转基因动物研究进展

转基因动物是现代生物技术中一个极其重要的研究领域，目前已经有转基因小鼠、兔、绵羊、山羊、猪、牛、鸡和鱼等多种转基因动物问世。本文综述了转基因动物的制作方法、转基因动物的应用研究以及所取得的重要成就，并指出了转基因动物存在的主要问题，展望了其发展前景。     

人血栓调节蛋白基因的表达及转基因小鼠的建立

用PCR方法从人的基因组DNA中扩增了人血栓调节蛋白（hTM)基因，将其克隆到带有人EF－1α启动子的pEF-neo哺乳动物表达载体上，得到表达质粒pEF-TM。在转染pEF-TM的COS－1细胞中，hTM得到了瞬时表达，并且正确地定位到细胞膜上。用pEF-TM转染猪内皮细胞（PEC），经G418筛先得到稳定转染的克隆。凝血活性测定结果显示，表达hTM的PEC凝血时间明显延长，表明其抗凝血能力增强。通过显微注射方法，得到了1只F0代hTM转基因小鼠。Southern杂交结果表明，该转基因小鼠整合了9个拷贝的pEF-TM DNA,并能将外源DNA遗传给后代。     

转基因植物对蜜蜂的安全性（下）

转基因植物已在全球范围内大面积推广应用 ,全球 5大转基因植物中的油菜、棉花、玉米均是主要的蜜粉源植物 ,对养蜂生产有重要意义 ,其对蜜蜂的安全性问题值得关注。 2种主要的抗虫 (Bt毒蛋白、蛋白酶抑制剂 )基因或抗真菌基因的产物只有在高浓度时才可能对工蜂的寿命、消化酶活性、行为等有不良影响。从目前的研究来看 ,转基因植物对蜜蜂是安全的     

磷化铝间歇熏蒸防治鱼粉螨类的研究

本研究介绍了饲料鱼粉螨类的有效防治方法．采用11．5g／m2的磷化铝片剂，分两次间歇熏蒸大量孳生螨类和昆虫的棉纱布袋和编织袋包装的鱼粉，达到了有效杀灭鱼粉中大量孳生的粉尘螨、跗蠊螨、齿蠊螨、河野脂螨、食根嗜木螨、马六甲肉食螨、转开肉食螨、特氏肉食螨等8种螨类和烟草甲、白腹皮蠹、拟白腹皮蠹、赤颈郭公虫、赤足郭公虫、黑菌虫的效果。     

Nuclear transfer in loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus Sauvage) by cell-to-cell electrofusion

To study nuclear transfer in the loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus Sauvage), blastula and gastrula cells were fused with UV-inactivated oocytes by cell-to-cell electrofusion. To facilitate nuclear transfer, blastula and gastrula cells were cultured or incubated at 4 °C in different solutions. TC-199 medium supplemented with 20% calf serum was the best culture solution, and effectively retained the totipotence of blastula or gastrula cells for up to 10 days. It was found that gastrula cells incubated at 4 °C had the same totipotence as blastula cells. The optimal UV dosage for inactivation of the oocyte chromatin was 180–240 mJ cm⁻². Electrofusion was carried out in a cone-shaped fusion chamber, which permitted the recipient oocyte and the donor blastula cell to contact one another. The electrofusion procedure resulted in a 10% success rate of normal-appearing fish. Genetic analysis indicated that the nuclear material originated from the donor cell (blastomere) and the oocyte pronucleus did not take part in development.     

Influence of the Indoleacetic Acid-Lysine Synthetase Gene (iaaL) of Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi on Yield Attributes of Potatoes

The iaaL gene of Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi encodes an indoleacetic acid-lysine synthetase which conjugates free indoleacetic acid (IAA) with lysine. lAA-lys is biologically less active than free IAA. The iaaL coding region was expressed under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and transgenic potato plants were produced (Spena et al. 1991). 35S iaaL potato plants are characterized by increased internodal length and epinastic bending of older leaves. In three greenhouse experiments with plants grown in pots of different size and in two growth chamber experiments tuber number increased in iaaL transgenic plants compared to untransformed and vector-transformed controls of the same genotype. The increase in tuber numbers observed under controlled conditions was reflected in tuber yield which increased in the pot grown transgenics.     

Genetic Engineering Approaches to Pig Production*

Modern biotechnology promises a number of new applications in animal breeding and production. Although conventional pig breeding has achieved a high level of efficiency and productivity numerous problems have been encountered with animal health and the loss of meat quality. Selection based on phenotypic performance data of individual animals does not take into account the importance of specific genes and their relevance within a complex regulatory system. In most cases it is therefore difficult to trace back the genetic origins of clinically important disorders. The application of genetic engineering techniques in pig production will facilitate diagnosis, improvement of productivity, and animal health by allowing direct genetic manipulation. Attention must be focussed on the physical and genetic analysis of the procine genome. The isolation and characterisation of genes, DNA-markers, polymorphic DNA-fragments, and their chromosomal assignment will be important prerequisites and tools for the elucidation of genetic disorders. Especially the detection of heterozygous carriers of recessive disorders and their elimination from the breeding stock will increase selection accuracy and decrease the generation intervals. But also the rapid and simple detection of infectious diseases, which is sometimes difficult if not impossible at present, will improve animal health and welfare. Although the production of transgenic animals either by DNA-microinjection into zygotes or the use of embryonal stem cells manipulated in vitro is less straightforward than DNA-based diagnosis it will play an important role in the direct manipulation of the porcine genome and genes. Breeding programmes including the use of transgenic livestock have already been developed. There is no doubt that genetic engineering has reached a degree of practical feasibility, allowing it to play an important role in pig breeding in particular and animal production in general.     

Some coat protein constituents from strawberry latent ringspot virus expressed in transgenic tobacco protect plants against systematic invasion following root inoculation by nematode vectors

The coding sequences in RNA2 for the coat proteins (CP) of strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV) were modified and amplified using polymerase chain amplification reactions (PCR) to facilitate their expression inAgrobacterium tumefaciens-transformedNicotiana tabacum Xanthi-nc. The coding sequences for the smaller capsid protein (S, 29kDa) and that for the theoretical precursor of L and S (P, 73kDa) had ATG initiation codon sequences added at the 5-proximal Ser/Gly (S/G) cleavage site in the unmodified sequence. The sequence coding for the larger of the two proteins of mature SLRSV capsids (L, 44kDa) had an ATG codon added at its 5 S/G site and a TAG stop codon sequence added at the 3-proximal S/G site. The P, L and S proteins were expressedin planta to a maximum concentration of 0.01 % of total extractable proteins but did not assemble into virus-like particles. When challenged by mechanical inoculation with virus particles or viral RNA, and compared with control plants, tobacco plants (primary transgenic clones or S1 and S2, kanamycin-resistant seedlings) expressing the virus capsid subunits separately, or their precursor, decreased the accumulation of SLRSV particles in inoculated leaves and fewer plants became invaded systemically. In experiments in which the roots of seedlings were exposed to SLRSV-carrying vector nematodes (Xiphinema diversicaudatum), SLRSV was detected in the roots of non-transformed control tobacco plants (6/20) and in transgenic tobacco expressing the L protein (7/40), but not in any of 25 tobacco plants expressing the S protein or in 35 expressing the P protein. This is the second example of CP-mediated resistance to virus inoculation by nematode vectors.     

Engineering of a Single Chain Variable Fragment Antibody Specific for the Citrus tristeza virus and its Expression in Escherichia coli and Nicotiana tabacum

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is one of the most destructive citrus virus diseases in the world. The construction of an engineered antibody, EMBL accession number AJ278109, able to specifically recognize its antigen, i.e. the coat protein of CTV, directly on infected plant material without any purification or manipulation of the entire woody plant. The potential uses of this engineered antibody are discussed.