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B Bullis

Publications and source records attributed to B Bullis.

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Cells of human aminopeptidase N (CD13) transgenic mice are infected by human coronavirus-229E in vitro, but not in vivo.

Aminopeptidase N, or CD13, is a receptor for serologically related coronaviruses of humans, pigs, and cats. A mouse line transgenic for the receptor of human coronavirus-229E (HCoV-229E) was created using human APN (hAPN) cDNA driven by a hAPN promoter. hAPN-transgenic mice expressed hAPN mRNA in the kidney, small intestine, liver, and lung. hAPN protein was specifically expressed on epithelial cells of the proximal convoluted renal tubules, bronchi, alveolar sacs, and intestinal villi. The hAPN expression pattern within transgenic mouse tissues matched that of mouse APN and was similar in mice heterozygous or homozygous for the transgene. Primary embryonic cells and bone marrow dendritic cells derived from hAPN-transgenic mice also expressed hAPN protein. Although hAPN-transgenic mice were resistant to HCoV-229E in vivo, primary embryonic cells and bone marrow dendritic cells were infected in vitro. hAPN-transgenic mice are valuable as a source of primary mouse cells expressing hAPN. This hAPN-transgenic line will also be used for crossbreeding experiments with other knockout, immune deficient, or transgenic mice to identify factors, in addition to hAPN, that are required for HCoV-229E infection.

Animals↗

Sequence homology between prokaryotic and eukaryotic forms of serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

The sequence of tryptic and chymotryptic peptides from cytosolic and mitochondrial rabbit liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase are compared to the proposed sequence of a protein coded for by the glyA gene of Escherichia coli. The E. coli glyA gene is believed to code for serine hydroxymethyltransferase. Extensive sequence homology between these peptides were found for the proposed E. coli enzyme in the aminoterminal two-thirds of the molecule. All three proteins have identical sequences from residue 222-231. This sequence is known to contain the lysyl residue which forms a Schiff's base with pyridoxal-P in the two rabbit liver enzymes. These results support the interpretation that the proposed sequence of E. coli serine hydroxymethyltransferase is correct. The data also show that cytosolic and mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase are homologous proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure and reactivity of cysteine residues in mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

Six cysteine-containing tryptic peptides were isolated and sequenced from rabbit liver mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase. 2 of the 6 cysteine residues were located on the surface of the enzyme. These 2 cysteine residues are sufficiently close to each other that they form a disulfide bond when oxidized by periodate. Another of the cysteine residues is exposed upon removal of the active site pyridoxal phosphate. The remaining three cysteines are buried and react with sulfhydryl reagents only when the enzyme is denatured. Blocking of one of the surface sulfhydryls with any of several sulfhydryl reagents results in increased catalytic activity when allothreonine is the substrate but decreased activity when serine and tetrahydrofolate are the substrates. The activation and inhibition effects are on Vmax and not on the affinity of the enzyme for its substrates. Of the six cysteine peptides from the mitochondrial enzyme, three show substantial homology with cysteine-containing peptides from the cytosolic form of the enzyme. For both enzyme forms, one of these homologous pairs is a cysteine residue on the surface of the enzyme. These results suggest that the mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of rabbit liver serine hydroxymethyltransferases are the products of separate genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗