Biomedical subjects

F Blattner

Publications and source records attributed to F Blattner.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Maskless fabrication of light-directed oligonucleotide microarrays using a digital micromirror array.

Oligonucleotide microarrays, also called "DNA chips," are currently made by a light-directed chemistry that requires a large number of photolithographic masks for each chip. Here we describe a maskless array synthesizer (MAS) that replaces the chrome masks with virtual masks generated on a computer, which are relayed to a digital micromirror array. A 1:1 reflective imaging system forms an ultraviolet image of the virtual mask on the active surface of the glass substrate, which is mounted in a flow cell reaction chamber connected to a DNA synthesizer. Programmed chemical coupling cycles follow light exposure, and these steps are repeated with different virtual masks to grow desired oligonucleotides in a selected pattern. This instrument has been used to synthesize oligonucleotide microarrays containing more than 76,000 features measuring 16 microm 2. The oligonucleotides were synthesized at high repetitive yield and, after hybridization, could readily discriminate single-base pair mismatches. The MAS is adaptable to the fabrication of DNA chips containing probes for thousands of genes, as well as any other solid-phase combinatorial chemistry to be performed in high-density microarrays.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Analysis of the boundaries of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 and the corresponding chromosomal region of Escherichia coli K-12.

We recently identified a pathogenicity island (SPI2) located at 30.7 centisomes on the Salmonella typhimurium chromosome. SPI2 contains genes encoding a type III secretion system whose function is distinct from that of the type III secretion system encoded by a pathogenicity island (SPI1) at 63 centisomes which is involved in epithelial cell entry. An analysis of the boundaries of SPI2 and comparison with the corresponding region of the Escherichia coli chromosome revealed that SPI2 inserted adjacent to the tRNA(Val) gene. The E. coli chromosome contains 9 kb of DNA at the region corresponding to the SPI2 insertion point which appears to be absent in S. typhimurium. The distribution of SPI1 and SPI2 was examined in various Salmonella isolates. In contrast to type III secretion system genes of SPI1, those of SPI2 are not present in Salmonella bongori, which diverged at the first branch point in the Salmonella lineage. These and other data indicate that SPI2 was acquired by a Salmonella strain already harboring SPI1 by horizontal transfer from an unknown source.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1989

Structural and functional studies of the early T lymphocyte activation 1 (Eta-1) gene. Definition of a novel T cell-dependent response associated with genetic resistance to bacterial infection.

We describe a murine cDNA, designated Early T lymphocyte activation 1 (ETA-1) which is abundantly expressed after activation of T cells. Eta-1 encodes a highly acidic secreted product having structural features of proteins that bind to cellular adhesion receptors. The Eta-1 gene maps to a locus on murine chromosome 5 termed Ric that confers resistance to infection by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (RT), an obligate intracellular bacterium that is the etiological agent for human scrub typhus. With one exception, inbred mouse strains that expressed the Eta-1a allele were resistant to RT infection (RicR), and inbred strains expressing the Eta-1b allele were susceptible (RicS). These findings suggest that Eta-1 is the gene inferred from previous studies of the Ric locus (5). Genetic resistance to RT infection is associated with a strong Eta-1 response in vivo and inhibition of early bacterial replication. Eta-1 gene expression appears to be part of a surprisingly rapid T cell-dependent response to bacterial infection that may precede classical forms of T cell-dependent immunity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1987

Human heavy-chain variable region gene family nonrandomly rearranged in familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

We have identified a family of human immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable-region (VH) genes, one member of which is rearranged in two affected members of a family in which the father and four of five siblings developed chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cloning and sequencing of the rearranged VH genes from leukemic lymphocytes of three affected siblings showed that two siblings had rearranged VH genes (VHTS1 and VHWS1) that were 90% homologous. The corresponding germ-line gene, VH251, was found to be part of a small (four gene) VH gene family, which we term VHV. The DNA sequence homology to VHWS1 (95%) and VHTS1 (88%) and identical restriction sites on the 5' side of VH confirm that rearrangement of VH251 followed by somatic mutation produced the identical VH gene rearrangements in the two siblings. VHTS1 is not a functional VH gene; a functional VH rearrangement was found on the other chromosome of this patient. The other two siblings had different VH gene rearrangements. All used different diversity genes. Mechanisms proposed for non-random selection of a single VH gene include developmental regulation of this VH gene rearrangement or selection of a subpopulation of B cells in which this VH has been rearranged.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1984

Homologous recombination catalyzed by mammalian cell extracts in vitro.

An assay was developed to detect recombination events taking place in an in vitro reaction. Extracts of cultured mouse preB lymphocytes were found to catalyze homologous recombination between substrate DNA molecules but not site-specific recombination between cloned mouse immunoglobulin D and J genes. Addition of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates increased the frequency of homologous recombination. This recombination activity was not observed in two differentiated lymphocyte cell lines.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Concerted evolution of the mouse immunoglobulin gamma chain genes.

The nucleotide sequences of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain constant region genes of mouse, C gamma 3, C gamma 1, C gamma 2b and C gamma 2a, together with that of a human equivalent C gamma 4 were compared. All the six pairs of genes within the mouse C gamma gene family contain DNA segments that exhibit marked homology, whereas no such segmental homology was found in interspecies comparisons. This result indicates that the four C gamma genes of the mouse evolved concertedly by exchanging parts of their genetic information with each other either by gene conversion or by double unequal crossing-over. Another example of such concerted evolution was found in gene regions encoding membrane domains of the mouse C gamma chains. We also searched for such segmental homologies in other mammalian C gamma gene families and found at least two more examples in man and guinea-pig. In the mouse C gamma gene family, the silent positions of an exon encoding the third domain of C gamma chains show much greater divergence in sequence than other regions, indicating that the genetic information encoded by this gene region was least scrambled during recent evolution. A phylogenetic tree constructed from the nucleotide differences of this exon demonstrates that at least two C gamma genes had already existed before mammalian radiation. Based on these results, evolution of mammalian C gamma gene families is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1982

Simultaneous expression of immunoglobulin mu and delta heavy chains by a cloned B-cell lymphoma: a single copy of the VH gene is shared by two adjacent CH genes.

The cloned murine B-cell lymphoma line (BCL1) that expresses surface IgM and IgD is considered to be a model for the immunoglobulin gene expression of the mature virgin B cell. Of particular interest is the mechanism by which a single VH gene is shared by two CH genes. We examined the organization of the immunoglobulin heavy chain genes in BCL1 DNA. A single arrangement of CH genes was found with the expressed VHDJH gene complex just 5' to the Cmu gene. The complete DNA sequence of the VH gene was determined. No rearrangement occurred in the intervening DNA between the JH and C mu genes or between the C mu and C delta genes. We conclude that dual expression of mu and delta heavy chains using a single VH gene is accomplished by alternate processing of a primary transcript that encompasses the the VHDJH complex and both CH genes.

Animals↗