心脏特异表达绿色荧光斑马鱼模型的建立与评估

本课题组前期研究中, 利用斑马鱼cmlc2 (Cardiac myosin light chain 2)基因启动子构建了一个用于斑马鱼心脏组织特异表达外源基因的转基因表达载体pTol2-cmlc2-IRES-EGFP。文章利用该载体构建了一个稳定表达EGFP的转基因斑马鱼品系, 并初步分析了EGFP的表达对该转基因斑马鱼品系的心脏发育和功能的影响。结果表明, 在建立的转基因斑马鱼品系早期胚胎发育过程中, 绿色荧光信号在心脏中特异表达, 该表达模式与原位杂交分析的cmlc2的表达模式结果相同; 该转基因斑马鱼品系的心脏形态及发育生长正常; 进一步通过M-Mode分析心脏生理学功能的结果表明：该转基因品系心动周期、心率、收缩与舒张表面积及表面积缩短率等重要生理指标与正常野生型的斑马鱼对照组相比没有显著差别。以上结果表明该转基因品系中绿色荧光蛋白的表达对斑马鱼心脏的发育和功能没有影响。研究结果为进一步利用该载体建立外源目的基因转基因表达模型, 研究心脏表达基因的功能奠定了重要基础。     

合子基因mcm3在斑马鱼肝早期发育中的作用

目的研究斑马鱼合子基因mcm3是否参与了斑马鱼肝早期发育的调控。方法运用原位杂交分析mcm3在斑马鱼发育早期表达谱;运用mcm3 MO敲降mcm3基因功能,然后用原位杂交及转基因鱼胚胎分析肝的发育状况。结果 mcm3为合子表达基因,在中囊胚期后到尾牙期广泛表达,而在体节发生期及以后分别在体节、头部及内胚层组织高表达。进一步研究发现在mcm3功能敲降后肝变小,而中胚层器官血管心脏的发育并未受到明显影响。mcm3 mRNA回救实验表明mcm3特异的调控了肝的发育。结论斑马鱼合子基因mcm3参与了肝早期发育的调控。     

荧光转基因斑马鱼Tg(ttn.2:EGFP)的构建

为了建立一种用于研究肌肉和心脏发育及其相关疾病的绿色荧光蛋白(enhanced green fluorescent protein,EGFP)转基因斑马鱼品系,本研究使用斑马鱼ttn.2基因编码区上游启动子序列和绿色荧光蛋白基因编码序列构建了重组表达载体,并将该载体和Tol2转座酶的加帽mRNA显微共注射入斑马鱼1-细胞期胚胎,通过荧光检测、遗传杂交筛选和分子鉴定等方法,成功建立了能稳定遗传的Tg(ttn.2:EGFP)转基因斑马鱼品系。荧光表达分析及原位杂交分析结果表明,绿色荧光信号在斑马鱼肌肉和心脏组织中特异表达模式与ttn.2基因的mRNA表达一致。通过反向PCR鉴定转基因表达载体在F1代斑马鱼品系中的随机整合位点,结果表明:No.33转基因品系的EGFP基因整合在斑马鱼的4号和11号染色体上,No.34转基因品系则整合在1号染色体上。该荧光转基因斑马鱼品系Tg(ttn.2:EGFP)的成功构建为肌肉和心脏发育以及相关疾病研究提供了一个新的理想实验模型。此外,绿色荧光强烈表达的斑马鱼品系还可以作为一种新的观赏鱼。     

多能干细胞诱导分化为肾脏类器官的分子机制及应用前景分析

干细胞具有自我更新和多向分化潜能,在再生医学领域发挥着越来越大的作用。肾脏类器官是一种由干细胞分化而来具有一定肾脏功能的组织结构,可用于肾脏疾病的细胞修复治疗,也可以模拟肾脏发育和疾病发生及用于筛选改善肾功能的药物。肾脏类器官的体外培育成为了当前研究热点,其体外培育可分为几个阶段：干细胞-原始体节中胚层-中间中胚层-输尿管芽（后肾间质）-集合管（肾单位）。本文重点介绍了目前两种较为成熟的肾脏类器官体外诱导方法,并对肾脏类器官的应用前景进行了综述。     

转基因斑马鱼分析胰岛β-细胞发育情况

斑马鱼的个体小、高产和体外受精等特点使其已经迅速成为研究脊椎动物器官发育和人类疾病的模式生物之一。我们建立了一个转基因斑马鱼动物模型来研究胰岛β-细胞的发育。首先,构建了斑马鱼胰岛素（Insulin ,INS） 启动子与绿色荧光蛋白(GFP) 组成的表达载体, 命名为INS:GFP。其次,将质粒在斑马鱼1-细胞期注射到细胞质内。最后我们成功获得了生殖系稳定遗传胰岛素转基因斑马鱼,在成鱼和幼鱼期均可以通过GFP标记β-细胞。通过方便的荧光筛选,我们观察到胰岛在受精后18h开始形成,1－5d后由初始的脊索中线两侧向右迁移。从我们构建的胰岛素转基因斑马鱼,可以直观判断胰岛的发育情况,为研究胰岛的发育、损伤和再生提供了一个简便和直观的新型工具。     

脊椎动物体节形成的分节时钟调控机制

脊椎动物胚胎发育早期中胚层细胞的分节时钟控制着体节的周期性形成。体节是沿身体轴的重复结构,最终发育形成椎骨和肋骨。如果分节时钟受到干扰,体节形成就会出现缺陷,从而导致身体发育异常,最终产生脊柱先天性疾病。参与体节发育的主要模型是时钟和波前模型。中胚层分化由组合梯度系统调节,该系统涉及成纤维细胞生长因子（FGF）、Wnt/β-catenin和视黄酸（RA）信号通路。FGF信号和Wnt/β-catenin信号控制后中胚层处于未分化状态,RA信号则诱导前中胚层细胞分化导致体节成熟。因此相反的信号梯度在特定位点达到平衡。当分子振荡器从尾芽起始表达并以行波模式向前传播至信号平衡临界点时,将启动分节时钟程序,触发Mesp2等分化基因表达,表现为未成熟的前体节中胚层发育形成一对体节。随着细胞二维培养体系和时事报告系统的成熟,研究人员成功在体外将干细胞诱导分化至中胚层并实现了分节时钟的二维可视化振荡。研究表明,细胞通信中的耦合延迟可以保持相邻细胞之间同步振荡,因此导致体节边界和双侧对称形成。此后研究人员在体外重建了诱导多能干细胞的三维培养系统,再现了具有前-后（AP）轴特征的体节样结构的形成。这为解码分节时钟网络调控机理、探索体节双侧对称形成以及不同物种发育速率的代谢调控机制提供了一个宝贵的研究体系。同时为探索病理性体节缺陷发展中的失调机制创造了一个平台。     

生长激素促进斑马鱼尾鳍的再生

目的建立生长激素过表达的转基因斑马鱼,研究生长激素在斑马鱼尾鳍再生过程中的作用。方法利用Gateway技术构建表达质粒"pDestTol2CG2; ubi:GH-polyA",在一细胞期显微注射表达质粒和转座酶mRNA后,通过荧光显微镜和qPCR技术筛选鉴定GH过表达的转基因斑马鱼。将斑马鱼分为对照组(野生型)和生长激素过表达组,尾鳍横切后,记录分析斑马鱼尾鳍再生过程。结果转基因斑马鱼中心脏被绿色荧光蛋白标记。荧光定量PCR检测结果显示GH表达水平显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。斑马鱼尾鳍横断后,生长激素过表达组的再生速度显著提高(P<0.05)。结论建立稳定生长激素过表达的转基因斑马鱼品系,过表达生长激素能够提高斑马鱼尾鳍再生速度。     

一种微管-荧光融合蛋白嵌合标记斑马鱼运动神经元系统的建立

运动神经元是一类支配运动行为的重要神经元。传统的荧光蛋白标记的转基因斑马鱼品系(用于活体成像分析运动神经元形态发生)存在胞体密集、突触交错、不好区分单个神经元等不足。为了优化活体成像分析运动神经元,本研究旨在建立一种微管-荧光融合蛋白嵌合标记斑马鱼运动神经元系统。首先通过Gateway克隆技术将运动神经元表达基因mnx1启动子序列与绿色荧光蛋白-α-Tubulin融合蛋白序列构建到含有Tol2转座位点的表达载体中,然后将该质粒和Tol2 mRNA同时注射到4～8细胞期斑马鱼受精卵中,在72 hpf (hours post fertilization)进行共聚焦显微成像分析。结果显示,该系统中绿色荧光融合蛋白在3种类型运动神经元中表达,从而实现单个运动神经元嵌合标记。本研究进一步探索注射剂量与嵌合标记神经元数量以及分布频率的关系,并确定了重组蛋白的合适剂量(15 ng)。此外,本研究在该模型上验证了insm1a和kif15表达下调导致的运动神经元异常发育。这些结果表明我们成功建立了一种微管-荧光融合蛋白嵌合标记斑马鱼运动神经元系统,为探究运动神经元的发育和形态发生提供了一个直观和快速的模...     

文昌鱼AmphiMef2基因的特征及其发育表达

肌细胞增强因子2(MEF2)属转录因子MADS家族成员, 它能控制脊椎动物肌肉特异基因的表达, 但在无脊椎动物中, 并非所有的Mef2基因都是肌肉发育所必需的. 在青岛文昌鱼(Branchiostoma belcheri)中首次克隆到一个全长的cDNA, 定名为AmphiMef2. 其编码的氨基酸序列具有高度保守的MADS和MEF2结构域, 与脊椎动物同源蛋白相应区域的氨基酸一致性高达95.3%. 原位杂交结果表明, AmphiMef2首先在早神经胚的预定体节中胚层中表达, 之后在体节和未分节的预定体节中胚层中表达. 36 h幼虫期, 只在后部体节中检测到它的表达. 48 h幼虫 期, AmphiMef2的表达区域转移到口前窝(一个与脊椎动物腺垂体同源的器官), 且持续表达到至少 72 h幼虫期. 实验结果提示, 文昌鱼AmphiMef2可能不但参与肌肉发生, 而且可能在口前窝的发育或功能发挥中起作用.     

利用Tol2转座子介导的增强子诱捕技术获得血管相关转基因斑马鱼系

心血管系统形成于胚胎发育极早期并为其他器官的发育、维持、修复所必需,血管生长异常可造成多种疾病.然而,由于研究对象所限,胚胎血管的发育机制尚未完全阐明,调控血管发育的基因也所知有限.通过Tol2转座子介导的大规模增强子诱捕筛选到26个血管特异表达绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)报告基因的转基因斑马鱼系,其中有一些品系在胚胎的某些特异血管结构中表达绿色荧光.通过linker-mediated PCR克隆到22个鱼系中Tol2插入位点附近的斑马鱼基因组序列,其中有17个鱼系的Tol2插入可定位到现有的斑马鱼基因组中的单一位点.通过整体胚胎原位杂交对插入位点附近的基因进行表达谱分析,得到8个表达谱与转基因鱼系一致的基因,涵盖了9个鱼系,其中dusp5基因对应于2个不同的鱼系.这8个基因中包括hhex、ets1a和dusp5等3个功能已知的基因,但是大部分(5个)基因在斑马鱼中尚无功能研究,分别为zvsg1、micall2a、arl8b(1of2)、zgc:73355以及hecw2(1of2).hhex和ets1a基因对血管与血细胞前体的发育具有重要作用,所获得的EGFP报告基因受hhex或ets1a基因增强子控制的转基因斑马鱼(mp378b和mp430c-2)为国际首例,为深入研究这两个基因在血管与血液发育中的作用机制提供了新的机遇.筛选到的功能未知基因可以用来进一步研究其在血管发育中的功能;同时,利用所获得的转基因鱼系,可以实现实时、动态观察成血管细胞的起源、分化与基因表达调控,并可用于高通量小分子药物筛选等重要研究.     

Parallel early development of zebrafish interrenal glands and pronephros: differential control by wt1 and ff1b

Steroids are synthesized mainly from the adrenal cortex. Adrenal deficiencies are often associated with problems related to its development, which is not fully understood. To better understand adrenocortical development, we studied zebrafish because of the ease of embryo manipulation. The adrenocortical equivalent in zebrafish is called the interrenal, because it is embedded in the kidney. We find that interrenal development parallels that of the embryonic kidney (pronephros). Primordial interrenal cells first appear as bilateral intermediate mesoderm expressing ff1b in a region ventral to the third somite. These cells then migrate toward the axial midline and fuse together. The pronephric primordia are wt1-expressing cells located next to the interrenal. They also migrate to the axial midline and fuse to become glomeruli at later developmental stages. Our gene knockdown experiments indicate that wt1 is required for its initial restricted expression in pronephric primordia, pronephric cell migration and fusion. wt1 also appears to be involved in interrenal development and ff1b expression. Similarly, ff1b is required for interrenal differentiation and activation of the differentiated gene, cyp11a1. Our results show that the zebrafish interrenal and pronephros are situated close together and go through parallel developmental processes but are governed by different signaling events.     

Signals from trunk paraxial mesoderm induce pronephros formation in chick intermediate mesoderm

We used Pax-2 mRNA expression and Lim 1/2 antibody staining as markers for the conversion of chick intermediate mesoderm (IM) to pronephric tissue and Lmx-1 mRNA expression as a marker for mesonephros. Pronephric markers were strongly expressed caudal to the fifth somite by stage 9. To determine whether the pronephros was induced by adjacent tissues and, if so, to identify the inducing tissues and the timing of induction, we microsurgically dissected one side of chick embryos developing in culture and then incubated them for up to 3 days. The undisturbed contralateral side served as a control. Most embryos cut parallel to the rostrocaudal axis between the trunk paraxial mesoderm and IM before stage 8 developed a pronephros on the control side only. Embryos manipulated after stage 9 developed pronephric structures on both sides, but the caudal pronephric extension was attenuated on the cut side. These results suggest that a medial signal is required for pronephric development and show that the signal is propagated in a rostral to caudal sequence. In manipulated embryos cultured for 3 days in ovo, the mesonephros as well as the pronephros failed to develop on the experimental side. In contrast, embryos cut between the notochord and the trunk paraxial mesoderm formed pronephric structures on both sides, regardless of the stage at which the operation was performed, indicating that the signal arises from the paraxial mesoderm (PM) and not from axial mesoderm. This cut also served as a control for cuts between the PM and the IM and showed that signaling itself was blocked in the former experiments, not the migration of pronephric or mesonephric precursor cells from the primitive streak. Additional control experiments ruled out the need for signals from lateral plate mesoderm, ectoderm, or endoderm. To determine whether the trunk paraxial mesoderm caudal to the fifth somite maintains its inductive capacity in the absence of contact with more rostral tissue, embryos were transected. Those transected below the prospective level of the fifth somite expressed Pax-2 in both the rostral and the caudal isolates, whereas embryos transected rostral to this level expressed Pax-2 in the caudal isolate only. Thus, a rostral signal is not required to establish the normal pattern of Pax-2 expression and pronephros formation. To determine whether paraxial mesoderm is sufficient for pronephros induction, stage 7 or earlier chick lateral plate mesoderm was cocultured with caudal stage 8 or 9 quail somites in collagen gels. Pax-2 was expressed in chick tissues in 21 of 25 embryos. Isochronic transplantation of stage 4 or 5 quail node into caudal chick primitive streak resulted in the generation of ectopic somites. These somites induced ectopic pronephroi in lateral plate mesoderm, and the IM that received signals from both native and ectopic somites formed enlarged pronephroi with increased Pax-2 expression. We conclude that signals from a localized region of the trunk paraxial mesoderm are both required and sufficient for the induction of the pronephros from the chick IM. Studies to identify the molecular nature of the induction are in progress.     

The Na+/PO4 cotransporter SLC20A1 gene labels distinct restricted subdomains of the developing pronephros in Xenopus and zebrafish embryos

The embryonic pronephric kidneys of Xenopus and zebrafish serve as models to study vertebrate nephrogenesis. Recently, multiple subdomains within the Xenopus pronephros have been defined based on the expression of several transport proteins. In contrast, very few studies on the expression of renal transporters have been conducted in zebrafish. We have recently shown that the anterior and posterior segments of the zebrafish pronephric duct may correspond to the proximal tubule and distal tubule/duct compartments of the Xenopus and higher vertebrate pronephros, respectively. Here, we report the embryonic expression pattern of the Na(+)/PO(4) cotransporter SLC20A1 (PiT1/Glvr-1) gene encoding a type III sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter in Xenopus and zebrafish. In Xenopus, SLC20A1 mRNA is expressed in the somitic mesoderm and lower level of expression is detected in the neural tube, eye, and neural crest cells. From stage 25, SLC20A1 is also detectable in the developing pronephros where expression is restricted to the late portion of the distal pronephric tubules. In zebrafish, SLC20A1 is transcribed from mid-somitogenesis in the anterior part of the pronephros where its expression corresponds to the rostral portion of the expression of other proximal tubule-specific markers. Outside the pronephros, lower level of SLC20A1 expression is also observed in the posterior cardinal and caudal veins. Based on the SLC20A1 expression domain and that of other transporters, four segments have been defined within the zebrafish pronephros. Together, our data reveal that the zebrafish and Xenopus pronephros have non-identical proximo-distal organizations.     

Towards a molecular anatomy of the Xenopus pronephric kidney.

Kidney development is distinguished by the sequential formation of three structures of putatively equivalent function from the intermediate mesoderm, the pronephros, mesonephros, and metanephros. While these organs differ morphologically, their basic structural organization exhibits important similarities. The earliest form of the kidney, the pronephros, is the primary blood filtration and osmoregulatory organ of fish and amphibian larvae. Simple organization and rapid formation render the Xenopus pronephric kidney an ideal model for research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms dictating early kidney organogenesis. A prerequisite for this is the identification of genes critical for pronephric kidney development. This review describes the emerging framework of genes that act to establish the basic components of the pronephric kidney: the corpuscle, tubules, and the duct. Systematic analysis of marker gene expression, in temporal and spatial resolution, has begun to reveal the molecular anatomy underlying pronephric kidney development. Furthermore, the emerging evidence indicates extensive conservation of gene expression between pronephric and metanephric kidneys, underscoring the importance of the Xenopus pronephric kidney as a simple model for nephrogenesis. Given that Xenopus embryos allow for easy testing of gene function, the pathways that direct cell fate decisions in the intermediate mesoderm to make the diverse spectrum of cell types of the pronephric kidney may become unraveled in the future.     

Zebrafish no isthmus reveals a role for pax2.1 in tubule differentiation and patterning events in the pronephric primordia

Pax genes are important developmental regulators and function at multiple stages of vertebrate kidney organogenesis. In this report, we have used the zebrafish pax2.1 mutant no isthmus to investigate the role for pax2.1 in development of the pronephros. We demonstrate a requirement for pax2.1 in multiple aspects of pronephric development including tubule and duct epithelial differentiation and cloaca morphogenesis. Morphological analysis demonstrates that noi(- )larvae specifically lack pronephric tubules while glomerular cell differentiation is unaffected. In addition, pax2.1 expression in the lateral cells of the pronephric primordium is required to restrict the domains of Wilms' tumor suppressor (wt1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene expression to medial podocyte progenitors. Ectopic podocyte-specific marker expression in pronephric duct cells correlates with loss of expression of the pronephric tubule and duct-specific markers mAb 3G8 and a Na(+)/K(+) ATPase (&agr;)1 subunit. The results suggest that the failure in pronephric tubule differentiation in noi arises from a patterning defect during differentiation of the pronephric primordium and that mutually inhibitory regulatory interactions play an important role in defining the boundary between glomerular and tubule progenitors in the forming nephron.     

Transgenic labeling of the zebrafish pronephric duct and tubules using a promoter from the enpep gene

In recent years the zebrafish has become a popular model system to study organ development and disease. To facilitate these studies, genetic tools are required which allow to modify and manipulate gene expression in organs of interest. Here we describe a zebrafish 2kb glutamyl aminopeptidase (enpep) promoter fragment, and show that it can drive gene expression specifically in the kidney during early and late development. We established a stable transgenic line using this promoter fragment that has specific GFP expression in pronephric ducts and tubules starting at 20h post-fertilization.     

Requirement of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in pronephric kidney development

The pronephric kidney controls water and electrolyte balance during early fish and amphibian embryogenesis. Many Wnt signaling components have been implicated in kidney development. Specifically, in Xenopus pronephric development as well as the murine metanephroi, the secreted glycoprotein Wnt-4 has been shown to be essential for renal tubule formation. Despite the importance of Wnt signals in kidney organogenesis, little is known of the definitive downstream signaling pathway(s) that mediate their effects. Here we report that inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling within the pronephric field of Xenopus results in significant losses to kidney epithelial tubulogenesis with little or no effect on adjoining axis or somite development. We find that the requirement for Wnt/β-catenin signaling extends throughout the pronephric primordium and is essential for the development of proximal and distal tubules of the pronephros as well as for the development of the duct and glomus. Although less pronounced than effects upon later pronephric tubule differentiation, inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway decreased expression of early pronephric mesenchymal markers indicating it is also needed in early pronephric patterning. We find that upstream inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signals in zebrafish likewise reduces pronephric epithelial tubulogenesis. We also find that exogenous activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling within the Xenopus pronephric field results in significant tubulogenic losses. Together, we propose Wnt/β-catenin signaling is required for pronephric tubule, duct and glomus formation in Xenopus laevis, and this requirement is conserved in zebrafish pronephric tubule formation.     

Cadherin-6 is required for zebrafish nephrogenesis during early development

We performed functional analyses of cadherin-6 (cdh6) in zebrafish nephrogenesis using antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) inhibition combined with in situ hybridization. We have cloned a zebrafish homolog (accession number AB193290) of human K-cadherin (CDH6), which showed 6063% identity and 7678% similarity to the human, mouse, chicken and Xenopus homologs. Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that cdh6 is expressed in the pronephric ducts and nephron primordia in addition to the central and peripheral nervous systems. Expression of cdh6 in the pronephric ducts was first detected at 14 hours post-fertilization (hpf) and increased to 24 hpf. Embryos injected with MOs directed against cdh6 (cdh6MOs) showed developmental defects, including a small head, body axis curvature, short yolk extension and a short bent tail by 30 hpf and edema appeared in the thorax by 42 hpf. Such defects and edema became more marked by 52 hpf and most of the affected embryos died by 5 days post-fertilization. Embryos injected with cdh6MOs were subjected to in situ hybridization with probes for the pronephric markers, wt1 and pax2.1, to examine disturbed development of the anterior region of the pronephric ducts and the nephron primordia. Histological studies showed malformation of the pronephros as abnormally fused glomerulus primordia, fused or abnormally bent pronephric tubule anlagen and coarctated pronephric ducts. These results suggest that cdh6 plays pivotal roles in the development of the pronephros in zebrafish embryos.