Construction of prokaryotic expression system of TGF-β1 epitope gene and identification of recombinant fusion protein immunity

AIM： To insert the constructed TGF-β1 epitope gene into the el loop of C-terminus of truncated hepatitis B core antigen to increase TGF-β1 antigenicity in its prokaryotic expression system and to identify immunity of the expressed recombinant protein in order to exploit the possibility for obtaining anti- TGF-β1 vaccine. METHODS： The TGF-β1 encoding epitope gene （the mature TGF-β1 from 78-109 amino acid residues, TGF-β1^32） was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the recombinant pGEM-7z/ TGF-β1 ^32 vector. The HBcAg gene fragments （encoding HBcAg from 1-71 and 89-144 amino acid residues） were amplified from PYTAI- HBcAg vector. The recombinant vector pGEMEX-1 was used to insert HBcAg1-71, TGF-β1^32 and HBcAg89-144 into restrictive endonuclease enzyme and ligated with T4 Ugase. The fusion gene fragments HBc.Ag1-71-TGF-β1^32 HBcAg89-144 were recloned to pET28a（＋） and the DNA sequence was confirmed by the dideoxy chain termination method. The recombinant vector pET28a （＋）/ CTC was transformed and expressed in E. coli BL21 （DE3） under induction of IPTG. After purification with Ni^＋2 NTA agarose resins, the antigenicity of purified protein was detected by ELISA and Western blot and visualized under electron microscope. RESULTS： Enzyme digestion analysis and sequencing showed that TGF-β1 epitope gene was inserted into the el loop of C-terminus of truncated hepatitis B core antigen. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that relative molecular mass （Mr） of the expressed product by pET28a （＋）/CTC was Mr 24 600.The output of the target recombinant protein was approximately 34.8% of the total bacterial protein,mainly presented in the form of inclusion body. Western blotting and ELISA demonstrated that the fusion protein could combine with anti-TGF-β1 polyclonal IgG but not with anti-HBcAg. The purity of protein was about 90 % and the protein was in the form of self-assembling particles visualized under electron microscope. This fusion protein had good anti-TGF-β1 antigenicity and could be used as anti-TGF-β1 vaccine. CONCLUSION： A recombinant prokaryotic expression system with high expression efficiency of the target TGF-β1 epitope gene was successfully established. The fusion protein is in the form of self-assembling particles and HBcAg can increase the antigenicity of TGF-β1. The expressed TGF-β1 epitope gene shows good immunogenicity and antigenicity.

Recombinant expression and purification of functional vascular endothelial growth factor-121 in the baculovirus expression system

Objective: To express human Vascular endothelial growth factor121(VEGF121) in insect cells. Methods: A gene construct containing VEGF was cloned in the p Fast Bac-HTA vector, followed by transformation in DH10 BAC. The recombinant bacmid was then extracted, and transfected into Sf9 insect cells. The transfected cells were harvested, and then VEGF expression was confirmed by Western blotting using specific antibodies. The tube formation assay was used for functional assessment of VEGF. Results: Our results showed that VEGF could be successfully expressed in the baculovirus system. Purified VEGF was able to stimulate in vitro tube formation of human endothelial cells. Conclusions: Results from this study demonstrated that the recombinantly-produced VEGF can be considered as a promising candidate for therapeutic purposes.

Potential bone-inducing activity in vitro of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7 from a CHO expression system

Objective: To express the recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7(rhBMP-7) in Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cells, and to establish the in vitro biological activity assay of rhBMP-7.Methods: Human BMP-7 cDNA was subcloned into p114 mammalian expression vector and transfected to CHO cells by using the Lipofectamine 2000 transfection method. CHO cell supernatants were harvested and analyzed to identify the molecule mass of secreted rhBMP-7 and examine its biological activity in vitro to stimulate the synthesis of alkaline phophatase(ALP), a characteristic of osteoblast phenotypes. Results: rhBMP-7 was produced stably in CHO cells, as a processed mature disulfide-linked homodimer, with an apparent molecular mass of 36 000. Examination of the rhBMP-7 biological activity showed that rhBMP-7 specifically stimulated the production of ALP(4-fold increase at 100 ng of rhBMP-7/ml). Conclusion: The rhBMP-7 from CHO expression system has significant biological activity in induction of osteoblast phenotype, which demonstrates rhBMP-7 has the potential bone regeneration activity.

Stable Surface Expression of a Gene for Helicobacter pylori Toxic Porin Protein with pBAD Expression System

Helicobacterpylori （1f. pylori） infection causes peptic and duodenal diseases in humans. Among a 32-protein family of outer membrane proteins, a porin-like protein, HopE, has been a subject of note, mainly for its conservative nature among 11. pylori, and for its potential as a vaccine candidate. To achieve stable surface expression of this host cell-toxic protein, hopE gene was introduced into pBAD expression system. After induction with arabinose, all 15 randomly-chosen E. coli LMG 194 colonies from 3 successive passages could express Hope protein, while only 1 from 5 E. coli colonies that contained lac operon-regulated plasmid encoding hopE gene could express HopE. Indirect immunofluorescence confirmed the expression of HopE on E. coli cell surface

Establishment of a tetracycline-off and heat shock-on gene expression system in tobacco

The tetracycline （Tet）-off gene expression regulation system based on the TetR-VP16/Top10 construct has not been widely utilized in plants, for its highly expressed TetR-VP16 activator is toxic to some plants and repeatedly replenishing tetracycline to turn off the constitutively active system is a tedious process. To solve these problems, a Tet-off and heat shock （HS）-on gene expression regulation system was constructed in this study. This system is composed of a chimeric transactivator gene TetR-HSF that is derived from a Tet repressor （TetR） and a HS transcription factor （HSF） controlled by a HS promoter HSP70m, and a Tet operator containing hybrid promoter, Om35S, that drives expression of the β-glucuronidase （GUS） gene. The resultant system yields a GUS expression pattern similar to that of the HSP70m promoter under inducing temperatures and at 35 and 40℃ drives GUS expression to a similar level as the Cauliflower mosaic virus （CaMV） 35S promoter. Further examination revealed that the TetR-HSF and GUS genes were induced by HS, reaching peak expression after 1 and 6 h treatment, respectively, and the HS induction of the expression system could be inhibited by Tet. This system will provide a useful tool for transgenic studies of plants in the laboratory and in the field, including transgene function analysis, agronomic trait improvement, biopharmaceutical protein production and others.

Construction of Multi-ribozyme Expression System and Its Characterization of Cleavage on the MDR1/MRP1 Double Target Substrate in vitro

To improve catalytic activity of ribozyme on its substrate, the multi-ribozyme expression system was designed and constructed from 20 cis-acting hammerhead ribozymes undergoing self-cleavage with 10 trans-acting hammerhead ribozymes inserted alternatively regularly and the plasmid of pGEM-MDR1/MRP1 used to transcribe the MDR1/MRPl（196/210） substrate containing double target sites was also constructed by DNA recombination. Endonuclease digestion analysis and DNA sequencing indicate all the recombinant plasmids were correct. The clea- vage activities were evaluated for the multi-ribozyme expression system on the MDR1/MRP1 substrate in the cell free system. The results demonstrate that the cis-acting hammerhead ribozymes in the multi-ribozyme expression system were able to cleave themselves and the 72 nt of 196Rz and the 71 nt of 210Rz trans-acting hammerhead ribozymes were liberated effectively, and the trans-acting hammerhead ribozymes released were able to act on the MDR1/MRP1 double target RNA substrate and cleave the target RNA at specific sites effectively. The multi- ribozyme expression system of the [Coat＇A196Rz/Coat＇B210Rz]5 is more significantly superior to that of the [Coat＇A 196Rz/Coat＇B210Rz] 1 in cleavage of RNA substrate. The fractions cleaved by [Coat＇A 196Rz/Coat＇B210Rz]5 on the MDR1/MRP1 substrate for 8 h at observed temperatures showed no marked difference. The studies of Mg^2＋ on cleavage efficiency indicate that cleavage reaction is dependent on Mg^2＋ ions concentration. The plot of lg（kobs） vs. lgc（Mg^2＋） displays a linear relationship between 2.5 mmol/L and 20 mmol/L Mg^2＋. It suggests that Mg^2＋ ions play a crucial role in multi-ribozyme cleavage on the substrate.

A Transient Expression System for the Functional Assessment of Early Response Genes on the Powdery Mildew Infected Barley or Wheat Leaves

The principle and the basic steps of the transient assay system for the functional assessment of early response genes on the powdery mildew infected barley or wheat leaves were summarized in brief. The development of this technology and its extensive application were reviewed. Future studies on this approach were recommended in this paper.

Construction and Cleavage Characterization of Single Targeted Multi-ribozyme Expression Systems in vitro

In order to clarify cleavage efficiency of a multi-ribozyme expression system on their substrates,plasmids containing 20 cis-acting hammerhead ribozymes for self-cleavage and 10 trans-acting hammerhead ribozymes targeted on MDR1 and MRP1 substrates,the target plasmids pGEM-MDR1 and pGEM-MRP1 were constructed by employing PCR and DNA recombination.The endonuclease＇s digestion and DNA sequencing confirmed exactness of the multi-ribozyme expression systems and the target plasmids.The repeated self-cleavage tests revealed that the cisacting hammerhead ribozymes in the multi-ribozyme expression system were able to cleave themselves and trans-acting hammerhead ribozymes 196 Rz and 210 Rz were released.The cleavage efficiencies of liberated ribozymes on their targets were evaluated in vitro and the results indicate that 196 Rz and 210 Rz were able to cleave the MDR1 and MRP1 RNA substrates.The profile of cleavage reaction shows that the cleavage efficiencies were correlated with the numbers of transacting hammerhead ribozymes contained in the multi-ribozyme expression systems,as well as the multi-ribozyme system is much better than the single ribozyme.Test of various concentrations of Mg^2＋ reveals that ribozyme cleavage reactions were dependent on Mg^2＋ concentration.The plot of lg（kobs） vs.lg[Mg^2＋] displays a linear relationship in the concentration range observed（2.5―20 mmol/L）.

Strategies for production of active eukaryotic proteins in bacterial expression system

Bacteria have long been the favorite expression system for recombinant protein production.However,the flaw of the system is that insoluble and inactive proteins are co-produced due to codon bias,protein folding,phosphorylation,glycosylation,mRNA stability and promoter strength.Factors are cited and the methods to convert to soluble and active proteins are described,for example a tiglit control of Escherichia coli milieu,refolding from inclusion body and through fusion technology.

An improved protein expression system for T3SS genes regulation analysis in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Xanthomonas oryzea pv.oryzae(Xoo)is the causal agent of bacterial blight of rice,which is a significant threat to many of rice-growing regions.The type Ⅲ secretion system(T3SS)is an essential virulence factor in Xoo.Expression of the T3SS is often induced in the host environment or in hrp-inducing medium but is repressed in nutrient-rich medium.The elucidation of molecular mechanism underlying induction of T3SS genes expression is a very important step to lift the veil on global virulence regulation network in Xoo.Thus,an efficient and reliable genetic tool system is required for detection of the T3SS proteins.In this study,we constructed a protein expression vector pH3-flag based on the backbone of pHM1,a most widely used vector in Xoo strains,especially a model strain PXO99A.This vector contains a synthesized MCS-FLAG cassette that consists of a multiple cloning site(MCS),containing a modified pUC18 polylinker,and Flag as a C-terminal tag.The cassette is flanked by transcriptional terminators to eliminate interference of external transcription enabling detection of accurate protein expression.We evaluated the potential of this expression vector as T3SS proteins detection system and demonstrated it is applicable in the study of T3SS genes expression regulation in Xoo.This improved expression system could be very effectively used as a molecular tool in understanding some virulence genes expression and regulation in Xoo and other Xanthomonas spp.

Cloning of Porcine Lactoferrin Gene and Construction of Expression System in Recombinant Lactobacillus

Lactobacillus was selected as a bacterial carrier for expression of N-lobe of porcine lactoferrin （PLFN）. A pair of primers was designed with Oligo6.0 and used to amplify PLFN gene. It was in accordance with the characters of translational fusions from gene and expression vector plasmid. A 1 077 bp fragment of the gene from PLF was cloned from mammary gland tissue of the lactating sow on the third day by RT-PCR; the gene was connected with the vector plasmid pPG612.1 and transformed into the host strain JM109. The recombinant expression vector plasmid pPG612-PLFN was created and identified by using plasmid extraction, PCR, restriction enzyme digestion and sequence analysis. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Lactobacillus casei ATCC393, Lactobacillus plantarum KLDS 1.0344, Lactobacillus paracasei KLDS 1.0652 and Lactobacillus pentosus KLDS 1.0413 by electroporation, and produced the recombinant strains of pPG612-PLFN/L, casei, pPG612-PLFN/L, plantarum, pPG612-PLFN/ L. paracasei and pPG612-PLFN/L, pentosus, respectively. The results indicated that PLFN gene had inserted into the expression vectors and achieved multiple Laetobacillus expression systems. It electes the base for the expression and production of recombinant porcine lactoferrin in Lactobaeillus

A Co-expression System Based on Phage and Phagemid to Select Cognate Antibody-antigen Pairs in vivo

A modified selectively infective phage (SIP) is developed to facilitate the selection of interacting antibody antigen pairs from a large single chain antibody (scFv) library in vivo. The system is constructed with a modified helper phage M13KO7 and phagemid pCANTAB 5 E. The antigen fused to the C terminal of N1 N2 domain and the scFv to the N terminal of CT domain of the gIIIp of filamentous phage are encoded on the phage and phagemid vectors respectively. The phages produced by co transformants restore infectivity via interaction between antigen and antibody fusions in the cell periplasm. In a model system, the scFv fragment of the anti hemagglutinin 17/9 antibody and its corresponding antigen are detected in the presence of a 10 5 fold excess of a non interacting control pairs, which demonstrates this system to be very sensitive and facile to screen a large single chain antibody library.

Establishment of method for seroepidermiological detection of human herpes virus 8 infection by using the fusion protein in the prokaryotic expression system as antigen for testing

To establish a sensitive and specific method for seroepidermiological detection of human her- pes virus 8(HHV-8)infection,three potent antigenic proteins encoded by open reading frames(ORFs) K8.1,65 and 73C in genome of HHV-8 were produced as glutathione S-transferase fusion protein in the prokaryotic expression system and was used as antigen for testing.The recombinant fusion protein ex- pressed in the prokaryotic expression vector E.coli BL21 was purified by glutathione Sepharose 4B affin- ity chromatography and was quantitated with SDS-PAGE.All these 3 fusion proteins produced in the pro- karyotic expression system showed good immunogenicity as demonstrated by Western blotting and could be recognized by mixed sera of patients with Kaposi′s sarcoma(KS).The immuno-reactivities of the single or compound fusion protein were determined by means of ELISA and compared with the traditional immu- nofluorescence assay(IFA)to determine their sensitivity and specificity of the test.It was demonstrated that the sensitivity of mixed-antigen ELISA method was significantly higher than that of IFA(81.8% vs 34.4%),while the specificity of the former was demonstrated to be 97.9%.The coincidence of the de- tection rate between these two methods was considerably high,approaching up to 90.0%.These results suggest that the mixed antigen ELISA assay appears to be a sensitive and specific method for sero-epide- miological detection of human herpesvirus 8 infection.

Construction of cytomegalovirus promoter-driven gene expression system in Laodelphax striatellus

The small brown planthopper(SBPH,Laodelphax striatellus)is a significant rice pest,responsible for transmitting rice stripe virus(RSV)in a persistent and propagative manner.RSV is one of the most detrimental rice viruses,causing rice stripe disease,which results in considerable loss of rice grain yield.While RNA interference and gene knockout techniques have enabled gene downregulation in SBPH,no system currently exists for the overexpression of endogenous or exogenous genes.Consequently,the development of a protein expression system for SBPH is imperative to serve as a technical foundation for pest control and gene function investigations.This study aimed to construct an expression vector using the promoter of the constitutive-expressed tubulin gene of SBPH,and promoter of human cytomegalovirus(CMV).Fluorescence experiments demonstrated that both tubulin and CMV promoter could drive green fluorescent protein(GFP)expression in SBPH,and could also facilitate the expression of a nucleocapsid protein(NP)-GFP fusion protein containing viral NP with comparable efficiency.Through expression vector optimization,we have identified that the 3 tandem CMV promoters display a significantly higher promoter activity compared with both the 2 tandem CMV promoters and the single CMV promoter.In addition,the incorporation of Star polycation nanoparticles significantly enhanced the expression efficiency in SBPH.These results provide a promising technical platform for investigating gene functions in SBPH.

Development of Zn^(2+)-controlled expression system for lactic acid bacteria and its application in engineered probiotics

Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus are considered as ideal chassis of engineered probiotics,while food-grade genetic tools are limited in those strains.Here,a Zn^(2+)-controlled gene expression(ZICE)system was identified in the genome of S.thermophilus CGMCC7.179,including a transcriptional regulator sczAst and a promoter region of cation transporter czcD(PczcDst).Specific binding of the SczAst to the palindromic sequences in PczcDst was demonstrated by EMSA analysis,suggesting the regulation role of SczAst on PczcDst.To evaluate their possibility to control gene expression in vivo,the sczAst-PczcDst was employed to drive the expression of green fluorescence protein(GFP)gene in L.lactis NZ9000 and S.thermophilus CGMCC7.179,respectively.Both of the transformants could express GFP under Zn^(2+)induction,while no fluorescence without Zn^(2+)addition.For optimal conditions,Zn^(2+)was used at a final concentration of 0.8 mM in L.lactis and 0.16 mM in S.thermophilus at OD600 close to 0.4,and omitting yeast extract powder in the medium unexpectedly improved GFP expression level by 2.2-fold.With the help of the ZICE system,engineered L.lactis and S.thermophilus strains were constructed to secret cytokine interleukin-10(IL-10)with immunogenicity,and the IL-10 content in the supernatant of the engineered L.lactis was 59.37%of that under the nisin controlled expression system.This study provided a tightly controlled expression system by the food-grade inducer Zn^(2+),having potential in development of engineered probiotics.

Minimizing endogenous cryptic plasmids to construct antibiotic-free expression systems for Escherichia coli Nissle 1917

The probiotic bacterium Escherichia coli Nissle 1917(EcN)holds significant promise for use in clinical and biological industries.However,the reliance on antibiotics to maintain plasmid-borne genes has overshadowed its benefits.In this study,we addressed this issue by engineering the endogenous cryptic plasmids pMUT1 and pMUT2.The non-essential elements were removed to create more stable derivatives pMUT1NR△and pMUT2HBC△.Synthetic promoters by integrating binding motifs on sigma factors were further constructed and applied for expression of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron heparinaseⅢand the biosynthesis of ectoine.Compared to traditional antibiotic-dependent expression systems,our newly constructed antibiotic-free expression systems offer considerable advantages for clinical and synthetic biology applications.

Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of photosystem II(PsbX)gene family in upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Background Photosystem II(PSII)constitutes an intricate assembly of protein pigments,featuring extrinsic and intrinsic polypeptides within the photosynthetic membrane.The low-molecular-weight transmembrane protein PsbX has been identified in PSII,which is associated with the oxygen-evolving complex.The expression of PsbX gene protein is regulated by light.PsbX’s central role involves the regulation of PSII,facilitating the binding of quinone molecules to the Qb(PsbA)site,and it additionally plays a crucial role in optimizing the efficiency of photosynthesis.Despite these insights,a comprehensive understanding of the PsbX gene’s functions has remained elusive.Results In this study,we identified ten PsbX genes in Gossypium hirsutum L.The phylogenetic analysis results showed that 40 genes from nine species were classified into one clade.The resulting sequence logos exhibited substantial conservation across the N and C terminals at multiple sites among all Gossypium species.Furthermore,the ortholo-gous/paralogous,Ka/Ks ratio revealed that cotton PsbX genes subjected to positive as well as purifying selection pressure might lead to limited divergence,which resulted in the whole genome and segmental duplication.The expression patterns of GhPsbX genes exhibited variations across specific tissues,as indicated by the analysis.Moreover,the expression of GhPsbX genes could potentially be regulated in response to salt,intense light,and drought stresses.Therefore,GhPsbX genes may play a significant role in the modulation of photosynthesis under adverse abiotic conditions.Conclusion We examined the structure and function of PsbX gene family very first by using comparative genom-ics and systems biology approaches in cotton.It seems that PsbX gene family plays a vital role during the growth and development of cotton under stress conditions.Collectively,the results of this study provide basic information to unveil the molecular and physiological function of PsbX genes of cotton plants.

Development of an efficient expression system with large cargo capacity for interrogation of gene function in bamboo based on bamboo mosaic virus

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants among monocotyledonous species and is grown extensively in subtropical regions.Although bamboo has high economic value and produces much biomass quickly,gene functional research is hindered by the low efficiency of genetic transformation in this species.We therefore explored the potential of a bamboo mosaic virus(BaMV)-mediated expression system to investigate genotype-phenotype associations.We determined that the sites between the triple gene block proteins(TGBps)and the coat protein(CP)of BaMV are the most efficient insertion sites for the expression of exogenous genes in both monopodial and sympodial bamboo species.Moreover,we validated this system by individually overexpressing the two endogenous genes ACE1 and DEC1,which resulted in the promotion and suppression of intemode elongation,respectively.In particular,this system was able to drive the expression of three 2A-linked betalain biosynthesis genes(more than 4 kb in length)to produce betalain,indicating that it has high cargo capacity and may provide the prerequisite basis for the development of a DNA-free bamboo genome editing platform in the future.Since BaMV can infect multiple bamboo species,we anticipate that the system described in this study will greatly contribute to gene function research and further promote the molecular breeding of bamboo.

Astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression impairs learning and memory ability in ischemic stroke via altered hippocampal neurogenesis and lipid metabolism

Vascular etiology is the second most prevalent cause of cognitive impairment globally.Endothelin-1,which is produced and secreted by endothelial cells and astrocytes,is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke.However,the way in which changes in astrocytic endothelin-1 lead to poststroke cognitive deficits following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion is not well understood.Here,using mice in which astrocytic endothelin-1 was overexpressed,we found that the selective overexpression of endothelin-1 by astrocytic cells led to ischemic stroke-related dementia(1 hour of ischemia;7 days,28 days,or 3 months of reperfusion).We also revealed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression contributed to the role of neural stem cell proliferation but impaired neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus after middle cerebral artery occlusion.Comprehensive proteome profiles and western blot analysis confirmed that levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and peroxiredoxin 6,which were differentially expressed in the brain,were significantly increased in mice with astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression in comparison with wild-type mice 28 days after ischemic stroke.Moreover,the levels of the enriched differentially expressed proteins were closely related to lipid metabolism,as indicated by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry nontargeted metabolite profiling of brain tissues showed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression altered lipid metabolism products such as glycerol phosphatidylcholine,sphingomyelin,and phosphatidic acid.Overall,this study demonstrates that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression can impair hippocampal neurogenesis and that it is correlated with lipid metabolism in poststroke cognitive dysfunction.

Human-Computer Interaction Using Deep Fusion Model-Based Facial Expression Recognition System

A deep fusion model is proposed for facial expression-based human-computer Interaction system.Initially,image preprocessing,i.e.,the extraction of the facial region from the input image is utilized.Thereafter,the extraction of more discriminative and distinctive deep learning features is achieved using extracted facial regions.To prevent overfitting,in-depth features of facial images are extracted and assigned to the proposed convolutional neural network(CNN)models.Various CNN models are then trained.Finally,the performance of each CNN model is fused to obtain the final decision for the seven basic classes of facial expressions,i.e.,fear,disgust,anger,surprise,sadness,happiness,neutral.For experimental purposes,three benchmark datasets,i.e.,SFEW,CK+,and KDEF are utilized.The performance of the proposed systemis compared with some state-of-the-artmethods concerning each dataset.Extensive performance analysis reveals that the proposed system outperforms the competitive methods in terms of various performance metrics.Finally,the proposed deep fusion model is being utilized to control a music player using the recognized emotions of the users.