DNA twisting and the effects of non-contacted bases on affinity of 434 operator for 434 repressor.

The bacteriophage 434 repressor regulates gene expression by binding with differing affinities to the six operator sites on the phage chromosome. The symmetrically arrayed outer eight base pairs (four in each half-site) of these 14-base-pair operators are highly conserved but the middle four bases are divergent. Although these four base pairs are not in contact with repressor, operators with A.T or T.A base pairs at these positions bind repressor more strongly than those bearing C.G or G.C, suggesting that these bases are important for the repressor's ability to discriminate between operators. There is evidence that the central base pairs influence operator function by constraining the twisting and/or bending of DNA. Here we show that there is a relationship between the intrinsic twist of an operator, as determined by the sequence of its central bases, and its affinity for repressor; an operator with a lower affinity is undertwisted relative to an operator with higher affinity. In complex with repressor, the twist of both high- and low-affinity operators is the same. These results indicate that the intrinsic twist of DNA and its twisting flexibility both affect the affinity of 434 operator for repressor.     

JD病毒基因组片段的克隆和序列分析

扩增并克隆了ＪＤ病毒的ｇａｇ 基因片段（位于３００ｎｔ～５６４ｎｔ,编码基质蛋白ＭＡ）和ｐｏｌ基因片段（位于３４６７ｎｔ～３６９１ｎｔ,编码反转录酶ＲＴ）,测定其序列并同ＢＩＶ、ＢＦＶ 和ＢＬＶ 的相应基因进行比较．所建立的方法能够特异性扩增ＪＤＶ序列,适用于ＪＤＶ的检测     

转基因小鼠乳腺表达人乳过氧化物酶的初步研究

从人基因组PAC文库中筛选出人乳过氧化物酶（hLPO）基因,利用长片段PCR的方法获得hLPO基因5’端约3kb片段,通过酶切方法获得hLPO基因3’端约27kb片段,将这两部分拼接并克隆到乳腺特异性表达载体pBC1上,构建以山羊β-casein启动区指导的hLPO的转基因表达载体pBC1-hLPO。利用显微注射的方法获得28只FO代小鼠,经PCR检测和Southerm杂交分析证实,有5只小鼠（4♂,1♀）为整合hLPO基因的转基因阳性小鼠,整合率为17.86％,整合拷贝数在1至5之间。利用SDS-PAGE凝胶电泳和Western blot印迹分析FO、F1代共3只雌性转基因小鼠乳样,结果表明hLPO重组蛋白的特异条带不明显。     

碱基关联与基因表达水平的关系

研究了Ｅ．ｃｏｌｉ和Ｙｅａｓｔ基因编码区内碱基关联与基因表达水平的关系，结果表明：１）单碱基构成与基因表达水平有一定的关系；２）紧邻、次紧邻碱基间的关联（ｔ≤２）与基因表达水平有较好的线性关系；３）密码子第１位碱基的构成与基因表达水平有关系；４）密码子内１、３位和２、３位碱基之间的关联熵与基因表达水平有很强的关系；５）密码子内各位碱基与相邻密码子第１位碱基的关联熵与基因表达水平有很好的线性关系．     

人类逆转录病毒的长末段重复序列（VRTVLTR）的表达与肺癌转移的关系

肺癌是最常见的恶性肿瘤之一。肿瘤癌很容易发生转移。实验以17例肺癌（5例肺腺癌、1例腺鳞癌、7例肺鳞癌及4例小细胞末分化癌）的原发灶、癌旁正常组织及转移淋巴结为材料,采用PCR及非放射性标记的RNA斑点杂交分析LTR在基因组的存在及其表达情况。研究结果发现：LTR序列在17例肺癌病人的正常组织及肿瘤组织的基因组中普遍存在,LTR致肺癌转移与其插入基因组中无关;LTR致肺癌转移与其表达增高有关,而且其高表达与小细胞肺癌的转移无关,而与非小细胞肺癌的转移密切相关。提示LTR参与了非小细胞肺癌的转移过程。实验结果为从细胞系获得的结论提供了进一步的证据。     

Mutational effect of the “- 35” element of sorghumpsbA gene promoter

Mutations of the first position T and the third position G in TTGACA, the " - 35" element of sorghum psbA gene promoter, were induced using chemically synthesized 20 nt oligonucleotide primer. Three mutants were produced: ATTACA, GTGACA, and ATGACA. Then the protein binding affinity of the mutants and the wild type sorghum psbA gene promoter was tested in a spinach chloroplast protein extract system. Gel retardation assay of the wild type showed a strong protein-binding band. On the other hand, the protein-binding band of the mutant resulting from single base mutation, ATGACA or GTGACA, showed reduced intensity, while that of the mutant resulting from double base mutation, ATTACA, showed increased intensity. It is thus shown that the " - 35" element plays an important role in controlling the binding between psbA gene promoter and the specific chloroplast proteins; mutation of a single base may exert a substantial influence on the binding affinity.     

牛泡沫病毒LTR的反式激活因子靶序列研究

牛泡沫病毒（ＢＦＶ）是反转录病毒科泡沫病毒属成员之一．其基因组除编码ｇａｇ,ｐｏｌ,ｅｎｖ三个结构基因外,在ｅｎｖ和３＇ＬＴＲ之间有２个ＯＲＦ（ＯＲＦ－１和ＯＲＦ－２）,编码自身的反式激活因子Ｔａｓ等调节蛋白．本研究利用我们实验室分离鉴定的ＢＦＶ３０２６中国毒株［１２］为材料,克隆Ｏｒｆ－１基因,构建ｐＢＦＶＯＲＦ－１表达质粒,通过带有ｌｕｃ基因的ＬＴＲ系列缺失质粒与ｐＢＦＶＯＲＦ－１共转染,瞬时表达分析结果将ＢＦＶＬＴＲ上Ｔａｓ应答元件（ＴＲＥ）定位于－９８３／－６６８（ＴＲＥＩ）,－４７０／－１４０（ＴＲＥＩ）和ＲＵ５区．其中ＴＲＥＩ、ＴＲＥＩＩ为正调控区域,ＲＵ５为负调控区域,并进一步证明ＲＵ５在异源启动子（ＢＩＶＬＴＲ）上具有抑制其下游基因表达的功能．这些结果表明ＢＦＶＴａｓ作用机理与慢病毒（Ｔａｔ）,致瘤病毒（Ｔａｘ）等均不相同     

RNA translocation and unwinding mechanism of HCV NS3 helicase and its coordination by ATP

Helicases are a ubiquitous class of enzymes involved in nearly all aspects of DNA and RNA metabolism. Despite recent progress in understanding their mechanism of action, limited resolution has left inaccessible the detailed mechanisms by which these enzymes couple the rearrangement of nucleic acid structures to the binding and hydrolysis of ATP. Observing individual mechanistic cycles of these motor proteins is central to understanding their cellular functions. Here we follow in real time, at a resolution of two base pairs and 20 ms, the RNA translocation and unwinding cycles of a hepatitis C virus helicase (NS3) monomer. NS3 is a representative superfamily-2 helicase essential for viral replication, and therefore a potentially important drug target. We show that the cyclic movement of NS3 is coordinated by ATP in discrete steps of 11 +/- 3 base pairs, and that actual unwinding occurs in rapid smaller substeps of 3.6 +/- 1.3 base pairs, also triggered by ATP binding, indicating that NS3 might move like an inchworm. This ATP-coupling mechanism is likely to be applicable to other non-hexameric helicases involved in many essential cellular functions. The assay developed here should be useful in investigating a broad range of nucleic acid translocation motors.     

The locus of sequence-directed and protein-induced DNA bending

The bending locus of trypanosome kinetoplast DNA, identified by gel electrophoresis, has tracts of a simple repeat sequence (CA5-6 T) symmetrically distributed about it, with a repeat interval of 10 base pairs. The analogous bending induced when catabolite gene activating protein binds to its recognition sequence near the promoter of the Escherichia coli lac operon is centred on a site about 5-7 base pairs away from the centre of the protein binding site.