A progeroid syndrome in mice is caused by defects in A-type lamins

Numerous studies of the underlying causes of ageing have been attempted by examining diseases associated with premature ageing, such as Werner's syndrome and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). HGPS is a rare genetic disorder resulting in phenotypes suggestive of accelerated ageing, including shortened stature, craniofacial disproportion, very thin skin, alopecia and osteoporosis, with death in the early teens predominantly due to atherosclerosis. However, recent reports suggest that developmental abnormalities may also be important in HGPS. Here we describe the derivation of mice carrying an autosomal recessive mutation in the lamin A gene (Lmna) encoding A-type lamins, major components of the nuclear lamina. Homozygous mice display defects consistent with HGPS, including a marked reduction in growth rate and death by 4 weeks of age. Pathologies in bone, muscle and skin are also consistent with progeria. The Lmna mutation resulted in nuclear morphology defects and decreased lifespan of homozygous fibroblasts, suggesting premature cell death. Here we present a mouse model for progeria that may elucidate mechanisms of ageing and development in certain tissue types, especially those developing from the mesenchymal cell lineage.     

Targeted disruption of the murine int-1 proto-oncogene resulting in severe abnormalities in midbrain and cerebellar development

The int-1 proto-oncogene was first identified as a gene activated in virally induced mouse mammary tumours. Expression studies, however, suggest that the normal function of this gene may be in spermatogenesis and in the development of the central nervous system. Genes sharing sequence similarity with int-1 have been found throughout the animal kingdom. For example, int-1 has 54% amino-acid identity to the Drosophila segment polarity gene wingless (wg). Both the int-1 and wg gene products seem to be secreted proteins, presumably involved in cell-cell signalling. We have now explored the function of int-1 in the mouse by disrupting one of the two int-1 alleles in mouse embryo-derived stem cells using positive-negative selection. This cell line was used to generate a chimaeric mouse that transmitted the mutant allele to its progeny. Mice heterozygous for the int-1 null mutation are normal and fertile, whereas mice homozygous for the mutation may exhibit a range of phenotypes from death before birth to survival with severe ataxia. The latter pathology in mice and humans is often associated with defects in the cerebellum. Examination of int-1-/int-1- mice at several stages of embryogenesis revealed severe abnormalities in the development of the mesencephalon and metencephalon indicating a prominent role for the int-1 protein is in the induction of the mesencephalon and cerebellum.     

三例眼部突变小鼠的培育及特征分析

摘要: 目的 筛选培育眼部突变表型小鼠,为人类相关疾病的研究提供材料。方法 采用 N-乙基-N-亚硝基脲 ( N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea,ENU) 诱变处理 G0 代小鼠,繁育获得 G1 代,筛选眼部突变表型个体,进行遗传力试验、临床 诊断及病理学观察。结果 本实验繁殖 G1 代小鼠 2782 只,经筛查获得眼部突变表型小鼠 65 只,可稳定遗传小鼠 3 例,分别表现为: 角膜混浊、小眼球和虹膜异常等特征。角膜混浊者其角膜症状严重程度差异较大,角膜病变部位 明显增厚,部分伴有新生血管; 小眼球者睑裂较小,甚至上下眼睑粘连,外观眼球不可见,病理学检查可见内有发育 异常的小眼球; 虹膜异常者可见瞳孔偏大,明显偏离中心位置,偏向位置不定,对光无反射,病理学观察可见虹膜晶 状体粘连、虹膜缺损,严重者伴有视网膜异常等。结论 本实验成功培育了 3 例眼部突变表型小鼠,为人类相关疾 病的研究提供良好的材料。     

骨碎补对去卵巢大鼠骨微结构的保护作用

为观察骨碎补对去卵巢大鼠骨微结构的作用并探讨其可能作用机制,将36只大鼠分为实验组（OVXDF）、模型组（OVX）和假手术组（SHAM）。OVXDF及OVX组去卵巢造模,术后8周,测量3组大鼠骨密度后,OVXDF组给予骨碎补水煎液灌胃,OVX及SHAM组给予生理盐水灌胃,灌胃12周。然后利用Micro-CT测量骨密度BMD(g/cm³)、骨矿含量BMC(g)、骨小梁骨量BV/TV(%)、骨小梁厚度Tb.Th(μm)、骨小梁数量Tb.N(mm^-1)、骨小梁分离度Tb.sp(mm)、结构模型指数SMI,显微镜下观察骨组织显微形态情况,酶联免疫吸附法测定大鼠血清TRAP、MMP-9、CTX-1含量。结果显示大鼠去卵巢后,不仅表现为骨量的降低,同时出现骨微细结构的变化,骨碎补灌胃后可以有效地对抗去卵巢大鼠的骨密度降低及骨微细结构的变化,其作用机制与其抑制骨髓脂肪细胞生成、抑制破骨细胞活性及数量有关。     

三甲胺(TMA)的毒性研究

用大鼠和小鼠以霍恩法测定了三甲胺的急性经口LD50,并以蓄积系数法测定其对小鼠的K值。观察并记录了急性中毒的症状。最后,以小鼠骨髓细胞染色体畸变分析法检测了单独摄入三甲胺和同时摄入亚硝酸钠的致突性。结果是大鼠经口LD50.1236mg/kg(雌),797mg/kg雄);小鼠经口LD50.908mg/kg(雌),704mg/kg(雄)。蓄积系数K>5(指标为小鼠死亡率)。小鼠骨髓细胞染色体畸变分析阴性。     

Differential activity of maternally and paternally derived chromosome regions in mice

Although both parental sexes contribute equivalent genetic information to the zygote, in mammals this information is not necessarily functionally equivalent. Diploid parthenotes possessing two maternal genomes are generally inviable, embryos possessing two paternal genomes in man may form hydatidiform moles, and nuclear transplantation experiments in mice have shown that both parental genomes are necessary for complete embryogenesis. Not all of the genome is involved in these parental effects, however, because zygotes with maternal or paternal disomy for chromosomes 1, 4, 5, 9, 13, 14 and 15 of the mouse survive normally. On the other hand, only the maternal X chromosome is active in mouse extraembryonic membranes, maternal disomy 6 is lethal, while non-complementation of maternal duplication/paternal deficiency or its reciprocal for regions of chromosome 2, 8 and 17 has been recognized. We report that animals with maternal duplication/paternal deficiency and its reciprocal for each of two particular chromosome regions show anomalous phenotypes which depart from normal in opposite directions, suggesting a differential functioning of gene loci within these regions. A further example of non-complementation lethality is also reported.     

矿泉水对ICR小鼠生长繁育的影响

目的通过对在一定时段内连续饮用矿泉水ICR小鼠生长发育指标的研究,探讨该矿泉水可能存在的生物学功效。方法实验组动物饮用矿泉水,对照组动物饮用普通城市饮用水,比较两组动物的繁殖能力、子代生长发育情况、主要脏器系数和主要内脏器官的组织学结构,并对实验数据进行生物学统计分析。结果实验组与对照组动物在各项研究指标上均无差异(P0.05)。结论该矿泉水对ICR小鼠的生长发育没有不良影响,但尚未发现明显的促生长作用。     

矿泉水对ICR小鼠生理、生化的影响

目的研究饮用某矿泉水对lCR小鼠的生理、生化指标和主要脏器组织结构的影响。方法在同一饲养条 件下,给不同组别的小鼠分别饮用矿泉水和城市居民饮用水,比较两组小鼠子代的相关生理生代指标。结果饮 用某矿泉水对ICR小鼠血红蛋白、血小板和红细胞有影响。其脏器系数、血糖和血脂没有影响。结论饮用该矿泉 水使雌性ICR小鼠血小板数量降低;使雄性ICR小鼠血红蛋白、红细胞数量增加,红细胞体积增大。     

Separation of pluripotent haematopoietic stem cells from spleen colony-forming cells

Long-term reconstitution of the lymphohaematopoietic cells of a mouse after lethal irradiation requires the transplantation of at least (5-10) x 10(3) bone marrow cells. Several cell-separation techniques based on cell-surface characteristics have been used in attempts to identify the pluripotent haematopoietic stem cells (PHSC), and have allowed the long-term engraftment of lethally irradiated mice with an enriched fraction of fewer than 200 marrow cells. But these techniques enrich not only for PHSC but also for haematopoietic progenitors, especially day-12 spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S). Although day-12 CFU-S have been postulated to be primitive multipotential haematopoietic progenitors, with day-8 CFU-S representing later, more committed progenitors, recent evidence suggests that neither of these CFU-S represents mouse PHSC. Here we report that counterflow centrifugal elutriation, which sorts cells on the basis of size and density, can separate PHSC from these less primitive progenitors. The fraction containing the largest cells was enriched for the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM), but gave only transient, early engraftment and was therefore depleted of PHSC. The intermediate fraction was enriched for CFU-S, but depleted of CFU-GM. Despite being devoid of CFU-GM and CFU-S, the fraction consisting of only morphological lymphocytes gave sustained, albeit delayed, reconstitution of all lymphohaematopoietic cells, and was therefore enriched for PHSC. We conclude that there are two vital classes of engrafting cells: committed progenitors, which provide initial, unsustained engraftment, and PHSC, which produce delayed, but durable, engraftment. Therefore for late haematological reconstitution, PHSC must be transplanted with a distinguishable source of early engrafting cells, thereby allowing the lethally irradiated host to survive initial aplasia.     

Multi-scaling hierarchical structure analysis on the sequence ofE. coli complete genome

We have applied the newly developed hierarchical structure theory for complex systems to analyze the multi-scaling structures of the nucleotide density distribution along a linear DNA sequence from the completeEscherichia coli genome. The hierarchical symmetry in the nucleotide density distribution was demonstrated. In particular, we have shown that the G, C density distribution that represents a strong H-bonding between the two DNA chains is more coherent with smaller similarity parameter compared to that of A, T density distribution, indicating a better organized multi-scaling fluctuation field for G, C density distribution along the genome sequence. The biological significance of these findings is under investigation.     

A conditional knockout resource for the genome-wide study of mouse gene function

Gene targeting in embryonic stem cells has become the principal technology for manipulation of the mouse genome, offering unrivalled accuracy in allele design and access to conditional mutagenesis. To bring these advantages to the wider research community, large-scale mouse knockout programmes are producing a permanent resource of targeted mutations in all protein-coding genes. Here we report the establishment of a high-throughput gene-targeting pipeline for the generation of reporter-tagged, conditional alleles. Computational allele design, 96-well modular vector construction and high-efficiency gene-targeting strategies have been combined to mutate genes on an unprecedented scale. So far, more than 12,000 vectors and 9,000 conditional targeted alleles have been produced in highly germline-competent C57BL/6N embryonic stem cells. High-throughput genome engineering highlighted by this study is broadly applicable to rat and human stem cells and provides a foundation for future genome-wide efforts aimed at deciphering the function of all genes encoded by the mammalian genome.     

HPRT-deficient (Lesch-Nyhan) mouse embryos derived from germline colonization by cultured cells

Embryonal stem (ES) cell lines, established in culture from peri-implantation mouse blastocysts, can colonize both the somatic and germ-cell lineages of chimaeric mice following injection into host blastocysts. Recently, ES cells with multiple integrations of retroviral sequences have been used to introduce these sequences into the germ-line of chimaeric mice, demonstrating an alternative to the microinjection of fertilized eggs for the production of transgenic mice. However, the properties of ES cells raise a unique possibility: that of using the techniques of somatic cell genetics to select cells with genetic modifications such as recessive mutations, and of introducing these mutations into the mouse germ line. Here we report the realization of this possibility by the selection in vitro of variant ES cells deficient in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT; EC 2.4.2.8), their use to produce germline chimaeras resulting in female offspring heterozygous for HPRT-deficiency, and the generation of HPRT-deficient preimplantation embryos from these females. In human males, HPRT deficiency causes Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, which is characterized by mental retardation and self-mutilation.     

Origin of Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells of adult mice from fetal thymic precursors

The skin of mice contains dendritic epidermal cells carrying the Thy-1 antigen (Thy-1+ dEC) which express antigen receptors composed of the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) gamma- and delta-chains. Although the role of the thymus in the generation of most T cells is well established, the involvement of the thymus in the generation of Thy-1+ dEC is not clear. Because bone marrow cells can give rise in Thy-1+ dEC in chimaeric mice and Thy-1+ dEC are detected in the skin of athymic nude nice, it has been proposed that Thy-1+ dEC arise continuously from bone marrow precursors by a thymus-independent mechanism. But it has recently been determined that Thy-1+ dEC in nude mice do not express TCR at the cell surface, and that the gamma- and delta-chain genes are in germ-line configuration, leaving the role of the thymus in the generation of Thy-1+ dEC uncertain. Most Thy-1+ dEC in all normal mouse strains examined express TCR containing the V gamma 3 gene product. This V gene segment is expressed on the first wave of TCR-expressing cells to emerge during fetal development, and in adult mice is detectable only on cells in the epidermis. In addition to use of this 'fetal' V gamma segment, other features of the Thy-1+ dEC TCR genes, including absence or minimal presence of nongerm-line-encoded nucleotides at the junctions and use of a single D element in the rearranged delta-chain gene are typical of rearrangements found in fetal, and not adult, thymus. Here we demonstrate that precursors that are present only in the fetal thymus give rise to Thy-1+ dEC in the skin of adult mice.     

同时检测小鼠微小病毒(MVM)和小鼠细小病毒(MPV)的荧光定量PCR的建立及应用

目的 建立同时检测小鼠微小病毒(MVM)和小鼠细小病毒(MPV)的荧光定量PCR方法,并进行初步应用。方法 比对NCBI上发表的MVM和MPV基因组序列,设计1对引物和探针,可同时检测MVM和MPV。考察MVM-MPV引物探针的特异性和灵敏度,并对178份清洁级小鼠粪便DNA样本进行检测。结果 MVM-MPV荧光定量PCR方法最佳线性范围为109～104拷贝/μL,标准曲线的线性关系良好,R2值可达0.99,灵敏度为101拷贝/μL,特异性强。应用MVM-MPV探针对178份小鼠粪便DNA检测,结果为2份阳性样本,经MVM、MPV特异性探针鉴定,2份阳性样本均为MPV感染。阳性样本经全基因组测序后与NCBI网站上MPV(NC_001630.1)序列比对,一致率为96%。结论 建立的MVM-MPV荧光定量PCR方法,能够有效快速地同时检出小鼠细小病毒和小鼠微小病毒。     

骨疏康颗粒防治骨质疏松症研究概况

回顾并分析了纯中药制剂骨疏康(GSK)治疗骨质疏松症的基础研究和临床研究相关文献．结果显示：(1)GSK在药理学方面具有特殊性，含有了多种西药的联合效价．(2)在1085例临床报告中(病例选择偏重于绝经期后1型骨质疏松症女性病人)，GSK对绝经期后妇女和1型骨质疏松症病人的疗效可靠性高于其他类型(包括男性、合并压缩骨折，高龄等)；通过骨密度测定，GSK可以明显增加骨密度(BMD)，即提高骨量，但对于改善骨的体积密度(BVD)，即改善骨质的效应尚不能明确肯定；GSK临床疗效和安全性稳定可靠，所有文献均有较满意的正向结论，可大致归结为：3个月疗程，75％的显效率．     

Four kinds of ENU-induced white spot mice and chromosome locations of the mutant genes

After the accomplishment of the Human Genome Project, life sciences have entered a post-genome era to systematically study gene functions on a large scale[1]. Because of its similarity to humanity in genomic se-quences, biochemical metabolism and physiological mechanism, Mus musculus is the ideal model animal in the study of functional genome. As the publication of the draft map of mouse genome sequences in December 2002, studying gene functions by mouse enters a new stage[2]. So far, there …     

Genetic recombination is directed away from functional genomic elements in mice

Genetic recombination occurs during meiosis, the key developmental programme of gametogenesis. Recombination in mammals has been recently linked to the activity of a histone H3 methyltransferase, PR domain containing 9 (PRDM9), the product of the only known speciation-associated gene in mammals. PRDM9 is thought to determine the preferred recombination sites--recombination hotspots--through sequence-specific binding of its highly polymorphic multi-Zn-finger domain. Nevertheless, Prdm9 knockout mice are proficient at initiating recombination. Here we map and analyse the genome-wide distribution of recombination initiation sites in Prdm9 knockout mice and in two mouse strains with different Prdm9 alleles and their F(1) hybrid. We show that PRDM9 determines the positions of practically all hotspots in the mouse genome, with the exception of the pseudo-autosomal region (PAR)--the only area of the genome that undergoes recombination in 100% of cells. Surprisingly, hotspots are still observed in Prdm9 knockout mice, and as in wild type, these hotspots are found at H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) trimethylation marks. However, in the absence of PRDM9, most recombination is initiated at promoters and at other sites of PRDM9-independent H3K4 trimethylation. Such sites are rarely targeted in wild-type mice, indicating an unexpected role of the PRDM9 protein in sequestering the recombination machinery away from gene-promoter regions and other functional genomic elements.