抗Fas锤头状核酶阻抑小鼠急性粒-单核白血病细胞免疫逃逸的研究

为了研究抗Fas锤头状核酶对T细胞Fas表达及其凋亡的影响和探讨增强供者淋巴细胞输注时移植物抗白血病（GVL）效应的新策略，构建可有效切割Fas mRNA的锤头状核酶真核质粒，用电穿孔法将其导入小鼠CTL细胞株CTLL-2之后，借助RT—PCR和Western blot检测其Fas的表达，同时检测转染前后其胱冬酶-3（Caspase-3）活性和凋亡（Annexin V—FITC法）的改变，并用MTT法检测空白对照组、空载体转染组及pU6-RZ596转染组CTLL-2细胞的增殖情况和体外杀伤小鼠急性粒-单核白血病细胞（WEHI-3）的活性。结果表明：构建的U6嵌合型锤头状核酶RZ596在细胞内能有效切割Fas，明显降低小鼠活化CTLL-2的Fas水平，与高表达Fas配体的WEHI-3孵育后，其存活率和体外杀伤WEHI-3活性明显高于对照组。结论：抗Fas核酶能显著降低小鼠活化CTLL-2的Fas表达，使其免于WEHI-3的膜Fas配体经Fas途径所致的凋亡，并提高CTL对小鼠急性粒-单核白血病细胞的杀伤力，从而阻抑小鼠急性粒-单核白血病细胞的免疫逃逸。     

RNase P Ribozymes Inhibit the Replication of Human Cytomegalovirus by Targeting Essential Viral Capsid Proteins

An engineered RNase P-based ribozyme variant, which was generated using the in vitro selection procedure, was used to target the overlapping mRNA region of two proteins essential for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication: capsid assembly protein (AP) and protease (PR). In vitro studies showed that the generated variant, V718-A, cleaved the target AP mRNA sequence efficiently and its activity was about 60-fold higher than that of wild type ribozyme M1-A. Furthermore, we observed a reduction of 98%–99% in AP/PR expression and an inhibition of 50,000 fold in viral growth in cells with V718-A, while a 75% reduction in AP/PR expression and a 500-fold inhibition in viral growth was found in cells with M1-A. Examination of the antiviral effects of the generated ribozyme on the HCMV replication cycle suggested that viral DNA encapsidation was inhibited and as a consequence, viral capsid assembly was blocked when the expression of AP and PR was inhibited by the ribozyme. Thus, our study indicates that the generated ribozyme variant is highly effective in inhibiting HCMV gene expression and blocking viral replication, and suggests that engineered RNase P ribozyme can be potentially developed as a promising gene-targeting agent for anti-HCMV therapy.     

Intramolecular phenotypic capacitance in a modular RNA molecule

Phenotypic capacitance refers to the ability of a genome to accumulate mutations that are conditionally hidden and only reveal phenotype-altering effects after certain environmental or genetic changes. Capacitance has important implications for the evolution of novel forms and functions, but experimentally studied mechanisms behind capacitance are mostly limited to complex, multicomponent systems often involving several interacting protein molecules. Here we demonstrate phenotypic capacitance within a much simpler system, an individual RNA molecule with catalytic activity (ribozyme). This naturally occurring RNA molecule has a modular structure, where a scaffold module acts as an intramolecular chaperone that facilitates folding of a second catalytic module. Previous studies have shown that the scaffold module is not absolutely required for activity, but dramatically decreases the concentration of magnesium ions required for the formation of an active site. Here, we use an experimental perturbation of magnesium ion concentration that disrupts the folding of certain genetic variants of this ribozyme and use in vitro selection followed by deep sequencing to identify genotypes with altered phenotypes (catalytic activity). We identify multiple conditional mutations that alter the wild-type ribozyme phenotype under a stressful environmental condition of low magnesium ion concentration, but preserve the phenotype under more relaxed conditions. This conditional buffering is confined to the scaffold module, but controls the catalytic phenotype, demonstrating how modularity can enable phenotypic capacitance within a single macromolecule. RNA’s ancient role in life suggests that phenotypic capacitance may have influenced evolution since life’s origins.Phenotypic capacitance requires mutations that reversibly alternate between hidden and revealed states in response to environmental or genetic perturbations (1, 2). In the hidden or “cryptic” state the mutations can survive selection because they do not change the phenotype, and multiple such mutations can accumulate within individual genomes in a population. Perturbation after such accumulation can reveal the combined effects of multiple mutations. By exposing the phenotypic effects of mutations that may not have been beneficial individually, capacitance provides a mechanism of generating new phenotypes—from macromolecules to morphological traits—with novel functions (1–4). The term “phenotypic capacitance” is appropriate for situations where altered phenotypes with a genetic basis can be hidden and revealed, even when no adaptive potential of the revealed phenotypes is demonstrated (2). “Evolutionary capacitance,” on the other hand, is a term reserved for instances when an adaptive role is demonstrated. Phenotypic capacitance has been known in fruit flies since the 1950s (5), but demonstrations of adaptive potential (4, 6), and the various molecular mechanisms behind it (7–11) have been reported only relatively recently.A module in a biological system is a group of system parts that interact more with each other than with parts outside of the module (12). In RNA molecules, the parts are nucleotides, and modules are units of tertiary structure that fold independently, and often perform different functions, such as binding to different proteins, RNAs, or small molecules. Modularity has been described in the telomerase RNA component (13), ribosomal RNA (14), long noncoding RNA (e.g., Xist, Hotair) (15), riboswitches (16), and self-splicing introns (17, 18). A link between modularity and phenotypic capacitance could provide a mechanism for the evolution of novel functions involving modules of RNA structure, and especially for functional innovations that require multiple simultaneous mutations. It is not known how modularity might change the potential to hide and reveal the effects of mutations in RNA structures, which is a prerequisite for phenotypic capacitance.To investigate a possible link between modularity and phenotypic capacitance in RNA, we chose to study the Azoarcus group I RNA enzyme (ribozyme). Group I ribozymes such as this have two structural modules that are functionally distinct (Fig. 1). The first of them is a scaffold module (Fig. 1, yellow) that folds rapidly, and forms a nearly identical structure even when removed from the context of the rest of the ribozyme (19, 20). The scaffolding it provides facilitates the folding of the less thermodynamically stable catalytic module (Fig. 1, blue) (21). Biochemical studies have shown that the catalytic phenotype (protein-free splicing) resides in the catalytic module, which can maintain activity if the scaffold module is deleted, but only under conditions of very high magnesium (80 mM) and extended incubation times (16 h) (22). This instability caused by deleting the scaffold supports the idea that this module acts as an intramolecular chaperone.Open in a separate windowFig. 1.The modular structure of the Azoarcus group I ribozyme. (A) The scaffold module (yellow) and the catalytic module (blue) are shown in the context of the ribozyme secondary structure. The regions that show base pairing (P) are numbered sequentially from the 5′ to the 3′ end, according to group I intron standards. The substrate for the ribozyme is written in lowercase letters. The modules are also shown in the context of the 3D crystal structure (PDB ID: 1ZZN), from a “top view” (B) and “side view” (C), with respect to the scaffold module.The diversification of RNA functions has played an important role in the evolution of extant organisms, and may have been even more important at life’s beginnings when RNA enzymes (ribozymes) played a central role as catalysts in the RNA world scenario (23). In a previous publication using the Azoarcus ribozyme, we demonstrated an adaptive role for accumulated cryptic variation that was revealed when altered enzymatic activity was required (24). Here, we focus on how the functionally distinct modules of this structure might facilitate the occurrence of environmentally conditional mutations that enable phenotypic capacitance.We aimed to identify mutations that maintain the catalytic phenotype under normal conditions but alter this phenotype under stressful conditions. The ideal stressful condition for our RNA system is a low concentration of magnesium ions. The concentration of magnesium ions inside of cells is maintained at a higher concentration than any other divalent ion due to its role in many cellular functions. Importantly for our current experiments, it is known that magnesium ions are critical for stabilizing the native structure of RNA molecules (25). Low concentrations of magnesium only allow folding of the most stable RNA structures and can lead to misfolding of less stable structures. In addition, many ribozymes, including group I introns, use highly coordinated magnesium ions in their active site (26). Based on previous reports on the magnesium dependence of the Azoarcus ribozyme (19), we here studied a stressful environment with low (2 mM) MgCl₂, a relaxed environment with high (25 mM) MgCl₂, and an intermediate environment (10 mM MgCl₂). We note that magnesium availability is often limited in natural environments, a stressful condition that organisms have evolved adaptive responses to. For example, magnesium homeostasis in bacteria is maintained by the expression of ion transporters that are sometimes regulated by cis-acting RNA regulatory elements. These “magnesium riboswitch” elements control downstream mRNA expression by conformational changes induced by altered magnesium concentrations (27). This example and others (28) highlight the widespread importance of our chosen experimental stressor.     

锤头状核酶对肝癌突变基因p53的抑制作用

目的 探讨p53核酶对肝癌细胞突变型抑癌基因p53的抑制作用。方法 应用计算机设计并合成针对突变型p53(249位密码子AGG→AGT)的锤头状核酶RZ，构建其体外转录和真核表达载体，检测核酶对突变型p53(mtp53)的体外切割作用，并在Lipofect AMINE^TM2000的介导下转染肝癌细胞MHCC97，应用逆转录聚合酶联反应(RT—PCR)检测核酶对肝癌细胞突变型p53的抑制作用。结果 测序证实核酶基因被正确克隆人体外转录载体pBSKU6和真核载体pEGFPC1中。体外切割效率为42％，而野生型p53(wtp53)没有被切割。在Lipofect AMINETM2000的介导下成功转染肝癌细胞MHCC97，RT—PCR检测证实突变型p53的mRNA水平明显下降，细胞内的切割效率为69％。结论 p53核酶可成功抑制肝癌细胞中突变型p53的表达，为肝癌的基因治疗提供了一个新的选择。     

Selective and efficient retardation of cancers expressing cytoskeleton-associated protein 2 by targeted RNA replacement

Human cytoskeleton-associated protein 2 (hCKAP2) is upregulated and highly expressed in various human malignances. hCKAP2 has microtubule-stabilizing characteristics and potentially regulates the dynamics and assembly of the mitotic spindle and chromosome segregation, indicating that hCKAP2 plays important functions during mitosis. In this study, we evaluated hCKAP2 as a plausible anticancer target through development and validation of a targeted cancer gene therapy strategy based on targeting and replacement of hCKAP2 RNA using a trans-splicing ribozyme. This targeted RNA replacement triggered transgene activity via accurate trans-splicing reaction selectively in human cancer cells expressing the hCKAP2 RNA and simultaneously reduced the expression level of the RNA in the cells. Adenoviral vector encoding the hCKAP2-specific trans-splicing ribozyme selectively induced cytotoxicity in tumor cells expressing hCKAP2. Moreover, intratumoral injection of the virus produced selective and efficient regression of tumor that had been subcutaneously inoculated with hCKAP2-positive colon cancer cells in mice with minimal liver toxicity. Furthermore, orthotopically multifocal hCKAP2-positive hepatocarcinoma established in mice were efficiently regressed by systemic delivery of adenoviral vector encoding the specific ribozyme under the control of a liver-selective phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase promoter with least hepatotoxicity. The results indicate that hCKAP2 RNA is a promising target for anticancer approach based on trans-splicing ribozyme-mediated RNA replacement.     

Rapid identification of efficient target cleavage sites using a hammerhead ribozyme library in an iterative manner

A major limitation to the effectiveness of ribozymes is definition of accessible sites in targeted RNAs. Although library selection procedures have been developed, they are generally difficult to perform and have not been widely employed. Here we describe a selection technology that utilizes a randomized, active hammerhead ribozyme (Rz) library in an iterative manner. After two rounds of binding under inactive conditions, the selected, active Rz library is incubated with target RNA, and the sites of cleavage are identified on sequencing gels. We performed this library-selection protocol using human papillomavirus type 16 E6/E7 mRNA as target and constructed Rz targeted to the identified sites. Rz targeted to sites identified with this procedure were generally highly active in vitro and, more importantly, they were highly active in cell culture, whereas their catalytically inactive counterparts were not. This protocol can be used to identify a set of potential target sites within a relatively short time.     

Recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 with p65 ribozyme protects H9c2 cells from oxidative stress through inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway

Background Oxidative stress is a major mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. It can trigger inflammatory cascades which are primarily mediated via nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). ...     

特异性锤头状核酶对蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫丙酮酸激酶mRNA的表达抑制

目的应用特异性锤头状核酶技术研究蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫丙酮酸激酶(pyruvate kinase)mRNA的表达抑制。方法用电击转染的方法将含有针对贾第虫丙酮酸激酶mRNA的核酶pGCV-PKH载体导入蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫滋养体细胞内(A组),同时设单纯电击转染滋养体(B组)和正常培养滋养体(C组)为对照。转染后24、48、72和96h收集各组虫体,计算滋养体浓度,绘制虫体生长曲线。提取虫体总RNA,分别采用RT-PCR和实时PCR方法检测转染后各组各时间段(24、48、72和96h)核酶mRNA和丙酮酸激酶mRNA相对含量的变化,用紫外分光光度法检测丙酮酸激酶活性。结果虫体生长曲线显示,转染96h,A组虫体的生长受到明显抑制。RT-PCR检测结果表明,A组在转染后24h即可在贾第虫滋养体细胞内检测到核酶RNA,其水平可持续至转染后96h。A组在电击转染后24和48h,丙酮酸激酶mRNA的表达量分别下降至C组的5%(5.00±0.17)和8%(8.00±0.19),相应的酶活性下降至C组的32%(32.00±0.64)和38%(38.00±0.65)。结论特异性锤头状核酶显著抑制了蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫丙酮酸激酶mRNA的表达。