Development of a mouse cell line containing stably integrated copies of pMCLacI/Neo plasmid: a model for studying mutations in vitro*
LU YangLI HuaixingFU jiliang(Department of Medical Genetics, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai,200433 P.R. China. E-mail:Huaixing@bigfoot.com)
【Abstract】ObjectiveTo establish a suitable model for studying the different mechanisms of mutation between expressed and non-expressed genes in mammalian cells. MethodsThe nIH3T3 cells were transfected with the linearized pMCLacI/Neo DNAs by liposome-mediated transfection,and grew in the presence of G418. One drug resistant cell clone was selected to proliferate and to be analyzed with southern blot and RT-PCR analyses on its genomic DNAs. Results(1)Multiple copies of pMCLacI/Neo plasmid DNA were intactly integrated in the genomic DNAs of the cell clone. (2) One of lac Ⅰ target genes in the integrated plasmid could be transcribed in the NIH3T3 cells while the other could not. (3) The pMCLacI/Neo plasmid DNA could be efficiently rescued from the genomic DNAs of the cell clone with the average rescue efficiency of 410 cfu/μg DNA. ConclusionThe nIH3T3 cell line containing copies of a stably integrated pMCLacI/Neo has been established. The two lacI target genes in the cell line could imitate the functional states of expressed and non-expressed genes in mammalian cells respectively. The cell line will be a useful model for studying the different mechanisms of mutation between expressed and non-expressed genes in mammalian cells.
【Key words】mutagenesis;lacI gene;NIH3T3 cells;transcription;plasmid
迄今为止,已建立了多种体外、体内突变检测系统。在这些系统中,突变靶基因都是在哺乳动物组织细胞内不转录和表达的,而人和哺乳动物细胞内许多重要的功能基因都是处于被转录和表达的活性状态。大量的研究结果表明体内被转录和表达的功能基因的DNA损伤将被优先修复。因此,在这些突变检测系统中,通过一些不表达的中性靶基因所检测到的突变规律是否代表体内一些重要的功能基因的真实情况,目前尚不清楚[1-3]。我们通过脂质体转染法建立了在基因组DNA中稳定整合有pMCLacI/Neo质粒的NIH3T3细胞系[4]。该质粒中含有两个lacI突变靶基因,其中一个在NIH3T3细胞中处于转录表达状态,而另一个则处于非转录表达状态,从而起到了模拟哺乳动物细胞内表达基因和沉默基因的功能状态的作用。该细胞系的建立为比较研究人和哺乳动物体内表达基因和沉默基因的不同突变机理提供了一个有效的实验模型。
1材料和方法
1.1主要材料pMCLacI/Neo质粒由本室构建保种;DNA凝胶回收试剂盒(QIAquick gel Extract Kit)购自QIAgene公司;NIH3T3源自ATCC库;DH10B宿主菌,DMEM培养基,胎牛血清(FCS),脂质体(Lipofectamin),RNA抽提试剂(TrizolTm reagent)和RT-PCR试剂盒(SuperscriptTm Preamplification system)均为GIBCO公司产品;G418是Calbiochem产品;α-32P dCTP购自北京亚辉生物技术公司。lacI基因的特异性PCR引物由Sangon生物工程公司合成,其序列为:P1:5′-AGCTTCCACAG-CAATGGCATCCTGG-3′;P2:5′-CTTTCGCGGTA-TGGCATGATAGCGC-3′能扩增出468bp长的DNA片段。
1.2基因转染用DNA的准备将pMCLacI/Neo质粒(图1)以Xho i酶切后进行电泳,并用QIAquick Gel Extract Kit从凝胶中回收、纯化线性化的该质粒DNA,以500 ng/μl的浓度溶于双蒸水中待用。
图1pMCLacI/Neo质粒的结构示意图
fig 1Map of pMCLacI/Neo plasmid
1.3NIH3T3细胞的转染和药物筛选[5]将对数生长期的NIH3T3细胞以1×105~3×105个细胞/孔的密度接种至6孔培养板中,将1~2μg线性化的pMCLacI/Neo质粒DNA通过脂质体转染入NIH3T3细胞。转染后48 h,将细胞传代培养至含G418(300 μg/ml)的DMEM培养基中,经过10 d后,未被转染的NIH3T3细胞已全部死亡,而抗性细胞开始呈集落性生长。至21 d时,抗性细胞克隆长成肉眼可见的细胞团。按照文献[6]推荐的方法挑取抗性细胞克隆并进一步扩增培养(10代以上)。
1.4细胞基因组DNA的Southern杂交收集108~109个抗性细胞用蛋白酶K法提取基因组DNA[7],取20~30μg基因组DNA,用80U Cla I于37℃酶切16 h,按常规方法电泳、转膜后,置于68℃杂交液(7% sDS,0.5mol/L NaH2PO4,0.5mol/L Na2HPO4,10 mmol/L EDTA,1% BSA)中预杂交6 h,然后加入探针继续杂交16 h(取25 ng线性化的pMCLacI/Neo DNA作模板,采用Rediprime DNA Labeling System制备α-32P dCTP标记的探针),分别用加和未加pMCLacI/Neo质粒DNA的正常NIH3T3细胞基因组DNA作阳性和阴性对照。用洗膜液A(0.5% bSA,5% SDS,1 mmol/L EDTA,40 mmol/L Na2HPO4,40 mmol/L naH2PO4)于室温洗膜两次共30 min,再用洗膜液B(1% sDS,1 mmol/L EDTA,40 mmol/L Na2HPO4,40 mmol/L NaH2PO4)于68℃洗30 min,最后用0.1×SSC漂洗,按常规进行压片和放射自显影。
1.5细胞RT-PCR鉴定将经以上Southern杂交鉴定呈阳性的细胞克隆接种到6孔培养板上扩增培养至细胞数量达106~107,一半细胞冻存留种,另一半采用GIBCO公司的TRIZOL试剂抽提细胞总RNA。再采用SuperscriptTm preamplification System进行RT-PCR分析,PCR扩增按94℃ 30 s,65℃ 45 s,72℃1 min的条件进行循环,扩增产物经电泳观察后进行Southern杂交鉴定(其电泳、转膜和杂交过程与以上相同)。
1.6pMCLacI/Neo质粒的回收取10 μg经Cla I完全酶切的细胞基因组DNA,75℃处理10 min后,用双蒸水稀释至449 μl,加入50 μl 10×Buffer,1 μl(3U) T4 dNA连接酶,于16℃连接12 h。取5 μl连接环化的DNA液转化100 μl dH10B感受态细胞,涂布含X-gal并呈Ampr的LB平板,于37℃培养16~24 h后,计数平板上的菌落数并观察有无蓝色突变子出现,以确定回收效率。此外每次还随机挑取5个单菌落进行以下鉴定:一是扩增后抽取质粒DNA进行酶切鉴定;二是用X-gal和IPTG来鉴定菌落内lacI基因的功能。
2结果和讨论
我们采用脂质体转染法将经Xho i酶切成线状的pMCLacI/Neo质粒导入NIH3T3细胞并加入G418进行筛选,然后将抗性细胞克隆采用Southern杂交鉴定基因组中是否整合有pMCLacI/Neo质粒。图2是其中一个呈G418抗性的细胞克隆C1的基因组DNA的Southern杂交结果,从图中可看出整合于C1细胞克隆基因组DNA中的pMCLacI/Neo质粒与阳性对照大小相同,表明该质粒没有出现明显的缺失和插入突变,并且质粒在基因组中是以多拷贝首尾串联的方式进行排列的。
图2细胞基因组DNA的Southern杂交结果1:正常NIH3T3
2:LC1细胞克隆;3:pMCLacI/Neo阳性对照
fig 2Southern blot result of C1 cell clone genomic DNAslane 1: negative control(NIH3T3 cell genomic DNAs); lane 2:C1 cell clone; lane 3:positive control(10 μg genomic DNAs of NIH3T3 cells+10 pg pMCLacI/Neo DNAs)
图3C1细胞克隆RT-PCR(a)和RT-PCR southern杂交(b)结果1:经逆转录的C1 RNA;2:未经逆转录的C1 rNA;3:系统对照mRNA; 4:正常NIH3T3 RNA; M:λ/EcoRI+HindⅢ DNA<
