bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dual effects of 2-deoxyglucose on synthesis of the glycoprotein hormone common alpha-subunit in butyrate-treated HeLa cells.
Authors: Cox G S , McClure D S , Cosgrove D E
Published: September 2015

Sodium butyrate (Btr) (3 mM) causes a 10-fold increase in production of the glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit in HeLa cells. The following report demonstrates that this response could be inhibited about 95% by 5 mM 2-deoxy-D-glucose (dGlc), whereas alpha-subunit production in uninduced cells was affected little or not at all. Addition of D-mannose restored the Btr induction of Hela-alpha in cultures that had been treated with dGlc. When the alpha-subunits secreted by cells cultured in Btr plus dGlc or in Btr alone were compared by gel filtration (Sephadex G-75) and lectin affinity (concanavalin A and ricin) chromatography, differences were noted that probably reflect changes in their carbohydrate moieties. Immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled HeLa-alpha and incubation with endoglycosidase H indicated that the subunit secreted from cells in the presence of dGlc contained oligosaccharide side chains that were not processed to the complex type. Cells that were simultaneously treated with Btr plus dGlc showed no increase in alpha-subunit production over cells receiving Btr only; in contrast, cells that were preincubated with Btr for either 16 or 36 h before dGlc was added exhibited high levels of subunit synthesis. Measurement of alpha-mRNA levels at various times after Btr and dGlc were added to cultures indicated that Btr brought about a dramatic increase in alpha-specific mRNA about 24 h after being added to cultures. This increase could be prevented by dGlc when added simultaneously with Btr but not when added after a 24-h preincubation. Although dGlc prevented the induction of alpha-subunit and alpha-mRNA in response to Btr, it had no effect on histone hyperacetylation, suggesting that if this chromatin modification is necessary for the induction process, it is not in itself sufficient. Together, the data demonstrate that dGlc inhibits the accumulation of alpha-subunit mRNA normally produced in response to Btr and that the subunit produced contains altered oligosaccharide constituents.
c-mos proto-oncogene RNA transcripts in mouse tissues: structural features, developmental regulation, and localization in specific cell types.
Authors: Propst F , Rosenberg M P , Iyer A , Kaul K , Vande Woude G F
Published: September 2015

c-mos RNA transcripts have been previously detected in mouse gonadal tissue and in late-term embryos. Here, we show that they are also present at low levels in placenta and in adult mouse brain, kidney, mammary gland, and epididymis. Marked differences are observed in the size of the mos RNA transcripts detected in different tissues. All transcripts appear to end at the same 3' position, and the tissue-specific size variations appear to be due to the use of different promoters. For example, the testicular and ovarian RNA transcripts initiate approximately 280 and approximately 70 base pairs, respectively, upstream from the first initiation codon, but both end at a common site downstream from the mos open reading frame. The expression of mos is developmentally regulated in gonadal tissue. Thus, the level of mos transcripts in testes is low for the first 3 weeks after birth, increases at least 10-fold around day 25, and reaches adult levels by day 30. In contrast, ovaries from preweaning mice contain a higher level of mos mRNA compared to ovaries from adult mice. In cell fractionation experiments we show that mos transcripts are present in haploid germ cells. We find that these transcripts are associated with monosomes and polysomes. The peculiar pattern of mos expression in mouse gonadal tissue suggests a role for the c-mos proto-oncogene in germ cell differentiation.
The v-fms oncogene induces factor-independent growth and transformation of the interleukin-3-dependent myeloid cell line FDC-P1.
Authors: Wheeler E F , Askew D , May S , Ihle J N , Sherr C J
Published: September 2015

The normal cellular counterpart of the v-fms oncogene product is a receptor for the mononuclear phagocyte colony-stimulating factor, CSF-1. An interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent mouse myeloid cell line, FDC-P1, was infected with a murine retrovirus vector containing v-fms linked to a gene encoding resistance to neomycin (neo). Infected cells selected for resistance to the aminoglycoside G418 contained few proviral DNA copies per haploid genome, expressed low levels of the v-fms-coded glycoprotein, remained IL-3 dependent for growth, and were nontumorigenic in nude mice. In contrast, infected cells selected for their ability to grow in the absence of IL-3 contained an increased number of proviral insertions, expressed high levels of the v-fms-coded glycoprotein, and were tumorigenic in nude mice. The IL-3-independent cells expressed IL-3 receptors of comparable number and affinity to those detected in uninfected FDC-P1 cells and did not produce a growth factor able to support replication of the parental cells. Thus, the synthesis of high levels of the v-fms gene product in FDC-P1 cells abrogated their requirement for IL-3 and rendered the cells tumorigenic by a nonautocrine mechanism. The data suggest that v-fms encodes a promiscuous tyrosine kinase able to transform cells of the myeloid lineage that do not normally express CSF-1 receptors.
A DNA segment controlling metal-regulated expression of the Drosophila melanogaster metallothionein gene Mtn.
Authors: Otto E , Allen J M , Young J E , Palmiter R D , Maroni G
Published: September 2015

Cloned fragments of DNA including the Drosophila melanogaster metallothionein gene Mtn and different amounts of 5' flanking sequences were introduced into flies by P-element-mediated germ line transformation. Comparison of RNA levels in different transformants revealed that metal-regulated and tissue-specific expression of Mtn requires no more than 373 base pairs upstream of the initiation site of transcription. Transformants having an additional, transcribed copy of Mtn could tolerate increased concentrations of cadmium, indicating that Mtn expression is directly related to this phenotype. In separate experiments, these D. melanogaster promoter sequences were fused to the coding sequences of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) gene. After transfection of this fusion into baby hamster kidney cells, increases in TK activity and accumulation of TK RNA were inducible by metals. A series of 5' and 3' deletions showed that D. melanogaster sequences from -130 to -6 were sufficient to confer metal-regulated expression to the TK gene. The function of the D. melanogaster metallothionein promoter in mammalian cells indicates that the mechanism controlling metal regulation is evolutionarily conserved.
Structure and expression of the chicken ferritin H-subunit gene.
Authors: Stevens P W , Dodgson J B , Engel J D
Published: September 2015

Although the genomes of many species contain multiple copies of ferritin heavy (H)- and light (L)-chain sequences, the chicken genome contains only a single copy of the H-subunit gene. The primary transcription unit of this gene is 4.6 kilobase pairs and contains four exons which are posttranscriptionally spliced to generate a mature transcript of 869 nucleotides. Chicken and human ferritin H-subunit genomic loci are organized with similar exon-intron boundaries. They exhibit approximately 85% nucleotide identity in coding regions, which yield proteins 93% identical in amino acid sequence. We have identified a sequence of 22 highly conserved nucleotides in the 5' untranslated sequences of chicken, human, and tadpole ferritin H-subunit genes and propose that this conserved sequence may regulate iron-modulated translation of ferritin H-subunit mRNAs.
Replication-defective chimeric helper proviruses and factors affecting generation of competent virus: expression of Moloney murine leukemia virus structural genes via the metallothionein promoter.
Authors: Bosselman R A , Hsu R Y , Bruszewski J , Hu S , Martin F , Nicolson M
Published: September 2015

Two chimeric helper proviruses were derived from the provirus of the ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus by replacing the 5'long terminal repeat and adjacent proviral sequences with the mouse metallothionein I promoter. One of these chimeric proviruses was designed to express the gag-pol genes of the virus, whereas the other was designed to express only the env gene. When transfected into NIH 3T3 cells, these helper proviruses failed to generate competent virus but did express Zn2+-inducible trans-acting viral functions needed to assemble infectious vectors. One helper cell line (clone 32) supported vector assembly at levels comparable to those supported by the Psi-2 and PA317 cell lines transfected with the same vector. Defective proviruses which carry the neomycin phosphotransferase gene and which lack overlapping sequence homology with the 5' end of the chimeric helper proviruses could be transfected into the helper cell line without generation of replication-competent virus. Mass cultures of transfected helper cells produced titers of about 10(4) G418r CFU/ml, whereas individual clones produced titers between 0 and 2.6 X 10(4) CFU/ml. In contrast, defective proviruses which share homologous overlapping viral sequences with the 5' end of the chimeric helper proviruses readily generated infectious virus when transfected into the helper cell line. The deletion of multiple cis-acting functions from the helper provirus and elimination of sequence homology overlapping at the 5' ends of helper and vector proviruses both contribute to the increased genetic stability of this system.
Multiple calmodulin mRNA species are derived from two distinct genes.
Authors: Nojima H , Kishi K , Sokabe H
Published: September 2015

We have observed three calmodulin mRNA species in rat tissues. In order to know from how many expressed genes they are derived, we have investigated the genomic organization of calmodulin genes in the rat genome. From a rat brain cDNA library, we obtained two kinds of cDNAs (pRCM1 and pRCM3) encoding authentic calmodulin. DNA sequence analysis of these cDNA clones revealed substitutions of nucleotides at 73 positions of 450 nucleotides in the coding region, although the amino acid sequences of these calmodulins are exactly the same. DNA sequences in the 5' and 3' noncoding regions are quite different between these two cDNAs. From these results, we conclude that they are derived from two distinct bona fide calmodulin genes, CaMI (pRCM1) and CaMII (pRCM3). Total genomic Southern hybridization suggested four distinct calmodulin-related genes in the rat genome. By cloning and sequencing the calmodulin-related genes from rat genomic libraries, we demonstrated that the other two genes are processed pseudogenes generated from the CaMI (lambda SC9) and CaMII (lambda SC8) genes, respectively, through an mRNA-mediated process of insertions. Northern blotting showed that the CaMI gene is transcribed in liver, muscle, and brain in similar amounts, whereas the CaMII gene is transcribed mainly in brain. S1 nuclease mapping indicated that the CaMI gene produced two mRNA species (1.7 and 4 kilobases), whereas the CaMII gene expressed a single mRNA species (1.4 kilobases).
Gamma rays and bleomycin nick DNA and reverse the DNase I sensitivity of beta-globin gene chromatin in vivo.
Authors: Villeponteau B , Martinson H G
Published: September 2015

The active beta-globin genes in chicken erythrocytes, like all active genes, reside in large chromatin domains which are preferentially sensitive to digestion by DNase I. We have recently proposed that the special structure of chromatin in active domains is maintained by torsional stress in the DNA (Villeponteau et al., Cell 39:469-478, 1984). This hypothesis predicts that nicking of the DNA within any such chromosomal domain in vivo will relax the DNA and lead to loss of the special DNase I-sensitive state. Here we have tested this prediction by using gamma irradiation and bleomycin treatment to cleave DNA within intact chicken embryo erythrocytes. Both treatments cause reversal of DNase I sensitivity. Moreover, reversal occurs at approximately one nick per 150 kilobase pairs for both agents despite their entirely unrelated modes of cell penetration and DNA attack. These results suggest that the domain of DNase I sensitivity surrounding the beta-globin genes comprises 150 kilobase pairs of chromatin under torsional stress and that a single DNA nick in this region is sufficient to reverse the DNase I sensitivity throughout the entire domain.
Nucleotide sequences of liver, lachrymal, and submaxillary gland mouse major urinary protein mRNAs: mosaic structure and construction of panels of gene-specific synthetic oligonucleotide probes.
Authors: Shahan K , Gilmartin M , Derman E
Published: September 2015

The mouse major urinary proteins (MUPs) are encoded by a gene family of about 35 to 40 members. MUPs are synthesized in at least six secretory tissues under a variety of developmental and endocrine controls, but the identities of the individual genes expressed in each tissue have not previously been established. In this article, we present the nucleotide sequences of five MUP mRNAs which we designate MUP I through V. MUPs I, II, and III are the most abundant MUP mRNA species in the liver, and MUPs IV and V are the most abundant MUP mRNA species in the lachrymal gland and the submaxillary gland, respectively. The sequence data show that each of the five mRNAs is encoded by a distinct member of the gene family. The structures of the MUP mRNA consist of interspersed segments of variable and conserved sequences. On the basis of the sequences of the variable segments, gene-specific panels of synthetic oligonucleotide probes were prepared. The gene-specific panels were used to identify cloned genes and, as described in the accompanying paper (K. Shahan, M. Denaro, M. Gilmartin, Y. Shi, and E. Derman, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:1947-1954, 1987), to characterize the expression of MUP genes I through V.
Transcriptional regulation of the human CAD gene during myeloid differentiation.
Authors: Rao G N , Buford E S , Davidson J N
Published: September 2015

CAD codes for a trifunctional protein involved in the catalysis of the first three enzymatic activities in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, namely, carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase II (EC 6.3.5.5), aspartate transcarbamylase (EC 2.1.3.2), and dihydroorotase (EC 3.5.2.3). CAD regulation was studied in the human promyelocyte leukemic line HL-60 as it differentiated into monocytic or granulocytic lineages after induction by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or trans-retinoic acid and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, respectively. Within 12 h of induction of HL-60 cells with either inducer, total cellular levels of CAD RNA essentially disappeared. On the other hand, no apparent decreases in beta-actin RNA levels were seen even 48 h after HL-60 cells were induced, as compared with untreated cells. With nuclear runoff assays, it was clearly shown that the inactivation of CAD gene expression during the induction of HL-60 cells with either inducer was at the transcriptional level. The nuclear runoff experiments also demonstrated that the CAD gene expression was shut down in less than 4 h after induction, well before morphological changes were observed in these cells. At the enzymatic level, the activity of aspartate transcarbamylase, one of the three enzymes encoded by the CAD gene, decreased by about half within 24 h of induction, suggesting a CAD protein half-life of 24 h in differentiating HL-60 cells. Nevertheless, this means that significant levels of aspartate transcarbamylase activity remained even after the cells have stopped proliferating. From the RNA data, it is clear that CAD gene expression is rapidly turned off as promyelocytes begin to terminally differentiate into macrophages and granulocytes. We suspect that the inactivation of the CAD gene in induced HL-60 cells is a consequence of the differentiating cells leaving the cell cycle and becoming nonproliferating.
Autonomous expression of c-myc in BC3H1 cells partially inhibits but does not prevent myogenic differentiation.
Authors: Schneider M D , Perryman M B , Payne P A , Spizz G , Roberts R , Olson E N
Published: September 2015

Myogenic differentiation is obligatorily coupled to withdrawal of myoblasts from the cell cycle and is inhibited by specific polypeptide growth factors. To investigate the potential involvement of c-myc in the control of myogenesis, the BC3H1 muscle cell line was stably transfected with a simian virus 40 promoter:c-myc chimeric gene. In quiescent cells in 0.5% serum, the exogenous c-myc gene was expressed at a level more than threefold greater than the level of endogenous c-myc in undifferentiated, proliferating cells of the parental line in 20% serum. The transfected myc gene partially inhibited the expression of both muscle creatine kinase and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, but was not sufficient to prevent the induction of these muscle differentiation products upon mitogen withdrawal.
The highly conserved U small nuclear RNA 3'-end formation signal is quite tolerant to mutation.
Authors: Ach R A , Weiner A M
Published: September 2015

Formation of the 3' end of U1 and U2 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) precursors is directed by a conserved sequence called the 3' box located 9 to 28 nucleotides downstream of all metazoan U1 to U4 snRNA genes sequenced so far. Deletion of part or all of the 3' box from human U1 and U2 genes drastically reduces 3'-end formation. To define the essential nucleotides within this box that direct 3'-end formation, we constructed a set of point mutations in the conserved residues of the human U1 3' box. The ability of the various mutations to direct 3'-end formation was tested by microinjection into Xenopus oocytes and transfection into HeLa cells. We found that the point mutations had diverse effects on 3'-end formation, ranging from no effect at all to severe inhibition; however, no single or double point mutation we tested completely eliminated 3'-end formation. We also showed that a rat U3 3' flank can effectively substitute for the human U1 3' flank, indicating that the 3' boxes of the different U snRNA genes are functionally equivalent.
Functional expression of the cre-lox site-specific recombination system in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Authors: Sauer B
Published: September 2015

The procaryotic cre-lox site-specific recombination system of coliphage P1 was shown to function in an efficient manner in a eucaryote, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cre gene, which codes for a site-specific recombinase, was placed under control of the yeast GALI promoter. lox sites flanking the LEU2 gene were integrated into two different chromosomes in both orientations. Excisive recombination at the lox sites (as measured by loss of the LEU2 gene) was promoted efficiently and accurately by the Cre protein and was dependent upon induction by galactose. These results demonstrate that a procaryotic recombinase can enter a eucaryotic nucleus and, moreover, that the ability of the Cre recombinase to perform precise recombination events on the chromosomes of S. cerevisiae is unimpaired by chromatin structure.
Degradation and biosynthesis of the glucose transporter protein in chicken embryo fibroblasts transformed by the src oncogene.
Authors: Shawver L K , Olson S A , White M K , Weber M J
Published: September 2015

The rate of glucose transport in cultured fibroblasts is regulated to a number of physiological variables, including malignant transformation by src, glucose starvation, and stimulation with mitogens. Much of this transport regulation can be accounted for by variations in the amount of transporter protein in the cells. To determine the mechanisms by which levels of the transporter are regulated, we measured the rates of synthesis and degradation of the transporter by pulse-chase experiments and immunoprecipitation of the transporter. We found that transformation by the src oncogene results in a large decrease in the rate at which the transporter protein is degraded but that it does not appreciably increase the rate of transporter biosynthesis. On the other hand, glucose starvation and mitogen stimulation increase the rate of transporter biosynthesis, although a role for control of degradation is possible in these circumstances also. Variations in the rate of glucose transport or the amount of the transporter are not associated with phosphorylation of the transporter protein.
Expression of small cytoplasmic transcripts of the rat identifier element in vivo and in cultured cells.
Authors: McKinnon R D , Danielson P , Brow M A , Bloom F E , Sutcliffe J G
Published: September 2015

We examined the level of expression of small RNA transcripts hybridizing to a rodent repetitive DNA element, the identifier (ID) sequence, in a variety of cell types in vivo and in cultured mammalian cells. A 160-nucleotide (160n) cytoplasmic poly(A)+ RNA (BC1) appeared in late embryonic and early postnatal rat brain development, was enriched in the cerebral cortex, and appeared to be restricted to neural tissue and the anterior pituitary gland. A 110n RNA (BC2) was specifically enriched in brain, especially the postnatal cortex, but was detectable at low levels in peripheral tissues. A third, related 75n poly(A)- RNA (T3) was found in rat brain and at lower levels in peripheral tissues but was very abundant in the testes. The BC RNAs were found in a variety of rat cell lines, and their level of expression was dependent upon cell culture conditions. A rat ID probe detected BC-like RNAs in mouse brain but not liver and detected a 200n RNA in monkey brain but not liver at lower hybridization stringencies. These RNAs were expressed by mouse and primate cell lines. Thus, tissue-specific expression of small ID-sequence-related transcripts is conserved among mammals, but the tight regulation found in vivo is lost by cells in culture.
Cellular DNA rearrangements and early developmental arrest caused by DNA insertion in transgenic mouse embryos.
Authors: Covarrubias L , Nishida Y , Terao M , D'Eustachio P , Mintz B
Published: September 2015

Insertional mutagenesis was investigated in a transgenic mouse strain (HUGH/4) derived from a fertilized egg injected with plasmid DNA containing the human growth hormone gene. Lethality occurred in homozygous embryos and was traced to the egg cylinder stage on days 4 to 5 of gestation, shortly after implantation. The mutation is on chromosome 12 and is distinct in location and integration pattern from another mutation also leading to lethality of homozygotes in the egg cylinder stage. Based on this and other evidence, relatively many genes may be recruited to activity near the time of implantation and may therefore present a large target of vulnerability to mutagenesis. The single insert in HUGH/4, consisting of approximately three tandem copies of plasmid sequences, is flanked by mouse cellular sequences that have undergone rearrangements, including a probable deletion. The data suggest the hypothesis that DNA rearrangements, which appear to be commonplace in transgenic mice, may arise because the initial insertional complex is unstable; stepwise changes may then be generated until a more stable conformation is achieved.
Novel protein-tyrosine kinase gene (hck) preferentially expressed in cells of hematopoietic origin.
Authors: Ziegler S F , Marth J D , Lewis D B , Perlmutter R M
Published: September 2015

Protein-tyrosine kinases are implicated in the control of cell growth by virtue of their frequent appearance as products of retroviral oncogenes and as components of growth factor receptors. Here we report the characterization of a novel human protein-tyrosine kinase gene (hck) that is primarily expressed in hematopoietic cells, particularly granulocytes. The hck gene encodes a 505-residue polypeptide that is closely related to pp56lck, a lymphocyte-specific protein-tyrosine kinase. The exon breakpoints of the hck gene, partially defined by using murine genomic clones, demonstrate that hck is a member of the src gene family and has been subjected to strong selection pressure during mammalian evolution. High-level expression of hck transcripts in granulocytes is especially provocative since these cells are terminally differentiated and typically survive in vivo for only a few hours. Thus the hck gene, like other members of the src gene family, appears to function primarily in cells with little growth potential.
An Epstein-Barr virus transforming protein associates with vimentin in lymphocytes.
Authors: Liebowitz D , Kopan R , Fuchs E , Sample J , Kieff E
Published: September 2015

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection membrane protein (LMP) is likely to be an important mediator of EBV-induced cell proliferation, since it is one of the few proteins encoded by the virus in latent infection and since production of this protein in Rat-1 cells results in their conversion to a fully transformed phenotype. LMP was previously noted to localize to patches at the cell periphery. In this paper we examine the basis of LMP patching in EBV-infected, transformed lymphocytes. Our data indicate that LMP is associated with the cytoskeletal protein vimentin. Although LMP is fully soluble in isotonic Triton X-100 buffer, only 50% of it is extracted from cells in this solution. The rest remains bound to the cytoskeleton. LMP undergoes phosphorylation, and phosphorylated LMP is preferentially associated with the cytoskeleton. As judged by both immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, the vimentin network in EBV-transformed lymphocytes or EBV-infected Burkitt tumor lymphocytes is abnormal. Vimentin and LMP often colocalize in a single patch near the plasma membrane. In response to Colcemid treatment of EBV-infected cells, vimentin reorganizes into perinuclear rings, as it does in uninfected cells. LMP is associated with these perinuclear rings. Vimentin (or a vimentin-associated protein) may be a transducer of an LMP transmembrane effect in lymphoproliferation.
Functional organization of the Aspergillus nidulans trpC promoter.
Authors: Hamer J E , Timberlake W E
Published: September 2015

We investigated the functional organization of the Aspergillus nidulans trpC promoter by the sequential removal of sequences upstream of the major trpC mRNA cap site (+1). DNA fragments containing promoter mutations were fused to the Escherichia coli lacZ gene, and a novel method was used to select for integration of the fusion gene at the Aspergillus argB locus. beta-Galactosidase assays and S1 nuclease protection experiments demonstrated that the promoter mutations affected gene expression in three ways: (i) 5' deletions up to -82 resulted in variable increases in beta-galactosidase activity, depending on the growth conditions; (ii) a deletion from -67 to -11 did not alter the level of beta-galactosidase activity, but did give rise to mRNAs with aberrant 5' ends; and (iii) a 5' deletion with an endpoint at -11 and an internal deletion from -142 to -11 abolished gene expression. These results indicate that sequences upstream of -82 reduce transcription of the trpC gene and that distinct DNA sequence elements are required for expression versus correct initiation of transcription of the trpC gene. The sequences essential for trpC expression do not include the common eucaryotic promoter elements CCAAT and TATAAA. To our knowledge, this is the first functional analysis of a promoter from a fungus other than Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Isolation of human cDNAs for asparagine synthetase and expression in Jensen rat sarcoma cells.
Authors: Andrulis I L , Chen J , Ray P N
Published: September 2015

Asparagine synthetase cDNAs containing the complete coding region were isolated from a human fibroblast cDNA library. DNA sequence analysis of the clones showed that the message contained one open reading frame encoding a protein of 64,400 Mr, 184 nucleotides of 5' untranslated region, and 120 nucleotides of 3' noncoding sequence. Plasmids containing the asparagine synthetase cDNAs were used in DNA-mediated transfer of genes into asparagine-requiring Jensen rat sarcoma cells. The cDNAs containing the entire protein-coding sequence expressed asparagine synthetase activity and were capable of conferring asparagine prototrophy on the Jensen rat sarcoma cells. However, cDNAs which lacked sequence for as few as 20 amino acids at the amino terminal could not rescue the cells from auxotrophy. The transferant cell lines contained multiple copies of the human asparagine synthetase cDNAs and produced human asparagine synthetase mRNA and asparagine synthetase protein. Several transferants with numerous copies of the cDNAs exhibited only basal levels of enzyme activity. Treatment of these transferant cell lines with 5-azacytidine greatly increased the expression of asparagine synthetase mRNA, protein, and activity.
Upstream regulatory regions controlling the expression of the yeast maltase gene.
Authors: Hong S H , Marmur J
Published: September 2015

The expression of the maltase (MALS) and the maltose permease (MALT) genes in Saccharomyces species is coregulated at the transcriptional level; they are coordinately induced by maltose in the presence of a positively acting regulatory (MALR) gene and carbon catabolite repressed by glucose. We generated a series of deletions in the upstream region of the MAL6S gene to examine the regulatory elements in detail. The results showed that inducible expression by maltose was lost when the region between 320 and 380 base pairs upstream of the translation initiation codon was deleted. This region contained an imperfect inverted repeat sequence (-361 to -327) or four copies of short direct repeats that might serve as components of the upstream activation site (UASM) for the maltase gene, or both. When a stretch of T-rich sequence (-253 to -237) was deleted, the susceptibility of the maltase gene to carbon catabolite repression was affected.
Rapid and selective alterations in the expression of cellular genes accompany conditional transcription of Ha-v-ras in NIH 3T3 cells.
Authors: Owen R D , Ostrowski M C
Published: September 2015

Hormone treatment of NIH 3T3 cells that contain recombinant fusions between the mouse mammary virus long terminal repeat and the v-ras gene of Harvey murine sarcoma virus results in conditional expression of the ras p21 gene product. Levels of ras mRNA and p21 are maximal after 2 to 4 h of hormone treatment. Analysis of cellular RNA by Northern blotting and nuclease S1 protection assays indicates that the expression of two cellular RNA species increases with kinetics similar to v-ras: v-sis-related RNA and retrovirus-related VL30 RNA. Run-on transcription in isolated nuclei shows that the increase in v-sis-related RNA is not dependent on transcription and therefore must arise by a post-transcriptional mechanism. The increase in VL30 expression is a transcriptional effect. Hormone treatment of normal NIH 3T3 cells has no effect on the expression of these DNA sequences. These results suggest that v-ras stimulation of autocrine factors may play a role in transformation of cells by this gene and also suggest a reverse genetic strategy to determine the nucleic acid sequences and cellular factors involved in the regulation of gene expression that is observed.
Negative regulation contributes to tissue specificity of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer.
Authors: Imler J L , Lemaire C , Wasylyk C , Wasylyk B
Published: September 2015

We have identified in and around the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer two apparently distinct negative regulatory elements which repress immunoglobulin H enhancer, simian virus 40 enhancer, and heterologous promoter activity in fibroblasts but not in myeloma cells. We propose that in nonlymphoid cells, negative regulatory elements prevent activation of the immunoglobulin H enhancer by ubiquitous stimulatory trans-acting factors.
Complex interactions among members of an essential subfamily of hsp70 genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Authors: Werner-Washburne M , Stone D E , Craig E A
Published: September 2015

Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains a large family of genes related to hsp70, the major heat shock-inducible gene of Drosophila melanogaster. One subfamily, identified by sequence homology, contains four genes, SSA1, SSA2, SSA3, and SSA4 (formerly YG100, YG102, YG106, and YG107, respectively). Previous studies showed that strains containing mutations in SSA1 and SSA2 are temperature sensitive for growth. SSA4, which is normally heat inducible and not expressed during vegetative growth, is expressed at high levels in ssa1 ssa2 strains at 23 degrees C. We constructed mutations in SSA3 and SSA4 and analyzed strains carrying mutations in the four genes. Strains carrying mutations in SSA3 SSA4 or SSA3 and SSA4 were indistinguishable from the wild type. However, ssa1 ssa2 ssa4 strains were inviable. SSA3, like SSA4, is a heat-inducible gene that is not normally expressed at 23 degrees C. Nevertheless, an intact copy of SSA3 regulated by the constitutive SSA2 promoter was capable of rescuing a ssa1 ssa2 ssa4 strain. This indicates that SSA3 encodes a functional protein and that the SSA1, SSA2, SSA3, and SSA4 gene products are functionally similar.
Rearrangement of rat immunoglobulin E heavy-chain and c-myc genes in the B-cell immunocytoma IR162.
Authors: Tian S S , Faust C
Published: September 2015

Mammalian B-cell lymphoid malignancies frequently display aberrant translocations involving the c-myc proto-oncogene and one of the immunoglobulin loci. We have observed and characterized such a translocation in the immunoglobulin E-producing rat immunocytoma IR162 by using recombinant DNA technology. We show here for the first time that a c-myc gene has recombined with the excluded allele of the nonfunctional epsilon heavy-chain immunoglobulin gene. This recombination has resulted in the loss of 5'-proximal DNA and, consequently, potential regulatory information from the body of the c-myc structural gene via joining to the epsilon heavy-chain switch region in a head-to-head, i.e., 5'-to-5', configuration. As discussed in this report, these results, together with the previous results of others, have important implications for immunoglobulin heavy-chain class switching mechanisms controlling normal and abnormal translocations.
Replication of DNA containing apurinic sites in human and mouse cells probed with parvoviruses MVM and H-1.
Authors: Vos J M , Rommelaere J
Published: September 2015

We studied the effect of apurinic sites on DNA replication in mouse and human cells, using parvoviruses MVM (minute virus of mice) and H-1 as probes. Although apurinic sites are efficient blocks to the replication of these single-stranded DNA viruses in vivo, depurinated parvoviruses can be reactivated if host cells have been preexposed to a subtoxic dose of UV light. The target of this conditional reactivation process is the conversion of depurinated input DNA into double-stranded replicative forms; the concomitant increase in viral mutagenesis strongly suggests that apurinic sites can be bypassed in mammalian cells.
Unusual sequence element found at the end of an amplicon.
Authors: Baran N , Lapidot A , Manor H
Published: September 2015

In a polyomavirus-transformed rat cell line, designated LPT, the polyomavirus DNA is integrated into a single chromosomal site. Treatment of LPT cells with carcinogens induces amplification of the integrated virus DNA and flanking cellular sequences. We show that the amplification is arrested within a specific cell DNA segment that maps 1.3 to 1.85 kilobases beyond one virus-cell DNA junction, defined as the left junction. We also present the sequence of an 897-base-pair fragment spanning the arrest site. This fragment contains an unusual sequence element, which consists of two contiguous components, a potential cruciform with stems of 6 base pairs and a d(G-A)27 X d(T-C)27 tract, and maps 1,497 to 1,564 nucleotides beyond the left junction. The possibility that this unusual sequence plays a role in the arrest of the amplification process is discussed.
Transcriptional activation of mammalian ornithine decarboxylase during stimulated growth.
Authors: Katz A , Kahana C
Published: September 2015

Cloned ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) (EC 4.1.1.17) cDNA was used to investigate the mechanisms which mediate the mitogenic induction of mammalian ODC. Stimulation of quiescent BALB/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts with purified fibroblast and platelet-derived growth factors and with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate results in a rapid and dramatic increase in ODC mRNA, similar to the increase caused by serum stimulation. Using nuclear runoff transcriptional analysis, we demonstrate that an increase in ODC transcription accounts for the mitogenic induction of ODC mRNA, and using cycloheximide together with the stimulating mitogen, we found that the mitogenic induction of ODC is dependent on ongoing protein synthesis in the stimulated cells.
Identification and regulation of a gene required for cell fusion during mating of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Authors: McCaffrey G , Clay F J , Kelsay K , Sprague G F
Published: September 2015

We have devised a screen for genes from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae whose expression is affected by cell type or by the mating pheromones. From this screen we identified a gene, FUS1, whose pattern of expression revealed interesting regulatory strategies and whose product was required for efficient cell fusion during mating. Transcription of FUS1 occurred only in a and alpha cells, not in a/alpha cells, where it was repressed by a1 X alpha 2, a regulatory activity present uniquely in a/alpha cells. Transcription of FUS1 showed an absolute requirement for the products of five STE genes, STE4, STE5, STE7, STE11, and STE12. Since the activators STE4, STE5, and STE12 are themselves repressed by a1 X alpha 2, the failure to express FUS1 in a/alpha cells is probably the result of a cascade of regulatory activities; repression of the activators by a1 X alpha 2 in turn precludes transcription of FUS1. In addition to regulation of FUS1 by cell type, transcription from the locus increased 10-fold or more when a or alpha cells were exposed to the opposing mating pheromone. To investigate the function of the Fus1 protein, we created fus1 null mutants. In fus1 X fus1 matings, the cells of a mating pair adhered tightly and appeared to form zygotes. However, the zygotes were abnormal. Within the conjugation bridge the contained a partition that prevented nuclear fusion and mixing of organelles. The predicted sequence of the Fus1 protein (deduced from the FUS1 DNA sequence) and subcellular fractionation studies with Fus1-beta-galactosidase hybrid proteins suggest that Fus1 is a membrane or secreted protein. Thus, Fus1 may be located at a position within the cell where it is poised to catalyze cell wall or plasma membrane fusion.
Structure and ligand specificity of the Drosophila melanogaster insulin receptor.
Authors: Fernandez-Almonacid R , Rosen O M
Published: September 2015

The insulin-binding and protein tyrosine kinase subunits of the Drosophila melanogaster insulin receptor homolog have been identified and characterized by using antipeptide antibodies elicited to the deduced amino acid sequence of the alpha and beta subunits of the human insulin receptor. In D. melanogaster embryos and cell lines, the insulin receptor contains insulin-binding alpha subunits of 110 or 120 kilodaltons (kDa), a 95-kDa beta subunit that is phosphorylated on tyrosine in response to insulin in intact cells and in vitro, and a 170-kDa protein that may be an incompletely processed receptor. All of the components are synthesized from a proreceptor, joined by disulfide bonds, and exposed on the cell surface. The beta subunit is recognized by an antipeptide antibody elicited to amino acids 1142 to 1162 of the human insulin proreceptor, and the alpha subunit is recognized by an antipeptide antibody elicited to amino acids 702 to 723 of the human proreceptor. Of the polypeptide ligands tested, only insulin reacts with the D. melanogaster receptor. Insulinlike growth factors type I and II, epidermal growth factor, and the silkworm insulinlike prothoracicotropic hormone are unable to stimulate autophosphorylation. Thus despite the evolutionary divergence of vertebrates and invertebrates, the essential features of the structure and intrinsic functions of the insulin receptor have been remarkably conserved.
Chromatin fine-structure mapping of the goat beta F gene in fetal erythroid tissue.
Authors: Liberator P A , Lingrel J B
Published: September 2015

Using a restriction enzyme accessibility assay, we have previously demonstrated that the chromatin structure immediately proximal to the goat beta F-, beta C-, and beta A-globin genes changes in a manner which parallels their developmentally regulated expression. More specifically, the PvuII recognition sequence, located 9 nucleotides upstream from the transcriptional start site in each of the three genes, is accessible to digestion only in nuclei prepared from erythroid tissue in which the respective gene product is expressed. Here we describe two restriction enzyme sites further upstream from the transcription start sites (HindIII at -700 and SacI at -480) which were not accessible to digestion in fetal erythroid nuclei. Conversely, two sites within the second coding block of the beta F gene (AccI at +276 and BamHI at +470) were accessible in fetal erythroid tissue. The corresponding sites in the beta C and beta A genes were not available for digestion in the same fetal tissue. Processive exonuclease III digestion in situ from the three accessible restriction enzyme sites in the beta F gene allowed us to define more closely the limits of these open regions. Resistance to exonuclease III digestion was encountered at or near both intron-exon junctions flanking the first intervening sequence of the beta F gene. Conversely, no resistance to exonuclease III digestion was evident in either the first or second coding blocks or the 5' untranslated region. Digestion upstream from the PvuII site of the beta F gene was negligible. High-resolution mapping by S1 nuclease analysis indicated that the endpoint of exonuclease III digestion from this site lay immediately downstream of the ATA box.
Identification and isolation of the gene encoding the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: DNA damage-inducible gene required for mitotic viability.
Authors: Elledge S J , Davis R W
Published: September 2015

Ribonucleotide reductase catalyzes the first step in the pathway for the production of deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA synthesis. The gene encoding the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase was isolated from a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic DNA expression library in lambda gt11 by a fortuitous cross-reaction with anti-RecA antibodies. The cross-reaction was due to an identity between the last four amino acids of each protein. The gene has been named RNR2 and is centromere linked on chromosome X. The nucleotide sequence was determined, and the deduced amino acid sequence, 399 amino acids, shows extensive homology with other eucaryotic ribonucleotide reductases. Transplason mutagenesis was used to disrupt the RNR2 gene. A novel assay using colony color sectoring was developed to demonstrate visually that RNR2 is essential for mitotic viability. RNR2 encodes a 1.5-kilobase mRNA whose levels increase 18-fold after treatment with the DNA-damaging agent 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. CDC8 was also found to be inducible by DNA damage, but POL1 and URA3 were not inducible by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. The expression of these genes defines a new mode of regulation for enzymes involved in DNA biosynthesis and sharpens our picture of the events leading to DNA repair in eucaryotic cells.
Immortalization of human fibroblasts transformed by origin-defective simian virus 40.
Authors: Neufeld D S , Ripley S , Henderson A , Ozer H L
Published: September 2015

Simian virus 40 (SV40)-mediated transformation of human diploid fibroblasts has provided an effective experimental system for studies of both "senescence" in cell culture and carcinogenesis. Previous interpretations may have been complicated, however, by the semipermissive virus-cell interaction. In earlier studies, we previously demonstrated that the human diploid fibroblast line HS74 can be efficiently transformed by DNA from replication-defective mutants of SV40 containing a deletion in the viral origin for DNA synthesis (SVori-). In the current study, we found that such SVori- transformants show a significantly increased life span in culture, as compared with either HS74 or an independent transformant containing an intact viral genome, but they nonetheless undergo senescence. We have clonally isolated six immortalized derivatives of one such transformant (SV/HF-5). Growth studies indicate that the immortalized cell lines do not invariably grow better than SV/HF-5 or HS74. Genetic studies involving karyotypic analysis and Southern analysis of integrated viral sequences demonstrated both random and nonrandom alterations. All immortalized derivatives conserved one of the two copies of SV40 sequences which expressed a truncated T antigen. These cloned SV40-transformed cell lines, pre- and postimmortalization, should be useful in defining molecular changes associated with immortalization.
Duplicated CArG box domains have positive and mutually dependent regulatory roles in expression of the human alpha-cardiac actin gene.
Authors: Miwa T , Kedes L
Published: September 2015

An upstream region from the transcription initiation site to -177 base pairs (bp) of the human alpha-cardiac actin gene directs the transient expression of a bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene only in muscle cells (A. Minty and L. Kedes, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:2125-2136, 1986). We modified this promoter region by additional 5' deletions, linker-scanning mutations, and insertion-deletion mutations and demonstrated that the asymmetrical sequences in and adjacent to two CArG [for CC(A + T rich)6GG] motifs, located at -140 and -100 bp, play an important positive role in transcription. The significant impairment of transcriptional activity that accompanies the disruption of one CArG box region can be restored by either. This demonstrated that these two elements interact in a mutually dependent and similar manner. Furthermore, a DNA fragment that includes the CArG boxes had significant competitive activity for transcription directed by the alpha-cardiac actin promoter in an in vivo competition assay. We conclude that the two sequences around each CArG box may interact with the same class of trans-acting positive factor(s) and that these interactions may mediate muscle-specific expression. Each of the two CArG regions appears to be bound independently by such a positive factor(s), and the regions support high-level transcription in a synergistic manner. The transcriptional activity of this regulatory region is proportional to its distance from a TATA box (at -30 bp) and is strictly orientation dependent relative to the direction of transcription. Therefore this upstream region is not an enhancer but is a tissue-specific regulatory upstream element.
Developmental regulation of a novel repetitive protein of Trypanosoma brucei.
Authors: Mowatt M R , Clayton C E
Published: September 2015

Trypanosoma brucei undergoes many morphological and biochemical changes during transformation from the bloodstream trypomastigote to the insect procyclic trypomastigote form. We cloned and determined the complete nucleotide sequence of a developmentally regulated cDNA. The corresponding mRNA was abundant in in vitro-cultivated procyclics but absent in bloodstream forms. The trypanosome genome contains eight genes homologous to this cDNA, arranged as four unlinked pairs of tandem repeats. The longest open reading frame of the cDNA predicts a protein of 15 kilodaltons, the central portion of which consists of 29 tandem glutamate-proline dipeptides. The repetitive region is preceded by an amino-terminal signal sequence and followed by a hydrophobic domain that could serve as a membrane anchor; the mRNA was found on membrane-bound polyribosomes. These results suggest that the protein is membrane associated.