The detection of 3 leptin receptor isoforms in crucian carp gill and the influence of fasting and hypoxia on their expression

To understand leptin signaling pathway in the crucian carp (Carassius carassius), we cloned 3 leptin receptor isoform complementary DNAs (ie, the long form [cclpr-L], the short form [cclpr-s1], and the secreted form [cclpr-s2]). Variant cclpr-L had a 3,255-bp open reading frame and a complete intracellular domain with box 1 and box 2 consensus sequences. By contrast, cclpr-s1 contained only 4 amino acids in its intracellular domain, without the “box 1” motif, which is conserved among membrane-bound leptin receptor short isoforms in mammals. Variant cclpr-s2 had no transmembrane domain, suggesting that it is a soluble form of the receptor, and alternative splicing of cclpr-s2 mRNA employs a different mechanism for the generation of soluble leptin receptor by intron retention. The fasting-treated fish showed significantly lower cclpr-L mRNA levels in gill tissue than the control group, whereas cclpr-s2 mRNA levels did not vary significantly among the groups. Treatment with hypoxia significantly increased mRNA levels of both cclpr-L and cclpr-s2 in gill tissue. To our knowledge, this is the first study of leptin receptor isoforms expression in teleosts.     

绵羊瘦素受体基因部分序列测定及其变异位点分析

试验旨在检测绵羊瘦素受体(leptin receptor,LEPR)基因序列突变位点,为进一步分析LEPR基因多态性与绵羊生长性状的关系奠定基础。选用美利奴羊与阿华西羊杂交群体作为试验材料,利用RT-PCR、测序等方法测定了4只绵羊的LEPR基因cDNA部分序列及内含子7序列,同时利用PCR-RFLP分析两个位点在群体(229只)中的多态性。测定出LEPR基因cDNA序列长2608 bp(包含外显子2-16完整序列及外显子1和17的部分序列)和LEPR第7内含子序列全长160 bp,共发现5个核苷酸变异位点,第2外显子中2个(T240C和A279G),第10、14外显子中各1个(A1683G,T2373C),内含子7中1个(1285+A73G),外显子中的4个变异位点均未引起编码氨基酸的改变。在研究群体中,A279G与A1683G中A的频率分别为0.415、0.467,后者处于非平衡状态,GG和AA是主要的单倍型。不同物种间序列一致性分值均比较高,但LEPR mRNA区序列一致性比内含子高,基于LEPR mRNA序列构建的系统发育树更符合实际情况,且可靠性值更高。结果表明,绵羊LEPR基因的保守性较强,突变形式主要是转换,A279G和A1683G可能是突变热点。     

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.     

Genomic organization of the chicken T-cell receptor beta chain D-J-C region

We examined overlapping genomic clones containing the chicken T cell receptor (TCR) Dbeta-Jbeta-Cbeta complex, which contains a single diversity segment, four joining segments and four exons that encode the constant region. This sequence comprised 18.3 kb. All four Jbeta sequences possessed typical recombination signal sequences (RSS) with intervening 12-bp spacers at their 5'-ends and splice sites at their 3'-ends. No Jbeta-pseudogenes were identified. TGTG sequences in the RSS heptamer sequences were well conserved, as is the case in mammals. A chicken repeat 1-like sequence was found in the intron region between Jbeta-1336 and Cbeta, and several small repeat sequences were identified in intron regions throughout this cloned genome. As germline sequences revealed complete Jbeta sequences, the CDR3 (complementarity-determining region) sequences of TCRbeta from non-immunized splenocytes were analyzed. Non-coding (N) and palindromic (P) nucleotides were frequently observed at the Dbeta-Jbeta recombination sites. There were differences in length of deletion at the 5'-end of each Jbeta. Deletion of the 5'-end of Jbeta-1280 was particularly short when compared with that of Jbeta-1336, but there were no changes in the length of the CDR3 using any of the four Jbeta sequences.     

Cloning and Bioinformatics Analysis of 4 Alternative Splice Variants of MEF2A Gene in Mashen Pig

This study was aimed to clone the different splicing variants of myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) gene in Mashen pig. According to the prediction results of the alternative splicing in the RNA-Seq sequencing, the coding region of MEF2A gene exons 5-8 were amplified. We analyzed the sequence characteristics of different splicing variants of MEF2A gene in Mashen pig, predicted conservative structure domain, constructed phylogenetic tree and compared the homology of MEF2A amino acid in different species by bioinformatics softwares. The results showed that 4 alternative splice variants of MEF2A gene were obtained. The exons 5-8 of MEF2A1 spliced normally. MEF2A2 lacked the exon 5, and the 5'end of exon 6 was 138 bp longer, the 3'end of exon 7 was 102 bp longer. MEF2A3 lacked exon 5, and the 5'end of exon 6 was 138 bp longer. The 3'end of MEF2A4 exon 7 of was 102 bp longer. The protein, encoded by inserted 138 bp sequence, contained a conserved domain-HJURP_C, which was the result of MEF2A participating in hepatocyte fibrosis. The MEF2A1, MEF2A4 and MEF2A1 of pig submitted in GenBank (accession No.NP_001090890.1) belonged to a subgroup, homology up to 98.9%. The MEF2A2, MEF2A3 and MEF2A2 of pig submitted in GenBank (accession No.NP_001093168.1) belonged to a subgroup, the homology was 98.2% and 98.9%, respectively. The successful cloning of 4 alternative splice variants of MEF2A gene laid the foundation for further study on the function of MEF2A protein.     

Single- and joint-population analyses of two experimental pig crosses to confirm quantitative trait loci on Sus scrofa chromosome 6 and leptin receptor effects on fatness and growth traits

The primary goal of this study was to detect and confirm QTL on SSC6 for growth and fatness traits in 2 experimental F(2) intercrosses: Iberian x Landrace (IB x LR) and Iberian x Meishan (IB x MS), which were used in this study for the first time in a QTL analysis related to productive traits. For this purpose, single- and joint-population analyses with single and bivariate trait models of both populations were performed. The presence of the SSC6 QTL for backfat thickness previously identified in the IB x LR cross was detected in this population with additional molecular information, but also was confirmed in the IB x MS cross. In addition, a QTL affecting BW was detected in both crosses in a similar position to the QTL detected for backfat thickness. This is the first study in which a QTL affecting BW is detected on SSC6 in the IB x LR cross, as well as in the IB x MS resource population. Furthermore, we analyzed a previously described nonsynonymous leptin receptor (LEPR) SNP located in exon 14 (c.2002C > T) for causality with respect to this QTL within both F(2) populations. Our results supported the previously reported association between LEPR alleles and backfat thickness in the IB x LR cross, and this association was also confirmed within the IB x MS cross. An association not reported before between LEPR alleles and BW was identified in both populations.     

可变剪接在肌肉发育中的作用研究进展

可变剪接发生在DNA转录为前体mRNA后，通过该过程可以使单个基因产生多个mRNA异构体和蛋白质亚型，增加了转录后加工过程中基因的信息多样性和蛋白质丰度。剪接体、剪接因子和其他RNA结合蛋白催化识别剪接位点和可变剪接外显子，参与调节可变剪接，从进化的角度来看，可变剪接在一定程度上为生物进化提供了驱动力。可变剪接作为组织特异性调节剂，参与肌肉发育的整个过程。在成肌细胞分化过程中，多聚嘧啶序列结合蛋白（polypyrimidine tract-binding protein，PTB）和RNA结合蛋白4（RNA-binding motif protein 4，RBM4）分别与原肌球蛋白的内含子多嘧啶序列和富含CU的内含子结合，共同调节α-原肌球蛋白的肌肉细胞特异性外显子选择的活性。RBM4可通过下调PTB表达并颉颃PTB在外显子选择中的活性来协同作用于肌细胞增殖分化的特异性剪接；肌球蛋白Ⅰ亚型通过可变剪接产生4种不同长度杠杆臂的蛋白质，影响肌肉的张力与拉伸激活；可变剪接可能是产生肌肉类型特异性的重要机制，选择性剪接产生具有不同催化动力学的肌球蛋白重链同工型，催化动力学差异地调节收缩性，从而影响肌纤维类型和肌肉功能。作者通过阐述可变剪接事件在肌肉发育及肌纤维形成过程中的主要作用，揭示可变剪接对肌肉发育的作用，以期为后续研究肌肉的发育调控机理提供参考依据。     

马身猪MEF2A基因4种可变剪接体的克隆和生物信息学分析

本研究旨在克隆马身猪肌细胞增强因子2A（myocyte enhancer factor 2A,MEF2A）基因的不同剪接体类型。依据转录组测序对可变剪接的预测结果,试验扩增MEF2A基因第5~8外显子之间的编码区,用生物信息学软件分析了马身猪MEF2A基因不同剪接体的序列特性,预测保守结构域,构建系统进化树,比对不同物种MEF2A的氨基酸同源性。结果显示,获得了4个MEF2A基因的剪接体,MEF2A1的第5~8外显子正常剪接;MEF2A2缺失了第5外显子,第6外显子的5'端多出138 bp,第7外显子的3'端多出102 bp;MEF2A3缺失了第5外显子,第6外显子的5'端多出138 bp;MEF2A4第7外显子的3'端多出102 bp。插入的138 bp序列编码的蛋白质中存在1个保守结构域HJURP_C,这可能与MEF2A参与肝细胞纤维化作用有关。MEF2A1和MEF2A4与猪MEF2A1（GenBank登录号:NP_001090890.1）同属于一个亚群,同源性高达98.9%,MEF2A2和MEF2A3与猪MEF2A2（GenBank登录号:NP_001093168.1）同属于一个亚群,同源性分别为98.2%和98.9%。本试验成功克隆了4个MEF2A基因的剪接体,为进一步研究其蛋白功能奠定基础。     

Leptin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Some Turkish Donkey Populations

Leptin receptor is a fundamental regulator in physiological functions of the regulation of food intake, energy homeostasis, immune function, and reproduction as well as on ovarian follicular cells on the placenta and lactating mammary glands. The aim of this study was to investigate the LEPR gene polymorphism in 60 donkeys reared in Thrace region of Turkey. A 585 bp long partial intron 6, exon 7, intron 7, and exon 8 regions of LEPR gene were amplified, and polymerase chain reaction products analyzed via DNA sequencing. A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified as g.713668A>G in the seventh exon region of LEPR gene. This novel SNP was first identified, and the partial DNA sequence of LEPR gene in donkeys was reported for the first time in this study, and these sequences were deposited to NCBI Genbank database with the accession number: MK807114-MK807115. The A>G transition revealed a silent mutation (CAA-CAG) in glutamine amino acid. This nucleotide mutation could cause the changes of secondary structure of protein and expression level of LEPR hormone. For this reason, additional studies are needed to reveal new SNPs and in the LEPR gene that may affect economic traits and structure of protein in donkey breeds.     

基于全基因组差异甲基化分析鉴别影响苏姜猪体重的候选基因

本研究旨在分析不同体重苏姜猪的全基因组DNA甲基化差异，以期筛选出影响苏姜猪体重的差异甲基化基因（differentially methylated genes，DMGs）。利用全基因组重亚硫酸盐测序（whole genome bisulfite sequencing，WGBS）技术分析了3头180日龄高体重和3头180日龄低体重苏姜猪的全基因组DNA的甲基化程度、差异甲基化区域（differentially methylated regions，DMRs）和DMGs，对DMGs进行GO和KEGG分析，鉴别影响苏姜猪体重的候选基因。结果显示，苏姜猪全基因组范围内胞嘧啶（C）的平均甲基化率为4.1%，胞嘧啶（C）甲基化平均98.41%发生在CG序列上，CG序列环境下外显子、内含子和3'UTR的甲基化水平高于启动子和5'UTR。本研究共检测出1 657个DMRs和575个DMGs，8号染色体上DMRs分布最多，88.89%的DMRs的长度在500 bp以内，62.78%的DMRs分布在远端基因间区，98个DMGs显著富集于TOR信号的负调控、碳水化合物衍生物分解代谢过程、脂肪细胞因子信号通路、FoxO信号通路等53个GO条目和29个信号通路，鉴别到5个与苏姜猪体重相关的候选基因：瘦素受体（leptin receptor，LEPR）基因、肿瘤坏死因子受体相关因子6（tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6，TRAF6）基因、生肌因子6（myogenic factor 6，MYF6）基因、钙依赖性分泌激活因子2（calcium dependent secretion activator 2，CADPS2）基因和表皮生长因子（epidermal growth factor，EGF）基因。本研究利用WGBS绘制了高、低体重组苏姜猪的全基因组DNA甲基化图谱，为深入研究苏姜猪体重差异的分子机制奠定了基础。     

小尾寒羊雌激素受体基因外显子4的克隆与序列分析

根据GenBank发表的人、鸡、大鼠雌激素受体(estrogen receptor,ESR)基因外显子4的序列设计1对引物,采用PCR 技术扩增出小尾寒羊ESR基因外显子4的DNA片段,将该片段克隆到pGEM-T Easy 质粒中,重组质粒用PCR 扩增进行阳性克隆鉴定,然后测定其核苷酸序列并推导氨基酸序列,同时将测定的小尾寒羊ESR基因外显子4序列与人、牛、猪、大鼠、鸡的外显子4序列进行比较。结果表明：克隆测序所得的核苷酸和翻译后的氨基酸序列与人、牛、猪、大鼠、鸡相比,同源性分别为77.68%～97.28%和71.82%～98.18%,显示了很强的保守性;小尾寒羊的核苷酸序列与人、牛、猪、大鼠、鸡相比存在1处特有变异,氨基酸序列23～36存在高变异区。     

Exon skipping of exonuclease 1 in MRL/MpJ mice is caused by a nucleotide substitution of the branchpoint sequence in intron eight

In MRL/MpJ mice, there is a genetic mutation of exonuclease 1 (Exo1), in which the exon 9 is sometimes deleted. In the present study, to check the generation of the spliced exons, exon 8-intron 8-exon 9 (pCX/Ex/EIE/B and pCX/Ex/EIE/M) plasmids were temporally transfected in vitro into BALB 3T3 cells, and RT-PCR using appropriate primer pair was carried out 1 day after transfection. In these constructions, pCX/Ex/EIE/B was derived from genomic sequence of C57BL/6 mice, and pCX/Ex/EIE/M was from MRL/MpJ. A spliced band was detected in pCX/Ex/EIE/B, but was present little or very weakly in pCX/Ex/EIE/M. Next, the same spliced band was demonstrated in the pCX/Ex/EIE/M(T) plasmid, in which the branchpoint sequence (BPS) of pCX/Ex/EIE/M including the exon 9 was changed into that of pCX/Ex/EIE/B. The splicing did not occur in the dell1/B mutant, in which 1960 nucleotides of the intron 8 were deleted, whereas it was detected in the del2/B plasmid deleted 1036 nucleotides in its middle region. These results suggest that the nucleotide T to A mutation of the BPS in the intron 8 is at least a sufficient for generation of splice variants (tr-1 and tr-2 Exo1).     

Genetic relationships of body composition, serum leptin, and age at puberty in gilts

Leptin produced by adipocytes acts through leptin receptors in the hypothalamus to control appetite and food intake and thus communicates information about degree of fatness. It is thought that a degree of body fat is required for initiation of puberty and maintenance of reproductive function in mammals. The objective of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms in the leptin (LEP), leptin receptor (LEPR), paired box 5 (PAX5), aldo-keto reductase (AKR), and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) genes were associated with age, leptin concentration, backfat as an indicator of body condition, or BW at puberty in 3 lines of gilts and to characterize genetic relationships among these traits. The first 2 lines, born in 2001, were formed by crossing maternal White Cross (Yorkshire x Maternal Landrace) gilts to Duroc (n = 210) or (lean) Landrace (n = 207) boars. The remaining line (n = 507), born in 2002, was formed by crossing progeny of the Duroc- and Landrace-sired lines. At first estrus, age, BW (BWP), and backfat (BFP) at puberty were recorded and blood was collected for leptin assays. Nine SNP were detected in candidate genes/regions: 1 in LEP, 3 in LEPR, 1 in PAX5, 2 in AKR, and 2 in POMC. Animals were genotyped for each of the SNP; genotypes were validated using GenoProb. The association model included fixed effects of farrowing group, covariates of SNP genotypic probabilities (from GenoProb), and random additive polygenic effects to account for genetic similarities between animals not explained by SNP. Variance components for polygenic effects and error were estimated using MTDFREML. Leptin concentrations were logarithmically transformed for data analysis. All 4 traits were moderately to highly heritable (0.38 to 0.48). Age and leptin at puberty had a significant (P < 0.01) genetic correlation at -0.63 +/- 0.097, and the genetic correlation between BWP and age at puberty was 0.65 +/- 0.083 (P < 0.01). Significant additive associations (a; P < 0.05) were detected at PAX5 for age at puberty (a = 3.2 d) and for BFP (a = 0.61 mm). One SNP in LEPR was associated with leptin concentration (a = 0.31 log units; P < 0.05). The associations from PAX5 correspond to a QTL peak for age at puberty detected on SSC1. Although not necessarily the causative mutation, this result implies that a QTL that can decrease age at puberty without increasing BFP and BWP at puberty may exist in this region in commercial pigs.     

山羊INSR基因可变剪接体在背最长肌中的表达模式

旨在对山羊胰岛素受体（insulin receptor，INSR）基因进行可变剪接分析，研究其在背最长肌中的表达模式。本试验以简州大耳羊妊娠期胎儿（妊娠期第45、60和105天）及出生后第3天羔羊背最长肌为试验材料，基于转录组测序数据（accession number：SRR3567144）并利用Sanger测序验证，分析INSR基因的可变剪接体类型及其在背最长肌中的表达差异，同时利用在线软件对不同可变剪接体进行生物信息学分析。结果显示，在山羊背最长肌中INSR基因CDS区存在4种不同的可变剪接形式（INSR1、INSR2、INSR3和INSR4），其CDS长分别为4 110、4 146、4 113和4 149 bp，对应的氨基酸残基数分别为1 369、1 381、1 370和1 382个。山羊INSR 4个可变剪接体之间的主要区别在于Exon 11（36 bp）跳跃和Exon 15部分（3 bp）缺失，这两种可变剪接模式在牛、猪、山羊、人、绵羊和小鼠间完全一致。这些可变剪接改变了山羊INSR的Ser磷酸化位点和第二个FN3功能域，使所编码蛋白3D结构在两个区域发生明显改变。同时，各可变剪接体表达量在背最长肌发育的4个时期均无显著性差异（P>0.05），同一时期各可变剪接体表达量之间也无显著性差异（P>0.05）。INSR基因序列和剪接模式在哺乳动物中高度保守，该研究结果将为深入揭示INSR基因对动物肌肉发育的调控机制提供理论参考。     

Central regulation of food intake in the neonatal chick

Regulating food intake is complicated in animals including domestic birds. Just after hatching, neonatal chicks find their food by themselves and they can control food intake, since domestic chicken belongs to the precocial type of avian species. Thus, domestic chickens have relatively well-developed mechanisms of food-intake control at hatching. While many aspects of food-intake regulation in chickens appear similar to that in mammals, there are some responses that are unique to chickens. For instance, some neurotransmitters such as neuropeptide Y (NPY), orexin-A, orexin-B, motilin, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), galanin, growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) and ghrelin stimulate feeding in mammals. Only NPY strongly stimulates food intake in birds similar to that observed in mammals; however, both orexins, motilin, MCH and galanin failed to alter food intake of the chick. Moreover, GRF and ghrelin suppressed feeding of chicks. On the other hand, cholecystokinin (CCK), gastrin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), histamine, α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), leptin and bombesin are known to suppress feeding in mammals. These responses are similar to those of mammals except for leptin. Therefore, the inhibitory mechanisms for feeding are well conserved in chicks.     

鹅类胰岛素样生长因子-Ⅰ基因的克隆与序列分析

类胰岛素样生长因子-Ⅰ是调控动物生长、发育、繁殖、免疫以及癌症、衰老等的重要调节因子。研究根据公开发表的鸡、鸭、鹅等IGF-Ⅰ基因序列设计5对引物,用PCR方法从鹅基因组DNA中分别扩增出IGF-Ⅰ基因的5′调控区部分序列及外显子1、内含子1和外显子4序列。扩增产物在电泳后的琼脂糖凝胶上分别为预期的309、203、549、4413bp和1442bp特异性条带。将扩增产物或扩增产物克隆入pMD19-T载体进行序列测定,比对后发现与鸡、鸭的同源性均大于80%,与鼠、人的同源性也在68%以上。其中内含子1和外显子4的序列已上传至GenBank,基因登录号分别为EU111743和EU072031。