Genetic engineering, evolution of a technological issue : supplemental report I : report /

"Serial BB."

Human genetic engineering [microform] : hearings before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, second session, November 16, 17, 18, 1982.

"No. 170."

Genetic engineering; evolution of a technological issue.

Mode of access: Internet.

利用转基因植物生产生物可降解塑料(PHB)的研究

聚 3 一控基丁酸酯 (Poly – 3 - hydroxybutyrate,PHB) 及其它类型的聚 3-泾基链烷酸醋同属于聚酯类物质 , 是自然界中多种细菌的碳源及能源储备物。这种聚酯的物理化学特性与传统塑料相似 , 并具有生物可降解性 , 如能取代化学合成塑料将减少环境中的塑料废弃物 , 从源头治理 " 白色污染 " 问题。微生物发酵法生产的 PHB 价格过高 , 无法在市场上与化学合成塑料竞争。随着分子生物学的发展 , 人们逐渐将视线转向植物生物反应器。转基因植物能够利用二氧化碳为碳源、太阳能为能源合成目的产物 , 大大降低生产成本 , 为生产具有市场 竞争力的新型生物可降解塑料提供可行途径。在此领域虽然己取得一定进展 , 但远未达到商业化生产水平。大规模商业化生产要求转基因植物能够在确保环 境安全性的前提下高效、稳定地生产 PHB 。本文尝试改善植物中 PHB 的生产体系 ,为环保型塑料早日进入市场作出努力。 1. 由于表达框架中多次使用同一启动子会导致基因沉默 , 本文克隆了另一 种子特异性启动子 nap300, 以替换重复使用的7S启动子,减轻“共抑制”。将 nap300 与 GUS 基因相连进行功能鉴定。荧光检测和组织化学染色的结果都证明此仅 30Obp 的 DNA 序列足以调控基因进行种子特异性表达。尽管 B 盒作为 高度保守区在种子特异性表达中起重要作用 , 位于此处的两个碱基替代型突变 并未使 nap300 的活性明显降低 , 对启动子的时空表达模式也无明显影响。将 nap300 、 7S 分别与 phbA 基因 ( 编码 3-酮硫裂解酶) 相连 , 在相似表达环境中 对二者功能进行比较 , 发现两个启动子表达模式基本相同并在同一时期达到活 性高峰 , 因此 nap300 可用于改善 PHB 合成基因在植物体内的表达调控。通过 对种子特异性启动子的比较可加深对其表达模式的了解 , 为植物基因工程中的 精细调控提供依据。 2. 叶绿体基因工程是随着植物遗传转化技术发展刚刚兴起的生物技术 , 具 有超量表达外源基因 , 为原核基因提供适宜表达环境 , 消除 “位置效应”和基因沉默 , 环境安全性好等优点 , 较更适合用于植物生物反应器方面的研究。本研究在国内率先探讨将叶绿体转化技术引入植物生产生物可降解塑料这一领域 的可行性 ( 国外仅有日本一例 ), 构建了叶绿体转化及表达载体 pTRV-PHB, 通过基因枪法将 PHB 合成相关基因导入烟草叶绿体基因组。转基因烟草顺利达到同质化，其形态和生长发育均无异常。 Northern 点杂交检测表明与 PHB 合成相关的三个基因均能在转录水平表达 , 未出现核转化中经常发生的“基因沉默”现象。通过 RT-PCR 进一步检测表明叶绿体型转基因烟草中目的基因的表达水平明显比核转化植株中相应基因的表达水平高。气相色谱分析确证转基因植株具有合成 PHB 的能力。这些都表明叶绿体转化适合用于转基因植物生产 PHB的研究。虽然叶绿体型转基因烟草中产物含量偏低 , 并未达到预期结果 , 但经进一步改进与完善 , 终将会成功地用于生产高附加值产品的植物基因工程中。 3. 为初步探讨叶绿体转化中在同源重组反应介导下整合外源基因的机理 , 从油菜叶绿体基因组中分离两段序列作为同源片段 , 基因枪法转化烟草 , 结果显示即使供体所含同源片段与受体叶绿体基因组相应区域差异高达 10%, 转化效率也无降低。这一现象的发现有助于促进“通用载体”　的改进 , 扩展叶绿体转化受体范围乃至达到商业化应用水平。 4. 成功地通过二次转化获得整合并表达多基因的转基因烟草 , 缩短了研究周期 , 对相关转基因植物的研究有一定参考价值。本文还优化了油菜转化体系 , 使转基因油菜同时整合三个 PHB 合成相关基因的效率由 7.69% 增加至 16.0% 。 田间试验与产物分析正在进行中。

The utility and limitations of chloroplast DNA analysis for identifying native British oak stands and for guiding replanting strategy

We report a method using variation in the chloroplast genome (cpDNA) to test whether oak stands of unknown provenance are of native and/or local origin. As an example, a sample of test oaks, of mostly unknown status in relation to nativeness and localness, were surveyed for cpDNA type. The sample comprised 126 selected trees, derived from 16 British seed stands, and 75 trees, selected for their superior phenotype (201 tree samples in total). To establish whether these two test groups are native and local, their cpDNA type was compared with that of material from known autochthonous origin (results of a previous study which examined variation in 1076 trees from 224 populations distributed across Great Britain). In the previous survey of autochthonous material, four cpDNA types were identified as native; thus if a test sample possessed a new haplotype then it could be classed as non-native. Every one of the 201 test samples possessed one of the four cpDNA types found within the autochthonous sample. Therefore none could be proven to be introduced and, on this basis, was considered likely to be native. The previous study of autochthonous material also found that cpDNA variation was highly structured geographically and, therefore, if the cpDNA type of the test sample did not match that of neighbouring autochthonous trees then it could be considered to be non-local. A high proportion of the seed stand group (44.2 per cent) and the phenotypically superior trees (58.7 per cent) possessed a cpDNA haplotype which matched that of the neighbouring autochthonous trees and, therefore, can be considered as local, or at least cannot be proven to be introduced. The remainder of the test sample could be divided into those which did not grow in an area of overall dominance (18.7 per cent of seed stand trees and 28 per cent of phenotypically superior) and those which failed to match the neighbouring autochthonous haplotype (37.1 per cent and 13.3 per cent, respectively). Most of the non-matching test samples were located within 50 km of an area dominated by a matching autochthonous haplotype (96.0 per cent and 93.5 per cent, respectively), and potentially indicates only local transfer. Whilst such genetic fingerprinting tests have proven useful for assessing the origin of stands of unknown provenance, there are potential limitations to using a marker from the chloroplast genome (mostly adaptively neutral) for classifying seed material into categories which have adaptive implications. These limitations are discussed, particularly within the context of selecting adaptively superior material for restocking native forests.

Advanced Engineering of Lipid Metabolism in Nicotiana benthamiana Using a Draft Genome and the V2 Viral Silencing-Suppressor Protein

The transient leaf assay in Nicotiana benthamiana is widely used in plant sciences, with one application being the rapid assembly of complex multigene pathways that produce new fatty acid profiles. This rapid and facile assay would be further improved if it were possible to simultaneously overexpress transgenes while accurately silencing endogenes. Here, we report a draft genome resource for N. benthamiana spanning over 75% of the 3.1 Gb haploid genome. This resource revealed a two-member NbFAD2 family, NbFAD2.1 and NbFAD2.2, and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) confirmed their expression in leaves. FAD2 activities were silenced using hairpin RNAi as monitored by qRT-PCR and biochemical assays. Silencing of endogenous FAD2 activities was combined with overexpression of transgenes via the use of the alternative viral silencing-suppressor protein, V2, from Tomato yellow leaf curl virus. We show that V2 permits maximal overexpression of transgenes but, crucially, also allows hairpin RNAi to operate unimpeded. To illustrate the efficacy of the V2-based leaf assay system, endogenous lipids were shunted from the desaturation of 18:1 to elongation reactions beginning with 18:1 as substrate. These V2-based leaf assays produced ~50% more elongated fatty acid products than p19-based assays. Analyses of small RNA populations generated from hairpin RNAi against NbFAD2 confirm that the siRNA population is dominated by 21 and 22 nt species derived from the hairpin. Collectively, these new tools expand the range of uses and possibilities for metabolic engineering in transient leaf assays. © 2012 Naim et al.

Expression patterns of vascular-specific promoters RolC and Sh in transgenic potatoes and their use in engineering PLRV-resistant plants

The expression patterns of GUS fusion constructs driven by the Agrobacterium rhizogenes RolC and the maize Sh (Shrunken: sucrose synthase-1) promoters were examined in transgenic potatoes (cv. Atlantic). RolC drove high-level gene expression in phloem tissue, bundle sheath cells and vascular parenchyma, but not in xylem or non-vascular tissues. Sh expression was exclusively confined to phloem tissue. Potato leafroll luteovirus (PLRV) replicates only in phloem tissues, and we show that when RolC is used to drive expression of the PLRV coat protein gene, virus-resistant lines can be obtained. In contrast, no significant resistance was observed when the Sh promoter was used.

Metabolic and morphogenetic engineering of Bacillus subtilis: biotechnology for industry

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D. degree in “Biology” at the Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology of the New University of Lisbon

Biotechnology of polyketides: new breath of life for the novel antibiotic genetic pathways discovery through metagenomics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The humankind genome: from genetic diversity to the origin of human diseases

Genome-wide association studies have failed to establish common variant risk for the majority of common human diseases. The underlying reasons for this failure are explained by recent studies of resequencing and comparison of over 1200 human genomes and 10 000 exomes, together with the delineation of DNA methylation patterns (epigenome) and full characterization of coding and noncoding RNAs (transcriptome) being transcribed. These studies have provided the most comprehensive catalogues of functional elements and genetic variants that are now available for global integrative analysis and experimental validation in prospective cohort studies. With these datasets, researchers will have unparalleled opportunities for the alignment, mining, and testing of hypotheses for the roles of specific genetic variants, including copy number variations, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and indels as the cause of specific phenotypes and diseases. Through the use of next-generation sequencing technologies for genotyping and standardized ontological annotation to systematically analyze the effects of genomic variation on humans and model organism phenotypes, we will be able to find candidate genes and new clues for disease’s etiology and treatment. This article describes essential concepts in genetics and genomic technologies as well as the emerging computational framework to comprehensively search websites and platforms available for the analysis and interpretation of genomic data.