Biomedical subjects

A Khaouja

Publications and source records attributed to A Khaouja.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Antibodies to yeast Sm motif 1 cross-react with human Sm core polypeptides.

Two regions common to all UsnRNP core polypeptides have been described: Sm motif 1 and Sm motif 2. Rabbits were immunized with a 22 amino-acid peptide containing one segment of Sm motif 1 (YRGTLVSTDNYFNLQLNEAEEF, corresponding to residues 11-32) from yeast F protein. After immunization, the rabbit sera contained antibodies that not only reacted specifically with the peptide from yeast F protein but also cross-reacted with Sm polypeptides from mammals; that is, with purified human U1snRNPs. The results suggest that the peptide used and human Sm polypeptides contain a common feature recognized by the polyclonal antibodies. A large collection of human systemic lupus erythematosus sera was assayed using the yeast peptide as an antigen source. Seventy per cent of systemic lupus erythematosus sera contain an antibody specificity that cross-reacts with the yeast peptide.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Preparation of N2, N2,7-trimethylguanosine affinity columns.

2,2,7-trimethylguanosine (TMG) binding proteins from human cells were purified through TMG-affinity columns. TMG synthesis was improved and the TMG obtained was shown to be similar to the TMG in the 5' cap of the UsnRNAs. The eluates obtained with TMG-affinity chromatographies were very different from those isolated with m7G-affinity columns, thus suggesting that specific TMG-binding proteins were obtained. The fraction may be enriched with factors associated with import and/or hypermethylation of UsnRNPs.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

A second-step splicing activity is conserved from yeast to human.

We describe a defective HeLa nuclear extract which is particularly deficient in step 2 of splicing reaction. With this extract we have studied the conservation of a second-step activity from yeast to human cells. We detected a S. cerevisiae second-step splicing activity that allows restoration of step 2 of the defective HeLa nuclear extract, which indicates that yeast purified fraction has a second-step activity that is conserved from yeast to human cells. The activity is a yeast UsnRNP protein(s) since it is purified with anti-trimethylguanosine by immunoaffinity columns.

Biological Evolution↗