PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

B G Barrell

Publications and source records attributed to B G Barrell.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Identification of homologues to the human cytomegalovirus US22 gene family in human herpesvirus 6.

The sequence of 10079 bp corresponding to the overlapping SalI H and SmaI G restriction fragments of the genome of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) strain U1102 was determined. The sequence contains six complete open reading frames (ORFs) and two incomplete ORFs located at the 5' and 3' ends of the SalI H and SmaI G fragments respectively. Seven of these ORFs have recognizable homologues only in the beta-herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), no obvious counterparts being detectable in the genomes of the human alpha-herpesviruses, varicella-zoster virus and herpes simplex virus type 1 or the gamma-herpesvirus Epstein-Barr virus. The DNA sequenced is located proximal to the left repeat of the HHV-6 genome outside the well recognized region encompassing conserved herpesvirus gene blocks. A close colinear relationship is evident between the HHV-6 ORFs identified in this study and their counterparts in HCMV, ORFs UL23, UL24 and UL27 to UL31. Four of the HHV-6 ORFs, SHL1, SHL2, SFL1 and SSL2, are related to members of the HCMV US22 family of proteins, which are themselves tandemly arranged and located predominantly within the unique short and the left end of the unique long region of the prototype HCMV strain AD169 genome. Two adjacent HHV-6 ORFs, SSL1 and SHL3, are related to HCMV UL27. The identification of this gene set in addition to the HHV-6 ORFs with amino acid sequence similarity to the HCMV US22 family indicates a particularly close relationship between these two human herpesviruses, and suggests that the clustering of these related tandemly arranged genes may be a general feature of beta-herpesvirus-type genomes.

Amino Acid Sequence

Cloning of a yeast U1 snRNP 70K protein homologue: functional conservation of an RNA-binding domain between humans and yeast.

We have cloned and sequenced a gene encoding a yeast homologue of the U1 snRNP 70K protein. The gene, SNP1, encodes a protein which has 30% amino acid identity with the human 70K protein and has a predicted molecular weight of 34 kDa. The yeast and human sequences are more closely related to each other than to other (non-U1) RNA-binding proteins, but diverge considerably in their C-terminal portions. In particular, SNP1 lacks the charged carboxy terminus of the human 70K protein. A yeast strain, a alpha 115, was constructed in which one allele of the SNP1 gene contained a 554 bp deletion. Tetrad analysis of a alpha 115 showed that the SNP1 gene is essential for the viability of yeast cells. The complete human 70K gene did not complement snp1, but the lethal snp1 mutation was rescued by plasmids bearing a chimera in which over half the yeast gene was replaced with the homologous region of the human 70K gene, including the RNA-binding domain. These results suggest that SNP1 encodes a functional homologue of the U1 snRNP 70K protein.

Amino Acid Sequence

A different genetic code in human mitochondria.

Comparison of the human mitochrondial DNA sequence of the cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene and the sequence of the corresponding beef heart protein shows that UGA is used as a tryptophan codon and not as a termination codon and suggests that AUA may be a methionine and not an isoleucine codon. The cytochrome oxidase II gene is contiguous at its 5' end with a tRNAAsp gene and there are only 25 bases at its 3' end before a tRNALys gene. These tRNA'S are different from all other known tRNA sequences.

Aspartic Acid

Nucleotide sequence of bacteriophage G4 DNA.

The 5,577 nucleotide long sequence of bacteriophage G4 DNA has been determined using the 'plus and minus' and chain termination methods of DNA sequencing. This sequence has been compared with that of the closely related bacteriophage phiX174 (refs 1, 55). In the coding regions there is an average of 33.1% nucleotide sequence differences between the two genomes, but the distribution of these changes is not random and the sequence of some genes is more conserved than others. There is less sequence similarity between the untranslated intergenic regions of G4 and phiX174, but despite this the sequences of the J/F, F/G and H/A untranslated spaces in both genomes have similar sized hairpin loops, which may be related to their function.

Bacteriophages

Nucleotide sequences of the separate origins of synthesis of bacteriophage G4 viral and complementary DNA strands.

Bacteriophage G4 has physically separated origins of synthesis of its viral and complementary DNA strands. Chain termination and "plus and minus" DNA sequencing methods have been used to obtain the nucleotide sequence of these two origins. The unique origin at which the complementary DNA strand is initiated has located in the untranslated region between genes F and G. This sequence, which has considerable secondary structure, contains a stretch which is complementary to the RNA primer that is observed during synthesis in vitro of the G4 complementary DNA strand [Bouché, J.P., Rowen, L. & Kornberg, A. (1978) J. Biol. Chem., in press]. This G4 origin shows extensive sequence homology with the bacteriophage lambda origin of DNA replication [Denniston-Thompson, K., Moore, D. D., Kruger, D. E., Furth, M. E. & Blattner, F. R. (1977) Science 198, 1051-1056]. The sequence around the site in gene A at which G4 viral DNA strand synthesis is initiated by the nicking action of the cistron A protein is very similar to that of bacteriophage phiX174. An (A + T)-rich stretch flanked by (G + C)-rich sequences may be involved in the interaction between the DNA and protein.

Bacteriophages

Nucleotide sequence of bacteriophage phi X174 DNA.

A DNA sequence for the genome of bacteriophage phi X174 of approximately 5,375 nucleotides has been determined using the rapid and simple 'plus and minus' method. The sequence identifies many of the features responsible for the production of the proteins of the nine known genes of the organism, including initiation and termination sites for the proteins and RNAs. Two pairs of genes are coded by the same region of DNA using different reading frames.

Base Sequence

The use of primed synthesis by DNA polymerase I to study an intercistronic sequence of phiX-174 DNA.

A decadeoxynucleotide complementary to ten nucleotides in the major ribosome-protected fragment of phiX-174 plus-strand DNA has been chemically synthesized and used as a primer for DNA polymerase I on phiX-174 plus-strand DNA as template. The sequence of the first 40 nucleotides incorporated onto the decadeoxynucleotide has been determined. This sequence extends further the sequence of the intercistronic region preceding gene G and shows the presence of another termination codon. The sequence was determined by using manganese as the activating cation for DNA polymerase I which allows ribonucleotides to be incorporated as well as deoxyribonucleotides. The ribo-substituted product was then cleaved specifically at the ribonucleotide residues to generate a series of overlapping ribo-terminated fragments whose sequences were sufficient to determine the complete sequence of the first 40 nucleotides. No evidence for misincorporation by DNA polymerase I in the presence of manganese was detected.

Adenosine Triphosphate