Cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) participates in the heat-inducible expression of humanhsp90β gene

Human heat shock protein 90b gene ( hsp90b ) is a constitutively expressed heat shock gene existing in most of cell types tested that can be further induced by heat shock. Chloramphenical acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter plasmids driven by different regulatory fragments of hsp90b gene were constructed and transfected into Jurkat cells to explore the role of a cAMP response element (CRE) in the upstream of the gene. Results show that, in comparison with the wild type construct, a severe reduction (~2/3) in the increased folds of promoter activity induced by heat shock at 42℃ for 1 h was observed in a construct with CRE-containing fragment (-173/-91bp) deleted. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) showed that phosphorylated CRE-binding protein (CREB) in the nuclear extract of heat shocked Jurkat cells is specifically bound to the fragment. Additionally, both of the phosphorylation on CREB and the activity of protein kinase A (PKA) were found in Jurkat cells to be enhanced with extending time of heat shock treatment. Our results indicate that in addition to the intronic HSE/HSF pathway, phosphorylated CREB also participates in the heat shock induced expression of human hsp90b gene via its interaction with CRE which may be regulated by PKA-sig- naling pathway.     

Effect of kinase-negativeEGFR gene on differentiation of embryonic germ cell line EG4

EG4 cells derived from primordial germ cells (PGCs) of 10.5 d post coitum 129/svJ mouse embryos can be used as a model system for in vitro differentiation study due to their pluripotential development ability. EG4 cell lines with stable expression of kinase-negative EGFR cDNA, designated EG4-EGFR^d, were generated by gene transfection. We found that: (ⅰ) EG4-EGFR^d cells share the similar morphology and growing character with wildtype cells that can maintain undifferentiated state in long term culture. (ⅱ) Treatment of EG4 cells with RA resulted in differentiation of adipocyte, while in mutant clones of EG4-EGFR^d, adipocytes were sparse or absent under the same condition, indicating the role of EGFR expressed during adipocyte development. (ⅲ) Histological analysis showed that predominant tissues in teratocarcinomas derived from EG4-EGFR^d cells and wildtype cells are different. A large amount of undifferentiated cells was present in those coming from mutant cell clones. In addition some cardiac and skeletal muscles are prominently differentiated cell types. EG4 wildtype cells produced multiple differentiated cell types of three primary germ layers such as cartilage, epithelia and neural tube. These studies suggested that EGFR-dependent differentiation was inhibited in kinase-negative EG4 cells.     

Establishment and cryopreservation of liver, heart and muscle cell lines derived from the Chinese alligator （Alligator sinensis）

The Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis, is a critically endangered species. A conservation project of gene resources for an endangered species first involves the preservation of organs, tissues, gametes, genomic DNA libraries and cell lines. The present study is the first to establish and cryopreserve cell lines of liver, heart and muscle tissues from the Chinese alligator. The study revealed that there was a large discrepancy in cell migration time in primary cultures among liver (11-12 d), heart (13-14 d) and muscle (17-18 d) tissue pieces. The differences in time in primary cell culture suggested that it was relatively easy to build visceral-derived cell lines for reptiles. Biological analysis showed that the population doubling time for thawed cells was approxi- mately 36 h. Karyotyping revealed that the frequency of Chinese alligator cells showing chromosome number as 2n=32 was 88.6%-93.4%. Chinese alligator cell lines established here provide a vital resource for research and are likely to be useful for protection of this rare and critically endangered species. Furthermore, the establishment of these methods may supply technical and theoretical support for preserving genetic resources at the cellular level for other reptile species.     

Comparison of infection of different cell lines by uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Studying the interaction between uropathogenic Escherichia coil （UPEC） and uroepithelial cells is important in elucidating the pathogenesis of urinary tract infection. In this study, the African green monkey kidney cells （Vero）, human kidney carcinoma cells （Ketr-3） and bladder carcinoma cells （EJ） were infected by UPEC132, a clinical strain isolated from Tianjin, China, and were compared for their capacities to allow the adherence and invasion by this strain. The results revealed that all these cell lines could be attached and invaded by UPEC132. The adherence rates for Vero, Ketr-3 and EJ cells were （49,20 ±7.55）%, （55.22 ±4.09）% and （73.20 ±5.26）%, respectively, and invasion frequencies were （2.61 ±0.32）×10^-3, （3.00 ±0.34）×10^-3 and （3.25 ± 0.20）×10^-3, respectively. The statistical analysis showed that the adherence rate for EJ cells was significantly higher than those for the other two cell lines （P〈0.05）, and the invasion frequencies for EJ and Ketr-3 cells had no statistical differences （P〉0.05） but were higher than that for Vero cells （P〈0.05）. Three cell lines were detected for the receptors for P pill of UPEC by using indirect immunofluorescence. The results showed that receptors existed on the surfaces of all cell lines, and the highest distribution was found on the surface of EJ cells. Additionally, the invasion of EJ cells by recombinant UPEC132/pSELECT-GFP could be directly visualized using confocal microscopy. These data strongly implicated that EJ cells could be more easily infected by UPEC132 than the other cells, and thus could serve as a good experimental target for further investigation of UPEC infection.     

P15——a new tumor suppressor gene

In addition to the tumor suppressor genes such as Rb and p53, it has been found that some molecules of the same class named CKI (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor) also play an important role in the inhibition of tumorigenesis and the tumor progression. In the KIP and INK4 families of CKIs, p15 shares extensive homology with p16. Findings in many tumors and their cell lines show that the inactivation of p15 (deletion, mutation, rearrangement, etc.) is very frequent, and inactive p15 is involved in the progress of some tumors. These studies provide evidence that the p15 is a new tumor suppressor gene. Furthermore, the research on the molecular mechanism of p15 in regulation of cell proliferation shows that p15 can inhibit the growth of some kinds of tumor cells, and p15 is the mediator of TGF-β-induced cell arrest. Investigations on p15 in cell differentiation suggest that increased p15 is related to the change of malignant phenotype. These results supply clues for further interpretation about the molecular mechnism of cell cycle control and cell tumorigenesis. And they may provide theoretical and experimental basis for application of p15 to clinical therapy of tumors.     

Production of transgenic blastocyst of sheep by somatic cell cloning

Five samples from primary cultures of five sheep ovarian granulosa cells were transfected by pEGFP- N1 DNA. Five transgenic positive cell lines, each from one of the five samples above, were used as donor nuclei for somatic nucleus transfer. A total of 352 in vitro matured and enucleated sheep oocytes were fused electrically with transgenic granulosa cells and 329 reconstructed embryos were obtained after activation by Ionomycin/6-DMAP, and these embryos were cultured in SOFaaBSA medium for 7 d. The result shows that 312 embryos (94.8%) had gone through cleavage and among them 63 (19.1%) had developed to the blastocyst stage. Expression of GFP gene was detected in various stages of early embryonic development by sampling randomly. Blastocyst rates given by the four cells treated with 0.5% FCS starvation was 19.6% (55/280) and it had not shown difference significantly (P＞0.05) with the result obtained with another cell line that had not gone through serum starvation (16.3%, 8/49). This experiment indicates that sheep transgenic embryos up to the blastocyst stage can be produced effectively by the combination of gene transfection in somatic cells in culture and somatic cell cloning.     

空间环境及参芪扶正注射液对淋巴细胞的影响

观察淋巴细胞Jurkat在空间环境下的生存状况及形态,探讨参芪扶正注射液对接种低温细胞生存系统中淋巴细胞Jurkat的保护作用,为预防空间环境对宇航员的免疫系统损伤提供线索。将淋巴细胞Jurkat搭载于第22颗返回式卫星,经18d空间飞行,回收卫星返回后的细胞,光镜照相,Giemsa染色;将参芪扶正注射液加入无源搭载的淋巴细胞Jurkat中,MTT,光镜照相,采用快速细胞染色法。无源搭载淋巴细胞Jurkat在空间环境下存活;加入参芪扶正注射液的淋巴细胞于低温生长系统中,其形态上及增殖数目上优于对照组。空间环境有利于淋巴细胞生长,参芪扶正注射液对淋巴细胞具有保护作用。     

Preparation of a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector with a mutation of human factor Ⅸ in large scale and its expression in vitro and in vivo

A series of adeno-associated viral vectors containing a mutation of human factor Ⅸ (hFⅨR338A) with different regulation elements were constructed and used to transduce cell lines. The plasmids and the stable transduction cell clones with high expression level of hFⅨR338A were obtained by selecting and optimizing, and then, the recombinant adeno-associated viral vector with hFⅨR338A was prepared via novel rHSV/AAV hybrid virus packaging system on a large scale, which contained the capsid protein genes. A method for producing rAAV-hFⅨR338A viral stocks on a large scale and higher titer was established, which can be used for industrial purpose. The titer of rAAV-hFⅨR338A was more than 1.25×10¹² particle/mL, and then, a mammalian cell line, C2C12 and the factor Ⅸ knock-out mice were transfected with the rAAV-hFⅨR338A in vitro and in vivo. The results show that the high-level expression of rAAV-hFⅨR338A was achieved in cell line and hemophilia B mice. It reached at (2551.32±92.14) ng·(10⁶ cells)^-1·(24 h)^-1 in C2C12 cell in vitro and had a peak concentration of 463.28 ng/mL in mice treated with rAAV-hFⅨR338A, which was as high as the expression of rAAV-hFⅨ-wt (2565.76±64.36) ng·(10⁶ cells)^-1·(24 h)^-1 in C2C12 and 453.92 ng/mL in the mice treated with rAAV-hFⅨ-wt) in vitro and in vivo, there is no any difference between two groups, but the clotting activity of hFⅨR338A is about 2.46 times higher than that of hFⅨ-wt. It was first reported that a mutation of human factor Ⅸ was used into gene therapy research for hemophilia B, meanwhile, a novel packaging system, rAAV/HSV was used for preparation of rAAV-hFⅨR338A on a large scale, which laid the foundation of industrial production for applying rAAV viral stocks to gene therapy clinical trial for hemophilia B mediated with rAAV-hFⅨ.     

Cloning of murine BRI3 gene and study on its function for inducing cell death

To understand the molecular mechanism of TNFα effects, the cDNA of murine BRI3 gene was cloned from the total RNA of murine brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3) treated with hTNFα by using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and the RT-PCR method. The fusion expression vector harbouring BRI3 gene and enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) thus obtained were designated as pEGFP/I3. Then pEGFP/I3 was transiently transfected into L929 cells and the fusion protein EGFP/I3 was localized in cytoplasm. It is found that the expression of EGFP/I3 could induce cell death in L929 cells detected by TUNEL method and flow cytometry. And the overexpression of Bcl-2 in L929 cells can block cell death induced by EGFP/I3, indicating that murine BRI3 gene might related to the TNFa mediated cytotoxicity.     

pEGFP-C1-MCH真核表达载体的构建及其在HEK293 细胞系中的表达

目的:构建pEGFP-C1-MCH真核表达载体,并将其转染入HEK293细胞中,筛选阳性细胞克隆,为研究MCH基因在能量代谢中的功能及机制提供细胞模型.方法:提取脑组织总RNA,反转录为cDNA,参照Genbank中提供的序列设计引物扩增MCH基因全长.再将该基因全长cDNA克隆至质粒pEGFP-C1,经菌落PCR筛选及双酶切和DNA测序鉴定,成功构建了含有目的基因MCH的重组质粒pEGFP-C1-MCH.并利用脂质体2000介导其转染HEK293细胞,用荧光显微镜和RT-PCR检测EGFP和MCH在细胞中的表达.结果:克隆的pEGFP-C1-MCH质粒序列中的MCH与Gen Bank相符;细胞转染72 h后,转染成功的细胞在荧光显微镜下表达较强的绿色荧光,MCH基因稳定表达.结论:pEGFP-C1-MCH真核表达载体的构建及其在HEK293细胞中的稳定表达,为研究MCH基因在能量代谢中的功能及作用机制提供了实验模型.     

Aberrant activity of Wnt/Frizzled signaling pathway in renal cancer cell lines

The expression ofWnt, Wntreceptor-Frizzled, and several other key components in Wnt pathway in renal cancer cell lines was studied. The result of semi-quantitative RT-PCR has shown that the expression level ofWnt5A andhFz5 mRNA were higher in renal cancer cell line (GRC-1) than in normal renal cell line (HK-2). This result has been confirmed byin situ hybridization. The expression of β-catenin protein was obviously higher in GRC-1 than in HK-2 (P< 0.01), but there were no different expressions of its mRNA between 3 lines. The reasons of the overexpression of β-catenin has been investigated by means of immunocytochemistry, SSCP and so on, no mutation ofβ-catenin gene and APC were found. That means that the overexpression ofWnt5A/hFz5 might be the reason of overexpression of β-catenin. It was concluded that the aberrant activity of Wnt pathway might play an important role in renal cell carcinoma.     

A novel element (NIRS) participates in the regulation of interleukin 2 receptor α gene expression

A novel element at −153/−143 bp in the interleukin 2 receptor α (IL-2Rα) gene has been coined as NRE-inverse repeat sequence (NIRS) due to its inversely repeated to the known negative regulatory element (NRE) further upstream of the gene. In order to explore the role of NIRS in the expression of IL-2Rα gene, luciferase reporter plasmids driven by 4 individually deleted IL-2Rα genes promoter regions were constructed. Transfection of the reporter plasmids into Jurkat cells and HeLa cells respectively, we found that both NIRS and NRE were critical for repressing the constitutive expression of IL-2Rα gene and were also necessary for promoter activity induced by PHA. EMSA results showed that double-stranded NRE-and NIRS-binding proteins existed in both HeLa cells and Jurkat cells. However, single-stranded NIRS-and NRE-binding protein was only found in HeLa cells. Interestingly, the supershift band showed up in EMSA system with Jurkat cells (no matter whether activated or not) adding to the cell lysate of HeLa cells. UV-crosslinking showed a double stranded NRE-and NIRS-binding protein p83 in both Jurkat cells and HeLa cells. Our results suggest that trans-acting factors play a key role in regulating promoter activity of IL-2Rα gene by interacting with double or single stranded NRE and/or NIRS selectively in different cells.     

Identification of an AFLP marker linked to the stripe rust resistance geneYr10 in wheat

AFLP analysis of near-isogenic lines of the stripe rust resistance gene Yr10 was carried out with 6 PstⅠ- primers and 10 TaqⅠ-primers with the donor parent of Yr10 gene as the check. A total of about 4200 distinguishable bands were amplified, of which 5 were stable. The genetic linkage of the 5 polymorphic DNA fragments with the target gene were tested preliminarily on a segregating F₂ population derived from a cross between the gene donor parent “Moro” and susceptible cultivar “Mingxian 169”. The DNA fragment PT0502 was found closely linked to the Yr10 gene and cloned and sequenced. Based on the sequence specific primers for PCR were designed and synthesized. Genetic linkage analysis with 195 segregating F₂ plants indicated that the genetic distance was 0.5 cM between the main product SC₂₀₀ fragment produced by PCR with the primers and the Yr10 gene. The primers can be used to detect the Yr10 gene quickly, effectively and exactly.     

Function of resveratrol derived from transgenic plant expressing resveratrol synthase gene

Two genes from grapevine coding for resveratrol synthase, named RS1 and RS2, were cloned by RT-PCR. AnEscherichia coli expression vector was constructed by insertion of RS1 into pBV221. A specific protein with the same molecular weight (42 ku) as the resveratrol synthase was expressed and used to prepare the rabbit antiserum. A plant expression vector was constructed by inserting the RS1 gene into pBin438 downstream of the doubled CaMV 35S promoter and TMV-Ω fragment. PCR-positive transgenic tobacco plants were obtained after transformation withAgrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 harboring the plant expression vector. Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the foreign gene was integrated into the tobacco genome. The results of RT-PCR and Western blot indicated that the RS1 gene was transcribed and expressed. Formation of resveratrol in transgenic tobacco was further determined by thin-layer chromatography of silica gel and HPLC. Increased accumulation of human breast adenocarcinoma cells in G₀ and G₁ phases of cell cycle was observed in cells treated with resveratrol purified from transgenic tobacco as compared to the untreated cells.     

MiR-205 inhibits the invasion and migration of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by modulating SMAD1 expression

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC） is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of metastasis inhibition by miR-205 in ESCC. In microRNA （miRNA） array and quantitative RT-PCR analyses, we found that the expression level of miR-205 was significantly lower in patients with lymph node metastasis compared with that in patients without lymph node metastasis. After transfection of miR-205 mimics or inhibitors into ESCC cell lines, a significant negative correlation was observed between the expression level of miR-205 and Smad 1. In luciferase reporter assays, we revealed that miR- 205 inhibited the expression of SMAD1 by targeting the 3＇ untranslated region （3＇-UTR） of SMAD1 mRNA in ESCC cells. Furthermore, our results showed that miR-205 sup- pressed the invasion and migration of ESCC cells, whereas Smadl increased their invasion and migration. Taken together, our study demonstrates that miR-205 functions as a suppressor of tumor metastasis by regulating SMAD1 expression through targeting the 3＇-UTR of SMAD1 mRNAin ESCC. Therefore, miR-205 may be a potential therapeutic target for miRNA-based therapy of ESCC.     

基于TCGA数据库分析UHRF1基因在恶性胸膜间皮瘤中的表达及预后意义

利用生物信息学数据库分析泛素样含PHD和环指结构域蛋白1（UHRF1）在恶性胸膜间皮瘤（MPM）中的表达水平及临床意义。基于TCGA数据库和GTEx数据库差异表达分析UHRF1 mRNA在MPM组织和正常肺组织中的表达水平;使用R软件分析UHRF1 mRNA表达量与临床病理参数的相关性;构建Kaplan-Meier模型和单因素多因素COX回归模型分析UHRF1基因在MPM中的预后;利用TIMER2.0数据库分析UHRF1基因与免疫细胞浸润的关系; GSEA分析UHRF1基因发挥功能的主要富集通路。选取8例MPM组织及4例非MPM胸膜组织,通过RT-qPCR的方法验证UHRF1在MPM与非MPM胸膜组织的表达情况。数据库分析结果表明,与正常肺组织相比,UHRF1 mRNA在MPM组织中高表达; UHRF1高表达患者提示MPM患者预后不良;UHRF1基因表达量与CD4⁺辅助型T细胞2、CD4⁺效应记忆性T细胞、巨噬细胞等多种免疫细胞浸润水平具有显著的相关性（P ＜ 0.01）,且显著影响MPM患者的预后。功能富集分析显示,UHRF1主要在DNA复制、蛋白酶体、同源重组等通路中起作用。在收集到的病例样本中,与非MPM胸膜组织相比,UHRF1 mRNA在MPM组织中的表达显著增高（P ＜ 0.001）。UHRF1在MPM组织中高表达,可能通过调节DNA甲基化和免疫细胞浸润来影响MPM患者预后,有望成为MPM治疗和预后评估的潜在靶点。     

siRNA沉默DNA甲基化转移酶1基因干扰胎牛成纤维细胞增殖和凋亡

为阐明Dnmt1-siRNA对胎牛成纤维细胞（FBFCs）的影响，设计了3种针对Dnmt1的siRNA来转染FBFCs．结果显示：Dnmt1-siRNA3转染FBFCs 24,48,72 h后，Dnmt1 mRNA表达水平显著降低（P<0.01）．在转染后48 h，siRNA3对Dnmt1抑制效率达到近80%，Dnmt1-siRNA3处理的FBFCs增殖也受到显著影响，FBFC细胞活力下降、处于G₀/G₁过渡期细胞数量增多（P<0.05）．但Dnmt1-siRNA3组FBFC细胞的凋亡率也显著增加（P<0.05）．说明通过Dnmt1特异性siRNA能够有效地敲低FBFC中的Dnmt1 mRNA表达量，由于细胞周期分布变化，siRNA处理后FBFC作为核供体能提高SCNT的效率．