Detection of DNA methylation changes during seed germination in rapeseed （Brassica napus）

DNA methylation is a common yet important modi- fication of DNA in eukaryotic organisms. DNA methy- lation, especially methylation of cytosine (m5C), have both epigenetic and mutagenic effects on various cellu- lar activities such as differential gene exp…     

植物中miR160/miR167/miR390家族及其靶基因研究进展

microRNA(miRNA)是真核生物中广泛存在的一类长21～23个核苷酸的非编码RNA分子,通过与靶基因mRNA的特异结合调节基因转录后表达,在调控细胞周期、生物体发育时序等方面起重要作用。miR160、miR167和miR390 3个miRNAs家族均为靶向ARF(Auxin Response Factor)基因家族,预示着它们在行使调控功能的过程中既有相似性又有特异性。笔者详细阐述了miR160/miR167/miR390在植物发育过程中的调控作用及与其靶基因之间的相互调控关系,发现miR160/miR167/miR390均在植物生长发育过程中发挥重要的作用,但miR160则侧重于调控胚胎和根的发育,miR167侧重于调控植物花和果实的发育,而miR390则对植物横向器官的发育具有调控作用,并且,miR160/miR167/miR390与其靶基因之间存在反馈调节作用。     

人类P53下游基因一致性序列研究

人类P53蛋白是一种通用转录因子,通过调控一系列下游基因的转录来影响许多细胞功能。p53下游基因含有P53蛋白结合序列,收集已报道的63条人类P53蛋白结合序列并与ElDeiry等定义的一致性序列进行比较,发现这些P53蛋白结合序列与一致性序列特征并不严格一致,对这些偏差规律的分析有利于建立p53下游基因预测模型,进而利用计算机方法预测p53下游基因,研究其基因互作网络。     

人类P53下游基因一致性序列研究

人类P53蛋白是一种通用转录因子，通过调控一系列下游基因的转录来影响许多细胞功能。p53下游基因含有P53蛋白结合序列，收集已报道的63条人类P53蛋白结合序列并与E1-Deiry等定义的一致性序列进行比较，发现这些P53蛋白结合序列与一致性序列特征并不严格一致，对这些偏差规律的分析有利于建立p53下游基因预测模型，进而利用计算机方法预测p53下游基因，研究其基因互作网络。     

修饰合成冬鲽抗冻肽基因的设计和克隆

动物界和植物界密码子使用频率不同,冬Ｄｉｅ抗冻肽中丙氨酸占６０％而且偏爱ＧＣＣ,３８个Ａｌａ密友子中２３个为ＧＣＣ。我们设计合成抗冻肽基因时采用了植物基因常用密码子,用甘薯信号肽序列取了抗冻肽的ｐｒｅ序列,省略了Ｐｒｏ序列,并 信号肽下游二、四、八拷贝正向串联的成太的修饰基因,经测序证实与设计完成一致。利用ＱＩＡ表达系统,在大肠杆菌中实现了ＤＨＦＲ－成熟抗冻肽单体和二体的融合表达。     

PGC7 binds histone H3K9me2 to protect against conversion of 5mC to 5hmC in early embryos

The modification of DNA by 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has essential roles in cell differentiation and development through epigenetic gene regulation. 5mC can be converted to another modified base, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), by the tet methylcytosine dioxygenase (Tet) family of enzymes. Notably, the balance between 5hmC and 5mC in the genome is linked with cell-differentiation processes such as pluripotency and lineage commitment. We have previously reported that the maternal factor PGC7 (also known as Dppa3, Stella) is required for the maintenance of DNA methylation in early embryogenesis, and protects 5mC from conversion to 5hmC in the maternal genome. Here we show that PGC7 protects 5mC from Tet3-mediated conversion to 5hmC by binding to maternal chromatin containing dimethylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me2) in mice. In addition, imprinted loci that are marked with H3K9me2 in mature sperm are protected by PGC7 binding in early embryogenesis. This type of regulatory mechanism could be involved in DNA modifications in somatic cells as well as in early embryos.     

Gene expression profiles of the developing human retina

Retinaplaysimportantrolesintheperception,proc-essandtransmissionofvisualsignalsandthefunctionsoftheretinadepend,toalargeextent,onitshighlyorganizedstructure.During3—6weeksinhumanembryogenesis,theneuralectodermgrowsoutfromthediencephalonstoformtheopticvesicleandtheninvaginatestoformtheopticcup.Theouterlayeroftheopticcupbecomesthenon-neuralretinalpigmentepithelium(RPE)andtheinnerlayerbecomestheneuralretina.RPEcellsproliferateslowlyandappeardifferentiatedandpigmentedasearlyas6—8weeksandremain…     

DNA序列在植物系统进化研究中的应用

DNA序列分析已广泛应用于植物系统与进化学研究，根据不同的研究对象和问题选择相对应的DNA序列来进行研究显得十分重要。目前在植物系统与进化学中主要一些DNA的应用，主要是讨论叶绿体基因组（rbcL等）和核基因组（18S，ITS）中的特定DNA序列区段。研究表明，18S,rbcL等编码基因一般适用于较高分类阶元甚至整个种子植物谱系间的系统发育的探讨，而ITS极cpDNA的非编码区序列等因其较快的进化速率多用于较低分类阶元的系统关系研究。     

大豆BGLU基因家族全基因组鉴定与表达分析

在植物中,β-葡萄糖苷酶(BGLU)参与调控许多重要的生理过程.利用大豆基因组数据库,共鉴定了42个大豆BGLU家族基因,对该家族成员的基因特征、蛋白结构、系统进化、染色体定位、启动子调控元件和表达模式等进行了全面分析.为今后研究大豆BGLU家族基因的功能提供了基因信息.     

Molecular characterization of GmNHX2, a Na＋/H＋ antiporter gene homolog from soybean,and its heterolosous expression to improve salt tolerance in Arabidopsis

Na＋/H＋ antiporters have been well documented to enhance plant salt tolerance by regulating cellular ion homeostasis. Here, a putative Na＋/H＋ antiporter gene homolog GmNHX2 from soybean was cloned and predicted to encode a protein of 534 amino acids with 10 putative transmembrane domains. GmNHX2 was expressed in all soybean plant tissues but enriched in roots and its expression was induced by NaCI and polyethylene glycol （PEG） treatments. GmNHX2 exhibits greater sequence similarity with LeNHX2 and AtNHX6 than that of AtNHX1 and AtSOS1. Although phylogenetic analysis clustered GmNHX2 with organellar （tonoplast and vesicles） antiporters, the GmNHX2-EGFP （enhanced green fluorescent protein） fusion protein was possibly localized in the plasma membrane or organelle membrane of transgenic plant cells, Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing GmNHX2 were more tolerant to high NaCl concentrations during germination and seedling stages when compared with wild-type plants. These results suggest that GmNHX2 is a membrane Na＋/H＋ antiporter and may function to regulate ion homeostasis under salt stress.     

基于PWM扫描算法的启动子区域统计分析

为了寻找启动子区域上转录因子结合位点的分布规律,进而研究这种规律与真核基因表达调控机制之间的关系,该文从已有数据出发,运用位置权重矩阵(PWM)扫描算法对启动子区域上4种与肝脏特异表达相关的转录因子结合位点分布情况进行了初步研究,并提出了一种新的序列评分方法。通过该方法提取的统计特征,肝脏特异基因的鉴别准确率可以达93.33%。实验结果表明:肝脏特异基因的启动子区域上结合位点的分布情况与其他基因相比存在显著差异。新的序列评分方法可以更好地反映这种差异性,实现肝脏特异基因的精确鉴别。     

Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation

Genetic imprinting, found in flowering plants and placental mammals, uses DNA methylation to yield gene expression that is dependent on the parent of origin. DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) and its regulatory factor, DNA methyltransferase 3-like protein (Dnmt3L), are both required for the de novo DNA methylation of imprinted genes in mammalian germ cells. Dnmt3L interacts specifically with unmethylated lysine 4 of histone H3 through its amino-terminal PHD (plant homeodomain)-like domain. Here we show, with the use of crystallography, that the carboxy-terminal domain of human Dnmt3L interacts with the catalytic domain of Dnmt3a, demonstrating that Dnmt3L has dual functions of binding the unmethylated histone tail and activating DNA methyltransferase. The complexed C-terminal domains of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3L showed further dimerization through Dnmt3a-Dnmt3a interaction, forming a tetrameric complex with two active sites. Substitution of key non-catalytic residues at the Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L interface or the Dnmt3a-Dnmt3a interface eliminated enzymatic activity. Molecular modelling of a DNA-Dnmt3a dimer indicated that the two active sites are separated by about one DNA helical turn. The C-terminal domain of Dnmt3a oligomerizes on DNA to form a nucleoprotein filament. A periodicity in the activity of Dnmt3a on long DNA revealed a correlation of methylated CpG sites at distances of eight to ten base pairs, indicating that oligomerization leads Dnmt3a to methylate DNA in a periodic pattern. A similar periodicity is observed for the frequency of CpG sites in the differentially methylated regions of 12 maternally imprinted mouse genes. These results suggest a basis for the recognition and methylation of differentially methylated regions in imprinted genes, involving the detection of both nucleosome modification and CpG spacing.     

RNA editing in wheat mitochondria results in the conservation of protein sequences

RNA editing is a process that results in the production of a messenger RNA with nucleotide sequences that differ from those of the template DNA, and provides another mechanism for modulating gene expression. The phenomenon was initially described in the mitochondria of protozoa. Here we report that RNA editing is also required for the correct expression of plant mitochondrial genes. It has previously been proposed that in plant mitochondria there is a departure from the universal genetic code, with CGG specifying tryptophan instead of arginine. This was because CGG codons are often found in plant mitochondrial genes at positions corresponding to those encoding conserved tryptophans in other organisms. We have now found, however, wheat mitochondrial gene sequences containing C residues that are edited to U residues in the corresponding mRNA sequences. In this way, CGG codons can be changed to UGG codons in the mRNA so that tryptophan may be encoded according to the universal genetic code. Furthermore, for each codon modification resulting from a C----U conversion that we studied, we found a corresponding change in the amino acid that was encoded. RNA editing in wheat mitochondria can thus maintain genetic information at the RNA level and as a result contribute to the conservation of mitochondrial protein sequences among plants.