A simple and visualized method to screen for effective siRNAs by using green fluorescence protein (GFP) as a reporter

To screen for effective small interference RNA(siRNA),a simple and visualized method was developed using the green fluorescence protein(GFP)as a reporter.Candidate siRNAs targeting macrophage migration inhibition factor genes(MIF)were identified.By using the pEGFP-N3 vector,the MIF-GFP expression plasmid,pEGFP-MIF,was constructed with the same Kozak consensus translation initiation site and start code ATG for the MIF-EGFP coding sequence.Based on the siRNA expression vector pSilencer-4.1,3 candidate MIF siRNA expression plasmids were constructed and co-transfected with the pEGFP-MIF into the HEK293 cells,respectively.The GFP expression in HEK293 cells could be viewed by fluorescence microscopy and the MIF mRNA expressions were determined by real-time quantitative PCR.The 3 candidate MIF siRNA expression plasmids were also co-transfected with the MIF expression plasmid into the HEK293 cells,respectively,and the MIF mRNA expressions were determined by real-time quantitative PCR.The results show that the down-regulated expression of the MIF mRNA was consistent with the GFP expression and the same effective MIF siRNAs were screened by using the pEGFP-MIF or MIF expression plasmid with the candidate MIF siRNAs expression plasmids.Therefore,by using the GFP as a reporter,a useful method was provided to screen for effective siRNAs targeting specific genes co-expressed with the GFP.This may be a good strategy for screening for effective siRNAs targeting different genes.

Gene transfer into primary cultures of fetal neural stem cells by a recombinant adenovirus carrying the gene for green fluorescent protein

Objective: To evaluate the transduction efficiency of a recombinant adenovirus carrying the gene for green fluorescent protein (Ad-GFP) into the primary cultures of fetal neural stem cells (NSCs) by the expression of GFP. Methods: The Ad-GFP was constructed by homologous recombination in bacteria with the AdEasy system; NSCs were isolated from rat fetal hippocampus and cultured as neurosphere suspensions. After infection with the recombinant Ad-GFP, NSCs were examined with a fluorescent microscopy and a flow cytometry for their expression of GFP. Results: After the viral infection, flow cytometry analysis revealed that the percentage of GFP-positive cells was as high as 97.05%. The infected NSCs sustained the GFP expression for above 4 weeks. After differentiated into astrocytes or neurons, they continued to express GFP efficiently. Conclusion: We have success- fully constructed a viral vector Ad-GFP that can efficiently infect the primary NSCs. The reporter gene was showed fully and sustained expression in the infected cells as well as their differentiated progenies.

Multilineage Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells from Green Fluorescent Protein Transgenic Mice

Aim The aim of this study was to confirm the multilineage differentiation ability of dental pulp stem cells （DPSCs） from green fluorescent protein （GFP） transgenic mice. The expression of GFP in DPSCs was also observed during differentiation. Methodology DPSCs were harvested from the dental pulp tissue of transgenic nude mice, and then transferred to osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic media. The morphological characterization of induced cells was observed by microscopy and histological staining. The expression of marker genes was measured by RT-PCR. Results The endogenous GFP and multilineage potential of transgenic DPSCs had no influence on each other. Moreover, the results of fluorescence microscopic imaging suggest that there was no significant decline of GFP expression during DPSCs differentiation. Conclusion As the population of GFP labeled DPSCs can be easily identified, this will be a promising method for tracking DPSCs in vivo.

Repair of spinal cord injury by neural stem cells transfected with brain-derived neurotrophic factor-green fluorescent protein in rats A double effect of stem cells and growth factors?

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF）can significantly promote nerve regeneration and repair.High expression of the BDNF-green fluorescent protein（GFP）gene persists for a long time after transfection into neural stem cells.Nevertheless,little is known about the biological characteristics of BDNF-GFP modified nerve stem cells in vivo and their ability to induce BDNF expression or repair spinal cord injury.In the present study,we transplanted BDNF-GFP transgenic neural stem cells into a hemisection model of rats.Rats with BDNF-GFP stem cells exhibited significantly increased BDNF expression and better locomotor function compared with stem cells alone.Cellular therapy with BDNF-GFP transgenic stem cells can improve outcomes better than stem cells alone and may have therapeutic potential for spinal cord injury.

In vivo transfection of enhanced green fluorescent protein in rat retinal ganglion cells mediated by ultrasound-induced microbubbles

BACKGROUND： Studies have demonstrated that ultrasound-mediated microbubble destruction significantly improves transfection efficiency of enhanced green fluorescent protein （EGFP） in in vitro cultured retinal ganglial cells （RGCs）. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the feasibility of ultrasound-mediated microbubble destruction for EGFP transfection in rat RGCs, and to compare efficiency and cell damage with traditional transfection methods. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： In vivo, gene engineering experiment. The study was performed at the Central Laboratory, Institute of Ultrasonic Imaging, Chongqing Medical University from March to July 2008. MATERIALS： Eukaryotic expression vector plasmid EGFP and microbubbles were prepared by the Institute of Ultrasonic Imaging, Chongqing Medical University. The microbubbles were produced at a concentration of 8.7 × 10^11/L, with a 2-4 μm diameter, and 10-hour half-life in vitro. METHODS： A total of 50 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups. Normal controls （n = 5） were infused with 5 μL normal saline to the vitreous cavity; the naked plasmid group （n = 15） was infused with 5 pL EGFP plasmid to the vitreous cavity; in the plasmid with ultrasound group （n = 15）, the eyes were irradiated with low-energy ultrasound wave （0.5 W/cm^2） for a total of 60 seconds （irradiated for 5 seconds, at 10-second intervals） immediately following infusion of EGFP plasmids to the vitreous cavities. In the microbubble-ultrasound group （n = 15）, the eyes were irradiated with the same power of ultrasonic wave immediately following infusion of microbubbles containing EGFP plasmids to the vitreous cavities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： After 7 days, retinal preparations and EGFP expression in RGCs were observed by fluorescence microscopy. RGC quantification in the retinal ganglion cell layer was performed. In addition, EGFP mRNA expression was semi-quantitatively determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS： The transfection efficiency of EGFP to RGCs by microbubbles with ultrasound was significantly greater than the other groups, and no obvious damage was detected in the RGCs. CONCLUSION： Under irradiation of low-frequency ultrasound waves, ultrasound-mediated microbubble destruction was effective and resulted in safe transfection of the EGFP gene to the RGCs.

Efficient expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) mediated by a chimeric promoter in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

To improve the expression efficiency of exogenous genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a high efficient expression vector was constructed. Green fluorescent protein （GFP） was expressed in C. reinhardtii under the control of promoters： RBCS2 and HSP70A-RBCS2. Efficiency of transformation and expression were compared between two transgenic algae： RBCS2 mediated strain Tran-Ⅰ and HSP70A-RBCS2 mediated strain Tran-Ⅱ. Results show that HSP70A-RBCS2 could improve greatly the transformation efficiency by approximately eightfold of RBCS2, and the expression efficiency of GFP in Tran-Ⅱ was at least double of that in Tran-Ⅰ. In addition, a threefold increase of GFP in Tran-Ⅱ was induced by heat shock at 40℃. All of the results demonstrated that HSP70A-RBCS2 was more efficient than RBCS2 in expressing exogenous gene in C. reinhardtii.

Constructing retroviral vector carrying green fluorescent protein(GFP)and investigating the expression of GFP in primary rat myoblast

Objective： To construct green fluorescent protein（GFP） retroviral vector（pLgXSN）, and to investigate the expression of GFP in primary rat myoblast. Methods： GFP cDNA was subcloned into the plasmid pLgXSN, and the recombinant vector was transfected into packaging cell PT67. G418 was used to select positive colony. Myoblasts were infected by a high-titer viral supernatant. The recombinant retroviral plasmid vector was identified by restriction endonuclease analysis and DNA sequence analysis. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression of GFP. Results： The GFP cDNA sequence was identical to that of GenBank. Recombinant retroviral plasmid vector pLgGFPSN was constructed successfully. The titer of the packaged recombinant retrovirus was 1×10^6 cfu/ml. Bright green fluorescence of the transfected cells was observed under confocal microscope 48 h after transfection. The transfection rate was 33%. The effective expression of GFP in myoblast infected by recombinant retrovirus lasted for 6 weeks. Conclusion： GFP gene could be effectively and stably expressed in myoblast, which suggests that GFP could act as a marker for studies on myoblast.

Construction and expression of an optimized, novel human immunodeficiency virus type-1 lentiviral vector containing green fluorescent protein

The human immunodeficiency virus （HIV） lentiviral vector is an ideal vector for gene therapy. In the present study, the wild-type HIV-1 genome was segregated into four plasmids, and an optimized novel HIV-1 lentiviral vector containing green fluorescent protein and vesicular stomatitis virus G pseudo-capsule was constructed. The plasmids were pHR-CMV-EGFP, pCMVΔ8.9, pRSV-Rev, pCMV-VSV-G. The four plasmid system was co-transfected into 293T cells, and green fluorescent protein expression was observed. The present study obtained lentiviral particles by high-speed centrifugation, and the lentiviral particle titer was 4 × 108 TU/mL after centrifugation. Thus, an optimized novel HIV-1 lentiviral vector was successfully constructed.

Expression of the Capsid Precursor Protein gene of Foot-and-mouth Disease Virus and Green Fluorescent Protein Gene in BHK-21 Cells Mediated by Retroviral Vector

We have constructed a retroviral vector mediated mammalian cell expression system of the capsid precursor protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus(FMDV).The recombinant retroviral vector pBABEpuro-P1-2A-EGFP was constructed by sequentially inserting capsid precursor protein gene(P1) of FMDV and enhanced green fluorescent protein gene(EGFP) into pBABEpuro.The recombinant retroviral vector and the pVSV-G plasmid were co-transfected into packaging cells(GP2-293) by liposomemediated transduction to produce the pseudovirus.The pseudovirus was used to infect BHK-21 cells and resistant cells were screened with puromycin.Green fluorescent proteins were observed by fluorescence microscopy and expression of the capsid precursor protein gene of FMDV was detected by indirect immunofluorescence.The recombinant retroviral vector pBABEpuro-P1-2A-EGFP was constructed successfully.The capsid precursor protein of FMDV and green fluorescent protein were expressed in BHK-21 cells.The mammalian cell expression system for the capsid precursor protein of FMDV has been constructed successfully,which lays the foundation of development of a FMDV subunit vaccine.

Rapid Purification of Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein from Escherichia coli

As an excellent reporter molecule, enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) was widely used for gene expression and regulation and was generally expressed in Escherichia coli strain. A rapid procedure consisting of ammonium sulfate precipitation, size exclusion chromatography, and anion exchange chromatography was devel- oped for the purification of eGFP. Based on the proposed procedure, recombinant eGFP with an electrophoretic pu- rity was achieved in combination with an overall yield of 66% and a purification factor of 17.9. The fluorescent spectrometry of purified eGFP and lysate from E. coli strain expressing eGFP exhibited the same wavelength of ex- citation and emission maxima, indicating that the purification procedure did not influence the construct and fluo- rescent characteristics of desired protein. The procedure mentioned was easy to scale up for the purification of large quantities of eGFP.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EXPRESSION OF GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN ON DETECTION OF GLIOMA INVASION IN VIVO

Objective: To investigate the invasion and metastasis of glioma in vivo by xenotransplanted tumor established by implanting C6 glioma cells transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene in vitro into the brain of SD rats. Methods: C6 cells were transfected with a plasmid vector (pEGEP-N3) containing the GFP gene. Stable GFP-expressing clones were isolated and performed examination by flow cytometry and electron microscope. GFP-expressing cells were stereotactically injected into the brain parenchyma of SD rats to establish xenotransplanted tumor. Four weeks later rats were killed and continuous brain sections respectively were examined by HE staining, immunohistochemistry method and fluorescence microscopy for detection of tumor cell invasion. Xenotransplanted tumor was primarily cultured to determine the storage of exotic GFP gene in vivo. Results: There were not obvious changes in cell cycle and ultrastructure for the cells transfected with GFP gene. C6 cells transfected with GFP gene maintained stable high-level GFP expression in the central nervous system during their growth in vivo. GFP fluorescence clearly demarcated the primary tumor margin and readily allowed for the detection of distant invasion on the single-cell level, which was evidently superior to HE and immunohistochemistry staining. There was not GFP gene loss of transfected cells in vivo. Conclusions: It is suggested that C6 cells transfected with GFP gene can be visualized by fluorescent microscopy after intracranial implantation. This model is an excellent experimental animal model in research on invasion of glioma.

Expression of Green Fluorescent Protein Gene with Baculovirus Vectorin Insect Cells

The green fluorescence of bioluminescent jellyfish Aequorea victoria is due to the presence of the green fluorescent protein (GFP). To examine whether the GFP gene can be applied as a reporter gene in insect cells, a baculovirus transfer vector containing the neomycin resistance gene (neo) was established. The GFP gene was subcloned into the vector downstream of the polyhedrin gene (ocu) promoter. In the presence of G418, the recombinant virus can be purified. Expression of the GFP gene in the recombinant virus should give rise to synthesis of the GFP with a molecular weight of 30×10 3 dalton, and is observable by the strong green light irradiated by ultraviolet or blue light in viable intact insect cells. The GFP produced in insect cells has typical fluorescent spectra indistinguishable from those of the purified native GFP. The GFP gene as a good reporter gene can be applied to the baculovirus insect cell expression system.

THE ENHANCED GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN AS A MARKER FOR HUMAN TUMOR CELLS LABELLED BY RETROVIRAL TRANSDUCTION

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of marking the human tumor cells with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in vitro. Methods: The retroviral vector LGSN encoding EGFP was constructed and three human tumor cell lines were infected with LGSN amphotropic virus. Tumor cell lines that stably express EGFP were selected with G418. The integration and expression of EGFP gene were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and flow cytometry (FCM). Results: After gene transfection and ping-pong transduction, amphotropic producer line Am12/LGSN was generated with a stable green fluorescence signal readily detectable by FCM in up to 97% of examined cells. The viral titer in the supernatants was up to 8.2×105CFU/ml. After transduction and selection, G418-resistant leukemia K562, mammary carcinoma MCF-7, and bladder cancer 5637 cells were developed, in which the integration of both EGFP and neomycin resistance gene was confirmed by DNA amplification. In comparison with uninfected cells, FCM analysis revealed EGFP expression in up to 90% (range 85.5%–90.0%) of tumor cells containing LGSN provirus. Conclusion: The retroviral vector LGSN can effectively mark the human tumor cells with a stably EGFP expression which may be in studying tumor growth, metastasis and angiogenesis.

Expression of green fluoscrescent protein gene in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Protoplasts of the pathogenic plant fungus,Sclerotinia sclerotiorum,were transformed using the pPGF plasmid,which contains green fluorescent protein gene,under the control of Aspergillus nidulans regulatory sequences. The pPGF plasmid was introduced by PEG/CaCl2 treatment. Positive transformants were harvested with hygromycin B (HYG) resistance as selective marker,and then were observed with green fluorescence phenomena in response to blue light,which suggested that GFP gene was cloned into genome DNA of S. sclerotiorum. The transformants were verified mitotically stable by Southern blotting analysis and passage culturing. This study is developed as an initial step for further research into infection mechanisms of S. sclerotiorum to plants and interactions with bio-control fungus.

Jellyfish Green Fluorescent Protein(GFP) as a Reporter for Fusarium gramminearum Development on Wheat

The plasmid pGPDGFP under the control ofpgpdA promotor was used together with vector pAN7-1 containing the hygromycin resistance cassette to co-transform protoplasts of HG1, Fusarium graminearum from Hubei Province, China. Twelve out of 14 hygromycin-resistant transformants showed green signal under the UV light and contained one or several copies ofgfp, as indicated by Southern analysis of genomic DNA digested with different restriction enzymes and hybridized to the gfp probe. A single gfp copy transformant （HG1C5） was selected for further evaluation of 80 Chinese wheat cultivars or advanced lines. The results showed different resistance type to F. graminearum were observed. GFP signals observed in the rachis and adjacent spikes of 70 Chinese wheat lines such as Chuanchongzu 104 indicated both type I （host resistance to the initial infection by the fungus） and type II （resistance to the spread of FHB symptoms within an infected spike） were not observed. While other 10 lines showed type II resistance to F. graminearum with GFP signals only in inoculated spikelets. Development of the mycelium can be intuitively observed and the resistance of wheat to F. graminearum can be identified at 7 days post inoculation （dpi） in this way. The results showed no differences were evaluated between the transformed HG1C5 and the non-transgene artificial inoculation by SAS paired chi-square test and McNernar＇s test （P=-0.0625）.

Studies on the Sructure, Mechanism of Green Fluorescent Protein and Its Application

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jellyfishAequorea victoria has unique superiority as a kind of biological label. GFP has been widely used in all fields of biology based on the recent studies on its structure, characteristic and mechanism of bioluninescence.

Establishment of Stable High Expression Cell Line with Green Fluorescent Protein and Resistance Genes

In order to establish stable high expression cell lines, the eukaryotic expression vector pIRES2EGFP and recombinant plasmid pIRES2EGFP-TIM-3 were transfected into mammalian cells CHO by Lipofectamine. The transfected cells were cultivated under selective growth medium including G418 and green fluorescent protein （GFP） positive cells were sorted by FACS. Simultaneously, growing transfectants were selected only by G418 in the medium. The GFP expression in stably transfected cells was detected by FACS. Under selective growth conditions with G418, the percentage of GFP positive cells was reduced rapidly and GFP induction was low. In contrast, the percentages of GFP positive cells were increased gradually after FACS. By 3 rounds of GFP selection, the stable high expression cell lines were established. Furthermore, using FACS analysis GFP and the target protein TIM-3 co-expression in the stable transfectants cultured in nonselective medium was detected. Theses results demonstrated that the stably transfected cell lines that express high titer of recombinant protein can be simply and fleetly obtained by using GFP and selective growth medium.

A Viral Expression Vector from Foxtail mosaic virus to Express Green Fluorescent Protein

[Objective]Foxtail mosaic virus(FoMV)infects gramineous and dicotyledonous plants.In this study,we sought to construct a viral vector based on FoMV to express exogenous proteins in plants.[Method]A recombinant viral expression vector was constructed by inserting the promotor of Potato virus X(PVX)and exogenous gene sequences into the 3’non-coding region of the FoMV coat protein gene.[Results]The plasmid pCB301-FoMV-CP-PVXprom-GFP expressed green fluorescent protein in inoculated Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.[Conclusion]A recombinant viral expression vector was constructed successfully.

Rescue and Preliminary Application of a Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus Expressing Green Fluorescent Protein Gene

把 ZJI 紧张基于纽卡斯尔疾病病毒(NDV ) 的完全的染色体顺序，七份教材被设计为构造 plasmid pNDV/ZJI 放大 cDNA 碎片，它包含了 NDV ZJI 紧张的全身的 cDNA。与三助手 plasmids， pCIneoNP， pCIneoP 和 pCIneoL， pNDV/ZJI 当时是进表示 T7 RNA 聚合酶的 BSR-T7/5 房间的 cotransfected。在进受胎的鸡肉的 transfected 房间文化上层清液的接种以后，从 specific-pathogen-free (SPF ) 的鸡蛋结队，传染 NDV ZJI 紧张成功地被救。格林荧光灯蛋白质(GFP ) 基因被放大并且插入了到 NDV 全身的 cDNA 产生标注 GFP 的 recombinant plasmid pNDV/ZJIGFP。在进 BSR-T7/5 房间的结果的 plasmid 和三支持 plasmids 的 cotransfection 以后， recombinant NDV， NDV/ZJIGFP，被救。特定的绿荧光在 BSR-T7/5 和鸡胚胎成纤维细胞(CEF ) 房间 48h 被观察感染以后，显示 GFP 基因被表示在一相对高级。NDV/ZJIGFP 被 oculonasal 线路接种进 10-day-old SPF 鸡。四天感染以后的、强壮的绿荧光能在肾和 tracheae 被检测，显示标注 GFP 的 NDV 能是的 recombinant 为 NDV 传播和致病的分析的一个很有用的工具。关键词纽卡斯尔疾病病毒(NDV )- 格林荧光灯蛋白质(GFP )- 营救 - 表示 CLC 数字 S831.7 基础条款：给中国(No.30630048 )