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[Influence of combined microinjection of gene engineering construct and endonuclease on preimplantation development of mouse embryos in vitro].

We studied the influence of combined microinjection of a gene engineering construct and site-specific endonuclease Sal in the pronucleus on preimplantation development of (CBA x C57BL)F1 mouse embryos in vitro. The rate of survival of the embryos was estimated according to their capacity to develop until the blastocyst stage and hatch from zona pellucida. The results obtained suggest that the microinjection of exogenous DNA jointly with endonuclease SalI at concentrations from 0.1 to 0.01 U/microl decreased reliably the rate of survival, as compared to the control (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). However, a decrease of endonuclease SalI concentration in the injection mixture to 0.01 U/microl enhanced the capacity of mouse embryos to develop until the blastocyst stage and hatch from zona pellucida, as compared to the embryos microinjected with exogenous DNA and endonuclease SalI at a higher concentration.

Animals↗

[Gene engineering EB virus membrane antigen in detection of MA-IgA antibody--comparison with VCA-IgA and EA-IgA antibodies].

With gene engineering EB virus membrane antigen as the diagnostic antigen, indirect immunofluorescence (IF) assay was used to detect IgA antibody against EB virus membrane antigen (MA-IgA) in sera from 202 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and 315 controls (normal and patients with other tumors). MA-IgA antibody was positive in 96.8% of the pre-treatment NPC patients with a GMT of 1:36.3. MA-IgA detection by this method was more sensitive than EA-IgA detection by IE. In contrast, patients with tumors other than NPC were negative for MA-IgA antibody. 9.1% of VCA-IgA positive persons were MA-IgA positive with a GMT of less than 1:5. No MA-IgA positive was found in VCA-IgA negatives. The results indicated that this method was relatively specific. In the treatment group, the positive rate and GMT of MA-IgA antibody declined with increase in survival time and the decline was faster than VCA-IgA. When recurrence or distant metastasis developed, similar to VCA-IgA and EA-IgA antibodies, the positive rate and GMT of MA-IgA antibody increased to its pretreatment level. Therefore, MA-IgA detection might be valuable in the early diagnosis and monitor of NPC.

Animals↗

Cytokine gene-engineered vaccines.

Cytokines modulate immune reactivity and have therefore been used to build cancer vaccines. Experimental vaccination of rodents and humans with cytokine-gene engineered tumor cells, fusion proteins between cytokines and tumor antigens, and their DNA have been shown to induce a significant immune memory, even against poorly immunogenic tumors. This immune memory can prevent tumor growth and cure initial metastases, but is poorly effective against established tumors. To date clinical trials have been confined to patients with advanced tumors; so far they suggest that this approach is safe.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Gene-engineered models for genetic manipulation and functional analysis of the cardiovascular system in mice.

Cardiovascular disease remains a key issue in healthcare. During the last decade, transgenic and gene-targeted mouse technology has provided invaluable insights into cardiovascular molecular biology. Given the similarities between the mouse and human genomes, this study proposes that information experimentally derived using genetically manipulated mice can contribute significantly to the understanding of human cardiovascular pathophysiology. We first introduced the basic principles and methods of genetic manipulation, such as the breeding background in mice and the factors of construct design. Secondly, we reviewed the analyses related to genetic manipulation of the cardiovascular system from embryonic to adult mice. In conclusion, the gene-engineered mouse model is one of the most important tools developed in recent basic and clinical research.

Animals↗

[Isolation and properties of monomeric and oligomeric forms of gene-engineered human leukocyte interferon alphaA from Pseudomonas sp].

Using stepwise ion-exchange and gel-permeation high performance liquid chromatography and SDS-PAAG gel electrophoresis, it was demonstrated that the non-reduced gene-engineered interferon alpha A is represented by multiple forms, namely, four monomers, four dimers, two trimers and one tetramer. All the protein forms were obtained in an individual state and characterized in terms of antiviral activity and immunochemical properties. The heterogeneity of the protein is due both to the formation of anomalous intermolecular disulfide bonds and to the existence of reduced S-S bonds. The antiviral activity of the dimers, trimers and tetramers expressed as units per mole of protein is equal to that for the monomeric form, i.e., the interaction of one monomeric subunit of the covalently-linked oligomer is sufficient for the manifestation of the protein antiviral activity. This suggests that the antiviral status of the cell does not depend on the amount internalized interferon molecules of their processing products but is controlled by the cell receptor whose internalization and, possibly, processing stimulate the transcription of genes involved in the triggering of the immune response.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

[Advances in gene engineering of microorganisms].

A novel branch of national economy--biotechnology is being developed, based on genetic engineering. The construction of strains using the methods of molecular cloning has led to-date to creation of new biotechnological processes. Further advance in biotechnology would be mainly promoted by the possibilities of application of gene engineering to reorganization of industrially important microorganisms. These are bacilli employed for production of vitamins, enzymes, insecticides; streptomycetes--the producers of antibiotics; yeasts applied in bakery industry, in production of fodder proteins; pseudomonads which will be helpful in development of effective biological means for protection of environment, etc. So, vector molecules based on plasmids and phages have been constructed for best-studied representatives of industrial microorganisms, the methods of introduction into the cell of hybrid DNA molecules worked out, the problems of optimization of foreign gene expression being currently solved.

Bacteria↗

Heterogeneities in ferritin dimers as characterized by gel filtration, nuclear magnetic resonance, electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy, and gene engineering techniques.

To understand the mechanism underlying the preferential dimerization of ferritin shells, we studied monomers and dimers from both horse spleen and recombinant horse L-apoferritin by using gel filtration, nuclear magnetic resonance, electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy, and gene engineering techniques. Our study of the kinetics of dimer-monomer dissociation that is produced by heating revealed the presence of at least two types of dimers, namely, weakly and strongly linked dimers with activation energies of 124 +/- 14 and 157 +/- 16 kJ/mol, respectively. Our study using thiol reagents indicated that the dimerization in horse spleen ferritin is partially mediated by disulfide bridges being formed between H-chains. Our analysis of the components that resulted from the dimer-monomer dissociation further clarified that these dimers form interdigitation structures. In summary, five types of dimers were identified in horse spleen apoferritin: reversible dimers with very weak interaction, non-sulfide dimers with weak interaction, non-sulfide dimers with strong interaction, disulfide dimers linked only by disulfide bridges, and disulfide dimers linked by disulfide bridges and having other interactions.

Animals↗

[Molecular biology and gene engineering of phytase].

Phytase is a new-style enzyme used in monogastric animal feed. The addition of phytase to feed can increase phosphorus availability, decrease environmental phosphorus pollution and improve the performance of animal. This paper reviews the research progress and trend in recent studies related to molecular biology and gene engineering of phytase.

6-Phytase↗

Molecular analysis of the acetolactate synthase gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and development of a genetically engineered gene as a dominant selectable marker for genetic transformation.

Genomic and cDNA clones of the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been isolated from a mutant, c85-20 (Hartnett et al., 1987), that is resistant to high concentrations of sulfometuron methyl (SMM) and related sulfonylurea herbicides. Comparison of the ALS gene sequences from the wild-type and the SMM resistant (SMMr) strains revealed two amino acid differences in the mature enzyme, a lysine to threonine change at position 257 (K257T) and a leucine to valine change at position 294 (L294V). Transformation of wild-type C. reinhardtii with the mutant ALS gene produced no transformants with ability to grow in the presence of a minimum toxic concentration of SMM (3 microm). Substitution of the ALS promoter with the promoter of the C. reinhardtii Rubisco small subunit gene (RbcS2) permitted recovery of SMMr colonies. In vitro mutagenesis of the wild-type ALS gene to produce various combinations of mutations (K257T, L294V and W580L) indicated that the K257T mutation was necessary and sufficient to confer the SMMr phenotype. Optimum transformation rates were obtained with two constructs (pJK7 and pRP-ALS) in which all introns in the coding region were present. Rates of transformation with construct pJK7 were approximately 2.5 x 10-4 transformants/cell (i.e. one transformant for each of 4000 initial cells) using electroporation and 8.5 x 10-6 transformants/cell using the glass bead vortexing method. These results suggest that pJK7 and pRP-ALS can serve as important additional dominant selectable markers for the genetic transformation of C. reinhardtii.

Acetolactate Synthase↗

Seamless gene engineering using RNA- and DNA-overhang cloning.

Here we describe two methods for generating DNA fragments with single-stranded overhangs, like those generated by the activity of many restriction enzymes, by simple methods that do not involve DNA digestion. The methods, RNA-overhang cloning (ROC) and DNA-overhang cloning (DOC), generate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products composed of double-stranded (ds) DNA flanked by single-stranded (ss) RNA or DNA overhangs. The overhangs can be used to recombine DNA fragments at any sequence location, creating "perfect" chimeric genes composed of DNA fragments that have been joined without the insertion, deletion, or alteration of even a single base pair. The ROC method entails using PCR primers that contain regions of RNA sequence that cannot be copied by certain thermostable DNA polymerases. Using such a chimeric primer in PCR would yield a product with a 5' overhang identical to the sequence of the RNA component of the primer, which can be used for directional ligation of the amplified product to other preselected DNA molecules. This method provides complete control over both the length and sequence of the overhangs, and eliminates the need for restriction enzymes as tools for gene engineering.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Engineered gene over-expression as a method of drug target identification.

The proposed target of aminobisphosphonate (aBP) bone resorption inhibitors, both in mammalian osteoclasts and in Dictyostelium, is the enzyme farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FDP synthase). The genetic evidence, obtained with Dictyostelium, derives from variant strains that over-express FDP synthase and that are relatively resistant to aBPs. We show that forced FDP synthase over-expression also leads to aBP resistance; by placing FDP synthase under control of a semi-constitutive promoter, transforming it into Dictyostelium cells and selecting with the aBP alendronate. This combination of drug and dominant selectable marker provides a novel selection system for transformation. We further show that, when a population of Dictyostelium cells expressing an entire growth stage cDNA library is placed under alendronate selection, FDP synthase is the only cDNA insert that confers drug resistance. This confirms FDP synthase as the primary target of aBPs and suggests a general method of drug target identification based upon engineered gene over-expression.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗

Novel methods for cloning and engineering genes using the polymerase chain reaction.

Use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become increasingly widespread in virtually all aspects of molecular biology. Recently, novel ligation-independent methods have been developed for the cloning of DNA fragments amplified using PCR. Ligation-independent cloning utilizing the enzyme uracil DNA glycosylase (termed UDG cloning) provides an efficient method for gene cloning and recombinant PCR. This technology is now being applied to site-directed mutagenesis, the generation of nested deletions, and the engineering of novel gene constructs. The ease and flexibility of this methodology, combined with PCR amplification, simplify gene cloning and engineering techniques.

Animals↗

Reverse engineering gene networks: integrating genetic perturbations with dynamical modeling.

While the fundamental building blocks of biology are being tabulated by the various genome projects, microarray technology is setting the stage for the task of deducing the connectivity of large-scale gene networks. We show how the perturbation of carefully chosen genes in a microarray experiment can be used in conjunction with a reverse engineering algorithm to reveal the architecture of an underlying gene regulatory network. Our iterative scheme identifies the network topology by analyzing the steady-state changes in gene expression resulting from the systematic perturbation of a particular node in the network. We highlight the validity of our reverse engineering approach through the successful deduction of the topology of a linear in numero gene network and a recently reported model for the segmentation polarity network in Drosophila melanogaster. Our method may prove useful in identifying and validating specific drug targets and in deconvolving the effects of chemical compounds.

Algorithms↗

[Construction of hpaA gene-engineered attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine strain].

To express Helicobacter pylori hpaA gene in attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine vehicle, and elucidate the potential value of attenuated Salmonella typhimurium as a vector expressing Helicobacter pylori antigens, by means of molecular biology, 783 bp hpaA gene was cloned into NcoI-SalI site of a procaryotic expression plasmid pTrc99A, and the recombinant plasmid was then used to transform an attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine strain SL3261, and the positive clones were screened by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion. HpaA expression was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Two and 10 days after recombinant strain intragastric immunization, the C57BL/6 mice was sacrificed, and the spleen and terminal ileum was cultured for recombinant strain. The results showed that a recombinant procaryotic expression plasmid pTrc99A-hpaA was constructed, and the recombinant plasmid was then introduced into an attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine strain SL3261 successfully. HpaA was expressed in the recombinant strains as a 30 kD protein, and also its immunogenicity was confirmed by Western blot. Recombinant strain was found in both spleen and terminal ileum of each mouse two and ten days after intragastric immunization. We concluded that a recombinant live attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine strain expressing Helicobacter pylori hpaA gene was constructed and identified, and this work will help to develop oral recombinant live vaccine strains against Helicobacter pylori infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PCR based gene engineering of the Vibrio harveyi lux operon and the Escherichia coli trp operon provides for biochemically functional native and fused gene products.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to clone the luxA and luxB genes from Vibrio harveyi, and the trp poL (promoter operator leader) region and the trpB and trpA genes from Escherichia coli. PCR-derived luxA/B and trpB/A genes were shown to express bacterial luciferase and tryptophan synthase respectively, when introduced into E. coli on a plasmid cloning vehicle. The trp poL was used successfully to control the expression of lac alpha, luxAB, trpB and trpA. PCR was also used to construct a functional luxAB translational fusion protein. Primers for this were designed to facilitate precise gene fusion and to provide a silent mutation within an EcoRI site in the luxB gene. Production of functional genes was verified in vitro and in vivo using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis of transcription-translation products and crude cell extracts, and by monitoring enzyme activity.

Base Sequence↗