Construction of Midgut Tissue-Specific cDNA Library of Bombyx mandarina M. and Isolation and Sequence Analysis of Serine Protease Gene Fragment

[Objective] The aim of the study is to construct cDNA library of midgut tissue of wild silkworm and isolate the serine protease gene. [Method] The midgut tissue-specific cDNA library of wild silkworm was constructed via cDNA Library Construction Kit (TaKaRa), then the serine protease gene was cloned via sequencing of the yielded cDNA library. [Result] The titer of cDNA library reached 6.2×105 pfu/ml, average insert size was about 1.2 kb. The serine protease gene cDNA fragment was obtained from colony sequencing (Accession No: EU672968). The nucleotide sequence of the cloned 854 bp fragment encodes 284 amino acid residues. Homology analyses showed some homology between putative amino acid sequence of the cloned fragment and amino acid sequences of serine proteases from other ten insects. [Conclusion] The results may avail to reveal the resistance of silkworm and wild silkworm to exotic intrusion.

Screening and characterization of a novel ruminal cellulase gene(Umcel-1) from a metagenomic library of gayal(Bos frontalis)

Gayal is a rare semi-wild bovine species found in the Indo-China. They can graze grasses, including bamboo leaves, as well as reeds and other plant species, and grow to higher mature live weights than Yunnan Yellow cattle maintained in similar harsh environments. The aim of this study was to identify specific cellulase in the gayal rumen. A metagenomic fosmid library was constructed using genomic DNA isolated from the ruminal contents of four adult gayals. This library contained 38400 clones with an average insert size of 35.5 kb. The Umcel-1 gene was isolated from this library. Investigation of the cellulase activity of 24 random clones led to the identification of the Umcel-1 gene, which exhibited the most potent cellulase activity. Sequencing the Umcel-1 gene revealed that it contained an open reading frame of 942 base pairs that encoded a product of 313 amino acids. The putative gene Umcel-1 product belonged to the glycosyl hydrolase family 5 and showed the highest homology to the cellulase （GenBank accession no. YP_004310852.1 ） from Clostridium lentocellum DSM 5427, with 44% identity and 62% similarity. The Umcel-1 gene was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coil BL21, and recombinant Umcel-1 was purified. The activity of purified recombinant Umcel-1 was assessed, and the results revealed that it hydrolyzed carboxymethyl cellulose with optimal activity at pH 5.5 and 45~C. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence for a cellulase produced by bacteria in gayal rumen.

Construction of SMART cDNA Library of Sheep Ovary and Identification of Candidate Gene by Homologous Cloning

The cDNA library of an ovary from Small Tail Han sheep before estrus was constructed by switching mechanism at 5＇ end of RNA transcript （SMART） approach. This library had a plaque titer of 1 x 109 pfu mL-1 and a 96% recombinant ratio of which the fragment length of inserted average cDNA sequences was 1.0 kb. Based on bioinformatics analysis of the sequences, we obtained 338 expressed sequence tags （ESTs） from 380 cDNA clones which indicated 191 contigs. These contigs consist of 89 unmatched ESTs, 9 homologous known genes in sheep, and 93 homologous sequences in species of mouse, bovine, and human beings, including 19 sequences expressed in the ovary or follicle and 14 unknown sequences. Several candidate genes associated with sheep reproduction trait such as epidermal growth factor （EGF）, estrogen receptor （ESR）, Inhibin, follicle stimulating hormone receptor （FSHR）, prostaglandin （PG）, and transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β） were identified and the homologous were cloned from this library, which will contribute to compile expression profiles and find the major genes of prolificacy of Small Tail Han sheep.

Studies on DNA Vaccine of the Conservative Region of Gene Encoding the Male-Specific Gynecophoral Canal Protein of Schistosoma japonicum (Chinese strain)

In order to observe the protective effect induced by vaccinating animals with the DNA vaccine of Sex-specific expression gene of Schistosoma, A 868 bp cDNA fragment amplified by RT-PCR from adult Schistosoma japonicum (Chinese strain) mRNA was cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3 and the recombinant eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3-SjGCP1 was directly injected into BALB/c mice intramuscularly 3 times with the interval of 3 weeks .Both the vaccinated and control group of mice were challenged with 40 cercariae of Sj 5 weeks after last injection and perfused 7 weeks post-challenge. The worm and egg reduction rate got from vaccinated mice was 32.4% and 46.9% respectively. The result indicated that pcDNA3-SjGCP1 DNA vaccine induces the significant protection in animal against Schistosoma japonicum infection.

Construction of a Full-Length cDNA Library of Solen grandis Dunker and Identification of Defense- and Immune-Related Genes

The basic genetic characteristics, important functional genes, and entire transcriptome of Solen grandis Dunker were investigated by constructing a full-length cDNA library with the ‘switching mechanism at the 5'-end of the RNA transcript'(SMART) technique. Total RNA was isolated from the immune-relevant tissues, gills and hemocytes, using the Trizol reagent, and cDNA fragments were digested with Sfi I before being ligated to the pBluescript II SK* vector. The cDNA library had a titer of 1048 cfu μL-1 and a storage capacity of 1.05×106 cfu. Approximately 98% of the clones in the library were recombinants, and the fragment lengths of insert cDNA ranged from 0.8 kb to 3.0 kb. A total of 2038 expressed sequence tags were successfully sequenced and clustered into 965 unigenes. BLASTN analysis showed that 240 sequences were highly similar to the known genes(E-value < 1e-5; percent identity >80%), accounting for 25% of the total unigenes. According to the Gene Ontology, these unigenes were related to several biological processes, including cell structure, signal transport, protein synthesis, transcription, energy metabolism, and immunity. Fifteen of the identified sequences were related to defense and immunity. The full-length cDNA sequence of HSC70 was obtained. The cDNA library of S. grandis provided a useful resource for future researches of functional genomics related to stress tolerance, immunity, and other physiological activities.

Construction of a Full-Length cDNA Library of Gossypium hirsutum L. and Identification of Two MADS-Box Genes

A full-length normalized cDNA library for the flower development stages of short-season cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） （CCRI36） was constructed. A total of 3 421 clones were randomly selected for sequencing, with a total of 3 175 effective sequences obtained after removal of empty-carriers and low-quality sequences. Clustering the 3 175 high-quality expressed sequence tags （ESTs） resulted in a set of 2 906 non-redundant sequences comprised of 233 contigs and 2 673 singletons. Comparative analyses indicated that 913 （43.6%） of the unigenes had homologues with function-known genes or functionassumed genes in the National Center for Biotechnology Information. In addition, 763 （36.4%） of the unigenes were functionally classified using Gene Ontology hierarchy. Through EST alignment and the screening method, the full-length cDNA of two MADS-box genes viz., GhMADSll and GhMADS12 were acquired. These genes may play a role in flower development. Phylogenetie analysis indicated that GhMADS11 and GhMADS12 had high homology and close evolutionary relationship with AGL2/SEP-type and PI-type genes, respectively. The expression of both GhMADSll and GhMADS12, genes was high in reproductive organs. In floral organs, GhMADSll expression was high in petals （whor12） and ovules, while GhMADS12 expression was high in petals （whor12） and stamens （whor13）. Results show that the EST strategy based on a normalized cDNA library is an effective method for gene identification. The study provides more insights for future molecular research on the regulation mechanism of cotton flower development.

Construction of cDNA Library from Intestine, Mesentery and Coelomocyte of Apostichopus japonicus Selenka Infected with Vibrio sp. and a Preliminary Analysis of Immunity-Related Genes

The aquaculture of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea) has grown rapidly during recent years and has become an important sector of the marine industry in Northern China. However, with the rapid growth of the industry and the use of non-standard culture techniques, epidemic diseases of A. japonicus now pose increasing problems to the industry. To screen the genes with stress response to bacterial infection in sea cucumber at a genome wide level, we constructed a cDNA library from A. japonicus Selenka (Aspidochirotida: Stichopodidae) after infecting them with Vibrio sp. for 48 h. Total RNA was extracted from the intestine, mesentery and coelomocyte of infected sea cucumber using Trizol and mRNA was isolated by Oligotex mRNA Kits. The ligated cDNAs were transformed into DH5α, and a library of 3.24×105 clones (3.24×105 cfu mL-1) was obtained with the sizes of inserted fragments ranging from 0.8 to 2.5 kb. Sequencing the cDNA clones resulted in a total of 1106 ESTs that passed the quality control. BlastX and BlastN searches have identified 168 (31.5%) ESTs sharing significant homology with known sequences in NCBI protein or nucleotide databases. Among a panel of 25 putative immunity-related genes, serum lectin isoform, complement component 3, complement component 3-like genes were further studied by real-time PCR and they all increased more than 5 fold in response to Vibrio sp. challenge. Our library provides a valuable molecular tool for future study of invertebrate immunity against bacterial infection and our gene expression data indicates the importance of the immune system in the evolution and development of sea cucumber.

Diversity of Microflora in Colonic Mucus from Severe Ulcerative Colitis Patients Analyzed by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Clone Libraries of Bacterial 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

Although the gut microflora is thought to be an essential factor in the development of ulcerative colitis (UC), the entire gut microflora occurring in UC remains unknown. Most studies use feces to represent the microflora distribution;however, here we analyzed the bacterial diversity in colonic mucus from UC patients receiving colectomy surgery and control patients. The diversity of microflora was investigated using a combination of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and clone library analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences. In the T-RFLP analysis, the number of terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) decreased significantly in UC patients when compared to control samples. Also in the clone library analysis, the number of operational taxonomic units (OTU) and the Shannon diversity index were reduced significantly in UC patients. These molecular analyses reveal an overall dysbiosis in UC patients. No specific pathogen was found, and a strong negative correlation in relative abundance of bacterial populations was observed between the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the UC patients. This is the first report showing a significant correlation between these two phyla, which may be important characteristics in the pathogenesis of UC.

Cloning of Bt cry Genes by Rapid Screening of DNA Libraries with PCR-RFLP

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strain C002 contains crylAa, cry2Ab, crylCa insecticidal crystal genes and an unkown gene cryX, among which crylCa is located in a 6 -9 kb EcoR I fragment of the chromosomal DNA. The total DNA and the plasmids DNA libraries of C002 were constructed in Bt-E. coli shuttle plasmid pHT315 by inserting 6 - 9 kb chromosomal and plasmid DNA fragments prepared respectively with EcoR I complete and 5au3A I partial digestion. On the basis of every 50 transformants pooled together from 5-10 tubes, the pools containing about 2 000 transformants from the plasmids DNA library and 400 transformants from the total DNA library were rapidly screened by PCR-RFLP. Clones containing crylAa, cryX, crylCa , and cry2Ab were isolated and named as pHT-1Aa, pHT-X, pHT-1Ca and pHT-2Ab respectively. Restriction analysis indicated that pHT-1Aa, pHT-1Ca and pHT-2Ab had the typical physical map of the homologous cry genes. Furthermore, each plasmid was transferred into Bt acrystalliferous strain cryB- by eletropora-tion. SDS-PAGE result showed that transformant of pHT-1Ca expressed 130 kDa protein and bioassay result proved its high toxicity against Spodotera exigua 1st instar larvae with 100% corrected motality.

ISOLATION OF TUMOR DIFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED GENES BY MIXING PROBES LIBRARY SCREEN

Objective: This study was designed to clone candidate tumor suppressor genes down-expressed in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC). Methods: Differentially expressed cDNA fragments (AF152605 and AF091517) were labeled by PCR, and Northern blot was used to confirmed transcript length of these genes. Skeleton muscle cDNA library was screened with PCR-labeled probe mixture. Results: 23 positive independent and overlapping positive clones were obtained. By sequencing the positive clones directly, three novel genes (Genbank accession number: AF179285, AF170307 and AF194971), with transcripts of 2.1 Kb, 1.1 Kb and 1.4 Kb respectively, were isolated successfully. Conclusions: Library screening using PCR-labeled probes mixture is an efficient method to get full-length cDNA from multi-cDNA fragment simultaneously and quickly.

Ultraviolet-attenuated cercariae ofSchistosoma japonicum fail to effectively induce a Th1 response in spite of up-regulating expression of cytotoxicity-related genes in C57BL/6 mice

Objective： To better understand the reason that Schistosoma japonicurn （S. japonicum） ultraviolet （UV）- radiated cercariae could not induce high level of protection in C57BL/6 mice. Methods： Microarray technology was performed to investigate the gene transcription profile in skin draining lymph nodes （sdLNs） at 1 w after exposure to attenuated cercariae （AC） or normal cercariae （NC） of S. japonicum in C57BL/6 mice. The expressions of some representative genes were further confirmed by real-time PCR. Subsequently, the expressions of Th1/Th2 cytokine genes, cytotoxicity-related genes, as well as co-stimulator genes in spleens from AC-vaccinated and NC- infected mice were analyzed by real-time PCR at w 3 and 6 post-exposure. Results： The gene expressions of Th1 cytokines, including interferon-y （IFN-γ）, interleukin （IL）-12 and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the sdLNs were significantly lower in AC-vaccinated mice than in NC-infected mice. Furthermore, the gene expressions of Th1- and Th2- cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-12, TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-10, in the spleens from AC-vaccinated mice showed little changes at w 3 and 6 post-vaccination. In addition, cytotoxicity-related molecules including granzyme A, granzyme B, granzyme K, perforin 1 and Fas L were up-regulated from the early stage of vaccination, and peaked at the 3rd w after vaccination with UV-AC. Conclusion： UV-AC of S. japonicum could not ef- fectively induce a Thl response in C57BL/6 mice, which may be an explanation for the low protection against parasite challenge, and the role played by up-regulated expression of cytotoxicity-related genes in mice needs to be further investigated.

Product of the Schistosoma mansoni Glutathione Peroxidase Gene is a Selenium ContainingPhospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase (PHGPx) Sharing MolecularWeight and Substrate Specificity WithIts Mammalian Counterpart

In the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni a functionally active, monomeric, phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) has been purified and characterized. This enzyme contains a catalytically active selenocysteine. The protein has been shown to be the product of a cloned gene, previously referred to as a glutathione peroxidase gene. S. mansoni PHGPx has been found 5 times more abundant in female than in male worm extract. As in vertebrate PHGPx, homology alignment indicates that the residues involved in the glutathione binding by the tetrameric cellular glutathione peroxidase are mutated in the S. mansoni enzyme. Thus, this aspect appears a landmark of the PHGPx-type of glutathione peroxidases,which might be of functional relevance

Screening and Primary Characterization of NewAntigen Genes of Schistosoma Japonicum

To find Schistosoma japonicum(S.j)new antigen gene thus provide more useful vaccine candidates, the cDNA library of S.j adult worm was screened with sera of rabbits immunized with the membrane antigens of Schistosoma japonicum hepato-portal schistosomula (SjHmAg). The positive clones were amplified by PCR and sequenced, then the sequences of clones were compared with all sequences in GenBank database using Blast process. The new clones were submitted to GenBank for accession numbers. Fifteen positive clones were obtained after three rounds of immunoscreening. The size of S.j cDNA fragments in positive clones ranged from 0.7?kb-3.0?kb after automatically excised with the helper phage. Sequence analysis revealed that partial sequence of clone M5 had significant homology with S.j mitochondria mRNA, the other positive clones were new S.j genes. M2 clone sequence (GenBank accession number AF502579) was 730?bp long it had a 117?bp open reading frame (ORF). The sequence of M15 (GenBank accession number AF502582) has no transmembrane region and encodes 92 amino acids, and its protein contains a ferredoxins iron-sulfur binding region signature and two VWFC signal regions. The size of M1、M8、M9、M12(GenBank accession numbers: AF502578, AF502580, AF500622, AF502581) ranges from 402?bp to 766?bp. It concluded that the sera from rabbit immunized with SjHmAg could recognize S.j specific antigens molecules, and these antigens may induce the protective immunity against S.j infection.

Selection of Immunogenic Peptide Mimics of Male Worm Origin of Schistosoma Japonicum using Phage Display Peptide Library

To select the immunogenic short peptide mimics of male worm origin of Schistosoma japonicum (Sj) and to explore their protection effect against schistosomiasis in mice, the random phage display peptide library of 12-mer was screened with IgG to soluble male worm antigen of Sj, and the specific positive clones selected through three rounds of screenings were detected by Dot-ELISA, and then injected subcutaneously into mice for vaccination and protection assessment against Sj. It was found that 18 randomly picked phage displayed clones all showed definite antigenicity with various intensities. The pooled phages displayed clones could induce production of specific antibodies and cause 31.72% of worm reduction rate and 51.54% of egg reduction rate in mice, revealing a significant difference (P<0.001) in comparison with those of the controls. It concludes that the short peptide mimics of male worm origin of Sj obtained by affinity screening phage display peptide library can elicit partial protection against this pathogen.

Screening an Na^+/H^+ Antiporter Gene from the Halophiles Colonizing in the Dagong Ancient Brine Well of Zigong City,China

[Objective] This study aimed to screen an Na＋/H＋ antiporter gene from the halophiles colonizing in the Dagong Ancient Brine Well in Zigong City, China, and then analyze the gene structure and properties of the protein encoded by this gene. [Method] Metagenomic DNA libraries of halophiles from the Dagong Ancient Brine Well were used for screening genes with Na＋/H＋ antiporter activity in antiporter-defi- cient E. coil KNabc strain by functional complementation. Then the start codon, stop codon, ORF, -35 region, -10 region and SD sequence of Na~/H＋ antiporter gene, as well as the molecular weight, isoelectric point, hydrophobic region, transmembrane domain, phyletic evolution and salt resistance of protein encoded by the gene were investigated. [Result] A new Na＋/H＋ antiporter gene m-nha was obtained, which ,ren- dered the antiporter-negative mutant E. coil KNabc cells with both the resistance to Na＋ and the ability to grow under alkaline conditions. [Conclusion] The structure and amino acid sequence of M-Nha was different from the previously reported Na＋/H~ antiporters, and the m-nha gene disclosed from the Dagong Ancient Brine Well was identified as a novel Na＋/H＋ antiporter gene. This study was significant not only in helping us understand the salt tolerance of halophiles in ancient brine wells and develop and utilize the genes resource, but also in exploring new salt-tolerant genes.

A Cosmid Library Constructed to the Elite Rice Cultivar “Minghui 63”

A genomic DNA library was constructed to the elite rice cultivar “Minghui 63” using the cosmid SuperCos1 as the vector. The library consisted of 45000 clones with average insert size about 40 kb. It was estimated that this library had a capacity of 4.2 times equivalent of the haploid genome of rice.

产氢细菌Ethanoligenens harbinense YUAN-3基因文库构建及分析

以高效产氢细菌哈尔滨产乙醇杆菌的模式菌株YUAN-3作为出发菌株,提取细菌总DNA,经过Sau3AI的不完全酶切,将2.5～5.0kb的片段连接入用BamHI酶切的pUC19质粒,转化入E.ColiDH5α中,构建菌株YUAN-3的基因组文库,得到克隆数接近9×103个,以最相近的梭菌属已报道的基因组平均大小4.6Mb计算,概括了其99%以上的基因组,达到了建库的理论值.随机挑取200个白色菌落进行测序,经分析得到的结果大多数与已经过全序列分析的产氢细菌的假想蛋白相近,其中有49个与其他菌株功能蛋白相似性超过70%的片段,包括叶酰聚谷氨酸合成酶、DNA拓扑异构酶、乙酰转移酶等,同时获得了7个功能蛋白或基因的完整开放阅读框.

Streptomyces griseochromogenes菌株milbemycin生物合成基因簇的筛选

经BamHI酶切的柯氏质粒pku4 0 3与MboⅠ部分消化并经碱性磷酸酶处理的Streptomycesgriseochromogenes染色体DNA片段相连接 ,体外包装后 ,转化大肠杆菌E .coliJM1 0 8,挑取转化子1 1 5 2个 ,构建Streptomycesgriseochromogenes的基因文库。分别以avermectin聚酮体合成酶 (PKS)的酰基转移酶基因 (AT)、酮基合成酶基因 (KS)及参与avermectin生物合成的内酯化酶基因(aveE)、C5 O 甲基转移酶基因 (aveD)为探针 ,利用菌落原位杂交、核酸杂交和以烯酰基还原酶基因(ER)引物的PCR扩增等手段 ,从文库中筛选出 2 4个阳性克隆。根据克隆DNA之间的重叠关系 ,将阳性克隆分为 7组 ,这

A novel and complete gene cluster involved in the degradation of aniline by Delftia sp. AN3

A recombinant strain, Escherichia coli JM109-AN1, was obtained by constructing of a genomic library of the total DNA of Delftia sp. AN3 in E. coli JM109 and screening for catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity. This recombinant strain could grow on aniline as sole carbon, nitrogen and energy source. Enzymatic assays revealed that the exogenous genes including aniline dioxygenase （AD） and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase （C230） genes could well express in the recombinant strain with the activities of AD and C230 up to 0.31 U/mg wet cell and 1.92 U/mg crude proteins, respectively. The AD or C23O of strain AN3 could only catalyze aniline or catechol but not any other substituted substrates. This recombinant strain contained a recombinant plasmid, pKC505-AN1, in which a 29.7-kb DNA fragment from Delftia sp. AN3 was inserted. Sequencing and open reading frame （orfs） analysis of this 29.7 kb fragment revealed that it contained at least 27 orfs, among them a gene cluster （consisting of at least 16 genes, named danQTA1A2BRDCEFG1HIJKG2） was responsible for the complete metabolism of aniline to TCA-cycle intermediates. This gene cluster could be divided into two main parts, the upper sequences consisted of 7 genes （danQTA1A2BRD） were predicted to encode a multi-component aniline dioxygenase and a LysR-type regulator, and the central genes （danCEFG1HIJKG2） were expected to encode meta-cleavage pathway enzymes for catechol degradation to TCA-cycle intermediates. Unlike clusters tad from Delftia tsuruhatensis AD9 and tdn from Pseudomonas putida UCC22, in this gene cluster, all the genes were in the same transcriptional direction. There was only one set of C230 gene （danC） and ferredoxin-like protein gene （danD）. The presence of only one set of these two genes and specificity of AD and C230 might be the reason for strain AN3 could only degrade aniline. The products of danQTA1A2BRDC showed 99%-100% identity to those from Delftia acidovorans 7N, and 50%-85% identity to those of tad cluster from D. tsuruhatensis AD9 in amino acid residues. Besides this dan cluster, the 29.7 kb fragment also contained genes encoding the trans-membrane transporter and transposases which might be needed for transposition of the gene cluster. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis （PFGE） and plasmid curing experiments suggested that the dan cluster might be encoded on the chromosome of strain AN3. The GenBank accession number for the dan cluster of Delftia sp. AN3 is DQ661649.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in normal mucosa,adenoma and adenocarcinoma of colon by SSH

AIM: To construct subtracted cDNA libraries and further identify differentially expressed genes that are related to the development of colorectal carcinoma(CRC). METHODS: Suppression subtractive hybridization(SSH) was done on cDNAs of normal mucosa, adenoma and adenocarcinoma tissues from the same patient. Three subtracted cDNA libraries were constructed and then hybridized with forward and backward subtracted probes for differential screening. Positive clones from each subtracted cDNA library were selected for sequencing and BLAST analysis. Finally, virtual Northern Blot confirmed such differential expression. RESULTS: By this way, there were about 3-4 X 10(2) clones identified in each subtracted cDNA library, in which about 85% positive clones were differentially screened. Sequencing and BLAST homology search revealed some clones containing sequences of known gene fragments and several possibly novel genes showing few or no sequence homologies with any known sequences in the database. CONCLUSION: All results confirmed the effectiveness and sensitivity of SSH. The differentially expressed genes during the development of CRC can be used to shed light on the pathogenesis of CRC and be useful genetic markers for early diagnosis and therapy.