Characterization and Targeting of the Murine α2-Antiplasmin Gene

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (03) ◽  
pp. 1104-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Okada ◽  
H R Lijnen ◽  
M Dewerchin ◽  
A Belayew ◽  
O Matsuo ◽  
...  

Summaryα2-Antiplasmin (α2-AP) is the main physiological plasmin inhibitor in mammalian plasma. As a first step toward the generation of α2-AP deficient mice, the murine α2-AP 1 gene was characterized and a targeting vector for homologous recombination in embryonic stem (ES) cells constructed. Alignment of nucleotide sequences obtained from genomic subclones allowed location of exons 2 through 10 of the α2-AP 1gene, but failed to identify the 5’ boundary of exon 1. Compared to the human gene, exons 2 through 9 in the murine gene have identical size and intron-exon boundaries obeying the GT/AG rule. The 5’ boundary of exon 10 is identical in both genes while the 3’ non-coding region is 64 bp longer in the human gene. Introns 2,3,6 and 8 have similar sizes in the mouse and human genes; intron 1 is 6-fold smaller, introns 5, 7 and 9 are 2- to 3-fold smaller, whereas intron 4 is about 2-fold larger in the mouse gene. Compared to the human 5’ flanking sequence, an insertion of a simple repeat region with sequence (TGG)n has occurred. The open reading frame of the mouse α2-AP gene encodes a 491-amino acid protein comprising the experimentally determined NH2-terminus of the mature protein Val-Asp-Leu-Pro-Gly-.A targeting vector, ppPNT.α2-AP, was constructed by introducing a homologous sequence of 8.3 kb in total in the parental pPNT vector. In pPNT.α2-AP, the neomycin resistance expression cassette replaces a 7 kb genomic fragment comprising exon 2 through part of exon 10 (including the stop codon), which represents the entire sequence encoding the mature protein, including the fibrin-binding domain, the reactive site peptide bond and the plasmin(ogen)-binding region. Electroporation of 129R1 embryonic stem (ES) cells with the linearized vector pPNT.α2-AP yielded three targeted clones with correct homologous recombination at the 5’- and 3’-ends, as confirmed by Southern blot analysis of purified genomic DNA with appropriate restriction enzymes and probes. These targeted clones will be used to generate α2-AP deficient mice.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4509-4517
Author(s):  
P Hasty ◽  
J Rivera-Pérez ◽  
C Chang ◽  
A Bradley

Gene targeting has been used to direct mutations into specific chromosomal loci in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells. The altered locus can be studied in vivo with chimeras and, if the mutated cells contribute to the germ line, in their offspring. Although homologous recombination is the basis for the widely used gene targeting techniques, to date, the mechanism of homologous recombination between a vector and the chromosomal target in mammalian cells is essentially unknown. Here we look at the nature of gene targeting in ES cells by comparing an insertion vector with replacement vectors that target hprt. We found that the insertion vector targeted up to ninefold more frequently than a replacement vector with the same length of homologous sequence. We also observed that the majority of clones targeted with replacement vectors did not recombine as predicted. Analysis of the recombinant structures showed that the external heterologous sequences were often incorporated into the target locus. This observation can be explained by either single reciprocal recombination (vector insertion) of a recircularized vector or double reciprocal recombination/gene conversion (gene replacement) of a vector concatemer. Thus, single reciprocal recombination of an insertion vector occurs 92-fold more frequently than double reciprocal recombination of a replacement vector with crossover junctions on both the long and short arms.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4509-4517 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Hasty ◽  
J Rivera-Pérez ◽  
C Chang ◽  
A Bradley

Gene targeting has been used to direct mutations into specific chromosomal loci in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells. The altered locus can be studied in vivo with chimeras and, if the mutated cells contribute to the germ line, in their offspring. Although homologous recombination is the basis for the widely used gene targeting techniques, to date, the mechanism of homologous recombination between a vector and the chromosomal target in mammalian cells is essentially unknown. Here we look at the nature of gene targeting in ES cells by comparing an insertion vector with replacement vectors that target hprt. We found that the insertion vector targeted up to ninefold more frequently than a replacement vector with the same length of homologous sequence. We also observed that the majority of clones targeted with replacement vectors did not recombine as predicted. Analysis of the recombinant structures showed that the external heterologous sequences were often incorporated into the target locus. This observation can be explained by either single reciprocal recombination (vector insertion) of a recircularized vector or double reciprocal recombination/gene conversion (gene replacement) of a vector concatemer. Thus, single reciprocal recombination of an insertion vector occurs 92-fold more frequently than double reciprocal recombination of a replacement vector with crossover junctions on both the long and short arms.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 6755-6758
Author(s):  
B R Stanton ◽  
S W Reid ◽  
L F Parada

We have disrupted one allele of the N-myc locus in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells by using homologous recombination techniques and have obtained germ line transmission of null N-myc ES cell lines with transmission of the null N-myc allele to the offspring. The creation of mice with a deficient N-myc allele will allow the generation of offspring bearing null N-myc alleles in both chromosomes and permit study of the role that this proto-oncogene plays in embryonic development.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 3509-3517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitoshi Okada ◽  
Woong-Kyung Suh ◽  
Jianping Jin ◽  
Minna Woo ◽  
Chunying Du ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The mitochondrial proapoptotic protein Smac/DIABLO has recently been shown to potentiate apoptosis by counteracting the antiapoptotic function of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). In response to apoptotic stimuli, Smac is released into the cytosol and promotes caspase activation by binding to IAPs, thereby blocking their function. These observations have suggested that Smac is a new regulator of apoptosis. To better understand the physiological function of Smac in normal cells, we generated Smac-deficient (Smac−/− ) mice by using homologous recombination in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Smac−/− mice were viable, grew, and matured normally and did not show any histological abnormalities. Although the cleavage in vitro of procaspase-3 was inhibited in lysates of Smac−/− cells, all types of cultured Smac−/− cells tested responded normally to all apoptotic stimuli applied. There were also no detectable differences in Fas-mediated apoptosis in the liver in vivo. Our data strongly suggest the existence of a redundant molecule or molecules capable of compensating for a loss of Smac function.


Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 2168-2174 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Castellanos ◽  
B. Pintado ◽  
E. Weruaga ◽  
R. Arévalo ◽  
A. López ◽  
...  

Abstract BCR-ABLp190 oncogene is the result of a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 and is associated with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in humans. Current models expressing the BCR-ABLp190 chimeric gene fail to consistently reproduce the phenotype with which the fusion gene is associated in human pathology, mainly due to the difficulty of being expressed in the appropriate cell type in vivo. We have used here homologous recombination in ES cells to create an in-frame fusion of BCR-ABLp190 that mimics the consequences of the human chromosomal translocation by fusion of BCR-ABL coding sequences into the bcr endogenous gene. The chimeric mice generated with the mutant embryonic stem cells systematically develop B-ALL. Using these chimeric mice, we further show that BCR-ABL oncogene does not require the endogenous bcr product in leukemogenesis. Our results show that BCR-ABLp190 chimeric mice are a new model to study the biology of the BCR-ABL oncogene and indicate the efficacy of this strategy for studying the role of specific chromosome abnormalities in tumor development.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6423-6429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonnie Rijkers ◽  
Jody Van Den Ouweland ◽  
Bruno Morolli ◽  
Anton G. Rolink ◽  
Willy M. Baarends ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The RAD52 epistasis group is required for recombinational repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) and shows strong evolutionary conservation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, RAD52 is one of the key members in this pathway. Strains with mutations in this gene show strong hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and defects in recombination. Inactivation of the mouse homologue of RAD52in embryonic stem (ES) cells resulted in a reduced frequency of homologous recombination. Unlike the yeast Scrad52 mutant,MmRAD52 −/− ES cells were not hypersensitive to agents that induce DSBs. MmRAD52 null mutant mice showed no abnormalities in viability, fertility, and the immune system. These results show that, as in S. cerevisiae, MmRAD52is involved in recombination, although the repair of DNA damage is not affected upon inactivation, indicating that MmRAD52 may be involved in certain types of DSB repair processes and not in others. The effect of inactivating MmRAD52 suggests the presence of genes functionally related to MmRAD52, which can partly compensate for the absence of MmRad52 protein.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 373-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Ryan ◽  
Chiao-Wang Sun ◽  
Li-Chen Wu ◽  
Jin-Xiang Ren ◽  
Tim M. Townes

Abstract Genetic correction of patient-derived embryonic stem (ES) cells is a powerful strategy for the treatment of hemoglobinopathies such as β thalassemia and sickle cell disease. One genetic strategy for the correction of β thalassemia is to replace mutant or deleted β-globin alleles with a wild-type gene by homologous recombination in ES cells. Thalassemic mice that mimic the disorder have been generated by targeted gene deletion of the adult murine β-globin genes (PNAS 92: 9259–9263). We derived ES cells from our β-globin knockout mice and produced genetically identical mutant mice by injecting the ES cells into tetraploid embryos. These cloned β thalassemic mice have a severe microcytic anemia characterized by a marked reduction of the erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin level (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct), and a marked increase in reticulocytes and red cell distribution width (RDW) compared to cloned wild-type control animals. In contrast to the normochromic, normocytic erythrocytes of wild-type clones, erythrocytes in peripheral blood smears of β thalassemic mice were hypochromic and exhibit extreme anisopoikilocytosis. A targeting construct containing 8.7 kb of mouse homology flanking a human γ- and β-globin gene cassette and a hygromycin marker gene was electroporated into the β thalassemic ES cells. After selection, DNA from 48 ES cell colonies was analyzed by PCR to identify homologous recombinants. Nineteen colonies (40%) had correctly integrated the human globin genes into the deleted mouse β-globin locus. Correctly targeted cells were injected into tetraploid blastocysts to produce mice that are derived solely from the corrected ES cells. These cloned mice synthesize high levels of human β-globin polypeptide that corrects the α- to β-globin chain imbalance, thereby eliminating the thalassemic erythrocyte morphology. The MCV, Hb, Hct, RDW, and reticulocyte levels in the blood of these mice are normal. These results demonstrate that a severe hemoglobinopathy can be cured after targeted gene replacement of a mutant gene(s) with a wild-type allele by homologous recombination in ES cells.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 5586-5591 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Hasty ◽  
J Rivera-Pérez ◽  
A Bradley

Homologous recombination has been used to introduce site-specific mutations into murine embryonic stem (ES) cells with both insertion and replacement vectors. In this study, we compared the frequency of gene targeting with various lengths of homology and found a dramatic increase in targeting with an increase in homology from 1.3 to 6.8 kb. We examined in detail the relationship between the length of homology and the gene-targeting frequency for replacement vectors and found that a critical length of homology is needed for targeting. Adding greater lengths of homology to this critical length has less of an effect on the targeting frequency. We also analyzed the lengths of homology necessary on both arms of the vector for gene replacement events and found that 472 bp of homology is used as efficiently as 1.2 kb in the formation and resolution of crossover junctions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Caothien ◽  
Charles Yu ◽  
Lucinda Tam ◽  
Robert Newman ◽  
Brian Nakao ◽  
...  

Abstract Gene targeting in mouse ES cells replaces or modifies genes of interest; conditional alleles, reporter knock-ins, and amino acid changes are common examples of how gene targeting is used. For example, enhanced green fluorescent protein or Cre recombinase is placed under the control of endogenous genes to define promoter expression patterns. The most important step in the process is to demonstrate that a gene targeting vector is correctly integrated in the genome at the desired chromosomal location. The rapid identification of correctly targeted ES cell clones is facilitated by proper targeting vector construction, rapid screening procedures, and advances in cell culture. The addition of magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) technology and multiplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to the ES cell screening process can achieve a greater than 60% assurance that ES clones are correctly targeted. In a further refinement of the process, drug selection cassettes are removed from ES cells with adenovirus technology. This improved workflow reduces the time needed to generate preclinical animal models. Faster access to animal models for therapeutic target identification and experimental validation can accelerate the development of therapies for human disease.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
S. Kim ◽  
J. W. Kim ◽  
S. M. Lee ◽  
J. H. Kim ◽  
M. J. Kang

Gene targeting is a genetic technique that utilises homologous recombination between an engineered exogenous DNA fragment and the endogenous genome of an animal. In domestic animals, gene targeting has provided an important tool for producing knockout pigs for the α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1) to use in xenotransplantation. The frequency of homologous recombination is a critical parameter for the success of gene targeting. The efficiency of homologous recombination in somatic cells is lower than that in mouse embryonic stem cells. The application of gene targeting to somatic cells has been limited by its low efficiency. Recently, knockout rat and mouse were generated by introducing nonhomologus end joining (NHE)-mediated deletion or insertion at the target site using zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN). Therefore, the development of effective knockout and knock-in techniques in domestic animals is very important in biomedical research. In this study, we investigated homologous recombination events at the cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) gene locus using ZFN in porcine primary fibroblast. The CMAH-targeted ZFN plasmid and mRNA were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St Louis, MO, USA). Porcine ear fibroblasts cells were obtained from a 10-day-old male Chicago miniature pigs. The fibroblasts were cultured in DMEM containing 15% fetal bovine serum, 1 × nonessential amino acids, 1 × sodium pyruvate, 10–4 M β-mercaptoethanol, 100 unit mL–1 penicillin and 100 μg mL–1 streptomycin. The cells were trypsinized and resuspended at a concentration of 1.25 × 107 cells mL–1 in F10 nutrient mixture. Four hundred microliters of the cell suspension was electroporated in a 4-mm cuvette with 4 pulses of 1 ms duration using 400V capacitive discharges using the CMAH neo targeting vector and ZFN plasmid or RNA. The CMAH neo targeting vector consists of the neomycin resistance gene (neo) as a positive selectable marker gene, 789-bp 5′ arm and 763-bp 3′ arm from exon 8 of CMAH gene. After selection of G-418, PCR analysis was performed using 64 colonies transfected with ZFN plasmid and 48 colonies transfected with ZFN RNA. As a result, 19 positive colonies were identified in colonies transfected with ZFN plasmid and 15 colonies were identified in colonies transfected with ZFN RNA. The targeting efficiency was 29.7 and 31.6% in the colonies transfected with ZFN plasmid and ZFN RNA, respectively. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence that the efficiency of gene targeting using ZFN was higher than that of conventional gene targeting in the porcine fibroblast. These cell lines may be used in production of CMAH knockouts for xenotransplantation.


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