先天性巨结肠患者人类巨细胞病毒UL144基因多态性的研究

目的研究人类巨细胞病毒（human cytomegalovirus,HCMV）UL144基因在先天性巨结肠（Hirschsprung＇s disease,HD）临床株中的多态性,探讨HCMV UL144基因多态性与致病性之间的关系.方法随机选取53个先天性巨结肠患儿痉挛段结肠手术标本及经荧光定量PCR方法检测HCMV DNA为阳性的4个HD患儿的尿标本,对照组为无症状或仅有皮肤轻度黄疸的6个尿标本.应用巢式聚合酶链反应的方法,扩增HCMV UL144基因开放阅读框架（ORF）,扩增阳性的临床株进行双向DNA测序,最后通过DNAclub、Bioedit、DNAstar、GeneDoc等软件进行分析.结果23份HD痉挛段肠组织（46%）及4份尿标本HCMV UL144基因扩增阳性,并且完成测序.种系进化树分析结果显示25个HD患儿的DNA序列分为3个基因型,G1A型64.0%,G2型24%,G3型12%.与对照组比较,经χ^2检验,χ^2=10.93,P为0.012;其中HD临床株G1A和G3型基因经Fisher检验,P为0.015,差异具有统计学意义.全结肠型、长段型及普通型HD分散分布于UL144各个基因型中.结论HD与HCMV感染有关,HCMV可能是HD的病因之一;在HD患儿中,HCMV感染以UL144基因G1A型为主;HD的临床分型与HCMV UL144基因分型无关.     

小发卡RNA抗呼吸道合胞病毒效应的研究

目的 为从基因水平抑制呼吸道合胞病毒（respiratory syncytial virus，RSV）的复制，针对RSV的M2-2基因构建小发卡结构状RNA（short hairpin RNA，shRNA）重组质粒，在细胞水平观察shRNA对RSV复制的影响。方法 将成功构建的针对RSV M2-2基因的重组质粒pshRNA8260转染HEp-2细胞，利用光镜观察pshRNA8260对RSV致HEp-2细胞病变效应（cytopathogenic effect，CPE）的影响并计算CPE抑制率，空斑形成实验检测RSV滴度变化。结果 成功构建了针对人RSV M2-2基因mRNA的pshRNA8260重组质粒，研究发现pshRNA8260能明显改善RSV所致的病变效应，降低RSV在细胞内复制的病毒滴度。结论 针对RSV M2-2基因的pshRNA82（g）重组质粒具有明显的特异性抗RSV效应的作用。     

Emilin genes are duplicated and dynamically expressed during zebrafish embryonic development.

Emilins are a family of extracellular matrix proteins with common structural organization and containing a characteristic N-terminal cysteine-rich domain. The prototype of this family, Emilin-1, is found in human and murine organs in association with elastic fibers, and other emilins were recently isolated in mammals. To gain insight into these proteins in lower vertebrates, we investigated the expression of emilins in the fish Danio rerio. Using sequence similarity tools, we identified eight members of this family in zebrafish. Each emilin gene has two paralogs in zebrafish, showing conserved structure with the human ortholog. In situ hybridization revealed that expression of zebrafish emilin genes is regulated in a spatiotemporal manner during embryonic development, with overlapping and site-specific patterns mostly including mesenchymal structures. Expression of certain emilin genes in peculiar areas, such as the central nervous system or the posterior notochord, suggests that they may play a role in key morphogenetic processes.     

beta2-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphisms in myasthenia gravis (MG)

The beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2-AR) belongs to the group of G-protein coupled receptors and is present mainly on skeletal and cardiac muscle cells and lymphocytes. The gene encoding beta2-AR (ADRB2) displays a moderate degree of heterogeneity in the human population. The distribution of polymorphisms at amino acid positions 16, 27 and 164 is changed in asthma, hypertension and obesity. We have earlier reported a decreased density of the beta2-AR on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the presence of beta2-AR antibodies in patients with MG. Since certain polymorphisms affect the function of the beta2-AR, it was of interest to analyse these in MG. Using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification, we revealed an over-representation of homozygosity for Arg16 and a lower prevalence of homozygosity for Gly16 in MG patients compared with healthy individuals. The increased frequency of homozygosity for Arg16 was due to a contribution from patients with generalized MG but not from patients with only ocular disease. Homozygosity for Glu27 was negatively associated with both the presence of beta2-AR antibodies and severity of disease. Moreover, acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies were more often present in patients being homozygous for Gln27. Our results imply that homozygosity for Arg16 confers susceptibility to generalized MG, and that certain polymorphisms at amino acid position 27 are associated with subgroups of patients.     

Biolistic nuclear transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other fungi

Summary The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been engineered to synthesize and secrete desulfato-hirudin (hirudin), a thrombin inhibitor from the leech Hirudo medicinalis. The synthetic gene coding for hirudin was expressed constitutively under the control of four size-variants of the yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter (GAP) and cloned into a 2 based multicopy yeast vector. The constitutive action of the four promoter variants was confirmed by demonstrating that the expression and secretion of hirudin is growth-related. The different efficiencies of the promoter variants not only affected hirudin expression but also led to changes in several cellular parameters, such as cell growth, average plasmid copy number and plasmid stability. The observed changes show that yeast cells establish a specific equilibrium for each promoter variant. We conclude, that the adjustment of cellular parameters in response to the expression levels of a heterologous protein is regulated by two counteracting selective forces: (1) the need for complementation of the auxotrophic host marker by the plasmid-encoded selection gene which, in the case of dLEU2, requires several plasmid copies; and (2) a selective advantage of cells with a lower copy number enabling them to escape the burden of heterologous protein production.     

RPG1: an essential gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encoding a 110-kDa protein required for passage through the G1 phase

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells a number of genes are required for progression through, or else to pass beyond, the G₁ phase. We characterized a novel gene, RPG1, which is also involved in this phase. RPG1 is an essential gene encoding a 110-kDa evolutionarily conserved protein. Elutriated or α-factor-synchronized cells of the rpg1-1 temperature-sensitive mutant were arrested in the first cell cycle when shifted to a non-permissive temperature. The cells remained unbudded and neither grew nor duplicated DNA. rpg1-1 cells synchronized in S phase completed mitosis and arrested as unseparated G₁ cells after a shift to a non-permissive temperature. Similarly, the asynchronous rpg1-1 cells accumulated in G₁ at the non-permissive temperature, but mother and daughter cells did not separate. A bulk of Calcofluor-stained material was localized in the region adjacent to the cell septum. Our data show that Rpg1p is required for passage through the G₁ phase and may be involved in growth control. Data published recently indicate that Rpg1p exhibits significant sequence similarity to a subunit of the mammalian translation initiation factor 3. Received: 6 October 1997 / 8 November 1997     

我国5岁以下儿童小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌感染临床特征及病原学分析

目的 了解我国5岁以下儿童小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌腹泻病例临床与病原学特征,分析其可能的感染来源,为小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌病的防控与诊断提供科学依据。 方法 收集2010—2020年间来自全国10个省市自治区哨点医院儿童腹泻标本、调查及回访问卷;对标本进行小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌的分离鉴定;菌株进行生物分型、血清型鉴定;毒力基因检测以及脉冲场凝胶电泳(pulsed field gel electrophoresis,PFGE)分型。 结果 2010—2020年共监测11 377例,分离到致病性小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌63株,包括61株O:3血清型、2株O:9血清型菌株,5岁以下腹泻儿童感染率0.55%(63/11 377)。不同性别儿童对致病性小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌的感染率差异无统计学意义,1～5岁感染率高于≤1岁病例(χ²=44.836,P＜0.05),感染患儿中1～5岁发热比例高于≤1岁(χ²=11.508 ,P<0.05),随访病例未发现后遗症。我国儿童感染O:3血清型致病性小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌的PFGE带型存在多样性,优势带型为K6GN11C30021、K6GN11C30012。 结论 我国5岁以下儿童感染致病性小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌的生物血清型以3/O:3为主,偶有4/O:3与2/O:9。根据患儿感染特点与高发季节推测食源为主要感染来源,需进一步调查研究。