Gene therapy of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Two-year experiments were performed to evaluate the neurotrophic effect of hypoxia-inducible factors (vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenin) expressed in recombinant human adenoviruses in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Randomized placebo-controlled trial demonstrated safety and good tolerability of the recombinant antiviral drugs. The life span of patients under conditions of hypoxia increased after treatment with the test drug, which was probably related to improved resistance of motoneurons. The presence of virus-neutralizing antibodies decreases the effectiveness of adenoviral vectors, which necessitates differential approach to the selection of patients and continuous monitoring of gene therapy. __________ Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 145, No. 4, pp. 467–470, April, 2008     

逆转录病毒载体介导乙型肝炎病毒反义基因的转录表达

为了探索在真核细胞内转录表达乙型肝炎病毒（ＨＢＶ）反义核酸的方法，用基因重组技术将ＨＢＶ前Ｃ／Ｃ基因（ＰｒｅＣ／Ｃ）和前Ｓ／Ｓ基因（ＰｒｅＳ／Ｓ）片段反向插入逆转录病毒载体质粒，再将重组体分别转染ＰＡ３１７包装细胞，进而获得能够介导ＨＢＶ反义基因向小鼠ＮＩＨ３Ｔ３细胞转移表达的重组逆转录病毒。经分子杂交试验表明，含有ＨＢＶ反义基因的重组逆转录病毒序列已经整合到转染的ＰＡ３１７细胞染色体上；转导的ＮＩＨ３Ｔ３细胞内有ＨＢＶ反义ＲＮＡ转录表达。结论：逆转录病毒载体包装细胞系统能够介导ＨＢＶ反义基因在真核细胞中转录表达，因而有可能利用反义技术和基因转移方法进行抗－ＨＢＶ基因治疗     

Shuttle vectors for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis>: control of plasmid copy number and elevated expression of cloned genes

Plasmids containing the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase gene CaIMH3 from Candida albicans strain ATCC 32354 transform their host to resistance against mycophenolic acid (MPA). The transformants maintain the plasmids at a high copy number (20–40 per cell) and express the CaIMH3 gene at very high levels relative to untransformed controls. The plasmid copy number can be controlled by the concentration of MPA in the media. The transformation procedure is reproducible and the efficiency of transformation is high, up to 15,000 per microgram. Unrearranged plasmids are readily recovered by transforming total DNA from transformants back into Escherichia coli. C. albicans genes cloned into the plasmid are expressed at elevated levels relative to untransformed controls. A derivative vector containing the CaMAL2 promoter and termination sequences expresses the CaERG11 ORF at high levels and confers moderate resistance to fluconazole. These shuttle vectors should facilitate global genomics approaches in C. albicans that have been hampered by its diploid genome.     

基因功能预测问题中的样本不平衡处理

应用机器学习进行分类是基因功能预测的一种重要手段。但是许多预测集中的阳性样本过少，会降低功能预测的效果。针对此问题，本研究对结合支持向量机（SVM）算法的几种常用非平衡数据分类方法进行实验比较，包括投票整合分类器和移动分类面等。在此基础上提出通过加权修正投票的整合策略，以提高预测效果。实验结果显示，结合多数类样本限数取样及整合思想的投票整合法预测效果优于移动分类面法，而在投票整合法基础上的加权修正整合方法在所有方法中获得更好更稳定的结果。     

小鼠pdx-1基因真核表达载体的构建及其在胚胎干细胞中的表达

目的： 克隆小鼠pdx-1基因，构建其真核表达载体，并在小鼠胚胎干细胞中表达，为糖尿病的细胞移植治疗奠定基础。方法： PCR扩增小鼠胰腺pdx-1基因 cDNA，酶切后和携带绿色荧光蛋白报告基因的真核表达载体pEGFP-N1重组，将pdx-1基因 cDNA片段连接到pEGFP-N1载体的多克隆位点，形成重组载体pEGFP/pdx-1，转化大肠杆菌DH5α菌株，构建成pdx-1基因真核表达载体质粒。扩增DH5α后抽提质粒DNA，Hind Ⅲ 和BamHⅠ酶切，电泳，DNA测序鉴定。鉴定正确的质粒DNA用脂质体包裹后转染小鼠胚胎干细胞MESPU13。结果： 从小鼠胰腺cDNA扩增出876 bp的DNA片段并成功重组到pEGFP-N1载体中。经酶切和DNA测序验证，插入载体的DNA片段为pdx-1基因，插入方向正确。重组质粒经脂质体转染胚胎干细胞MESPU13，24 h 后观察到绿色荧光蛋白报告基因和目的基因的pdx-1表达。结论： 小鼠pdx-1基因的克隆和真核表达载体构建获得成功，为进一步研究其功能奠定了基础。     

氯霉素乙酰转移酶检测(CAT assay)

本文介绍一种快速方便的外源基因在哺乳动物细胞中瞬间表达检测系统,即氯霉索乙酰转移酶检测系统。该项检测技术不仅对基因的调控顺序(Cis-acting elements)如启动子、增强子等检测提供了有效的工具,而且为真核基因在哺乳动物细胞表达体系中,质粒的构建及筛选提供了行之有效的手段。并介绍了该技术的全过程及其操作要点。     

生长抑制因子1基因核定位序列-绿荧光蛋白融合表达载体的构建及表达

目的构建p33^ING1b核定位序列（nuclear locating sequence，NLS）-绿荧光蛋白融合表达载体，将其转染到人胚肺纤维母细胞系MRC-5，建立稳定表达该融合蛋白的细胞模型。方法应用逆转录PCR获得p33^ING1b的NLS序列，然后将NLS序列插入绿荧光蛋白融合表达载体pEGFP-C1的多克隆位点，构建pEGFP-C1-NLS-绿荧光蛋白融合表达载体，再用此载体转染MRC-5细胞系，观察活细胞绿荧光蛋白的亚细胞定位。结果成功构建了pEGFP-C1-NLS-绿荧光蛋白融合表达载体，由该载体表达的绿荧光蛋白-NLS肽段融合蛋白产生的绿色荧光信号全部定位于胞核部位，而空载体转染的细胞表达的绿色荧光蛋白，绿色荧光信号定位于细胞浆中。结论在活细胞内，生理情况下p33^ING1b完全定位于细胞核，并且在其亚细胞定位的转运过程中，NLS肽段起着决定性作用。     

应用痘苗病毒载体表达猴轮状病毒VP4抗原基因

把编码猴轮状病毒（Ｒｈｅｓｕｓｒｏｔａｖｉｒｕｓ，ＲＲＶ）Ｖｐ４抗原的第４基因片段插入到痘苗病毒表达载体ｐＪＳＡ１１７５的Ｐ７．５启动子下游，构建成在痘苗病毒Ｐ７．５启动子调控下表达猴轮状病毒Ｖｐ４抗原基因的重组质粒ＰＪＳＡ１１７５－ＶＰ４。应用磷酸钙沉淀技术将ＰＪＳＡ１１７５－ＶＰ４ＤＮＡ转入ＴＫ－１４３细胞，在ＢＵＤＲ和Ｘ－ｇａｌ存在下筛选蓝色蚀斑。经３代以上纯化和病毒增殖，获重组病毒Ｒ－ＶＪＳＡ１１７５－Ｖｐ４。蚀斑滴定其满度达到１５×１０１１ＰＦＵ／Ｌ。经核酸杂交试验证明所获得的重组痘苗病毒带有猴轮状病毒Ｖｐ４抗原基因。用重组病毒感染ＴＫ－１４３细胞（或Ｖｅｒｏ细胞），在感染后４８ｈ，用酶免疫法（ＥＩＡ）检测受染细胞上清液和细胞裂解液中表达的猴轮状病毒Ｖｐ４抗原基因均呈阳性反应。本试验为本研究室轮状病毒基因工程疫苗的一部分，为深入了解轮状病毒基因结构及其功能在方法学上奠定了必要的基础。     

Site-specific homologous recombination mutagenesis in group B streptococci

We describe the use of suicide vectors to generate site-specific mutations in group B streptococcus. This is accomplished by cloning gene-specific sequences into a temperature sensitive plasmid and selecting for clones which have undergone homologous recombination. The recombinan clones can be easily isolated by selecting for clones which have retained the antibiotic resistance markers that are present on the vector or cloned into the gene-specific sequences. To confirm the fidelity of the recombination events, PCR analysis is performed on chromosomal DNA isolated from the recombinant clones. Using this strategy, we have generated site- specific insertions in several capsule genes and have found that these insertions occurred as expected and that the mutations result in loss of capsule expression. In this report, we specifically detail the construction of cpsB mutants by single and double cross-over recombination and demonstrate that the resulting strains are acapsular.