bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photoaffinity labeling of retinoic acid-binding proteins.
Authors: Bernstein P S , Choi S Y , Ho Y C , Rando R R
Published: May 2006

Retinoid-binding proteins are essential mediators of vitamin A function in vertebrate organisms. They solubilize and stabilize retinoids, and they direct the intercellular and intracellular trafficking, transport, and metabolic function of vitamin A compounds in vision and in growth and development. Although many soluble retinoid-binding proteins and receptors have been purified and extensively characterized, relatively few membrane-associated enzymes and other proteins that interact with retinoids have been isolated and studied, due primarily to their inherent instabilities during purification. In an effort to identify and purify previously uncharacterized retinoid-binding proteins, it is shown that radioactively labeled all-trans-retinoic acid can be used as a photoaffinity labeling reagent to specifically tag two known retinoic acid-binding proteins, cellular retinoic acid-binding protein and albumin, in complex mixtures of cytosolic proteins. Additionally, a number of other soluble and membrane-associated proteins that bind all-trans-[11,12-3H]retinoic acid with high specificity are labeled utilizing the same photoaffinity techniques. Most of these labeled proteins have molecular weights that do not correspond to any known retinoid-binding proteins. Thus, photoaffinity labeling with all-trans-retinoic acid and related photoactivatable retinoids is a method that should prove extremely useful in the identification and purification of novel soluble and membrane-associated retinoid-binding proteins from ocular and nonocular tissues.
The developmentally regulated transcription factor AP-2 is involved in c-erbB-2 overexpression in human mammary carcinoma.
Authors: Bosher J M , Williams T , Hurst H C
Published: May 2006

Overexpression of the c-erbB-2/HER2 protooncogene in breast carcinoma is controlled not only by the degree of amplification of the gene but also at the level of gene transcription. Thus, whether or not the gene is amplified, the activity of the c-erbB-2 promoter is enhanced in overexpressing cells through the binding of an additional transcription factor, OB2-1, whose activity is increased in these lines. Here we describe further characterization of OB2-1 and show that it is identical to the developmentally regulated transcription factor AP-2. Functional assays confirm that AP-2 is able to regulate c-erbB-2 expression in mammary-derived cell lines. Furthermore, although AP-2 is barely detectable in cells with the low c-erbB-2 expression phenotype, protein levels are clearly elevated in a panel of c-erbB-2-overexpressing lines. These findings demonstrate an important role for this transcription factor in human cancer.
Programmed DNA rearrangement of a cyanobacterial hupL gene in heterocysts.
Authors: Carrasco C D , Buettner J A , Golden J W
Published: May 2006

Programmed DNA rearrangements that occur during cellular differentiation are uncommon and have been described in only two prokaryotic organisms. Here, we identify the developmentally regulated rearrangement of a hydrogenase gene in heterocysts of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. Heterocysts are terminally differentiated cells specialized for nitrogen fixation. Late during heterocyst differentiation, a 10.5-kb DNA element is excised from within the hupL gene by site-specific recombination between 16-bp direct repeats that flank the element. The predicted HupL polypeptide is homologous to the large subunit of [NiFe] uptake hydrogenases. hupL is expressed similarly to the nitrogen-fixation genes; hupL message was detected only during the late stages of heterocyst development. An open reading frame, named xisC, identified near one end of the hupL DNA element is presumed to encode the element's site-specific recombinase. The predicted XisC polypeptide is homologous with the Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 site-specific recombinase XisA. Neither XisC nor XisA shows sequence similarity to other proteins, suggesting that they represent a different class of site-specific recombinase.
The Saccharomyces Ty5 retrotransposon family is associated with origins of DNA replication at the telomeres and the silent mating locus HMR.
Authors: Zou S , Wright D A , Voytas D F
Published: May 2006

We have characterized the genomic organization of the Ty5 retrotransposons among diverse strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the related species Saccharomyces paradoxus. The S. cerevisiae strain S288C (or its derivatives) carries eight Ty5 insertions. Six of these are located near the telomeres, and five are found within 500 bp of autonomously replicating sequences present in the type X subtelomeric repeat. The remaining two S. cerevisiae elements are adjacent to the silent mating locus HMR and are located within 500 bp of the origin of replication present in the transcriptional silencer HMR-E. Although the S. cerevisiae Ty5 elements no longer appear capable of transposition, some strains of S. paradoxus have numerous Ty5 insertions, suggesting that transposition is occurring in this species. Most of these elements are adjacent to type X telomeric repeats, and regions flanking four of five characterized S. paradoxus insertions carry autonomously replicating sequences. The genomic organization of the Ty5 elements is in marked contrast to the other S. cerevisiae retrotransposon families (Ty1-4), which are typically located within 500 bp of tRNA genes. For Ty3, this association reflects an interaction between Ty3 and the RNA polymerase III transcription complex, which appears to direct integration [Chalker, D. L. & Sandmeyer, S. B. (1992) Genes Dev. 6, 117-128]. By analogy to Ty3, we predict that Ty5 target choice is specified by interactions with factors present at both the telomeres and HMR that are involved in DNA replication, transcription silencing, or the maintenance of the unique chromatin structure at these sites.
Identification of kappa opioid receptors in the immune system by indirect immunofluorescence.
Authors: Lawrence D M , el-Hamouly W , Archer S , Leary J F , Bidlack J M
Published: May 2006

A method to visualize the kappa opioid receptor is described that uses a high-affinity fluorescein-conjugated opioid ligand and indirect immunofluorescence with the phycoerythrin fluorophore to amplify the signal. The mouse thymoma cell line R1E/TL8x.1.G1.OUAr.1 (R1EGO), which expresses the kappa 1 but not mu or delta opioid receptors, was used as a positive control for fluorescence labeling. A fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated arylacetamide (FITC-AA) compound displaying high affinity for the kappa opioid receptor was synthesized. R1EGO cells were incubated with FITC-AA, in the absence or presence of the kappa-selective opioid antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) as a competitor. By using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, incubation of R1EGO cells with FITC-AA alone was not sufficient for the detection of specific staining of the kappa opioid receptor. To amplify the FITC-AA fluorescence, the fluorescein served as a hapten for subsequent antibody detection. R1EGO cells were incubated with FITC-AA, followed by biotinylated rabbit anti-fluorescein IgG and extravidin-conjugated R-phycoerythrin. By using this approach, R1EGO cells were stained with phycoerythrin-amplified FITC-AA, and the staining was displaced with nor-BNI. Flow cytometry showed that titrations of both FITC-AA and nor-BNI produced saturable concentration-dependent changes in the median phycoerythrin fluorescence intensity, with optimal staining at 30 microM FITC-AA. Up to 80% of the fluorescence above background was inhibited by nor-BNI. Freshly isolated thymocytes from C57BL/6ByJ mice also showed nor-BNI-sensitive staining with the FITC-AA amplification. This sensitive method of indirect phycoerythrin immunofluorescence can be used to amplify any fluorescein-conjugated opioid ligand for the detection of opioid receptors.
Directed hydroxyl radical probing of 16S rRNA using Fe(II) tethered to ribosomal protein S4.
Authors: Heilek G M , Marusak R , Meares C F , Noller H F
Published: May 2006

Localized hydroxyl radical probing has been used to explore the rRNA neighborhood around a unique position in the structure of the Escherichia coli 30S ribosomal subunit. Fe(II) was attached to ribosomal protein S4 at Cys-31 via the reagent 1-(p-bromoacetamidobenzyl)-EDTA. [Fe-Cys31]S4 was then complexed with 16S rRNA or incorporated into active 30S ribosomal subunits by in vitro reconstitution with 16S rRNA and a mixture of the remaining 30S subunit proteins. Hydroxyl radicals generated from the tethered Fe resulted in cleavage of the 16S rRNA chain in two localized regions of its 5' domain. One region spans positions 419-432 and is close to the multihelix junction previously placed at the RNA binding site of S4 by chemical and enzymatic protection (footprinting) and crosslinking studies. A second site of directed cleavage includes nucleotides 297-303, which overlap a site that is protected from chemical modification by protein S16, a near neighbor of S4 in the ribosome. These results provide useful information about the three-dimensional organization of 16S rRNA and indicate that these two regions of its 5' domain are in close spatial proximity to Cys-31 of protein S4.
Positive selection of invariant V alpha 14+ T cells by non-major histocompatibility complex-encoded class I-like molecules expressed on bone marrow-derived cells.
Authors: Adachi Y , Koseki H , Zijlstra M , Taniguchi M
Published: May 2006

V alpha 14+ T cells are a unique subset expressing an invariant T-cell antigen receptor alpha chain encoded by V alpha 14 and J alpha 281 gene fragments with a 1-nt N region. Most invariant V alpha 14+ T cells develop in extrathymic organs, independent of thymus, and expand at a high frequency in various mouse strains regardless of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotype. In this paper, we show that the positive selection of invariant V alpha 14+ T cells requires a beta 2-microglobulin-associated MHC class I-like molecule not linked to the MHC on chromosome 17. This was determined by linkage analysis on DNA from recombinant mice generated by crossing a C57BL/6 mouse with a wild mouse, Mus musculus molossinus, that is negative for invariant V alpha 14 TCR expression. However, the peptide transporter TAP1 is not necessary for positive selection of invariant V alpha 14+ T cells, indicating the direct recognition of the MHC class I-like molecule without peptide by the invariant V alpha 14 TCR. Further, experiments with bone marrow-chimeric mice show that invariant V alpha 14+ T cells in the periphery are selected by bone marrow cells, suggesting a unique lineage of V alpha 14+ T cells differentiated through a selection process distinct from that of conventional alpha beta TCR+ T cells.
MARCKS deficiency in mice leads to abnormal brain development and perinatal death.
Authors: Stumpo D J , Bock C B , Tuttle J S , Blackshear P J
Published: May 2006

The MARCKS protein is a widely distributed cellular substrate for protein kinase C. It is a myristoylprotein that binds calmodulin and actin in a manner reversible by protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation. It is also highly expressed in nervous tissue, particularly during development. To evaluate a possible developmental role for MARCKS, we disrupted its gene in mice by using the techniques of homologous recombination. Pups homozygous for the disrupted allele lacked detectable MARCKS mRNA and protein. All MARCKS-deficient pups died before or within a few hours of birth. Twenty-five percent had exencephaly and 19% had omphalocele (normal frequencies, < 1%), indicating high frequencies of midline defects, particularly in cranial neurulation. Nonexencephalic MARCKS-deficient pups had agenesis of the corpus callosum and other forebrain commissures, as well as failure of fusion of the cerebral hemispheres. All MARCKS-deficient pups also displayed characteristic lamination abnormalities of the cortex and retina. These studies suggest that MARCKS plays a vital role in the normal developmental processes of neurulation, hemisphere fusion, forebrain commissure formation, and formation of cortical and retinal laminations. We conclude that MARCKS is necessary for normal mouse brain development and postnatal survival.
A single point mutation leading to loss of catalytic activity in human thiopurine S-methyltransferase.
Authors: Krynetski E Y , Schuetz J D , Galpin A J , Pui C H , Relling M V , Evans W E
Published: May 2006

Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT; S-adenosyl-L-methionine:thiopurine S-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.67) activity exhibits genetic polymorphism, with approximately 0.33% of Caucasians and African-Americans inheriting TPMT deficiency as an autosomal recessive trait. To determine the molecular genetic basis for this polymorphism, we cloned the TPMT cDNA from a TPMT-deficient patient who had developed severe hematopoietic toxicity during mercaptopurine therapy. Northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from leukocytes of the deficient patient demonstrated the presence of TPMT mRNAs of comparable size to that in subjects with high TPMT activity. Sequencing of the mutant TPMT cDNA revealed a single point mutation (G238-->C), leading to an amino acid substitution at codon 80 (Ala80-->Pro). When assessed in a yeast heterologous expression system, this mutation led to a 100-fold reduction in TPMT catalytic activity relative to the wild-type cDNA, despite a comparable level of mRNA expression. A mutation-specific PCR amplification method was developed and used to detect the G238-->C mutation in genomic DNA of the propositus and her mother. This inactivating mutation in the human TPMT gene provides insights into the genetic basis for this inherited polymorphism in drug metabolism.
Targeted overexpression of luteinizing hormone in transgenic mice leads to infertility, polycystic ovaries, and ovarian tumors.
Authors: Risma K A , Clay C M , Nett T M , Wagner T , Yun J , Nilson J H
Published: May 2006

Hypersecretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) is implicated in infertility and miscarriages in women. A lack of animal models has limited progress in determining the mechanisms of LH toxicity. We have recently generated transgenic mice expressing a chimeric LH beta subunit (LH beta) in gonadotropes. The LH beta chimera contains the C-terminal peptide of the human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit. Addition of this peptide to bovine LH beta resulted in a hormone with a longer half-life. Furthermore, targeted expression of the LH beta chimera led to elevated LH levels and infertility in female transgenics. These mice ovulated infrequently, maintained a prolonged luteal phase, and developed pathologic ovarian changes such as cyst formation, marked enlargement of ovaries, and granulosa cell tumors. Testosterone and estradiol levels were increased compared to nontransgenic littermates. An unusual extragonadal phenotype was also observed: transgenic females developed hydronephropathy and pyelonephritis. The pathology observed demonstrates a direct association between abnormal secretion of LH and infertility and underscores the utility of the transgenic model for studying how excess LH leads to cyst formation, ovarian tumorigenesis, and infertility.
The U3 promoter region of the acutely lethal simian immunodeficiency virus clone smmPBj1.9 confers related biological activity on the apathogenic clone agm3mc.
Authors: Dittmar M T , Cichutek K , Fultz P N , Kurth R
Published: May 2006

Infection with the acutely pathogenic molecular virus clone SIVsmmPBj1.9, cloned from isolate PBj14 of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) from sooty mangabey monkeys (Cercocebus atys), leads to acute viral and often lethal disease within days or weeks. SIVsmmPBj1.9 has the unique property of replicating in nonstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from pig-tailed macaques. In contrast, molecular virus clone SIVagm3mc of SIV from African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops), which is apathogenic in its natural host and in pig-tailed macaques, is unable to grow in nonstimulated peripheral blood cells. Chimeric proviruses were constructed by exchanging defined regions of SIVagm3mc against comparable regions of SIVsmmPBj1.9. Four of five hybrid viruses generated by transfection into the CD4-positive T-cell line C8166 replicated in T-cell lines permissive for SIVagm3mc replication and in stimulated peripheral blood cells from pig-tailed macaques and from African green monkeys. Three hybrid viruses displayed the distinct biological property of SIVsmmPBj14 to replicate in nonstimulated peripheral blood cells from pig-tailed macaques and from African green monkeys. Replication in nonstimulated peripheral blood cells was dependent on the presence of the U3 promoter region of SIVsmmPBj1.9 within the viral long terminal repeat.
Reduction of caveolin and caveolae in oncogenically transformed cells.
Authors: Koleske A J , Baltimore D , Lisanti M P
Published: May 2006

Caveolae are flask-shaped non-clathrin-coated invaginations of the plasma membrane. In addition to the demonstrated roles for caveolae in potocytosis and transcytosis, caveolae may regulate the transduction of signals from the plasma membrane. Transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by various oncogenes leads to reductions in cellular levels of caveolin, a principal component of the protein coat of caveolae. The reduction in caveolin correlates very well with the size of colonies formed by these transformed cells when grown in soft agar. Electron microscopy reveals that caveolae are morphologically absent from these transformed cell lines. These observations suggest that functional alterations in caveolae may play a critical role in oncogenic transformation, perhaps by disrupting contact inhibition in transformed cells.
Monocytes are required to prime peripheral blood T cells to undergo apoptosis.
Authors: Wu M X , Daley J F , Rasmussen R A , Schlossman S F
Published: May 2006

Freshly isolated, human peripheral blood T (PBT) cells are largely resistant to the apoptotic effects of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, ionomycin, or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). We demonstrate here, however, that PBT cells, including both CD4+ and CD8+ cell populations, can be readily induced to undergo apoptosis when cocultured with either autologous or allogeneic monocytes (Mo) in PMA-containing medium. Incubation of PBT cells with Mo at a ratio of 1:1 for 18 hr resulted in maximal levels (80%) of apoptotic cell death. The mechanism whereby Mo enable PBT cells to undergo apoptosis in PMA-containing medium appeared to depend on cell-cell contact or close proximity between Mo and PBT cells rather than solely via soluble mediators. It was demonstrated that Mo acquire the ability to prime PBT cells for apoptosis after treatment with PMA and that treated Mo maintain this ability even after fixation with formaldehyde. It was also found that once PBT cells became primed for apoptosis by incubation with PMA-pretreated Mo, the primed PBT cells were susceptible to apoptosis triggered not only by PMA but also by either ionomycin or by monoclonal antibody crosslinking of T-cell surface molecules such as CD4 and CD3. Interestingly, the degree of apoptosis of CD4+ T cells by crosslinking of CD4 molecules via a combination of gp120, anti-gp120, and goat anti-mouse IgG was significantly greater for T cells primed with PMA-treated Mo than for unprimed T cells. Together, these findings reveal an important role for accessory cells in priming resting PBT cells for apoptosis and suggest a possible Mo-dependent mechanism by which T cells may become primed for apoptosis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected asymptomatic individuals.
Protective immunity against tuberculosis induced by vaccination with major extracellular proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Authors: Horwitz M A , Lee B W , Dillon B J , Harth G
Published: May 2006

Tuberculosis, caused by the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the world's leading cause of death in humans from a single infectious agent. A safe and effective vaccine against this scourge is urgently needed. This study demonstrates that immunization with the 30-kDa major secretory protein, alone or in combination with other abundant extracellular proteins of M. tuberculosis, induces strong cell-mediated immune responses and substantial protective immunity against aerosol challenge with virulent M. tuberculosis bacilli in the highly susceptible guinea pig model of pulmonary tuberculosis. Protection is manifested by decreased clinical illness including decreased weight loss, reduced mortality, and decreased growth of M. tuberculosis in the lungs and spleens of immunized animals compared with sham-immunized controls. This study demonstrates that purified major extracellular proteins of M. tuberculosis are candidate components of a subunit vaccine against tuberculosis and provides compelling support for the concept that extracellular proteins of intracellular pathogens are key immunoprotective molecules.
Long-term culture system for selective growth of human B-cell progenitors.
Authors: Rawlings D J , Quan S G , Kato R M , Witte O N
Published: May 2006

We describe a simple reproducible system for enrichment and long-term culture of human B-cell progenitors. Enriched CD34+ cord blood mononuclear cells are seeded onto a murine stromal cell line to establish a biphasic culture system. These cultures are characterized by transient growth of myeloid cells followed by outgrowth of cells highly enriched for early B-cell progenitors. Cultures consisting of > 90% early B-lineage cells [expressing CD10, CD19, CD38, and CD45 but lacking CD20, CD22, CD23, and surface IgM] are maintained for > 12 weeks without growth factor addition. Cells remain predominantly germ line at the immunoglobulin locus and express only low levels of cytoplasmic mu chain, terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase, and recombination-activating gene 1 product. They are unresponsive to the pre-B-cell growth factors interleukin 7 or stem cell factor, or both, suggesting that growth support is provided by a cross-reactive murine stromal cell factor. Cultured B-cell progenitors are generated in large numbers ( > 10(8) cells from a typical cord blood specimen) suitable for use in biochemical analysis and gene-transfer studies. This system should be useful for study of normal and abnormal early human B-lymphopoiesis.
Altered phenotype and function of natural killer cells expressing the major histocompatibility complex receptor Ly-49 in mice transgenic for its ligand.
Authors: Olsson M Y , Kärre K , Sentman C L
Published: May 2006

The Ly-49 molecule has been shown to interact with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, and the lytic function of Ly-49+ natural killer (NK) cells from C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice is inhibited by the recognition of H-2Dd on tumor target cells. Introduction of a Ly-49 ligand, H-2Dd, into C57BL/6 mice did not alter the percentage of Ly-49+ NK cells (13-18%), but it led to three functional effects on this subset. (i) The Ly-49 expression in the positive population was reduced by 30-50% compared to C57BL/6 control mice. (ii) While this Ly-49+ subset (Ly-49lo) in the transgenic mice failed to kill BALB/c concanavalin A (Con A) blasts, which have high H-2Dd expression, it was capable of killing SP2/0 tumor cells, which have low H-2Dd expression. Ly-49+ NK cells (Ly-49hi) from nontransgenic mice failed to kill both of these H-2Dd-expressing target cells. (iii) In the transgenic mice, the Ly-49+ subset acquired the ability to kill C57BL/6 Con A blasts, in contrast to the Ly-49+ NK cells of C57BL/6 mice. We propose a "receptor-calibration" hypothesis, where low receptor density on the effector cells imposed by selection or adaptation to the environment allows higher sensitivity for detection of reduced self-MHC ligands on potential target cells.
Retroviral-mediated gene transfer corrects very-long-chain fatty acid metabolism in adrenoleukodystrophy fibroblasts.
Authors: Cartier N , Lopez J , Moullier P , Rocchiccioli F , Rolland M O , Jorge P , Mosser J , Mandel J L , Bougnères P F , Danos O
Published: May 2006

Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a lethal demyelinating disease of the brain, is caused by mutations of a gene encoding an ATP-binding transporter, called ALDP, localized in the peroxisomal membrane. It is associated with a defective oxidation of very-long-chain fatty acids, leading to their accumulation in many tissues. This study reports that the retroviral-mediated transfer of the ALD cDNA restored very-long-chain fatty acid oxidation in ALD fibroblasts in vitro following abundant expression and appropriate targeting of the vector-encoded ALDP in peroxisomes. The same method may be used in hematopoietic cells as a further step of a gene therapy approach of ALD.
Hindrance of binding to class II major histocompatibility complex molecules by a single amino acid residue contiguous to a determinant leads to crypticity of the determinant as well as lack of response to the protein antigen.
Authors: Grewal I S , Moudgil K D , Sercarz E E
Published: May 2006

The immune system has evolved the potential to respond to a wide variety of antigens, yet unresponsiveness to many foreign determinants is encountered frequently. Here, we report a lack of response to a particular determinant, hen egg lysozyme (HEL)-(46-61)-peptide (p46-61), in C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice, whereas a strong T-cell response to this determinant is obtained in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-identical C3H.SW mice. However, (C3H.SW x C57BL/6)F1 mice respond well to p46-61, suggesting the absence of a p46-61-specific "hole" in the T-cell repertoire in C57BL/6 mice. We further show that p46-61 cannot bind the I-Ab class II MHC molecule, whereas p46-60 lacking Arg61 exhibits good binding and is immunogenic in both strains. Thus, the presence of the hindering residue, Arg61, renders p46-61, a dominant determinant in C3H.SW, into a silent, cryptic determinant in C57BL/6 mice. Upon i.p. immunization with HEL, no T-cell responses to either HEL or p46-61 could be demonstrated in spleens of HEL-primed C57BL/6 mice, whereas a predominant response to p46-61 and HEL was demonstrated in C3H.SW mice. Evidently, C57BL/6 mice differ from C3H.SW in their ability to process p46-61 into an actual I-Ab binding determinant, indicating a putative enzymatic defect in the C57BL/6 strain. Furthermore, our results suggest that the inability of C57BL/6 mice to respond in the spleen to HEL is based upon its failure to generate a dominant immunogenic determinant from HEL, coupled with its pattern of susceptibility to regulatory effects.
Mitogenic and melanogenic stimulation of normal human melanocytes by melanotropic peptides.
Authors: Abdel-Malek Z , Swope V B , Suzuki I , Akcali C , Harriger M D , Boyce S T , Urabe K , Hearing V J
Published: May 2006

The significance of melanotropic hormones as physiologic regulators of cutaneous pigmentation in humans is still controversial. Until recently, no direct effect for melanotropins could be demonstrated on human melanocytes. Here we present conclusive evidence that alpha-melanotropin (alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, alpha-MSH) and the related hormone corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone, ACTH) stimulate the proliferation and melanogenesis of human melanocytes maintained in culture in a growth medium lacking any AMP inducer. The minimal effective dose of either hormone is 0.1 nM. In time-course experiments, the increase in cell number and tyrosinase activity became evident after one treatment of the melanocytes with 100 nM alpha-MSH for 48 hr. The mitogenic effect gradually increased to 50-270% above control, depending on the individual melanocyte strain, with continuous treatment with 100 nM alpha-MSH for 8 days, whereas the melanogenic effect became maximal (70-450% increase above control) after 4 days of treatment. Western blot analysis of tyrosinase and the tyrosinase-related proteins TRP-1 and TRP-2 revealed that alpha-MSH increased the expression of those three melanogenic proteins. This was not accompanied by any change in their mRNA levels after brief (1.5-24 hr) or prolonged (6 days) treatment with 100 nM alpha-MSH, suggesting that the increased expression of these melanogenic proteins was due to posttranscriptional events. These results demonstrate both mitogenic and melanogenic effects of alpha-MSH and ACTH on human melanocytes. That both hormones are effective at subnanomolar concentrations, combined with the presence of melanotropin receptors on human melanocytes, strongly suggests that these melanotropins play a physiologic role in regulating human cutaneous pigmentation.
Basalt Pb isotope analysis and the prehistoric settlement of Polynesia.
Authors: Weisler M I , Woodhead J D
Published: May 2006

The prehistoric settlement of the Pacific Ocean has intrigued scholars and stimulated anthropological debate for the past two centuries. Colonized over a few millennia during the mid to late Holocene, the islands of the Pacific--displaying a wide diversity of geological and biotic variability--provided the stage for endless "natural experiments" in human adaptation. Crucial to understanding the evolution and transformation of island societies is documenting the relative degree of interisland contacts after island colonization. In the western Pacific, ideal materials for archaeologically documenting interisland contact--obsidian, pottery, and shell ornaments--are absent or of limited geographic distribution in Polynesia. Consequently, archaeologists have relied increasingly on fine-grained basalt artifacts as a means for documenting colonization routes and subsequent interisland contacts. Routinely used x-ray fluorescence characterization of oceanic island basalt has some problems for discriminating source rocks and artifacts in provenance studies. The variation in trace and major element abundances is largely controlled by near-surface magma-chamber processes and is broadly similar between most oceanic islands. We demonstrate that Pb isotope analysis accurately discriminates rock source and is an excellent technique for charting the scale, frequency, and temporal span of imported fine-grained basalt artifacts found throughout Polynesia. The technique adds another tool for addressing evolutionary models of interaction, isolation, and cultural divergence in the eastern Pacific.
Magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase of Rhodobacter sphaeroides: reconstitution of activity by combining the products of the bchH, -I, and -D genes expressed in Escherichia coli.
Authors: Gibson L C , Willows R D , Kannangara C G , von Wettstein D , Hunter C N
Published: May 2006

Magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase lies at the branch point of the heme and (bacterio)chlorophyll biosynthetic pathways. In this work, the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been used as a model system for the study of this reaction. The bchH and the bchI and -D genes from R. sphaeroides were expressed in Escherichia coli. When cell-free extracts from strains expressing BchH, BchI, and BchD were combined, the mixture was able to catalyze the insertion of Mg into protoporphyrin IX in an ATP-dependent manner. This was possible only when all three genes were expressed. The bchH, -I, and -D gene products are therefore assigned to the Mg chelatase step in bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis. The mechanism of the Mg chelation reaction and the implications for chlorophyll biosynthesis in plants are discussed.
Cooperation between core promoter elements influences transcriptional activity in vivo.
Authors: Colgan J , Manley J L
Published: May 2006

Core promoters for RNA polymerase II frequently contain either (or both) of two consensus sequence elements, a TATA box and/or an initiator (Inr). Using test promoters consisting of prototypical TATA and/or Inr elements, together with binding sites for sequence-specific activators, we have analyzed the function of TATA and Inr elements in vivo. In the absence of activators, the TATA element was significantly more active than the Inr, and the combination of elements was only slightly more effective than the TATA-only promoter. In the presence of any of several coexpressed activator proteins, the TATA elements was again most active, but here addition of the Inr allowed significant increases in activity, indicating a cooperative interaction between the two elements. An interesting exception was observed with the activator Sp1, which was more effective with the Inr-only promoter, and addition of a TATA box did not enhance activity. Finally, in all cases the TATA plus Inr promoters were found to be partially or completely resistant to the dominant negative effects of a transcription factor TFIIB mutant previously shown to interfere with expression from TATA-only promoters. This result strengthens the conclusion that TATA and Inr elements can cooperate in vivo.
Molecular electronics of a single photosystem I reaction center: studies with scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy.
Authors: Lee I , Lee J W , Warmack R J , Allison D P , Greenbaum E
Published: May 2006

Thylakoids and photosystem I (PSI) reaction centers were imaged by scanning tunneling microscopy. The thylakoids were isolated from spinach chloroplasts, and PSI reaction centers were extracted from thylakoid membranes. Because thylakoids are relatively thick nonconductors, they were sputter-coated with Pd/Au before imaging. PSI photosynthetic centers and chemically platinized PSI were investigated without sputter-coating. They were mounted on flat gold substrates that had been treated with mercaptoacetic acid to help bind the proteins. With tunneling spectroscopy, the PSI centers displayed a semiconductor-like response with a band gap of 1.8 eV. Lightly platinized (platinized for 1 hr) centers displayed diode-like conduction that resulted in dramatic contrast changes between images taken with opposite bias voltages. The electronic properties of this system were stable under long-term storage.
Molecular cloning and heterologous expression of a cDNA encoding berbamunine synthase, a C--O phenol-coupling cytochrome P450 from the higher plant Berberis stolonifera.
Authors: Kraus P F , Kutchan T M
Published: May 2006

A cDNA encoding a cytochrome P450-dependent oxidase, berbamunine synthase (EC 1.1.3.34; CYP80), from cell suspension cultures of the higher plant Berberis stolonifera Koehne and Wolf (barberry) has been isolated and heterologously expressed in functional form in insect cell culture using a baculovirus-based expression system. This cytochrome P450-dependent enzyme is unusual in that it catalyzes the regio- and stereoselective formation of a C--O phenol couple in bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis without concomitant incorporation of activated oxygen into the product. Consistent with the function of an oxidase rather than a monooxygenase, an essential glycine residue in the distal helix, which forms the oxygen-binding pocket in the well-studied bacterial enzyme P-450cam, is replaced by proline at the equivalent position in berbamunine synthase. This oxidase was accumulated in an active form in insect cell microsomes and accepted electrons from the endogenous NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. The heterologously expressed enzyme oxidatively couples either two molecules of (R)-N-methylcoclaurine to form the (R,R) dimer guattegaumerine or one molecule each of (R)- and (S)-N-methylcoclaurine to form the (R,S) dimer berbamunine. The ratio of the two bisbenzylisoquinolines formed could be altered by reductase source or by varying the enantiomer composition of the substrates.
FimH adhesin of type 1 pili is assembled into a fibrillar tip structure in the Enterobacteriaceae.
Authors: Jones C H , Pinkner J S , Roth R , Heuser J , Nicholes A V , Abraham S N , Hultgren S J
Published: May 2006

Type 1 pili are heteropolymeric mannosebinding fibers produced by all members of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The bulk of the fiber is composed of FimA. Two macromolecular complexes responsible for mediating an interaction with mannose-containing receptors were purified from fimA- Escherichia coli by mannose affinity chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. One complex contained only the mannose-binding adhesin, FimH, associated with FimG, a minor component of the type 1 pilus. In the other complex the FimG-FimH moiety was loosely associated with a chaperone-minor subunit complex (FimC-FimF), possibly representing an intermediate in tip fibrilla assembly. The FimC chaperone has also been shown to form a preassembly complex with FimH that has been purified and characterized previously. Purified FimC did not bind to the FimG-FimH complex but did recognize FimH dissociated from the FimG-FimH complex. Quick-freeze deep-etch electron microscopy revealed that the FimG-FimH complex had a thin fibrillar architecture. High-resolution electron microscopy of type 1 pili revealed that a 16-nm fibrillar tip structure with an architecture identical to that of the FimG-FimH complex was joined end-to-end to the pilus rod. In a fimH- deletion mutant, the tip fibrillae joined to pilus rods were approximately 3 nm in length. The full-length tip fibrilla was restored by complementation with the fimH gene in trans. The bipartite nature of the type 1 pilus was also demonstrated on pili purified from clinical isolates of members of the Enterobacteriaceae family arguing that it is a conserved feature of the type 1 pilus.
DNA nick processing by exonuclease and polymerase activities of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase accounts for acridine-induced mutation specificities in T4.
Authors: Kaiser V L , Ripley L S
Published: May 2006

Acridine-induced frameshift mutagenesis in bacteriophage T4 has been shown to be dependent on T4 topoisomerase. In the absence of a functional T4 topoisomerase, in vivo acridine-induced mutagenesis is reduced to background levels. Further, the in vivo sites of acridine-induced deletions and duplications correlate precisely with in vitro sites of acridine-induced T4 topoisomerase cleavage. These correlations suggest that acridine-induced discontinuities introduced by topoisomerase could be processed into frameshift mutations. The induced mutations at these sites have a specific arrangement about the cleavage site. Deletions occur adjacent to the 3' end and duplications occur adjacent to the 5' end of the cleaved bond. It was proposed that at the nick, deletions could be produced by the 3'-->5' removal of bases by DNA polymerase-associated exonuclease and duplications could be produced by the 5'-->3' templated addition of bases. We have tested in vivo for T4 DNA polymerase involvement in nick processing, using T4 phage having DNA polymerases with altered ratios of exonuclease to polymerase activities. We predicted that the ratios of the deletion to duplication mutations induced by acridines in these polymerase mutant strains would reflect the altered exonuclease/polymerase ratios of the mutant T4 DNA polymerases. The results support this prediction, confirming that the two activities of the T4 DNA polymerase contribute to mutagenesis. The experiments show that the influence of T4 DNA polymerase in acridine-induced mutation specificities is due to its processing of acridine-induced 3'-hydroxyl ends to generate deletions and duplications by a mechanism that does not involve DNA slippage.
Alpha 1-antichymotrypsin regulates Alzheimer beta-amyloid peptide fibril formation.
Authors: Eriksson S , Janciauskiene S , Lannfelt L
Published: May 2006

The major component of the cerebral plaques in Alzheimer disease is the beta-amyloid peptide, but serine proteinase inhibitors like alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) are also present. Their role in the pathogenesis of amyloid formation is unsettled. In addition to their function as proteinase inhibitors, serine proteinase inhibitors can interact with various hydrophobic compounds, a reaction accompanied by a transition from the stressed to the relaxed conformation. We report here on the ability of ACT to regulate the formation of beta-amyloid fibrils in vitro. In a molar ratio of 1:10 (ACT to beta-amyloid) ACT inhibits beta-amyloid fibril formation. Furthermore, ACT promotes rapid disaggregation of beta-amyloid fibrils when added in the same molar ratio to preformed beta-amyloid fibrils. These processes are accompanied by increased thermostability of ACT and loss of its biological activity, consistent with a conformational transition of ACT from the stressed to the relaxed state. The influence of ACT on beta-amyloid fibril formation may be an example of a hydrophobic interaction between the beta-amyloid peptide and the hydrophobic domain C terminal to the reactive center of ACT.
DNA structural reorganization upon conversion of a psoralen furan-side monoadduct to an interstrand cross-link: implications for DNA repair.
Authors: Spielmann H P , Dwyer T J , Sastry S S , Hearst J E , Wemmer D E
Published: May 2006

We have used 1H NMR spectroscopy to determine the structural changes induced in the DNA oligomer d(5'-GCGTACGC-3')2 upon conversion of the 4'-hydroxy-methyl-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen-DNA furan-side monoadduct (MAf) to the interstrand cross-link (XL). The MAf is a photochemical intermediate on the path to interstrand XL and has the psoralen intercalated into the helix. The local DNA structure is distorted in both adducts, but it returns to normal within three base pairs. The formation of XL requires displacement of the psoralen toward the initially unmodified strand, accompanied by a change in the hybridization of the thymine C-5 and C-6 carbons and a change in the local helix twist. The MAf is intercalated in the helix. There is no significant bend in the helix axis of either the MAf or XL. There are significant changes in the local helix dynamics upon photoadduct formation that may be recognized by cellular DNA repair enzyme systems. We hypothesize that the repair enzymes target lesions by detecting the conformational flexibility of the sugar-phosphate backbone induced by DNA-damaging agents.
Selection of an RNA molecule that mimics a major autoantigenic epitope of human insulin receptor.
Authors: Doudna J A , Cech T R , Sullenger B A
Published: May 2006

Autoimmunity often involves the abnormal targeting of self-antigens by antibodies, leading to tissue destruction and other pathologies. This process could potentially be disrupted by small ligands that bind specifically to autoantibodies and inhibit their interaction with the target antigen. Here we report the identification of an RNA sequence that binds a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for an autoantigenic epitope of human insulin receptor. The RNA ligand binds specifically and with high affinity (apparent Kd congruent to 2 nM) to the anti-insulin receptor antibody and not to other mouse IgGs. The RNA can also act as a decoy, blocking the antibody from binding the insulin receptor. Thus, it probably binds near the combining site on the antibody. Strikingly, the RNA cross-reacts with autoantibodies from patients with extreme insulin resistance. One simple explanation is that the selected RNA may structurally mimic the antigenic epitope on the insulin receptor protein. These results suggest that decoy RNAs may be used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Negative transcriptional regulation in anergic T cells.
Authors: Becker J C , Brabletz T , Kirchner T , Conrad C T , Bröcker E B , Reisfeld R A
Published: May 2006

Anergy is a mechanism of T-lymphocyte tolerance induced by antigen-receptor stimulation in the absence of costimulation, whereby T cells exhibit a defect in antigen-induced transcription of the interleukin 2 (IL-2) gene. Here we present evidence for a mechanism of negative IL-2 gene regulation in anergic T cells. High amounts of binding activity to the negative regulatory element A (NRE-A) of the IL-2 promotor were detected in nuclear extracts from human T cells shortly after induction of anergy. Rapid induction of this nuclear complex is blocked by cyclosporin A and is found to be independent of protein synthesis. Plasmid DNAs, containing either the human phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-responsive element (PRE) or both NRE-A and PRE, were used as template for in vitro transcription assays in the presence of T-cell nuclear extracts. Under these conditions nuclear extracts from both anergic and rested T-cell clones, after crosslinking of CD3 and CD28, induced transcription of plasmids containing only PRE. However, when plasmids containing NRE-A and PRE were used, transcription was only induced by nuclear extracts from rested but not anergic T cells. These findings suggest the functional relevance of transcriptional repression of the IL-2 gene in anergic T cells.
RETRACTED: Selective inhibition of the platelet-derived growth factor signal transduction pathway by a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor of the 2-phenylaminopyrimidine class.
Authors: Buchdunger E , Zimmermann J , Mett H , Meyer T , Müller M , Regenass U , Lydon N B
Published: May 2006

The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor is a member of the transmembrane growth factor receptor protein family with intrinsic protein-tyrosine kinase activity. We describe a potent protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (CGP 53716) that shows selectivity for the PDGF receptor in vitro and in the cell. The compound shows selectivity for inhibition of PDGF-mediated events such as PDGF receptor autophosphorylation, cellular tyrosine phosphorylation, and c-fos mRNA induction in response to PDGF stimulation of intact cells. In contrast, ligand-induced autophosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, insulin receptor, and the insulin-like growth factor I receptor, as well as c-fos mRNA expression induced by EGF, fibroblast growth factor, and phorbol ester, was insensitive to inhibition by CGP 53716. In antiproliferative assays, the compound was approximately 30-fold more potent in inhibiting PDGF-mediated growth of v-sis-transformed BALB/c 3T3 cells relative to inhibition of EGF-dependent BALB/Mk cells, interleukin-3-dependent FDC-P1 cells, and the T24 bladder carcinoma line. When tested in vivo using highly tumorigenic v-sis- and human c-sis-transformed BALB/c 3T3 cells, CGP 53716 showed antitumor activity at well-tolerated doses. In contrast, CGP 53716 did not show antitumor activity against xenografts of the A431 tumor, which overexpresses the EGF receptor. These findings suggest that CGP 53716 may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of diseases involving abnormal cellular proliferation induced by PDGF receptor activation.
A cyclophilin from the polycentric anaerobic rumen fungus Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2 is highly homologous to vertebrate cyclophilin B.
Authors: Chen H , Li X L , Ljungdahl L G
Published: May 2006

A cyclophilin (CyP) purified to homogeneity from the polycentric anaerobic rumen fungus Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2 had a molecular mass of 20.5 kDa and a pI of 8.1. The protein catalyzed the isomerization of the prolyl peptide bond of N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-(cis,trans)-Pro-Phe p-nitroanilide with a kcat/Km value of 9.3 x 10(6) M-1.s-1 at 10 degrees C and pH 7.8. Cyclosporin A strongly inhibited this peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase activity with an IC50 of 19.6 nM. The sequence of the first 30 N-terminal amino acids of this CyP had high homology with the N-terminal sequences of other eukaryotic CyPs. By use of a DNA hybridization probe amplified by PCR with degenerate oligonucleotide primers designed based on the amino acid sequences of the N terminus of this CyP and highly conserved internal regions of other CyPs, a full-length cDNA clone was isolated. It possessed an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 203 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 21,969, containing a putative hydrophobic signal peptide sequence of 22 amino acids preceding the N terminus of the mature enzyme and a C-terminal sequence, Lys-Ala-Glu-Leu, characteristic of an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal. The Orpinomyces PC-2 CyP is a typical type B CyP. The amino acid sequence of the Orpinomyces CyP exhibits striking degrees of identity with the corresponding human (70%), bovine (69%), mouse (68%), chicken (66%), maize (61%), and yeast (54%) proteins. Phylogenetic analysis based on the CyP sequences indicated that the evolutionary origin of the Orpinomyces CyP was closely related with CyPs of animals.