Construction of HaCaT cell lines stably expressing the human GJB6 gene by using a Tet-On lentiviral vector and their identification

Abstract

Objective To construct HaCaT cell lines stably expressing the wild type human GJB6 gene or its mutant by using a Tet-On lentiviral vector, and to lay an experimental foundation for studies on pathogenesis of hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. Methods The wild-type human GJB6 gene and its mutant (A88V) were amplified by PCR, and then inserted into the Tet - on lentivirus plasmid to construct recombinant lentivirus vectors. The recombinants were identified by gene sequencing and enzymatic digestion. Cultured HaCaT cells were classified into three groups to be transfected with a negative control lentiviral vector (NC group), the lentivirus vector expressing the wild-type human GJB6 gene (WT group), or the lentivirus vector expressing the mutant human GJB6 gene (MU group). Puromycin was used to select HaCaT cell clones stably expressing the GJB6 gene which encodes the connexin 30 (Cx30) protein. The selected HaCaT cell clones were cultured with or without tetracycline for 48 hours, thereafter, real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to detect GJB6 gene mRNA expression, Western-blot analysis to measure expressions of Cx30 and FLAG-tag proteins, and cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) assay to evaluate cellular proliferative activity. Results Enzymatic digestion and gene sequencing showed that recombinant lentivirus plasmids were successfully constructed. RT-PCR showed evidently increased mRNA expression of the GJB6 gene in stably transfected HaCaT cells. Moreover, the expression abundance of the GJB6 gene was 112.369 times higher in the WT group induced by tetracycline than in that without tetracycline treatment (P 0.05). Conclusion HaCaT cell lines which stably express the wild - type GJB6 gene or its mutant (A88V) are successfully constructed. Key words: Ectodermal dysplasia; Connexins; GJB6 gene; HaCaT cells; Tet-on