Changes in bacterial community and abundance of functional genes in paddy soil with cry1Ab transgenic rice

A field experiment involving cry1Ab transgenic rice(GM) and its parental non-cry1Ab rice(M) has been on-going since 2014. The diversity of the bacterial communities and the abundance of the microbial functional genes which drive the conversion of nitrogen in paddy soil were analyzed during the growth period of rice in the fifth year of the experiment, using 16 S rRNAbased Illumina Mi Seq and real-time PCR on the amoA, nirS and nirK genes. The results showed no differences in the alpha diversity indexes of the bacterial communities, including Chao1, Shannon and Simpson, between the fields cultivated with line GM and cultivar M at any of the growth stages of rice. However, the bacterial communities in the paddy soil with line GM were separated from those of paddy soil with cultivar M at each of the growth stages of rice, based on the unweighted Uni Frac NMDS or PCoA. In addition, the analyses of ADONIS and ANOSIM, based on the unweighted Uni Frac distance, indicated that the above separations between line GM and cultivar M were statistically significant(P<0.05) during the growth season of rice. The increases in the relative abundances of Acidobacteria or Bacteroidetes, in the paddy soils with line GM or cultivar M, respectively, led to the differences in the bacterial communities between them. At the same time, functional gene prediction based on Illumina Mi Seq data suggested that the abundance of many functional genes increased in the paddy soil with line GM at the maturity stage of rice, such as genes related to the metabolism of starch, amino acids and nitrogen. Otherwise, the copies of bacterial amo A gene, archaeal amo A gene and denitrifying bacterial nir K gene significantly increased(P<0.05 or 0.01) in the paddy soil with line GM. In summary, the release of cry1Ab transgenic rice had effects on either the composition of bacterial communities or the abundance of microbial functional genes in the paddy soil.

Construction of Plant Expresion Vector Carrying Two Insecticidal Genes and Obtain Insect-resistant Transgenic Tobacco Plants

１．ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＣｒｏｐｐｌａｎｔｓａｒｅｓｕｓｃｅｐｔｉｂｌｅｔｏａｔａｃｋｂｙａｗｉｄｅｒａｎｇｅｏｆｈｅｒｂｉｖｏｒｏｕｓｉｎｓｅｃｔｓ．Ｉｔｉｓｅｓｔｉｍａｔｅｄｔｈａｔａｒｏｕｎｄ１３％ｏｆｔｈｅｔｏｔａｌｗｏｒｌｄｗｉｄｅ...

Leafy head formation of the progenies of transgenic plants of Chinese cabbage with exogenous auxin genes

The experiment was performed to evaluate the progenies of plant lines transgenic for auxin synthesis genes derived from Ri T-DNA. Four lines of the transgenic plants were selfcrossed and the foreign auxin genes in plants of T5 generation were confirmed by Southern hybridization. Two lines, D1232 and D1653, showed earlier folding of expanding leaves than untransformed line and therefore had early initiation of leaf y head. Leaf cuttings derived from plant of transgenic line D1653 produced more adventitious roots than the control whereas the cuttings from folding leaves had much more roots than rosette leaves at folding stage, and the cuttings from head leaves had more roots than rosette leaves at heading stage. It is demonstrated that early folding of transgenic leaf may be caused by the relatively higher concentration of auxin. These plant lines with auxin transgenes can be used for the study of hormonal regulation in differentiation and development of plant organs nd for the breeding of new varietywith rapid growth trait.

Transforming the Snapdragon Aurone Biosynthetic Genes into Petunia Alters Coloration Patterns in Transgenic Flowers

Aurones belong to a small class of flavonoids that provide yellow color in some floricultural plants including snapdragon. To explore novel flower coloration, two full-length cDNAs encoding chalcone 4'-O-glucosyltransferase (designated as SRY4'CGT) and aureusidin synthase (designated as SRYAS1) in the aurone biosynthetic pathway were cloned from yellow flowers of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus cv. Ribbon Yellow). Binary vectors were constructed and transformed separately into Petunia hybrida harboring blue flowers. Only a few flowers in 4 out of 9 transgenic SRY4'CGT plants showed variegated blue-white sectors;as time passed, amounts of variegated flowers and proportion of white sectors in the background blue color of the new-born flowers gradually increased, until finally, the petal color was completely white in all late-born flowers. In contrast, a few flowers in 3 out of 13 transgenic SRYAS1 plants showed variegated blue-white sectors;but, the amounts of variegated flowers did not increase over the whole flowering stage, and no complete white flowers were observed. RNA samples isolated from blue and white sectors of T1 transgenic SRY4'CGT plants were analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR, transgenic SRY4'CGT transcripts were detected in both sectors;however, transcripts of an upstream gene, chalcone synthase (CHS), were abundantly detected in the blue sectors but largely reduced in the white sectors, suggesting that the expression of CHS gene was suppressed in white sectors of transgenic plants. Furthermore, HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry demonstrated cyandin, malvidin and their derivatives were absent in white sectors, causing the white phenotype. Our findings may be attractive to molecular breeders.

Transgenic Cotton and Disease Resistance Genes

Success in conventional breeding for resistance to mycotoxin-producing or other phytopathogenic fungi is dependent on the availability of resistance gene(s) in the germplasm.Even when it is available,breeding for disease-resistant crops is very time consuming,especially in perennial crops such

A Non-Marker Mutagenesis Strategy to Generate Poly-hrp Gene Mutants in the Rice Pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola

Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzicola （Xoc）,the critical pathogen causing bacterial leaf streak in rice,possesses a hrp cluster that is responsible for triggering hypersensitive response （HR） in non-host tobacco and pathogenicity in host rice,and is considered to be one of the model pathogens in the rice model plant.Here,we developed a high-throughput mutagenesis system using a two-step integration mediated by a novel suicide vector pKMS1.It was used to generate single or poly-gene mutants of hpa1,hpa2,hrcV,hrpE,hpaB,and hrpF gene for functional analysis.In total,five single,four double,and two triple hrp gene mutants were constructed.The double and triple hrp gene deletion mutants triggered novel phenotypes in planta.Our data suggest that pKMS1 is a useful tool for non-marker mutagenesis of multiple genes in Xoc.

Characterization of NPR1 Genes from Norton and Cabernet Sauvignon Grapevine

Non-expressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 （NPR1） plays a significant role in the defense responses of plants to pathogens by regulating the expression of defense-related genes. In the present study, we isolated two NPR1 genes from Vitis aestivalis cv. Norton and Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon, which were referred to as VaNPR1.1 and VvNPR1. 1-CS, respectively. They encode a protein of 584 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 64.8 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point （pI） of 5.74. The predicted amino acid sequences of VaNPR1.1 and VvNPR1.1-CS differ by only one amino acid. Over-expression of VaNPR1.1 gene in Arabidopsis npr1-1 mutant plants restores the transcriptional expression of AtPR-1 gene, though not to the full scale. This result demonstrated that a grapevine VaNPR1.1 possesses a similar function to the Arabidopsis NPR1 in the regulation of defense-related genes. Over-expression of VaNPR1.1 in transgenic Arabidopsis plant increased tolerance to salinity, but had no effect on the drought tolerance. We conclude that VaNPR1.1 is a functional ortholog of AtNPR1 and also involved in grapevine＇s response to the salt stress.

Development of lepidopteran pest-resistant transgenic japonica rice harboring a synthetic cry2A* gene

A synthetic cry2A^＊ gene enco ding Bacillus thuringiensis（Bt） δ-endotoxi n that resi st ance to lepidopteran pest was transformed into japonica rice variety Jijing 88, which is the most widely cultivated variety in Jilin Province, Northeast China, by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A total of 106 independent transformants overexpressing cry2A^＊ gene driven by ubiquitin（Ubi） promoter was produced. Three single-copy homozygous transgenic lines were finally selected based on the results of PCR analysis, se gregation ratio of Bast a resistance, and Southern hybridiza tion analyse s. RT-PCR and enzyme linke dimmune sorbent assay（ELISA） revealed that cry2A^＊ transcripts and protein were highly expressed in these lines. The high level of Cry2A^＊ protein expression resulted in high resistance to rice striped stem borer as evidence d by insect feeding bioassays. Our results demonst rate that cry2A^＊ transgenic japonica rice confers resistance to the rice striped stem borer in the laboratory conditions.

An Assessment of Androgenic/Anti-androgenic Effects of GH Transgenic Carp by Hershberger Assay

Objective To evaluate the androgenic and anti-androgenic effects of GH （growth hormone） transgenic carp in male rats.Methods Hershberger assay was carried out in castrated male SD rats aged 4-5 weeks.Testosterone propionate （TP） （0.4 mg/kg BW） was administrated for a positive control,GH transgenic carp （3.0 g/kg BW）＋TP （0.4 mg/kg BW）,parental carp （3.0 g/kg BW） ＋ TP （0.4 mg/kg BW）,and flutamide （Flu） （3.0 g/kg BW） were used for negative controls,and vehicle was administered orally for a blank control.All groups were administrated for 10 consecutive days.At the end of the test,animals were anesthetized,then weights of accessory sex organ were measured.Serum testosterone （T）,luteinizing hormone （LH）,and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone （FSH） levels were detected.Results The weights ratios of the accessory sex organs and body weights showed no significant differences between the solvent control and the GH transgenic carp-treated groups.Serum concentrations of FSH,LH,and T of the rats treated with GH transgenic carp ＋ TP showed no significant changes,compared with those treated with TP only.Conclusion GH transgenic carp does not have any androgenic agonist or antagonist properties in vivo screening tests.

Development of Marker-Free Transgenic Cry1Ab Rice with Lepidopteran Pest Resistance by Agrobacterium Mixture-Mediated Co-transformation

CrylAb gene was transformed into four rice varieties, Zhejing 22, Zhejing 27, Jiahua 1 and Xiushui 63 mediated by Agrobacterium-mixture co-transformation. Rice genotype had an important effect on callus induction and transformation efficiency. Different mixtures of Agrobacterium strains （EHA105 and EHA101） contained Hpt and CrylAb genes resulted in different frequencies of resistant calli. There was no correlation between the frequency of transformants with the ratio of the Agrobacterium strain mixture contained Hpt and CrylAb genes. A total of 509 transgenic plants were obtained from the four rice varieties, and 272 T2 progenies were analyzed for CrylAb and Hpt genes. PCR analysis revealed that 412 regenerated plants were Hpt positive （80.94%）, 62 plants were also CrylAb co-transformants （15.05% in total frequency）, and 42 plants among the 272 T2 progenies were CrylAb positive but Hpt negative. This suggests that marker-free transgenic plants could be produced by co-transformation mediated by mixed Agrobacterium strains with the selectable marker gene and target gene Southern blot analysis of five independent marker-free T2 transgenic lines co-transformed from Zhejing 22 showed that CrylAb gene had been inserted into rice genome with a single copy. The transgenic plants showed significantly stronger resistance to lepidopteron than the non-transgenic plants under no application of insecticides against lepidopteron.

Two Lycopene β-Cyclases Genes from Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) Encode Enzymes With Different Functional Efficiency During the Conversion of Lycopene-to-Provitamin A

Citrus fruits are rich in carotenoids.In the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway,lycopene β-cyclase（LCYb,EC：1.14.-.-） is a key regulatory enzyme in the catalysis of lycopene to β-carotene,an important dietary precursor of vitamin A for human nutrition.Two closely related lycopene β-cyclase cDNAs,designated CsLCYb1 and CsLCYb2,were isolated from the pulp of orange fruits（Citrus sinensis）.The expression level of CsLCYb genes is lower in the flavedo and juice sacs of a lycopeneaccumulating genotype Cara Cara than that in common genotype Washington,and this might be correlated with lycopene accumulation in Cara Cara fruit.The CsLCYb1 efficiently converted lycopene into the bicyclic β-carotene in an Escherichia coli expression system,but the CsLCYb2 exhibited a lower enzyme activity and converted lycopene into the β-carotene and the monocyclic γ-carotene.In tomato transformation studies,expression of CsLCYb1 under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus（CaMV） 35S constitutive promoter resulted in a virtually complete conversion of lycopene into β-carotene,and the ripe fruits displayed a bright orange colour.However,the CsLCYb2 transgenic tomato plants did not show an altered fruit colour during development and maturation.In fruits of the CsLCYb1 transgenic plants,most of the lycopene was converted into β-carotene with provitamin A levels reaching about 700 μg g-1DW.Unexpectedly,most transgenic tomatoes showed a reduction in total carotenoid accumulation,and this is consistent with the decrease in expression of endogenous carotenogenic genes in transgenic fruits.Collectively,these results suggested that the cloned CsLCYb1 and CsLCYb2 genes encoded two functional lycopene β-cyclases with different catalytic efficiency,and they may have potential for metabolite engineering toward altering pigmentation and enhancing nutritional value of food crops.

Selection of Homozygous Cotton Lines Transformed with Two Insect-Resistant Genes

A plant expression vector containing a chimeric Bt29K gene coding for the activated Cry1Ac protein and the arrowhead proteinase inhibitior gene API B were introduced into the cotton cultivar Jihe321 mediated by Agrobactertium tumefaciens. Based on the results of kanamycin resistant testing, PCR detection for both foreign genes and insect bioassay using Heliethis armigera , nine transgenic homozygous cotton lines with insect resistance of more than 90% and better agronomic traits were bred through six generations from the original transgenic plants. Results from insect bioassay and sequence analysis of the PCR products of plants from some homozygous lines indicated that the chimeric Bt29K gene was stably inherited in these transgenic cotton lines. The main agronomic characters of these homozygous cotton lines, such as boll productivity and fibre strength, were better than that of the original cotton cv. Jihe321.

Localization of An Exogenous GH Gene on Chromosomes of Transgenic Pig by in situ Hybridizaiton

近些年来随着原位杂交技术的不断改进，该技术已广泛用于染色体的基因定位。非放射性标记探针的应用使基因定位变得更加简单易行，从而有可能对动物的转基因进行定位研究。本文首次采用胶体金标记药盒（Ａｎｔｉｄｉｇｏｘｉｇｅｎｉｎｇｏｌｄ）和银加强试剂（Ｓｉｌｖｅｒｅｎｈａｎｃｅｍｅｎｔｒｅａｇｅｎｔｓ）的非同位素原位杂交技术对转基因猪外源基因进行了定位研究。如Ｆｉｇ．１所示：表达质粒ｐＳＭＴＰＧＨ含有载体ｐＵＣ１９，羊启动子ＭＴ０１１和猪生长激素ＰＧＨ基因。选５头带有ｐＳＭＴＰＧＨ的转基因猪，分别制备含有染色体ＤＮＡ的杂交膜。用ＢｇｌＩＩ和ＳｍａＩ对ｐＳＭＴＰＧＨ进行完全酶切，收集０．９Ｋｂ片段作为探针，以ｄｉｇ１１ｄＵＴＰ进行标记。探针与ＤＮＡ杂交后，用Ａｎｔｉｄｉｇｏｘｉｇｅｎｉｎｇｏｌｄ和Ｓｉｌｖｅｒｅｎｈａｎｃｅｍｅｎｔｒｅａｇｅｎｔｓ进行显色反应。胰酶法Ｇ—显带后，用光学显微镜检查。选择分散相良好、显影银颗粒清楚的玻片进行摄影记录（Ｆｉｇ．２）。对染色体上的显影银颗粒进行统计分析，参照家猪的染色体标准带型，确定外源ＰＧＨ基因整合位点。Ｆｉｇ．３为４１０４号转基因猪染色体上的银颗粒分布情况。对５头?

Reproductive characteristics of transgenic (TG) chickens caping an exogenous gene

An exogenous gene (lacZ/MiwZ) introduced into the germinal crescent region (GCR) of avian embryos was con-firmed to be successfully transferred to the gonads via the primordial germ cells (PGCs). Following hatching, the chickswere raised until the stage of sexual maturation. The incorporation of MiwZ DNA was detected in male and female trans-genic chickens, respectively. The normal male and female transgenic birds were subjected to artificial insemination ac-cording to routine methods. Fertilized eggs obtained from female transgenic chickens were incubated for 72 h and the em-bryos removed from the yolk were examined by X-gal staining to detect the introduction of MiwZ in the offspring. As aresult, the expression of MiwZ was detected in the offspring. Furthermore, the presence of MiwZ in the extracts fromembryos was also detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. In male transgenic chickens, the presence of in-jected MiwZ in the extracts from sperm was also confirmed. The exogenous gene introduced into the GCR migrated suc-cessfully to the gonad resulting in its incorporation into the offspring and spermatozoa of transgenic chickens. (Asian JAndrol 1999 Sep ; 1: 139 - 144)

Global view of transcriptome in the brains of aged NR2B transgenic mice

NR2B subunits are involved in regulating aging, in particular, age-related learning and memory deficits. We examined 19-month-old NR2B transgenic mice and their littermate controls. First, we detected expression of the NR2B subunit gene, Grin2b, in the neocortex of transgenic mice using real-time PCR. Next, we used microarrays to examine differences in neocortical gene expression. Pathway and signal-net analyses identified multiple pathways altered in the transgenic mice, in-cluding the P53, Jak-STAT, Wnt, and Notch pathways, as well as regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions. Further signal-net analysis highlighted the P53 and insulin-like growth factor pathways as key regulatory pathways. Our results provide new insight into understanding the molecular mechanisms of NR2B regulated age-related memory storage, normal organismal aging and age-related disease.

Studies on the inheritance of transgenic rice with bar gene

Bar gene driven under the control of CaMV35s promotor was delivered into the immatureembroys of a japonica rice cultivar Jingying 119through biolistic approach. Two putativetransgenic plants were produced, which ex-pressed Basta-resistance. One of the Basta-re-sistance transgenic rices was completely sterile(JY 119-3), the other was self-fertile (JY119-4).

Experimental Studies on PNP Suicide Gene Therapy of Hepatoma

Summary: To investigate the killing effect of PNP/MeP-dR suicide gene system on hepatoma cells, pcDNA3.0/PNP, an eukaryotic expression vector harboring E. coli PNP gene, was transfected into human hepatoma HepG2 cells by liposome-mediated method. A HepG2 cell line with stable PNP gene expression, HepG2/PNP, was established with presence of G418 selection. The cell growth curves were determined with trypan blue staining. The sensitivity of HepG2/PNP to MeP-dR and bystander effects were assayed by MTT and FCM methods. The enzymatic activity of the product of PNP gene was determined by HPLC method. The cytotoxic effects of MeP-dR on HepG2/PNP cells were obvious (IC 50=4.5 μmol/L) and all HepG2/PNP cells were killed 4 days after the treatment with 100 μmol/L MeP-dR. In mixed cultures containing increasing percentages of HepG2/PNP cells, total population killing was demonstrated when HepG2/PNP cells accounted for as few as 5 % of all HepG2 cells 8 days after the treatment with 100μmol MeP-dR. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) demonstrated that the PNP enzyme could convert MeP-dR into 6-MP. PNP/MeP-dR suicide gene system had an advantage over traditional suicide gene systems for hepatoma gene therapy. Our e results suggest that high-level bystander effects of this system result in significant anti-tumor responses to hepatoma gene therapy, especially in vivo.

Advances in Transgenic Breeding of Anthurium andraeanum

At present, transgenic technologies have become important means of plant breeding, and the application and promotion of transgenic technologies have created huge economic and social benefits. Transgenic plant products have significantly affected human life. Anthurium andraeanum is the second major tropical potted flower and its transgenic breeding has a promising prospect of application. In this paper, acceptors, transformation methods and introduced exogenous genes （ including reporter genes, selectable marker genes and target genes） of Anthurium andraeanum were summarized; in addition, several issues related to transforma- tion of Anthurium andraeanum were analyzed, aiming at providing reference for transgenic breeding of Anthurium andraeanum.

Effects of Agrobacterial<i>rol</i>-Genes on the Thermodynamic and Structural Features of Starches Extracted from Potato Microtubers

Wild-type potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants and their transformants harboring agrobacterial rolB or rolC genes under control of the patatin class I promoter were cultured in vitro. These plants were used as a source of single-node stem cuttings. The structure of native starch in tubers formed on cuttings was determined using methods of X-ray scattering and differential scanning microcalorimetry (DSC). It was found that in starch from tubers of rolB plants the melting temperature of crystalline lamella was lower and their thickness was less than that in wild-type potato. In tubers of rolC plants starch differed from starch in wild-type plants by a higher melting temperature, reduced melting enthalpy, and a greater thickness of crystalline lamellae. The melting of starch from tubers of rolC plants proceeded as the melting of two independent crystalline structures with melting temperatures of 338.0°K and 342.8°K. Overall data show that starches of different structure can be obtained by using transgenic approach.

Expression of a barley ABA-responsive protein gene in transgenic rice

A cDNA clone encoding an ABA-responsiveprotein HVA1,was isolated by differentialscreening from barley aleurone layers(Hong etal.).Expression of the HVA1 gene is shownto be developmentally regulated,organ-specif-ic,and ABA-and stress-induced(Hong et