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Objective: To clone Streptococcus salivarius (Ss) 57. I urease gene, which can express ureolytic activity in Escherichia coli (Ec) without adding extra nickel ions., Methods: Urease gene was cloned by polymerase chain reaction in three separate parts. The three separate plasmids were digested by specific restriction enzymes and ligated together. The expression of the complete urease gene in Ec was detected by phenol red assay and pH analysis., Results: Urease gene of Ss 57.I was eventually cloned and proved correct. Urease activity of the obtained clone was positive in Ec. Without adding extra NiCl(2), the recombinant Ec could hydrolyze urea to produce ammonia, resulting in the increase of pH value., Conclusions: The clone of Ss urease gene obtained in this study could express ureolytic activity in Ec without adding extra nickel ions. The current clone can be used to construct ureolytic effector strain used in replacement therapy in caries prevention.

Human nuclear receptor hb1 f(nr5a2) was cloned and characterized as a novel member of the Ftz-F1 (nr5a) nuclear receptor subfamily,whose its biological function remained largely unidentified. The aim of this study was to establish transgenic mouse model that specifically expressed hB1F in the liver to faciliate the functional study of hB1F. hb1f cDNA was placed downstream of mouse albumin gene enhancer/promoter to construct a liver-specific hb1f expression vector. Transgene fragments were microinjected into fertilized eggs of mice. The manipulated embryos were transferred into the oviducts of pseudopregnant female mice. Four offspring were identified as carrying the transgenes by PCR,from which one was also verified by Southern blotting. RT-PCR and Western blotting results showed that the transgene was expressed in the liver of the transgenic mice. Transgenic founder mice were used to establish transgenic mouse lineages. The F1 mice were identified by PCR analysis. Genetic analysis of the transgenic mice demonstrated that the transgene had been integrated into the chromosome at a single site and could be stably transmitted.

Aim: To construct a random peptide phage display library and search for peptides that specifically bind to the PreS region of hepatitis B virus (HBV)., Methods: A phage display vector, pFuse8, based on the gene 8 product (pVIII) of M13 phage was made and used to construct a random peptide library. E.coli derived thioredoxin-PreS was purified with Thio-bond beads, and exploited as the bait protein for library screening. Five rounds of bio-panning were performed. The PreS-binding specificities of enriched phages were characterized with phage ELISA assay., Results: A phage display vector was successfully constructed as demonstrated to present a pVIII fused HBV PreS1 epitope on the phage surface with a high efficiency. A cysteine confined random peptide library was constructed containing independent clones exceeding 5+/-10(8) clone forming unit (CFU). A pool of phages showing a PreS-binding specificity was obtained after the screening against thio-PreS with an enrichment of approximately 400 times. Five phages with high PreS-binding specificities were selected and characterized. Sequences of the peptides displayed on these phages were determined., Conclusion: A phage library has been constructed, with random peptides displaying as pVIII-fusion proteins. Specific PreS-binding peptides have been obtained, which may be useful for developing antivirals against HBV infection.

Aim: To express the complete PreS region of HBV in E.coli with good solubility and stability, and to establish an effective method for purification of the recombinant PreS protein., Methods: The complete PreS region (PreS1 and PreS2) was fused into a series of tags including glutathione S-transferase (GST), dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), maltose binding protein (MBP), 6x histidine, chitin binding domain (CBD), and thioredoxin, respectively. Expression of recombinant PreS fusion proteins was examined by SDS-PAGE analysis and confirmed by Western blot. Two fusion proteins, thio-PreS, and PreS-CBD, with desirable solubility and stability, were subjected to affinity purification and further characterization., Results: Recombinant PreS fusion proteins could be synthesized with good yields in E.coli. However, most of these proteins except for thio-PreS and PreS-CBD were vulnerable to degradation or insoluble as revealed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Thio-PreS could be purified by affinity chromatography with nickel-chelating sepharose as the matrix. However, some impurities were also co-purified. A simple freeze-thaw treatment yielded most of the thio-PreS proteins in solution while the impurities were in the precipitate. Purified thio-PreS protein was capable of inhibiting the binding of HBV virion to a specific monoclonal antibody against an epitope within the PreS1 domain., Conclusion: Increased solubility and stability of the complete PreS region synthesized in E.coli can be achieved by fusion with the thioredoxin or the CBD tag. A simple yet highly effective method has been established for the purification of the thio-PreS protein. Purified thio-PreS protein likely assumes a native conformation, which makes it an ideal candidate for studying the structure of the PreS region as well as for screening antivirals.

Aim: To analyze the tissue morphologic phenotype and liver gene expression profile of hB1F transgenic mice., Methods: Transgene expression was analyzed with RT-PCR and Western blotting. For one of the transgenic mouse lines, tissue expression pattern of the transgene was also examined with immunochemical methods. Pathological analysis was used to examine the tissue morphologic phenotype of established transgenic mice. The liver gene expression profile of transgenic mice was analyzed with microchip, and some of the differentially expressed genes were verified with RT-PCR., Results: The expressions of hB1F were shown in livers from 6 of 7 transgenic mouse lines. The overexpression of hB1F transgene did not cause pathological changes. Expressions of three genes were up-regulated, while down-regulation was observed for 25 genes., Conclusion: The overexpression of hB1F transgene may cause changes of gene expression profiles in the liver of transgenic mice.

Aim: To explore the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope protein 2 (E2) in the induction of apoptosis., Methods: A carboxyterminal truncated E2 (E2-661) was transiently expressed in several cultured mammalian cell lines or stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. Cell proliferation was assessed by 3H thymidine uptake. Apoptosis was examined by Hoechst 33258 staining, flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation analysis., Results: Reduced proliferation was readily observed in the E2-661 expressing cells. These cells manifested the typical features of apoptosis, including cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation and hypodiploid genomic DNA content. Similar apoptotic cell death was observed in an E2-661 stably expressing cell line., Conclusion: HCV E2 can induce apoptosis in cultured mammalian cells.

Cholesterol 7-alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) catalyzes a rate-limiting step in bile acid synthesis in liver, and its gene transcription is under complex regulation by multiple nuclear receptors in response to bile acids, cholesterol derivatives, and hormones. The liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1), a member of the fushi tarazu factor 1 subfamily of nuclear receptors, has emerged as an essential regulator for the expression of cyp7a1. In this report, we demonstrate Prox1, a prospero-related homeobox transcription factor, identified through a yeast two-hybrid screening, can directly interact with human LRH-1 (hLRH-1) and suppresses hLRH-1-mediated transcriptional activation of human cyp7a1 gene. Biochemical analysis demonstrates that Prox1 interacts with both the ligand binding domain (LBD) and the DNA binding domain (DBD) of hLRH-1. An LRKLL motif in Prox1 is important for the interaction with the LBD but not the DBD of hLRH-1. In hLRH-1 LBD, helices 2 and 10 are essential for Prox1 recruitment. The suppression by Prox1 on the transcriptional activity of hLRH-1 can be mediated through its interaction with the LBD or the DBD of hLRH-1. Gel shift assays reveal that Prox1 impairs the binding of hLRH-1 to the promoter of human cyp7a1 gene.

Aim: To investigate the immunogenicity of candidate DNA vaccine against hepatitis C virus (HCV) delivered by two plasmids expressing HCV envelope protein 1 (E1) and envelope protein 2 (E2) antigens respectively and to study the effect of CpG adjuvant on this candidate vaccine., Methods: Recombinant plasmids expressing HCV E1 and E2 antigens respectively were used to simultaneously inoculate mice with or without CpG adjuvant. Antisera were then collected and titers of anti-HCV antibodies were analyzed by ELISA. One month after the last injection, animals were sacrificed to prepare single-cell suspension of splenocytes. These cells were subjected to HCV antigen specific proliferation assays and cytokine secretion assays to evaluate the cellular immune responses of the vaccinated animals., Results: Antibody responses to HCV E1 and E2 antigens were detected in vaccinated animals. Animals receiving CpG adjuvant had slightly lower titers of anti-HCV antibodies in the sera, while the splenocytes from these animals showed higher HCV-antigen specific proliferation. Analysis of cytokine secretion from the splenocytes was consistent with the above results. While no antigen-specific IL-4 secretion was detected for all vaccinated animals, HCV antigen-specific INF-gamma secretion was detected for the splenocytes of vaccinated animals. CpG adjuvant enhanced the secretion of INF-gamma but did not change the profile of IL-4 secretion., Conclusion: Vaccination of mice with plasmids encoding HCV E1 and E2 antigens induces humoral and cellular immune responses. CpG adjuvant significantly enhances the cellular immune response., (Copyright 2004 The WJG Press ISSN)

Human hepatitis B virus enhancer II B1 binding factor (hB1F also known as NR5A2, LRH-1, FTF or CPF) is an orphan nuclear receptor and belongs to the fushi tarazu factor I (FTZ-F1) subfamily. It plays important roles in the transcriptional regulation of a number of genes involved in bile acid biosynthesis pathway, hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and liver specific regulatory network. Like other nuclear receptors, hB1F is composed of modular functional domains. We characterized a domain in its hinge region that imposes a strong repression on the transcriptional activity of hB1F, which is important for the function of hB1F on regulating the activity of HBV enhancer II/core promoter. Mutations of the core residues in this domain abrogate the repression. Bioinformatic analysis reveals that the amino acid sequence of this region is highly conserved only among members of the FTZ-F1 subfamily. The repression is observed in five cell lines tested, while the degree of the repression varies greatly, which does not parallel with the expression level of the DEAD box protein of 130 kD (DP103), a potential interacting protein of a homologous domain in the steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1). Moreover, the repression is not affected by the silencing mediator for retinoic acid receptor and thyroid hormone receptor (SMRT) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1). Collectively, these data suggest a novel regulatory mechanism for the transcriptional activity of hB1F.

The orphan nuclear receptor hB1F (also known as NR5A2, LRH-1, FTF or CPF) plays important roles in regulating the expression of several cellular and viral genes actively involved in a wide range of biological processes such as the bile acid biosynthesis, liver specific gene regulatory network and hepatitis B virus replication. The activity of nuclear receptors is regulated by multiple mechanisms, including coactivation and corepression. In this study, it was found that the silencing mediator for retinoic acid receptor and thyroid hormone receptor (SMRT) specifically represses the transcriptional activity of hB1F, on either GAL4 dependent reporter system or the hB1F-responsive HBV enhancer II/core promoter. The repression imposed by SMRT is observed in different cell lines. Interestingly, hB1F couldn t interact with SMRT directly, as demonstrated by mammalian two-hybrid analysis or GST pull-down assay. Taken together, it can be concluded for the first time that the transcriptional activity of hB1F is regulated specifically by the corepressor SMRT via an indirect mechanism.

A novel coronavirus (SARS-coronavirus, SARS-CoV) was discovered in association with cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) recently. The first step in coronavirus infection is binding of the viral spike protein to certain receptor on host cells. The spike protein is the main surface antigen of the coronavirus and there should be antibodies against spike protein in patients serum. Thus, to develop and expression protein fragment from spike protein gene are the purposes of this experiment. Partial spike gene fragments (751-1925 bp, 2005-3410 bp, 1-1925 bp and 32-3659 bp) and its intact gene were cloned into pET32 or pGEX vectors, and transformed into competent Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) (pLysS), respectively. 63, 78, 98, 160 and 164 kD fusion proteins were successfully expressed with amounts of 35%, 34%, 24%, 17% and 5% of total cell protein. The soluble parts of the cell crude extract were then partially purified by GST affinity chromatography.

Aim: Human hepatitis B virus enhancer II B1 binding factor (hB1F) was cloned and characterized as a novel member of the Ftz-F1 (NR5A) nuclear receptor subfamily. Although progresses have recently been made, its biological function remains largely unidentified. The aim of this study was to establish an hB1F transgenic mouse model to promote the functional study of hB1F., Methods: Transgene fragments were microinjected into fertilized eggs of mice. The manipulated embryos were transferred into the oviducts of pseudopregnant female mice. The offsprings were identified by PCR and Southern blot analysis. Transgene expression was analyzed with RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Transgenic founder mice were used to establish transgenic mouse lineages. The F1 and F2 mice were identified by PCR analysis., Results: Seven mice were identified as carrying copies of transgene. RT-PCR and Western blotting results showed that the transgene was expressed in heart, liver, lung, kidney and stomach in one of the transgenic mouse lineages. Genetic analysis of the transgenic mice demonstrated that the transgene was integrated into the chromosome at a single site, and was transmitted stably., Conclusion: In this study we established an hB1F transgenic mouse model, which will facilitate the investigation of the biological function of hB1F in vivo.

MVA is a genetically modified vaccinia virus strain, which is replication defective and extremely safe for research and clinical use. To further improve the safety of MVA and achieve more efficient selection of recombinant constructs, a transient selection marker system has been developed, which contains vaccinia virus k1l gene flanked by two identical fragments. In this report, four recombinant MVAs were constructed with this system, and homologous recombination of recombinant MVAs was studied during the construction procedure. The results showed that the recombination frequency of these rMVAs was significantly high, though lower than that observed in other vaccinia virus strains. The k1l free rMVAs could be conveniently obtained after 3 or 4 blind passages. Our data indicated that recombinant MVA with a transient selection marker system was safe for use as live vaccine and gene therapy vector for human. In addition, blind passages could enhance the efficiency in isolation of k1l free recombinants