Discovery of a predicted DNA knot substantiates a model for site-specific recombination

The mechanism of site-specific genetic recombination mediated by Tn3 resolvase has been investigated by a topological approach. Extrapolation of a detailed model of synapsis and strand exchange predicts the formation of an additional DNA product with a specific knotted structure. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of DNA reacted in vitro revealed a product, about 0.1 percent of the total, with the appropriate mobility. A technique for determining DNA topology by electron microscopy was improved such that less than a nanogram of DNA was required. The structure of the knot was as predicted, providing strong evidence for the model and showing the power of the topological method.     

Two pairs of recombination signals are sufficient to cause immunoglobulin V-(D)-J joining

The minimum sequence requirements for antigen receptor V-(D)-J joining were studied by constructing recombination-substrates containing synthetic recombination signals and introducing them into a recombination-competent pre-B cell line. Two sets of heptamer (CACTGTG) and nonamer (GGTTTTTGT) sequences were shown to be sufficient to cause the V-(D)-J joining, if the 12- and 23-base pair spacer rule is satisfied. A point mutation in the heptamer sequence, or a change in the combination of the two spacer lengths, drastically reduced the recombination.     

Light chains of rabbit immunoglobulin: assignment to the kappa class

Normal rabbit gamma globulin was reduced under conditions presumed to break only interchain disulfide bridges, and the reduiced product was then blocked with C(14)-iodoacetamide. The light chains were separated from the heavy chains and subjected to peptic digestion. Two radioactive peptides were recovered from the digest. The peptides are apparently overlapping and represent the carboxyterminuis. Comparison of this region in the rabbit light chains with the corresponding amino acid sequences in various mouse and human light chains indicates that the rabbit light chains are of the (K)-class.     

Stable RNA/DNA hybrids in the mammalian genome: inducible intermediates in immunoglobulin class switch recombination

Although it is well established that mammalian class switch recombination is responsible for altering the class of immunoglobulins, the mechanistic details of the process have remained unclear. Here, we show that stable RNA/DNA hybrids form at class switch sequences in the mouse genome upon cytokine-specific stimulation of class switch in primary splenic B cells. The RNA hybridized to the switch DNA is transcribed in the physiological orientation. Mice that constitutively express an Escherichia coli ribonuclease H transgene show a marked reduction in RNA/DNA hybrid formation, an impaired ability to generate serum immunoglobulin G antibodies, and significant inhibition of class switch recombination in their splenic B cells. These data provide evidence that stable RNA/DNA hybrids exist in the mammalian nuclear genome, can serve as intermediates for physiologic processes, and are mechanistically important for efficient class switching in vivo.     

Contribution of promoter to tissue-specific expression of the mouse immunoglobulin kappa gene

The immunoglobulin kappa (kappa) gene promoter was activated by a "neutral" enhancer derived from Harvey murine sarcoma virus (HaMuSV) in immunoglobulin-producing myeloma cells, regardless of the enhancer's orientation or position in the vector. In one fibroblast line (3T3) the immunoglobulin kappa gene promoter was completely inactive when linked to the HaMuSV enhancer, whereas in mouse L cells, promoter activity was observed only with the HaMuSV enhancer in tandem with the immunoglobulin kappa gene promoter. The differential behavior of the gene promoter, when activated by a neutral enhancer in these three murine cell lines, suggests that promoter sequences contribute to the tissue-specific expression of this gene.     

Cre／loxp位点特异性重组系统在转基因植物中的应用

位点特异性重组系统能够在植物遗传转化中更准确、可靠的操纵外源DNA的引入或删除,已成为植物遗传操作中的重要工具。本文简要介绍目前应用最为广泛的Cre/loxp位点特异性重组系统的重组机制,并着重阐述Cre/loxp系统在删除转基因植物中标记基因及定点整合等方面的应用。     

Active genes are sensitive to deoxyribonuclease I during metaphase

The active exogenous murine leukemia virus sequences of mouse cells growing in culture are preferentially digested by deoxyribonuclease I in metaphase chromosomes. As determined by nuclear nick translation, all of the gene sequences of these cells active during interphase are in a deoxyribonuclease I-sensitive conformation during metaphase. This method of nick translation can therefore be used to label chromosomes in situ in order to visualize the active regions of the genome.     

利用体外特异位点重组反应构建黄瓜灰霉菌cDNA文库

体外特异位点重组技术应用于cDNA文库的构建,克服了传统文库构建方法中的常见问题。本研究利用这一技术,以能够分离得到植物激活蛋白的黄瓜灰霉菌(B.cinerea)菌株为材料,用TRIZOL试剂提取总RNA,从中分离纯化出mRNA,用预先接有attB2位点的Oligo(dT)引物和SuperScriptTMⅡ反转录酶合成cDNA,双链cDNA与attB1接头连接,经重组、转化后构建了其cDNA文库。文库滴度为2.3×106pfu/mL,文库总容量达2.53×107。随机挑取24个克隆,经酶切检测,平均插入片断为1466bp,重组率达100%。     

Developmentally controlled expression of immunoglobulin VH genes

Although antibody diversity arises mainly from apparently random combinatorial and somatic mutational mechanisms acting upon a limited number of germline antibody genes, the antibody repertoire develops in an ordered fashion during mammalian ontogeny. A series of early pre-B and B-lymphocyte cell lines were examined to determine whether an ordered rearrangement of gene families of the variable region of immunoglobulin heavy chains (VH) may be the basis for the programmed development of the antibody response. The results indicated that the VH repertoire of fetal B-lineage cells is largely restricted to the VH 7183 gene family and that subsequent recruitment of additional VH gene families occurs during neonatal development. These results have important implications in understanding the ontogeny of immune function.     

表达Cre重组酶的真核细胞系的建立及在重组伪狂犬病病毒研究中的应用

根据Cre基因序列设计并合成1对引物,PCR扩增出Cre基因编码区,克隆于pIREShyg载体,得到重组质粒pIREShyg-Cre,转染HEK-293A细胞后经400 μg·mL-1 Hygromycin B的筛选,将其中1个阳性克隆命名为293A-Cre.利用伪狂犬病病毒(Pseudorabies virus,PRV)S03109株(带有gfp报告基因表达盒及loxP位点)感染293A-Cre细胞,荧光显微镜观察、PCR及Western blot检测gfp基因的表达.结果表明,S03109感染293A-Cre二代后loxP位点间的gfp表达盒被删除,获得重组病毒S0419.将S0419感染已转染pBlulox的293A-Cre细胞,在RK13细胞上筛选得到表达LacZ的重组病毒S06293.S06293在293A-Cre细胞上传代2次,X-Gal原位染色表明LacZ的表达消失.测序结果证实,在Cre重组酶作用下,2个同向loxP序列之间的外源基因序列被正确除去.以上结果表明,本研究构建的稳定表达Cre重组酶的293A-Cre细胞系可以用于在包含有loxP位点的PRV基因组中外源基因的快速删除或整合.     

Influence of clonal selection on the expression of immunoglobulin variable region genes

The humoral immune response of the mouse to certain antigens is characterized by the dominant expression of a single or limited number of related, immunoglobulin variable region (V) structures by antibody-secreting lymphocytes. Such dominance could be due to preferred expression of these V regions in the B cell population prior to the immune response or could result from the action of selective or regulatory mechanisms during the immune response. Expression of a heavy chain variable region (VH) gene segment that partially encodes a V region structure that dominates the immune response to para-azophenylarsonate (Ars) in strain A mice was examined in the B cell population of Ars nonimmune mice. This VH gene segment participates in encoding several hundred thousand different V region structures expressed in this B cell population. The immune system is therefore capable of recurrently selecting a single V region structure from such a repertoire for dominant expression by antibody-secreting lymphocytes during an immune response.     

Somatic mutation in genes for the variable portion of the immunoglobulin heavy chain

The size of the gene pool potentially encoding antibodies to p-azophenyl arsonate has been examined. A heavy chain-specific full-length complementary DNA clone has been constructed with the use of messenger RNA from a hybridoma that produces antibodies to the arsonate hapten and bears nearly a full complement of the determinants comprising the cross-reactive idiotype (CRI). The sequences of both the complementary DNA clone and the corresponding immunoglobulin heavy chain have been independently determined. A probe for the variable region gene was prepared from the original heavy chain complementary DNA clone and used to analyze, by Southern filter hybridization, genomic DNA from both A/J (CRI positive) and BALB/c (CRI negative) mice. Approximately 20 to 25 restriction fragments containing "germline" variable region gene segments were detected in both strains, and many are shared by both, Since 35 CRI-positive heavy chains have been partially sequenced thus far and 31 are different, the results of the hybridization analysis suggest that somatic mutation events involving the variable region gene segments of the heavy chain play a role in the origin of the amino acid sequence diversity seen in this system.     

Targeting of nonexpressed genes in embryonic stem cells via homologous recombination

Gene targeting via homologous recombination-mediated disruption in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells has been described for a number of different genes expressed in these cells; it has not been reported for any nonexpressed genes. Pluripotent stem cell lines were isolated with homologously recombined insertions at three different loci: c-fos, which is expressed at a low level in ES cells, and two genes, adipsin and adipocyte P2 (aP2), which are transcribed specifically in adipose cells and are not expressed at detectable levels in ES cells. The frequencies at which homologous recombination events occurred did not correlate with levels of expression of the targeted genes, but did occur at rates comparable to those previously reported for genes that are actively expressed in ES cells. Injection of successfully targeted cells into mouse blastocysts resulted in the formation of chimeric mice. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of altering genes in ES cells that are expressed in a tissue-specific manner in the mouse, in order to study their function at later developmental stages.     

Fractionation of the platinum-group elements during mantle melting

Experiments in sulfide-silicate systems demonstrate that two sulfide phases are stable in the asthenospheric upper mantle: a crystalline osmium-iridium-ruthenium-enriched monosulfide and a rhodium-platinum-palladium-enriched sulfide melt. During silicate melt segregation, monosulfide stays in the solid residue, dominating the noble metal spectrum of residual mantle. The sulfide melt is entrained as immiscible droplets in the segregating silicate melt, defining the noble metal inventory of the basaltic component.     

High-efficiency ligation and recombination of DNA fragments by vertebrate cells

DNA-mediated gene transfer (transfection) is used to introduce specific genes into vertebrate cells. Events soon after transfection were quantitatively analyzed by determining the infectivity of the DNA from an avian retrovirus and of mixtures of subgenomic fragments of this DNA. The limiting step of transfection with two DNA molecules is the uptake by a single cell of both DNA's in a biologically active state. Transfected cells mediate ligation and recombination of physically unlinked DNA's at nearly 100 percent efficiency.     

Organization of the human and mouse low-affinity Fc gamma R genes: duplication and recombination

Receptors for immunoglobulin G immune complexes (Fc gamma RII and Fc gamma RIII) are expressed on most hematopoietic cells and show much structural and functional diversity. In order to determine the genetic basis for this diversity, a family of genes encoding the human and mouse receptors was isolated and characterized. Humans have five distinct genes for low-affinity Fc gamma Rs, in contrast to two in the mouse. With the use of yeast artificial chromosomes, the genes encoding the human receptors were oriented and linked, which established the structure of this complex locus. Comparison of the human and mouse genes generated a model for the evolutionary amplification of this locus.