用加端PCR技术改造h－IGF－1cDNA

用ＤＮＡ合成仪合成了分别带有ＰｓｔＩ位点和ＳａｌＩ位点及终止密码子的２个用于扩增ｈＩＧＦ－１ｃＤＮＡ的ＰＣＲ引物．利用合成的引物，７００ｂｐ长的ｈＩＧＦ－１ｃＤＮＡ模板和Ｔａｑ聚合酶进行ＰＣＲ扩增．扩增产物经电泳鉴定后克隆进Ｍ１３ｍｐ１８载体，进行核苷酸序列分析．结果显示：ＰＣＲ产物含已发表的ｈＩＧＦ－１成熟蛋白的编码序列和５＇端的ＰＳｔＩ位点及３＇端的ＳａｉＩ位点及终止密码ＴＡＧ．用加端ＰＣＲ技术成功地扩增和改造了ｈＩＧＦ－１的编码序列．     

Organization and sequence studies of the 17-piece chicken conalbumin gene

The conalbumin gene has been cloned and shown to consist of at least 17 exons approximately 60-200 base pairs long. The DNA sequence upstream from the region coding for the 5' end of the mRNA shows similarities with sequences present in homologous positions in other genes. High and low frequency repetitive sequences are found both upstream from the conalbumin gene and within one intron.     

Sequence of chicken ovalbumin mRNA

The complete sequence of chicken ovalbumin mRNA is presented; it is 1,859 residues long, excluding its terminal 'cap' and poly(A). The region coding for ovalbumin lies close to the 'cap' but is separated from the poly(A) by an extensive 3' noncoding region of 637 nucleotides which may have no function that is precisely dependent on its sequence.     

Isolation by molecular cloning of a fragment in the split ovalbumin gene

An EcoRI fragment of chicken DNA (fragment 'a') containing a sequence complementary to the 3' half of ovalbumin mRNA has been isolated by molecular cloning. Analysis of the cloned fragment proves conclusively that the chicken ovalbumin gene is split. Fragment 'a' contains no extensive sequence repeated elsewhere in the genome and represents the only type of organisation of this part of the split ovalbumin gene in chicken genome.     

短柄五加(Acanthopanax brachypus)rbcL基因的结构分析

克隆了含完整短柄五加rbcL基因的3.2kb EcoRI片段,测定了该基因的核苷酸序列.所测核苷酸序列总长度为1924bp,其中编码区1428bp,编码475个氨基酸的蛋白质.测定的基因5’上游区共278bp,包含原核性质-35区(TTGCGC),-10区(TACAAT)及类似真核的TATA box元件(TATATA).5’前导区长194bp,其中SD序列为GGAGG,紧邻起始密码子上游.测定的3’下游区共218bp,含2个相邻的转录后可形成茎环结构的反向重复序列.短柄五加rbcL基因编码区推导的氨基酸序列与烟草、菠菜、豌豆、苜蓿、玉米、水稻、松树、地钱、衣藻和Anacystis的同源性分别为93.5％、94.11％、94.53％、94.74％、89.68％、92.21％、92.21％、92.63％、87.58％和80.84％.本文还对不同植物rbcL基因的启动区及部分5’和3’非编码区进行了比较分析.     

甘蓝型油菜Toc33基因启动子的克隆及序列分析

叶绿体是植物细胞中重要的细胞器，大部分叶绿体蛋白质都是由核基因组编码，在细胞质中合成分子量较大的前体蛋白，转运至叶绿体实施其功能．TOC33／TOC34是叶绿体上发现的一个外膜蛋白转运器构件蛋白，它与TOC159、TOC75和TOC64相互作用，构成了叶绿体外被膜上的一个蛋白转运器．目前已从豌豆（Pisumsa tizrurn）、拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）、玉米（Zea mays）、小立碗藓（Physcomitrella patens）、诸葛菜（Orychophragmus violaceus）和油菜（Brassica napus）克隆到TOC33或TOC34的cDNA或DNA的编码区．与其功能研究相比，Toc33基因的表达调控研究较少，该基因5’端调控区域的克隆及序列分析均未见报道．为此，在本实验室已经克隆到甘蓝型油菜Toc33基因编码区的基础上，采用单引物PCR方法进行染色体步移，克隆出Toc33基因的启动子，为进一步研究Toc33基因的转录调控机制奠定基础．     

A hypersensitive site in hsp70 chromatin requires adjacent not internal DNA sequence

Nuclease-hypersensitive sites in chromatin exist at the 5' side of many eukaryotic genes. To gain some understanding of the molecular basis of these hypersensitive sites, we have now examined the pair of sites upstream of the Drosophila hsp70 gene in a series of plasmids that contain deletions in the hypersensitive region and have been transformed into yeast cells. Hypersensitive sites 5' to a Drosophila hsp70 gene are preserved when this gene is introduced into yeast by transformation. We find that a yeast strain containing a plasmid in which the deletion extends through the first hypersensitive site still displays the normal pair of hypersensitive sites, so DNA sequences over which the first hypersensitive site is centred are not required for hypersensitivity at this position and the site can form over a foreign DNA sequence juxtaposed against this deletion end point. Deletions progressing further into the region bracketed by the pair of 5' hypersensitive sites eliminate the first hypersensitive site and alter the downstream site. We propose that the hypersensitive sites are generated through the binding of a protein that renders flanking sequences more accessible to nucleases, perhaps by preventing normal chromatin packaging.     

The gene for theta-globin is transcribed in human fetal erythroid tissues

A new gene like the alpha-globin gene has been identified in higher primates at the 3' end of the alpha-globin gene cluster. There is some controversy as to whether this gene, theta, is a functional globin gene or a non-functional pseudogene. The high degree of sequence conservation displayed by theta between primates and various mammals, such as horse and rabbit, suggests that this gene is functional in some species. Furthermore, theta encodes a 141-amino-acid polypeptide in sequence similar to alpha-globin and appears to possess functional RNA-processing signals. But the promoter region of theta is unlike the other globin genes because its CCAAT and ATA box sequences are displaced from the coding sequence by the insertion of a 200-base-pair GC-rich sequence. We demonstrate here the presence of theta-globin messenger RNA in human fetal erythroid tissue, but not in adult erythroid or other non-erythroid tissues. Furthermore, theta-globin mRNA is detectable in significant amounts in a human erythroleukaemic cell line. These results predict that theta-globin protein will be found in the early stages of human fetal development. Surprisingly, the promoter sequence of theta-globin does not correspond to the CCAAT and ATA box sequences of the gene but rather lies within the adjacent GC-rich sequence, resulting in a heterogeneous series of mRNA 5' ends 50-10 base pairs to 5' of the initiation codon. This type of promoter is reminiscent of that found in housekeeping genes such as adenine deaminase and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase.     

The ovalbumin gene region: common features in the organisation of three genes expressed in chicken oviduct under hormonal control.

Two large DNA fragments overlapping the chicken ovalbumin gene have been isolated by molecular cloning. Analysis of these fragments provided a map of a 46,000-base pair region of the chicken genome. This region contains the complete ovalbumin gene (including its mRNA leader-coding sequence) and at least two other genes of unknown function. All three genes are orientated in the same direction and their expression in chicken oviduct is under hormonal control. The three genes share some sequence homologies, suggesting that duplications have occurred in the ovalbumin gene region in the course of evolution.     

A different genetic code in human mitochondria.

Comparison of the human mitochrondial DNA sequence of the cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene and the sequence of the corresponding beef heart protein shows that UGA is used as a tryptophan codon and not as a termination codon and suggests that AUA may be a methionine and not an isoleucine codon. The cytochrome oxidase II gene is contiguous at its 5' end with a tRNAAsp gene and there are only 25 bases at its 3' end before a tRNALys gene. These tRNA'S are different from all other known tRNA sequences.     

Telomerase primer specificity and chromosome healing

Chromosome healing by de novo telomere addition at nontelomeric sites has been well characterized in several organisms. The Tetrahymena telomerase ribonucleoprotein uses an internal RNA template to catalyse d(TTGGGG)n telomere addition to the 3' end of telomeric sequence in vitro and in vivo. Studies of telomerase RNA indicated that hybridization of the RNA template region, 5'-CAACCCCAA-3', to the 3' end of single-stranded telomeric oligonucleotides might be important for primer recognition and utilization. The apparent requirement of telomerase for pre-existing telomeric sequence has raised questions regarding its role in chromosome healing. We report here that Tetrahymena telomerase can specifically elongate single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides whose termini are not complementary to the RNA template sequence 5'-CAACCCCAA-3'. These data suggest that telomerase may be able to heal chromosomes directly in vivo.     

Cloning of a novel gene encoding human thioredoxin-like protein

mRNA differential display (DDRT-PCR) has been used to analyze different human fetal brain tissues of different developmental stages (13- and 33-week). According to the sequence of one EST obtained in this assay, a pair of primers have been designed to screen the arrayed human fetal brain cDNA library. A1 .2-kb cDNA clone has been found. This cDNA consists of an 867 bp open reading frame, a 132 bp 5' untranslated sequence and a 209 bp 3' untranslated sequence with a typical polyadenylation signal. The coding region predicts a protein of 289 amino acids. Its N-terminal of 105 residues is highly homologous to human thioredoxin, while no homology has been found in the databases with its C-terminal of 184 residues. Its N-terminal region also contains the conserved active site sequence CGPC (Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys) of thioredoxin. It was named human Thioredoxin-like gene (hTRXL).     

Retroviral gag and DNA endonuclease coding sequences in IgE-binding factor gene

Immunoglobulin-binding factors are known to regulate the synthesis of B-cell-derived immunoglobulin heavy-chain isotypes. Cloning and nucleotide sequence determination of complementary DNA encoding rodent IgE-binding factors (IgE-BF) revealed that messenger RNA encodes a glycoprotein of 557 amino acids which is expressed as a precursor of relative molecular mass (Mr) 60,000 (60K) in COS7 monkey cells. We report here that the 3' two-thirds of the IgE-BF coding sequence shows a surprising homology (72%) at the DNA level with coding sequences of the gag and pol (DNA endonuclease) genes of the Syrian hamster intracisternal A particle (IAP H18), an endogenous retrovirus. This marked homology demonstrates that the rodent gene encoding IgE-BF is a hybrid gene which evolved very recently by integrating genes of viral origin, and that the encoded polypeptide comprises three separate domains: an IgE-BF domain and retrovirus-derived gag and DNA endonuclease-like domains. This may represent the first report of a cellular gene containing a virus-derived coding sequence.     

Identification of novel SINEs from Cyprinidae and their evolutionary significance

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are widespread among eukaryotic genomes. They are repetitive DNA sequences that have been amplified by retrotransposition. In this study, a class of SINEs were isolated from the Opsariichthys bidens genome, and named Opsar. Sequence analysis confirmed that Opsar is a new class of typical SINEs derived from tRNA molecules. With the tRNA-derived region of Opsar and through BLASTN search, we further identified Zb-SINEs from the zebrafish genome, which includes two groups: Zb-SINE-A and Zb-SINE-B. The Zb-SINE-A. group comprises subfamilies of -Al--A5, and the Zb-SINE-B group is a dimer of the tRNA -derived region and shares a similar dimeric composition to Alu. Zb-SINEs are composed of three distinct regions: a 5' end tRNA-derived region, a tRNA-unrelated region and a 3' end AT-rich region. The flanking regions are AT rich. The average length of Zb-SINEs elements is about 340 bp. Zb-SINEs account for as much as 0.1 % of the whole zebrafish genome. About 70% of the Zb-SINEs are on chromosomes 11, 18, and 19. These Zb-SINEs were characterized by PCR and dot hybridization. The distribution pattern of Zb-SINEs in genome strongly supports the master genes model. The tRNA-derived regions of Opsar and Zb-SINEs were compared with the tRNAAla gene, and they showed 76% similarity, indicating that Opsar and Zb-SINEs originated from an inactive tRNA sequence or a tRNA -like sequence. In view of the evolutionary status of zebrafish in the Cyprinidae, we deduced that Zb-SINEs were a very old class of interspersed sequences.     

Inhibition of RNA cleavage but not polyadenylation by a point mutation in mRNA 3' consensus sequence AAUAAA

A single U leads to G transversion in the 3' consensus sequence AAUAAA of the adenovirus early region 1A gene was constructed and the effect of this mutation on processing of the 3' end of the nuclear early region 1A RNAs was analysed. The results demonstrate that the intact AAUAAA is not required for RNA polyadenylation but is required for the cleavage step preceding polyadenylation to occur efficiently.     

Identification of novel SINEs from Cyprinidae and their evolutionary significance

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are widespread among eukaryotic genomes. They are repetitive DNA sequences that have been amplified by retrotransposition. In this study, a class of SINEs were isolated from the Opsariichthys bidens genome, and named Opsar. Sequence analysis confirmed that Opsar is a new class of typical SINEs derived from tRNA molecules. With the tRNA-derived region of Opsar and through BLASTN search, we further identified Zb-SINEs from the zebrafish genome, which includes two groups: Zb-SINE-A and Zb-SINE-B. The Zb-SINE-A group comprises subfamilies of -A1—-A5, and the Zb-SINE-B group is a dimer of the tRNA^Ala-derived region and shares a similar dimeric composition to Alu. Zb-SINEs are composed of three distinct regions: a 5′end tRNA-derived region, a tRNA-unrelated region and a 3′end AT-rich region. The flanking regions are AT rich. The average length of Zb-SINEs elements is about 340 bp. Zb-SINEs account for as much as 0.1% of the whole zebrafish genome. About 70% of the Zb-SINEs are on chromosomes 11, 18, and 19. These Zb-SINEs were characterized by PCR and dot hybridization. The distribution pattern of Zb-SINEs in genome strongly supports the master genes model. The tRNA-derived regions of Opsar and Zb-SINEs were compared with the tRNA^Ala gene, and they showed 76% similarity, indicating that Opsar and Zb-SINEs originated from an inactive tRNA^Ala sequence or a tRNA^Ala—like sequence. In view of the evolutionary status of zebrafish in the Cyprinidae, we deduced that Zb-SINEs were a very old class of interspersed sequences.