CRISPR/Cas9系统介导的斑马鱼park2基因的定点敲除

作为目前最新、最先进的基因编辑技术,CRISPR/Cas9系统为分子细胞生物学带来革命性发展,以它的简单高效、灵活性以及可实现DNA序列的定向突变而被广泛使用.斑马鱼的park2基因位于第13号染色体上,编码的Parkin蛋白是一个E3泛素连接酶.该基因在斑马鱼中的功能还不清楚.利用CRISPR/Cas9系统,首次在斑马鱼胚胎中实现了park2基因的大片段删除.由于斑马鱼在发育和疾病研究中有很大优势,实现park2基因敲除将有助于将来进一步研究该基因的功能.     

斑马鱼在人类疾病模型以及药物筛选中的应用

小鼠作为研究人类疾病的动物模型已被广泛使用,然而其在大规模遗传筛选和药物筛选方面受到诸多限制.斑马鱼作为典型的脊椎动物,在器官水平和细胞水平上与哺乳动物相似,而且胚胎和幼体的透明特性为实时观察提供了方便;其基因与人类有很高的同源性且易于进行基因操作,因而成为了研究人类疾病的理想动物模型.本文介绍了斑马鱼在人类疾病模型和药物 筛选中的研究概况.     

斑马鱼crip2基因的克隆、亚细胞定位及在胚胎发育早期的表达分析

斑马鱼广泛用于脊椎动物遗传和发育生物学的研究．为揭示包含具有LIM结构域的crip基因的功能,本文以斑马鱼为实验对象,克隆了斑马鱼的crip2基因,分别构建了crip2-Teasy 和crip2-egfp载体,从含有crip2基因的crip2-Teasy质粒上转录crip2 RNA 探针,并用全胚胎原位杂交法检测crip2在斑马鱼胚胎中的表达,用crip2-egfp对crip2进行亚细胞定位研究,发现crip2基因在斑马鱼胚胎早期没有表达,五体节开始在脊索特异表达;后期,主要局限于在血管、心脏和体节间肌肉,表明crip2的表达并不局限于内皮系统．在细胞内,crip2基因在细胞核和胞浆中均有表达．这些工作为进一步研究crip2基因的功能奠定了基础．     

文昌鱼Pax1/9基因上游调控区的克隆及分析

脊椎动物Pax1/9是一重要的发育调控基因亚家族,文昌鱼基因组中仅有单一的该亚家族直系同源基因Amphi-Pax1/9,为检验此基因上游调控元件的功能在脊椎动物体内是否具有通用性,将文昌鱼Pax1/9基因上游约4.6 kb的侧翼序列与绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)报告基因连接,构建重组质粒表达载体(pAmphiPax1/9-AcGFP),显微注射斑马鱼胚胎,并以斑马鱼Pax1和Pax9的上游同源序列为阳性对照.结果表明,阳性对照斑马鱼胚胎中GFP能够表达,但注射pAm-phiPax1/9-AcGFP质粒的斑马鱼胚胎中无明显的GFP表达,这一现象可能是由于Pax1/9上游调控序列在二物种间存在较大的进化差异,启动元件具有物种特异性.     

孤独谱系障碍相关基因dialr斑马鱼突变体的构建及行为学表型探析

dialr基因是人类孤独症谱系障碍相关基因.临床研究发现,缺失diaJr可能会导致患者面部畸形、智力障碍和语言发育迟缓等症状.目前,对dialr基因的功能及分子机制知之甚少,仅有少数在鸡胚、斑马鱼、小鼠中的表达定位研究.本文通过CRISPR/Cas9系统构建了dialr敲除的斑马鱼突变体模型,成功获得了稳定遗传的纯合突...     

乙肝病毒hbx基因诱导斑马鱼胚胎发育背部化畸形

为了研究HBX对胚胎发育的影响,从含有HBX基因的质粒上转录HBX mRNA,显微注射入斑马鱼早期胚胎,在bud期进行表型观察,并用全胚胎原位杂交法检测HBX对斑马鱼胚胎早期发育的影响,用脊索标记基因ntl和骨骼肌标记基因MyoD作为探针检测胚胎发育背部化的特征表型。首次发现HBX的表达引起斑马鱼胚胎早期发育背部化畸形,HBX过量表达的胚胎背部化表型与早期胚胎wnt缺失表达导致的胚胎发育背部化表型一致,HBX可能通过激活wnt/β-catenin信号通路的表达和调控,造成胚胎发育背部化的畸形。     

模式生物斑马鱼在化妆品功效评价中的应用进展及发展趋势分析

斑马鱼模型在药物筛选、药理和毒理等研究领域已得到广泛应用。近年来,随着《化妆品功效宣称评价规范》等文件的实施,化妆品功效宣称进入强监管时代,对功效评价模型和方法的科学性提出了更高的要求。斑马鱼皮肤结构与人类高度相似,胚胎透明,易观察,且斑马鱼功效评价实验具有样品用量少、周期短、高通量的优势,目前已成为化妆品功效评价领域的研究热点。本文基于文献计量学方法,统计了近十年斑马鱼用于化妆品功效评价的相关文献,综述了斑马鱼在化妆品功效评价中的应用进展,并分析了其发展动态和趋势,为促进斑马鱼模型在化妆品领域中的应用提供参考。     

岩藻黄素对H2O2诱导斑马鱼衰老的抑制作用

通过研究岩藻黄素(Fucoxanthin, FUCO)对H₂O₂诱导斑马鱼(Barchydanio rerio)衰老的抑制作用,为FUCO药用价值研究和抗衰老药物研发提供理论基础。本研究采用H₂O₂诱导建立斑马鱼衰老模型,用岩藻黄素进行干预,测定斑马鱼胚胎存活率、体内SA-β-半乳糖苷酶活性、丙二醛(Malondialdehyde, MDA)含量、活性氧(Reactive Oxygen Species, ROS)含量、超氧化物歧化酶(Superoxide Dismutase, SOD)活性,探讨FUCO的抗衰老作用。结果显示,2 mmol/L的H₂O₂作用于斑马鱼胚胎96 h可诱导斑马鱼胚胎衰老;与衰老模型组(M)相比,4个FUCO处理组(2.5、5.0、10.0、15.0μmol/L)斑马鱼胚胎体内的SA-β-半乳糖苷酶活性均降低,MDA含量和ROS含量均明显下降,SOD活性均增高。本研究表明,浓度为2.5-15.0μmol/L时,FUCO对H_...     

洛神花花青素提取工艺及抗氧化活性研究

目的 用超声波辅助法优化提取洛神花中花青素的提取工艺,并通过斑马鱼胚胎氧化应激模型进行抗氧化活性研究。方法 正交法进行提取工艺优化,斑马鱼胚胎进行氧化应激干预测试抗氧化水平。结果 洛神花花青素最佳提取工艺条件：提取温度30℃、超声功率300 W、料液比1∶40(g/mL)、超声时间90 min,此时得率为2.94 mg/g。体外抗氧化活性表明,5.8 mg/mL洛神花花青素对DPPH自由基清除率、ABTS自由基清除率和羟自由基清除率分别为83.15%、 63.32%和74.4%。通过斑马鱼胚胎氧化应激模型进行抗氧化活性研究发现,洛神花花青素能够有效保护由AAPH诱导的斑马鱼胚胎氧化损伤,11.6μg/mL剂量组的洛神花花青素极显著降低斑马鱼胚胎ROS的产生,抑制脂质过氧化物的生成和降低胚胎细胞死亡率,其作用效果与2.9μg/mL VC组相近。结论 超声辅助正交优化后的工艺能提高洛神花花青素得率,比单因素最高得率提高37%;良好的体内外抗氧化活性为进一步开发洛神花提供理论基础。     

斑马鱼在新药药理毒理方面的研究

斑马鱼作为一种新的模式动物，已经在新药的药理和毒理研究方面得到了广泛的应用。随着基因学和胚胎学的发展，证明了癍马鱼的生物学特性接近于人类生长全过程，使其在人类疾病研究等方面表现出重要的作用。本文阐述了斑马鱼的特点，以及其应用于人类疾病模型和药物药理毒理方面的成果和前景。     

cdx4 mutants fail to specify blood progenitors and can be rescued by multiple hox genes

Organogenesis is dependent on the formation of distinct cell types within the embryo. Important to this process are the hox genes, which are believed to confer positional identities to cells along the anteroposterior axis. Here, we have identified the caudal-related gene cdx4 as the locus mutated in kugelig (kgg), a zebrafish mutant with an early defect in haematopoiesis that is associated with abnormal anteroposterior patterning and aberrant hox gene expression. The blood deficiency in kgg embryos can be rescued by overexpressing hoxb7a or hoxa9a but not hoxb8a, indicating that the haematopoietic defect results from perturbations in specific hox genes. Furthermore, the haematopoietic defect in kgg mutants is not rescued by scl overexpression, suggesting that cdx4 and hox genes act to make the posterior mesoderm competent for blood development. Overexpression of cdx4 during zebrafish development or in mouse embryonic stem cells induces blood formation and alters hox gene expression. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that cdx4 regulates hox genes and is necessary for the specification of haematopoietic cell fate during vertebrate embryogenesis.     

Isolation of the dorsal locus of Drosophila

The establishment of embryonic polarity is a crucial step in pattern formation and morphogenesis. In the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, embryonic polarity depends primarily on genes expressed in the female during oogenesis. Mutations in these 'maternal effect' genes can lead to major disruptions in normal pattern formation. Two classes of maternal genes essential for the establishment of polarity in the embryo have been identified. Lesions in one class, the 'bicaudal' genes, disrupt the anterior-posterior axis; lesions in the other class disrupt dorsal-ventral polarity, and in the most extreme cases embryos fail to form any ventral or lateral structures. Genetic studies suggest that the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes may be independent as the defects observed in mutants from each class seem to be restricted to one axis only. The dorsal (dl) locus is one of the maternal effect genes involved in the establishment of dorsal-ventral polarity. Homozygous dl females produce embryos exhibiting the mutant phenotype--complete lack of dorsal-ventral polarity in the strongest alleles--irrespective of the genotype of the father. Although dl is a maternal effect locus and must be expressed during oogenesis, the gene product, or a substance depending on the normal function of the dl gene, seems to be active early in embryogenesis, as the dl phenotype can be partially rescued by injection of cytoplasm from wild-type cleavage-stage embryos. Here we report the molecular cloning of the dorsal locus and a study of its expression.     

Chondroitin proteoglycans are involved in cell division of Caenorhabditis elegans

Glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate are extracellular sugar chains involved in intercellular signalling. Disruptions of genes encoding enzymes that mediate glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis have severe consequences in Drosophila and mice. Mutations in the Drosophila gene sugarless, which encodes a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase, impairs developmental signalling through the Wnt family member Wingless, and signalling by the fibroblast growth factor and Hedgehog pathways. Heparan sulphate is involved in these pathways, but little is known about the involvement of chondroitin. Undersulphated and oversulphated chondroitin sulphate chains have been implicated in other biological processes, however, including adhesion of erythrocytes infected with malaria parasite to human placenta and regulation of neural development. To investigate chondroitin functions, we cloned a chondroitin synthase homologue of Caenorhabditis elegans and depleted expression of its product by RNA-mediated interference and deletion mutagenesis. Here we report that blocking chondroitin synthesis results in cytokinesis defects in early embryogenesis. Reversion of cytokinesis is often observed in chondroitin-depleted embryos, and cell division eventually stops, resulting in early embryonic death. Our findings show that chondroitin is required for embryonic cytokinesis and cell division.     

Production of chimaeric mice containing embryonic stem (ES) cells carrying a homoeobox Hox 1.1 allele mutated by homologous recombination

Several mouse gene families related to Drosophila developmental control genes and containing a homoeobox, a paired box or a finger domain, have been cloned and structurally analysed. On the basis of structural similarities to the Drosophila genes and of their spatially and temporally restricted expression patterns during mouse embryogenesis, it has been proposed that these mammalian genes also are involved in the control of development. To elucidate the function of homoeobox genes by genetic means, mouse mutants must be generated. We have developed a technique for mutagenesis in vivo and have used it to mutate the homoeobox Hox 1.1 gene. In vivo mutagenesis was achieved through homologous recombination between an endogenous Hox 1.1 allele and a microinjected mutated gene in pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells. Mutant cells were identified by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mutant clones were used to generate chimaeric mice. Because the homologous recombination event is formally a gene conversion event and no selection is required to screen for cells carrying the mutated allele, in vivo mutagenesis allows specific alterations in the target sequence to be made without the introduction of any other sequences.     

Novel gene expressed during early embryogenesis of zebrafish identified by mRNA differential display

Following the revelation of the molecular mechanism of morphogenesis in fruitfly, research on the molecular mechanism of morphogenesis in vertebrate becomes the focus of developmental biology. The isolation of genes controlling the embryogenesis of zebrafish, a vertebrate model animal, is considered as an initial step toward investigating this issue. There are several approaches that can be used to isolate developmental genes, each of which is suited to a particular situation. In this note, mRNA differential display was utilized to demonstrate the mRNA differences among zebrafish embryos at 4, 5 and 6 h post fertilization (28.5℃, corresponding to oblong, dome and shield stages, respectively, called blastula, gastrula and neurula in this note). One cDNA tag that was specific to embryos at neurula stage was cloned and sequenced. After sequence comparison in Genbank, we found that this cDNA tag represents a novel gene. The expression of this gene in the developing zebrafish embryos was examined by whole mount in situ hybridization. The hybridization results confirmed that this gene was specifically expressed in zebrafish neurula embryos.     

Maternal control of Drosophila segmentation gene expression

Several genes have been identified that are involved in establishing the segmented body pattern during development of the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster. These fall into several classes on the basis of the kind of alteration to the wild-type segmentation pattern observed in mutant embryos. For example, mutations of the pair-rule class, such as fushi tarazu (ftz), cause the deletion of pattern elements with a two-segment periodicity; those of the gap class, such as knirps, cause the deletion of contiguous groups of segments. The availability of antibodies against the ftz protein has allowed its spatial pattern of expression to be studied during the development of wild-type and mutant embryos. The aim of the latter kind of experiment is to investigate possible interactions between these important genes. We have recently reported that knirps mutations cause a striking alteration to the pattern of transverse stripes of ftz expression usually seen during embryogenesis. Knirps is a zygotically-expressed gene, but recently a class of maternally-active genes has been identified that causes similar defects in pattern formation. We have now investigated the pattern of ftz expression in mutants of this class and have found that while they do have features seen in knirps mutants, they also exhibit significant differences between the different mutations reflecting the distinct but overlapping domains of gene activity. These observations demonstrate that maternally-active segmentation genes regulate zygotic gene expression, and that some of their effects on ftz may be directed through the knirps gene.     

The Xenopus localized messenger RNA An3 may encode an ATP-dependent RNA helicase

The maternal messenger RNA An3 was originally identified localized to the animal hemisphere of Xenopus laevis oocytes, eggs and early embryos. Xenopus embryos depend on mRNA and protein present in the egg before fertilization (maternal molecules) to provide the information needed for early development. Localization of maternal mRNA gives cells derived from different regions of the egg distinctive capacities for protein synthesis. We show here that An3 mRNA encodes a protein with 74% identity to a protein encoded by the testes-specific mRNA PL10 found in mouse, which is proposed to have RNA helicase activity. Because the gene encoding An3 mRNA is reactivated after gastrulation and remains active throughout embryogenesis, we have examined its distribution in embryonic and adult tissues. Unlike PL10 mRNA, which is primarily restricted to the testes, An3 mRNA is broadly distributed in later development.     

Hira基因的过量表达对果蝇早期胚胎发育的影响

Hir／Hira基因产物是组蛋白基因表达的一种负调节因子,其在果蝇发育过程中的作用还没有得到确认．本研究将果蝇Hira基因（dHira）的cDNA克隆到载体UAsP中,运用UAS—Gal4系统使其在果蝇早期胚胎中大量表达．结果发现在胚胎发育早期,无论是在头部还是在全胚胎过量表达Hira,都引起果蝇胚胎大量死亡,而且随着转基因拷贝数的增加,胚胎的死亡率也显著增加,说明Hira过量表达对果蝇胚胎发育产生严重影响．由于Hira基因产物与核小体的组装、染色质结构等的调节有关,因此推测Hira过量表达可能是通过对组蛋白的抑制对果蝇胚胎发育造成影响的．