Spatial control of gut-specific gene expression during Caenorhabditis elegans development

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was transformed with constructs containing upstream deletions of the gut-specific ges-1 carboxylesterase gene. With particular deletions, ges-1 was expressed, not as normally in the gut, but rather in muscle cells of the pharynx (which belong to a sister lineage of the gut) or in body wall muscle and hypodermal cells (which belong to a cousin lineage of the gut). These observations suggest that gut-specific gene expression in C. elegans involves not only gut-specific activators but also multiple repressors that are present in particular nongut lineages.     

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

In Caenorhabditis elegans patterns of cell division, differentiation, and morphogenesis can be observed with single-cell resolution in intact, living animals. Mechanisms that determine behaviors of individual cells during development are being dissected by means of genetic, cell biological, and molecular approaches.     

A gene expression map of the Arabidopsis root

A global map of gene expression within an organ can identify genes with coordinated expression in localized domains, thereby relating gene activity to cell fate and tissue specialization. Here, we present localization of expression of more than 22,000 genes in the Arabidopsis root. Gene expression was mapped to 15 different zones of the root that correspond to cell types and tissues at progressive developmental stages. Patterns of gene expression traverse traditional anatomical boundaries and show cassettes of hormonal response. Chromosomal clustering defined some coregulated genes. This expression map correlates groups of genes to specific cell fates and should serve to guide reverse genetics.     

农药废水对秀丽隐杆线虫毒性效应及其主要有毒组分

应用battery生物测试法,检测研究农药废水对秀丽隐杆线虫的生命周期、繁殖速率、生殖能力、头摆和身体弯曲频率等影响的生物毒性.及其引发生物毒性的主要有机污染物.结果表明,在已经达到国家废水排放标准[GB 8978-19961情况下,处理出水对受试动物仍然存在致毒效应;线虫的世代周期对进水的毒性最为敏感,产卵数量对出水的毒性最为敏感;进水毒性主要来自易受酸性调节影响的有机污染物,出水毒性主要来自易受碱性调节影响的有机污染物.结果表明,该项生物测试的毒性参数,可用于指示存在于低CODCr废水中的生物毒性;所用的毒性鉴别评价(TIE)方法,可用于鉴别废水中引发致毒效应的关键污染物.废水中悬浮颗粒污染物的生物毒性至关重要,尚未研究,有待继续.     

秀丽隐杆线虫研究综述

国内外对秀丽隐杆线虫的研究日益增多,秀丽隐杆线虫作为一种模式线虫在生命科学的发展过程中发挥着举足轻重的作用。对秀丽隐杆线虫的培养、研究进展等方面进行了简要的综述。     

A metalloprotease disintegrin that controls cell migration in Caenorhabditis elegans

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the gonad acquires two U-shaped arms by the directed migration of its distal tip cells (DTCs) along the body wall basement membranes. Correct migration of DTCs requires the mig-17 gene, which encodes a member of the metalloprotease-disintegrin protein family. The MIG-17 protein is secreted from muscle cells of the body wall and localizes in the basement membranes of gonad. This localization is dependent on the disintegrin-like domain of MIG-17 and its catalytic activity. These results suggest that the MIG-17 metalloprotease directs migration of DTCs by remodeling the basement membrane.     

A conserved checkpoint monitors meiotic chromosome synapsis in Caenorhabditis elegans

We report the discovery of a checkpoint that monitors synapsis between homologous chromosomes to ensure accurate meiotic segregation. Oocytes containing unsynapsed chromosomes selectively undergo apoptosis even if a germline DNA damage checkpoint is inactivated. This culling mechanism is specifically activated by unsynapsed pairing centers, cis-acting chromosome sites that are also required to promote synapsis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Apoptosis due to synaptic failure also requires the C. elegans homolog of PCH2, a budding yeast pachytene checkpoint gene, which suggests that this surveillance mechanism is widely conserved.     

Heterochronic mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans genes lin-14, lin-28, and lin-29 cause heterochronic developmental defects: the timing of specific developmental events in several tissues is altered relative to the timing of events in other tissues. These defects result from temporal transformations in the fates of specific cells, that is, certain cells express fates normally expressed by cells generated at other developmental stages. The identification and characterization of genes that can be mutated to cause heterochrony support the proposal that heterochrony is a mechanism for phylogenetic change and suggest cellular and genetic bases for heterochronic variation.     

秀丽线虫寿命的调控机制

介绍了与线虫寿命相关的基因、代谢途径及代谢特征,如IIS途径、TOR途径、氨基酸池的增加等。     

A link between RNA interference and nonsense-mediated decay in Caenorhabditis elegans

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) inhibits expression of homologous genes by a process involving messenger RNA degradation. To gain insight into the mechanism of degradation, we examined how RNA interference is affected by mutations in the smg genes, which are required for nonsense-mediated decay. For three of six smg genes tested, mutations resulted in animals that were initially silenced by dsRNA but then recovered; wild-type animals remained silenced. The levels of target messenger RNAs were restored during recovery, and RNA editing and degradation of the dsRNA were identical to those of the wild type. We suggest that persistence of RNA interference relies on a subset of smg genes.     

Genetic analysis of halothane sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans appears to be a useful model for studying the action of volatile anesthetics. A mutant strain that is hypersensitive to the widely used anesthetic halothane was described earlier. The mutation is now shown to be an allele of unc-79. Other alleles of unc-79 are also associated with hypersensitivity to halothane. A strain with a mutation in a second gene, unc-80, is also hypersensitive to halothane. Nematodes bearing mutations in both unc-79 and unc-80 are slightly more sensitive to halothane than those bearing only one of these mutations. Mutations in a third gene, unc-9, suppress both unc-79 and unc-80. Nematodes bearing the suppressor mutations alone have normal sensitivity to halothane. These results show that sensitivity to halothane can be altered by mutations in several different genes.     

A conserved p38 MAP kinase pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans innate immunity

A genetic screen for Caenorhabditis elegans mutants with enhanced susceptibility to killing by Pseudomonas aeruginosa led to the identification of two genes required for pathogen resistance: sek-1, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase, and nsy-1, which encodes a MAP kinase kinase kinase. RNA interference assays and biochemical analysis established that a p38 ortholog, pmk-1, functions as the downstream MAP kinase required for pathogen defense. These data suggest that this MAP kinase signaling cassette represents an ancient feature of innate immune responses in evolutionarily diverse species.     

Serotonin and octopamine in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

The biogenic amines serotonin and octopamine are present in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Serotonin, detected histochemically in whole mounts, is localized in two pharyngeal neurons that appear to be neurosecretory. Octopamine, identified radioenzymatically in crude extracts, probably is also localized in a few neurons. Exogenous serotonin and octopamine elicit specific and opposite behavioral responses in Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting that these compounds function physiologically as antagonists.     

秀丽隐杆线虫抗性基因研究进展

从3个方面总结了秀丽隐杆线虫在抗性基因方面的研究进展。秀丽隐杆线虫的先天性免疫系统在抗病原菌、抗氧化应激等方面至关重要,它主要是通过MAPK、DAF-2、TGF-β三条信号途径发挥作用;另外,含TIR区蛋白和抗菌多肽也是秀丽隐杆线虫抗微生物感染机制的重要组成部分。在秀丽隐杆线虫的抗药性基因研究方面,发现了许多抗药性相关蛋白,如P-糖蛋白和多药耐药性相关蛋白MRP在抵抗多种药物的过程中发挥重要作用;而抗驱虫剂相关蛋白也在专门针对各种驱虫剂作用机制的研究中被发现;转录因子SKN-1、信息沉默调节蛋白SIR2、谷胱甘肽转移酶等在抗百草枯等药物方面发挥着重要作用;研究还发现遍在蛋白Phb-2等对特定药物起抗性作用。此外,本文还对抗环境刺激涉及的基因、蛋白及信号途径进行了简单叙述。     

秀丽隐杆线虫fat-1基因密码子优化、克隆及家兔表达载体构建

提取秀丽隐杆线虫(Caenorhabditis elegans)总RNA,采用RT-PCR法扩增出fat-1基因cDNA全长.根据家兔基因密码子使用偏好性,对引自GenBank的fat-1 cDNA序列进行密码子优化,通过全基因合成的方法获得优化后的fat-1基因(命名为opfat-1).将扩增的fat-1 cDNA和opfat-1基因分别与pGEM-T Easy和pUC57载体连接,转化大肠杆菌DH5α,获得2种重组克隆子.2种重组子经双酶切后获得的目的片段分别定向克隆入绿色荧光蛋白真核表达载体pEGFP-C1中,构建重组表达载体,并对其进行PCR、限制性内切酶酶切分析和测序鉴定,结果表明,成功构建了fat-1基因家兔表达载体pEGFP-opfat-1和pEGFP-fat-1,且读码框正确.