A general method for the chromosomal amplification of genes in yeast

The yeast retrotransposon Ty can be used to insert multiple copies of a gene at new sites in the genome. The gene of interest is inserted into a GALI-Ty fusion construct; the entire "amplification cassette" is then introduced into yeast on a high copy number plasmid vector. Transposition of the Ty element carrying the gene occurs at multiple sites in the genome. Two genes, a bacterial neomycin phosphotransferase gene and the yeast TRPl gene, were amplified in this way. Although the amplified genes were about 1 kilobase in length, they were amplified to about the same extent as a 40-base pair segment. The benefit of this "shotgun" approach is that amplification can be achieved in one set of manipulations.     

Expression, Glycosylation, and Secretion of an Aspergillus Glucoamylase by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation of highly polymerized starch oligosaccharides was constructed. The Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase enzyme, form GAI, was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by means of the promoter and termination regions from a yeast enolase gene. Yeast transformed with plasmids containing an intron-free recombinant glucoamylase gene efficiently secreted glucoamylase into the medium, permitting growth of the transformants on starch as the sole carbon source. The natural leader sequence of the precursor of glucoamylase (preglucoamylase) was processed correctly by yeast, and the secreted enzyme was glycosylated through both N- and O-linkages at levels comparable to the native Aspergillus enzyme. The data provide evidence for the utility of yeast as an organism for the production, glycosylation, and secretion of heterologous proteins.     

Genomics. Microarrays--guilt by association

DNA microarray analysis has provided a wealth of data on global patterns of gene expression but has yet to deliver on its early promise of identifying networks of interacting gene products. In his Perspective, Quackenbush discusses new work (Stuart et al.) that uses evolutionary conservation of gene expression patterns in yeast, worm, fruit fly, and human in an attempt to identify functionally related groups of genes.     

拟南芥AFP4的克隆、原核表达和纯化及其与ABI5的互作

拟南芥ABI5相互作用蛋白AFP4(ABI five binding protein 4)是植物中的一个小分子蛋白,其表达特性与ABI5相似,受ABA诱导。以拟南芥Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Heyn) cv. Columbia为材料,通过PCR扩增了AFP4基因的完整编码序列。扩增片段插入到原核表达载体pET-32a(+)的多克隆位点EcoR Ⅰ和Xho Ⅰ酶切位点之间和酵母双杂交载体pGBKT7的多克隆位点EcoR Ⅰ和Pst Ⅰ酶切位点之间。将ABI5基因的编码序列插入到酵母双杂交载体pGADT7的多克隆位点EcoR Ⅰ和Pst Ⅰ酶切位点之间。重组质粒测序结果表明,所克隆的AFP4和ABI5编码区序列分别与NCBI数据库收录的AFP4基因(GenBank登录号NM_111081.2)和ABI5基因(GenBank登录号NM_129185.3)完全一致。重组原核表达载体含有AFP4片段的重组融合蛋白的理论分子量为53.4 ku。将重组质粒转化至大肠埃希菌表达菌株BL21 Star (DE3)中诱导表达,并经Ni-NTA亲和层析柱分离纯化、SDS-PAGE分析和Western blot鉴定。将含有AFP4和ABI5的酵母双杂交重组质粒共同转化酿酒酵母AH109中进行酵母双杂交。结果表明,重组融合蛋白在大肠埃希菌E. coli BL21 Star (DE3)中表达的适宜条件为:IPTG浓度为0.4 mmol·L^-1、25 ℃下诱导表达6 h。在上述条件下,重组融合蛋白占细胞破碎后上清液总蛋白的41.6%。经Ni-NTA亲和层析柱纯化后,AFP4融合蛋白在SDS-PAGE分析时呈现单一条带。该条带经过抗6xHis标签肽的抗体分析,呈阳性。该条带经酵母双杂交分析结果表明,AFP4和ABI5在酵母细胞中可以相互作用。     

耐盐性Imt1基因表达载体的构建及其在酵母中的高效表达

 将Imt1（Inositol O-methyltransferase，肌醇甲基转移酶）构建成酵母表达载体pBD#-3，在酵母双突变体gpd#+（-）(glycerol 3-phosphate-dehydrogenase,3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶)中高效表达，使gpd#+（-）突变株对氯化钠的耐性由2.5%提高到5.0%。生化分析表明，在每mg干酵母细胞内积累高达2.2nmol的Ononitol(芒柄醇)含量。Western blot分析证明了Imt1基因的表达。这一研究为植物耐盐基因工程开辟了一条新途径。     

雌激素调控的绿色荧光蛋白在酵母细胞中的表达

采用绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)作为报告基因,用酵母细胞构建环境雌激素(EEH)的评价体系,可敏感、快速、方便地筛选出EEH化合物。通过分子生物学技术,将GFP基因插入到pM P 206/ERE启动子CYC 1的下游,用GFP取代L ac Z基因,并转化于酵母细胞。DNA测序发现ERE-CYC 1-GFP框架正确。对转化子进行PCR鉴定,发现有雌激素受体基因(hER cDNA)和GFP基因特异条带,说明hER cDNA和GFP已重组于酵母细胞。荧光显微镜下发现大量的绿色荧光颗粒,表明GFP基因在酵母细胞中成功表达。酵母细胞经不同浓度雌二醇作用后,与GFP表达量有剂量效应关系。与其他酵母评价体系相比,以GFP为报告基因评价EEH不需要破坏细胞壁,也不需要底物,可在96孔板中完成,这为高通量筛选EEH化合物奠定了基础。     

水稻SGR酵母双杂交诱饵载体的构建及鉴定

[目的]揭示SGR基因的作用机理。[方法]构建水稻SGR基因在酵母双杂交体系中的诱饵载体,并对其表达进行鉴定,将目的基因SGR与诱饵质粒载体pGBKT7通过双酶切定向重组构建诱饵质粒pGBKT7-SGR,将pGBKT7-SGR转入酵母菌株Y187中,利用Western印迹法检测其在酵母中的表达,通过缺陷性培养基培养进行自激活检测。[结果]将鉴定正确的重组质粒测序结果与SGR基因比较,序列完全一致,阅读框分析正确。载体pGBKT7-SGR在酵母菌株Y187中可以正确表达出融合蛋白。重组诱饵pGBKT7-SGR质粒对酵母无毒性,其表达产物不能激活酵母菌株Y187的营养缺陷型报告基因。[结论]该重组诱饵质粒可用于酵母双杂交体系,该研究为从cDNA文库筛选水稻诱饵蛋白SGR的互作蛋白奠定了基础。     

羊布鲁氏菌16M Omp25蛋白酵母双杂交诱饵表达载体的构建及其毒性和自激活效应检测

[目的]构建含羊布鲁氏菌16M Omp25基因的酵母双杂交诱饵质粒,检测诱饵质粒表达产物对cdc25H酵母细胞有无毒性作用以及对报告基因有无激活作用。[方法]聚合酶链反应(PCR)扩增布鲁氏菌Omp25基因的编码序列,定向克隆到酵母表达载体pSos上,构建诱饵重组质粒pSos-Omp25,经测序正确后,将其将转化到酵母菌cdc25H感受态细胞,检测其表达产物对酵母细胞有无毒性作用及对报告基因有无激活作用。[结果]序列测定证明重组诱饵质粒pSos-Omp25构建成功;重组质粒表达产物对cdc25H酵母细胞无毒性,对报告基因无激活作用。[结论]利用SOS恢复系统(SRS)成功构建了羊布鲁氏菌16M Omp25蛋白酵母双杂交诱饵质粒,为筛选与羊布鲁氏菌16M Omp25蛋白相互作用的蛋白创造了条件。     

拟南芥At4g05060基因的酵母双杂交诱饵表达载体的构建、表达及自激活检测

为研究At4g05060基因功能,采用PCR扩增拟南芥VAMP(vesicle-associated membrane protein)家族基因At4g05060的ORF序列,定向克隆至酵母双杂交诱饵表达载体pGBKT7,经酶切鉴定并测序后将其转化至酵母Y187细胞;然后采用Western blotting技术分析At4g05060基因在酵母中的表达水平,通过缺陷型培养基培养进行自激活检测。结果表明,成功构建酵母诱饵表达载体pGBKT7-At4g05060,并在酵母细胞正确表达,表达产物对报告基因无自激活作用。     

HTLV-III gag protein is processed in yeast cells by the virus pol-protease

The gag-pol gene of HTLV-III (human T-lymphotropic virus), the virus linked to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), was expressed in yeast, and processing of the gag precursor into proteins of the same size as those in the virion was observed. Processing of the gag gene in yeast cells mimics the process that naturally occurs in mammalian cells during maturation of virions. Therefore it was possible to perform mutational analysis of the virus genome to localize the gene that codes for the protease function to the amino terminal coding region of the pol gene. Since this region overlaps the gag gene, it is likely that ribosomal frameshifting occurs from gag to pol. Antibodies in all of the AIDS patients' sera tested recognized the yeast synthesized gag proteins, although the sera showed differences in relative reactivity to the individual gag proteins and the precursor. This yeast system should be valuable not only for production of viral proteins for diagnostic or vaccine purposes but also for analysis of the genetics and biochemistry of viral gene functions--parameters that are difficult to study otherwise with this virus.     

环境雌激素调控的β-半乳糖苷酶酵母细胞的建立

为建立环境雌激素的酵母评价体系,将人工合成的雌激素效应元件插入pMP206质粒的上游,并将该质粒转入人雌激素受体基因重组酵母细胞,使LacZ基因置于雌激素的调控之下,以构建可用于评价环境雌激素的酵母细胞。结果表明：经DNA测序发现pMP206／ERE-LacZ报告质粒DNA框架正确。对转化子进行PCR鉴定,发现有雌激素受体基因和pMP206／ERE-LacZ报告质粒的特异性条带,说明雌激素受体基因和受雌激素调控的LacZ报告基因已重组于酵母细胞。从而证明以LacZ为报告基因的环境雌激素酵母评价细胞重组成功。     

Pif1p helicase, a catalytic inhibitor of telomerase in yeast

Mutations in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae PIF1 gene, which encodes a 5'-to-3' DNA helicase, cause telomere lengthening and a large increase in the formation rate of new telomeres. Here, we show that Pif1p acts by inhibiting telomerase rather than telomere-telomere recombination, and this inhibition requires the helicase activity of Pif1p. Overexpression of enzymatically active Pif1p causes telomere shortening. Thus, Pif1p is a catalytic inhibitor of telomerase-mediated telomere lengthening. Because Pif1p is associated with telomeric DNA in vivo, its effects on telomeres are likely direct. Pif1p-like helicases are found in diverse organisms, including humans. We propose that Pif1p-mediated inhibition of telomerase promotes genetic stability by suppressing telomerase-mediated healing of double-strand breaks.     

Control of yeast mating signal transduction by a mammalian beta 2-adrenergic receptor and Gs alpha subunit

To facilitate functional and mechanistic studies of receptor-G protein interactions, [corrected] the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor (h beta-AR) has been expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This was achieved by placing a modified h beta-AR gene under control of the galactose-inducible GAL1 promoter. After induction by galactose, functional h beta-AR was expressed at a concentration several hundred times as great as that found in any human tissue. As determined from competitive ligand binding experiments, h beta-AR expressed in yeast displayed characteristic affinities, specificity, and stereoselectivity. Partial activation of the yeast pheromone response pathway by beta-adrenergic receptor agonists was achieved in cells coexpressing h beta-AR and a mammalian G protein (Gs) alpha subunit-demonstrating that these components can couple to each other and to downstream effectors when expressed in yeast. This in vivo reconstitution system provides a new approach for examining ligand binding and G protein coupling to cell surface receptors.     

低聚异麦芽糖和酵母细胞壁对中华鳖肝脏中溶菌酶基因表达的半定量分析

[目的]探讨低聚异麦芽糖和酵母细胞壁对中华鳖肝脏中溶菌酶基因表达的影响。[方法]利用CODEHOP设计简并引物,通过RT-PCR克隆中华鳖溶菌酶基因,然后通过半定量PCR分析低聚异麦芽糖和酵母细胞壁对中华鳖溶菌酶基因在肝脏中表达量的影响。[结果]通过克隆中华鳖溶菌酶基因,获得303 bp的溶菌酶基因片段,其GenBank登录号HQ437284,与GenBank登录号Q7LZQ1.3的中华鳖C型溶菌酶氨基酸序列同源性为75%。半定量分析结果表明,低聚异麦芽糖可显著提高中华鳖溶菌酶基因在肝脏中的表达量,而酵母细胞壁对中华鳖溶菌酶基因片段在肝脏中的表达量的影响不显著。[结论]该研究可为低聚异麦芽糖和酵母细胞壁在中华鳖养殖中的科学应用以及绿色环保添加剂的开发提供理论依据。