarding the possible escape of genetically-engineered genes via hybridization with wild relatives. This is a potential hazard for sunflowers because wild sunflowers occur as weeds in fields where cultivated sunflowers are grown and hybridization between them has been reported. In order to quantify the potential for gene escape, two experimental stands of sunflower cultivars were planted at two sites with different rainfall and altitude profiles. Populations of wild plants were planted at different distances from each cultivar stand. An allele homozygous in the cultivar (6Pgd-3-a), but absent in the wild populations, was used as a molecular marker to document the incidence and rate of gene escape from the cultivar into the wild populations of sunflowers. Three-thousand achenes were surveyed to determine the amount of gene flow from the cultivated to the wild populations. The marginal wild populations (3 m from the cultivar) showed the highest percentage (27%) of gene flow. Gene flow was found to decrease with distance; however, gene flow occurred up to distances of 1000 m from the source population. These data suggest that physical distance alone will be unlikely to prevent gene flow between cultivated and wild populations of sunflowers.     

多重PCR快速确证外源基因在转基因小麦后代的传递

根据转入小麦0世代中的高分子谷蛋白亚基1Dx5基因和报告基因uidA、作为选择标记的除草剂抗性基因bar的序列,设计合成三对引物。以整合uidA+bar的质粒pAHC25和整合1Dx5的质粒p1Dx5为模板寻找uidA与1Dx5及或bar多重扩增的最佳模板浓度及最适退火温度。MPCR模板量是单对引物扩增时的两倍,引物浓度同常规PCR为0.3μM,uidA与bar的适宜退火温度范围为57.1 - 62.3℃;uidA与1Dx5为60.0℃-60.6℃;uidA、bar、1Dx5的最适合退火温度范围为57.0℃-58.4℃。MPCR对大小相差50bp及以下的多重扩增片段可通过10%的非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分离。在此基础上对14株T1代转基因小麦基因组DNA进行多重PCR扩增,筛选出基因未分离的小麦后代,并与常规PCR比较,结果一致,其中11株同时传递1Dx5和bar基因、1株同时传递uidA、bar和1Dx5基因,3株未检测到外源基因。表明MPCR在快速确证外源基因在转基因植株后代的传递中作用显著。研究在常规PCR反应体系上,对模板浓度和多重引物退火温度进行微调,且把MPCR技术与PAGE技术结合起来,提高了研究结果的准确性,获得了较好的扩增和检测效果,简化了MPCR优化程序,使MPCR的优势更明显,为该技术的广泛应用提供了借鉴。     

Role of a 461-bp G-rich repetitive element in H19 transgene imprinting

 The molecular mechanism leading to the imprinted expression of genes is poorly understood. While no conserved cis-acting elements have been identified within the known loci, many imprinted genes are located near directly repetitive sequence elements, suggesting that such repeats might play a role in imprinted gene expression. The maternally expressed mouse H19 gene is located approximately 1.5 kb downstream from a 461-bp G-rich repetitive element. We have used a transgenic model to investigate whether this element is essential for H19 imprinting. Previous results demonstrated that a transgene, which contains 14 kb of H19 sequence, exhibits parent-of-origin specific expression and methylation analogous to the endogenous H19 imprinting pattern. Here, we have generated transgenes lacking the G-rich repeat. One transgene, containing a deletion of the G-rich repetitive element but which includes an additional 1.7 kb of 5’H19 sequence, is imprinted similarly to the endogenous H19 gene. To determine whether the G-rich repeat is conserved in other imprinted mammalian H19 homologues, additional 5’ flanking sequences were cloned from the rat and human. This element is conserved in the rat but not in human DNA. These results suggest that the 461-bp G-rich repetitive element is not essential for H19 imprinting. Received: 26 August 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

The persistence of cultivar alleles in wild populations of sunflowers five generations after hybridization

 The development of transgenic plants has heightened concern about the possible escape of genetically engineered material into the wild. Hybridization between crops and their wild relatives provides a mechanism by which this could occur. While hybridization has been documented between several crops and wild or weedy relatives, little is known about the persistence of cultivar genes in wild populations in the generations following hybridization. Wild and weedy sunflowers occur sympatrically with cultivated sunflowers throughout much of the cultivation range, and hybridization is known to occur. We surveyed two cultivar-specific RAPD markers in 2700 progeny in a naturally occurring population of wild Helianthus annuus over five generations following a single generation of hybridization with the cultivar. Moderate levels of gene flow were detected in the first generation (42% hybrids at the crop margin) and cultivar allele frequencies did not significantly decline over four subsequent generations. These results indicate that gene flow from cultivated into wild populations of sunflowers can result in the long-term establishment of cultivar alleles in wild populations. Furthermore, we conclude that neutral or favorable transgenes have the potential to escape and persist in wild sunflower populations. Received: 1 November 1996/Accepted: 17 January 1997     

Tissue-specific expression of a BAC transgene targeted to the Hprt locus in mouse embryonic stem cells

The hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) locus has been shown to have minimal influence on transgene expression when used as a surrogate site in the mouse genome. We have developed a method to transfer bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) as a single copy into the partially deleted Hprt locus of embryonic stem cells. BACs were modified by Cre/loxP recombination to contain the sequences necessary for homologous recombination into and complementation of the partially deleted Hprt locus. Modified BACs were shown to undergo homologous recombination into the genome intact, to be stably transmitted through the germ line of transgenic mice, and to be expressed in the proper tissue-specific manner. This technology will facilitate many studies in which correct interpretation of data depends on developmentally appropriate transgene expression in the absence of rearrangements or deletions of endogenous DNA.