Secretory expression of the fusion protein composed of human IL-2 and PreS antigen of hepatitis B virus in mammalian cells

In order to make entire HBV pmSAg secrete from mammalian cells, we conatmcted an eukaryotic expression vector by using leader sequence of human interleukin-2 (IL-2) as secretory signal peptide, and using high hydmphilic amino acids as the linker between IL-2 C end and preSAg N end. As a result, the IL-2preS fusing protein could be secreted from mamalian cells transfected with the reconstructed vector and the expression efficiency was identical to that of natural IL-2. It was considered that the retentive effect of preSlAg could be successfully bypassed. The results not only laid a theoretical and practical foundation for constructing specific gene vaccine against HBV persistent infection, but also supplied experimental evidence for studying modulation of protein secretory expression.     

Biosynthesis of hepatitis B virus surface antigen in Escherichia coli

Hepatitis B is a widespread viral disease. In the absence of cell cultures capable of propagating the virus (HBV) an efficient vaccine has been prepared from viral envelopes isolated from the plasma of chronic carriers. The major polypeptide of the envelope is one of molecular weight 25,000 which carries the surface antigen (HBsAg). Therefore, the biosynthesis of this polypeptide in Escherichia coli may offer an alternative procedure to produce HbsAg free from human proteins. Recently, the HBV genome has been cloned in E.coli. Determination of its primary structure allowed the localization of the gene (called gene S) coding for HBsAg and the synthesis of the core antigen in E.coli has been reported. We have constructed a derivative of bacteriophage lambda carrying a fusion between the beta-galactosidase gene (lacZ) and the HBsAg coding sequence (lambdalacHBs-1). Infection of E.coli with lambdalacHBs-1 leads to the biosynthesis of a polypeptide of molecular weitht 138,000 carrying antigenic determinants of HBV surface antigen.     

Maternal inhibition of hepatitis B surface antigen gene expression in transgenic mice correlates with de novo methylation

Differential modifications of the genome during gametogenesis result in a functional difference between the paternal and maternal genomes at the moment of fertilization. A possible cause of this imprinting is the methylation of DNA. The insertion of foreign DNA into transgenic mice allows the tagging of regions that are differentially methylated during gametogenesis. We describe here a transgenic mouse strain in which the expression of the hepatitis B surface antigen gene is irreversibly repressed following its passage through the female germ line. This inhibition is accompanied by the methylation of all the HpaII and HhaI sites within the foreign gene, which we have shown to be integrated into a site on chromosome 13. The irreversibility reported here contrasts with what is found with other transgenic mice sequences which are reversibly methylated after passage through the male or female germ line, though in both cases methylation appears to be important in the imprinting process.     

甲/戊型肝炎病毒重组抗原基因的克隆及表达

 将甲肝病毒vp1编码基因(aa 24~171)和戊型肝炎病毒ORF2基因(aa 431~615)通过一段编码柔性甘氨酸链(Gly4 Ser Gly4)的基因片断连接,获得编码HAV/HEV融合蛋白基因(AEAg342).将该融合基因插入质粒pBV220,构建表达质粒pBV220-AEAg342.将pBV220-AEAg342转化入大肠杆菌BL21中进行表达,表达量约占菌体总量的20%,经离子交换层析纯化,目的蛋白纯度达90%以上.Western blot证实该蛋白能与甲肝及戊肝患者阳性血清发生特异性反映,为进一步开发双价疫苗和联合诊断试剂奠定了一定基础.     

Simian virus 40 replication in adenovirus-transformed human cells antagonizes gene expression

Simian virus 40 (SV40) replicates efficiently in monkey kidney cells. However, we have now found that SV40-based vectors transfected into most human cells replicate poorly, if at all. In contrast, strong SV40 replication is observed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells transformed with the adenovirus early region, but not in untransformed HEK cells. Vector replication in adenovirus-transformed cells is dependent on the presence of the SV40 origin of replication and large-T antigen. However, vigorous replication occurs at levels of large-T antigen that are undetectable by immunofluorescence. These data suggest that the adenovirus oncogenes create a replication-permissive environment to which the SV40 replicon responds. Furthermore, replication and gene expression seem to be antagonistic on our vectors. High levels of large-T antigen are observed only when vector replication is blocked by mutations in the gene for large-T antigen or the origin of replication, or by direct inhibition of DNA polymerase with aphidicolin.     

RNA interference-mediated inhibition of Hepatitis B Virus replication

Persistent and recurrent infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) represents one of the most common and severe viral infections of humans, and has caused a formidable health problem in the affected countries. Currently used antiviral drugs have a very limited success on controlling HBV replication and infection. RNA interference (RNAi), a process by which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) directs sequence-specific degradation of target mRNA in mammalian and plant cells, has recently been used to knockdown gene expression in various species. In this study, we sought to determine whether RNAi-mediated silencing of HBV viral gene expression could lead to the effective inhibition of HBV replication. We first developed RNAi vectors that expressed small interfering RNA (siRNA) and targeted the HBV core or surface gene sequence. Our results demonstrated that these specific siRNAs efficiently reduced the levels of corresponding viral RNAs and proteins, and thus suppressed viral replication. Treatment with siRNA gave the greatest reduction in the levels of HBsAg (92%) and in HBeAg (85%) respectively in the cultured cell medium. Our findings further demonstrated that the RNAi-mediated antiviral effect was sequence-specific and dose-dependent. Therefore, our findings strongly suggest that RNAi-mediated silencing of HBV viral genes could effectively inhibit the replication of HBV, hence RNAi-based strategy should be further explored as a more efficacious antiviral therapy of HBV infection.     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene coding for the major protein of hepatitis B virus surface antigen.

DNA extracted from hepatitis B virus Dane particles has been cloned in bacteria using a plasmid vector. A full-length clone has been examined by restriction endonuclease analysis, and the nucleotide sequence of an 892-base pair fragment from cloned hepatitis B viral DNA encoding the surface antigen gene is reported. The amino acid sequence deduced from the DNA indicates that the surface antigens is a protein consisting of 226 amino acids and with a molecular weight of 25,398. The portion of the gene coding for this protein apparently contains no intervening sequences.     

Detection of hepatitis B surface antigen using time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay

Conventional fluoroimmunoassay (FIA) methods based on various fluorescence principles have not achieved the sensitivity of radioimmunoassay (RIA) mainly because of problems of background fluorescence arising, for example, from the biological specimen. We now describe an immunoassay of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) based on time-resolved (TR) fluorescence using a lanthanide as label. The assay initiates the development of a new generation of immunoassays. The fluorescence intensity is measured after a selected delay time which almost completely eliminates background fluorescence, which has a fast decay time. The excitation is performed with a flashing light source. The molecules with a long fluorescent lifetime consist of chelates of rare earth metals (Eu, Tb, Sm, Dy). They absorb strongly the excitation radiation and transfer the energy to the chelated central atom which in turn produces an emission spectrum characteristic of the lanthanide used. A long Stokes' shift (greater than 270 nm) helps to reduce the background in the emission region of the chelate and thus optimizes measurement of the relevant fluorescence. The present TR-FIA uses 2-naphthoyltrifluoroacetone as chelating agent because it creates an intense fluorescence with the rare earth metals. Synergistic agents such as trioctylphosphineoxid further enhance the fluorescence of the chelate. Depending on the instrumentation used for measuring time-resolved fluorescence and the conditions used for chelate formation, lanthanides can be detected at 10(-12)-10(-14)M concentrations.     

Controlled expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein and hepatitis B virus precore protein in mammalian cells

A novel tetracycline regulation expression system was used to regulate the expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and hepatitis B virus precore protein in the mammalian cell lines with lipofectAMINE. Flow cytometry assays showed that application of the system resulted in about 18-fold induction of EGFP expression in CHO cell lines and 5-fold induction in SSMC-7721 cells and about 2-fold in the HEK293 cells. Furthermore, the effective use of this system for the controlled expression of HBV precore protein gene in hepatocellular carcinoma cells was tested.     

Presence of integrated hepatitis B virus DNA sequences in cellular DNA of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) may be one of the agents involved in the aetiology of human primary liver cancer. This hypothesis is supported by (1) the similarity between the geographical distribution of chronic carriers of the viral surface antigen (HBsAg) and that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); (2) the increase in the prevalence of HBV markers in serum of patients with primary liver cancer when compared with the general population; (3) the observation that HBV infection precedes the development of the tumour. Moreover, these epidemiological indications of an association between HBV infecton and hepatocellular carcinoma are supported by the detection of HBV markers such as HBsAg or viral DNA sequences, although in a non-integrated form in tumour tissue. To study the relationship between HBV and primary liver cancer further, we looked for the presence of free or integrated viral DNA in tumour tissue of human hepatocellular carcinomas and in a HBsAg-producing human hepatoma cell line. Using the blot-transfer hybridization technique and cloned HBV DNA as a probe, we have now demonstrated that the viral DNA is integrated in the cellular genome both in tumour tissue and in a hepatoma cell line.     

Expression of human hepatitis C virus core antigen in tobacco plants by tobacco mosaic virus-based vector system

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has the potential to highly express foreign gene. A novel TMV-basedin trans expression system was constructed. A TMV mutant TSHc had its coat protein replaced with hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen gene. Anotherr TMV mutant TSBD was replicase-defective. Coinfection of the two mutants could cause systemic infection in tobacco plants byin trans complementation of their functions. TSHc could effectively replicate and assemble to viral particles, which were a little longer than that of wild-type TMV. HCV core antigen was expressed in whole tobacco plants. A similar expression level of HCV core antigen was detected on serial passages, which suggested that this viral expression system be stable.     

The human RNA kinase hClp1 is active on 3' transfer RNA exons and short interfering RNAs

RNA interference allows the analysis of gene function by introducing synthetic, short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into cells. In contrast to siRNA and microRNA duplexes generated endogenously by the RNaseIII endonuclease Dicer, synthetic siRNAs display a 5' OH group. However, to become incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and mediate target RNA cleavage, the guide strand of an siRNA needs to display a phosphate group at the 5' end. The identity of the responsible kinase has so far remained elusive. Monitoring siRNA phosphorylation, we applied a chromatographic approach that resulted in the identification of the protein hClp1 (human Clp1), a known component of both transfer RNA splicing and messenger RNA 3'-end formation machineries. Here we report that the kinase hClp1 phosphorylates and licenses synthetic siRNAs to become assembled into RISC for subsequent target RNA cleavage. More importantly, we reveal the physiological role of hClp1 as the RNA kinase that phosphorylates the 5' end of the 3' exon during human tRNA splicing, allowing the subsequent ligation of both exon halves by an unknown tRNA ligase. The investigation of this novel enzymatic activity of hClp1 in the context of mRNA 3'-end formation, where no RNA phosphorylation event has hitherto been predicted, remains a challenge for the future.