Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the CrDAT gene and selection of transgenic periwinkle lines with a high vincristine accumulation

Catharanthus roseus contains vincristine and vinblastine, which are outstanding drugs for cancer. In the biosynthetic pathways of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) in C. roseus, deacetylvindoline 4-O-acetyltransferase (DAT) is a key enzyme that catalyses the last reaction of vindoline biosynthesis to form vinblastine and vincristine. In this study, the CrDAT transgene was transferred into the periwinkle by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and generated transgenic periwinkle lines with an increase in vincristine accumulation. The C. roseus DAT gene was introduced into C. roseus plants and it was confirmed that CrDAT was successfully transferred into the genome of periwinkle plants and efficiently translated to synthesise recombinant DAT protein. Four transgenic periwinkle lines in T1 generation, T1-1, T1-3, T1-6, and T1-7, expressed recombinant DAT protein with the total protein content in the range of 2.86 μg.mg^?1 to 5.12 μg.mg^?1. Moreover, the vincristine contents of four transgenic lines increased by 1.63?2.48-fold compared to non-transgenic plants, ranging from 6.91 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight) to 10.53 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight). The T1-1 line had the highest vincristine content. Hence, the overexpression of the recombinant DAT protein can improve the vincristine accumulation of transgenic C. roseus plants.

Abbreviation: CrDAT - Catharanthus roseus Deacetylvindoline-4-O-Acetyl Transferase; D4H - Deacetoxyvindoline 4-hydroxylase; ELISA - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Monoterpene indole alkaloid; T0, T1 - Generations of transgenic plants; TIAs - Terpenoid indole alkaloids; WT- The wild-type tobacco plants (non transgenic plant); 35S - Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter     

转基因甘蔗BtG-2的T-DNA侧翼序列分析及其转化事件特异性检测

转基因甘蔗BtG-2是利用农杆菌介导法把Cry1Ac-2A-gna融合抗虫基因导入‘新台糖22号’的转基因甘蔗株系,具有良好的抗虫特性和农艺性状。为了明确转基因甘蔗BtG-2的分子特征及其检测方法,推进其生物安全性评价工作,以BtG-2的T2代为研究材料,利用Southern杂交检测外源基因在转基因甘蔗基因组内的拷贝数;利用染色体步移技术分离外源基因在甘蔗基因组中插入位点的侧翼序列,并建立了该转化体高效灵敏的特异性PCR检测方法。结果表明：Southern杂交检测证明外源T-DNA以单拷贝方式插入BtG-2株系;经过3次的热不对称巢式PCR扩增,获得外源基因T-DNA左边侧翼序列984 bp和右边侧翼序列705 bp;以这2个序列和相应的T-DNA的左右端序列分别设计3对检测引物对,建立了BtG-2株系的转化事件特异性PCR检测方法,扩增效率最高的引物对LS011/LA451和RS160/RA588分别扩增到440 bp和428 bp的特异片段。其中T-DNA左侧设计的LS011/LA451检测引物对扩增的灵敏度高、特异性强,能够在甘蔗BtG-2基因组DNA相对含量为0.1%的模板中检测出转基因目的成分,相当于9个单倍体基因组拷贝数。本研究完成了转基因株系BtG-2的分子特征及其转化事件特异性检测,为该转基因甘蔗及其衍生产品的检测和身份识别提供技术依据。     

水稻OsUBA基因的表达及其在促进种子萌发和开花中的功能

自噬是将功能异常或不需要的胞内组分降解的细胞学过程,广泛参与真核生物的生长发育过程、对营养缺乏的响应及生物/非生物胁迫反应。NBR1 (Next to BRCA1 gene 1, NBR1)是在植物中发现的最重要的自噬受体,但有关植物NBR1类自噬受体的研究较少,水稻中此类蛋白的研究还是空白。本文通过RT-PCR方法,从水稻日本晴幼苗的cDNA中克隆到一个含有泛素相关结构域(Ubiquitinassociated,UBA)的基因,将其命名为OsUBA。OsUBA的开放阅读框长2538 bp,编码845个氨基酸残基。OsUBA属于水稻中的NBR1类蛋白。OsUBA的启动子区有多个与光、逆境胁迫及激素反应相关的元件; OsUBA基因在水稻花药、正在萌发的种子以及根中的表达量较高,在茎和叶中也有表达; 200μmol L~(–1) ABA处理显著抑制OsUBA的表达,100μmol L~(–1) GA处理后OsUBA的表达略有升高。对OsUBA过表达水稻株系的研究表明,转基因水稻种子的萌发比野生型更快, ABA (3μmol L~(–1))处理显著抑制OsUBA过表达水稻株系种子的萌发, GA (100μmol L~(–1))处理对OsUBA过表达水稻株系种子的萌发略有促进;OsUBA过表达水稻株系的开花时间较野生型明显提前。这些结果表明,水稻NBR1蛋白基因OsUBA的表达和功能可能与对开花时间和种子萌发的调控以及生物/非生物胁迫反应有关。     

花粉管通道法转基因抗虫棉外源基因的整合方式

对花粉管通道法培育的转Bt基因抗虫棉GK19、GK22、1016、1018、1022、1025、GK5、GKsu12和SGK1进行Southern杂交分析。结果表明,目的基因能够完整整合到基因组里,HindⅢ酶切位点有可能发生甲基化或丢失。除1018以外的上述8个抗虫棉的分析结果还表明,载体骨架没有整合到棉花基因组中。     

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     

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.