Hino Rika, Tomita Masahiro, Yoshizato Katsutoshi
Yoshizato Project, Cooperative Link of Unique Science and Technology for Economy Revitalization, Hiroshima Prefectural Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 3-10-32 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan.
Biomaterials. 2006 Nov;27(33):5715-24. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2006.07.028. Epub 2006 Aug 14.
We generated germline transgenic silkworms bearing a fibroin light chain (FL) promoter-driven FL gene whose 3'-end was flanked with human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene, FL/bFGF gene. The cocoons from transgenic worms were trypsinized to remove sericin layers, and treated with solution containing CaCl(2), ethanol, and water at a molar ratio of 1:2:8 (CaCl(2)/ethanol/water) to solubilize fibroin layers. Western blot analysis showed that the recombinant protein, r(FL/bFGF), was solubilized with CaCl(2)/ethanol/water, but not with trypsin, indicating that r(FL/bFGF) was in fibroin layers. Thus, it was concluded that the worms spun cocoons whose fibroin layers were composed of the inherent gene-derived natural fibroin (nF) and r(FL/bFGF). The mixture of nF and r(FL/bFGF) was dubbed r(FL/bFGF)nF. The solubilized r(FL/bFGF)nF was refolded using the glutathione redox system. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) grew in the refolded r(FL/bFGF)nF-containing culture media, showing that bFGF in r(FL/bFGF) was biologically active. r(FL/bFGF)nF immobilized on a culture dish also supported the growth of HUVECs in bFGF-free media, suggesting the usefulness of r(FL/bFGF)nF as a new biomaterial for tissue engineering. The currently developed transgenic silkworms will be suitable for mass production of fibroins bearing a variety of biological activities.
我们培育出了种系转基因蚕,其携带由丝心蛋白轻链(FL)启动子驱动的FL基因,该基因的3'端侧翼连接着人碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)基因,即FL/bFGF基因。将转基因蚕所结的茧用胰蛋白酶处理以去除丝胶层,然后用摩尔比为1:2:8(氯化钙/乙醇/水)的氯化钙、乙醇和水溶液处理,以使丝心蛋白层溶解。蛋白质免疫印迹分析表明,重组蛋白r(FL/bFGF)可被氯化钙/乙醇/水溶液溶解,但不能被胰蛋白酶溶解,这表明r(FL/bFGF)存在于丝心蛋白层中。因此,可以得出结论,这些蚕所结的茧,其丝心蛋白层由固有基因衍生的天然丝心蛋白(nF)和r(FL/bFGF)组成。nF和r(FL/bFGF)的混合物被称为r(FL/bFGF)nF。使用谷胱甘肽氧化还原系统对溶解的r(FL/bFGF)nF进行重折叠。人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVECs)在含有重折叠的r(FL/bFGF)nF的培养基中生长,这表明r(FL/bFGF)中的bFGF具有生物活性。固定在培养皿上的r(FL/bFGF)nF在不含bFGF的培养基中也能支持HUVECs的生长,这表明r(FL/bFGF)nF作为一种新型组织工程生物材料具有实用性。目前培育出的转基因蚕将适合大规模生产具有多种生物活性的丝心蛋白。