bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of an inducible form of cytochrome P-450 in human liver.
Authors: Watkins P B , Wrighton S A , Maurel P , Schuetz E G , Mendez-Picon G , Parker G A , Guzelian P S
Published: May 2006

It has not yet been determined whether human liver contains inducible cytochromes P-450 similar to those that catalyze the oxidative metabolism of foreign substances in animals. We carried out immunoblot analyses of liver microsomes isolated from eight patients and found that each contained a cytochrome P-450, termed HLp, that reacted with antibodies directed against P-450p, a rat liver cytochrome that is inducible by the anti-glucocorticoid pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile, by glucocorticoids, by anti-seizure drugs, and by such macrolide antibiotics as triacetyloleandomycin. In the two patients who received dexamethasone and anti-seizure medications and in the one patient who was given triacetyloleandomycin, the concentrations of immunoreactive HLp and the ability to demethylate erythromycin and/or to convert triacetyloleandomycin to a metabolite that forms a spectral complex with cytochrome P-450 heme (catalytic properties unique to P-450p in rat liver) were significantly higher as compared to the values for patients who received no inducing drugs. We purified HLp to homogeneity and found that it was immunochemically related to P-450p and to its homologue in the rabbit (LM3c), actively demethylated erythromycin in a reconstituted system, exhibited electrophoretic mobility identical to that of P-450p, and shared 57% homology in its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence with that of a pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile-inducible rat cytochrome P-450. We conclude that HLp is a human representative of the multigene family of the glucocorticoid-inducible cytochromes P-450.
Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and insulin increase the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and stimulate glycolysis in chicken embryo fibroblasts.
Authors: Bosca L , Rousseau G G , Hue L
Published: May 2006

Incubation of chicken embryo fibroblasts with mitogenic concentrations of insulin for 24 hr or with the tumor promoter phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate for 6 hr stimulated lactate release and 3-O-methylglucose uptake. Insulin also increased the Vmax of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (ATP:D-fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.11). Both agents increased the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and the activity of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (EC 2.7.1.-), the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of this stimulator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase. These changes provide an explanation for the stimulation of glycolysis by insulin and phorbol esters. In contrast to the situation in rat liver, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration did not decrease after cyclic AMP treatment. Incubation of cells with phorbol ester analogues or with glycerol derivatives that are known to stimulate, or to bind to, protein kinase C did increase the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, suggesting that the stimulation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate is mediated by protein kinase C.
Formaldehyde-mediated DNA-protein crosslinking: a probe for in vivo chromatin structures.
Authors: Solomon M J , Varshavsky A
Published: May 2006

Formaldehyde (HCHO) produces DNA-protein crosslinks both in vitro and in vivo. Simian virus 40 (SV40) chromosomes that have been fixed by prolonged incubation with HCHO either in vitro or in vivo (within SV40-infected cells) can be converted to nearly protein-free DNA by limit-digestion with Pronase in the presence of NaDodSO4. The remaining Pronase-resistant DNA-peptide adducts retard the DNA upon gel electrophoresis, allowing resolution of free and crosslink-containing DNA. Though efficiently crosslinking histones to DNA within nucleosomes both in vitro and in vivo, HCHO does not crosslink either purified lac repressor to lac operator-containing DNA or an (A + T)-DNA-binding protein (alpha-protein) to its cognate DNA in vitro. Furthermore, a protein that does not bind to DNA, such as serum albumin, is not crosslinked to DNA by HCHO even at extremely high protein concentrations. These properties of HCHO as a DNA-protein crosslinker are used to probe the distribution of nucleosomes in vivo. We show that there are no HCHO-crosslinkable DNA-protein contacts in a subset of SV40 chromosomes in vivo within a 325-base-pair stretch that spans the "exposed" (nuclease-hypersensitive) region of the SV40 chromosome. This replication origin-proximal region has been found previously to lack nucleosomes in a subset of isolated SV40 chromosomes. We discuss other applications of the HCHO technique, including the possibility of obtaining base-resolution in vivo nucleosome "footprints."
Location of cis-acting regulatory sequences in the human T-cell leukemia virus type I long terminal repeat.
Authors: Rosen C A , Sodroski J G , Haseltine W A
Published: May 2006

The location of cis-acting regulatory regions within the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) was determined. The sequences present between nucleotides -350 and -55 (cap site +1) contain an enhancer element that is active in lymphoid and nonlymphoid cell lines. The sequences located near the "TATA" and RNA initiation sites contain a promoter, the activity of which can be augmented by homologous and heterologous enhancer elements. A region responsive to trans-acting transcription factors present in HTLV-I- and HTLV type II-infected cells is located between nucleotides -159 and +315. HTLV-I LTR deletion mutants respond in a similar manner both to the trans-acting factors present in infected cells and to the tat protein encoded by the x-lor region of the genome, thus providing further evidence that the tat protein mediates transcriptional trans-activation of the LTR in HTLV-infected cells.
Visualization of oriented hemoglobin S in individual erythrocytes by differential extinction of polarized light.
Authors: Mickols W , Maestre M F , Tinoco I , Embury S H
Published: May 2006

The distribution of oriented, polymerized sickle cell hemoglobin (hemoglobin S) in erythrocytes is visualized with a microscope that produces an image proportional to linear dichroism. Monochromatic light alternately polarized along two perpendicular directions is incident on the sample. The image is focused on a diode array, and the digital output is used to form two images. One is the usual image proportional to the average transmitted light intensity of the two incident polarizations of light; the other is a linear differential image proportional to the linear dichroism of the sample. This quantitative image can specifically reveal oriented hemoglobin molecules with a sensitivity of about 4000 oriented molecules per picture element of the image.
Phosphotyrosine-containing proteins are concentrated in focal adhesions and intercellular junctions in normal cells.
Authors: Maher P A , Pasquale E B , Wang J Y , Singer S J
Published: May 2006

We have used a high-affinity polyclonal antibody directed against phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr) to localize P-Tyr-containing proteins in normal and transformed cells in culture by immunofluorescence microscopy experiments. The distribution of the proteins with modified tyrosine was compared with that of F-actin in these cells. Cells infected with Abelson murine leukemia virus were found to contain elevated levels of P-Tyr, as expected. Various permanent lines of fibroblastic and epithelial cells exhibited lower, but easily detectable, levels of P-Tyr. The P-Tyr in fibroblasts was concentrated at the focal contacts at the termini of actin-containing microfilament bundles and, in the epithelial cells examined, at the intercellular junctions. Early passages of primary cultures of chicken embryo fibroblasts and chicken embryo heart cells also showed detectable levels of P-Tyr in focal contacts and cell-cell junctions. However, P-Tyr was not detectable in later passages of chicken embryo fibroblasts. The concentration of P-Tyr-containing proteins in intercellular junctions in normal cells suggests that these are sites of significant biochemical regulatory activities which may be important in the control of normal cell adhesivity, motility, and shape.
Mutational studies with the trp repressor of Escherichia coli support the helix-turn-helix model of repressor recognition of operator DNA.
Authors: Kelley R L , Yanofsky C
Published: May 2006

Several classes of trp repressor mutants were selected and analyzed in vivo. Mutants that produced repressors with either enhanced or reduced activity were obtained. One class of mutants produced inactive or slightly active repressors that were trans-dominant to the wild-type repressor. The amino acid substitutions in many of these repressors were clustered in a segment of the polypeptide that is homologous to the DNA recognition domain of the lambda cro repressor. A second functionally important region of the trp repressor was identified; this region could participate in L-tryptophan binding. Observations with trpR nonsense mutants suggest that the first 67 residues of the repressor polypeptide are sufficient for subunit association.
Neuropeptide Y affects secretion of luteinizing hormone and growth hormone in ovariectomized rats.
Authors: McDonald J K , Lumpkin M D , Samson W K , McCann S M
Published: May 2006

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has recently been localized in the rat hypothalamus. We have evaluated the effects of NPY on hypothalamic and pituitary function by injecting NPY into the third ventricle in vivo and by examining its action on perifused pituitary cells in vitro. Injections of NPY into the third ventricle of conscious ovariectomized rats led to a dramatic and highly significant reduction in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) relative to pretreatment levels in these animals or to those of controls injected with physiological saline. Significant inhibition was obtained with doses ranging from 0.02 to 5.0 micrograms (4.7-1175 pmol) of NPY. These inhibitory effects on LH release were dose dependent and lasted for at least 120 min after injection of 5.0 micrograms of NPY. Intraventricular injection of NPY also significantly decreased plasma growth hormone; however, the threshold dose was 2.0 micrograms (470 pmol), a dose 100-fold greater than the lowest dose that inhibited LH release. Plasma follicle-stimulating hormone was unaffected by injection of NPY. NPY (10(-6) and 10(-7) M) stimulated secretion of LH, growth hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone from perifused anterior pituitary cells loaded in a Bio-Gel P-2 column. These results indicate that NPY acts on structures adjacent to the third ventricle to inhibit the secretion of LH and growth hormone but not follicle-stimulating hormone, whereas it can directly stimulate the secretion of all three hormones from the cells of the anterior pituitary in vitro. Since NPY has been found in the hypothalamus and median eminence, it is quite likely that it plays a physiologically significant role at both hypothalamic and pituitary sites: influencing secretion of pituitary hormones.
Comparison of chemically induced and spontaneous murine thymic lymphomas in RF and AKR mice: differential expression of c-myc and c-myb.
Authors: Chinsky J , Lilly F , Childs G
Published: May 2006

Expression of 11 cellular oncogenes was determined in normal vs. lymphomatous thymic tissues of RF and AKR mice; only c-myc and c-myb transcripts were detected in an age-inappropriate pattern in thymomas. Normal thymocytes from young RF mice contained RNA transcripts of both genes, but the transcripts were no longer detected at 9 or more weeks of age. More than 90% of RF thymomas, occurring at 20-28 weeks of age after skin painting with 3-methylcholanthrene at 12 weeks, contained c-myc transcripts, and 70% of the tumors contained c-myb transcripts. Seven cell lines derived from these 3-methylcholanthrene thymomas expressed both cellular genes, as did 2 rare spontaneous thymomas of 12-month-old RF mice. No indication of rearrangement or amplification of either gene was seen in any of the RF tumors or cell lines. In AKR mice, transcripts of the 2 genes persisted longer in the normal thymus than in RF mice, but they were no longer detected at 26 weeks of age. Of 3 thymomas in 6-month-old 3-methylcholanthrene-treated AKR mice, all expressed c-myb and 2 expressed c-myc. Among 11 spontaneous AKR thymomas, however, only 2 showed detectable levels of both genes, and 2 more expressed c-myc or c-myb but not both.
Transmission at voltage-clamped giant synapse of the squid: evidence for cooperativity of presynaptic calcium action.
Authors: Smith S J , Augustine G J , Charlton M P
Published: May 2006

Synaptic transmission was studied at the squid giant synapse with voltage clamp control of both presynaptic and postsynaptic cells. Because presynaptic voltage gradients can complicate interpretation of electrophysiological data obtained from this preparation, we used local Ca application to restrict Ca influx and transmitter release to a short and relatively isopotential portion of the elongated presynaptic terminal. Under these conditions, we found that postsynaptic current varies approximately as the third power of presynaptic Ca current. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that several Ca ions cooperate in triggering secretion of a single transmitter quantum.
Bacteriophage T7 DNA polymerase: cloning and high-level expression.
Authors: Reutimann H , Sjöberg B M , Holmgren A
Published: May 2006

Phage T7 DNA polymerase consists of a 1:1 complex of the viral T7 gene 5 protein and the host cell thioredoxin. A 3.25-kilobase T7 DNA fragment containing the complete coding sequence of gene 5, and the nearby genes 4.7 and 5.3, was cloned in the BamHI site of the plasmid pBR322. Transformation of the thioredoxin-negative (trxA-) Escherichia coli strain BH215 with the recombinant plasmid pRS101 resulted in large overproduction of gene 5 protein corresponding to a level about 60-fold higher than in T7-infected cells. Transcription of gene 5 probably originates from a previously unknown E. coli RNA polymerase promoter located immediately upstream of the structural gene. Contrary to expectation, pRS101 could be maintained also in E. coli trxA+ cells despite the in vivo formation of active T7 DNA polymerase. However, the expression of gene 5 was lower by a factor of 5-10 than in trxA- cells. Since the plasmid copy number in the two strains was the same, a gene dosage effect can be excluded. The observed difference suggests an autoregulatory interaction of T7 DNA polymerase holoenzyme on the expression of T7 gene 5. The trxA- strain BH215/pRS101 is an excellent source of gene 5 protein and T7 DNA polymerase. After in vitro reconstitution of holoenzyme by addition of excess thioredoxin, highly active T7 DNA polymerase was purified to homogeneity by a simple antithioredoxin immunoadsorbent chromatography technique.
The replication initiator protein of plasmid pT181 has sequence-specific endonuclease and topoisomerase-like activities.
Authors: Koepsel R R , Murray R W , Rosenblum W D , Khan S A
Published: May 2006

Initiation of pT181 DNA replication specifically requires the plasmid-encoded RepC protein. Here we demonstrate that highly purified RepC protein has sequence-specific endonuclease and topoisomerase-like activities. A maximum sequence of 127 base pairs containing the pT181 origin of replication is required for nicking-closing by RepC protein. RepC introduces a single strand break within the pT181 origin. The nick site has been shown by DNA sequencing to lie between nucleotides 70 and 71 in the bottom strand of the DNA within the origin sequence. This nick site probably corresponds to the start site of pT181 replication. The results presented here suggest that, unlike most other plasmids, pT181 replicates by a rolling circle mechanism.
Effect of magnetic fields on the triplet state lifetime in photosynthetic reaction centers: Evidence for thermal repopulation of the initial radical pair
Authors: Chidsey Christopher E. D. , Takiff Larry , Goldstein Richard A. , Boxer Steven G.
Published: May 2006

The
lifetime
of the molecular triplet state formed by recombination of the radical ion pair in quinonedepleted bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers is found to depend on applied magnetic field strength. It is suggested that this magnetic field effect results from thermally activated repopulation of the same radical ion pair that generates the triplet. Consistent with this hypothesis, the magnetic field effect on the triplet lifetime disappears at low temperature where the triplet state decays exclusively by ordinary intersystem crossing. This activated pathway for the decay of the triplet state can explain the strong temperature dependence of the triplet decay rate. A detailed theoretical treatment of the problem within a set of physically reasonable assumptions relates the observed temperature dependence of the triplet decay rate to the energy gap between the radical ion pair intermediate and the triplet state. This energy gap is estimated to be about 950 cm
-1
(0.12 eV). Combined with an estimate of the energy of the donor excited state, we obtain an energy gap between the excited singlet state of the donor and the radical ion pair of 2,250 cm
-1
(0.28 eV).
Generation of single base-pair deletions, insertions, and substitutions by a site-specific recombination system.
Authors: Leong J M , Nunes-Düby S E , Landy A
Published: May 2006

The sequence analysis of both products of individual phi 80 site-specific recombination events in vivo shows that recombination with a secondary attachment (att) site generates several different novel joints at the mismatched position: one recombination event resulted in a single base-pair deletion and two other recombination events resulted in two different single base-pair substitutions. The characterized products of recombination can be straightforwardly interpreted as the outcome of strand exchange involving staggered nicks bracketing the heterology within an overlap region of five to nine base pairs. In comparison, more complex segregation patterns have been observed in previous studies of lambda recombination between nonidentical att sites; the nature of the overlap region heterology may have a significant effect on the segregation patterns. To recover both products of a single recombination event, we used a plasmid that carries the phi 80 int and xis genes and both att sites. Because the two att sites are situated in opposite orientation, intramolecular recombination between them inverts rather than deletes the intervening segment of DNA. Although subsequent reinversion restores the original gross genetic arrangement, single base-pair insertions, deletions, and substitutions are introduced at the sites of recombination. One of the mutations improves the recombination efficiency of the secondary att site and thereby converts a formerly "stable" sequence to an efficient target for rearrangement, and other mutations are predicted to alter the specificity of recombination. These pathways may also provide useful models for the efficient generation of localized sequence diversity on a development (as well as evolutionary) time scale.
3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine (BW A509U): an antiviral agent that inhibits the infectivity and cytopathic effect of human T-lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus in vitro.
Authors: Mitsuya H , Weinhold K J , Furman P A , St Clair M H , Lehrman S N , Gallo R C , Bolognesi D , Barry D W , Broder S
Published: May 2006

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is thought to result from infection of T cells by a pathogenic human retrovirus, human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) or lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV). In this report, we describe the antiviral effects of a thymidine analogue,3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (BW A509U), which, as a triphosphate, inhibits the reverse transcriptase of HTLV-III/LAV. This agent blocks the expression of the p24 gag protein of HTLV-III/LAV in H9 cells following exposure to virus. The drug also inhibits the cytopathic effect of HTLV-IIIB (a virus derived from a pool of American patients) and HTLV-III/RF-II (an isolate obtained from a Haitian patient that differs by about 20% in the amino acid sequence of the envelope gene from several isolates of HTLV-III/LAV, including HTLV-IIIB, analyzed so far). 3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine also completely blocks viral replication as assessed by reverse transcriptase production in normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells exposed to HTLV-IIIB. Finally, at concentrations of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine that block the in vitro infectivity and cytopathic effect of HTLV-IIIB, the in vitro immune functions of normal T cells remain basically intact.
The role of ascorbic acid in senile cataract.
Authors: Bensch K G , Fleming J E , Lohmann W
Published: May 2006

The reductone ascorbic acid, present in the crystalline lens in concentrations higher than those of glucose, is capable of undergoing nonenzymatic "browning" in the presence of lenticular proteins. We studied the nonenzymatic browning with ascorbate in model systems employing bovine serum albumin and lens crystallins. When bovine serum albumin, alpha-crystallin, or gamma-crystallin was incubated with [14C]ascorbic acid, the formation of yellow and then brown condensation products appeared to correlate with increasing protein-associated radioactivity. The fluorescence spectrum of these products was similar to that of homogenates of human cataractous lenses. We suggest that the nonenzymatic reaction of lens crystallins with ascorbic acid may contribute, at least in part, to the color changes of aging lenses and to the physical lenticular deterioration leading to senile cataract. High dietary intake of ascorbic acid did not affect the fluorescence spectrum of murine lenses; thus, we assume that the speed and extent of the lenticular browning reactions must depend on a deterioration of other factors of the multicomponent antioxidant system of the eye.
Hybrid selection of messenger ribonucleoprotein for serum albumin: analysis of specific message-bound proteins.
Authors: Johnson T R , Ilan J
Published: May 2006

The messenger RNA for chicken serum albumin together with its specific binding proteins was purified by hybrid selection using filter-bound cloned albumin cDNA. Under conditions where hybridization of the protein-mRNA complex was specific for the immobilized cDNA sequence, no dissociation of the complex into its protein and RNA components was apparent. Electrophoretic analysis of albumin mRNA-specific binding proteins showed three major bands. Two of these were prominent in total poly(A) messenger ribonucleoprotein. The third band was of much greater relative intensity in the albumin mRNA-specific proteins than in total poly(A) messenger ribonucleoprotein. The results suggest that the proteins bound to albumin mRNA represent only a subset of the total population of poly(A) mRNA-associated protein.
How infant and mother jointly contribute to developing cognitive competence in the child.
Authors: Bornstein M H
Published: May 2006

Infants who processed visual information more efficiently and had mothers who more frequently encouraged them to attend to properties, objects, and events in the home environment in the first 6 months of life excelled in verbal development during their second year and scored higher on a conventional psychometric assessment of intelligence at 4 years. These results, confirmed over several studies, support the idea of continuity in mental development from infancy and begin to specify parental didactic activities that may most efficaciously promote cognitive achievement in young children of different ages.
Cloning and expression of the human erythropoietin gene.
Authors: Lin F K , Suggs S , Lin C H , Browne J K , Smalling R , Egrie J C , Chen K K , Fox G M , Martin F , Stabinsky Z
Published: May 2006

The human erythropoietin gene has been isolated from a genomic phage library by using mixed 20-mer and 17-mer oligonucleotide probes. The entire coding region of the gene is contained in a 5.4-kilobase HindIII-BamHI fragment. The gene contains four intervening sequences (1562 base pairs) and five exons (582 base pairs). It encodes a 27-amino acid signal peptide and a 166-amino acid mature protein with a calculated Mr of 18,399. The erythropoietin gene, when introduced into Chinese hamster ovary cells, produces erythropoietin that is biologically active in vitro and in vivo.
Localization of human factor FVIII inhibitor epitopes to two polypeptide fragments.
Authors: Fulcher C A , de Graaf Mahoney S , Roberts J R , Kasper C K , Zimmerman T S
Published: May 2006

Epitopes for 22 alloantibodies that inhibit factor VIII procoagulant protein (FVIII) from multitransfused individuals with severe hemophilia A and three autoantibodies from nonhemophilic individuals appeared to be restricted to two specific regions of the FVIII molecule. Immunoblotting of purified FVIII and purified thrombin-degraded FVIII, followed by reaction with inhibitor plasma samples, monoclonal anti-human IgG3 and IgG4 antibodies, and radiolabeled affinity-purified rabbit anti-mouse IgG, revealed that inhibitor epitopes could be localized to the Mr 72,000 and Mr 44,000 thrombin fragments of FVIII. These two chains are located at the carboxyl terminus and near the amino terminus of the FVIII molecule, respectively. The pattern of reactivity of the inhibitor alloantibodies could be divided into three types: 10 reacted with the Mr 72,000 chain, 3 reacted with the Mr 44,000 chain, and 9 reacted with both of these chains. Among the 3 inhibitor autoantibodies, 1 of each type was found. Ten normal plasmas, as well as 14 plasmas from multitransfused individuals with severe hemophilia A and no inhibitor, were not reactive with the FVIII immunoblots. However, one multitransfused individual with severe hemophilia A and no detectable inhibitor revealed the presence of an antibody reactive with the middle section of the FVIII molecule. The existence of FVIII inhibitor epitopes on both the Mr 72,000 and Mr 44,000 chains raises the possibility that these epitopes might be further restricted to regions of homology between the two chains. These data suggest the possibility of designing inhibitor blocking polypeptides for use as therapeutic agents.
Identification and some biochemical properties of the major XBL gene product of bovine leukemia virus.
Authors: Sagata N , Tsuzuku-Kawamura J , Nagayoshi-Aida M , Shimizu F , Imagawa K , Ikawa Y
Published: May 2006

Using a rabbit antiserum directed against a synthetic oligopeptide whose sequence was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the XBL gene of bovine leukemia virus, we detected a 38-kDa protein in virus-producing cell lines. In vitro translation of hybrid-selected RNA unequivocally demonstrates that this protein, designated p38(XBL), is indeed encoded by the XBL gene. Unlike the other virus-encoded proteins, however, p38(XBL) resides within the cells without being incorporated into virions. It undergoes no gross post-translational modifications and has a relatively short half-life (5-6 hr) in vivo. Furthermore, cell fractionation combined with pulse-chase experiment reveals that a significant fraction (more than half) of the p38(XBL) localizes to the nucleus of the infected cell after synthesis. We conclude that the XBL gene of bovine leukemia virus is a functional gene encoding a nonvirion protein p38(XBL), which possibly functions within the nucleus of the infected cell to regulate viral or cellular gene expression. p38(XBL) is presumably translated from a doubly spliced, bicistronic mRNA that has the capability to encode another small polypeptide in a different reading frame.
Construction of strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that grow on lactose.
Authors: Sreekrishna K , Dickson R C
Published: May 2006

We have constructed strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that grow on lactose (Lac+). S. cerevisiae strain YNN27, which, like all S. cerevisiae, is unable to grow on lactose, was transformed with pKR1B-LAC4-1. This plasmid has a selectable marker gene conferring resistance to the antibiotic G418 and carries a 13-kilobase region of the Kluyveromyces lactis genome including LAC4, a beta-galactosidase gene. Transformants were selected first for G418 resistance and then for growth on lactose. Southern hybridization experiments showed that Lac+ transformants had integrated 15-25 tandem copies of the vector into a host chromosome. Several lines of evidence indicate that the Lac+ phenotype in pKR1B-LAC4-1-transformed S. cerevisiae is due to expression of a K. lactis lactose permease gene that lies between 2 and 8.6 kilobase upstream of LAC4 and also to expression of LAC4. The permease gene has been designated LAC12.
Synthesis of pathogenesis-related proteins in tobacco is regulated at the level of mRNA accumulation and occurs on membrane-bound polysomes
Authors: Carr John P. , Dixon David C. , Klessig Daniel F.
Published: May 2006

The pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins of tobacco plants are induced in response to a variety of pathogenic and chemical agents. Although the function of these proteins is unknown, they are associated with resistance to multiplication and/or spread of tobacco mosaic virus. We report that functional mRNAs encoding PR proteins are present only when synthesis of these proteins has been induced, suggesting that their synthesis is controlled in part at the level of mRNA accumulation. In addition PR proteins appear to be synthesized and processed in a manner analogous to proteins destined for the endoplasmic reticulum since (
i
) the
in vitro
translation products synthesized in the wheat-germ cell-free system are slightly larger than the
in vivo
products, (
ii
) translation of PR mRNAs in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate system is blocked unless that system is supplemented with dog pancreas microsomes, and (
iii
) mRNAs for PR proteins are associated predominantly with membrane-bound polysomes
in vivo
. This pathway of synthesis and posttranslational modification suggests possible sites of action of these proteins.
Myogenic growth factor present in skeletal muscle is purified by heparin-affinity chromatography.
Authors: Kardami E , Spector D , Strohman R C
Published: May 2006

A myogenic growth factor has been purified from a skeletal muscle, the anterior latissimus dorsi, of adult chickens. In the range of 1-10 ng, this factor stimulates DNA synthesis as well as protein and muscle-specific myosin accumulation in myogenic cell cultures. Purification is achieved through binding of the factor to heparin. The factor is distinct from transferrin and works synergistically with transferrin in stimulating myogenesis in vitro.
The effect of Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides on fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor binding to platelets.
Authors: Plow E F , Pierschbacher M D , Ruoslahti E , Marguerie G A , Ginsberg M H
Published: May 2006

The Arg-Gly-Asp sequence resides in the cell attachment region of fibronectin. Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides support fibroblast attachment, inhibit fibroblast adhesion to fibronectin, and inhibit fibronectin binding to thrombin-stimulated platelets. In view of the similarities between the binding of fibronectin, fibrinogen, and von Willebrand factor to stimulated platelets, we have examined the effects of Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides on the interaction of these latter two adhesive proteins with platelets. Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro was used as a prototype peptide, and this hexapeptide inhibited fibrinogen binding to ADP and thrombin-stimulated platelets in the 10-200 microM range. The inhibition exceeded 90% at high concentrations of peptide and was observed in the presence of either calcium or magnesium. Platelet aggregation was also inhibited by the peptide in this dose range. The hexapeptide inhibited fibrinogen binding to platelets with receptors fixed in an exposed state, indicating direct interference with the ligand-platelet interaction. The peptide was 1/2 to 1/3rd as potent in inhibiting fibrinogen as fibronectin binding to platelets, but fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor binding were inhibited to an identical extent. Conservative amino acid substitutions for the arginine, glycine, or aspartic acid markedly reduced inhibitory activity and the Asp-Gly-Arg sequence was inactive. These results indicate that Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides can inhibit the binding of the three adhesive proteins to stimulated platelets, establishing a basic common feature between the interaction of these molecules with platelets.
The eigenfunction problem in higher dimensions: Asymptotic theory
Authors: Sirovich Lawrence , Knight Bruce W.
Published: May 2006

The spectral problem for linear operators on fully infinite domains is considered. A transformation first introduced by Wigner is used to show a number of asymptotic results. The method leads to a WKB (Wentzel-Kromers-Brillouin) theory for operators in more than one dimension. This includes practical tools for the approximate evaluation of spectra and eigenfunctions. Several general examples are developed.
Compensatory mutations in receptor function: a reevaluation of the role of methylation in bacterial chemotaxis.
Authors: Stock J , Borczuk A , Chiou F , Burchenal J E
Published: May 2006

During bacterial chemotaxis membrane receptor proteins are methylated and demethylated at glutamate residues. The generally accepted view is that these reactions play an essential role in the chemosensing mechanism. Strains may be isolated, however, that exhibit chemotaxis in the complete absence of methylation. These are readily obtained by selecting for chemotactic variants of a mutant that completely lacks the methylating enzyme. Methyltransferase activity is not restored; instead, the sensory-motor apparatus is genetically restructured to compensate for the methylation defect. Genetic and biochemical analyses show that the compensatory mutational locus is the structural gene for the demethylating enzyme. Thus, although mutants lacking either the methylating or demethylating enzymes are nonchemotactic, strains defective in both activities exhibit almost-wild-type chemotactic ability.
Murine plasma cell membrane antigen PC-1: molecular cloning of cDNA and analysis of expression.
Authors: van Driel I R , Wilks A F , Pietersz G A , Goding J W
Published: May 2006

PC-1 is a membrane glycoprotein expressed selectively on murine antibody-secreting plasma cells. Previously, we have obtained partial amino acid sequence data for this protein. Here, we describe the use of these data in the isolation of PC-1 cDNA clones. To avoid the "3'-bias" of conventional cDNA libraries we constructed a cDNA library in lambda gt10 by priming the first strand of cDNA synthesis with random hexadeoxynucleotides. The library was screened with oligonucleotide probes, 17 nucleotides in length, the design of which was based on the amino acid sequence data. Two cDNA clones of 1.0 and 0.9 kilobase pairs (lambda RR3 and lambda RR20, respectively) were isolated. Both contained a sequence encoding the 15-residue tryptic peptide that was used to derive the sequences of the oligonucleotide probes. lambda RR3 cDNA hybridized to an approximately equal to 3.5-kilobase mRNA that was present in plasmacytomas, spleen, and liver but not in other cell types screened. We were unable to detect PC-1 mRNA or protein in mouse brain. In the spleens of mice chronically infected with Mesocestoides corti, PC-1 mRNA was present at 2.5-fold higher levels than found in normal mouse spleens, whereas immunoglobulin mRNA levels were 15-fold higher. Southern blot analyses revealed the presence of only one gene copy per haploid mouse genome. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms were detected in genomic DNA from mice bearing different PC-1 alleles. A related gene is present in rat genomic DNA.
Chromosomal localization and characterization of c-abl in the t(6;9) of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.
Authors: Westbrook C A , Le Beau M M , Diaz M O , Groffen J , Rowley J D
Published: May 2006

Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia associated with the chromosomal translocation t(6;9)(p23;q34) is an entity that is frequently associated with basophilia, which it shares with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The breakpoint on chromosome 9, q34, appears to be cytogenetically identical in both malignancies and is the site of the cellular oncogene c-abl. We investigated the role of c-abl in cells from two patients with the t(6;9) using in situ chromosomal hybridization, Southern hybridization, and in vitro phosphorylation. We showed that c-abl is not translocated from chromosome 9, resulting in a breakpoint that is on the 3' side of this gene. The t(6;9) translocation does not appear to result in the production of an aberrantly sized protein product or in the acquisition of in vitro tyrosine kinase activity. This is in direct contrast to the findings in chronic myelogenous leukemia, in which c-abl is translocated, leading to the production of a structurally altered c-abl protein with activated tyrosine kinase. Lastly, we demonstrated that the cells of one patient contain sequences from chromosome 9 inserted at the junction of a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 4 and 10 on the 4q+ chromosome. This insertion, which is at least 100 kilobase pairs in length, represents a duplication and translocation of the protein coding region of c-abl.
Catabolism of premercapturic acid pathway metabolites of naphthalene to naphthols and methylthio-containing metabolites in rats.
Authors: Bakke J , Struble C , Gustafsson J A , Gustafsson B
Published: May 2006

[14C]Naphthalene was given orally to rats with cannulated bile ducts and to germ-free rats. Bile and urine from the cannulated rats and urine from the germ-free rats contained no radioactive 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2-methylthionaphthalene and only trace amounts of radioactive naphthols or naphthol conjugates. Urine of control rats contained 4.6% of the 14C dose as naphthols and/or naphthol glucuronides. Appreciable quantities of 1- and 2-naphthol (7-20% of dose) and 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2-methylthionaphthalene (1-35% of dose) were in urine from rats dosed orally or intracecally with 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2-S-cysteinylnaphthalene and 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2-S-(N-acetyl)cysteinylnaphthalene. Apparently, in vivo, naphthols and methylthio-containing metabolites of naphthalene are formed during enterohepatic circulation of 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2-S-cysteinylnaphthalene and 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2-S-(N-acetyl)cysteinylnaphthalene in a process dependent upon intestinal microflora. A possible pathway for the formation of naphthols is aromatization of the precursor compounds by elimination of the appropriate substituent group from these metabolites. This discovery of the essential role of the intestinal microflora in the formation of naphthols from naphthalene indicates the existence of a novel pathway for hydroxylation of aromatic systems and challenges the current concept of the in vivo relevance of the in vitro production of naphthols from naphthalene 1,2-oxide.
Characterization of a platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist isolated from haifenteng (Piper futokadsura): specific inhibition of in vitro and in vivo platelet-activating factor-induced effects.
Authors: Shen T Y , Hwang S B , Chang M N , Doebber T W , Lam M H , Wu M S , Wang X , Han G Q , Li R Z
Published: May 2006

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent lipid mediator of inflammation and asthma. Using a receptor preparation of rabbit platelet membranes, we identified a novel antagonist of PAF in the methylene chloride extract of a Chinese herbal plant, haifenteng (Piper futokadsura). The active antagonist, kadsurenone, was isolated and characterized in several in vitro and in vivo assays. It is a specific and competitive inhibitor of PAF binding to its receptor with a Ki of 5.8 X 10(-8) M vs. a Ki of 6.3 X 10(-9) M for PAF itself. It inhibits PAF-induced aggregation of rabbit platelets and human neutrophils at 2.4-24 microM, without showing any PAF agonistic activity. It potently inhibits PAF-induced degranulation of human neutrophils at 2.5-50 microM, also without any agonist activity. Kadsurenone is active orally at 25-50 mg/kg of body weight in blocking PAF-induced cutaneous permeability in the guinea pig. It also inhibits PAF-induced increases of hematocrit and circulating N-acetylglucosaminidase in the rat at greater than 10 mg/kg i.p. in a dose-dependent manner. Kadsurenone does not interfere with the function of several pharmacological mediators and receptors tested. Its structural specificity is evidenced by the poor PAF-antagonistic activities of three related structures isolated from the same haifenteng extract.
The herpes simplex virus amplicon: analyses of cis-acting replication functions.
Authors: Spaete R R , Frenkel N
Published: May 2006

Previous studies have shown that defective virus vectors (amplicons) derived from herpes simplex viruses could be efficiently propagated in virus stocks in the presence of trans-acting helper virus functions. The present study established that two separate cis-acting functions--a DNA replication origin and a cleavage/packaging signal--are required for amplicon propagation. Using deleted derivatives of cloned amplicons, we mapped one of the viral DNA replication origins (ori-2 or oriL) at coordinate 0.422 of the standard HSV-1 genome and at an equivalent position within the HSV-2 genome.
Superoxide dismutase: an evolutionary puzzle.
Authors: Lee Y M , Friedman D J , Ayala F J
Published: May 2006

We have obtained the complete amino acid sequence of copper/zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (SOD, superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) from Drosophila melanogaster. The sequence of this enzyme is also known for man, horse, cow, and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The rate of evolution of this enzyme is far from constant. The number of amino acid substitutions per 100 residues per 100 million years is 30.9 when the three mammals are compared to each other, 10.6 when Drosophila is compared to the three mammals, and 5.8 when the yeast is compared to the four animals. The first value represents one of the fastest evolutionary rates for any protein, the second is similar to the globin rate, and the third is similar to some cytochromes and other slowly evolving proteins. Hence, SOD is not an acceptable evolutionary clock. Another peculiarity of this enzyme is that a two-amino-acid deletion must have occurred independently in the lineages going to the cow and to Drosophila. We conclude that using the primary structure of a single gene or protein to time evolutionary events or to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships is potentially fraught with error.
"Transactivation" control signals in the promoter of the herpesvirus thymidine kinase gene.
Authors: ElKareh A , Murphy A J , Fichter T , Efstratiadis A , Silverstein S
Published: May 2006

The herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) gene is transcriptionally activated in trans ("transactivated") by virus-encoded proteins during the infectious cycle. We show that TK plasmids introduced into a HeLa cell transient transcription assay system are also transactivated after infection with a TK- virus. Several aspects of this response are similar to regulation during the normal infectious cycle. Assay of TK promoter deletion and 5- to 10-base-pair substitution mutants in this system reveals that the transactivation response depends on the intactness of 109 base pairs of 5' gene flanking sequence. Differences between these results and analogous assays in the Xenopus oocyte system are discussed. A model for the putative binding of transactivator(s) to the promoter region is presented.
A bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase/promoter system for controlled exclusive expression of specific genes.
Authors: Tabor S , Richardson C C
Published: May 2006

The RNA polymerase gene of bacteriophage T7 has been cloned into the plasmid pBR322 under the inducible control of the lambda PL promoter. After induction, T7 RNA polymerase constitutes 20% of the soluble protein of Escherichia coli, a 200-fold increase over levels found in T7-infected cells. The overproduced enzyme has been purified to homogeneity. During extraction the enzyme is sensitive to a specific proteolysis, a reaction that can be prevented by a modification of lysis conditions. The specificity of T7 RNA polymerase for its own promoters, combined with the ability to inhibit selectively the host RNA polymerase with rifampicin, permits the exclusive expression of genes under the control of a T7 RNA polymerase promoter. We describe such a coupled system and its use to express high levels of phage T7 gene 5 protein, a subunit of T7 DNA polymerase.
Mouse monoclonal IgG3 antibody detecting GD3 ganglioside: a phase I trial in patients with malignant melanoma.
Authors: Houghton A N , Mintzer D , Cordon-Cardo C , Welt S , Fliegel B , Vadhan S , Carswell E , Melamed M R , Oettgen H F , Old L J
Published: May 2006

R24 is an IgG3 mouse monoclonal antibody that identifies GD3, a prominent ganglioside on the surface of melanoma cells and other cells of neuroectodermal origin. Twelve patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with R24 at three dose levels, 8, 80, or 240 mg/m2, over a period of 2 weeks. Peak antibody levels in the serum were dose related and ranged from less than 0.1 to 62 micrograms/ml. Inflammatory reactions (urticaria, pruritus, erythema, subcutaneous ecchymoses) were observed around tumor sites in patients treated at doses greater than or equal to 80 mg/m2. Tumor biopsies during and after treatment showed lymphocyte and mast cell infiltration, mast cell degranulation, and complement deposition. Side effects were mild and were readily controlled by antihistamines. Major tumor regression has been observed in three patients.
An alternative route of infection for viruses: entry by means of the asialoglycoprotein receptor of a Sendai virus mutant lacking its attachment protein.
Authors: Markwell M A , Portner A , Schwartz A L
Published: May 2006

During the first stage of infection, the paramyxovirus Sendai virus attaches to host cells by recognizing specific receptors on the cell surface. Productive virus-cell interactions result in membrane fusion between the viral envelope and the cell surface membrane. It has recently been shown that the ganglioside GD1a and its more complex homologs GT1b and GQ1b are cell surface receptors for Sendai virus. We report in this paper that the temperature-sensitive mutant ts271 of the Enders strain of Sendai virus lacks the viral attachment protein HN and the biological activities of hemagglutination and sialidase activity associated with it when the virus is grown at 38 degrees C. This HN- virus was unable to infect or agglutinate conventional host cells that contained receptor gangliosides and were readily infected by the parental wild-type virus. The HN- virus did, however, attach to and infect Hep G2 cells, a line of hepatoma cells that retains the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) upon continuous culture. This receptor is a mammalian lectin that recognizes galactose- or N-acetylgalactosamine-terminated proteins. In accordance with the known properties of this receptor, infection by the HN- virus was abolished by treatment of Hep G2 cells with sialidase, by the presence of Ca2+ chelators, and by competition with N-acetylgalactosamine, asialoorosomucoid, and antibody to the receptor. F, the only glycoprotein on the HN- virus, was shown to compete with the galactose-terminated protein asialoorosomucoid for the ASGP-R. The ability of the HN- virus to cause cell-cell fusion of Hep G2 cells indicated that attachment of this virus to the ASGP-R still permitted viral entry by its usual mode--i.e., membrane fusion at the cell surface. These results open up the possibility that enveloped viruses, which contain glycosylated proteins or lipids, may make use of naturally occurring lectins in addition to their normal receptors as a means of attachment to host cells.