Diversity of murine gamma genes and expression in fetal and adult T lymphocytes

The search for the genes encoding the T-cell receptor alpha and chains revealed a third gene, T gamma (ref. 1), which shares with t T alpha (refs 2-7) and T beta (refs 8-15) genes a number of structure features, including somatic rearrangement during T-cell development. T gamma gene expression appears to be unnecessary in son mature T cells and is at its greatest in fetal thymocytes encouraging speculation that T gamma has a role in T-cell development and may be involved in the recognition of polymorphic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products during thymic education. One argument against the participation of T gamma in such a process has been its apparently limited diversity, due to the small number of gene segments available for rearrangement. We here describe the identification of additional T gamma V-gene segments and demonstrate that they can be rearranged to previously identified J- and C-gene segments and are expressed in fetal thymocytes. In addition we describe a variety of patterns of T gamma mRNA processing which may be significant for T gamma gene regulation.     

1A6/DRIM,the human UTP20 functions in 28S and 5.8S rRNA processing

1A6/DRIM has been identified as UTP20, a small subunit processome component, functioning in 18S rRNA processing. In the present study, the maturation of 28S rRNA and 5.8S rRNA was inhibited when 1A6/DRIM was silenced in HeLa cells; and coin-cidently, an accumulation of 32S rRNA precursor was observed. Immunoprecipitation was performed with the anti-1A6/DRIM antibody, followed by Northern blot with the ITS2 probe. The results showed that 1A6/DRIM was associated with both 32S and 12S rRNA precursors in vivo. The expression profile of 1A6/DRIM during rRNA processing was investigated by sucrose density gradient fractionation in combination with Western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that 1A6/DRIM was involved in the pre-60S particles in addition to the pre-40S particles and co-sediment with the 32S and 12S rRNA precursors in the nucleolus. Furthermore, the interaction of U8 snoRNA with 1A6/DRIM was revealed by immunoprecipitation. These results demonstrated that 1A6/DRIM interacted with both 32S rRNA and U8 snoRNA, being involved in 28S rRNA and 5.8S rRNA processing.     

Targeted insertion of the neomycin phosphotransferase gene into the tubulin gene cluster of Trypanosoma brucei

Kinetoplastids are unicellular eukaryotes that include important parasites of man, such as trypanosomes and leishmanias. The study of these organisms received a recent boost from the development of transient transformation allowing the short-term expression of genes reintroduced into parasites like Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis. We have obtained long-term stable transformants of T. brucei that have acquired the ability to grow in medium containing the drug G418, following the targeted insertion of the bacterial gene for neomycin phosphotransferase (neo(r) gene) into the trypanosome tubulin cluster. Plasmids in which part of the T. brucei tubulin gene cluster has been replaced by the neo(r) gene were used. Targeting efficiency was higher with a linearized than with a circular construct, and with 5 kilobases of tubulin gene cluster than with 0.9 kilobases. With these neo(r) constructs homologous recombination seems to be the preferred route for insertion of exogenous DNA into the trypanosome genome, allowing gene targeting without counter-selection.     

GSK-3α/β kinases and amyloid production in vivo

Arising from C. J. Phiel, C. A. Wilson, V. M.-Y. Lee & P. S. Klein 423, 435-439 (2003)A major unresolved issue in Alzheimer's disease is identifying the mechanisms that regulate proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP)-glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) isozymes are thought to be important in this regulation. Phiel et al. proposed that GSK-3α, but not GSK-3β, controls production of amyloid. We analysed the proteolytic processing of mouse and human APP in mouse brain in vivo in five different genetic and viral models. Our data do not yield evidence for either GSK-3α-mediated or GSK-3β-mediated control of APP processing in brain in vivo.     

中国明对虾与5种虾类线粒体16S rRNA和COI基因片段的序列比较及其系统学初步研究

采用PCR扩增和序列测定等技术,对中国明对虾（Fennerpenaeus chinem如）线粒体DNA16S rRNA和细胞色素氧化酶I（COI）基因片段进行了初步研究,分别得到16S rRNA和COI 2个基因片段的碱基序列,其中16S rRNA基因片段的大小为515bp,碱基A＋T,G＋C的组成分别为66．47％和33．53％;COI基因片段的大小为472bp,碱基A＋T,G＋C的组成分别为62．50％和37．29％．在2种基因片段中,AT的组成明显高于GC的组成,这与果蝇、虾类、蟹类等无脊椎动物的16S rRNA和COI基因片段的研究结果相似．通过对中国明对虾16S rRNA和COI 2个基因片段遗传特征的研究,16S rRNA只有8处核苷酸的碱基在4个群体间表现出差异,COI基因片段中共检测出24个多态性核苷酸位点,其种内变异较低。另外,将本研究所得序列与GenBank中对虾科5个种的16S rRNA基因片段序列进行比较后,发现其聚类关系与传统分类相一致．     

Overexpression and export of Vibrio anguillarum metalloprotease in Escherichia coli

Vibrio anguillarum metalloprotease, an extracellular zinc metalloprotease involved in the virulence mechanism of Vibrio anguillarum, is synthesized from the empA gene as a 611-residue precursor and naturally secreted via Sec secretion pathway in Vibrio anguillarum. In this study, heterologous expression of the empA gene encoding metalloprotease and export of the recombinant metalloprotease in Escherichia coli were examined. The empA gene was subcloned into pBAD24 with arabinose promoter and sequenced. The sequence encoded a polypeptide (611 amino acids) consisting of four domains: a signal peptide, an N-terminal propeptide, a mature region and a C-terminal propeptide. The empA gene inserted in plasmid pBAD24 was overexpressed in TOP10 strain of E. coli after arabinose induction. The 36kDa polypeptide of the recombinant metalloprotease as the mature protease was further confirmed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. It was found that recombinant metalloprotease with the EmpA activity and antigenicity was exported into the periplasm of Escherichia coli cells via Sec translocation pathway, whereas it was secreted into extracellular environments in V. anguillarum. The results imply that the expression, export and processing mechanism of the protein in E. coli are similar to those in V. anguillarum.     

梭鱼和鲻鱼线粒体16S rRNA和COⅠ基因片段的比较分析

运用PCR技术,扩增了梭鱼和鲻鱼线粒体16S rRNA和COⅠ基因片段,并比较分析了其种间的序列差异。获得16S rRNA基因的540～560 bp碱基序列,出现26个碱基的插入与缺失位点;获得COⅠ基因的602～604 bp碱基序列,出现2个插入缺失位点;16S rRNA和COⅠ基因的序列中G平均含量最低,且(A+T)含量高于(G+C)含量,与其他鱼类中的16S rRNA和COⅠ基因片段研究结果相一致。在16S rRNA基因片段中,梭鱼出现1种单倍型,鲻鱼为2种单倍型;在COⅠ基因片段中,梭鱼样品中检测到3个单倍型,鲻鱼样品中检测到5个单倍型。以Takifugu poecilonotus为外群,构建的NJ系统发育树,基于16S rRNA和COⅠ基因序列获得的NJ系统树基本一致,鲻鱼和梭鱼种内个体分别聚为一支,显示16S rRNA和COⅠ基因适合于梭鱼和鲻鱼的物种鉴定。