Abstract:
Provided herein are exemplary vectors for transforming algal cells. In exemplary embodiments, the vector comprises a Violaxanthin-chlorophyll a binding protein (Vcp) promoter driving expression of an antibiotic resistance gene in an algal cell. Embodiments of the invention may be used to introduce a gene (or genes) into the alga  Nannochloropsis , such that the gene(s) are expressed and functional. This unprecedented ability to transform  Nannochloropsis  with high efficiency makes possible new developments in phycology, aquaculture and biofuels applications.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/059,672 filed on Jun. 6, 2008, titled “VCP-Based Vector for  Nannochloropsis  Transformation,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     The present application is related to U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. 
     No. 12/480,611 filed on Jun. 8, 2009, titled “Transformation of Algal Cells,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTINGS 
     The present application is filed with sequence listing(s) attached hereto and incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to molecular biology, and more specifically, to the expression of exogenous DNA elements in algal cells. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Manipulating the DNA of a cell may confer upon the cell new abilities. In many cases, the genetic manipulation is carried out by introducing functional DNA that was prepared outside the cell using molecular techniques. For example, a transformed cell (i.e., a cell that has taken-up exogenous DNA) may be more robust than the wild-type cell. For many so-called model biological systems (i.e., well-studied organisms), the DNA elements for transformation have been developed. For other organisms, of which less is known, transformation is a major milestone that must be achieved to facilitate genetic engineering. Many algal species fall into the category of non-model organisms, with recalcitrant cell walls that make them notoriously difficult to transform. Accordingly, there is a need for an expression vectors for  Nannochloropsis  transformation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Provided herein are exemplary vectors for transforming algal cells. In exemplary embodiments, the vector comprises a Violaxanthin-chlorophyll a binding protein (Vcp) promoter driving expression of an antibiotic resistance gene in an algal cell. Embodiments of the invention may be used to introduce a gene (or genes) into the alga  Nannochloropsis , such that the gene(s) are expressed and functional. This unprecedented ability to transform  Nannochloropsis  with high efficiency makes possible new developments in phycology, aquaculture and biofuels applications. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  shows a sequence of the genomic DNA of  Nannochloropsis oceanica.    
         FIG. 1B  shows an exemplary DNA transformation construct representing the functional insert of the PL90 vector. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exemplary nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:1) for the insert of the PL90 vector. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exemplary nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO:2) wherein the Sh ble gene of the PL90 vector was replaced with a gene conferring resistance against hygromycin B. 
         FIG. 4  shows an exemplary nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO:3) wherein the Sh ble gene of the PL90 vector was replaced with a gene conferring resistance against blastocidin. 
         FIG. 5  shows the number of exemplary transformed algal cell colonies obtained when cells from a single transformation experiment have been plated under varying light conditions. 
         FIG. 6  shows the number of exemplary transformed algal mutants obtained under varying zeocine concentrations. 
         FIG. 7  shows the molecular analysis of exemplary transformed algal cells transformed with the PL90 vector and grown in the presence of zeocine. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Transformed algae may be useful in aquaculture production. The transformation of small algal cells with tough membranes, however, is difficult to achieve. Embodiments of the present invention are useful in the efficient transformation of  Nannochloropsis , a microalga of about 3-5 micrometers in size. 
     Various exemplary embodiments provided herein use a Violaxanthin-chlorophyll a binding protein (Vcp) promoter in a transformation construct to drive high levels of gene expression in algal cells at low light intensities. The transformation construct may be introduced within an algal cell or within an algal genome using one of the exemplary methods described in U.S. 
     Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/480,611 filed on Jun. 8, 2009, titled “Transformation of Algal Cells,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. An exemplary Nannochloropsis transformant in a logarithmic growth phase, plated onto F/2 media, and allowed to incubate at various light intensities for about two months, demonstrated that more transformant colonies could grow at high levels (about 25 ug/ml) of zeocine at low light levels. Thus, the Vcp promoter is active at lower light intensities, such that a transformation construct comprising a Vcp promoter may be useful in aquaculture ponds receiving less light, such as in the case of algae grown deep in a pond. Additionally, a Vcp promoter may be useful in modulating the expression of genes governed by the Vcp promoter, by varying the intensity of incident light. 
       FIG. 1A  shows the sequence genomic DNA of  Nannochloropsis oceanica , which includes the Vcp gene and regulatory elements. Please note that for illustration purposes, 2 exons and 1 intron within B3 are illustrated. In fact, the gene harbors more than these components. The sequenced genomic DNA has the structure A-B-C, where B is the DNA encoding the Vcp gene (including introns), A is the DNA sequence in front of the Vcp gene, and C is the DNA sequence after the Vcp gene. 
     Sequence A includes the promoter which drives expression of the Vcp gene. The region from transcription start to translation start (the start ATG triplet) is the 5′-untranslated region A3. The sequence preceding the start methionine comprises A1, A2 and A3. The start methionine B1 is immediately followed by an intron B2 and the remaining exons and introns B3 of the Vcp gene. The Vcp gene ends with the stop codon B4. The sequence downstream of the Vcp gene (called C), includes the untranslated region C1, a polyadenylation signal C2, the stop of transcription C3 and downstream DNA sequence C4. 
       FIG. 1B  shows an exemplary DNA transformation construct representing the functional insert of the PL90 vector. Here, part B3 ( FIG. 1A ) was replaced with the reading frame of the Sh ble gene found in  Streptoalloteichus hindustanu , yielding the PL90 vector as described herein. 
       FIG. 1B  may also be used to show the structure of the various exemplary vector constructs PL90, H8 and B9 as described herein. The difference between the three exemplary vector constructs is the type of selection marker gene (SG) used: the Sh ble gene (PL90), the hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene (H8), or the blastocidin S deaminase (B9) gene. 
     EXAMPLE ONE 
     We identified a Vcp (violaxanthine chlorophyll a binding protein) gene in a public nucleotide database (NCBI) for a  Nannochloropsis  strain (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/2734863). We constructed primers against this gene and recovered the genomic area in front of and behind the gene. We designed a DNA transformation construct replacing part B3 of the genome ( FIG. 1A ) with the reading frame of the Sh ble gene from  Streptoalloteichus hindustanus  (which confers resistance against the drug bleomycine), yielding the exemplary PL90 vector. This exemplary construct is illustrated in  FIG. 1B . 
     We retained the start methionine of the Sh ble gene. We introduced a second start methionine immediately after the intron B2, thus the translation product includes spliced transcripts of the ble gene with two consecutive methionines. The spliced transcript thus starts with the amino acids “MIM,” with the second methionine being the beginning of the Sh ble gene. This exemplary construct was linearized within the vector by restriction digestion and used for the transformation of  Nannochloropsis oceanica.    
       FIG. 2  shows an exemplary nucleotide sequence 
     SEQ ID NO:1) for the insert of the PL90 vector.  202  represents A from  FIGS. 1A-1B , which is the DNA sequence in front of the Vcp gene.  204  represents the left intron border of the first Vcp intron.  206  represents the start methionine of the Vcp gene.  208  represents the beginning of the selection marker gene (i.e., the beginning of the Sh ble gene, ATG).  210  represents an introduced artificial sequence, TT.  212  represents the right intron border of the first Vcp intron.  214  represents the stop codon of the selection marker gene, TAA.  216  represents where polyadenylation occurs, after the CCGCCC sequence.  218  represents C from  FIGS. 1A-1B , which is the DNA sequence downstream of the Vcp gene. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exemplary nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO:2) wherein the Sh ble gene of the PL90 vector was replaced with a gene conferring resistance against hygromycin B.  302  represents A from  FIGS. 1A-1B , which is the DNA sequence in front of the Vcp gene.  304  represents the left intron border of the first Vcp intron.  306  represents the start methionine of the Vcp gene.  308  represents the beginning of the selection marker gene (i.e., the beginning of the hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene, ATG).  310  represents an introduced artificial sequence, TT.  312  represents the right intron border of the first Vcp intron.  314  represents the stop codon of the selection marker gene, TAA.  316  represents where polyadenylation occurs, after the CCGCCC sequence.  318  represents C from  FIGS. 1A-1B , which is the DNA sequence downstream of the Vcp gene. 
       FIG. 4  shows an exemplary nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO:3) wherein the Sh ble gene of the PL90 vector was replaced with a gene conferring resistance against blastocidin.  402  represents A from  FIGS. 1A-1B , which is the DNA sequence in front of the Vcp gene.  404  represents the left intron border of the first Vcp intron.  406  represents the start methionine of the Vcp gene.  408  represents the beginning of the selection marker gene (i.e., the beginning of the blasticidin-S deaminase gene, ATG).  410  represents an introduced artificial sequence, TT.  412  represents the right intron border of the first Vcp intron.  414  represents the stop codon of the selection marker gene, TAA.  416  represents where polyadenylation occurs, after the CCGCCC sequence.  418  represents C from  FIGS. 1A-1B , which is the DNA sequence downstream of the Vcp gene. 
     The exemplary vectors PL90 ( FIG. 2 ), H8 ( FIG. 3 ) and B9 ( FIG. 4 ) are useful for the transformation of  Nannochloropsis . Selection occurred on 2 μg/ml zeocine (for vector PL90), 300 μg/ml hygromycin B (vector H8), or 50 μg/ml blasticidin S (vector B9). 
     Resistant colonies were only obtained when the appropriate vectors were used with the corresponding antibiotic. The success of transformation was checked and proofed via PCR on genomic DNA isolated from potential transformed colonies obtained by transformation with the Vcp based vectors described herein. 
     The Vcp promoter described herein drives expression of the Vcp of  Nannochloropsis , a protein which is expressed in different levels at different physiological conditions. Algal cells acclimated to higher light intensities for example typically accumulate fewer light harvesting complexes than those acclimated to lower light intensities. We thus wanted to find out if the Vcp promoter described herein confers resistance to higher concentrations of zeocine (thus indicating higher expression levels of the Vcp promoter-driven Sh ble gene) in different light intensities. We thus transformed  Nannochloropsis  cells with the construct shown in  FIG. 2  and allowed selection on agar plates in different light intensities. For this purpose, we plated a single transformation experiment on agar plates containing 25 μg/ml zeocine, or 25 μg/ml zeocine but the cells plated within top-agarose, or on agar plates containing no zeocine at all. Wild type (no Sh ble gene) was consistently killed completely at 2 μg/ml zeocine. Resistance to higher concentrations of zeocine (e.g. 25 μg/ml) indicates higher expression level of the selection gene Sh ble at lower irradiance levels. 
       FIG. 5  shows the number of exemplary transformed algal cell colonies obtained when cells from a single transformation experiment have been plated under varying light conditions.  FIG. 5  shows that the number of colonies (which is equal to the number of transformed cells which can stand concentrations of zeocine as high as 25 μg/ml) increases with decreasing light intensities. The highest number of transformants was obtained at low light intensities at 5 μE (μmol photons/(m2*s)). The result indicates that the exemplary construct utilized (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) has a higher level of gene expression at lower light intensities than at higher light intensities. Accordingly, the exemplary constructs shown in  FIGS. 2-4  might be utilized for the expression of genes modulated by the intensity of light. 
       FIG. 6  shows the number of exemplary transformed algal mutants obtained and showing fifty percent (50%) or more growth at a given zeocine concentration but less than 50% at the next highest tested zeocine concentration.  FIG. 6  illustrates the frequency of 96 clones obtained with the transformation vector PL90 showing more than 50% growth (in a liquid assay monitoring growth via OD750) at a certain zeocine concentration, but less than 50% at the next higher tested zeocine concentration. 
     Please note, wild-type cells and control cells (those transformed with pJet1 NOT containing a construct) never form colonies on zeocine concentrations 2 μg/ml or above, nor is there any detectable growth in liquid culture at such concentrations of zeocine. These results demonstrate that the Sh ble gene driven by the Vcp promoter in the construct confers resistance against zeocine concentrations up to 75 μg/ml, while wild-type cells consistently cannot survive concentrations above 2 μg/ml. 
     We subsequently replaced the reading frame of the She ble gene with genes conferring resistance to hygromycin B (transformation construct H8) and blastocidin (transformation construct B9) and used these vectors for transformation of  Nannochloropsis oceanica . Again, we observed many transformation events (while the control did not show any colonies developing). Selection conditions were identical as for the PL90 transformation vector, with the exception that hygromycin B at 300 μg/ml or blastocidin S at 50 μg/ml were used. 
       FIG. 7  shows the molecular analysis of exemplary transformed algal cells transformed with the PL90 vector and grown in the presence of zeocine. 12 randomly picked colonies were derived from a transformation event with the vector PL90 and selection on zeocine (2 μg/ml). A control colony was obtained from a plate with wild-type colonies. Cells were resuspended in buffer (1× yellow tango buffer from Fermentas) and incubated with DNAse in order to digest possible residual extra cellular PL90 DNA used for the transformation event. The cells were then washed twice in seawater and resuspended in Millipore water and heated to 95 °C. in order to bring the intracellular DNA into solution. 
     A standard PCR employing Sh ble gene primers (113 Sh ble for short ATG GCC AAG TTG ACC AGT GCC GT, 111 Sh ble rev short TTA GTC CTG CTC CTC GGC CAC GAA) utilizing a taq polymerase was performed on lysates of the 12 colonies obtained after transformation (colonies 1-12), of the control wild type colony without (negative control NC) or with (positive control PC) vector PL90 added. 
     The PCR reactions were separated on an ethidium bromide containing 1% agarose gel in TAE buffer. The 12 colonies from the transformation event contained the Sh ble gene (˜375Nt), as does the positive control, but NOT the negative control. We conclude that that the Sh ble gene is contained within the cells and that the vector PL90 was used as a transformation construct to confer resistance against zeocine. 
     We then performed a Tail PCR (Liu and Hang 1998) employing the primers shown in the table below: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 151 pJet1-prim 
                 CTTGCTGAAAAACTCGAGCCATCCG 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 152 pJet1-sec 
                 Atggtgttcaggcacaagtgttaaagc 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 153 pJet1-tert 
                 Ggtttagaacttactcacagcgtgatgc 
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The primers shown above correspond to the region on the pJet1 vector right after the linearization restriction site. Note that the constructs PL90, H8 and B9 are within the vector pJet1. We recovered an approximately 400 base pair long fragment which we sequenced. The approximately 400 base pair fragment indicates the exemplary linearized PL90 vector is stably integrated within the genome of  Nannochloropsis oceanica . We thus conclude that the exemplary vectors presented herein successfully drive expression of genes in  Nannochloropsis oceanica.    
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.