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Position-independent and copy-number-related expression of a goat bacterial artificial chromosome alpha-lactalbumin gene in transgenic mice.

A bacterial artificial chromosome goat insert comprising the alpha-lactalbumin-encoding transcription unit with approximately 150 and 10 kb of 5'- and 3'-flanking sequences, respectively, was micro-injected into mouse eggs. In six out of seven transgenic lines, the level of mammary tissue- and stage-specific expression was position-independent and copy-number-dependent. The exogenous alpha-lactalbumin yield, about 0.8 mg/ml of milk per copy, compared favourably with the alpha-lactalbumin content of mouse and goat milks, about 0.8 and >1 mg/ml, respectively. This suggests that the insert contains most if not all of the cis-acting elements involved in the full and specific expression of the goat alpha-lactalbumin gene and opens up opportunities to use this vector to target expression of foreign genes in the lactating mammary gland of transgenic animals. The transgene was silent in the seventh line for an unknown reason.

Animals↗

Expression of a novel piscine growth hormone gene results in growth enhancement in transgenic tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Several lines of transgenic G1 and G2 tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) have been produced following egg injection with gene constructs carrying growth hormone coding sequences of fish origin. Using a construct in which an ocean pout antifreeze promoter drives a chinook salmon growth hormone gene, dramatic growth enhancement has been demonstrated, in which the mean weight of the 7 month old G2 transgenic fish is more than three fold that of their non transgenic siblings. Somewhat surprisingly G1 fish transgenic for a construct consisting of a sockeye salmon metallothionein promoter spliced to a sockeye salmon growth hormone gene exhibited no growth enhancement, although salmon transgenic for this construct do show greatly enhanced growth. The growth enhanced transgenic lines were also strongly positive in a radio-immuno assay for the specific hormone in their serum, whereas the non growth enhanced lines were negative. Attempts to induce expression from the metallothionein promoter by exposing fish to increased levels of zinc were also unsuccessful. Homozygous transgenic fish have been produced from the ocean pout antifreeze/chinook salmon GH construct and preliminary trials suggest that their growth performance is similar to that of the hemizygous transgenics. No abnormalities were apparent in the growth enhanced fish, although minor changes to skull shape and reduced fertility were noted in some fish. There is also preliminary evidence for improved food conversion ratios when growth enhanced transgenic tilapia are compared to their non-transgenic siblings. The long term objective of this study is to produce lines of tilapia which are both growth enhanced and sterile, so offering improved strains of this important food fish for aquaculture.

Animals↗

Flagellar and acrosomal abnormalities associated with testicular HSV-tk expression in the mouse.

Expression of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) in transgenic mouse testis is associated with abnormalities in spermatogenesis leading to infertility. Our studies of this phenomenon in two transgenic lines led to the identification of a genetic locus that reduced testicular HSV-tk activity and restored fertility. Using light and electron microscopy, we examined spermatogenesis in the infertile transgenic males as well as in the fertile revertants. Infertile males from line 21OH1 had high levels of testicular HSV-tk activity, acrosomal aberrations, and a developmental arrest in spermatogenesis. Infertile males from line ANF1 had lower levels of testicular HSV-tk expression and demonstrated a unique set of structural changes present in the neck and flagellum of epididymal sperm. Revertant ANF1 males, with a significant decrease in testicular HSV-tk expression and a restoration of fertility, showed a marked reduction in the number of sperm abnormalities. Several of the ANF1-specific abnormalities were similar to lesions reported in the sperm of mouse t locus mutants, mouse wobbler homozygotes, and bulls with the Dag-defect.

Acrosome↗

Random activation of a transgene under the control of a hybrid hCD2 locus control region/Ig enhancer regulatory element.

Locus control regions such as those of human CD2 and beta-globin differ from classical enhancers in that, whereas the former confer high level, copy-dependent, position-independent expression to linked genes in transgenic mice, the latter do not, expression levels being dependent on the site of integration. We report that the position independence of the CD2 locus control region is modified by coupling it to the immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer. Whilst in the majority of transgenic lines the Ig heavy chain enhancer has little or no effect on T cell expression of the hCD2 transgene, in others transgene expression is non-specifically extinguished in a proportion of lymphoid cells. The transgenic locus chromatin appears inaccessible to DNase I in these cells, which do not express the gene. Furthermore, mice homozygous for the hybrid hCD2-Ig heavy chain enhancer construct contain T cells with both an active and an inactive transgene. The 'decision' to express or repress the gene appears to be a random process which involves each chromosome separately, occurs at early stages in differentiation and is heritable by daughter cells. These data suggest the possibility that stochastic decisions might control a number of biological processes.

Animals↗

Insertional tagging of regulatory sequences in tritordeum; a hexaploid cereal species.

As an approach to isolate novel cereal promoters, promoterless uidA constructs and particle bombardment were used to transform tritordeum. Five of eight transgenic lines containing uidA sequences showed evidence of promoter tagging. Expression of uidA was detected in four lines as: constitutive expression, expression in short cells of the epidermis of the spikelets, expression in pollen grains and in cells of the epidermis of the spikelet, and expression in anther primordia and pollen grains. In the fifth line, the uidA was shown by RT-PCR to be transcribed, but no GUS activity was detected. The different patterns of uidA expression indicate that different regulatory sequences were tagged in each of these lines. Analysis of the progeny resulting from self-fertilisation of the primary tagged plants, indicate that the transgenes integrated at one or two loci and the patterns of expression were stably inherited. To our knowledge, this is the first report of promoter tagging in cereals by direct gene transfer.

Journal Article↗

Electroporation as a new technique for producing transgenic fish.

A recombinant plasmid, pMV-GH, containing rainbow trout growth hormone cDNA fused to mouse metallothionein I promoter, was introduced into medaka (Oryzias latipes) by electroporation. Of 3109 fertilized eggs treated with electric pulses (750 V/cm, 50 microseconds, 5 times), 783 (25%) hatched out. Four percent of the hatchlings were transgenic. To obtain transgenic lines, 180 hatchlings were maintained and 35 of them grew into adult fish. Two of these fish were transgenic. When one transgenic fish was mated with a normal female, the transgene was found in all the F1 offspring assayed. In F2 offspring obtained by mating transgenic F1 fish, 88% were transgenic.

Animals↗

Antifungal activity of a virally encoded gene in transgenic wheat.

The cDNA encoding the antifungal protein KP4 from Ustilago maydis-infecting virus was inserted behind the ubiquitin promoter of maize and genetically transferred to wheat varieties particularly susceptible to stinking smut (Tilletia tritici) disease. The transgene was integrated and inherited over several generations. Of seven transgenic lines, three showed antifungal activity against U. maydis. The antifungal activity correlated with the presence of the KP4 transgene. KP4-transgenic, soil-grown wheat plants exhibit increased endogenous resistance against stinking smut.

Antifungal Agents↗

Medullary thyroid carcinomas in transgenic mice expressing a Polyoma carboxyl-terminal truncated middle-T and wild type small-T antigens.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare human tumor affecting the calcitonin-secreting c-cells of the thyroid. Here we report that two independent strains of transgenic mice expressing a Polyomavirus (Py) truncated middle-T antigen (deltaMT), consisting of the amino-terminal 304 amino acids, and the full length Py small-T antigen, developed multifocal bilateral MTCs with 100% penetrance. Occasionally one strain also developed mammary and bone tumors. Furthermore, offspring from both transgenic lines displayed pronounced waviness of the whiskers and fur, previously associated with defective epidermal growth factor receptor signaling. Transgene transcription, driven by the homologous early promoter/enhancer, and the corresponding translation products were detected in tumors and in many other organs which did not develop pathologies. The subcellular distribution of deltaMT and its interactions with the adapter proteins of the SHC family have also been analysed. Our study describes a novel murine model of MTC and provides evidence that the N-terminal 304 amino acid fragment of Py middle-T antigen, possibly in co-operation with small-T antigen, acts as a potent oncogene in c-cells of the thyroid.

Animals↗

Hepatocellular carcinoma in WHV/N-myc2 transgenic mice: oncogenic mutations of beta-catenin and synergistic effect of p53 null alleles.

The intronless N-myc2 gene was originally identified as the major target of hepatitis virus insertion in woodchuck liver tumors. Here we report that transgenic mice carrying the N-myc2 gene controlled by woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) regulatory sequences are highly predisposed to liver cancer. In a WHV/N-myc2 transgenic line, hepatocellular carcinomas or adenomas arose in over 70% of mice, despite barely detectable expression of the methylated transgene in liver cells. Furthermore, a transgenic founder carrying unmethylated transgene sequences succumbed to a large liver tumor by the age of two months, demonstrating the high oncogenicity of the woodchuck N-myc2 retroposon. Stabilizing mutations or deletions of beta-catenin were found in 25% of liver tumors and correlated with reduced tumor latency (P<0.05), confirming the important role of beta-catenin activation in Myc-induced tumorigenesis. The ability of the tumor suppressor gene p53 to cooperate with N-myc2 in liver cell transformation was tested by introducing a p53-null allele into WHV/N-myc2 transgenic mice. The loss of one p53 allele in transgenic animals markedly accelerated the onset of liver cancer (P=0.0001), and most tumors of WHV/N-myc2 p53+/Delta mice harbored either a deletion of the wt p53 allele or a beta-catenin mutation. These findings provide direct evidence that activation of N-myc2 and reduction of p53 levels act synergistically during multistage carcinogenesis in vivo and suggest that different genetic pathways may underlie liver carcinogenesis initiated by a myc transgene. Oncogene (2000).

Animals↗

Fibrin depletion decreases inflammation and delays the onset of demyelination in a tumor necrosis factor transgenic mouse model for multiple sclerosis.

In multiple sclerosis, in which brain tissue becomes permeable to blood proteins, extravascular fibrin deposition correlates with sites of inflammatory demyelination and axonal damage. To examine the role of fibrin in neuroinflammatory demyelination, we depleted fibrin in two tumor necrosis factor transgenic mouse models of multiple sclerosis, transgenic lines TgK21 and Tg6074. In a genetic analysis, we crossed TgK21 mice into a fibrin-deficient background. TgK21fib(-/-) mice had decreased inflammation and expression of major histocompatibility complex class I antigens, reduced demyelination, and a lengthened lifespan compared with TgK21 mice. In a pharmacologic analysis, fibrin depletion, by using the snake venom ancrod, in Tg6074 mice also delayed the onset of inflammatory demyelination. Overall, these results indicate that fibrin regulates the inflammatory response in neuroinflammatory diseases. Design of therapeutic strategies based on fibrin depletion could potentially benefit the clinical course of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Animals↗

Analysis of the VPE sequences in the Caenorhabditis elegans vit-2 promoter with extrachromosomal tandem array-containing transgenic strains.

The Caenorhabditis elegans vit genes, encoding vitellogenins, are abundantly expressed in the adult hermaphrodite intestine. Two repeated elements, vit promoter element 1 (VPE1 [TGTCAAT]) and VPE2 (CTGATAA), have been identified in the 5' flanking DNA of each of the vit genes of C. elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae. These elements have previously been shown to be needed for correctly regulated expression of a vit-2/vit-6 fusion gene in low-copy-number, integrated transgenes. Here we extend the analysis of the function of VPE1 and VPE2 by using transgenic lines carrying large, extrachromosomal arrays of the test genes. The results validate the use of such arrays for transgenic analysis of gene regulation in C. elegans, by confirming previous findings showing that the VPE1 at -45 and both VPE2s are sites of activation. Additional experiments now indicate that when the -45 VPE1 is inverted or replaced by a VPE2, nearly total loss of promoter function results, suggesting that the highly conserved -45 VPE1 plays a unique role in vit-2 promoter function. In contrast, single mutations eliminating the three upstream VPE1s are without effect. However, in combination in double and triple mutants, these upstream VPE1 mutations cause drastic reductions in expression levels. The -150 VPE2 can be replaced by a XhoI site (CTCGAG), and the -90 VPE2 can be eliminated, as long as the overlapping VPE1 is left intact, but when these two replacements are combined, activity is lost. Thus, the promoter must have at least one VPE2 and it must have at least two VPE1s, one at -45 and one additional upstream element.

Animals↗

Mapping of candidate genes for hypertension by fluorescence in situ hybridization on the genome of transgenic rats and mice.

Transgenic animals are new and important models for the study of candidate genes in hypertension research as well as in other fields of medicine. For detailed genetic characterization of the transgenic animals, and to account for the symptoms arising from the insertion of transgenes in the genome, it is essential to identify these insertion sites. In this study, the insertion sites of the transgenes of candidate genes for hypertension were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) after G-banding of the chromosomes in transgenic rats and mice. This technique combines high resolution G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization for the mapping of four different candidate genes in six different transgenic rats as well as three different mouse transgenic lines. The presented results will help to draw conclusions about the influence of the respective integration site on transgene expression.

Angiotensinogen↗

A comparison of the germline potential of differently aged ES cell lines and their transfected descendants.

The germline transmission (g.l.t.) of gene trap or gene targeted mutations by ES-cell-derived chimaeric mice is a crucial step in the generation of stable transgenic lines. The wild-type ES cell lines CJ7, D3 and R1 of different passage numbers and their transfected clone-descendants generated in gene targeting or gene trap experiments were tested for their ability to colonize the germline. The maximal g.l.t. age for wild-type ES cells was equal to passage 26 and for transfected clones was equivalent to passage 32 of parental lines. It is shown that wild-type ES cells of less than a passage 15 should be used for effective production of transgenic g.l.t. clones. A simple system is outlined to evaluate the probability of g.l.t. on the basis of the chimaeric progeny obtained.

Age Factors↗

Control of expression of the homeotic labial (lab) locus of Drosophila melanogaster: evidence for both positive and negative autogenous regulation.

The homeotic gene labial (lab) is required for proper development of the embryonic and adult head in Drosophila melanogaster. The lab gene product accumulates in a complex pattern in both embryonic and imaginal tissue. During embryogenesis, lab is expressed in the endodermally derived cells of the midgut, in ectodermally derived cells of the procephalon and dorsal ridge, and in a small subset of progenitor sensory cells. Imaginal expression is restricted to a narrow region of the peripodial membrane of the eye-antennal disc. As part of our continuing effort to understand the role of lab in development, we have begun a dissection of the regulatory elements of the lab transcription unit and used germ line transformation experiments to determine which aspects of the observed expression pattern are essential for proper head development and viability. Transgenic embryos harboring an abridged lab gene are able to overcome the embryonic lethality associated with the loss of lab function and survive to adulthood. Interestingly, in these transgenic lines the lab protein accumulates only in a subset of those embryonic cells that normally express the gene, namely the procephalon and the anterior midgut. We also find that, once initiated, lab expression is maintained by positive autoregulation. Although lab minigene activity is sufficient to rescue the embryonic lethality of lab mutations, the transgenes fail to rescue defects in the adult head capsule. However, the defects observed in this study encompass a broader domain than those seen using somatic recombination to generate lab- clonal tissue. The failed rescue and observed cuticular defects are, at least in part, explained by the observation that the transgenes, rather than failing to be expressed, are associated with ectopic accumulation of lab protein in the peripodial membrane of the antennal disc. Moreover, this aberrant expression pattern is correlated with the abnormal expression of two other homeotic genes, Deformed (Dfd) and Sex combs reduced (Scr) in the eye-antennal disc. These results are only observed when the transgene is resident in a lab- genotype and ectopic expression of lab and misregulation of Dfd and Scr are not seen in a lab+ background. This result suggests that the wild-type lab gene product is necessary for the normal regulation of the locus in the imaginal discs, but unlike the case in the embryo, the event is negative. We discuss the biological implications of these results in relation to the role of lab in development.

Animals↗

Partial replacement of cardiac troponin I with a non-phosphorylatable mutant at serines 43/45 attenuates the contractile dysfunction associated with PKCepsilon phosphorylation.

We have previously reported a transgenic mouse that over-expresses constitutively active PKCepsilon in the myocardium and exhibits a steady progression to heart failure. Associated with the decline in function was an increased phosphorylation of sarcomeric proteins including cardiac troponin I (cTnI). To determine whether PKCepsilon phosphorylation of cTnI is sufficient to induce cardiac maladaptation, we have generated a double transgenic mouse (DbTG) that expresses constitutively active PKCepsilon and cTnI harboring non-phosphorylatable mutations in the putative PKC phosphorylation sites (S43A, S45A). We compared the hemodynamic and biochemical properties of the hearts from the DbTG mice to the non-transgenic and single transgenic lines at both 3 and 12 months of age. While no significant differences in LV function were noted in 3-month groups, the depression of function in the PKCepsilon mice was attenuated in the double transgenic mice at 12 months. The improvement in cardiac function was correlated with decreased beta-myosin heavy chain and ANF mRNA expression in the 12m DbTG mice. The extent of cTnI phosphorylation was determined using a novel one-dimensional, non-equilibrium isoelectric focusing technique. At 3 months the migration of cTnI phospho-species was different in the PKCepsilon mice and to a lesser degree in the DbTG compared to all other groups. At 12 months additional phospho-species were observed in both the PKCepsilon and DbTG samples, along with an overall shift in the distribution of phospho-species in all groups due to age. These results suggest that phosphorylation of cTnI by PKCepsilon is associated with contractile dysfunction and partial replacement of serines 43/45 improves cardiac performance. Therefore, we conclude that phosphorylation of cTnI at Ser 43 and 45 may contribute to the progression of failure.

Aging↗

Transgene integration in aspen: structures of integration sites and mechanism of T-DNA integration.

To obtain insight into the mechanism of transferred DNA (T-DNA) integration in a long-lived tree system, we analysed 30 transgenic aspen lines. In total, 27 right T-DNA/plant junctions, 20 left T-DNA/plant junctions, and 10 target insertions from control plants were obtained. At the right end, the T-DNA was conserved up to the cleavage site in 18 transgenic lines (67%), and the right border repeat was deleted in nine junctions. Nucleotides from the left border repeat were present in 19 transgenic lines out of 20 cases analysed. However, only four (20%) of the left border ends were conserved to the processing end, indicating that the T-DNA left and right ends are treated mechanistically differently during the T-DNA integration process. Comparison of the genomic target sites prior to integration to the T-DNA revealed that the T-DNA inserted into the plant genome without any notable deletion of genomic sequence in three out of 10 transgenic lines analysed. However, deletions of DNA ranging in length from a few nucleotides to more than 500 bp were observed in other transgenic lines. Filler DNAs of up to 235 bp were observed on left and/or right junctions of six transgenic lines, which in most cases originated from the nearby host genomic sequence or from the T-DNA. Short sequence similarities between recombining strands near break points, in particular for the left T-DNA end, were observed in most of the lines analysed. These results confirm the well-accepted T-DNA integration model based on single-stranded annealing followed by ligation of the right border which is preserved by the VirD2 protein. However, a second category of T-DNA integration was also identified in nine transgenic lines, in which the right border of the T-DNA was partly truncated. Such integration events are described via a model for the repair of genomic double-strand breaks in somatic plant cells based on synthesis-dependent strand-annealing. This report in a long-lived tree system provides major insight into the mechanism of transgene integration.

Base Sequence↗

Functional analysis of the glutathione S-transferase 3 from Onchocerca volvulus (Ov-GST-3): a parasite GST confers increased resistance to oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.

This study examined the genomic organisation of the coding region of the glutathione S-transferase 3 (Ov-GST-3) from the human parasitic nematode Onchocerca volvulus; alternative splicing leads to three different transcripts (Ov-GST-3/1; Ov-GST-3/2 and Ov-GST-3/3). Since the expression of Ov-GST-3 is inducible by oxidative stress, it is assumed that it is involved in the defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting from cellular metabolism. Furthermore, we suggest that Ov-GST-3 plays an important role in the protection of the parasite against ROS derived from the host's immune system. To experimentally investigate these speculations, we generated Caenorhabditis elegans lines transgenic for Ov-GST-3 (AK1) and examined their resistance to artificially generated ROS. The AK1 worms (extrachromosomal and integrated lines) were found to be much more resistant to internal (juglone) and external (hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase) oxidative stress than wild-type C.elegans worms. RNA interference experiments targeted to the Ov-GST-3 transcripts resulted in decreased resistance, confirming that this effect is due to the transgenic expression of Ov-GST-3. These results clearly demonstrate that the Ov-GST-3 gene confers an increased resistance to oxidative stress. This study also shows the applicability of C.elegans as a model organism for the functional characterization of genes from (parasitic) nematode species which are not accessible to genetic manipulations.

Alternative Splicing↗

Second-site reversion of a dysfunctional mutation in a conserved region of the tobacco mosaic tobamovirus movement protein.

The N-terminal two-thirds of tobamovirus movement proteins (MPs) contain two well conserved regions. Within region I (amino acids 56-96) is an area predicted by computer analysis to have loop secondary structure (amino acids 76-87). A single or two double amino acid mutations were introduced into the loop in region I of the TMV MP to destabilize the structure. The three mutant MPs were defective in movement function. The single amino acid mutation resulted in a Pro81-->Ser substitution. The mutant virus, TP81S, containing the Pro81-->Ser substitution, was propagated on a transgenic line of Nicotiana tabacum that expresses the sunn-hemp mosaic tobamovirus MP. Inoculation of virus progeny from the transgenic plants onto hypersensitive N. tabacum indicated the presence of infectious virus at a low frequency. Necrotic lesions were detected at 4 days postinoculation, 2 days later than those induced by wild-type TMV. Inoculation of virus extracted from necrotic lesions onto N. tabacum resulted in a delayed and attenuated systemic infection relative to that induced by TMV, indicating that a second-site mutation restored movement function rather than a reversion of the original mutation. Sequence analysis revealed that the revertant MP gene had two additional amino acid substitutions, a Thr104-->Ile and a Arg167-->Lys. Introduction of the amino acid substitutions individually or in combination into the MP of TP81S indicated that both substitutions were required for the revertant phenotype. The data indicate that structure within region I is important in maintaining an active conformation for functional MP, that changes outside region I can compensate for alterations within the region, and suggest that region I may interact with a distal portion of the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗