Efficient expression of human factor Ⅸ cDNA in liver mediated by hydrodynamics-based plasmid administration

Hydrodynamics-based administration via tail vein was used to deliver naked plasmid with human factor IX (hFIX) cDNA in 2.2 mL Ringer‘s solution into mice within 7 s. The peak level of expression of hFIX was 2921 ng/mL in mouse plasma. The hFIX cDNA expression increased with increasing the amount of plasmid DNA injected. The peak level of gene expression declined after repeated injection of plasmid (1459 ng/mL). The hFIX cDNA was detected in various organs, but the highest level of gene expression appeared in liver. Transaminase levels and liver histologicalresults showed that rapid intravenous plasmid injection into mice induced transient focal acute liver damage, which was rapidly repaired within 3--10 d. These results suggested that high-level expression of hFIX cDNA can be achieved by hydrodynamics-based plasmid transfer and this method is nowfurther used for gene therapy and gene function study in our lab.     

Robust and regulatory expression of defensin A gene driven by vitellogenin promoter in transgenic Anopheles stephensi

The use of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce or replace field populations is a new strategy to control mosquito-borne diseases. The precondition of the implementation of this strategy is the ability to manipulate the genome of mosquitoes and to induce specific expression of the effector molecules driven by a suitable promoter. The objective of this study is to evaluate the expression of defensin A gene of Anopheles sinensis under the control of a vitellogenin promoter in transgenic Anopheles ste- phensi. The regulatory region of Anopheles gambiae vitellogenin was cloned and subcloned into transfer vector pSLFa consisting of an expression cassette with defensin A coding sequence. Then, the expression cassette was transferred into transformation vector pBac[3xP3-DsRedafm] using Asc I di- gestion. The recombinant plasmid DNA of pBac[3xP3DsRed-AgVgT2-DefA] and helper plasmid DNA of phsp-pBac were micro-injected into embryos of An. stephensi. The positive transgenic mosquitoes were screened by observing specific red fluorescence in the eyes of G1 larvae. Southern blot analysis showed that a single-copy transgene integrated into the genome of An. stephensi. RT-PCR analysis showed that the defensin A gene expressed specifically in fat bodies of female mosquitoes after a blood meal. Interestingly, the mRNA of defensin A is more stable compared with that of the endogenous vitellogenin gene. After multiple blood meals, the expression of defensin A appeared as a reducible and non-cycling type, a crucial feature for its anti-pathogen effect. From data above, we concluded that the regulatory function of the Vg promoter and the expression of defensin A gene were relatively con- served in different species of anopheles mosquitoes. These molecules could be used as candidates in the development of genetically modified mosquitoes.     

Silica nanoparticle is a possible safe carrier for gene therapy

In order to develop a safe and effective gene therapy carrier, some toxicological and biodynamical experiments were carried out on silica nanoparticles （SiNPs）. First we prepared SiNPs with appropriate portions of cyclohexane, deionized water and ethyl silicate, and then transfected the modified SiNPs and GFP plasmid DNA complex into the HT1080 cells to test the effectiveness of transfection for gene therapy. At the same time, we injected the SiNPs into a number of mice through tail vein. Then we made the mice crossed to evaluate the acute, long-term and reproductive toxicity. In vivo distribution analysis and pathological examination were made on both adult mice and their offspring. SiNPs were uniform and had an average diameter of 40 nm, and the modified SiNPs carried exogenous DNA molecules into target cells and the transferred GFP fusion gene was effectively expressed in the cells. The SiNPs injected via tail vein were widely distributed in almost all of tissues, and the injected mice had the ability to reproduce normally. The in vivo and in vitro results of this study clearly show that SiNPs can be used as a safe and effective carrier for gene transfection and gene therapy.     

Enhancement of the efficiency of PEI/liposome transfection by magnetofectins formed via electrostatic self-assembly

One of the major challenges for successful gene therapy is improving the transfection efficiency of non-viral vectors. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been developed as enhancers of non-viral vehicles. We prepared MNPs and modified them with polyethyleneimine (PEI), citric acid (CA) or carboxylmethyl-dextran (CMD). Both positively charged MNPs (MNPs@PEI) and negatively charged MNPs (MNPs@CA, MNPs@CMD) could spontaneously form transfection complexes (magnetofectins) with plasmid DNA and PEI/liposome via electrostatic self-assembly. Our results showed as-prepared magnetofectins apparently enhanced PEI/liposome transfection efficiency and/or gene expression level into COS-7 cells with reduced transfection time from 4 h to 15 min under a magnetic field in vitro. Meanwhile, the effect of magnetofection was cell line-dependant. These results suggest that charged MNPs could improve transfection efficiency for non-viral vectors by simply mixing with them and by exerting a magnetic force. Thus such MNPs provide a convenient platform for further applications of gene delivery.     

Construction and characterization of partially ntrC-deleted mutants in Alcaligenes faecalis

To study the effect of ntrC gene product on the expression and regulation of other important nitrogen-fixing genes in Alcaligenes faecalis, partially ntrC-deleted mutants of A. faecalis have been generated. To start with, the ntrC gene of A. faecalis was cloned into a suicide plasmid pSUP202 to create a recombinant plasmid pSUM1. The ntrC gene in pSUM1 was then replaced by a lacZ-Kmr fragment resulted in the generation of a plasmid pSUM2. The lacZ fragment in pSUM2 was further removed and a plasmid pSUM3 produced. As a second step, the plasmid pSUM2 or pSUM3 was introduced into the wild type of A. faecalis A1501 by conjugation and two partially ntrC-deleted mutants A15CM1 (ntrC∷lacZ) and A15CM2 (ntrC-) were obtained. To understand the regulatory effect of the NtrC on the expression of nifH and nifA, a nifH-lacZ gene or a nifA-lacZ gene was introduced into the ntrC- mutant by conjugation. The results indicated that: (ⅰ) although the ntrC- mutant was nif + , its nitrogen fixation activity was only 20% that of the wild type; (ⅱ) the ntrC- mutant failed to grow on the medium containing nitrate as a sole nitrogen source; (ⅲ) the regulation of ntrC gene expression did not require its own product; (ⅳ) the expression of nifH in A . faecalis was positively regulated by the ntrC. Deletion of the ntrC resulted in the reduction of nifH expression or even totally inactivated nitrogen fixation; (ⅴ) there was no obvious influence on the expression of nifA in A. faecalis if the ntrC gene was deleted.     

Specific anti-tumor effect induced by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine expressing extracellular region of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2

The purposes of this research were to study the stable expression of exogenous gene encoding therapeutic protein in attenuated Salmonella typhimurium, observe the metabolism of oral gene vaccine carried by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium in BALB/c mouse, and investigate the feasibility of prevention and treatment of tumors by the recombinant bacteria. Recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1 VEGFR2(n1-7) was transformed into competent attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SL3261 to develop oral DNA vaccine SL3261-pcDNA3.1 VEGFR2(n1-7). To observe whether the exogenous gene can be expressed in the recombinant bacteria, PCR was performed to amplify the CMV promoter of the eukaryotic expression vector as the proof of stable expression of exogenous protein; transmission elec- tron microscopy (TEM) was applied to observe the morphology of the recombinant bacteria to confirm that the exogenous gene has no impact on the growth of the bacteria, and then BALB/c mice were immunized with the gene vaccine. After inoculation of the gene vaccine, the recombinant bacteria SL3261 could be detected in the tissues such as small intestine, colon, liver and spleen. And then, mice in each group were challenged with tumor cells. The results of animal experiment showed that tumor growth of the mice in experimental group was inhibited and survival time of immunized mice was prolonged compared with control groups. A higher lymphocyte infiltration in tumors from animals treated with DNA vaccine was observed. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor samples revealed an en- hanced accumulation of CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes, as well as an increase in CD4 cells in the tumors of animals treated with the oral gene vaccine compared to tumors from control group mice. Ultrastructure of the tumor tissue showed that tumor cells in the samples of the immunized mice were well-differentiated. Our research confirmed that the exogenous gene can be stably expressed in the attenuated Salmonella typhimurium and has no impact on the growth of the recombinant bacteria; the exogenous gene can de delivered to the host by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium to produce anti-tumor effect with no obvious cytotoxity to the host. In this study, it is established that attenuated Salmonella typhimurium could be used as a vector for oral gene vaccine, and our study provided a theoretical basis for the body distribution and the metabolism of the recombinant bacteria. This strategy may provide a simple, safe and effective way for the prevention and treatment of tumors.     

Enhancement of transfection efficiency for HeLa cells via incorporating arsinine moiety into chitosan

Arginine-rich peptides have attracted considerable attention due to their distinct internalization mechanism. It was reported that arginine and guanidino moieties were able to translocate through cell membranes and played a critical role in the process of membrane permeation. In this work, arginine was conjugated to the backbone of chitosan to form a novel chitosan derivative, arginine modified chitosan （Arg-CS）. Arg-CS/DNA complexes were prepared according to the method of coacervation process. The physicochemical properties of Arg-CS and Arg-CS/DNA complexes were characterized and the transfection activity and efficiency mediated by Arg-CS/DNA complexes were investigated taking HeLa cells as target cells. Arg-CS was characterized by FTIR and ^13C NMR. Arg-CS/DNA polyelectrolyte complexes were investigated by agarose gel retardation, dynamic light scattering （DLS） and atomic force microscopy （AFM）. The results revealed that the Arg-CS/DNA complexes started to form at N/P ratio of 2：1, and the size of particles varied from 100 to 180 nm. The cytotoxicity of Arg-CS and their complexes with plasmid DNA were determined by MTT assay for HeLa cells, and the results suggested that Arg-CS/DNA complexes were slightly less toxic than Arg-CS. Moreover, the derivative alone and their complexes showed significantly lower toxicity than PEI and PEI/DNA complexes, respectively. Taking HeLa cells as target cells and using pGL3-control as reporter gene, the luciferase expression mediated by Arg-CS was greatly enhanced to about 100 folds compared with the luciferase expression mediated by chitosan at different pH media. These results suggest that Arg-CS is a promising candidate as a safe and efficient vector for gene delivery and transfection.     

Adsorption of polyethyleneimine characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a well known gene transfection reagent that has been extensively studied in the pass two decades. In this work, we have explored its physiochemical properties by examining its interfacial adsorption at the hydrophilic silicon oxide/water interface and its ability to immobilize bioactive DNA under physiological conditions. Its surface excess was found to show a gradual increase with pH between pH 3 and pH 10. At pH 7 the surface adsorbed amount increased with increasing salt concentration. The amount of DNA immobilized was found to be controlled by the charge ratio between PEI and DNA under these conditions. Thus, the amount of bioactive DNA immobilized can be tuned by adjusting the amount of PEI preadsorbed. This study provides useful information for fabrication of biosensors and gene chips via interfacial adsorption.     

Enhancement of transfection efficiency for HeLa cells via incorporating arginine moiety into chitosan

Arginine-rich peptides have attracted considerable attention due to their distinct internalization mechanism. It was reported that arginine and guanidino moieties were able to translocate through cell membranes and played a critical role in the process of membrane permeation. In this work, arginine was conjugated to the backbone of chitosan to form a novel chitosan derivative, arginine modified chitosan (Arg-CS). Arg-CS/DNA complexes were prepared according to the method of coacervation process. The physicochemical properties of Arg-CS and Arg-CS/DNA complexes were characterized and the transfection activity and efficiency mediated by Arg-CS/DNA complexes were investigated taking HeLa cells as target cells. Arg-CS was characterized by FTIR and 13C NMR. Arg-CS/DNA polye- lectrolyte complexes were investigated by agarose gel retardation, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results revealed that the Arg-CS/DNA complexes started to form at N/P ratio of 2:1, and the size of particles varied from 100 to 180 nm. The cytotoxicity of Arg-CS and their complexes with plasmid DNA were determined by MTT assay for HeLa cells, and the results suggested that Arg-CS/DNA complexes were slightly less toxic than Arg-CS. Moreover, the derivative alone and their complexes showed significantly lower toxicity than PEI and PEI/DNA complexes, respectively. Taking HeLa cells as target cells and using pGL3-control as reporter gene, the luciferase expression mediated by Arg-CS was greatly enhanced to about 100 folds compared with the luciferase expression mediated by chitosan at different pH media. These results suggest that Arg-CS is a promising candi- date as a safe and efficient vector for gene delivery and transfection.     

A novel gene carrier based on amino-modified silica nanoparticles

Uniform-sized amino-modified silica nanoparticles have been prepared by the controlled synchronous hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane and N-(β-amimoethyl)-γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane in water nanodroplet of the water-in-oil microemulsion.These nanoparticles display positive charge potential at definited pH,This is due to the presence of amino groups on the surface of the nanoparticles,Nanoparticles-plasmid DNA complexes can easily form through electrostatical binding between the positive charges of the amino-modified silica nanoparticles and the negative charges of the plasmid DNA,The complexes can be also dissociated under alkaline pH or high ionic strength conditions.And enzymatic digestion of the plasmid DNA is almost inhibited by these nanoparticles complexes.A novel non-viral gene carrier based on the amino-modified silica nanoparticles is proposed under the combination of nanotechnology,biotechnology and gene engineering technology.The plasmid DNA can successfully cross various systemic barriers to COS-7 cells as well as mediate high expression of Green Fluorescence Protein(GFP)gene in cells by use of this novel gene carrier.     

New feature extraction in gene expression data for tumor classification

Using gene expression data to discriminate tumor from the normal ones is a powerful method. However, it is sometimes difficult because the gene expression data are in high dimension and the object number of the data sets is very small. The key technique is to find a new gene expression profiling that can provide understanding and insight into tumor related cellular processes. In this paper, we propose a new feature extraction method based on variance to the center of the class and employ the support vector machine to recognize the gene data either normal or tumor. Two tumor data sets are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods. The results show that the performance has been significantly improved.     

Engineering <Emphasis Type="Italic">Deinococcus radiodurans</Emphasis> into biosensor to monitor radioactivity and genotoxicity in environment

Based on a genetically modified radioresistant bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans, we constructed a real time whole cell biosensor to monitor radioactivity and genotoxicity in highly radioactive environment. The enhanced green fluorescence protein （eGFP） was fused to the promoter of the crucial DNA damage-inducible recA gene from D. radiodurans, and the consequent DNA fragment （PrecA-egfp） carried by plasmid was introduced into D. radiodurans R1 strain to obtain the biosensor strain DRG300. This engineered strain can express eGFP protein and generate fluorescence in induction of the recA gene promoter. Based on the correlation between fluorescence intensity and protein expression level in live D. radiodurans cells, we discovered that the fluorescence induction of strain DRG300 responds in a remarkable dose-dependent manner when treated with DNA damage sources such as gamma radiation and mitomycin C. It is encouraging to find the widely detective range and high sensitivity of this reconstructed strain comparing with other whole cell biosensors in former reports. These results suggest that the strain DRG300 is a potential whole cell biosensor to construct a detective system to monitor the biological hazards of radioactive and toxic pollutants in environment in real time.     

Engineering Deinococcus radiodurans into biosensor to monitor radioactivity and genotoxicity in environment

Based on a genetically modified radioresistant bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans, we constructed a real time whole cell biosensor to monitor radioactivity and genotoxicity in highly radioactive environ-ment. The enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) was fused to the promoter of the crucial DNA damage-inducible recA gene from D. radiodurans, and the consequent DNA fragment (PrecA-egfp) car-ried by plasmid was introduced into D. radiodurans R1 strain to obtain the biosensor strain DRG300. This engineered strain can express eGFP protein and generate fluorescence in induction of the recA gene promoter. Based on the correlation between fluorescence intensity and protein expression level in live D. radiodurans cells, we discovered that the fluorescence induction of strain DRG300 responds in a remarkable dose-dependent manner when treated with DNA damage sources such as gamma radiation and mitomycin C. It is encouraging to find the widely detective range and high sensitivity of this re-constructed strain comparing with other whole cell biosensors in former reports. These results suggest that the strain DRG300 is a potential whole cell biosensor to construct a detective system to monitor the biological hazards of radioactive and toxic pollutants in environment in real time.     

Construction and characterization of partiallyntrC-deleted mutants inAlcaligenes faecalis

To study the effect of ntrC gene product on the expression and regulation of other important nitrogen-fixing genes in Alcaligenes faecalis, partially ntrC-deleted mutants of A. faecalis have been generated. To start with, the ntrC gene of A. faecalis was cloned into a suicide plasmid pSUP202 to create a recombinant plasmid pSUM1. The ntrC gene in pSUM1 was then replaced by a lacZ-Km^r fragment resulted in the generation of a plasmid pSUM2. The lacZ fragment in pSUM2 was further removed and a plasmid pSUM3 produced. As a second step, the plasmid pSUM2 or pSUM3 was introduced into the wild type of A. faecalis A1501 by conjugation and two partially ntrC-deleted mutants A15CM1 (ntrC∷lacZ) and A15CM2 (ntrC ^- ) were obtained. To understand the regulatory effect of the NtrC on the expression of nifH and nifA, a nifH-lacZ gene or a nifH-lacZ gene was introduced into the ntrC^- mutant by conjugation. The results indicated that: (ⅰ) although the ntrC^-mutant was nif ⁺ , its nitrogen fixation activity was only 20% that of the wild type; (ⅱ) the ntrC^- mutant failed to grow on the medium containing nitrate as a sole nitrogen source; (ⅲ) the regulation of ntrC gene expression did not require its own product; (ⅳ) the expression of nifH in A . faecalis was positively regulated by the ntrC. Deletion of the ntrC resulted in the reduction of nifH expression or even totally inactivated nitrogen fixation; (ⅴ) there was no obvious influence on the expression of nifA in A. faecalis if the ntrC gene was deleted.     

Transformation of GbSGT1 gene into banana by an Agrobacterium-mediated approach

SGT1 is a homologue of the yeast ubiquitin ligase-associated protein. It controls some protein degradation and activates defense pathway in plants. Cotton GbSGT1 gene (Gossypium barbadense) has been isolated and characterized in previous work. In this study, the plant expression vector pBSGT1 with bar gene as a selection agent was constructed and transgenic banana was obtained via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with the assistance of particle bombardment and screened with PCR and Basta spreading on banana plant leaves. Estimating of transgenic banana plants for resistance to Panama wilt is in progress.     

Efficient transformation and expression of gfp gene in the edible mushroom Pleurotus nebrodensis

An efficient transformation method mediated by PEG-protoplasts was developed for the newly commercial edible mushroom Pleurotus nebrodensis. Two plasmids were used to co-transform protoplasts of P. nebrodensis. One plasmid is pAN7-1 containing a positive selectable marker gene hph conferring hygromycin B resistance. Another plasmid is pBlue-GFP containing a reporter gene gfp conferring green fluorescent protein. PCR and Southern blot analysis showed that hph gene or/and gfp gene were integrated into the genome of P. nebrodensis transformants. The transformation efficiency of the positive selectable marker gene hph was 3 transformants per microgram of plasmid pAN7-1 DNA, which was about 30 times higher than that previously reported in thoroughly studied Pleurotus species such as Pleurotus ostreatus. The transformation efficiency of the reporter gene gfp was 9 transformants per microgram of plasmid pBlu-GFP DNA. The co-transformation efficiency was 23.68%. This is the first report that a ＂reporter＂ gene, green fluorescent protein gene can be successfully stably exoressed in this Pleurotus species.