Chromosome mapping and expression of a putative testis-determining gene in mouse

Isolation and mapping of a mouse complementary DNA sequence (mouse Y-finger) encoding a multiple, potential zinc-binding, finger protein homologous to the candidate human testis-determining factor gene is reported. Four similar sequences were identified in Hind III-digested mouse genomic DNA. Two (7.2 and 2.0 kb) were mapped to the Y chromosome. Only the 2.0-kb fragment, however, was correlated with testis determination. Polymerase chain reaction analysis suggests both Y loci are transcribed in adult testes. A 3.6-kb fragment was mapped to the X chromosome between the T16H and T6R1 translocation breakpoints, and a fourth (6.0 kb) was mapped to chromosome 10. Hence, mYfin sequences have been duplicated several times in the mouse, although they are not duplicated in humans.     

Assignment of the gene for myelin proteolipid protein to the X chromosome: implications for X-linked myelin disorders

Several inherited disorders in humans and in rodents result in myelin dysgenesis and a deficiency of the molecular constituents of myelin. A complementary DNA to one of the two major myelin proteins, myelin proteolipid protein (also known as lipophilin), has been used with Southern blot analysis of somatic cell hybrid DNA to map the human proteolipid protein gene to the middle of the long arm of the human X chromosome (bands Xq13-Xq22) and to assign the murine proteolipid protein gene to the mouse X chromosome. Comparison of the gene maps of the human and mouse X chromosomes suggests that myelin proteolipid protein may be involved in X-linked mutations at the mouse jimpy locus and has implications for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, a human inherited X-linked myelin disorder.     

Cloning of human androgen receptor complementary DNA and localization to the X chromosome

The androgen receptor (AR) mediates the actions of male sex steroids. Human AR genomic DNA was cloned from a flow-sorted human X chromosome library by using a consensus nucleotide sequence from the DNA-binding domain of the family of nuclear receptors. The AR gene was localized on the human X chromosome between the centromere and q13. Cloned complementary DNA, selected with an AR-specific oligonucleotide probe, was expressed in monkey kidney (COS) cells and yielded a high-affinity androgen-binding protein with steroid-binding specificity corresponding to that of native AR. A predominant messenger RNA species of 9.6 kilobases was identified in human, rat, and mouse tissues known to contain AR and was undetectable in tissues lacking AR androgen-binding activity, including kidney and liver from androgen-insensitive mice. The deduced amino acid sequence of AR within the DNA-binding domain has highest sequence identity with the progesterone receptor.     

用RFLP技术检测水稻染色体片段的来源

利用已定位的28个RFLP标记为探针,测定了IR8及其亲本在9种限制性内切酶酶切条件下的RFLP表现,以此来判断IR8品种中这些标记所在的染色体片段来源。结果,有18个标记揭示了品种间的RFLP存在。根据RFLP图谱,IR8品种中9个标记的图谱相同于Peta,5个标记的图谱相同于低脚乌尖（DGWG）,这表明这些标记所在的染色体片段分别来自Peta和DGWG。另外3个标记显示了IR8特有的RFLP图谱,表明IR8中这些标记所在的染色体片段的DNA顺序已经发生了重组。在IR8不同个体的测定中,发现了一个不与RG365标记DNA杂交的个体,该个体可能是缺少RG365标记同源顺序的突变体。RG237标记的EcoRV酶切条件下,也揭示了个体间的RFLP存在。     

Senescence of nickel-transformed cells by an X chromosome: possible epigenetic control

Transfer of a normal Chinese hamster X chromosome (carried in a mouse A9 donor cell line) to a nickel-transformed Chinese hamster cell line with an Xq chromosome deletion resulted in senescense of these previously immortal cells. At early passages of the A9/CX donor cells, the hamster X chromosome was highly active, inducing senescence in 100% of the colonies obtained after its transfer into the nickel-transformed cells. However, senescence was reduced to 50% when Chinese hamster X chromosomes were transferred from later passage A9 cells. Full senescing activity of the intact hamster X chromosome was restored by treatment of the donor mouse cells with 5-azacytidine, which induced demethylation of DNA. These results suggest that a senescence gene or genes, which may be located on the Chinese hamster X chromosome, can be regulated by DNA methylation, and that escape from senescence and possibly loss of tumor suppressor gene activity can occur by epigenetic mechanisms.     

Introduction of human DNA into mouse eggs by injection of dissected chromosome fragments

A procedure has been developed for introducing exogenous DNA into mouse eggs by injection of chromosome fragments. Chromosome fragments were dissected from human metaphase spreads and microinjected into the pronuclei of fertilized mouse eggs. Many of the injected eggs subsequently exhibited normal pre- and postimplantation development. Embryos obtained from eggs injected with centromeric fragments retained human centromeric DNA as demonstrated by in situ hybridization analysis. From eggs injected with noncentromeric fragments, a mouse was obtained whose tail tissue exhibited the presence of human DNA. This procedure should facilitate incorporation of very large (more than 10 megabases) DNA fragments into cells and embryos without the need for cloned sequences.     

猪微卫星多态与肌肉蛋白质含量关系的研究

利用3头大白猪和7头梅山猪为父母本建立了F2参考家系。F1公猪5头,母猪23头,随机交配产生287头F2个体。根据美国肉畜研究中心(USDA-MARC)公布的猪遗传连锁图谱,在2号染色体上隔一定距离选取7个微卫星标记,对F2代135个个体进行扩增,获得各标记位点基因型,并测定了F2代各个体背最长肌蛋白质含量,进行统计分析。结果表明,微卫星座位的杂合度为0.4393～0.6588,多态信息含量为0.4018～0.5848;除S0170外,其余6个微卫星座位各基因型之间肌肉中蛋白质含量无显著差异(P>0.05)。S0170BC型肌肉中蛋白质含量显著高于其他几种基因型。     

MyoD1: a nuclear phosphoprotein requiring a Myc homology region to convert fibroblasts to myoblasts

Expression of a complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding the mouse MyoD1 protein in a variety of fibroblast and adipoblast cell lines converts them to myogenic cells. Polyclonal antisera to fusion proteins containing the MyoD1 sequence show that MyoD1 is a phosphoprotein present in the nuclei of proliferating myoblasts and differentiated myotubes but not expressed in 10T1/2 fibroblasts or other nonmuscle cell types. Functional domains of the MyoD1 protein were analyzed by site-directed deletional mutagenesis of the MyoD1 cDNA. Deletion of a highly basic region (residues 102 to 135) interferes with both nuclear localization and induction of myogenesis. Deletion of a short region (residues 143 to 162) that is similar to a conserved region in the c-Myc family of proteins eliminates the ability of the MyoD1 protein to initiate myogenesis but does not alter nuclear localization. Deletions of regions spanning the remainder of MyoD1 did not affect nuclear localization and did not inhibit myogenesis. Furthermore, expression of only 68 amino acids of MyoD1, containing the basic and the Myc similarity domains, is sufficient to activate myogenesis in stably transfected 10T1/2 cells. Genetic analysis maps the MyoD1 gene to mouse chromosome 7 and human chromosome 11.     

X chromosome-linked transmission and expression of retroviral genomes microinjected into mouse zygotes

A genomic clone consisting of the Moloney leukemia proviral genome with moderately repetitive mouse sequences was microinjected into the pronucleus of a mouse zygote. An animal was derived that carried multiple copies of proviral DNA in a tandem array. No evidence for homologous recombination was obtained. The viral genome was expressed in this animal and was transmitted as a single unit to its offspring. Subsequent breeding studies revealed that the proviral DNA had integrated on an X chromosome.     

A comparison of whole-genome shotgun-derived mouse chromosome 16 and the human genome

The high degree of similarity between the mouse and human genomes is demonstrated through analysis of the sequence of mouse chromosome 16 (Mmu 16), which was obtained as part of a whole-genome shotgun assembly of the mouse genome. The mouse genome is about 10% smaller than the human genome, owing to a lower repetitive DNA content. Comparison of the structure and protein-coding potential of Mmu 16 with that of the homologous segments of the human genome identifies regions of conserved synteny with human chromosomes (Hsa) 3, 8, 12, 16, 21, and 22. Gene content and order are highly conserved between Mmu 16 and the syntenic blocks of the human genome. Of the 731 predicted genes on Mmu 16, 509 align with orthologs on the corresponding portions of the human genome, 44 are likely paralogous to these genes, and 164 genes have homologs elsewhere in the human genome; there are 14 genes for which we could find no human counterpart.     

Construction of a general human chromosome jumping library, with application to cystic fibrosis

In many genetic disorders, the responsible gene and its protein product are unknown. The technique known as "reverse genetics," in which chromosomal map positions and genetically linked DNA markers are used to identify and clone such genes, is complicated by the fact that the molecular distances from the closest DNA markers to the gene itself are often too large to traverse by standard cloning techniques. To address this situation, a general human chromosome jumping library was constructed that allows the cloning of DNA sequences approximately 100 kilobases away from any starting point in genomic DNA. As an illustration of its usefulness, this library was searched for a jumping clone, starting at the met oncogene, which is a marker tightly linked to the cystic fibrosis gene that is located on human chromosome 7. Mapping of the new genomic fragment by pulsed field gel electrophoresis confirmed that it resides on chromosome 7 within 240 kilobases downstream of the met gene. The use of chromosome jumping should now be applicable to any genetic locus for which a closely linked DNA marker is available.     

Characterization, Imprinting Status and Tissue Distribution of Porcine GTL2 Gene

The callipyge （CLPG） phenotype, exhibiting polar overdominance （POD）, is an inherited skeletal muscle hypertrophy described in sheep. The callipyge locus maps to the distal portion of ovine chromosome 18 within the DLKI-GTL2 region and corresponds to human chromosome 14 and mouse chromosome 12. The POD phenomenon is confirmed to the homologous region of swine chromosome 7. In order to clone and investigate the expression of porcine GTL2 gene, DNA and RNA samples from 60-day-old F1 animals, generated with reciprocal crosses between Large White and Meishan breeds and their parents, were used. The authors showed that porcine GTL2 acted as a uoncoding RNA. cDNA samples exhibited maternal expression of the gene in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, and fat in pigs, and a unique tissue-specific expression different from that of humans and mice. These results indicated that the gene was conserved in the pig, human, mouse, and bovine. It will be of interest to further study the gene functions in muscle growth and fat deposition.     

玉米DNA纤维的制备及端粒DNA的Fiber-FISH

[目的]建立了一种快速制备DNA纤维的方法,用端粒DNA在玉米纤维上进行物理定位。[方法]采用刀切法从玉米嫩叶中提取细胞核。以端粒DNA为探针,在玉米DNA纤维上进行伸展DNA纤维的荧光原位杂交(Fiber-FISH),研究端粒DNA重复序列在玉米染色体上的拷贝数。[结果]用刀切法提取玉米细胞核,提高了核的完整性,并改善了DNA纤维的制备效果。玉米细胞核裂解的最佳时间为8~9 min。玉米的Fiber-FISH试验结果表明,杂交信号为伸展的念珠状长链,玉米各条染色体端粒DNA的长度为7~103μm,各染色体端粒重复序列的拷贝数存在显著差异(为15~230 kb)。[结论]玉米各染色体中端粒的长度可能不同,而且随着玉米生长及环境的变化,各条染色体端粒DNA长度的变化也不一致。     

Beta amyloid gene duplication in Alzheimer's disease and karyotypically normal Down syndrome

With the recently cloned complementary DNA probe, lambda Am4 for the chromosome 21 gene encoding brain amyloid polypeptide (beta amyloid protein) of Alzheimer's disease, leukocyte DNA from three patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease and two patients with karyotypically normal Down syndrome was found to contain three copies of this gene. Because a small region of chromosome 21 containing the ets-2 gene is duplicated in patients with Alzheimer's disease, as well as in karyotypically normal Down syndrome, duplication of a subsection of the critical segment of chromosome 21 that is duplicated in Down syndrome may be the genetic defect in Alzheimer's disease.     

Pot1, the putative telomere end-binding protein in fission yeast and humans

Telomere proteins from ciliated protozoa bind to the single-stranded G-rich DNA extensions at the ends of macronuclear chromosomes. We have now identified homologous proteins in fission yeast and in humans. These Pot1 (protection of telomeres) proteins each bind the G-rich strand of their own telomeric repeat sequence, consistent with a direct role in protecting chromosome ends. Deletion of the fission yeast pot1+ gene has an immediate effect on chromosome stability, causing rapid loss of telomeric DNA and chromosome circularization. It now appears that the protein that caps the ends of chromosomes is widely dispersed throughout the eukaryotic kingdom.     

The role of the c-mos gene in the 8;21 translocation in human acute myeloblastic leukemia

The human c-mos proto-oncogene is located on chromosome 8 at band q22, close to the breakpoint in the t(8;21) (q22;q22) chromosome rearrangement. This translocation is associated with acute myeloblastic leukemia, subgroup M2. The c-myc gene, another proto-oncogene, has been mapped to 8q24. The breakpoint at 8q22 separates these genes, as determined by in situ hybridization of c-mos and c-myc probes. The c-mos gene remains on the 8q-chromosome and the c-myc gene is translocated to the 21q+ chromosome. Southern blot analysis of DNA from bone marrow cells of four patients with this translocation showed no rearrangement of c-mos.     

Somatic cell hybrid between the established human line D98 (presumptive HeLa) and 3T3

Somatic cell hybrids have been made between an established human cell line with a long culture history and established mouse fibroblast line. When first analyzed, the hybrid cells contained nearly twice as many mouse chromosomes as the mouse parent line and a human chromosome complemnent of about half that of the human parent. There was further loss of human chromosomes on continued cultivation. This behavior resembles that of other human mouse hybrids and appears to be characteristic of the human-mouse combination. However, the number of human chromosomes is greater than in hybrids made from human diploid fibroblasts. Some clones contain more than a haptoid quantity of human DNA per cell and should synthesize a much greater number of human gene products.     

家蚕核多角体病毒p10基因的克隆和分子系统进化分析

根据GenBank中家蚕核多角体病毒T3株中p10基因的保守序列,克隆得到了8个不同地区的家蚕核多角体病毒的p10基因,并分别与GenBank中的NPVp10基因进行比对.结果发现p10基因都含有1个213 bp的开放阅读框(ORF)共编码70个氨基酸,8株P10蛋白间氨基酸序列相似性为95%~100%,相似性高.与GenBank中Ac-MNPV和BmNPV的P10蛋白相比,8株BmNPV P10蛋白都缺失了3个保守结构域中的C-端结构域,只含有2个保守结构域,即N-端卷曲螺旋和Pro丰富区.     

谷子遗传资源多样性研究进展

谷子形态水平、染色体水平、生化水平及DNA水平上遗传多样性的研究进展表明,谷子在不同生态环境下栽培,适应性结果导致了形态学性状和农艺性状的较大变异;染色体核型和带型的分析显示不同谷子品种在核型组成、核型分类方面存在分化;生化水平上,谷子的品质含量表现了丰富的多样性,蛋白质标记的指纹图谱也存在一定的差异;分子水平上,谷子种内存在一定的遗传多样性,分子标记是研究谷子遗传差异最有效方法。本文也对谷子育种如何有效利用遗传多样性研究的信息进行了探讨。     

Chromosomal location of human T-cell receptor gene Ti beta

A complementary DNA probe corresponding to the beta-chain gene of Ti, the human T lymphocyte receptor, has been molecularly cloned. The chromosomal origin of the Ti beta gene was determined with the complementary DNA by screening a series of 12 cell hybrid (mouse X human) DNA's containing overlapping subsets of human chromosomes. DNA hybridization (Southern) experiments showed that the human Ti beta gene resides on chromosome 7 and is thus not linked to the immunoglobulin loci or to the major histocompatibility locus in humans.