bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heritable retroviral transgenes are highly expressed in chickens.
Authors: Briskin M J , Hsu R Y , Boggs T , Schultz J A , Rishell W , Bosselman R A
Published: May 2006

This report describes expression of heritable reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) vector ME111 in 20 independent lines of transgenic chickens. The results are strikingly different from studies of Moloney virus in transgenic mice, where restricted expression of inherited proviruses has led to their use primarily as insertional mutagens rather than general agents for gene transfer. In contrast, the REV ME111 provirus is actively transcribed in a variety of tissues from transgenic chickens, is expressed from transcriptional control elements present in the long terminal repeat of the provirus, and codes for active neomycin phosphotransferase II. The REV vector system as applied to the chicken represents a departure from the long-established paradigm of retroviral transgenes in mice and provides a new approach to the study of avian biology.
Calmodulin-dependent endothelium-derived relaxing factor/nitric oxide synthase activity is present in the particulate and cytosolic fractions of bovine aortic endothelial cells.
Authors: Förstermann U , Pollock J S , Schmidt H H , Heller M , Murad F
Published: May 2006

Endothelium-derived relaxing factor/nitric oxide (EDRF/NO) synthesized by bovine aortic endothelial cells and subcellular fractions thereof was assayed by its stimulating effect on soluble guanylyl cyclase of rat fetal lung fibroblasts (RFL-6 cells). The release of EDRF/NO by intact endothelial cells could be stimulated with bradykinin, thrombin, or ADP and was abolished in Ca2(+)-free medium. When subcellular fractions were analyzed, some EDRF/NO-synthesizing activity was found in the cytosolic fraction, but most of the activity was associated with the particulate fraction. Both enzyme activities required L-arginine and NADPH for EDRF/NO synthesis, both were inhibited by NG-nitro-L-arginine and NG-methyl-L-arginine, and hemoglobin or methylene blue abolished the effect of the EDRF/NO produced by both enzymes. Both enzymes were highly sensitive to Ca2+; the major increase in activity occurred between 100 and 500 nM free Ca2+. Exposure of the particulate enzyme activity to 1 M KCl removed 39% of the protein and reduced total activity by 46%, but the activity was restored when exogenous calmodulin (CaM) was added. Further KCl washes caused little further loss of protein or EDRF/NO synthase activity. The KCl-washed particulate enzyme could be solubilized with the detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. The CaM antagonists calmidazolium and trifluoperazine as well as the CaM-binding protein calcineurin inhibited the EDRF/NO synthesis by both the cytosolic and the particulate enzyme. These effects were partially reversed with exogenous CaM. Partial purification of the cytosolic and solubilized particulate enzymes by affinity chromatography on adenosine 2',5'-bisphosphate-Sepharose resulted in EDRF/NO synthase activities dependent on exogenous CaM. We conclude that endothelial cells contain both cytosolic and particulate enzymes that synthesize EDRF/NO. Both enzymes are regulated by free Ca2+ and, at least in part, by CaM.
Skin toxicity determined in vitro by three-dimensional, native-state histoculture.
Authors: Li L N , Margolis L B , Hoffman R M
Published: May 2006

We describe a gel-supported in vitro system for culturing skin samples in a three-dimensional native state. All the cell types of skin remain viable and maintain their native architecture for at least 10 days. The culture system is used for toxicity measurements by ascertaining cell viability using two fluorescent dyes: 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and -6)carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethyl ester, specific for living cells, and propidium iodide, specific for dead cells. Cell staining with the dyes is measured throughout the tissue block by confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy. The dose-response to three agents--ethanol, doxorubicin, and sodium hypochlorite--is shown and, in the case of sodium hypochlorite, compared to in vivo skin toxicity with a high correlation. We also demonstrate that the end point of [3H]thymidine incorporation measured by histological autoradiography can be used to measure toxicity. Our results with the [3H]thymidine end point demonstrate that the hair follicle cells are the most sensitive to doxorubicin. The native-state model for skin may be an effective replacement for animal systems and superior to the dispersed skin cell systems used previously. It can allow rapid, inexpensive measurements of the effect of manufactured products, drugs, and pollutants on skin.
Protein kinase C mediates x-ray inducibility of nuclear signal transducers EGR1 and JUN.
Authors: Hallahan D E , Sukhatme V P , Sherman M L , Virudachalam S , Kufe D , Weichselbaum R R
Published: May 2006

The cellular response to ionizing radiation includes growth arrest and DNA repair followed by proliferation. Induction of immediate early response genes may participate in signal transduction preceding these phenotypic responses. We analyzed mRNA expression for different classes of immediate early genes (JUN, EGR1, and FOS) after cellular x-irradiation. Increased expression of the EGR1 and JUN genes was observed within 0.5-3 hr following x-ray exposure. Preincubation with cycloheximide was associated with superinduction of JUN and EGR1 in x-irradiated cells. Inhibition of protein kinase C activity by prolonged stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or the protein kinase inhibitor H7 prior to irradiation attenuated the increase in EGR1 and JUN transcripts. FOS expression was not coregulated with that of EGR1 following x-irradiation, suggesting a distinct regulatory pathway of this gene as compared with its regulation following serum and phorbol ester. These data implicate the EGR1 and JUN proteins as signal transducers during the cellular response to radiation injury and suggest that this effect is mediated in part by a protein kinase C-dependent pathway.
Identification of a T-cell-specific enhancer at the locus encoding T-cell antigen receptor gamma chain.
Authors: Kappes D J , Browne C P , Tonegawa S
Published: May 2006

The gamma delta and alpha beta T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) heterodimers are expressed in a lineage-specific, mutually exclusive manner. Regulation of expression occurs at the transcriptional level. A 13-kilobase (kb) stretch of DNA encompassing variable-joining-constant segments V gamma 4-J gamma 1-C gamma 1 of the murine gamma-chain gene was examined for the presence of transcriptional enhancing elements by a transient transfection assay. DNA fragments from this region were inserted into a test plasmid containing a heterologous promoter fused to the human growth hormone gene. An 1800-base-pair (bp) fragment located 3 kb 3' to C gamma exon III was found to display enhancing activity in several T-cell lines. Maximum enhancing activity could be localized further to fragments as small as 400 bp in some cell lines. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this 400-bp segment revealed homologies to previously described core enhancer elements and to other TCR gene enhancers. The TCR gamma-chain gene enhancer is active in both gamma delta and alpha beta T cells, indicating that it is not primarily responsible for lineage-specificity of expression, but it is inactive in non-T-cells.
Identification and characterization of nonsedimentable lipid-protein microvesicles.
Authors: Yao K , Paliyath G , Humphrey R W , Hallett F R , Thompson J E
Published: May 2006

Previously uncharacterized lipid-protein microvesicles have been isolated from young and senescing bean cotyledon tissue. The microvesicles are nonsedimentable and enriched in phospholipid degradation products (free fatty acids, long-chain aldehydes, and long-chain hydrocarbons). They range from 70 to 170 nm (radius) with a mean radius of 132 nm, and it is clear from freeze-fracture electron micrographs that they are bilayered in nature. Nonsedimentable lipid-protein microvesicles containing the same products of phospholipid degradation but smaller were also formed in vitro when smooth microsomal membranes from young cotyledon tissue were treated with Ca2+ to stimulate enzymatic degradation of phospholipids. The data suggest that these microvesicles comprise an intermediate stage of membrane lipid deterioration. They appear to serve as a vehicle for moving phospholipid degradation products out of membranes into the cytosol during senescence and perhaps also during normal membrane lipid turnover.
Mechanisms associated with the generation of biologically active human immunodeficiency virus type 1 particles from defective proviruses.
Authors: Inoue M , Hoxie J A , Reddy M V , Srinivasan A , Reddy E P
Published: May 2006

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV exhibits extensive genetic diversity and it is apparent that an infected individual contains different populations of distinct viral strains, a large proportion of which has been found surprisingly to be defective for replication. A similar phenomenon has also been observed with some cell lines that are known to produce infectious viral particles but harbor defective proviral genomes. Here, we investigated the molecular basis of this phenomenon by cloning proviral genomes of HIV from a cell line that was capable of producing high titers of biologically active HIV particles that readily induced syncytia with CD4+ cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocytes. This cell line was found to contain five proviral genomes, all of which, when tested individually, failed to produce replication-competent viruses upon transfection into human cells. However, when a specific combination of two proviral genomes was used in such transfection studies, it was possible to obtain biologically active, replication-competent viral particles that infected and replicated in CD4+ cell lines and induced syncytia characteristic of HIV. Such a result may be due to homologous recombination between proviral DNAs occurring in cells after transfection and/or complementation of replication-defective proviral DNAs. The diploid nature of the viral RNA genome present in the viral particle may enable the persistence of defective HIV genomes.
Transcript elongation and termination are competitive kinetic processes.
Authors: von Hippel P H , Yager T D
Published: May 2006

In this paper, we develop a kinetic approach to predict the efficiency of termination at intrinsic (factor independent) terminators of Escherichia coli and related organisms. In general, our predictions agree well with experimental results. Our analysis also suggests that termination efficiency can readily be modulated by protein factors and environmental variables that shift the kinetic competition toward either elongation or termination. A quantitative framework for the consideration of such regulatory effects is developed and the strengths and limitations of the approach are discussed.
Rapid identification of markers linked to a Pseudomonas resistance gene in tomato by using random primers and near-isogenic lines.
Authors: Martin G B , Williams J G , Tanksley S D
Published: May 2006

An approach to isolating DNA sequences that are linked to important plant genes is described. The strategy is based upon a recent modification of the polymerase chain reaction in which synthetic primers are used to amplify random sequences from genomic DNA. This technique, used in conjunction with near-isogenic lines (which differ only by the presence or absence of the target gene and a small region of surrounding DNA), leads to the rapid identification of sequences linked to the gene of interest. The feasibility of this method has been demonstrated by analyzing a pair of tomato near-isogenic lines that differ for a region on chromosome 5 that contains a gene (Pto) conferring resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. One hundred forty-four random primers were screened on these lines, and seven amplified products were identified that were present in one but not the other line. Of four products that were further investigated, three were confirmed by segregation analysis to be tightly linked to the Pto gene. Linked sequences identified by this method are useful for detecting the presence of the target gene in plant populations (e.g., in plant breeding) and, if very tightly linked, as starting points for a chromosome walk to isolate the gene. Since near-isogenic lines are a typical product of plant breeding and classical genetic studies, this method is applicable to a wide variety of species.
Primary structure of the precursor for the sea anemone neuropeptide Antho-RFamide (less than Glu-Gly-Arg-Phe-NH2).
Authors: Darmer D , Schmutzler C , Diekhoff D , Grimmelikhuijzen C J
Published: May 2006

Neuropeptides containing the carboxylterminal sequence Arg-Phe-NH2 are found throughout the animal kingdom and are important substances mediating neuronal communication. Here, we have cloned the cDNA coding for the precursor protein of the sea anemone neuropeptide (Antho-RFamide) less than Glu-Gly-Arg-Phe-NH2. This precursor is 334 amino acids in length and contains 19 copies of unprocessed Antho-RFamide (Gln-Gly-Arg-Phe-Gly), which are tandemly arranged in the C-terminal part of the protein. Paired basic residues (Lys-Arg) or single basic residues (Arg) occur at the C-terminal side of each Antho-RFamide sequence. These are likely signals for posttranslational cleavage. The processing signals at the N-terminal side of each Antho-RFamide sequence, however, include acidic residues. Processing at these amino acids must involve either an amino- or an endopeptidase that cleaves C-terminally of aspartic acid or glutamic acid residues. Such processing is, to our knowledge, hitherto unknown for peptidergic neurons. The Antho-RFamide precursor also contains two copies of the putative Antho-RFamide-related peptide Phe-Gln-Gly-Arg-Phe-NH2 and one copy of Tyr-Val-Pro-Gly-Arg-Tyr-NH2. In addition, the precursor protein harbors four other putative neuropeptides that are much less related to Antho-RFamide. This report shows that the biosynthetic machinery for neuropeptides in coelenterates, the lowest animal group having a nervous system, is already very efficient and similar to that of higher invertebrates, such as mollusks and insects, and vertebrates.
Primary structures of the precursor and mature forms of stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase from safflower embryos and requirement of ferredoxin for enzyme activity.
Authors: Thompson G A , Scherer D E , Foxall-Van Aken S , Kenny J W , Young H L , Shintani D K , Kridl J C , Knauf V C
Published: May 2006

Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) desaturase (EC 1.14.99.6) catalyzes the principal conversion of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids in the synthesis of vegetable oils. Stearoyl-ACP desaturase was purified from developing embryos of safflower seed, and extensive amino acid sequence was determined. The amino acid sequence was used in conjunction with polymerase chain reactions to clone a full-length cDNA. The primary structure of the protein, as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA, includes a 33-amino-acid transit peptide not found in the purified enzyme. Expression in Escherichia coli of a gene encoding the mature form of stearoyl-ACP desaturase did not result in an altered fatty acid composition. However, active enzyme was detected when assayed in vitro with added spinach ferredoxin. The lack of significant activity in vitro without added ferredoxin and the lack of observed change in fatty acid composition indicate that ferredoxin is a required cofactor for the enzyme and that E. coli ferredoxin functions poorly, if at all, as an electron donor for the plant enzyme.
CCAAT/enhancer binding protein gene promoter: binding of nuclear factors during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.
Authors: Christy R J , Kaestner K H , Geiman D E , Lane M D
Published: May 2006

Differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into adipocytes is accompanied by increased expression of the nuclear protein C/EBP (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein) and by transcriptional activation of a group of adipose-specific genes. We report here the isolation of the murine C/EBP gene and the characterization of its promoter. Consistent with its proposed role in coordinating transcription during preadipocyte differentiation, an increase in the rate of transcription of the C/EBP gene precedes that of several adipose-specific genes whose promoters are transactivated by C/EBP. DNase I cleavage-inhibition patterns (footprinting) of the C/EBP gene promoter by nuclear factors from differentiated and undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells identified two sites of differential factor binding. One site in the C/EBP gene promoter between nucleotides -252 and -239 binds a nuclear factor(s) present in preadipocytes that is lost or modified upon differentiation. Another site, between nucleotides -203 and -176, exhibits different but overlapping footprints by nuclear factors present in differentiated and undifferentiated cells. Gel retardation analysis with oligonucleotides corresponding to these sites revealed protein-oligonucleotide complexes containing these differentially expressed nuclear factors. The factor present in differentiated cells that binds at this site was identified as C/EBP (possibly in heterodimeric form with a homologous leucine-zipper protein), suggesting that C/EBP may regulate expression of its own gene.
Escherichia coli replication terminator protein impedes simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication fork movement and SV40 large tumor antigen helicase activity in vitro at a prokaryotic terminus sequence.
Authors: Bedrosian C L , Bastia D
Published: May 2006

We have discovered that the Escherichia coli terminator protein (Ter) impedes replication fork movement, initiated in vitro from the simian virus 40 replication origin by the large tumor antigen (TAg), at the terminator site (tau R) of the prokaryotic plasmid R6K preferentially when tau R is present in one orientation with respect to the origin. We also have discovered that Ter impedes helicase activity of TAg at the tau R site, when tau R is in this same orientation. In contrast with Ter, a mutant EcoRI protein (EcoRIgln111) that binds with high affinity to but does not cleave at EcoRI recognition sequences impedes both simian virus 40 fork movement and the helicase activity of TAg in an EcoRI-site-orientation-independent manner. These results suggest that a feature common to both TAg and prokaryotic helicases may recognize the Ter-tau R complex resulting in a polarized pause in fork propagation and DNA unwinding. In contrast, the effect of EcoRIgln111-DNA complex on these reactions may be based on steric hindrance.
Vaccination against autoimmune mouse diabetes with a T-cell epitope of the human 65-kDa heat shock protein.
Authors: Elias D , Reshef T , Birk O S , van der Zee R , Walker M D , Cohen I R
Published: May 2006

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is caused by autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells resident in the pancreatic islets. We recently discovered that the pathogenesis of diabetes in NOD strain mice was associated with T-cell reactivity to an antigen cross-reactive with a mycobacterial 65-kDa heat shock protein. To identify peptide epitopes critical to the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus of NOD mice, we studied the specificities of helper T-cell clones capable of causing hyperglycemia and diabetes. We now report the identification of a functionally important peptide within the sequence of the human variant of the 65-kDa heat shock protein molecule. T-cell clones recognizing this peptide mediate insulitis and hyperglycemia. Alternatively, the T cells can be attenuated and used as therapeutic T-cell vaccines to abort the diabetogenic process. Moreover, administration of the peptide itself to NOD mice can also down-regulate immunity to the 65-kDa heat shock protein and prevent the development of diabetes. Thus, T-cell vaccination and specific peptide therapy are feasible in spontaneous autoimmune diabetes.
Site-specific integration of mycobacteriophage L5: integration-proficient vectors for Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and bacille Calmette-Guérin.
Authors: Lee M H , Pascopella L , Jacobs W R , Hatfull G F
Published: May 2006

Mycobacteriophage L5, a temperate phage of mycobacteria, integrates site-specifically into the Mycobacterium smegmatis chromosome. We have identified the int gene and attP site of L5, characterized the chromosomal attachment site (attB), and constructed plasmid vectors that efficiently transform M. smegmatis through stable site-specific integration of the plasmid into the bacterial genome. These integration-proficient plasmids also efficiently transform slow-growing mycobacteria such as the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the vaccine strain bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). The ability to easily generate stable recombinants in these slow-growing mycobacteria without the requirement for continual selection is of particular importance for the construction of recombinant BCG vaccines and for the isolation and characterization of mycobacterial pathogenic determinants in animal model systems. Integration vectors of this type should be of general use in a number of additional bacterial systems where temperate phages have been identified.
Bayesian image reconstruction for emission tomography incorporating Good's roughness prior on massively parallel processors.
Authors: Miller M I , Roysam B
Published: May 2006

Since the introduction by Shepp and Vardi [Shepp, L. A. & Vardi, Y. (1982) IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging 1, 113-121] of the expectation-maximization algorithm for the generation of maximum-likelihood images in emission tomography, a number of investigators have applied the maximum-likelihood method to imaging problems. Though this approach is promising, it is now well known that the unconstrained maximum-likelihood approach has two major drawbacks: (i) the algorithm is computationally demanding, resulting in reconstruction times that are not acceptable for routine clinical application, and (ii) the unconstrained maximum-likelihood estimator has a fundamental noise artifact that worsens as the iterative algorithm climbs the likelihood hill. In this paper the computation issue is addressed by proposing an implementation on the class of massively parallel single-instruction, multiple-data architectures. By restructuring the superposition integrals required for the expectation-maximization algorithm as the solutions of partial differential equations, the local data passage required for efficient computation on this class of machines is satisfied. For dealing with the "noise artifact" a Markov random field prior determined by Good's rotationally invariant roughness penalty is incorporated. These methods are demonstrated on the single-instruction multiple-data class of parallel processors, with the computation times compared with those on conventional and hypercube architectures.
Equilibrium compositions of solutions of biochemical species and heats of biochemical reactions.
Authors: Alberty R A
Published: May 2006

Equilibrium compositions of solutions of biochemical species can be calculated by use of general equilibrium computer programs that minimize the Gibbs energy. The standard Gibbs energies of formation and standard enthalpies of formation of the species in a biochemical system can be calculated by Gaussian reduction of the augmented transpose of the stoichiometric number matrix for the system. The conservation matrix, which is also needed for the calculation of the equilibrium composition, can be obtained in two ways. The hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate in solutions containing magnesium ions can be treated by considering 17 species. The equilibrium composition and enthalpy are calculated before and after adding ATPase. This makes it possible to calculate DeltapH, DeltapMg, and the heat of reaction when ATPase is added.
BHK cell lines with increased rates of gene amplification are hypersensitive to ultraviolet light.
Authors: Giulotto E , Bertoni L , Attolini C , Rainaldi G , Anglana M
Published: May 2006

Four cell lines (MP1, -4, -5, -7), isolated from baby hamster kidney cells after simultaneous selection with N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate and methotrexate, have previously been shown to amplify their DNA at an increased rate. We now show that all four lines are hypersensitive to killing by UV light and mitomycin C. At high doses of UV light or mitomycin C, the MP lines survived less than 10% or less than 5% as well as parental cells, respectively. After UV irradiation, inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis was greater in MP than in parental cells, and recovery was slower or absent. A 2- to 3.5-fold increase in the frequency of UV-induced sister chromatid exchange was also seen in the four cell lines. In MP5, unscheduled DNA replication after treatment with UV light was only approximately 70% as great as in parental cells and the other MP lines. In MP4 and MP7 cells S phase was elongated. Although their individual properties confirm that the four cell lines are independent, their common properties suggest a relationship between tolerance of DNA damage and gene amplification.
Efficient immortalization of luminal epithelial cells from human mammary gland by introduction of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen with a recombinant retrovirus.
Authors: Bartek J , Bartkova J , Kyprianou N , Lalani E N , Staskova Z , Shearer M , Chang S , Taylor-Papadimitriou J
Published: May 2006

When defined in terms of markers for normal cell lineages, most invasive breast cancer cells correspond to the phenotype of the common luminal epithelial cell found in the terminal ductal lobular units. Luminal epithelial cells cultured from milk, which have limited proliferative potential, have now been immortalized by introducing the gene encoding simian virus 40 large tumor (T) antigen. Infection with a recombinant retrovirus proved to be 50-100 times more efficient than calcium phosphate transfection, and of the 17 cell lines isolated, only 5 passed through a crisis period as characterized by cessation of growth. When characterized by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies, 14 lines showed features of luminal epithelial cells and of these, 7 resembled the common luminal epithelial cell type in the profile of keratins expressed. These cells express keratins 7, 8, 18, and 19 homogeneously and do not express keratin 14 or vimentin; a polymorphic epithelial mucin produced in vivo by luminal cells is expressed heterogeneously and the pattern of fibronectin staining is punctate. Although the cell lines have a reduced requirement for added growth factors, they do not grow in agar or produce tumors in the nude mouse. When the v-Ha-ras oncogene was introduced into two of the cell lines by using a recombinant retrovirus, most of the selected clones senesced, but one entered crisis and emerged after 3 months as a tumorigenic cell line.
Transient occurrence of extrachromosomal DNA of an Arabidopsis thaliana transposon-like element, Tat1.
Authors: Peleman J , Cottyn B , Van Camp W , Van Montagu M , Inzé D
Published: May 2006

Analysis of 11 genomic clones containing the S-adenosylmethionine synthetase 1 gene (sam1) of Arabidopsis thaliana revealed the presence of a 431-base-pair (bp) insertion in the 3' end of sam1 in one of these clones. The inserted sequence, called Tat1, shows structural features of a transposon. It is flanked by a 5-bp duplication of the target site DNA and has 13-bp inverted repeats at its termini. Two highly homologous elements situated in a different genomic context were isolated from a genomic library. Genomic Southern analysis indicates that there are at least four copies of Tat1 present in the A. thaliana ecotype Columbia genome. Different hybridization patterns are observed with DNAs derived from different ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana, indicating that the element has moved since the divergence of these ecotypes. In two populations of A. thaliana, linear extrachromosomal Tat1-homologous DNA has been observed. The presented data are consistent with the hypothesis that Tat1 is an active transposable element.
Human monoamine oxidase A and B genes exhibit identical exon-intron organization.
Authors: Grimsby J , Chen K , Wang L J , Lan N C , Shih J C
Published: May 2006

Monoamine oxidases A and B [MAOA and MAOB; amine:oxygen oxidoreductase (deaminating) (flavin-containing), EC 1.4.3.4] play important roles in the metabolism of neuroactive, vasoactive amines and the Parkinsonism-producing neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Human MAOA and MAOB genes isolated from X chromosome-specific libraries span at least 60 kilobases, consist of 15 exons, and exhibit identical exon-intron organization. Exon 12 codes for the covalent FAD-binding-site and is the most conserved exon; the MAOA and MAOB exon 12 products share 93.9% peptide identity. These results suggest that MAOA and MAOB are derived from duplication of a common ancestral gene and provide insight on the structural/functional relationship of the enzyme products.
Allelic diversity is generated by intraexon sequence exchange at the DRB1 locus of primates.
Authors: Gyllensten U B , Sundvall M , Erlich H A
Published: May 2006

The loci encoding the class II cell surface antigens HLA-DR, -DQ, and -DP exhibit a remarkable degree of allelic polymorphism. Most of the class II allelic diversity is localized to the second exon, which encodes a beta-pleated sheet followed by an alpha-helical domain. Here, phylogenetic analysis of 39 human DRB1 alleles and 21 DRB1 alleles obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification from a set of closely related primates reveals that sequences encoding the beta-pleated sheet and those encoding the alpha-helix of the second domain have different evolutionary histories. The polymorphisms in the beta-pleated sheet have been conserved between species and appear to reflect the ancestral relationships among haplotypes, whereas polymorphic segments encoding the alpha-helical domain appear to have been inserted by interallelic sequence exchange into the framework of different ancestral DRB1 sequences. Allelic polymorphism at the DRB1 locus may thus have been generated in part by combining different variants of the two structural domains.
Localization of D1 dopamine receptor mRNA in brain supports a role in cognitive, affective, and neuroendocrine aspects of dopaminergic neurotransmission.
Authors: Fremeau R T , Duncan G E , Fornaretto M G , Dearry A , Gingrich J A , Breese G R , Caron M G
Published: May 2006

Expression of a D1 dopamine receptor was examined in the rat brain by using a combination of in situ hybridization and in vitro receptor autoradiography. Cells expressing D1 receptor mRNA were localized to many, but not all, brain regions receiving dopaminergic innervation. The highest levels of hybridization were detected in the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens, and olfactory tubercle. Cells expressing D1 receptor mRNA were also detected throughout the cerebral cortex, limbic system, hypothalamus, and thalamus. D1 receptor mRNA was differentially expressed in distinct regions of the hippocampal formation. Dentate granule cells were labeled in dorsal but not ventral regions, whereas the subicular complex was prominently labeled in ventral but not dorsal regions. Intermediate to high levels of D1 binding sites, but no hybridizing D1 receptor mRNA, were detected in the substantia nigra pars reticulata, globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus, and subthalamic nucleus. In these brain regions, which are involved in the efferent flow of information from the basal ganglia, D1 receptors may be localized on afferent nerve terminals originating in other brain regions. These results indicate that in addition to a role in control of motor function, the D1 receptor may also participate in the cognitive, affective, and neuroendocrine effects of dopaminergic neurotransmission.
The role of Tat in the human immunodeficiency virus life cycle indicates a primary effect on transcriptional elongation.
Authors: Feinberg M B , Baltimore D , Frankel A D
Published: May 2006

The mechanism of Tat transactivation was studied by treating cell lines containing Tat-defective viruses with purified Tat protein. These cell lines constitutively produce very low levels of virus in the absence of Tat, as measured by p24 antigen levels. Virus production can be increased greater than 30,000-fold by adding exogenous Tat. Tat addition increases mRNA levels early in the viral life cycle, and Tat is required for Rev function to become evident. There is no evidence for a translational effect of Tat. Nuclear run-on experiments show that the increase in mRNA levels is due to an increased efficiency of elongation of nascent transcripts. These results suggest that Tat may be a gene-specific elongation factor.
Insulin-induced surface redistribution regulates internalization of the insulin receptor and requires its autophosphorylation.
Authors: Carpentier J L , Paccaud J P , Gorden P , Rutter W J , Orci L
Published: May 2006

The role of insulin-induced receptor autophosphorylation in its internalization was analyzed by comparing 125I-labeled insulin (125I-insulin) internalization in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines transfected with normal (CHO.T) or mutated insulin receptors. In four cell lines with a defect of insulin-induced autophosphorylation, 125I-insulin internalization was impaired. By contrast, in CHO.T cells and in two other CHO cell lines with amino acid deletions or insertions that do not perturb autophosphorylation, 125I-insulin internalization was not affected. A morphological analysis showed that the inhibition is linked to the ligand-specific surface redistribution in which the insulin-receptor complexes leave microvilli and concentrate on nonvillous segments of the membrane where endocytosis occurs.
Infectious enveloped RNA virus antigenic chimeras.
Authors: London S D , Schmaljohn A L , Dalrymple J M , Rice C M
Published: May 2006

Random insertion mutagenesis has been used to construct infectious Sindbis virus structural protein chimeras containing a neutralization epitope from a heterologous virus, Rift Valley fever virus. Insertion sites, permissive for recovery of chimeric viruses with growth properties similar to the parental virus, were found in the virion E2 glycoprotein and the secreted E3 glycoprotein. For the E2 chimeras, the epitope was expressed on the virion surface and stimulated a partially protective immune response to Rift Valley fever virus infection in vivo. Besides providing a possible approach for developing live attenuated vaccine viruses, insertion of peptide ligands into virion surface proteins may ultimately allow targeting of virus infection to specific cell types.
Patchy accumulation of apical Na+ transporters allows cross talk between extracellular space and cell nucleus.
Authors: Oberleithner H , Wünsch S , Schneider S
Published: May 2006

Intracellular Na+ activities and local current densities were measured in fused Madin-Darby canine kidney cells using Na+ and voltage-sensing microelectrodes. Na+ that enters the cell across the apical plasma membrane accumulates initially in the nucleoplasm, several seconds ahead of its appearance in the cell cytoplasm. The spatial distribution of Na+ currents, produced by a local superfusion of the cell surface, indicates a nonuniform, patchy accumulation of apical Na+ transporters in the vicinity of the nucleus. Such pathways for direct Na+ flux between extracellular space and cell nucleus could be potentially important for gene activation.
The molecular defect of ferrochelatase in a patient with erythropoietic protoporphyria.
Authors: Nakahashi Y , Fujita H , Taketani S , Ishida N , Kappas A , Sassa S
Published: May 2006

The molecular basis of an inherited defect of ferrochelatase in a patient with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) was investigated. Ferrochelatase is the terminal enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway and catalyzes the insertion of ferrous iron into protoporphyrin IX to form heme. In Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cells from a proband with EPP, enzyme activity, an immunochemically quantifiable protein, and mRNA content of ferrochelatase were about one-half the normal level. In contrast, the rate of transcription of ferrochelatase mRNA in the proband's cells was normal, suggesting that decreased ferrochelatase mRNA is due to an unstable transcript. cDNA clones encoding ferrochelatase in the proband, isolated by amplification using the polymerase chain reaction, were found to be classified either into those encoding the normal protein or into those encoding an abnormal protein that lacked exon 2 of the ferrochelatase gene, indicating that the proband is heterozygous for the ferrochelatase defect. Genomic DNA analysis revealed that the abnormal allele had a point mutation, C----T, near the acceptor site of intron 1. This point mutation appears to be responsible for the post-transcriptional splicing abnormality resulting in an aberrant transcript of ferrochelatase in this patient.
High-resolution tandem mass spectrometry of large biomolecules.
Authors: Loo J A , Quinn J P , Ryu S I , Henry K D , Senko M W , McLafferty F W
Published: May 2006

Unit-resolution mass spectra have been obtained for peptides as large as 17 kDa, providing information on impurities and adduct ions, as well as accurate molecular weight values. Electrospray ionization produces many multiply-charged species of the same mass; isotopic peak resolution provides direct charge state assignment from the unit mass spacing of the isotopes. This is of special value when the spectrum also has many masses, such as from precursor ion dissociation or impurities. Mass measuring errors not only are concomitantly lower (less than 0.1 Da) than when the isotopic peaks are unresolved but also are independent of variations in 13C/12C natural isotopic abundances. Also, larger errors are avoided that occur when the measured peak envelope includes impurity or adduct ions. This also benefits tandem mass spectrometry; dissociation of peptide ions as large as 8.5 kDa yields fragment masses consistent (less than 0.1 Da) with their amino acid sequences.
CFTR protein expression in primary and cultured epithelia.
Authors: Zeitlin P L , Crawford I , Lu L , Woel S , Cohen M E , Donowitz M , Montrose M H , Hamosh A , Cutting G R , Gruenert D
Published: May 2006

The gene responsible for the lethal disorder cystic fibrosis encodes a 1480-amino acid glycoprotein, CFTR. Using polyclonal antibodies directed against separate phosphorylation sites in the pre-nucleotide-binding fold (exon 9) and the R domain (exon 13), we have identified a 165-kDa protein in Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with recombinant CFTR cRNA transcribed from the full-length CFTR plasmid pBQ4.7. A protein of the same mobility was also detected with Western blotting techniques in whole cell extracts of cells that express CFTR mRNA (T84, FHTE, HT-29), including biopsied human nasal and bronchial tissue. Immunodetectable 165-kDa protein was concentrated in the apical membrane fraction of ileal villus tissue. We also report that the 165-kDa protein levels can be modulated pharmacologically, and these levels are appropriately correlated with second-messenger-regulated Cl- efflux. Thus, native or recombinant CFTR can be recognized by these anti-CFTR peptide polyclonal antibodies.
An ancient clonal lineage in the fish genus Poeciliopsis (Atheriniformes: Poeciliidae).
Authors: Quattro J M , Avise J C , Vrijenhoek R C
Published: May 2006

Genetic diversity in mtDNA was assessed within the unisexual (all female) hybridogenetic fish Poeciliopsis monacha-occidentalis and the two sexual species from which it arose. Results confirm that P. monacha was the maternal ancestor and that paternal leakage of P. occidentalis mtDNA has not occurred. Of particular interest is the high level of de novo mutational divergence within one hybridogenetic lineage that on the basis of independent zoogeographic considerations, protein electrophoretic data, and tissue grafting analysis is of monophyletic (single hybridization) origin. Using a conventional mtDNA clock calibration, we estimate that this unisexual clade might be >100,000 generations old. Contrary to conventional belief, this result shows that some unisexual vertebrate lineages can achieve a substantial evolutionary age.
Liposomal malaria vaccine in humans: a safe and potent adjuvant strategy.
Authors: Fries L F , Gordon D M , Richards R L , Egan J E , Hollingdale M R , Gross M , Silverman C , Alving C R
Published: May 2006

This study describes the safety and immunogenicity of a liposome-based vaccine injected into human subjects. Thirty healthy adult male volunteers were immunized with a liposome-encapsulated recombinant protein (R32NS181) containing epitopes from the repeat region of the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum. This antigen had previously been found to be poorly immunogenic in humans when it was adsorbed with Al(OH)3. In the present study, R32NS181 was encapsulated in liposomes containing monophosphoryl lipid A that were subsequently adsorbed to Al(OH)3. Increasing doses of liposomes containing antigen and monophosphoryl lipid A were used, but the liposomes were always adsorbed to the same dose of Al(OH)3. R32-specific serum IgG antibody responses to liposome-encapsulated R32NS181 were much higher than levels attained previously in humans with R32NS181 adsorbed to Al(OH)3. Geometric mean specific IgG levels after three doses ranged from 14 to 33 micrograms/ml. Sera from volunteers receiving the two highest doses inhibited P. falciparum sporozoite invasion of cultured hepatoma cells by an average of 92%, a result that was again superior to previously reported vaccines. Moderate but acceptable transient local reactogenicity was noted at high doses of the vaccine formulation, but little or no systemic toxicity was seen despite liposomal monophosphoryl lipid A doses up to 2200 micrograms. We conclude that encapsulation of poorly immunogenic circumsporozoite protein repeat peptides in monophosphoryl lipid A-containing liposomes is a successful adjuvant strategy in humans for inducing high levels of specific antibody production.
MELAS mutation in mtDNA binding site for transcription termination factor causes defects in protein synthesis and in respiration but no change in levels of upstream and downstream mature transcripts.
Authors: Chomyn A , Martinuzzi A , Yoneda M , Daga A , Hurko O , Johns D , Lai S T , Nonaka I , Angelini C , Attardi G
Published: May 2006

The pathogenetic mechanism of the mitochondrial tRNA(LeuUUR) gene mutation responsible for the MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) syndrome was investigated in transformants obtained by transfer of mitochondria from three genetically unrelated MELAS patients into human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-less (rho 0) cells. Marked defects in mitochondrial protein synthesis and respiratory activity were observed in transformants containing virtually pure mutant mtDNA, as compared to the parent of the rho 0 cells (the 143B cell line) or to transformants containing exclusively wild-type mtDNA, derived from one of the patients or a maternally related asymptomatic individual. A striking protective effect against the mutation was exerted in the transformants by levels of residual wild-type mtDNA above 6%. The MELAS mutation occurs within the mtDNA binding site for a protein factor (mTERF) that promotes termination of transcription at the 16S rRNA/tRNA(LeuUUR) gene boundary. A marked decrease in affinity of purified mTERF for the mutant target sequence was observed in in vitro assays. By contrast, RNA transfer hybridization experiments failed to show any significant change in the steady-state amounts of the two rRNA species, encoded upstream of the termination site, and of the mRNAs encoded downstream, in the transformants carrying the MELAS mutation.
Transformation and transactivation suppressor activity of the c-Jun leucine zipper fused to a bacterial repressor.
Authors: Granger-Schnarr M , Benusiglio E , Schnarr M , Sassone-Corsi P
Published: May 2006

Transcription factor c-Jun appears to be a nuclear target of the Ras-induced signal transduction pathway. In fact, some experiments show that transforming forms of the Ras protein cooperate with Jun in transcriptional activation mediated by an AP-1 site and others indicate that the two oncoproteins cooperate in cellular transformation. Although it is likely that intracellular signaling systems activated by Ras might act directly on c-Jun by inducing specific phosphorylation, it is unclear how c-Jun participates in the transformation process. Here, we present results obtained with a LexA-Jun zipper fusion that lacks both the transcriptional activation domains and the basic region of the DNA-binding domain of c-Jun and contains only the intact leucine-zipper domain. This fusion product has a dominant negative effect on the transcriptional activation elicited by phorbol esters, c-Jun, c-Fos, Ras and E1A on an AP-1-responsive site. An analogous LexA-Fos zipper fusion has similar effects on transcriptional induction. The LexA-Jun zipper fusion acts further as a transformation suppressor, since it causes the generation of nontransformed revertants of ras-transformed cells. This effect is likely to be elicited by the dimerization potential of the Jun leucine zipper trapping cellular Jun and/or Fos in a protein complex unable to bind to DNA. These data implicate further that Ras-mediated transformation involves functional transcription factor AP-1 and that it is possible to interfere with cell transformation by interfering simply with the dimerization of transcription factors involved in the transformation process.
Pasteurella multocida toxin is a potent inducer of anchorage-independent cell growth.
Authors: Higgins T E , Murphy A C , Staddon J M , Lax A J , Rozengurt E
Published: May 2006

The growth of many normal cells requires contact with an adhesive substratum, a requirement that is frequently abrogated in the transformed phenotype. We have explored pathways that can lead to the anchorage-independent growth of cultured Rat-1 fibroblasts. Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT), a 146-kDa mitogenic protein, caused a striking increase in the formation of colonies (greater than 200 microns) from single cells in soft agar. The magnitude of the effect of PMT was greater than that achieved by epidermal growth factor or platelet-derived growth factor. The toxin was extremely potent, with half-maximal and maximal effects observed at 1 and 10 pM PMT, respectively. This concentration dependence of the action of the toxin is similar to that for the stimulation of DNA synthesis in adherent cultures of the cells. Stimulation of colony formation could be achieved by a transient exposure of the cells to PMT and it was blocked by methylamine, indicating that the toxin enters the cells to act. Colony formation was stimulated equally by native and recombinant PMT, but a truncated version (33.5 kDa) of the recombinant toxin was ineffective. PMT antiserum blocked colony formation in response to PMT. In the Rat-1 cells, PMT stimulated the phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of inositolphospholipids, as indicated by the stimulation of inositol phosphate release, Ca2+ mobilization, and phosphorylation of a protein kinase C substrate. The results indicate that the deregulation of signal-transduction pathways as elicited by an intracellularly acting bacterial toxin can induce a malignant phenotype.