细菌进化中的基因横向转移

越来越多的证据表明,通过横向基因转移(lateral gene transfer, LGT)而获得外源DNA是细菌中的普遍现象,在很多情况下,有可能是细菌进化的关键因素[1-12].随着基因组序列信息的大量增加和基因芯片等基因组学技术的不断进步,人们已经能够追踪亲缘关系较近的细菌中某些基因的出现、消失与再现,从而探讨细菌基因组进化的一些基本规律.近年来这方面研究在沙门菌(Salmonella)属的细菌中多有报道[6,12-20].沙门菌属的细菌虽然在遗传上互相非常接近,但是在宿主和临床表现上可有很大差异,因此,特别适合于细菌基因组进化的研究.3株沙门菌的全基因组测序工作已经完成,还有一些目前正在测序之中(表1).通过序列比对就有可能找出LGT新获得的基因,并可发现不同的细菌在基因组整体水平上的差异.本文中,我们将简要地介绍沙门菌分类学的变迁及细菌基因组进化研究的新成果,然后以沙门菌为例集中探讨LGT,包括概述检测LGT的方法,后讨论LGT对进化的意义.

受体介导的基因转移及其在基因治疗中的应用

在各类用于基因治疗研究的病毒及非病毒基因运载体系中,非病毒受体介导的基因转移(receptor-mediated gene transfer)系统,因其基因转移的细胞靶向性而独具特色.目前已用于多种组织、细胞的靶向基因转移,从而为人类基因治疗开辟了新的途径.

Biomechanical Studies on Murine Erythroleukemia Cell Line after p53 Gene Transfer

We studied the role of p53 gene in the biorheologiy and biology in murine erythroleukemia cell line ( MEL), with the goal of understanding the influence of this tumor suppressor gene on the deformability and metastasis of tumor cells,. Experiments were performed on MEL - M and MEL - W, which expressed a mutant p53 gene and over - expressed the wild - type p53 gene, respectively, as well as the MEL cells transfected with an empty plasmid.

Gene-viral therapy, which uses replication-selective transgene-expressing viruses to manage tumors, can exploit the virtues of gene therapy and virotherapy and overcome the limitations of conventional gene therapy. Using a human telomerase reverse transcriptase-targeted replicative adenovirus as an antiangiogenic gene transfer vector to target new angiogenesis and making use of its unrestrained proliferation are completely new concepts in tumor management. CNHK300-mE is a selective replication transgene-expressing adenovirus constructed to carry mouse endostatin gene therapeutically. Infection with CNHK300-mE was associated with selective replication of the adenovirus and production of mouse endostatin in telomerase-positive cancer cells. Endostatin secreted from a human gastric cell line, SGC-7901, infected with CNHK300-mE was significantly higher than that infected with nonreplicative adenovirus Ad-mE in vitro (800±94.7 ng/ml versus 132.9±9.9 ng/ml) and in vivo (610±42 ng/ml versus 126 +/- 13 ng/ml). Embryonic chorioallantoic membrane assay showed that the mouse endostatin secreted by CNHK300-mE inhibited angiogenesis efficiently and also induced distortion of pre-existing vasculature. CNHK300-mE exhibited a superior suppression of xenografts in nude mice compared with CNHK300 and Ad-mE. In summary, we provided a more efficient gene-viral therapy strategy by combining oncolysis with antiangiogenesis.

Objective:To investigate the effect of IL-6 gene transfer into human cord blood hematopoietic stem cells on the production of megakaryocytic progenitors. Methods: IL-6 gene was transfected into human cord blood CD34 + cells using a retrovirus vector with the aid of recombinant fibronectin fragments in the presence of a cocktail of cytokines (SCF, IL-6, sIL-6R, FL, and TPO). Colony-forming units-megakaryocyte (CFU-MK) assays were perfonned as IL-6 gene transduced CD34 + cells were incubated alone or in combination with IL-3 or sIL-6R, controlled with neoR gene transduced CD34 + cells. Results: IL-6 alone or sIL-6R alone stimulated few CFU-MK colonies, the addition of sIL-6R to IL-6 gene transduced CD34 + cells significantly enhanced the production of CFU-MK colonies. IL-6 gene transduced CD34 + cells showed a modest synergistic effect with IL-3. Conclusion: These results suggest that IL-6 gene transfer may protect patients from chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia.

AIM:To investigate whether KCNE 2 participates in the development of pathological hypertrophy .METHODS:Bidirectional ma-nipulations of KCNE2 expression were performed by adenoviral overexpression of KCNE 2 or knockdown of KCNE2 with RNA interfer-ence in PE-induced neonatal rat ventricular myocytes .Then overexpression of KCNE 2 in mouse model of left ventricular hypertrophy in-duced by transverse aortic constriction (TAC) by ultrasound microbubble-mediated gene transfer were used to detect the therapeutic function of KCNE2 in the development of hypertrophy .RESULTS:KCNE2 expression was significantly decreased in PE-induced hy-pertrophic cardiomyocytes and in hypertrophic hearts produced by TAC .Knockdown of KCNE2 in cardiomyocytes reproduced hypertro-phy, whereas overexpression of KCNE2 attenuated PE-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy .Knockdown of KCNE2 increased calcineurin activity and nuclear NFAT protein level , and pretreatment with nifedipine or FK 506 attenuated decreased KCNE 2-induced cardiomyo-cyte hypertrophy .Overexpression of KCNE 2 in heart by ultrasound microbubble-mediated gene transfer suppressed the development of hypertrophy and activation of calcineurin-NFAT and MAPK pathways in TAC mice .CONCLUSION:These findings demonstrate that cardiac KCNE2 expression is decreased and contributes to the development of hypertrophy via activation of calcineurin -NFAT and
MAPK pathways .

转基因治疗心力衰竭研究进展

心力衰竭这一临床难题通过现代药物治疗只能得到部分缓解.动物和临床研究表明应用各种导管和外科技术作体内心脏转基因,其前景较为乐观.成功的基因治疗需具备三个因素:第一,载体或运载系统,这是基因传递所必需的;第二,载体必须被传递到受染组织;第三,所表达的基因必须能被鉴定出.过去10年该领域研究进展迅速,现已证实在特定环境下基因治疗是有效的,但是其远期目标只有通过基础和临床研究的不断深入方有可能实现.