Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2013, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (3): 258-263.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.03.008

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Cloning and bioinformatical analysis of the N-terminus of the sonic hedgehog gene

Yi Zhang1, 2, Shu Zhao1, Weiren Dong1, Suifen He3, Haihong Wang1, Lihua Zhang4, Yinjuan Tang5, Jiasong Guo2, Suiqun Guo2   

  1. 1 School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China
    2 Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China
    3 Department of Laboratory, Shunde Guizhou Hospital, Foshan 528305, Guangdong Province, China
    4 School of Medical Sciences, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China
    5 Department of Histology & Embryology, Xiangnan College, Chenzhou 418000, Hunan Province, China
  • Received:2012-07-25 Revised:2012-10-26 Online:2013-01-25 Published:2013-01-25
  • Contact: Weiren Dong, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Doctoral supervisor, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China, wrdong@163.com. Suiqun Guo, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China, guosq@fimmu.com.
  • About author:Yi Zhang☆, M.D., Assistant researcher.

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Abstract:

The sonic hedgehog protein not only plays a key role in early embryonic development, but also has essential effects on the adult nervous system, including neural stem cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and neuronal axon guidance. The N-terminal fragment of sonic hedgehog is the key functional element in this process. Therefore, this study aimed to clone and analyze the N-terminal fragment of the sonic hedgehog gene. Total RNA was extracted from the notochord of a Sprague-Dawley rat at embryonic day 9 and the N-terminal fragment of sonic hedgehog was amplified by nested reverse transcription-PCR. The N-terminal fragment of the sonic hedgehog gene was successfully cloned. The secondary and tertiary structures of the N-terminal fragment of the sonic hedgehog protein were predicted using Jpred and Phyre online.

Key words: neural regeneration, basic research, sonic hedgehog protein, cloning, nested reverse transcription-PCR, secondary structure, tertiary structure, central nervous system, developmental neurobiology, rats, grants-supported paper, photographs-containing paper, neuroregeneration