Chicken leptin: properties and actions

Chicken leptin cDNA shows a high homology to mammalian homologous, with an expression localized in the liver and adipose tissue. It is noteworthy, that the hepatic expression is most likely associated with the primary role that this organ plays in lipogenic activity in avian species. As in mammals, chicken leptin expression is regulated by hormonal and nutritional status. This regulation is tissue-specific and with a high sensitivity in the liver compared to adipose tissue. The blood leptin levels are regulated by the nutritional state with high levels in the fed state compared to the fasted state. The recombinant chicken leptin markedly inhibits food intake as reported in mammals, suggesting the presence of an hypothalamic leptin receptor. The chicken leptin receptor has been identified and all functional motifs are highly conserved compared to mammalian homologous. Chicken leptin receptor is expressed in the hypothalamus but also in other tissues such as pancreas, where leptin inhibits insulin secretion and thus may have a key role in regulating nutrient utilization in this species.     

牛FoxO1基因的cDNA克隆及在新生犊牛组织中的表达分析

根据GenBank已发表的人、小鼠、猪FoxO1基因的mRNA序列设计引物克隆了牛FoxO1基因的cDNA序列,同时采用实时荧光定量PCR方法分析FoxO1在新生犊牛16个组织中的表达情况。结果表明:牛FoxO1基因与人、黑猩猩、小鼠、大鼠、猪的同源性分别为88%、88%、86%、85%和89%,FoxO1基因在新生犊牛各个组织中均有表达,但在不同组织中的表达量有差异,在腹内脂肪、小肠淋巴结、肺、脾、胸腺中表达量较高,其次在胃、肾、肝、心、小肠、半腱肌、背最长肌,在脑、胰腺、比目鱼肌、腓肠肌等组织中表达量较低,这可能与FoxO1基因在有机体各组织器官中的生物学效应有关。     

猪TIMP-2基因克隆、序列特征和表达分析

本研究分析了五指山试验用小型猪TIMP-2基因的分子特性和可能的生物学功能.将人TIMP-2 mR-NA全长序列在猪ESTs数据库中检索获得同源性较高的ESTs,用电子克隆结合RT-PCR方法克隆获得包含完整CDS区的猪TIMP-2基因cDNA序列,应用生物信息学方法分析了其核苷酸序列及其编码蛋白质分子结构特性,应用RT-PCR研究该基因在猪不同组织和发育时期的特异表达情况.结果,猪TIMP-2 cDNA序列全长790 bp,包括663 bp的完整开放阅读框,编码221个氨基酸.多序列比对和系统进化分析表明,该基因编码蛋白质与人(97%)、大鼠(97%)、小鼠(97%)等物种TIMP-2蛋白质具有较高的同源性.蛋白质序列预测分析发现,猪TIMP-2氨基酸序列理论等电点(pI)为7.65,相对分子质量(MW)为24.5 ku,它包括27AA的前导序列和194AA的成熟肽段,其前导序列比其它物种多1个亮氨酸(Leu).结构功能预测发现其具有1个在种间高度保守的NTR_TIMP结构域和N端VIRAK保守序列,序列中存在的12个半胱氨酸(Cys)可以形成6对二硫键结构.表达谱分析表明TIMP-2基因在猪的多个组织和不同发育时期的表达量存在较大差异,在睾丸、垂体、胃、大肠、卵巢、子宫和90 d胚胎骨骼肌中高表达;而在心脏、小肠、脑、肝脏、成年猪骨骼肌中表达量极低;在肾脏、胸腺、脾、甲状腺、33 d胚胎中中度表达.结果表明该基因在发生组织发育和重构活动相对活跃的组织器官和时期表达水平较高,亦符合其固有生物学功能.     

Molecular cloning and tissue distribution of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in plateau pika (Ochotona dauurica)

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is present exclusively in brown adipose tissue, and contributes to body temperature control during cold exposure. We cloned UCP1 cDNA of plateau pika (Ochotona dauurica), a small, non-hibernating, diurnal lagomorph that inhabits in relatively cold climates and at high altitudes in Mongolia and in northern China. The nucleotide sequence of pika UCP1 was highly homologous to UCP1 of other species, and the deduced amino acid sequence had some common domains for UCP, including six mitochondrial carrier protein motifs and a putative purine-nucleotide binding site. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses revealed that both UCP1 mRNA and protein were expressed exclusively in the interscapular adipose tissue. These results suggest that pika UCP1 contributes to heat production in brown adipose tissue, as do those in other species.     

Long form leptin receptor mRNA expression in the brain, pituitary, and other tissues in the pig

Much effort has focused recently on understanding the role of leptin, the obese gene product secreted by adipocytes, in regulating growth and reproduction in rodents, humans and domestic animals. We previously demonstrated that leptin inhibited feed intake and stimulated growth hormone (GH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in the pig. This study was conducted to determine the location of long form leptin receptor (Ob-Rl) mRNA in various tissues of the pig. The leptin receptor has several splice variants in the human and mouse, but Ob-Rl is the major form capable of signal transduction. The Ob-Rl is expressed primarily in the hypothalamus of the human and rodents, but has been located in other tissues as well. In the present study, a partial porcine Ob-Rl cDNA, cloned in our laboratory and specific to the intracellular domain, was used to evaluate the Ob-Rl mRNA expression by RT-PCR in the brain and other tissues in three 105 d-old prepuberal gilts and in a 50 d-old fetus. In 105 d-old gilts, Ob-Rl mRNA was expressed in the hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, amygdala, thalamus, cerebellum, area postrema and anterior pituitary. In addition, Ob-Rl mRNA was expressed in ovary, uterine body, liver, kidney, pancreas, adrenal gland, heart, spleen, lung, intestine, bone marrow, muscle and adipose tissue. However, expression was absent in the thyroid, thymus, superior vena cava, aorta, spinal cord, uterine horn and oviduct. In the 50 d-old fetus, Ob-Rl mRNA was expressed in brain, intestine, muscle, fat, heart, liver and umbilical cord. These results support the idea that leptin might play a role in regulating numerous physiological functions.     

Nucleotide sequence and expression of the feline vascular endothelial growth factor

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic factor which targets vascular endothelial cells. In this study, cDNA encoding a feline VEGF (fVEGF) isoform was cloned from a feline lymphoid tumor cell line and sequenced. The fVEGF cDNA contained an open reading frame of 567 nucleotides coding for a polypeptide of 163 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 26 amino acids. The predicted fVEGF amino acid sequence shared 98.4, 94.2 and 94.2% homology with the sequences of canine, bovine and human VEGF, respectively. Though predicted fVEGF polypeptide was two amino acid residues shorter than human VEGF165, a potential glycosylation site and regions critical for receptor binding were conserved in all the species examined. Transient expression of fVEGF in mammalian cells resulted in secretion of VEGF which could be detected by antibodies against human VEGF165. Furthermore, wide expression of fVEGF mRNA was observed in various feline tissues using RT-PCR methods.     

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of feline interferon-stimulated gene 15

The interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) is induced by type I interferon (IFN). Recent studies have revealed that like ubiquitin, ISG15 is conjugated with target proteins. In this study, the feline ISG15 (FeISG15) gene was cloned from feline IFNomega (FeIFNomega)-stimulated feline kidney epithelial (CRFK) cells. According to gene sequence results, cDNA was 474bp long and encoded a protein of 157 amino acids. The putative amino acid sequences showed 62.5-72.1% identity with those of other mammalian ISG15s. Similar to human and mouse ISG15, FeISG15 included tandem ubiquitin-like domains; its homology with feline ubiquitin was 36.3-39.5%. The LRLRGG conjugating motif was located only in the carboxyl terminal ubiquitin-like domain. FeISG15 also lacked the carboxyl terminal extension after the LRLRGG motif, which is present in mouse and human ISG15. Recombinant FeISG15 protein was expressed as a His-tagged fusion protein in Escherichia coli and purified by ion-exchange chromatography followed by affinity chromatography. Monoclonal anti-FeISG15 antibodies revealed free FeISG15 and FeISG15 conjugated with target proteins in cells after IFNomega stimulation by Western blotting analysis. Furthermore, mRNA of IFNgamma was detected from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after stimulation with rFeISG15 extracellularly by RT-PCR. Taken together, these results suggested that FeISG15 had ubiquitin- and cytokine-like activity, as in other species.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of the complementary DNA for feline preproparathyroid hormone

OBJECTIVES: To clone and sequence the cDNA for feline preproparathyroid hormone (preproPTH) and to compare that sequence with other known parathyroid hormone (PTH) sequences. SAMPLE POPULATION: Parathyroid glands from 1 healthy cat. PROCEDURES: A cDNA library was constructed in lambda phage from feline parathyroid gland mRNA and screened with a radiolabeled canine PTH probe. Positive clones were sequenced, and nucleic acid and deduced amino acid sequences were analyzed and compared with known preproPTH and PTH sequences. RESULTS: Screening of approximately 2 X 10(5) recombinant plaques revealed 3 that hybridized with the canine PTH probe; 2 clones comprised the complete sequence for feline preproPTH. Feline preproPTH cDNA consisted of a 63-base pair (bp) 5'-untranslated region (UTR), a 348-bp coding region, and a 326-bp 3'-UTR. The coding region encoded a 115-amino acid peptide. Mature feline PTH consisted of 84 amino acids. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that feline PTH was > 83% identical to canine, bovine, swine, equine, human, and macaque PTH and 69, 71, and 44% identical to mouse, rat, and chicken PTH, respectively. Within the region responsible for hormonal activity (amino acids 1 to 34), feline PTH was > 79% identical to other mammalian PTH sequences and 64% identical to the chicken sequence. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The amino acid sequence of PTH is conserved among mammalian species. Knowledge of the cDNA sequence for feline PTH may be useful to investigate disturbances of calcium metabolism and alterations in PTH expression in cats.     

家兔BMP7成熟肽编码区克隆及BMP7、BMP4基因组织表达谱分析

用RT-PCR方法克隆家兔BMP 7基因成熟肽编码区cDNA序列,并对2月龄家兔BMP 7和BMP 4基因的组织表达谱进行半定量分析。结果表明,家兔BMP 7成熟肽编码序列长414 bp,与人、小鼠BMP 7的同源性分别为91.89%、89.32%,三者的同源性为94.98%。在家兔心、肝、脾、肺、肾、脑、脊髓、小肠8种组织中检测到BMP 7和BMP 4基因表达。BMP 7基因在心、脾组织以低丰度表达,在肺、脊髓、十二指肠以中等丰度表达,在肝、肾、脑中以高丰度表达;BMP 4基因在脊髓以低丰度表达,在脑、心、脾、小肠等器官组织中呈中等丰度表达,在肝、肺、肾中以高丰度表达。因此,家兔BMP 7基因成熟肽编码区在进化过程中高度保守。BMP 7和BMP 4具有广泛的组织表达谱和组织表达特异性。     

Molecular cloning and expression of feline CD28 and CTLA-4 cDNA

Feline CD28 and CTLA-4 (CD152) cDNA were cloned from Con-A stimulated feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by rapid amplification of cDNA end-PCR (RACE-PCR). Both CD28 and CTLA-4 proteins belong to the immunoglobulin superfamily (Ig SF) and are composed of a signal sequence, an extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain. The open reading frame (ORF) of CD28 cDNA encoded a predicted protein of 221 amino acids and that of CTLA-4 cDNA encoded a predicted protein of 223 amino acids. The B7 ligands binding motif MYPPPY hexamer was found on the extracellular Ig V-like domains of both receptors and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) binding motifs pYMNM for CD28 and pYVKM for CTLA-4 were identified in the cytoplasmic domains. Comparisons of amino acid sequences of feline proteins with known sequences of other species indicated that rabbit CD28 and CTLA-4 were most closely related and mouse molecules were the least conserved with feline molecules. Comparison of each domain of both molecules with that of other animals showed that the cytoplasmic domain of CTLA-4 was 100% conserved and that of CD28 was the most conserved domain. The cloned CD28 and CTLA-4 cDNA could be expressed in transfected mammalian cells. Expression of feline CD28 and CTLA-4 mRNA in freshly isolated feline PBMC was demonstrated by RT-PCR. Stimulation of PBMC with Con-A similarly increased the expression of both CD28 and CTLA-4 mRNA.     

SD大鼠EGFR基因cDNA序列的分子克隆

参考大鼠EGFR基因序列,用RT-PCR方法对SD大鼠EGFR基因cDNA序列进行克隆,获得了SD大鼠EGFR基因的全长4127bp的cDNA序列（GenBank登录号HM801042）,其中CDS长度为3627bp,编码1209个氨基酸。SD大鼠与国外报道的大鼠、小鼠、牛、猴、人等5个物种的EGFR基因cDNA序列的同源性分别为99．5％、92．9％、78．4％、83．4％、80．2％,其编码蛋白的氨基酸序列同源性分别为99．6％、95．9％、86．6％、89．0％、90．5％。这一结果表明了EGFR基N在进化过程中具有较高的保守性。通过比较SD大鼠EGFR基因与GenBank数据库中发布的EGFR基因的cDNA序列,本试验发现了10个SNP位点,其中5个没有改变氨基酸残基的性质,这一研究结果为EGFR基因的SNPs数据库提供了新的信息。