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Production of HIV-1 p24 protein in transgenic tobacco plants.

The production of antigens for vaccines in plants has the potential as a safe and cost-effective alternative to traditional production systems. Toward the development of a plant-based expression system for the production of human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) p24 capsid protein, the p24 gene was introduced into the genome of tobacco plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer. Southern blot analyses confirmed the presence of the p24 coding sequence within the genome of transgenic lines. Western blot analysis of protein extracts from transgenic plants identified plant-expressed p24 protein that cross-reacted with a p24-specific monoclonal antibody, thus confirming the maintenance of antigenicity. Quantification of the p24 protein using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) estimated yields of approx 3.5 mg per g of soluble leaf protein. Similar accumulation levels of p24 were also detected in T1 plants, confirming that the p24 gene is transmitted stably. Our results indicate that plant-based transgenic expression represents a viable means of producing p24 for the development of HIV vaccine and for use in HIV diagnostic procedures.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

Changes in presenilin 2-binding Wnt proteins, behavior, amyloid-beta 42, gamma-secretase activity, and testosterone sensitivity in transgenic mice coexpressing tetracycline-controlled transactivator and human mutant presenilin 2.

Nonregulatable promoters have been mainly used to produce transgenic mice that express the human genes for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to produce doubly transgenic mice expressing the regulatable tet promoter-controlled transactivator (tTA) and human mutant presenilin 2 (N141I, hPS2m) genes in order to examine the AD-related phenotypes at the basal and inducible levels. To achieve this, the first lineage of the transgenic line, expressing Tet/tTA and the second lineage of transgenic mice, expressing Tet/hPS2m, were created, and the doubly transgenic mice were produced by crossing the Tet/tTA-transgenic mice with the Tet/hPS2m-transgenic mice. The doubly transgenic mice and nontransgenic littermates were then treated with or without doxycycline. The results showed that removing doxycycline from the transgenic mice resulted in the induction of the transgene, a Wnt signaling defect, behavioral impairment, elevated amyloid-beta-42 and gamma-secretase activity compared with in the group given doxycyline. Moreover, the expression levels of the hPS2m transgene decreased gradually in the transgenic males, with clear changes becoming apparent between 2 and 4 wk of age. Castrating these males resulted in an increased expression level of the hPS2m gene. This was restored to the normal levels by treatment with testosterone. Therefore, tetregulated transgenic mice can be used to examine the effect of the basal or inducible expression levels of hPS2m on the pathology of AD at the "on/off" states at any stage of development.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases↗

Preferential activation of an IL-2 regulatory sequence transgene in TCR gamma delta and NKT cells: subset-specific differences in IL-2 regulation.

A transgene with 8.4-kb of regulatory sequence from the murine IL-2 gene drives consistent expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene in all cell types that normally express IL-2. However, quantitative analysis of this expression shows that different T cell subsets within the same mouse show divergent abilities to express the transgene as compared with endogenous IL-2 genes. TCR gamma delta cells, as well as alpha beta TCR-NKT cells, exhibit higher in vivo transgene expression levels than TCR alpha beta cells. This deviates from patterns of normal IL-2 expression and from expression of an IL-2-GFP knock-in. Peripheral TCR gamma delta cells accumulate GFP RNA faster than endogenous IL-2 RNA upon stimulation, whereas TCR alpha beta cells express more IL-2 than GFP RNA. In TCR gamma delta cells, IL-2-producing cells are a subset of the GFP-expressing cells, whereas in TCR alpha beta cells, endogenous IL-2 is more likely to be expressed without GFP. These results are seen in multiple independent transgenic lines and thus reflect functional properties of the transgene sequences, rather than copy number or integration site effects. The high ratio of GFP: endogenous IL-2 gene expression in transgenic TCR gamma delta cells may be explained by subset-specific IL-2 gene regulatory elements mapping outside of the 8.4-kb transgene regulatory sequence, as well as accelerated kinetics of endogenous IL-2 RNA degradation in TCR gamma delta cells. The high levels and percentages of transgene expression in thymic and splenic TCR gamma delta and NKT cells, as well as skin TCR gamma delta-dendritic epidermal T cells, indicate that the IL-2-GFP-transgenic mice may provide valuable tracers for detecting developmental and activation events in these lineages.

Animals↗

Identification of IL-4 promoter elements conferring Th2-restricted expression during T helper cell subset development.

Selective cytokine gene expression by T cell subsets underlies polarization of cellular and humoral immune responses. Our interest has been to define the molecular basis for restricted cytokine expression by Th1 and Th2 cells. IL-4 is selectively expressed by Th2 cells, providing a model for Th2-specific gene expression. To allow for promoter analysis during the process of Th1/Th2 differentiation within a normal cellular context, we have taken a transgenic approach. We generated a series of murine transgenic lines harboring both the DO11.10 alphabeta-TCR transgene and the luciferase gene driven by regions of the IL-4 promoter. The results identify proximal promoter regions that provide significantly Th2-restricted IL-4 gene expression. The IL-4 -741- to +60-bp region allows, on the average, 40-fold higher inducible reporter activity in Th2 cells than in Th1 cells. When trimerized, the region spanning -88 to -61 bp, containing a composite NF-AT/AP-1 site, also confers significant Th2-specific reporter activity. These results suggest that trans-acting factors binding this NF-AT/AP-1 composite site cooperate to allow substantial Th2-selective reporter expression. Finally, because reporter expression is low relative to endogenous IL-4 mRNA in activated Th2 cells, we suggest that additional control elements outside of the IL-4 promoter may be required to enhance overall IL-4 gene activity.

Adaptor Protein Complex alpha Subunits↗

Parental imprinting of an Igf-2 transgene.

As a consequence of parental imprinting in mice, the paternal allele encoding insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) is expressed, whereas the maternal allele is silent in most tissues. To examine whether cis-acting sequences involved in imprinting are located in the vicinity of the Igf-2 gene, we have constructed mouse transgenic lines and studied the expression of a 30 kb rat Igf-2 transgene, in which the coding region has been replaced with the lacZ reporter sequence. Chromatin position effects and/or absence of long-range regulatory elements seem to have affected tissue-specific expression in the transgenic mice. However, in one of six expressing lines, staining of embryos for beta-galactosidase activity was detected in a minor subset of tissues normally transcribing the endogenous homolog, but only when the transgene was transmitted paternally. This transgene was integrated into mouse chromosome 19, which is apparently free of imprinted loci. Although the possibility that the Igf-2 transgene was inserted into an as yet unidentified imprinted locus is discussed, a more likely interpretation of our results is that the transgene carries at least a portion of its own imprinting signal, because it consists of the genomic sequences of a locus already known to be imprinted and maintains the correct imprinting mode.

Animals↗

A glucocorticoid-inducible transcription system causes severe growth defects in Arabidopsis and induces defense-related genes.

A glucocorticoid-inducible transcription system was employed to control the expression of AtEBP, an Arabidopsis transcription factor. A number of the transgenic AtEBP lines had developmental and growth defects when grown on dexamethasone (DEX), a strong synthetic glucocorticoid. However, these growth defects were not confined to the AtEBP lines but were observed with other transgenic lines that were generated using the same system, including empty vector lines. In about 25% of the AtEBP or empty vector transgenic lines, these growth defects were severe and in some cases led to death. As AtEBP has been linked to the plant defense response, the expression of specific defense-related genes, including a number of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes was also examined. PDF1.2, a plant defensin gene, was strongly induced in all transgenic lines examined following treatment with DEX, including empty vector lines that did not show any observable DEX-induced growth defect. PR-5 was induced to a lesser extent in all the lines, while the expression of PR-1, PR-2 and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 3 (PAL3) did not change significantly. While the induction of the AtEBP transgene and PDF1.2 had similar DEX concentration requirements, the kinetics of induction differed significantly, with the AtEBP transgene being induced within 1 h and PDF1.2 only being induced between 24 and 48 h. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth defects and changes in gene expression remain to be determined, these changes appear to result from the glucocorticoid-inducible system itself, and may therefore limit the usefulness of this system for controlling gene expression in Arabidopsis.

Arabidopsis↗

Enhancer trapping by a human mid-sized neurofilament transgene reveals unexpected patterns of neuronal enhancer activity.

In ten transgenic lines, expression of a human mid-sized (M) neurofilament (NF) transgene was restricted to neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, no two lines gave identical expression patterns and none exactly matched the expression of mouse NF(M). These varied expression patterns within the neural compartment likely result from interactions of the transgene with enhancer elements located in the regions flanking the insertion site. Unexpected patterns of enhancer activity included an enhancer active in subsets of cerebellar basket cells as well as others preferentially active in subsets of motor or sensory neurons.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Different sensitivity to nephrotoxic agents and osmotic stress in proximal tubular and collecting duct cell lines derived from transgenic mice.

We established six renal tubular cell lines from definite tubular areas of the kidney of transgenic mice harboring tsSV40 large T-antigen gene. Three are proximal tubular cell lines prepared from the S(1), S(2) and S(3) segments of the proximal tubule and the others are collecting duct cell lines obtained from cortical, outer medullary and inner medullary collecting ducts (CCD, OMCD and IMCD, respectively). To verify the growth properties of these cell lines under different temperature conditions (33 and 39 degrees C), two representative cells were chosen from the proximal tubule (S(1) cells) and from the collecting duct (IMCD cells). From these cells, a daily change in cell number was evaluated as a parameter of cell growth. As might be expected, cell numbers of these cells increased only at 33 degrees C. Similar patterns were also observed with the other cell lines. To observe the different sensitivity to nephrotoxic agents in proximal tubular cell lines, the cells were exposed to nephrotoxic agent, gentamicin, ochratoxin A or cisplatin. Gentamicin (1 mg/ml) dose-dependently decreased cellular ATP levels of the S(1) cells only. In contrast, the effect of ochratoxin A (10(-6) M) was most pronounced in the S(2) cells, and that of cisplatin (10 microg/ml) in the S(3) cells. To characterize collecting duct cell lines, a hyperosmotic challenge of 700 or 1100 mOsm/l was applied to the cells. At an isoosmotic condition of 300 mOsm/l, the number of cells from the collecting ducts, regardless of their origin, increased continuously during the culture period of 4 days. At an osmotic concentration of 700 mOsm/l, the number of CCD cells decreased, while OMCD cells showed a gradual but a significant increase in cell numbers throughout the culture period. IMCD cells, however, proliferated even at a concentration as high as 1100 mOsm/l, although an initial decrease in cell number was noted on the first day of culture. For confirmation of intracellular free calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) mobilization, cells were treated with ATP and bradykinin. The [Ca(2+)](i) was increased significantly and immediately by ATP (10(-4) M) in S(1) cells and bradykinin (10(-7) M) in IMCD cells. From the results obtained, it is indicated that renal tubular cell lines from transgenic mice have different sensitivities to nephrotoxic or osmotic stress showing the conservation of the functional characters of the definite part it originated from.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Sharing of an HLA-B27-restricted H-Y antigen between rat and mouse.

The purpose of this work was twofold: 1) to learn whether rats transgenic for HLA-B27 and the human beta 2-microglobulin gene HB2M can mount B27-restricted cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to the male H-Y antigen, and 2) to learn whether such CTLs would recognize both rat and mouse H-Y in the context of HLA-B27. Female rats of the B27/HB2M transgenic line 21-4L were primed in vivo with cells from males of the same line. CTL effectors were generated from lymph node cells of these females following culture with irradiated antigen-presenting cells from either male 21-4L rats or male mice of the B27/HB2M transgenic 56-3 line. The CTLs showed male-specific, B27-specific lysis of both rat and mouse targets. Lysis of B27 targets was inhibitable by monoclonal antibodies specific for B27 or rat CD8. Specific lysis of male B27 rat and mouse targets was inhibitable equally by either rat or mouse male B27 cold targets, but not significantly by female or nontransgenic cold targets. The B27-restricted CTLs neither recognized nor were inhibited by B27+ or B27- male or female human targets. These results demonstrate that CD8+, B27-restricted, anti-H-Y CTLs recognize an evolutionarily conserved H-Y peptide antigen in both rats and mice. In addition, they establish the transgenic rat as a model system for examining the T-cell response to antigen presented by class I HLA molecules.

Animals↗

Hepatocytes contribute to soluble CD14 production, and CD14 expression is differentially regulated in hepatocytes and monocytes.

CD14 presents as a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked membrane protein on the surface of monocytes/macrophages and as a soluble protein in the serum. Our previous studies have shown that an 80-kilobase pair (kb) genomic DNA fragment containing the human CD14 gene is sufficient to direct CD14 expression in a monocyte-specific manner in transgenic mice. In addition, we discovered that human CD14 is highly expressed in hepatocytes. Here, we report the generation of transgenic mice with either a 24- or 33-kb human CD14 genomic DNA fragment. Data from multiple transgenic lines show that neither the 24- nor the 33-kb transgenic mice express human CD14 in monocytes/macrophages. However, human CD14 is highly expressed in the liver of the 33-kb transgenic mice. These results demonstrate that human CD14 expression is regulated differently in monocytes and hepatocytes. Furthermore, we identified an upstream regulatory element beyond the 24-kb region, but within the 33-kb region of the human CD14 gene, which is critical for CD14 expression in hepatocytes, but not in monocytes/macrophages. Most importantly, the data demonstrate that the liver is one of the major organs for the production of soluble CD14. These transgenic mice provide an excellent system to further explore the functions of soluble CD14.

Animals↗

Accumulation of human apolipoprotein E in the plasma of transgenic mice.

Three separate lines of transgenic mice were created with integrated copies of an 11.1-kilobase pair human DNA fragment containing the apolipoprotein (apo) E gene. The endogenous mouse apoE gene is primarily expressed in the liver with varying levels of expression in other tissues. However, in all three transgenic lines high levels of human apoE mRNA were detected only in the kidney, with lower levels found in the liver and other tissues; despite this profile of human apoE mRNA, human apoE was found in the plasma of the transgenic mice at levels comparable to those found in human plasma. All of the human apoE in the plasma of the transgenic mice was associated with lipoproteins. These results suggest that the domain responsible for the high level of apoE expression in liver lies outside of the microinjected DNA fragment and that an ectopic site of expression of an introduced gene may be permissive for the accumulation of its protein in plasma.

Animals↗

Conditional mutagenesis in mice with heat shock promoter-driven cre transgenes.

To explore the potential of a simple and rapid approach for ubiquitous conditional gene disruption, we have generated Cre-producer mouse transgenic lines (Hs-cre1, 6 and 7) expressing a recombinase transgene (cre) from a heat shock gene promoter and tested their performance in Cre-mediated excision of target DNA in crosses with Cre-responder strains carrying loxP-modified alleles of the genes encoding the Huntington's disease gene homolog (Hdh), the epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr), and the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (Igf1r). Analyses of progeny possessing various transgene/reporter combinations showed that cre expression can occur without heat shock in early embryos, but this constitutive transcription is stochastic and transgene dependent. Thus, Hs-cre1 behaves predominantly as a "deleter" strain, since the majority of progeny (approximately 70-85%) exhibit complete recombination, regardless of reporter locus. Lines Hs-cre6 and Hs-cre7, however, function successfully as "mosaicking" strains because, in addition to two extreme classes of progeny with 0% or 100% recombination, they generate an intermediate class of mosaics exhibiting various degrees of partial DNA excision. Notably, the frequency of offspring in each class varies between reporters, but mosaic embryos are consistently obtained in adequate numbers (approximately 30-60%). The Hs-cre6 transgene is also inducible and can be used to introduce mosaicism into adult tissues at preselected developmental times by heat shock treatment of mice with 0% recombination in tail DNA. By bypassing the lethality resulting from some gene knockouts, mosaic embryos and mice make particular mutational analyses possible and are also very useful for the identification of cell lineage-specific gene functions.

Animals↗

Transformation of a muskmelon 'Galia' hybrid parental line (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Ser.) with an antisense ACC oxidase gene.

'Galia' muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Ser.) has been recalcitrant to transformation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Transformation of the 'Galia' male parental line, 'Krymka', with an ACC oxidase (CMACO-1) gene in antisense orientation is described herein. Explants were transformed using A. tumefaciens strain ABI, which contained a vector pCmACO1-AS plasmid, bearing an antisense gene of CMACO-1 and the CP4 syn gene (glyphosate-tolerance). Both CMACO-1 and CP4 syn genes were assessed by a polymerase chain reaction method. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to determine plant ploidy level of primary transformants. Two completely diploid independent transgenic plants were obtained. Southern blot and segregation analysis in the T1 generation determined that each independent transgenic line had one single insertion of the transgene. These transgenic muskmelon male parental lines have potential for use in the production of 'Galia' F1 hybrids with improved shelf life.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Age-dependent silencing of globin transgenes in the mouse.

Variegation of transgene expression, a heterocellular or mosaic pattern of expression seen in all mice in a given transgenic line, is a frequently observed but unexplained phenomenon. We have encountered variegation with globin transgenes; when lacZ expression is driven by globin control elements a proportion of erythrocytes express beta-galactosidase (beta-gal), while the remaining erythrocytes express none. The percentage of expressing cells is constant within each line (at any particular developmental stage), but varies between lines. Such variation may account for much of the line-to-line variability which has been reported in the expression of a transgene construct. We have now extended these observations by studying expression of several globin/lacZ transgenes with increasing age. Expression of beta-gal is variegated in all lines in adult mice, including those made with a beta-globin promoter and locus control region driving lacZ. The extent of variegation differs widely between lines, but in all lines there is a marked decline in the number of erythrocytes expressing beta-gal with increasing age. Progression of silencing continues long past the point at which globin switching is complete, suggesting that it is not related to this process. We observe that age-dependent silencing is most severe in high copy number animals. Increasing variegation of transgene expression with ageing of mice is likely to complicate interpretation of the developmental regulation of transgenes. We speculate that it reflects a general mechanism of epigenetic regulation.

Aging↗

Complete rescue of photoreceptor dysplasia and degeneration in transgenic retinal degeneration slow (rds) mice.

retinal degeneration slow (rds) is a semidominant mutation of mice with the phenotype of abnormal development of rod and cone photoreceptors, followed by their slow degeneration. The rds gene has been putatively cloned and its novel protein product initially characterized biochemically. In the present study we undertook to correct in vivo the retinal phenotype of mice with the rds mutation. We assembled a transgene containing a regulatory segment of the opsin gene positioned upstream of the wild-type rds coding region. Mice from three transgenic lines, homozygous for the rds mutation, were analyzed for expression of the transgene and for their retinal phenotypes. In two high expressing lines, we observed complete reversion to wild-type retinal morphology. In a third, low expressing line, we observed a retinal phenotype intermediate between wild type and rds/rds, suggesting partial rescue of the mutation. These results constitute formal proof that we have cloned the rds gene.

Animals↗

Application of RNAi to confirm theobromine as the major intermediate for caffeine biosynthesis in coffee plants with potential for construction of decaffeinated varieties.

The caffeine biosynthetic pathway in coffee plants has been proposed to involve three distinct N -methyltransferases, xanthosine methyltransferase (XMT), 7- N -methylxanthine methyltransferase (MXMT; theobromine synthase), and 3,7-dimethylxanthine methyltransferase (DXMT; caffeine synthase). We previously isolated all corresponding cDNAs designated as CaXMT1 , CaMXMT1 , CaMXMT2 and CaDXMT1 , respectively, and showed that caffeine was indeed synthesized in vitro by the combination of their gene products. In order to regulate caffeine biosynthesis in planta , we suppressed expression of CaMXMT1 by the double stranded RNA interference (RNAi) method. For this purpose, we first established a protocol for efficient somatic embryogenesis of Coffea arabica and C. canephora , and then Agrobacterium -mediated transformation techniques. The RNAi transgenic lines of embryogenic tissues derived from C. arabica and transgenic plantlets of C. canephora demonstrated a clear reduction in transcripts for CaMXMT1 in comparison with the control plants. Transcripts for CaXMT1 and CaDXMT1 were also reduced in the most cases. Both embryonic tissues and plantlets exhibited a concomitant reduction of theobromine and caffeine contents to a range between 30% and 50% of that of the control. These results suggest that the CaMXMT1 -RNAi sequence affected expression of not only CaMXMT1 itself, but also CaXMT1 and CaDXMT1 , and that, since the reduction in theobromine content was proportional to that for caffeine, it is involved in the major synthetic pathway in coffee plants. The results also indicate that the method can be practically applied to produce decaffeinated coffee plants.

Caffeine↗

Transdominant inhibition of herpes simplex virus growth in transgenic mice.

A mutant allele (X25) of an essential regulatory protein, ICP4, encoded by herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been shown to have a transdominant, negative effect on the activity of the wild-type protein, resulting in the inhibition of virus growth in vitro. The X25 protein appears to exert its transdominant effect by sequestering functional ICP4 monomers into nonfunctional, heterodimeric complexes (A. Shepard, P. Tolentino, and N. A. DeLuca, 1990, J. Virol. 64, 3916-3926). In order to assess the antiviral potential of X25 in vivo, four transgenic mouse lines were generated bearing 1 to 10 copies of a DNA fragment encoding the mutant allele. Monolayers of embryonic cells prepared from each of the lines expressed the transgenic X25 protein. When challenged via the eye, every line exhibited at least some enhanced resistance to HSV infection. In the best line, transgenic animals exhibited a statistically significant (> 95% confidence) 5- to 13-fold lower eye swab titer relative to their nontransgenic littermates at Day 1 postinfection. A similar reduction in titer was observed in the trigeminal ganglia at Day 3 postinfection. These results indicate that the X25 protein is able to exert a significant antiviral effect in vivo.

Alleles↗

Drosophila DDP1, a multi-KH-domain protein, contributes to centromeric silencing and chromosome segregation.

BACKGROUND: The Drosophila melanogaster DDP1 protein is a highly evolutionarily conserved protein that is characterised by the presence of 15 tandemly organized KH domains, known for mediating high-affinity binding to single-stranded nucleic acids (RNA and ssDNA). Consistent with its molecular organization, DDP1 binds single-stranded nucleic acids with high affinity, in vitro. It was shown earlier that, in polytene chromosomes, DDP1 is found in association with chromocenter heterochromatin, suggesting a contribution to heterochromatin formation and/or maintenance. RESULTS: In this paper, the actual contribution of DDP1 to the structural and functional properties of heterochromatin was determined through the analysis of the phenotypes associated with the hypomorphic ddp1(15.1) mutation that was generated through the mobilization of a P element inserted in the second intron of ddp1. ddp1(15.1) behaves as a dominant suppressor of PEV in the variegated rearrangement In(1)w(m4) as well as in several transgenic lines showing variegated expression of a hsp70-white(+) transgene. In polytene chromosomes from homozygous ddp1(15.1) larvae, histone H3-K9 methylation and HP1 deposition at chromocentre heterochromatin are strongly reduced. Our results also show that, when the maternal contribution of DDP1 is reduced, chromosome condensation and segregation are compromised. Moreover, in a ddp1(15.1) mutant background, transmission of the nonessential Dp1187 minichromosome is reduced. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that DDP1 contributes to the structural and functional properties of heterochromatin. These results are discussed in the context of current models for the formation and maintenance of heterochromatin; in these models, HP1 deposition depends on H3-K9 methylation that, in turn, requires the contribution of the RNAi pathway.

Animals↗