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[Expression of human HSF in E. coli and its effects on mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells in rhesus monkeys].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of hHSF in E. coli and its effect on the mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. METHODS: The hHSF gene was obtained by overlapping PCR and cloned into the vector pET30a to yield pET30a-hHSF, which was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) and expressed with IPTG induction. Subsequently, rhHSF was purified by gel filtration and cation exchange chromatography and subjected to refolding. Molecular weight of hHSF was measured by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectroscopy. The N terminal amino acid sequence rhHSF was determined by protein sequencing. rhHSF was profiled in rhesus monkey for mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells. Eight rhesus monkeys were equally divided into two groups. The first group was administered single subcutaneous injection of 500 microg/kg hHSF, while the other one was administered 10 microg.kg(-1).d(-1) G-CSF for 4 days followed by a single subcutaneous injection of 500 microg/kg rhHSF. RESULTS: The sequence coding hHSF was confirmed by sequencing and the induced-expression level was about 30% of total cell proteins. The purity of target protein was over 95%. The sequence of N terminal 10 amino acids and the amino acid composition were consistent with the theoretical parameters; molecular weight of rhHSF was 7540. The peripheral CD34(+) cells, CFU-GM yields, and neutrophils peaked at 3 h (16.3-folds increase compared with baseline), 1 h (1.9-folds increase) and 45 min (4.4-folds increase) respectively after the single injection of rhHSF. The addition of rhHSF after the last dose of G-CSF boosted these levels to 25.8-folds, 8.7-folds and 8.3-folds respectively. CONCLUSION: hHSF is highly expressed in E. coli and rapidly mobilizes the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and neutrophils in rhesus monkeys. hHSF shows distinct synergistic effect with G-CSF.

Animals↗

[Expression of gene aiiA carrying the promoter of gene cry3Aa in Bacillus thuringiensis].

N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), are widely conserved signal molecules present in quorum-sensing systems of many Gram-negative bacteria. AHLs molecules mediate the expression of virulence genes of a range of bacterial pathogens. Recently, it has been reported that AiiA protein, which widely exists in Bacillus species, can inactivate the AHLs by hydrolyzing the lactone bond of AHLs, thus attenuate the diseases caused by the expression of virulence genes of bacterial pathogens. Bacillus thuringiensis, a type of Gram-positive bacteria, has been used extensively as a microbial insecticide in the last few decades. However, most of important insecticidal B. thuringiensis strains have not been exploited for bacterial disease control because they usually do not produce antibiotics that are effective against bacteria and fungi. The discovery of AiiA protein in B. thuringiensis shows the application potential of B. thuringiensis on biocontrol against bacterial diseases. In this study, in order to construct the B. thuringiensis recombinant strain that has high expression of AiiA protein, the promoter of insecticidal crystal protein coding gene cry3Aa of B. thuringiensis was selected. The promoter of gene cry3Aa is a non-sporulation promoter, it promotes the transcription earlier and longer than the promoters of other cry genes. The promoter of AiiA protein coding gene aiiA was replaced with the promoter of gene cry3Aa by overlapping PCR, resulting fusion gene pro3A-aiiA. The gene pro3A-aiiA was inserted into shuttle vector pHT304 at site BamH I / Sph I , resulting recombinant plasmid pBMB686. The plasmid pBMB686 was introduced into B. thuringiensis acrystalliferous strain BMB171, the resulting strain BMB686 had a higher and more stable expression level of protein AiiA comparing with the parental strain BMB171. Furthermore, the strain BMB686 exhibited stronger ability of AHLs inactivation and much more effective restraint to the potato's soft rot disease caused by Erwinia carotovora than those of the parental strain BMB171. From these results, it was concluded that the B. thuringiensis strain harvesting the fusion gene pro3A-aiiA may be utilized in the future to control bacterial diseases which are mediated by the AHL quorum-sensing signals.

Acyl-Butyrolactones↗

[Construction of combined site-directed random mutation libraries of recombinant human lymphotoxin].

To construct the combined site-directed random mutation library of recombinant human Lymphotoxin (rhLT) for in vitro molecular evolution study, and to study the structure and function relationship. The random point mutations at the sites of 46,106 and 130 were individually generated by overlap PCR amplification with the random nucleotide primers. The three point mutations were combined and cloned into pMD-18T vector to construct the combined mutation library. DNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity and randomness of the mutation sites. The combined mutation library was re-engineered, inserted in prokaryotic expression vector pBV220, transformed and expressed in Escherichia coli strain DH5alpha. The biological activity of some of the mutants was tested in 1929 mouse fibroblast cells. As much as 1.5 x 10(5) clones were obtained, which represents 4.5 times of the complete mutation libraries at 99% confidence. Sequencing 50 clones revealed no obvious bias in the nucleotide and amino acid mutations at the sites. Among the 30 expressed samples underwent for the bioassay, 70% (21 samples) were inactive, 23.3% (7 samples) had lower activity than rhLT, the remaining 6.7% (2 samples) had higher activity than rhLT. The combined site-directed random mutation library of rhLT has been constructed successfully. In combination with phase display, the library is ready for in vitro molecular evolution study.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Employing chimeric xylanases to identify regions of an alkaline xylanase participating in enzyme activity at basic pH.

The xylanase A (XynA) from the alkaliphilic Bacillus halodurans C-125 and the xylanase B (XynB) from Clostridium stercorarium F9 were subdivided into four fragments at highly homologous regions present in their primary structures: an amino-terminal region (A or a), a region containing the putative proton donor (P or p), a region containing the putative catalytic nucleophile (N or n), and a carboxyl-terminal region (C or c). Six chimeric xylanases were constructed by the selective substitution of the four fragments using an overlapping PCR technique. Two of the six xylanases, APnc and Apnc (regions originating from XynA are denoted by upper case letters and those from XynB are denoted by lower case letters), were produced in Escherichia coli while the other four xylanases were obtained only as inclusion bodies. The APnc and Apnc chimeric enzymes were purified by column chromatography using Ni-NTA agarose and DEAE-Toyopearl. The respective pH and temperature stabilities of the purified enzymes were observed from pH 5.6 to 11.6 and up to 45 degrees C for APnc, and from pH 5.6 to 11.2 and up to 45 degrees C for Apnc. Thus, these enzymes were slightly less stable than the parental xylanases. An assessment of the pH-activity relationships for the chimeric xylanases employed p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylobioside as the substrate in determinations of the k(cat) values. The pK(a1) values for the APnc and Apnc chimeric enzymes were 4.3 and 4.2, respectively, which were almost identical to those for the parental xylanases. In contrast, the pK(a2) values obtained for APnc and Apnc were 9.1 and 8.5, respectively; these values fall between those for the parental xylanases, XynA (9.4) and XynB (7.8). These results indicate that the main regions necessary to maintain the high pK(a2) value of XynA locate in the A and P sections.

Journal Article↗

[Enhanced prokaryotic expression of a recombinant Lagurus lagurus zona pellucida subunit 3 with codon optimization].

AIM: To improve prokaryotic expression level of Lagurus lagurus zona pellucida 3(LZP3) gene. METHODS: The rare codons of LZP3 gene fragment were turned into the most frequently used codons in E. coli by overlap PCR. LZP3 gene and mutated LZP3 (LZP3m) gene were cloned into expression vector pGEX4T-1 respectively, and transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3). RESULTS: The expression level of LZP3m was notably higher than that of LZP3. CONCLUSION: The expression of LZP3 gene in E. coli could be successfully improved by using codon optimization.

Animals↗

[Expression of human anti-HBsAg single chain Fab gene in Pichia pastoris].

AIM: To investigate the relation of the affinity activity to the structure of recombinant Fab. METHODS: The human anti-HBsAg single chain Fab gene was obtained by overlaping PCR from the H and L chains of Fab, and was introduced into the expression system of Pichia pastoris. The expression vector of single chain Fab was transformed into GS115 cells by the method of LiCl transformation. The transformants were obtained and cultured in shake flask. The culture supernatant of the recombinant yeast was deposited in (NH(4))(2)SO(4) and purified by affinity chromatography. The affinity of culture supernatant of recombinant yeast and purified single chain Fab was analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: The analysis of SDS-PAGE and Western blot showed that the single chain Fab gene was expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris, and the expression quantity was about 5-10 mg/L in shake flask. The recombinant Fab was purified by affinity chromatography and the purity reached 97.8%. The ELISA analysis showed that the recombinant single chain Fab had good HBsAg binding properties. CONCLUSION: The single chain Fab gene could be expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris and the recombinant single chain Fab can efficiently bind with HBsAg.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

[Construction and activity analysis of a recombinant immunotoxin composed of PE38 and a disulfide stable single-chain antibody].

AIM: To construct the expression vector of a recombinant toxin composed of a disulfide stable single-chain antibody from mAb B3 and PE38 and examine the binding ability and cytotoxicity of the purified renatured products against the B3 positive carcinoma cells. METHODS: The V(H) and V(L) fragments of the mAb B3 were ligated by overlaping PCR and the resulting product was cloned to the pET22b expression vector. The PE38 fragment was inserted into the B3dsscFv-pET22b expression vector which was digested by EcoR I and Hind III. The identified expression plasmid was tansformed into E.coli BL21(DE3) followed by IPTG induction. The inclusion body was purified through Q-Sepharose anion exchange column after denaturing and refolding. The binding and cytotoxic ability of the purified products were examined by cell-ELISA and Non-Radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay seperately. The stability assay was performed by incubating the protein sample at 37degrees Celsius. RESULTS: The expression vector B3dsscFv-PE38-pET was constructed successfully and the expression product existed mainly in the form of inclusion body, accounting for 45% of the totle protein. The refolding product remained the binding ability of the single-chain antibody and exerted cytotoxic effect on HT-29 colon carcinoma cells. The stability assay showed that the resulting protein was stable at 37degrees Celsius. CONCLUSION: This genetically engineered B3dsscFv-PE38 fusion protein was stable and bifunctional, tumor targeting and tumor cell killing, supporting that it would be a promising candidate for tumor targeted immunotherapy.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

[Expression, purification, and characterization of the first three immunoglobulin-like domains of human stem cell factor receptor].

OBJECTIVE: To express the first three immunoglobulin-like domains of human stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit/Ig1-3) in E. coli and HEK293 ET cells and study their binding activity for stem cell factor (SCF). METHODS: In prokaryotic expression system, a double mutant form of c-Kit /Ig1-3 (c-Kit /Ig1-3(DM) was produced by overlap PCR and cloned into pET16b. The recombinant protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and refolded by dilution. In eukaryotic expression system, the gene of c-Kit/Igl13 with eight histidine segments was cloned into pEAK12 and the recombinant plasmid was transfected into HEK293 ET cells. The fusion protein was harvested from the growth medium and purified on Ni-NTA agarose column. The recombinant protein was tested for the receptor binding activity with his-tag pull-down and enzyme-linked immunosorbent binding assay. RESULTS: In E. coli c-Kit /Ig1-3(DM) as produced as an inclusion body and showed low binding activity for SCF after refolding. Two HEK293 ET cell clones that express high levels of c-Kit/Ig1-3 were produced and each clone secreted 2p micro/ml of recombinant protein, whose relative molecular mass was about 58,000. Eukaryotically expressed c-Kit/Ig1-3 had specific binding activity for SCF, and the dissociation constant (Kd) was 9.39 nmol/L. CONCLUSION: c-Kit/Ig1-3 with high receptor binding activity is successfully produced in HEK293 ET cells.

Cells, Cultured↗

Molecular analysis of the third component of canine complement (C3) and identification of the mutation responsible for hereditary canine C3 deficiency.

Genetically determined deficiency of the third component of complement (C3) in the dog is characterized by a predisposition to recurrent bacterial infections and to type 1 membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. The current studies were undertaken to characterize the cDNA for wild-type canine C3 and identify the molecular basis for hereditary canine C3 deficiency. Amplification, cloning, and sequence analysis indicated that canine C3 is highly conserved in comparison with human, mouse, and guinea pig C3. Southern blot analysis failed to show any gross deletions or rearrangements of DNA from C3-deficient animals. Northern blot analysis indicated that the livers of these animals contain markedly reduced quantities of a normal length C3 mRNA. The full-length 5.1-kb canine C3 cDNA was amplified in overlapping PCR fragments. Sequence analysis of these fragments has shown a deletion of a cytosine at position 2136 (codon 712), leading to a frameshift that generates a stop codon 11 amino acids downstream. The deletion has been confirmed in genomic DNA, and its inheritance has been demonstrated by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression, purification, and characterization of a two domain carcinoembryonic antigen minigene (N-A3) in pichia pastoris. The essential role of the N-domain.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a 180 kDa glycoprotein expressed on the surface of normal and malignant human colon. The structure of CEA has seven predicted Ig-like domains (N-A1-B1-A2-B2-A3-B3) that are encoded by separate exons and contain independent epitopes that are recognized by monoclonal antibodies. The N-domain mediates homotypic cell adhesion as shown by deletion expression analysis, and may also interact with the A3 domain. Although we have been unsuccessful in expressing these domains in high yields of active protein in either bacterial or mammalian expression systems, we now report high yield expression in Pichia pastoris of a mini-gene (N-A3) comprising the N and A3 domains of CEA, and containing epitopes for the monoclonal antibodies T84.1 and T84.66. N-A3 was constructed by splice overlap PCR from the CEA gene and fused to the yeast alpha-mating factor leader sequence and an N-terminal His6 tag. The secreted protein gave high level expression (20 micrograms/mL) and was purified in two steps using Ni(NTA) affinity chromatography followed by reversed phase HPLC. The purified protein (yield 6 mg from 600 mL of supernatant) had a single N-terminal sequence, the expected amino acid composition, and retained full reactivity to both T84.1 and T84.66 compared to native CEA. BIAcore analysis gave a Kaff of 4.4 x 10(10) M-1 for the binding of N-A3 to T84.1 and 2.2 x 10(10) M-1 for the binding of N-A3 to T84.66. The molecular weight of N-A3 was 37 kDa before and 24 kDa after enzymatic deglycosylation as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. The average N-glycosyl unit was calculated at 1850 Da (for 7 N-linked sites) suggesting a GN2Man9 oligosaccharide structure. N-A3 migrated as a dimer at 80 kDa and a monomer at 40 kDa on gel filtration analysis performed at pH 7.5, and 4.0, respectively. CEA exhibited the same conversion of dimers to monomers when analyzed by gel filtration at neutral and acid pH. The availability of this highly active CEA mini-gene should enable further structure-function studies including epitope analysis and investigation of monomer-dimer interactions.

Antibody Affinity↗

Arginine to glutamine substitutions in the fourth module of Xenopus interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein.

PURPOSE: Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) is unusual for a lipid-binding protein in that its gene is expressed uniquely by cells of photoreceptor origin and consists of four homologous repeats, each coding for a module of approximately 300 amino acid residues. All-trans retinol binding domains, which appear to be present in each module, are composed of conserved hydrophobic regions [Baer et al, Exp Eye Res 1998; 66:249-262]. Here we investigate the role of highly conserved arginines contained in these regions. METHODS: To study the arginines in an individual module without the interference of ligand-binding activity elsewhere in the protein, we expressed in E. coli the fourth module of Xenopus IRBP by itself as a soluble thioredoxin fusion protein (X4IRBP). Arginines 1005, 1041, 1073 and 1122 were separately replaced by glutamine using PCR overlap extension mutagenesis. The glutamine substitutions were confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The binding of all-trans retinol and 9-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (9-AS) to X4IRBP and each of the mutants was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Binding was followed by monitoring the enhancement of ligand fluorescence and the quenching of protein endogenous fluorescence. The ability of the recombinant proteins to protect all-trans retinol from oxidative degradation was evaluated by monitoring absorbance at 325 nm over time. RESULTS: The substitution of Gln for Arg1005 about doubled the amount of ligand necessary to attain saturation and about doubled the level of fluorescence enhancement obtained at saturation for both all-trans retinol and 9-AS. Although there was not a significant change in the Kd, the substitution increased the calculated number of binding sites (N) from approximately 2 to approximately 4 per polypeptide. The other Arg->Gln mutants did not significantly change the Kd or N. None of the mutations compromised the ability of the module to protect all-trans retinol from degradation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the function of the conserved arginines in IRBP is fundamentally different from that of other retinoid-binding proteins. These residues do not appear to play a role in defining the specificity of the ligand-binding domain. Rather, Arg1005 appears to play a role in defining the capacity of the domain. Our data suggest that the binding site consists of a single hydrophobic cavity promiscuous for fatty acids and all-trans retinol.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Simultaneous mutagenesis of antibody CDR regions by overlap extension and PCR.

A method for the facile simultaneous mutagenesis of complementary-determining regions (CDRs) in a single chain antibody (scFv) is described. Overlapping sets of oligonucleotides containing random sequences within the CDRs corresponding to the heavy chain variable region (VH) jointed to a linker peptide (J) and the light chain variable region (VL) were extended under PCR conditions to full-length genes. These gene products were then further amplified using short PCR primers containing complementary overlaps between the 3' and 5' ends of the VH-J and VL genes respectively. In a final step, the VH-J and VL gene products were mixed and assembled into scFv DNA products by overlap extension under standard PCR conditions. Sequence analyses indicated that the method is basically successful. However, some deletions were observed, which probably reflects difficulties in the automatic synthesis of long degenerate oligonucleotides.

Base Sequence↗

Bridging PCR and partially overlapping primers for novel allergen gene cloning and expression insert decoration.

AIM: To obtain the entire gene open reading frame (ORF) and to construct the expression vectors for recombinant allergen production. METHODS: Gene fragments corresponding to the gene specific region and the cDNA ends of pollen allergens of short ragweed (Rg, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) were obtained by pan-degenerate primer-based PCR and rapid amplification of the cDNA ends (RACE), and the products were mixed to serve as the bridging PCR (BPCR) template. The full-length gene was then obtained. Partially overlapping primer-based PCR (POP-PCR) method was developed to overcome the other problem, i.e., the non-specific amplification of the ORF with routine long primers for expression insert decoration. Northern blot was conducted to confirm pollen sources of the gene. The full-length coding region was evaluated for its gene function by homologue search in GenBank database and Western blotting of the recombinant protein Amb a 8(D106) expressed in Escherichia coli pET-44 system. RESULTS: The full-length cDNA sequence of Amb a 8(D106) was obtained by using the above procedure and deduced to encode a 131 amino acid polypeptide. Multiple sequence alignment exhibited the gene D106 sharing a homology as high as 54-89% and 79-89% to profilin from pollen and food sources, respectively. The expression vector of the allergen gene D106 was successfully constructed by employing the combined method of BPCR and POP-PCR. Recombinant allergen rAmb a 8(D106) was then successfully generated. The allergenicity was hallmarked by immunoblotting with the allergic serum samples and its RNA source was confirmed by Northern blot. CONCLUSION: The combined procedure of POP-PCR and BPCR is a powerful method for full-length allergen gene retrieval and expression insert decoration, which would be useful for recombinant allergen production and subsequent diagnosis and immunotherapy of pollen and food allergy.

Allergens↗

Splicing by overlap extension by PCR using asymmetric amplification: an improved technique for the generation of hybrid proteins of immunological interest.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins play a central role in the immune recognition of antigen. The generation of hybrid MHC molecules has been of great value in elucidating the structure: function relationships of these key glycoproteins. In this report, the generation of cDNAs coding for seven such hybrid proteins is described. We have used the technique of splicing by overlap extension by the polymerase chain reaction (SOE by PCR) [Horton, R.M., Hunt, H.D., Ho, S.N., Pullen, J.K. and Pease, L.R. (1989) Engineering hybrid genes without the use of restriction enzymes: gene splicing by overlap extension. Gene 77, 61-68] to generate intermediate products of each of the components of the hybrid, tipped with a small sequence of the other, and then mixed these products in a second-stage PCR to produce the final spliced product. Where we were unable to generate final product, we introduced an additional step of asymmetric PCR synthesis to generate an excess of those strands which would anneal in the final PCR and found this to be effective. We noted a significant but manageable mutation rate, possibly contributed to by the tendency of DNA polymerase to add additional non-templated nucleotides [Hu, G. (1993) DNA polymerase-catalyzed addition of nontemplated extra nucleotides to the 3' end of a DNA fragment. DNA Cell Biol. 12, 763-770]. To avoid this, we modified our protocol to include a stage of blunting our intermediate products with T4 DNA polymerase prior to mixing them in the final PCR. We present this system as an effective mechanism to splice DNA.

Animals↗

Secretory expression and characterization of a recombinant-deleted variant of human hepatocyte growth factor in Pichia pastoris.

AIM: To study the secretory expression of human hepatocyte growth factor (hdHGF) gene in Pichia pastoris. METHODS: The full-length gene of human cDNA encoding the deleted variant of hdHGF was cloned by RT-PCR and overlapping-fragment PCR technique using mRNA of human placenta as a template. The cloned hdHGF cDNA was inserted into the Escherichia coli-yeast shuttle vector of pPIC9. The constructed plasmid, pPIC9-hdHGF, was transformed into the GS115 cells of the methylotrophic yeast, P pastoris, using a chemical method. The Mut(+ ) transformants were screened to obtain high-expression strains by the test and analysis of expressed products of shake-flask culture. A secretory form of rhdHGF was made with the aid of the leader peptide sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-factor. RESULTS: The expressed products, which showed a band of molecular mass of about 80 ku, were observed on 15% SDS-PAGE and identified by Western blotting and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. In the high cell density culture of 5 L fermentor by fed-batch culture protocol, the cell biomass was reached at approximately 135 g (DCW)/L. The productivity of secreted total supernant protein concentration attained a high-level expression of more than 8.0 g/L and the ratio of rhdHGF band area was about 12.3% of the total band area scanned by SDS-PAGE analysis, which estimated that the product of rhdHGF was 500-900 mg/L. CONCLUSION: The P pastoris system represents an attractive tool of generating large quantities of hdHGF for both research and industrial purposes.

Base Sequence↗

Detection of evolving immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangements in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a PCR-based assay employing overlapping DJH primers.

The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify clonal immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) gene rearrangements appears to be a particularly promising technique for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD). However, a major obstacle to successful implementation of this technique involves the problem of clonal evolution, in which instability of the VHDJH region leads to the generation of further rearrangements of the IgH gene over time. Such clonal evolution results in a high likelihood of false negative results when detecting MRD using clone-specific primers based on the rearrangement present at diagnosis. Since in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), clonal evolution commonly involves alterations of the VHD joining but not the DJH joining, we have devised a novel PCR strategy to circumvent the problem of false negativity in these evolved leukemias. The strategy, which involves construction of overlapping clone-specific DJH primers for use with a consensus VH segment primer, can be used to amplify both evolved and nonevolved ALL populations with high sensitivity and specificity. The method does not require radioactivity and should prove valuable for improving the effectiveness of PCR-based detection of residual leukemia.

Base Sequence↗

Screening for overlapping bacterial artificial chromosome clones by PCR analysis with an arbitrary primer.

In this article, we used PCR analysis with arbitrary primers (AP-PCR) to screen for overlapping bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones and assembly of contigs. A rice BAC library with three genome equivalents was used to prepare pooled BAC DNA. Twenty-two arbitrary primers were used to survey the pooled BAC DNAs and individual BAC DNAs. Each primer identified 1-10 loci, and the average was 4.4 loci. There were 1-5 overlapping clones in each locus, and the average was 2.5 clones. A total of 245 BAC clones were identified as overlapping by AP-PCR and the identities were confirmed by DNA-DNA hybridization. The 245 BAC clones were then assembled into 80 contigs and 17 single-clone loci. The results indicated that PCR analysis with arbitrary primers is a powerful tool in screening for overlapping BAC clones with high accuracy and efficiency. The use of AP-PCR analysis should speed up the construction of physical maps of the plant and animal genomes, as well as the rice genome.

Base Sequence↗

No polymorphism in the tissue transglutaminase gene detected in coeliac disease patients.

BACKGROUND: The autoantigen for the anti-endomysial antibody (AEA) found in coeliac disease has recently been reported to be the enzyme tissue transglutaminase (tTG). Polymorphisms in the gene for tTG would result in different enzymic isoforms being expressed. Certain isoforms may interact with gliadin to create antigenic neoepitopes, which could then generate an immune response in genetically predisposed individuals possessing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II DQ2. METHODS: We have sequenced the coding region of tTG in coeliac patients and normal controls. Total RNA was extracted from mucosal biopsies from eight AEA-positive histologically proven coeliac disease patients and four control patients with a histologically normal duodenum and a negative AEA. The 2-kb coding region of tTG was amplified in overlapping fragments by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using five sets of PCR primers. Each overlapping PCR fragment was sequenced using the fmol DNA sequencing system. RESULTS: tTG transcripts were detected in all samples. There was no difference in the coding sequence of tTG between the four control and eight coeliac patients, even though we observed differences in sequence between our study and the original published sequence. These differences have also been reported in sequences published subsequent to the original description. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in the tTG gene have not been observed in coeliac disease patients and therefore cannot explain the creation of neoepitopes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗